Chapter 10, Jo Villa:
The endless shiploads of people flooding into Zar’s harbor were quickly becoming unmanageable. Being the largest free city, which had just fought Perdition into a stalemate, gave Jo’s city a reputation as a place of safety. The walls covered with weapons projecting toward the water did a great deal to project that image of power and safety.
There were too many things to contend with at once. Jo had limited the contact with the ordinary petitioners. How his mother contended with all the chaos and got any work done proved beyond him.
The noise outside the room grew with each passing moment. His mother’s desk was still covered with plans and reports for the new market project. The idea had consumed him for years before the attack, a design of his own creation, and he
