Hilo patted his empty pockets, clearly longing for a cigarette. “Ayt’s been quiet,” he agreed, turning thoughtful eyes on Shae. “Maybe she has some human feeling in her after all.” She knew he was thinking that even Ayt Mada must feel some sense of indebtedness, an obligation to stay her hand against the family of the woman who’d saved her life when no one else would.
When Shae had sheathed her talon knife in the sanctum of the Temple of Divine Return, she’d changed something—driven a dam into the blood feud, turned aside the red river of personal vendetta, at least for a while. At times now, it was tempting to forget that Ayt Mada’s ultimate goal of one clan over Kekon meant that Shae and Hilo could never rest. The immovable fact remained that even without Ayt whispering their names, they could never stop thinking of the Mountain as an enemy against whom they were racing. As soon as No Peak dropped behind, once it slowed or grew weak, it would fall and be trampled.
Shae looked out the darkening window and sucked the inside of her cheek. “The Mountain isn’t sitting back. Iwe Kalundo has been divesting assets and businesses in Ygutan.”
Hilo shrugged, unsurprised. “That country’s not good for them anymore.” The Ygutanian economy had been hit hard by the global downturn, the nekolva program had come under intense international scrutiny and sanction, and the Directorate in Dramsk was going through internal strife of its own. Widespread belief about Ygutanian support of the CFM prior to the Janloon bombing had vaulted them into being the most hated of foreigners, so Ayt Mada’s prior investments in that country were surely not sitting well with many in her clan.
“Yes,” Shae mused, “but the Mountain wouldn’t retreat without a plan. As far as I can tell, they haven’t yet reinvested the proceeds elsewhere. They’re moving chess pieces but I can’t see the shape of it. If Ayt’s been quiet, it’s because she’s planning something.”
The phone in the kitchen rang. Hilo got up to answer it. Seconds later, Shae Perceived the explosive flare of his jade aura from all the way across the room. She bolted to her feet in alarm. Hilo was squeezing the phone receiver so hard she thought he might inadvertently crush it with his Strength. “What is it?” she hissed. “What’s happened?”
Hilo spoke into the phone through clenched teeth. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He hung up and grabbed his jacket and car keys. “Jaya’s been arrested.”
_______
The chief of police explained to Hilo that Jaya had been involved in a violent altercation at a house party and a young man was in the hospital in serious condition but would fortunately survive. The party had consisted primarily of Kaul Du Academy students, and all the families affected were from No Peak, so it was clearly a clan matter. Jaya was released to her father, who drove her home, ordered her into the study, and shut the door. She dropped into one of the armchairs.
Hilo stood in front of his daughter. “Explain yourself.”
Jaya slid down in the chair. She was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket over a bright red top that showed off her navel. She propped her feet on the coffee table and looked up at her father with a shrug. “What do you want me to say? He deserved what he got.”
“Were you having sex with him?”
“Da!” Jaya looked mortified at her father’s question. “Do you really want to know that about your own daughter?” When Hilo’s glower didn’t change, she admitted, “We were dating for a little while, but I broke it off last month. He’s cute, but he was getting clingy, and also he could be such a pompous jerk. Anyway, I didn’t want him or his family getting any ideas.”
Hilo grimaced at her matter-of-fact assessment. With Niko gone, Jaya had become the focus of clan speculation. Since the Pillar’s son was a stone-eye, an accomplished son-in-law might become heir to No Peak, so the thinking went. At least a dozen prominent No Peak families had approached Hilo about introducing their eligible sons—ranging from age fourteen to forty—to his daughter. He ignored them, or responded, “When she’s old enough, I’m going to hold a tournament to the death for Jaya’s suitors.” Coming from any ordinary protective father, this would’ve elicited laughter, but as this was Kaul Hiloshudon, the laughter was nervous enough to shut people up.
“If it was over between the two of you, then why this mess?”
“He was following me and Hana around all night,” Jaya complained. “Always trying to get Hana’s attention. Maybe he was really into her, or maybe he was just trying to make me jealous. I don’t know and I don’t care. Anyway, the two of them went upstairs at some point. I was hanging out downstairs playing pool with everyone else when Hana started freaking out. Seriously, Da! I could Perceive it like—” Jaya made an explosive motion around her own head.