But how many were there on the other side? Were they the advance guard of the whole damned force that had been banging and thumping away over at Najida? There could be a hundred or more in that convoy.
“What is my bodyguard doing?” he asked in the faintest whisper.
“They are coming in,” Lucasi said. “Nandi, do not fire.”
God, somebody with a correct code was moving up on their position. He took his finger deliberately off the trigger and curled it around the guard, for fear he might squeeze the trigger in sheer terror; but he wasn’t letting his finger stray far from it, either.
Then he heard the best sound in the world.
“Bren-ji?” Jago’s voice.
“Yes,” he said to the empty air. “Yes. Kindly get under cover, Jago-ji. One believes trouble has gone downslope to get around us.”
A little sound, the whisper of a leather-clad body moving, and with scarcely a piece of grit disturbed on the rock, a lithe, large shadow came around the rock and settled between them.
Bren just leaned back against the rock in relief. “Is everyone all right, Jago-ji?”
“Yes,” she said. “But this is a moderately difficult situation you have here, Bren-ji. We believe there are nine to thirteen of the opposition, perhaps more, scattered about.”
He carefully put the safety back on the gun and inserted it into his pocket on the second try.
“Are you injured?” Jago asked him.
“Perfectly fine,” he said. God, he was not going to shake like a leaf. He reminded himself they were a long way from out of this, which kept up a moderate draw on spare adrenalin. “Lucasi has kept me in one piece.”
“Credit to him,” Jago muttered, keeping her head down. “Algini has gone downslope to reconnoiter and see if he can give us names.”
“Did you reach the Edi, Jago-ji?”
“No. They are shooting at everything that moves, and Tano caught a richochet.”
“Is he all right?”
“Minor, but nuisanceful in operations. We suspected that the situation over at the airport had changed, and we became concerned for your immediate safety.”
“You saw the plane.”
“We did see it. Dur, one believes. We have no knowledge where he is based.”
“He saw us. He will have reported our position, Jago-ji. If we can hold out, if the airport has opened up—”
“The convoy clearly saw the plane, too. They immediately attempted to penetrate the Edi perimeter. That set the Edi firing at every movement. We were making no progress there. And we were concerned—” Jago shoved another clip into her pistol. “—that you might be in trouble from the shift of positions. We knew they would not come west of the road. That left the east as a safe route for them, and you in considerable difficulty. We thought we should hurry about it.”
“One is very grateful,” he began to say, and then heard shots from downslope. He utterly lost his train of thought, thinking of Algini, and Tano, who would be with him.
“Where is Banichi?” he asked.
Jago gave a nod vaguely upslope. “Up there.”
Bren did begin to shiver, just slightly, and stopped it by resting his arm on his knee. He was, he found, chilled to the bone and dry as dust. He still had a little water in the canteen, but if they were pinned here any length of time . . . it was no time to be profligate with that resource.
A click of rock on rock upslope drew his attention. He looked around on reflex, but the rock cut off his view of anything but Jago, who had looked upslope, and Lucasi, who had flattened himself atop his rifle and tried to get a look up above.
“Banichi,” Jago said, and about that time there was a hurried movement on the slope, and Banichi added himself to their group.
“Bren-ji,” Banichi said, settling in, and threw a hand signal to Jago and Lucasi. “We need to move around this rock, Bren-ji. Our opposition is maneuvering from the other direction, and there are a number of them. This position will not suffice.”
Not out of the soup yet, that was clear.
“Yes,” Bren said, and he pushed himself toward his feet with a hand on the rock, trying to stay bent over. Jago took his elbow and steered him around the rock and down to a new position.
“I am going back upslope, Bren-ji,” Banichi said. “Keep your head down.”
They were in tight quarters. Bren found himself sandwiched between Jago and Lucasi and the rock. But it might give Jago a better vantage on what was coming.
Jago said something in Guild slang; Lucasi said, “Two clips.”
“Banichi,” Jago said, and something else.
