“It took three hours, nandi,” Algini said darkly, “for the former Guildmaster to come out of retirement and reconstitute his own bodyguard, also from their retirement. There were immediate arrests. The head of the Guild Council who was in charge of the Machigi affair is not believed to have connections to the renegades—quite the opposite, by appearances, this person having personal reasons against the Taisigi; but it seems neither extreme of bias is reliable, when one allows personal opinion to sway a vote. Guild seniors who had sworn that they had permanently stepped aside are now returning, almost to a man. The urging of some members that the Guild needed new leadership to deal with technological changes in the world, and the willingness of some seniors to step down with the Guildmaster, more than put a very biased viewpoint into office: it set a very dangerous precedent to interdict more moderate members from the information flow. And that realization, and the return of former officers, Bren-ji, thatwas the start of the shift that abruptly stopped the action against Machigi and that moved in force against the renegades, this shadow Guild, as you call it. There had already been unprecedented bloodletting within Guild premises when the coup was reversed. It has now happened twice, this time when the elder officers moved back in. Retirements have been almost universally reversed. In the background of all this turmoil, some time back, Ajuri clan had gained strong influence. But due to financial improprieties, the former Lord Ajuri, who had relatives newly elevated in power and influence within the Guild as reconstituted after Tabini-aiji’s return to power—and much preceding this current incident—had suffered in reputation and lost credit, in every sense. He had died. Lady Damiri lent her personal fortune to her father to cover the debts of her uncle, who was said—said—to have committed suicide. The officers at the head of the Guild continued from Tabini-aiji’s return until the day Tabini-aiji and the aiji-dowager found themselves dangerously underinformed on Guild matters, and they appealed for key officers to retake their power immediately. The investigation that followed, it now makes it seem that certain of the former Lord Ajuri’s papers are missingcwithin Guild offices. There is a strong suspicion that the money paid by the current Lord Ajuri, Damiri-daja’s father, was to prevent an unnamed clan bringing certain communications public. Blackmail, in other words.”
“May one ask—is there any indication which clan?”
“Nandi, the suspicion is—the Kadagidi.”
The clan alleged to be behind the coup, the murders of Tabini’s staff. The enemies of Lord Tatiseigi.
“Incredible.”
“Unfortunately,” Algini said, “credible. The Ajuri, like many smaller clans, took shelter. Their great strength was within Guild clericaladministration. When an upheaval came in the Guild—say that certain members of Ajuri clan were visiting the Kadagidi. One is not certain if Lady Damiri herself knows it. But she is due to find out, since the aiji is disposed to doubt her father’s leadership of Ajuri clan as he has always doubted her uncle’s. You will note, of resources the aiji used when in exile and being hunted by his enemies—the aiji did not appeal to Ajuri Clan. Nor did Damiri-daja ever breach security to do so, so far as we have learned.”
Tano said: “The returning officers of the Guild are dealing with some difficult judgments, nandi, whether certain persons who left and are now considered outlawed did so in good conscience, to resist illicit orders. Murini was essentially a figurehead, with a new Guild leadership guiding his hands. The culpable Guild that went south when the coup collapsed—the Ajuri that went south with them may have been guilty. Or they may only have feared partisanship. It is yet to be decided.”
“Certain ones went south,” Banichi said grimly, “but certain ones even more dangerous had covered their tracks with skill the Guild teaches—and the younger leadership of the Guild had already targeted the Marid lords for removalcwithout telling Tabini-aiji, without consulting senior Guild, without respect for the tradition that keeps the Guild from altering the political makeup or balance of the aishidi’tat. Thatadventurism is what we saw operating, Bren-ji—a great enthusiasm for far too much intervention without restraint. And very possibly with motives we are still unraveling.”
“If the Guild operation against Machigi had gone forward as the Guild leadership of that hour had intended,” Algini said, “the Guild would likely have created a separate administrative district—one Guild administration governing the Marid, where only the Guild would give orders. The information broke first, you may surmise, when Cenedi cracked the wall of secrecy—how he did that, best not to know. But that Guild operation is what the dowager moved instantly to prevent.”
“And she sent me to snatch Machigi back from the brink. The plan was to assassinate Machigi and then the others and rule the Marid from Tanaja, to take care of the Shadow Guild—do you think? To put the Guild itself at the top of the aishidi’tat?”
“We are still finding out,” Algini said. “Now you know far more of Guild affairs than you should, and we are all but Jago in violation of a general directive.”
“By all means, add me to it,” Jago said. “I refuse to be left out. At least, Bren-ji, we believe the Guild will now stabilize, if we do not have another upset or a revelation of more problem man’chiin. Very high officers are being eliminated. And Ajuri influence has gone from very high to ruin.”
“We are again operating clan by clan,” Banichi said, “a principle that ought not to have been abandoned by certain Shejidani units who made a critical decision to accept central leadership and directives above those of their clans, because certainclans persuaded them they were acting selflessly. Machigi’s bodyguard functioned excellently—they areregional, and they obeyed the old rules, defending their own lord, as they should, in every respect.”
“Unfortunately,” Algini said, “no place including the Bujavid will be as safe as we would wish, for perhaps several years to come, and those who have retaken power in the Guild are not young, nor was the retaking of power without bloodletting. We have a relatively limited time to mortar these arrangements back together before we start losing key elements.”
It was a grim report. One hardly knew what to say.
“Protecting you, Bren-ji,” Banichi said, “is of critical importance right now. You intend certain things that your enemies will wish to prevent. The renegade Guild—Shadow Guild is an apt name for them—is particularly anxious to see the cell phone bill pass. It would immensely aid their communications, since they are being worked out of the Guild network, and they still believe you are in favor of it, so they have not moved against you. Your opposition to that bill will upset them almost as much as your support of Lord Machigi, and it will surprise them far more.”
“You are one of five individuals,” Tano said, “that the Guild intends to protect at any cost.”
Tabini, Cajeiri, Ilisidi, Geigi. And him. He would have thought, until this morning, that Lady Damiri would certainly be on the list.
But perhaps no longer.
God, what a mess.
He would add two more to the Guild’s list: Machigi and Tatiseigi; but they might be in the second tier.
Granted that he was at all right about who was in the first five.
But he should not ask. If Tano had wanted to tell him, Tano would have. And if not Tano, Algini.