She bowed one final time, and turned to go. Then, as if changing her mind, she turned back, leaning closer to Karr. ‘And if it is not too forward, ch’un tzu, you might call me Marie. It is how I am known here in these levels. Ask for Marie. Anyone will know me.’
Chen watched her go then turned, looking back at Karr. The big man was still watching her, staring across at where she was preparing her next order.
‘You like her, Gregor?’
Karr looked back at him almost blankly then gave a brief laugh. ‘I think we have our contact, Chen. What did she say? Anyone will know me. And likewise, she will know anyone, neh?’ He raised one eyebrow.
Chen was smiling. ‘You didn’t answer me, Gregor. You like her, don’t you?’
Karr stared back at him a moment longer, then shrugged and looked away. As he did so, a commotion started up behind them, at the ch’a counter.
Chen turned to look. There were three men – Han, dressed in dark silks with blood-red headbands about their foreheads. He glanced at Karr knowingly then looked back.
‘Triad men,’ he said quietly. ‘But what are they doing up this high?’
Karr shook his head. ‘Things are changing, Chen. They’ve been spreading their net higher and higher these last few years. The unrest has been their making.’
‘Even so…’ He shook his head, angered by what he saw.
Karr reached out and held his arm, preventing him from getting up. ‘Remember why we’re here. We can’t afford to get involved.’
One of them was shouting at the men behind the counter now, a stream of threats and curses in Kuo Yu – Mandarin – while the two behind him looked about them threateningly. It was a classic piece of Triad mischief – an attempt to unsettle the owners of the Dragon Cloud before they moved into it in force.
‘I’d like to kick their arses out of here,’ Chen said beneath his breath.
Karr smiled. ‘It would be fun, neh? But not now. After the boy’s found, maybe. We’ll find out who’s behind it and pay them a visit, neh? In force.’
Chen looked at him and smiled. ‘That would be good.’
‘In the meantime…’ Karr stopped then leaned forward, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
Chen turned and looked across. The leader of the three was still shouting, but now his curses were directed at the woman who was confronting him. Chen stood up, a cry coming to his lips as he saw the bright flash of a knife being drawn.
This time Karr made no attempt to stop him. Rather, Karr was ahead of him, moving quickly between the tables.
Chen saw the knife describe an arc through the air and felt himself flinch. But then the Triad thug was falling backwards, the knife spinning away harmlessly through the air. A moment later he saw the second of the men go down with a sharp groan, clutching his balls. The third turned and made to run, but the woman was on him like a tigress, pulling him backwards by his hair, her hand chopping down viciously at his chest.
Chen pulled up sharply, almost thudding into Karr who stood there, his hands clenched at his sides, his great chest rising and falling heavily as he stared down at the three prone gangsters.
The woman turned, meeting Karr’s eyes briefly, her own eyes wide, her whole body tensed as if to meet some other threat, then she turned away, a faint shudder passing through her, letting her co-workers carry the three men off.
Karr hesitated a moment then went after her. He caught up with her on the far side of the teahouse, in an area that was roped off for the staff’s use only.
She turned, seeing he was following her, and frowned, looking down. ‘What do you want?’
Karr shook his head. ‘That was… astonishing. I…’ He shrugged and opened his hands. ‘I meant to help you, but you didn’t need any help, did you?’ He laughed strangely. ‘Where did you learn to fight like that?’
Again she looked at him, almost resentful now; a reaction to the fight beginning to set in. He could see that her hands were trembling faintly and remembered how that felt. He nodded, feeling mounting respect for her.
‘I’ve never seen a woman fight like that,’ he began again.
‘Look,’ she said, angry suddenly. ‘What do you want?’
‘I’m looking for someone,’ he said, trusting her; knowing that she had acted from more than self-interest. ‘My nephew. He had an accident, you see, and he ran away. He can’t remember who he is, but I know he’s here somewhere. I tracked him down here, but now he’s disappeared.’
‘What’s that to do with me?’
He swallowed, conscious that others were listening. ‘Just that you might be able to help me. You know these levels. Know the people. If anything odd happened, you’d know about it, neh?’
