Kai nodded. ‘I don’t want to cross that line.’ But his tone suggested that he would very much like an excuse to share his thoughts on whatever it was.
Irene frowned. She considered the previous evening’s events. ‘There’s something going on that could seriously compromise the Library,’ she finally said. ‘But it could compromise one or more dragons, too.’
‘If it’s in those dragons’ interests, I could at least give you the broad details,’ Kai said, relaxing. ‘Yes, then, there is significant news. One of her majesty’s most senior ministers was assassinated a month ago. Ya Yu’s court is in turmoil.’
‘Assassinated?’ Irene said sharply. ‘Not retired?’
‘No, definitely assassinated,’ Kai said. ‘It’s a matter of high scandal. I don’t know who’s been accused. Unless it’s the Fae, of course. They could easily be guilty of an action like that.’
‘And what are the implications of this assassination, besides the minister’s death?’
‘In terms of high politics?’ Kai hesitated again. ‘You understand that I’m not likely to be told about that sort of thing. I may be of royal blood, but I am a youngest son, my mother was not of high rank, and I hold no current position. And even if I did know . . .’
‘You’d be expected to keep your mouth shut about it?’ Irene guessed.
Kai nodded. ‘Thank you for understanding. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to tell you that her majesty is filling the minister’s position with . . .’ He looked for the right words. ‘Unexpected haste. Usually that sort of thing takes years, especially as it’s such a key position. But this time the new appointment will be announced within five days.’
‘And who’s taking the minister’s place?’
‘That’s the interesting thing. There are two candidates, who have been set a number of highly challenging tests. The rumour is that the Queen’s set them a final private task to show their abilities.’
‘What happens to the loser?’ Irene asked. Somehow she doubted there was a runners-up prize.
Kai stared over her shoulder, as he did when explaining something he found completely natural, but knew Irene was likely to have issues with. ‘Well, their family will be embarrassed, so naturally the loser will have to make amends. The most appropriate demonstration of apology would be to commit suicide . . . Of course, self-exile is an option, but I can’t imagine anyone actually doing that.’ His tone made it clear that he thought suicide would be far less painful than a dragon cutting themselves off from court, family and kindred. ‘But there will certainly be consequences.’
‘Damn,’ Irene said. She held her cup out for more tea. ‘I was really hoping I was being paranoid.’
Then she stopped. ‘We need to get out of here right now.’
Kai could have hesitated, or asked her what she meant, but instead he set down his cup and rose to his feet. ‘Do we need to take anything with us?’
‘Just coats and money,’ Irene said, ‘and we go out the back way, in case the front is watched. I’ll explain in a few minutes, but we can’t risk staying here.’
Five minutes later they were sitting in a small cafe down the street, from which they could watch the front door of their lodgings. Irene didn’t let herself relax. If her guess was wrong, then they’d just wasted time and effort, but if she was right . . .
‘You said you’d explain,’ Kai reminded her.
Irene ran through last night’s events, from Jin Zhi’s arrival onwards, and Kai’s eyes narrowed as he listened.
‘Sounds like the descriptions I’ve heard of Jin Zhi,’ he finally said. ‘And yes, she is one of the candidates for Minister Zhao’s position. I’ve never actually met her. It’s a pity I wasn’t there.’
‘The whole thing was very carefully timed to make sure you weren’t there,’ Irene said sourly. ‘Which is why we’re sitting here now.’
Kai raised an eyebrow.
‘Jin Zhi let me walk away with the details of the book because she knew you were visiting your family,’ Irene said quietly. ‘And therefore she knew I couldn’t discuss how explosive this situation really was. If her spies were watching you that closely, she would think – as I did – that you’d be there for a few days longer. Now tell me, what’s likely to happen if she finds that you came back early – and that we’re having an informative little conversation like this?’
Kai’s eyes narrowed. ‘She can’t afford to take any further risks – the stakes of the competition are so high. You know too much, and you might be a threat. Which suggests there’s more going on than she said.’
Irene nodded. ‘I may be overreacting, but she probably knows our address, and I don’t want to take any risks.’ She yawned.
Kai looked at her thoughtfully. ‘How much sleep did you get last night?’
‘Not enough.’ After she’d left Jin Zhi, Irene had quietly slipped out of the hotel’s back entrance and found somewhere else to spend the night. And she’d had to get up early to catch a zeppelin down to London; it was faster than the train, and she’d wanted to save time.
There had been nightmares, too, about burning books and destroyed Libraries. Perfectly reasonable nightmares, based on the events of not long ago. But she wasn’t going to discuss them.
‘I dislike the fact that she treated you like a servant,’ Kai commented. His voice had an undertone to it that promised reprisals.
‘Leave it for the moment,’ Irene said wearily. ‘I’m not going to waste my time feeling insulted. And don’t you think we’ve got more serious problems to consider? Much more serious problems?’
‘You’re a Librarian-in-Residence,’ Kai said firmly. ‘And you’re a Librarian, anyhow. That gives you a diplomatic ranking which any proper court would recognize. She behaved as if your honour was for sale. That sort of attitude is politically unwise. I don’t like what it says about her.’
‘Let’s get back to what Jin Zhi said, then,’ Irene said. ‘Assuming it was Jin Zhi and not just another gold dragon posing as her in order to confuse the issue. If she’s telling the truth and her rival’s enlisted another Librarian – who is her rival, by the way?’
‘Qing Song,’ Kai said. ‘I only know the basics about both of them. Neither have any particular scandals to their name. I could try to find out more . . . if you don’t mind it being known that I’m asking questions.’
‘When you say “basics”, how far does that go?’ Irene asked.
‘The key word I kept on hearing about Jin Zhi was gracious,’ Kai said slowly. ‘Always courteous, always reasonable. Very much like the person you met, when she was being pleasant to you. Generous to her servants, amiable to her allies, polite even to her adversaries. Only loses her temper on rare occasions. Very good at playing the piano,’ he added as an afterthought. ‘But . . . unobjectionable. A convenient candidate. No real enemies.’
‘She sounds too good to be true.’
Kai shrugged. ‘It can happen.’
‘Or just good at covering her tracks?’ Irene asked.