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He nodded without looking at me "I know"

"Did you watch? You said you wouldn't"

"I heard her voice when you were practically standing beside , while he carried the little saddle into the tack room When he came out, I said, "Yes, I'm sure she will I didn't exact a promise from her, if that's what you mean She wouldn't have kept one in any case"

"I would have killed her then"

"Yes," I said "That would have been the right thing to do"

We walked out of the stable together There was light enough in the inn yard now for us to see the well, and the wide doors that led into the inn

"I don't think it would have been right - I'inedon a dirty bed so It wouldn't have been right"

Jonas lifted the mace the man-ape had left behind, and chopped with it in a parody, brutal and graceless, of a sword cut The head caught the light and both of us gasped

It was of pounded gold

Neither of us felt any desire to join the festivities the fair still proffered to those who had caroused all night We retired to the room we shared, and prepared for sleep When Jonas offered to share his gold with me, I refused Earlier, I had had money in plenty and the advance on ess Noas happy that he would no longer feel himself in my debt I was ashaold, and remembered how carefully I had concealed (in fact, still concealed) the existence of the Claw from him I felt bound to tell him of it; but I did not, and contrived instead to slip my foot from my wet boot in such a way that the Claw fell into the toe

I woke about noon, and after satisfying myself that the Claas still there, roused Jonas as he had asked ive me soain with them Want to co to eat, and by the tih, I'll be due at the scaffold"

"Back to work then"

"Yes" I had picked up my cloak It was sadly torn, and htly damp

"One of the ood as new, but it will be a lot better than it is now" Jonas swung open the door "Cohtful about?"

In the inn's parlor, with a goodher needle on my cloak in another roo with the steps I had heard far below ground

"You're a strange er than I You don't want people to know it, but you're a foreigner of soen?"

"An outlander"

Jonas shook his head, then nodded "Yes, I suppose I ahtmares, and you have discovered a hoard of silver Yet you talk about it to ht talk about the weather"

I took a bit of bread "It is strange, I agree But the strangeness resides in the Claw, the thing itself, and not inabout it to you, why shouldn't I? If I were to steal your gold, I could sell it and spend the o well for someone who stole the Claw I don't knohy I think that, but I do, and of course Agia stole it As for the silver - "

"And she put it in your pocket?"

"In the sabretache that hangs froht her brother would killto claiet Terminus Est and em too, and meanwhile, if it were found, I would be blamed and not she I remember"

"What?"

"The Pelerines They stopped us as ere trying to get out Jonas, do you think it's true that sohts of others?"

"Of course"

"Not everyone is so sure Master Gurloes used to speak favorably of the idea, but Master Palaemon wouldn't hear of it Still, I think the chief priestess of the Pelerines could, at least to so, and that I had not She ia strip so they could search her, but they didn't search me Later they destroyed their cathedral, and I think that must have been because of the loss of the Claw - it was the Cathedral of the Claw, after all"

Jonas nodded thoughtfully