Part 21 (1/2)

”Mother, she's your own daughter!” Aniara said.

”Not anymore,” her mother said. ”You heard the priest-she's not even human anymore! She's athing that used to be my daughter.”

”I didn't say ...” the theurgist began.

”Human or not, she might go berserk at any time,” the old woman said. ”Did any of you hear about the house in Seacorner where Varrin the Weaver smashed the entire top floor in an instant? He almost crushed his own wife!”

The other women looked at one another.

”Please, Mother, this is her home,” Aniara said. ”Where else would she go?”

Mavi immediately knew what would happen then, and sure enough, Thetta and Oria turned to look at her. Pancha's mother pointed at her, and Aniara turned as well.

The puzzled theurgist also looked at Mavi, simply because everyone else did.

”All right,” Mavi said. ”I can take her there.” That this would not only be a kindness to Pancha but would give her another chance to see Lord Hanner did not escape her.

”May I ask where?” the theurgist said.

”You explain,” Aniara said, heading for the stairs. ”I'll go help Pancha pack.”

As Tanna the Thief worked the crowd in the plaza, cutting purses from people's belts and slipping them into her own shoulder bag, she was still trying to decide who she should tell about Elken-if anyone. Her original intention in coming here had been to warn the magistrates about the warlocks, but it had been instantly clear that they already knew. The guards in front of the Palace, the shouting crowds, made it plain thateveryone knew about the warlocks.

No one was going to pay her for the information.

She wished she hadn't taken a day to bury Elken, clean herself up, steal new clothes, and get up her nerve-if she had arrived yesterday she might still have gotten a couple of bits for her report.

Of course, she was doing fairly well at her customary trade, certainly taking more than a few copper bits. The crowd was large and angry, which meant it was also more careless than usual, and she had gotten half a dozen purses. Still, it was theprinciple of the thing-she had something thatought to be worth money, and she wasn't able to collect.

Of course, she told herself, in a way it was paying off. Ordinarily she would never have comehere, right in front of the Palace, where any number of guards and magicians might be watching, and she would never have found this crowd of unsuspecting prospective victims.

Just then she was distracted as someone shouted,”Hai! My purse!”

Tanna turned to see who spoke, ready to flee if anyone pointed her out as the culprit. Perhaps these people hadn't been quite so unsuspecting as she thought.

An elderly man was staring down at the severed cords dangling from his belt; then he raised his head and looked around at the crowd.

”Who did that?”he bellowed. ”Did anyone see who took my purse?”

Suddenly inspired, Tanna called, ”The warlocks!”

The elderly man's head snapped around, and he stared directly at her.

”It vanished,” Tanna said. ”I saw it! It just disappeared. It must be the warlocks!”

”The warlocks?” the old man said. ”First they took my son, and now they take my purse?” He turned to look at the guards on the north side of the square. ”Blast it, it's time something wasdone about this!”

”You tell them, sir!” Tanna said as she slipped behind a tall man.

A moment later she had worked her way well away from the angry old man, who was arguing with the nearest soldier. It was time to go, she decided. She had tried to do her civic duty by reporting Elken's attempt to take over the Hundred-Foot Field, and she had gathered a few fat purses for her efforts, and that was enough; it was time to go, before things got really ugly.

Ten minutes later she was trotting downArena Street , trying to ignore the shouting behind her.

Kennan was absolutely furious. The guards had referred him to their captain, who had stolidly listened to his story, then told him to go away.

”But they stole my purse!” he shouted.

”Sir, I doubt it was a warlock who stole your purse,” the captain said. ”It looks to me like the work of an ordinary cutpurse.”

”But that girlsaw it!”

”More likely she was the one who took it.”

”Captain, I have been robbed of my child and my money by these people, and Idemand that you do something about it!”

”The overlord is consulting his advisors and magicians as to what action to take.”

”What action to take? Goget them, and demand they return what they've taken!” Kennan said. ”They're all right there in that big black stone house on High Street, at the corner of Coronet!”

”Sir, I doubt thatall the warlocks are there,” the captain said dryly.

”Well,some of them are!” Kennan raged. ”Lord Faran went there, and that fat man, and that redheaded wh.o.r.e ...”

”Sir, I have my orders,” the captain said. ”I am to guard the plaza and the Palace. Unless you have real proof that those particular warlocks took your purse or your son, I am not going to arrest them. If you really do have a witness, I suggest you bring her here to testify.”

Kennan glowered at the soldier, then turned to look for the thin, long-haired girl in the brown tunic.

He couldn't see her anywhere.

He fumed silently for a moment, then growled. ”I've had enough of this,” he said. He stamped away from the captain.

”Excuse me,” someone said.

Kennan turned to see a stocky man in a tan tunic. ”Yes?”

”Did I hear you say that you know where the warlocks live?”

”Yes,” Kennan said. ”What of it?”

”They took my brother,” the stocky man said. ”Can you show me where this place is?” Kennan scanned the crowd again, but could not see the girl anywhere.

It wasn't as if he were accomplis.h.i.+ng anything here, he told himself.

”Come on,” he said. ”We'll go there together. At the very least we can keep an eye on the place.”