The crowds dispersed, the rogues were released, and Aster hung back to speak to them in plain view of the people that were still milling about. The three men thanked him heavily, and he told them to think nothing of it, with a cautious look in his eye that begged them not to speak of the truth of what happened here. The understanding passed between them, and Aster allowed the last of the King’s guards to escort him back into the palace. He dismissed them when they reached the main hall, ...