He sent word that he was available and awaiting her convenience.

His messenger brought word that he was to attend her immediately.

Shih-ka’i got no sense of danger but remained uncomfortable.

The guilty flee where none doth pursue.

Shih-ka’i knew the aphorism had a similar form in most all older cultures. It had figured grandly in events leading to the destruction of Ilkazar. The Empire Destroyer had employed that exact formula to frighten the lords men of the old Empire.

The Empress was exhausted and gaunt despite the improvement in Shinsan’s fortunes. She beckoned him. She seemed distracted, not angry.

This might not be about Ssu-ma Shih-ka’i after all.

She said, “I know you’re no expert but I trust your wisdom.”

“To what conundrum shall I bend my wise lack of expertise?”

“I have a secret.”

“As do we all. I would like to discuss mine with you someday when you’re feeling particularly generous.”

“I have two things troubling me,” the Empress said. “First, how do I guarantee the safety of my children?” She met his gaze straight on.

Did she imagine him to be a threat? “I may have missed an intermediate step in your thinking. I was only vaguely aware that you have children. Now that you mention them, where are they?”

“That would be the meat of my problem.”

Shih-ka’i tried to seem interested. He was seriously off balance. “I don’t understand.”

“When I returned from exile, during the events that displaced Lord Kuo…” She paused, suddenly remote.

Shih-ka’i took the opportunity to remark, “A good man, at least to me. He allowed me to prove myself against the Deliverer. He was a considerable resource to the Empire.”

The Empress looked puzzled. “Everyone tells me you have no interest in politics.”

“That would be true most of the time. The politics of the moment have to be acknowledged sometimes because they shape everything else. Kuo Wen-chin was my mentor, friend, and the man who let me grow into what I became. The politics around him meant nothing to me except when they interfered with me trying to do my job. But you want to talk about your children.”

She gave him another odd look. “Yes. I do. I have two. Ekaterina and her brother Scalza. Their father gave them those names. No doubt they’re comfortable with them and would rather not assume those secretly preferred by their mother. The girl is the oldest.”

Lord Ssu-ma smiled. “And you intend to stay vague because you’re afraid politics might overtake them.”

“I am. I left them behind because I knew they would be safer where they were. They were with people I trusted.”

Shih-ka’i enjoyed an intuitive moment. “They weren’t people who trusted you.”

“So the results would suggest.”

“So they’re really hostages to fortune. And you have been too busy to do anything about it. But now you have enough free time to feel guilty.”

The Empress gave him yet another look. “Pretty much, yes.”

“And the pig man fits how?”