Jade War

Ru was wheeled back into the room. He looked a little pale, but his chest rose and fell in gentle, even breaths. The nurse inclined the top of the bed and arranged the pillows to make the sleeping boy more comfortable before departing. Niko had watched the entire conversation between Hilo and the doctor without a word. When the three of them were alone, he asked, “Is Ru really a stone-eye?”

Hilo tried but did not quite succeed in keeping the sadness from his voice. “Yes.”

“Is it because of what happened? Because I accidentally made him swallow jade?”

Hilo sighed and pulled his nephew onto his lap. “No, he was born that way. It’s not anyone’s fault.”

Niko frowned at his sleeping cousin. “Will he be a stone-eye forever?”

“He’ll always be a stone-eye, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things he can do. Look at your ma, on a business trip right now, doing useful work for the family and the clan, even without jade.” Hilo turned stern. “You’ll have to protect him, though. Keep him safe. No more scares like we had today. Understand?”

Niko nodded. “Yes. I won’t tease him anymore. I’ll be a good big brother from now on.”

CHAPTER 58 White Rat’s Decision

When Wen returned to the Capita View Hotel, hoping for a nap after a morning of meetings and looking at flooring and paint samples, the bellman at the front desk told her that her husband had been trying to reach her for some time and had left a message and phone number for her to phone him back at Janloon General Hospital. Wen hurried up to her room. She told herself not to panic, but her hands were shaking as she used the calling card Shae had given her to place the long-distance phone call. A receptionist answered and told her to wait.

Several agonizing minutes later, Hilo came onto the line. “Everyone’s fine,” he said right away. “We had a little scare, that’s all.” He told her about what had happened to Ru. Then he put Niko on the line to say, “Hi, Ma, we miss you, when are you coming home?”

Wen assured him she would be home in three days, asked him if he’d been practicing his reading and handwriting every day, then asked for the phone to be returned to his uncle.

“Do the doctors think this will have any long-term effect?” she asked Hilo.

“It won’t,” Hilo said. “The doctors say that Ru’s a stone-eye.”

Wen sat down hard on the edge of her hotel room bed. Her first reaction was surprise that Hilo sounded so unemotional about it, but then again, he’d had several hours to come to terms with the news, and she was hearing the diagnosis just now. Her voice came out small. “They’re sure?”

“They’re sure.” Hilo still didn’t sound upset, but there was an impatient edge to his voice, the one that he sometimes used to say, “Nothing,” or “Fine,” but that Wen always knew to be a sign that he was preoccupied or worried.

Wen felt unexpected tears prick her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, then as if realizing he’d snapped at her, he said in a gentler voice, “I said everyone’s fine, didn’t I? That’s what’s important. Don’t worry, and don’t let it ruin your trip.”

“What else aren’t you telling me?” Wen asked. “I can tell there’s something else.”

“It’s nothing to do with you at all. Clan things.”

Wen glanced at the clock. “Does it have to do with the plan to kill Zapunyo?”

Hilo sighed as if giving up. “That Uwiwan coward won’t leave his hotel room to meet at the place we’ve arranged. It’s too risky for Andy to try anything now. The plan’s been called off. We can’t get to him this time, Wen.”

“Not this time,” Wen repeated. “When, then? You promised me, on the day that Kehn was murdered, that we would get the people who did this. All of them. It’s been more than a year.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Hilo made a frustrated noise. “You’re upset right now because while you were away, I wasn’t paying enough attention to the boys and so this accident happened. But when have I ever failed to do what I promised? Have I ever left an offense against our family unpunished? Sometimes it takes longer, is all.”

There was some distraction in the background of the hospital and Hilo turned away from the phone to speak to someone briefly before coming back onto the line. “I have to go; they’re discharging Ru and I have to fill out some paperwork.” A pause. “I didn’t want to trouble you with bad news. It’s not even that bad. Could’ve been a lot worse; we should be grateful it wasn’t. And don’t worry about the clan things. We’ll talk when you get home. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Wen said. “Tell the boys their ma loves them.” After Hilo hung up, Wen stared at the silent receiver for a long moment before putting it back in its cradle. She felt leaden. Mechanically, she got up and changed into more comfortable clothes, drank a soda from the minibar, then wandered her hotel room in a daze, before sitting back down on the bed.