Текст книги "Conspirator"

Автор книги: C. J. Cherryh

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But the paidhi-aiji held Najida—which was a property on which the Farai had at least some legal claimc had the paidhi not come back from space. Najida—which was poised just below the Northern Isles, and right next to Kajiminda and Dalaigi—the largest town on the western coast.

Click, click, click. Things began to drop into little slots.

“Dare one wonder,” Bren asked them, “if the paidhi has been a desired target for some time? They have not appeared to relinquish their hope of setting the west coast in disarray.”

“Cenedi has requested still more reinforcements,” Banichi said. “They should be arriving by morning.”

“One is glad to know that,” Bren said. And again touched both of them. “You should take as light a duty as possible, nadiin-ji. Let Cenedi’s force manage things. Baiji poses no threat. Cenedi has men on the roof. Rest.”

Banichi looked at him as if thinking of asking when the paidhi-aiji had appointed himself to the Guild; but then he nodded. “We both shall,” Banichi said.

“Go,” he said. “Now.”

“And you, Bren-ji,” Jago said.

“As soon as I have talked to nand’ Toby,” he said. “A courtesy. No need of escort. And then I shall go straightway to my office and do a little work.”

They looked not of a mind to agree to that. They were on the last reserves, and perhaps not at their most reasonable. They just stared at him, both, in adamant silence that indicated that, orders or no orders, they would neither one be off duty until he was settled somewhere they approvedc nor would Tano and Algini.

“Then I shall do my work in your quarters,” he said, “where you all can keep an eye on me.”

Banichi looked slightly amused. “We will provide you a chair in which to work, Bren-ji. No more of this wandering the halls alone.”

“Not when people drop out of the ceiling,” Jago said.

So it was out into the slightly damaged hall, down to the dining room, where Toby and Barb, windblown and in shocking condition for the dining room, were just finishing up their breakfast.

“Bren!” Toby said, looking up.

A little bow—he’d been in atevi mode: was, still, mentally; and tried to adjust. Toby looked a little nonplussed, then said, “Oh, hell, Bren, it’s me,” and came and embraced him, hard as Barb got to her feet.

“Glad you made it back,” Bren said. “I hear you ran into trouble out there—I heard about the other boat. There should be people out now looking for any intruders on the peninsula.”

“We managed,” Toby said, standing at arm’s length. “And you got the kids back.”

“They got themselves out,” he said. “The aiji’s men are mopping up over there, and the dowager’s dealing with the details. How close is your boat to seaworthy?”

“My own estimate?” Toby said. “With luck, about two days.”

“I’d send you off in mine,” Bren said, “but you met a good reason not to be out at sea at the moment. This is a major operation. There’s a good likelihood the boat that tried to sink you came out of the township to the south, and that means either the opposition stole it or they have allies there with assets. The aiji will be calling in naval forces, probably from up in the Islands, but it’s going to be a few days. You’re better off here.”

“Are we safehere?” Barb asked.

“Safe as anybody can be with Guild on the hunt,” Bren said. “The whole region is going to be dangerous. There could very easily be another boat out there, trying to make a run in here. The village is on the alert, watchers up and down the coast, so we hope we will get a warning. Figure that any move that’s easy to see could be a diversion. The enemy lost a senior Guild team trying to get at me. And they damned near made it—might have, if we hadn’t scrambled who was in what room.”

“At you,” Toby said, “specifically? Twice?”

“Very possibly. Sounds a little egotistical on my part, but my security seems to read it that way. They’ll take other targets if they can get them, no question. But the operation probably started when they knew I was coming in. They’re making a play to get at their old enemies the Edi, and to own the southwest coast—the Marid is a maritime power; they have no assets in the central regions. But they do have ships. They’ve got more ships than the aiji’s navy does, if it comes to that: they can convert their island traders and become real damned difficult to deal with if they can get a few ports to use unchallenged, up on this coast.”

“This is the same bunch that supported Murini.”

“And that made the trouble in the aishidi’tat before that,” Bren said, “when Cosadi made a try to link up with the Kadagidi. We’ve got that one troublesome clan up in the Padi Valleyc”

“The Kadagidi, you mean.”

