The administrator, who had been studying the floral designs carved along the edge of the desk, nodded. ‘And that’s awkward too,’ he said. ‘You see, there’s quite a lot in dispatches about the Temrai business; all the paperwork for the ships we’ve been chartering, letters of credit, signed agreements, draft schedules – put them together and you’d have a fairly clear picture of what we’re proposing to do, provided you had the wits to understand it all.’
‘Which Gorgas clearly does, even if they’re addled,’ the prefect said. ‘That’s awkward. I was considering rattling a sabre at him for detaining our ship, perhaps frightening him into giving us Partek that way. But that would only draw his attention to what he’s got hold of.’
The administrator pursed his lips. ‘I’d tend to look at it the other way round,’ he said. ‘How would it look to you if you were illegally detaining the provincial office’s dispatches courier, and they didn’t make an almighty fuss about it? In fact, I suspect that’s precisely why he’s doing it, to see how we react. Otherwise, he’s got no possible motive for pulling our tails in this way.’
‘That’s a very good point,’ the prefect conceded. ‘Oh, damn the man, he’s giving me a headache. At this precise moment, I think I could easily do without the vitality of the Loredan brothers, thank you very much.’
‘Ah.’ The administrator smiled. ‘That’s where we might be able to do something. I’m thinking about the Loredan sister.’
The prefect turned his head sharply. ‘Do you know, I’d forgotten all about her. Niessa Loredan, who ran the bank on Scona that so annoyed our friends in the Shastel Order.’
‘That’s the one,’ the administrator said. ‘Currently enjoying our hospitality, of course.’
‘That’s right. Now then, how do the brothers stand as far as she’s concerned? They either love her or hate her, I’m sure, but which is it?’
The administrator folded his hands neatly in his lap. ‘Gorgas loves her, I think,’ he said, ‘although she did rather leave him in the lurch at the fall of Scona when she skipped off with all the money and left him to do all the fighting. But I don’t think Gorgas holds that against her; he’s very forgiving when it comes to family.’
The prefect raised an eyebrow but didn’t take the point. ‘And Bardas? He loves her too?’
‘I don’t think so,’ the administrator replied. ‘I don’t think he hates her, either. But her daughter has made a public vow to kill him, if that has any bearing on matters.’
‘Oh, for pity’s sake.’ The prefect shook his head. ‘Never mind, I expect it’s all in the files somewhere. In fact, I must have read about it all before I interviewed the man. So, I take it you’ve got something in mind.’
Beautiful, though rare, are the smiles of the Children of Heaven. ‘Not really,’ the administrator said. ‘Little more than a notion that she might come in handy, if the situation looks like getting out of hand. But it’d be as well to secure her – both of them, actually, the daughter as well as the mother. We’ll hold them as illegal aliens and leave it at that for now.’
The prefect stood up and walked to the window, under which grew a fine old fig tree. From the window he could almost but not quite reach the topmost fig. ‘For now, I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘getting hold of Partek must have priority. If I lose him now, I’ll have some difficult questions to answer. Do what you can; obviously I’d prefer to avoid any kind of alliance with that man, but I’m sure you can find some form of words that’ll satisfy him and not commit us to anything. Next priority is the Perimadeia business, though it’s not in the same league as Partek, so be a bit careful where Bardas Loredan is concerned. Otherwise, I’m quite happy for you to use your own judgement.’ He turned away from the window, so that his face was in shadow, and frowned. ‘There’s always a danger when we start looking at these sort of people on an individual level of losing our sense of proportion. Aside from Partek, none of the individuals here is even remotely significant at a policy level. It’s only when we come down to strategic – lower than that, even; tactical – that they begin to look important.’ He shrugged and sat down on the corner of his desk. ‘I mean to say,’ he went on, ‘if you come to the conclusion that the best way to get hold of Partek is to take two divisions and some of these ships we’ve been chartering and annex the Mesoge, then by all means do it. I’m not suggesting you should,’ he added, before the administrator could say anything, ‘I’m just pointing out the need to focus on journey’s end, not the scenery along the way. The same goes for Shastel, or any of these petty little kingdoms. If they’ve got to go, they’ve got to go. All we’re concerned about is cost-efficiency and economy of effort.’
The administrator stood up to leave. ‘A valid point,’ he said. ‘I’ll bring in Partek, have no fears on that score. But you won’t object if I try to do it neatly and elegantly, will you? After all,’ he added with a grin, ‘it doesn’t take much imagination to send in an army. It’s sending in an army under budget that gets you noticed by the provincial office.’
‘This is appalling,’ muttered Eseutz Mesatges, easing her shoulder-strap where it was biting into the side of her neck. ‘All these people wanting to buy, and nothing to sell to them.’
Another quiet day on the Span. Usually it took half an hour to thread one’s way the hundred or so yards across the bridge; today it had taken a few minutes. Hido Glaia, desperate for three bales of green velvet to make up an order he’d assured the customer he’d dispatched a week ago, nodded sadly. ‘If this incredible opportunity of a lifetime goes on much longer,’ he said, ‘it’ll ruin us all. That’s if we don’t all die of boredom first.’ He picked up a sample of cloth, the same piece he’d examined and rejected yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. It was the only green velvet on the Island. ‘I’ll be so desperate I’ll come back for this tomorrow,’ he said, ‘and by then someone’ll have bought it. Come on, let’s have a drink. Assuming there’s still some booze left on this miserable rock.’
In the Golden Palace, they found Venart Auzeil and Tamin Votz, sitting gloomily over a half-empty jug. As soon as they walked in, Venart looked up hopefully.
‘Hido,’ he said, ‘my axe-handles. Have you got them for me?’
Hido pulled out a chair and sat in it, stifling a yawn. ‘Oh, come on,’ he said, ‘what do you take me for, the tooth fairy? Or do you think I was down on the beach at first light, whittling them out of driftwood?’
‘I take it that means you haven’t,’ Venart replied miserably. ‘Which means I’ve now got to go to the Doce brothers and try and explain to them-’
‘That my ship and your ship and everybody else’s ship is tied up at the quay,’ Hido interrupted, ‘along with all of theirs. I think they probably already know. Relax, Ven, the Doce boys know the score, you’re all right. You’re not the one with a ferocious Colleon fabrics cartel breathing down your neck and threatening you with penalty clauses. Talking of which,’ he added, ‘you wouldn’t happen to have such a thing as three bales of green velvet, Island standard fine?’
Venart frowned. ‘Not me, no,’ he said, ‘but you might try talking to Triz. I know she bought a whole load of stuff a few months back – you know, when they sold up Remvaut Jors. I have an idea there was some green velvet in with it, though whether-’
‘God bless you,’ Hido said, jumping up. ‘You wouldn’t happen to know how much she paid for it, would you?’
‘Hido! She’s my sister!’
‘Can’t blame a man for trying. Thank you.’
He bustled away. Eseutz emptied his cup into hers. ‘Well, you never know,’ she explained, as Venart looked at her. ‘They may be rationing the stuff tomorrow, if things go on like this.’
Tamin Votz laughed. ‘What I don’t understand is,’ he said, ‘I know why none of our ships are coming in or out, but why aren’t any foreign ships coming here? Do you think the Empire’s chartered them too?’
‘It’s possible,’ Venart said. ‘Well, it is,’ he added defensively as Eseutz giggled. ‘Gods alone know how big this army of theirs is going to be, and it goes without saying they’ve got the money.’