“Maybe shout about that a little louder,” Maya said. “I’m not sure every Auxiliary in the city heard you.”

Marn rolled his eyes. In fairness, Maya had to admit that the sound from the various impatient animals did a good job of drowning out casual conversation. But there were Auxiliaries everywhere, distinctive in their round metal caps, carrying spears and shouting at carters who got out of line, and the three of them were trying to remain inconspicuous. Up ahead, at the gate itself—thankfully not far now—a half dozen of the soldiers were stamping papers and asking questions.

The truth was, Jaedia’s sudden decision to return to the Forge bothered Maya, too, though for different reasons. Her mentor spent as little time in the Order’s great mountain fortress as she could manage, and they’d made only a half dozen visits in the last five years. For her to drop everything and go to consult with Baselanthus indicated that their encounter with Hollis had shaken Jaedia more than she let on.

A lumber wagon pulled by a pair of unruly thickheads finally rumbled away, and they were at the front of the queue. Jaedia clicked her tongue, and the loadbirds stepped forward a few paces. Four Auxies started poking around the back of the wagon, while another pair came up to speak to Maya and Jaedia on the bench. The one on Jaedia’s side, looking bored, scanned the papers she offered him. The other, a youth about Maya’s age with a face badly savaged by acne, gave her a frankly appraising look and a leering grin.

Maya gritted her teeth and, with an effort, kept her hand from going to her haken. It would be nice to teach this lecher-in-training a sharp lesson—by heating his codpiece until it burned, say—but while Jaedia might have managed such a focused application of deiat, Maya was still just as likely to incinerate the boy by accident. That would not help them remain inconspicuous.

“You’re missing a stamp,” the older soldier said, waving the paper. “Ministry of Trade.”

“I believe I have that one,” Jaedia said.

“It’s out of date.” He showed her the paper. “Got to get the Trade stamp after the Road and Commerce stamp, see? Otherwise you could change what you were carrying and Trade wouldn’t know any better. Very important. You’ll have to go and get it, then come back.”

The thought of waiting through the line again put Maya on the brink of deciding to set the soldiers on fire after all, but Jaedia only took the papers back from the man, frowned at them, and reached into her belt pouch. She handed them back, and Maya saw the green and blue of a wad of Republic thalers go along with them.

“I think you’ll find,” Jaedia said, “that everything’s in order.”