“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” said the voice above, and with a swift kick, one of the soldiers sent the sack, cat and all, glancing hard against a brick wall.

“Let me out!” screeched the cat.

“Answer one question for us, and we’ll be happy to.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Oh,” said the soldier’s voice. “I’d reconsider if I were you. Lord High General Dumah of the Army of the Dead is always very grateful for useful information.”

“Your general is a cadaverous hooligan bastard, and the Sisterhood of the Lileen want nothing that he has to offer.”

One of the soldiers gave a long, disappointed sigh.

“That,” said the voice, “doesn’t seem like a wise position to take under these circumstances.” And he lifted the burlap sack from the cold ground and flung it against the wall with all his might.

“Now tell me,” said the voice of the soldier to the dazed cat in the bag. “Where is the Bluma girl?”

—

“You,” said Mammon, his beady black eyes ablaze with reflected firelight. “I ought to rip your throat out with my teeth. I ought to bury you beneath an outhouse. I ought to skin you alive and sell you for rat food.”

Despite his threats, Mammon had shied back into the wide arms of his chair.

The salt must’ve made quite an impression.

“Yes,” said Yehuda Leib. “Yes.”

“What do you mean, yes?” spat Mammon.

“I mean,” said Yehuda Leib, “that I can understand why you feel that way.”

“You can understand?” said Mammon incredulously. “You assaulted me!”

Yehuda Leib sighed. “I think you’ll find, my lord, that it was you who assaulted me. I defended myself.” It was just like making excuses for brawling back home in Tupik: He started it. “And, in fairness, if I hadn’t fought back, you likely would’ve killed me.”

Mammon snorted derisively. “You can’t prove that.”

“No,” said Yehuda Leib. “But I don’t need to, because you know it’s true.”

“What are you doing here?” said Mammon.

“I think the more interesting question,” said Yehuda Leib, “is what you’re doing here.”

Mammon snorted again and rolled his eyes.

“No,” said Yehuda Leib. “Truly. If it were me, I would’ve made my way back home by now. Why haven’t you?”

“Perhaps I’m just biding my time,” snapped Mammon.

Yehuda Leib nodded. “Perhaps.”

“There’s a lot of plunder to be had here,” said Mammon. “Good things. Worth having.”

“That’s certainly true,” said Yehuda Leib. “And you seem to have dealt with the shopkeeper and his wife nicely. Why don’t you take what you’d like and head back to your Treasure House?”

“Maybe I will,” said Mammon.

Yehuda Leib nodded. “Maybe. But I think you’d have done it by now if you’d been able.”

“Oh, I’m able,” said Mammon. “I’m able.”