"You've got a good memory, Strick of Firaqa."
"Umm- Come on around to the proper side of the desk. Yes, I remem- bered to pass on to Ahdio the message you gave me when we met on the road to Firaqa, and I recognized you too-once Avenestra called you by name. I've heard it rather more than once since I came to Sanctuary. You aren't exactly unknown in this town."
Wiry and youthful, walking almost catlike on the balls of his feet rather than the heels, the dark, youthful-looking man rounded the desk and stood beside the chair set there for clients; supplicants.
"Neither are you, Strick. Didn't take you long to gain a reputation in my town. And that day in the forest I thought you were a weapon-man on the run! You came to help my town-so're you going to get rid of those fish-eyed snake-turds from oversea?"
"Afraid not, Hanse. The Beys are here to stay."
"Heard that. Sure going to take some getting used to. Is it true about you?"
"How would I know?"
Hanse came very close to smiling. "That you deal in white magic only-"
"Yes."
"That's a switch, in Sanctuary! And is it true that every blessing from you also comes with some sort of curse?"
"Of sorts. The Price, in addition to the payment in coin or goods. Avenestra, for instance, no longer needs or wants to get drunk every night-but developed a rather grievous craving for sweets."
"Which explains her new, uh, plumpness," Hanse said, nodding.
"And you, Hanse. We met only briefly, long ago. Have you come here on business?"
"No. Just wanted to say hello. I mean, we did meet, however briefly that day months and months ago, and gave each other a little informa- tion about Firaqa and Sanctuary-carefully." Hanse chuckled-
"I remember that each of us was very wary indeed of the other, yes, that day on the road up in Maidenhead Wood. You had a young woman with you, I remember-and of course the singularly large cat. Red."
Hanse nodded. "Aye. Name's Notable. First cat I ever hked. First cat I ever didn't dislike! As soon as I came here-"
"From Firaqa?"
"Uh, well, aye, along with a, uh, stopover along the way. As soon as I got here I went to Sly's. I left Notable with goodole Ahdio, who told me about you. Hearing a lot more about you from other people was easy. You responsible for this ridiculous silver hair so many people have bro- ken out in?"
"I suppose."
"Not the bare-jigglies fashion though, hmm? That came from the snake-eyed fish-faces."
"Urn. You might try to stop calling them names, Hanse. Fact is fact, and the fact of their continuing presence in Sanctuary has to be ac- cepted."
"I'll work on it," Hanse said without enthusiasm. "Lots of other changes since I left. Lots of construction work-reconstruction work. Noticed repairs to this building and the new paint job outside, too; really like blue, don't you! You were wearing mostly dust last time I saw you- first and last time. And liveried guards, too. Even Avenestra in matching blue. Pretty place, your 'shop.' Handsome cover on that table; handsome carpet, too."
Strick continued to gaze at him from those large blue eyes above the droopy, yellowish-russet mustache. He shrugged.
"I'm also hearing about mysterious disappearances in town, and ru- mors of slavers, operating right here in Sanctuary?"
"A lot of people are trying to learn more about that, Hanse. It appears to be fact, aye. Be careful, should you chance to be out after dark."
Hanse laughed aloud. After a few moments Strick's big mustache twitched in his small smile.
"I'm sure I'd be interested in your impressions of Firaqa, Hanse, and how you fared there. But I do have some visitors waiting, downstairs."
"You'll be interested in hearing a few things, all right." Hanse assured him. "Do these names mean much to you; Thuvarandis, and Corstic, and Arcala?"
Strick blinked. Slowly, he sat. He gazed expectantly across his desk at the younger man. The names of those three men meant plenty to him, as Hanse had assumed.
Briefly, he outlined his activities and adventures in Firaqa. He ended the abbreviated narrative with the ghastly happenings in the wizard's manse, and the outcome.
Strick sat staring. "He is dead?"
"Very."
Strick slapped the blue-draped desk he called his worktable. "Dead! About time! You've rendered Firaqa a great service then, Hanse. That was a genuinely wicked man."
"That," Hanse said in a voice dry as the desert, "I know." After a silent moment he said, "And you've rendered good service in Sanctuary, too. Just a pair of do-gooders to each other's towns, aren't we!"
"Urn." Strick made muttering noises about having to go back and forth from his fancy villa every day, ending with "I'm a man of the people who'd rather live in town."
