Meticulous research on kinships. Who was related to whom and exactly the sequence of exterior and internal events- negotiations in which certain marriages had been contracted and when they had terminated, and more importantly with what offspring, reared by which half of the arrangement, and with what claims of inheritance. Dry stuff-until you discovered you had a relative poised to lodge a claim or engage an Assassin to remove an obstacle.

One of the interesting tactics of marriage politics was infiltration of another clan: marry someone in, let them arrive with the usual staff. That staff then formed connections with other, local staff-and even once the original marriage had run its course-it left a legacy in that clan that could could be activated even generations down. be activated even generations down.

And there the paidhi ran head on into that most curious of atevi emotions: man'chi. Attachment. Affiliation. When it triggered, by whatever triggered it, be it the right pheromones or a sense of obligation or ambition or compatible direction-one ateva bonded to another. When it happened properly, in related clans or within a clan, it was the very mortar of society. When it happened between people from clans that were natural enemies, it could be hell on earth.

There'd been a lot of marrying, for instance, of Marid eligibles out and around their district, begetting little time bombs- people never quite at home in their birth-clan, longing, perhaps, for acceptance; and one could imagine, ultimately finding it- because the Marid clans were not stupid.

So the web grew, decade by decade, and that sort of thing had been going on for a lot of decades all up and down the coast and somewhat inland. Sensibly, a stable person was not going to run amok in the household at the behest of some third cousin down in the Marid. But take a little unscheduled income from that cousin for some apparently meaningless datum? Much easier. If you were a very smart spymaster, you didn't call on people for big, noisy things or life changes. You got bits and pieces from several sources and never let any single person put two and three pieces together.

If you were a lord like Geigi, who'd actually married into the Marid, or drawn a wife out of there, you sensibly worried about the safety of your household-but that household being Edi, the likelihood of any lingering liaison was not high at all. It had surely frustrated the Marid, and perhaps made them wonder who was spying on whom. Geigi's ex-wife had not risen high in her life, nothing so grand, after Geigi. She'd gone off to the Marid taking all Geigi's account numbers with her, but Geigi, Rational Determinist that he was-had not been superstitious. He had immediately changed them, and the Marid's attempts to get into those accounts had rung alarms through the banking system, a defeat that had greatly embarrassed Machigi's predecessor.

It had been an elegant, quiet revenge that had done the wife's whole family no good at all. Doubtless they took it personally.

Paru was the subclan in question, on the ex-wife's father's side. He wrote that name down, then got up and walked to the security station, the library, walked in after a polite knock and laid that name on the counter.

Jago, who was nearest, looked at it, and looked up at him curiously.

"This is the clan of Geigi's wife," he said, "who was greatly embarrassed in her failure to drain his accounts. And they do do own a bank in Separti Township: Fortunate Investments. One simply wonders if they have any current involvement." own a bank in Separti Township: Fortunate Investments. One simply wonders if they have any current involvement."

"Paru," Algini mused. "Fortunate Investments, indeed."

"Certainly worth inquiring," Tano said.

"Bren-ji is doing our job, nadiin-ji," Jago said, amused.

"One does apologize," he said, though the reception of his little piece of information was beyond cheerful. It clearly delighted his aishid.

"Permission to discuss with Geigi's staff," Banichi said.

His bodyguard had a new puzzle. They were cramped in these quarters, they were operating nearly round the clock, and Banichi and Jago had bruises and stitches from the last foray, but they had a puzzle to work on. They were happy.

"I leave it in your hands, nadiin-ji," he said. "Whatever you deem necessary."

And they thought his small piece of information was worth tracking. Nobody said, as they usually did, oh, well, they had already investigated that.

So he went back to mining the database with a little more enthusiasm.

When one was put out with half one's aishid and not speaking to them, it was a grim kind of day. Everybody in nand' Bren's house was serious and busy. Cajeiri was bored, bored, bored bored, bored, bored, and tired of being grown up, which he had been all morning and most of the day, but it was not his his fault half his aishid were obnoxious, and he was tired of dealing with them, so he just found excuses to keep them elsewhere and away from him-it was no cure, but it at least made him happier. fault half his aishid were obnoxious, and he was tired of dealing with them, so he just found excuses to keep them elsewhere and away from him-it was no cure, but it at least made him happier.

There was a beautiful bay out there, probably sparkling in the sunshine, with boats and everything-but one would never know it, in the house, with all the windows shuttered tight.

