Read Online House of Shards by Walter Jon Williams - Free Book Online
Authors: Walter Jon Williams
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Kuu—”
“Kuusinen, sir.” Exchanging sniffs. “We met only briefly. I’m flattered you remember me.”
“I have been meaning to thank you, sir,” Maijstral said. “You were of some assistance, back on Peleng, to certain friends of mine.”
Kuusinen smiled pleasantly. “That, sir? I was simply on hand at the right time. Think nothing of it.”
“Nevertheless, sir, you are a keen observer.”
“Yes, I confess that,” Kuusinen said. “I have a ... facility. My eyes are always detecting little puzzles for my brain to solve.”
“That is a lucky talent.”
“There seem to be puzzles here,” Kuusinen said. “In this room.”
“Has your mind solved them?”
Kuusinen’s tone was light. “Possibly. We will know for certain if Pearl Woman fails to appear for dinner.”
Maijstral looked at the other man.
“Have you heard that she won’t?”
“No. But if she were not to appear, that would be a puzzle, would it not?”
Maijstral’s heavy-lidded eyes narrowed. “Yes,” he said softly. “It would.”
“Mr. Fu George seems very conscious of something in his breast pocket. A small something, I think. He keeps putting his hand there, then withdrawing it. Another mystery. Perhaps the two are connected.”
There was a tingling in Maijstral’s nerves. He was not certain whether this was a warning or the voice of opportunity. “Have you observed any other puzzles, Mr. Kuusinen?” he asked.
Kuusinen was ordering a drink from a robot. When he turned back to Maijstral, he smiled and said, “Something odd about the robots. I haven’t decided what, just yet.”
Maijstral’s tingling turned cold. “No doubt the solution will come to you, sir.”
“Or to my brain.”
“Your brain. Yes.” Maijstral’s eyes, as if on cue, scanned the room again, fastened on Kotani and his wife. “I hope you will excuse me, Mr. Kuusinen,” he said. “I see some old friends.”
“Certainly, Mr. Maijstral.”
“Your servant.”
“Your very obedient.”
Maijstral was very glad to get away. He felt Kuusinen’s abnormally observant eyes on him all the way across the room.
*
“What do you think of the duel between Drake Maijstral and Geoff Fu George?”
Zoot gazed fixedly into the silver loupe over Kyoko As-person's eye. “I don’t think of it at all, I’m afraid.”
“You don’t follow the burglar standings?”
“It is not my preferred sport.”
He was hoping, a bit wistfully, to lead the discussion toward portball; then he could lay down a smoke screen of chatter about portfires, snookerbacks, ridge plays, and the like. Kyoko Asperson refused to be distracted.
“Would you support the rumored action of the Constellation Practices Authority in trying to do away with Allowed Burglary altogether?”
“I am not familiar with that body's deliberations.”
The journalist frowned for a moment. Zoot, for lack of anything else to do, continued gazing into her loupe.
“You are the only Khosali member of the Human Diadem,” she said. Zoot readied himself: this was the prelude to the sorts of questions he got asked all the time. “Do you have any consciousness of being something of an experiment?”
“None,” he said. “I am conscious primarily of the honor.”
“Doesn’t it handicap you? Don’t you find your behavior constrained by your knowing that you are the only representative of your species in the Three Hundred?”
A palpable hit, but Zoot managed to avoid wincing. “Members of the Diadem excel at being themselves,” he said. “Being myself is all I ever intended to do.”
“An admirable goal,” Kyoko said. “If you can pull it off.”
*
The Marquess Kotani cast a sympathetic glance in Zoot's direction. “Asperson will have to work damn hard to make that interview interesting,” he said. “Zoot's share is slipping badly.”
“I confess I don’t find him interesting,” said the Marchioness.
Kotani touched his mustache, then lifted his chin. He gazed toward a
“Kuusinen, sir.” Exchanging sniffs. “We met only briefly. I’m flattered you remember me.”
“I have been meaning to thank you, sir,” Maijstral said. “You were of some assistance, back on Peleng, to certain friends of mine.”
Kuusinen smiled pleasantly. “That, sir? I was simply on hand at the right time. Think nothing of it.”
“Nevertheless, sir, you are a keen observer.”
“Yes, I confess that,” Kuusinen said. “I have a ... facility. My eyes are always detecting little puzzles for my brain to solve.”
“That is a lucky talent.”
“There seem to be puzzles here,” Kuusinen said. “In this room.”
“Has your mind solved them?”
Kuusinen’s tone was light. “Possibly. We will know for certain if Pearl Woman fails to appear for dinner.”
Maijstral looked at the other man.
“Have you heard that she won’t?”
“No. But if she were not to appear, that would be a puzzle, would it not?”
Maijstral’s heavy-lidded eyes narrowed. “Yes,” he said softly. “It would.”
“Mr. Fu George seems very conscious of something in his breast pocket. A small something, I think. He keeps putting his hand there, then withdrawing it. Another mystery. Perhaps the two are connected.”
There was a tingling in Maijstral’s nerves. He was not certain whether this was a warning or the voice of opportunity. “Have you observed any other puzzles, Mr. Kuusinen?” he asked.
Kuusinen was ordering a drink from a robot. When he turned back to Maijstral, he smiled and said, “Something odd about the robots. I haven’t decided what, just yet.”
Maijstral’s tingling turned cold. “No doubt the solution will come to you, sir.”
“Or to my brain.”
“Your brain. Yes.” Maijstral’s eyes, as if on cue, scanned the room again, fastened on Kotani and his wife. “I hope you will excuse me, Mr. Kuusinen,” he said. “I see some old friends.”
“Certainly, Mr. Maijstral.”
“Your servant.”
“Your very obedient.”
Maijstral was very glad to get away. He felt Kuusinen’s abnormally observant eyes on him all the way across the room.
*
“What do you think of the duel between Drake Maijstral and Geoff Fu George?”
Zoot gazed fixedly into the silver loupe over Kyoko As-person's eye. “I don’t think of it at all, I’m afraid.”
“You don’t follow the burglar standings?”
“It is not my preferred sport.”
He was hoping, a bit wistfully, to lead the discussion toward portball; then he could lay down a smoke screen of chatter about portfires, snookerbacks, ridge plays, and the like. Kyoko Asperson refused to be distracted.
“Would you support the rumored action of the Constellation Practices Authority in trying to do away with Allowed Burglary altogether?”
“I am not familiar with that body's deliberations.”
The journalist frowned for a moment. Zoot, for lack of anything else to do, continued gazing into her loupe.
“You are the only Khosali member of the Human Diadem,” she said. Zoot readied himself: this was the prelude to the sorts of questions he got asked all the time. “Do you have any consciousness of being something of an experiment?”
“None,” he said. “I am conscious primarily of the honor.”
“Doesn’t it handicap you? Don’t you find your behavior constrained by your knowing that you are the only representative of your species in the Three Hundred?”
A palpable hit, but Zoot managed to avoid wincing. “Members of the Diadem excel at being themselves,” he said. “Being myself is all I ever intended to do.”
“An admirable goal,” Kyoko said. “If you can pull it off.”
*
The Marquess Kotani cast a sympathetic glance in Zoot's direction. “Asperson will have to work damn hard to make that interview interesting,” he said. “Zoot's share is slipping badly.”
“I confess I don’t find him interesting,” said the Marchioness.
Kotani touched his mustache, then lifted his chin. He gazed toward a
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