“I do,” the boy said, frowning as he swept his gaze over the pair’s torn and dusty cloaks. “You’re . . . not from around here, are you?”
Jonas crossed his arms. “We’ve come to Hawk’s Brow in search of information about how the people of this fine city are dealing with the new king.”
The boy’s gaze darted to others passing them by without second glances, and then to the far right where there were two of the king’s uniformed soldiers patrolling the next crossroads.
“Do you work for King Gaius?” he asked.
“Consider us independent researchers,” Brion replied.
The boy shifted his feet nervously. “I can only speak for myself, but I am
more than happy to welcome a new ruler to Auranos. I have heard of his speech last week and all the wonderful promises he made—about the construction of the