Bren nodded. “That lot has been conniving with the Marid from the time the Ragi set up the Western Association. They’re Ragi—skin deep. But they have Southern ties and they tried to stop the Association getting organized in the first place. They were the holdouts. They were trying to form an association with themselvesat the center—at the same time the Marid was trying to pull out of the Ragi Association. That’s the history of it. But the rest of the Padi Valley Ragi were so relieved to find somebody knocking the Kadagidi in the head, they came right into the new Association and turned on the Kadagidi—then helped the Association organize the west coast. Then the Marid came into the Association—before they got forced in—and immediately demanded special privileges—which they didn’t get; demanded to run the Southern trade—which they did get, in return for giving up some of their navy. They’d started to try to form an alliance with the East, when the aiji—Tabini’s grandfather—knocked the pins out from under them by bringing Ilisidi in.”

“This Ilisidi.”

“There’s only one,” Bren said. “The Marid would like to see her deadc for old time’s sake, if nothing else. Murini and the Kadagidi made their recent try at overthrowing Tabini—Murini went down. The Kadagidi are in disarray. The Marid has the space station over their heads now, they have Tabini back in power, they have the Western Association more united than they’ve ever been, and the weakest spot they can reach is their old enemies the Edi, up and down the southwestern coast. The Edi have never had a strong central authority. They’re inclined to go their own way, village by village, house by house. They were always on the losing side with the Ragi, until they linked up with the Maschi, who understood the Ragi and understood them—Lord Geigi’s house. Tiny clan. Big influence. Lord Geigi’s in space, indispensible up there. But he’s going to have to come back to deal with the mess in his affairs down herec his nephew’s been a fool, playing politics with the Marid during Murini’s administration. He thought he was being smart. Now he’s got bedfellows, and Geigi’s house, the house that holds the Edi together—the house that has the Edi man’chi, if Baiji hasn’t lost it—is just damned close to disintegrating. That’s what’s going on, brother. If the Edi fragment and start fighting among themselves again, the Marid can start gnawing away at them, piece by piece, village by village, right up the coast. The Marid has got the ships; Tabini doesn’t. If the Marid can find some handful of Edi willing to make deals, they’ll createsome figurehead to be another Geigi. I’m getting the impression the new aiji in that region was using Murini—and Murini would have been dead the first time he disappointed the Marid. Now this new fellow—remember his name for Shawn—” Toby was not unacquainted with the President of Mospheira. “Machigi.”

“Machigi.”

“Out of the Tasaigi district, Tanji clan, aiji in Tanaja. Bad news. Reallybad news, if this whole thing is his planning. Apparently he’s got the Senji and the Dojisigi districts and probably the Dausigi district of the Marid working with him. Meanwhile the Farai, out of the Senji district, are sitting in myapartment in the Bujavaid, right next to Tabini’s—claiming, incidentally, kinship with the Maladesi, who used to hold this peninsula, besides that apartment. The Maladesi no longer exist as a clan. Their last generation married into the Farai’s adjunct clan, the Morigi, and the Farai consequently have a claim on the Maladesi prerogatives and territory, because now the Morigi are extinct and the Farai claim all they had. The Farai, of the Senjin Marid, claimedmy apartment under Murini’s occupation; they then turned coat again and opened the doors of the Bujavid to Tabini’s forces when he came back. Supposedly they’ve been trying all winter to broker an agreement between Tabini and the Marid to settle all the old bad politics, which is why I’ve been living in Tatiseigi’s apartment and not bothering the Farai. The hell they’re brokering a peace deal! They’re in this Tasaigi move up to their ears, and unless they prove to have secretly informed the aiji and set up Machigi for a fall, they’re going down, and I’mgetting my apartment back.”

Toby blinked. Barb looked totally puzzled.

“It’s quite simple,” Bren said. “I get my apartment. And very bad news for the Marid that I’m still alive and even more that the Edi are going to be massively upset if they aren’t already. Geigi hasto get down here and take the reins in person—kick Baiji out officially and probably stay here, patching up what’s been disturbed. That means he’llbecome the main target, and the aiji’s going to have to take special measures to protect him. Tell Shawn that, too. This coast’s become a powder keg and my coming here lit the fuse just a little prematurely.”

“You’re not safe here.”

“I’m on a peninsula—well, at the head of it—with a loyal village at my back, a harbor where I can see trouble coming, and the aiji’s forces occupying the neighboring estate and township, with help from the dowager besides. This is as safe as I could be, for now, granted there isn’t a landing party from that wrecked boat working its way in this direction. You’re both safer here than trying to run for it until the aiji is in firm control of the sea approach. Trust me in that.”

