by D. D. Chant
“And this café is all you have left?”
“Yes.” Jayn’s face twisted bitterly. “This was Ladron’s mercy toward us.”
“I'm sorry.”
“It isn’t your fault,” shrugged Jayn.
“It's my fault you’re having to talk about it.”
A tear slipped down her cheek, and she hurriedly brushed it away.
“What else do you need to know?”
Philip hesitated. He’d put her through so much already, but there was one more question that he had to find the answer to.
“Is Ben still alive?”
“He was alive when he crossed over into the Una territories. That’s as much as I know for sure. Believe me when I tell you that Astra will look after him in the Una territories and do her best to keep him safe.”
“You seem to know a lot about her.”
“I've known her for a long time. Besides, Annis is friends with Petta.”
“Who is Petta?”
“Astra’s youngest foster-sister.” Jayn’s smile was tinged with sadness. “She’s a real sweetheart despite everything she’s been through.”
She looked up from cleaning the table.
“Weren’t you hungry?”
“I… sorry, Jayn, it really is delicious. I just can’t seem to face it at the moment.”
“Words are cheap, Senator, you really should eat some.” Her voice had taken on a motherly inflection, and he found himself obediently forcing a forkful of bacon and eggs into his mouth.
Jayn smiled approvingly and began spreading marmalade over the toast.
“What happened to Petta?”
The knife in Jayn’s hand wobbled, and she looked up quickly.
“Bella Va Dic Toban died in a car accident. Petta was in the passenger seat.”
Jayn said no more, but Philip understood. He knew enough of Corbani Va Dic Ladron to guess the rest.
Jayn passed him the slice of marmalade on toast and he accepted it, wondering vaguely if this was the wrong moment to tell her that he couldn't stand marmalade. Strange really, because Ben loved the stuff.
“Jayn, what are the Una like? Ladron paints them as a volatile mix of tree hugging hippie and terrorist nutter.”
Jayn frowned, and hacked the toast she had just spread with jam in to smaller pieces.
“They’re just people, the same as you and me. It’s just that they choose to live without the technological interference that we do.”
“Then why can’t Ladron’s armies defeat them?”
“What on earth has Ladron been telling you?” She held up a hand. “Wait a minute, I bet I can guess: the Una live in the dark ages, they need to be dragged into the modern world for their own sake, they are a danger to themselves and everyone else… yadie yadie ya.”
Jayn snorted and began to polish the salt pot vigorously.
“That’s what he has everyone here believing, and they’re too scared to have a different opinion.”
“It’s not true?”
“Well, duh.” Jayn rolled her eyes.
“How do you know?”
“Because I know Astra.”
“She may not be like the rest of her people.”
“I very much doubt that she is anything like her people, any more than she is anything like the Tula. She’s told me a lot about her life before she came here, about her family and Una customs. I think she was trying to remember them, trying to keep herself from forgetting. Despite the Va Dic Tobans taking her into their family, she was lonely. There were some things they couldn't share with her. She missed her Una family and the life that she left behind.”
“Just how long have you known Astra?”
“From the first,” answered Jayn. “As an Una, Astra wasn’t allowed to eat with the Tula. The Va Dic Tobans used to take one of these rooms for dinner, so that Astra could eat with them away from disapproving eyes.”
“What was she like?”
Jayn tilted her head to one side.
“She was a scared little thing at first, quiet and anxious. The Strongholds were new and confusing to her and our customs strange. I think that’s why Astra and Leda share such a close bond. Leda made her feel comfortable. She treated her no differently than she treated anyone else, and she explained things to Astra so she would understand what was going on. For the longest time, Leda was Astra’s lifeline… a security blanket. Which was funny because Leda is actually younger than Astra.”
Jayn replaced the now gleaming silver salt cellar on the table and picked up the matching pepper pot.
“Leda was always protecting and looking after Astra. She was such a little spitfire, but then I guess she had to be, growing up with two older brothers. Astra would have been trampled on if it hadn’t been for Leda standing up for her.”
“That doesn’t sound very much like the Astra I know.”
Jayn’s smile vanished.
“The innocence of childhood never lasts long, but Astra’s was particularly short. She was a quiet child, always conscious of the fact that she was different, and that her position was precarious. Leda would impetuously barge straight into trouble, it was always Astra who was left to make peace, and calm the situation back down. When Bella Va Dic Toban died it was different. Astra changed.”
“Bella Va Dic Toban? You mean the mother?”
“Did Sendel tell you how she died?”
“He said that Ladron had her killed.”
Jayn’s face twisted bitterly.
“I suppose he left out the fact that it was one of the lorries from his factories that ploughed into her car?”
Philip looked up to see that Jayn’s fingers had stopped polishing, and her eyes were fixed grimly on his.
“You mean…”
“Ladron wanted her killed and Sendel was only too pleased to facilitate… provided, of course, that he got something in return.”
“And what did he get in return?”
“A second term in office.”
