Adrah sighed and nodded his head.
"I've been troubled too," he said. "My father can't reach the Galts.
With Oshai ... with what happened to him, he's afraid they may withdraw
their support."
"Your father is an old woman frightened there's a snake in the night
bucket," Idaan said, breaking a corner of her bread. "They may lie low
now, but once it's clear that you're in position to become Khai, they'll
do what they promised. They've nothing to gain by not."
"Once I'm Khai, they'll still own me," Adrah said. "They'll know how I
came there. They'll be able to hold it over me. If they tell what they
know, the gods only know what would happen."
Idaan took a bite of grape and cheese both-the sweet and the salt
mingling pleasantly. When she spoke, she spoke around it.
"They won't. They won't dare, Adrah. Give the worst: we're exposed by
the Galts. We're deposed and killed horribly in the streets. Fine. Lift
your gaze up from your own corpse for a moment and tell me what happens
next?"
"There's a struggle. Some other family takes the chair."
"Yes. And what will the new Khai do?"
"He'll slaughter my family," Adrah said, his voice hollow and ghostly.
Idaan leaned forward and slapped him.
"He'll have Stone-Made-Soft level a few Galtic mountain ranges and sink
some islands. Do you think there's a Khai in any city that would sit
still at the word of the Galtic Council arranging the death of one of
their own? The Galts won't own you because your exposure would mean the
destruction of their nation and the wholesale slaughter of their people.
So worry a little less. You're supposed to he overwhelmed with the
delight of marrying me."
"Shouldn't you be delighted too, then?"
"I'm busy mourning my father," she said dryly. "Do we have any wine?"
"How is he? Your father?"
"I don't know," Idaan said. "I try not to see him these days. He makes
me ... feel weak. I can't afford that just now."
"I heard he's failing."
"Men can fail for a long time," she said, and stood. She left the bowl
on the floor and walked back to her bedroom, holding her hands out
before her, sticky with juice. Adrah followed along behind her and lay
on her bed. She poured water into her stone basin and watched him as she
washed her hands. He was a boy, lost in the world. Perhaps now was as
good a time as any. She took a deep breath.
"I've been thinking, Adrah-kya," she said. "About when you become Khai."
He turned his head to look at her, but did not rise or speak.
"It's going to he important, especially at the first, to gather allies.
Founding a line is a delicate thing. I know we agreed that it would
always be only the two of us, but perhaps we were wrong in that. If you
take other wives, you'll have more the appearance of tradition and the
support of the families who hind themselves to us."
"My father said the same," he said.
Oh did he? Idaan thought, but she held her face still and calm. She