“Trust you,” Toby said, “no question. How can we help?”

“Stay in the harbor. Get that boat of yours patched and fit to sail. You may have to take out of here before you get her beautified. There’s a guard on my boat: but just keep an eye on things in the harbor, be my eyes on the shoreline, and keep radio contact with the house if you see any movement. If something comes at us overland, protect yourselves and get out when you can. There’s no way you can go up against a Guild operation. All right?”

“We’ll be out there,” Toby said.

“Stay under cover as much as possible. Don’t present a target. If you need anything, get one of the staff or the villagers to run up to the house. Don’t expose yourselves to snipers—or a kidnapping.”

“Got it,” Toby said. “We’ll be going back down there. You take care.”

“I intend to,” he said, and hugged Toby—and Barb. “Stay alive. If we can get you a navy escort to calmer waters—”

“Don’t distract anybody from necessary business,” Toby said. “Just—you be careful, Bren.”

“I intend to be,” he said, and walked them out of the dining room and on toward the main hall—Banichi and Jago joining them as soon as they exited the dining room.

Another and scandalous public exchange of hugs as he sent them out the door. He did it anyway, while Banichi used his communications to call the escort to the door, to be sure Toby and Barb made it down to the boat safely—and equally to be sure the dowager’s men on the roof didn’t mistake the movement of someone down the winding walk.

“See you,” Toby told him, in leaving.

“See you,” he said in turn, and the escort took Barb and Toby in hand.

Then the servants shut the doors between them, shut them, locked them, and threw the substantial bolts above and below.

“Now we rest,” he said with a deep breath. “I pick up my computer, and we all go to your room, nadiin-ji.”

Chapter 15

« ^ »

Bren-ji.” Tano turned his chair at the security console to face Bren. “A report has come from the dock. Nand’ Toby and Barb-daja are back on their boat and safely so. There has been no incident. The boat is under repair. The workmen estimate to have the hole sealed before midnight. The pumps are very adequately keeping up with the situation.”

“Thank you, Tano-ji,” Bren said fervently. He had his own place, a chair pulled up to make a workspace at the end of the counter, next to an array of equipment, and he’d been writing reports on the situation while it was fresh in memory. Banichi and Jago took a little time in their respective beds in the next room, and they spoke in low voices, so as not to disturb them.

He hadn’t realized how tightly his nerves had been wound, how anxiously he’d awaited that word from the dock, but he’d ceased to trust momentary lulls in a situation—which often simply meant the enemy had drawn back to reorganize. Getting Barb and Toby out to sea was of great importance—but not overriding their safety. “Message in reply, Tano-ji: tell nand’ Toby wait for a clearance before he sails unless things go very badly here. If you yourself can possibly ask the aiji’s forces for an escort to get nand’ Toby out to seac one would make that request.”

“Indeed,” Tano said, and turned back to his console, to busy himself in communications for some time. Bren went back to his report.

He was uneasy about asking a personal favor from Tabini– diversion of a naval vessel from a major action wasn’t exactly the sort of thing most people asked to be sure a relative got away safely, but the fact was, Toby wasn’t just Toby. He was a potentially valuable hostage. And he wasn’t just a Mospheiran citizen in the wrong waters; or even just the paidhi-aiji’s close relative: he was occasionally and perhaps currently an agent of the Mospheiran government—a spy, in plain fact; a spy who had served Tabini’s interests and hurt those of the Southern conspirators. And that meant he twice over ought to get out of here before he fell into hostile hands. Toby had personal enemies in the South: the South might not know precisely who he was beyond being the paidhi’s relative—which was enough. But once they twigged to what he had done during the Troubles, they would very quickly move to get their hands on him for very different reasons. The fact that Toby had a small operational Ragi vocabulary only put him in worse danger, in that regard.

So he wanted Toby the hell out of the bay and out much, much closer to the Mospheiran coast, just as soon as they could be sure that by sending the Brighter Daysout toward open ocean they wouldn’t be sending Toby straight into the jaws of some force coming intothe bay to launch a sea assault on Najida. A naval escort from Tabini’s side of the mess was the only sure answer.

That, and being sure that repair to the hull was going to hold up under whatever conditions Toby ran into out there once he left his naval escort, whether he had to run hard or dodge fire, or just bear up under the usual spring weather on his way to Port Jackson.

It was, however, the solution to one problem on his hands.

