25
THE MEN led Izramith back down Market Street. They surrounded her on all sides, solemn and silent like walking statues. A few nightly passersby gave the group odd glances, but most people took little notice, although Izramith by now knew that the Barresh rumour machine would be working overtime. The citizens pretended not to notice, but they saw everything. She had perhaps a day, maybe less, to get to the bottom of this before all the townsfolk knew of this excursion. She might not know the men, but those passersby all knew who they were and what they stood for. They drew their own conclusions about her being in their presence.
The commercial building had already come into view when the men turned off the main street into an alley that curved around and then ran behind the larger and
