"What are you going to do?"

"Go break bel-Sidek's other leg, then twist on it till he tells me the truth." And he actually meant it when he said it, though it sounded absurd a second later.

"Aaron ..." "They've got Arif, Laella. Just like they've got Zouki. I can't stand still."

He started for the doorway. On his way he tapped Yoseh's two brothers. "Come on." Bel-Sidek was completely boggled by the apparition in the doorway. Thecarpenter looked like he had been beaten half to death. He looked incrediblyferocious with a huge hammer in his hand. "Aaron?"

"I want my son back, bel-Sidek. Your men took him, and killed his grandmother, and if you don't get him back to me I'm going to see that whatever is left of you when I get done hangs from a Herodian gibbet."

Bel-Sidek felt the bite of fear. He understood the threat. The carpenter knew or suspected enough to do the movement irreparable harm. "Calm down, Aaron. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have your son."

"Just like you don't know anything about Naszif s son, Zouki, but you can show him to Naszif anytime you want to make him do something."

What would the General have done in this situation?

The carpenter was getting a little nervous, his crazy anger deserting him. He had not expected to break into a room full of hard-faced men. He did not know what to do next. He stepped forward, raising the hammer threateningly.

Zenobel, Carza, and Dabdahd responded. Zenobel had murder in his eye. Bel- Sidek said, "Wait." A Dartar stepped through the doorway, set the tip of a saber against Zenobel's throat. Another followed, threatened King and Carza. They backed away carefully. The first Dartar asked, "Is the old one the man who knows, Aaron?"

"I think so. If not him, one of them."

Bel-Sidek started. The carpenter had guessed who they were. But he had not betrayed them. Yet. "Aaron, what do you want?" "You know: I want my son back. And I want you and yours to leave me and mine alone. Forever."

Or he would tell the Dartars where they could scoop up the whole ruling council of the Living.

A voice from outside said, "Nogah! Troops are coming."

The Dartar with the saber pushed Zenobel back among the others. He looked bel- Sidek in the eye. "I see your face, old man. And I will remember it." He raised a hand, removed his face cloth, revealed a gruesomely mutilated visage.

"You have till the fog rises this high tomorrow night. Then I come for you." He turned, gently urged the carpenter out the door. The other Dartar backed out behind them, closing the door.

"Silence!" bel-Sidek snapped, before they could start. "Do any of you not understand what just happened?" He got back a babble of outrage.

They did not understand, except for Carza.

"Quiet, please. So you're not as familiar with Dartar customs as you should be. But none of you ever served with them. When the man removed his face cloth he was doing what Dartars call 'showing the face of death.' Essentially he took a vow to hunt us down if the missing child isn't returned. I remind youthat most of the Dartars outside are probably his brothers and cousins. Familywill assume the vow as a matter of course. When word gets around, the restwill probably take it on, too. It's just romantic enough."

Zenobel made a sound of disgust. He was prejudiced.

Bel-Sidek rose. "I know nothing about child-stealing, by the movement oranyone else. But I suspect some of you might." He dragged his aching legtoward the door. "I want to be informed if you do. There is a growing publicperception of us as responsible, or at least involved, and that could destroyus." He opened the door a crack.

The tramp-tramp-tramp he'd been hearing was what it sounded like, soldiersmarching. "They got here fast." He noted the dread Colonel Bruda with them andshuddered.

There was too much interest in this part of the Shu.

He saw tendrils of fog just rising into view. It was that early still? Itseemed it should be much later.

What a day. What a hellbiter of a day.

How come Bruda had had troops armed and ready to move at a moment's notice?

Had the jaws of doom begun to close?

"The fog is coming," he said. "The man gave us a chance. As soon as it cancover us we get out of here. Hopefully before those Dartars have an attack ofintuition and realize what they missed scooping up. Don't ever come back here.

I'm moving out. I'll contact you later. Make your own arrangements todisappear, just in case."

He watched the soldiers. His small hope they would clash with the Dartarsdied. Tempers flared but never flew out of control.

"I want that boy, gentlemen. He's somewhere in Qushmarrah and we have theresources to find him. If he's not in my hands by sundown I'm going to want toknow why not. And I'm not likely to be in a very pleasant mood. Do youunderstand?"

Azel had had a good many years in which to learn to carry on despite pain. Hehad been injured worse and had managed. But he had been younger then and, tobe truthful, better motivated. He was losing his zest for the game. Tonightthe sinkhole country looked like a lot more than a pleasant fantasy. It lookedlike the sanest bet for sliding out of this without getting carved up intolittle pieces.

But he had a mission. Spying on everybody, playing games with them, that couldgo to hell. Bruda having him watched proved he had worked those angles for asmuch as he could. A smart man got out while he was ahead.

He was out. As of now. Let Bruda and Cado stew and fuss because he was not there to be used. They could buy another knife. Always plenty of those around.

Let that new General of the Living fume because he did not keep hisappointments, because he did not pass along all his secrets.

In five minutes he would disappear from the face of the earth.

But the thing with Nakar still had to be played out.

In these new circumstances he would have to work on that idiot Torgo, whomight be the only tool available.

He stayed on the rooftops till he ran out of houses to cross. He came downonly when he had to, to cross gaps too wide to leap. His wounds nagged him, the leg the worst. He successfully evaded trouble though the Shu continuedfull of excitement.

He perched on that last rooftop and watched the acropolis. The kid lay on thetiles beside him, snoring. The precipitation had picked up a little but stillcould not be called a rain.

Awful lot of activity tonight. Especially around Government House. Looked likea lot of sneakery. A lot more than could be accounted for by the excitement inthe Shu. Lot of soldiery slithering around ...

Cado was sneaking a bunch of his men down to the waterfront while there was agood chance their movement would not be noticed.

The boy showed no sign of coming around so Azel waited with the patience of alizard, rubbing his wounded calf. Once a whole parade of soldiers, civilians, and Dartars came out of Char Street and headed for Government House. The seeing was not good enough to be sure but he thought Colonel Bruda was the manin charge.

One more reason to get out of the game now.

He'd have to get a message to Muma, give him the same option. The man had beenthe perfect and faithful partner for years. He deserved his shot at gettingaway clean. He had his arrangements made. All he needed was the warning word.

Azel saw his chance soon after the crowd passed. He got hold of the kid anddropped down ... His leg buckled. He almost lost the brat.

He managed to walk only by keeping his leg completely rigid. That made movingthrough the pattern to unlock the Postern of Fate abnormally difficult but hegot it right the first time.

He found Torgo dozing inside, having failed to respond to the alarm or, morelikely, having failed to arm the damned spell. "Torgo."

The eunuch surged up, reached for a blade like an overgrown pirate's cutlass.