supposed to blend in, remember? Thereâs a bounty on my head, but everyoneâs looking for a sagittarius. Nobody will notice another girl in a dress.â
âYouâre not another girl in a dress,â he said.
âWellââ She looked away, suddenly embarrassed. âDonât get any ideas. I can kill you with these shoes.â
âIâve no doubt.â
They both leaned against the wall. Babieca heard faint strains of laughter from the garden, and more distantly, the hum of Via Rumor. The nocturnal citizens of Anfractus were moving from party to party, hunting for diversion. They assumed that their lamps and knives and connections would keep them safe as they darted between houses, avoiding the shadows. Most of them were right. But before the night was over, a few of them would disappear.
âYou played nicely,â Morgan said.
âI strummed my fingers bloody, and all I have to show for it is a pocket full of dormice.â He reached into his tunica. âWant one? Theyâre still warm.â
âNo thanks.â
âShit. I must have dropped them.â He closed his eyes. âAll theyâre going to remember is the spadoâs voice.â
âItâs hard to forget.â
âThe worst part is that Iâm sober.â
âHere.â She handed him a wineskin.
âWhere did you steal this?â
âItâs better that you donât know.â
He took a sip, then passed it back to Morgan. âThis is usually the moment when you lecture me on public drunkenness.â
âI donât have the strength.â She took a sip, then put the wineskin away. âIs this what weâve become? Entertainment for that woman?â
âIâm the entertainment. Felâs the muscle. And youââ He blinked. âWhy are you here, exactly? To make us look bad?â
âIâm her eyes and ears.â
âA spy.â He smiled. âA bit like your previous post on the battlements, only you get to wear much nicer shoes.â
âI have a dagger, although Iâm not telling you where I put it.â
âGood. Let me imagine.â
âIâd prefer that you didnât.â
Babieca felt the moss tickling his hair. âI saw Julia.â
âEveryone loves her frogs.â
âDo you think sheâd everââ He shrugged. âI mean, we could use an artifex.â
âItâs not safe for her to be seen with us.â
âBecause weâre so terrifying.â
âBabieca, she still has a chance. The Gens of Artifices will support her.â
âWhoâs going to support us?â
She chuckled. âAt least weâre still getting work.â
âUntil Domina Pendelia decides to throw us under the wheel.â
âIf that was her plan, sheâd have done it a long time ago.â
âYou arenât normally this trusting.â
âWhat choice do I have?â
âYou could roll again. Shoot another arrow.â He smiled. âMaybe if you rolled high enough, you could hit the basilissa from here.â
âDonât be stupid.â
âIt was a hell of a shot, though.â
She looked at her hands. âIt was.â
âYouâd need another stone arrow. We could ask the gnomo who lives in Pendeliaâs garden. Do you think heâs still there?â
âI have no idea.â
âMaybe if we listened hard enough, we could hear him.â
Morgan looked at Babieca. Then she touched his hand, lightly. She was about to say something, but stopped. They both heard the sound of footsteps. Quickly, Morgan pulled him into the shadows. They crouched in the corner of the alley. He felt better, knowing that Morgan was here. Not much better, but a little.
Two figures stepped into the alley. One was slender and wore a white cloak with the hood pulled down. The other was large and wearing some kind of dark mantle. He seemed out of