Betrayer

That, to Father. Who was already scowling and probably thinking of things to say. Probably mani had been thinking of things to say for several hours, too. Cajeiri would not go into that room for anything.

Lucasi had gone straight downstairs to see Veijico, and he had gone down to talk to both of them, but nand’ Siegi had nabbed Lucasi after he had no more than told his sister he was there. Nand’ Sieigi had said he was a hazardto health and to go bathe, and he was going to take x-rays once he had gotten through with Tano. And nand’ Siegi had taken Tano right in hand, but Tano said he did not think it was that serious; he thought Algini had gotten all the pieces of the shrapnel out.

So Tano was getting x-rays.

So all the pieces were falling into place, with all the excitement over, and he was glad about it. He was tired of being scared. He wanted to have his aishid, and to get some sleep in his own bed, and not to have his father lecturing him about coming here and causing trouble.

Besides, he had not caused the trouble. The trouble had beenhere. He had just helped turn it up.

Lord Geigi was at the security station getting the news from his aishid, who were still out where nand’ Bren had been; and so was Nawari and several of mani’s guard. They said they had the Edi all on one side and the Taisigi separated from them by a number of real Guild, and that Machigi was going to go back to a hunting station just across the border and stay there ru

Geigi’s nephew Baiji was not going to be any happier. He was still locked in nand’ Bren’s basement.

But Geigi said he would look forward to the letter, and he told his aishid to tell Machigi’s aishid, which was how things were done.

It was going to be different if Lord Machigi turned out to make an agreement with mani and with Lord Geigi andwith his father, because the Marid had been at war with the aishidi’tat over and over, and Machigi had sponsored Murini, or at least been somewhere involved in what happened.

He was not sure his father would forget that. Hewas going to have trouble forgetting it. But if mani thought Lord Machigi could be useful, and if Lord Machigi had come in to stop the renegades, who were, after all, Murini’s supporters in the Guild, and if hisaishid had been working with the regular Guild all along, the way they seemed to have done, then there was a lot more to find out about Lord Machigi—who, after all, was the only lord in the northern Marid who was still alive. Lord Machigi was not stupid. So he could be a good ally or a bad enemy.

That was something more to remember.

“Are you going to forgive Lord Machigi, nandi?” he asked Lord Geigi.

Lord Geigi looked down at him. “One will be very interested to see this letter,” he said.

“Such serious questions, young gentleman.”

“But you will forgive him,” he said, because it occurred to him he knew a lot about Lord Geigi, “because you are mani’s closest ally. But you have known nand’ Bren longer.”

“One has, indeed,” Lord Geigi said, and laughed as if he had thought of some fu

“One owes him. One owes him, and one owes your great-grandmother andyour father, who made such a judgment of me, in years gone by. Old adversaries, finding they have interests in common, can make agreements, young lord.”

“You were never an enemy.”

“Oh, if I had stayed married to my Marid wife, who knows. I could have had a Dojisigi son.

All in intrigue against the Taisigi. One wonders if Lord Machigi has any inkling of it. Perhaps one should broach the matter.”

One was confused. One was lost again in the tangles of adult politics.

“But you are nand’ Bren’s ally.”

“That I am, young gentleman. And yours.”

He was not sure Lord Geigi was not teasing him, talking to him as if he was a child. But then he thought, no, he means it.

He gave a very serious bow, thinking about his father and the new baby and suddenly thinking it was not the baby that threatened him. It was his co

But Lord Geigi was the space station. And the West. And the Edi.

He decided to take it very seriously and bowed quite properly. “I shall remember that, nandi.

And you may count on me, someday when it matters. Remember it.”

“I shall, young lord,” Lord Geigi said. “I shall, indeed.”

***

There was no salvaging the clothes, least of all the bullet-frayed vest, which had gone mud colored and sweat stained; they had gone off with his valets, and Bren had strictly instructed them not even to attempt to resurrect them. He sat in the depth of the bath, up to his chin in hot water, which had stung the blisters and the cuts and scrapes, but he ignored that. He had Toby opposite him and another guest of the house, the gallant young lord of Dur, who was quite pleased to be invited along. An off-schedule snack had arrived—Cook was feeding anyone who was interested, and his aishid, he was sure, was beyond interested. He couldn’t eat but a few bites; he had a little tea, a little fruit juice, and made slow work of half an atevi-scale sandwich, while Toby put down a whole one and young Dur had two.

Toby had a broken rib along with the other damage—the latter in waterproof bandage.

“We’re twins,” Toby declared, a bad joke. “But thank God they had you wear that vest.”

“If they hadn’t I wouldn’t be here,” he said, and changed to Ragi for young Dur’s benefit.

“My brother says we match.”

Dur politely laughed. “One is very glad you wore the vest,” he said, the identical remark.

“My bodyguard is going to insist, one fears. One at least hopes for one made to my size.”

“One hopes for days in which one need not take such precautions,” young Dur said.

“Have you phoned your father? One is extremely grateful he has troubled himself, and one would not wish him to make undue haste.”

“One has, indeed, nand’ paidhi. But he has a di

“Dur’s father,” Bren translated, for Toby, “is still coming. Di

“It’s a little messy out there.”

“We’ll manage,” he said. He was vastly content.

Di

He had his notes. From that bag Algini had swept up off the truck.

And Machigi wanted him back.

Tabini did.

Ilisidi did.

It was a good thing to be wanted.

Even in mutually incompatible directions.

He had another sip of orangelle. Still without alcohol. No painkiller, not yet. He wanted his brain in good order when he sat down at the table, wherever they found to put it.

He wasn’t going to be able to move in the morning. That was guaranteed.

But tonight—given a nap in his own bed in the meanwhile— he’d manage.

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