11
THE STEADY STREAM of people coming in and out of the Trader Guild building consisted mostly of Nikala merchant men from well-off families or their employees in uniforms that identified the family they worked for. The ground floor hall was full of talking and yelling merchants, and the poor Guild employees behind the counter were feverishly entering bids into the system, which then made it onto the large screen at the back of the room.
Mikandra went up the stairs to the Guild foyer. This time there was a queue of couriers and other people. Some of them were young men from Trading families, who were probably here to accept their offers. They were chatting and laughing, in that loud and entitled air that Trader’s sons did so well. One or two cast strange looks at her. She was the only wo
