"You said that yesterday, and I didn't believe you, but if you say it a few more
times, maybe I will start to."
Katherine smiled and leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on Gisela's warm
cheek. Then she stepped away. "Now . . . how do we get you some proper carving
tools?"
16
The air in the little study was stale and filled with the smell of tense bodies.
Lew Alton watched Mikhail, standing in front of the fireplace, fiddling with
some small carved figures that stood along the mantle. The younger man looked
more rested than he had the night before, despite the looming anxiety about
Domenic. He smiled at his father-in-law, as if he understood Lew's concerns and
was trying to reassure him. Donal stood a few paces away, alert and watchful.
Then, aware of Lew's regard, he winked. It must be wonderful to be twenty-three,
Lew thought, although his memories of himself at that age were so painful that
he dreaded their recollection.
Mikhail turned and took his place behind Regis' scarred desk. He looked from
face to face, studying each intently for a moment, as if measuring his advisors
and weighing their strengths and weaknesses in his mind. Satisfied that his
son-in-law was in as good a frame of mind as could be hoped for, Lew relaxed a
little. Now they must decide how to proceed, and he had to find a way to keep
himself in the background, to allow Mikhail to take the lead. Otherwise, he
felt, Mikhail would not be confident in his own decisions, and he would need to
be for the sake of all their futures.
Rafe Scott, formerly of Terran Intelligence, was sitting lazily in one chair,
and Dani Hastur occupied another. Time had been kind to Scott, and while his
hair had grayed and his tanned face was a bit wrinkled, he seemed much the same
man that Lew had known decades before in a time so removed, so different, that
it might as well have been another universe. When Lyle Belfontaine had forced
him to retire from the Service, Rafe had started a venture with Rafaella, taking
occasional parties of Terranan on mountaineering expeditions into the Hellers.
It had made him rich by Darkovan standards. He had an additional pension from
the Federation, which was even occasionally paid to him, much to his amusement.
The loss of Scott at HQ had made things more difficult, for he possessed strong
telepathy. Until a few days before, they had used Ethan MacDoevid, who while he
did not have any laran, was quick and kept his wits about him. The man from
Threadneedle Street had been a good channel of information, and they all
regretted that his observations were no longer available to them.
Beside him, Dani Hastur, now thirty, was still the rather quiet person he had
been in his adolescence, but he had more assurance than before. The death of his
father was a blow, one that Lew knew he would only recover from with time. But
Dani hated Thendara, and it was obvious from the set of his shoulders that he
would rather be almost anywhere else than in what had been his father's study
for so many years.
The sixth person in the room was Danilo Syrtis-Ardais. Regis' death had taken
its greatest toll on him, and he had aged visibly in the past few days. But the
look in his eyes remained vigilant, and it was clear that he was not going to
allow his very real grief to impede the workings of his fine mind.
Mikhail sat, clenching and unclenching the hand that bore the great matrix of
Varzil the Good, his lean jaw rigid. He seemed to be looking for something that
Lew could not discern. Finally, he cleared his throat and began to speak. "As
soon as Dom Damon favors us with his presence," he began, the irony in his words
evident to all, "we will have to hold a Council meeting. The question is, what
are we going to tell them?"
"That is succinct and to the point," Danilo replied crisply. "If we tell them
that there is a plot to assassinate you, there is going to be hell to pay.
Francisco Ridenow and Lady Javanne will demand proof, or action of some sort,
and we all know it. And Nico's absence must be explained soon. So far we have
managed to keep it secret, but eventually one of the servants will let the cat
out of the bag, and then we will be up to our hips in wild speculation." He gave
a narrow smile. "I confess I have even toyed with the idea of telling your
meddlesome mother that he has been kidnapped by the Federation, just to see the
expression on her face. If only she would keep out of things!"
Dani Hastur nodded. "Yes, exactly. Gareth was asking me this morning where Nico
was, and I hardly knew how to answer him, since I realized we did not want this
information to become common knowledge just yet." He gave a shrug of his
shoulders. "Life would be a great deal easier if everyone minded their own
business, wouldn't it?"
"Truer words were never spoken," Mikhail answered. "Let's get on with this-the
longer we remain here the more wild speculation we will create. I have no doubt
that Francisco, Lady Marilla, and my dear mother are already imagining all
manner of things. The floor is open to suggestions, information, and even jokes,
so long as they are relevant."
