Sullo and his witch arrived. The civil governor was irked at having his reposedisturbed yet was pleased that his political enemy felt the need to includehim in what was afoot. Cado wondered if he would behave like a spoiled childif he learned that he had been summoned only because the military governorwanted to use his witch.
He had Bruda explain to them, then explain again when Colonel bel-Abek and hiswife arrived, guarded by a dozen soldiers. He watched the interplay, or lackthereof, between the bereaved mothers. Bel-Abek's wife, a drab thing he'dnever before seen, seemed to be melting from shame. The other woman ignoredher existence.
Colonel bel-Abek asked, "Can I talk to Taglio?" He seemed excited.
"Are you on to something?"
"I think the kidnapping may have interrupted a meeting of the ruling councilof the Living. The man who headed the movement lived right there on CharStreet. I learned that just today."
A man came in to report his inability to make contact with Rose. He had left a message. Cado thanked him and dismissed him. "Go on, Colonel."
Puffing up, bel-Abek said. "He was murdered last night. Whoever he was."
"Hanno bel-Karba," Bruda said.
"Sir?"
"General Hanno bel-Karba was the mastermind of the Living. We knew who hadbeen killed, but not where or when."
Cado saw Fa'tad, alone, looking like a great black crow, standing in ashadowed doorway, listening, studying everyone. Cado listened with only halfan ear as bel-Abek reported what he had learned about the leading men of theLiving. Fa'tad would be interesting tonight. He'd always held a grudge againstHerod because of the assassination of Hanno bel-Karba.
He saw he had been noticed. He came across the room like he was some greatlord and they his house servants. He stopped in front of Cado. "I'm here," hesaid in Herodian without a trace of accent.
"Did you overhear enough to understand the situation? Or should Colonel Brudabrief you?"
"I'd better hear it all."
While Bruda told it yet again Cado visited Sullo and asked if he would havehis witch see what she could do for the old woman. The physician looked likehe did not have much hope.
He stepped back to Bruda and Fa'tad as Bruda finished. Bruda said, "I want tosend a squad to that house. They'll be too late to catch anybody but theymight find something useful."
"Go ahead. Fa'tad, why would your men think these child-stealings a Herodianscheme?"
Fa'tad looked him in the eye for five seconds, then said, "Yoseh, come here," in the Dartar dialect.
Yoseh was sitting two feet from Tamisa, not looking at her, she not looking athim, yet he felt they were somehow in closer communion than ever they had beenon Char Street. He was frightened. So was she. All that gobbling in Herodiandid not help.
Then Fa'tad came and he was three times as frightened as before.
Fa'tad chattered with Cado awhile. Then, like a hammer blow to the heart, hesaid, "Yoseh, come here."
Panicky, he looked at Nogah and Medjhah. No help there. They just nodded.
He rose stiffly, went to stand at Fa'tad's left hand. He looked down at theshine atop Cado's head and wondered that these hairless runts had been able toconquer everyone who stood against them.
Fa'tad said, "Yoseh, tell the General everything you know about the man you caught in the alley the other day."
"The child-stealer? Everything?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
"But I don't have any Herodian."
"He'll understand you."
Yoseh closed his eyes, took a deep breath, told it all, right up to the momentthe man had gotten away from him and Aaron with Arif. When he finished andopened his eyes he saw that the General's sidekick had returned. The twoHerodians exchanged glances. Cado said, "Rose."
"Has to be Rose," the other said, in Dartar dialect. "That explains why he'sbeen such a mystery. He isn't our man at all. But whose is he?"
"We talked of an unknown dark force earlier," Cado said.
"That will be all, Yoseh," Fa'tad said. "Thank you. You did well."
Yoseh retreated hastily.
Cado watched the Dartar boy go. He was angry with himself. Plainly, Rose hadbeen using and manipulating him all along. Possibly he had been doing the samewith the Living. He had made no secret of the fact that he was a member. Themassacre of the Moretians almost certainly was his fault. The alacrity withwhich the Living had moved meant he had access to people in the movement atthe same level as he had had here in Government House.
"Colonel Bruda, send men to that place where we make contact with Rose. Havethem arrest everyone they find there."
"Yes sir."
Cado told Fa'tad, "This man Rose has played me for a fool, as he played othersfor me in my service." Who did Rose serve? Neither Sullo nor Fa'tad, for sure.
The Living seemed just remotely possible, though no one in the movement wouldhave authorized him to give up some of the information he had turned over.
A free agent? Absurd. It offended any sense of the natural order. No one mancould have the arrogance to believe he could step between Herod and the Livingand play them against one another for his own purposes.
Speaking of which. What might they be? On the information available Rose'spurposes were completely shadowed. The man could not be after wealth. He'dnever taken much in the way of pay. Just enough for a man to get by. The powerto stand in the middle and exasperate everyone? That did not seem sufficientlysinister.
Bruda was back.
"Are they off?"
Bruda nodded.
Then let's see how our guests can help us. Let's all drag chairs or cushionsover and chat. Colonel bel-Abek, would you translate for Governor Sullo? We'lldo this in Qushmarrahan. Informally."
People moved into position. The "guests" looked troubled. Cado spoke directlyto the Qushmarrahan family when he shifted to their language. "Our purposehere is to unravel this child-stealing business. I hope we can come up withsome valuable clues by pooling what we know. Your motive for participatingwill be the restoration of your son. Likewise, Colonel bel-Abek. Then, too, you might find you're grateful for the help given the old woman."
Sullo's witch had worked some sort of quiet miracle. The pain lines had fledRaheb's face and she was sleeping peacefully.
"We from Government House will begin. I'll go first. Colonel Bruda willfollow, then Colonel bel-Abek. I'll then ask our Dartar friends to reiteratewhat they know, then we'll pass on to you. Some little detail somewhere, hopefully, will give us the beginning we need to make before we can take thefirst step toward understanding what's going on. If we know that, we'llprobably know what we have to do about it. Colonel Bruda, would you ask Taligato send in food and drink? We're going to be here a long time. Tell him tohave those corpses removed and searched, too. They're a distraction."
Cado waited a moment, then started. He held nothing back, even when it had noapparent bearing on the subject at hand.
Despite what was being discussed Aaron could not concentrate. His mind keptstraying to what to say when it came his turn to talk. Or he worried aboutmaybe missing work tomorrow. His employers were not understanding aboutabsences.
He was trying to hide the unbearable now behind fear of the future.
Even so, what the Herodians said was interesting. And so open you could nothelp wondering what they would do with him after they had divulged so manysecrets in his presence.
The Dartars talked, too, even including Fa'tad al-Akla, who did not have muchto contribute except the name of a child-stealer who had been killed in theAstan.
"A Dartar outcast?" General Cado asked.
"Yes. A man of no honor, disavowed by his own father."
"And the one tonight was Qushmarrahan?" General Cado spoke to Colonel Bruda, who was receiving reports from his agents as things went along.