Evil for Evil by K. J. Parker Page A

it,” she said. “Juifrez’ll pick it up on the cart and take it up the mountain to the Stringer pass. That’s where
     he meets the buyers. Of course,” she added, “we’ve got you to thank.”
    “For what?”
    “For our living,” she said gravely. “For fighting your war. We’ve been tidying up after you ever since you started it. If
     it wasn’t for you and your friends, I don’t know what we’d have done.”
    “Oh,” Miel said.
    “It was Juifrez’s idea,” she went on. “Our village was one of the first to be burned out, it was soon after you attacked the
     supply train for the first time. Aigel; don’t suppose you’ve ever heard of it. We ran away as soon as we saw the dust from
     the cavalry column, and when we came back …” She shrugged. “The idea was to walk down to Rax — that’s the next village along
     the valley — and see if they’d take us in. But on the way we came across the place where you’d done the ambush. Nobody had
     been back there; well, I suppose a few scouts, to find out what had happened, but nobody’d buried the bodies or cleared away
     the mess. You’d burned all the food and the supplies, of course, but we found one cart we could patch up, and we reckoned
     that’d be better than walking. Then Juifrez said, ‘Surely all this stuff’s got to be worth some money to someone,’ and that
     was that. Ever since then, we’ve been following you around, living off your leftovers. You’re very popular with us, actually.
     Juifrez says you provide for us, like a good lord should. The founder of the feast, he calls you.” She laughed. “I hope you’ve
     got someone to take your place while you’re away,” she said. “If the resistance packs up, we’re really in trouble.”
    While you’re away; the implication being that sooner or later he’d go back. “He’s your leader, then,” he said, “this Juifrez?”
    “I suppose so,” she replied. “Actually, he’s my husband. And while I think of it, it’d probably be just as well if you didn’t
     let him find out who you are. Like I said, he thinks very highly of you, but all the same …” She clicked her tongue. “I suppose
     he’d argue that the lord’s job is to provide for his people, and the best way he could do that is fetching a high price from
     the Mezentines. He’s not an insensitive man, but he’s very conscious of his duty to his people. The greatest good for the
     greatest number, and so forth.”
    “Juifrez Stratiotes,” Miel said suddenly.
    “You’ve heard of him.” She sounded genuinely surprised. “Fancy that. He’d be so flattered. After all, he’s just a little local
     squire, not a proper gentleman. You’ve met him, of course, when he goes to the city to pay the rents. But I assumed he’d just
     be one face in a line.”
    “He breeds sparrowhawks,” Miel remembered. “I bought one from him once. Quick little thing, with rather narrow wings.”
    She was grinning again. “I expect you remember the hawk,” she said. “Don’t let me keep you from your work.”
    She was walking away. “When will he be back?” Miel asked. “I mean, the rest of them.”
    “Tonight, after they’ve buried the bodies.” She stopped. “Of course,” she said slowly, “there’s a very good chance he might
     recognize you, even all scruffy and dirty. And you’re the only live one they found this time, so he’ll probably want to see
     you.”
    “Probably,” Miel said.
    She took a few more steps, then hesitated. “Can you think of anybody else who might want you?” she said. “For money, I mean.”
    “No.”
    “What about the Vadani? They’ve been helping you, haven’t they?”
    “Yes,” Miel said, “but the Mezentines would pay more.”
    “And they’re closer.” She hadn’t turned round. “But you’re good friends with Duke Orsea, aren’t you? And he’s with the Vadani
     now. Juifrez isn’t a greedy man. If he could get enough for our people … Or better still, if