Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 368
"Am I mecha?" he asked Ka.
"You have mecha in you," it said.
"Ka!" cried the magician, aloud this time. He stood alone
in the alley, hands clasped at his sides. He seemed on the
verge of tears.
Jordan wanted to know more, but Tamsin was pulling at
him, and he felt pity for the poor magician, who did not know
what was happening. "Return to your magician," Jordan told
Ka.
Ka fluttered away. A moment later Jordan opened his
eyes to see the man raise one hand into the air as if caressing
something. His shoulders slumped in relief, then he began
swearing and looking around.
The magician’s gaze fell on Jordan, and stopped. What
could he do? Jordan met his eye, smiled ironically, and
shrugged.
The magician recoiled as if Jordan had slapped him.
Then he backed away and raised one finger to point at Jordan.
"You get away from me!" he shouted. "Get away, you hear?"
"Jordan!" Tamsin shook him. "Come on!"
They ran together into the crowd, Tamsin worried,
Jordan stunned with new possibilities. He wanted to ask the
magician where he’d found Ka, how he had discovered he
could command the thing, why the desal tolerated his
manipulations of a minor Wind. Above all, Jordan wanted to
know why the Winds would speak to him and this man, and no
one else here.
Ah, but that’s just the question Armiger came here to
answer, he reminded himself. Armiger himself can’t speak to
the Winds.
Though they were now two streets away, he concentrated
and said, "Ka, why are the Winds after me?"