She lay down on the bed and pulled the blankets up over her. The cloth felt coarse against her skin, scented of grass and the summer earth. He had lain under these blankets. She wrapped a corner of one under her, so that her cheek lay against it, and with that comfort, she slept.
Storm clouds raced in over the mud flats of Odys Massif. Charles Soerensen stood in the wind and the hard slap of rain, out on his balcony. Beyond, at the far towers of Odys Port, a ship had landed. Suzanne was on that ship, back from Paladia Major without Tess, without any indication that Tess had been on the Oshaki after it had left the Delta Pavonis system.
But Suzanne had not come back alone.
Charles turned and walked back inside. Jamsetji sat at Charles's desk, manipulating graphs in the air above the flat screen. On the flat surface, the net burrowers dredged deep into the datanet, seeking any scrap of information on Chapalii protocol in the matter of transfers of fealty. Almost every tunnel led back, like a blind maze, to the hand of the Yaochalii, the emperor. By the emperor's hand, thus will it be granted.
Jamsetji glanced up at Charles and shook his head but otherwise did not stir. A chime shattered their silence. The transparent wall sealed down across the balcony behind Charles. Jamsetji rose and moved aside so Charles could sit down at his desk.
A seam in the tiled wall peeled open, and Suzanne walked in, followed by four Chapalii. One was Hon Echido, flushed blue with distress. Two were also of the merchant class, by their robes, but they wore the wrist and neck torque of the Office of Protocol. And the fourth Chapalii-
Charles almost stood up. As quickly, he decided against it. 'Tai-en,' he said, and inclined his head the merest degree, acknowledging an equal.
'Tai Charles,' said the duke. He was tall, awkwardly thin, and his skin was dead white.
Suzanne bowed to the precise degree. 'Tai Charles,' she said in Anglais, 'this is the Tai-en Naroshi Toraokii. He has come from Chapal with these officers from Protocol to arraign this fugitive member of the family Keinaba, whose name has been stained with dishonor and so must vanish from the sight of the emperor.'
Charles rose because he judged that it was now polite to do so, and answer enough to Suzanne's words.
The Tai-en Naroshi examined the chamber, the tiled wall, the sweep of balcony, the sheen of the desktop, and, briefly, the still, silent figure of Jamsetji, waiting quietly at Charles's right. Then he inclined his head toward Charles as to an equal, and spoke.
When he was finished, Suzanne translated. 'The Tai-en states that if his honored peer desires a translation circuit to be installed, he can arrange for such, allowing the females of his house to return to their scholarly studies without having to waste their talents and valuable time translating mere words.'
'My honored peer is generous. I will consider his offer with great pleasure.'
Suzanne's mouth quirked up, not into a smile, not quite, and she repeated his words to Naroshi. What he thought of them it was impossible to tell. Colors tinted the skin of the two Protocol officers. Echido was still flushed blue. Naroshi remained as pale as ice. He spoke again.
'The Tai-en states that he wishes to relieve his honored peer of the burden of the presence of this ke, this low one.' Suzanne glanced at Echido. The merchant clutched his hands together, saying nothing with them at all. 'The rite of extinction has been completed for all of the possessions of the princely house that no longer exists, except for Keinaba. The emperor is restless that this matter remains unresolved. Thus, peace cannot be achieved until this ke is returned and his name obliterated with his family's.'
'It is indeed benevolent of my honored peer to consider taking this burden from me.' Charles waited while Suzanne translated, and then he looked directly at the two Protocol Officers. 'Did Keinaba take part in the offense that has tainted all who owed allegiance to that princely house?'
Naroshi blinked, but that was his only reaction.
Both officers bowed. One spoke at length, and Suzanne translated, but in Ophiuchi-Sei-ah-nai. 'Charles, he basically says that whatever breach of protocol, whatever conspiracy, the prince and dukes and lords were involved in went no lower than that. But, of course, the merchants and all of their stewards and artisans are dishonored by the association. Everything, all their wealth, all their holdings, will revert to the emperor to be dispensed back by him to whatever princes he favors right now.'
