The next week, all the cats that could be caught were killed and degutted.

The third week, all dogs were run down and disembowelled.

Masha zil-Ineel was one of the very few people in the city who didn't take partin the rat hunt. She just couldn't believe that any rat, no matter how big, andthere were some huge ones in Sanctuary, could swallow a jewel so large.

But when a rumour spread that someone had seen a cat eat a dead rat and that thecat had acted strangely afterwards, she thought it wise to pretend to chasecats. If she hadn't, people might wonder why not. They might think that she knewsomething they didn't. And then she might be the one run down.

Unlike the animals, however, she'd be tortured until she told where the jewelwas.

She didn't know where it was. She wasn't even sure that there was an emerald.

But everybody knew that she'd been told about the jewel by Benna nus-Katarz.Thanks to Masha's blabbermouth drunken husband, Eevroen.

Three weeks ago, on a dark night, Masha had returned late from midwifing in therich merchants' Eastern quarter. It was well past midnight, but she wasn't sureof the hour because of the cloud-covered sky. The second wife of Shoozh thespice-importer had borne her fourth infant. Masha had attended to the deliverypersonally while Doctor Nadeesh had sat in the next room, the door only halfclosed, and listened to her reports. Nadeesh was forbidden to see any part of afemale client except for those normally exposed and especially forbidden to seethe breasts and genitals. If there was any trouble with the birthing, Mashawould inform him, and he would give her instructions.

This angered Masha, since the doctors collected half of the fee, yet were seldomof any use. In fact, they were usually a hindrance.

Still, half a fee was better than none. What if the wives and concubines of thewealthy were as nonchalant and hardy as the poor women, who just squatted down