Intruder

You will surely have heard that the aiji-dowager is now in residence and that the signing will go forward.

Please accept these flowers and sentiments presented in your foyer as expressions of hope for this agreement.

  Signed and sealed.

And to hell with the Kadagidi, who, given a chance to remake both their image and their actual record, seemed bent on the same damned course of agitation as before. The chance for peace seemed to focus now on prying the whole northern Marid out of the idea that the Kadagidi were allies. Lady Siadi, doubtless quietly consulting with Machigi, and Machigi with the advice his own bodyguard, had just taken a major first step in that effort, in rerouting, of all things, a bouquet of flowers.

He went back to the table where Geigi waited with tolerably good news.

16

  There was no sign of Boji, and now there was worse: Grandfatherwas coming. Grandfather had rented quarters down in the hotel district, and he intended to stay there, and he was coming this afternoon, late, and Mother had told Cook that she would have di

It was grim, that was what. Just grim.

Cajeiri had watched all day, all day, for Boji to show up; and his bodyguard had been on watch, and now it was sunset, and Mother was dressing for di

And then people were going to be coming and going by the front door, and it was just going to be a lot of noise and servants opening and shutting doorschis father was off at a meeting and might not be back for supper. Which would leave him alone with Mother and Grandfather.

He had no choice about it. He had insisted on dressing in the sitting room, which distressed Eisi, but he had his way about it. He had to be on best behavior, and he knew everybody would be upset about that. He was without his bodyguard at the moment, but Antaro remedied that, coming in quietly and quietly scooping up the egg by the door.

“There will be a formal di

“Yes,” Antaro said, encompassing the whole situation.

And suddenly the most alarming shriek resounded through the whole apartment.

“Damn!” he said in ship-speak and ran for the hall door, not faster than Antaro.

“Get it out of here!”

That was his mother’s voice. From down the hall.

He ran for the door, his bodyguard right behind him, and skidded on the tiles in a fast turn for his mother’s suite. Ahead of him he saw his mother’s bodyguard and some of his father’s exit the security station and head in the same direction, toward the very end of the hall, where his mother’s suite door stood open.

The bodyguard had the door and was not going to let him or his guard in, but he ducked and got under a forbidding arm. His mother and her servants were in front of the beautiful windows, by the lace-covered crib, looking up above the windows.

“Get it!” she shouted, and at the yellow top of the room, up among the lace draperies, raced a small black streak, leaping from drape to drape.

“Close the windows!” Cajeiri cried, because the tall windows were all standing wide open. “Quick, close the windows! Boji! Boji! Come!”

Boji shrieked, then turned and jumped from curtain top to curtain top, coming his way. Cajeiri flung up his hands, and a black missile hurtled through his hands and hit him right in the chest at full force, arms around his neck. He stumbled backwards—would have fallen, except for his mother’s bodyguard. Boji clawed his coat and shirt, trying to get into his collar, and he hugged Boji tight, wrapping him in his coat as he gained his balance. His mother was shouting about her lace and her nursery and that animal, which was not quieting Boji at all.

One of his mother’s guard tried to take Boji from him.

“No!” he said, holding on; the woman got hold of Boji, and Boji bit the woman. Blood spurted all over, the bodyguard reacted, and his mother yelled, “Get that animal!”

“Stop them!” he yelled at his own guard, and twisted away to protect Boji, ducking behind Antaro.

“Daja-ma!” the wounded bodyguard cried, and the whole room froze. Cajeiri stood back in shock, with blood all over his coat and his young bodyguard making a wall between him and his mother’s very senior and meaning-business bodyguard, two men and two women. “You stay back!” he shouted at them. “Mother, honored Mother, he has done nothing wrong!”

“Who said you could havesuch a thing?” his mother said. “Son of mine, this tops all! Who brought such a creature into this apartment?”

“My father has said I may have him, honored Mother,” he said. He was shaking, he was so upset, but he managed a little bow. A very little one, because Boji was stiff as a wound spring and apt to make a break if he let his coat gap at all. “One regrets. A servant startled him.”

“Are you bleeding?”

Concern from his mother. That was at least something. And he did notwant his bodyguard to have to fight off his mother’s. He bowed a second time, lower, catching his breath. “No, honored Mother.” That was not quite true. He had scratches from Boji’s nails. But all the blood, the blood on his coat, the blood spattered over the baby crib and the lace, was from his mother’s bodyguard. “He is very tame, honored Mother, just frightened.”

“Well, he will go back to wherever you got him,” his mother said. “Now!”

“Honored Mother, one begs you will ask Father.” He needed to get Boji back to his cage. Urgently. Boji was starting to squirm, and he had a sort of a grip on Boji’s nape, but not a good one. He was afraid Boji might bite him if he were scared. “I shall put him up, now. He has a cage, a very strong cage. I was holding him in my hands when your servant—”

“You will get rid of that creature!”

He was appalled. “Excuse me, honored Mother,” he said, deciding that getting Boji away from the nursery was the first thing to do, and fast.

His fatherwould not send Boji away.

“Take that creature out of here,” his mother said, ordering herbodyguard.

“They will not!” he said. “Luca-ji. Jico-ji. They will not.”

“Excuse us,” Lucasi said politely and with a bow to senior Guild. “But we have contrary orders, and we respectfully appeal to the head of security staff.”

Lucasi was stalling. Cajeiri ducked and ran, with Boji squirming and ripping his lace to shreds, and Antaro and Jegari close with him, getting out the door. “Help Lucasi!” he said when they were in the hall. “I shall get Boji back in his cage. Call my father’s guard. Now! Do not fight them—get Lucasi back to the room.”

“Yes,” Antaro said, and turned off for the security office at a run. Jegari stayed with him. “I shall stand out here and not let anyone in,” Jegari said, as they came up on their own suite. “Lock the door, nandi.”

His room had no servant passages. He went inside and threw the lock on the door, then, hugging Boji inside his coat, went over to the cage, which had its door open and an egg and water inside. He very carefully extracted Boji from inside his coat—Boji had scratched his neck and chest, and it wasbleeding, and it stung, but the blood that was spectacular, thatwas from his mother’s bodyguard.

Boji went into the cage, dived for the perch and clung there, wide-eyed, with all his hair standing on end, and two gold eyes staring at him. Boji was so upset he was not even going for his egg.