And suddenly—the wall was back. Everything was back.
“Not Malguri,” he said, desperately.
“Where, then?”
“Hasjuran, Honored Mother. One thought—one thought you knew.”
“Why should I know?” Mother was angry, extremely angry. “Why Hasjuran, in all reason?”
“Mother. Honored Mother. I found out. It was a secret. We should not talk here.”
Mother’s face had gone hard. But she nodded agreement, and motioned toward the dining room, and motioned him ahead of her.
That was how things were, now. He was not used to secrets in this new arrangement. He wanted to be polite, he wanted to make amends, and when they were inside, and the door was shut, with just two each of their bodyguards in the room, he turned and gave a deep, apologetic bow.
“It was a mistake, Honored Mother. I found out by accident and told Father, and Father told me—told me he knew, and to keep quiet, so I supposed you knew.”
Mother looked a little less angry. He kept going.
“Nand’ Bren is with them. He can talk to Great-grandmother.”
“That, we were assured was the case. But what are they doing in Hasjuran?”
“Honored Mother, you know—we know—that Cousin did take refuge in the Taisigin Marid during the Troubles.”
“Given.”
“Lord Machigi came to see mani and nand’ Bren, and he is with them. Mani wants to compare what they say. She wants to know what they did, and whether they still talk to each other.”
“In Hasjuran?” Mother asked. “They are holding a delicate conference with Lord Topari?”
“Not with him.” Father’s voice sounded from the open sitting room doorway, and Father walked in without his bodyguard. “Not with him, Miri-ji. It has been a deep secret, one of my grandmother’s notions, and one of the most dangerous—a matter of timing, and a need to seize a moment quietly, if it can be done. Cajeiri was not to know, but he sent his senior bodyguard down ahead of his visit to the station, to be sure of things, and seeing what he saw, had the sense to draw back and report to me when he found things not as he expected. Nomari-nadi is in a sense undergoing a critical examination, but so is Lord Machigi, who is asking Grandmother to link him to Senjin by rail.”
“Gods less favorable.” Mother did not, as a rule, swear. “To do what?”
“They are calling the lord of Senjin up to Hasjuran to discuss his situation. Senjin, we are told, has come under increased pressure from the Dojisigi because of Grandmother’s agreement with Machigi—because of the prospect of ship-building that will make the southern Marid a threat to them. They imagine weapons. They imagine all manner of things. And Machigi imagines, probably, gaining exactly what his agreement with Grandmother forbids him to have—the west coast. That will not happen. But in the meanwhile, Senjin is, according to Machigi, in disfavor with Tiajo on several accounts. Lord Bregani has reason to fear a move to assassinate him and replace him, and he might welcome a contact offering him participation in Machigi’s deal with Grandmother.”
“Is that the offer?”
“That will be the offer. His capital will have a rail link to Machigi’s capital, and together, including Machigi’s dominance in the south, they will give Tiajo something very specific to worry about.”
“And if he refuses?”
“Well, in that case, he probably will be assassinated—eventually. But not by us. Tiajo is only a figurehead, of use only for an appearance of legitimacy. The forces behind Tiajo will move. Senjin will be annexed. War will break out. We had rather not have that. And your cousin Nomari, as well as having sheltered in Lord Machigi’s court, spied for him in Senjin. He is a check on the truth, on both sides. Grandmother is presiding over what we hope will be face to face negotiations, and if we can secure the cooperation of the lord of Senjin, and his economic linkage to Machigi, we can both keep Machigi busy, and gain information about the Dojisigin Marid we can very well use. The Shadow Guild will have one less dark corner to hide in.”
“And they are quite likely to figure this out, are they not?”
“Indeed they are. Which is why the Red Train is defended as it is, and parked where access is not easy. It is prepared for defense. Now you know all of it. I am curious how you did find out, past all our precautions.”
“Our son’s face. When I said Malguri.”
“Face,” Cajeiri said ruefully. “I was—I was not—I was surprised, Honored Father. I was not on my guard.”
