Yenna crossed the guildhall threshold and nearly walked into a cart whose driver noticed her far too late to bow. She sidestepped before the man could turn his panic into a spectacle, and the wheels rattled harmlessly past her elbow.
"No talisman, no declared discipline," she muttered at the departing wheels, "and his presence still met mine without folding."
The driver stared straight ahead and slapped the reins, offering her no useful answer whatsoever.
Her fingers still rested near the rapier she never drew, and replaying that half motion explained nothing about her doubt. His strength, his companion's contribution, and whatever sustained either stayed unnamed, which annoyed her more than the royal seal did.
'I wanted his badge to settle this before my blade moved, and now the trial has to answer instead.'
