they allowed him through?" demanded Jivita.
Nanda Lal shrugged. "He was a very fierce and brutal Ye-tai, by their account. He even attacked their sergeant when asked for documents. You can hardly expect common soldiers—"
"Discipline the dogs!" bellowed Jivita. "Give them lashes!"
Sanga and Damodara exchanged glances. Sanga spoke:
"I will deal with the matter, Lord Jivita. I will be passing through the Panther Gate within the hour. I will lash those men myself. You have my word on it."
"Excellent!" exclaimed Jivita.
"I'm off, then." Sanga began to turn away. Nanda Lal called him back.
"A moment, Rana Sanga. I want your opinion."
"Yes?"
The spymaster's broken face was ugly, with frustration as much as rage.
"We are still missing something. I can feel it in my bones," he growled. "It's clear enough that the Romans and Ethiopians who fled south—after killing the guards at the barge and blowing up the armory—were simply a diversion. Belisarius, himself, went west. But—there's something else. I can smell it. More duplicity."
Sanga paused, thinking.
"I don't have much time now, Nanda Lal," he mused. "But several questions come to my mind. I suggest you think on them."
"Yes?"
"First. What happened to the treasure? Belisarius had two great chests full of gold and jewels. It's not the kind of thing any man wants to leave behind. But how did he get it away? He himself—a single Ye-tai on foot—could have only been carrying a pittance. Nor could his underlings have carried more than a portion of it. Not maintaining their incredible pace, weighted down with all that treasure."
Nanda Lal tugged at the bandage.
"What else?"
"There were too many Ye-tai
Nanda Lal shrugged. "He was a very fierce and brutal Ye-tai, by their account. He even attacked their sergeant when asked for documents. You can hardly expect common soldiers—"
"Discipline the dogs!" bellowed Jivita. "Give them lashes!"
Sanga and Damodara exchanged glances. Sanga spoke:
"I will deal with the matter, Lord Jivita. I will be passing through the Panther Gate within the hour. I will lash those men myself. You have my word on it."
"Excellent!" exclaimed Jivita.
"I'm off, then." Sanga began to turn away. Nanda Lal called him back.
"A moment, Rana Sanga. I want your opinion."
"Yes?"
The spymaster's broken face was ugly, with frustration as much as rage.
"We are still missing something. I can feel it in my bones," he growled. "It's clear enough that the Romans and Ethiopians who fled south—after killing the guards at the barge and blowing up the armory—were simply a diversion. Belisarius, himself, went west. But—there's something else. I can smell it. More duplicity."
Sanga paused, thinking.
"I don't have much time now, Nanda Lal," he mused. "But several questions come to my mind. I suggest you think on them."
"Yes?"
"First. What happened to the treasure? Belisarius had two great chests full of gold and jewels. It's not the kind of thing any man wants to leave behind. But how did he get it away? He himself—a single Ye-tai on foot—could have only been carrying a pittance. Nor could his underlings have carried more than a portion of it. Not maintaining their incredible pace, weighted down with all that treasure."
Nanda Lal tugged at the bandage.
"What else?"
"There were too many Ye-tai