There was a garden out there, with sky overhead and things to get into that they had never had time to investigate.

But it was off limits, because there could be snipers.

There was the garden shed, and the wrecked old bus, and all sorts of things worth seeing, not even mentioning there was Najida village not too far away, about which they had only heard, and which they had never yet visited.

And there were fishing boats and the dock and all the shops on down the beach toward the village, from a blacksmith to a net-maker. The servants talked about the net-maker's son, who was about his age, so he gathered, and it was all off limits, because of snipers and kidnappers. The net-maker's son could be outside in the sunshine. The aiji's son was stuck inside, behind shutters.

The Marid was a damned nuisance to him personally, along with all the real harm they had done to completely innocent people, including one of mani's young men being dead, which was just hard even to think of and terribly sad. When he he was aiji, he was going to be their enemy, and they had better figure how to make peace with him or it would turn out very badly for them. was aiji, he was going to be their enemy, and they had better figure how to make peace with him or it would turn out very badly for them.

Probably his father was thinking the same thing, by now, and one was sure Great-grandmother was not going to forgive what the Marid had done, but he wished he knew what his father was doing, and one never never knew entirely what Great-grandmother was going to do, but it could be grim. knew entirely what Great-grandmother was going to do, but it could be grim.

It was a scary, worrisome thing, to send Guild out on a mission. Nand' Bren had had to send Banichi and Jago out, and Jago had gotten hurt, which he was really sorry about. And if things got really bad, they were going to have to send a lot of Guild out, and people he knew could get killed. He hated even thinking about that.

He just wished the Marid lords would do something really stupid and that his father's men-mostly strangers-would go in and settle with them before somebody he knew got hurt.

But the Marid sat down in their land and had their fingers in everything, including, apparently, trying to finagle or bluff their way into Geigi's clan, if what Lucasi and Veijico occasionally reported back was true. The Marid had possibly infiltrated the Maschi, and Great-grandmother was making a lot of phone calls, but his informants had no idea what she was saying or who she was calling, except it was code.

And Lord Geigi and nand' Bren were planning to go take Kajiminda back.

And the Edi thought they were going to replace his father's Guild, who were occupying it at the moment.

And meanwhile Guild was investigating things on the other side of Kajiminda, down in Separti Township, because Marid agents had set up down there.

But that was not all that was going on, because once Lord Geigi had taken Kajiminda, he was going to go inland and visit his cousins in the Maschi stronghold, and it was possible he was going to tell the current Maschi lord to retire so Lord Geigi could take over the whole clan. How this was going to work, one was not certain, but it sounded risky, and people were likely to say no to that...

And if the Maschi lord agreed, and Geigi moved in at Targai, there was the Marid right next door. It looked to him as if Lord Geigi was setting up to be real trouble to the Marid, and if it looked that way to him, being a kid, one could expect the Marid was going to figure it out-and figure they had one choice at that point: give up annoying the west, or go after Geigi.

He really hoped the Marid would decide then, just like in chess, that they really should not make the next few moves. That was the way he saw it: just like the chessboard-which he played pretty well, but not as well as mani, not nearly as well as mani. And there was nand' Bren, being the Advisor; and Geigi, being the Rider and moving by zigs and zags; and the Marid could see them maneuvering.

The piece they knew they needed to watch-that was the Consort. And if they were not stupid, they would know that.

Which was why why they had to have everything shuttered up, and they had to have everything shuttered up, and why why everybody was so grim. If they were stupid, they would try to go straight for the Consort, that was mani. And mani knew it. everybody was so grim. If they were stupid, they would try to go straight for the Consort, that was mani. And mani knew it.

Mani had taught him that game on the ship. She said it was a human game, but atevi were generally better at it. And he had thought-he had been just six, then-that it was funny that mani ever played games. But she and Cenedi played, sometimes, and early on he had thought all that sitting and staring was just boring.

Sit down, she had said when he said so. And she had proceeded to teach him. He played it with Gene and Artur, the both of them against him, and then they had gotten Irene to join in, so it was him against all of them. Just occasionally they had won, and when they did, he would have learned something.

And once he knew what was going on, watching Cenedi and mani play was not boring. It was hard work. It was very hard work.

It was like that, now. Things were going on, and he was handicapped by having two fools for bodyguards, and he sat and stared at the homework he was trying to do and kept seeing nand' Geigi and the Grandmother of Najida and mani all building something, and nand' Bren, who for a human, gave away very, very little with his expressions...

