The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky Page B

plated leathers and full chainmail. Che
already knew that most of the Ant-kinden of the Exalsee lived nomadic lives in
the Forest Aleth and were reckoned a primitive lot, by the Solarnese at least.
The Ostranden, however, had broken from that lifestyle, settled down in their
inherited fortress and acquired civilized vices. In fact they were starting to
become a mirror of the fiercely territorial Lowlander city-states that Che knew
all too well.
    With
evening coming on, Che and Trallo found themselves sitting discussing alliances
with a Spider-kinden woman and a Solarnese man. Travellers did not set off
singly down the road to Porta Rabi, for the desert fringe held too many dangers
to be travelled alone. The Solarnese was a rug-trader, the Spider was a slaver,
and Trallo had brought them together and, as a reward for the introduction,
earned a place in their company. Che had the vague impression they would be
paying him for the privilege as well but, as they only made veiled allusions to
money, she could not be sure.
    Manny
burst in just as they were concluding their business, thundering through the
door and almost falling at Che’s feet. The Solarnese and the Spider had drawn
blades on the instant, and Che found her own shortsword in her hand by some
instinct she had not known she still owned. The fat man was running with sweat,
his fine clothes ripped down the back.
    ‘Hammer
and tongs!’ Che swore at him. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
    Manny
shook his head so hard that his jowls quivered. ‘Not me,’ he got out, ‘the
others … Soldiers come to the lodgings … trying to arrest everyone—’
    Trallo
was out of the door at once, wings a blur. Che ran after him, trying to
resheathe her sword as she went. The wretched Mannerly Gorget was left to
recover his breath.
    They
found a dozen greenish Ant-kinden standing some distance from the lodgings as
they arrived. Che saw that they had apprehended Praeda already, holding the
Beetle woman tightly between two of them. A dark bruise was emerging on the
scholar’s face. Armed with crossbows and bows, the Ant-kinden were keeping a
respectful watch on the lodging-house, and Che noticed movement in one of the ramshackle
building’s upper windows.
    ‘What’s
this?’ Trallo demanded, touching down ahead of her. ‘What’s this? Open arrest
on the streets of Ostrander?’ He pitched his voice loudly enough to carry to
all the traders and travellers and caravaneers loitering nearby, all the other
foreigners. The Ostranden Ants remained packed close together and Che could see
that the incident had already attracted more notice than they were happy with.
    It must be the Vekken , she decided, with a sinking heart.
Had they not been able to resist antagonizing enemy Antkinden?
    ‘You
claim responsibility for these?’ demanded one of the Ostranden, a woman. ‘They
have transgressed against us.’
    ‘What?
What have they done?’ Che asked. She spotted a pitch-dark face at the upper
window, and guessed that the Vekken had crossbows ready up there, and better
ones than the locals.
    The
Ostranden woman stared coldly at Che. ‘We demand our rights for trespass,’ she
insisted.
    Che saw
Trallo visibly relax. ‘Oh, money,’ he said, almost dismissively. ‘We’ll talk money. We’ll come to an arrangement. Let’s go do it now,
before nightfall. There’s no need for all this.’ He glanced along the street,
leading Che’s gaze in the same direction. She saw another score of Ants
approaching, called by their comrades’ silent summons.
    The
Ostranden turned away, along with her soldiers, then turned back sharply. ‘Tell them, ’ she said, jabbing her spear towards the
lodging-house, ‘they must leave. If they are still here at tomorrow sunset, we
will burn them out, if we must.’
    Che
stormed off towards the house, determined to set some limits on ambassadorial
freedoms. Behind them she heard Trallo begin to negotiate for the return of
Praeda.
    A
crossbow bolt flowered