Protector

He was still anxious. His mother or his father could still change their minds. But his mother was going to be happier, having a staff again. Unless she got mad at Great-grandmother and everything blew up.

Something could still go wrong in the legislature or there could be a security alert: there were a lotof people in the world who could cause a security alert.

But the shuttle was on its way, and once it set up on course, and once it really got moving, then it was harder and harder to change anything.

Once the shuttle started entering the atmosphere, it would all go very fast, and they would land, and then his visitors were stuck for fourteen days, or even longer. Nobody could send them back until the shuttle was ready to take them.

He was surprised to be going to Tirnamardi. The last he remembered of it, the front lawn had been a camp, with the hedges broken and a smoky smell over everything—but he was sure it was all nice now. And Great-uncle was going to let them ride. He was sure nobody born on a space station had ever seen anything like a mecheita—and he was going to get to take Boji with him, and they would be amazed by Boji, too. It was going to be wonderful.

He was surprised by his great-uncle. But Great-uncle had been very easy to please ever since Grandfather had gotten thrown out of the court.

He completely understood Great-uncle’s feelings in that.

•   •   •

Nand’ Bren was busy all day. And his aishid was gone most all day, carrying messages, doing things nobody talked about. It was all verymysterious.

Boji was upset at being in a strange room, until he had eaten so many eggs his stomach was round, and then he curled up and slept.

And there was just nothing to do but play chess with Antaro with everybody else to advise both sides, which made a rowdy sort of chess game.

He had lunch with nand’ Bren, who told him everything was perfectly fine, and that he was just writing letters and making phone calls all day, because of business he was going to have to leave.

After lunch, they decided to go through all the bags to make sure they had not forgotten anything they really might need at Tirnamardi, and he thought he might send for his other outdoor coat, but he decided against it, because if he even sent a message next door to his father’s major domo, that could stir up questions of why he needed the coat and get his parents interested in where he was going.

Things would be busy over there: his mother would be getting new staff, including a hairdresser, and his father would have new people in, all of them from Malguri district, which was notwhat he had ever expected his father to agree to.

He did not get a call from mani to come to herapartment this evening. There was no word from Great-uncle, either. The only one who paid attention to him all day was nand’ Bren, having lunch with him, but then nand’ Bren was back in his office doing whatever he had done before. The front door opened and closed with people coming and going, and he just sat in the guest room with his aishid. Time just crawled past, hour after hour, with thoughts that things could still go wrong and they still could have an emergency that stopped everything.

He did remember a few more ship-speak sentences to teach his aishid, things useful around mecheiti, like, “Get up on the rails.” He thought rails was the word even if they were wooden. And: “Don’t walk behind him.” And: “Don’t walk in front of him.” He could not remember the word for tusks.

He reviewed things useful in the house, like, “Be very quiet.” And: “Stop.” And: “Bow.”

His associates had never dealt with mani on the ship. They might be rude, in mani’s way of looking at things. Or Great-uncle’s. He was worried about that.

But there was nand’ Bren to keep them out of trouble and explain things. He reassured himself of that. And he resolved really, truly, not to suggest anything that could get them in trouble, because even if it was not Najida with the boat docks and all, Great-uncle’s house had mecheiti.

He really, really expected that mani would take charge of him, since the shuttle had to be getting close to starting down.

Maybe she would call him to dinner.

But she did not. He ended up having supper with only his aishid and nand’ Bren, who simply said, “We are still preparing things and sending letters, young gentleman, and while I understand, pleasedo not attempt to discuss business at your great-uncle’s table.”

“One is sorry, nandi.” He knewmani would be put out with him for asking questions before the brandy hour. And he was trying so hard to be proper.

But nand’ Bren did not ask him for a brandy hour. Nand’ Bren said he still had work to do at the very last moment, and would he excuse him?

So there went all the answers to all the questions he could ask.

He was sitting in the guest room, playing chess with Jegari, when a knock came at the door.