A tug at her manacles jerked Anji around to face the building ahead—the only one emitting significant light through filthy windows. The Hawk stopped them at a vacant hitching post. The tavern’s veranda harbored a few drunkards pulling on cigars, sparing occasional glances at the masked woman and her chained cargo. A wind-scarred sign hung past the awning above, but whatever it had said was faded beyond relief.

The tavern’s front doors crashed open with a burst of noise and shifting light. A middle-aged man in overalls and a patched straw hat was being forced outside by two constables in gleaming silver armor, yellow cloaks clasped to their shoulders.

“They’ll work you all to death!” the man cried, his voice strangled with grief. “It’s a gods-forsaken cult! The Tide will rise! The Tide will—”

One of the constables snarled and sank a gauntleted fist into the man’s stomach, forcing him to double over with a wheezing gasp. They hauled him back up and handled him down the steps and into the street, sparing barely a glance for Anji and the Hawk as they marched away from the tavern. The man seemed to gain his voice back as they walked, and he started to yell something else before the armored woman at his side kicked at the back of his knee and sent him sprawling to the dirt.

The men and women on the front porch all watched, eyes wide, their mouths shut tight. The man was now pinned down in the middle of the street by one constable while the other clapped him into manacles and gagged his mouth. He was still struggling and crying out, but his words had become an indiscernible garble. The constables yanked the man to his feet once more and shoved him along, his muffled shouts fading to silence as they turned a corner and disappeared. One by one, the bar’s patrons averted their eyes and looked back back into their drinks.

Anji wanted to shout, to tell them all they were drunks and cowards and worse. How could they just stand there and watch a man be corralled like that, with no argument, not a single one of them asking why he was being taken away? She looked around at the Hawk, who was still staring at the empty street.

“Aren’t you going to kill those ones too?” Anji said, jerking her head.

“Murder doesn’t solve every problem, much as it may surprise you.”

“So you agree they shouldn’t be hauling someone off just for—”

“Those are Sun Warden constables,” the Hawk cut in, sliding out of the saddle. “They’ll not stand in my way, unlike Rolandrian’s.” She shook her head and tugged at Anji’s lead. “No more questions. Stand over here.”