Rakhi was still in the midst of his acknowledgment when Chimele cut him out and stood once more in the paredre.Isande, who had waited outside rather than break in upon Thiane, was timidly venturing into the room, and Chimele’s sweeping glance included both the kamethi.
“Take over the desk to the rear of the paredre.Review the status and positions of every amaut and mercenary unit on Priamos relative to Tejef’s estimated location. Daniel must be reassigned.”
Had it been any other iduve, even Ashakh, that so ordered him, Aiela would have cried out a reminder that he had been almost a night and a day without sleep, that he could not possibly do anything requiring any wit at all; but it was Chimele and it was for Daniel’s sake, and Aiela bowed respectfully and went off to do as he was told.
Isande touched his mind, sympathizing. “I can do most of it,” she offered. “Only you sit by me and help a little.”
He sat down at the desk and leaned his head against his hands. He thought again of Daniel, the anger, the hate of the being for him over that child. He could not persuade them apart; he had tried, and probably Daniel would not forgive him. Reason insisted, reason insisted: Daniel’s company itself was supremely dangerous to the child. They were each safer apart. Priamos was safer for it, he and the child hopeless of survival otherwise; leaving her was a risk, but it was a productive one. It was the reasonable, the orderly thing to do; and the human called him murderer, and shut him out, mind locked obstinately into some human logic that sealed him out and hated. His senses blurred. He shivered in a cool wind, realized the slip too late.
Aiela.Isande’s presence drew at him from the other side, worried. He struggled back toward it, felt the physical touch of her hand on his shoulder. The warmth of the paredreclosed about him again. Too long in contact,she sent him. Aiela, Aiela, think of here. Let go of him, let go.
“I am all right,” he insisted, pushing aside her fear. But she continued to look at him concernedly for a little time more before she accepted his word for it. Then she reached for the computer contact.
The paredredoor shot open, startling them both, and Mejakh’s angry presence stopped Isande’s hand in mid-move. The woman was brusque and rude and utterly tangible. Almost Isande called out to Chimele a frightened appeal, but Chimele looked up from her own desk a distance away and fixed Mejakh with a frown.
“You were not called,” Chimele said.
Mejakh swept a wide gesture toward Aiela and Isande. “Get them out. I have a thing to say to you, Chimele-Orithain, and it is not for the ears of m’metanei.”
“They are aiding me,” said Chimele, bending her head to resume her writing. “You are not. You may leave, Mejakh.”
“You are offended because I quit the meeting. But you had no answer when Kharxanen baited me. You enjoyed it.”
“Your incredible behavior left me little choice.” Chimele looked up in extreme displeasure as Mejakh in her argument came to the front of the desk. Chimele laid aside her pen and came up from her chair with a slow, smooth motion. “You are not noticed, Mejakh. Your presence is ignored, your words forgotten. Go.”
“ Ashanomehas no honor when it will not defend its own.”
Chimele’s head went back and her face was cold. “You are not of my s ra,Mejakh. Once you had honor and Chaxal was compelled to notice you, but in his wisdom he did not take you for kataberihe.You are a troublemaker, Mejakh. You threw away your honor when you let yourself be taken into Tashavodhby Tejef. There was the beginning of our present troubles; and what it has cost us to recover you to the nasulwas hardly worth it, o Mejakh, trouble-bringer.”
“You would not say so if Khasif were here to hear it.”
“For Khasif’s sake I have tolerated you. I am done.”
Mejakh struggled for breath. Could iduve have wept she might have done so. Instead she struck the desk top with a crash like an explosion. “Bring them all up! Bring up Khasif, yes, and this human nas kame, all of them! Wipe clean the surface of this world and be done! It is clear, Orithain, that you have more m’melakhiathan sorithias.It is your own vaikkayou pursue, a vaikkafor the insult he did you personally, not for the honor of Ashanome.”
Chimele came around the side of the desk and Isande’s thoughts went white with fear: Rakhi, get Rakhi in here,she flashed to Aiela, and reached for the desk intercom; Aiela launched himself toward the two iduve.
His knees went. Unbelievable pain shot up his arm to his chest and he was on his face on the floor, blood in his mouth, hearing Isande’s sobs only a few feet away. The pain was a dull throb now, but he could not reach Isande. His limbs could not function; he could not summon the strength to move.
After a dark moment Chimele bent beside him and lifted his head, urging him to move. “Up,” she said. “Up, kameth.”
He made the effort, hauled himself up by the side of a chair and levered himself into it, searching desperately with his thoughts for Isande. Her contact was active, faint, stunned, but she was all right. He looked about when his vision had cleared and saw her sitting in a chair, head in her hands, and Rakhi standing behind her.
“Both of them seem all right,” said Rakhi. “What instructions about Mejakh?”
“She is forbidden the paredre,” Chimele said, and looked toward her kamethi. “Mejakh willed your death, but I overrode the impulse. It is a sadness; she had arastietheonce, but her loss of it at Tejef’s hands has disturbed her reason and her sense of chanokhia.”
“She has had misfortune with her young,” said Rakhi. “Against one she seeks vaikka,and for his sake she lost her honor. Her third was taken from her by the Orithanhe. Only in Khasif has she honorable sra,and he is absent from her. Could it be, Chimele, that she is growing dhisais?”
“Make it clear to the dhis-guardians that she must not have access there. You are right. She may be conceiving an impulse in that direction, and with no child in the dhis,there is no predicting what she may do. Her temper is out of all normal bounds. She has been disturbed ever since the Orithanhe returned her to us without her child, and this long waiting with Priamos in view— au,it could happen. Isande, Aiela, I must consider that you are both in mortal danger. Your loss would disturb my plans; that would occur to her, and kamethi have no defense against her.”
“If we were armed—” Aiela began.
“ Au,” Chimele exclaimed, “no, m’metane,your attitude is quite understandable, but you hardly appreciate your limitations. You almost died a moment ago, have you not realized that? The idoikkheican kill. Chanokhiainsists kamethi are exempt from such extreme vaikka,but Mejakh’s sense of chanokhiaseems regrettably lacking.”
“But a dhisais,” Aiela objected, “can be years recovering.”
“Yes, and you see the difficulty your attempt to interfere has created. Well, we will untangle the matter somehow, and, I hope, without further vaikka.”
“Chimele,” said Rakhi, “the kameth has a valid point. Mejakh has proved an embarrassment many times in the matter of Tejef. Barring her from the paredremay not prove sufficient restraint.”
“Nevertheless,” said Chimele, “my decision stands.”
“The Orithain cannot make mistakes.”
“But even so,” Chimele observed, “I prefer to proceed toward infallibility at my own unhurried pace, Rakhi. Have you heard from Ashakh yet?”
“He acknowledged. He has left Priamos by now, and he will be here with all possible speed.”
“Good. Go back to your station. Aiela, Isande, if we are to salvage Daniel, you must find him a suitable unit and dispose of that child by some means. I trust you are still keeping your actions shielded from him. His mind is already burdened with too much knowledge. And when I do give you leave to contact him, you may tell him that I am ill pleased.”