Free City of Sorcerers by Mary H. Herbert Page A

get out of here," a third man replied.
    In complete agreement, the four clansmen walked around the sarcophagus, not noticing the little puffs of dust kicked up by their feet. They heaved the lid up, moved it over the stone box, and were about to set it down when the Dangari lost his grip on the corner. The heavy stone slid from his fingers, knocking the entire lid off-balance.
    All four men yanked their hands out of the way as the lid crashed down on top of the sarcophagus. There was a loud crack; the lid split in half and fell with a cloud of dust into the box.
    In dismay, the men stared at the lid then at each other. It was one thing to open a tomb and look inside; it was another thing entirely to deface the contents.
    The Khulinin, a young warrior named Ritan, threw up his hands in disgust. "Now what do we do? Tell Ordan?"
    "Not on your sword belt, we don't," the fourth man said. A thin-faced Jehanan who was already in his chieftain's bad graces, he was not going to aggravate anyone else in authority, especially a priest. "We'll just leave it. After all, we're going to rebury the mound. No one will see it."
    "But the sarcophagus must have a new lid," the Dangari said worriedly.

    "Why? That body isn't going anywhere," replied Torel the Jehanan.
    One man gave a sharp, nervous laugh. "You're right. What the priests don't know won't hurt us. Let's just get out of here."
    The Dangari nodded reluctantly. They arranged the broken pieces of the lid as best they could over the coffin, then filed out. Torel, the last one out, hesitated while the others went through the doorway. When he was sure no one was looking, he picked up a small jade box, a horn comb decorated with silver, and a slim flask embellished with garnets from the belongings on the platform and slipped them into the pouch hanging from his belt.
    His eyes glittering with amusement, he went outside and helped close the door of the chamber. The four men immediately began to shovel dirt over the stone steps and doorway before anyone else asked to see the inside of the chamber. They were so busy, they didn't pay attention to the red-colored dust that clung to their pants, boots, and hands.
    It was a happy group that rode back to the gathering late that afternoon.
    Laughing, boasting, handing the wineskins around, they rode toward the council grove just as the chieftains' council was finally ending for the day.
    Torel saw his chief leaving the tent and turned his horse away before Lord Sha Tajan could see him. He hurried past Clan Murjik's camp and skirted the bazaar until he came to the painted booth of the Pra Deshian merchant. He waited until the booth was empty of customers, then slipped into the' tent, pulled the jade box, the comb, and the flask out of his pouch and laid them on the counter in front of the proprietor.
    The Pra Deshian, his broad face impassive, leaned over and examined the items carefully. He picked up the jade box, wiped the dust off with a cloth, and held it up to the light. It was only a simple box with a fitted lid and had any number of uses, but it was made of opaque, dark green Ramtharin jade and had the added bonus of being very old. There was a ready market in the Five Kingdoms for such an item. The comb and the flask were marketable as well.
    "What did you have in mind?" the merchant asked casually.
    Torel tried to keep his face expressionless. "These items belonged to my wife's father. They're very old and precious." He shrugged sadly. "But, there are things we need more."
    The merchant studied the Jehanan's face, his dusty clothes, and dirty hands. He didn't believe the clansman's flimsy story for an instant. The Pra Deshian, though, kept up with the news of the clans and had an excellent idea where the man actually found them. Not that it was necessary to know. The important fact was that these three items had been brought to him and no other.
    "Indeed," said the merchant. "Perhaps I have some of those items you need."

    Torel's face lit