Rafe Scott shifted on his chair. "I have a little information that might be
useful. I spent an hour in a tavern in the Trade City last evening, sipping beer
and keeping my ears and mind open. I frequent the place enough to be taken for a
regular, although the quality of the beer is not nearly as good as that of the
gossip. Something is most assuredly up at HQ. There has been a veritable flood
of messages going out for three days. What is most interesting is that, as far
as I can gather, there has been no answer to them. The result is that the
Terrans are becoming agitated, and are ready to jump at any shadow."
"Do you have any idea what was in those messages?"
"Most of them were in code, and the people I eavesdropped on were too lowly
placed to have access. It would be very useful if you or I could take a stroll
through HQ, Lew, but that is out of the question, I suppose."
"Perhaps. We've had several messages from Belfontaine, each one more shrill than
the one before, and it seems clear from the most recent one that they now know
that Regis is dead. He wants Herm Aldaran handed over to them, and an immediate
interview with Mikhail, to discuss the future of the Federation on Darkover. It
would be funny under other circumstances. It is a good thing I do not take
offense easily, because the last message was extremely rude."
Rafe Scott chuckled softly. "That's Belfontaine all over. It sounds as if he
thinks we are not aware that the Federation is planning to pull out-does he
mention that?"
"No, he didn't. Any more than we have told him of Regis' passing. It is clear
that his second, Miles Granfell, told him last night. It is a shame that we
could not have kept Regis' death secret just a little longer," Lew answered.
"Why couldn't you go to HQ and see him," Dani asked.
"Oh, I could get in and speak to Belfontaine. The question is, could I then get
out? Frankly, I am just a little too old to be a hostage. The same is true for
Rafe." If necessary he would die
for Darkover, but he was not willing to waste
his life in a futile exercise.
"Once you were on what is still Federation territory, they feel they could
pretty much do as they wished." Dani sounded uneasy at this idea.
"My information is that the port is shut down-is that right, Rafe?" Mikhail
looked at the older man intently as he asked the question.
"Your information is correct. The port is closed, and there has not been an
incoming ship for two days. Herm was lucky-his was the last Big Ship to come."
Scott shook his head. "I don't like to think what this is doing to Federation
trade, if this situation is occurring on planets closer to the hub."
"That is the Federation's problem, not ours," snapped Mikhail impatiently.
"No, Mik, not entirely. Even though we are largely independent of the
Federation, we can't foresee how a large economic disruption within it might
affect us. But that is for the future. What I observed is that low-ranking
guards are still coming to the Trade City for recreation, and there is a certain
quality of recklessness about them. They are aware that they will be leaving
shortly, and act as if that gives them leave to do anything they wish. Already
the City Guard have had to put down several brawls, and a few of the joy girls
had bruises that were unusual. I popped in and called on Mestra MacIvan of the
Red Sun House, and she said she was almost ready to close her doors, because
things were getting ugly."
"But why? I don't understand that," Dani wondered.
Rafe shifted in his chair. "My guess is that they think they can get away with
anything, perhaps even murder, and not have to worry about any consequences."
"Yes," said Danilo. "The Commandant of the City Guards sent word this morning,
wondering what to do with the Terranan he has already arrested, because his
lock-up is getting rather full. And Belfontaine demanded, in another of his
messages, that they be released immediately. His errand boys must be getting
footsore, running back and forth between the castle and HQ." He gave a wry grin.
"I answered that they had destroyed property, and would not be let go until it
was paid for, which should give him something to chew on for an hour or two.
Still, I don't quite know what to do about the problem. We can't build another
jail overnight, and if we let these men go back onto Federation territory, they
will likely just return and cause more trouble."
"What about the orphanage?" Donal asked this, then looked selfconscious.
"The John Reade Orphanage? What about it, Donal?" Mikhail asked.
"It has been standing empty since the Federation shut it down two years ago, and
it is built like a fortress. It has lots of rooms, and from what Domna
Marguerida has told me about it, it was little better than a prison to start
with." His cheeks were rosy, but he was standing his ground, and Lew gave him an
approving nod.
A slow grin crept across Mikhail's tired face, and years dropped away, leaving
him looking very youthful instead of middle-aged. "A very elegant solution,
which will no doubt amuse Marguerida greatly. Danilo, tell Belfontaine that his
men are going to remain in our custody until payment is made, or until the
Federation leaves. That should put him off-balance for a few minutes, since he
does not yet know that we know they are pulling out. It will give him something
to think about other than trying to kill me. Is there more, Rafe?"
"A bit. Most of the people I watched are low level, without any access to really
sensitive information. They are worried, I would say, and what they seem to be
worried about is that the Federation will not send ships to remove them at the
appointed time, but will instead abandon them here. It has happened on other
worlds, and even though it was not common knowledge when I left, it seems to be
that now. The overall impression I got was that no one knows what is going on or
what is going to happen. This has left them anxious, and reckless as well."
