She rolled over on her side and let go a sigh. Despite her mood a small grinstole over her features as her gaze fell on a table across the room. On it stooda bottle of Vuksibah.

There was a gamble she certainly hadn't lost, she smiled to herself. Thathandsome little thief taught her a lot, and only a little of it about Sanctuary.After the first bottle of Vuksibah anything he said was merest accompaniment towhat he did. Fortunately, she woke with a clear head able to recall every word.She doubted he could claim the same. She took the remaining bottle, reclaimedher circlet which he had slipped from her brow and secreted beneath a pillow,and left him asleep.

It would be good to see Hanse again, she thought. Why not? Not even her workoutswith Dayme had been able to turn her mind from the danger to her cousin. Yet itserved no purpose to continually worry. Perhaps Hanse could find a way to diverther.

She rose, slipped off her gown, and pulled on new leather garments from thechest at the foot of her bed. There, also, were her weapons. She strapped on herfancy sword. As an afterthought, she took up the two daggers. Hanse consideredhimself good with throwing-knives. It might make exciting play to challenge him.

Dressed, she tucked the bottle of Vuksibah under her arm and left her room. Herfather was asleep or reading in his own chambers, and she did not disturb him.He worried when she went out, but never tried to stop her. She loved him mostfor that.

She descended stairs to the main floor, her boot heels clicking on the stone.Dayme must have heard her, for he was waiting at the bottom. Two more of hereight gladiators would be prowling about somewhere nearby as well. Ka-dakithiswas not alone on Theron's list; her father had been friend as well as relativeto the late Emperor.

"Bring Reyk," she instructed her dark-haired giant. "Then get someone else tostand your watch. You've walked the streets with me these past five nights, andthe lack of sleep showed in our workout today."

Dayme frowned, then quickly hid it. "Let me go with you. Lady. The night istreacherous...."

She shook her head. "Not tonight, my friend." She indicated the liquor shecarried. "Tonight, it's a little pleasure I seek."

He seemed about to speak, then thought better of it, turned, and left her alone.The falcons were caged at the rear of the estate, but Dayme returned promptlywith her pet.

Chenaya wrapped the jess around her fingers, then removed Reyk's hood and gaveit back to Dayrne. She did not need it to handle her favorite bird; it was adifferent story for others.

"Now to bed with you." She squeezed playfully at his huge bicep. "And in themorning be prepared for the hardest workout of your life!"

She passed into the warm night, feeling better now that she was free of theconfines of her room. She would look for Hanse at his apartment first, at theVulgar Unicorn if he wasn't home. It might take a little time, but she'd findhim. He was worth the effort.

As she crossed the Avenue of Temples a young girl stepped out of the shadows andblocked her path. A small hand brushed back the concealing hood of a worn cloak,exposing dark curls and wide, frightened eyes. "Please, Mistress," she saidtimidly, "a coin for a luckless unfortunate?"

Chenaya realized she had forgotten her own cloak. No matter, the street peopleknew her well by now. She made to pass the girl by..

The girl stepped closer, saw Reyk, and stopped. She chewed the tip of a finger,then said again, "Please, Mistress, whatever you can spare. Otherwise. I mustsell myself in the Promise of Heaven to feed my little brother."

Chenaya peered closely at the thin face emaciated from hunger. Those largeimploring eyes locked with hers, full of fear and full of hope. Beggars hadapproached her other nights, and she had kept her coins. Something about thisone, however, loosened her heart and her purse strings. Several pieces of Rankangold fell into the outstretched hand.

It was more wealth than the child had ever seen. She stared, disbelieving, atthe gleams in her palm. Tears sprang into her eyes. She hurled herself to theground, flung her arms around her benefactor's legs, and cried.

Reyk screeched and sprang to defend his handler. Only the jess held him awayfrom the sobbing child. Chenaya fought to control him and to keep her balance asthose arms entwined her. The bottle of Vuksibah slipped from under her arm andbroke; the precious liquor splattered her boots. She let go a savage curse andpushed the silly beggar girl away.

"I'm sorry, Mistress," she wailed, scrambling to her feet, backing away. "Sosorry, so sorry!" She whirled and fled into the darkness.

Bits of glass shone around her feet as Vuksibah seeped into the dust. Shesighed, stirred the shards with a toe. Well, another could be gotten at theUnicorn.

Then a tingle crawled up her spine. She kneeled to see better, then cast aglance over her shoulder at the sky. The moon carved a fine, bright crescent inthe night, and every piece of glass mirrored its silveriness.

The voice of her god screamed suddenly inside her head. When the splintered moonlies in the dust.

She released the falcon's jess. "Up!" she cried, and Reyk took to the air. Sheran through the streets, her brain ringing with Savankala's warning, until shereached her father's estate. She burst through the doors, breathless.

"Dayme!" she called out. He had not obeyed her; he came running from a side roomstill dressed and armed. It was not the time to scold him. "Dayme, it's now!"

More words were unnecessary. He disappeared and returned with a pack on hisshoulders. Four of his comrades followed him, strapping on swords. "Stay and seeto my father!" she ordered them.

"Where is Reyk?" Dayrne interrupted.

She raised a finger. "Always close by. I can't run and carry him too."

Together they ran back into the dark and up shadowed streets. The tallsilhouettes of temples loomed on their left, and the voices of gods called fromthe gloom-filled entrances, urging them to hurry. Or, perhaps, it was the windthat rose mysteriously from nowhere, wailed down the alleyways, and pushed attheir backs. The moon floated before them, beckoning.

They reached the granaries and stopped. The rear wall of the Governor's groundsrose up on the opposite side of the street, impossibly high and challenging."The west side," Chenaya ordered.

They had planned this carefully. The gates to the palace were barred at night;only a handful of guards bothered to patrol the grounds. No one was admitted atnight except with the Prince's permission. But she and Dayme had found away.

Another wall rose around the granaries themselves. It was to the west side ofthis wall that they ran. Dayme* unslung the pack, removed a grapple and rope.Here the wall was lowest and easy to scale. In no time they were atop it, racingalong its narrow surface. Gradually, the wall angled upward to reach its highestpoint above the granary gate opposite the palace wall. Dayme prepared the secondgrapple.

Hanse had bragged how he had broken into the palace. No man was strong enough tohurl a grapple the height of the palace's wall, he claimed. Probably he wasright. But the Street of Plenty which separated the granary and the palace wasnot as wide as the wall was high. Still, for an ordinary man even that was animpossible throw; but not for one possessed of Dayme's skill and ripplingstrength.

The night hummed as he whirled the grapple in ever-widening circles. She layflat to avoid being knocked over the edge. Finally he let fly. Grapple and linesailed outward, disappeared. Then metal scraped on stone. Dayme tugged the linetaut.