“And why should you be, if I did not warn you specifically, which I did not?”
“You did not, on the other hand, tell me,” Mother said.
“I did not want to worry you,” Father said. “In fact I wanted the best chance to be sure of your cousin in my own mind as well as Grandmother’s—if I am trusting him in a close relationship to our most precious assets. Ajuri is not an easy creature to ride, and I need assurances I am not trusting a scoundrel or giving an inexperienced young man a post he cannot long survive. Neither is my wish.”
“He is my cousin.”
“And therefore family, and therefore obliged to deal with Grandmother, and with the associates he may have made during his exile. If he can manage all three and come out in good favor, he may indeed be what Ajuri needs.”
“Nand’ Bren will look out for him,” Cajeiri said, hoping to calm the argument. “He will, and his guard will, and nand’ Bren can talk anyone into anything.”
“One day I shall ask him to reason with your great-grandmother,” Mother said, frowning. “But then, that may be an impossibility.”
“She favors you, Honored Mother. She truly does. She says—” Actually what mani had said was that Mother had reined in Father’s temper, but that was hardly what to say at the moment. “—You are a good influence. And she only wishes you to be good to Uncle Tatiseigi, which you are, and you have done, and I am glad.”
“You have been learning from nand’ Bren,” Father said dryly. “But come, I think your mother forgives us both, and she has far more to forgive in my case.”
“If your grandmother is going to start a war,” Mother said, “bear in mind I want my cousin back undamaged.”
“I shall do my best,” Father said. “Come to table. Son of ours, do not worry. Everybody is safe and warm and well-protected in Hasjuran at this hour, and probably enjoying a good dinner. I have argued with Grandmother, but she views the Marid situation as hers; and she has advisors she will listen to, so we simply wait and watch.”
* * *
• • •
The passage doors were unlocked. The dinner was set up.
The question was in what mood Bregani had boarded, and what mood he was in right now.
The man had to travel the whole length of the train to reach the Red Car, and the dowager, having rested in seclusion all day, had invited everyone aboard to drinks and dinner. She had invited Machigi and Nomari to come to the Red Car at a certain time—and only them at first.
Receive Lord Bregani and establish an acquaintance sufficient to introduce him, had been Ilisidi’s note to Bren. We hope he will be receptive and not too distressed to find his neighbor and our Ajuri guest present. We trust your management of the situation.
Of course. Management of the situation. God help him.
Bren waited to intercept Bregani. And it was an occasion, at very least, for one’s best coat and social graces.
And the pistol. In case.
Jago reported as, separately, with two each of their bodyguards, Machigi and Nomari went down the passage to the Red Car, presumably to have pleasant converse with the dowager.
“Lord Bregani is on his way,” Jago reported, word coming through the Guild. “Murai-daja his wife, Husai their daughter. The girl is sixteen.”
A child, then, still. Old enough to be sensible, not old enough for alcohol or polit
ical conversation. One was glad to be advised of the age.
And it made the meeting actually easier that there were, so to speak, true non-combatants in the group.
He waited. Banichi and Jago were by the door, Tano and Algini moved into position on the other side of his own car’s sitting area. Banichi and Jago walked out to block the corridor. Bren exited, and met the Senjin party, who were likewise escorted by two of their Farai bodyguard, typical enough—two with the lord, two left behind to secure the lord’s quarters. The two Farai were in civilian dress, not conspicuously armed. Banichi and Jago were not. Tano and Algini—were.
Bregani and his wife and daughter stopped still—and one had to recall that they had never seen a human before. Bren took that into account, and gave a little bow.
“Nandiin. Welcome. I am Bren-paidhi, in service to the aiji-dowager on this venture, and I am willing to represent your interests as well, if you will do me that honor.”
“Nand’ paidhi.” Lord Bregani and his family returned the bow. The daughter, poor kid, looked scared.
