"Plundering the heretics was always part of his plan."

"It won't work out any better in the Connec than it did in Calzir. There's a lot of wealth there. That country has been peaceful for so long. But most of the wealth will get destroyed or disappear during the getting."

"Shit," Ghort murmured. "This news is gonna get back to Brothe before we do. Our asses are gonna be in a sling when they can't find us."

Hecht thought so, too. There would be a lot of running in circles, screaming and shouting, once this news reached the Mother City. Though it should not have much practical impact. "We might've made a bad career move, sneaking off."

"Maybe this guy will give us a job." He meant Ferris Renfrow, who was headed their way.

Renfrow said, "You've heard the news from the Connec."

Hecht nodded.

"You should know that while the results delight me, neither the Emperor nor I contributed to Haiden Backe's embarrassment."

"That makes it all right, then."

Renfrew grinned. Hecht had not seen that before. "Sublime… No. Mustn't show disrespect to the Father of the Church. But I have to wonder about a man who'd hire Grolsachers – and Backe in particular – after all the disasters involving those people the last ten years. It'll be a fearsome hard winter in Grolsach, for sure."

Ghort said, "He hired Haiden Backe because he couldn't find anybody else stupid enough. Never minding Sublime's genius. Grolsach is terrible. Not so bad to be from, though, on account of nobody expects a lot from you." More to himself, Ghort muttered, "Any Grolsacher tries to change their luck, he screws up and it just gets worse."

"Spoken like a man who knows whereof he speaks."

"Smart guys get out and find work somewhere else. Which helps them and Grolsach both because then there's fewer mouths to fill."

"If the smartest people emigrate, what does that say about those who don't?"

Ghort shrugged. He did not know Ferris Renfrow. He did know the man's reputation. The Imperial fancied himself the cleverest man around. And liked to show it in pointless debates.

Renfrow turned to Hecht. "You've got a couple of kids you're towing around. How come?"

"Cover. Plus, somebody has a soft streak." He nodded at Ghort. "Says one of them reminds him of him."

"Ugly kid?"

"First shot. They have their uses. Eyes and ears. Though the smaller boy is a mute."

"You came from Sonsa." Not a question.

Hecht nodded. Renfrow knew.

"What's going on there?"

"We weren't there long."

But long enough to collect a couple of street urchins, Renfrow said with his calculating gray eyes.

Ghort said, "The dump's a ghost town. I expected more people and more business. Guess they ain't never recovered from the Deve uprising."

"Perhaps."

Hecht knew Renfrow wanted to keep talking, but every question he asked revealed information as well. Which was why, in turn, Hecht did not ask about Vali Dumaine.

If anyone did know that story, Renfrow would.

So Hecht asked, "How much support will Lothar give the Duke of Clearenza?"

Renfrow chuckled. "What will the Patriarch do in response to fon Dreasser coming to his senses?"

Hecht smiled back.

Renfrow saw something that interested him. Startled and disturbed him, perhaps. For a flickering instant. "He wouldn't have delusions of…"

"Plenty," Ghort said. "Illusions, too. He's loony as a band of rock apes on fermented fruit."

What did that mean? Hecht said, "We wouldn't be here if he was serious about that, would we?"

Renfrow grunted, headed out the front door.

A man went out after him. Hecht said, "That would be the man he hoped we wouldn't notice."

Ghort agreed. "Yes. And now I'm curious. Because that was Lyse Tanner."

"Don't know the name."

"He's from Santerin. One of the ones who ran out after their last succession squabble. He tried to get a commission from the Patriarch. His brother is a bishop. He didn't get the job."

"So he went to work for the Emperor?"

"He was probably on Renfrow's payroll first. Let's keep an eye on him. See who his associates are. If he brought any. Think Renfrow knows we caught it?"

"He won't assume we didn't, I expect."

"Pipe, I'm getting a little anxious. Things are going on around us. And we ain't got a clue what they are."

"That's the story of my life. I'd be worried if I thought I was getting on top of everything."

Hecht and Ghort were eating supper with the children when the deserters arrived. "That's them," Ghort whispered. He handed his bowl down to Vali, who pushed it under the bench. She was more relaxed but had not yet spoken. Ghort stared at the floor, letting the shadows disguise him.

Hecht whispered, "Pella. The men who just came in. Go outside and wait for them to come back out. Keep track. Don't be obvious." He glanced over. Ferris Renfrow had not yet crept into his evening shadow.

The children headed out the back way, Pella blathering about outhouses. Nobody paid attention. The brats had become furniture already.

"And now?" Ghort asked.

"And now I wish I'd had Pella go eavesdrop." The newcomers had begun by questioning the one-eyed man. If he had a name Hecht had yet to hear it. One-eye indicated one of the men Hecht had picked out earlier. The newcomers interrupted his before meal prayer.

The seated man was not pleased.

Hecht said, "He didn't want them to find him in here."

Ghort asked, "You dug out anything that you haven't told me yet?"

"They pray a lot. That one told the redhead serving girl that he's a priest. From Ormienden. He didn't say from where." Sublime's backers in parts of Ormienden were savage fanatics. Immaculate's were less determined but more numerous.

"Your basic godshouter is a shifty weasel, whatever his spiritual poison. But that guy and his pals look a little more so than usual."

Hecht thought so himself. But he had found no way to learn more about them.

"Here comes another one." Another supposed priest. "There's one more, right?"

The newcomer seemed nervous. The deserters paid no attention.

Ghort related what he imagined was happening. "My boys want their money. They're anxious to get on down the road. The paymaster is saying, relax. Don't attract attention. Anyway, it wouldn't be smart to get back out there on the road. There's some bad Night things prowling around north of here."

Which was true. A blood-drained corpse had been found only miles away just that morning.

"My boys don't care. They've worked themselves into a lather, worrying about how awful their lives will get if Iron Bottom Ghort ever gets hold of them."

"I'd be nervous myself."

"You'd have reason… Uh-oh."

"What?"

'The prayer brothers just sold them some snake oil. The money is hidden outside. The stable, probably. Some kind of crap like that. They're going to let the priests take them outside." The deserters and their interlocutors rose.

"Can they be that stupid?"

"They signed on to set you up."

"There is that." That seemed more like overweening optimism, though. "Let's don't let them get too far ahead."

Ghort muttered, "Shit. Timing. Here's your Imperial pal."

Ferris Renfrow drifted into his habitual shadow. What had passed between him and Lyse Tanner? Why was he still hanging around? Did he have regular connections at the Knight of Wands?

"They are going out back. The stable or the outhouses."

"Or the woods behind, if they're up to any real wickedness." He thought Renfrow showed a flicker of interest in the four men. Then glanced from them to him.

Of course. Renfrow would want to penetrate his business if he could.

"No help for it," Ghort muttered. "Let's go. I wish it was busier tonight."

The deserters were not complete fools. Both made sure of hidden weapons when their paymasters were not looking. Hecht saw Renfrow become more alert.