The Dance of Time

Scare them shitless, Belisarius agreed. Don't forget that the mahaveda and mahamimamsa, unlike the Ye-tai, aren't a different race or ethnic line.

Yes, you're right. Most of them are Malwa, but not all-and Malwa aren't racially distinct from any other north Indians anyway. So?

So what's to stop a priest or torturer from throwing away their identifying garments and paraphernalia and just vanishing? Worse comes to worst, even a beggar in a loincloth is better off than a dismembered corpse feeding beetles.

Oh. True. 'Dismembering' is the least of it, really. He spent more time talking about the red hot tongs that are to be used to pull out intestines. I still don't understand the point of it. He's obviously doing this in the open because he thinks Link is receiving the radio transmissions directly.

Yes. That's got to be the explanation. Belisarius had to suppress a little shudder, remembering the one time he'd met Link himself. No way to fool that monster, even over a radio transmission.

No, there isn't. Even human radio and telegraph operators, with experience, can recognize who's on the other end. Everyone has a distinctive 'fist,' as they call it. But. .

You're thinking that if Link is at the receiving end-here in the Punjab, if not in Kausambi-it'll simply suppress the transmission. No one in Malwa India will hear it.

Of course, it will! Even in Kausambi, that radio station has to be under iron control.

Belisarius was smiling broadly, now. And why do you think Damodara is only using the radio? I'll bet you-if you had anything to wager-that this same message is going over every telegraph line in India. And, by now, there are far too many telegraph stations for Link to be able to keep them quiet. The only reason Damodara is using the radio at all is to communicate with us.

Silence, for a moment.

Then: Oh.

Then: It's not fair. I'm just a crystal. Lost in this protoplasmic scheming and trickiness. A lamb among wolves.

Aide started to add another complaint, but broke off. He's starting to say something to us again. Here it is:

PROPOSE GRAND ALLIANCE STOP IRAN TO KEEP THE SIND STOP JOINT OCCUPATION OF THE PUNJAB STOP KUSHANS TO KEEP THE HINDU KUSH STOP AXUM TO GARRISON KEY NEUTRAL SEAPORTS STOP INDEPENDENT CITIES BUT AXUM MAY COLLECT TOLLS STOP IS THIS AGREED STOP

Belisarius turned to Calopodius. 'Do you have Barbaricum on the line, yet?'

'Yes. Antonina hasn't arrived in the station, though. Neither has Ousanas. But they're on the way.'

'We'll wait till they arrive. What about Sukkur?'

'Same story. I've got the Persians on the line, but Khusrau is somewhere else. He's in the city, however, so they say it won't take long.'

'Good. Have you instructed the radio operators in Barbaricum to send a relay signal to Bharakuccha-and only to Bharakuccha?'

'Yes, General. I-ah-made the last part quite clear.'

Maurice grinned. So did Justinian. 'I will say your wife has done wonders for your assertiveness,' said the former emperor.

Justinian turned to Belisarius. Faced in his direction, rather. As was often the case with blind people, he had a good sense of other peoples' locations in the room, but didn't know exactly where their faces were.

'And what about you? I trust we're not going to see a sudden lapse into timid modesty. 'It's not my place, whine; I'm just a general, whine.' '

Belisarius grimaced. 'Theodora is not going to like it. She's already accusing me of giving away everything.'

'So what? She's in Constantinople-and, more to the point, the Emperor of Rome is in Barbaricum. Probably at your wife's elbow.'

That's a dirty rotten lawyer's trick, for sure, said Aide. Of course, he is the Empire's top lawyer.

'She's still the Empress Regent,' Belisarius pointed out. 'Until he attains his majority, Photius doesn't technically have the authority to order most anything.'

'So what, again? Difficult times, difficult measures. Unfortunately, the raging thunderstorm'-here Justinian waved at the entrance to the bunker, beyond which could be heard the faint sounds of people enjoying a pleasant and balmy evening-'made it impossible to communicate with Constantinople by radio. And the telegraph-all those pestiferous relays-just wasn't fast enough. Given that a decision had to be made immediately.'

Justinian's smile was unusually cheerful, for him. 'I can assure you that, as the Grand Justiciar, I will be forced to rule in your favor if Theodora presses the matter.'

Belisarius returned the smile, scratching his chin. 'No qualms, yourself?'

Justinian shrugged. 'We've been together a long time, she and I. It's not likely she'll have me poisoned. And I'm right and she's wrong-and no one knows it better than you. In another universe, I kept you at war for years out of my overreaching ambition, and had nothing to show for it in the end except exhaustion and ruin. Let's not do it again, shall we?'

He's right.

Yes, of course he is. Rome doesn't need more territory. It'd just bring grief with it. Even the enclave I'll insist on here in the Triangle is for purely political reasons. But you-o craven crystal-will remain huddling in your pouch while I have to bear the brunt of Theodora's wrath.

Seems fair to me. You're the general. I'm just the hired help. Grossly underpaid, to boot.

'Antonina's on the line, General,' said Calopodius. 'And they're telling me Khusrau has arrived at the telegraph station in Sukkur.'

'Let's do it, then.'

* * *

The communication with Antonina went quickly.

PHOTIUS AGREES TO DAMODARA TERMS STOP WANTS TO KNOW IF EXILE POSSIBLE IN TRIANGLE TO ESCAPE THEODORA STOP HE WORRIES TOO MUCH STOP LOVE YOU STOP

'Ask her about-'

'It's already coming in,' Calopodius interrupted him.

OUSANAS AGREES TO DAMODARA TERMS ALSO STOP WILL TAKE FLEET AND ARMY IMMEDIATELY TO BHARAKUCCHA STOP WHAT YOU WANT ME AND PHOTIUS DO STOP

'Have her and the boy go with them,' Maurice suggested. 'They'll be much safer in Bharakuccha than up here, with everything breaking loose. And what would they do here, anyway?'

It didn't take Belisarius long to decide that Maurice was right. If Antonina still had her Theodoran Cohort with her, she might be able to play a useful military role in the Triangle. But she'd left them behind in Alexandria. If just she and Photius and Tahmina came to the Triangle-with a huge flock of servants, to make things worse-they'd be nothing a distraction and a nuisance to Maurice.

And Belisarius himself wouldn't be there at all, if his plans worked.

'Yes, I agree. Leaving aside the safety problem, she'll probably be useful in Bharakuccha anyway. That populace will need to be settled down, and she's a lot better at that than Ousanas would be. Calopodius, tell her