CHAPTER 41
Rory and Longinus hurried after the Marchioness and her bodyguards. The water stadium was a circular marina just off Innec Dock. A narrow channel linked it to the dock, allowing small steamers and barges to bring the performers through to the floating platform in the middle of the water. Tiered rows of benches rose around the water, each row already crawling with spectators, food sellers, palm readers, pickpockets, and street entertainers trying to make a few coins before the Revels.
The rain had begun to slow, and more bodies joined the crush, coming out from whatever shelter they had sought. Excitement seeped from the crowd, laughter and voices echoing against the stone walls that circled the stadium.
Across from the entrance channel, high above the water, was the Old Girl’
