The market stayed loud through midday, forcing Marrick to borrow two registry guards. Chit arguments kept blocking the payment line, and hungry workers began turning on one another.
Hajin left him with the ledgers and crossed behind the old tax office. A packed yard separated the registry from three roof crews eating beneath a strip of shade.
Cassie stood at the yard's center with her staff ready. Jonas braced behind a practice shield, and Toby waited at the rear with his walking stick angled outward.
The three had survived an eight-Shard hunter, a ten-Shard mother, and Hajin's idea of training. The watching workers still made Cassie check her grip twice before she looked across the dust.
"The goal is reaching the wall without breaking formation," Hajin said, drawing a line through the dirt with his heel. "Cross it before I put any of you on the ground."
Cassie asked while glancing at his empty hands, "Are you using any Rings today?"
