Msaka spent much of the rest of the day simply wandering about the city, seeing what sights there were to be seen. The city held many places he had not seen in his initial tour, and he did his best to discover them all, though mainly so he'd know what was available if needed, rather than for the purpose of making use of them at the time. After all, he needed to be careful with his expenses, after buying the glass leopard. It wouldn't do very well for him to run out of money.

He did locate a number of potentially interesting places, including a small observatory. The occupant of the observatory, a woman well versed in the ways of astrology, claimed that there was a similar one in Shapier. Msaka had some familiarity with the magical significance of the night skies, though his knowledge of the subject was far from exhaustive. He spent nearly an hour in careful conversation with her, filling in a few small gaps in his knowledge in the process. At one point she asked him if he would like to have his future predicted, and he agreed, telling her his name and a little of what he'd accomplished - cautiously avoiding any mention of why he was in Raseir. He also paid a dinar for the priveledge, having decided that it might be worth the expense. After that, he left, having been informed that his future would be known by the next day.

He resumed his tour of the city, strolling through the various plazas and taking note of what the merchants were offering, and what was being asked. It seemed as though many of the goods for sale in Raseir were being offered for lower prices than in Shapier, though whether this was due to the influence of the kattas or simply because it was a different location was unclear. Msaka considered it fortunate as well that the merchants were not particularly pushy in their attempts to sell their wares, acquiescing when he declined their offers, rather than taking his disinterest as a challenge to be overcome.

"If it was not for this city being located in a desert, and the restrictions on magic, it might be something more than tolerable," he thought to himself as he eventually headed back towards the inn for the evening. "It is unfortunate that I must do what I am here to do."

Reaching the inn, he entered and sat down for dinner. Service was, as always, swift and polite. He ate quietly, pondering whether telling the astrologer about himself had been the best thing to do. Still, there wasn't much he could do to change it now, so whatever would happen would happen.

After finishing his meal, he retired to his room and worked on his magic for a while, letting the flow of energy wash the worries from his mind. Eventually, feeling much more relaxed, he turned in for the night.

When the next day dawned, he reluctantly rose and headed out to the common room, yawning profusely. Sitting down at one of the tables, he gazed around the room, noting that there weren't as many people around as was usual. Inquiring with Shema when she came out to serve breakfast, he learned that a caravan had just departed, taking with it some of the patrons that would usually have been present.

As she departed, Msaka pondered that element of his operation. The city would probably be in an uproar in the days immediately following his exploit, and trying to leave during that time could prove difficult - even if any caravans left during that time, trying to leave with the first one might be seen as suspicious. Thus, he would probably have to remain in the city for a while, perhaps leaving with the second or third caravan.

He found himself dwelling on the impact his actions would have on the city, which certainly wasn't something he would have expected when he'd first arrived. Annoyed at this, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind and quickly finished his meal. Leaving the inn, he followed the plazas and streets to the observatory again, uncertain whether it was too early in the day for the astrologer to have obtained results, but nonetheless wanting something else to think about.

He entered the building and approached the woman, who sat at a small table poring over what appeared to be a collection of star charts. Coming to a halt next to the table, he folded his arms and asked, "Have you finished predicting my future?"

The woman had begun to look up before he spoke, and nodded quietly in response to his question. "I have written it in here," she replied, in a slow, deep voice, as she pushed a scroll across the table in Msaka's direction. "I would speak with you further, but this work must be done."

The astrologer returned to studying her charts, and Msaka decided that it wasn't worth pressing the matter. He picked up the scroll and departed, walking a short distance down the street before unrolling and reading it.

Much of the writing on the scroll was a listing of various stars and constellations, and their relative locations. It was mildly interesting, but not what he really wanted to know. Finally, down the bottom of the scroll, he found what he was looking for.

He read the words silently. "Twice, you may bring death where there was life. Once by action, once by inaction. Once justified, once not. Once you may undo that death, once it will stand forever. Whether you choose to bring these deaths, and a third one besides, is known only to you."