“Yes,” Lucasi said.
Which left the civilian completely underinformed, but there was enough bad news to occupy his mind. He kept waiting for gunshots, and then Lucasi called attention to another blip on his locator.
“Tano and Algini are setting up,” Jago said, Bren was sure, for his sake. She was watching her own wristband. And it flashed.
“There is—” Lucasi began to say.
Gunfire broke out downslope, and it went on.
“They will be moving,” Jago said calmly, and when Bren drew the pistol from his pocket, Jago said, “That will be little help to us, Bren-ji. Stay under cover.”
She had her rifle ready, a heavy pistol laid carefully by her foot; Lucasi set up flat on his belly, this time with his rifle aimed down slope.
Jago said something to him again, and he said, “Yes,” and inched a little closer.
“Cover me while I reload,” she said. “Save your shots, nadi, unless you have a definite target.”
“Yes,” Lucasi said.
The gunfire downslope went on, with momentary pauses. Then a shot came from behind them and over their heads.
“Ready,” Jago said, aiming downslope.
Bren pressed himself close into the rock, trying to give Jago and Lucasi as much room as possible. She fired a burst, a second, and a third.
Fourth and fifth, then. Fire came back and knocked chips off the rock and the sandstone slope beyond them.
Damn, Bren thought. Lucasi fired. Jago reloaded, quick, accurate movements; and fire came over their heads from Banichi’s position.
“Save your shots,” Jago repeated to Lucasi, with iron patience, “unless you see targets.”
“Yes,” he said. “One apologizes, nadi.”
Jago put herself back in position and waited, grim-faced.
It was quiet for a moment. Lucasi’s locator flashed.
“Locator,” Bren said, figuring that neither of them had attention to spare for it; and Jago took a look, then pushed a button on her own several times.
“Watch downslope,” Jago admonished Lucasi.
“Yes,” he said.
Tano and Algini might be in trouble down there, Bren thought; and then Jago said, “The dowager’s guard.”
“Here?” Bren asked, one sharp question, and then all hell broke loose on the slope, shots going off and echoing off the heights, and Banichi was shooting over their heads.
Lucasi let off a shot, simultaneously with Jago’s.
“I claim the next, nadi,” Jago said. “You are down to three shots. Reserve them.”
“Yes,” Lucasi said, and wriggled back a little.
Another burst of fire from below. Bren just tried to make himself part of the rock. He had his hand in his pocket, holding his pistol. He had remembered to take the safety off.
Then amid it all, a flurry of light from Jago’s bracelet, three times repeated.
Jago cast a look upslope, braced her rifle against her body, and tapped one button three times.
Three flashes came back, and Jago pressed the audio plug in her ear.
“Lord Machigi’s guard,” Jago said, “is entering the vicinity.”
Good God, Bren thought, feeling a cold chill. “On what side?”
She held up a cautioning finger, listening.
“They likely do not expect to find us at close range with them. Depending o
n their objective—which may be, opportunistically, Kajiminda—our presence here may startle them. We have no word indicating Lord Machigi’s whereabouts.” A moment more of silence. “Banichi believes they are presently on the road we used. On our track.”
The silence from downslope persisted—until a single shot from below added one more quandary to the debate.
What in hell were Machigi’s forces doing—if not chasing them? They had a damned war going on in their district, and Machigi decided to make a grab for Kajiminda? Damn him!
Or could a coup have put somebody else in charge of Machigi’s guard?
“Can you contact him, Jago-ji?” Damn the rules on Guild communication. “Tell his guard to stand off. We have enough going on here!”
“Banichi has the communications.”
Twice damn it.
“Can you signal him to contact them?” he asked. “Tell them to stand off.”
“Yes,” she said, and relayed something in verbal code, and nodded.
“Nawari signals presence,” she said with a deep and relieved sigh.
That was the dowager’s guard.
And early. They had been on their way before Dur had shown up. Thank God.
The area was quiet, now. They were hearing nothing from the enemy.
