“Banichi,” Jago said, and about that time there was a hurried movement on the slope, and Banichi added himself to their group.
“Bren-ji,” Banichi said, settling in, and threw a hand signal to Jago and Lucasi. “We need to move around this rock, Bren-ji. Our opposition is maneuvering from the other direction, and there are a number of them. This position will not suffice.”
Not out of the soup yet, that was clear.
“Yes,” Bren said, and he pushed himself toward his feet with a hand on the rock, trying to stay bent over. Jago took his elbow and steered him around the rock and down to a new position.
“I am going back upslope, Bren-ji,” Banichi said. “Keep your head down.”
They were in tight quarters. Bren found himself sandwiched between Jago and Lucasi and the rock. But it might give Jago a better vantage on what was coming.
Jago said something in Guild slang; Lucasi said, “Two clips.”
“Banichi,” Jago said, and something else.
“Yes,” Lucasi said.
Which left the civilian completely underinformed, but there was enough bad news to occupy his mind. He kept waiting for gunshots, and then Lucasi called attention to another blip on his locator.
“Tano and Algini are setting up,” Jago said, Bren was sure, for his sake. She was watching her own wristband. And it flashed.
“There is—” Lucasi began to say.
Gunfire broke out downslope, and it went on.
“They will be moving,” Jago said calmly, and when Bren drew the pistol from his pocket, Jago said, “That will be little help to us, Bren-ji. Stay under cover.”
She had her rifle ready, a heavy pistol laid carefully by her foot; Lucasi set up flat on his belly, this time with his rifle aimed down slope.
Jago said something to him again, and he said, “Yes,” and inched a little closer.
“Cover me while I reload,” she said. “Save your shots, nadi, unless you have a definite target.”
“Yes,” Lucasi said.
The gunfire downslope went on, with momentary pauses. Then a shot came from behind them and over their heads.
“Ready,” Jago said, aiming downslope.
Bren pressed himself close into the rock, trying to give Jago and Lucasi as much room as possible. She fired a burst, a second, and a third.
Fourth and fifth, then. Fire came back and knocked chips off the rock and the sandstone slope beyond them.
Damn, Bren thought. Lucasi fired. Jago reloaded, quick, accurate movements; and fire came over their heads from Banichi’s position.
“Save your shots,” Jago repeated to Lucasi, with iron patience, “unless you see targets.”
“Yes,” he said. “One apologizes, nadi.”
Jago put herself back in position and waited, grim-faced.
It was quiet for a moment. Lucasi’s locator flashed.
“Locator,” Bren said, figuring that neither of them had attention to spare for it; and Jago took a look, then pushed a button on her own several times.
“Watch downslope,” Jago admonished Lucasi.
“Yes,” he said.
Tano and Algini might be in trouble down there, Bren thought; and then Jago said,“The dowager’s guard.”
“Here?” Bren asked, one sharp question, and then all hell broke loose on the slope, shots going off and echoing off the heights, and Banichi was shooting over their heads.
Lucasi let off a shot, simultaneously with Jago’s.
“I claim the next, nadi,” Jago said. “You are down to three shots. Reserve them.”
“Yes,” Lucasi said, and wriggled back a little.
Another burst of fire from below. Bren just tried to make himself part of the rock. He had his hand in his pocket, holding his pistol. He had remembered to take the safety off.
Then amid it all, a flurry of light from Jago’s bracelet, three times repeated.
Jago cast a look upslope, braced her rifle against her body, and tapped one button three times.
Three flashes came back, and Jago pressed the audio plug in her ear.
“Lord Machigi’s guard,” Jago said, “is entering the vicinity.”
Good God, Bren thought, feeling a cold chill. “On what side?”
She held up a cautioning finger, listening.
“They likely do not expect to find us at close range with them. Depending on their objective—which may be, opportunistically, Kajiminda—our presence here may startle them.
We have no word indicating Lord Machigi’s whereabouts.” A moment more of silence.
“Banichi believes they are presently on the road we used. On our track.”
The silence from downslope persisted—until a single shot from below added one more quandary to the debate.
What in hell were Machigi’s forces doing—if not chasing them? They had a damned war going on in their district, and Machigi decided to make a grab for Kajiminda? Damn him!
Or could a coup have put somebody else in charge of Machigi’s guard?
“Can you contact him, Jago-ji?” Damn the rules on Guild communication. “Tell his guard to stand off. We have enough going on here!”
“Banichi has the communications.”
Twice damn it.
“Can you signal him to contact them?” he asked. “Tell them to stand off.”
“Yes,” she said, and relayed something in verbal code, and nodded.
“Nawari signals presence,” she said with a deep and relieved sigh.
That was the dowager’s guard.
And early. They had been on their way before Dur had shown up. Thank God.
The area was quiet, now. They were hearing nothing from the enemy.
But they had one shiny new problem.
Machigi.
And he’d promised to represent the man.
Where did thatcome in?
They could hike back to the van and deal with Machigi. They could hike to Kajiminda and have the Edi—
God. The Edi.
The Edi were holding Kajiminda. Machigi was on a road in a direct line with the spur to Kajiminda, with a likelihood of going there.
Do what? Go back to the van? Hope Machigi didn’t open fire— hopethat he could get Machigi to turn around and keep away from Kajiminda. Hope that it was even Machigi in charge of that lot of Taisigi—if they were Taisigi?
He didn’t know if he could walk that far. The blisters had gotten bad. He wanted to take the damned boots off, but he knew the rocks and dry weeds would finish the job. He wanted to shed the damned vest, but this was certainly no place and no situation in which to do it.
Damn, he thought, weary and hurting. Just damn.
Things were going rapidly to hell.
Jago, however, had remained in active communication with Banichi. She took a look downslope and then urged them to move out.
Down. Into the open.
God, he thought. They were going to get shot. He levered himself up, however, and did it, with Lucasi holding his left arm and limping on the slope, and Jago holding Lucasi on the other side. It was a long, long descent toward the rocks that had sheltered their attackers. One lay dead there. A bloody trail led off to the east.
Something moved, a dark figure from around that corner that scared hell out of him. Algini had joined them, and Jago had immediately taken position by a towering rock, rifle aimed upslope.
Someone was coming down. But Jago just held her position. Banichi, Bren thought, and he was right. Banichi arrived as Jago turned her back to the rock and let him past—Banichi carrying a heavy lot of gear with him.
“Bren-ji,” Banichi said pleasantly, as if they had met in the house. And then, utterly businesslike: “Nawari has sent for the bus. He will intercept it for us and hold it. But we have our other difficulty. Which direction, Bren-ji?”
A ride. Instead of a walk. But the question remained.
And not a question. Not with the whole west coast settlement in jeopardy.
“Both the Edi and Machigi know that bus,” he said. “With it, we stand a chance, nadiin-ji, of getting their attention.”