That got frowns. "We can keep up with you," Veijico said. "Never doubt that."

"Good," he said. "Baji-naji, nadiin. People have been wrong. And you do not not call my father to report on my great-grandmother. Sometimes my great-grandmother is scary. So are her associates. You should get used to this. My father is used to it. So should you be, if you are going to try to keep up with me." call my father to report on my great-grandmother. Sometimes my great-grandmother is scary. So are her associates. You should get used to this. My father is used to it. So should you be, if you are going to try to keep up with me."

Sullen silence from Lucasi, and one from Veijico. A scarcely perceptible bow from Lucasi.

"Are you honest with me?" Cajeiri asked. "Do you still think I am stupid and have to be lied to?"

A little pause additional. Then a slow bow from Lucasi and from Veijico, nearly simultaneous. "No," they said.

Not: No, nandi. Just no. They were saying what they had to say. But he realized something right then that he should have felt much sooner. There was no connection. There was no man'chi. And there was no inclination toward it. They might feel it toward his father. But who knew where else-if it was not to him?

But everybody everybody who was not his father's enemy felt man'chi toward his father. To decide that who was not his father's enemy felt man'chi toward his father. To decide that was was their man'chi-that was more than a little presumptuous on their part. Presumptuous. That was what mani would say. They thought they were in his father's guard. They found fault with his great-grandmother and practically everybody, including him. their man'chi-that was more than a little presumptuous on their part. Presumptuous. That was what mani would say. They thought they were in his father's guard. They found fault with his great-grandmother and practically everybody, including him.

A lot of people in the central clans were like that. But they they were from the mountains. They had made up their minds to be like that. were from the mountains. They had made up their minds to be like that.

And he was mad.

He was very mad at them. And they knew it. It was in the stares they gave back, and they were not in the least sorry.

"You know far less than you think you do," he said. He would never never dare say that to the least of Great-grandmother's men. He would never dare say that to the maid who cleaned the room. But he said it, and meant it, and glared at them. dare say that to the least of Great-grandmother's men. He would never dare say that to the maid who cleaned the room. But he said it, and meant it, and glared at them.

He had finally disturbed them. Good.

But they were not sorry about it.

He did not like that. People in one's guard who were not in one's man'chi were dangerous people, people he did not want near him.

But his father had given them to him, and he was stuck with them.

He could give them one more day and let everybody cool down, and then then call his father. Or tell mani. They would not last long if he talked to mani, who would talk to Cenedi, who would find someplace to put them, no question. call his father. Or tell mani. They would not last long if he talked to mani, who would talk to Cenedi, who would find someplace to put them, no question.

He was not quite ready to do that. Just upset. And sometimes his upsets went away in an hour.

"You have made me mad," he said, "and that is stupid, nadiin."

"Nandi," Antaro said quietly, "they are are Guild. And you did put us over them, and that is hard for them." Guild. And you did put us over them, and that is hard for them."

"We do not need defense, nadi," Veijico said shortly.

"Twice fools!" Cajeiri said, and set his jaw. "Give me me that face, nadiin!" that face, nadiin!"

It was what mani would say when he he sulked. And it got their attention. sulked. And it got their attention.

"I could turn you over to mani," he said. "But I am mad right now. And when you do something involving my great-grandmother you had better mean it. So I am giving you one more chance. You take my orders."

A deep breath from Veijico. A little backing up, from both of them, as if, finally, they had had better sense, or saw a way out. If you corner somebody-Banichi had told him once, and he had always remembered it-you can make them go where you want, by what escape you give them.

"You go," he said, "and keep an eye on things in the house, and if anything happens about what we heard today, or if anything changes, or you even suspect it is changing, you come back to me and tell me. But do not follow me about, and do not ever be telling me what to do. You can give me your opinions. But you cannot cannot give me orders." give me orders."

"Nandi," Veijico said, and finally bowed her head and took a quieter stance. Lucasi did, too.

"Go do that," he said, fairly satisfied with himself, even if he was still mad.

Only when they had gone and he was alone with Antaro and Jegari, he let go a lengthy breath and let a quieter expression back to his face.

"Do you think they will do it?" he asked them outright.

"One is not sure," Jegari said. "But you scared them, nandi."

"Good!" he said. "You are senior in my household, nadiin-ji, and will always be, no matter how high they are in the Guild. And for right now, none of the Guild under this roof are happy with them." are senior in my household, nadiin-ji, and will always be, no matter how high they are in the Guild. And for right now, none of the Guild under this roof are happy with them."

