immunity.
“Why are we becalmed?” Shonsu demanded suddenly, probably believing that he was changing the subject.
Honakura dared not say what he suspected. “I don’t know, my
lord.”
“Is it because I was supposed to recruit an army in Tau, do
you think?”
So he was still brooding over that? “I doubt it,” the priest said. “As you suggested, we should be returned there if that were die case. We must just be patient.”
Shonsu nodded and sighed.
“You are troubled, my lord?”
The swordsman nodded again. “I am perplexed by the encounter with Prince Arganari. That felt like the hand of the god, old man, but I don’t understand what was required of me. How many swordsmen own one of me Chioxin seven? Not more than two or three in the whole World! The rest of the seven have been broken or lost. For us to meet by chance was utterly impossible ... so why?”
He brooded in silence for a while. “I should have kept him on
the ship, I think.”
“But you said that Master Polini had sworn an oath?” “Yes,” Shonsu agreed miserably. “But I could have challenged him.” He cut savagely at the peg and nicked his thumb. He swore and stuck it in his mouth. Ija reached up and pulled it out again to
look at it.
“Tell me what you are making, my lord?” Honakura asked. “Is it some contrivance from your dream world, perhaps?”
“I am making a toy for Vixini,” the swordsman said.
Which is what he always said.
Pain had made Honakura testy. “My lord! The god told you that you could trust me!”
Again Shonsu turned to regard the priest with mat deadly killer gaze. “Yes, he did. Was he correct?”
Did that mean he had indeed overheard the conversation with Thana? It seemed impossible.
“Of course!” Honakura said, aware that dignity was hard to project in the garb of a Nameless One.
“Very well!” said the swordsman. “I will tell you what I am making if you tell me about flcondorina’s brothers.”
Now it was the priest’s turn to sigh. Why had he ever been such a fool as to mention those? It had been a serious indiscre,
tion, even if it had happened very early in their relationship, before he had realized how much he himself was involved. When the god had sent word that Honakura was to tell Shonsu the story of Dtondorina, it had been an obvious chicanery. Even the swordsman had seen through that, but then Honakura had stupidly admitted that he knew of two other references to Ikon,donna in the priestly sutras. Later, and even more stupidly, he had mentioned that they concerned Ikondorina’s two brothers, his red,haired brother and his black,haired brother. He had been very tired that evening, he remembered.
“I fear I misled you, my lord,” he said now. “Obviously there was a reference there to Nnanji and Katanji. But that was all— they joined your quest and the prophecy was fulfilled. There is nothing more to tell.”
“I should like to be the judge of mat!”
“I cannot reveal the sutras of my craft!”
“Then I cannot tell you what I am making.”
Honakura turned his head away angrily. Swordsmen! It was so childish! Then he noticed that Apprentice Thana had reappeared on deck and was wearing the pearls again. Aha! And she had gone to lean on the rail where Nnanji would notice her. Sutra time would end soon, then.
He turned back to Shonsu, who was looking at Jja, and Honakura was just in time to catch the tail feathers of a vanishing grin on the slave’s face. They were laughing at him!
“The stories are quite irrelevant!” he said angrily. “And trivial! The sutra that mentions the black,haired brother, for example— the epigram says merely Water pipes are made of lead.”
That, he thought, would stop a whole army of swordsmen.
Shonsu nodded thoughtfully. “I approve, of course.”
“Indeed? Perhaps you would be so kind as to expound furtrier, my lord?”
The swordsman flashed Jja another glance that the priest could not see. He could not be
“Why are we becalmed?” Shonsu demanded suddenly, probably believing that he was changing the subject.
Honakura dared not say what he suspected. “I don’t know, my
lord.”
“Is it because I was supposed to recruit an army in Tau, do
you think?”
So he was still brooding over that? “I doubt it,” the priest said. “As you suggested, we should be returned there if that were die case. We must just be patient.”
Shonsu nodded and sighed.
“You are troubled, my lord?”
The swordsman nodded again. “I am perplexed by the encounter with Prince Arganari. That felt like the hand of the god, old man, but I don’t understand what was required of me. How many swordsmen own one of me Chioxin seven? Not more than two or three in the whole World! The rest of the seven have been broken or lost. For us to meet by chance was utterly impossible ... so why?”
He brooded in silence for a while. “I should have kept him on
the ship, I think.”
“But you said that Master Polini had sworn an oath?” “Yes,” Shonsu agreed miserably. “But I could have challenged him.” He cut savagely at the peg and nicked his thumb. He swore and stuck it in his mouth. Ija reached up and pulled it out again to
look at it.
“Tell me what you are making, my lord?” Honakura asked. “Is it some contrivance from your dream world, perhaps?”
“I am making a toy for Vixini,” the swordsman said.
Which is what he always said.
Pain had made Honakura testy. “My lord! The god told you that you could trust me!”
Again Shonsu turned to regard the priest with mat deadly killer gaze. “Yes, he did. Was he correct?”
Did that mean he had indeed overheard the conversation with Thana? It seemed impossible.
“Of course!” Honakura said, aware that dignity was hard to project in the garb of a Nameless One.
“Very well!” said the swordsman. “I will tell you what I am making if you tell me about flcondorina’s brothers.”
Now it was the priest’s turn to sigh. Why had he ever been such a fool as to mention those? It had been a serious indiscre,
tion, even if it had happened very early in their relationship, before he had realized how much he himself was involved. When the god had sent word that Honakura was to tell Shonsu the story of Dtondorina, it had been an obvious chicanery. Even the swordsman had seen through that, but then Honakura had stupidly admitted that he knew of two other references to Ikon,donna in the priestly sutras. Later, and even more stupidly, he had mentioned that they concerned Ikondorina’s two brothers, his red,haired brother and his black,haired brother. He had been very tired that evening, he remembered.
“I fear I misled you, my lord,” he said now. “Obviously there was a reference there to Nnanji and Katanji. But that was all— they joined your quest and the prophecy was fulfilled. There is nothing more to tell.”
“I should like to be the judge of mat!”
“I cannot reveal the sutras of my craft!”
“Then I cannot tell you what I am making.”
Honakura turned his head away angrily. Swordsmen! It was so childish! Then he noticed that Apprentice Thana had reappeared on deck and was wearing the pearls again. Aha! And she had gone to lean on the rail where Nnanji would notice her. Sutra time would end soon, then.
He turned back to Shonsu, who was looking at Jja, and Honakura was just in time to catch the tail feathers of a vanishing grin on the slave’s face. They were laughing at him!
“The stories are quite irrelevant!” he said angrily. “And trivial! The sutra that mentions the black,haired brother, for example— the epigram says merely Water pipes are made of lead.”
That, he thought, would stop a whole army of swordsmen.
Shonsu nodded thoughtfully. “I approve, of course.”
“Indeed? Perhaps you would be so kind as to expound furtrier, my lord?”
The swordsman flashed Jja another glance that the priest could not see. He could not be
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