Jade War

CHAPTER 27 Purely Practical

Hilo opened the drawstring on the small black cloth bag that Kehn dropped on his desk and lifted out a handful of small jade buttons. He rolled the gems in his palm and looked up questioningly at his Horn. Kehn said, “I had six Fingers and a dozen volunteer senior students from the Academy working for days, going through boxes of clothes from the latest cargo ship we seized—the third one in as many months. You’d think we’d opened a fucking sweatshop. Only, taking the clothes apart instead of putting them together.” Kehn looked as if he’d come straight from the Docks; his hair was windblown and the collar of his shirt was sweaty from the heat. He unslung his moon blade and propped it up against one of the chairs but didn’t sit down. “That’s just one of the bags; I had Juen bring the rest of the jade to the Weather Man’s office for safekeeping.”

Hilo dropped the buttons back into the bag. “That Ygutanian shipping insurance company is still phoning every day, no matter how many times I tell them to go fuck themselves.”

“Shae-jen is handling it. Starting with suing their clients for transporting stolen national assets.” Kehn shrugged his large shoulders. “She has a lot to deal with right now, though.”

“I heard you dropped a barukan man overboard and sunk his jade to the bottom of the ocean without thinking,” Hilo said, and grinned when Kehn looked a little embarrassed.

“It was probably only a piece or two anyway,” Kehn grumbled, but Hilo stood up, pulled out half a dozen of the jade buttons from the small sack, and went around the desk to lift the flap of Kehn’s jacket and drop the gems into the Horn’s inside pocket.

“That should cover your loss,” he said, straightening the jacket back into place. His brother-in-law muttered a protest, but Hilo said, “Don’t question me as Pillar; you deserve it. Besides, you’ll be a married man soon; think of it as an early wedding gift.” It was encouraging to see Kehn come into his own as Horn. Secretly, Hilo wished he could’ve led the raids himself, but he knew that was unreasonable, and he was glad this was Kehn’s victory alone. He was also pleased to see Kehn and Shae working together in a way that the Horn and Weather Man usually did not. That was the way it ought to be, the military and business sides of the clan cooperating instead of opposing each other, unlike how it had been with him and Doru.

There was a knock on the door and Tar put his head through to say, “There are people here to see you, Hilo-jen.” Niko toddled past Tar’s legs and into the study. He had the run of the house and was always getting underfoot. The boy put his arms out to be picked up. Hilo scooped him up and swung him back and forth a few times, making him giggle, before handing him to Kehn and saying, “Go with your uncle Kehn; I’ll play with you later.”

Holding the squirming child in one arm, Kehn saluted one handed and began to withdraw. Before he left, Hilo said, “What about the Mountain? Are they keeping up their end of the bargain?”

Kehn paused at the door and grunted an affirmative. “So far, it would seem so. Nau Suen and his Green Bones have caught half a dozen scavenging crews so far this year.” At Hilo’s wary silence, he added, “Don’t worry, Hilo-jen, we’re keeping an eye on them.”

After Kehn left with Niko, a man and a woman entered. Hilo had never met them before, but he’d heard of their terrible misfortune and knew who they were. Mr. Eyun was the co-owner of a local packaging firm and a minor Lantern Man in the clan; he and his wife had five children. The eldest, a girl, was sixteen years old. The couple saluted Hilo in silence and sat themselves down woodenly on the sofa across from him. Hilo motioned for Tar to remain in the room, then closed the door before sitting down across from the Eyuns and inquiring gently, “How’s your daughter?”

“She’ll live,” Mr. Eyun said hoarsely. His wife’s face trembled with the effort of holding back her emotions. Both of them appeared to be in a state of shock.

Hilo motioned for Tar to offer the visitors some water. “Is there anything the clan can do to help your family right now?” Hilo asked. “You don’t have to worry about medical expenses; that’s already taken care of. Is there anything else you need?”

“Vengeance,” Mr. Eyun whispered fiercely, his voice breaking. “The Espenian dogs who did this deserve worse than death.”

Hilo had nothing but sympathy for the poor Eyun family, but he knew this would be a difficult conversation in which he could not promise everything that he would want to. “The two soldiers have been taken into custody by their own government and are being held in the base on Euman Island. They can’t be touched right now.”

