Max left the square without looking back.
Arthur followed a few steps behind him.
They crossed a crowded avenue, passed beneath a covered walkway, and entered a narrow lane between two shops.
Then they turned into another alley.
And another.
Gradually, the city changed around them.
The polished stone gave way to uneven paving. The bright storefronts disappeared, along with the flower baskets and carefully maintained shrines.
A drainage channel ran along the edge of the street, carrying water that smelled faintly sour.
Max led Arthur through a passage barely wide enough for two people.
On the other side lay a part of the capital that the grand avenues seemed determined to conceal.
Arthur slowed.
The buildings leaned close together, their walls patched with mismatched timber and old cloth. Blankets hung over doorways, while broken tiles had been stacked beneath leaking roofs.
People sat against the walls with empty bowls resting in their laps.
