At last they emerged on to open ground, the Labrykas fountain. It stood in its full glory, each of its four lower basins two metres wide, fed from the mouths of three rearing horses. A long stone pillar topped by the double-headed axe called a

Labrys spouted water to bedew the heads of the beautifully carved white marble horses. It was the first official Tharian monument seen by new arrivals who came through the Piraki Gate, and Dema never got tired of looking at it. Many mornings he would sit on the rim of a lower basin to listen to the water and relax after his nights service, calming down until he could ride home, serene.

When Dema saw the blot that fouled the south basin, he gasped. Inside a ring of priests and arurim that stood around the fountain, a dead woman sprawled, her legs hanging out of the basin, her upper body in the water, her arms flung wide. Her make-up showed dead white against her swollen, bloated face. Her long black curls floated in the water, creating a chilly semblance of life. Her kyten, the longer, feminine version of the Tharian tunic, was streaked with filth. The long ends of her yellow veil had been carefully straightened to grip the basins edge, like a yellow arrow that ended at her neck.

A short, stocky man in

Arurim red, wearing the silver-bordered white stole of the district commander, stalked up to Demas horse. havent you caught this monster, Dhaskoi Nomasdina?he growled. didnt you stop him before he committed this, this, atrocity!He glared at the ring of priests and arurim. week, the priests of the All-Seeing tell us, a week before the fountain can be fully cleansed!Already the priests were placing in the anchor-posts and white cloths that would shroud the entire fountain while they performed a major spiritual and magical cleansing. week before the people can begin to forget this offence against the order of the city!

Dema tumbled from his horses back and stoo d at attention as the commander raved. Finally, when the man fell silent, Dema said, ve been doing my best, sir. This is a canny murderer, not the usual sort of criminal at all. He has found a way to hide his tracks from magical scrutiny, there are no witnesses when he kills them, and he transports them where he likes. I ve only eight months in the

Arurim, and I did request extra people to patrol Khapik. He kills them there.

will do the proper work -with those you have,snarled the commander. h this abomination in a public place, the people will be more eager to come forward, to name this murderer and cleanse Tharios of him.

Demas heart plummeted into his belly. According to the advice given to him by the Elya Street

Arurim and the arurim dhaskoi, he had been doing all the proper things. I get a ban on the cleansing of this site, then?he asked, his voice breaking. I have a chance to go over it with spells of investigation?

The commander leaned in close, his eyes fixed on Demas. the cleansing? he whispered in a voice more frightening than a yell. one more moment than we must to erase this spectre of disorder? Its not just the fountain which must be cleansed, you young idiot. Its the pipes and the source of the water itself. Apply yourself to proper investigation, and let us purify the square!

Dema bowed his head. spoke rashly, without thought, he whispered. With the taint of death hanging over the square, the least he could expect was sin and riots in the Fifth District. The immediate cleansing of the city had stopped the violence that had followed the fall of the Kurchal Empire. Ridding Tharios of all taint of death in those days had purified her, had kept the city safe and standing while the rest of the world ran mad. Its purity had guarded the city from barbarian attacks and made her leaders strong enough to do all that was necessary to restore order. Asking the priests to delay their cleansing was opening the door to madness. He hadn t stopped to think of that when hed made his request.

The problem was, in crimes of this sort, cleansing nearly crippled investigators. It was both physical and magical, erasing all trace not just of the death, but of the killer and how the killer had come and gone from the death site.

had best start thinking, Demakos

Nomasdina,the commander whispered, gripping Demas arm in a hold that would leave bruises under Demas brown skin. the pride of your clan. Now go look at that mess, then let the priests do their job.

Dema swallowed. He walked between two priests who were setting up the tent-like veil that would hide the long process of cleansing from the peoples eyes, so they would not carry the taint of death away from the square. He approached the south basin of the fountain, steeling himself to look on another murdered woman. There were men and women at Elya Street,

Arurim and dhaski, who could look on someone who d been robbed of life and eat a hearty meal after. Dema didnt know how they could do it. Even after eight months he still felt as if someone had offended him personally, had killed a member of Demas own family which was true enough. The other classes of Tharios were the responsibility of the First Class, Demas class. Someone had taken the life of a young woman in his charge.

That she was young he guessed from her hands, unlined, with well-tended nails, and the fresh, tight skin of her belly, feet, and legs. She wore the halter top, semi-sheer skirt and tight, calf-length leggings of a tumble r or dancer; her brown arms and legs were muscular. Dema glanced away from her eyes, so startled at the fate that had come upon her.

As he leaned over the edge of the basin, he noticed two priests closing in. m not going to touch her,he snapped. away, leave me be.

They took a step back and waited, hands clasped at their waists, their eyes level as they watched Dema. The morning breeze tugged at their white head-veils and the ends of their complexly draped red stoles.

Dema glanced at the knot in the yellow veil -right under the left ear, just like the knot on the other four victims. Bending, he squinted at the ends of the veil, laid so neatly on the basins rim.