Gene Wolfe - CALDE OF THE LONG SUN

actually seen one."

"You knew I'd come?"

"I surmised you might. Do you want the entire thing?"

Maytera Marble sniffed loudly. "I do, Patera."

"I wish you wouldn't make that noise," he told her.

"Then I won't, or at least not very often. But Bloody's my son,

and I meant I have a right to know."

"All right, the entire thing." Silk leaned back in his chair, eyes half

closed. "On Hieraxday, I walked some distance through the city with

His Cognizance, and from the East Edge to Ermine's; it was about

evenly divided between Maytera Mint's insurgents and the Guard. I

slept at Ermine's for a few hours, as I told you; when I woke up, half

the Guard seemed to have gone over to Maytera Mint."

Maytera Marble said, "All of it but the Second, I'm told."

"Good. Before I was brought here, I was in the tunnels or in the

cellar, so I didn't see much; but there were councillors here. It

seemed likely they were directing their forces in person, and I didn't

think they'd do that unless the situation was critical. Then too, you

told me you'd walked out here with the children and mentioned a

general from Trivigaunte--"

"General Saba. A very good woman at heart, from what I saw of

her, though quite large and rather prone to obstinacy."

"I assume it was her airship that attacked us when His Cognizance

and I were riding in Oosik's floater."

"Her airship's been over the city, certainly. It's been shooting and

dropping explosives. It's huge."

"Your Doctor Crane was a spy from Trivigaunte," Silk told Blood.

"You must know that by now. He told me once, joking, that if I were

in need of rescue all I'd have to do was kill him. He had a device in

his chest that let others find him and told them whether his heart

was beating. He was shot Rieraxday morning, due to a misunderstanding.

I imagine the attack on us resulted from a similar mix-up--the

Trivigauntis had been told the Guard was opposing us. When

they saw a Guard floater surrounded by officers on horseback, they

attacked it."

"I don't see what this has to do with me," Blood grunted.

"It has everything to do with you," Silk told him, "and I was right

about it, too--the only thing I've been completely right about. You

were fighting in a losing cause; this house was about to be

destroyed, and you might easily be wounded or killed. You knew

about the tunnels, and no doubt you've been down there. So have I,

as I've said--more than I like. I couldn't imagine your leaving this

house in flames and trudging off underground unless there were no

alternative."

"I worked shaggy hard to get this place."

"Don't swear, Bloody. It doesn't become you."

"I did! Your kind thinks it's easy. One wrong move and you're

packed for Mainframe, day after day, and nobody to help me I

could trust till I found Musk, nobody at all. It'd kill both of you in a

week. Shag yes, it would! Twelve years I did it before I ever took my

first crap in this place."

"Bloody!"

"It's only a guess," Silk admitted, "and I can't pretend an intimate

familiarity with your mental processes; but I'd imagine you've been

looking for an opportunity to change sides since sometime last night."

"What's the shaggy Ayuntamiento ever done for me? Worked me

for payoffs and favors every month. Shut me down to make

themselves look good. What the shag do I owe them?"

"I've no idea. Then--about an hour ago, perhaps--your mother

entered the picture, ostensibly and no doubt principally to help me,

but clearly with influence on the other side and eager to save you as

well. So when I realized Maytera wanted us to stay in this room, I

expected you to step from behind a picture." Silk smiled and

shrugged apologetically.

Mucor surprised them all by asking, "Would you like me to see

what they're doing?"

"I'd rather have you eat something," Silk told her, "but I don't

suppose there's anything in here. Go ahead, if Lion will behave

himself."

He waited for her reply, but none came.

"Girl go." Oreb's croak was scarcely audible. "No here." Lion

stretched himself on the floor and closed his eyes.

"Actually, I was surprised you didn't come sooner," Silk told

Blood conversationally, "but of course you had to fetch Mucor and

get her dressed--perhaps even clean her up a bit with the help of

one of your maids, and I hadn't allowed for that. The point that

puzzles me is that Mucor seems to have felt it necessary to send Lion

ahead of her."

"Did she?" Blood eyed his adopted daughter curiously.

"So it seems. Oreb--my bird, up there--must have glimpsed him

or, more likely heard him, because he told us several times that

there was a cat about."

"She probably didn't realize that the soldiers wouldn't be afraid of

him," Maytera Marble suggested.

"Bad cat," Oreb muttered.

"Not too loud," Silk cautioned him, "he might hear you."

"It was nice of you to join us, Bloody." Maytera Marble smoothed

her skirt. "It's to your advantage, no doubt, just as Patera says. But

you're taking a big risk just the same."

Blood stood. "I know it. You don't think much of me, do you,

Calde?"

"I think a great deal of your shrewdness," Silk told him. "I'd be

glad to have your cunning mind on our side. I'm aware that you

have no morals."

"Colonel Oosik," Blood gestured with the azoth. "He's your man,

from what I've heard. This General Saba's there for the Rani,

Colonel Oosik for you."

"Generalissimo Oosik."

Blood snorted. "You trust him and you won't trust me, but I've

had him in my pocket for years."

Maytera Marble said, "Sit down, Bloody. Or are you going to do

something?"

"I want a drink, but since the calde doesn't want it, I think I'll

hang onto my azoth as long as that cat's in here. Will you fix me one,

Mama?"

"Certainly." She rose. "A little more gin, I imagine?"

Silk began, "If it's not too much trouble, Maytera--"

"And ice. There's ice behind the big doors underneath."

"I'll be happy to. Brandy, or--" she examined bottles. "Here's a

nice red wine, Patera."

"Just water and ice, please. The same for Mucor, I think."

Blood shook his head. "No ice, Mama. She'll throw it. Believe

me,I know."

"Poor bird!"

"A cup of plain water for Oreb, if you would, Maytera. I

believe he'll come down to drink it if you leave it on top of the

cabinet."

"Plain water for Oreb." Revealing two fingers' width of silvery leg

as she stood on tiptoe, she put a brimming tumbler on the cabinet.

"Soda water and ice for Patera, and ice, gin. and soda water for you,

Bloody. Soda water without ice for my granddaughter. It's nice and

cool, though." As she placed the final tumbler before Mucor, she

added, "I must say she doesn't look as if you've been taking good

care of her."

Blood picked up his drink. "We've got to force-feed her, mostly,

and she tears off her clothes."

"Who was her mother?" Silk asked.

"She never had one." Blood sipped his drink and eyed it with

disfavor. "You know about frozen embryos? You can buy them now

and then if you want them, but you don't always get what you paid for."

Recalling dots of rotting flesh, Silk shuddered.

"The old calde, Tussah his name was, was supposed to have done

it. That leaked out after he died. So I decided to give it a try. Buy

myself an embryo with spooky powers. I got one of the girls to carry it."

"And you were actually able to purchase such a thing? An embryo