She gave a grudging nod. ‘I guess so.’
‘Well, then. You’ll help me, neh? He’s my dead brother’s son and he means a great deal to me. I…’
He looked down, as if unable to go on, then felt her move closer.
‘All right,’ she said quietly, touching his arm. ‘I’ll help. I’ll listen out for you.’
He looked up, meeting her eyes. ‘Thanks. My name’s Karr. Gregor Karr.’
She looked back at him a moment longer then smiled. ‘Well… you’d best get back to your ch’a, Gregor Karr. Hsiang p’ien tastes awful when it’s cold.’
As before, the old man was slow coming to the door, but this time she was ready for him. This time when he slid the door back, she moved towards him, as if expecting him to let her pass, beginning to tell him about the incident at the Dragon Cloud, the wicker basket of leftovers from the teahouse held out before her.
It almost worked, almost got her into the room, but then, unexpectedly, she found herself blocked.
‘I am sorry, Marie, but you cannot stay. It would benefit neither of us to have our session now.’
She turned her head, staring at him, noting how he looked down rather than meet her eyes, and knew at once that he was lying to her. It came as a shock, but it was also confirmation of the feeling she had had back at the restaurant when the man, Karr, had spoken to her.
The boy was here. She knew he was. But what was Tuan Ti Fo up to?
‘Forgive me,’ he was saying, the gentle pressure of his hand forcing her slowly back, ‘but I am in the worst of humours, Marie. And when a man is in an ill humour he is fit company only for himself, neh?’
The faint, apologetic smile was more like the old Tuan Ti Fo.
She tried to look past him, but it was almost impossible to see what or who was in the room beyond. Stalling for time, she pushed the basket at him.
‘You will at least take these, Master Tuan. You must eat, after all, bad humour or no.’
He looked down at the basket, then up at her, smiling. ‘I am extremely grateful, Marie, and, yes, I would be a foolish old man indeed if I did not welcome your gift.’
The small bow he made was all she needed. For that brief moment she could see the room beyond him and there, jutting out from what seemed at first glance to be a pillow beneath the blanket, was the naked foot of a youth.
She shivered, then, backing away a step, returned Tuan Ti Fo’s bow.
‘Tomorrow,’ he said. ‘When the mood has passed.’
‘Tomorrow,’ she said, watching the door slide shut again. Then, turning away, she began to make her way back to her apartment, confused, a dark uncertainty at the core of her.
Tuan Ti Fo stood there for some time, staring at the door, the wicker basket resting lightly in his hand. Then, hearing a movement behind him, he turned.
The boy had crawled out from beneath the blanket and knelt there, looking across at Tuan Ti Fo, his eyes wide with fear.
‘It was a friend,’ the old man said reassuringly. ‘But it seems best not to take any chances, neh?’
He set the basket down on the low table by the oven then turned back, looking at the boy.
‘But we must leave here now. I cannot stall her for ever, and soon she will grow suspicious, if she hasn’t already. She is not a bad
woman – quite the contrary – but curiosity can be a destructive thing.’
He eyed the boy a moment, not certain how much of what he was saying was understood, then gave a small shrug.
‘I have lived in this world a long time, child. I have been many things in my time. I have worked in their factories and on their Plantations. I have served in their officialdom and lived among the criminal element down beneath the Net. I know their world. Know it for the madhouse it is. Even so, sometimes the way ahead is uncertain. So it is now. We must leave here. That much is clear. But where should we go?’
‘The Clay,’ the boy answered him, staring back at him with a strange intensity. ‘Take me down to the Clay. That’s where I belong. Where I came from.’
‘The Clay…’ he whispered, then nodded, understanding. As in the dream he had had. ‘Spiders,’ he said, and saw the boy nod his head slowly. Yes, spiders. Tiny, beautiful spiders, infused with an inner light, spinning their vast webs across the endless darkness. He had seen them, their strong yet delicate webs anchored to the Clay. And there – how clearly he remembered it suddenly – there, watching them climb into the dark, was the boy, smiling beatifically, his big, dark eyes filled with wonder.
