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him prowling about us in the dark?
Zell touched her arm. +Peddlers don t give things away, not for the pleasure
of anyone s company.+
 Yes. He s not as clever as he thinks or as charming. Luca, you and Wann are
the best we have at woodcraft, you ve scouted for us all day, could you do
more?
 Yes. What are you thinking?
 There s not much moon, but the road is open here, the soil is pale, could you
track that yuzz, see where he and the peddler came into the Trace?
 Easy enough. You think ....
 I believe nothing about him, not even the direction he came from. Don t leave
until we say Praise and tuck the children into their blankets. I ll show you
where Zell and I will be sleeping. Her laugh had edges on it.  Pre-tending to
sleep, that is. Come to us and tell us what you found.
* * *
Luca slid into the thicket where Wintshikan waited, sit-ting cross-legged on
her blankets, her back against the trunk of a small tree, Zell crouching
beside her.  Where is he?
 Back by the stream with his yuzz. Hidan is watching him. Xe ll let Zell know
if he moves.
 He s a spy. Didn t even bother trying to cover his trail. He circled round to
come from the east, but he started west. There s a camp about half an hour
down-road. Five mals, armed. Not a phela, sneak thieves and bandits, making
more of themselves than is there. Sitting round the fire drinking stilled phuz
and boasting what they re going to do to us. Luca closed her eyes and
shuddered.  Ferns  11 be dead when they re fmished, but they ll keep the
femlits and the anyas to sell. There s a roaring market for healthy anyas.
And the Freetowns are always looking for new, clean whores. Her voice shook.
 Seems like the ones they have don t live very long.
 Good work, Luca. Did they say when they re coming for us?
 Tomorrow night. The spy s going to stay with us, make sure that all the arms
we have are a few knives.
 Yes. How drunk are that lot?
 They re celebrating pretty hard. In another hour or so, you could kick them
in the face and they wouldn t know it.
 Do you think it would be worthwhile to rob the thieves?
 Ahhhh. Luca pressed her hand across her mouth to keep in the
laughter. Eyes dancing, she nodded.
Wintshikan rose to her feet, took the Shawl Zell handed her, flung it round
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her shoulders, and spoke in formal mode as Heka of the Shishim ixis.  For
the crimes of planned murder and enslavement, I
declare Bukha the Needle Mal neither Pixa or Impix but beast, and I
require of that beast its life.
Sighing, she dropped the Shawl on the blankets.  All very well, these grand
pronouncements. Now I
have to decide how to do it.
 Leave it to Wann and me. We can cut the bhasit s throat while he sleeps.
 No, Luca. This must be execution, not murder. And he must have his chance to
make peace with
God.
 Why? Would he give us a chance?
 This isn t about him, it s about us. Do you really want to use that lot as
your standard?
Luca scowled, then stalked off.
Zell touched Wintshikan s arm. +She s hurting and filled with rage, Wintashi,
I can feel it. She ll leave us if we push her too hard.+
+I know. Seems everything I try is wrong. Has Wann ?+
+Wann will not speak to us. Xe has given pledge to Luca.+
+Why didn t they tell us, let us bless them?+
+They will not accept a blessing. What Wann has said to us in anyabond
is that it would be a blasphemy, and that they will not do.+
+It is the war, Zizi. Why was I so slow to see? I find myself standing too
close to Luca s ground, too
often tempted to hurl curses at God for letting such horrors happen.+
Wintshikan rubbed the sudden rush of tears from her eyes.  So let us go, my
sister, my love, and do a horror of our own.
Bukha came awake fast and fighting, but Wintshilcan cast herself across his
middle, pinning him to the ground, Luca and Wann got ropes on his wrists, Nyen
and Hidan caught his ankles, first one, then the other, and tied them
together.
Wintshikan levered herself up and stepped away from him.  We tracked you to
your friends and listened to them boast, Bukha the Needle Mal. Out of their
mouths you are condemned.
 What is this? What right ... ?
 God s right. And by God s Law as spoken by the Prophet, you may have a
thousand heartbeats to be mind-ful of your transgressions against that law.
Make yourself right with it before you die. Gag him, Luca. Nyen, make the
rope ready. Cleanse your soul, oh, Bukha, for on this night you
face your judgment.
He did not die easily; he fought his bindings as Nyen tied the
end of the rope to the yuzz s packsaddle, made hideous sounds past the
lump of waybread Luca bound in his mouth to gag him. When the beast took its
first step under Nyen s urging, his muted howl was an ugly thing.
Wintshikan walked to Kanilli and Zaro who stood with Zell, watching with wide
eyes and frightened faces.  You have shared in the judgment of the Remnant.
Have you questions?
Kanilli looked down, but Zaro lifted her head with a touch of defiance and
said,  I thought he was a nice little mal. I know he meant bad things for us,
but why? Why would he do such a thing?
 For gold, Zaro meami. Perhaps for the pleasure of it. Use this as a warning
when we reach the lowlands. You can t trust anyone there. They have all kinds
of excuses for what they do, but mostly it s just to pleasure them-selves or
fix the gold they worship.
Kanilli raised her head and shied as the hanged mal groaned and twitched; she
fixed her eyes on
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Wintshikan s face.  Then why are we going there? Why can t we stay in the
mountains?
Wintshikan sighed.  Death is a part of the compact with God, but it must come
in its own time. To stay would be to go seeking for death and that is
forbidden.
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