Back then, we never really had the opportunity to experience much trust; hell, few of us really knew what it meant. We all just knew it was something we’d likely give our left leg to have. Instead we had fear, fear and a constant glance over the shoulder.
   Decades ago the Tambutana had come to power as the Elder Council, taking over in the vacuum left in the king’s disappearance. With him missing, panic struck and everyone had to turn to someone; the Tamabutana filled that void and gave us order. We realized too late how their structure had wrapped around us and imprisoned us. Made us watch our backs.
   Made us turn on our friends.
   Having been from a merchant family in the mid-ring of the Imperial city, I’d seen both sides, and thought that as bad as mine and the working class were having it, the nobles had it worse. At least if we found someone less likely to stab us in the back, we knew it, and we could drink together with only slightly less worry of it being poisoned or drugged or the entire meeting being a setup. The nobles were screwed every which way; they had the intrigue and politics they had from the beginning, and now the fear of the Tamabutana deposing them or worse.
   Out in the Walls – that’s the outer ring of the city for you, foreigner – we treasured anyone we could count on getting an equivalent exchange from, and believe me there were few honest men left in those days. Few honest, and even fewer brave.
   Ever feel paranoia before? No? Well, paranoia’s pretty bad, but I’d have taken that any day. We knew there were people after us if we deviated at all, we knew there were boogeymen in our closeta, in our homes, in our capitol.
   Now, you ever see those snacks gypsies bring when they pass through? What’s it called, popcorn? We were those bits of corn, and we were close to bursting. A man can take a lot before he truly goes mad, but it doesn’t take much more heat to make him explode in the meantime.
   For us, we got that last bit of heat when a trade mission from Falonia arrived to talk shop….