Tuan Ti Fo shivered, awed by the power of the vision.
‘What’s your name, boy? What did they call you in the Clay?’
The boy looked away, as if the memory disturbed him, then looked back, his eyes searching Tuan Ti Fo’s.
‘Lagasek,’ he said finally. ‘Lagasek, they called me. Starer.’
Tuan Ti Fo caught his breath. ‘And Gweder?’
The boy frowned and looked down, as if he was having trouble recollecting the word. ‘Gweder? Gweder means mirror. Why? What have I been saying? I…’ He shuddered and looked about him. ‘Something happened, didn’t it? Something…’ He shook his head. ‘I feel funny. My voice – it’s… different.’ He stared down at his hands. ‘And my body, it’s…’
He looked back at Tuan Ti Fo, puzzled. ‘It feels like I’ve been asleep for a long time. Trapped in a huge, deep well of sleep. I was working in the Casting Shop. I remember now. Chan Shui was away. And then…’ His face creased into a fierce frown of concentration then he let it go, shaking his head. ‘I don’t understand. T’ai Cho was going to –’
‘T’ai Cho? Who’s T’ai Cho?’
The boy looked up again. ‘Why, T’ai Cho’s my friend. My tutor at the Project. He…’
The frown came back. Again the boy looked down at his hands, staring at his arms and legs as if they didn’t belong to him.
‘What’s the matter, Lagasek? What’s wrong?’
‘Laga…’ The boy stared at him, then shook his head again. ‘No. It’s Kim. My name is Kim. Lagasek was down there.’
‘In the Clay?’
‘Yes, and…’ He shook his head. ‘I feel… strange. My body… It doesn’t feel like it’s mine. It’s as if…’
He stopped, staring up at the old man, his face filled with an intent curiosity.
‘What did I say? Those words. You must have heard me say them. So what else did I say?’
Tuan Ti Fo met his eyes, remembering the savagery of the face within his face – the face of Gweder, the mirror – then shook his head.
‘You said nothing, Kim. Nothing at all. But come. We must pack now and be away from here. Before they find us here.’
Kim stood there a moment longer, staring up at the old man. Then, letting his eyes fall, he nodded.
‘Shih Karr! Please… stop a moment!’
Karr turned, prepared for trouble, then relaxed, seeing who it was. ‘Ah, it’s you, Marie Enge. How did you find me?’
She drew one hand back through her hair then smiled uncertainly. ‘As I said, I know everyone in these levels. And you…’ She looked him up and down admiringly. ‘Well, who could overlook a man like you, Shih Karr?’
He laughed. ‘That’s true. But what can I do for you?’
‘The thing you were talking of…’
‘The boy,’ he said quietly, leaning towards her. ‘You know where he is?’
She hesitated, but he pre-empted her.
‘Look. I’ve a private room. We can talk more easily there, if you wish.’
She nodded and let herself be led through to his room on the second level of the travellers’ hostel. As such places went it was a clean, respectably furnished room, but it was a ‘transient’ all the same and, looking at him, she could not help but think he looked out of place there. She had seen at once, back in the Dragon Cloud, how his brutish exterior concealed a cultured manner.
He offered her the only chair then set himself down on the edge of the bed, facing her. ‘Well? What do you know?’
She looked away momentarily, thinking of Tuan Ti Fo. Was she doing the right thing in coming to see Karr? Or was this all a mistake? She looked back. ‘I’ve heard something. Nothing definite, but…’
She saw how Karr narrowed his eyes. Saw him look down then look back at her, some small change having taken place in his face.
‘Can I trust you, Marie Enge?’
The strange openness of his deeply blue eyes took her by surprise. Some quality that had previously been hidden now shone through them. She stared back at him, matching his openness with her own.
‘I’m honest, if that’s what you mean, Shih Karr. And I can keep a secret if I’m asked. That is, if it’s someone I trust.’
He lifted his chin slightly. ‘Ah… I understand. You’re thinking, Can I trust Shih Karr? Well, let’s see what we can do about that. First I’ll take a chance on you. And then, if you still want to help me, maybe you’ll trust me, neh?’
