Part 4 (1/2)

”Nand' Saidin, very correctly.”

He was hungry, and in no mood to deal with the message bowl which sat on the small ornate table by the entryway, but he could see there a number of waiting cylinders. The only such that reached his apartment nowadays were messages his clerical staff couldn't handle without advice. And there was a fair collection of them, about twenty, most in metal message cases; but one - one was a caseless vellum scroll characteristic of a telegram from the wire service. It could be from some department across the country, some place he'd visited. The rest could wait. He picked that one up, cracked the seal with his thumbnail, scanned the content, because there was the remotest chance it might might be from Barb, who had sent him a couple of messages on island gossip since her marriage; or it might be from his mother; or even from official channels in Foreign Affairs. be from Barb, who had sent him a couple of messages on island gossip since her marriage; or it might be from his mother; or even from official channels in Foreign Affairs.

It was from his brother. From Toby. Dated two days ago.

Mother's been in the hospital. I've asked her to come and stay with me. If you can bring any influence to bear, it might help. She says her doctor's there and she won't leave the city. I'll write you a longer letter later. Don't worry about it, but I think we need to bring some pressure to bear to get her to move. I want your backing in this.

d.a.m.n, he thought. Just Just what their mother needed. Pressure. what their mother needed. Pressure.

d.a.m.n, again.

He supposed he'd stopped quite still, when in standard procedure he ought to have left the foyer and let his staff get to work on his behalf. They were all standing there. The door was shut. There came a rap from outside.

”That will be the luggage, nadi,” Tano said, and took a look outside to be absolutely sure before he opened the door.

Bren pocketed the message. Write you a letter later Write you a letter later. h.e.l.l and double h.e.l.l. He didn't think Toby had anything pleasant to say in his next message. Toby never had made the obvious complaint to him: Give me some help, get home, brother, do something to reason with the government - it's not fair what you're doing to us. It's not fair what you're doing to Mother.

He couldn't go home and fix things for his younger brother. There wasn't a way in h.e.l.l.

And their mother had been headed for this crisis for some time. Maybe her doctors would finally sit on her this time and make her take her medication and watch her diet.

Phone calls at three in the morning didn't help. Knowing her grandchildren were being followed on their way to school didn't help. He wasn't sure it would be better for her to move to the north sh.o.r.e, where the police and the phone company seemed to ignore Toby's complaints for what he he feared were political reasons. feared were political reasons.

d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n, d.a.m.n, and d.a.m.n d.a.m.n. He'd been in a good mood until he met that, which wasn't the first time their mother's health had been a concern. It wasn't even an acute crisis with their mother's health. It was just an ongoing situation. It was the first time for her checking into the hospital, but the doctor had been saying all along if their mother didn't get some rest and mend her ways, she'd have to go in, and it was probably good news in its way. They needed to get her to slow down, calm down, stop yelling at the fools that called at three in the morning: it only inspired them.

And for G.o.d's sake, she needed to stop arguing with the newscasters. Toby had already reported she'd called a national program and accused the head of the Human Heritage a.s.sociation of hara.s.sing her with obscene phone calls.

Then she'd said, also on the air, that she didn't like her son living on the mainland with a lot of G.o.dless aliens.

He didn't know what to do about that. He really didn't. He'd written her letters. He'd gotten one furious letter back. She'd said he was ruining his brother's life.

The servants had opened the doors: the rest of the luggage had made it in, a considerable pile which they'd apparently waited to acc.u.mulate outside until it was all there before the security personnel handling it asked that the apartment door be opened. Maids valiantly seized cases and carried them off to deal with laundry and unpacking. His security was getting and giving information via their own pocket communications and the larger array in the security station just off the foyer, where several black-uniformed Guild members cl.u.s.tered.

Madam Saidin, chief of domestic staff, was still waiting.

He expected one other person to have come out to meet him, and stood, a little dazed and battered, looking toward that vacant hall that led to the private rooms.

”Where's Jason?” he asked Saidin. Jase was shy, still struggling with fluency, and for that reason generally avoided ma.s.s gatherings of servants, but he'd have expected Jase to be standing in that hallway by now, at least. The hauling about of a large amount of luggage had to advise Jason he was home early.

