"Ba'an!" Merida's smile was wide and welcoming. Ba'an smiled stiffly, trying not to give herself away. Nikias' spies were loitering just down the road, and though they were not within earshot, they had a good view of the doorway.

"Merida. I hope you are not busy." Merida was already shaking her head, ushering Ba'an through the door.

"I'm never too busy for a friend!" Ba'an followed the older woman into her home, feeling awkward. Ba'an had never visited Merida without something to sell before, but today she was here for something else entirely; Ba'an had thought of this the entire way to Merida's apartment, but she could not think of any alternatives.

Ba'an needed to hide the coat somewhere that wasn't the estate. This much was clear; the one who had rifled through her things had been careless, as far as Ba'an could tell, but there was no guarantee she would be so lucky next time.

Once Ba'an was comfortably seated, Merida began to prepare a snack. Ba'an opened her bag, pulling out the jar of honey from her date. "We have something for you."

Merida's smile grew. "Honey!" She picked up the jar, clearly pleased. "In a glass jar—oh, you went to the shop along the stoa, didn't you? Ah, such a treat—my thanks." She set it down, her eyes twinkling. "'We'?"

Ba'an ducked her head, clearing her throat. "Yes. I picked it. Lukios purchased it. So it is from us."

To her credit, Merida did not cackle or even giggle, but Ba'an could tell by her expression that she was very delighted. "Ah ha! And how is that handsome young man of yours? I see he is not with you today."

"No. He is…working."

"Oh?" Merida took out a loaf of bread and began slicing it. She had a bowl full of nuts and…were those dried dates?

"Yes."

This time Merida did laugh. "My dear friend," she said between chuckles, "that meant 'what does he do for a living?' It is a polite way of snooping, you see, and I dearly love snooping. Not so much as fine honey on fresh bread, but close." True to her word, she was now spooning honey out into a bowl for dipping—or perhaps spreading?

Ba'an cleared her throat again, trying to act as naturally as possible; perhaps it was a normal thing to speak of one's romantic liaisons here?

Well, of course it was. The Dolkoi'ri boasted proudly of anything and everything, so why would relations be any different?

"I…see." Merida only continued to look deeply amused as she arranged the table. "He…ah. He was hired to…deal with the banditry." There. Surely that was enough?

Merida looked startled. "He—what?"

Ba'an looked at her and repeated herself, slowly. "He was hired to deal with the banditry."

Merida's mouth twitched. "Yes, but I mean—how so? I do not quite understand. He is a son of Helios, recently returned from the desert. What could he possibly do against bandits? I had thought he would be a politician and landlord. Most of them are."

"He will fight them." Ba'an paused. "Not alone. I mean he will help Strategos Gaios."

Merida raised an eyebrow. "He knows Strategos Gaios? Well—no, I suppose that does make sense. A Helios would be well-connected, and their sons always serve before they enter politics. It is how things are done here." Merida smiled at Ba'an's blank expression. "All politicians have a history of military service, Ba'an. A man who has not served his empire is no man, but a boy." She shrugged. "Is it not so in the desert?"

"No. Yes. I mean…yes, they must serve the saa vuti-vur, but it is not always at…raiding. Or war. Each boy serves in his own way to become a man." Ba'an's hand crept up to her throat, but the only thing there now was her shawl.

"How curious! Doing what, then?" Merida took a seat and gestured at Ba'an to eat, and suddenly, Ba'an's belly growled; her breakfast had been small and brief.

Ba'an helped herself as she explained the sumanu'ta.

"Ah." Merida nodded. "Yes. Some boys do not serve as soldiers here, either, that is true. I suppose it is for the very rich or the very poor." Ba'an looked at Merida expectantly, though she could not speak around the delicious, honey-slathered bread in her mouth. Merida only smiled again. "I mean merchant boys learn the trade from their fathers. They do not go to war—why would they? It is incredibly risky. The very poor though—they often enlist for the pay and the benefits. The noble boys, as well, though not for the money—it is for the prestige. They will find politics are barred to them without at least a few victories. A poorly run campaign can dash a politician's career before he even begins." She shrugged. "I daresay the noble boys are much safer than the plethos; they have slaves and guards and lead from the back. The poor boys signing up for pay? Right up at the front." She shook her head, suddenly looking somber. "I've outlived some of the boys I've brought into the world, did you know? Ah, gods—and their poor mothers!" Merida shook her head again. "Never mind. 'Tis too sad to discuss on such a fine day. But Ba'an!"

Ba'an refrained from speaking with a full mouth, only raising her eyebrow instead. Merida's smile became very mischievous. "Has he asked you yet?"

