to his father's chair, but he had never appeared. It was assumed that he
had forged his path elsewhere or died unknown. Certainly he had never
caused trouble here. And now every time their father missed his howl of
soup, every night his sleep was troubled and restless, the hour drew
nearer when the peace would have to break.
"How are his wives?" Hiami asked.
"Well enough," Idaan said. "Or some of them are. The two new ones from
Nantani and Pathai are relieved, I think. They're younger than I am, you
know."
"Yes. They'll be pleased to go back to their families. It's harder for
the older women, you know. Decades they've spent here. Going back to
cities they hardly remember ..."
Hiami felt her composure slip and clenched her hands in her lap. ldaan's
gaze was on her. Hiami forced a simple pose of apology.
"No. I'm sorry," Idaan said, divining, Hiami supposed, all the fear in
her heart from her gesture. Hiami's lovely, absent-minded, warm, silly
husband and lover might well die. All his string and carved wood models
and designs might fall to disuse, as abandoned by his slaughter as she
would be. If only he might somehow win. If only he might kill his own
brothers and let their wives pay this price, instead of her.
"It's all right, dear," Hiami said. "I can have him send a messenger to
VOL] when he returns if you like. It may not he until morning. If he
thinks the problem is interesting, he might be even longer."
"And then he'll want to sleep," Idaan said, half smiling, "and I might
not see or hear from him for days. And by then I'll have found some
other way to solve my problems, or else have given tip entirely."
Hiami had to chuckle. The girl was right, and somehow that little shared
intimacy made the darkness more bearable.
"Perhaps I can be of some use, then," Hiami said. "What brings you here,
sister?"
To Hiami's surprise, ldaan blushed, the real color seeming slightly
false under her powder.
"I've ... I wanted 13iitrah to speak to our father. About Adrah. Adrah
Vaunyogi. He and I ..."
"Ah," Hiami said. "I see. Have you missed a month?"
It took a moment for the girl to understand. I Ier blush deepened.
"No. It's not that. It's just that I think he may be the one. He's from
a good family," Idaan said quickly, as if she were already defending
him. "They have interests in a trading house and a strong bloodline and..."
Hiami took a pose that silenced the girl. Idaan looked down at her
hands, but then she smiled. The horrified, joyous smile of new love
discovered. Hiami remembered how once it had felt, and her heart broke
again.
"I will talk to him when he comes back, no matter how dearly he wants
his sleep," Hiami said.
"Thank you, Sister," Idaan said. "I should ... I should go."
"So soon?"
"I promised Adrah I'd tell him as soon as I spoke to my brother. He's
waiting in one of the tower gardens, and ..