"Why, I can help you with that," Hanse assured him, all wide-eyed. "Be happy to accept the villa as a gift, Strick." With a wry smile, Strick asked who owned the Vulgar Unicorn. At last Hanse let his wiry form slide down into the chair across the desk from the master of white spells. "Old Earrings' You've asked me something I know. Unless the place has changed hands since I left, the owner's the physician Nadeesh, on the Street of Goldsmiths. Can't miss him. He wears moonstones." Hanse held up two fingers. "Two. Earrings. Stones black as a tax collector's heart."
"Nadeesh the physician," the big man repeated. "Thanks, Hanse. Oh -where are you staying?
Hanse's expression became bland and blank, the business face of the thief called Shadowspawn. "I ... get around, Strick. If you should want me for anything, just leave word at the Vulgar U or at Sly's."
Strick nodded. "Oh, and your young woman-I gave her my amu- let ..."
"Which served her, me, and Firaqa mighty well," Hanse assured him. "Let's, uh, talk about that some other time, all right? I have a young woman with me. Odd that you mentioned Old Earrings, or asked about him-I picked up a nice pair of earrings just last night, as a present for her. Silky. Well, actually her name is Vivispor, but who cares-just a girl I, uh, picked up in Suma."
"You ... 'picked ... up' ... a pair of earrings."
"Right," Hanse said equably, and was hasty to cut off further com- ment or queries with "And I'm fresh out of a cat. You know, I really got accustomed to havin' that damned cat with me. I hate to admit it, but I already miss-oh, No!"
For the second time within a half hour or so, Strick sat gazing at a person on the other side of his worktable who was staring past him in surprise unto shock. Since Hanse did not shriek or reach for one or more of his several weapons, however, Strick refrained from giving another demonstration of his swiftness and the fact that he was armed.
Besides, this visitor soon announced its presence in its own voice; a very low and sweet voice at that:
"mew."
"Damn it. Notable, you sneaked out of Sly's and followed me again! Up the side of the building next door, even!"
So that's how he accomplished his not-so-impossible surprise entry!
"I'm sorry, Strick. C'mere, you dam' cat. He always makes that sick- eningly sweet li'l kitten sound when he hears aggravation in my voice and he thinks he deserves a tongue-lashing. Come ... Here, Note ... able!"
"mew?"
Strick sat very still while the red cat-unduly, unequivocally, and al- most unconscionably large-trotted tippy-toe past him and, an instant after Hanse said "No, Notable!" and started to duck, precipitately ap- peared on the lap of the seated young man's tunic. Hanse grunted and gave the spellwright an unusually, unconditionally, and decidedly un- wontedly subdued and guilty look.
"I'm, uh, sorry, Strick."
"It looks very much as if Notable has decided he is your cat, Hanse, not Ahdio's."
"Aye, I know," Hanse said. His voice was sad, though .his face was not.
"Once a cat makes up its mind ..."
"Alleged mind. Aye, I know. It's just that Ahdio's so damned big ..."
"Urn. Let's hope he's big about understanding, too. Hanse ... listen, I need a favor. Two."
"Uh."
"Take Frax and Wints out and show them how you got in here. Tell them I want them to make any changes necessary to make sure no one can do it again."
"Strick, I swear: no one else could."
Strick sat staring at him in silence until Hanse had to exert his strength to keep from looking down. The expression of wide-eyed innocence that had long served him well with others didn't work with this man. This maker of spells was different. Strick was like ... like no one.
At last Hanse asked, "What's the second favor?"
"Don't ever come in that way again."
"Strick, I swear I won't."
"Good. Thanks. Otherwise, Hanse, good to see you and thanks for the information about this Nadeesh. We must get together and talk again. After hours, and normally."
"Uh." After a time Hanse said, "Damn! You just dismissed me, didn't you?"
"I work days, Hanse. People are waiting."
Hanse gazed at him, his mouth slowly widening. "Strick, you're really something! Let's go, Notable, you dam' cat."
On the way out he saw that Strick hadn't exaggerated: two others sat in the downstairs waiting room. One had the look of a Rankan of sub- stance. Strick sure is doing well by doing good here, Hanse mused, and winked at the icily staring blue-uniformed man with the sword and dag- ger. Ex-palace guard, Hanse was sure. He recognized Wints, too, but pretended not to notice. A shaking sight, Wints decently dressed, shaved, and looking as if he knew who he was!
A few steps down the street called Straight, Notable pacing at his side, he saw still another woman with silver hair. Strick had started this craze? Damn, why? A man never knows whether a woman's dyed, prematurely gray or extraordinarily well preserved!
Avenestra ushered in a well-dressed Rankan noble.