‘I Saw for you, not for coin,’ she told him.
‘I understand. I know. Why look, here’s another in your other ear, for
Mignureal. I give you the gold because I found it, not because you helped me.
And a message will be given you today, for me.’
Moonflower made both coins disappear beneath her shawl into what she called her
treasure chest. ‘Don’t frown; Mignue shall have the one as her very own. Will
you do something for me I would prefer to coin, Hanse?’
Very seriously, relaxing for once, he nodded. ‘Without question.’
‘ My daughter is very young and thinks you are just so romantic a figure. Will
you just pretend she is your sister?’
‘Oh you would not want that. Passionflower,’ he said, in one of those rare
indications of what sort of childhood he must have had. ‘She is my friend’s
daughter and I shall call her cousin. Besides, she saw me … that way. I may
not be able to look her in the eyes again.’
She took those lean restless hands of a thief proud never to have hurt any he
robbed. ‘You will, Hanse. You will. It was god-sorcery, and no embarrassment.
Will you now be careful?’
‘I will.’
She studied his eyes. ‘But you are going to find him.’
‘I am.’
The adherents of the most ancient goddess Theba went hooded to their little
temple. This was their way. It also made it easier for the government to keep
them under surveillance, and made it easy for Hanse to slip among them. A little
tilt to his shoulder, a slight favouring of one leg under the dull brown robe,
and he was not the lithely gliding Shadowspawn at all.