“Please be assured,” Bren said, “that the dowager is by no means ill-disposed to you. I should advise you, too, that Lord Machigi is present this evening, also expressing good will toward you and hopes for better relations. Lord Machigi has presented the dowager a proposal which does involve Senjin—to your advantage as well as his, in the dowager’s opinion. In any event, you are under the aiji-dowager’s personal protection inside and outside her premises. Should you wish to return to Senjin at any time, that wish will be honored, and you and your family will be sent back in the same way you left, but in the dowager’s name, please delay that until the end of this evening.”
Bregani’s face had gone from neutral to cold during that explanation—an understandable reaction to Machigi’s name.
“We are in danger,” Bregani said. “And Lord Machigi is not our ally.”
“I believe, nandi, that you have a great deal to gain in what the dowager will propose—if you and Lord Machigi can possibly settle issues—and we will try to broker such an agreement. Recent events have not been kind to Senjin, and the dowager understands you have had a limited choice of allies. The dowager will offer a route to verifiable peace in all directions, with economic advantage, if you will only hear her out.”
A little expression was back.
“I have no choice,” Bregani said. “From last night, when I received that message, I have had no choice.”
“The dowager is not willing to see you fall from power. Your continuance in Senjin is critical to her plans, and she has tried to make this contact as quick and quiet as possible, in hopes of preventing attention from Dojisigi. Beyond that, Tiajo’s power is not what it was, nor will it be again, especially if you and Lord Machigi can find common interest tonight. The aishidi’tat is rapidly settling its own problems and looking southward, not for conquest, but for useful alliance. The dowager’s second guest may or may not be known to you—but he is himself likely to have the lordship of Ajuri before the year is out, and he does know you, not to your discredit, either. He is the aiji-consort’s cousin, Nomari by name. He was also Lord Machigi’s agent during the Troubles. You may possibly have known him as Heteni. He has given a good report of you. Through it, you are assumed, on Lord Machigi’s word, to be a potential ally.”
Expressions did subtly chase one another across Bregani’s face, not, one was certain, escaping Bregani’s control. The man was capable of a stone face under stress: he had shown that. But now Bregani let reactions show, ever so slightly—an indication he was at least opening the door to conversation. Or that he was considerably at a loss what to do. The lady and the daughter were not reassured.
“I have said enough,” Bren said. “The dowager will discuss these matters in detail after dinner, and the engine remains poised to take you back to Koperna at any moment—should you wish. In the interim—enjoy the dinner and do not worry for your safety. All the dowager’s guests are under her protection.”
* * *
• • •
The Red Car had been reconfigured for the occasion—completely reconfigured, down to the removal of ordinary seats and tables and the installation of a formally set dinner table in the middle. A few bench seats had been reoriented on their stanchions with gaps to allow standing room for Guild—exclusively the dowager’s bodyguard—and passing room for servants—exclusively the dowager’s servants, this evening. Only the red velvet bench seats at the rear remained fixed in their usual place, apt for a conference.
How staff had managed to relocate the seats elsewhere without disturbing the occupied cars was a wonder. It must surely have been done outside on the platform, Bren thought, maybe porting them up the length of the train to one of the baggage cars. However they had done it, staff had transformed the space: linen cloths, brocade runners, crystal candelabras, the candles only now being lit, crystal goblets and bottles of white wine and red. There were seven places at table, and three additional chairs facing the rear bench for a conversational seating.
Ilisidi sat on that bench, centermost of the room, with Cenedi standing on her left and Machigi and Nomari standing on her right, turned to face their arrival.
Bregani and his family stopped cold. Their bodyguard had been diverted—with Banichi and Jago—to the galley; and they had not taken alarm at that situation. But confronting Machigi, even prepared for the meeting—
Ilisidi, with a thump of her cane on the floor, and Cenedi’s offered hand, stiffly rose to meet them, uncommon courtesy. “Nand’ Bregani. Nandiin.” Which encompassed wife, daughter, and paidhi-aiji. “Come. There is brandy, and there is juice. We shall sit, it being so small a gathering. Come. Let us become acquainted.”
Bregani escorted his family resolutely forward. Machigi put on a fairly pleasant face, Nomari bowed, and Ilisidi settled back to her seat, enabling everyone else to sit.
