"Yes," Bruda admitted.
"Then we can't account that an omen. Even if it is one."
"Not really."
"And here comes Sullo, timing his appearance perfectly."
Sullo did appear at the top of the Residence steps just as Cado reached theirbase. The civil governor came down slowly, in all his portly glory, beaming ateveryone as though bestowing the benediction of God. He greeted Cadoeffusively. Servants scurried, trying to impress with their diligence.
Sullo's eye fell on the donkey cart. "What's that?" he asked one of his companions. The man shrugged.
"General Cado. I assume those pigeon tracks on the banner on that cart pass for writing here. What does it say?" Cado shrugged. "Colonel Bruda?" Cado did not read Qush-marrahan. Bruda squinted, translated slowly. "'From the people of Qushmarrah, for the Governor Sullo, in appreciation, a gift.'"
Cado and Bruda frowned uncertainly. Sullo pranced over to the cart, shoved his bulk against its side, unlatched the trunk.
Colonel Bruda said, "Governor, you'd better let someone else ..."
Too late. Sullo tossed the trunk lid back.
The fat man rose on his toes. He stiffened. A gargling, strangled sound ripped out of his throat. He turned, his face white with horror. He vomited, then ran for the Residency, pausing to vomit twice more before he disappeared.
Cado looked into the trunk. "The heads of the Moretians he sent to evict the old woman." "Welcome to Qushmarrah, indeed."
Try to find the boy who delivered the cart."
"Waste of time."
"I know. Make a showing. I'll go try to keep him from doing anything else stupid." But Sullo was not on Cado's mind as he mounted the steps of the Residency. He thought he saw a way to ease the perils of responding to the Turok incursion.
Azel dozed in the shadows by the empty fireplace, not as unalert as he appeared. He cracked an eyelid when the limping man came in. The man talked to Muma instead of passing a message. Muma looked surprised. After an exchange the gimp nodded and hobbled outside. Muma fished a son out of the kitchen, yakked at him, sent him out the back way. He poured himself a draft of hot tea, added a dollop of honey, came to join Azel. "Another message?"
"A little off the usual."
"I saw you jump. What is it?"
"The palm sparrow has flown."
Azel sat up. "The old boy croaked?"
"That's what it means. That one wants to talk to you as soon as he can."
"I'd rather leave town. But I suppose I have to. He's the one the old manpicked to take over."
"Maybe we all ought to leave town."
"Just when it's getting interesting?"
"Just when it's getting deadly."
Muma's son came back. He nodded. All clear. Azel rose, stretched, went out theback way. He caught up with the limping man. As he passed, he said, "At theParrot's Beak," and went ahead.
He picked himself a good perch and waited, flipping pebbles at the morningpigeons grazing on the leavings of evening picnickers. When the shadow fellupon him he suggested, "Pull up a seat, Khadifa."
The cripple eased himself down.
"I'm Azel. I worked for the old man, special. I guess I work for you now.
Them's his orders, anyway. So he finally went and did it, huh?"
"He did it, Azel. But he had help."
"What?" That caught him as much by surprise as had the pursuit of the Dartarsin the labyrinth.
"We believe he was murdered. By witchcraft." The gimp gave him details. "Iwant you to view the body. See if you concur. Then I want you to find thewoman who did it."
"A woman? You're sure?"
"No. Of course not. But once you come see the body you'll understand ourpresumption."
Azel shifted uneasily. "It's still in Char Street? I had word from the old manyesterday to stay out of Char Street. Dartars are up to something there, watching everybody like hawks, stirring things up. I been in and out too muchlately, all the special jobs he wanted done. What you doing with the body?
Moving it somewhere?"
"He had property in the country. His wife still lives out there. We're takinghim there later."
"I know the place. I'll show up somewhere along the way. You going outyourself? We got a lot to talk about and this ain't the best place."
"You're right. It isn't. Maybe out there, day after tomorrow. I can get awaywith breaking routine today because my father died and there are things youhave to do on a day like that. Unfortunately, I'll actually have to spend mostof my time doing those things. Tomorrow I'll have to get back to my normalroutine or there'll be questions."
"You ought to find some way to stop working," Azel said. "Ain't no way beingboss of the whole damned outfit ought to be a part-time job."
"I have to eat."
Azel snorted. The man was a damned fool, seduced by the imaginary value ofappearances. Who the hell was watching him? Bet he wasn't no hand-to-mouth daylaborer before Dak-es-Souetta. "You going to make any big changes? Or just goahead the same old way?"
"No changes. That I foresee. Maybe after I'm more familiar with everything theorganization is doing. I wasn't in on everything."
Azel snorted again. The guy was right there. The old man had thought him waytoo soft to follow through on some of the hard things that had to be done. Butthe best successor, anyway, overall. Go figure that.
The man asked, "How did you come to meet the General?"
"In temple. Long time ago. Look, I got stuff to do. Anything you want I shoulddo right away? Besides try to find who did the old man?"
"I'd like to find out what the Dartars are up to in the Shu."
"You and half the world. I'll look you up if Fa'tad comes around andconfesses." Azel rose, walked away before the new General could drag it outany more.
He seemed a little too passive to boss such a bloodthirsty outfit.
Azel strolled up toward the citadel, stroking the place with idle butthoughtful glances. A woman killer, eh? And who might talk herself intothinking she had a reason?
He was passing the Residence, where for some reason they had a guard laid onthat looked like half a legion, when by chance he glanced back and in thedistance saw someone who looked like the eunuch Torgo. By the time he got backthere without attracting attention he was unable to pick the man up again.
Yoseh sighed when Nogah left the alley where he had spent the night. Word hadswept the column already: it had been a bad night for those who had stayed inthe city. As many as a dozen might have been killed. More had been injured.
It would get worse, Yoseh was sure. He wished he knew what Fa'tad was doing.
Last night there had been talk about hidden caverns, fabulous treasures, evena secret tunnel leading into the citadel. Everybody knew about the wealthaccumulated in the citadel. If he could lay hands on that, Fa'tad could kissQush-marrah good-bye.
"Are you all right?" Yoseh asked as he dismounted.
"Just tired," Nogah said. "We were lucky here. It was quiet all night-exceptwhen the most beautiful woman in the world came past, on her way to visit yourgirlfriend's house."
"What?"
"No. She didn't actually visit. That was weird. She just stood outside the door for a while."
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know. I'm in love. I'm not supposed to make sense."
"You're doing a great job." "There any special news?"
"No. Fa'tad started the herd south yesterday. He's going all out against the maze today. That's it." "You want to go in today?"
Yoseh glanced down the street. Right now that door was closed.
"Don't want to miss a chance, eh? All right. I can understand that. I'm in love myself. Going to sit out here today looking for mine, too."
"That'll make Medjhah happy. He's got one picked out, too."
Nogah grunted, glanced around. "This crowd, we'll need more than two men to mind the animals." '
There was a crowd. Close to forty men today, to work this one access. And another dozen to go up and walk the rooftops in search of additional entrances to the maze. The street was pure chaos as Dartar numbers tried to move amidst normal morning traffic. The animals would create a choke point filling half the street. And it would get worse when the masons came later.