“I haven’t led her at all,” Daniel protested. “Amaut were all I ever saw, the ugly little beasts, and I never heard of iduve in my life.” And hidden in his mind were images of what might become of him if he were given to the iduve of Chaganokh for cross-examination, or if thereafter he had no value to the iduve at all.
“You are kameth,” said Isande. “You will not be discarded. But I will tell you something: as far as iduve ever bluff, Chimele is preparing to; and if she is wrong, she will have ruined herself. Three kamethi would hardly be adequate serach—funeral gift—for a dynasty as old and honorable as hers. We three would die; so would her nasithi-katasakke, serach to the fall of a dynasty. The induve could destroy worlds of m’metanei and not feel it as much as they would the passing of Chimele. So be guided by us, by Aiela and by me. If you do in that meeting what you did today—“
Now it was Daniel who screened, shutting off the images from Isande’s mind. She ceased.
Do not be hard with him, Aiela asked of her. There is no need of that, Isande.
She did not respond for a moment; in her mind was hate, the thought of what she would do and how she would deal with the human if Aiela were not the intermediary, and yet in some part she was ashamed of her anger. Asuthi must not hate; with her own clear sense she knew it, and submitted to the fact that he was appended to them. If you fail to restrain him, she sent Aiela, you will lose him. You have fallen into a trap; I had prepared myself to remain distinct from him, but you are caught, you are merging; and because I regard you, I am caught too. Restrain him. Restrain him. If he angers the iduve, three kamethi are the least expensive loss that will result.
Chapter 6
THE ORITHAIN OF Chaganokh was a lonely man in the paredre of Ashanome. He wore the close-fitting garment common to iduve, but of startling white and complicated by overgarments and robes and a massive silver belt from which hung a ghiaka. His name was Minakh, and he was a conspicuous gleam of white and silver among so much indigo and black, with the fair colors of kallia and human an unintentional counterpoint across the room. Chimele faced him, seated, similarly robed and bearing a ghiaka with a raptor’s head, but her colors were dusky violet.
Tension was electric in the air. Daniel shivered at being thrust so prominently into the midst of them, and Aiela mentally held to him. Contact among the asuthi seemed uncertain, washed out by the miasma of terror and hostilities in the hall, which was filled with thousands of iduve. Bodies went rigid at the presence of Minakh, whiteless eyes dilated to black, breathing quickened. A dozen of the most powerful of nasul Ashanome were ranged about Chimele, behind, on either side of her: Khasif, Ashakh—great fearsome men, and two women, Tahjekh and Nophres, who were guardians of the dhis and terrible to offend.
Minakh’s eyes shifted from this side to that of the gathering. While he was still distant from Chimele he went to his knees and raised both hands. Likewise Chimele lifted her hands to salute him, but she remained seated.
“I am Orithain of the nasul Chaganokh” said Minakh. “Increase to the dhis of Ashanome. We salute you.”
“We are Ashanome. May your eye be sharp and your reach long. For what grace have you come?”
“We have come to ask the leave of the orith-nasul Ashanome to go our way. The field is yours. May your affairs prosper.”
“Honor to the vra-nasul Chaganokh for its courtesy. We have heard that the zone of Kej is uncommonly pleasant of late. May your affairs prosper there.”
Minakh inclined his body gracefully to the carpet at this order, although it must have rankled; and he sat back on his heels, hands at his thighs, elbows outward.
“We rejoice at Ashanome’s notice,” he said flatly, and again came the concentration of hostilities, scantly concealed.
“Happy are the circumstances when nasuli may pass without vaikka” said Chimele. “Honor to the wisdom of the Orithanhe which has made this possible.”
“Long life to those who respect its decrees.”
“Long life indeed, and may we remember this meeting with good pleasure. The vra-nasul Chaganokh has voyaged far and accrued honors; at its presence the Esliph shudders, and the untraveled space of the human folk has now been measured.”
“The praise of Ashanome, hunter of worlds, is praise indeed.” Minakh’s face was utterly impassive, but his eyes flashed aside to Daniel, dark and terrible.
“Indeed Chaganokh is deserving of honor. So great is our admiration for its acquisition of wisdom that we lay at Chaganokh’s feet the matter nearest our heart. We search for a man who was once of Ashanome. Perhaps this inconsequential person has crossed the affairs of Chaganokh. We should not be surprised to learn that he has attempted to shake us from his trail in the uncharted human zones. Chaganokh’s recently acquired knowledge of this region seems to us an excellent source of precise knowledge. We are of course in great haste. Our time is slipping from us, and Chaganokh in its wisdom will surely accommodate our impatience in this regard.”
There was a long and deadly silence. Minakh’s eyes rested on Daniel with such hate that it was almost tangible, and every iduve in the room bristled. The silence persisted, broken ominously by a hiss from one of the dhis-guardians.
Minakh sweated. His belly heaved with his breathing. At last he prostrated himself and sat back again on his heels, looking dispirited.
“We delight to offer our assistance. This person attached himself to us at a distance. We ceased to notice him shortly after we entered the human zones, near a world known to those creatures as Priamos. Our own affairs occupied us thereafter.”
“May your dhis ever be safe, o Chaganokh. Again let us trouble your gracious assistance. Are the humans wise to think that the amaut are the cause of their unhappy state?”
“When were the m’metanei ever wise, o Ashanome, hunter of worlds? The amaut are carrion-eaters who seek scraps where we have passed. When has it ever been otherwise?”
“The wisdom of Chaganokh is commendable. Prosperity to its affairs and grace to its offspring. Pass, o Chaganokh.”
Now Minakh arose and backed away, backed entirely out of the paredre before he turned. No one of Ashanome stirred. No one seemed to breathe until at last the voice of Rakhi from the control station announced Minakh off the ship and the hatch sealed.
“Honor to the discretion of Chaganokh” Chimele laughed softly. “Go your ways, my nasithi. Ashakh—“
“Chimele.”
“Set our course for the human zones as soon as you can make a proper determination from Chaganokh’s records. You are clear to put us underway at maximum, priority signal. Secrecy no longer applies. Either I am right, or I am wrong.”
Ashakh acknowledged the order with a nod, turned and left. Silently the iduve were dispersing, by ones and by twos, amiable now Minakh’s harachia was removed; and Chimele leaned back in her chair and looked for the first time at her kamethi.
“And you, poor m’metanei—an uncomfortable moment Did you follow what was said?”
“As far,” said Aiela, “as m’metanei are wise.”
Chimele laughed merrily and rose, a violet splendor in her robes. She put off the ghiaka and laid it aside. “The Orithain of Chaganokh will not soon forget this day: unhappy puppet. Doubtless Tashavodh thrust Tejef off upon him, so he was obliged to try, at least, although his chances were poor from the beginning.”