If he went to nand' Bren and asked, he probably would not get all the truth. Nand' Bren would tell him just about what he could guess for himself, and that was that his father was sitting back in Shejidan being safe, which was what the Aiji usually did in the game; and one could lay a bet that his father was going to act as if he had no information from mani at all.

He did bet he knew who mani's phone calls were to.

He knew who, besides Bren, was very good at not telling all the truth.

He bet, too, that, the way both nand' Bren and mani talked about Lord Geigi and swept him right into their plans, Lord Geigi was a lot more than he seemed, too, and probably not as easygoing and jolly and defenseless as he looked.

That meant he would be a good ally to have on his his side. side.

He had never, personally, dealt with Lord Geigi. He wondered how to make an approach to him. The brat kid pose was not the way. The curious kid pose was probably not the way, either. Geigi liked to eat. But Geigi would suspect a bribe if he brought him cakes or the like.

Geigi was interested in his estate, in his clan, in the Edi, in the station, and in business. That was what he knew about Geigi. And Jago had told him once upon a time, about getting information out of somebody, Some people like you to do them favors. Some people like you to ask them favors. The one wants things. The other wants power. You can read people by that.

He thought, Geigi certainly enjoys food. But he expects that that. He always does things for nand' Bren and for mani and for my father. That could make him the second sort.

What favor can I I ask him that he can do? Is that the way to get to him? ask him that he can do? Is that the way to get to him?

He thought about that for several whole minutes. Then he sat down at his desk and took pen and paper and wrote.

Cajeiri to Gene and Artur and Irene and all.I have written a lot of letters but I never get one, so I have become suspicious. I am sending this one a different way so maybe it will get to you. If you write to me by the same route and I get it I will send you a long letter because I have been doing a lot of things you will like. We are all fine but people are still shooting at us for now. I hope it will be safe for you to come down to the world before long. It would be good if you could come to my next birthday. I have very many things I could show you if you could.

He folded it twice, having no proper seal, nor a waxjack. He put it in his pocket, then walked down the hall, knocked on Lord Geigi's door and met Lord Geigi's junior servant. "I am Cajeiri. I wish to speak to nand' Geigi, nadi."

"Nandi," the servant said respectfully: even the new servants knew who he was. And the servant did not go to announce him, but took him directly into the sitting room, where Lord Geigi was busy at his desk.

"Nandi. Nand' Cajeiri wishes to speak to you."

"Indeed?" Lord Geigi asked, pausing in his writing, and turning his chair. "May I help you, young lord?"

He had chosen exactly right. He put on a pleasant and hopeful face and took the letter from his pocket. "Nand' Geigi, one has had a very great difficulty sending letters to the station or getting them back. Someone is stopping them, and one has no idea whether it is someone here, or there. This letter is to Gene of the Parker house, who came on the ship, and he will be living on the station with his family. We are very close associates. And probably you will ask my father if you should take it for me. If you do ask and he says no, please at least tell me."

Lord Geigi was a very big man, and sat fairly well back in his chair; his dark gold eyes, deepset, holding a lot of secrets, Cajeiri thought. On the surface he was not a scary man. But for just a second he was standing there with Lord Geigi looking at him very seriously and thinking.

"Is this a conspiracy, young gentleman?"

"Only I have written very many letters and gotten no answer, and if my father is stopping them, sometimes he wants me to find things out. One does not at all ask you to go against my father, or to do anything at all risky, nandi, only to tell me the truth. And if he tells you not to tell me, of course you will not. You can read the letter yourself if you like. I have no seal. But if you can can figure out what happens to my letters and tell me, one would be very grateful." figure out what happens to my letters and tell me, one would be very grateful."

A very, very serious look. Geigi took the letter from him and laid it carefully on his desk. "A reasonable request, young lord. I shall ask him, and I shall inform you of his answer, unless instructed otherwise. Naturally-if I do not inform you-" A slow and wicked smile came to Geigi's face. "You will naturally assume correctly."

He flushed a little and bowed, caught out. "Thank you, nandi."

"You are clearly your father's son, young gentleman. One would not willingly stand in your your way." way."

He was not sure what that meant. A compliment, he decided, and bowed a second time. "One will leave you to your work, then, nandi, with great thanks."