Ba'an choked and began to cough. Merida hurriedly poured her some water from an amphora. "Ba'an!"

Ba'an drank, swallowing the lump of bread; it would be very rude to cough it up. "I am…" She wheezed. "…Well."

Merida only smiled. "I daresay you are. And did you say yes?"

Ba'an choked on her water and began coughing again.

Merida was laughing quite merrily. Ba'an hunched in her seat and glared, but the expression simply slid off the older woman, like food from a well-oiled pan.

"So marry him now. Even better: marry him and invite this 'Arete' to the wedding. She can't possibly refuse—that would be incredibly bad manners."

Ba'an felt her expression twist; Merida took one look at her face and cackled. "Oh, come now! It would be very funny, wouldn't it?"

"But…but…it is rude."

But Merida only continued chuckling. "Well, that's what she gets for kissing men in the streets. I've never heard of a high-born girl behaving so badly—if anything, she embarrassed herself." She clicked her tongue. "And all this over a man who left her? For shame. But speaking of shame, wouldn't it be sad to lose him?"

Ba'an frowned. "I will not."

Merida sighed. "Well, he is quite taken with you. But Ba'an, you ought to marry him now, while he wishes it. Tomorrow he may wish something else; a Helios has options, and a man with options never waits forever, no matter what he says."

"But it has only been a few days." Ba'an paused, marshalling her thoughts. "And I do not wish to marry a man who is so changeable. It is unwise."

"So if he leaves—?"

Ba'an glared at the table top. "He leaves." Beneath the table, she gripped her fingers together tightly until the tips went white. "He has promised, so if he changes his mind, he proves himself a liar. And I do not wish to marry a liar." But surely not. Lukios had been very clear that morning that he did not want another woman: not Arete, not anyone. Not someone who wasn't Ba'an. He'd said.

They only had to rescue Eirenne. Then Ba'an could tell him the truth, and then…

If he still wished to marry her, they would. It was very simple.

Merida was sober now, mirth gone. "True. You're right, of course: you do not have a powerful family or substantial dowry, so you must rely on his affection. Marrying a changeable man would be very dangerous for you." She nodded. "Yes, you are wise, Ba'an. So perhaps this is a boon in disguise: you may observe how patient he is, how he comports himself now that another woman has presented herself. This will tell you much of how he will be once married."

Ba'an sipped her tea. "Yes," Ba'an said, slowly. "We have not known each other for long. I…wish to believe him. But five…six months is a short time to know a man." Ba'an had known Thu'rin her entire life, but even then, she had not believed him the first time he had come to court her.

Thu'rin had been very popular. Sometimes, silly girls had come into the shi-vuti to beg for a love potion; Ba'an had dissuaded them, and none too gently, either.

But he had never hurt for female attention. Ba'an had always known this, and so had been immediately suspicious of his courtship. This was only sense: after all, strifa-faced Ba'an had never been in much demand for anything other than her cures and magic. At one point, she had even thought it a cruel joke, some kind of bet among the men of the vir-vuti to see if the legendary charm of Thu'rin, son of Tsu'kos and Kus'raya, could thaw strifa-Ba'an.

Lukios was very handsome and rich. He was kind and generous, and if Arete's behaviour was any indication, he was very popular with women.

Yes, a man like Lukios had options. Many, many options, ones that were superior to an outcast witch who ate souls and had nothing, not even one nice chai'ra.

Merida was sighing again. "For your sake, my friend, I hope he is as constant as the sun at dawn and the moon at dusk. Truly—I wish for you to be happy. You have had enough hardship, I think."

Ba'an blinked, suddenly emotional. How much had Merida guessed in the five years Ba'an had been coming here?

"T-thank you." She cleared her throat, but Merida only smiled again. Ba'an glanced outside, suddenly realizing that the shadows had moved.

"Is something the matter?"

"I—yes." Ba'an steeled herself. It was poor manners to visit only to ask a favour, but she could not delay any longer. Nikias' spies had been waiting for her outside for too long now. They were likely tired and thirsty by now; Ba'an disliked them on principle, but there was no need to be cruel. It was likely that they could not disobey his orders. "Merida, there is…another problem."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I…suspect the servants have been…going through my things."

Merida's eyes widened. "What?" Ba'an lifted a hand to try to calm her, but it did very little. "That is a serious discourtesy, Ba'an! You cannot tolerate such a thing. You say you are staying with the strategos himself? Surely he would not allow such terrible characters in his household. Have you reported this to him?" Merida looked incensed.

"I…no. I cannot. I do not believe it is wise. Merida, there is more than one guest there. I believe they have acted on the behest of the other guest. He is a very important man. This would put the strategos in an awkward situation. Do you see?"

