“I mean it. Suppose you tell me about Hsung’s plans. You know what’s going on in the east. And tell me how you know.”

“How?”

“I don’t just judge information. I judge the source, too, Michael.”

Trebilcock sighed. He appeared upset. “Part of the deal is, I can’t expose him. He’s on Hsung’s staff. He has access to conferences and documents.”

“Shinsaner or Throyen?”

“Does it matter?”

“It matters a whole hell of a lot. I don’t trust snakes, and I don’t trust anybody from the other side of the Pillars of Heaven.”

“Shinsaner. But he’s trustworthy.”

“Why? They don’t commit treason.”

“Not against the empire. They’ll betray leaders they don’t like. We came up with proof that he was trying to set Mist up for a comeback. He’d be dead in a minute if we let Hsung have it. Hsung is Kuo’s brother-in-law.”

“Blackmail?” Ragnarson studied Michael. “Nu Li Hsi and Yo Hsi were brothers. They spent four hundred years trying to kill each other. How do you know the man is feeding you good information?”

“He’s right every time.”

“You’ve got checks on him, then.”

“No.” Michael stared at the leafy earth like a school kid getting it from his teacher.

“Has he told you anything important? Anything we wouldn’t have found out anyway? You going to recognize it when he feeds you the big lie they want you to believe?”

“Yeah. He told me why they’re giving Prataxis what he wants.”

“Well?”

“They expect war with Matayanga this summer. The Matayangans have been getting ready since Escalon fell. They’re as strong as they’re going to get, and the legions are still weak. They’re going to have to fight someday, so why not get in the first punch? They’ve got the Tervola worried. They don’t want trouble anywhere else, so Hsung is going to be the best friend you’ve got outside of Kavelin. He had to give up his reserve legion to the Southern Army. Kuo is stripping the whole damned empire so he can stiffen his southern posture. The only army he didn’t hit is the Eastern Army. Nobody can figure that because there isn’t anything east of them.”

“That’s more like what I want, Michael. Why couldn’t you tell me before? Why do I have to get you mad to pry anything out of you?”

Trebilcock did not respond.

“How far can we push Hsung?”

“He has orders to get along, but they’re filled with ifs, ands, and buts. Don’t push him. He has the proconsular power. He just can’t invade Kavelin without Kuo’s okay.”

“Meaning he can stir up all the trouble he wants if he doesn’t use his own troops, eh?”

“Meaning exactly that.”

“Sounds like your friend is sending a message saying leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone.”

“You could look at it that way.”

“And you’re still provoking the Throyen partisans.”