Irillo was invited to break bread and especially salt by a Merchant Prince called Targil Silvertongue, who was looking to get into larger bulk movements as he was aging, and wanted a letter of introduction from Irillo, as well as to offload some of his smaller, higher-worth items. After casting around to find out his reputation - strange, as he seemed to care more about networking than about the money itself - Irillo agreed to write the letter, and also bought dyes and gold leaf.
With some difficulty, and eventually with Mellia casting sleep on her and Venlar carrying her, Yamia was moved into a palanquin to be transported through the city. Irillo persuaded Berra to ride alongside, so as to be less visible, which required putting someone else in charge of the troops. She agreed to this as long as no Humakti in the group was geased against fighting from ambush, and she also checked she would not be commanded by Dormal. Jengharl left early for the Cinder Fox Tula, and they could not spot anyone following who might have wished to cause trouble.
On getting out of the city, they came across an argument, as Salid and the Enlo were defending Irillo's goods against a group who thought the trollkin were thieves. Irillo managed to convince them otherwise, but the argument made Yamia panic, and despite (or because of) Mellia's attempts to calm her, she bolted. Berra was faster than her and tackled her to the ground, and Mellia cast Sleep again.
This resulted in the group Irillo had just talked down asking what in hell was going on, and Dormal had to step in, as Irillo was more the charming sort, and Dormal could talk well in just such a crisis. Finally, with Yamia safely on a covered wagon, and Mellia alongside her, they were able to move on. They stayed that night on the side of the road, with a much thinned out crowd, as they were reaching the edge of Sartar.
Salid made up a watch roster, which Berra amended so that no Enlo would be alone overnight where people could misconstrue what they were doing. Venlar's thralls made up a small private area with sticks and cloaks and blankets, for Venlar and Mellia. This meant that during the night Uzdok, one of the Enlo, woke Mellia; he wanted to check if he was allowed to eat a person he had found. The answer was no, even if he let them die first. Mellia went with him and found a badly wounded man hiding in a thorn bush, slowly dying. She worked out from how he was swearing in pain as she treated him that this was a Lunar, and sent Uzdok to get Irillo.
Irillo arrived and asked the Lunar about a ransom, but the man refused to become a prisoner, preferring to be protected by Mellia. Dormal arrived, as he had already been awake for his watch, and helped to move the man, Avlost. They brought him to a fire, and asked him about who he was and where he was from. He was, or claimed to be, a merchant from Alda Chur, an Initiate of Etyries. He had been jumped and his wares and mules stolen, just South of Whitewall. They could find no holes in that story, so as dawn arrived they put him into a white tunic to declare he was a patient, and gave him a veil to wrap around his face. Irillo casually checked his new mules for the man's brand, but did not find they were stolen goods. Mellia managed to examine the arrow wound in his hip and deal with the infection building there, and then the group went on to Whitewall.
On arrival, Irillo went to where the Market was, and set up the spells to make it a real market again, as Alred the Honest Horse Dealer was the only merchant present, and was not able to perform that magic. Dormal and Berra hung around the caravan, and both spotted people checking it out. Berra gave hers the death-stare and he vanished. Dormal wandered over to his and warned him away on the ground there were two utterly psycho Humakti guarding it. Later the same man came back to Dormal and asked him to be sure Berra was out of town within two days. Dormal went to Irillo to warn him, noting that he had managed to talk down a nasty situation and Berra had offended people here enough that the guards and even the market might mean nothing to them.
Meanwhile, Mellia had taken Yamia and Avlost to the Temple of Chalana Arroy, where she had given Jaldis her answer to the question she had been posed about roads - which layout would be best for the city? Jaldis did not agree, but did seem to respect the answer, and to be enjoying the conversation. In answer to Mellia lamenting about the Blue Tree Clan she offered to send one of her own initiates as long as Mellia's young but talented protogée Jenn could be sent up to Whitewall as a replacement. She then took in Avlost and examined Yamia, pronouncing herself interested. Later she sent for Berra to ask about killing the demon, and talked to Venlar about his own problems.
Dormal went to see Avlost with Irillo as a translator, to offer to pay his ransom and get him safely home. Avlost turned him down, not wishing to owe such a life debt.
