"Damn!" Bruda punched the wall. "Just when we were getting close to them." He kissed a skinned knuckle. "You want us to take you out? I can send troops to get your wife."

"No. They have my son. He's their leverage. I'm going to stay in till I can get him out, too. And meanwhile try to learn enough to gut them. I just wantedyou to know they're using me now. Whatever you hear from me will be what theywant you to hear. I have to go. I don't want them to suspect I've slipped theleash. Tell the General."

"You've got more guts than I do. You find out where they're holding your son, let us know. We'll hit them and get him out. Then send you out of town."

Naszif nodded. "I will. "He went downstairs, out the side door, and ran all the way home, where he found a shivering Reyha waiting in his bed. "Did you see him, Naszif?"

"Yes."

"How was he? Was he all right?"

"He was clean and well dressed and looked well fed. He seemed healthy. They wouldn't let me talk to him. He didn't know I was there. He's all right except for being scared."

"What are we going to do, Naszif?" "We're going to do whatever they tell us to do. For now."

The Witch waited only till Torgo told her that Azel and his companion had cleared the Postern of Fate. She told the eunuch, "I'm going to go have an unfriendly chat with our ally, General bel-Karba." "My lady, I don't think ..."

"That's right, Torgo. You don't. Because I don't want you to. You understand?"

"Yes, my lady."

"I won't be gone long. Get that child ready. I'll do him when I get back."

"But ..."

"I'm strong enough, Torgo. I don't need to rest. Get on with your business and let me get on with mine."

She watched the eunuch depart, then gathered her skirts and headed for the Postern of Fate.

She had not been out into the city since the conquest. It seemed littlechanged, except that the night was more quiet. The Herodians had stilled therowdy darknesses that had stemmed from the citadel and the mouth of Gorloch.

She slipped out of the naked openness of the acropolis and headed down CharStreet, into the inevitable night fog. She made no more sound than the fogitself, and felt no more fear. There was nothing in Qushmarrah more dangerousthan its Witch.

She came to the General's door. She paused. She sensed only the one enfeebledspirit within. The door was not barred.

Only someone supremely confident of his power would lie sleeping behind anunbarred door in the Shu.

She invited herself inside.

"Hadribel? Are you back already?"

A light sleeper. She stepped into the room where he lay. "No, General. NotHadribel. Someone you don't want to see at all. Someone who did not want tocome see you. But someone sufficiently tired of your lapses in regard torecognition of who is ruler and who is ruled that she felt compelled to comemake the point clear."

The General met her gaze without flinching. He grunted. That grunt seemed tocall her a damn fool woman.

"You had your creature Azel threaten me."

He looked at her a moment, then snorted. "My creature? Azel? Azel is nobody'screature but his own. He carried my message, yes, and it doesn't seem to havegotten garbled. He did his job. But if he were to surrender to his prejudicesI suspect there's only one person who could touch his heart. That person ishere and it isn't me, woman."

"You dared to presume to control me, General."

"I have a duty to Qushmarrah and my lord Nakar. Your obsessive behaviorimperils the recovery of both. Go back to the citadel, woman. Examine thechildren already in your power and leave the city alone. If you press it toomuch it will turn on us all. None of us will get what we want."

"You don't understand. None of you do. You never have. I don't give a damnabout Qushmarrah. I never have. I wouldn't care if it sank beneath the sea. Iwant my husband back. I'll do whatever it takes. And I won't let anyone get inmy way. Not even you. Do you understand me?"

"I understand that Azel allowed his secret passion to cloud his reason, afterall. His report on your obsession fell short of the truth. Go back to thecitadel, woman. Be at peace with your heart. Be patient. Or you'll destroy usall."

"No. No. I'll destroy only those who try to hinder me." She smiled.

"What?" He tried to rise, suddenly, at last, aware that he was in danger.

"This is where the alliance ends, General." A web of dark sorcery dancedplayfully on the fingers of her left hand. She laid her palm upon his chestand pressed down. He fell back with a little cry, body spasming. She turnedand went out, pleased with herself.

She had taken only two steps uphill when she heard footsteps approaching. Sheturned and drifted downhill ahead of them.

The footsteps ended at the General's house.

She had cut it close.

She drifted downhill a little farther, meaning to cut across and head backuphill on the far side of the street, where the fog would hide her from anyexcitement that exploded from the General's household.

She froze, loosing a little bleat of surprise.

It was as faint as the breath of the sea a dozen miles in from the shore. But it was there and not forgotten, the faintest aroma of the misplaced soul. Shecould not help herself. She drifted to the street-side door, leaned herforehead and one forearm against it, and let the proximity of it wash overher.

Tears streaked her cheeks.

A door slammed up the street. Somebody ran into the fog cursing under hisbreath.

Nogah leaned against the wall of Tosh Alley, a few steps inside, and watchedChar Street sleepily. He was not comfortable. There were few fogs like this atthe Dartar compound. He did not like the clammy feel it gave the air, the wayit limited visibility. It made this no decent place to be.

The scrapings and whispers and sometimes hints of far lights back in the mazedid nothing to buoy a man's confidence, either.

Fifty warriors were not enough to hold anything. Fa'tad knew that as well ashe did. They were a token, clinging to the dozen most important toeholds. Theycould be dislodged anytime the labyrinth creatures cared to make a concertedeffort.

Fa'tad was convinced there was little concert among them, despite apocryphaltales of the maze being ruled by a sort of king of the underworld. If Fa'taddisbelieved that, did he also disbelieve the stories of great treasurescollected by the people of the maze, of another labyrinth of natural cavernsinside the hill that supported the Shu, with mouths deep in the heart of thebuilded maze?

Mo'atabar thought al-Akla was looking for those, thinking they would provide away for him to sneak into the citadel and loot its reputed treasures. If thosewere half what was claimed, with them in hand the Dartar force could retirefrom the Herodian service and the tribes would never need fear the bite of the drought again.

Was that at the back of Fa'tad's mind? Nogah wondered. It did not seem quite the Eagle's style.

Something moved in the fog. He became alert. Then he gaped. He'd never seensuch a woman. Her beauty hit him like a physical blow. He eased forward, towatch her on her way. As a barely discernible shape she paused several minutesat the door to the place where Yoseh's little doe lived, then vanished intothe mist.

He wondered about his brother's injuries momentarily, then his thoughtsreturned to the woman. Had he seen a ghost? She had not made a sound. Butgods, what a lovely spook, if ghost she was.

Hadribel sensed something amiss the moment he stepped through the doorway. Hestopped.

There was a ghost of a hint of a scent on the air, vaguely feminine. He lookeddown. The apparently randomly distributed set of four dust bunnies, laid outaccording to bel-Sidek's instructions, had been disturbed. Oh. Of course.

Carza.

But he had relayed the instructions. Carza was not the sort to forget.