"One has noticed that," Antaro said.

"But we are obliged to take their orders in Guild matters," Jegari said, "unless we have orders from you not to."

"You have, nadiin-ji. We order order you to refuse any order from them you think is stupid. Or wrong. And we want to know what they said and what they were doing. Their man'chi is you to refuse any order from them you think is stupid. Or wrong. And we want to know what they said and what they were doing. Their man'chi is not not to us!" to us!"

"One perceived that, nandi," Jegari said.

"One perceived it," Antaro said in a quiet voice, "and was not that sure, until now. One is a little concerned, nandi. We were prepared to be careful what orders we took. At least to go to Cenedi or Banichi."

Two of his aishid had political sense and discretion. The same two of his aishid had learned from Banichi and Cenedi, and that put them forever ahead of two who had not, in his opinion.

Two of his aishid had a real man'chi to him, and he cared deeply about that. The other two-it might yet come. If he got control of his temper. His father's temper, Great-grandmother called it, and said she had none.

But he rather hoped it was hers he had, which was just a little quieter.

He had not shouted, had he?

And he thought he had put a little fear into those two. More than a little. He might be infelicitous eight, but he was nearly nine, and he was smarter than almost anybody except the people his father had left in charge of him, which he thought might be why his father had left him here-unless his father was tired of him getting in trouble and wanted to scare him him.

Fine, if that was the case. He was only a little scared... less about what was going on outside the house than about the two Assassins his father had given him to protect him.

His father had given him a problem, was what. A damned big problem. And for the first time he wondered if his father knew how how big... or had these two so wound up in man'chi to himself that he never conceived they could be that much of a problem where he sent them. Maybe they were to be perfect snoops into big... or had these two so wound up in man'chi to himself that he never conceived they could be that much of a problem where he sent them. Maybe they were to be perfect snoops into his his aishid, and into nand' Bren's household and into mani's. aishid, and into nand' Bren's household and into mani's.

Would his father do do a thing like that? a thing like that?

It was what mani said, Watch out for a man whose enemies keep disappearing.

Well, that was his father, damned sure. Most everyone knew his father that way.

But then, one could also say that about Great-grandmother.

Both of them had been watching out for him, all his life. Now he had to look out for himself.

If he could take take the man'chi of two of his father's guard, that would be something, would it not? He had gone head to head with these two, and scared them. the man'chi of two of his father's guard, that would be something, would it not? He had gone head to head with these two, and scared them.

The question was, did he want them? And could he get them at all, the way he had Jegari and Antaro? Did they have it in them, to be what Jegari and Antaro were?

Mani had told him, when she took him away from the ship and his human associates, that there were important things he had to learn, and things he never would feel in the right way, until he dealt with atevi and lived in the world.

Was this it?

His whole body felt different, hot and not angry, just- overheated, all the way down to his toes. Stupid-hot, like a sugar high, but different. Not bad. Not safe, either... like looking down a long, dark tunnel that was not quite scary. It had no exit to either side, and no way back, but he knew he owned it, and he suddenly conceived the notion he he was the danger here. He wondered if he was the danger here. He wondered if he looked looked different. different.

He needed to be apart from Veijico and Lucasi for a few hours, was what. Antaro and Jegari were all right. They steadied him down and they could make him laugh, which was what he very much needed right now. He very, very much needed that.

10.

Thus far, probably bored out of their minds, Bren thought, Toby and Barb were dutifully keeping to the basement, through all the coming and going in the house.

He went downstairs into the servants' domain-Banichi and Jago stayed right with him despite his assurances that everything was calm and they could take a little rest; and they walked with him through the halls, two shadows generally one on a side, except where they passed the occasional servant on business. It was a bit of a warren down here, rooms diced up smaller than those above, and the floor plan much more humanish, having a big square of a central block and a corridor all the way around. The main kitchens were down here, with their back stairs up to the dining room service area; and next to them the laundry and the servant baths all clustered together at a right angle-sharing plumbing.

Beyond that side of the big block, beyond fire-doors and sound-baffling, was the servants' own recreation hall, their own library and dining room, and beyond that, again another fire-door, the junior servants' quarters.

Baiji occupied one of these rooms. One of Ilisidi's young men, on duty at that door, had been reading. He set down his book so fast he dropped it, and got up with a little bow, which Bren returned-though likeliest it was Banichi and Jago whose presence had made him scramble.