"No, no, stay and have tea, young gentleman. Perhaps a teacake or two?"

His interest perked up. It was something to do, and it was even safe, to have tea with lord Geigi. Even Great-grandmother would approve.

"One would be delighted, nandi."

"So." Geigi signaled the servant, who had stood by. "Tea, nadi-ji." With which, he got up from his desk and walked over to a sitting area, where he lowered his bulk into a sturdy chair and waved an invitation at another, less substantial.

"One understands you took a tour of my gardens at Kajiminda," Geigi said for openers.

"One did, yes, nandi."

"Tell me what you saw. Tell me everything. One understands it was a very clever escape."

He did that. Geigi interrupted him with questions about what the staff had done, how they looked, how old the servants had been, and how things looked inside the house and in the orchard. Geigi was after information, was what, and with any other person, he would have been very much on his guard, but Geigi had a perfect right to ask, so he poured out everything he could think of, between the tea service and the cakes, which ran on to a second helping.

"I think we broke the surveillance machinery," Cajeiri said at one point, "and I think the roof lost some tiles."

"Cheap at the price, one is sure," Geigi said cheerfully, "and roof tiles are replaceable. One congratulates you, young gentleman! You did very well!"

"Nandi." He inclined his head politely, and popped a quarter of a last teacake into his mouth.

"And about this slingshota," Geigi said.

"Oh." He gulped tea down in a fashion Great-grandmother would never approve, wiped the crumbs from his fingers with the other hand and reached into his other coat pocket, holding up his treasure. "Nand' Toby made it for me." He got up and offered it to nand' Geigi's inspection. Nand' Geigi put aside his own teacup, and he showed nand' Geigi how to hold it and aim it.

And that was how they ended up out in the garden, under the shade of the portico, defying all the security precautions, with four of Geigi's men sitting, two on the roof and the others where a tree overhung the old stone wall, and Antaro and Jegari helping them keep watch.

It was the best time he had had in days. They broke already-broken pots, and chased pot-chips across the garden flagstones. The Edi workmen who were repairing the portico began to lay bets, and some of the servants came out and watched.

He won the contest. "But I have used it longer, nandi!" he said. Great-grandmother had taught him always to salve feelings when he won.

"Pish," Geigi said, which was Great-grandmother's word. "You are indeed your father's son. You have a talent for hunting. I, alas, have a talent simply for consuming good dinners after after someone has done the hunting." someone has done the hunting."

He laughed, seeing Lord Geigi was joking with him, and maybe saying something deeper: Geigi was that kind of man. This is a very, very smart man, he thought to himself, and then: Geigi sits and watches and just collects power when people give it to him. Besides my father and my great-grandmother and nand' Bren, this is the most powerful man there is. And people want to give it to him, because Geigi has no ambitions for his own clan. He is disconnected from the Maschi.

The Maschi clan lord is a fool. Geigi does not want to be clan lord.

The grownups talked about the Maschi and the Marid, and how Geigi had a Marid wife until he got the idea she was plotting against him. And he made a fast move to my father's side.

Geigi is not a stupid man. Whatever he does, puts more things in Geigi's hands. And me being who I am, he is very glad to do me a favor. He is storing that away for when I am grown up. When Geigi does you a favor, Geigi will always be very smart how he uses it.

One has never met a man like Geigi. He is different. He moves slowly on his feet, but is way ahead in his mind. And he would put up with a lot before he would want to be the lord of the Maschi.

He runs Sarini Province. How does he do that, from orbit?

A lot of phone calls. And when the phones were all shut down during the Troubles, Sarini Province had no lord and things got in a real mess. The Marid moved right in. And the Edi stopped them. So the Marid got to Baiji.

"You are thinking, young lord," Geigi said.

He was caught with his solemnity-face. He put a smile on it, the sociable face. And still kept his thoughts inside. He gave a polite bow. "Nand' Bren says you are very smart, nandi. I think you are."

He somewhat surprised Geigi. Or Geigi put that kind of face on, and gave a little nod of his own. "You flatter me, nandi."

"You had rather not be clan lord, had you, nandi?"

That did surprise Geigi. He was fairly sure of it.

"Far from it, young lord."

Cajeiri raised the slingshota, put a stone in it, and further pulverized a potsherd. He handed it to Geigi, who made a creditable shot himself, and handed it back.

"And you want to go back to the station, nandi," Cajeiri said. "You like living there."