Look Beyond What You See

Portents of War

 "What do you mean?" I inquire, voice trembling slightly for fear of the extreme reactions of the Berkeley men. "Surely the assassination of one man, however awful for the family and the country, ought not to result in a war on the scale you expect."

"If all persons on Earth were rational, I could agree with you," Wesley replies wearily. "But such is not the case. The Archduke was the heir to the throne of the Austrian Empire. Understandably, the Austrians are extremely upset. My sources in Austria say that they are demanding restitution from the Serbian government. The Serbs, meanwhile, claim that the perpetrator of this crime is a member of an extremist fringe group and has nothing to do with the Serbian government, and thus they view the Austrian demands for restitution from the Serbian government as nothing less than ridiculous."

"The rest should be easy enough, from our studies," Dmitri adds. "You know how closely allied Austria and Germany are, and how Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany has been spoiling for a chance to show off the arsenal he's been building. He will be all for a war if he can get involved, and Serbia will call on Russia for protection if Austria or Germany attacks it. Russia is allied with France and Britain, and so those countries might also be dragged into the conflict."

"Not just those countries, either, but all their colonies could become involved," Wesley continues. "Most of Africa will be plunged into war, and India. Does not your sister currently live there? You ought to write to her, and see what intelligence they have about what might become of that colony."

"I will write to her tonight. I have been meaning to, in any case, since I received my last letter from her," I reply, frantically trying to process this speculation about the turmoil that could shortly take over our lives. "What will our role be in all of this?"

"We will have to wait and see. Fortunately, Zinaida and I will not be pulled in opposite directions by this particular network of alliances. But it is my understanding that the de Poitiers family, despite residing in France, has stronger ties to the Germans than to France. Xenia in particular has a network of sorceresses there, and also the small clan of darkness elementals has aligned itself with the German government. You must be strong in whatever allegiance you choose. Any double dealings will not be tolerated."

"My place is with you," I reply immediately, taking Dmitri's hand. "There is no love lost between my birth family and myself, and I would never help them to the detriment of my relations with you. You are my family now." Dmitri smiles at me sideways, keeping his eyes towards his father, who seems similarly pleased by this response.

"What of the water elementals? Their allegiances vary, do they not? Will they also try to secure Aerys' loyalty?" Dmitri inquires. My head is spinning. I had not even thought of that. What business have they with me? I am no elemental, just a girl with some talent for magic.

"They have split themselves between Italy and Greece, I believe, and are too busy enjoying the Mediterranean to bother about whatever conflicts the rest of Europe may be embroiled in. At least in these beginning stages, I do not believe we have anything to fear from them," Wesley asserts. I breathe a sigh of relief. The news of my grandparents' political allegiance combined with the idea that they might try to influence me was worrisome enough. I don't want to cause problems for the Berkeleys, nor to be involved with this at all. I feel I will have enough to worry about, what with the wedding plans and everything.

"Has the British government contacted you about the possibility of war yet, or have the Russians contacted your wife?" I ask Wesley. My father-in-law-to-be shakes his head.

"They haven't any reason to, as yet. We still have hope, however minuscule, that this conflict will be resolved peaceably."

"So what action will we take now?"