"Marshal Tolonen, please forgive me. I was not expecting you."
Tolonen smiled inwardly. No, he thought, you weren't. And I'll make it my practice in future to call here unannounced. He drew himself upright. "I've come to advise you on the last two appointments to your team."
He saw how Spatz hesitated before nodding and wondered why that was; then, pushing the thought from his mind, he turned and snapped his fingers. At once his equerry handed him two files.
"Here," Tolonen said, passing them across. "Please, be seated while you study them."
Spatz bowed, then sat at his desk, opening the first of the files, running his finger over the apparently blank page, the warmth of his touch bringing the characters alive briefly on the specially treated paper. After only a minute he looked up, frowning.
"Forgive me, Marshal, but I thought the last two places were to be filled by working scientists."
"That was the intention."
Spatz looked aside, then looked back up at the Marshal, choosing his words carefully. "And yet... well, this man T'ai Cho—he has no scientific background whatsoever. He is a tutor. His qualifications . . ."
Tolonen nodded. "I understand your concern, Shih Spatz, but if you would look at the other file."
Spatz nodded, still uncertain; then he set the first file aside, opening the second. Again he ran his finger over the page. This time, however, he took his time, working through the file steadily, giving small nods of his head and occasional grunts of surprise or satisfaction. Finished, he looked up, smiling broadly. "Why, the man's record is extraordinary. I'm surprised I've not heard of him before. Is he from one of the other Cities?"
Tolonen was staring past Spatz, studying the charts on the wall behind him. "You could say that." .*•';•• > :
Spatz nodded to himself. "And when will he be joining us?"
Tolonen looked back at him. "Right now, if you like."
Spatz looked up. "Really?" He hesitated, then nodded again. "Good. Then there's just one small thing. A mistake, here on the first page." He ran his finger over the top of the page again, then looked up, a bland smile on his lips. "The date of birth. . ."
Tolonen looked away, snapping his fingers. A moment later his equerry returned. This time he was accompanied. "There's no mistake," Tolonen said, turning back.
There was a look of astonishment on Spatz's face. "You mean, this is Ward?"
Tolonen looked across at the boy, trying to see him as Spatz saw him; as he himself had first seen him, before he had seen the films that demonstrated the boys abilities. Looking at him, it seemed almost impossible that this scrawny, dark-haired creature was the accomplished scientist described in the personnel file; yet it was so. Berdichev had not been alone in believing the boy was something special.
Spatz laughed. "Is this some kind of joke, Marshal?"
Tolonen felt himself go cold with anger. He glared back at Spatz and saw the man go white beneath the look.
Spatz stood quickly, bowing his head almost to the desktop. "Forgive me, Marshal, I did not mean . . ."
"Look after him, Spatz," Tolonen answered acidly. "Allocate a man to take care of him for the next few days until his tutor, T'ai Cho, joins him." He shivered, letting his anger drain from him. "And you'll ensure he comes to no harm."
He saw Spatz swallow dryly and nodded to himself, satisfied that he had cowed the man sufficiently. "Good. Then I'll leave him in your custody."
SPATZ WATCHED Tolonen go, then turned his attention to the boy. For a moment he was speechless, still too astonished to take in what it all meant; then he sat heavily and leaned forward, putting his hand down on the summons button. At once his assistant appeared in the doorway.
"Get Hammond in here," he said, noting the way his assistant's eyes went to the boy. "At once!"
He sat back, steepling his hands together, staring across at the boy. Then he laughed and shook his head. "No . . ."
Now that the first shock was wearing off, he was beginning to feel annoyed, angered by the position he had been put in. Now he would have to return the money he had been given to put names forward for the vacancies. Not only that, but in the place of real scientists he had been lumbered with a no-hoper and a child. What had he done to deserve such a thing? Who had he angered?
He looked down at his desk, sniffing deeply. "So you're a scientist are you, Ward?"
When the boy didn't answer, he looked up, anger blazing in his eyes. "I'll tell you now. I don't know what game people higher up are playing, but I don't believe a word of that file, understand me? And I've no intention of letting you get near anything important. I may have to nurse-maid you, but I'll be damned if I'll let you bugger things up for me."
He stopped. There was someone in the doorway behind the boy.
"You called for me, Shih Spatz?" • <. .-
"Come in, Hammond. I want you to meet our latest recruit, Kim Ward."
He saw how Hammond glanced at the boy, then looked about the room before finally coming back to him.
"You mean, you're Ward?" Hammond asked, unable to hide his surprise. "Well, the gods save us!" He laughed, then offered a hand. "I'm Joel Hammond, Senior Technician on the Project."
Seeing how the boy stared at Hammond's hand a moment before tentatively offering his own, how he studied the meeting of their hands, as if it were something wholly new to him, Spatz understood. The boy had never been out in society before. Had never learned such ways. It made Spatz think, made him reconsider what was in the file. Or, rather, what wasn't. But he still didn't believe it. Why, the boy looked nine at the very most. He could not have done so much in so brief a time, "I want you to look after the boy, Hammond. Until his ... guardian arrives."
"His guardian?" Hammond looked at Kim again, narrowing his eyes.
"T'ai Cho," Kim answered, before Spatz could explain. "He was my tutor at the Recruitment Project. He was like a father to me."
Gods, thought Spatz, more convinced than ever that someone up-level was fucking with him, willing him to fail in this. A boy and his "father," that was all they needed! He leaned forward again, his voice suddenly colder, more businesslike.
"Look, Hammond. Get him settled in. Show him where things are. Then get back here. Within the hour. I want to brief you more fully, right?"
Hammond glanced at the boy again, giving the briefest of smiles; then he looked back at Spatz, lowering his head. "Of course, Director. Whatever you say."
"Well, Yuan, can I take it off yet?"
He turned her to face him, then untied the silk from her eyes, letting it fall to the ground. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, uncertain, then gave a small, nervous laugh.
"There," he said, pointing beyond her, smiling broadly now.
She turned, looking about her at the stables. The grooms were standing about idly, their jobs momentarily forgotten, watching the young Prince and his bride, all of them grinning widely, knowing what Li Yuan had arranged.
She frowned, not knowing what she was looking for, then turned back, looking at him.
"Go on," he said, encouraging her. "Down there, in the end stall."
Still she hesitated, as if afraid, making him laugh.
"It's a gift, silly." He lowered his voice, slightly. "My way of saying that I'm sorry."
"Down there?"
"Yes. Come, I'll show you."
He took her arm, leading her to the stall.
"There!" he said softly, looking down at her.
She looked. There in the dimness of the stall, stood the horse he had bought her. As she took first one, then another, slow step toward it, the horse turned its long white head, looking back at her, its huge dark eyes assessing her. It made a small noise in its nostrils, then lowered its head slightly, as if bowing to her.
He saw the tiny shudder that went through her and felt himself go still as she went up to the horse and began to stroke its face, its flank. For a moment, that was all. Then she turned and looked back at him, her eyes wet with tears.