Yoseh glanced at the old woman. She had taken her place outside the door withher mending, daring traffic to trample her. All along Char Street the regularswere out, refusing to let the Dartar presence disturb ancient routine. Heopened the bundle, saw nothing really familiar. He tried a few nibbles, foundeverything mouth-watering. "This is great. But there's way too much here forme. Mind if I share with my brother?"
"No. That's all right. Go ahead."
"Nogah. Come help me with this."
As Nogah approached, the girl realized he was not Medjhah. "How many brothersdo you have?"
"Three. Medjhah and Nogah right here and Amar, who is a troop leader inQuadideh's company."
Nogah settled, went to tasting, nodded pleasantly. "This is excellent. What isyour friend's name, Yoseh?"
"Tamisa."
"You're a very good cook, Tamisa."
She blushed. "I got a lot of help from Laella and my mother."
"Even so, yours was the hand in control." With nothing at risk Nogah couldassume the burden of conversation. Yoseh mostly listened. So did Arif, withbig, serious eyes, while the little one, Stafa, clambered all over asurprisingly patient camel. Yoseh saved him from a fall and set him on hisfeet. He marveled that these children of Qushmarrah were so well fed.
Dartar children, even now, were little more than bags of bones living on theedge of starvation.
Nogah got the girl to relax. Once she did, she turned into a chatterer. Someof her preoccupations seemed pretty shallow, though.
Arif grew bored. Looking disappointed in his new friend, he began wanderingaround looking at animals^ weapons, and supplies.
Nogah asked Tamisa, "Who was the woman who came to your door during the night?
I've never seen a woman so beautiful."
"Reyha? Beautiful?" Tamisa laughed. "She's an old hag. She must be at leastthirty." Then her eyes grew big. She looked worried. She had said somethingshe should not have.
"Maybe we're talking about different women. Come to think of it. The one I sawjust stood outside your door for a few minutes."
Yoseh asked, "Is Reyha the one whose son was taken here?"
Tamisa nodded. "She and my sister have been friends all their lives. They evenhad Arif and Zouki the same day. She came because she was having trouble withher husband."
Yoseh said, "I've seen this Reyha, Nogah. If it's her you fell in love withlast night you'd better worry about how fast you're going to go blind."
Nogah chuckled. "It doesn't matter who she was. She was that kind of woman youonly see once, for a moment, and never again, but remember all your life."
"Ach! You're starting to sound like Father."
"I'm his son and heir. You two go ahead and talk." He got up and went and gothis horse onto her feet. He hoisted the veydeen boys onto her back. Arifbecame frightened and wanted down. Stafa was as happy as a child his age couldbe.
Tamisa asked, "How does your brother know somebody came to our house lastnight, Yoseh?"
He reflected. It wasn't exactly a secret around here, was it? "He spent thenight in the alley so nobody could get in or out of the maze."
"Oh."
"More of us are going to stay tonight. I know I am."
"Oh. Oh." Flustered. "I think I'd better get back to my chores. Before mymother ... Arif. Stafa. Come on. It's time to go."
Yoseh sat there wondering if he'd said something wrong.
Aaron had been distracted all morning. Not enough to make mistakes but enoughto slow him down. Cullo had commented, not unkindly, expressing a genuineconcern. Aaron had not been able to shake it.
Billygoat sat down beside him as he started on his lunch. "Think it'll rain?
Looks like we got some clouds coming in."
Aaron grunted. It did not look like rain. Just clouds.
"City could use a good washdown."
Aaron grunted again.
"You ever notice the difference between men and dogs, Aaron? A dog comes toyou begging, you give him the sorriest scrap, he's properly grateful. A mancomes to you desperate, you try to give him a hand, four times out of five heturns on you. Makes the whole damned thing your fault. On the whole, I think Ilike dogs better than I like men."
His piece spoken, Billygoat got up to go.
"Wait," Aaron said. "Sit down. You're right. I'm sorry. I apologize."
Billygoat harumphed. "I reckon that means you got another problem to hit mewith and be ungrateful about later."
"No! Look, I said I'm sorry. The problem I had-it got solved, all right, butthen it didn't, either, really. It only made more problems."
"Yeah. That's the way she goes, most times. You hear about that child-stealergot caught over my way yesterday? Tried to grab a kid, got hisself chased downand stomped to death. That ought to ease your worries some."
"I heard. I also heard he used some kind of sorcery, same as the one who tookthe child where I live. And the Dartars were chasing that one up Char Streetalmost the same time the other was getting himself killed. If there're two ofthem maybe there're three or four or a hundred."
"I swear. You ain't going to be satisfied till your boy does get got. You livein Char Street. I come over Char Street this morning. You got two thousandDartars packed in there asshole-to-elbow. Who you think would be dumb enoughto try something with odds like that?"
"The Living might."
"Heh! We're getting around to something here, aren't we?"
Aaron told most of it, keeping the names out.
Billygoat listened. He thought. He said, "I figure they lied to him, not you.
Handy way to twist his arm. Anyway, what you worrying about it for? Ain't yourproblem. You're starting to get silly, like some of these fools around hereall in a panic because of some Turok bandits all the way around to the otherside of the gulf."
Aaron had not heard that news yet. He had to have the story told.
Bel-Sidek glanced around as he left his home. "It gets any thicker out herepeople will be climbing over each other."
Hadribel's men began forcing a way through the press.
"Gently," bel-Sidek told them. "Let's not attract attention." They werealready. Raheb Sayed had them fixed with her basilisk's eye.
"How will Cado respond?" Hadribel asked. The news about the Turoks had comeonly a moment before word that it was safe to approach the traitor's house.
What Hadribel really wanted to know was if this was likely to become anopportunity for the movement.
"No telling. That son of a whore is as crafty as Fa'tad, in his way. Wouldn'tsurprise me if he made the whole thing up just to see how everybody jumps.
We'll be very careful with General Cado."
"How can we get the old man out through this mess?"
"By investing heavily of patience, I suspect."
They crossed Char Street, entered an alleyway. Even there they faced foottraffic trying to beat the press on the artery. The walk took so long Hadribelfelt compelled to scout their destination again.
"Still safe," he concluded.
"Let's get it done." Bel-Sidek was uncomfortable with this. But he had toknow.
Hadribel hammered on the traitor's door. The woman responded. She looked atthem without recognition, uneasy but not frightened, as though used to findingstrange men at her door.
"My husband isn't here. You'll find him ..."
"I know," bel-Sidek said. "It's you we want to see." He pushed forward. Shehad to retreat or be trampled. Bel-Sidek, Hadribel, and two of Hadribel's menwere inside before she protested.
"Please relax," bel-Sidek said. "You're in no danger. We want to ask a fewquestions."
She looked for someplace to run. There was no place. They had taken all thoseaway. "Who are you? What do you want?"