Mrs. Eyun began to cry, and Mr. Eyun burst out angrily, “The lawyers say that the Espenians have negotiated for the soldiers to be tried in civil court and to serve their sentence in their home country. They offer us money as compensation. For beating and raping my daughter—money!” Mrs. Eyun clutched her husband’s arm and wept harder, but Mr. Eyun, flushed and maddened, seemed not to notice her as his voice climbed. “The Royal Council can’t stand up to the Espenians, but I thought I could count on the clan to deliver justice. You were the Horn and now you’re the Pillar. You’re supposed to be the fearsome Kaul Hiloshudon of No Peak. Are you saying that even you’re toothless against these foreigners, these animals?”

Hilo gave Mr. Eyun a minute to regain control of himself, then he said, calmly but a little coldly, “Because of your grief, I’m not offended by anything you say. If these two men were Kekonese, they’d already be in far worse shape than your poor daughter. Unfortunately that’s not the case, and with all that’s happening in the world these days and all the foreign powers our country has to deal with, there are limits to even what the clan can do.”

Hilo placed a box of tissues in front of Mrs. Eyun. “I said those men can’t be touched right now. Sometimes we have to wait for justice, but the clan doesn’t forget offenses. Let’s see what happens. I can’t make you any promises, but I’m a parent myself so you should know that I consider the crime against your family to be unforgivable.”

Mr. Eyun’s mouth trembled and he lowered his face; Mrs. Eyun wiped her eyes with a handful of tissues. Hilo said, “My advice is to take the money that the Espenians offer; take as much as you can get from them. It may feel like dirty money that’s being used to bribe you out of what you really deserve, but don’t think of it that way. Let them feel as if they’ve made amends—that’s how their people do it—and use the money to take care of your daughter and the rest of your family.”

Hilo’s tone was kind as he said this, but also firm. Tar showed the heartbroken parents out the door, and the Pillar asked for a couple of minutes to be by himself. He felt bad about not being able to give the Eyuns greater assurances, but the Oortokon War and the large ROE military presence on Kekon was like a weeping sore on the bottom of one’s foot; it seemed like no one on Kekon, not even the Green Bone clans, could take a single step without feeling it and wincing at the trouble and pain it added to even the simplest tasks. Just last week, following a conversation with Eiten in the Double Double, Hilo had sent Kehn to shut down a dozen illegal money-changers taking advantage of the foreign servicemen frequenting the casinos on Poor Man’s Road, as well as to bolster security in the Armpit following a string of drunken incidents.

“Do you want me to send in Hami and the others, Hilo-jen?” Tar asked. Hilo grimaced and was greatly tempted to say no, but if he did, the problem waiting outside his door would not go away and would only get worse, which it seemed likely to anyway. “Fine,” he said.

Tar admitted four men into the study. One of them was Hami Tumashon, the Master Luckbringer of the clan. Hilo recognized another as Councilman Kowi by his turnip-shaped head. The other two were senior Lantern Men whose names Hilo did not remember offhand. They saluted Hilo respectfully; Mr. Kowi said, “Kaul-jen, may the gods continue to shine favor on No Peak. We know you’re very busy, especially with two small sons at home, so we appreciate you taking the time to meet with us to hear our concerns.”

“You’re right, it’s been very busy; you all have children, so maybe you remember how it is. Thank you for coming to my home instead of forcing me to make the trip to Wisdom Hall or somewhere else.” A reminder to everyone in the room that he had not even wanted to take this meeting and had acquiesced only on account of Hami, whom he liked and respected. Hilo sat down in one of the armchairs and his guests seated themselves as well. Without any further preamble, Hilo said, “So what is it that you’re here to ask me?” He already knew the answer, but he wanted them to have to speak their minds out loud, to justify themselves to the Pillar.

The men glanced at each other before Councilman Kowi said, “Kaul-jen, it’s about your sister. Given the scandalous revelations of her past… She shouldn’t continue as Weather Man.”

“Why’s that?” Hilo asked.

The councilman looked uncomfortable but said, “I want to say first of all that I have absolutely nothing against the Weather Man personally; I’m only concerned for the reputation of No Peak. I’m afraid it looks extremely bad for the clan, Kaul-jen. The main thing is that she was an agent for the Espenian military and sold them information that might’ve been of national security importance. And today, the Janloon Daily printed an interview with her former lover, an Espenian soldier of Shotarian blood. She was still involved with him while living in Espenia, less than four years ago.” Mr. Kowi spread his hands, indicating how self-evident the problem was. “How can she be trusted in the second-highest position of No Peak?”

Hilo saw the two Lantern Men nodding along, and he shifted his eyes to Hami. “You’re sitting in this room as Master Luckbringer, Hami-jen, and have many years of experience on the business side of the clan. In your opinion, is the Weather Man running Ship Street badly?”