Merida's mouth dropped open. "What? Why in Gaia's name would this man wish for the servants to go through your things?" She sounded completely baffled.

Ba'an licked her lips. "He dislikes Sanders. He believes that I have…cast a spell on Lukios. Or something equally absurd." Well, he thought her a spy, but it was best not to get mired in details.

Merida closed her eyes and groaned. "Oh, of course. Military men and their damn wars. I have met many like this—all Yartans are thieves, all Birdutans have an unnatural love of goats, and all Eirians suck stones." She grimaced. "This is just your luck."

Ba'an sighed. "Yes. It is unlucky. The servants cannot tell him no, I think."

"But it is still highly irregular, Ba'an. They would not break xenia for just anyone. Who is he?"

Ba'an hesitated. "I…am sorry. But I do not wish to create trouble, especially now. Lukios must have the support of this man and the strategos to complete his task, so…I wish to keep this as quiet as possible."

"Does Lukios know?"

"…No. I have not had the chance to tell him. I do not know if I should." Now what if he really did thrash Nikias? That would get rather ugly.

"Oh, Ba'an." Merida put a hand to her forehead. "What a snarl. What do you need?"

"Merida, I…may I leave some of my things here? My Sander things." Ba'an picked up her bag from the floor, now much lighter without the jar of honey. At the very bottom was her coat, wrapped inside her Dolkoi'ri clothing. On top were her K'Avaari things, minus the suk and other medical supplies. She opened the top to show Merida her old dress, the leather bags of innocuous cures. "There is some left-over sambi-sahi and other cures. You may have them—"

"No, no, Ba'an. Do not be like this. Of course you can keep your bag here." Merida stood and gestured at Ba'an to follow her upstairs. "I have a storage chest up here. I'll put it in with my own things and lock it. No one will lay a finger on your bag, I promise. Not even me."

The apartment was really much smaller than it had looked. The upstairs was only a loft with Merida's bed and her chest of clothes. Merida unlocked it with her key and swung it open, then took Ba'an's things and nestled them securely into the corner. "There!" She locked it up and they made their way back downstairs. "You just come by whenever you need your things back before I start my rounds."

"Merida—thank you." Ba'an frowned, feeling ashamed. "I am sorry to inconvenience you. It is only that Lukios—"

The older woman put a hand on Ba'an's shoulder. "Do not fret so much, Ba'an." She smiled gently. "This is exactly what friends are for."

And there was not much Ba'an could say to that, other than—

"Thank you, Merida. Truly—thank you."

“We are nearly there, kyria." Dita was very polite, but Ba'an could tell the girl had been annoyed by the wait.

Uchos, on the other hand, was downright cheerful. "She's right again, lady Ba'an! This way, this way, for the finest Sander goods this side of…well, anywhere, really!" Ba'an could not see him through the curtain of the litter, but she could hear the beaming smile in his voice as he spoke. No doubt he was trotting alongside her and the quietly irritated serving girl and her friends.

Because she had brought friends. Two of them, in fact: two Dolkoi'ri girls who were clearly also from House Astros, judging by the clothes and attitude. They, too, were displeased by the waiting.

Ba'an had an entire entourage now: Uchos, Dita and her friends, the four litter-bearers, and four guards. Four. Did they believe every thief and murderer would have crawled out of the walls and alleys to accost Ba'an?

Or was it merely to ensure she did not run?

Well, the litter did a good job of that, already. She was too high off the ground to really make a run for it; Ba'an did not have any illusions about her physical capabilities. She was hardly a strifa, and unlikely to manage launching herself from the height of a grown man's shoulders to the ground without injury.

Ba'an kept her expression calm and pleasant, but she was envisioning a happy reunion with Nikias, one that involved slapping him until his smug smile dropped from his face, never to return in her presence.

It was a very pleasing fantasy, but she knew she would not actually strike him across the face; Ba'an suspected this was illegal. Perhaps he would attempt to have her hand cut off, and then Lukios would get involved and things would become bloody.

The house guards who had accompanied them were big and quiet, glaring at pedestrians until they scuttled out of the way. This was convenient, but it was also very conspicuous; Ba'an rather thought this was a very effective way to paint a target on their backs. Truly, discretion was not something rich Dolkoi'ri were any good at. Whenever Ba'an moved the curtains aside to peer out, the serving girls managed to look scandalized. Uchos only ever smiled, but she could tell that peeking out was not something Dolkoi'ri girls did too often, if at all.

The litter lurched horribly, and Ba'an imagined herself tumbling from the rich cushions to land in the mud. There wasn't much to hold on to, as the litter was a box with pillars at the four corners. There were only two walls at the back and front, and the side walls were curtains.

