don’t you and Guido wait outside while we take care of this?”
The two bodyguards trooped outside in silence, though I noticed that Guido glared at his cousin with such disdain that I suspected a stern dressing down would take place even before I could get to him myself. The Mob is no more tolerant than magicians of staff members who say more than they should in front of the opposition.
“Now that we’ve established that we all know who we’re talking about and that they’re here,” Hay-ner said, rubbing his hands together, “call them out and we’ll finish this once and for all.”
“Not so fast,” I interrupted. “First of all, neither of us have laid eyes on those folks you’re looking for, because, second of all, they aren’t here. They took it on the lam out the back door before we could meet them.”
“Somehow, I don’t expect you to take our word for it,” Aahz added. “So feel free to search the place.”
The Deveel’s smile broadened and I was conscious of cold sweat breaking out on my brow.
“That won’t be necessary. You see, whether I believe you or not is of little consequence. Even if we searched, I’m sure you would be better at hiding things than we would be at finding them. All that really matters is that we’ve established that they did come in here, and that makes them your responsibility.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on here, but I was sure that I liked it less and less with each passing moment.
“Wait a minute, Hay-ner,” I began. “What do you mean ‘We’re responsible’? Responsible for what?”
“Why, for the fugitives, of course. Don’t you remember? When we agreed to let you use this place rent-free, part of the deal was that if anyone of this household broke any of the Bazaar rules, and either disappeared off to another dimension or otherwise refused to face the charges, that you would personally take responsibility for their actions. It’s a standard clause in any Bazaar lease.”
“Aahz,” I said testily, “you cut the deal. Was there a clause like that in it?”
“There was,” he admitted. “But I was thinking of Tananda and Chumley at the time ... and we’ll stand behind them anytime. Massha, too. It never occurred to me that they’d try to claim that anyone who walked through our door was a member of our household. I don’t see how they can hope to prove ...”
“We don’t have to prove that they’re in your household,” Hay-ner smiled. “You have to prove they aren’t.”
“That’s crazy,” Aahz exploded. “How can we prove ...?”
“Can it, Aahz. We can’t prove it. That’s the point. All right, Hay-ner. You’ve got us. Now what exactly have these characters done that we’re responsible for and what are our options? I thought one of the big sales points of the Bazaar was that there weren’t any rules here.”
“There aren’t many,” the Deveel said, “but the few that do exist are strictly enforced. The specific rule your friends broke involves fraud.”
He quickly held up a hand to suppress my retort.
“I know what you’re going to say. Fraud sounds like a silly charge with all the hard bargaining that goes on here at the Bazaar, but to us it’s a serious matter. While we pride ourselves in driving a hard bargain, once the deal is made you get the goods you were promised. Sometimes there are specific details omitted in describing the goods, but anything actually said is true. That is our reputation and the continued success of the Bazaar depends on that reputation being scrupulously maintained. If a trader or merchant sells something claiming it to be magical and it turns out to have no powers at all, that’s fraud ... and if the perpetrators are allowed to go unpunished, it could mean the end of the Bazaar as we know it.”
“Actually,” I said drily, “all I was going to do was protest you billing them as our friends, but I’ll let it go. What you haven’t mentioned is our