bet it won't be our little secret for long. You saw all those Elders loitering around her house-one wrong word picked up by one wrong ear slit, and clan and family leaders will be falling on us like hailstones."
He looked down at the pouch, tasting the faint memory of a sour flavor beneath his tongue. "And if you think you're in troublenow, just wait and see what happens when they find out I talked you into taking a private cutting from myfsss organ.And then got you to bury it behind Thrr-pifix-a's house."
Thrr-tulkoj flicked his tongue in resignation. "I suppose you're right," he conceded.
"Of course I'm right," Thrr't-rokik said. "And if you're locked up somewhere and I'm stuck at the family shrine, we're not going to be able to find those lying split-tongued illegits who did this to her."
Thrr-tulkoj threw a quick look around them. "Well, at least we've some names to work with now."
"For all the good that'll do us," Thrr't-rokik grunted. "It hasn't helped the Overclan Prime's office track them down."
"You assume the Overclan Prime's officewants to track them down," Thrr-tulkoj pointed out. "Remember, Overclan warriors were waiting here ready to pounce as soon as Thrr-pifix-a had herfsss in hand."
"True." Thrr't-rokik flicked his tongue in a grimace. "I wish I'd been able to listen in on that conversation Thrr-gilag had with the Overclan Prime back at the house."
"My guess is that it was unrelated," Thrr-tulkoj said. "Weare in the middle of a war, you know."
Abruptly, an Elder flicked into view. "Are you Protector Thrr-tulkoj; Kee'rr?" she said.
"Yes," Thrr-tulkoj confirmed.
"I have a message for you from the Vehicle Registry Department. The transport you specified has an index number of CW-556499 and is currently registered to the Dhaa'rr office of the Overclan Seating."
"Understood," Thrr-tulkoj said. "Thank you."
The Elder flicked her tongue in a five-hundred-cyclic-old Hgg gesture of salute-she must have dated back nearly to the Third Eldership War, Thrr't-rokik realized-and vanished. "So it's a Cvv-family vehicle," Thrr-tulkoj commented. "Interesting."
"Is this the transport I saw Korthe and Dornt escape in?" Thrr't-rokik asked.
Thrr-tulkoj nodded. "I contacted the floater-engine manufacturer and had them look up the identification numbers you were able to read before the transport got out of range. Looks like the trail not only leads to the Dhaa'rr clan, but possibly straight to the Speaker for Dhaa'rr personally."
For a hunbeat neither spoke. Thrr-tulkoj broke the silence first. "We're going to need a lot more proof before we can make this public," he said. "At the minimum we need to track down Korthe and Dornt and establish a connection between them and the Dhaa'rr clan in general or Speaker Cvv-panav in particular."
"That won't be easy," Thrr't-rokik warned. "Speaker Cvv-panav would have to be crazy not to bury them away somewhere."
"Not necessarily," Thrr-tulkoj said, "Remember, as far as anyone knows, the only person who can identify them is Thrr-pifix-a, and she's sitting out here four thousand thoustrides from Unity City. Speaker Cvv-panav might well be arrogant enough to still have them there with him."
"And if he's not?"
"If he's not, then he's probably buried them and the transport in the same place. And particular vehicles are a lot easier to trace than particular Zhirrzh."
"I'll take your word for it. So we start at Unity City?"
"Right. We can take the rail from Reed's Village to the transport field at Pathgate. We should make Unity City by this latearc."
"All right." Thrr't-rokik hesitated. "You realize, of course, that even if you can't recognize them, they can probably recognize you. And they aren't going to want to be found."
"I understand," Thrr-tulkoj said, his voice taking on a hard edge. "And I'm rather looking forward to it. They had their turn back at the family shrine. This time it'll be my turn."
5
It was dark. Dark and silent, save for the chirping of night insects and
He looked down at the pouch, tasting the faint memory of a sour flavor beneath his tongue. "And if you think you're in troublenow, just wait and see what happens when they find out I talked you into taking a private cutting from myfsss organ.And then got you to bury it behind Thrr-pifix-a's house."
Thrr-tulkoj flicked his tongue in resignation. "I suppose you're right," he conceded.
"Of course I'm right," Thrr't-rokik said. "And if you're locked up somewhere and I'm stuck at the family shrine, we're not going to be able to find those lying split-tongued illegits who did this to her."
Thrr-tulkoj threw a quick look around them. "Well, at least we've some names to work with now."
"For all the good that'll do us," Thrr't-rokik grunted. "It hasn't helped the Overclan Prime's office track them down."
"You assume the Overclan Prime's officewants to track them down," Thrr-tulkoj pointed out. "Remember, Overclan warriors were waiting here ready to pounce as soon as Thrr-pifix-a had herfsss in hand."
"True." Thrr't-rokik flicked his tongue in a grimace. "I wish I'd been able to listen in on that conversation Thrr-gilag had with the Overclan Prime back at the house."
"My guess is that it was unrelated," Thrr-tulkoj said. "Weare in the middle of a war, you know."
Abruptly, an Elder flicked into view. "Are you Protector Thrr-tulkoj; Kee'rr?" she said.
"Yes," Thrr-tulkoj confirmed.
"I have a message for you from the Vehicle Registry Department. The transport you specified has an index number of CW-556499 and is currently registered to the Dhaa'rr office of the Overclan Seating."
"Understood," Thrr-tulkoj said. "Thank you."
The Elder flicked her tongue in a five-hundred-cyclic-old Hgg gesture of salute-she must have dated back nearly to the Third Eldership War, Thrr't-rokik realized-and vanished. "So it's a Cvv-family vehicle," Thrr-tulkoj commented. "Interesting."
"Is this the transport I saw Korthe and Dornt escape in?" Thrr't-rokik asked.
Thrr-tulkoj nodded. "I contacted the floater-engine manufacturer and had them look up the identification numbers you were able to read before the transport got out of range. Looks like the trail not only leads to the Dhaa'rr clan, but possibly straight to the Speaker for Dhaa'rr personally."
For a hunbeat neither spoke. Thrr-tulkoj broke the silence first. "We're going to need a lot more proof before we can make this public," he said. "At the minimum we need to track down Korthe and Dornt and establish a connection between them and the Dhaa'rr clan in general or Speaker Cvv-panav in particular."
"That won't be easy," Thrr't-rokik warned. "Speaker Cvv-panav would have to be crazy not to bury them away somewhere."
"Not necessarily," Thrr-tulkoj said, "Remember, as far as anyone knows, the only person who can identify them is Thrr-pifix-a, and she's sitting out here four thousand thoustrides from Unity City. Speaker Cvv-panav might well be arrogant enough to still have them there with him."
"And if he's not?"
"If he's not, then he's probably buried them and the transport in the same place. And particular vehicles are a lot easier to trace than particular Zhirrzh."
"I'll take your word for it. So we start at Unity City?"
"Right. We can take the rail from Reed's Village to the transport field at Pathgate. We should make Unity City by this latearc."
"All right." Thrr't-rokik hesitated. "You realize, of course, that even if you can't recognize them, they can probably recognize you. And they aren't going to want to be found."
"I understand," Thrr-tulkoj said, his voice taking on a hard edge. "And I'm rather looking forward to it. They had their turn back at the family shrine. This time it'll be my turn."
5
It was dark. Dark and silent, save for the chirping of night insects and
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