Chapter 17
TANDOR KNELT in the snow in the shade of the alley, tugged off his glove with his pincer claw and put his hand flat on the hard, icy ground. In the feeble blue light of not-quite dawn, the area around his fingers glowed with a few specks of gold before winking out.
Yes, Ruko had come this way. The trail was half a day old at least, but Ruko had been here.
There were footsteps behind him, and voices of women. Tandor rose quickly and pressed himself to the wall on one side of the alley. The women walked past, casting Tandor strange looks that said, What is he doing here at this time of day?
Tandor waited until the women had disappeared from view and continued down the alley, kneeling and touching the snow. With each step he took, and each glance at the brightening sky, his des
