mob moving through all at once.”
With the best of will an army could not prevent disruptions and damage.
“So your plan is, you’ll avoid angering the Patriarchal States till Katrin tells you to jump on them.”
Hecht nodded. He hoped to redirect the Empress into pursuing her father’s old squabbles with the Patriarchy.
Consent said, “I wish I knew more about how her head works. We could build an interesting future if we knew how to manage her.”
Hecht laughed aloud. “Titus, you’ve got to know that every noble in the Grail Empire is thinking that exact same thing. And, so far, she’s been Hansel’s daughter and has manipulated them.”
“Now you mention it. But the idea is still valid.”
“Let’s get things moving.”
* * *
Piper Hecht’s last hours in Brothe included an intense, possibly ultimate night with Anna Mozilla, and some vigorous discussion with Principaté Delari in the quiet room at his town house. He did avoid further congress with Serenity by contriving to be elsewhere whenever the Patriarch’s messengers came looking for him. Which he managed because Heris seemed to be reading Serenity’s mind.
She said, “They say Krois is haunted. They’re right. I’m the haunt. Along with your fart children.”
Principaté Delari grumbled, “Language, woman. You’re getting as bad as my grandfather.”
Heris did not argue. Neither did she appear chastened. Delari said, “I wish we’d had more time with the Construct, Piper. But what time we did have will pay dividends. Heris. Break out the medallion.”
She brought a pendant, gold and amber with inlays of jade and lapis lazuli, presented it to Hecht. “Heavy,” he observed.
The metal portion took the form known as an Ihrian knot, very complex. It had a turban shape at its center and four equal arms surrounding it. The Ihrian knot was one of the earliest symbols of the Chaldarean faith.
“Show him,” Delari said.
“You’re connected to the Construct now. No matter where you are. Use that to touch it back. Tap the inlays in the right order, you can send a message one character at a time. Here. These are the code sheets. I tried to write them down so it isn’t obvious that the code is connected with the pendant. Someone who gets hold of the sheets will look for letters written in the same substitution cipher.”
Hecht examined the pages, considered the inlays on the medallion. “I see it. I can memorize this.”
“Good.”
“Just for fun, why don’t I send my messages in Church Brothen?”
Ignoring that, Delari said, “Be careful, Piper. You’ve never been as vulnerable as you’ll be the next few weeks.” Mainly because of the need to travel in small bands. “Heris has caught whiffs of several potentially unpleasant schemes.”
Heris said, “People you’ve never even met want to get you just because you’re you, Piper.”
“I’ll become caution itself. We’ll disguise ourselves and take a route that stays mostly in the Imperial territories. We’ll be all right once we get to the Remayne Pass.”
“Be wary of false friends. Serenity is wooing weather vanes like Germa fon Dreasser.”
“I know who I can’t let get behind me, Grandfather. And I’ll go armed with all the legal instruments the Penital can provide.”
“So va Still-Patter has developed an affection for you.”
Heris sneered. “He hopes Piper will help him achieve his own ambitions.”
“An understandable basis for an alliance.”
It was not yet light out. Hecht said, “Titus is outside. He’ll be getting impatient. I’d better get gone before Serenity finds me and has me dragged in. What’s his problem, anyway?”
Heris said, “He’s really worried about his falcons and firepowder. Ghort says he can only find a few falcons. Most of those are damaged. Serenity counted on having scores to use against Antieux.”
“He won’t let that go, will he?”
“Not as long as he lives.”
“I couldn’t help him with the falcons. I told him to take a closer look at his own people. There are always crooks around our homegrown Patriarchs. Plenty would sell military stores and equipment to line their own purses.”
Delari said, “I’ll start a rumor, give it a few days, then raise the question in the Collegium. We have the right to insist on an accounting of where the Church’s money is going. That will put him on the defensive.”
“Add a little pressure by insisting on being told where it’s coming from, too.”
“Anne of Menand?”
“She’s always in the mists somewhere, isn’t she?”
* * *
Fourteen riders left Brothe with Hecht and Consent, a larger party than Hecht wanted. His men would not let him travel with less protection.
Heris quickly developed a habit of turning up when