When Zana finally left the Sapan Sentinel's office, the sun was already touching the horizon again. The days were getting noticeably shorter now; soon, the winter storms would start, with heavy rains that would make it impossible to cross the higher passes. They would be trapped south of the mountains... within Urko's reach.

Only three more days until the big race. They would leave on the same day - Galen had already pre-ordered all their supplies; they were ready to be picked up as soon as they had received their prize money. Zana wasn't sure if it was wise to anticipate Peet's win in this way... it seemed to challenge fate. What if he didn't win? How would they pay all those merchants? Or would they have to hightail out of Sapan, not just with Urko on their heels then, but also with a bunch of enraged businessmen...

Zana had been so deep in her thoughts that she didn't see the child until she ran into it. "Mothers!" She caught the little Chimp before it could fall to the ground. "Sweetie, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't pay attention where I was going..."

The little girl peered up to her with big eyes, and Zana felt a little stab in her heart. This could've been mine...

"Iska, watch where you're going," a stern voice sounded from behind her, and the little girl shrank under her hands. Zana straightened and turned around. Halda was slowly walking towards her, a little boy at her one hand, a bulging bag in the other.

"No, it really was my fault, Halda," Zana said. "I wasn't paying attention, and I just ran into her."

Halda's frown dissolved into a smile. "Well, I want to teach them not to be stumbling blocks for the grown-ups. Are you out for some groceries, too?"

"Ah... no." Zana smiled and pointed at the building behind her. "I've been digging through Felga's notes for the whole afternoon. Ugar was nice enough to let me use their archive..."

"Oh." Halda stiffly set down her grocery bag and pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her robe to wipe the little boy's nose. It took Zana a moment for the slightly horrifying realization that it wasn't a hanky; Halda was using one of her numerous scarves for it. "Did you find something interesting?"

The little boy was squirming under his mother's administrations, and it seemed to Zana that Halda was wiping his nose longer than necessary. She remembered what Felga had told her about Halda and her children: that after the death of her husband, and with no living relatives, Halda was forced to raise them all by her own; and how she was too proud to accept help or even little gifts for the children. It couldn't be easy to bear the sole responsibility for two small children; Zana was sure she'd be lying awake every night, fretting about having enough money to feed them, to pay the rent...

"Oh, ah, yes." She finally remembered that Halda had asked her a question. "Yes, I did - Felga had been investigating Vilam, down at the stadium. It seems that he had been fixing races.. . The 'unexplained deaths' among the humans happened only to those whose owners didn't comply with his instructions for the races."

Halda made big eyes. "Why hasn't he been arrested yet?"

Zana sighed and joined her as the other woman started moving down the sidewalk again. "Because she didn't have any proof - she had an informant, but she kept them secret even in her notes, so I think she wouldn't have been able to bring them to court as a witness, either." She hesitated. "But if Felga made Vilam believe that she did have proof, or a witness, maybe he panicked."

Halda was silent for a moment. "You remember how we wondered where Vilam got all that Blaze from?" she finally said. "Did Felga's notes say anything about that?"

"No..."

"You know as well as I that there's only one logical source." Hald flicked her a sideways glance. "Only one ape who has the land, and the resources... and the power..."

"And who has the prefect in his pocket," Zana added dryly, remembering Felga's notes. "He's unassailable, I'm afraid."

"And that makes him off limits to us," Halda said grimly. "It's so unfair. Nobody should be above the law!"

"He wouldn't be above the law, if I had solid evidence against him," Zana growled. "But as much as I deplore Olman's involvement in the whole Blaze business, I'm not the right person to stop that. I only want to make sure that Felga's murderer is brought to justice."

"But what if he is responsible for her death?" Halda stopped and grabbed Zana's arm. "Felga has been like a wasp buzzing around his head, for the last ten years! No matter what Olman touches, Felga was there to point at him, shouting every irregularity in his deals from the rooftops. The last thing I knew of was some environmental scandal, where he didn't plant new trees for the ones he felled, and paid off the city council to refrain from fining him for it..."

"Instead your prefect raised the taxes, and let the community pay for it," Zana nodded. "Well, he may have had a motive, Halda, but where's the evidence?" She threw up her arms in frustration. "That's what it all comes down to, evidence! I don't have any, on either of them!"

Halda stared at her. She was still grabbing her arm, and the grip was becoming painful. "Don't worry, Alta There is always evidence somewhere. Perfect crimes don't exist. It's only when nobody is interested in finding it, that people get away with their actions. People who think that just because they're stinking rich, or powerful, they can ruin other people's lives until nothing is left." She finally let go of Zana's arm. "But I'm sure if there's anyone who will find that piece of evidence against Olman, it's you, Alta. Because you're not afraid of him." She slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed the hand of her little daughter. "Felga was very lucky to have you as a friend."

Zana rubbed her arm as she watched her disappear between the houses on the other side of the street. I'm really flattered by your trust, Halda, but you're wrong.

I am afraid of Olman.