”Dressing, I believe, nand' paidhi.”

Dressing? Dressing, at this hour. That was very odd for Jason, who kept a meticulous schedule and always bathed precisely at the same time every morning, and wanted breakfast precisely at the same hour every morning.

More, there'd been just a little hesitation on Saidin's answer. Has he been ill? he almost asked her. Perhaps he'd been studying late?

If he asked that question, he might get an answer.

Before his shower.

Before dinner.

h.e.l.l, no, he didn't ask. They had a deal. The day started on Jase's schedule, like clockwork. The day ended on his his, when he managed to find time to eat. Jase would show up for supper. Whatever was going on to have thrown Jase off his meticulous schedule, he was bound to hear the details. He had faith in Jase that if the foyer looked intact and the servants were still alive, it wasn't catastrophic. He had faith in Saidin that if it were outrageous or against the dignity of the Atageini, he would have heard it implied much more strongly than that.

The hot water in the Atageini residence was, to Bren's experience, inexhaustible. The force of the spray, set at atevi height, could drown a man of human stature, and after traipsing about all day up and down steep atevi-scale steps and after having been spattered with sticky fruit juice at 5000 meters Bren was oh, so willing to melt against the shower wall and stand there unmoving in one of the few places of utter, total privacy available to him. He breathed a froth of water and air and let the spray hammer a knot of muscles in the back of his neck he'd forgotten to unclench.

He trusted trusted Tano and Algini. He'd had no hesitation at all to put himself in their hands during the trip. Tano and Algini. He'd had no hesitation at all to put himself in their hands during the trip.

But he grew just a little anxious when unscheduled planes veered into his path. It probably was exactly as security said, an island pilot not used to the concept of air traffic traffic, let alone control control. The son of the lord of Dur was not a likely sophisticate, much less a plotter in high places.

He shut his eyes and was there there again, in the same plane seat where he'd spent so many hours this last, long, meandering trip. He could all but feel the cool surface of the juice gla.s.s in his fingers, a contrast to the heat of the water that pounded down on him. again, in the same plane seat where he'd spent so many hours this last, long, meandering trip. He could all but feel the cool surface of the juice gla.s.s in his fingers, a contrast to the heat of the water that pounded down on him.

He could if he thought about it look again out that aircraft window onto the vast mineral-blessed south, Talidi province just off the wingtip, misty blue-green hills, gra.s.s with that slightly younger green of springtime, well advanced in the south, and all that pollen, hazy clouds of it.

Talidi province and the Tasigin Marid.

He couldn't say he blamed atevi for asking themselves at least now and again what the paidhi-aiji or or their esteemed aiji had in mind for the nation, in moving the paidhi into such prominence and now having their esteemed aiji had in mind for the nation, in moving the paidhi into such prominence and now having two two paidhiin in residence under the same roof, when the very essence of the Treaty was emphatically paidhiin in residence under the same roof, when the very essence of the Treaty was emphatically one one paidhi. Some lords of the Western a.s.sociation had indeed been more than a little suspicious of human motives even before the s.h.i.+p had shown up. paidhi. Some lords of the Western a.s.sociation had indeed been more than a little suspicious of human motives even before the s.h.i.+p had shown up.

While a handful of truly devout conspiracy-theorists believed Tabini had known the s.h.i.+p was coming back and that he'd been in collusion with the human president on Mospheira from the day of his accession: a more unlikely combination one couldn't imagine.

But since the events of today, everything everything in that equation had to be re-reckoned. in that equation had to be re-reckoned.

Not that one expected immediate capitulation in the fall of a major player in the opposition to Tabini today: atevi lords weren't so graceless or quick to desert former allies. But they might sidle gracefully and as un.o.btrusively as possible closer to center, and closer to Geigi, who would thus undergo the most dangerous period of his rise in importance, because the neighbors would try him, now. They would test Geigi's cleverness, his finesse, his business ac.u.men and his personal dignity. It was almost a sure bet that no less than Direiso would, directly or indirectly, test Geigi's security.

