Wings of Omen

"You..." she began, and aborted that because her voice was going high. She swallowed as unobtrusively as possible and said, "I... understand. You are fast."

Zip laughed, exaggeratedly. So did Ahdio, setting down three more.

"You're Rankan," Hanse had said, very quietly. Only Jes/Kama heard, and nodded. She was impressed anew.

"You really take down one of them tonight, Hanser?"

Shadowspawn nodded. "Straight Street, Ahdio, three doors down from Odors."

Ahdio's smile was genuine."! love it. How? Excuse me- will you tell me now?"

"It attacked." Hanse reached lazily across himself, tapped the leather-and copper armlet at his right bicep. "In the eye. The right eye. Wiped the blood on its tunic-thing."

Ahdio was gri

"Think it's safe?"

"You think they have spies or informants here in the Maze?" Ahdio's voice was rich with incredulity.

"I do. Half the people in this room would sell a sister for a good offer, and all of us would spout about anything under torture. I think I'd better say I mind, Ahdio."

The huge man sighed. "My lips're sealed. You three look's if you'd ruther be in the back room."

Zip and Hanse nodded in unison.

A minute later he and Kama were ambling back that way, after having bade Zip good night. The little room beyond the wall behind the bar was plain, with the same flooring, walls adorned only by hanging utensils and pottles and a couple of leathern sacks, full. The table was square and the chairs roughly- and well made. The room was also occupied by a score or so tuns of beer and a good-sized red cat with a cropped ear, a restless tail, and a mean look. It was looking at Hanse. Hanse didn't like cats overmuch; any animal that could and would stare down a human should be illegal. This one also looked as if it ate large, live dogs for snacks.

"These are friends. Notable," Ahdio told the cat. "Excuse me," he said quietly, and patted Hanse's shoulder, and Kama's. "Friends, Notable. Take a nap."

Notable blinked, long, and didn't say anything. It continued to stare. Kama acted as if it weren't there, while Hanse stared back. They stood still while Ahdio went over and moved a keg that had to weigh several hundred pounds. Next he moved the one behind it. And squatted. When Zip's knock came, the taverner was ready to open the concealed half-door and move back while Zip squat-crawled into the room. Ahdio closed the low door, secured both its locks, and replaced both kegs. He went through the friend-excuse-me-hand-on-shoulder routine with Zip, gestured to the table and chairs, and started to leave.

"Oh," he said, at the door into the main room. "If you want anything, wait awhile. I'll send Throde."

"Who's Throde?" Zip asked, while Hanse was saying, "You telling us not to get up and walk over to that door because of the cat, Ahdio?"

"That's a damned good cat, Hanse. Had a prowler try to get in here one night and Notable screamed loud enough to scare off every prowler from here to Vomit Boulevard. 'Nother fellow followed me back here one night late with his mind on badness and before he had his sticker out of its sheath Notable was eating holes in his knife-arm. Likes beer but won't take it from anyone but me. Zip: Throde is my helper. You know-^they call him Gimp. Good boy. From Twand; my cousin's boy."

Since Hanse knew very well that Ahdiovizun was not from Twand, he considered that stuff about Throde or Gimp to be highly unlikely. So what? Ahdio was better than all right, and Throde was his helper, and both Zip and what-was-her-name Jes were in disguise, and-never mind how many lies were being told and lived out in the taproom.

That stuff about Notable the red cat Hanse believed implicitly.

Ahdio departed their company and without a trace of preamble or smile Hanse said, "Let's hear it. You've become leader of a bunch called People's Front for the Liberation of Sanctuary and recently you were very nearly killed. This woman disguised as a man has an accent says she's from Ranke and she knows how to move. An alliance against the Stare-Eyes, then? What's it want with me? I'm not political."

"Popular Front," Zip corrected. "The P in PFLS is for Popular, not People's. We don't mind saying you're right about Kama-she's with the Rankan 3rd Commando unit. They're as eager as we are to get rid of the froggies. The Stare-Eyes. It isn't going to happen tomorrow morning or by next Eshday, either. We need more respect, more money, more good people, and even more warm bodies."

Hanse had ceased even touching the mugs of beer or glancing at them either. "Got no money and I'm not good people or interested in joining the Popular FLS." He shrugged. "You'll get more respect when you've shown you can do more than write bloody messages on the Vulgar Unicorn's walls and get One-Thumb and a bunch of other people in trouble."

"The PPLS didn't do that, Hanse, and I didn't do it. And you're right-it was a rotten idea. Those froggies that busted in there looking for trouble weren't official ones, though. And Hanse... we know how-Kama and I-how we can gain respect and money and more followers all in one operation that won't involve a single death. Not one. Just-"

"You're dreaming."

Kama made a noise, and Hanse didn't glance her way. He did glance at Notable, which was examining its left forepaw with great interest while its tail sort of wandered around the floor behind it.

"Damn it, Hanse-"

"Zip?" Kama waited a moment, and Zip leaned back, trying not to look disgusted. "Hanse," she said, "word is that once someone actually broke into the Governor's Palace and actually stole Prince-Governor Kadakithis's wand of power-the one straight from Ranke as emblem of Empire-and actually got away. Whether it was strictly the thief's idea or not is not for certain and not important anymore. Kadakithis is in hiding or detention and the Beysa sleeps in the governor's suite-alone, presumably-as boss of Sanctuary. Word is also that the thief who pulled off that fantastic piece of work actually ransomed the Savankh back to the prince, and got away with it. Maybe a traitor or two got killed along the way, and maybe not; maybe the prince actually owes a debt to that thief and maybe not. All that doesn't matter."

She paused, waiting, and Hanse decided to outwait her. After thirty seconds or so it got to him and he said, "I've heard that story, or some of it, too. What about it, Jes?"

"Call me Kama. What about it is this. What would have happened if it had been noised around that the Savankh was in the hands of the people of Sanctuary-the Ilsigs? Enormous loss of face for the prince and for the Empire he represents, or represented! Lots of laughter in town. And lots of people flocking to join those who had the Savankh. Maybe a few contributions of funds, too. Nowadays things are worse. A lot of people didn't like the Rankan rule of Sanctuary, but no one likes these fish-eyed invaders."

"That's for sure," Zip muttered.

"True," Hanse said, and glanced at Notable. As a test, Hanse slapped his leg. Notable put down his paw and took up staring. "I think I like that cat."

"So," Zip said, on an eye-signal from Kama, "if I-if the PFLS had the Beysin scepter, their symbol of power... and if we spread the word, actually showed it around..."

"You'd have about a million Beys down your throat."

"Maybe about a hundred," Zip said, "but they wouldn't be down our throats, they'd be trying to find us. Meanwhile just about everyone in Sanctuary would be happily lying to them and misdirecting them, and joining us to free Sanctuary for Sanctuarites, and contributing services and money and even working deals to get some weapons in here."