Yes, tumbling into the mud in a most undignified way was a real possibility.

Uchos guided them to the edges of the city, right by the walls. This was a much noisier, dirtier, and livelier market than the grand agora; the merchants here were an eclectic mix of whomever had the nerve to set up a stand in the churning mud. There were no fancy cobbled roads here, being too far from the city center. Ba'an suspected the city had expanded too quickly for the builders to really keep up for its edges were ramshackle, indeed.

"Watch your step, lady Ba'an," said Dita, but Ba'an didn't have to; one of the guards helped her down, using his body like a stepping stool. Her feet never came close to the mud, because they had stopped the litter right in front of the store in question.

It was horrific. It was mortifying. But she could scarcely refuse with everyone staring at her expectantly.

"Thank you," she muttered.

He only smiled, but said nothing. In fact, none of the guards or litter-bearers ever said anything—it was as unnerving as it was disturbing.

And then they were there: the store with Sander goods, or so she had been told.

It was not a single store. It was a series of outdoor stalls, all connected by matching-coloured tent-tops with the same crest at the front: a bright orange desert hawk. This was not a colour found in nature, but it was eye-catching against the dark blue fabric of the tent itself.

“Ah, a customer! Welcome, welco—oh! Vas’ta nu'roi-ya-sa!” Impressive. His accent was thick, but he spoke well for an outlander. He would have to, to trade; K’Avaari were not so proficient in Dolkoi’ri, usually. Clever. He likely had an advantage over his non-K’Avaari-speaking competitors. The man was Dolkoi'ri, with a thick black beard and curling black hair. He wore a hat and an open coat over his tunic to combat the weather, which had grown cooler of late. His eyes widened when he spotted the litter and Uchos, and he quickly took his hat off to bow to Ba'an, very low.

Hmm.

Ba’an greeted him in K’Avaari. He lifted his head, expression bright. He looked absurdly excited, and he replied with enthusiasm. The man was proficient enough; they conversed back and forth, Ba’an simply enjoying the exchange in her native tongue.

“I was told you stock K’Avaari goods, and it seems I was told correctly. I am pleased to meet you. I am Ba’an.”

“So I am pleased to meet you, lady Ba’an. I am Eikolus. How may I help you? Do you seek something special?”

"Do you have water?" This she said in Dolko'ri. He looked surprised, and so did Uchos.

Well, Ba'an was hardly going to let the men stand in the sun without a drink. That would be incredibly cruel; Kyros was not quite like the desert, but the sun was the sun. It was always deadly.

Eikolus was an agreeable man. He passed around two canteens; at first the men refused, but at a look from Uchos, they took the drinks. Ba'an could see they had been thirsty—well of course. It could hardly be called fun, hauling a woman around in a big, hollow box.

Ba'an and Eikolus chatted as she browsed. Most of the items were carvings, pieces of art that would have normally never left a vuti. It was almost shocking to see them in the daylight; Ba’an was pleased to note that none of them were es’tat. She would have been obliged to hunt down a trader selling sec—

Well, no. Ba'an was no longer a witch. She was not obliged to do anything, but…even so.

“Oh, what is this?” One of the serving girls was pointing at a large display. Ba’an looked, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Oh,” she breathed.

It was a distillation kit, exactly the sort of kit she needed to make something as complex as peloiti. It had been separated into three pieces, but Ba’an knew how to put it back together. How had this come to be here? Control your excitement. Ba'an calmed herself immediately. Excitement to a merchant was like blood to a cockral lizard. They would quickly seize the weakness to clean one’s pockets of everything.

“Ah, that. I believe it was a sculpture of some kind. It can be reassembled.”

Ba’an stifled her laugh. He thought it was a sculpture.

“Oh,” said the girl, sounding disappointed. “Is it broken?”

"Nene," snapped Dita, and she fell silent, face going red. Eikolus only smiled, ignoring the apparent misstep.

“Well…it can be reassembled.”

“How?” Dita's look could have killed. The serving girl wisely cleared her throat and took a step back.

“Ah…that is…”

“Hm,” said Ba’an. “It appears damaged. What happened?”

The merchant seemed happy for the distraction. “To be honest, I am not quite sure. The trader assured me it was not broken, merely disassembled. I believe he said…hm, yes, I remember now. This here, and then this over here…”

Eikolus had a good memory. He was reassembling it correctly, which meant that the trader had known what he was doing when he disassembled it. Ba’an kept the frown from her face, but this did pose a problem. Why were they selling distillation kits to outlanders? A distillation kit was not as serious an infraction as peloiti or other complex medicines—at this Ba'an felt a flash of guilt, for had she not shared such secrets with Lukios?—but it was an infraction. Surely this merited investigation?

