Cusharlain stared at her. 'This young gamecock means to try to rob the verypalace?' he said, feeling stupid instantly; so she'd said, yes.

'Don't scoff, Cusher,' Gelicia said, waving a doughy hand well leavened withrings. This noon she was wearing apple-green and purple and lavender and mauveand orange, all in a way that exposed a large portion of her unrivalled bosom,which resembled two white cushions for a large divan and which Cusharlain wassingularly uninterested in viewing.

'If it can be done, Shadowspawn'll do it,' she said. 'Oh, go ahead, tip yourselfsome more wine. Did you hear about the ring he tugged from under Corlas's pillow- while Corlas's head was on it, sleeping? You know, Corlas the camel-dealer.Or've you heard tell of how our boy Hanse dumb up and stole the eagle off theroof of Barracks Three for a lark?'

'I wondered what had happened to that!'

She nodded wisely with a trembling of chin and a flashing wing of earrings whosediameter was the same as his wine-cup - which was of silver. Her wine-cup, thatis; the one he was using. 'Shadowspawn,' she said, 'as Eshi is my witness. Had aprodigal offer from some richie up in Twand, too - and do you know Hansewouldn't take it? Said he liked having the thing. Pisses on it every morning onrising, he says.'

Cusharlain smiled. 'And ... if it can't be done? Reaching the palace, I mean.'

Gelicia's shrug imparted to her bosom a quake of seismic proportions. 'Why thenSanctuary will be minus one more cockroach, and no one'll miss him. Oh, myLycansha will moon for a while, but she'll soon be over it.'

'Lycansha? Who's Lycansha?'

Nine rings flashed on Gelicia's hands as she sketched a form in the air exactlyas a man would have done. 'Ah, the sweetest little Cadite oral-submissive youever laid eyes on, who fancies that leanness and those midnight eyes of his,Cusher. Like to ... meet her? She's at liberty just now.'

'I'm on business, Gelicia.' His sigh was carefully elaborate.

'Asking about our little Shadowspawn?' Gelicia's meaty face took on abusinesslike expression, which some would have called crafty-furtive.

'Aye.'

'Well. Whoever you're reporting to, Cusher - you haven't talked to me!'

'Of course not, Gelicia! Don't be silly. I haven't talked with anyone with aname, or an address, or a face. I enjoy my ... relationship with some of youmore enterprising citizens' - he paused for her mirthful snort - 'and have nowish to jeopardize it. Or to lose the physical attributes necessary to myavailing myself of your dear girls from time to time.'

Her snickering laugh rose and went on up to whoops about the time he reached thestreet, assuring him that eventually the successful Gelicia had got his partingjoke. Red Lanterns was a quiet neighbourhood this time of day, after thesweeping up of the dust and tracks of last night's customers. Now sheets werebeing washed. A few deliveries made. A couple of workmen were occupied with abroken door-hasp at a House down the street. Cusharlain squinted upwards. TheEnemy, a horrid white ball in a horrid sky going the colour of turmeric powderlaced with saffron, was high, nigh to passing noon. One-Thumb should be stirringhimself about now. Cusharlain decided to go and have a talk with him, too, andmaybe he could get his report made by sunset. His employer did not seem as longon patience as on funds. The customs inspector of a fading city whose chiefbusiness was theft and the disposal of its product had learned the former, andwas ever at work on increasing his share of the latter.

'Did what?' the startlingly good-looking woman said. 'Roaching? What's roachingmean?'

Her companion, who was only a little older than her seventeen or eighteen years,stiffened his neck to keep from looking anxiously around. 'Sh - not so loud.When do cockroaches come out?'

She blinked at the dark, so-intense young man. 'Why - at night.'

'So do thieves.'

'Oh!' She laughed, struck her hands together with a jangling of bangles - gold,definitely - and touched his arm. 'Oh, Hanse, I know so little! You know justabout everything, don't you.' Her face changed. 'My, these hairs are soft.' Andshe left her hand on that arm with its dark, dark hairs.

'The streets are my home,' he told her. 'They birthed me and gave me suck. Iknow quite a bit, yes.'

He could hardly believe his luck, sitting here in a decent tavern out of theMaze with this genuinely beautiful Lirain who was ... by the Thousand Eyes andby Eshi, too, could it be? - one of the concubines the Prince-Governor hadbrought over from Ranke! And she's obviously fascinated with me, Hanse thought.He acted as if he sat here in the Golden Oasis every afternoon with such as she.What a coincidence, what great good fortune to have run into her in the bazaarthat way! Run into her indeed! She had been hurrying and he'd been turning,glancing back at one of those child-affrighters of Jubal's, and they had slammedtogether and had to cling to each other to avoid falling. She had been soapologetic and in seeming need to make amends and - here they were, Hanse and apalace conky unguarded or watched, and a beauty at that - and wearing enough tosupport him for a year. He strove to be oh so cool,

'You certainly do like my gourds, don't you.'

'Wha-'

'Oh, don't dissemble. I'm not mad. Really, Hanse. If I didn't want 'em looked atI'd cover 'em in high-necked homespun.'

'Uh ... Lirain, I've seen one other pearl-sewn halter of silk in my life, and itdidn't have those swirls of gold thread, or so many pearls. I wasn't this close,either.' Damn, he thought. Should have complimented her, not let her know myinterest is greed for the container!

'Oh! Here I am, one of seven women for one man and bored, and I thought you werewanting to get into my bandeau, when what you really want is it. What's a poorgirl to do, used to the flatteries of courtiers and servants, when she meets areal man who speaks his real thoughts?'

Hanse tried not to let his preening show. Nor did he know how to apologize, orto fancy-talk beyond the level of the Maze. Besides, he thought this pout-lippedbeauty with her heart-shaped face and nice woman's belly was having some funwith him. She knew that pout was irresistible!

'Wear high-necked homespun,' he said, and while she laughed, 'and try not tolook that way. This real man knows what you're used to, and that you can't beinterested in Hanse the roach!'

Her expression became very serious. 'You must not have access to a mirror,Hanse. Why don't you try me?'

Hanse fought his astonishment and made swift recovery. With prickly armpits andoutward confidence, he said, 'Would you like to take a walk, Lirain?'

'Is there a more private room at the end of it?'

Holding her gaze as she held his, he nodded.

'Yes,' she said, that quickly. Concubine of Prince Kadakithis! 'Could anythingas good as this bandeau be bought in the bazaar?'

He was rising. 'Who'd buy it? No,' he said, puzzled at the question.i' -

'Then you must buy me the best we can find after a short search.' She chuckledat the sight of his stricken face. The cocky creature thought she was a whore,to charge him some trifle like any girl! 'So that I can wear it back to thepalace,' she said, and watched understanding brighten that frightening yetsensuous pair of onyxes he wore for eyes, all hard and cold and wary. She slidher hand into his, and they departed the Golden Oasis.

'Of course I'm sure. Bourne!' Lirain twitched off the blue-arabesqued bandeau ofgreen silk Hanse had bought her, and hurled it at the man on the divan. Hegrinned so that his big brown beard writhed. 'He has such needs\ He is neverrelaxed, and wants and needs so badly, and so wants to be and to do. He is soimpressed with who or rather what I am, and yet he would deny under torture thatI was anything but another nice tumble. You and I both well know about low-bornswho hunger for far more than food! He is completely taken in and he'll be theperfect tool. Bourne. My agent assured me that he is a competent sneak-thief,and that he wants to rob and gain a leg on Prince Kittycat so badly he can tasteit. I saw that, right enough. Look, it's perfect!'