'I did a wee bit of checking,' said Jamsetji in a low voice, in the same language. 'It cleared with what we thought. Given the information we have and our ability to calculate their markers of wealth, that princely house and holdings was the richest, or among the richest, in the empire.'
'Not least because of Keinaba,' replied Charles, also in Ophiuchi-Sei. 'Yet I have a dispensation from the emperor's hand. Yes, I see. I wonder if this is a coincidence or a test?' But his eyes had lit already. It had been too long since he had faced a real challenge.
In Anglais, he said, 'Tell my honored peer that I have taken in the loyalty of Keinaba.' Suzanne translated.
The Protocol officers flushed a sickly hue of violet. Echido paled, and his hands rewove themselves into Merchant's Bounty.
Not a flicker of color tainted Naroshi's skin. His chin tilted the slightest degree before he spoke.
'The Tai-en states that he cannot act on this matter, merely do as his duty instructs: that is, return the merchant in question to the emperor. If his honored peer wishes to accompany him so as to bring this matter forward to the emperor's discretion, he would be pleased to offer him passage on his ship back to Chapal.'
'My honored peer is munificent. I accept and will be pleased to accompany him to Chapal.'
Naroshi inclined his head. He was gratified at the Tai-en's acceptance. His skin stayed white. They exchanged a few more compliments, a few last pleasantries, and then Naroshi took his leave. The Protocol officers begged leave to follow him, and Echido bowed as servant to master, to Charles, and accepted their escort. His skin was paler than theirs, as if he felt secure that he and his family would be spared. It was still not as dead pale as the duke's had been. They left the room to silence.
'Goddess in Heaven and Earth,' swore Suzanne. 'What the hell did you do that for?'
'I think the time is right,' said Charles softly. 'I think it is something I had better do. It gives us a foothold in the cliff, rather than that bare toe's width of ledge we're clinging to now. What do you make of Naroshi? Have I made an enemy or an ally in that one? My God, he had exceptional facial control. Jamsetji, dig up everything you can about the Toraokii dukedom.' Charles moved to one side so that Jamsetji could sit down at his desk.
'But, Charles.' Suzanne marched over to the desk and set her palms down on it, leaning on them, glaring up into his face. 'What about Tess?'
'Suzanne, what can I do? If she's on Rhui, Marco can find her.'
'What if she's in danger? If she's injured? Captured? Being held prisoner? What if she's dead?'
'Must I remind you that in bitter political terms Tess is expendable? Chapalii law allows for me to adopt an heir, who will then be as legal as an heir of my blood. It's been suggested by the emperor himself, in order that I might have a proper male heir.'
'We're not talking political terms, Charles. We're talking about your sister.'
'Suzanne, you may take it for granted that I love my sister.' He kept his voice as even as a Chapalii voice, revealing nothing. 'You may be sure that if she comes to harm through Chapalii machinations, those responsible will suffer for it. If I have the power to act against them. But I can do nothing for her here. We must grasp the opportunity that presents itself. Keinaba is rich. Through their shipping we will have ties and access to every port and every planet and every system, and, by God, every back door that merchants squeeze through, in imperial space. We can't afford to lose that chance.'
Suzanne pushed herself up and spun away to walk out onto the balcony. The transparent wall peeled away to allow her access, and shut behind her, to protect the office from the beating rain and the skirling wind. The tide was out. The tules lay flat against the muddy shallows, pressed down by the gale. Clouds roiled above, dark and turbulent.
Charles watched her for a moment, and one moment only, and then he turned and walked to the side room to pack what few things he needed for the journey. The seal stood open between the office and the little chamber.
'Richard and Tomaszio can arrange whatever formal items I'll need,' said Charles over his shoulder. 'And a message to Cara, in Jeds, to let her know what's happened. She can forward anything to Marco. He'll have to act on his own for now.''