Having his old associate Geigi’s nephew locked in his basement, however—that was not going to be tidied up in one stroke.

Damn, he did not look forward to—

Ramaso himself came in, very somberly, with an underlying tension, and bowed.

“The village, nandi—the elders of the village—one has presented your sentiments. They have requested you come to speak to them in person, in a session of the council, tonight.”

That was a surprise—a disturbing surprise, since he was unprepared: he had no speech, he had no notes, only an untidy situation to report; but an honor—he wasn’t sure a lord of Najida had ever been asked to a village meeting.

“Tonight,” he echoed.

“At sunset, nandi.”

“I shall need to dress,” he said. The protocols of the situation were unprecedented. “In whatever would be appropriate, Rama-ji. I leave it to your discretion.”

“They have also invited the aiji-dowager and her great-grandson.”

For about a heartbeat he was astonished, and could not imagine what the dynamics of that situation werec and then he thought. Edi. With ties to Mospheira before the Landing. The Edi, who traced their descent through their mothers, and especially the grandmothers—the foremothers, guardian spirits, deities to the Edi. The aiji dowager. The aiji’s grandmother, great-grandmother to an aiji-to-come.

It wasn’t just a meeting. It was a precedent-setting Event, this meeting, and it didn’t, perhaps, only have to do with Najida.

“Convey the message to the dowager and ask her, from me, if she would decide about the young gentleman. Say that it may have an interesting relevance to the disappearance of the Edi from Lord Geigi’s household.”

She would go, he judged. Visit Baiji? She’d had conscious reason not to, well-taken, as it turned out. But an Edi village might pique her curiosity, if nothing else. Curiosity was a potent inducement to Ilisidi.

“Yes, nandi,” Ramaso said, and went off to do that.

He sat down and took another note—more, he started pulling up data from his computer, historical notes, geography, a list of names, all in the data files. The Edi ancestors had come down from the north coast, up from the south in ancient times, coastward somewhat when the Ragi Association formed: there had been fighting. And notably, the large group of associated clans had come across from Mospheira, having been forced out by the War of the Landing and subsequently dispossessed by the Treaty of the Landing that ceded the whole island of Mospheira to human rule.

The data listed clans, where each was thought to have been, where they were thought to have moved, what names were common in each. Descent through the mother.

Put upon for two centuries and before: the Edi had been at odds with the Ragi Association, and the Southern Association,and when the Ragi Association had become the Western Association, the aishidi’tat, and made it known they were going to knock some Southern heads, the Edi had found a needful buffer in Geigi’s clan, the Maschi, who were on good terms with the Ragi—smartest move they’d made in a long while. But then the holder of Najida, the last of the Maladesi, had married into the Farai of the Morigi clan in the South– thatlittle piece of business had linked the northern finger of the coast into the Southern Associationc simultaneously betraying the Maladesi’s village, which was mostly Edi, mostly related to the Edi all down the coast.

Thatwas the pleasant little winter home Tabini-aiji had bestowed on him some years back, and he knew Tabini had never meant him to have to cope with a mess like this—Tabini had only intended to signal the Ragi weren’t going to tolerate a Southern Association foothold on the Edi coast, which had made the Edi happy, he gathered, as better than the alternative. The paidhi was not Ragi, not Maschi, certainly not Southern– the Southerners would have cheered en masse if he’d been assassinated. And he and the village had gotten along tolerably well during the period in which the Ragi grew stronger—not a plus for the Edi—but also more peaceful. Prosperity had come to the coast, largely thanks to Lord Geigi and the aerospace plant. Everything had just gone swimmingly right for the Edi during that period.

Until the paidhi became a very absentee landlord and conspiracy threw Tabini out of office for a year. During that time the Southerners had been very active, had stuffed their pockets and gotten people in power here and there—not to mention the damned Farai had taken over the paidhi’s apartment as if the paidhi would never return. Baiji had started playing courtship games with the South, Geigi hadn’t been able to communicate with the world to find out what was going on, and the Edi serving Baiji had—one hoped—just walked out. One hoped there was no worse answerc but he might get a clue to it tonight.

He read and made notes.

And Ramaso came back to inform him the dowager andthe young gentleman would be attending.

