"The Bu-javid could equally well have swallowed her. Some apartment, some lord sympathetic —"
"True. But less likely. Very few of the dissident lords would act openly against the aiji's declared interest, unless something happened that seemed to undermine the present order. It's a short list of those who would dare under other circumstances. It's even remotely possible someone seeking favor with Tabini misapprehended and thought disposing of the woman would quiet the waters. Certainly the list of those she's annoyed would be a much longer list."
He sat down on his bed, exhausted, to pull off his boots — and remembered, suddenly, and now that they were alone, the most critical question he had to account for. "Hanks' computer. Where is it? Do you know?"
"It apparently went with her. They've searched the apartment."
"Damn. Damn, Banichi."
"Indeed."
And one wished, earnestly wished, that one could exclude the searchers or even Banichi and Jago from those with a motive to take the computer and claim otherwise.
But one didn't ask. Instead, exhausted, he unfastened his shirt and peeled it off, with nothing to do with it, but Banichi took it and hung it on a chair.
"You'll make the trip with me to Taiben. Won't you? Won't Jago?"
"We certainly intend so."
He felt a little less shaky in that knowledge. Perhaps even willing to sleep once his head hit the bed — except the computer business told him he didn't have that luxury. He had to think what to do. What to report.
Or not.
"Tano and Algini are coming, too?"
"We purpose so."
Things on the mainland were as well handled as they could be, given the situation. As for Mospheira, he'd no notion what was happening there or what might be going on when the news of the landing and his treasonous assistance to Tabini spread across Mospheira — but coupling that with a warning that Hanks' computer was in foreign hands… God, how would thatlook? And what could they think?
Please believe me, Mr. Secretary, but it was some otheratevi group that snatched her?
Sorry about cutting you out of the landing, but I was preserving my credibility with the aiji?
Sorryabout Hanks. Sorry forHanks. I wish I could help her. I wish I knew where she is.
He unfastened his pants, peeled out of the rest of his clothes while Banichi lingered — but he wasn't focused on Banichi: his brain was beginning to sort wildly through other matters he couldn't lay hands on — like Barb, like his mother and Toby and his family.
He personally couldn't protect them, if somebody reacting to his treason decided to break through a less than enthusiastic security and attack his relatives, but he had friends in the State Department all through Foreign Affairs, friends well enough in the information flow and maybe — sometimes he thought so — well enough organized against administrative actions that some of them, some who had security clearances and some who even had covert operations skills might see a problem developing for his family beyond the usual nuisance groups and quietly try to handle it for him, if for no other reason than to to prevent him receiving a piece of news that might make him unstable in the field.
But, God, what could they really do? How fast could they realize it for a problem — and how thin could they stretch their confidence in him, when he'd gone step by step past the limits of their interests — at least, their interests as essentially supportive of the government.
His mother's letter the censors had reduced to lace. And his mother not returning phone calls. But Barb had talked to her. Barb said she was fine. Barb wouldn't lie to him about that. And his mother was as self-protective as Barb was. Took care of herself. First. Centrally.
Rely on her for that much, On friends in low places for the rest.
He lay down and pulled the covers over him, to look, at least, as if he were going to sleep.
Banichi, strange action, pulled the second coverlet up and lingered with a touch on his covered shoulder.
"Bren-ji," Banichi said, "over all, it was well done."
"I wasn't too stupid?"
"You did quite well, considering. Just — please leave things to your security personnel."
"If security personnel would keep me briefed in future where they are and what they're doing — it would relieve my anxieties, Banichi-ji. And make my targets much easier to identify."
"Not a bad notion."
"Please," he said, and let his head sink into the pillow, let his eyes drift shut to what he wished were a totally numb and night-lasting dark.
"In respect of security," Banichi said, "you should bear in mind that a chief suspect in the attack is Damiri herself."
The eyes came open. He couldn't prevent it.
"The aiji," Banichi said, "favors Damiri of the Atigeini. This doesn't mean he can rely on her."
The eyes still wanted to slide shut, as if he'd been slipped a tranquilizer he couldn't fight. On one level, Banichi could have said the building was afire, and he would have asked himself if he could possibly wait till the next alarm.
But the thinking brain said, Ask. There won't be another chance. Banichi wants to talk.
"So? Where does Tabini stand?"
"He doesn't rely on Damiri. In my own estimation, perhaps in his, Damiri-daja is testing the currents and trying to decide for her own association how powerful Tabini is and what an alliance with him is worth — pragmatically and historically. The Atigeini official position is against him."
"I know that — but this business of shooting in among your own servants —"
"The uncle she named, Tatiseigi, happens to be senior in the family and officially opposes her alliance to him. She, we think, favors it, being quite strongly attracted to Tabini, who is —" Banichi seemed to search for a word "— a man of some natural favor with various women."
"One understands."
"Tatiseigi might have decided that Damiri's gone much too far, and Damiri might be in extreme danger from within her own staff."
"And mine."
"Just so. In moving to Tabini's apartment she's abandoned her own security as a sign of affiliation with Tabini. On one level her personal security may back what she's doing. And certain ones might be offended. If she has offended her security — they'd immediately fall under Tatiseigi's man'chi, to her great danger. If they're not there already."
"Are they here?"
"At least one."
"An assassin? Of the Guild?"
"Saidin."
"Good — God." He was waking up faster and faster.
"One would have thought you'd suspect so."
In a lordly house. In the Bu-javid. In an apartment clearly under potential threat conspicuously lacking in Guild presence, except those Tabini provided. It wasa reasonable question to have asked, Banichi was right, and he — had no excuse.
"But you," he asked Banichi, "personally think Damiri to be telling the truth to Tabini?"
"What I think is little relevant. One doesn't know. I do believe someone exceeded orders in the destruction of the antiquities of that room. I believe Damiri's anger is real. I suspect Tatiseigi won't be pleased — whoever ordered the attack. The aiji's jet leaves within the hour, taking security to Taiben — and a lily porcelain on a side trip, to the Atigeini estates not so far distant."
"I appreciate the nature of speculation. And how little you dare do it, Banichi-ji. But what of Ilisidi's involvement?"
"One doesn't know. One frankly doesn't know whether you've persuaded her. That's a major point at issue. Clearly she leaned to your side once. Now one has to ask you where Ilisidi stands."