‘Me? Spill expensive booze? You do me grave insult, lady.’ Grinning with a flash of gold tooth, he lowered the tray, only to be swarmed by snatching friends. With the drinks all safely stowed in Interstellar hands, he glanced round, saw a saccule, and sailed it the tray. With a mournful honk and sigh, it grabbed it from midair and hurried off. The guildsman made Vida a long bow.
‘Se Vida,’ he said. ‘You have enough of this formal shit yet? Come dance with us! We’re the slickest jammers in the Pinch, no lie. We’ll show you shunts that’ve never been mapped. Eye’s Truth!’
‘You’ve been to an unmapped shunt? Really?’
The fellow opened his mouth, then shut it again, while the troop roared with laughter and pointed. A woman with a laugh like stones rolling down metal slapped him on the back.
‘Called your bluff, eh Ket?’ Grinning, she tapped Vida on the forehead. ‘Think, sweetling, wouldn’t’ve you heard ‘bout a new shunt on all the screens?’
‘Well, I guess so, yeah. Hey, I’d settle for seeing a mapped one.’
‘Not a lot to see.’ The woman went on. ‘But you can feel it when you’re riding one down, honey. You bet you can.’
‘Oh, I’d love to know that feeling.’
Ket leaned forward, smiling, and laid a blue rippled hand on Vida’s arm. ‘Damn, but you’re my kinda woman. I can see it in your eyes. You’re a jammer born. You ever need a berth in a shuntjammer, ask for
Ket’s Ribbon,
the sleekest slake that ever slid the micros. Maybe you and me’ll wriggle a new micro one’a these days, eh?’
‘You’ll have to win her from Wan first,’ Pero said, and coolly, ‘Se Ket.’
Ket let go her arm and stood, glancing back and forth at the other jammers. With a smooth gliding step, they closed in behind him. No-one said a word, merely waited, watching Pero, watching Ket. The woman with the jarring laugh looked Pero over, her mouth a little twisted.
‘And how is Susannah, Pero?’ she said at last. ‘Your
dear
mother?’
‘Very well, Purser Jale.’ Pero spoke smoothly, calmly. ‘You should say hello to her next time you jam to Tableau.’
‘Unlikely.’ Jale paused for a sip of her drink. ‘Vanna’s looking fit, eh?’ She glanced Vida’s way. ‘She’s my sister, honey. You know that?’
‘No, I didn’t. I uh -’ Vida froze. This was Vanna’s guild, Vanna’s kin - did they all hate her the way Vanna did?
‘I know her better than anyone in the Pinch,’ Jale went on. ‘A word to the wise, honey. Keep an eye on your back around her.’
Ket rapped out a string of words in some guttural and glottal tongue that Vida had never heard. Jale laughed, very briefly, then buried her nose in her drink when Ket swung her way, one hand raised. The other jammers turned on their heels like a dance troupe and swept Jale off. Ket lingered, leaning over to whisper.
‘Don’t worry it, sweetling.’ He squeezed her arm, then hurried after his crew. With an elaborate sigh, Pero leaned back in his chair. Samante was studying her half-eaten plate of food. Vida picked up her fork.
‘Well, I knew that about Vanna,’ she said. ‘And I’m still hungry.’
‘Good.’ Pero raised his glass in salute. ‘So am I.’
They were still eating when Vida, glancing over the crowd, saw Se Hivel, looking somehow taller in his long robes, walking in through a nearby door. With him was a tall young man in the midnight blue smock of a cyber apprentice - a good-looking boy, she thought, with his untidy mane of dark hair and firm, striding walk. All at once she remembered Se Hivel’s nephew, the first-timer. Maybe that was Rico? She felt herself blushing and grabbed a napkin to wave it around her face.
‘It’s so hot in here,’ she said - casually, she hoped.
‘It’s all the warm bodies, crammed in together.’ Pero glanced in the direction that she’d been looking. ‘Aha, Sammi! Our humble reception is honoured indeed. Se Hivel approaches, and I believe his nephew?’
‘Oh yes, the one who’s going to be invested as his heir,’ Samante said. ‘That gossip’s been all over. Vida, that’s the head of the Cyberguild, and never fool yourself. The guildmasters are the real rulers of Palace, no matter what your new lawfather thinks.’
Vida nodded, not quite trusting her voice. What was she supposed to do? Pretend she’d never met Se Hivel? Probably so. Certainly he was looking at her pleasantly enough, but with the mild anticipation of someone about to be introduced, not to greet a friend.
‘You stinking whore!’ The voice came hissing from behind her, like a knife through taut cloth. ‘So this is the stinking whore, is it?’
