The man scratched his neck. "I'm not allowed to let anyone in there.

What if something happened? What if things came up missing? I'd be out of work"-he snapped his fingers-"quick as that."

"Just until tomorrow. I only want to get her out of the rain before she comes down sick. I have no use for iron. Besides, I don't rob people."

The man scratched his neck again as he gazed back at the wagon over his shoulder. He glanced at Nicci. She was shivering and it was not an act. He peered at Richard.

"Sleeping in the warehouse for one night is not a fair price for lugging all this in there. It will take hours."

"If you agree to it, and I agree to it," Richard said over the sound of the rain, "then it's a fair price. I asked for no more, and I'm willing to do it for that price."

The man stared at Richard as if he might be crazy. He pulled off his red hat and scratched his head of dark hair. He swept his wet hair back and replaced the hat.

"You would have to clear out when I come first thing in the morning with a new wagon. I could get in trouble-"

"I'll not let you get in trouble over me. If I should get caught, I'll say I broke in."

The man thought about it for a moment, looking surprised at the last term Richard had thrown in an effort to close the deal. The man took another look over his shoulder at the load, then nodded his consent.

Ishaq hoisted a long bar of steel and put his shoulder under it.

Richard lifted two and extended his arm forward to steady it, resting the heavy steel on the bunched muscles of his shoulder.

"Come on," he said to Nicci. "Let's get you inside where you can start to dry out and get warm."

She tried to lift a steel bar to help, but it was beyond her strength.

There were times when Nicci missed her power. She could at least feel it through the link to the Mother Confessor. It took more effort, but even at this great of a distance she was still able to maintain the link. She walked beside Richard as they followed the man to the dry room Richard had just won for her.

-]--

The next day dawned clear. Rainwater still dripped from the eaves, though. The night before, as Richard helped Ishaq lug the load into the warehouse, Nicci had used a light rope Richard had in his pack, stringing it between racks so she could hang up their wet things. By morning, most of their clothes were reasonably dry.

They'd slept on wooden pallets, the only other choice being the dirt.

Everything smelled of iron dust, and was covered with a fine black film.

There was nothing in the warehouse to keep them warm, other than a single lantern Ishaq had left them, over which Nicci could at least warm her hands.

They slept as best they could in their wet clothes. By morning, those, too, were reasonably dry.

Much of the night, Nicci hadn't slept, but, by the light of that lantern warning her hands, had watched Richard sleep as she thought about his gray eyes. It had been a shock to see those eyes in her father's business. It brought back a flood of memories.

Richard opened the warehouse door just enough to squeeze through and carried their things out into the breaking dawn. The sky over the city looked as if it were rusting. He left her to watch their things while he went back in to lock the door from inside. She could hear him climbing the racks in the warehouse to get up to a window. He had to jump to the ground.

When Ishaq finally came up the street with the fresh wagon, Richard and Nicci were sitting on a short wall on the entrance road to the warehouse doors. When the wagon rolled past them into the yard outside the building and came to a halt before the double doors, Nicci saw that the driver who had abandoned Ishaq the night before was at the reins.

The lanky driver set the brake as he eyed them suspiciously.

"What's this?" he asked Richard.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Richard said, "but I just wanted to get here before you opened up so I could inquire if there might be any work available."

Ishaq glanced at Nicci, seeing that she was dried out. He eyed the locked door and realized Richard had kept his word, and kept him from the possibility of getting in trouble for letting someone sleep in the warehouse.

"We can't hire people," the driver said. "You have to go to the office and put your name on the list."

Richard sighed. "I see. Well, thank you, gentlemen. I'll give it a try.

A good day to you both."

Nicci had learned to recognize in Richard's voice when he was up to something. He gazed up the street, and then down the street, as if he were lost. He was up to something, now. He seemed to be giving Ishaq an opportunity to offer more than he had paid for the help. Ishaq had let Richard carry twice as much of the load the night before. Richard had done so without a word of protest.

Ishaq cleared his throat. "Hold on there." He climbed down from the wagon to unlock the door, but paused before Richard. "I'm the load master.

We need another man. You look to have a strong back." Using the toe of his boot, he drew a little map in the mud. "You go to the office"-he lifted his thumb over his shoulder" down this street, here, to the third turn, then right, past six more streets." He made an X in the mud. "There's the office.

You get your name on the list."

Richard smiled and bowed his head. "I'll do that, sir."

Nicci knew that Richard remembered Ishaq's name, but he was playing like he didn't for the sake of the driver, whom Richard didn't trust, after the man had abandoned his fellow the night before. What Richard didn't understand was that the driver had only done what he was supposed to do. It was not permitted for one man to take the work that belonged to others. That was stealing. The load was the responsibility of the load man, not the driver.

"You go enlist first in the load workers' group," Ishaq told Richard.

"Pay your dues. They have an office in the same building. Then you go put your name on the list for the job. I'm in the citizen workers' group that goes before the review assembly to consider new applicants. You just sit tight and wait outside. When we meet, later on, I'll vouch for you."

The driver leaned out and spat over the far side of the wagon. "Why you want to go and do that, Ishaq? You don't even know this fellow."

Ishaq scowled up at the driver. "Did you see anyone at the hall who was as big as this fellow? We need another loader for the warehouse. We just lost a man and need a replacement. You want me to get stuck with some skinny old man so as I'll have to do all the work?"

The driver chuckled. "Suppose not."

Ishaq gestured toward Nicci. "Besides, look at his young wife. She needs some meat on her bones, don't you think? Looks like a nice young couple."

The driver spat over the side of the wagon again. "I suppose."

Ishaq casually flicked a hand at Richard on his way to unlock the door to the warehouse. "You be there."

"I'll be there."

Ishaq paused and turned back. "Almost forgot-what's your name?"

"Richard Cypher."

Ishaq gave him a nod and turned back to the door. "I'm Ishaq. See you tonight, Richard Cypher. Don't you let me down-you hear? You turn out to be lazy and let me down, and I'll throw your sorry hide in the river with an iron bar tied around your neck."

"I won't let you down, Ishaq." Richard smiled. "I'm a good swimmer, but not that good."

As they trudged though the muddy streets on their way to find some food before they went to the offices to get on the list for work, Richard asked, "What's wrong?"

Nicci shook her head in disgust. "Ordinary people don't have your luck.

Richard. Ordinary people suffer and struggle while your luck gets you into a job."

"If it was luck," Richard asked, "then how come my back hurts from lugging that load of iron bars into the warehouse?"