“I was with Tain Hu on her last night.” Baru tried her damnedest to show no pain, for Yawa was off on her right, watching everything: and then Baru thought, why should I care? What does it matter if I mourn? “We made a plan together. The rebellion can still accomplish its goals—”

“I thought you said the rebellion never began.”

Baru tried to plead with Ake by gaze alone. “In the eyes of the Republic, perhaps, but we know—”

“Are your eyes not the eyes of the Republic?”

“I will not allow Tain Hu to die for nothing,” Baru hissed.

“We kissed Tain Hu’s sword,” Dziransi said, with ritual solemnity. “We vowed to serve you in your work. If you kept her faith.”

“We have decided,” Ake pronounced, firmly, “that you will not keep her faith. We demand to carry on Tain Hu’s work ourselves.”

Once Hu had said, freedom granted by your rulers is just a chain with a little slack.

And here Baru was, offering them slack, begging them to take that slack and call it freedom.

“I need a moment,” Baru said, and she fled through the sooty curtain to stand by the fire and think.

*   *   *

“SPIRITED bunch, aren’t they?” Execarne said, cheerfully. He had his tongs in the fire, and a thick pair of leather gloves to keep off the sparks. He was cooking fresh fish on a hot stone.

“Mm,” Baru said.

“You spent all yesterday turning up the islands. Didn’t find what you needed?”

She had, in a way. She knew a man named Abdumasi Abd had provisioned his warships here. “I found your cover-up,” she said, levelly. “The numbers you had your harbormaster fake. Concealing information from the republican people isn’t a survival strategy, Mister Execarne.”

“Ah,” Execarne sighed. “What can I say? I’ve sacrificed so much to keep the peace. A little cover-up hardly tallies against my sins.”

“Agonist,” Yawa said, and her glove closed on Baru’s right shoulder. Baru leapt in fright. “You seem troubled. Negotations not proceeding as you’d hoped?”

Baru smiled icily. “At least no one’s throttled me.”

“My, you are tense.”

Baru struck out at her. “The woman in the dress, Yythel? She was your brother’s lover.”

Yawa deflected. “Then she’ll be very happy to know I kept him safe. That fish smells divine, Faham. Or should I say, ha ha, it smells virtuous.”

“Caught it just today, your Excellence.” He winked at Yawa. “I don’t mind a little idolatry over my cooking.”

Yawa settled on the brick apron of the hearth. “Baru, can I ask you something?”

“I won’t stop you.”

“Why are you legitimizing them? Why are you going along with this farce of negotiations and surrender? You hurt them. You made fools of them. You’re not the one who should be offering them mercy.”

“We need a little honey to—”