She heard Chaos moving before she reached him. Definitely restless. I’m coming in to get one of the things you’re guarding for me. Are you okay with it?

It’s good you ask permission. At least you realize my importance.

And definitely bad-tempered. I’ll be in and out in seconds. And then I’ll go and get you and Nightshade fresh water before I return the phone to you.

You need not get anything for her. She does not deserve it.

Don’t be selfish. She was in his stall and reaching for the phone. She hasn’t done anything to you. Of course I’ll get her water.

Then she was out of the stall and handing the phone to Gilroy, who was coming toward her. “It’s just as well you left it to me. He’s in a rotten humor.”

“I’ve always wondered how you could tell the difference.” He ducked into a stall four down from Chaos and started to make the call.

Sasha shrugged and shook her head. There was no way she could explain all the beauty and spirit that was Chaos, so she wouldn’t try. He had to be experienced. She turned, grabbed the buckets, and headed for the pump.

*  *  *

Gilroy didn’t try to reach Alisa. He called Korgan directly. “I’m giving you a report for Alisa. Sasha had a rough time today, but she said to tone down the outrage, so you do it for me. I’m in no mood.”

“How bad? Masenak?”

“For once he wasn’t the main perpetrator. Reardon showed up and stepped up to the plate. What you’ll be most interested in is that the situation is getting tighter. If you were planning on taking Reardon out on the day after the race, you might have a problem. When Reardon leaves Jubaldar, he’s taking Chaos and Sasha home with him.”

“What! Why?”

“Some deal Masenak and Reardon have concocted between them. But like I said, if you were counting on having another couple of days to stage the attack, or just to get her out of Jubaldar, you’d better consider that she might be joined at the hip to Reardon.”

Korgan was cursing. “Of course I was planning on staging the attack by the day after the race. And we can do it, dammit. I just heard from Novak that he’s on his way back to Samlir with his team. But this means there can’t be anything last minute about it. It’s almost the same as losing a day.” He paused. “And I don’t like this for a number of reasons. What kind of deal? What does it involve?”

“Chaos, of course.” He added bitterly, “And it might have something to do with Sasha. It seems he likes young girls and decided to groom Sasha to be his next choice.”