They could not cover everything. He tried to remember how some victims hadgotten away back when he was on the other end.
Then he realized that they must know who they were running. They had beenwaiting for him. They knew he had gone inside. The promotion ... A ploy tosend him scurrying to Cado, to betray himself?
Then it would not matter if he evaded them. They would catch him at home. Theymight tell Reyha ...
He did panic then.
He ran.
All he could think of was getting back to General Cado. The Herodians tookcare of their own.
The soldiers of the Living were good. There came a moment when he was standingin the street, uncertain which way to go. A block behind, four vague shapeswalked his way. Three men waited in each mouth of a cross street. Nothing layahead but haze lighted greenly by the moon. He went the direction they wantedhim to go. And as he started a man stepped into his path, a limpingsilhouette. A man he knew.
"You can stop running now, Naszif. You have nowhere to go. Come. Walk with me.
Quietly. Unless you'd rather I let those others know who you are."
"No! By Aram, don't." He giggled. How long since he had sworn by Aram andmeant it? If secretly, he had adopted Herod, faceless god and all.
He was a vice-colonel, damn it. They would not murder him. They would ransomhim. Trade him for somebody. He wished he had told Cado he thought the manHadribel was going to take over in the Hahr instead of saving that for later.
The Living would trade him and more to get a khadifa back.
"Come. Let's walk." The voice was harder now. "We'll go to my house and talk."
"Your father ..."
"Is a harmless old man. He's nearly blind, and his hearing is what you wouldexpect of someone his age. And he's dying. He's much too preoccupied with thatto care about you."
Naszif glanced around.
"Yes. They're out there. Come. They're death. I'm life."
Resignation swept over Naszif. Almost, he felt relieved. There were nopressures now. No need to pretend. Everything was in other hands.
"You'll be watched. If you leave home, you'll be followed. If you move towardGovernment House you'll be killed. Good night." Bel-Sidek closed the door, leaned against it. A long night, not over yet, and he was supposed to returnto Meryel's when it was done. "You heard, sir?"
"Every word. A vice-colonel in the Herodian army. The human animal neverceases to amaze me. We know traitors seldom act out of fear and less often out of greed. We seldom fathom what does motivate them."
Bel-Sidek muttered, "He never took anything but the salaries due him as aHerodian officer."
"A traitor for love. The triumph or defeat of Qushmarrah meant nothing to himwhen the struggle meant he had to be separated from his wife while she gavebirth. He sold Qushmarrah for that. And that bastard Bruda really tried to gethim here in time." The old man chuckled. "Those slimy bastards always keep their word. Damn them."
"He's really a vice-colonel? That commission isn't just a piece of paper theygave him?"
"It was real. Oh, if they pulled him out of here they wouldn't turn him loosewith a field command. He isn't qualified. But something administrative, yes. Ajob like Bruda's, in Tuhn or Agadar."
"My hold on him is inadequate, then. I should have killed him."
"He'll remain controllable as long as he doesn't get near Cado. And for aslong as it takes him to find the nerve to tell his wife that he's become aranking Herodian officer. If his love is as strong as it seems, I suspect thedepths of hers will reflect it and she'll be up to accepting what he is." Then I do have no choice." "He's stillvulnerable. Through his weakness. Love. You will tell him that we have his sonand will hold him as a surety for his performance."
Startled, bel-Sidek asked, "Do we have him?"
"No. But I'll put that best man of mine on it and we will have him when thetime comes. I'll have you take a message to Muma's in the morning. You caninform the man anytime afterward."
"Yes sir. How are you, sir? Do you need me?" "Told the woman you'd be back todiscuss shipping schedules, did you? Go ahead. I'm tougher than you like tothink, Khadifa.
I'll survive."
Aaron watched Laella carefully throughout breakfast. He could see no sign thatsleep had worked any miracles and given her the answer that had eluded him forsix years. Mish watched them both in that way she did when she knew what hadhappened between them in the dark, looking for he knew not what, but causingknots in his guts. Arif ate somberly and delicately while Stafa flew aroundthe house chattering nonsense as he pursued some imaginary adventure, deaf toparental admonition. Raheb was closed in upon herself, maybe feeling her age.
Laella said, "I've got to do some marketing today." Thinking out loud.
Her mother said, "I'll go with you. I need to get some things."
Mish went into her pout immediately, for which Aaron was almost grateful.
Arif asked, "Can I go with you, Mom?"
"We'll see how you behave this morning."
Mish brightened some. She rose and started making Aaron a lunch.
Aaron said, "I won't need that today, Mish. We're only working half a day."
She looked like she could not make up her mind if she should be delighted ordistraught.
Aaron yawned, caught Stafa on the fly, hugged him as he squealed and wriggled, trying to get loose. He extended a hand, inviting Arif. Arif looked unhappyfor a moment, quietly jealous of his brother's facile way of gettingattention. Then he plunged forward. Aaron let Stafa make good his escape-whichamounted only to a furious dash in a circle which ended with a plunge onto hisfather's back-and took Arif into his arms.
That started the whole ritual of, "Do you have to go to work today, Dad?" and"Stay home, Dad," which finally ended with him bolting out the door.
He moved into the street feeling warm and content with his life and lot Everyman should be so loved and lucky.
Bemusedly, he reflected that he had not had a nightmare for two nights now.
"Aaron."
He looked up. "Bel-Sidek. Good morning. How is your father doing?"
"He's as busy as ever dying. He'll outlive us all. On your way to work?"
"Yes."
"Mind if I walk with you?"
"Of course not."
They walked in silence awhile, Aaron slackening his pace so his companionwould not work so hard descending the hill. He could not help glancing overoccasionally. He had been acquainted with bel-Sidek for years, and knew theman survived by scrounging odd jobs around the waterfront, but they'd neverspent any time together.
After a while, bel-Sidek sort of sighed and said, "I guess there isn't any wayto get at it but to go straight ahead."
"What?"
"You seem to be a fairly trustworthy man, Aaron. So I'm going to take a chanceon you. I belong to the Living."
Aaron looked at him and frowned. "Everybody thinks that, anyway. Why are youtelling me?"
"I am, in fact, a moderately important part of the command structure of theLiving, Aaron. Mostly because I was a commander of a thousand at Dak-es- Souetta. Yesterday one of the men who fought for me there came to me for someadvice. He doesn't know I'm with the Living and he wouldn't name names, butwhat he did say gave me enough to reason out the rest for myself."
Aaron stopped. He looked at his neighbor blankly. Inside he was in a complete state of confusion, panic fighting with wonder fighting with relief. He didnot know what to say or what to do. He could not think. Aram!
"What I want from you, Aaron, is for you to forget all about this. All aboutwhat happened at the Seven Towers. It's been taken care of."
"Hell, man, he had a wife and kid." No way to stop it once it stuck its headout of his mouth. His tongue was a treacherous serpent. "You have to thinkbefore you go cutting throats. They didn't have anybody else in the world.
What the hell are they going to do now? Your kind never think about that when..."
People were pausing to look at him before they hurried away. Bel-Sidek lookedlike he was in shock. But recovering. "Be quiet, Aaron! What's the matter withyou?"