She studied him a moment then nodded.
‘Good. Then first things first. My name is Karr, but I’m not Shih Karr.’ He fished into his tunic pocket and took out his ID, handing it across to her. ‘As you can see, I’m a major in the T’ang’s Security forces and my friend, Chen, whom you met earlier, is a captain. The boy we’re looking for is not my nephew but we still need to find him. Alive and unharmed.’
She looked up from the ID card then handed it across. ‘Why do you need to find him? I don’t understand. If he’s just a boy…’
Karr slipped the card back and took out something else – a flat, matt black case – and handed that to her.
‘That’s a hologram of the boy. You can keep that. I’ve others. But that’ll help you check he’s the one we’re looking for.’
She rested the case on her knee then pressed her palm on it briefly, the warmth of her flesh activating it. She studied the image a while then killed it, looking back at Karr.
‘He’s a strange-looking boy. Why are you interested in him?’
‘Because he’s the only survivor of a terrorist raid on one of the T’ang’s installations. A very important scientific installation. The whole place was destroyed and all Kim’s fellow workers killed.’
‘Kim?’
‘That’s his name. But as I was saying –’
She reached out and touched his arm, stopping him. ‘I don’t follow you. You said “his fellow workers”. But he’s just a boy. What would he be doing on a scientific installation?’
Karr looked down at her hand then sat back slightly. ‘Don’t underestimate him, Marie Enge. He may be just a boy, but he’s also something of a genius. Or was, before the attack. And he might be the only surviving link we have to the Project. That’s if he’s still alive. And if we can get to him before the terrorists find out that he escaped.’
She was looking at him strangely. ‘This is very important, then?’
Karr narrowed his eyes. ‘You want payment for your help?’
‘Did I say that?’
He winced slightly at the sharpness in her voice then bowed his head. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just…’
‘It’s all right, Major Karr. I understand. You must deal with some unsavoury types in the work you do.’
He smiled. ‘Yes… But to answer you – I have the T’ang’s own perso
nal authority to find the boy. If I wanted to, I could tear this place apart to find him. But that’s not my way. Besides, I want the boy unharmed. Who knows what he might do if he felt threatened.’
‘I see…’ She looked down, suddenly very still.
‘Look,’ he said, ‘why don’t we simplify this? Why don’t you act as intermediary? It might be best if you and not one of us were to deal with the boy. He might find it easier to trust you.’
She looked back at him, grateful.
Karr smiled. ‘Then you know where he is.’
She caught her breath, a strange little movement in her face betraying the fact that she thought she had been tricked by him. Then she nodded, looking up at him.
‘Yes. At least, I think so.’
She watched him a moment longer, a lingering uncertainty in her face, then gave a small laugh. ‘You mean it, then? You’ll let me handle it?’
He nodded. ‘I gave my word to you, didn’t I? But take this.’ He handed her a necklace. ‘When you’re ready, just press the stud on the neck. We’ll trace it and come.’
Again the uncertainty returned to her face.
He smiled reassuringly. ‘Trust me, Marie Enge. Please. We will do nothing until you call for us. I shall not even have you followed when you leave this room. But I’m relying on you, so don’t let me down. Much depends on this.’
‘All right.’ She stood, slipping the necklace over her head. ‘But what if he’s afraid? What if he doesn’t want to go back?’
Karr nodded then reached into his tunic pocket yet again. ‘Give this to him. He’ll understand.’
It was a pendant. A beautiful silver pendant. And inside, in the tiny, circular locket, was the picture of a woman. A beautiful, dark-haired woman. She snapped it closed then held it up, watching it turn, flashing, in the light.
She slipped the pendant into her apron pocket and turned to leave, but he called her back. ‘By the way,’ he said, ‘how good are you at wei chi?’
She turned in the doorway and looked back at him, smiling. ‘How good? Well, maybe I’ll play you some time and let you find out for yourself, neh, Major Karr?’
The Broken Wheel Page 23