Chapter 12: Banner BurningMantuan walked into the drinks house. He saw the banner of the kingdom, the thirteen longknives shooting out from the center of the pyramid. He noticed the banner was upside down, the old symbol of his resistance group. That's a bad omen, he thought. The morning light shone through the windows, but the gloom stuck to the dark wood paneled walls. It was early in the day, only a few men and women occupied the wooden benches, and they paid him little attention.
Walking to the back of the place, there was a man eating his first meal of the day behind the bar. Mantuan asked, “Morning friend, I wonder if you can help me?”
The man's attention was occupied by a pamphlet, his spoon got half way to his mouth before he looked up. The spoon stopped, and the man stared.
“I'
