Leaving the safe, aqueductbounded quarter of Belisaere proved to be a more difficult busihaering it, particularly through the northern archway, which led out to a long-abareet of derelict houses, winding their towards the northern hills of the city.
There were six guards at the archway, and they looked siderably more alert and effit than the ones who guarded the passage from the docks. There was also a group of other people ahead of Sabriel and Touchstone waiting to be let through. Nine men, all with the marks of violence written in their expressions, in the way they spoke and moved. Every one was armed, with ing from daggers to a broad-bladed axe. Most of them also carried bows—short, deeply curved bows, slung on their backs.
「Who are these people?」 Sabriel asked Touchstone. 「Why are they going out into the Dead part of the city?」
「Sgers,」 replied Touchstone. 「Some of the people I spoke to last night mentiohem.
Parts of the city were abao the Dead very quickly, so there is still plenty of loot to be found. A risky business, I think . . .」
Sabriel houghtfully and looked back at the men, most of whom were sitting or squatting by the aqueduct wall. Some of them looked back at her, rather suspiciously. For a moment, she thought they』d seen the bells under her cloak and reized her as a neahen she realized that she and Touchstone probably looked like rival sgers. After all, who else would want to leave the prote of swift water? She felt a bit like a hard-bitten sger. Even freshly ed and scrubbed, her clothes and armor were not the sweetest items of wear. They were also still slightly damp, and the boat cloak that covered her up was on the borderliween damp a, because it hadn』t been hung up properly after washing. On the positive side, everything had the st of lemon, for the Sign of Three Lemons washerfolk used lemoed soap.
Sabriel thought the sgers had been waiting for the guards, but clearly they had been waiting for something else, which they』d suddenly sighted behihe sitting or squatting men picked themselves up, grumbling and cursing, and shuffled together into something resembling a line.
Sabriel looked over her shoulder to see what they saw—and froze. For ing towards the arch were two men, and about twenty children; children of all ages between six and sixteen. The men had the same look as the other sgers, and carried long, four-tongued whips. The children were ma the ahe manacles fasteo a loral . One mahe , leading the children down the middle of the road. The other followed behind, plying the air above the small bodies idly with his whip, the four tongues occasionally lig against an ear or the top of a small head.
「I heard of this too,」 muttered Touchstone, moving up closer to Sabriel, his hands falling on his sword hilts. 「But I thought it was a beer story. The sgers use children—slaves—as decoys, or bait, for the Dead. They leave them in one area, to draw the Dead away from where they io search.」
「This is . . . disgusting!」 raged Sabriel.
「Immoral! They』re slavers, not sgers! We have to stop it!」
She started forward, mind already f a Charter-spell to blind and fuse the sgers, but a sharp pain in her neck halted her.
Mogget, riding on her shoulders, had dug his claws in just under her . Blood trickled down in hairliraces, as he hissed close to her ear.
「Wait! There are nine sgers and six guards, with more close by. What will it profit these children