Ken Liu - The Grace of Kings

“The joy of our reunion is spoiled by your harsh words, Aunt! How did you survive?”

“When Grandfather Dazu died, I locked the doors of our house in the country and set fire to it so that I could follow him to the afterworld. But the gods had other plans for me, and I survived, unconscious, in a space formed by falling stone beams and columns. I have hidden all these years, living in obscurity, trying to atone in some small measure for the sins of the men of the Zyndu Clan.

“I came to serve this family because of the compassion of its lord and lady. I wanted to see if the great lords can take another path.

“You once called Kuni your brother, yet now you would do violence to his wife and children. Ambition has made you mad. Stop this, Mata. No more.”

“Kuni Garu has killed just as I have,” Mata Zyndu said, his voice equal parts grief and rage. “I’ve done what I could to restore order to the world and to bring glory to the Zyndu name. Kuni is a mouse who steals my table scraps. He is unworthy of your protection. Come back to the palace with me, Aunt, and live in splendor again.”

But Soto shook her head. “If you harm a woman and her children in vengeance, then no valor will ever cleanse you of that bloody stain. I’ll not allow you to soil the Zyndu name in such a manner. If you wish to harm them, you must kill me first.”

Soto gently closed the door in Mata Zyndu’s face. It would have been easy for Mata to smash the door open with his bare hands, but he stood in front of the door for a long while without moving.

He thought back to his childhood with Phin, to the tales Phin told of his heroic ancestors. He thought of Princess Kikomi and the death of his uncle. He thought of the happy drinking parties he had with Kuni and his friends. He thought of Mira and Mado.

Finally, he turned around and gazed across the beach, across the dark sea, to the invisible isles of Tunoa beyond the waves. He sighed and walked away with his guards.

“Lady Soto, would you come and have some tea with the mistress?” Steward Otho Krin asked.

Once she had revealed her identity, of course Jia could no longer permit Soto to be treated as a servant. Soto had tried to ignore Jia and continue her work in the house, but the other servants treated her as a great lady, and Soto had to concede defeat. She now lived as a guest of the Garu household, Jia’s companion.

Soto followed the steward through the halls. The children were taking a nap, and it was pleasant to sit in the courtyard, filled with the sweet smell of plum flowers and the buzzing of industrious bees.

Otho brought the tea set. He knelt, placed the tray on the table, gently touched Jia on the shoulder, and whispered to her. Jia put her hand on his for a moment. He stood up, smiled at her, and respectfully backed away from the two.

“Soto, did Mata reply to your request that I be allowed to visit my parents and my father-in-law?”

“Not yet. Right now, he’s preoccupied with the wars between the Tiro states.”

“But we can both guess that the answer is probably going to be no. The smart thing to do is to continue to keep me and the children as prisoners and bargaining chips right here.”

Soto sipped her tea. “True. Though your plan was worth a try. You’re getting to be as crafty as your husband.”

Jia laughed. “I can’t hide anything from you. It did seem to me that I might be able to connect with more of Kuni’s old followers in Zudi if I was allowed to leave.”

“You would have had a better chance if you had gotten your parents or Kuni’s father to manufacture some sickness or death in the family — Mata respects the old traditions and would have probably permitted you to go in mourning. If you want to succeed in future palace politics, you’re going to have to think through your moves more.”

Jia blushed. Soto had a sharp eye and a sharper tongue, but Jia actually found her to be a kindred soul. Jia had abandoned life as a wealthy merchant’s daughter to marry a man who seemed to have no future, and Soto had left a life as a great hereditary lady to live as someone else’s maid. They both knew something about adapting to the vagaries of life. Soto’s criticism was well meant: She had decided to become a political wife, hadn’t she? Then she needed to adapt to its requirements, both pleasant and unpleasant.

Soto had saved her life and the lives of the children, and Jia was grateful for that. But Soto was also full of secrets. Today, Jia was determined to dig into them.

“Do you sometimes wish,” Jia said, “that Mata would win instead of Kuni? He’s family, after all.”

“I don’t know what it means for someone to win in this, Lady Jia. Whatever happens, a great many people will suffer. But I do think that Kuni will be gentler on this world than Mata.”

“Is that all? Do you not wish to gain an advantage for yourself?”

Soto put down her teacup. “Speak plainly, Lady Jia.”

“You told Kuni who you were before he left, didn’t you?”

Soto gazed at Jia, utterly amazed.

“Kuni is a gambler, but he’s not reckless, and he would not endanger me or our children with an invasion of Rui unless he knew of a way to keep us safe. He must have known who you were before he went to war. Did you make some kind of bargain with him? Mata would not take kindly to women meddling in politics, but Kuni is far more flexible.”

Soto chuckled. “I see that I’ve been trying to give advice to a mind already subtle. You’re right that I told Kuni my secret so that he would feel free to make his move when the time was right.”

“And you kept the secret from me because you weren’t sure I could continue to act the part of the proper hostage. If I grew too confident or bold in my dealings with the hegemon, he might have suspected that I was no longer afraid of him, and thus deprived Kuni of the cover of my being essentially at his mercy.”

Soto nodded. “Forgive me for my deception, Lady Jia. I had always hoped you would be a force, but I wasn’t sure if you were ready. I assure you, though, that I do not wish to become a puppeteer behind Kuni’s throne. What I said to Mata is the truth: I believe there must be an end to the killings, and Kuni is far more likely than Mata to achieve that vision.”

“How did Kuni win you over?”

“You won me over for him; and during his visit, his actions and words confirmed that he’s a lord worthy of my loyalty.”

“You didn’t suspect us of just acting? Great lords are often good at theater, as in the stories you tell the children.”

Soto considered this. “If it’s a mask, it’s a very good mask. How can you ever truly know the heart of someone? You and your husband are both natural actors, but if you’re performing, you’ve kept up that performance for your servants, for the powerless, for the low and base. Sometimes there is no distinction between the role and the player.”

Jia gazed at her. “No more secrets, Lady Soto. I want at least one real friend in the palace. As you said, I have much to learn about politics, and there will be more of it in the future.”

Soto nodded. She and Jia continued to drink tea, talking of inconsequential things.

ÇARUZA: THE FIRST MONTH IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE PRINCIPATE.

By throwing out everything that added weight — armor, weapons, extra provisions and water, even the mattresses in the sleeping quarters for the crew — Marshal Mazoti turned a few of the airships captured from Mount Kiji into sleek speedsters. True to the vision she and Risana had shared, Mazoti staffed them with all-women crews.