“That is very interesting,” said Ba’an. “It rather reminds me of home. How much?”

And then, instead of answering her, Eikolus glanced at Uchos. Uchos only smiled, and then Eikolus suddenly looked as happy as a pig in a sty. "Oh, not to worry! Here, I will have it packaged for you!"

Ba'an blinked. She looked at Uchos, who only continued beaming. He only spoke when she raised an eyebrow. "You are a guest of House Astros, today, kyria! Please, help yourself."

Ha. Really? What was Nikias playing at now?

Well, if he insisted. What had Lukios said? House Astros was richer than Hades?

Ba'an did not know who this 'Hades' was, but perhaps she ought to test that claim?

But first…

“I have not seen something like this in many years,” said Ba’an. “I am interested in the artist. Who was the trader that sold you this?”

Eikolus beamed. “Oh, he comes perhaps twice a season? He has a regular route. His name is Dul’rin.” This was not enough information to be helpful. There were many K’Avaari men named Dul’rin.

“I see,” she said. “I know many men by that name. Do you perhaps know his…full name?”

“Oh,” he said, furrowing his brow. “That is…well, it was quite long. I believe it was…Oh, theoi. How embarrassing. I think it started with An…Anta-Sa? I cannot remember the rest. If you wish, you can leave me a message for him, and I will deliver it. Perhaps you may come see him next time he is here! I am sure the two of you will have many things to discuss!” The man's expression was open and earnest.

He seemed strangely sincere for a Dolkoi’ri merchant. It was odd.

“I would like to meet him if I am still here,” she replied. “I must return to the desert soon, but if he comes before then, he may leave me a message with…” Not Gaios. Perhaps Merida? Ba’an did not think she would mind. She gave him Merida’s business name and her courier number. Perhaps Ba'an ought to thank her with something nice from the shop? Something she'd never seen before. Something novel.

“Oh, what’s this?” The serving girls, other than Dita, had lost interest in the conversation and wandered to a different row. They were peering at glass jars holding what looked like gemstone-studded sticks—but they only looked like precious stones.

Ba’an smiled. “It is rock candy. Would you like some?” It was a treat for children, but these girls were hardly more than that. They could not be older than fifteen or sixteen, even stern-faced Dita. The colorful crystals were actually a kind of sweet sugar mixture extracted from desert flowers or wasp honey.

“Can we? They're so pretty!”

"Nene! Calloe!" Dita looked like she was a second away from slapping her fellow servants. Ba'an raised a hand, and to her credit, the girl stopped at once, though her frown deepened.

"It is well. I do not mind." Nikias was being very generous today, after all. Dita's expression soured, but the other girls looked delighted. Uchos turned his head to the side to muffle his laughter.

Ba'an bought one of every colour, distributing them amongst the servants. The litter-bearers looked shocked, then pleased; the guards refused, stern-faced, but accepted one each after a silent stare-off.

Uchos took two, on account of Dita refusing her share. He waved them in front of her face before sticking them into his mouth at the same time. "Yum!" he exclaimed. "You're missing out, Dita! Real Sander candy! Today's your only chance, you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do your job, stupid," she hissed, but he only laughed.

How amusing. "I will take the rest of those." Dita's eyes widened, then she swung her accusing stare at Uchos. He only shrugged and continued eating his candy, grinning at her with teeth studded with sugar crystals.

“Was there anything else you were looking for?” Eikolus was just barely keeping himself from rubbing his hands together. He looked happy enough to die.

“Yes.” She told him, and Eikolus led her to a shaded area near the back.

“You are in luck,” he said. “I just got some koiri in last week. They’re a good vintage, too.”

Ba’an peered at the sealed clay jars. Were they? She turned the jar around to look for the stamp.

Ah. He was right. This was from Bala-Vulta tribe. It was likely to be very good. Ba’an did not know how to tell the quality of Dolkoi’ri liquors, but she could tell the quality of K’Avaari ones. If Gaios was going to assume she was being very K’Avaari, she might as well give him a very K’Avaari gift—at least then he could show off an exotic drink the next time he had guests.

“I will take all of it,” she said.

"Excellent!" Eikolus' face was getting quite a lot of exercise. "I'm afraid I do not have much in the way of cures, but if you step over here, we have some powders. This one is for headaches…"

The sun moved across the sky and the shadows lengthened; by the time Ba'an was finished, they needed to pay for delivery, which was just as well: Nikias was, after all, richer than Hades.