“All Nephane has lost its mind,” said Kta, “and there is no time to argue blame. Help us or stand aside. The Indras fleet is a day out of Nephane and we either collect ourselves a people or see Nephane burn.” ,
“Gods,” breathed t’Kales. “Then the fleet-”
“Defeated. We must organize the city.”
“We cannot do it, Kta. None of these people will listen to reason. We have been beseiged in our own houses.”
“Kta!” Kurt exclaimed, for another man was running down the street.
It was Bel t’Osanef. One of the Indras-descended barred his way with drawn ypan and nearly ran him through, but t’Osanef avoided it with desperate agility.
“Light of heaven!” Kta cried. “Hold, t’Idur! Let him pass!”
The seaman dropped his point and Bel began running again, reached the place where they stood.
“Kta, ye gods, Kta!” Bel was close to collapse with his race to get through, and the words choked from him. “I had no hope-”
“You are mad to be on the street,” said Kta. “Where is Aimu?”
“Safe. We shelter in Irain. Kta-”
“I have heard, I have heard, my poor friend.”
“Then please, Kta, these people… these people of mine… they are innocent of the fires. Whatever… whatever your people say… they try to make us out responsible… but it is a lie, a-”
“Calm yourself, Bel. Cast no words to the winds. I beg you, take charge of these people and get them to help or get them out of this area. The Indras fleet is coming down on Nephane and we have only a little time to restore order here and prepare ourselves.”
“I will try,” said Bel, and cast a despairing look at the frightened people milling about, at the dead men in the street. He went to the archer who lay in the center of the cobbled street, knelt down and touched him, then looked up with a negative gesture and a sympathetic expression for someone in the crowd.
There came a young woman-the one who had screamed. She crept forward and knelt down in the street beside the dead man, sobbing and rocking in her misery. Bel spoke to her in words no one else could hear, though there was but for the fire’s crackling a strange silence on the street and among the crowd. Then he picked up the dead youth’s body himself, and struggled with it toward the Sufaki side.
“Let us take our dead decently inside,” he said. “You men who can, put the fires out.”
“The Indras set them,” one of the young women said.
“Udafi Kafurtin,” said Bel in a trembling voice, “in the chaos we have made of Nephane, there is really no knowing who started anything. Our only identifiable enemy is whoever will not put them out. Kta-Kta! Have these men of yours put up their weapons. We have had enough of weapons and threats in this city. My people are not armed, and yours do not need to be.”
“Yours shoot from ambush!” shouted one of the Indras. “Do as he asks!” Kta shouted, and glared about him with such fury that men began to obey him.
Then Kta went and bowed very low before t’Nechis, who had a cousin to mourn, and quietly offered his help, though Kurt winced inwardly and expected temper and hatred from the grieving t’Nechis.
But in extremity t’Nechis was Indras and a gentleman.
He bowed in turn, in proper grace. “See to business, Kta
t’Elas. The t’Nechisen will take him home. We will be with
you as soon as we can send my cousin to his rest.” By noon the fires were out, and the Sufaki who had aided in fighting the blaze scattered to their homes to bar the
doors and wait in silence. !
Peace returned to the Street of the Families, with ] armed men of the fleet standing at either end of the street and on rooftops where they commanded a view of all that moved. The scars were visible now, hollow shells of buildings, pavement littered with rubble.
Kurt left Lhe t’Nethim sheltered in the hall of Elas, the Indras grim-faced and subdued to have set foot in a hostile house.