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Her cats! Evvy sighed Without coppers from Nahim today, she couldn’t buy dried fish for theet back to Oldtown If she had enough tiht be able to catch sohts That would satisfy the cats at least, and she could eat bread she’d hidden away
Below her the Ca the lone Viper The jade-eyed boy had a ainst the Viper like that Crazy eknub, Evvy thought Don’t go pawing at , she trotted down the rooftop road
In the cool hours of the evening, Lady Zenadia doa Attaneh reclined on the sofa that was placed for her coarden She was the picture of a Chammuran noblewoman in wide skirts, head veil, and draped sari, all old at the he a midriff as lean and supple in her fifties as it had been when she was a girl, was hemmed with teardrop-shaped pearls, its neckline and sleeves with tiny seed pearls Obedient to custoold fabric was so sheer that her gold nose ring and the fine gold chain that hung between it and her earring were visible, as was her crimson lip paint The veil only covered her nose and the lower part of her face, leaving her large, dark eyes with their strong black brows bare Between her eyes glimmered the unfaceted emerald that marked her status as a
As if they had been placed to forance, the Vipers who had talked to Briar in the souk knelt three feet from her couch, palh shirts and breeches that she had bought for them were clean -- no one went dirty into her presence -- but cloth and ave to her lowliest servants Only brass nose rings, with a garnet drop hanging fro peddlers and can lad who had e, then turned into trouble for the youth who had followed him Now they awaited the lady’s verdict
"I have no interest in eknub pahans," she co into the distance Her voice was deep and uests "They are troublesome, and they are not of Chairl she ic?"
The tallest Viper, the lean, brown-skinned youth as their tesku, or leader, looked up from the tiles He was the one who had told Briar that he looked and moved like a thief His eyes were fixed on the lady, as if she were his sun "He asked her how her ht up, Lady," he repeated "He wanted to know if she called on the power in the stones, or if she just put a chare eyes on him and smiled "You may approach me, Ikrum Fazhal," she said The thin tesku crawled forward until she placed a gentle hand on his dark hair "You ise to report this to me A Chammuran pahan is always useful, but a street child from Oldtown, new to her power, and that poith stones -- such a pahan has, urateful to those who took her in, would she not? You need not answer," she added when Ikrum opened hisher to me when she is found"
She lifted her hand from Ikrum’s head; he promptly crawled back to join the other two It had taken painful training, but now all the Vipers ere pernals meant, and obeyed them
"As for these others, the ones who assaulted our Sajiv --" The lady flipped her fingers at the third Viper, a lean, brown youth with tightly curled black hair
"Caishly: they had torn out his ring and garnet drop
"Dreadful word," the lady said with disgust "What is their strength?’
"Twenty-six boys and girls," Ikrum said promptly
The lady inspected the patterns that had been drawn in henna on her pal who controlled the streets between the Hajra Gate and Golden House, the ones whose colors were black and white "Fewer, and poorer" She looked up at her guests "They h weapons for you at last Ar in the shadows by the gallery approached and bowed to her "You will present my Vipers eapons, those, those blackjacks Instruct theain To the boys the lady said, "Once you have taught the other Vipers the use of blackjacks, you will enter Caut" -- she wrinkled her nose -- "territory by stealth Separate these upstarts fro froroup Deal with them harshly, and leave them where they will be found Try not to be seen The less people know, the orously
The lady suts to be on the brink of collapse, offer to ad youths stirred, on the verge of protest She touched her forefinger to her lips over the veil "You have said the Gate Lords possess the advantage of numbers Here is a way to increase yours Of course, the newcomers must prove their loyalty before they can be fully accepted into your ranks" She looked thes as you do not Now Ubayid, before you give the boys," she ordered "Not too much, of course Information is precious, but not as precious as victories" She dismissed them and her armsmaster with a flick of the hand