Frightened by his perception, Constance hastened to cover herself. She laughed lightly. "From another, it might be so. But I am the Keeper of the House Honor, and Kurita's spiritual well-being is in my hands. Despite Takashi -sama's recent ... ah ... excesses, we must not divide the clan. Civil war at this time would destroy the Combine."

"Indeed it would. But you have not denied that the Coordinator should be replaced."

Constance was taken aback. Over the years, she had learned to perceive the hidden intents underlying courtly speech. In the chaos of the war, Theodore must have had his own revelation. This was not the young man who had blustered before his father. Theodore had, indeed, grown in more than body.

"You have done much to save the body of the Dragon," she said, still trusting to courtly speech. "Now you must fight to save its heart."

"So ka,"Theodore said with a nod. "Though it cost me my soul, that is my intent."

37

Izumi Shoin, Shandabbar, Awano

Benjamin Military District, Draconis Combine

10 January 3030

Moonslight flooded the courtyard of the monastery with harsh, cold brightness. Hoarfrost sparkled from the metal roof decoration and the gilding of the great arches. Alone and stately on its platform in the center of the yard, the great temple bell hung in its swath of glittering ice crystals.

Dechan Fraser's breath expelled in a steamy huff of surprise as his companion strode out into the open yard. Hours of slinking through the city and surrounding suburbs on their way to the monastery, and now the armored man just walked out into the open as though he owned the fief. Dechan shook his head in wonderment, and followed. From past experience, he knew that his companion sensed somehow when there were no watchers to mark his passage.

They headed for a darkened building, then turned to walk along its length. The armored man stopped and tilted his head toward one door, confirming Dechan's own count—this was the one they wanted.

Dechan nodded and stepped forward to rap on the rough plank door. After a moment, he heard a soft rustling inside. Another moment, and the door creaked open to reveal a woman in a nightrobe. Her head was shaven bare in traditional Buddhist fashion.

"JokanTomiko Tetsuhara?" he inquired.

Her eyes flicked over him. Dechan was acutely aware of his scruffy appearance. He stood rigid, as though under inspection by a full Tai-sa,wishing he could hide the ragged, dark patches where once the proud insignia of Wolf's Dragoons had been. A brief frown crossed the woman's face as her bright eyes released him and shifted to the man at his side.

If I fail to meet her standards,Dechan thought, how can he pass?Dechan made his own inspection of the man standing quietly at his side. His stance was relaxed, barely betraying the weight of the metal case he held in his left hand. He wore a full helmet, which concealed his features. Rigid plates of body armor, pitted and scuffed with long abuse, and bulky vambraces of arcane shape distorted his body's outline. The massive shoulder-arm slung on his left side made the holstered pair of pistols, and Dechan's own side-arm for that matter, look like the weapons of a child. No, not someone I'd open my door to in the middle of the night,Dechan concluded.

"I am Anshin," the nun said softly with a graceful bow, as though to superiors. "I am no longer Tomiko Tetsuhara. My lord Minobu has joined his ancestors."

She stood expectantly. Dechan knew she was waiting for them to introduce themselves. That, he decided, he would leave to his companion. The trip was a bad idea and he had argued so from the start, but he had failed to dissuade his comrade.

The armored man stood silent under the gaze of the nun.

"I know you," she said. "You are ..."

"I, too, am no longer who I once was," the armored man said, cutting her off. The helmet made his voice harsh, almost guttural, as the words passed through the external speaker. "I bring a gift."

The refrigerator unit whirred softly on the box he raised. With his free hand, he released the catch on the front panel. Soft green light spilled from the box as it opened. Lying within, ghastly in the bilious glow, was a severed head, an expression of profound surprise frozen on its features.

"This is the head of Grieg Samsonov, one of those who conspired to trap your husband," the armored man explained. "It was my task to acquire it."

"I do not want it!" The nun shrank back into the shadows of her cell. Her serenity shattered, her voice quavered.

"Send it to his father. The old man will appreciate the sentiment."

The armored man knelt to refasten the box. As the green light vanished, the nun spoke again with a hint of her former serenity.

"I have sought my own peace here, and found it in some measure. Please do not disturb it further.”

“As you wish."

Dechan's companion executed an awkward bow. Dechan bowed, too, but his awkwardness came from the situation and his lack of practice rather than the armor that encumbered his fellow. The two men walked slowly back across the courtyard. As they did, Dechan heard the nun's door close quietly. The wooden barrier did little to muffle the sound of her sobbing.

38

Peace Park , Newbury, Dieron

Dieron Military District, Draconis Combine

30 September 3030

Theodore watched the woman in the gray cloak turn onto the path that led to the cul-de-sac where he sat. A flash of light from the trees signaled that she had entered the park alone. He nodded his receipt of the message to Fuhito Tetsuhara, hidden among the shadowed boles, before standing to greet the woman. "Ohayo,Precentor."

"Good morning to you, Prince Theodore. Please ignore my rank and call me Sharilar."

"You are kind to allow me such familiarity." And prudent, too, to be concerned that someone might overhear your title,Theodore observed silently. "Allow me to extend the same offer. Such familiarity was normal among soldiers on the frontlines in the recent unpleasantness, and I have learned the virtue of dispensing with formalities when necessary. Please call me Theodore."

He indicated the nearest in a row of ferrocrete benches. While she sat down, he moved to the other side of the gray mushroom of a table, and took a seat. The table's surface was inlaid with a red-and-black checkerboard of duraplast. Theodore produced a flat case from beneath his long overcoat. He opened it to reveal the ivory tokens within, each painted with the calligraphic symbol for its name. "A game of shogiwhile we wait for your mistress?"

Sharilar shook her head, and Theodore shrugged, returning the case to concealment.

"Perhaps, then, you would care to enlighten me as to your mistress's concern."

Sharilar fidgeted and glanced about warily, but Theodore read her action as a show. He could feel that, underneath, she was not at all nervous. Why does she wish me to think so?

He suddenly wished for the advice of old Tetsuhara- sensei.He was wise in the ways of people and could discern their true feelings, often before they were sure themselves. Sensei'scontrol of his harawas more than enough for such a minor feat. But sensei'svoice was silent, as it had been since the capture of Cochus in '28. His other teachers were equally silent.