When Galen had tiptoed into their rooms the night before, Zana had already been fast asleep, just as he had hoped. After his disastrous meeting with Olman, he had headed straight for the next tavern, where he had spent the better part of the evening playing keppa with some other homeless bumblers , until the innkeeper finally kicked them out.

But today, there would be no opportunity to avoid the confession of his blunder. Galen heaped another spoonful of tea leaves into the pot and fervently wished for a mug of cider.

"Galen, nobody but you can stomach that brew," Zana scolded him as she peeked over his shoulder. "I need another cup of hot water to dilute it to something drinkable."

"Sorry, love," Galen murmured absently, and poured hot water over the leaves. Zana huffed and joined the humans at the table.

She had sent for Peet to meet them here, instead of going for his usual morning run. It was time for everyone to report back, to pool their newly uncovered information, and then decide how to proceed from there. Galen wasn't sure if those instructions hadn't come from Alan, who seemed to have gotten back into Zana's good graces somehow, but in any case, this was Zana's project, and he had agreed to follow her lead in it; so he said nothing, and just carried the hot teapot over to them.

"So," Zana said briskly, "how did everyone's mission go? Peet?"

Peet sighed and scratched his brow; he kept his gaze on the tabletop. "Showed them the place, like you wanted, but the shack was abandoned. Someone must've gotten wind of the operation, an' they all broke camp. They've probably set up a new one somewhere else in the woods, it's anyone's guess where."

Zana sighed. She had alerted her constable to Peet's find, and he had - of course! - agreed to have a look. Galen hoped that this flop would cool down the guard's fervor a bit, then felt bad for being happy about Zana's misfortune.

"The constable did turn the place upside down," Peet added after glancing at Zana's face. "Said someone alerted him to drugs being used at the racetracks, an' asked me if I knew anything about that." He scoffed. "I told him I'm the new kid on the block, nobody's telling me anything, an' I won't be around for long, anyway."

I sure hope that'll be the case, Peet...

"But he said he'll have a look anyway, so maybe he'll find something at the tracks." Peet sniffed and leaned back in his seat, clearly indicating that he considered his part of the mission over.

Alan opened his mouth, then hesitated and looked at Galen. Galen just waved his fingers for him to continue, glad to have a few more moments' reprieve.

"Something is clearly going on down there," Alan said, flicking Galen a last, questioning glance. Galen took a deep draw from his mug, trying to set his face into an expressionless mask.

"But I couldn't get anything specific from Tovar," Alan continued, focusing on Zana now. "He knows what's going on, but he's afraid to tell. I spoke to some of the racers - no ape would talk to me, except for old Tovar - and they told me that some racers were attacked at night, in their kennels." He smiled wryly. "Kennels that were supposedly locked for the night."

"Yeah, it's not that difficult to pick a lock," Peet interjected. "Even Zana here can do it."

"But that also means they weren't attacked at random," Alan pointed out. "Someone took the trouble of picking a lock in order to get to the human. Some of them were just beaten severely, but others were killed, and nobody knows how. They were just lying dead in their beds when the stewards unlocked their kennel the next morning."

Galen frowned at that. "You mean, not even a veterinarian was able to determine the cause of death? That's... unusual."

Alan shrugged. "I'm sure their owners did call a veterinarian - after all, a racer is valuable - but the humans I spoke to couldn't tell me anything about it. Maybe they just weren't told."

" So it's still going on," Zana mused. "Someone injected them with Blaze ." She straightened in her chair. "Peet, I don't want you to spend another night down there. It's too dangerous! That someone could kill you!"

"Yeah, they can try," Peet said dismissively. "But if I stay, an' I do get attacked, I can see who it is, an' then you'll have your evidence."

Zana was silent for a moment; then she shook her head. "No. No, it's too dangerous. I still don't understand why you insisted on sleeping there in the first place, but whatever it is that keeps you from coming back here, I'm sure we can find a solution."

Peet shifted in his seat; he looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Appreciate your concern," he mumbled, "but I'll stay at the tracks until the race is over. I'm jus'... used to it now. The, the routine."

Zana threw her hands up in frustration, and turned to Galen. "What did you find out?"

Galen froze for a moment, as all eyes turned to him.

"Ah, ah, Olman and Vilam really had a meeting that night," he finally forced out. "I spoke to his secretary, and she told me... she had to stay for taxes, and apparently, Vilam didn't leave until after the third hour of the night."

Zana stared at him, dismayed. "Damn," she said. It was the first time Galen had heard her swear.

"Are you sure the secretary wasn't briefed to cover for her boss?" Peet wanted to know.

"I am sure," Galen said morosely. "She was a very young thing, very... new at the job, and eager to please. She was greatly distressed about Felga's death - apparently she helped out at the charity in her free time..."

"That means that Vilam and Olman are off the table," Zana said, stunned. "I... I have no suspects anymore!"

For a moment, everyone was silent. Zana buried her face in her hands. "I'm such a fool."

