This chapter, like the last one, was written by guest
writer vyeh, with collaborative contributions by Arizona Wanderer. Comments
encouraged.
30. Encore
The Paga Diaries
30. Encore
Once inside the safety of the walls of the House of Cornelius Desneti, I began to relax. I put away my sword, sliding it into the sheath that I had learned to carry on the back of my left shoulder blade. The trip from the public square to this House had been harrowing, unreal, something I would never forget. A gauntlet. I was not the focus of the gauntlet but I had walked through it. The genuine hatred on the faces of the citizens crowding our passage was terrifying. It was a mob, but the most curious of mobs. The vast majority of the men in the crowd were smiling, excited, eager, aroused, giddy even, jockeying for position to get a better view of the Dira show. This mix of hatred and joyful celebration was unsettling, making it impossible to identify threats.
