On the furthest edge of the harbour was a stone wall circling a house and garden. An older lady sat on the wall where lavender poked through the cracks. She had a net draped across her knees and her hands were deft as she wove fresh strands back into it. A stack of nets and crates were piled at her side. It was only as they walked by that Zhira realised she was blind, staring straight ahead with milky blue eyes.
Behind the lady was a guard in Spire colours. He leaned against a wall, bored, watching them walk past with less interest than the fishermen had. Rhyode paid him no attention. Beyond the harbour the town rose sharply upwards. Most of the houses were made of dark timber beams and daubing. Snow buried their bases, but had been cleared back from the cobblestones of the main street t
