“But the transfer of funds had not reached Saigimi, who was, of course, out of his district, being involved with the lily matter. So he didn’t know, need I say, that Geigi was free, and in mydebt, and gave no warning when Geigi showed up to see whether the way was clear for me. Silly man, he thought Geigi had come to see his cousin, who was there for, well, safe-keepingin Direiso’s care.
“It was quite a little conference. And, not wholly relying on Geigi’s inexperienced judgment, why, I showed up at the door and asked admittance before Geigi had even made his report to me. The foolish woman was distracted from the back entry. I always saidDireiso had no qualifications for high office. And shesaid she was electable as I am not. Well, well, she probably was electable, being ofthe Padi Valley and a westerner. If she didn’t look a fool.”
Now he knew why Ilisidi had spoken freely in front of the boy from Dur, who was probably terrified of hearing so much detail of conspiracy against the aiji.
Twice the national legislature had voted against Ilisidi becoming aiji in Shejidan, the story was, because she was believed apt to take bloody revenge on enemies inthe legislature; twice that he knewof, now, Ilisidi had been involved in conspiracy that might have led to Tabini’s overthrow, and this time had made a thorough fool of Direiso. If she had ever admitted what she had said in others’ hearing, his security hadn’t reported it and Tabini had professed to him not to know.
As Tabini might notknow. Ilisidi would delight in putting Tabini in a place where he had to rely on her simply because maneuvering the aiji of Shejidan into such a position exercised muscles and gave the dowager pleasure, damned if not. The plague of my life, Tabini called her; and never, that he knew, nevermade a move against his grandmother.
“Dowager-ji,” he said softly, “you areamazing.”
“Ah, but I should have shot that woman.”
“As seems now,” Cenedi said, “but then—who knew what would come from the sky?”
Hedging her bets against the ship keeping its word. Cenedi hadn’t revealed that, either, without the dowager’s implied permission, but far fewer in this company would understand it in all its meaning.
“One needs ultimately,” Ilisidi said, “to draw all these elements together. But this distasteful human woman, one takes it, withthe help of the Presidentof Mospheira, is continuing her meddling. She knew contacts. She knew where to send such messages to have them fall on willing ears. She evidently gathered such information quite freely while she was dealing with Saigimi—whose demise was timely. I dare say, timely.”
What does thatmean? he wondered in some distress, but consciously didn’t frown.
The rags of cloud had flown over them. There was thunder, definitely, in the distance. The sky flickered over their heads, reminding one of metal tent frames and their situation at the crest of the promontory—save the knoll behind the tents.
“It was well done,” Ilisidi said, and chuckled softly. “So was Badissuni’s indigestion.”
“Nand’ dowager,” Jago said as if she had received a compliment.
He at least had suspected. He wasat least keeping up with situations. Badissuni might have joined Direiso in her adventurism in the north. Badissuni was in the hospital—but alive—and Ajresi still had Badissuni to worry about, so hewas out of the game.
“Time for bed,” Ilisidi said, and the woman who used a cane to get about and who had complained for years that she was dying used it now to lever herself up with smoother grace than a much younger human whose muscles had stiffened from sitting on the ground. “Early to rise,” the dowager proclaimed, looked up, and smiled at the lightning. “Lovely weather. A new year. Springon the coast.”
20
What was she saying?” Jase asked in a whisper as they went toward the tent. Jase caught his arm. “What was going on?”
“A little information,” Bren said. Thunder rumbled above them, and he could feel Jase flinch. He saw Banichi and Jago in converse a little distance away, and guessed that they had heard detail they had never heard, the same as he had. “Banichi and Jago killed lord Saigimi,” he said to Jase, “at Tabini’s order. But the dowager said she took Deana Hanks away from Direiso when Direiso kidnapped her last year. That dispute was what you parachuted into.”
“Factions.” Jase knew that word.
“Factions. She’s saying that Saigimi’s wife was trying to get lord Geigi’s land and title, and she prevented it. So Geigi helped herget Deana away from lady Direiso. Tabini let Deana go. Now Deana’s behind some radio broadcasts to Direiso’s followers, talking against Tabini. And I wouldn’t be surprised if, sometime during our trip, we don’t go up to Mogari-nai and express the aiji’s andthe dowager’s discontent with them losing our mail and not acting aggressively to prevent those broadcasts. That’s a huge electronics installation. If it’s letting some little handheld radio communicate with the mainland—” Thunder cracked and Jase jumped, his face stark and scared in the lightning flash. “—it’s not doing its job very well.”
“Will they shoot?”
“Mogari-nai? No. That’s not their job. The Messengers’ Guild holds Mogari-nai. The Assassins’ Guild is with Tabini. Open conflict isn’t going to benefit the Messengers’ Guild, I can tell you that. Better get inside.” He’d seen Banichi leave the brief conversation and go out into the dark, possibly for nothing more than call of nature; but he wasn’t sure. “I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t worry about the thunder. Lightning’s the threat. But it hits the tallest thing around. Keep lower than the tent roof and you’re fine.”
It wasn’t true. But the mechieti were in more danger.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to our security, nadi. Go inside. Don’t worry about it.” Wind was battering them, ruffling and snapping the canvas. A fat, cold drop splashed down on him as he went to that endmost tent.
Jago had seen him coming. She waited for him in the pelting early drops of rain.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, fearful, despite the assurances he’d given Jase, that there might be more going on than he knew about.
“Yes,” Jago said, and caught his arm, pulling him toward the inside of the tent. “Come in out of the rain, Bren-ji.”
It was their tent. Hers and Banichi’s, compact for atevi, affording her no room to stand. It was warmer, instantly. Softer than the ground, insulated by an inflated bottom fabric. Black as night. He couldn’t see a thing. Possibly she could.
“You did very well,” Jago said in a hushed tone. “You did verywell, Bren-ji.”
“One hoped,” he said.
“She wished to say such things in the boy’s hearing, and you afforded her the audience she needed. You asked about Deana’s kidnapping. Did it occur to you to ask about your own?”
The thought had crossed the depths of his mind, while Ilisidi was confessing to things Tabini’s security had worked hard to learn. “I feared it might divert us. I take it that it isa second matter.”
Lightning showed her shadow against the dim fabric of the tent. Something hard and dangerous and metal met his hand. His hand closed on a pistol grip. “This is yours, Bren-ji. I took it from your luggage. Keep it inside your coat.”
His heart was beating fast enough to get his attention now. “Are we in such danger?”
“Do you remember the getting of this gun?”
“Tabini gave it to me.”
“No. Banichigave it to you.”
It was true. He couldn’t tell one from the other. On holiday at Taiben, he and Tabini had shot at melons and broken Treaty law—before he’d ever met Ilisidi.