In his mind, Isande had already started for the door of her apartment, pulled her tousled head through the sweater; the sweater was tugged to rights, her thin-soled boots pattering quickly down the corridor. He fired her what information he could, coherent, condensed, as he had learned to do.
And Daniel?she asked in return. What has happened to him?
Her question almost disrupted his screening. He clamped down against it, too incoherent to screen against Daniel and explain about him at once. Isande understood, and he was about to reply again when he was startled by a projection appearing not a pace from him.
Mejakh!He jerked back even as he flashed the warning to Isande. His dealings with the mother of Khasif and Tejef had been blessedly few, but she came into the paredremore frequently now that other duties had stripped Chimele of the aid of her nasithi-katasakke—for Chaikhe’s pursuit of an iduve mate had rendered her katasatheand barred her from the paredre,Khasif and Ashakh were on Priamos, and poor Rakhi was on watch in the control room trying to manage all the duties of his missing nasithito Chimele’s demanding satisfaction. Mejakh accordingly asserted her rank as next closest, of an indirectly related sra,for Chimele had no other. Seeing that she had children now adult, she might be forty or more in age, but she had not the apologetic bearing of an aging female. She moved with the insolent grace of a much younger woman, for iduve lived long if they did not die by violence. She was slim and coldly handsome, commanding in her manner, although her attractiveness was spoiled by a rasping voice.
“Chimele,” said Mejakh, “I heard.”
Chimele might have acknowledged the offered support by some courtesy: iduve were normally full of compliments. All Mejakh received was a stare a presumptuous nas kame might have received, and that silence found ominous echo in the failure of Mejakh to lower her eyes. It was not an exchange an outsider would have noted; but Aiela had been long enough among iduve to feel the chill in the air.
“Chimele,” Rakhi said by intercom, “projections incoming from Tashavodhand Mijanothe.”
“Nine and ten clear, Rakhi.”
The projections took instant shape, edges blurred together, red background warring against violet. On the left stood a tall, wide-shouldered man, square-faced with frowning brows and a sullen mouth: Kharxanen,Isande read him through Aiela’s eyes, hate flooding with the name, memories of dead Reha, of Tejef, of Mejakh’s dishonor; he was Sogdrieni’s full brother, Tejef’s presumed uncle. The other visitor was a woman seated in a wooden chair, an iduve so old her hair had silvered and her indigo skin had turned fair—a little woman whose high cheek-bones, strong nose, and large, brilliant eyes gave her a look of ferocity and immense dignity. She was robed in black; a chromium staff lay across her lap. Somehow it did not seem incongruous that Chimele paid her deference in this her own ship.
“Thiane,” Isande voiced him in a tone of awe. “O be careful not to be noticed, Aiela. This is the president of the Orithanhe.”
“Hail Ashanome,” said Thiane in a soft voice. “Forgive an old woman her suddenness, but I have too few years left to waste long moments in hailings and well-wishing. There is no vaikkabetween us.”
“No,” said Chimele, “no, there is not. Thiane, be welcome. And for Thiane’s sake, welcome Kharxanen.”
“Hail Ashanome,” the big man said, bowing stiffly, “Honor to the Orithanhe, whose decrees are to be obeyed. And hail Mejakh, once of Tashavodh,less honored.”
Mejakh hissed delicately and Kharxanen smiled, directing himself back to Chimele.
“The infant the sraof Mejakh prospers,” he said. “‘The honor of us both has benefited by our agreement. I give you farewell, Ashanome:the call was courtesy. Now you know that I am here.”
“Hail Tashavodh,” Chimele said flatly, while Mejakh also flicked out, vanished with a shriek of rage, leaving Chimele, and Thiane, and Aiela, who stood in the shadows.
“ Au,” said Thiane, evidently distressed by this display, and Chimele bowed very low.
“I am ashamed,” said Chimele.
“So am I,” said Thiane.
“You are of course most welcome. We are greatly honored that you have made the harathosin person.”
“Chimele, Chimele—you and Kharxanen between you can bring three-quarters of the iduve species face to face in anger, and does that not merit my concern?”
“Eldest of us all, I am overwhelmed by the knowledge of our responsibility.”
“It would be an incalculable disaster. Should something go amiss here, I could bear the dishonor of it for all time.”
“Thiane,” said Chimele, “can you believe I would violate the terms? If I had wished vaikkawith Tashavodhto lead to catastrophe, would I have convoked the Orithanhe in the first place?”
“I see only this: that with less than three days remaining, I find you delaying further, I find you with this person Tejef within scan and untouched, and I suspect the presence of Ashanomepersonnel onworld. Am I incorrect, Chimele s ra-Chaxal?”
“You are quite correct, Thiane.”
“Indeed.” Her brows drew down fiercely and her old voice shook with the words. “Simple vaikkawill not do, then; and if you do miscalculate, Chimele, what then?”
“I shall take vaikkaall the same,” she answered, her face taut with restraint. “Even to the destruction of Priamos. The risk I run is to mine alone, and to do so is my choice, Thiane.”
“ Au,you are rash, Chimele. To destroy this world would have sufficed, although it is a faceless vaikka.You have committed yourself too far this time. You will lose everything.”
“That is mine to judge.”
“It is,” Thiane conceded, “until it comes to this point: that there be a day remaining, and you have not yet acted upon your necessities. Then I will blame you, that with Tashavodhstanding by in harathos,you would seem deliberately to provoke them to the last, threatening the deadline. There will be no infringement upon that, Chimele, not even in appearance. Any and all of your interference on Priamos will have ceased well ahead of that last instant, so that Tashavodhwill know that things were rightly done. I have responsibility to the Orithanhe, to see that this ends without further offense; and should offense occur, with great regret, Chimele, with great regret, I should have to declare that you had violated the decrees of the Orithanhe that forbade you vaikkaupon Tashavodhitself. Ashanomewould be compelled to surrender its Orithain into exile or be cast from the kindred into outlawry. You are without issue, Chimele. I need not tell you that if Ashanomeloses you, a dynasty more than twelve thousand years old ceases; that Ashanomefrom being first among the kindred becomes nothing. Is vaikkaupon this man Tejef of such importance to you, that you risk so much?”
“This matter has had Ashanomein turmoil from before I left the dhis,o Thiane; and if my methods hazard much, bear in mind that our primacy has been challenged. Does not great gain justify such risk?”
Thiane lowered her eyes and inclined her head respectfully. “Hail Ashanome.May your dhisincrease with offspring of your spirit, and may your sracontinue in honor. You have my admiration, Chimele. I hope that it may be so at our next meeting.”
“Honor to Mijanothe.May your dhisincrease forever.”
The projection vanished, and Chimele surrounded herself with the control room a brief instant, eyes flashing though her face was calm.
“Rakhi. Summon Ashakh up to Ashanomeand have him report to me the instant he arrives.”