A Princess of the Aerie Read Online Free PDF Page B

his forgiveness and
     mercy.”
    “And you receive it in abundance.” The Rubahy’s rage spines sank back into his back, and his feathers smoothed; the huge,
     flat, flexible lips extended to cover the monstrous slicing-teeth. He extended a three-fingered, two-thumbed hand; as was
     proper, Jak gripped it lightly and stood. “You have a courteous way of speech. Have you known other Rubahy?”
    “I have known one well,” Jak said, thinking of Shadow on the Frost, from whom he occasionally received inexplicable mail and
     to whom he would then reply with whatever random facts about his life he happened to think of, always being told that the
     message had brightened Shadow’s day. “But he lives in exile in human service, and he has many enemies, and so I hesitate to
     speak his name.”
    The Rubahy made a standing bow. If the name of Jak’s unknown friend were revealed, and it were an enemy of this Rubahy, with
     a misunderstanding so recent, anything from a snub to a duel might follow, depending on the exact degree of enmity. “I am
     glad not to know his name, then, for his teaching courtesy to you has made me think of him favorably, which is superfluous
     for a friend, improper for an enemy, and dangerous for an unknown (since it might someday lead me into a quarrel on an outnumbered
     side).”
    Jak nodded. “Then let it suffice that, yes, I was taught some courtesy, and by a Rubahy.”
    “And so you honor your teacher.” The Rubahy and Jak shook hands. The insult was now better than forgiven, making them bond-acquaintances;
     if either were attacked in the other’s presence before leaving the restaurant, the other would be morally required to come
     to the aid of his bond-acquaintance.
    The human and the Rubahy turned their backs and resumed their conversations. Jak only then noticed that they had been surrounded
     by waiters and bouncers with tranquilizer guns. Knocking both of them unconscious would have been much cheaper than the cost
     of cleanup and repairs (not to mention the lawsuit by Jak’s surviving kin.)
    “You would not have handled that at all well a few years ago,” Sib observed.
    “Well,” Jak said, “that was the-friend-whose-name-I-can’t-speak-here’s influence, of course.”
A good tove and a loyal friend, even if he looks like what happens if a tyrannosaur mates with a sasquatch and the children
     all marry chickens,
Jak added mentally, mindful of the Rubahy warrior behind him.
    Shadow on the Frost now served in the special Rubahy bodyguard corps for the Duke of Uranium. Sesh was a princess, Psim was
     a duke, his old crewie friends were downbound, coming back from a shakedown voyage to Jupiter … and Jak was back in school
     in the Hive. He suddenly, deeply, fervently hoped that the Dean’s assignment and Sesh’s message would shake him out of this
     miserable rut and get things moving again in his life. “Want to go back to my place for a nightcap?”
    “Sounds good, old pizo.”
    As Sib and Jak entered Jak’s apartment, he raised his purse to his mouth and said, “Full check, please.”
    There were hums and beeps as the watcher-watchers activated, swept, and checked. Bursts of Jak’s recorded voice, saying trigger
     combinations like “king assassinate, plutonium sell Rubahy,” and “Hive imperialism,” came from a dozen loudspeakers, and the
     watcher-watchers listened across the whole electromagnetic spectrum for any outgoing signal triggered by them, or for any
     recording device tucking them away for future reference. After almost two minutes of these checks, during which Jak and Sibroillo
     stood stone-silent, Jak’s purse said, “All clear.”
    Sib smiled. “Weehu, I can see you’ve been tinkering with your bugfinders. Anything get planted here much?”
    “Just random police checks, I think. I did the enhancements as part of a class project and just left ’em in afterwards.”
    Sib nodded. “Good project and a clever approach. All right, what is it