“You will understand we are crowded for space,” Ilisidi said, “and my staff alone will serve tonight. You are my guests, and we assure you, at any time you wish, you may begin your return journey, but you have surprised us, nand’ Bregani, with your family. Will you do the courtesies of introduction, nand’ paidhi?”
“Aiji-ma, nandiin,” Bren said, “one presents Lord Bregani, with his married wife Murai-daja and daughter Husai-daja, of that marriage.—Nandiin, one presents Nomari-nadi, currently under consideration for the Ajuri lordship . . .”
It was incumbent on Bregani, the wife and the daughter all to smile, nod politely, and ignore prior acquaintance, if any, with the spy who had lived in Senjin and delivered rail schedules and cargo lists to their enemy. “One is pleased to make your acquaintance,” Murai said; and from Husai, a movement of the lips and a gaze fixed, absolutely fixed on Nomari, who looked up into that stare. And likewise froze a moment, stock still.
Prior meeting? Bren wondered. Acquaintance? God, what kind of subtext was that?
“One is likewise pleased,” Nomari managed to say.
Then: “Lord Bregani, one presents Lord Machigi of Tanaja,” Bren said, and damn him, Machigi flashed the broadest smile he had ever seen on the man—a challenging smile that bent the scar, on a face that could look absolutely grim.
From the wife and daughter there were polite, worried nods, and from Bregani, perforce, a stiff: “A meeting unlooked for, nand’ Machigi.”
“Honored, sir.” Machigi made an extravagant bow. “Honored, ladies.”
“Nandi.” From Bregani.
“Well, well,” Ilisidi said. “And let us not be too formal. Husai-daja, we daresay you might appreciate a watered wine. A fruit ice, perhaps.”
“The ice, please.” It was a shy, soft voice, without the requisite honorific.
“Nand’ dowager,” Bregani said quickly. “An ice for her. Wine will be welcome for us.”
“An ice, and the wine,” Ilisidi said, and servants went into action.
“Nand’ Machigi, Nomari-nadi, wine for you, also, one would imagine.”
Staff moved quickly to provide drinks. The social occasion lurched into tense motion, everyone seated, momentarily distracted by the arrival of refreshment, eyeing one another warily. Husai looked frightened, but managed to answer a courtesy from Nomari. Bregani and his wife sat darting looks at Machigi, who said nothing.
“Come, come.” Ilisidi said, lifting a glass of red wine. “Be at ease. We are all safe here. And we shall not draw this out extremely late tonight. Were you able to rest at all on the trip, nand’ Bregani?”
“Very little, nand’ dowager. Very little since your message last night.”
“Well, well, we hope that we can make tonight much easier. And for your peace of mind, we do have a report from Senjin—you surely are not shocked to know we have observers—that Senjin has been quiet today. There are two Dojisigi ships in port, one Sungeni, simply off-loading. The trains, however, are not running at the moment, which is a topic of conversation. There is considerable talk of the Red Train’s visit—which is speculated to be a courier run, and the question of your whereabouts today has arisen, but in the context of a meeting with a courier from the north. And it is not remarkable that traffic on a line stops when the Red Train moves.” Another sip, a conspiratorial: “We understand you have set a cousin in charge during your absence. We trust this was your action.”
“I have, nand’ dowager, empowered a cousin to issue orders and make decisions, and I have put him under a reliable guard.”
“Well, well, we shall hope he will welcome you back soon. But do not worry excessively. Not a teacup will be disturbed in Koperna during your visit here, or the culprits will meet my extreme displeasure.”
“Nand’ dowager,” Bregani said, frowning. “I shall hope not to delay too long.”
“And we are delighted you came. Be assured the aishidi’tat will not invite a lord to negotiate while enemies wreak havoc on his land. You will return at your pleasure, and find, as we say, not a teacup out of place. Be assured I am not of a mind to seize territory in the Marid. Lord Machigi would be extremely upset if that were the case.”
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