"Yes. You helped me today, so I am being reasonable. Do not make me regret it."
Lor reached into his pocket and counted out twenty-five silver coins from the pouch she gave him.
The metal felt cool and heavy against his fingers.
He set them on the cart beside her with a soft clink. Ameth looked at the coins for a moment.
Then she picked them up one by one and dropped them into her purse.
"Follow me," she said. "And do not draw attention."
She led him around the back of the stall row into the narrow alley behind.
The passage was barely wide enough for two people.
It smelled of old damp wood, mossy stone, and the faint sour tang of discarded vegetable scraps.
A large refuse bin sat against the wall halfway down.
She stopped behind it.
From this position she had a clear diagonal sightline back to her cart through the gap between stalls.
