But there were reasons why merchants did not go over. The risks were enormous. Using a rope would guarantee you were caught, and not using a rope dramatically increased your chances of falling to your death.
Blake rose and brushed off her skirt before starting the long walk back to the village.
When she arrived, she found people standing in groups in the square, speaking in urgent, angry tones. Others were marching off in the direction of the port.
‘What’s going on?’ she asked a young boy jogging past.
He turned, running backwards for a few paces. ‘They’re closing the wall.’
Blake’s entire body went limp. She stared after the boy for a moment before collecting herself and following him.
It was chaos at the port. Men ran back and forth between stone masons chiselling raw stone into tidy blocks, which were then hoisted into the air to the newly built scaffolding at the end of the wall. Below, men made mortar from lime, soil, and water. She had seen the supplies being delivered the day she was in the port but had naively thought they were for repairs.
A hand on her arm made her jump. It was Eda.
They’re walling us in, her sister signed.
Blake ran a hand over her sister’s hair. ‘It’ll be all right.’ Though her gut told her otherwise.
‘You can’t do this!’ shouted a nearby merchant. He approached one of the defenders, hands curled into fists at his sides. ‘We’ll tear the bloody thing down.’
The defender grabbed hold of his arm, twisted it until there was a loud pop, then released him with a shove. The merchant staggered around in circles for a moment, swearing through gritted teeth. It was supposed to be a warning to others, but it had the opposite effect. Merchants moved in on the defender.
‘You going to break all our arms?’ one woman shouted.
More defenders arrived, backs tall and hands on their weapons. The answer was, of course, yes. They would break every arm there if they needed to.
More merchants arrived, prompting the defenders to draw their swords.
‘Let’s go,’ Blake said, taking her sister by the arm. ‘It’s about to get ugly.’
Eda did not move.
‘Now,’ she ordered.
Every merchant must take a stand, Eda signed.How else will we stop this?
Blake knew there was no stopping the king once he made up his mind about something.
A nearby defender shoved a woman so hard she went hurtling into Eda, knocking her to the ground. Blake pulled her sister to her feet before turning to him. ‘You feel like a big man now?’
His eyes narrowed on her. ‘Go about your business, boor.’
But the anger had taken hold of her. ‘You can’t lock us in here. We’re not prisoners.’
The sound of a horse approaching made them all stop and look. There was Prince Borin on horseback, flanked by Astin and a handful of other guards. Her face fell when she spotted Harlan wearing his serious defender expression.
‘Can we have some calm, please?’ the prince shouted as he moved between the merchants. ‘Let me be very clear. This wall is not to keep you in but to keep intruders out. It is being built at your king’s expense to keep you safe.’
‘So we’re supposed to thank him?’ Blake muttered to her sister.
Harlan’s eyes shot to her. She tried not to wilt beneath the intensity of his stare. Seeing him was like tearing off a scab that had barely had a chance to form.
‘We don’t need your protection,’ someone called out. ‘We need freedom to come and go from the port without being questioned or detained by your men.’
‘You want the sea warriors to enter freely also? Want them to burn down your homes? Slaughter your families? Take your food?’
Blake could not help herself. ‘What food? There’s no food.’
