Intruder by C. J. Cherryh Read Free Book Online Page B

But he was also keenly interested in the proposition.
    Words passed through Guild channels, and, not too surprisingly, the ministers in question had not been far from Machigi’s summons. The doors to the audience hall opened again, and five officials entered, at which Bren rose politely, and bowed. Servants brought up chairs from the sides of the room, more bodyguards took their places at the edges of the room, and more servants hastened to remove the priceless blue tea service and bring in a new service, this one of figured porcelain in high relief, with seven cups.
    The five officials took their places, and of the lot, Bren recognized only one, Gediri, Machigi’s personal advisor.
    “Nand’ Gediri you know,” Machigi said, after the first sip of tea. “The minister of war, nand’ Kaordi; the minister of trade and commerce, nand’ Disidri. The minister of agriculture, nand’ Maisuno. Theminister of public works, nand’ Laudri. These are the full council as it stands. Nandiin, the paidhi represents the aiji-dowager of the aishidit’tat.”
    “Nandiin,” Bren said with a polite nod all around. And not a word of business would pass before the round of tea was done.
    “We have brought out the sun,” Machigi said, indicating the window to their side, and indeed, a hole in the storm clouds let in a ray of sun that shafted down toward the rainy harborside. Light sparkled off the iron-gray water and picked out an old freighter’s bow.
    “A felicitous sign,” Laudri said, “let us hope, nandiin.”
    “Let us indeed,” Trade said.
    Bren put on a pleasant expression for the positive sentiments, feeling somewhat better about the audience. It was not going badly—at least far as the ceremonial tea was concerned.
    Now he had to engage these various interests as well as Machigi’s.
And
still talk Machigi into coming north.
    Machigi coming north to sign the agreement was, for one thing, important protocol. Unspoken was the fact there was no way in hell the aiji-dowager of the aishidit’tat was going to come south to pay court to young Machigi, as the surviving warlord of the Marid.
    No, Machigi had to come to her, and this proud young hothead now realized he had been pushed into a move he had never intended to make—he
knew
Ilisidi wouldn’t come here; and Najida was under repair, and Kajiminda was the seat of his longtime enemy, Lord Geigi, so both were out of the question. That left Shejidan. In full view of the media.
    There was gracious discussion of the weather, the paidhi’s health…
    “One is fully recovered, nandi, thank you,” Bren said.
    And of the dowager’s departure from the region.
    “The dowager is currently pursuing business in Malguri, to which she had been en route before affairs on the coast diverted her,” Bren said. “She will return very quickly.”
    “To Shejidan,” Machigi muttered. “She is requesting a signing
in
Shejidan.”
    “A brief affair,” Bren said quickly, before any of the ministers could respond, “but very public. Televised. If one is going to change the world, nandiin, best not have it done by rumor, but publicly, so that there is only
one
version of what happened, and as great a number of witnesses as possible. But I shall wait to explain that matter.”
    “He wants us to support the Edi grant of a lordship,” Machigi muttered, drank all his tea at once, and set the cup down.
    That drew frowns. And other cups, drunk to the last, clicked down onto side tables.
    Bren set his own down carefully. There was no way he could drink it all at a gulp. They were at serious business, now. Mortally serious business.
    “It is the dowager’s most dearly held plan,” he said quietly, “to see conditions in the south and the west considerably altered, for reasons of peace. That it benefits citizens of those regions is a necessary part of the plan: It is her view that prosperous people have far less reason to risk it all in conflict. It also offers you advantages. Note that