government to interfere. Tribal leaders can be bribed or intimidated. Those wild people are why they hired soldiers. The ownership plans a huge, bloody demonstration first excuse they get. Construction has already begun. They want a huge operation that’ll make them filthy rich selling to everybody.”
“There are, indeed, fortunes to be made creating the tools for efficient organized murder. What about sulfur? For making firepowder. There aren’t any sulfur mines over there, are there?”
“That they have to import. Unless they make the firepowder somewhere else.”
“Which would make some sense.”
“I’ll keep on it. Yes. But you need to remember that we no longer have any legal standing.”
“I understand. But we’ll pretend. We’ll be our own law.”
“Also, some new intelligence sources have opened up. Because of that.”
“Oh?” Immediately curious.
“A lot of Brothen Devedians aren’t happy about what Krulik and Sneigon are doing. Ones who have seen what happens when Deves get blamed. People like refugees from Sonsa. They’re sure Krulik and Sneigon will bring down the wrath of the Chaldarean world on the Deve communities.”
“You never know.” Full of one of Anna’s finest breakfasts ever, Hecht wanted nothing more than to go back to bed.
“I know. The hammer will fall because Chaldareans will be terrified the Deves might arm themselves with fearsome weapons.”
“And they’d be right.”
“Probably. But I remind you, Deves never start the ruckus.”
“Titus! Of course they do. Just by refusing to acknowledge a few self-evident religious truths.”
“I’m now a devout convert, boss, but bullshit!”
Hecht laughed.
“I haven’t found anything useful about Ferris Renfrow or Pinkus Ghort. I don’t want to push, especially with Renfrow. I don’t want to alert him. His network is bigger, more sophisticated, and more deadly.”
“I get you, Titus. He worries me, too.”
“Thank you. With Ghort the problem is a lack of resources. I can’t send somebody to Grolsach. Assuming Ghort really is from there. The investigator wouldn’t survive.”
“Naturally. What about the catamite?”
“Not much there, either. He disappeared the day Boniface died. He may have fled to the Empire, in disguise. He might be living on the street. Somebody might have killed him. All three hypotheses have their advocates. Why are you concerned?”
“He lived with Principat? Delari. He heard things. The Principat? is worried that he might repeat them.”
For an instant Hecht wondered if Cloven Februaren might have dealt with Osa Stile. He would have to ask.
“I see.” Said in a tone suggesting that Titus knew he was not hearing the whole truth.
Heris rotated into being behind Titus’s chair. Her mouth burst open. This was a huge blunder on her part. She turned again, hastily.
Consent felt the air stir both times but Heris was gone before he looked back. “What the hell was that?”
“A ghost? Something. It was only there for half a second.”
“But…”
“If this was my place I’d make Anna move,” Hecht said. “Too many weird things happen in this neighborhood. Not to mention too much dangerous stuff, like people blowing up carts loaded with kegs of firepowder. Now what?”
Someone had begun pounding on the door.
Hecht headed that way.
Pella streaked past. And was totally disappointed when he found Heris at the door. Who told him, “My feelings are hurt just by being here with you, too, Pella. I need to see your father.”
By now everyone had come to see what was going on. Pella told Heris, “I thought it might be Kait Rhuk. He said he might come… Uh-oh.”
Numerous pairs of eyes bored in. Hecht asked the question. “When did you see Kait Rhuk?” When no answer was forthcoming, “I distinctly recall telling you, more than once, not to leave the house.”
Heris reminded them of her presence. “I can provide a convincing demonstration, Piper. It’s one reason Grandfather sent me.” She produced a shiny brown mahogany dowel an inch in diameter and eighteen long. She found the center of the room, lifted the piece of wood overhead, closed her eyes, and began turning. And singing in a bad voice, words in something like Church Brothen. The mahogany dowel wiggled, wobbled, and writhed.
It vanished in an eye-searing scarlet flash. Two more flashes followed quickly, then one sharp little crack of thunder.
Hecht’s eyes adjusted. Three black silhouettes now decorated three different walls, each near a corner of the room. The shapes were knee-high, nearly as wide, vaguely humanoid but without necks, demonic by the standards of every present or formerly held religion of those in the room.
Something more tangible lay a step behind Hecht. Twenty pounds of already rotting, greenish meat, shedding ribbons of lime steam. Severed extremities, shiny and lizard-belly yellow, lay scattered around the odiferous mass.
Heris said, “Pella, this is what we’re dealing with. The least dangerous of it. When you go out unprotected, things like these go with you. Some could make you look like that green mess if their master ordered it. Like this.” She snapped her fingers. “Piper, you just witnessed a triumph of technical education over an absence of talent. The old people can make a monkey over into a deadly weapon.”
Hecht gave Pella a hard, promising look, but asked Heris, “Why are you here? And how did those things get into the house? I thought the Principat? charmed the entrances against the Night.”
“There are ways to ride somebody through the wards. If that somebody is in a hurry and doesn’t take precautions. Pella.”
Hecht said, “Pella, out there it just might be something a whole lot nastier. Something that could kill you before you knew it was there.”
No? Consent said, “Titus, we have to talk. When we get home.”
That did not sound promising. Hecht said, “You haven’t told me why you’re here, Heris.”
“That was part of it. Clearing the vermin.”
“Please.”
“The same reason I always come here when you’re in town. I’m Grandfather’s messenger. This time, besides getting the bugs out of Anna’s house, he wants me to warn you that you’re about to hear from Serenity. He wants you to be careful. The other old man has gone away again. Though he did sow some confusion before he left.”
As she talked Heris turned slowly, pointing her stick at every corner and shadow. And at Titus, his wife, and all the children. She did not care who might be offended.
Following the path blazed by her surviving male ancestors.
“Nothing got away when I came in. Anna, let’s take a quick look around. There may be more. Pella. Stay away from that.”
Dazed, Anna left the room with Heris. The children and Consents had sense enough to stay put. Titus asked, “What was all that?”
“You saw everything I did.”
Timid No? wrung her hands, gathered her brood, and looked to the men for a cue.
Hecht said, “Pella. Do I have to strap you to get you to leave things alone?”
“I just wanted to see.”
“And what would there be to see if you’d done as you were told? You let those things in when you came back. Boy, there can be real consequences…”
Fierce red light. A crack! that rattled the house. A roar of rage and agony. Anna squealed in terror in the kitchen.
Hecht and Consent headed that way. As though there might be something they could do that Heris could not.
The blonde appeared. “That will be all of them. That was the big one.” She stepped aside, glared at Pella. It
