Free Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord Page A

attention, he let the ladybird fly away home. He no longer needed it. He felt so pleased with himself that instead of conjuring the hall, he relaxed and imagined himself a warm sunny pasture to lie in while he plotted out the recovery of his power. There was still the problem of where the focus was located. Humans did not hold such power within themselves easily; they had a deep-seated need for symbols, talismans, and representations. Somewhere in that house was the symbol of the force of chaos, and unless he took that with him, he could not take back the power.
    That junior djombi would be on the alert now. It would look out for insects and guard its words from being overheard, and warn the women to guard theirs too. It would double its efforts to teach Neila how to use her new gift effectively. He had little time if he hoped to avoid an unseemly battle with juniors and inferiors.
    He remembered Neila's offhand tones after she spoke of killing the bee. She was interesting, in a mundane and wholly human kind of way. Perhaps he could convince her to give up his power without a struggle. She looked like a woman who could be bribed. In fact, she looked like a woman who could be flattered. If he came to her as a suitor, with enough wealth and beauty to dazzle her, would she even notice that her power over chaos was no more when she saw all the apparent luck around her?
    True, it had been a while since he walked the earth in a human role, but there were precedents. It might be the easiest way to get back his power. Who knows what terrible things they had said to her about him? Better that he try honey and temptation to reach his goals rather than attempt to use force, which might only justify any misconceptions already given.
    It sounded like logical reasoning, but he was biased again. He secretly wanted to punish Neila. She would choose him as her husband, but after he got what he wanted, he would desert her. He wanted to humble her, to make her feel as if she was winning and then show her the face of her defeat when she was a mere hair's breadth from the pinnacle. She dared to take the power of a senior djombi, then let her defend herself!
    Remember what we mentioned to you before. This is a dangerous person. He enjoys lulling the prey into a feeling of safety before killing it. That instant of betrayal, that twist of perception when one realises that one's entire universe is founded on a lie—that is the moment that acts on his boredom as splendidly as champagne on a jaded palate.
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    9
    a stranger is coming to makendha
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    Those who live in Makendha say that Ahani is the place where con men hold their conventions. They may be right—certainly it must have had some seedy flair to attract the regular attention of a djombi like the Trickster. Another claim made about Ahani is that a man can make something of himself there. That also had some grains of truth. Certainly it was not kind to women seeking their fortunes—not entirely baseless is the belief, widespread in Makendha and beyond, that women rule the villages but men rule the towns. As for making something of oneself, the question remains, what would that something be?
    The indigo lord was going to Ahani to make an identity and a reputation for himself. Just because he considered them vermin didn't mean he lacked awareness of how humans operated. As individuals they were puny, but as hives their communication networks had power. There was no way he could impress in Makendha if no-one had ever heard of him in any of the larger cities.
    He went to a stash of gold which he had put away—the legacy of an adventure in more innocent days. Perhaps I will tell you about it later, if we have the time. He had never expected to use it for himself, but that was the nature of chaos; its effects spanned time in ways that were not always immediately discernible, not even by beings outside of time.
    He found a modest but highly reputable