Jaya said, “Hi, Da, did you see me on television?”
“I swear to the gods,” Hilo shouted at her, “you’re trying to kill me from stress. Why didn’t you phone right away? The first thing I saw on the news was the building on fire, without any other information. I called twice and you didn’t pick up.”
“I was busy, Da! My phone was on silent. We had to talk to reporters, put out the fire, tromp around in a building about to fall down to collect all the jade and split it up, and that always takes time, deciding who gets what so no one leaves unhappy, all those little things. You know how it is! Just trust me a little, why don’t you?”
Hilo let out a breath of relieved laughter. “You’re right, I do know how it is.”
“How did I look on TV?” Jaya pressed. “Okay?”
“You looked great,” her father said. “No wild parties tonight, understand? Jio might be dead, but he’ll have friends who will take some time to get rid of. Don’t let down your guard or get on anyone else’s bad side in that city. The Juen twins will be there soon with more people, and you and your Little Knives are to obey your seniors. I know you’re used to having the run of Toshon, but this isn’t Toshon.”
“I’m a senior Fist now, you don’t have to remind me of every little thing, or lecture me about how to keep people in line,” Jaya groaned, rummaging hungrily in the cooler as she held the phone against her ear with one shoulder. “Anything else?”
“Only that I’m proud of you.”
Jaya grinned with pleasure.
CHAPTER
56
Life and Death
Anden looked around with great curiosity when the plane landed in Tialuhiya. He’d never been to the Uwiwa Islands. In his imagining, it was a sun-bleached tropical island full of palm trees and dirty, desperately poor people, a haven for illegal drugs and smuggled jade. So he was surprised that the new airport was modern and airconditioned, and the professional driver who picked him up in a black town car spoke passable Kekonese. As they drove through the main town of Walai, Anden saw evidence of ruin and reconstruction everywhere—crumbling and abandoned buildings covered in graffiti, building cranes over high-rise projects, policemen directing traffic around road closures, a military truck flying an Espenian flag.
Typhoon Kitt, which had caused considerable damage in Kekon four years ago, had laid waste to the Uwiwa Islands, killing two hundred thousand people and destroying the country’s neglected infrastructure. The Republic of Espenia, which controlled the tiny island of Iwansa for their own military and recreational use, had provided humanitarian aid and sent their military to help in the extensive rebuilding efforts. Of course, the Espenians did not do anything without exacting a price. In this case, it was a price that benefited Kekon as well. The Uwiwan government had been forced to clean house. A new Espenian-approved president and new head of national security had fired hundreds of state and law enforcement officials on charges of corruption. Jade smuggling, the drug trade, sex tourism, and political graft were all being rooted out in favor of luring foreign companies to build electronics manufacturing facilities.
Travel restrictions between Kekon and the Uwiwa Islands had been partially lifted. Technically, Green Bones were still banned, but Anden had been able to enter because he was a doctor, officially visiting for humanitarian purposes. It was far from the first time his unique situation and his credentials outside the clan had proven useful to No Peak in some unexpected way.
Anden felt he was at a crossroads. He was unsure what his future held even if No Peak was able to survive Ayt’s machinations. He’d done all he could to promote jade medicine and the clan’s interests in Espenia; that work was being continued by others now. He was lending his experience to the Weather Man’s office as schools of the jade disciplines began to open up overseas, but Terun Bin would soon have that process well in hand. Of course, he could continue to work as a physician, but he was troubled by a feeling that that was not enough.
Sometimes he thought of how Lott Jin had determinedly climbed straight through the ranks of No Peak step by step into clan leadership. Anden’s own path had been filled with twists and detours. Now both men frequently sat at the same dining table in the Kaul house, discussing clan affairs late into the night with the Pillar and the rest of his inner circle.
Despite their regular interactions and respect for each other’s abilities, Anden couldn’t say if he and Lott were friends. It seemed a faint yet inescapable discomfort persisted between them, an inexplicable resentment from having known each other as confused teenagers. Years ago, at Juen’s retirement party, when Anden had congratulated Lott on being named the new Horn, his old classmate had replied, “Maybe I should be the one congratulating you, Emery, for avoiding the job, so I could be the one to take it.” His sulky mouth had curved in a good-natured but sardonic smile. “I suppose neither of us is who we once thought we’d be.”