o do with it?" the Calera asked.

"It could. I think that these people might not have been born slaves,
but people taken captive. Suppose, at some time, there had been sold
to Nebu-hin-Abenoz, and sold elsewhere by him, one who was a person of
consequence--the son of a king, or the priest of some god," Gathon
Dard suggested.

"By Safar, yes! And now that nation, wherever it is, is at blood-feud
with us," Cavu-hin-Avoran said. "This must be thought about; it is an
ill thing to have unknown enemies."

"Look!" a Calera who had begun to strip the three dead men cried.
"These are not of the Usasu cities, or any other people of this land.
See, they are uncircumcised!"

"Many of the slaves whom Nebu-hin-Abenoz brought to Careba from the
hills have been uncircumcised," Coru-hin-Irigod said. "Jeseru, I think
you have your sights on the heart of it." He frowned. "Now, think you,
will those who had this done be satisfied, or will they carry on their
hatred against all of us?"

"A hard question," Antrath Alv said. "You Caleras do not serve our
gods, but you are our friends. Suffer me to go apart and pray; I would
take counsel with the gods, that they may aid us all in this."

* * * * *

[Illustration:]

[Illustration:]

Part 2

It was full daylight, but the sun was hidden; a thin rain fell on the
landing around at Police Terminal Dhergabar Equivalent when Vall and
Dalla left the rocket. Across the black lavalike pavement, they could
see the bulky form of Tortha Karf, hunched under a long cloak, with
his flat cap pulled down over his brow. He shook hands with Vall and
kissed cheeks with Dalla when they joined him.

"Car's over here," he said, nodding toward the waiting vehicle.
"Yesterday wasn't one of our better days, was it?"

"No. It wasn't." Vall agreed. They climbed into the car, and the
driver lifted straight up to two thousand feet and turned, soaring
down to land on the Chief's Headquarters Building, a mile away. "We're
not completely stopped, sir. Ranthar Jard is working on a few ideas
that may lead him to the Kholghoor time lines where the Wizard Traders
are operating. If we can't get them through their output, we may nail
them at the intake."

"Unless they've gotten the wind up and closed down all their
operations," Tortha Karf said.

"I doubt if they've done that, Chief," Vall replied. "We don't know
who these people are, of course, and it's hard to judge their
r