The questions were predictable. Bel-Sidek had decided to answer them honestly.
"We are the Living. We want to know where you went last night."
She started shaking. She said nothing.
"One of our men was murdered last night. A very important man. My commander.
It was done by a woman. You were out and in that area. If you felt you had areason, if you suspected who the man really was ..."
Her eyes grew huge. Her mouth hung. She swung her head back and forth inlittle jerks. She tried to speak but could not force anything out.
"You didn't do it? How can we believe that? Where did you go?"
"I ... can't ... say."
"Why not?"
"Because you're evil, wicked men. You'd go terrorize people just becausethey're my friends."
"I don't intend debating relative morality or our duties to the city thatnurtured us. We believe we're right. We're convinced our ends are just. A heroof Qushmarrah was murdered in his bed. We mean to find the woman responsible.
If you're not guilty, show us."
The woman spat. "You haven't done enough to us already, have you? Youoverlooked one member of the family." She spat again. "To hell with you. Goahead. Kill me. You've taken away everything I have to live for, anyway."
Hatred fouled the air. Bel-Sidek was startled by the fever of it. "I'm notgoing to kill anyone. I don't think you did anything but go to Char Street tovisit your friend Laella. But my comrades want something more convincing thanmy guesses."
"What if I said I did go there?"
"I want to know what you told her and what or who you saw in the street, coming and going."
She sat down on the floor, against a wall. "You see? No matter what I tellyou, you won't be satisfied. You'll want more. And there'll be nothing in itfor me but pain. You want me to talk to you, give me my son back."
"I'd be tempted. If I had him. We don't make war on children. They aren'tresponsible for the crimes of their fathers."
The woman stared at him for half a minute, radiating hatred and disgust. Shespat again, directly at him. "You want me to believe and trust you, telling mea bald-faced lie like that? After you dragged my husband out last night toshow him that you do have Zouki?"
Bel-Sidek stepped back, told one of the men, "Don't mark her.
Hadribel." He took Hadribel aside. "Tell me what you did with the traitoragain."
Hadribel repeated his story.
"Did he see the boy?"
"She thinks so."
"The General said we'd pretend. I think I smell something. The old man had adark streak. It may have infected part of the movement. I want to know."
Hadribel scowled. He had worshipped the General, too. He did not want to thinkthe old man had done something less than perfectly righteous. "I'll see what Ican find out."
Bel-Sidek went to supervise the woman's interrogation.
She was damned stubborn. She would not talk.
Azel approached Government House reluctantly. He did not like having beensummoned.
The mechanism had existed for years but the Herodians had not used it before.
That disturbed him. Till he stepped inside Government House he thought aboutwalking away from it.
He was especially uncomfortable with the news about the Turok pillagers. Theywere a random element that could destabilize an already rattled situation.
The doormen wasted no time conducting him to Colonel Bruda, who took himstraight to General Cado. Cado said, "Thanks for coming. You heard about theTurok raiders at Agadar?"
"It's all anyone's talking about."
"Bad news gets around fast. How are people reacting?"
"Like they think the Turoks will ride in and sack the city."
Cado snorted. "In a moment I'll go downstairs to thrash out a plan for dealingwith them. I want you to.come along in case I need an opinion on how theQushmarrahan people will react."
"I don't like that. I'm a spy, not ..."
"You'll be a bodyguard again. No one there could compromise you. There'll bemyself and Bruda, senior officers from the legions, the civil governor, Fa'tadand his top men. You're my only touchstone with the Qushmarrahan in thestreet."
"Crap. You take me into a big-time meeting, one of those guys-probably thatnitwit lard-ass civil governor-will spot me on the street later and tell theworld, There goes that guy that hangs around with Cado pretending to be abodyguard.'"
"There's that risk. But indulge me, Rose. This will be tricky, balancing aresponse between Fa'tad, Sullo, and the Living. Have you heard what happenedto Sullo?"
"I guess not."
"He sent twenty Moretians to take over Hanno bel-Karba's country house yesterday. Today the Living sent their heads back in a trunk." "Really? A little last-gasp derring-do."
"I warned Sullo. He didn't listen. Watch him close. I may have to ask for a special favor soon. He's going to become an embarrassment." Azel grunted. "Watch Fa'tad, too. I have trouble reading him. Have any idea what he's up to in the Shu yet?"
Azel shrugged. "I've heard stories. I don't believe any of them."
"Tell me a few."
"There are caverns under the Shu. That's a fact. In some of the stories the bosses of the maze have filled those with stolen treasure and Fa'tad wants to grab that. In some other stories one of the caverns is a secret passage into the citadel, which Fa'tad plans to loot." "Are these fantasies?"
"I lived in the maze when I was a kid. I never saw no treasure and never heard of no secret passage. Which don't mean they ain't there. Nobody tells a kid nothing."
"Fa'tad thinks he's on to something. He has half his men on it today. You think he's learned something from the prisoners he's taken?"
Azel shrugged.
"I hear he's executed most of them."
"They ain't model citizens."
Cado shook a little silver bell. Colonel Bruda came in. "Sir?"
"I need Rose in a bodyguard costume. Rose, I'd be very grateful if you could find me even one of the men who did in Sullo's Moretians."
"They won't go around bragging."
"That's why there's still a group called the Living. But try."
The other children did not say much but they eyed Zouki in wonder. Some came to touch him quickly, lightly, as though hoping his luck would rub off.
Of all the children taken out of the cage he was the first to be returned.
But then the big man came again and Zouki knew that this time there would be no unexpected reprieve. This time they would do whatever it was they did with children.
Azel was in a foul mood when he entered Cado's meeting. He did not want to be there and he did not like holding his tongue the way he must. He thought a lot about getting out of town.
It was a nice fantasy but not one he took too seriously even though it seemedthe most intelligent course to follow.
Cado nodded to the men who rose to greet him. There were fifty or sixty. Theyranged to either side of a massive table six feet wide and twenty long toppedby a colorful miniature of the north coast from Ocean's shore to Aquira in theeast. Two thirds of the men were Herodian. They stood on the seaward side.
Opposite, Fa'tad al-Akla stood with his captains. Sullo had assumed positionat the far end of the table. He had an ugly female with him. She looked likeshe had gotten away from childhood just last week, but seemed less intimidatedby her surroundings than did Sullo.
His pet witch?
She had the smell. A strong one. She'd be a bad one in another twenty years.
Cado said, "You've heard the bad news. You've had time to think. I have anidea of my own but I'm open to any strokes of genius you've suffered.
Volunteers? No?"
Azel studied Sullo and his witch, uncomfortable because Fa'tad and several ofhis captains were eyeing him. He pretended not to notice, mimicking the sleepyindifference of his fellow guards while trying to catch everything he could.