Security problem, was his first thought, and he had been hoping halfheartedly that the dowager would decline the invitation. But so was he a security problem, as far as that went. Banichi and Jago were going to need their rest. They’d have a full complement of the dowager’s guard. That was considerable. And the dowager and the next Ragi aiji meeting with that assembly might have political reverberations far outweighing—

Another intervention. Saidarocame in from the hall, Ramaso’s second-in-command, a little ruffled, for that steady, reasonable man. He bowed.

“Couriers from the aiji’s forces have come to the door, nandi, with the papers you requested. And more. They bring two persons to be assigned to the young gentleman. Cenedi-nadi has gone to verify their credentials.”

That had the attention of both Tano and Algini, for certain. And that could be a problem. Counting the long-running insistance on the part of Uncle Tatiseigi of the Atageini to provide security for hisgrand-nephew and the several times Uncle Tatiseigi’s security had failed to keep track of the boy—it had been a problem. Counting the importance of the Atageini in keeping the central region stable—it was an ongoing problem. Counting the dowager, who was an old lover of Uncle Tatiseigi, providing the boy her ownsecurity when she was at hand—and threatening to provide it permanently—that was a problem. And counting the fact the boy’s father, Tabini, had hadinternal security problems that had come within a hair of getting him assassinated on the floor of the legislature– thathad been a problem.

The latest arrangement with Tabini’s security, who were generally Ragi in ethnicity—itself a noisily controversial reliance on his own clan—had seemed at least to be an improvement on the security front.

But now Tabini was going to step in and have the final say in the ongoing battle—that was going to ruffle the Atageini and the boy’s mother’s Ajuri clan, at minimum.

And to have the boy acquire Ragi-ethnicity Guildsmen just as he accepted the invitation from the Edi to go meet with them—bad timing. It could have been done when the boy got back to the capital.

Except Tabini was understandably a little disturbed to have known his son had taken unauthorized leave on a freight train, stolen a boat, and developed independent notions that had gotten him stranded in the middle of a firefight. He certainly could not blame Tabini for concluding that his son needed specifically-attached adult security. Two Taibeni teenagers were clearly not enough to exert authority. And Tabini wasthe boy’s father.

He got up from the console to go meet the aiji’s men, and, of the two, it was Algini that got up to go with him, though Tano had started to do so, until the two exchanged a glance. That was unusual: Algini was not the one who dealt with social situations; but Algini had been, until his apparent resignation from the post, very high in the Guild. In a personnel question, Algini knew faces, knew names, knew the current man’chi of individuals in the Guild in a way even Banichi did not.

He didn’t question, just headed down the straight central hall to the group at the front door, a cluster of black uniforms like an incoming storm front, contrasted against the lighter colors of staff—Ramaso among the latter group. Among the Guild who had arrived, there was luggage, presumably belonging to the ones who were now assigned here.

Bren approached. The visiting Guildsmen, four of them, were standing with Cenedi and Nawari. They bowed, and the seniormost visitor handed him a folder.

“Nand’ paidhi,” Cenedi said, “these are close associates of Jaidiri-nadi: Elidari and Nadrasi, of the Guild.”

Jaidiri was Tabini’s chief of security: these two were the highest level currently in the field, very likely.

“Nadiin,” Bren said with a courteous nod, “the house is honored.”

“Nand’ paidhi—” The one who spoke would be the senior of the elder set, and also the one Cenedi would have named first. Elidari: a man of about middle years, smallish as Taibeni tended to be, quick-eyed and all business. “The aiji sends two persons whose man’chi is in no doubt: Vejico and Lucasi, sister and brother, of the Guild. They will attach to the heir.”

No ifs, ands, buts, or “if the dowager pleases.” Damned sure the paidhi-aiji wasn’t in a position to object, even if Algini should give him some sign in the negative.

The other pair, the younger set, bowed. They looked typical young Guild: athletic, slim, the both of them, bright-eyed, early twenties, Bren judged.

“The young gentleman is resting,” Bren said, “but staff will direct you to his quarters, which he shares with two others. Be welcome to this house.”

“Nandi.” A third bow, in exact unison, somewhat disconcerting. And they picked up their luggage, each bringing two heavy bags.

“Ramaso,” Bren said, indicating that the major domo should see to that matter, and that group moved off about their business.

“Nandi.” A bow from the senior pair.

The Guild did not expect tea and ceremony. They did what they did and they departed. The door shut.

“This team is,” Algini said, “good. One had no idea they had attached to a house.”

Cenedi regarded him somberly. “Not Taibeni.”

