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Mabin Paladin, the hero of the people, had chosen another way, the
shortsighted way of the bitterly conquered, the vengeance by which the
wronged becomes the wrongdoer and the whole world gives way to war.
When Emil lay down in love with a son of the enemy, he had abandoned
that vengeance, and he was only now beginning to realize what that meant
for him. And Norina Truthken, whose devotion to the law had not been able
to keep her from betraying her dearest friend, what was she going to do
now?
Norina had scarcely spoken a word on this entire journey. She was far from
recovered from childbirth, and her bandaged, milk-swollen breasts must
have hurt her greatly. She took the powders her husband had given her:
reliably, publicly, as though she was doing a kind of penance. In fact she was
doing the only thing a person of honor could do in her position: accepting
disgrace, humbling her pride, making reparations. She would put her life at
risk to do these things, and her life wouldn t be worth much if she could not
accomplish them.
When they stopped to rest the horses and eat their dinner of cold fish and
flatbread, Emil said, I m curious how the law would resolve this paradox
we re in.
Norina snorted in bitter amusement and passed him the jug of water.
Everyone who breaks the law does it for the same reason: because her own
desire, she believes, should take precedence. The question is, which of us is
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FIRE LOGIC - ELEMENTAL LOGIC BOOK 1 - LAURIE MARKS
in fact the lawbreaker, when our governor under the law falls into the error
of thinking she rules the law rather than being ruled by it? Are we right, for
serving Karis s personal interests and thus opposing Mabin? Or are Mabin s
followers right for serving Mabin s personal interests and thus injuring
Karis? This situation is a judge s worst nightmare.
But if Karis is G deon . . .
Norina lifted her head, as though genuinely surprised at the idea. That has
never even been a possibility. But now that she is no longer addicted to
smoke, perhaps everything has changed. If Karis is G deon, that certainly
resolves the moral difficulty. The G deon s role is and always has been to
protect the land, to remember the people, even if that means going beyond
the law. And we are required by law to serve the G deon first. However
She s not the G deon.
It s not as if we had the power to decide such a thing.
So we have a paradox, a puzzle that defies resolution. But not a dilemma,
for we both know exactly what we must do, and we intend to do it. That is
what intrigues me, you see. It s a purely philosophical problem.
Norina groaned, as people often do when they hear the word philosophy,
for the Truthkens are always wanting their truths to be unarguable. So she
seemed to be curing herself with self-mockery, the only cure for the
obsessiveness that is the bane of all Truthkens, and no doubt she was
practicing it as deliberately as she was taking her husband s powders. A
woman of her age and experience could hardly expect to be re-schooled by
anyone except herself. But if she had a true community such schooling
would be the service her people provided. And if Karis were to lack such a
community as well, who would then school her in the right use of her power?
Oh, but if there was one thing Karis did not lack, surely it was wise and
strong-willed friends. And they all would be well advised to not get into the
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FIRE LOGIC - ELEMENTAL LOGIC BOOK 1 - LAURIE MARKS
habit of servicing her whims, even now, when she was so desperately ill. To
do her will without question was no service at all, but an abdication.
What are you thinking that makes you so happy? Norina asked.
Just when I was thinking with despair of a dishonorable and unappealing
retirement, I realize that I may yet have an interesting few years ahead of
me. Madam Truthken
Oh for pity s sake, call me Norina.
Why don t you lie down and rest for a while, and I ll make a good report to
your husband.
She was not so humorless as she had seemed. She was still chuckling when
she lay down on the blanket he brought her, and shut her eyes.
Before dawn the next day, the two of them stood on the canyon s edge
overlooking the Paladins Valley, and waited for sunrise. They actually had
slept for most of the night, and awakened before first light to travel the last
mile on foot, leaving their horses and gear hidden in a glade. If there was an
additional watch being kept on the valley, somehow they d managed to
avoid the trap, and they sat peaceably upon stones overlooking the
magnificent landscape of the canyon. As the sun lifted, pink and gentle light
set the stones to glowing like coal. Norina took a spyglass out of her shirt
she was astonishingly well equipped and scanned the valley below.
Without a word she handed the spyglass to Emil.
The boat was anchored in a deep eddy near the walled village, which had
been built on high ground to avoid being destroyed in the periodic flood
times. The river still lay in shadow, and even at this distance Emil could see
a spark of lantern light upon the deck. As he watched, the sunlight hit the
river, turning it to glowing amethyst, and he saw the figure pacing on the
boat deck, back and forth, like a lion in a cage.
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FIRE LOGIC - ELEMENTAL LOGIC BOOK 1 - LAURIE MARKS
He thought of Zanja, being hauled from a rowboat onto the deck of the
riverboat. Considering her recently broken bones, it was an unpleasant
thought. He gave Norina back her spyglass. She s on that boat, he said, as
certain as he d ever been of anything.
Norina peered down at the river, muttering, I all but gave Mabin the bait
for this trap. What am I going to do about it now?
We, Emil corrected. It s a boat because Karis can t endure boats?
Over water she s an ordinary mortal, and a seasick one at that. No doubt
Mabin will demand that she come aboard, however. And she will comply, if
that will save Zanja s life. We ll have a sorry time trying to stop her, for now
that I ve lost her regard she won t listen to my advice.
I think Karis will listen to me. Certainly, Zanja would want us to prevent
her from putting herself in Mabin s power.
That s one argument that might dissuade Karis, Norina said wryly. Let s
think up a few more on the way back, shall we? We re going to be needing
them.
* * *
When they returned to Otter Lake, they were greeted with an astonishing
sight: black smoke billowing from a crude chimney made of gathered
stones, boatloads of ore and coal drawn up to the shore, a line of Otter
children taking turns at pumping a monstrous bellows, and Karis in the
middle of it, swinging a huge stone hammer to shatter the ore and keeping
an eye on Emil s cookpot, which had now become a smelting pot.
She always was incorrigible, Norina said.
J han came across the beach to greet them, a harried and frustrated man.
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