Philip put down his knife and fork, and pushed the tray away from him. The savoury aromas filling the air made the nausea brought on by her words worse, and he found himself fighting to keep the food in his stomach. Jayn passed him a glass of water and took the tray away, setting it on the sideboard at the other side of the room.
“How do you know that, Jayn?”
“I’ve been around too long, and Sendel uses my café as a base for his subversive meetings. I know a lot of people, and I make it my business to know as much as I can. You never know when having dirt on someone will come in useful. If there is one thing I’ve learnt from my dealings with Ladron and Sendel, it’s that you can’t trust them to resist stabbing you in the back.” She paused. “I don’t intend to give them the opportunity.”
Her words hung heavy in the silence.
“Jayn, I need to find my son, and neither Ladron nor Sendel are going to want that to happen. I need you to help me.”
She regarded him seriously from dark brown eyes that spoke both of fear and hope.
“Then you need to realise one thing: you can’t trust anyone.”
“Of course.”
Jayn shook her head.
“No, you don’t understand. You can’t trust anyone, not even me. When it comes to it, if I have to decide between you and Annis, I will betray you.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The Una
Astra sat up a little in her chair.
“This is not the way home, Senior.”
“No, this is the way to my father’s house,” returned Kai shortly.
“Why?”
He sighed.
“It is customary that you make your greeting to my parents.” He looked down at her irritably. “It seems you have forgotten everything about the customs of your own people. You will be invited to take tea with my mother; it is a symbol of her blessing on our Bonding.” Kai paused and his eyes took on a frosty light. “Do not upset my mother, Aya.”
The pod stopped, and the door slid open, allo
wing them to disembark. Kai turned, holding out a hand to her. Slowly she stepped out onto the stone path, placing her cold fingers within Kai’s. His fingers closed around hers, the gentle pressure reassuring.
“They’ll not eat you, Aya.”
Astra started. Looking up at Kai’s serious face made the words seem less a friendly encouragement, and more a statement of fact, as though there was a possibility that they would indeed eat her.
The thought brought a smile to her lips.
“I had not supposed they would, Senior.”
Kai led her up the path to the front door. The House of Sen was built along the same lines as her brother’s house, but the garden that lead up to the house was different. The garden in front of Singh House was a delightful array of miniature ponds and ornamental Acers. Sen House was fronted by intricate terracing, its vantage point much higher than Singh House. Large decorative pots, filled with blooming flowers, were interspersed with delicately carved marble statues and rose covered arbours. The large front door bore a mosaic of a man holding aloft his clenched fist, as if in victory. As they waited for the door to open, Astra studied the picture with interest.
“It's a mural of one of the leaders of the U.N.A., who fought the threat that was destroying the earth's natural resources. He is an ancestor of the Sen Family.”
Astra nodded thoughtfully.
“The Tula has not completely wiped out natural resources in their Strongholds. It’s true that they have infringed upon them, but there are still unspoilt places that are protected by the government.”
Kai stiffened, but before he could answer, the door opened slowly, and the elderly butler within bowed.
“Master Kai.”
“Where is my father, Dhal?”
“In the gardens by the koi pond, Master Kai.”
“Thank you, Dhal.”
Kai turned to Astra.
“Dhal will take you to my mother.” He leaned a little closer and dropped his voice. “Remember what I said to you.”
“You’re not coming?”
Kai looked surprised by the question.
“It is not customary for me to join you.”
He bowed slightly, and before Astra could say another word, had crossed the hall and made his way out into the garden. Astra found herself following Dhal across the stone-paved hallway and up the grand staircase to the upper story.
The gallery led to a large and airy corridor, deserted but for a single maid, vigorously polishing the wooden floor. She looked up as they passed, and Astra noticed golden hair beneath her headscarf, and cheeks pink with exertion.
Dhal led her to the very end of the hall, and knocked lightly on the heavily carved and gilded door, before standing aside and gesturing that Astra should pass through in front of him.
The woman within sat in the middle of the room on a delicately carved chair. A coffee table separated her from the matching chair placed opposite her, and light streamed in from a full length window behind her.
“Thank you, Dhal, please could you see that tea is sent up right away?”
“Yes, Lady Sen.” The old man bowed and closed the door behind him as he exited the room.
Astra felt the woman’s gaze return to her and bowed deeply, waiting for Lady Sen to break the silence.
“Aren’t you going to sit down?” asked Rae Uel Ne Sen after a few moments. “It's making me a little nervous to see you hovering just inside the door as though you might run off any minute.”
“Thank you, Lady Sen,” returned Astra, accepting the proffered chair.
Kai’s mother continued to look her over carefully, and Astra started to wonder if she had dirt on her face.
“You look like your mother,” stated Rae abruptly.
Astra hesitated, unsure how to respond.
“Thank you, Lady Sen.”
Rae continued as though Astra hadn’t spoken.
“I never liked her.”
Lady Sen seemed to hear her own words, and raised her hand.
“That came out wrong. You’ll have to excuse me, I have no filter process. What I meant was that I once heard Hyun Jae say that she was beautiful. It was before we were married, of course, but I was never able to like her after that.” She shrugged. “Silly I know, but I can’t help it. You’ll understand how it is one day.”