Hami glanced at the other men before shifting in his seat and clearing his throat. “No, I wouldn’t say that. She’s made some… debatable decisions, but that’s not the same thing.”

“But you asked for this meeting and you’re sitting here. So you agree with them.”

“I share their concerns about the way this affects No Peak’s standing,” Hami said. “Councilman Kowi has always advanced the clan’s interests in Wisdom Hall, and Mr. Orn and Mr. Eho are two of the clan’s highest Lantern Men. When they came to me to request an audience with you, I thought it was important that you hear from them directly. I’m not advocating for any specific decision on your part as Pillar.” Hami might be known for his straightforward honesty, but he was certainly savvy enough not to presume above his rank, nor to speak poorly of his own Weather Man in front of people who were not Green Bones.

Hilo said to the two Lantern Men, “You think I should replace the Weather Man?”

“Kaul-jen,” said the older of the two men, whom Hilo recognized now as Mr. Eho, “this is a purely practical decision. Along with the Pillar and the Horn, the Weather Man is the face of the clan. Since this information about her past has emerged, the press and the public have been questioning if she’s still secretly working for the foreigners, serving their interests instead of ours. They’ve been calling her Espenia’s charm girl. Very crude. The thing is, the Oortokon War has turned opinion against Adamont Capita. The Weather Man’s past is a problem for No Peak.”

“She could resign and continue to assist the Weather Man’s office in a less visible role,” added Mr. Orn, whom Hilo also recalled had recently declared an intention to run for the Royal Council himself. “We simply need someone more publicly suitable to be a business leader.”

Hilo ignored him and said to Mr. Eho, “Who’s calling her that?” When the Lantern Man blinked in confusion, Hilo repeated himself. “Who’s been calling my little sister a whore?”

“I… I never said…” Mr. Eho stammered, looking suddenly contrite, even a little bit frightened, as if he was just now remembering that Kaul Hilo had a prior reputation of his own.

“Don’t bother to answer,” Hilo said. “I know who. Ayt Mada’s set up the whole thing to make herself out as a patriot. She’s smearing Shae in order to weaken No Peak.”

“Still, you can’t deny the facts,” Councilman Kowi argued.

“No,” Hilo said, “I don’t deny them. My sister made some mistakes when she was young, but everyone does. She had a foolish romance with a foreigner, but that’s over, and any communication she has with the Espenians these days are for No Peak’s gain, on account of the oaths she took to me as Pillar. If she’s doing her job as Weather Man, there’s no problem.”

“Kaul-jen,” Mr. Eho exclaimed, “don’t you care how this looks, what people think?”

Hilo gave Eho, Orn, and Kowi a briefly withering glance, then laid a hard, flat stare on Hami, as if to say that naturally the others could be forgiven for wasting his time, but he’d expected a Green Bone to know better. The Pillar was the spine of the clan; he didn’t make decisions to please others. Certainly not jadeless politicians.

Hami’s aura drew in, and he said, with some defensiveness, “It would be irresponsible for me as Master Luckbringer not to point out the consequences this might have on No Peak, and on your own leadership, Kaul-jen. Your grandfather and most of his comrades are gone—let the gods recognize them. When people look at Green Bones today, they’re not looking at the heroes from the Many Nations War. They’re seeing young leaders who grew up with wealth and foreign influences and wondering whether they’re green enough to defend the country the way their parents and grandparents did.”

Hilo leaned forward and swept an unimpressed stare around the circle of men. “My grandfather kept his old crony Yun Dorupon in place as Weather Man for decades, long after he should’ve retired and no matter how many pubescent girls he fucked, and I didn’t see you putting up much of a stink about it. I made the decision to put my sister on Ship Street, and I’m not going to oust her now just because Ayt Mada is digging up shit and feeding it to the newspapers.” He stood up; the meeting was over. Reluctantly, his visitors stood as well. Councilman Kowi and the two Lantern Men were visibly dissatisfied, saying nothing as they saluted stiffly.

Hilo said, “I like that you speak your mind, Hami-jen, as long as you keep using your good sense to serve the Weather Man.” The Master Luckbringer dipped into a wordless, terse salute and left along with the others. When they were gone, Hilo paced several circles around the study, cursing under his breath. Then he picked up the phone on the desk and dialed the Weather Man’s office, reaching Shae’s secretary. “Tell my sister we need to talk.”