Soldier of Sidon

"This is worth knowing," Agathocles declared.

Qanju nodded. "Do you know where these places are, Alala?"

She touched the arm of her husband, who encouraged her to speak.

"I do not know," she whispered. Her voice is scarcely louder than a breath. "I was born in Abu, but the older men among the warriors of my people will surely know. So will our priests."

Agathocles said, "While you went slowly up the canal, I went swiftly to Miam and spoke with men with whom I trade. They sent me to other men." He held out his right hand and rubbed its palm with the fingers of the other. "I persuaded them to tell me what they knew, and I found it interesting indeed. I have shared it with the Noble Qanju and Holy Sahuset. At the Noble Qanju's urging, I'm prepared to share it with you as well. I ask no oaths but believe you'll soon see that what I say should go no further." He paused, and waited for someone else to speak.

At length Sahuset said, "It would not go this far, if my advice had been taken."

Qanju shook his head. "I will not justify your presence. You may do it yourself, if you like. To whom do you object?"

"All of them!"

"Then I will answer all your objections," Qanju said. "We have ample time for it. Do you believe Agathocles will keep his information from the Noble Charthi?"

Agathocles said, "I will not. I am here on his behalf."

"Nor would I keep it from the satrap," Qanju told him, "for the same reason. I have his trust and will not abuse it. Suppose that I were to act in a way Muslak found irrational and inexplicable. Would he conceal my acts, if the satrap questioned him?"

Muslak shook his head.

"He would not," Qanju continued, "knowing that the satrap would learn of them from others and punish him, as would be only just. Lucius leads our fighting men. He would obey my orders without explanation. I know that. But he can obey with intelligence only when he understands my reasons for giving them."

Qanju paused, smiling upon us. "You object to everyone save me, Sahuset, and thus to the sagan Kha. He represents the governor of Abu, and has come with us to help us, for the governor obeys the satrap. What reception might we have on our return to Abu if we acted now without informing him? What report might the governor send the satrap?"

Sahuset did not reply.

"Holy Thotmaktef is like a son to me. We share all confidences. Should I die or fall ill, he will act as a good son should, leading in my stead. Am I to keep this from him when I have kept nothing else from him? His wife is of the Medjay and may be of the greatest service to us-but only if she understands what it is we do and why we do it. She wished Neht-nefret present, since the customs of her people require that a married woman alone among men may not speak unless her husband is present. I know Neht-nefret is clever, and our captain declares her a woman of discretion. Whom would you have me send away, Sahuset?"

"I know the tongue," Sahuset said.

Qanju nodded. "So you do, but let us reach the point. Agathocles?"

"My contacts say that gold is coming from a mine in the east. Not much, they say, but some. They also say that a tall young man of Kemet is a slave there, and is being forced to work at the mine. They did not know his name. No one I spoke with has ever spoken to him."

I said, "The man who sent you to find his son must have given you a way to know him when you saw him."

"He didn't have to. I had seen him several times before he left home."

"You'd know him?"

Agathocles nodded. "Unless he's changed a great deal, I would. Besides, I could question him about his father's house, the names of servants and so forth. I know several of them because they've been sent to buy wine from me. He grew up in that house and must know them all." He spread his hands. "It's as plain as day, isn't it? His father sent him to look for the mines and find out if there was still gold to be had. He came as far as Miam and learned where they were. After that, he probably hired someone to guide him there. He was caught."

Neht-nefret said, "They'd kill him, wouldn't they? I would have."

Qanju shook his head. "You are a clever young woman, but you have much to learn. He is the son of an influential foreigner. Such a son is a sword in the hand of whoever holds him."

"Exactly." Agathocles chuckled. "If they kill him, they lose him, and if they bring him to Miam or Meroe, he'll talk about the mines to people who didn't know before. So they keep him at a mine. Let him talk. Everyone he talks to there knows already, and he can do some work."

"They will keep us there as well," Sahuset said, "if we go there as he did. They may arrest us and take us there if they so much as find out we're looking for them. Agathocles told you we were in agreement. That is one of the things we agree on."

"The satrap," Qanju said smoothly, "has sent us that he may learn of the south. We are interested in these mines because they are in the south and thus bear upon our mission.

"Kha, I will have my scribe draft a letter to the satrap, telling him what we have learned thus far, perhaps with some indication of what I plan to do. I will sign and seal it. My scribe will draft another to the governor at Abu. It will say only that he is to take the letter from the bearer and forward it to the satrap. Will you be the bearer? You may, if you wish."

Kha shook his head. "That was not my errand. I will remain with you, Most Noble Qanju, if you will permit it."

"I will, of course. Captain, will you send a reliable man? He need go no farther than Abu, and can rejoin us when he has delivered my letters to the governor."

Muslak nodded. "There's a small boat in our stores. Can I use that?"

"Of course."

"Then he'll get through the canal a lot faster than we did-the current will be with him. I'll send Azibaal. He's completely reliable."

"Good. Send him to me this evening. Both letters should be ready by then."

Qanju smiled as before. "Now I have a problem to lay before you. I will ask everyone's advice, begi

He spoke to Alala. "My dear, you are youngest, or so I judge. Here is my problem. A young man of Kemet, one Kames, is said to be held here as a slave, though he is none. He is a subject of the Great King's, and because he is, it is my duty to free him if I can. You are my counselor. How am I to do it?"

Alala spoke so softly we had to lean toward her to hear. "I don't understand. If the mines yield only a little gold, and people willing to tell this man," she gestured toward Agathocles, "know of it already, why does King Siaspiqa bind this Kames?"

Agathocles said, "Surely that's clear. They yield more than a little, and Kames learned of it."

Qanju said, "This Hellene may speak truly, my dear. It may also be that the king is jealous of what gold they yield, though it is but small. Or that he has little use for spies, or some other reason. We ca

"By the help of my people, the Lion People," Alala said promptly. "They take the Great King's gold to fight for him and to guard the northern land. They will take it again, overwhelm King Siaspiqa's men, and free this Kames for you."

"It is certainly worth considering," Qanju said, "and I will consider it."

He turned to Neht-nefret. "My dear, you are youngest after the wife of my scribe, I believe. May I have your thoughts?"

Neht-nefret shrugged. "If you wish them. I've never been chary of advice. I don't think we know enough now to come up with a good plan. If I were you, I'd find a handsome young woman and have her get close to the man in charge of one of these mines. She'd soon find out a thousand things you need to know, if she were the right woman for the job. She might even be able to free this Kames herself." Neht-nefret paused and licked her lips. "She'd expect to be well rewarded for what she did. I'm sure you understand."