"Your guest is not my concern," Bren said mildly. "One trusts the fellow is busy at his writing. My brother is down here. Where would he be?"

"The third left, nandi." The young man walked ahead of them, escorting them that far, and knocked on the door for him before retreating and leaving Banichi and Jago in charge.

The door opened. Toby saw him with some relief-stood aside as he entered, and left the door open; but Banichi and Jago opted for the hall, and shut the door, likely to go back and pass the time sociably with Ilisidi's lonely and very anxious youngest guard.

Barb sat at the little table, where the light was best, doing a little writing herself. The disturbed second chair showed where Toby had likely been sitting before he heard the door and got up. The bed, just beyond the partial arch, was made and neat: the servants would have seen to that; but maybe two ship-dwellers had taken care of it themselves.

"Are we being let out?" Toby asked hopefully.

"Sorry. Not yet." Bren dropped into the chair by the door and heaved a heavy sigh as Toby sank back into the second chair at the table.

"Ah, well," Toby said. "Any idea when?"

"Well, it's stayed quiet out. We haven't had any further trouble. And Geigi's talking about going home to his estate-that may provoke something. Likely it will. But if if it does, it may shift the trouble over to Kajiminda-and that may get your upstairs room back." it does, it may shift the trouble over to Kajiminda-and that may get your upstairs room back."

"That still throws you short," Toby said. "If you can get Geigi home, you can at least get us to our boat."

"Sorry. The bus doesn't go down the hill. You're safer here."

"You can only play so much solitaire," Barb said, and Toby said nothing, only looked glum.

"You're exposed to snipers down on the boat," Bren said. "It makes me nervous, your being there."

Sighs from both of them. "We can't go into the garden, I suppose, " Barb said.

"No," he said. "But it's not forever. There's movement in the situation."

"What kind of movement?"

"Best not discuss all of it. But things are happening."

"We're not pacing the floor yet. We've threatened murder of each other if we get to that."

"The room is bigger than the boat."

"There's no deck," Toby said. "And there's no window. -I'm not complaining, Bren. Honestly not."

"You're complaining," he said wryly. "And I'm honestly sympathetic. Just not a thing I can do to make it safe out there."

"We're just blowing off steam," Toby said. "Honestly. We aren't complaining. Being alive is worth a little inconvenience. We're grateful to be here-grateful to the servants who gave up their room for us. We're here, we're dry, we're not full of holes-"

"I'll relay that to the fellows who live here," he said, with a little smile. "But I can at least give you a day pass. Things have quietened enough you'll be welcome upstairs at most any time. Just don't wait for directions. Duck down here fast if there's an alarm of any kind. I'm afraid the library's off limits now; just too crowded in there. But you can use the sitting room, what time we're not having other meetings. Staff will signal you. I'll advise them to tell you that."

"We've become the ghosts in your walls," Barb laughed. "Spooks in the basement."

"That's it," he said.

"Staff has been really good," Barb said. "They won't let us make our own bed. We tried, and the maid had a fit."

He laughed gently. "The juniors have that job and if they don't do it, the seniors will be on them. Don't object." Which said, he got up to go.

"What?" Toby protested. "You're not staying for a round of poker? We play for promises."

"I'm up to my ears in must-dos. I just want you to know there's some movement in the situation, and so far, so good. We have people watching your boat round the clock. No worries down there."

"Can we possibly help?" Toby asked. "Can we actually do do anything around the place? Can we hammer nails, carry boxes, help with the repair?" anything around the place? Can we hammer nails, carry boxes, help with the repair?"

He shook his head. "That's the downside of having an efficient staff. They have their ways. Just relax. Rest. Take long baths."

"Can I at least get some coastal charts?"

Those were slightly classified. But he did have them. And Toby was in Tabini's good graces. He nodded. "I'll send a batch down."

That brightened up his two sailors. He felt rather good about that. brightened up his two sailors. He felt rather good about that.

So he took his leave, collected Banichi and Jago, and went back upstairs to his office, while Banichi and Jago, secure in the knowledge of exactly where he was, in a fortified room with storm shutters shut, got a little down time of their own.

"Coastal charts," he recalled. "Toby wanted coastal charts." He went over to the pigeonhole cabinet, unlocked the case and pulled out several. "Have these run down to him, nadiin-ji. I take responsibility."

Jago went to do it. Banichi diverted himself to somber consultation with Tano, Algini, and Nawari.

And he sat down with the database again, trying to discover how Pairuti's bloodline-and Geigi's-connected to the world at large, over the last three hundred years.