But they had one shiny new problem.
Machigi.
And he’d promised to represent the man.
Where did that come in?
They could hike back to the van and deal with Machigi. They could hike to Kajiminda and have the Edi—
God. The Edi.
The Edi were holding Kajiminda. Machigi was on a road in a direct line with the spur to Kajiminda, with a likelihood of going there.
Do what? Go back to the van? Hope Machigi didn’t open fire—hope that he could get Machigi to turn around and keep away from Kajiminda. Hope that it was even Machigi in charge of that lot of Taisigi—if they were Taisigi?
He didn’t know if he could walk that far. The blisters had gotten bad. He wanted to take the damned boots off, but he knew the rocks and dry weeds would finish the job. He wanted to shed the damned vest, but this was certainly no place and no situation in which to do it.
Damn, he thought, weary and hurting. Just damn.
Things were going rapidly to hell.
Jago, however, had remained in active communication with Banichi. She took a look downslope and then urged them to move out.
Down. Into the open.
God, he thought. They were going to get shot. He levered himself up, however, and did it, with Lucasi holding his left arm and limping on the slope, and Jago holding Lucasi on the other side. It was a long, long descent toward the rocks that had sheltered their attackers. One lay dead there. A bloody trail led off to the east.
Something moved, a dark figure from around that corner that scared hell out of him. Algini had joined them, and Jago had immediately taken position by a towering rock, rifle aimed upslope.
Someone was coming down. But Jago just held her position. Banichi, Bren thought, and he was right. Banichi arrived as Jago turned her back to the rock and let him past—Banichi carrying a heavy lot of gear with him.
“Bren-ji,” Banichi said pleasantly, as if they had met in the house. And then, utterly businesslike: “Nawari has sent for the bus. He will intercept it for us and hold it. But we have our other difficulty. Which direction, Bren-ji?”
A ride. Instead of a walk. But the question remained.
And not a question. Not with the whole west coast settlement in jeopardy.
“Both the Edi and Machigi know that bus,” he said. “With it, we stand a chance, nadiin-ji, of getting their attention.”
“And others’,” Tano said grimly.
“Dare we contact Machigi’s forces? Do you know if Machigi is actually with them.”
“We have spoken to Tema,” Banichi said.
Machigi’s senior bodyguard. Then that question at least had an encouraging answer. Or at least a surer direction.
“Is there any clue,” he asked, “what they want?”
“We have asked,” Banichi said, “and they have—”
A distant rattle of small-arms fire came from beyond the rocks. To the south.
Machigi’s position.
Dammit.
“What do they want?” Bren reprised the question.
“They say, to test the proposed treaty.”
Right into an Edi district. With gunfire breaking out.
“A renegade convoy went that direction,” Bren said. “Can you call them, Banichi? Can you find out who is firing?”
Banichi opened the bag he had brought with him and rapidly plugged his short-range communications into the larger unit.
He made the call. Or tried to. No response. Then something did get through. Banichi gave back a set of code words.
“They are engaged with the renegades,” Banichi said. “But report a second direction of fire, indiscriminate.”
The Edi. God. “They should not come farther west,” Bren said. “Tell them to hold where they are.”
Damn!
And they had to stop it.
There was racket outside. Cajeiri thought it was the yellow plane landing.
But it was not the plane. And he was not sitting in the hall any more. He was lying on the couch in in Great-grandmother’s sitting-room, and Antaro and Jegari were standing nearby.
And the young lord of Dur, very impressive-looking in his brown leather coat, which Cajeiri so wanted—was standing on the other side of the room talking to Great-grandmother and Cenedi.
The plane had landed, and the young lord of Dur was here, and here he was, waking up on mani’s couch looking stupid.
He got up, fast.
“Is my ribbon tied?” he whispered to his bodyguard, since he had been lying on it.
“Yes, nandi,” Jegari said.
He knew his coat was wrinkled. He tried to put it to rights. Antaro and Jegari helped him, and he went very quietly over to where the young lord was talking to mani.
