The tension between the two Demish princes had a deep, heavy quality, very different from the hot, quick nature of a Vrellish quarrel. It put Di Mon in mind of the contrast between dodging lightening bolts and living on a geological fault. On the whole, he was more comfortable with sudden storms.
"What if we start over?" H'Us wheedled. "Together we could accomplish much — even usher in a new Golden Age at court."
D'Ander was completely still for a moment, then he asked, hoarsely, "What?"
H'Us rose, grating the feet of his chair on the floor. Di Mon got up, too, succumbing to the sheer impossibility of keeping still in the face of so much stirred emotion. If the Demish princes had been Vrellish, there would already be blood on the floor.
D'Ander's face had drained white and he trembled with anger. "You want the Golden Emperor," he said in a hushed tone. "You want to bring Him here, to Gelion."
"D'Ander — " H'Us tried to sound reasonable.
"No!" The younger prince retreated, still aghast. "I thought there was still something decent in you, despite it all! I thought you were only blind or stupid!"
"Be careful, boy!" H'Us threatened.
D'Ander shook his golden mane, his face flushing hot. "If you want anything more from Demora — anything — you understand? You will have to take it from me, by the sword, on the challenge floor."
"Wait!" H'Us took a step forward, but D'Ander was already halfway to the entrance hall where servants sprang to meet him bearing his heavy, ornate cloak. Prince H'Us' attendant princes made to follow, but H'Us called them back.
"Let him go," he told them, with mixed emotions of resentment and pride. "D'Ander could kill either one of you and possibly both at once."
On the dance floor, Eva had called a halt and stood beside Von's understudy, looking as brave as she could. Di Mon met her stare, briefly. Her eyes dropped.
"Go and entertain yourselves," H'Us dismissed his kinsmen. "But keep it light. I won't be long."
"Eva!" Di Mon had to call to her to make her look up. Once their eyes met she grasped quickly that the H'Usians must be steered away from the first pair of guests she had hidden. "Will you see the H'Usians are made comfortable?" Di Mon asked.
She did, with every symptom of her usual aplomb.
H'Us settled back into his seat. "D'Ander was such a promising boy," he lamented.
"He is an honorable man," said Di Mon. "And a fine sword." Those were the only good things he could find to say about D'Ander right now.
"He's too good a sword!" H'Us gave a discontented grunt. "It will be the death of him, one day, you know." He stopped, and fixed a stern look on Di Mon. "Your message said he asked you about Reetions."
Di Mon nodded.
"You know what he wants?" H'Us asked rhetorically. "He wants to trade with them! Trade!" H'Us sighed. "I do not know where I went wrong, bringing him up."
"Don't you consider trade honorable?"
"Not with Reetions!" H'Us snapped.
"Perhaps they've changed," said Di Mon.
"Huh!" H'Us grunted and emptied his wine horn. A novice filled it up immediately, but H'Us set it down in its stand and left the refill untouched. "I suppose he asked you to help him cultivate them," said H'Us. "Speak English to them." He paused. "How did you let him down?"
"I have not, yet," said Di Mon. "Not entirely."
H'Us went very still, then said, slowly, "I know that look — you're curious. It's the curse of your Lorel blood."
"D'Ander has already encountered Reetions," said Di Mon. "Wouldn't it be useful to find out what they want? Perhaps they have forgotten the terms of the Americ Treaty. We ought to be sure they are informed of the consequences of trespass."
"Force is all that okal'a'ni people understand!" H'Us insisted. "Force and more force."
"Perhaps," admitted Di Mon.
"You need proof?" H'Us fished in his embroidered jacket to produce a slim, silver box and plunked it down between them. Di Mon winced, afraid H'Us was going to crack Eva's glass tabletop.
"This is Reetion!" H'Us declared, accusingly. "Something they have been selling out in Killing Reach."
"It looks innocuous enough," said Di Mon, trying not to think about Ranar.
"Then watch," said H'Us, and touched the case in a particular spot.
Solid light projections of a brown man and a brown woman sprouted from the box. They were a couple, strolling down a garden path.
Di Mon had never seen such technology before! The tiny brown people were a little translucent, and the scene was hazy at its edges, but on the whole it far surpassed all the imaging capacities he knew of, including his own nervecloth.
The man and woman melted into each other's arms and were transported to a bed inside a bungalow. The transition did not impress Di Mon. One could do such things easily enough. A voice, speaking what he guessed must be Reetion, began a narrative voice-over. Then the focus zoomed in on cross-sectional diagrams of male and female sex organs.
"Instructions for flesh probing," H'Us said with profound disgust.
"I do not ... think so," said Di Mon. The figures, before, had looked realistic. Now the pictures were cartoon-like and the tone of voice struck him as clinical.
"This isn't the worst!" H'Us stroked his hand over the box in the opposite direction.
Suddenly, both lovers were men.
Di Mon sprang up, catching the glass tabletop. His drink crashed. His chair fell back.
"It does another version too!" H'Us exclaimed. "With two women! That is Reetions for you!"
"Turn it off!" Di Mon demanded.
"I know, I know, I only wanted you to see how—"
"Turn it off!" Di Mon stood with his hands fisted at the ends of stiff arms.
H'Us reached over and touched the box on either side, quenching the pictures. There was silence except for Di Mon's breathing, which came harsh and fast.
"I'm sorry," said H'Us contritely. "It spooked me, too, the first time. I should have warned you."
"I would like to study the technology," Di Mon said.
"Keep it!" H'Us told him. "By all means. But I've something to ask in return." H'Us leaned forward.
Di Mon tore his stare from the silver box to look up.
"Von," said H'Us.
"Von?" Di Mon echoed, not sure he had heard correctly. "What about Von?"
"You know of the H'Reths, I suppose?" H'Us said quickly. "How they've both fallen from favor with Delm. There have been disquieting rumors."
"Rumors?" Di Mon echoed again, still numb.
"Things to do with secrets learned in bedrooms and turned to Liege H'Reth's advantage. Von seems to be implicated." H'Us frowned. "Unfortunately, the boy is my mother's best tonic right now. She's fond of him, purely for the sake of his poetry and disposition, of course, but there you have it. And she is dying. I would rather any consequences owed him over the H'Reth business were put off for the time being. So," H'Us finished brusquely, "if you learn anything concerning his disappearance, will you notify me?"
"Of course," Di Mon said, hardly listening.
"Well, then." The big Silver Demish leader got up. "I'll be going. You keep the artifact. And don't let that mad nephew of mine get around you with his talk about Ameron."
Di Mon watched Prince H'Us until he had left the room, unable to get past the shock of the silver box until Tessitatt came back to stand beside him. Collecting himself with force, he took the box from the table before she asked questions about it.
"D'Ander left without Perry D'Aur," he remembered. "Tell the staff to put her up here at my expense for the interim. If she is offended by the locale, being a Demish female," he shrugged, "by all means let her see to her own accommodation. And conduct the Reetion, quietly, to Green Hearth." He paused. "We'll put him in Ameron's room."
Tessitatt was surprised by the last arrangement. So was Di Mon, but it had felt like the right thing to do, somehow.
"I wish to see Eva before I go," Di Mon ordered the servant who brought him his cloak, and was conducted to her office.