Inheritor

One of the things that humans had done most amiss in the days before the War was to make what they thought were friendships across lines of association that could not otherwise be associated: they’d ripped atevi society to shreds and killed people and ruined lives, never realizing what they’d done.

“Damn,” he said, with a very sick feeling; but with a little inaccuracy in the dark, Jago touched his hand.

“This is not necessarily bad, Bren-ji.”

“It was damned foolish on my part.”

“Ah, but not necessarily bad. Once youwished her to come to Dalaigi, which Tabini’s actions against Saigimi had made unwise—she was free to suggest Taiben. Which Tabini expected. But she wished you to go to Saduri, and now we know why: Deana Hanks is coming to the mainland and the aiji-dowager already knew it.”

“To the mainland!”

“We don’t know how. Boat or small plane. It could be anywhere on the coast.”

“ Why, nadi-ji?”

“One would ask the paidhi thatquestion. But this information is since last night, Bren-ji. Tabini didn’t know, and Ilisidi may yet know more than we do.”

“To ally with Direiso. A second establishment—to challenge Tabini’s government. That’s what Deana’s up to. God! But where’s Ilisidi in this?”

“With the aiji. We hope.”

He had recently realized there were new players in the game. Dangerous ones. He recalled the controversy with the pilots forming a Guild. The opposition of the Messengers. “And the Messengers’ Guild? The Guilds in general?”

“The Guilds in general stand with the aiji. We expressed that fact in the Marid, when we carried out our commission. Meanwhile Hanks is coming to the mainland for reasons we don’t know; but we do know that Direiso has not yet explained to her that she has much less support than previously. NowHanks is an asset which Direiso musthave to demonstrate to her wavering followers that she has the resources to deal with Mospheira; and we think that is exactly what she intends. Mospheira seems weak, lacking in resources—its ship will not fly in advance of ours. And could Direiso secure her own position by dealing with Mospheira, she would do so. That she dislikes humans would only make it sweeter to her.”

“That Hanks’ faction dislikes atevi wouldn’t stop them, either. She’s coming here to make a deal for resources Mospheira can’t get without those rail lines and the northern shipping ports. Where Direiso is strong right now.”

“It would accord well with our suspicions.”

“ Durwouldn’t support this—would it?”

“The boy? Completely i

Rain suddenly hit, rattling hard on the canvas.

On the edge of that downpour a shadow appeared in the doorway. Bren’s heart jumped.

“Nadiin.” Banichi squeezed into the dark, dripping wet. “Have you explained everything, Jago-ji? Made clear the universe?”

“Almost,” Jago said. “And given him the gun. Which you will use, Bren-ji, at your discretion.”

“I hope not to need it.”

“Traceable only to me,” Banichi said. “But such details matter very little in the scope of this situation.”

“How did she get me to ask her to come here?” He still struggled with that thought. “Am I so transparent?”

“Immaterial that you asked her. One believes the aiji would have packed you up and sent you, all the same,” Jago said. “She didn’t needyou to ask her. She came back to Shejidan to get you. The party was the excuse. She was feeling out Tabini, feeling out your position—and observing Jase.”

He had a sinking feeling. “Tatiseigi. Where is hein this?”

“Ah,” Banichi said. “Uncle Tatiseigi. Bets are being laid. Very high ones.”

Thinking what he’d been meddling with, in that crazed business with the blown lightbulb, he felt cold all the way to the pit of his stomach.

“You still don’t know where he is in this.”

“Bren-ji,” Jago said quietly, “Saigimi didn’t know where hewas. Even we make mistakes of man’chi. It is not always logical.”

“And he can’t find the television set,” Banichi said somberly. “One hopes.”

He laughed. He had to laugh.

“I shall sleep with Jase,” Banichi said. “Just—be prudent, nadiin. Keep the noise low.”

“Banichi,” he began to say. But it was too late. Banichi was out the door into the rain, headed for his tent, hisroommate, and leaving him nowhere else to be for the night.

He was in the dark. In utter silence. And there might be more briefing for Jago to do. “So what else is there to ask?” he inquired of her.

“I’ve said all I can, Bren-ji.”

A silence ensued.

“We should rest,” Jago said.

“Jago,” he began, and had to clear his throat.

“One is not obliged, nadi-ji. Banichi has a vile sense of humor.”

“Jago—” He reached for her hand in the dark, found what he thought was her knee, instead, and knew how he’d possibly rejected her and embarrassed her, last night, after what seemed a set-up. He didn’t know, that was the eternal difficulty, even what signals he sent now, and he thought about her, he thought about her in his unguarded moments in ways that made this touch in the dark the most desirable and the most reprehensible thing he could do.

Her hand found his with far more accuracy, and rested atop his, warm and strong and its gentle movement occupying all the circuits he was trying to use to frame an objection of common sense.

“Jago,” he began again, and Jago’s hand slid across to hisknee. “I’m really not sure this is a good idea.”

And stopped.

To his vast distress. And disappointment. But he was able then to find her hand and hold it. “Jago,” he said for the third time. “Jago-ji. I am concerned—” Her fingers curled about his thumb, completely throwing his logic off course. “Propriety,” he managed to say. “Banichi. The dowager. I want you, but—”

“She is outside your man’chi. Not far. But outside. And it’s safer, tonight, if you’re here and Banichi is with Jase, if anything untoward should happen.”

“What might happen?”

“Anything. Anything might happen. Whatever pleases you. I would be inclined to please both of us.”

He could feel the warmth from her. The lightning showed him her shadow, close to him. “Then should we—” he began, in the glimmer of a self-protective thought.

“We should be careful of the guns,” she said with what he was sure was humor, and her fingers searched the front of his jacket.

He felt a rush of warmth, shifted position and took hold of her to defend himself from her exploration in search of the firearm. “Is this a good idea?” he asked, reason sinking fast. “Jago-ji, if you do that, we may both scandalize the company.”

“Not this company,” she said, and somehow they were past each other’s defenses and he was no longer thinking with complete clarity of purpose, just exploring a territory he’d not seen and didn’t see, alone and not alone for the first time in his life. She was doing the same with him, finding sensitive spots, and presenting others he might have missed. Clothes went, on the somewhat bouncy and thin mattress—“We have to look presentable,” was Jago’s prudent warning, and with clothing laid carefully to the side, caution went. He moved his hand along smooth expanses in the darkness, to curves that began to make sense to his hands, as her hands were traveling lightly over him, searching for reactions, finding them.