She paused again and the silence stretched out awkwardly.
“You’re not very talkative are you?”
“Forgive me, Lady Sen.” Astra inclined her head slightly. “What would you have me speak of?”
Rae waved a hand.
“I don’t care… your family? The Tula Strongholds? Life, the universe, and everything?”
Astra smiled a little.
“I doubt whether my views on life, the universe, and everything would interest you.”
“Maybe not,” returned Rae. “What about your family then?”
Astra stiffened.
“What would you like to know?”
“What is it that you would like to tell me?”
Astra’s brow creased, and Rae heaved a sigh.
“This isn’t going very well, is it? I never was any good at small talk; it seems such a pointless waste of time.” She fixed her eyes on Astra ruefully. “Believe it or not, this is me trying to get to know you, but I seem to be almost as bad at it as Kai is!”
Rae ran a distracted hand through her unruly curls, pulling a face of extreme concentration that distorted her features comically. Astra watched her performance with some surprise. She wasn’t sure what she had expected from Kai Uel Ne Sen's mother; austerity perhaps, the same coldly appraising glance. However, Rae was nothing like her son. She radiated the warmth that her name suggested, and the gangling clumsiness of a newborn colt. Her harried awareness of her own social ineptitude relaxed Astra, and made her feel more at home than she could remember feeling for a long time. She was also a good deal younger than Astra had expected; still somewhere in her forties, and exuded a joyful youthfulness that made Astra want to smile.
“My life within the Tula Strongholds was not very interesting, nor was it very pleasant. Perhaps instead, I could ask you to tell me something of the situation that my brother and your son find themselves in due to my… absence?” Astra frowned, shaking her head. “It seems that there is more to the situation than I first realised. If I know a little more about it, I might be able to ease the burden on them both.”
Astra paused, carefully setting several sharp pleats into her skirts.
“Sometimes I feel that, in my ignorance, I make things harder on them.”
Rae’s eyes lit up.
“You’re talking about gossip, aren’t you?”
She grinned, and shunted her chair forwards. The legs screeched across the wooden floor, protesting at her enthusiasm.
“Where do I start?” she asked herself. “Stupid question: at the beginning of course! There has always been unrest between the Head Families: the struggle for power. Yet over time, the problem has gotten worse. When the Head Families were set up, they were equally strong, but as the years passed, some lost power and others increased in influence.” Rae’s brow creased. “You know that the Elder Headman rules as a King, but a King needs the support of his subjects to rule. Elder Headman Amajit made the unpopular decision to only defend ourselves against the Tula, and not to attack them. He said that peace would not be achieved through warfare, that we must learn to accept them, and they must learn to accept us.
“Not all of the Headmen are willing to make peace with the Tula. Some hate them too much, and will never be able to live in peace with them. So, for the first time in the history of the Una Head Families, factions split the Headmen apart. There are three divisions: those loyal to the Elder Headman, those who follow Headman Chopra, and The Nine.”
“The Nine?”
“They remain neutral, and when differences within the Una High Court prompt a vote, choose a side on a case by case basis.”
“That sounds very unstable.”
“It is,” returned Rae. “It’s the reason that there is so much danger surrounding your Bonding with Kai. The House of Sen is one of the strongest supporters of the Elder Headman. Headman Chopra seeks to use you as a means of weakening Elder Headman Amajit’s support.”
Astra remained calm, as though Lady Sen’s words hadn’t unleashed a torrent of worry in her mind. Rae leaned forward and took Astra’s hand in hers.
“Aya, I don’t blame you for this mess. I know that none of this is your fault.” She hesitated. “I need you to do something for me.”
Astra resisted the impulse to put more space between them, and inclined her head.
“What do you need from me?”
Rae chewed her lip anxiously.
“I need you to help Kai.”
“How can I possibly help him?”
“By being there for him, by understanding the pressure he is under, and the burden he carries.”
“I'm sorry, Lady Sen, but I don’t understand.”
Rae leaned back in her chair and heaved a sigh.
“That’s because I’m useless at explaining it to you. I probably sound like a crazy old lady, don’t I?”
Astra smiled.
“Well, not old.”
“But still crazy?” chuckled Rae, before carrying on in a more serious tone. “Kai is an only child, and he has been brought up with a huge weight of responsibility on his shoulders. I know that is true of every Apprentice Headman, but it is even more so in Kai’s case. I can’t tell you why the two of you were Bonded, but I want you to know that it has put a great stress upon him. Your abduction from Hope Valley hurt him more than you realise. He felt he had failed to protect you. He even mounted a stealth operation to get you back.”
Astra felt a rush of surprise flood her veins at the older woman’s words.
“What happened?”
Rae shrugged unhappily.
“Although they made it past enemy lines, they ran into a patrol and Shin was badly wounded. Kai knew that if he didn’t get Shin back to the Territories, he would die. Yet he also knew that if he brought Shin back he would have lost the chance to find you. In the end he decided that he had a better chance of saving Shin than you.”