Casket of Souls

Seregil, wondering if that might save the child. “Who did you trade with, dearie?”
    “Yellow-headed fellow on a crutch.”
    “Where was this?”
    “Over near the Ring wall, end of Barrow Lane.”
    “Have you seen any others?” asked Alec, pulling off a reasonably feminine voice.
    The boy shrugged. “There’s an old woman, and a blond-headed young feller. Seen ’em around here and there.”
    “When did you last see one of them?” asked Micum.
    The boy consulted with his comrades.
    “I seen the woman yesterday,” one of the taller boys replied.
    “And I seen the woman, over by the nail maker’s stall,” a ragged young girl put in.
    “Me too, me too!” several others clamored, and Seregil guessed that most of them were lying in hopes of a penny.
    Micum handed out coins all around and gave the boy back his hoop. The children darted away like a flock of dingy swallows.
    “Think it was money well spent?” asked Alec as they walked on.
    Seregil smiled. “At least a few of them were telling the truth. We know about the old man and old woman. And I’ve heard rumors of younger ones.”
    “If your wizard woman was right, then shouldn’t the ravens be Zengati?” asked Micum. “A ‘blond-headed feller’ doesn’t sound right. And chances are at least some of the children would have seen a Zengati trader or two to know the difference.”
    “You probably don’t have to be Zengati to practice Zengati magic, though,” said Alec. “So, where to first?”
    “Let’s split up for a while,” Seregil replied. “I’ll go over by the Ring wall. Micum, you check out the nail maker. Alec, try the marketplace a few streets over.” He glanced up at the sinking sun. “If you find one, just follow them. I’ll meet you back here when the sun touches the rooftops. If you don’t come back, I’ll find you.”
    But either all the children had been lying, or the ravens had already moved on again, for Seregil found the other two waiting for him at the appointed time, equally empty-handed.
* * *
    They set off again early the following day, picking up a few hopeful reports of sightings and trades over the course of the morning, but not finding their quarry.
    At noon they stopped to rest in the shade and eat their meager meal of sausage and bread. They were nearly finished when Seregil halted mid-bite, looking intent as a hound who’d gotten a scent. A tall, dark-haired swordsman was crossing the street near the end of the block.
    “That’s him!” Seregil murmured. “He got a good look at me in this getup, though. You two take the lead and I’ll keep out of sight until you need me.”
    As they started off to track the tall swordsman, Micum gave Alec his arm as he had Seregil, so as to attract less attention. Strolling along, they mingled in the afternoon crowd and stayed just close enough to keep their mark in sight. Presently the man paused at a small knot of people, children mostly, all clamoring around a stooped old woman with a long nose and stringy grey hair. She wore a shapeless tunic over a striped skirt, and a belt from which hung the sort of things Kepi and the Mycenian woman had noted.
    “That’s got to be her,” whispered Alec, looking around for the swordsman. He stood a little way off, seemingly paying no attention to the commotion.
    As they watched, the old woman smiled and laughed with the children, and made her odd trades for valueless things. Among her wares were a few of the yellow stones like the one Alec had seen before, and something she claimed were dragon’s milk teeth. As much as he wanted to get a closer look, he knew better than to make a trade, given Thero’s concerns about such items.
    So instead he and Micum waited until she was done and toddled off, then continued to follow her at a distance. There was no sign of the tall man now, and Alec inwardly berated himself for not keeping a closer eye on him.
    “Did you see which way he went?” he whispered to Micum.
    “No. The bastard slipped off when I wasn’t looking. Do you think he spotted us?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe Seregil is trailing him.”
    Just then the old woman turned down a side street. Micum and Alec hurried to the corner in time to see her disappear down another side street. The crowd was thinner here, and they had to hang back a bit more. By the time they reached the second turning, there was no sign of her or the man in the nearly empty street. Tenements leaned over them, any one of which the woman could