Investments Read Free Page A

simply to thwart him. Martinez, the word already spilling from his lips, had no choice but to let Mukerji take the tile he badly needed to complete his hand.
    “Double,” Mukerji said, his eyes gleaming.
    Martinez looked at his schema, then scanned the discards and the tiles of the players who had dropped out of the betting. Neither of the two Norths was revealed, and neither was the second Down.
    He looked at his own tiles again. Beside the Directions he had Three and Four Ships, a Sunlit Garden, and a Road of Metal. If he got Two or Five Ships, he’d have a Small Flotilla. A Flotilla plus the Cardinal Directions equaled a Migration.
    He scanned the discards and reveals again, and saw singletons of Two and Five Ships, which meant other Ships were still in the sorting machine.
    Or already in Lord Mukerji’s schema.
    Martinez decided it was worth the risk.
    Without speaking Martinez dealt himself another tile. It was Four Ships, and he discarded it. Lord Mukerji ignored it and took another tile, which he discarded.
    Five Ships. Martinez claimed it, discarded his Road of Metal, then dealt himself another tile, which he discarded.
    He was suddenly aware that the room had fallen silent, that others stood around him, watching. Roland watched from amid the spectators with a frown on his face, and Cassilda with her hands pressed protectively over her swelling abdomen. Lord Pa’s red eyes were obscured by nictating membranes. Marcella was frozen in her seat, but her hands formed little fists and her knuckles were white.
    Terza, on his right, had the serene smile that she wore to conceal her thoughts, but he saw the tension crimping the corners of her eyes.
    Lord Mukerji was dealt and discarded a tile, and then Martinez dealt himself an Angle, which he discarded.
    “Claim,” Mukerji said in triumph.
    He laid down his completed Bouquet of Sorrows, then added the Angle to his Point and his Coordinate, making a Geometry. His grin broadened beneath the spreading mustache as he pushed the odd Down into the discard pile.
    “That’s a game for me, then,” he said.
    “Claim,” said Martinez.
    He turned over his tiles to reveal the incomplete Migration, which he completed by adding the Down and discarding his Sunlit Garden. From the room he heard a collective exhalation of breath.
    He looked at Mukerji, who was suddenly very white around the eyes. “That’s a limit schema,” Mukerji said.
    Honesty compelled Martinez to speak. “And the bones came up six, if you remember, so the limit is doubled. And I’m dealer, so that doubles again.”
    Lord Mukerji surveyed the table, then slowly leaned backwards into his chair, draping himself on the chair back as if he were a fallen flag.
    “What is the limit?” Martinez heard someone ask.
    “Ten thousand,” came the reply.
    “Fucking amazing,” said the first.
    “Well played,” said Lord Mukerji. “I do believe you let me have that Cardinal Direction on purpose.”
    “Of course,” Martinez lied.
    Mukerji held out his hand. “You must give me an opportunity for revenge,” he said.
    Martinez took the hand. “Later tonight, if you like.”
    There was applause from the crowd as the two clasped hands.
    “I need to visit the smoking lounge,” Marcella said, and stood.
    Martinez rose from the table. His head spun, and his knees felt watery. Terza rose with him and took his arm.
    “That was terrifying,” she murmured.
    “Ten thousand doubled twice,” Martinez breathed. “For forty we could buy a small palace in the High City.”
    “We already have a small palace.”
    “I could have lost it tonight.” He passed a hand over his forehead.
    Roland loomed up at his other elbow. “That was well judged,” he said.
    “Thank you.”
    “But you were lucky.”
    Martinez looked at him. “I am lucky,” he said. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have been a senior captain before he was thirty.
    “Just so you don’t go counting on it.” A mischievous light glowed in Roland’s