“Even abandoning the matter of your sister,” Tatiseigi said bluntly.
“If I do, she will have died to some higher purpose, nandi, than the usual regional dispute. She will have died for something worth dying for. In order for us to deliver the conditions in which the agreement of Machigi and Sidi-ji can work, the tribal districts have to be at peace, and to put them at peace, the legislature has to approve their admission to the aishidi’tat and remove them from dependency on my clan. I back that proposal. One hopes, nandi, one extravagantly hopes for your vote in support.”
“One asks,” Ilisidi said, “Tati-ji. Tryour way. We have ample recourse if it fails. We have built in precautions such as your objections have suggested, notably Guild action. We need you, Tati-ji.”
There was a moment of stark silence. Then a nod from Tatiseigi. “We shall agree,” Tatiseigi said, jaw clamped as if he were forcing the words. “You know, Sidi-ji, the political cost of this will be heavy.”
“You will gain, Tati-ji, and you may suffer the jealousy of your neighbors for that. We know the risk—and we know some of your neighbors, as do you. We ask you not visit Tirnamardi at any time in the coming weeks. We offer personnel to secure and protect Tirnamardi.”
“They will notbe Taibeni, Sidi-ji!”
“They will not be Taibeni.”
God—inserting more bodyguards onto Tatiseigi’s staff? Maybesomebody who could wade in, replace several antiquated and overly expensive security systems, and get decisions made. That was his first thought: Tatiseigi assassinated and his vital succession over Atageini Clan coming down to Cajeiri would be monumental.
Second thought: Under ordinary circumstances, Tatiseigi would have set his feet and demanded favors or outright refused; but the old man was not stupid. By backing the agreement, he had great reason to worry about his next-door neighbors and strongest rivals, the Kadagidi, who were trying to regain their political power and would use it for capitalcbut by opposing Ilisidi, he set himself aside as useless, because he assuredly would never back the Kadagidi.
Cajeiri’s feet swung. He stopped them, but his eyes moved from Geigi to Tatiseigi. The boy understood. He’d been there when Tatiseigi’s antiquated systems had nearly gotten them all killed. Cajeiri knew everyone’s opinions. Hehad his opinions on his great-uncle’s feelings about the Taibeni. He knew all about his great-grandmother’s plan and the situation on the coast. And one hoped to God he knew he shouldn’t say a thing at the moment. Not a thing.
Lips went taut with restraint.
In a very long silence.
“I have avoided war all my life,” Tatisiegi said. “This is consistency on my part.” A nod, then. “The Atageini accept the proposal. We will back this program, specifically on your recommendation, Sidi-ji.”
They’d doneit, Bren thought.
And he asked himself how much of Lord Tatiseigi’s movement in their direction had to do with the ongoing situation Tabini had warned him about, the situation with Lady Damiri’s other relatives, who were fighting to remove Tatiseigi’s influence from the ruling house in Shejidan and bring in their own to stand near Tabini-aiji.
Not to mention the situation within the Guild—the recent situation, and the prior situation, and the fact they were not likely to have eliminated every vestige of the shadow Guild. If there was a place the shadow Guild was supposedto have been eliminated—it was from the house of the Kadigidi, Murini’s clan, Lord Tatisiegi’s neighbor to the east. Tatiseigi had forever the Taibeni on one side and the Kadagidi on the other, and he had the most uncertain security on the continent.
So now Tatiseigi found a way to accept Ilisidi’s offer, at one stroke getting past the Kadagidi.
He found a way to accept a gift porcelain and had the paidhi-aiji advancing him as an expert in the collector trade.
He even found a way to agree with Lord Geigi, however indirectly, and patch up a quarrel that had ceased to be of any social or political benefit.
Damned right, Tatiseigi was aware of a danger to him and to his clan.
There was an interesting letter among Baiji’s little stash of blackmail material, one half line of which suggested the Kadagidiwould favor Baiji’s proposed alliance with the Dojisigin Marid.
The interesting bit was the date, which was afterMurini’s fall from power, afterMurini had allegedly become anathema among the Kadagidi and the Kadagidi had become innocent as the driven snow. The associations in that letter nailed the Kadagidi as possibly complicit in the assassination of Geigi’s sister—and as backing a shadow Guild power grab as recently as current history.
If push came to shove, Tatiseigi might well know what to do with that letter.
Ilisidi had her own copy of that little store of documents, and when it came to interclan gossip, Ilisidi knew things. She collected things. Remembered things.
And delivered little tidbits of information when they most suited her.
Had that letter gone to Tatiseigi—along with the supper invitation?
One wondered. One did indeed.
Following Lord Tatiseigi’s agreement—and an unprecedented exchange of bows and courtesies of reconciliation with Lord Geigi—there was perhaps just a bit more brandy than was judicious. But it was an occasion, and the mood was optimistic, at least for the hour. Cajeiri, as a minor, went home earliest with his young aishid, without having committed a single indiscretion—exemplary behavior, and one the dowager noted with a deeper than usual nod in parting. They all left at once, Lord Tatiseigi down the hall to his residence, and Bren and Lord Geigi off to Bren’s apartment, on Cajeiri’s track.
They were not that late getting in, except for the brandy, and one thought even of one more glass, which was entirely foolish. He and Geigi were both tired. They needed to go straight to bed and have their wits about them in the morning.
Bren said his goodnight to Geigi—“A success, a very great success, Geigi-ji,” and received a reciprocal courtesy, the both of them happy with the evening. Valets were waiting to put them to bed; bodyguards were headed for their own well-earned late suppers in the apartment kitchen, after their own very long evening.
And Bren delayed for one compulsive, foolish look at the message cylinders waiting in the basket.
The design of the cylinders said they came from several departments of the government and Machigi’s representative, one surmised the fifth one to be. For the morning, he said to himself, resolutely.
But Tano and Algini turned up again from the inner hall, and Tano pulled a very thick envelope out of the front of his uniform jacket.
“This is from the dowager, Bren-ji. Cenedi’s company provided an extensive briefing.”