We found Broo Fang Tane sitting cross-legged under tree on the outskirts of the market square. He had a pile of small, black nuts balanced on one knee and a half-eaten apple in the opposite hand. He took a bit from the apple and then popped a few nuts into his mouth to chew them simultaneously. He looked up at us and beamed.
"By Azzalia's Grace, I'm glad we found you in time," I said.
"Why? Did you want...some?" He held out the apple and pointed to the nuts.
"No. No thank you. I just meant we found you before you got into any trouble."
Tane gave me a quizzical look, and Seymuhr leaned in. "Before you got angry and killed a dozen or so people," he said. "Crowded city and all, one wrong move or wayward sneeze and Azrok alone knows what you would do."
"I don't under...stand," Tane said, but his face grew a little more grave.
I told him about our morning and the encounter with the crazed man Seymuhr knocked down. He pressed his lips together and rested his back against the small tree. Around us, the crowd swirled and the breeze brought us the smell of exotic spices, fresh flowers and human waste.
"I...see," Tane said in his typical lilting tone when I had finished. "And you....thought...that was me?"
I shifted my weight uncomfortably and looked to Seymuhr for help explaining it. His blank but cheerful expression told me he'd rather watch me fumble through the conversation. In fact he leaned back slightly, arms crossed, and wiggled his eyebrows.
"It wasn't my first thought," I lied. "And I was only concerned about your well-being," I lied again. "I meant no offense, only concern. I know you are not yet, er, at the end of your peace journey."
Tane was silent a long time. "No. I am not," he said at last, rising smoothly to his feet. The remaining nuts fell off his knee. He handed the apple, which still had some meat on it, to a passing child. The child took it, frowned, then threw it back at him, leaving a glistening spot on his cheek. Seymuhr laughed and slapped his thigh. "There are many ob...stacle...s."
I tried to change the subject. I kicked the apple out of site with the side of my foot and clapped Tane on his back. "Not to worry, my friend. There are obstacles on any journey. Don't fret too much; you're just in the middle of the ride, is all."
He gave me a brief, tight-lipped smile and nodded. "My journey is not yet...ended." He took a breath and I could see him shrug off the gloom that had just eclipsed his thoughts. "Nor has...yours. Was find...ing me your only er...rand to...day?"
"It was the first, but not the most pressing," I said and looked toward the heart of the city where the palace rose above the grimy streets. "I still seek an audience with the queen."
I headed that way.
