The walls of Ridvan’s room were draped in red cloth. Nobody had ever figured out whether it was for insulation, to dampen sound, or just because the old man liked red and didn’t want to bother having the walls painted. It was a hot topic of rumor throughout Fort Beauty.

Jeddy lay in bed, covered in a red comforter with a bandage around his head. He had taken some shrapnel in the blast.

Aadam and Huwaa’ were standing over him, looking worried. Harun was behind them, his face twisted in a maelstrom of emotions. Locksley was also there, at Severide’s insistence, to learn from the experience. Benjamin was there because Ridvan had called for him.

Ridvan looked up at the Leading Couple.

“There is a divisive influence in the free lands,” he said weakly.

“They tried to murder you after Kath had won,” Aadam said.

Ridvan shook his head. “Someone plotted to murder me before they knew who would win. They had no way of knowing who would win. The bomb was clearly on a timer of some sort.”

Harun shook his head, barely keeping his rage and grieving in check.

“They murdered my wife. And,” he regained control of himself, “they sought to eliminate the one voice who might expose Angela Belle. Or Coranobis. ”

“Harun,” Aadam snapped. “This rivalry with your cousin—”

“His wife is my cousin.” Harun and Aadam stared at each other. Jeddy knew the captain had suffered a great loss. God only knew where his mind must be.

“My son,” Ridvan said to Aadam. “Please.”

Aadam turned toward the window. Huwaa’ put her hand on his elbow.

“Husband, where would we be if Jeddy had died today?”

Ridvan shook his head. Someone had died today. Harun’s wife. And Colonel Culver might still die from his wounds. The old man sat up.

“Jeddy!” Huwaa’ said. Aadam stepped forward. Ridvan waved them off, annoyed.

“Young Locksley,” he said, trying to change the subject, “have the men made you ready for the field?”

Locksley glanced at Harun, whose tight face showed he was somewhere else, then nodded at Jeddy Ridvan.

The old man smiled.

“And, Young Benjamin, are you ready to seek out the power to talk through the air?”

Locksley looked at Benjamin, then at Harun for an explanation. Harun shook his head.

Benjamin nodded, glancing to Aadam and Huwaa’.

“I know, Jeddy, that Alexandra will take up my duties while I look for the knowledge you seek.”

“You were studying my notes during the contest,” Ridvan said, “as I requested?”

Benjamin nodded.

“I got through them and started taking my own notes from them.”

“Then, it is as it should be,” Ridvan said.

Harun huffed.

“Jeddy, someone tried to assassinate you! And they murdered my wife!”

Ridvan nodded at him with tears suddenly in his eyes. Harun winced apologetically.

“Yes,” the old man said, “She was a good woman and a good wife. Loyal to Orange. And it is now upon you, Harun, to avenge her.”

Harun breathed heavily, his mouth and eyes struggling not to cry. His fists were clenched in anger.

“And you, Jeddy.”

“Avenge her and me, then,” Ridvan said. “Who did this?”

Harun stared at the floor. “I do not know.”

“You will ferret it out,” Ridvan said. “Who would seek to rid Orange of me? The Shenandoah Kingdom? One of the free lands: Tidewater, Nova, Fredericksburg? Or the Union?”

“Jeddy,” Harun said. “This is too much. I am a field captain.”

“You ferreted out that the kingdom was camping on the ridge.”

“With Severide’s help.”

“Then,” Ridvan said, with a general wave of his hand. “Seek Severide’s help.”

Harun nodded.

“I’ll help,” said Locksley.

Ridvan laughed weakly, in pain from his wounds. “And seek Locksley’s help.”

Harun nodded with a grin at the boy’s bravado. “I will.”

The door opened, a guard peeking in to speak. Before he could, Lieutenant Severide rushed in.

“Speak of Ibliss,” Ridvan chuckled weakly. He waved at the guard, who shrugged and closed the door.

“What is it?” Harun asked of his lieutenant.

Severide held out a fist.

“Some debris from the Jeddy’s chair.”

Harun looked crestfallen, fearing absurdly that it was part of his wife. He sighed. Severide would know not to do that.

The lieutenant unwound his fist, palm up. There was a metal device in it, coils of copper with some wires and plates attached, all of it bent and burned from the blast.

