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obvious, Kamen had reminded him of his
current situation and how he would not even be standing here if Kamen had not
forced him to.
    Kamen's winning
smile did not break, not even when voices alerted him to the approach of
others. Sunjaa sailors came with Losiengare representatives in tow. They
carried their three-deer banner with them.
    Kamen shook his
head, and what he knew was going to happen happened. The Kimereth drew their
swords.
    "Really?"
Kamen asked, turning back to the Kimereth. "You'd spill blood in a land
that is not your own, among people you do not know. Do you not know what the
Zenji would do to you?"
    "And what is
that?" The Kimereth captain spat his words.
    Kamen shrugged.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't want to find out. Put your swords away.
We're here to talk. You're the ones who brought your fight to Arinport. Are you
ready to rouse King Jahen's anger?"
    The Ausir captain
laughed. "Nay. We would seek alliance with the Sunjaa."
    "As would
we," a Losiengare said. Kamen guessed he was the captain of one of the two
surviving caravels.
    "There will
be no talk of alliance until you put your swords away, Kimereth, and you store
your banner back on your ship, Losiengare."
    Kamen's knowledge
of Ausir noble heraldry clearly surprised them.
    "The Sunjaa
Crown does not negotiate with posturing factions." Kamen's words were a
jab into the Ausir pride, for they, too, had once been a strong, united people.
    After a few grumbles
and other Ausir mutterings that Kamen assumed were curses, the Ausir backed
down just in time for the arrival of a Zenji delegation carrying lanterns on
long poles. It was headed by none other than the Lotus Guildmaster himself. He
wore a fine, quilted waistcoat against the night's chill.
    "Would that
moonslight brought you here, Regent." The Guildmaster spoke to him in the
Sunjaa tongue. "You are most welcome." He bowed low, and all his
slaves and attendants did so, as well. Once he rose from his greeting, his gaze
traveled from one group of Ausir to the other and then back to Kamen.
"What brings the Aramina to port?" The question was mere
courtesy.
    "These gentle
soldiers require lodging for the night." Kamen indicated the Ausir
sailors. "And I, too, would like to taste the fruits of your legendary
hospitality."
    The Guildmaster
bowed again, but in his eyes Kamen could see his avarice. The Zenji attached a
steep price to their hospitality, but it was worth it. They bred Lotuses, the
finest companions with whom a man—or woman—could ever hope to spend an evening.
The Guildmaster's eyes narrowed as he looked over his guests. He was
calculating what these Ausir could pay.
    "They are of
the mighty Kimereth and Losiengare Houses," Kamen said in answer to his unasked
questions.
    The Guildmaster
nodded and bowed. "Come," he said in Sunjaa and repeated it in Ausir.
"My people will see to your every comfort."
    As they walked
from the beach along a wide stone path through the trees, Kamen fell into step
beside the Guildmaster. He whispered to him in Sunjaa. "Keep the Ausir
apart for the night. They're bitter enemies."
    The Guildmaster's
smile did not alter. He nodded ever so slightly, but his eyes still twinkled in
greed. "And what about you, Regent? Will you require the presence of a
Lotus?"
    Though tempted,
Kamen waved away the offer. He had shared Saerileth with Darien once, and
though she was quite skilled, it was Darien Kamen had wanted. Lying with a
Lotus now would only remind him of Darien. How he longed to see his friend
again.
    "I'm
exhausted," Kamen said, making an excuse for himself.
    The Guildmaster
made another bow. "Then I will send a boy to your chambers. He will sing
you to sleep."
    Kamen shrugged.
"That's fine."
    The Guildmaster
directed some of his servants to escort Kamen on a diverging path through the
tall, thin trees beyond the city. They reached the guild compound and passed
beyond its high, roofed walls whereupon guards with polearms and lanterns stood
ever vigilant. Kamen was not