“We shall rest before dinner,” Ilisidi said, after a single cup. “Perhaps have a nap.”
With that, their little conference adjourned, and they got up, bowed, and gathered up their separate guards.
Banichi and Jago joined them outside.
“The Taibeni have found sign, but they dare not bring the mecheiti in close to Tatiseigi’s herd,” Banichi said quietly. “One of Tatiseigi’s grooms is bringing the herd‑leader over to see what he picks up and where it came from. There is however, a very faint trace of old sign, from before the rain. The direction of approach was from the Kadagidi perimeter.”
“One is not that surprised. Is there any guess how old?”
“Difficult,” Jago said. “They think possibly before the new equipment went in. Four days ago.”
“One of the Taibeni,” Banichi said, “has made a search of the stables, to see if he could locate the young gentleman’s parid’ja, or anything else, but if it is there, it is hiding.”
“A good thought, at least,” Bren said, and as they started up the stairs: “We are given leave to brief Jase on our situation, not the details inside the Guild.”
That, by the fact of language, was his to do.
“He is back in his quarters,” Tano said, and added: “And Cajeiri and his guests are sitting in theirs and talking. We have been given a lower level of alert. That could change at any moment.”
And that . . . was the least surprising news of the entire day.
· · ·
“Understand,” he said to Jase, “that we are in a relatively safe position. There’s no danger to this house at the moment, and we are very sure of the people around us. What has changed today is a security alert, and traces of a Kadagidi intrusion here some days ago. And the fact that Cajeiri’s grandfather apparently reached the end of a relative’s patience–not a family quarrel. Guild politics; and connected to this lot that arranged the coup, and that we’ve been trying to track down for the last year. Apparently Cajeiri’s grandfather talked too much about another member of that clan. The short version of it all is–there’s this old man in the Guild who’s sat there for forty years, Ajuri clan. He’s used a minor post to stack the deck in various clans, putting less able Guild into certain positions, shunting some to other duties–weakening his enemies, strengthening his allies, and possibly inserting spies here and there. We believe that’s how the coup was organized, and how the trouble has kept coming back. We’ve got our eye on him. We’re going to take care of him. We don’t want to do it until the boy’s had his party and the guests are home safe. Politics, again. We can’t let this fellow dictate what we dare and daren’t do. More immediate to the alarm situation, and what has us just a little worried, we’ve also had our eye on one other man, who’s running security over to the east, in Kadagidi clan’s manor house. And I swear to you, we hadn’t planned to have an assassination in Ajuri clan happen while we had the kids here.”
“You say we’re safe here.”
What did he say? That Cenedi was, hand over fist, setting up for conflict within the Guild, that the dowager had ignored Assignments and Guild procedure, and fortified both Tabini‑aiji and Cajeiri–separately– preparing for enemy attack?
If the old man in Assignments didn’t get a clue that it was check and damned near mate, he wasn’t as smart as they thought he was.
“We think we’re safe because we’ve taken measures to be safe, but if all hell breaks loose, we think it’s still going to be reasonably quiet hell this time, and we think we can take care of it.”
Jase thought about that a moment, then said, “Well, we told the parents that assassination goes on down here, that it’s specific, and it doesn’t take out bystanders. And we didn’t dwell on the point that, when it happens, the whole political picture can shift.”
“Exactly. Understand that aiming at the kids would be way outside civilized rules. Shooting Cajeiri–maybe. Me or our host, again–permissible. But don’t rely on civilized rules with this enemy. Public opinion hasn’t stopped them. They want the public terrified.”
Jase nodded. “Understood.”
“One opinion they do fear–is Lord Geigi. They now know they’d be small burned spots if Geigi lands one of his machines in their district. That word has gotten around, and nobody wants another of those machines to wake up. Everything in their eyes is politics–and they think the one he did turn on was purely a demonstration of what he can do.”
“Not far wrong on that score,” Jase said. “I have the picture.”
“These are a type you and I know. From your first visit. If you want my opinion–it’s the same lot. Deep connections. But we’re getting close to the heart of their operation. I am, frankly, very glad you’re here.”
“What are friends for? I’ll explain the situation to the kids, without scaring them. They haven’t caught that noisy little creature, have they?”
“They haven’t. They probably won’t. They’re arboreal. They go for the deep woods. And there’s a small woods between us and the Kadagidi, and a very big one, well, you saw the area around the train station. Taiben, forest from one end to the other, very friendly territory for that little creature. I’m afraid he’s lost his pet.”
“Too bad,” Jase said. “Interesting little creature. But if we can have our holiday without a shooting war–ideally without the kids or their parents ever noticing there’s been a problem during their visit, well, except the grandfather–I won’t explain it to them. Briefing Geigi and the captains, yes.”
“Definitely,” Bren said.
· · ·
There was supper, an uncommonly very fine supper. The cook was doing his best, given the young gentleman’s grandfather dying, his disappointment at being restricted from his birthday gift, and his having lost his parid’ja into the bargain. Do him credit, the boy had been bearing up with a determination that Bren feared even to compliment, for fear the boy would dissolve on the spot. He was bearing up on a sheer charge of nervous energy–that downhill rush that could spin into disaster if one began to notice anything but the obstacles. Dodge, dodge, and dodge. Keep going. Smile. Keep his guests from upset. Bren knew that state of mind. Knew the effort it took the boy to laugh when the others did.
Did the guests pick it up? Bren had a slight suspicion they did–and they had had warnings up and down the line to avoid any emotional upset with atevi. They were surrounded by strangeness, they were fed unfamiliar things, and there were signs all around them that there might be dangers, that their atevi hosts were trying to keep it from them, and that Cajeiri’s grandfather was not only dead, not of natural causes, but nobody was acting in the least sorry about it. He had no complete knowledge of what Jase had told them when he talked to them, but they were getting a quick lesson on what upset atevi looked like, and they were doing their best to eat what was put in front of them and get it down their throats no matter what it tasted like.
“Nadi,” Bren said to one of the servants, the one bearing the bitter‑spiced eggs, and ladling two onto his plate, “the human children will find this too strong for them and will be embarrassed. Kindly pass by them.”
“Nandi,” the servant said, going on his way, and Bren managed one egg, with a healthy dose of sweet relish.