Imager’s Intrigue Read Online Free PDF

opponent of ancillary water rights, especially to freeholders who use them to produce grain in dry years.”
    “I think I need more of an explanation.”
    “Think of ancillary water rights as the right to divert excess water in high run-off times. Broussard has obtained considerable such rights on the Piedra River. This infuriated Haebyn, and he has tried to come up with every possible way to give grain shipments from High Holders priority on the ironway. He pressured Glendyl to delay delivery of locomotives to ironway companies that didn’t provide that priority. There were even rumors that golds changed hands, and there were apparently some delays. Needless to say, Broussard was less than pleased about such efforts, and he persuaded Caartyl to push through an amendment to the Cartage Code that made granting priority on any commercial transport a matter only of shipping charges, with criminal penalties for violations, both for the carrier and anyone who attempted to obtain such a priority.”
    “You could only get priority if you wanted to pay for it?” That made sense to me; but then, my father was a factor.
    Dichartyn nodded.
    “What sort of pressure was Haebyn exerting?” I knew all too well what sorts of tactics High Holders could employ.
    “Works engineers who suffered accidents. Delays in obtaining iron plate or tubing. Nothing fatal and nothing easily traceable. All well away from any of our collegia or even from any regionals. It all stopped once the code was amended.”
    “That suggests Broussard could have a few enemies, possibly beyond Haebyn. And Broussard had to go to Caartyl? I don’t see why Glendyl wouldn’t want to push such a proposal, and even if he didn’t, what about the other factors on the Council, such as Reyner or Diogayn?”
    “Glendyl doesn’t want to call attention to himself or his manufacturing. He has the rights to the steam turbines all the newer Navy ships use. His engineers developed them, but he’s managed to keep the processes to himself…as well as all the contracts.”
    “So he’s the sole supplier to the Navy? And a councilor?”
    “Solidar is far from perfect, Rhenn.”
    “But what about the other factors on the Council? Surely, they…”
    “Do you know of many who go against the High Holders who don’t risk their lives, Rhenn?”
    “Point taken.” I laughed, softly. Once I would have been mortified at the gentle correction.
    “The Guild Councilors have more power, in a sense, because targeting a single member won’t change matters that much; while individual factors, especially those with competitors, could lose much. Glendyl doesn’t want to risk losing contracts worth hundreds of thousands of golds, but pressure on a Guild Councilor is just likely to make the others madder.”
    I could see that. “How many High Holders would have access to explosives experts?”
    “I assume you’re going to find out.”
    “I’ll look into it, but since it didn’t happen in my district…. You know how the Commander feels about that.” And Cydarth, but I didn’t say that. The subcommander and I tolerated each other.
    “That’s something Schorzat might know, also. I’ll ask him.” He paused and offered a smile. “You’ll come to dinner on Vendrei night? Sixth glass? Aelys hoped you and Seliora would.”
    “We’ll be there.” I wanted to ask who else might be coming, but didn’t. Dichartyn was still my superior in the Collegium, since technically I was merely on loan to the Civic Patrol.
    Once I finished with Master Dichartyn—I didn’t tell him about the elveweed, since there was no point to that, not yet—I hurried back to the house, just in time to sit down at the table in the breakfast room where we usually ate at night with Diestrya when we didn’t have company. These days, that was usually the case.
    Seliora said the blessing. “For the grace that we all owe each other, for the bounty of the earth of which we are about to partake, for good faith