We walk around the stalls for a while before choosing one filled with locals. Dinner is a fantastic explosion of intense flavors, and entirely satisfying. After the meal, we get cups of mint tea and start to navigate our way through the crowd.

It is Ghufran who first notices the men. She doesn’t speak much, our Ghufran, but you will never find anyone more observant than her. She plucks at Paheli’s sleeve, and when Paheli turns to her, she whispers in her ear. Paheli doesn’t miss a beat. She doesn’t react visibly at all to Ghufran’s words but turns slightly so she can look at the men following us. There is nothing specifically conspicuous about them; they are not giving us any more attention than others are. Still, there is the way they don’t look at us but still manage to be everywhere we go. Though Ghufran remains the most damaged amongst us, we all have sung the song she sings, and in these men, we recognize the notes of that dreaded music.

We move so Taraana is snug in the middle; they will need to get us out of the way to reach him. We are assuming it is him they want and not us. Well, they will have to work harder if they want us. We have more thorns than Taraana does. Paheli and Valentina look at each other for a long, silent moment. Have they prepared for this inevitability? It seems like we are going to find out.

We are in the middle of the Jemaa el-Fna with no walls immediately at hand, so we can’t run into the Between. The nearest uninterrupted wall is about ten minutes way, more if the crowds get thicker. Since magic doesn’t work on us, will Baarish’s men resort to violence? Can they, in the middle of this crowded square? Can we trust them not to?

Well, of course not.

We pass a man with three chained monkeys trained to do tricks. The monkeys are pulling at their chains, and the owner keeps swatting at them. A possibility. Talei, moving so quickly she is but a blur, reaches in and opens their collars, setting them free. Ligaya throws her cup of tea at a passing tourist, while Areum bumps into two women carrying trays of oranges.

The monkeys take a moment to realize their freedom, then flee from their owner and jump onto shoulders. They steal food and throw fruits at people. The tourist with tea dripping down his face looks for someone to yell at. The women with the trays full of oranges wail at the loss of their goods. Someone swears. Someone else bumps into a crowd of people all carrying food and drinks. The moment turns to madness.