‘All right. Now, first of all, Liechtenstein is a major power in this world. They do the best zeppelins. And everyone knows it. That newspaper-seller was right. And they do sell information, but not their big secrets.’
‘No industrial espionage?’ Irene asked. ‘No reverse engineering of technology or attempts to invade other countries?’
‘Ah, there’s a reason for that.’ Kai took a sip of his wine. ‘Hey, this isn’t bad. For a cheap little hole-in-the-wall place like this.’
Irene nodded. ‘So, what’s the reason?’
‘The Fae keep them out. They keep the entire country well protected to shield their own goings-on, and it keeps out the industrial and national spies as well. Remember the bit about the Ambassador being one of the Fair Folk?’ Kai pressed his lips together for a moment, in a gesture of pure disgust. ‘It’s not just him. There’s a lot of them in Liechtenstein. They spawn there, or breed, or something. It’s a nexus for their filth. The local populace tolerates them. They’ve been bought off with trinkets and flashy glamour.’
Irene frowned. It didn’t sound as if Kai was going to be thrilled that they were going to the Embassy Ball tomorrow night. ‘Ah,’ she said neutrally, and sipped her wine. ‘So it’s quite normal for Fair Folk to be amongst the Liechtenstein Embassy staff?’
Kai nodded. ‘They’re known for it, even. Newspaper reporters were trying to get interviews at the Embassy gates. One said that other nations dealing with the country carried cold iron talismans now – it was that bad.’
‘Good to know that works,’ Irene said. ‘Assuming it does?’
‘Well, they wouldn’t carry them unless it did,’ Kai said. ‘Unless . . .’ He paused. ‘Unless the Fair Folk are just faking the whole thing in order to lure their victims into a false sense of security.’
‘Well, that’s possible too,’ Irene agreed regretfully. She held up her hand to pause him as the waiter arrived with their soup, and they were quiet until the man had left. ‘All right,’ she said, picking up her spoon. ‘Go on.’
‘The current Ambassador has held the post for the last eighty years,’ Kai said, picking up his own spoon. ‘His name is Silver. Or rather, people call him Silver. It seems nobody knows his real name outside Liechtenstein, if anyone does. Though the fact that it’s apparently a reportable fact about him that nobody knows his real name . . .’ He sighed. ‘Fae. The reporter that I was talking to said that he hadn’t changed at all in the last eighty years, except to update his wardrobe. He’s got a fairly typical reputation for a Fair Folk. Seductive, arrogant, party-going, patronizes artists.’
Irene thought about that. ‘Does he patronize engineers?’ she asked.
‘The reporter didn’t mention that,’ Kai said. ‘Why?’
Irene shrugged. ‘It just seemed relevant, given we’re told this alternate favours technology, and if Liechtenstein’s economy is based on airships. By the way, you know a lot about the Fair Folk.’
Kai looked as though he was considering spitting on the ground. ‘Those creatures – we had something like them in the alternate that I came from. Pervasive thieves, wasters, destroyers – they make their way into society and tear it apart. They destabilize reality. They’re tools of chaos. They are chaos. You can’t expect me to approve of things like that.’
‘Look, calm down,’ Irene said. ‘Have some soup. I agree that they’re malign. But we’re not here on some sort of campaign to root them out. Remember the mission.’ She was surprised by his vehemence; it was more than she’d expect from a trainee. But personal experience was probably behind it. She wondered how personal the experience might be. An involvement with one of them? The loss of a friend or lover? ‘Our job is to get the text and then we can get the hell out of here.’
Kai stared at her for a moment, then lowered his eyes. ‘I apologize for my improper behaviour,’ he said, suddenly formal. ‘You are the head of this mission, of course. I just wish to convey my feelings on the subject. My extremely strong feelings on the subject.’ Irene tried to think of a way to respond which wouldn’t seem dismissive. And he was shifting speech patterns again – from slang to formal and back again. She wondered if he’d noticed it himself. Possibly the influence of the Library, compared to his previous edgy lifestyle?
She set those thoughts aside for later consideration, and did her best to smile. ‘It’s all right. Really. You aren’t the only one who’s had problems with chaos. But we can’t assess how to handle the situation until we have a full picture of it. Please tell me more about Liechtenstein and the Embassy.’
Kai returned a thin smile, but it was clearly a duty rather than a pleasure. ‘Well, as I was going to say, the Fae infestation in Liechtenstein seems to help keep out neighbouring countries. Maybe because they’re not sure what the Fae could do, or maybe they’re worried about the Fae expanding into their countries. And Liechtenstein’s a peach that a lot of people would otherwise want to pluck from the branch and sink their teeth into.’
Irene raised her eyebrows.
‘Okay,’ Kai said, waving his spoon, ‘a dramatic simile, but have you noticed how very balanced and counterbalanced this whole world is? If you take Liechtenstein, there are mad scientists everywhere. The people I questioned implied some kind of mad scientist race. I know I’m just a trainee, but surely the influence of science there could only be to balance the amount of chaos the Fae bring to the table – especially in Liechtenstein itself?’
‘Or maybe the Fae are telling stories about science,’ Irene hypothesized. ‘Or being involved in stories about science. Or maybe Liechtenstein is taking on the role of Belgium in this alternate. My father once did a check on it in as many alternates as he could find. Belgium always seems to get invaded, fall prey to meteorites or get infested by alien fungus or something . . . and don’t look now, but someone’s just come in and is staring at us.’
‘It must be you he’s looking at,’ Kai said hopefully, tilting his spoon in a vain attempt to catch a reflection of the room behind him. ‘Do something odd and see if he reacts.’
‘He’s coming this way,’ Irene said briefly. He appeared every inch the wealthy aristocrat. From the top hat to the silk-lined cape to the silver-headed cane (a sword cane, she suspected). His eyes were fixed on Kai. ‘Quickly,’ she murmured, ‘did you do anything that you should have told me about?’
‘Definitely not.’ Kai turned to follow Irene’s gaze. ‘Hm. Wait. I saw him at the Embassy.’
‘As I saw you, sir,’ the man said, doffing his top hat in a small bow to Kai, then a subsidiary one to Irene. ‘May I join you at this table?’
Kai flicked a glance to Irene. She nodded slightly. He turned back to the man. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Though I don’t think we’ve been introduced?’
A waiter had come dashing up with an extra chair, and withdrew with the man’s hat and cloak.
The man seated himself and leaned forward, steepling his fingers. ‘I trust I may speak freely before your associate?’ He nodded towards Irene. ‘Some of what I have to say may not be fit for the ears of one of the gentler sex.’
Kai looked at Irene for a moment. Irene hesitated, then looked down at her plate in a docile manner. She’d had to play this sort of role before, though admittedly not when coaching a junior at the same time. ‘Please let me stay, sir,’ she said to Kai. ‘I will simply take notes as normal.’