“Nadi.” The man looked as puzzled as he should look, as Banichi manuevered the van around the corner to the fuel pump and Tano moved to do the fueling.
Bren boarded the van quickly once it stopped by the fuel tank, getting his pale conspicuous civilian self out of view. Lucasi welcomed him in with a pistol in hand, and Tano took the van’s fuel cap off. In a moment, fuel started flowing, the van sinking under the weight.
God, Bren thought, with a prickling up and down his spine. Let us get out of here. Soon.
Algini had to be out there. The man on the porch had to figure there might be more of them.
Jago got into the front seat, arranging her rifle between the seats as she did so. “That man on the porch claims he is Taisigi. He has served Guild traffic coming through here, to and from Kajiminda. He assumed they were from Tanaja and kept the road mowed.”
Could a Senji accent pass? Maybe. Could Machigi have hedged the truth in a major way?
That was always a question.
Just as there might or might not really be children in that house. The same way Algini was off in the little woods, there could just as easily be a partner with a rifle aimed at them at this very moment from that front window and more trying to get out the back door. They could start a small war here if someone took a signal wrong.
It seemed forever until fueling stopped and the fuel cap went on. Lucasi climbed back in by the side door. Tano climbed aboard and left the side door open.
Banichi started the engine and backed them around as Tano worked his way past Bren to take a rear seat.
Algini? Bren wondered. They were still moving. It was not a surprise, however, when near the trees that bordered the road, they slowed for the turn, and an armed shadow appeared in that open doorway, climbed aboard, and shut the door, breathing a little heavily.
Algini made his way to the rear and sat down. “Cold,” was all he said.
They were leaving behind them a functional generator and a radio, not to mention fuel. And if that was a local Guild operation, the man had everything he needed to make them serious trouble.
Except for Jago’s instruction: I want you to tell themc
The man had gotten news by radio. Likely, the moment he had seen a human step out of the van, he had known all the names but Lucasi’s. He’d know that they were from Shejidan’s Guild, and Tabini-aiji, andCenedi and the aiji-dowager. With him shining in the floodlight, they were far from incognito.
If the man was local and honest, he might be of the same mind-set as Machigi’s aishid, worried about their own lord’s situation, upset about news of a Guild action in Tanaja. But—
God, this man must have been at least in some wise a forward observer on what had gone on at Kajiminda. He had to have occupied an uneasy post if he had seen more and more suspicious sorts heading that direction. He might have sent back reports to Machigi, which might have gotten no farther than Machigi’s bodyguard, reports that had made Machigi’s bodyguard fear for his life and try to keep the situation quiet—assuming the best about the man who’d at least made a strong move to protect them and get them out of Tanaja.
At least they’d gotten fuel. They’d gotten a message out so at least their own side—and every enemy within a hundred kilometers—knew they were out here. Their allies were warned now not to shoot them by mistake, and if their enemies diverted themselves away from current objectives—Najida and the airport—to chase after them, that could upset drawn battle lines.
If there was an airport attack ongoing, then somebody was stuck in the airport, and it wasn’t likely the renegades.
Tabini’s forces were most likely. Tabini would move to protect his grandmother, his son, and Lord Geigi, all of whom had helpfully stationed themselves in a war zone.
It would be very nice if Tabini had force enough to spare and could come get them out of this pickle. But he had no desire to divert them from their main job, which would be to get reinforcements over to Najida. That was earnestly to be desired.
The tires spat gravel as Banichi turned them out onto the road again, and by what Bren could figure, they were heading due west. The border could not be that far away by now, if they were not already in it. They were on a line to intercept the Kajiminda road, and from there—
From there either head to Kajiminda, or turn left to Separti Township, not a safe place, or turn right and head for Najida, hoping for the best.
He didn’t want to draw an attack down on Kajiminda, which had been safe, thus far. More, he didn’t trust that short, flat, wide-open road to Geigi’s estate. He didn’t know why: the feeling bordered on superstition. He had a bad feeling about it— less so about heading for Najida.
They needed to move fast.
Because if trouble turned away from the airport and headed for them overland, he’d really like to be close to some sort of shelter.
***
It was nand’ Bren who had just called, and he was not in Tanaja, he was most of the way home. Cenedi had brought that news downstairs. Nobody could mistake his voice, Cenedi said. And when mani heard it, mani actually laughed, though shortly. “Clever fellow,” was what mani said about it. “Are we surprised? We are not.”
But, Cajeiri thought, but what can we do to help him? There were enemies all over, and nand’
Bren was going to try to get through? They should help him.
“So what will we do, mani? Shall we go after him?”
“One is quite certain the paidhi will have good advice with him, young gentleman,” Cenedi said. “When he gets near enough, we may; but in the meanwhile we can only attract attention toward him and open yet another action. That would not help.”
It was not the answer he wanted. But at least Cenedi had stopped to listen to him.
And nand’ Bren was smart. And he had Banichi and Jago with him, and Tano and Algini, who were no one to ignore, either. They would not let him do anything risky.
It was a scary situation. There was a lot of hammering going on upstairs, and some staff had made a dangerous run out to the garage to get boards, which now were going up to reinforce the front doors and the broken window. They were not going to be open to the breeze for much longer. Baiji was locked up in his room again. Cajeiri had no idea where they had taken the three intruders or whether the one man was dead. And nand’ Siegi had transfused a lot of blood into Veijico, who was down the hall along with two of mani’s guards who had been shot and one of the household staff, a girl who had been near the front door. She had been hit by a piece of shrapnel. She was only fifteen, and everybody had been very upset about that.
Veijico was doing all right, Antaro said. But Cajeiri would feel better only when he saw her for himself—and mani had told him firmly to stay out of the physician’s way while he was working; and then when Antaro said nand’ Siegi was through, mani had said he should stay out of the halls and not be running about until they had repaired the doors.
So he was trapped in mani’s room, under mani’s direct supervision, and he had to do what he was told.
He was at least where he could protect Jegari and Antaro as well as himself and mani. That situation he agreed with. He had complained they should have a gun, but Nawari had stationed two of mani’s young men in the hall, and they had guns enough, mani said.
Mani had actually said he had done the right thing. She very rarely paid compliments, so he was very proud of her saying so. Lord Geigi said the same. And except for a very few casualties, they had come through the attack fairly well, except nand’ Bren’s beautiful stained-glass window: Cenedi said that was gone.