But no one had to tell an atevi lord that that.

And since, with the lord of the Tasigin Marid dead, Talidi province, in which the villages of the Marid lay, now found its best customer for industrial supplies in lord Geigi's province, that that would surely give the pro-Tabini dissidents and the worker a.s.sociations within Talidi province the encouragement to turn toward Tabini and the central authority, not toward the coalition that had been trying to form in the Marid. would surely give the pro-Tabini dissidents and the worker a.s.sociations within Talidi province the encouragement to turn toward Tabini and the central authority, not toward the coalition that had been trying to form in the Marid.

It was typical of Tabini's politics. A river would be flowing in one direction, and Tabini would place a charge to divert it so suddenly into another channel the fish swimming in it had no warning.

As Direiso up in the Padi Valley (she was not a peninsular lord) had to be doubling her security this evening, perhaps not even yet believing the degree of danger she was in if she didn't change course fast: she was clever and quick - she was alive because of that. But she was self-confident, meaning she had had no man'chi, meaning she no man'chi, meaning she felt felt no man'chi, as aijiin of highest rank had and felt none, and was not a follower of anyone, but attracted man'chi: no man'chi, as aijiin of highest rank had and felt none, and was not a follower of anyone, but attracted man'chi: that that meant she was dangerous in a way other atevi weren't psychologically armed to be. meant she was dangerous in a way other atevi weren't psychologically armed to be.

Her followers were scattered, and would would act after her death, breaking up into smaller a.s.sociations difficult to track and possibly attracting others due to the different chemistry of the sub-a.s.sociations. That was the protection high lords always had against a.s.sa.s.sination: kill them and you had not one large problem but twenty smaller ones, harder to track. act after her death, breaking up into smaller a.s.sociations difficult to track and possibly attracting others due to the different chemistry of the sub-a.s.sociations. That was the protection high lords always had against a.s.sa.s.sination: kill them and you had not one large problem but twenty smaller ones, harder to track.

But so did Tabini have that defense. More so. Direiso only thought thought she could ride the waves Tabini's fall would generate. It was a time when atevi, threatened from the skies, could least afford to be indecisive, and most of the lords of the Western a.s.sociation knew that Tabini was the only leader saving them from civil chaos. she could ride the waves Tabini's fall would generate. It was a time when atevi, threatened from the skies, could least afford to be indecisive, and most of the lords of the Western a.s.sociation knew that Tabini was the only leader saving them from civil chaos.

He truly wished the Direiso matter were settled. He didn't didn't trust any stated changes of direction or belief on her part. Even if atevi emotion trust any stated changes of direction or belief on her part. Even if atevi emotion and and politics made it instinctually natural for her to make such changes, he wouldn't believe them. He'd never met the woman but he knew he didn't politics made it instinctually natural for her to make such changes, he wouldn't believe them. He'd never met the woman but he knew he didn't like like her or any one of her followers. her or any one of her followers.

Another psychological warning flag. He He couldn't feel it as natural, couldn't feel it as natural, he he couldn't judge in his own blood and bone what was natural for any atevi to do, and he couldn't help but think how very, very delicately poised the whole of human and atevi survival was right now. couldn't judge in his own blood and bone what was natural for any atevi to do, and he couldn't help but think how very, very delicately poised the whole of human and atevi survival was right now.

Lose Tabini? There'd be a bloodbath the like of which the world had never seen.

Let the conservatives on Mospheira get out of hand?

Same result.

He was just outright shaken by today's events. He admitted it to himself finally. He'd been riding a fierce downhill course, and leaping from point to point to point until it was d.a.m.n well no good mapping out where he'd been: where he'd been didn't exist any more. There was no going back to the atevi state that had existed, once upon a time. There was no dealing with the government on Mospheira that had sent him. The people he was loyal to hardly had any power left.

The plane was a pure, unheralded, no-d.a.m.n-reason accident. Near accident. He was safe. So was a very chastened teenager.

His fingers were wrinkling. He had to go out and breathe air again. Problems were not his problems tonight. Supper was waiting. A very fine supper, prepared by a cook who accommodated his needs quite expertly.