Ridvan gasped. Benjamin’s eyes went wide. The others noted their surprise and glanced back-and-forth among each other.

“What?” Harun said.

“What is it?” said Huwaa’.

“You see this?” Ridvan said to Benjamin.

“I do,” said the boy. “It’s a radio receiver.”

“What?” said Aadam, pointing at the blackened metal in Severide’s hand. “This talked through the air?”

Ridvan groaned and sighed. He took several breaths as he propped himself on his elbows.

“Radio technology can carry a voice. But, a simpler version can also carry a trigger. Benjamin?”

The boy nodded.

“A burst on a single frequency,” he said to Ridvan.

“Frequency?” Severide said.

The boy nodded shyly. “Like… a specific color of radio.”

Aadam and Huwaa’ nodded as if they understood.

“It could create a spark,” Benjamin said, “to ignite a bomb.”

Ridvan nodded, his eyes betraying a deep sense of worry.

“How could you know this?” Harun said, first to Ridvan then to Benjamin..

“Based on what I read in the Jeddy’s notes,” the boy went on, “a device like that could have exploded a bomb someone planted in Jeddy’s chair.”

Ridvan leaned back in his bed. “Why else would it be found there?”

Severide handed the device to Harun, who held it up quizzically to Aadam and Huwaa’.

“This is from before the Package?” Aadam said.

Ridvan nodded, then gestured at the thing in Harun’s hand.

“That is based on knowledge from long before,” he said. “Very simple, without any advanced material that would have been eaten up by the Package.”

The Leading Couple shared a confused look.

“But how” Huwaa’ started.

Benjamin glanced at his feet, but then stepped forward.

“It would receive a single-frequency signal from a…” He glanced up at Aadam and Huwaa’. “From a transmitter, a second device sending a radio signal that caused the bomb to explode.”

Ridvan nodded in admiration. Aadam and Huwaa’ shared a horrified look.

“Like a trigger,” Aadam said, “that talks through the air instead of steel and flint?”

Benjamin nodded.

“But who held the trigger?” Harun said. “How would they know when to pull it? Were they watching the contest? Does it act immediately or is there a stall like with gunpowder?”

Benjamin glanced at Ridvan. The old man nodded him to go on.

“There could be a delay,” the boy said, thoughtfully, “between the transmitter… the trigger… being activated and the bomb going off. I mean, depending on the design of the bomb, or signal strength. And, the bomb was probably gunpowder.”

Severide squinted at the boy.

“That would be a lot of gunpowder.”

Ridvan sighed.

“I had a new boy carrying my chair today. Giving him an honor by enlisting him for the contest. He wouldn’t have recognized the extra weight as a red flag.”

Harun settled his shoulders and tossed the device back to Severide. Ridvan could see the captain had realized his wife was not the target. Ridvan was.

Aadam and Huwaa’ shared a resolved look.

“Boy, you are relieved of all of your regular duties,” Huwaa’ said. “Identify another to clean chimneys in your stead.”

Benjamin bowed.

“I can teach chimney cleaning to any one of the servants in a few hours.”

“All of your time,” said Aadam, “must be spent helping Jeddy Ridvan unlock this power.”

Huwaa’ touched her husband’s arm.

“After he has taught another to clean the chimneys.”

Aadam nodded.

“The chimneys should be okay until spring,” Benjamin said to nobody in particular.

“Good boy,” Aadam said with a wide grin.

“Jeddy,” Harun said. “Who could have this power?”

“The kingdom,” said Ridvan. “One of the free lands. The Union.”

“Working through someone,” Harun said. “Angela or Coranobis.”

“Or Kath,” Aadam said with a tight face.

Harun glared at him.

“The bomb,” said Huwaa’, “was set before the contest.”

Harun huffed in annoyance, but Ridvan nodded.

“Maybe even Cumber Six,” the old man said.

“The wild king?” Aadam said.

Severide shared a knowing look with Harun. Memories of the king’s men killed by the wild folk.

“The ramkin is a formidable scholar,” Ridvan said. “And he has a role to play in the politics between the free lands.”

“You think he did this?” Harun said.

The old man pointed at him.

“Who did this,” said Ridvan, “is for you and Severide and Locksley to ferret out.”