And had been a spoiled brat at that one meeting, when his mother had had to beg him to come down to dinner. There was a problem, in establishing man’chi with that person. A serious problem.
“Then why,” Bren said, divorcing himself from all mercy, “did you not visit me? Why did you not, knowing I am connected to the regime, come hereto consult Ramaso, knowing that your estate has had problems in security? Why did you not propose coming here instead, when you knew I proposed to visit you with the young lord?”
“Because—because they would never agree!”
“They,” the dowager snapped. “ Theywould not agree and you knew it!”
“Aiji-ma!”
“Your aishid would not come here,” Bren said sharply. “And you are quite sure they would not have approved the visit. Do you or do you not lead the house?”
“Where are the Edi?” Ilisidi asked from the other side. “Is your staff still alive, or did they leave you?”
“Some—some are there, aiji-ma. Some stayed!”
“While you assure one side and the other of your good intentions,” Bren shot at him, “all the while courting the Marid? Explainthis to a simple human. One fails to understand this complexity. But one very well understands your motives in rushing to find our lost boat!”
“No!” Baiji cried. “Nand’ dowager, one had no idea you were here! One had no idea the heir was here at all, or that you were! A village child, he said. He said it was a simple accident—”
“Really?” she asked. “You have no source of gossip, considering we arrived at the public airport in quite a large plane? You have no news from Dalaigi Township? None from the market? We are quite astounded, nandi!”
“No, no, no, we had no idea.”
“Then your aishid failed to inform you of a critical event, one touching on your welfare. What a remarkable thing!”
“We saved your great-grandson, aiji-ma! We had no advisement of the dowager’s presence! We had no warning of any such incident! The Tasaigi had contacted me days ago—one had no idea they were advised—”
“By your own staff. You arenot the aiji on this peninsula,” Ilisidi said. “You are not even aiji over your estate. You are the major domo for your uncle, who does not make mistakes like this. You will notremain lord of Kajiminda, let alone of Sarini province!”
“Aiji-ma!”
“We will choose one of the Edi, with adequate guard of our choosing, to manage the estate in your uncle’s name, granted we can correct these matters short of regional war. And thank me that you are not awaiting your funeral, boy, nandi no longer! Nand’ Bren.”
“Aiji-ma.”
“This person will lodge here until we have exhausted the information we may draw from him. Keep him comfortably situated, for the sake of his uncle. But do notgive him freedom of the grounds.”
“Yes, aiji-ma.” Bren caught the eye of the servant, who had cautiously rescued the fragments of the teacup. “Advise Ramaso-nadi.”
A silent bow, a quiet departure. Baiji, having gathered himself onto his knees, continued to rock to and fro in distress.
“We are appalled,” Ilisidi said, and, leaning on her cane, and with Cenedi’s hand, rose. “Cenedi. Get my great-grandson back.”
“Banichi,” Bren said. “With the dowager’s permission, my bodyguard will assist. And I shall. Personally.”
“Nandi,” Banichi said, with a small nod.
Ilisidi’s men gathered up Baiji, who made no protest to being taken away from Ilisidi’s vicinity, and escorted him out.
“We shall bothbe involved, nand’ paidhi,” Ilisidi said. “Is the bus damaged?”
“Not significantly,” he said, “granted a hole in the back roof and the resources we have to replace a rear tire—if not a wheel.”
“Be ready,” Ilisidi said.
That was a dismissal. Bren bowed, gathered his aishid, and went out into the hall, where Ramaso waited.
“We have disposed nand’ Baiji in staff quarters downstairs,” Ramaso said, and with a distressed look. “It is the only place we can secure.”
It had no windows. His brother and Barb, Cajeiri, the aiji-dowager, Cenedi, her physician and her young men—guests had collectively taken the last suites left in the house. He could draw his own aishid into his suite and gain that room, but better Baiji have just a little less lordly accommodation. No windows was a good idea, not only considering Baiji trying to go out a window—he could not imagine it—but considering someone trying to come in.
“Are the storm shutters in order?” he asked. “I want them ready, if you get the word.”
“They are, nandi.”
“And Iscarti,” he said. “Is there news regarding Iscarti?”
“Awake, nandi. Very weak, but the dowager’s physician is encouraging.”
“I will see him as soon as I possibly can,” he said. “He saved us, Rama-ji. If he had not gotten the bus to us despite being shot, we might all be dead. He deserves the best we can do. The very best. One will never forget it.”
“One will convey that to him,” Ramaso said, “nandi.”
His bodyguard had gathered around him. “Nadiin-ji,” he said to them as Ramaso left, “the paidhi-aiji owes you the greatest of apologies. My foolishness divided the aishid, sending you to Barb and Toby. It was even numerically infelicitous.” None of them believed in the superstitions, not in the least, but there were reasons, with the Guild, that they worked in odd numbers—counting the one they protected. He had slipped that far from ordinary, and basic, considerations. “One cannot say enough—this was very much my fault.”
“We were taken by surprise,” Banichi said ruefully. “Not by the Guildsmen. We would not letthem position themselves. We would have shot them had they had made a move—we would have taken them down when shots were fired.”
“But?”
“But the young lord moved to disadvantage relative to his guards. Return fire would have come at him.”
“He moved apart,” Jago said, as if that summed up everything. To a certain extent, it did.
“Everyone has worked hard to waken the proper sensibilities in the young gentleman,” Banichi said. “And he moved in his own direction.” A rueful shrug. “Aiji.”
“ Wheredid he go, ’Nichi-ji?”
“Into the bushes, the nearest cover. They may not have found him. If his companions have learned anything in their training, he will not stir until dark. Then he may attempt to come here. Thatis our greatest concern. The Southerners may not have the equipment in place to find him—yet; and they may not have clearly seen that we did not get the youngsters aboard the bus. But there will be action, tonight. They will be expecting us. They may come herein the thought we may throw all our resources into attacking Kajiminda.”
“One fears we may have to. To what extent do you think they have taken over nand’ Geigi’s estate?”
“If the nephew is truthful,” Tano said, “and some Edi staff have stayed on—possibly out of man’chi to Lord Geigi—we must use caution. Certainly all armed staff are likely to be infiltrators.”
Any of the Edi that had tried to leave—would be lucky to survive the attempt. It was a terrible thought. These were decent people, all of them, staff of a good lord, who had appointed a reasonably decent woman to stand in his stead.
“One wonders how Baiji’s mother died,” Bren said. “She was sickly, but not that old.”
“She was not,” Jago agreed. “And one is suspicious.”
“One would not accuse the man of matricide,” Tano said. “Of weakness, of stupidity, both these things. The Tasaigi may have well known who they wanted in such a key position, and taken action to put him there.”