“One could make that argument, yes, but who do you convict? No one knows who built the tower, and those who climb its steps have done nothing but gotten themselves a bit of exercise and some wind and sun in their hair.”

“The king could have the structure torn down.”

Shim’s smile broadened. “Indeed, and he has. Thrice now. The first time required less than a day and a hundred of his Knightguard. But the tower reappeared less than a day later—the debris removed, the structure pristine. He tried again, this time over several days with fewer men. They kept watch at night as well. Eventually, they stopped. The next day the tower was back.”

“And the third time?” Soraya prodded, intrigued by the improbability of the story.

“Fire,” Shim said. “Turned the whole thing to ash. Carted it all away in wheelbarrows. Kept watch for a year solid. Became part of the Knightguard’s regular duties. Then one night the guardsman had a little too much to drink and dozed off. The next morning: tower.”

“The king gave up after that?”

“Yes. Although I’m certain it pricked at his ego, he must’ve decided it wasn’t worth the resources he was committing to the project. What harm was the tower doing, really? And with no known criminal to convict, it was like fighting a ghost. The tower has stood ever since. Eventually, the crowds died down a bit, but Seer continues to thrive with a steady flow of travelers wishing to know their fate.”

Soraya let her gaze travel along the face of the tower once more, inspecting it in a new light. Then she shrugged. What was a bit of human superstition next to the very real Light Narcissi shone on the Forsworn every day. And though the unusual tower and buildings were as foreign to her virgin eyes as anything she’d ever seen in her life, they barely held her attention compared to the other aspect of Seer she’d been woefully unprepared for:

The people.

They were everywhere, bustling about like ants on an anthill, scurrying hither and thither, some riding horses, some walking, children in mud-splattered trousers and dresses running and squealing as they played while their parents scolded them. All around the perimeter of the tower, vendors hawked their wares, while potential buyers negotiated and asked questions. Compared to the calm serenity Soraya had enjoyed her entire life within the Rocklands under the shadows cast by Narcissi’s branches, Seer was like a tornado given arms and legs and hundreds of competing personalities. The only folks in the square who didn’t seem to be in constant motion was a group of three men lounging in the back of an empty wagon, chewing on long stalks of grass. She wondered what they were waiting for but didn’t ask as there were so many other things clamoring for her attention.