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.
Dartars poured into the maze or clambered to the roofs. Nogah directed traffic. Medjhah planted himself in his usual spot and watched his brotherstry to crowd the animals into a more compact arrangement. The camels were notinclined to cooperate. Qushmarrahans passing by cursed liberally but werecareful to confine their invective to the hump-backed beasts.
"How are your scrapes and bruises?" Nogah asked.
"They ache. And I'm stiff all over."
"Good thing I didn't send you in there, then. It might get nasty today."
"I think Fa'tad is going to leave a whole gang in here tonight. Five hundred, maybe even a thousand."
"He's gone crazy. The ferrenghi will have convulsions."
"Maybe that's what he wants. If it's all some kind of game with General Cado."
Nogah grunted. Yoseh could see he did not, really, want to bother trying to figure it out.
Same with Medjhah. Hell. Medjhah did not care at all. He just lived from day to day and tried to enjoy what life handed him.
"Hell with these beasts. They won't crowd up any more." Nogah went and foundhimself a seat. After a while, he dozed.
Yoseh settled with the same intention, but remained too conscious of that doordown the street. After a while, Medjhah began his singsing "Come closer."
Yoseh noticed that the tall woman was alone this time and much more bold with her taunting hips.
A while later still, he noticed men across the street, watching.
Ferrenghi spies? Probably. Cado's men hanging around the edges to see whatthey could dig out of the shadows.
Then came the messengers, moving grimly down toward the harbor, and later allthe captains heading uphill, faces blank, without a word to the men.
He heard it from the veydeen first. Overheard it as the news spread likeflashfire. Turok raiders were pillaging the territories between Agadar andQushmarrah. The Agadar garrison had been cut to pieces. The survivors wereholed up in the city.
There were a few Dartar auxiliaries at Agadar. How had they fared?
The veydeen looked like they wanted to work themselves into a panic. Like theyfelt defenseless. He was willing to bet that they had not gotten this excitedwhen they had heard that Herod's armies were approaching.
Then he began to get a glimmer. They feared chaos. They feared Cado wouldmarch out and leave the city open to destructive insurrection. An uprising bythe few would bring reprisals down upon the many, sure as sundown.
He looked down the street at that door. Still nothing. Were they all dead inthere? He glanced skyward. A few tall clouds lumbered toward the gulf. Wouldit ever rain again?
Even here on the coast it did not rain as much as once it had. And Qushmarrahneeded a good rain, to sluice out the accumulated filth and stench.
The spies, or whatever, disappeared. The woman who interested Medjhahreturned, flaunting herself again. The veydeen were blind, so preoccupied werethey with gossip about Turoks.
"Watch this little pigeon fly away," Medjhah said, laughing. He strolledtoward the tall woman, who did look alarmed and did hurry. Medjhah kept onwalking after her.
For a while Yoseh amused himself by trying to kill a fly that had developed adetermination to nest inside his nose. Once he had won that contest he did manage to doze.
"Hey! Yoseh! Wake up! Look what we got for you."
He jerked awake. The boy Arif stood before him, smiling shyly. His littlebrother was with him, holding his hand, which he dropped when Yoseh opened hiseyes. The little one headed for the nearest camel.
The girl Tamisa was behind the boys, carrying something. Behind her, in thedoorway, wearing a ferocious scowl, was the old woman. The other daughter, theolder sister and mother of the boys, elbowed past her and carried a pot to thecenter of the street. She dumped it through a stone grate into the seweragechannel that ran there, went back into the house. She never looked at theDartars at all.
"Good morning, Arif." Agan Yoseh worked hard on his dialect. He only glancedat the girl but his cheeks got hot. He was intensely aware of Nogah watchingthrough scantly cracked eyelids. "How are you today?"
"Mish brought you dinner. She made it herself. Dad said it was all right." Theboy plopped down beside him.
The girl stood there blushing. Yoseh wanted to tell her to do something butdid not know what. He made an uncertain gesture. She took it as an invitation, settled onto a bundle at a very correct distance, sat formally upright witheyes on what she held in her lap.
The boy bubbled, "Did you hear about the Turoks, Yoseh? Are you going to gofight them?"
"Yes, I heard, Arif. I don't know if I'll have to go. I suppose someone will."
The girl said, "Mother thought you'd go. That's why she said I could bringthis out now." She offered, so he had to take the bundle. "Are you all right?
After the way they knocked you around yesterday ..."
"I'm fine. Just a few bruises."
"That's good."