Istra had stayed away past the time she said she'd be gone.
Lucian stood his ground with Sera, watching groups file past the open hall. Fighters. Clerks. Some of them wore marks that meant nothing to him. Almost all of them paused to study him at least once.
Sera took that in as well. "They're not even trying to be subtle."
"No," Lucian said.
"What are they expecting you to do? Crack the yard wide open?"
"They don't know." He shrugged. "Hence the studying."
Sera leaned back against the far wall, arms folded. "Preferrably I'd like it if people ignored me for coin and poor timing."
"You could always walk off," Lucian pointed out.
"And walk back in through the dead passage into a town that's marked me property of someone else by mistake? I'll wait. I don't have to like it."
The tray with water and rough loaves of dark bread was delivered without asking for payment. He took it in turn, studying the boy who had lingered an instant too long before turning away. Sera saw him go.