"Interesting," Lew said, leaning forward, so he could look at Scott around Dani.
"It sounds as if those at the top are keeping those at the bottom in the dark,
doesn't it?"
"Exactly. The rank and file are clearly uneasy, and I did not see any officers."
"Is that good or bad?" Mikhail asked.
"Bad, I suspect. If Emmet Grayson still had any authority, we could approach
him. But since the reorganization of the Federation bureaucracy, most of the
real power has been in Belfontaine's hands, and we know him to be our enemy."
"How many trained fighters can Belfontaine muster in Thendara?" Mikhail leaned
forward across the desk as he spoke, his eyes intent.
"Now, that is a very good question, and one I cannot answer accurately. When I
retired, there were about two hundred, but I don't know if this number has been
added to or reduced. Then there are those up in Aldaran territory. I tried to
get a count the last time I took a party into the Hellers, and I would guess
that there are between seventy-five and a hundred men there, many of them no
better than raw recruits. But there are some veterans of the Pali Uprising,
marines and soldiers both, and they know their business. There might be a few
more, since I suspect that some of the technicians are actually combat trained."
"What is your opinion of Belfontaine, Rafe? You have had more contact with him
than anyone except Lew and myself." Danilo spoke the question before anyone else
could.
"He is shrewd and ambitious, and he has long wanted to advance his position. He
got into some sort of trouble when he was Adjutant on Lein III, and was sent to
Darkover in disgrace. He has been chafing to find some action for years now, and
he will see Regis' death as an opportunity to end Darkover's Protected status,
by claiming that the Federation needs to step in and keep order, or some other
fabrication. It would not be the first time a Terran official acted in his own
best interest. The Federation usually doesn't interfere with this sort of
adventurism, since bringing all the planets into the fold is their aim anyhow."
"Is this Belfontaine an Expansionist?" Dani asked the question, wrinkling his
brow with concentration. He had never had much interest in the problems of
governance, and his years in the Elhalyn Domain had put him out of touch with
current information.
"I don't think he has any politics, or even political alliance, just a driving
ambition to become a general before he is sixty," Scott answered dryly. "He
comes from an industrial family, one that owns entire planets, and essentially
even the people who live on them, which gives him a particular way of seeing
things that is incomprehensible to me. In the usual circumstances, he would have
gone into the business, but from something he let slip once, it seems they did
not think him suitable, and he ended up in the service of the Federation
instead. I have the impression that in his family, working for the Federation is
regarded as a step down, something that is only for people who are not sharp
enough to survive the corporate environment. I think that gives him something to
prove. What I am certain of is that he hates Darkover, h
as a very low opinion of
our people, and sincerely believes that we would be much better off under the
dominion of the Federation, rather than continuing on as we have for centuries."
"Then it is safe to assume that if someone came to him and suggested that it
would be possible to assassinate me on the way to the rhu fead, he would jump at
the chance." Mikhail said the words slowly, as if they were sour in his mouth.
"Possibly."
"Only that?"
"He is not a stupid man, Mikhail. He has to step with a little care, because the
last thing the Federation would want is some ambitious fellow setting himself up
as a warlord. He might succeed in killing you, and then find himself facing a
firing squad for treason."
"In other words, he needs to make it appear that he is acting in the best
interests of the Federation, not his own?"
"Yes, Dani, exactly. He has enough trained men to attack the funeral train-but I
can't guess if he would do it. I suspect that some of these unanswered messages
he has been sending are an attempt to get some sort of authorization for
intervening in Darkover's affairs, and that he has also asked for
reinforcements. It must be very frustrating for him to have no reply. Lew, do
you agree?"
"I do. I assume that since disbanding the Legislature, the Federation has been
in too much of a turmoil to worry about some little backwater like Darkover-for
which we should be very grateful."
Mikhail gave a grunt. "I don't like this, but I can't think of anything to do to
change it. Lew, have you had any further word from Nico and Herm?"
"I know they joined up with Rafaella this morning, and headed toward Carcosa. If
there have been developments beyond that, I have not been informed of them."
"That was a good idea of Marguerida's," Scott offered. "Rafi was thrilled to get
out on the road."
"Does anyone have any ideas to propose?" Mikhail asked.
Young Donal cleared his throat and everyone looked at him with surprise. The
paxman turned slightly pink with embarrassment at being the center of attention.
"I don't want to talk out of turn, but ever since Nico left, I have been
thinking, and I've spent some time looking at maps of the route to the rhu
fead."
"There is no need to be hesitant, Donal," Danilo said kindly. "You will have to