Farlander

reasons for that, unspoken or not. I would not wish to lead such a reckless campaign either.'

Sasheen finished her drink and thrust the empty goblet at a passing servant. 'That is a pity, Sparus, for I was hoping you might like to come along with me.'

'Matriarch?'

'I will be accompanying the Expeditionary Force myself.'

Surprise rippled through the gathering. Che's breath caught in his throat, where he still stood to one side, entirely ignored.

'As you so rightly put it,' continued Sasheen, and for an instant her eyes flickered between young Romano and fat Alero, 'my throne will depend upon its outcome. It is fitting therefore that I should be there – shaking the spear so to speak.'

'This is madness, Matriarch. You cannot risk yourself in such a way.'

'All life is a venture in risk, Sparus. And you will go, if you wish to see your Matriarch safely through this endeavour in one piece.'

Romano was enjoying this, till Sasheen chose that moment to offer the young general a smile.

'And you too, Romano. Sparus will lead the Expeditionary Force, and you will be his second-in-command.' The young man sat up abruptly, causing a trickle of ash to fall from his hazii stick and scatter over his lap. 'Alero, Ricktus, you will each take command of one of the diversionary fleets, and cause such a storm down there that we may find enough space to slip through. This is how it shall be.'

The youth, Kirkus, leaned forward, his eyes bright. 'And I, mother… I would like to go with you also.'

'But you will not', she replied firmly. 'You are to stay here, within the Temple, until we have dealt with our other problem.'

At this she glanced at Che for the first time. He found himself standing to attention as he held her gaze.

'But who knows how long that might take?' demanded Kirkus.

'You should have thought of that, my fine son, when you were performing your cull, and so rashly flaunted the privileges of your position.'

The boy's sullen response was stifled by a sudden loud croak from one side of the room. All heads turned to it, including Che's. He expected to see a pet kerido perhaps, squatting on the floor and tearing at a lump of flesh. Instead it was the grandmother, her eyes still tightly closed.

'The boy acted rightly,' rasped the ancient priestess. 'He acted dutifully in accordance with Mann. Do not fault him for that, my daughter.'

The Matriarch blew out a prolonged mouthful of air. 'Be that as it may,' she said, 'but for now he is not to set foot from here for any reason.' And she chopped her flattened hand through the air, cutting off Kirkus from further protest. She was displeased at this public discussion, and even Kirkus knew to remain silent, though his face burned.

'Now,' continued Sasheen. 'If you will all excuse me.'

Matriarch Sasheen departed from the group and strode deliberately past Che. 'Come with me,' she snapped in her wake.

He followed her perfumed scent to the windows, where they stepped through a set of sliding glass doors onto a terrace that encircled the tower. Potted plants stood around its periphery, straining against the wind. As Sasheen slid the doors closed behind them, the rain spattered their faces, cold as the gusts that drove it.

'You are wondering why I allowed you to witness the workings of my Storm Council.'

'No, Holy Matriarch,' Che lied, instinctively. He knew better than to openly acknowledge a lack of trust in him from his superiors. It might indicate a guilty frame of mind, a dangerous condition in an order where treachery was almost a doctrine.

Sasheen appraised him for truth. 'Good,' she said at last. 'Your handlers all agree upon your loyalty. Perhaps they are even right in their judgement.'

He bowed his head, but said nothing.

'You wonder, then, why I sent for you?'

'Yes, Matriarch,' he replied, head still inclined, and this time he told only the truth.

'I will speak plainly, then.' With her chin she pointed to the Storm Chamber within. 'My son, young Kirkus there, has killed one who bore a seal.'

Che at last looked up at her. Sasheen was taller than he, as most people were.

'In her wisdom, my mother made no effort to stop him. She has always considered the Rshun to be of little threat to Mann. I myself am not so certain.' Her gown blew open in the wind; water trickled between her breasts, over her belly, down into the wispy hairs of her pelvis.

'Several days ago we intercepted three of their number as they tried to gain access to my son. Two were intended as a diversion, but another almost succeeded – though we cornered him in time. I'm told he took his own life. Regardless, they will send others.'

'I see,' he murmured. Che's heart was beating faster now. He could feel the blood throbbing in his fingertips, his toes.

'Do you, I wonder?'

'Yes. You must know I was trained as Rshun – as a future safeguard against a situation such as this.'

'Then you know why I sent for you.'

Che wanted to scratch his neck again, but he fought against the compulsion. Instead he turned his face into the rain. It stung his eyes, but at least it helped soothe the itching. 'You wish me to lead you to the place of the Rshun order,' Che spoke into the wind, 'so that you may destroy them before they destroy your son.'

'Indeed,' she replied, and he could hear the smile in her voice. 'I have a company of my finest commandos readying themselves even now for your arrival. You are to lead them to Cheem, and make use of this plant of theirs that I hear will guide you to their monastery.'

'They are prepared to follow a guide through the mountains even while he is deranged?'

'They know of the knowledge buried in your head. And they are prepared for anything. Once they find this monastery, they will kill all they find there and burn it to the ground, so that none shall survive.'

Che exhaled a soft breath through his nostrils, seeking a state of emptiness.

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned closer 'Does this mission trouble you, perhaps?'

'I do not believe so.'

'You do not, perhaps, feel some remnants of loyalty to your Rshun friends?'

Ah. Now it all begins to make sense. 'Holy Matriarch, I am loyal only to Mann.'

She gazed into the depths of his eyes. He became aware then that he was scratching his arm – though he dared not stop for fear it might give something of himself away.

Sasheen rose above him again. 'I see. And tell me – your mother and you, are you close?'

Abruptly, Che ceased scratching. He bought himself a few moments of time by wiping the sheen of moisture from his face.

'We are not particularly close, no. We were parted for eight years while I was in Cheem, studying to be Rshun.'

'I am told that she is rather fond of you, despite that.'

'Then you know more than I.'

'Of course I do. I am the Holy Matriarch, after all.' She smiled. 'But I am also a mother,' she added more sincerely. 'You can be certain that she holds much affection for her only child.'

Sasheen glanced into the room, at her own son. When she turned back to Che, her eyes were hard and devoid of humour.

'I would take great care over that relationship, if I were you. Such bonds are precious in this world. Sometimes, our loyalties are all that can maintain them.'

Her thinly veiled threat prompted him to look away. Che turned instead to the potted plants lining the terrace, whipping noisily against the window glass, and fixed his sight on them as though for steadiness.

Sasheen followed his gaze and reached out with a drifting hand. Roughly, as though it were a pet, she stroked the leaf on one of the bedraggled specimens.

'Do we have an understanding, you and I?'

Che dipped his head in acknowledgement, a sharp lump in his throat.

'Very well, then, let us delay no longer. Return to your handler. He will already have a full brief for you.'