"I'm too confused about my feelings. I need somebody to help me think."
Nobody said anything. Aaron could feel Reyha's pain. Nothing he could say would change that.
She finally observed, "You don't seem very surprised."
Laella rested her hand on Aaron's. "We suspected for a long time. Naszif did strange things sometimes."
"Oh."
"What do you want, Reyha?" Laella asked.
"I don't know. Except I want my baby back. If we had Zouki, Naszif says the Herodians would send us somewhere where we'd be safe and he wouldn't have to spy on people anymore."
Aaron wondered if they'd do that, really. Maybe. The tie that bound the Herodian empire together was its strange and bitter religion. If Naszif had adopted that, they might consider him one of their "confederates," with acitizenship only slightly more restricted than that of native-born Herodians.
He said, "I don't know how we could help, Reyha. Anything we did would put usin the middle between the Herodians and the Living. I won't speak for Laella, but I'd just as soon not have anything to do with any of them. I have my ownfamily to worry about."
Laella said, "Aaron!"
"I don't know what you could do. I just wanted Laella to know because shealways stays calm, no matter what, and I get rattlebrained, so maybe she couldthink of something when I couldn't. I wouldn't ever ask you to do somethingthat would get you in trouble."
Laella told her, "We'll do whatever we can to help you, Reyha. You know that."
"Thank you. I'd better run home. Before Naszif gets back. He'd be very angryif he knew I told you anything."
"He won't know," Laella said. "Aaron, you'd better walk with her."
Aaron sighed. "Yes. I suppose I'd better."
Reyha had little to say during the walk. She had exhausted her reserves ofcourage and talk. When he got back home, Laella said, "Well? Something got toyou while she was telling us. What was it?"
"Zouki was kidnapped before they found out about Naszif. So that couldn't bewhy he was grabbed. And bel-Sidek promised me the Living didn't have anythingto do with it. Even Naszif didn't believe the Living would be involved inchild-stealing. So how come all of a sudden they tell him they've got Zoukiwhen they want to twist his arm?"
"Maybe they lied."
"But they're taking him to see Zouki."
"Don't bark at me, Aaron. I don't know who's doing what to whom, or why. I'mnot sure I care. Reyha and Zouki are what I care about. Do you understand?"
"Yes. There's no point fussing about it till we find out what they showedNaszif or did to him. I guess."
"What if he doesn't come home, Aaron?"
"Huh?"
"What if they ... they did something with him: What would Reyha do?"
"We're getting ahead of things. When Reyha needs help-if she needs it-we'll dowhatever we can. So let's not get fussed. Let's get back to bed. I have towork tomorrow."
Naszif burst out of the mouth of the Shu maze, turned left, lengthened hisstride, ran all the way to the side door of Government House. He gave thepassword and his emergency code. To his amazement he was in to see Colonel Bruda before he got his wind back. "What is it?" Bruda asked, knowing it would be dramatic if it had to be done this way.
"They've found me out. I can't take more than a few minutes or they'll know I came here. They're trying to force me to work against you."
"Damn!" Bruda punched the wall. "Just when we were getting close to them." He kissed a skinned knuckle. "You want us to take you out? I can send troops to get your wife."
"No. They have my son. He's their leverage. I'm going to stay in till I can get him out, too. And meanwhile try to learn enough to gut them. I just wantedyou to know they're using me now. Whatever you hear from me will be what theywant you to hear. I have to go. I don't want them to suspect I've slipped theleash. Tell the General."
"You've got more guts than I do. You find out where they're holding your son, let us know. We'll hit them and get him out. Then send you out of town."
Naszif nodded. "I will. "He went downstairs, out the side door, and ran all the way home, where he found a shivering Reyha waiting in his bed. "Did you see him, Naszif?"
"Yes."
"How was he? Was he all right?"
"He was clean and well dressed and looked well fed. He seemed healthy. They wouldn't let me talk to him. He didn't know I was there. He's all right except for being scared."
"What are we going to do, Naszif?" "We're going to do whatever they tell us to do. For now."
The Witch waited only till Torgo told her that Azel and his companion had cleared the Postern of Fate. She told the eunuch, "I'm going to go have an unfriendly chat with our ally, General bel-Karba." "My lady, I don't think ..."
"That's right, Torgo. You don't. Because I don't want you to. You understand?"
"Yes, my lady."
"I won't be gone long. Get that child ready. I'll do him when I get back."
"But ..."
"I'm strong enough, Torgo. I don't need to rest. Get on with your business and let me get on with mine."
She watched the eunuch depart, then gathered her skirts and headed for the Postern of Fate.
She had not been out into the city since the conquest. It seemed littlechanged, except that the night was more quiet. The Herodians had stilled therowdy darknesses that had stemmed from the citadel and the mouth of Gorloch.
She slipped out of the naked openness of the acropolis and headed down CharStreet, into the inevitable night fog. She made no more sound than the fogitself, and felt no more fear. There was nothing in Qushmarrah more dangerousthan its Witch.
She came to the General's door. She paused. She sensed only the one enfeebledspirit within. The door was not barred.
Only someone supremely confident of his power would lie sleeping behind anunbarred door in the Shu.
She invited herself inside.
"Hadribel? Are you back already?"
A light sleeper. She stepped into the room where he lay. "No, General. NotHadribel. Someone you don't want to see at all. Someone who did not want tocome see you. But someone sufficiently tired of your lapses in regard torecognition of who is ruler and who is ruled that she felt compelled to comemake the point clear."
The General met her gaze without flinching. He grunted. That grunt seemed tocall her a damn fool woman.
"You had your creature Azel threaten me."
He looked at her a moment, then snorted. "My creature? Azel? Azel is nobody'screature but his own. He carried my message, yes, and it doesn't seem to havegotten garbled. He did his job. But if he were to surrender to his prejudicesI suspect there's only one person who could touch his heart. That person ishere and it isn't me, woman."
"You dared to presume to control me, General."
"I have a duty to Qushmarrah and my lord Nakar. Your obsessive behaviorimperils the recovery of both. Go back to the citadel, woman. Examine thechildren already in your power and leave the city alone. If you press it toomuch it will turn on us all. None of us will get what we want."
"You don't understand. None of you do. You never have. I don't give a damnabout Qushmarrah. I never have. I wouldn't care if it sank beneath the sea. Iwant my husband back. I'll do whatever it takes. And I won't let anyone get inmy way. Not even you. Do you understand me?"
"I understand that Azel allowed his secret passion to cloud his reason, afterall. His report on your obsession fell short of the truth. Go back to thecitadel, woman. Be at peace with your heart. Be patient. Or you'll destroy usall."