And Haught, so pretty, so fiery underneath his slave's face, said, "I thoughtyou'd want a warning. His boyfriend's coming. ..." Haught's chin juttedMazeward. "What use he'll be once Crit's come hence, you might not like. So ifyou want, I could-"

There was murder in the slavebait's eyes. Murder sure of itself and offeredteasingly, a sexual ploy, a sensuous violence.

She denied it, not telling Haught that Strat was so much hers that Crit couldn'tget between them... because she wasn't sure. But she was sure that Straton'sleftside leader, Critias, could not be murdered by one of hers. Not ever. Notand allow Ischade to keep what she had now-subtle power over more factions thanany other had, even those who dwelled in the winter palace and looked to gods toaid them.

The dusky wraith that was Ischade said a second time, "I don't want, Haught. Inever want. You want. I have. And I have need of both Stepsons-of Straton andhis... friend. Go back uptown, see Moria, talk to Vis; we'll have a party forreturning heroes tomorrow evening-in the uptown house. Wherever Crit is, Tempusis as well. Find the Band's best and invite them all. We'll play a differentgame this season; you tread carefully, do you hear?"

Haught, motionless and unblinking till she loosed him. sought the door with theslightest inclination of his head and the most refined swirl of his cloak.

Trouble, that one, by and by.

But in the meantime, if she must fight for Straton, would she? She didn't know.She had a horse to raise, now, to see for certain what would happen. Strat wouldhave more decisions to make tonight than one.

Niko was holding one child under either arm when Tempus and Jihan came upon themin the nursery.

One babe, Alton, had thumb in mouth; the other, Gyskouras, gave a single cry onseeing the interlopers.

Then Gyskouras-god-child, Niko was certain-held out his tiny hands and Jihan,mayhem forgotten, stepped over a decapitated snake oozing ichor, her own armsoutstretched and the red fires of Stormbringer's passion in her eyes.

"Give him here. Stealth," Jihan crooned, calling Niko by his war-name. "Mycomfort's what he seeks."

Niko's gaze flickered questioningly to Tempus, who made a sour face andshrugged, sheathing his sword and squatting down to examine the snake.

Niko gave the child up to Jihan and shifted Alton, who immediately began towail. "Me, too! Me, too! Take Alton, or tears come! Take Alton!"

In moments, Jihan held both children, the dark-haired and the fair, and Niko waskneeling opposite Tempus, the snake between them.

"Greetings, Commander. Life to you."

"And to you. Stepson. And glory." The words were only formula tonight, anafterthought from Tempus, who had out a dagger and with it turned the snake'shead toward him.

"How did you kill this thing. Stealth?" asked the Riddler.

"How? With my sword...." Niko's brows knit. His canny smile came and went andhis hazel eyes grew bleak as he slipped his weapon from its sheath and laid itacross his knee. "With this sword, the one the dream lord gave me. You mean it'snot an ordinary snake?"

"That's what I mean. Not a Beysib snake, anyway. Look here." He turned the snakeand Niko could see tiny hands and feet, as if the snake had been starting toturn into a man when Niko's stroke had killed it.

And the ichor, now, was steaming, eating like acid into the. stone of the palacefloor.

"Why did you kill it?" said the Riddler gently. "What made you think it wouldattack you? Did it threaten? Did it rear up? What?"

"Because..." Niko sighed and tossed back ashen hair grown long enough to flopinto his eyes. He'd shaved his beard and looked too young for what he was andwhat he'd been through; his scars were pale and the haunted look he bore madeTempus glance away. These two were each other's misery: Niko loved theRiddler and feared the consequences; Tempus saw in the youthful fighterthe curse of a man the gods desire.

"Because," Niko said again, voice low and heavy with words he didn't want tosay, "Alton told me to. Anon-the dark-haired-he's the prescient one. He knowsthe future. He protects the god-child. I'm glad you're here. Commander. It'shard trying to-"

But Tempus got abruptly to his feet. "Don't say that. You can't know it, not forsure."

"I know it. My Bandaran... my maat knows what it sees. Maat-my balance, myperception-shows me too much, Commander. We have things to talk over; decisionsmust be made. These childlren must go to the western isles, else there'll behavoc. I don't want the blame of it. Gyskouras, he's yours ... your son-or yourgod's. I prayed.... Did the gods inform you?"

Tempus turned away from the young fighter and the words came back over hisshoulder to Niko and hit as hard as a blow from the Riddler's hand. "Abarsis. Hecame and told me. Now we're all down here. Why in any god's name didn't you justtake them and go, if that's the answer? Theron will be here by and by." Heturned on his heel and faced Nikodemos. "You're sequestered here like ababysitter while Sanctuary is torn by the wolves of civil war? Are you no longera Sacred Bander? Do you command some regiment, a cadre of your own? Or did Stratgive you leave to-"

"It was by my order. Sleepless One," came an unctuous voice from behind: MolinTorchholder. The priest was accompanied by Kadakithis and by the prince's sidewas the Beysib woman, streaming tears, holding a dead and definitely Beysibsnake in her arms and weeping over it as if over a stricken child.

"Your order, Molin?" Tempus said and shook his head. "I own I didn't think you'dhave the nerve."

"He's trying to help, Tempus," said Kadakithis, looking worried and drawn,trying to comfort the weeping Beysib monarch and keep peace as best he could."You've been away too long to judge this at face value. Nikodemos has been ofexceptional help to the State and we thank you for his loan." The prince's eyesstrayed to Jihan, a child on each hip and a beatific look in her inhuman eyes."Let's go to the great hall and talk about this over food and drink. I warrantyou're all tired from your long journey. We have much to decide and little time.Did I hear that Theron is coming? Tempus," Kadakithis's princely smile wasstrained and worried, "I hope you've told him good things of me-I hope, in fact,that you'll remember your oath. I wouldn't want to end up like my relatives inRanke-spitted and bled out like pigs in the town square."

If the curse-or its ghost-was still in effect, it would mean that all theRiddler loved were bound to spurn him and those who loved him doomed to perish.

It was this that bothered him as he put a hand on Kadakithis's shoulder andassured the prince that Theron would look with kindness on Kadakithis'sparticular problems here in Sanctuary, that "he's coming because the SlaughterPriest manifested in the Rankan palace and told a soldier to look to the soulsof his soldiers. That's why we're all here, boy-and lady."

He didn't tell them not to fear. Both the prince/governor and the Bey matriarchwere too familiar with statecraft to have believed him if he had.

It wasn't until after dinner that everyone realized there were too many deadBeysib snakes in the palace for Niko-or the single snake he'd killed-to beresponsible. And by then, it was nearly too late.

Strat's horse was at the gate. The bay horse he'd loved so well, who'd carriedhim through so many campaigns. And Ischade was standing in her doorway, wherenight blossoms bloomed, watching with that look she had which cut through theshadows of her hood.