Karr glowered at him angrily. "Well, get rid of her! Now! And check her out. Make sure she hasn't got anything!"
"Sir!"
But Jelka was already there. Pulling Mileja away, she thanked the old woman, her smile tinged with fear. A moment later, two of Karr's men dragged the startled woman away.
Karr hurried across. "I'm so sorry, Jelka. How can I apologise. I thought we'd cleared this place."
"No matter," Jelka said, clearly shaken by the encounter. "No harm's been done." Even so, she took the sprig of flowers from her daughter and threw them aside.
"Let us hope so," Karr said, kneeling, then ruffling his hand through Mileja's hair. "For a moment I thought. . ."
Jelka looked to him. "You don't have to explain. You see assassins everywhere, neh, Gregor?" Karr looked back at her and nodded. "Everywhere."
As they flew north again, Karr sat beside the pilot, gathering in whatever information he could about the situation.
As the plague spread, so effective government was breaking down. More than a thousand had already died, though whether that was of the plague or from "contributory factors" - riots, grudge killings, etc - was hard to determine, for as things broke down, so the reliability of information diminished.
Chancellor Heng’s broadcast had had some effect in calming things, but this had been seriously undermined in the last half hour by news of his arrest on a charge of treason.
He had not told Jelka about that yet. Besides, she was far more worried about her daughter. Using the medical kit in the back of the cruiser, she had scrubbed Mileja's arms and hands with a disinfecting agent, then given her a shot to boost her immune system. Mileja showed no sign of having sustained any harm, but Karr could hardly blame Jelka for taking such precautions. Had it been his own daughters, he would have done the same.
In that vein, at least, the news was good. All four of his daughters were now safely home, locked within the compound doors. Marie's relief in relating the news to him had been echoed by his own.
Karr turned, staring back into the main cabin of the cruiser, watching as Jelka settled her daughter, tucking her in beneath the military-issue blanket. Her offer was tempting, very tempting. So much so that he had almost mentioned it to Marie earlier. But he hadn't, because he knew she would have urged him to accept it, to leave Chung Kuo to its fate and look after his own for once. And maybe she was right. Maybe there were moments when all a man could do was look after those nearest and dearest to him. Yet in his judgement that moment had not yet come. While he could still do something constructive, he would. If his voice, his not inconsiderable influence, could help the situation, even in some small way, then he would use it.
Jelka looked up and saw him watching her, then came across, a weary smile lighting her features.
"She seems okay," she said quietly, slumping down onto the leather padded bench at the back of the cockpit. "How are things in the bigger world?"
"Bad," he said. "And they're going to get worse." She sighed and rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands before looking back at him. "You're going to stay, aren't you?" "Yes," he said. "And Marie and the girls?"
He blew out a long breath. "Maybe I'll send them to stay with Kao Chen and his family on the Plantations. Until it all blows over."
"You think it tvtt blow over, Gregor?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. This is all... new." He laughed quietly. "You know, I remember your father once saying something about fighting terrorism and about how it was like trying to fight ghosts. Well, this thing. . . this sickness. . . that's a form of terrorism too, neh? So maybe we're just fighting ghosts again . . . little golden ghosts." Jelka shuddered. "Any word yet from the San Chang?" He shook his head. "Nothing in, nothing out. A complete shutdown."
"You think there's been trouble there?"
"Who knows? But if Heng Yu has been . . ." He stopped, realising he had not told her yet.
She narrowed her eyes. "What about Heng Yu?"
Karr swallowed, then looked down. "He's been arrested. For treason. It seems he went against the Empress."
"Went against. . ." Jelka's eyes were wide with disbelief. "So where is he?" Karr shrugged. "Edingen, perhaps. Or maybe they've taken him to the San Chang."
Jelka sat forward urgently, reaching out to touch his arm. "Then we have to go there! We have to get him out!"
"No," Karr said, smiling apologetically. "We're going straight to the spaceport."
"But.. ."
"I'm finding out," he said, covering her hand with his own. "Once I know where Master Heng is, I'll take whatever action is appropriate." He smiled. "Don't worry, Jelka. I'll not let that bitch harm a hair on Heng Yu's head if I can help it!"
She grinned back at him. "Good! Then let's make haste. You've much to do."
"Yes," he said, grinning broadly. "It's almost like old times, neh?"
Cheng Nai shan stepped forward, meaning to block the Warlord's way, but Han Ch'in brushed him aside. As Cheng hurried after him, protesting all the while, Han turned and, grabbing the man by the neck, pinned him to the wall.
"Try that again, Master Cheng, and I'll take great delight in killing you. Now keep out of my way. I wish to see my father."
He let Cheng fall. The new Chancellor knelt there, gasping, touching his neck tenderly, glaring at Han Ch'in's back as he disappeared through the double doors and into Li Yuan's rooms.
Priests and surgeons turned at the young man's entry, then, seeing who it was, made a path for him, bowing as he moved quickly, unceremoniously, between them.
At the door he stopped, smoothing a hand down the front of his silks, composing himself, then stepped inside.
The room was silent, lit only by a small wall lamp on the far side and a single glow-lamp beside the bed. In its wan light a woman sat in a chair beside the bed, her breast exposed as she fed a child. Beside her, beneath the thin silk covers, lay his father, his upper chest and neck sheened in sweat.
Han Ch'in frowned, then slowly crossed the room. He was only a few paces from the woman when she looked up and smiled at him.
"Welcome, brother. I wondered if you would come."
"Kuei . .. Kuei Jen?"
"Don't let these fool you," Kuei Jen answered, extricating the baby from his swollen nipple, then tucking the breast back into his shirt as he raised the baby to a sitting position on his lap and began to smooth its back. "I am still Kuei Jen and I warrant I could outshoot, outride and generally outdrink you any day, elder brother!"
Han Ch'in laughed, but his eyes were wide, staring at the baby and at the womanly shape of his half-brother. He had not expected to find Kuei Jen here, let alone a Kuei Jen so ... changed.
"Well, brother'" Kuei Jen said, after a moment. "Will you not ask bow our father is?"
Han Ch'in stared at him a moment longer, then, with a little shudder, looked to the figure sprawled upon the bed. "Aiya. . ." he breathed softly, "he looks so ... ill."
"He is dying," Kuei Jen said, matter-of-factly. "See the marks upon him. If s eating him away from the inside, hollowing him."
Han Ch'in swallowed, his face appalled. "Is there nothing we can do?"
Kuei Jen smiled. "I have done all I could, but as you see, he seems not to be responding."
Han Ch'in looked back at him, not understanding. Then, "Are you not afraid, Kuei Jen?"
Kuei Jen looked up at him, clear eyed. "Are you?"
"For myself, no. If I die, I die. My duty to my father comes before that. But you . . . you have the child to think of."
"The child is fine," Kuei Jen said. "As am I. We have an antidote, you see."
"An antidote?"
Kuei Jen nodded, then gestured to the bedside table where three tiny vials lay in a silken box. Two were empty now, the third contained a dark solution. "Thaf s yours, brother. If you want it."