“Always a pleasure, Sheriff Puppy,” said the woman thief. Then she ducked through the door and was gone.
Dash allowed her the courtesy of not leaving for five minutes, so she could be sure she wasn’t being followed. Besides, he could find her any time he wanted. And more to the point, his mind was wrestling with the question: Who killed his men?
He slipped into the darkness, heading back to his headquarters.
Roo chuckled at the sight before him. Nakor was jumping around like a grasshopper, shouting orders at the workers as they tried to wrestle the statue upright. Roo moved his own wagon over to the side of the road and let those carts and wagons behind him pass. He jumped down and crossed the road to where Nakor’s wagon was parked.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a laugh.
Nakor said, “These fools are determined to destroy this work of art!”
Roo said, “I think they’ll get it where you want it, but why do you want it out here?” He made a sweeping motion with his hand, indicating a vacant field outside the gates of Krondor. A small farm had occupied this plot of land, but the house had been destroyed and now only a charred square of foundation stones marked its passing.
“I want everyone entering the city to see this,” said Nakor as the workers got the statue upright.
Roo paused. There was something about the woman’s expression that captivated the eye. He studied it for a long moment, then said, “It’s really very lovely, Nakor. Is that your goddess?”
“That’s the Lady,” said Nakor with a nod.
“But why not put her in the center of your temple?”
“Because I don’t yet have a temple,” said Nakor as he motioned for the workers to return to the wagon. “I have to find a place to build one.”
Roo laughed. “Don’t look at me. I already sprang for one warehouse in Darkmoor. Besides, I don’t own any buildings near Temple Square.”
A gleam entered Nakor’s eyes. “Yes! Temple Square. That’s where we need to build!”
“Builders I have,” said Roo. Then he fixed Nakor with a narrow gaze. “But I’m a little short on charity these days.”
“Ah,” said Nakor with a laugh. “Then you must have money. You’re only penurious when you have gold. When you’re broke, you’re very generous.”
Roo laughed. “You are the most amazing man, Nakor.”
“Yes, I am,” he agreed. “Now, I have some gold, so you won’t have to build me a temple, but I would like some, shall we call it discounts?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He looked around so as not to be overheard. “There is a lot of confusion in the city still. Many landowners are dead and the crown hasn’t established a policy yet on who owns what.”
“You mean Patrick hasn’t seized unclaimed land yet.”
“You catch on,” said Roo. “Squatters seem to have a certain advantage if the real owner doesn’t press a claim. I happen to know that the empty lot on the northwest corner of Temple Square, over by the Temple of Lims-Kragma, was owned by a former associate of mine. It was always a difficult piece of land to dispose of, being located between the Death Goddess’s temple and the Temple of Guis-wa. Old Crowley tried to sell it to me once, and I declined. As Crowley is now among those who didn’t survive the war, that land is unclaimed.” Roo whispered, “He left no survivors. So it’s you, some other squatter, or the crown who’s going to get it.”
Nakor grinned. “Being between the Death Goddess and the Red-Jawed Hunter doesn’t bother me, so I’m certain it won’t bother the Lady. I’ll go check it out.”
Roo glanced back at the statue. “That’s really quite good.”
Nakor laughed. “The sculptor was inspired.”
“I can believe it. Who modeled for it?”
“One of my students. She’s special.”
“I can see that,” said Roo.
As Nakor climbed back on his wagon, motioning for the workers to climb into the back, he said, “Where are you bound?”
“Back to Ravensburg. I’m rebuilding the Inn of the Pintail for Milo. With his daughter living in Darkmoor now, he’s going to sell me half interest.”
“You, an innkeeper?” asked Nakor with a disbelieving laugh.
“Any business that can make a profit, Nakor.”
Nakor laughed, waved, and urged his wagon on into the press of traffic heading into the city.
Roo climbed aboard his own wagon and looked again at the statue. He saw there were people who were stopping to look at it or glancing at it as they drove past. One woman reached out and touched it reverently, and Roo admitted to himself that the sculptor must have, indeed, been inspired.