Too, Joab was working his way up the hill, stopping to give instructions tothe watchers outside the alleys.
Tamisa's mother and sister returned from marketing. Yoseh watched, wonderingif Tamisa would age as they had. He barely overheard Joab tell Medjhah to tellNogah that he should leave three men in the alley overnight. Fa'tad had beenrunning units in and out the Gate of Autumn all morning. The ferrenghi couldnot have kept track of how many were inside and how many were out.
Yoseh wondered if even Joab knew what Fa'tad had in mind.
Yoseh was amused when he heard Medjhah take his earlier notion and turn itinto a suggestion that some men be clad as veydeen if they were going to beleft in the city. Joab looked like that was about the craziest idea he'd everheard.
Sadat Agmed had been stalking his quarry for six days, with no luck, and hewas out of patience. It was not that the child was abnormally inaccessible. Nomore so than any daughter of a well-to-do family of the Astan. But she wasinaccessible enough. He'd seen her only three times since he'd received thecommission from the Witch.
He hated collecting girls. They were much more difficult.
He had spent too much time on this one already. People would remember seeinghim around. He ought to report in, say he could not do the job, let her giveit to somebody who could. But he had not failed a commission yet. There waspride at stake here.
A woman-the mother?-came out of the house, leading the little girl. Theyfollowed the same routine they had before, taking the uncrowded street uphill.
Meaning they would walk about two hundred yards and be admitted to the home ofanother well-to-do family. They would stay three hours, then would return.
Possibly it was something they were not supposed to do. Near as Sadat couldtell, the woman and child left home only when no one else was there and theywere certain no one would be aware that they had stepped out.
In this area women did not go out into public without a male companion. Aconceit of the prosperous.
There was only one way to do it under the circumstances. And as far as Sadatcould see, there was no opportunity to create more favorable circumstances.
He slouched after them, trying to look disinterested and innocuous, justsomebody headed in the same direction and walking a little faster.
He had worked it out a dozen times. His timing was exact. He overtook them asthey reached the mouth of the only alley and escape route leading off thatpart of the street. The woman glanced back just as he moved.
Her eyes widened and she tried to duck, but his blow put her down. He grabbedthe girl.
The child screamed. Someone yelled. The woman wailed. Sadat charged into the alley carrying the girl. She was not heavy. As he went he fumbled out a wad ofwet cotton. He forced that into her face.
A few blocks away he would be just some fellow carrying his sleeping daughter.
The blow to the mother had not fallen solidly. She staggered down the alleyafter him, wailing. Damn! And now a couple of men were with her, asking whatha'd happened.
Sadat Agmed ran. But the child slowed him. He distanced the woman but not themen who took up the chase. Each time he glanced back there were more of them, shouting louder and looking meaner.
He became frightened. Frightened, he did not think ahead carefully enough.
When he realized there would be no escape while he was burdened with thechild, he abandoned her and took off toward the Hahr. But he misremembered ashortcut by one turn and ended up darting into a dead-end alleyway. Dead endin more ways than one.
The mob pulled him off the wall he was trying to climb. Many were men who hadsmall children, men who had become intimate with fear of child-stealersrecently. They had no mercy in them, and no thought to ask questions. Theywere not armed, but that did not matter.
Sadat used two packs of flash and after each almost broke free. He flailedaway with his knife till someone knocked it out of his hand. The slashes onlyenraged the men more. They punched and kicked and stomped him till he had beendead for several minutes.
Then, horrified by what the animal in them had made them do, they ran away anddid not talk much about the affair.
A Dartar patrol reached the scene only after it was too late for anything buta cleanup.
Azel reported his conversation with Torgo to the General. The old man was morethan ordinarily irritable. His aches and pains were piling up.
"He'll let you take the traitor to see the boy, at least?"
"He gave me that much."
"I presume you don't want to be recognized any more than he wants the citadelto be. Have you a way to handle that?"
"Have somebody deliver him blindfolded to the third alleyway south of Muma'sPlace. I'll pick him up after the delivery boys go. After I bring him out I'llwalk him home."
"When?"
"As soon as it's dark. There's nobody up there after sundown."
"Be careful. The best men in the organization will be handling somethingelse."
"I'm always careful."
"I know. Good day."
"Same to you." Azel eased out the door after a glance to make sure no one waswatching. He was uneasy, suddenly. Like it was not a good time for ...
He caught the tail end of a shout. Puzzled, he looked downhill. And saw aDartar pointing at him.
Another Dartar appeared, looked, nodded, and started heading toward him.
Azel did not believe it for a moment. Why would they single him out? Must beone of the ones he had run into in the maze. Damn the luck!
He bulled into the crowd, where they would have trouble spotting him becauseof his stature. He reviewed his choices, supposing they were serious enoughactually to come after him. His favorite tool, the maze, was no good. A hordeof those bastards were in there. He couldn't fight them all.
A horn sounded behind him. "Shit!" They had sounded an alarm. They wereserious.
Why? What the hell was the matter with them? What did they have on him? Whythe hell should they give a damn about a kidnapping? Unless Fa'tad had begunto sense a pattern?
He glanced back.
They had stolen his physical advantage. One man had mounted a camel and waskeeping him in sight. Two more were pushing through the press on foot.
"All right, you treacherous sons of bitches." He pushed harder, edging towardthe north side of the street, away from the maze and the Dartars uphill. In aconversational voice he said, "Make way for the Living, please," repeating itover and over, hoping it would not do more harm than good.
The horn sounded again. Answers came from uphill and down.
The crowd began to chatter and grumble. Somebody tripped one of the Dartars.
That started a fight that threatened to become a free-for-all. The camel riderbegan laying about with the butt of his lance.
Azel chuckled. A long shot had come in.