"Speaky, go on and tell Zip. I and your friend will stay right here and makemean-eyes at each other. Go, damn it!"

Speaklittle departed at speed while Jing looked at Hanse, mean-eyed. For somereason he said, "You really kill a fish-eyes today, Hanse?"

"A few hours ago. Since then I've been trying to think and I've been grieving.That makes two of 'em I've killed. I'm ashamed that it hasn't been more, but I'mslow about some things. And the knife I had out to warn you-believe that. It'snot the one I stuck into the Stare-Eyes. This is the one that's been into twoStare-Eyes."

"Ahhh. And... you say Zip's expecting you?"

"Can't imagine why you didn't have the word," Hanse lied, catching Jing'srespectful look. "What's your name?"

A few minutes later Speaklittle came running back, to escort Hanse to Zip. Noone said anything about Hanse's arsenal. They went about a block and a half, andinto a building and out again, and into a barrel. That led into a very secretpassage, a short one, which led to Zip. He was flanked by two bodyguards andlooked as hungry as ever.

"Hanse. You're presuming a bit, but I go along. What's so-"

"I'm breaking into the god-damned palace to remove the Beyswine's god-damnedscepter and the heart of any goddamned Stare-Eye murderer that gets in my wayand I hope some do, Zip. I thought you'd be interested. You want to help? Icould use some good line, silk, and a very good archer with guts. Decide fast,man-I'm goin' in tonight."

The first time Shadowspawn had entered the governor's lofting manse he hadwalked in, with help from Prince-Governor Kadakithis's traitor-concubine,Lirain. He'd had only to break out, with the Savankh. The second time had beenon his own and, as he realized only after he was in the Prince's privy apartment'way, 'way up in the palace, ill-advised. He had stolen nothing, and again hehad to break out.

This time he had no inside help, but he had help. PFLS members, working hard tolook unobtrusive, haunted every street within blocks. Others were way over onthe other side of town, raising a ruckus and attracting lots of armed Beys. Fromthe shadowy granary across from the palace's outer defense wall, Hanse watchedwhile Zip's best archer sent the arrow up. It whizzed past the spire atop thepalace and, checked by the long line it trailed, swung back. It went around thespire about six times and the archer and his assistant really leaned on theline.

Shadowspawn raised his eyebrows and nodded. "You do good work," he muttered, andnudged himself out of his natural habitat, the shadows.

The PFLSer didn't even flash his teeth. Once Hanse had hold of the silken linestrong enough to support two Hanses, the archer did his best to emulate thethief. Into the shadows, with arrow ready for any interfering Beysib-or evennosey fellow Ilsigi, since this mission was more important than individuals.Right now Hanse, not a member of the Front, was the most important person in theFront. Zip had said so. The best archer in Sanctuary figured that made himfourth, after Zip and Kama. Right now Kama was fourth, since she was an archer'sassistant.

He watched while the wraith all in black squirreled up onto the roof of thegranary, poised, and swung out across the street. Looked like he hit the palacewall hard. Went right on up, though, after just a moment.

He was without that long swordlike knife, but with a leathern pouch boiled torocky hardness and strapped to his chest, and with a pair of throwing stars, andthat strange four-foot staff, too, and of course the prepared arrows and theshort bow. Step after step and hand over hand, he went up that wall in animpressive sort of reverse rappel.[ii] Eventually the archer and Kama andthe other secretly watching PFLSers lost sight of him, but they continued towait and to stare upward just as if they could see.

They could not; they could see only shadows. The thing was, any one of thoseshadows might be Hanse.

It had been weird, really weird. The elated Zip and Kama arranged this and thathelp, and offered all sorts of other aid that Hanse neither needed nor wanted.Yet as he was returning from Downwind, he had met a person he had never seenbefore in his life. A skinny ugly girl with warts and a facial birthmark thesize of a lemon but the color of dried blood, and a figure so unfortunate thateven her mother must wince.

"You are he called Shadowspawn, and you are going climbing. My master bids megive you this wand, and trebly urge you to take it with you. Just push it intoyour boots or something, and leave it behind when you leave your...destination."

"My name is Mudge Kraket," Hanse impatiently said, "and I am not goingaclimbing. Heights scare me. Why not find someone else to hand that funny stick?Looks like a good piece; a dune-viper carved from mahogany, isn't it?"

"Because you are Hanse and you are on a mission for all Ilsigi and thus IlsHimself, and because you will need this. It is important. Gods are at work thisnight, Hanse." She continued to proffer the staff.

"Orders?" he came back, and he was truculent.

"Oh stop being silly." And suddenly she was all aglow, and the glow was bright,like Love itself, so that Hanse squinted and shielded his eyes and wished thatsorcery would leave him alone. "Take it! Have you really forgot so soon, Godson,lover?"

Since she then vanished utterly, and the stick had got itself somehow into hishand, Hanse decided that it were best to take the damned thing up the wall withhim. He respected sorcery; only idiots did not. He just didn't like it, any morethan did most non-adepts. Definitely hoping he must have to do with no more thisnight, he went on.

He was swinging down Tanner when the true light appeared-Mignureal, all wan andred-eyed and droopy in her dark red dress of mourning. She ran into his embraceand at once commenced to weep. Hanse, who had sworn off weeping two hours ago,immediately began anew. Meanwhile he hugged her close and stroked her long darkhair.

"I'm about to have to leave this damned town, Mignue," he told her very quietly,"and I want you to come with me."

"But," she said, pushing herself back to look into his face, "why-why would youwant to 1-" And her eyes went blank while a jerk went through her. Then so stiffthat she quivered while she spoke in that strange voice: "Hanse- take the redcat."

"What?!"

"When you go up the silken rope for Sanctuary, Hanse, take along the red cat."

Hanse held her automatically while he stared at nothing. God and gods damn itall, sorcery's all over the place and everybody in Sanctuary knows what I'mgoing to do and has advice! If this goes en I'II be so laden I couldn't climbinto bed!

Yet he knew that was not so; only two knew, one by sorcery and Mignue by asudden seizure of her S'danzo Seeing. And he remembered the brown pot, and asshe suddenly said, "Oh. What am I doing-I have to go home and get ready," heknew that he had to go to Sly's Place. She whirled and ran. Hanse heaved a greatsigh and rubbed his face. He started walking, feeling dizzy.

A short time later he was staring at Ahdiovizun with eyes like dying coals."Ahdio, I-"

"Hanser! Lord God Ils and Shalpa, Hanser! I've wanted to see you! You'll neverbelieve what happened the other night after you three left! Ole Notable pouncedup on the table in back and lapped up every bit of the beer in your mug that hecould reach, then cried and pawed for me to help him get the rest!-and hewouldn't touch the mugs of those other two! What'd you do to that cat, anyhowyou a sorcerer, Hanse?"