“From the mountains. Their training continued during the Troubles, under Ajien.”

Clearly Cenedi knew the name, and was suitably impressed.

He thought of the various hand-picked tutors and several security arrangements that had gone over the horizon already.

It didn’t mean the young gentleman would be grateful.

Or polite.

“Let us hope,” Bren said, “things go smoothly.”

“Let us hope,” Cenedi said with a dour expression.

They allknew how that might go.

Chapter 16

« ^

Nandi,” Jegari said, or Cajeiri thought he said, and pulled his head off the pillow to find out.

In fact it was Jegari, looking anxious. And Jegari would not waken him on a whim. It was still daylight out, though the room was dark, what staff called the storm shutters were still in place, only admitting slits of daylight. But he could see, all the same.

“We have notoverslept,” he said. He was sure of that. And then anxiety crowded after: “Mani is all right?”

“The dowager is asleep, one believes, nandi,” Jegari said, “but your father the aiji has sent two guards to stay with us. One believes they have been assigned.”

His fatherhad sent guards.

He pulled himself up to a sitting position. “When are they coming?”

“They are here, nandi. Nand’ Bren sent them in.”

He could deal with Uncle Tatiseigi’s men. He had been threatened with his Ajuri-clan grandfather’s gift of guards, which mani had said were fartoo little skilled. He had mani’s guards sometimes, Nawari and Casari and others, and they were all right: he greatly favored Nawari, who let him do things.

But somebody from his father?

He got up. “Assist, ’Gari-ji.” He could call servants to help him muster a decent appearance, but all that would have to go past whoever was waiting out there, and would indicate that he had been found withouta decent appearance. He helped Jegari find an unrumpled shirt, and he put that on, and his morning trousers were acceptable. He got into those, and put his boots on, while Jegari took out the rust-brown coat he had been wearing for breakfast, which he had not spilled anything on. It was good. He used that, and sat down and let Jegari braid his queue and tie on a fresh ribbon, the Ragi red and black.

The mirror showed him a fair figure of authority. He trusted in it and walked out to confront the latest offering from adults in charge of his life.

They were young. Not too much older than Jegari and Antaro, and one was a girl, kind of nice-looking in Guild black. But he didn’t want appearances to get past his guard. They bowed. He bowed.

“Nandi,” the girl said, “my name is Vejico. My brother is Lucasi. You are entitled to know: we are fifth-level Guild.”

Impressive. He knew that much; and was not supposed to talk about it.

“Your father the aiji has sent us, expressing the hope that you may find our service acceptable.”

No one had ever asked his opinion. That was a definite improvement.

And clearly now, in their silence, his opinion was called for. “Vejico and Lucasi, this is Jegari, and this is Antaro, out of Taiben.”

Bows all around, Jegari’s and Antaro’s that degree deeper that acknowledged authority.

“You may know,” Cajeiri said, in his father’s tones, and his great-grandmother’s, “this house is the house of Lord Bren, the paidhi-aiji, who is our closest associate, and we came under attack last night by Southerners who have taken over the neighboring estate, which belongs to Lord Geigi, who is Lord Bren’s and my great-grandmother’s close associate. Lord Geigi’s nephew Baiji is at fault for his associations, and Lord Bren and my great-grandmother have him locked in the basement, and weare supposed to visit Najida village tonight to ask the Edi where the Edi are who used to serve Lord Geigi. Baiji—my great-grandmother says he is not to be given any title—says the Edi just went away, but Baiji has lied even to my great-grandmother, so he is not to be believed.”

He left off there, not to be seen to run on with his sentences, which Great-grandmother said was a sign of poor self-control and afterthoughts. But it was a fair account. He thought he had given it well.

And he was gratified to see two deep and solemn bows.

“Nandi,” the girl said, evidently the older of the pair, “we would be honored to provide security tonight, respecting the efforts of Jegari-nadi and Antaro-nadi.”

Oh, that was nicely phrased, and polite to Jegari and Antaro, who did not have the credentials even to let them wear the Guild uniform.

“We shall see,” he said. Ultimately, he knew he was going to have to have more than Jegari and Antaro. But hehad planned to pick them, and notto have spies that would stop him from everything—especially very goodspies.

“Your father says, nandi,” Lucaso said with a little bow, “that a sense of humor is requisite for this post. And we are not to report small irregularities, only to be sure nothing is broken, no one is hurt, and that you are not locked in somebody’s basement.”