Eppie doubted that, but she followed him on anyway, back across the East Canal and up to the fortune-tellers’ hill. The orange moon was rising up over the harbor, shining through the gaps between the buildings. Thorat took a narrow set of stairs up to a landing for a second-story apartment. A sign over the stair showed a steaming cup and a pair of plants, an advertisement for herbs and simples.
Eppie stopped halfway up the stairs. Something about this place felt different, and after a moment’s reflection, she realized what it was. She hadn’t been inside a proper house since she’d left her home village. She’d been into taverns and had made forays into shops, and had sheltered from downpours on temple porches, but this felt different. The sword hall where Throat had taken her didn’t feel li