Vida twisted round in her chair and ducked just in time as an openhanded slap struck at her face. She saw a black dress, long legs, another flying hand just as someone grabbed her hair and pulled hard. Caught seated as she was, she could only yelp and flail, but Pero was already moving and grabbing.
‘Let go, Anji darling, or I’ll break your lovely arm.’
The grip on Vida’s hair went limp and fell away. She leapt up, shoving the chair to the floor. Anja writhed and kicked, but Pero had her arm twisted behind her back. She was crying, long ugly sobs that twisted her mouth and left coloured streaks of mascara down her face.
‘I hate you, you rotten little cull!’ She screamed so loudly that Vida stepped back. ‘I hate your ugly guts. Whore! Traitor! Stinking L’Var traitor!’
Se Hivel stepped forward and laid one large hand over Anja’s mouth. All at once Vida realized that the reception hall had fallen silent, that everyone had turned, that everyone was staring, shocked and staring.
‘Dinisa!’ Hivel snapped. ‘Get Se Vida out of here. Nikolaides and I will deal with the madwoman.’
Samante grabbed Vida’s arm hard and started walking, giving Vida no choice but to follow. She drew herself up to full height and walked fast but smoothly, nodding every now and then to anyone who looked familiar. They stared back, silent and unyielding. I’m going to hear this again and again, she thought. Whore and traitor. That’s me, the cull. I might as well learn to stare them all down. Behind them she heard a crash and glanced back to see Anja free of Pero’s grip and kicking over furniture. Rico grabbed her by the shoulders and thrust her back into Nikolaides’ arms. Vida looked away and smiled at the Countess de la Motta, who waved back in feeble surprise. The guests around the countess merely stared. Halfway across the hall, Brother Dav and his black-robed security people met them. Vida let out her breath in a long sigh.
‘It’s a good thing we’d finished eating,’ she said to Samante. ‘I’m afraid Se Anja’s spilled our table.’
Samante was grinning, open-mouthed and admiring. Vida made herself remember Aleen.
‘I’d like some air. Is there some way we could get outside?’
‘Oh yes, Se,’ Dav said. ‘The roof garden. Just follow me, and I take it you won’t mind if my security people join you?’
Vida followed him to the lift booth with Samante trailing after. Once the door slid shut, she could allow herself to cry.
* * *
It took both Rico and Pero to wrestle the screaming Anja out of the reception hall. Hi followed them into the corridor, then laid his cyberarm over the smart threads in his gold sash and subvocalized Caliostro’s call code. As soon as the AI responded, Hi sent an order to summon a medic. Out in a side corridor, just beyond the reception hall, they found a blue plush divan sitting against a mirrored wall. Pero unceremoniously threw Anja face down onto it and sat next to her, holding her down by the shoulders, but by then she was weeping too hard to fight. Blood ran down Pero’s face and dripped onto his dress uniform.
‘You’ve got a nasty little bite, Anji,’ Pero said, but he sounded halfway amused. ‘Rico, you okay?’
‘Just scratched.’ Rico was looking at his hand and arm. ‘Well, a couple of times.’
‘Oh shit!’ Pero said. ‘She’s going to throw up.’
Anja did, repeatedly and noisily, leaning over the end of the divan. Hi sent another order to Caliostro for a saccule with a mop while Pero found a handkerchief in his smock pocket and began wiping her mouth. She sat as miserably as a wet child and let him.
‘Uncle Hi?’ Rico said. ‘The girl with the red hair? That’s Vida?’
‘Sure is, kid. What do you think?’
‘She’s lovely.’ Rico was whispering. ‘I’ve never seen a girl like that. I mean, I did see her, once, at the festival, you know? Just on the street. But I never thought I’d see her again. God, she’s so beautiful.’
Hi gladly left Anja to Pero and turned to look at his nephew. Besotted, he thought. Just what we need now!
‘Look, kid,’ he said. ‘She’s just been raised a couple of cuts above you. And then there’s her husband to think about. Wan and little Anji here would have been a good match. They have a lot in common.’
‘He doesn’t love Vida.’ Rico shook his stubborn head. ‘You could see it on the screens. When we were watching that interview, you know? He doesn’t love her at all.’
It was true enough, but Hi was saved from having to answer by the medic, trotting down the hall with Anja’s father, Lis, who was muttering to himself in fury. By then Anja was sitting up, leaning against Pero and gasping for breath. Greenish vomit streaked the hair round her face. Lis grabbed her arm.
‘What in hell did you think you were doing? Disgracing our family this way? Are you crazy?
