Part 3 (2/2)

*Chapter Three*

Curled in her favorite wing chair with papers scattered around her, isolated from the rest of the house, Rhani Yago did not hear her secretary's soft sentence until he repeated it. ”Rhani-ka, your brother's home.” She jumped from the chair; the papers flew in all directions. A dragoncat dozing on the kerit fur rug lifted an inquiring head.

”Here, now? Where?”

”In the garden,” Binkie said.

Rhani hastened to the gla.s.s door, slid it back, and stepped onto her terrace. Zed was not in sight. ”Zed-ka!” she called.

”Coming, Rhani-ka,” Zed called from somewhere below her.

In the bedroom Binkie had picked up the scattered papers and piled them neatly on the tapestried footstool. His face was whiter than usual and there was something wrong with his eyes. Rhani knew what it was. ”Binkie.”

He turned to face her, a sheet of paper in one hand.

”Put that down, find Amri, tell her to come and wait on us, and then go to your room and stay there.”

He swallowed. ”That isn't necessary, Rhani-ka -- ”

”It is,” she said. ”Don't argue with me.” He bowed his head in acquiescence and left. In a moment Zed entered the room, arms wide. Rhani flung herself at him. He smelled of grease and antiseptic. His hair had grown long and straggly in three months. Straining, she hugged him hard.

”Rhani-ka,” he said in her ear, ”you look very well.”

She pulled out of his embrace to look at him. ”So do you. Pale, though.”

She thought, I always say that.

”There's no sunlight on the Net.”

”You were walking in the garden.”

”There's a heat-lightning storm over Abanat. We flew around it to get here. I wanted to look at it from the ground.”

”Just like a tourist,” she teased him. Amri tapped hesitantly at the door. ”Wine,” Rhani said. ”Have you eaten, Zed? Do you want food?”

”Chobi seeds?” he said. Rhani nodded at Amri. He put out a hand and drew her closer to him. ”It's good to be home.” He drew his fingers in a lover's gesture, old between them, along the line of her jaw. He cupped her cheek in one hand. ”I'm sorry I wasn't home to be with you through Domna Sam's death.”

She let her head rest in his cupped hand. ”Yes. I missed you.”

”You and she were close.”

”She was a wonderful woman.” Rhani moved restlessly. Zed dropped his hand. ”Tough and strong. She teased me about being too soft. '_You have to be mean_,' she said. '_It's the only way you'll get along_.' I used to tell her the Durs could never be as mean as the Yagos. She laughed at that. This last year, she was -- difficult. Calling me at strange times. I suppose she'd grown senile.

But she never made scenes in public. She was a great lady.”

Zed said, ”Ferris will find it hard to follow her.”

Rhani sniffed. ”Ferris will learn. I did.”

Zed grinned at her. ”Ferris Dur isn't you, Rhani-ka.”

Amri entered with a laden tray. Zed picked up a gla.s.s. He held it to the light as Amri poured. ”Too bad we can't grow decent grapes on Chabad,” he said.

”It's the one thing we lack.”

”The one thing?” Rhani took the second gla.s.s of wine. It was an import from Enchanter. She sipped. The ruby liquid was sweet. ”I can think of something else we lack. Dorazine.” She sat in the wing chair. Brus.h.i.+ng the printouts from the footstool, Zed sat, legs outstretched, dirty bootheels soiling the white fur rug. He scooped up a handful of chobi seeds.

”Yes,” he said. ”I forgot about the dorazine.”

Rhani grinned. He was teasing her, of course. No Yago would ever forget dorazine. He had called her from the Net to tell her that he was back and that all was well, and had described to her the encounter with Michel A-Rae. She had at once sent a communication to all Family Yago a.s.sociates throughout Sector Sardonyx, requesting information about the man. The noun ”a.s.sociate” meant, in the Yago lexicon, someone paid covertly by Family Yago for information or influence. ”I've sent out a call for all information available on Michel A-Rae.”

Zed nodded. ”Good. But I'm not worried about an Enchantean fanatic.”

”He could be dangerous,” Rhani said. ”If, indeed, he is responsible for the dorazine shortage -- ”

”He may be,” Zed said. ”If he is, I'm sure you can deal with him.”

”You don't think it's important?”

Zed frowned. ”I'm concerned for _you_.”

Rhani could not think what he was talking about. ”For me?”

”Yes. The Net crew would tell you how quickly we came home. We should still be in s.p.a.ce. What did you do about that threatening letter from the Free Folk of Chabad?”

”Oh, them,” Rhani said, relieved. ”I told Binkie to find out where they were coming from.”

”They?” Zed sat up. ”There were more? You didn't tell me.”

Rhani smiled at him. ”There are always letters like that, Zed-ka. Isobel kept them in a drawer. When I grew haughty about being heir to the Third Family of Chabad, she would sit me down beside it and make me read them.”

Zed's tone grew exasperated. ”Rhani, those are threats against your life!

The least you could do is take them seriously!”

”How should I take them seriously?” she demanded, irritated in turn. She bit down hard on a chobi seed. The sh.e.l.l cracked between her teeth. ”I should never have bothered mentioning it to you. Do I stay in the house all the time?

Hide inside like a craven with guards at every turn of the hall?”

”Did I say that?” he countered. ”Did I?”

”You were thinking it!”

”You thought it too!” Brother and sister glared at each other, and then burst out laughing. Rhani laid a hand on Zed's arm. Under the light s.h.i.+rt he wore, she felt the ropy stretch of his muscles. When very small they had pretended to be twins, to make a reason, even a false one, for the likeness between them.

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