Jaya glanced back regretfully at the burned-out shell of the Big Triple. “Instead, Jio Somu made threatening sexual advances toward me. For the insult against my family’s honor, I offered him a clean blade, which he refused. My Fists witnessed this and any Green Bone is welcome to Perceive what we say is true.”
Jaya lowered her eyes for a moment, leaving the obvious unsaid. To offend a family like the Kauls and neither apologize nor settle the matter with a clean-bladed duel left no choice but unavoidable retribution.
“To the rest of the Six Hands Unity clan,” Jaya said, “No Peak seeks no quarrel with you. My family would be happy to sit down to talk with you about how we’ll coexist in Lukang.” Niko might be terrible in front of the media, stiff and unlikable to any casual viewer, but Ayt Ato wasn’t the only Green Bone who could look good on camera.
A reporter shouted, “Do you expect the Mountain clan to retaliate?”
Jaya had asked the same question when the Pillar and the Horn had given her this assignment. “Aben Soro has never liked Jio Somu, so he won’t care to lose his own people to avenge him,” Lott had answered, “but the Mountain will have to send down Green Bones from Janloon to prevent us from taking all of Lukang.”
“Which is what Aben will be expecting us to try to do, as soon as he hears the news,” Hilo agreed. The element of surprise was why they were relying on Jaya’s Little Knives. Any large movement of No Peak warriors from Janloon down to Lukang would’ve alerted the Mountain, who in turn would’ve warned Six Hands Unity. But the Mountain would not be paying any attention to Toshon. Jaya’s father had said, “Ayt Mada and Aben Soro can send all the Green Bones they want. We don’t need to take Lukang. We only have to confuse the shit out of the situation down there.”
Jio Somu had children, but both of them were too young to succeed him. His Horn might assume leadership, but he was not popular within the clan. Most of the other members of the Jio family who’d been loyal to the old Pillar had joined the No Peak clan already, and with Jio’s death, there would likely be more defections. Some segment of Six Hands Unity would remain faithful to the Mountain, but they would require increased support from Janloon. Lukang would become a patchwork quilt of confused loyalties, and no one clan would command unified allegiance of the city’s Royal Council representatives.
No Peak did not need to control all of Lukang. Over the years, that goal had proved difficult if not impossible. It only needed to finally kill the longtime Ayt loyalist Jio Somu and remove Six Hands Unity as an entity that the Mountain could count on for political and military support. That was what Jaya had accomplished.
Jaya said humbly into the cameras, “I’m only a Fist, so I can’t speak on larger matters. I only hope that Ayt Mada allows the rest of Six Hands Unity to make their own decisions. Nevertheless, we all know how senselessly violent the Pillar of the Mountain has been in the past. I’m sure my father will send additional Green Bones from Janloon to make sure there are no further attempts on my life or honor.”
A few reporters began to shout additional questions: Why had she brought warriors, machine guns, and grenades for a supposedly peaceful discussion? Did she have anything to say about the reputation of the Little Knives? Was she romantically involved with anyone at this time? Jaya waved away the questions without answering any more of them and walked back toward the Brock Compass. While she’d been talking to the reporters, her people had efficiently stripped Jio of his jade, then picked through the smoking remains of the building to claim the green from the charred corpses. They looked like coal mine workers now, all grimy, covered in dust and soot.
“Don’t you still look nice,” Asha exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at Jaya.
Kain offered up Jio Somu’s jade-hilted talon knife, his rings, bracelets, and the studs that had been in his ears. “Jade for the biggest of the Little Knives,” he said.
“I didn’t kill Jio,” Jaya reminded him. “I only set him up so that he practically killed himself. Even though I led the mission, it’s not right that I claim so much of the prize.” Jaya took the talon knife, which was of excellent quality, but told Kain and Tenn to see to it that the rings, bracelets, studs, and remaining jade from all the bodies of the Six Hands Unity men were equitably split between the rest of the team.
As they drove back to the motel, Jaya tried to call Janloon, but couldn’t get any cell phone reception. She finally managed to get two bars on the screen by standing in front of the lobby while the rest of the Little Knives put away weapons, set up sentries, and went for a beer run to the nearest convenience store. She called the number that went straight to the Pillar’s study. Her father picked up on the first ring.