Ordinarily, Cappen Varra enjoyed this shabby-colourful spectacle. Now he singlemindedly hunted through it. He kept full awareness, of course, as everybody mustin Sanctuary. When light fingers brushed him, he knew. But whereas aforetime hewould have chuckled and told the pickpurse, 'I'm sorry, friend; I was hoping Imight lift somewhat off you,' at this hour he clapped his sword in suchforbidding wise that the fellow recoiled against a fat woman and made her drop abrass tray full of flowers. She screamed and started beating him over the headwith it.

Cappen didn't stay to watch.

On the eastern edge of the market-place he found what he wanted. Once moreIllyra was in the bad graces of her colleagues and had moved her trade to astall available elsewhere. Black curtains framed it, against a mud-brick wall.Reek from a nearby tannery well-nigh drowned the incense she burned in a curiousholder, and would surely overwhelm any of her herbs. She herself also lackedawesomeness, such as most seeresses, mages, conjurers, scryers, and the likeaffected. She was too young; she would have looked almost wistful in herflowing, gaudy S'danzo garments, had she not been so beautiful.

Cappen gave her a bow in the manner of Caronne. 'Good-day, Illyra the lovely,'he said.

She smiled from the cushion whereon she sat. 'Good-day to you, Cappen Varra.'They had had a number of talks, usually in jest, and he had sung for herentertainment.. He had hankered to do more than that, but she seemed to keep allmen at a certain distance, and a hulk of a blacksmith who evidently adored hersaw to it that they respected her wish.

'Nobody in these parts has met you for a fair while,' she remarked. 'Whatfortune was great enough to make you forget old friends?'

'My fortune was mingled, inasmuch as it left me without time to come down hereand behold you, my sweet,' he answered out of habit.

Lightness departed from Illyra. In the olive countenance, under the chestnutmane, large eyes focused hard on her visitor. 'You find time when you need helpin disaster,' she said.

He had not patronized her before, or indeed any fortune-teller of thaumaturge inSanctuary. In Caronne, where he grew up, most folk had no use for magic. In hislater wanderings he had encountered sufficient strangeness to temper his nativescepticism. As shaken as he already was, he felt a chill go along his spine. 'Doyou read my fate without even casting a spell?'

She smiled afresh, but bleakly. 'Oh, no. It's simple reason. Word did filterback to the Maze that you were residing in the Jewellers' Quarter and a frequentguest at the mansion of Molin Torchholder. When you appear on the heels of a newword - that last night his wife was reaved from him - plain to see is thatyou've been affected yourself.'

He nodded. 'Yes, and sore afflicted. I have lost -' He hesitated, unsure whetherit would be quite wise to say 'my love' to this girl whose charms he had ratherextravagantly praised.

'- your position and income,' Illyra snapped. 'The high priest cannot be in anymood for minstrelsy. I'd guess his wife favoured you most, anyhow. I need notguess you spent your earnings as fast as they fell to you, or faster, werebehind in your rent, and were accordingly kicked out of your choice apartment assoon as rumour reached the landlord. You've returned to the Maze because you'veno place else to go, and to me in hopes you can wheedle me into giving you aclue - for if you're instrumental in recovering the lady, you'll likewiserecover your fortune, and more.'

'No, no, no,' he protested. 'You wrong me.'

'The high priest will appeal only to his Rankan gods,' Illyra said, her tonechanging from exasperated to thoughtful. She stroked her chin. 'He, kinsman ofthe Emperor, here to direct the building of a temple which will overtop that ofUs, can hardly beg aid from the old gods of Sanctuary, let alone from ourwizards, witches, and seers. But you, who belong to no part of the empire, whodrifted hither from a kingdom far in the West ... you may seek anywhere. Theidea is your own; else he would furtively have slipped you some gold, and youhave engaged a"diviner with more reputation than is mine.'

Cappen spread his hands. 'You reason eerily well, dear lass,' he conceded. 'Onlyabout the motives are you mistaken. Oh, yes, I'd be glad to stand high inMolin's esteem, be richly rewarded, and so forth. Yet I feel for him; beneaththat sternness of his, he's not a bad sort, and he bleeds. Still more do I feelfor his lady, who was indeed kind to me and who's been snatched away to anunknown place. But before all else -' He grew quite earnest. 'The Lady Rosandawas not seized by herself. Her ancilla has also vanished, Danlis. And - Danlisis she whom I love, Illyra, she whom I meant to wed.'

The maiden's look probed him further. She saw a young man of medium height,slender but tough and agile. (That was due to the life he had had to lead; bynature he was indolent, except in bed.) His features were thin and regular on along skull, cleanshaven, eyes bright blue, black hair banged and falling to theshoulders. His voice gave the language a melodious accent, as if to bespeakwhite cities, green fields and woods, quicksilver lakes, blue sea, of thehomeland he left in search of his fortune.

'Well, you have charm, Cappen Varra,' she murmured, 'and how you do know it.'Alert: 'But coin you lack. How do you propose to pay me?'

'I fear you must work on speculation, as I do myself,' he said. 'If our jointefforts lead to a rescue, why, then we'll share whatever material reward maycome. Your part might buy you a home on the Path of Money.' She frowned. 'True,'he went on, 'I'll get more than my share of the immediate bounty that Molinbestows. I will have my beloved back. I'll also regain the priest's favour,which is moderately lucrative. Yet consider. You need but practise your art.Thereafter any effort and risk will be mine.'

'What makes you suppose a humble fortune-teller can learn more than the PrinceGovernor's investigator guardsmen?' she demanded.

'The matter does not seem to lie within their jurisdiction,' he replied.

She leaned forward, tense beneath the layers of clothing. Cappen bent towardsher. It was as if the babble of the market-place receded, leaving these twoalone with their wariness.

'I was not there,' he said low, 'but I arrived early this morning after thething had happened. What's gone through the city has been rumour, leakage thatcannot be caulked, household servants blabbing to friends outside and theyblabbing onward. Molin's locked away most of the facts till he can discover whatthey mean, if ever he can. I, however, I came on the scene while chaos stillprevailed. Nobody kept me from talking to folk, before the lord himself saw meand told me to begone. Thus I know about as much as anyone, little though thatbe.'

'And -?' she prompted.

'And it doesn't seem to have been a worldly sort of capture, for a worldly endlike ransom. See you, the mansion's well guarded, and neither Molin nor his wifehave ever gone from it without escort. His mission here is less than popular,you recall. Those troopers are from Ranke and not subornable. The house standsin a garden, inside a high wall whose top is patrolled. Three leopards run loosein the grounds after dark.

'Molin had business with his kinsman the Prince, and spent the night at thepalace. His wife, the Lady Rosanda, stayed home, retired, later came out andcomplained she could not sleep. She therefore had Danlis wakened. Danlis is nochambermaid; there are plenty of those. She's amanuensis, adviser, confidante,collector of information, ofttimes guide or interpreter - oh, she earns her pay,does my Danlis. Despite she and I having a dawntide engagement, which is why Iarrived then, she must now out of bed at Rosanda's whim, to hold milady's handor take dictation of milady's letters or read to milady from a soothing book but I'm a spendthrift of words. Suffice to say that they two sought an upperchamber which is furnished as both solarium and office. A single staircase leadsthither, and it is the single room at the top. There is a balcony, yes; and, thenight being warm, the door to it stood open, as well as the windows. But Iinspected the facade beneath. That's sheer marble, undecorated save for varyingcolours, devoid of ivy or of anything that any climber might cling to, save hewere a fly.