"Now wait a moment," Alan said quietly. "Do we even know when exactly Felga died? Is your doctor even capable of narrowing down the time of death to more than 'during that night'? Because if he isn't, it's entirely possible that she was killed before the meeting, and deposited at Levar's kennel after it. Maybe that was even the reason Vilam went to Olman - he had killed her in a fit of rage, and now came for help..."

"Now it's you who's speculating, Alan," Zana said tiredly.

"But it is possible..."

The conversation had turned away from him, and Galen was terribly tempted to thank fate and leave it at that. Maybe he would be able to figure out something on his own, before he had to hand Peet over to his new owner...

... but what if not? If he had to ask Zana for help, he'd have to tell her about this deal; and if he told her later, her reaction might be even worse than it would be now. Galen squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was now or never, now or never...

"There's something else," he blurted out before his courage could desert him again.

Alan stopped in mid-sentence and turned to look at him, as if he had expected something like this. The others followed suit, Zana looking hopeful, Peet looking wary.

Galen stared down into his mug.

"I, I had asked around in the pub beforehand, to make sure that Olman wasn't there when I'd question his secretary," he began. This was the easy part, so he quickly continued. "I was told he'd be on an inspection of a new patch of forest selected for clearing, on the other side of the valley, so that's when I went in. I... I had to give a reason for wanting to see Olman, so I pretended that I was there to sell Peet..."

Zana gasped. "You what?"

"It was just a pretense," Galen said defensively, still not looking up from his mug, "since I knew he wasn't there, and I'd 'miss' him. I'd express my disappointment, schedule another appointment, after the race, and use the opportunity to chat up the secretary and find out what Olman had been doing when Felga was murdered. It was a good plan!"

"What went wrong?" Alan asked, his voice full of dark expectations.

Galen heaved a deep, trembling sigh. "Olman turned up, totally unexpected."

"Someone set you up," Alan said.

Galen shrugged. "Or Olman changed his mind - he is the boss, he can do that if he wants to. In any case, he suddenly stood in the door, and I was already excusing myself, when that silly girl blurted out that I had come to sell Liquid Fire, and Olman jumped at the opportunity..."

"You sold me."

Galen looked up; Peet was staring at him, his face and body utterly still. But the skin of his face and neck had reddened, and his pupils were huge. "You sold me like a piece of meat."

"No, I didn't, but I had to play along," Galen cried. "I had no credible reason to bow out all of a sudden, after making everyone believe that I turned up for no other reason than to sell... uh, my racer! He, he didn't let me bow out!"

"You c... you can't just sell me off to some goddamn monkey!" Peet was gripping the edge of the table now, and Alan was gripping Peet's arm, to keep him from leaping over the table and at Galen's throat, probably. Zana was utterly silent, maybe too stunned to say anything. Yet.

Then she put a hand on Peet's other arm, and for some reason, that seemed to shake the human out of his rage for a moment. He flinched, and blinked, and in that momentary pause, Zana turned away from him.

"Atiba Galen." Her stare was like a bolt through his heart. "What kind of deal did you make with Olman? I want the exact words!"

"I, ah, I, I... Olman offered me thirty thousand sembles ."

Alan began to laugh helplessly. "Oh my God." He shook his head, still laughing; it wasn't a joyous laughter. "You really couldn't bow out of that one."

Galen's nose twitched violently. "I told him that I didn't want to forego the prize money, so the deal only becomes valid after the race. I... I thought we'd just leave before that point..."

"And have not only Urko, but the most powerful businessman of the Southern Appalachians on our tail," Alan concluded dryly. "I agree, it's an excellent plan."

"He won't let us waltz out of Sapan jus' like that," Peet spoke up. His voice was calm, but slightly unsteady. "If he's willing to put that much dough on the table, he'll make sure he gets his money's worth for it." He pushed away from the table and strode to the window. "I'm so screwed."

"You'll go to Olman and tell him you reconsidered," Zana said. "Tell him I'm against it, tell him... I don't care what you tell him, but Peet is not up for sale! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it would be unwise to aggravate the, the 'most powerful businessman of the southern Iron Mountains'," Galen snapped. "Especially since you already riled him enough to make him look into our identities!"

"Don't make this about me!" Zana stabbed a finger at him. "We've been in some really terrible situations before, but never, never has there been a moment where we considered sacrificing one of our own to save ourselves!" She pointed at Peet, who was still staring out of the window, gripping the window frame with white knuckles. "He let himself get captured by Urko to save me! And this is how you pay him back? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"I never meant for this to happen!" Galen shouted.

"I don't care what you intended to happen," Zana yelled back. "The only thing that matters is what you will do to make sure it won't happen! Olman can't get Peet! You find a way to save Peet, or I swear we'll go our separate ways, Galen! I mean it!"

And she did mean it, Galen could see it in her eyes. Everyone saw it, and the room fell silent all of a sudden, as everyone stared at her. Zana ignored the humans; her eyes were boring into Galen's, demanding an answer.

"I, I, I'll make sure Peet won't end up with Olman," Galen stuttered. "I don't know how yet, but... I'll make sure of it. I promise."

"You better do, Galen," Zana said, and her voice was deadly calm. "Because I just made a promise, too."