Mani was, however, in a cheerful mood.
“We shall retire for a while,” mani said, “since my great-grandson has now come back to the living. Cenedi, you are to go off duty for a while. That is an order. Lord Geigi is abed and has not roused. Dur is surely exhausted.”
“It has been a long day, aiji-ma,” the young lord said. “But a good day. Excellent news.”
“Nandi,” Cajeiri said with a little bow. “Mani-ma. News?”
A gentle thump of the cane, which rarely left Great-grandmother’s hands. “We have just dispatched the bus up from the village—where it has sat out this nuisanceful day. Nawari has called for it. He is in contact with nand’ Bren’s guard. There is another inconvenient circumstance reported, but we demand sleep before we deal with it.”
“The bus is going to pick up nand’ Bren!”
“That it is, young gentleman,” Cenedi said. “But say nothing yet to nand’ Toby. We do not have him back.”
“May one ask?” he began, feeling wobbly on his feet. “May one ask, mani-ma—?”
“We do not yet have him back,” mani repeated. “Do not trouble nand’ Toby with what we cannot answer. But Nawari has called for the bus. He is in contact with the paidhi’s guard. Go find your bed, young gentleman. It is not over. Sleep when you can.”
“Mani,” he said, bowed, and managed to walk decorously to the door and let Antaro open it for him.
He walked outside. So did the young lord from Dur, who politely bowed. And one had to apologize. One was embarrrassed, and distracted with worry, and full of questions nobody would answer.
“Nandi,” he said to young Dur, remembering the yellow plane, and his father, and other scary circumstances. “One was waiting to see you.”
“One understands so, nandi. One will be extremely honored to renew the acquaintance at leisure. Nandi.”
Young Dur was clearly on another mission. And in a hurry. With a second bow, he headed down th
e hall toward the doors.
Everybody knew everything, and he just stood there feeling foolish and upset. “Nadiin,” he said to Antaro and Jegari.
“Dur-nandi spotted nand’ Bren,” Antaro said, “and his aishid has just gotten to him. Nawari has not gotten there yet, but he has called for the bus; and your father’s men are landing at the airport right now—we shall have help very soon, nandi.”
That was good news. That was a great relief, on that matter.
“But the Taisigi followed nand’ Bren,” Jegari said. “And they are about to run right into the Edi. And the lord of Dur’s plane is on his way, and some of the Gan people are with him. They are coming in at the airport, as soon as they are clear to land; and young Dur is just now on his way to the airport to explain the situation with the Edi when his father gets here—hoping the Gan people with his father can keep the Edi from attacking the Taisigi.”
He was too tired. Things all jumbled up together. “So what is anybody going to do?” he said. “How can mani go to bed?”
“One doubts she actually will, nandi. One suspects she and Cenedi are going to be on the phone with your father.”
“And tell him he should do something?” He was in favor of that. “We shall go to the security station.” He could hardly walk, he was so tired. But walk he did.
And the first thing he heard was something about the bus.
They had just changed its orders. His father’s men had intercepted it at the intersection, and they were sending it to the airport instead.
The security station contacted Cenedi. While they stood listening, Cenedi ordered the village to send the truck out; but that was evidently at Kajiminda.
They stood there very quietly, trying to be inconspicuous.
Then Cenedi showed up, not happy, no; so something was going to happen. Fast.
It was as fast as a human could walk, in deteriorating boots, with blisters, and the effects of bruised ribs, but Bren put on the best effort he had in him, wading through tall grass and forcing a path past obstinate, reaching brush. Guild leathers shed the burrs and stickery seeds. His clothes did not. He had a collection of them, of every available species.
He had had a drink of water, at least, from the canteen. Lucasi, with cracked lips, declined to share it, which won points with Jago: Jago shared her canteen with Lucasi, to the last, and that meant they were now entirely out of water . . . but in prospect of it once they intersected with the road, once they met up with the bus . . . they would be all right.