What kind of marriage contract am I going to get for you now, you stupid little -’
‘Lis, Lis, hey.’ Hi laid a friendly hand on his shoulder. ‘The kid’s sick as a dog, okay? Can’t you berate her later?’
Lis let out his breath in a long sigh and looked at his weeping daughter.
‘Anji, I’m sorry. Hi’s right. We’ll talk later.’
The medic began fussing over Pero’s wound, the saccule arrived with the mop, and Hi took the chance to make his escape.
‘Come on, Rico,’ he muttered. ‘I need to work the crowd at this affair. There’s some people here you’ve got to meet, too.’
‘Yes, Se. Do you think Vida will come back?’
‘Not if she’s smart, and I think she is. But after we run the see-and-be-seen utility, we’re going to have a talk. Something’s on your mind, kid. I want to know what it is.’
‘Mom says you’ve got to talk to her first. It’s important, yeah. She’s got something to tell you about that Pansect Media crash.’
‘Oh.’ Hi considered - Rico was hiding something, but if Barra knew, then it could wait. ‘All right. We’ll take it up with her when we get home. There are two people here I need to talk with, Military Guild people. When I find them, you go help yourself to the buffet, okay?’
‘Sure. I don’t mind disappearing when there’s food involved.’ Hi laughed and clapped his nephew on the shoulder. ‘That’s a good attitude. So let’s go be social.’
* * *
‘I’m so glad she didn’t actually hurt you,’ Samante said.
‘So am I,’ Vida said. ‘I felt so dumb, just sitting there and squealing, but I couldn’t get out of that stupid chair.’
‘Well, fortunately Pero was right there.’
‘Fortunately, yeah.’
With Brother Dav’s security guards trailing a respectful distance behind, Vida and Samante were walking through the roof park atop the East Tower of Government House. Although the sky above hung thick and silver with fog, and the air felt cold, the walkways sported strip heating along the ground as well as amber lights hanging like flowers themselves from slender poles. Here and there among the dense plantings certain flowers answered the lamps with phosphorescence, like mirrored stars caught among the shadows. Although the roof park overall stretched for acres, tall hedges cut it up into separate gardens, giving the illusion of privacy.
‘Shall we sit down?’ Samante said. ‘There are benches all over. And they’re cushioned.’
‘Maybe in a minute? I’m just so restless.’
Samante sighed. Vida was about to give in and stop for a rest when she heard a rustle, just ahead, behind a cluster of shrubs. Could it be the assassin, come to finish his job? She froze, listening, slowly raising one hand to beckon the guards closer. When she glanced back she saw them drawing stunsticks from the holders at their belts. The rustling ahead sounded louder. A cloaked figure rounded the bend, heading toward them. From the hip-sprung walk and broad shoulders he had to be a Lep.
‘Get down, Samante!’ Vida yelled. ‘Guards!’
Samante screamed. The guards darted forward. The Lep chuckled, said something sibilant in his own language, and spread spindly arms wide.
Samante laughed, shaking a little, and answered him.
‘What?’ Vida snapped. ‘Oh no, have I done something dumb again? How loath!’
When the Lep flipped down the hood of his cloak, the amber light washed over him, shining on polished scales, so that it seemed he was bathed in liquid gold. Down his arms ran a pattern of stripes and dots completely unlike the scale markings of the assassin -though of course, he might have dyed them.
‘I merely reminded Se Dinisa that I’m lame and not terribly adept at chasing women. I flatter myself that I have been the subject of a chase or two, however, from the women of my own kind.’ The Lep’s voice lisped slightly on the sibilants, but otherwise he spoke perfect Gen. ‘I am Ri Tal Molos. I am pleased to cross your present, Vida. You will forgive me if I sit down uninvited.’
Molos limped past them and settled himself on one of the cushioned benches. Vida turned and waved to the guards, who sheathed their stunsticks. With a little sigh Molos began searching through the inner pockets of his cloak. At last his crest lifted, and he brought out something in a closed hand.
‘I’m a friend of your guardian, Aleen Raal,’ he said. ‘Here. She sent you this to prove it.’
When Vida held out her hand he dropped onto her palm a wooden Eye of God medallion on a leather thong. She turned it over, held it up to an amber light to read the mark. Yes, it was the amulet that Brother Lennos had given her during the festival. ‘Aleen inadvertently kept it this morning, or so she told me,’ Molos went on. ‘She said you’d come to her office? Ah, I see by your nod that this is so.’
‘If you’re a friend of Aleen’s, then I’m pleased to meet you, Se.’ Samante laughed under her breath. ‘What’s so funny?’ Vida snapped.
‘Oh, nothing. It’s just rather amusing, that you’d think Aleen so important that you’d judge Molos by her, not the other way around.’