Cado continued, "Colonel Bruda's people have put out markers on the mapshowing what we know, which is mainly that the Turoks are west of Agadar andmoving our way, staying near the coast. Colonel Bruda has dispatched scouts byland and sea but we'll have been in the field several days before we havetheir reports. Fa'tad, you think they've grown bold enough to violate Dartarterritory?"
One of the Dartars translated for the old warrior though he understoodHerodian perfectly. All part of the game, as was Cado's having ignoredFa'tad's honorifics. He barked an answer translated as, "Not if they hope toget home with their booty."
"I thought not. I presume plunder to be the object of their exercise. Theywon't want a real fight. I'm not spoiling for one, either. So we'll marchalong the coast in easy stages and chase them back the way they came. Fa'tad, I'll need fifteen hundred horsemen. I've already told General Lucillo he'll betaking twenty-five hundred from the Twelfth. I want you on the road as soon aspossible. As soon as naval vessels can be manned and loaded you'll haveoffshore support and supply.
"Four thousand plus naval support should be strength enough to chase theTuroks without us weakening ourselves here."
Right, Azel thought. Even left Cado a little stronger in respect to Fa'tad'sgang, just in case. But what was he up to sending out troops from the Twelfthunder orders from Lucillo, who commanded the Seventh Cadadasca? What was hesaving Marco for? If he was going to use the general from the Seventh, why notits men?
He grinned. Old Fa'tad was all pruned up as he tried to untangle the samequestions. And that pruning was probably the whole answer. A fillip to keep the Eagle wondering.
When the meeting broke up, Dartars would start scurrying around trying to findout if they had overlooked something about Lucillo.
Azel did not lead the sort of life that saw him sitting in on many militaryplanning sessions. He found they were not very exciting. After Cado announcedwho was going to send how many men, it was all pounds of food and fodder, would the temporary span in the Cherico bridge stand up to the passage of anarmy, could soldiers who had been in garrison too long make the march from theSahdri Well to Quadrat in one day or should they be issued an extra canteen?
Should artillery be taken? One faction insisted. Another said it would onlyslow them down because the ox teams could not keep up a fast pace. And soforth.
Cado settled the artillery debate by saying he would load the engines aboardship.
To Azel it seemed calm and professional and about as adventuresome asconversation amongst greengrocers. The Dar-tars did not say much, speakingonly in response to direct questions, which Azel supposed was the way it wassupposed to be, them being the hired hands.
Fa'tad kept an eye on him all the time.
The civil governor was all business, never saying a word. Azel did not learnanything about him.
He got the impression the ugly little witch was there doing what he was, sizing up the boss's enemies. She paid him no mind. Fa'tad made up for herindifference.
The man grew more obvious. Feeling for a reaction? Why? Had one of his gangrecognized the stable boy who had busted a guy up for running off at the mouthabout Qushmarrah?
Trouble with the whole thing was, Cado and Bruda were going to notice. No wayto stop it, though. Just ride it out, like a ship in a storm.
Then the confab was over. Cado hadn't consulted him once. He was pissed. Thatrisk for nothing.
Before sunset Joab and the Dartar elite, and Lucillo and his twenty-fivehundred, would be off to stalk the ferocious Turok. Tension in the city wouldsoar as everyone waited for the Living to try something because garrisonstrength was at low ebb.
Azel did not expect the Living to act. But a few fanatics might, and might setoff the explosion the old man had feared from the moment he had made his dealwith the Witch.
Qushmarrah might throw the yoke of Herod in a sudden savage uprising but therecould be no realistic hope of keeping its independence unless the flame ofrebellion scorched the entire coast or the Living came up with a weapon morepotent than the Herodian legions.
Nakar could be that weapon. Nakar the Abomination. Without Ala-eh-din Beyh to hold him in check.
He should not be thinking of that in Government House. Here he should remainthe perfect Herodian agent in thought as well as appearance.
The military men had begun moving out. Sullo had gone with his shadowinstrument. Cado and Bruda were whispering with Lucillo and Marco while Fa'tadeagle-eyed them from across the room. Cado suddenly bobbed his head and turnedaway, beckoned his bodyguards, stalked out of the room. He dismissed all ofthem but Azel immediately. "We didn't learn much from that, did we, Rose?"
"Found out the governor can keep his mouth shut when he wants."
"I guess you could call that a blessing. Yes."
"I need to get up on that balcony on the third level on the southwest corner.
To see what direction somebody goes when he heads out."
"All right." Curious. He did not ask who or why.
Damned man trotted along with him, picking at this and that like he was maybetrying to circle in on something. Whatever it was, it had Sullo near thebull's-eye. And it wasn't like he was hinting that something should happen tothe governor. He would come right out with that. No. It was like Cado's levelof trust had suffered ...
The damned Moretians! Of course. Cado had mentioned them to him. He had mentioned them to the General. The old man had had their heads chopped off.
Cado was asking himself how the Living had found out so fast and he didn'tlike one of the possible answers.
He would have to give Bruda something that would ease Cado's mind.
The Dartars did not scatter the way they should have. They paused out front, in a cluster, then moved into the streets west of Government House. Thestreets somebody exiting the side door would head for if he wanted to get outof sight quickly.
He could handle that. He'd just go out one of the public doors on the otherside, maybe drift down and see what bel-Shaduk was up to before he went outfor his look at what was left of the old man.
Meantime, Fa'tad deserved a tweak.
"One thing I did hear but didn't have a chance to check the rumor. Fa'tadsupposedly left a couple hundred men in the city last night, in the Shu maze."
"That's useful. You didn't mention it before."
"Didn't know if it was worth it. It's just a rumor I never got a chance tocheck. You want I should go ahead and figure how to set Sullo up? Or do youreckon you're going to get along?"
That did for the moment. Cado said of course Rose should be ready if a movehad to be made. Azel said he would do it and made his exit wishing Cado wasnot so interested in him. He'd rather deal with Bruda.
The sinkhole country looked better all the time. If there was a blowup, he wasgone till the dust settled.
Yoseh realized he had been chattering for hours.
Actually, once she got over her initial shyness the girl did most of thetalking. It was plain she did not get much chance to say what she thought athome. She offered him an ill-informed opinion on almost every subjectimaginable. Yoseh found himself smiling and nodding in agreement just to keepher there.
Medjhah finally came back. He wore a look of awe. He sat down beside Nogah, shook his head, said, "You wouldn't believe it. I don't believe it. And I wasthere."
"Fortune smiled upon you?"
"Fortune crawled all over me. If I'd wished for gold I'd be the richest man inthe world."
Nogah snorted derisively.
A pair of mason's helpers came out for more bricks. Yoseh wondered what washappening inside the labyrinth. It had been a quiet day. He had expectedexcitement but they had not brought out a single prisoner yet. Medjhah thoughtmaybe most of the villains had slipped out during the night. Nogah grumbledthat it was probably because the men he had sent in were loafing. Yosehsuspected the whole maze thing had been overrated and there had not been thatmany people in there to begin with.