“O Bashogre, it would be perhaps wiser to let that rest a while. Ah mmm. The locals have been hostile and managed to do us some damage and mmm if I may say it, our Finance Tech Genree has been less than efficient at anything but lining his own pockets. It would improve matters considerably if he were called Home.”
“No doubt, no doubt. Unfortunately, that is… not possible in present circumstances. What is that music I hear? It is charmingly delicate.”
“Ah. The locals have a cult of the harp. I have taken one of them as bond-ked. He’s thoroughly tame and quite gifted. And not allowed to get out of the Kushayt, so there’s no breach of security. If you find him pleasing, then it will be my joy to give him to you.”
“When this matter is complete, I will accept your offer, young Hunnar. At the moment better not. Helvetia is difficult about the institution of the bondkerl; they refuse to understand the reciprocal nature of the relationship. A collection of kadja nicmerms with spines so limp they can fellate themselves-but they control the flow of coin, so we have to humor them. I’ve read your flakes on the Yaraka matter and the use of the Freetech’s aaah contribution. Well done. But don’t wait too long to end it. Things can go wrong when you hold back your finishing stroke.”
“Your wisdom is beyond bounds, O Bashogre. My agent is at this very moment stirring the locals into rebellion. As soon as he reports the proper degree of heat has been achieved, we will strike under the cover of a local attack and the Yaraka will be erased from this world. We will be properly contrite and point out that we have voluntarily confined our activities to a single continent and have had our own difficulties with a rebellious populace.”
“Most commendable. Now as to the other matter. We are most interested in your plans. We will be sending a separate cadre to continue the studies of the effects of the smoke and deal with the logistics of collecting the… what did you call them… ah! the Keteng and confining them on reservations for breeding purposes. A fascinating life cycle that. The pictures of the flying creatures and the blaze when they expire make me regret my advanced age will not permit me to see this with my own eyes.”
“Mmm, O Bashogre, there is a complication. It would be well to send parasitologists and equipment for identifying and countering a wide variety of borer worms and dangerous spores. There is ordinarily no problem with such things, but we have had an incident in the lab. Several of our techs and guards were exposed to such matter through actions of local terrorists.”
“I see. How many involved?”
“Four techs and six guards, O Bashogre. They have requested stasis and return. My Tech First reminds it is in their contracts so it has to be done. It would be helpful if they were sequestered while they were being treated.”
“Definitely we do not want word getting out too soon. There will be complications enough to setting up the hunting preserve. You will keep me informed.” The screen blanked.
Hunnar sucked in a long breath, let it explode out. He glanced at Ilaцrn squatting on his pad in the corner. “Come. I need thinking time in the Dushanne Garden.”
14. Getting Together
1
“What!” Aslan grimaced at the Barge Kabit as she listened to the voice from the Ridaar remote repeat what she’d just heard.
Kabit Laцful was a short broad man with one of the few beards she’d seen on Bйluchad and a moustache that was a flourish in itself, the ends waxed and curled up so high they nearly tangled with a pair of bushy eyebrows.
Duncan Shears’ voice came tiny but clear into the conference room at the Meeting House, his tones dry, noncommittal. “I have an envoy from the Goлs standing beside me, Scholar. He has brought a flikit for our use and a message. The Goлs has come to a stronger sense of the urgency of the situation and the necessity for more speed and flexibility than river traffic would allow.”
“Pleased as I am to hear this, Manager Shears, I could wish he’d made up his mind a trifle sooner, before I wasted the time and patience of Kabit Laцful. When will the flikit be available?”
“It’s here now. I’ve set Aide Ola to stowing your gear and supplies.”
“Ah. Thank you. Is there anything more?”
“No, Scholar. Out.”
Aslan slipped the remote into its slot in the Ridaar strapped to her belt. “As you heard, Kabit, other transport has been provided. I apologize for having wasted your time. If there’s anything I can do…”
He smiled and his mustache ends wiggled absurdly. “You can join me for a glass of brandy at Seim’s Tavern and you can explain to me what is this flikit thing.”
She smiled. “If you’ll allow me to buy the brandy. The explanation comes free.”
The sun was low in the west, what was left of the day hot and still. The road was little more than a pair of faint ruts winding through the forest, rising at an increasingly steep angle. Shadith was in the lead, weary to the point of nausea. The litter discarded, Danor was tied to the saddle, clinging to the pommel with both hands, his face set, his eyes fixed on the twin peaks crawling so slowly higher as they neared the pass; Maorgan followed with the pack pony and the spare. They’d gone watch on watch since they left the dead chorek, snatching a few hour’s sleep each night. The moss ponies were tough little beasts, but even they were close to quitting.
Shadith’s mindtouch brushed repeatedly against men moving through the trees parallel to them, but each time she dismounted and left the road to go after them, the touches faded away. They were being watched, but so far no ambushes had been set. She began to hope they’d make the pass without more trouble.
“You’ll probably know one of us, our harpist, was invited to speak to the Meruu Klobach.” Aslan took a sip of the siktir brandy and smiled at Laцful, amused by the skill with which he maneuvered his own drink past his beard. The brandy was rather too sweet for her tastes but produced a nice glow as it went down. She made a note to ask the Denchok taverner about his brews and where he got the distillates. “She took a communicator like the one you heard in the conference room and reported her observations of the day’s journey to us each night. Not quite a tenday ago the reports stopped. Cha oy, one day was no worry. Things happen. Two days of silence and we started wondering. Three days and we knew we had to do something. It was a matter of finding transport and security. Hm. A flikit is a small flying machine. You’ve no doubt seen them buzzing about around the Yaraka Enclosure.”
He brushed lightly at the short bristly hairs in the middle section of his mustache, then smiled again. “It will make searching for your friend much easier, so I’ll not complain though I’ll miss the conversations we might have had. The little harpist, I hope nothing has happened to her. I heard her play with Ard Maorgan and the Eolt on the day you first came here. She is a wonder, that one, she would be Ard if she weren’t a woman and a mesuch.”
Shadith dragged herself from the blankets, huddled shivering and half awake as she tried to get herself together enough to wash her face and give her teeth at least a cursory brush to get the taste of too many nightmares out of her mouth. She looked up as Maorgan came out of the shadow under the trees, Danor leaning heavily on his arm. He helped the older man sit, then went to check the pot of water he had heating on the fire, scowled down at it, touched it with the tip of his forefinger. “Barely warm and it’s boiling.”
“It’s the altitude,” she said. “We won’t have a really hot cup of cha till we’re on the other side of the mountains.” She yawned. “Anyway, I’ll take it however I can get it.”