Bram struck the attacker hard enough to send them both against the service wall.
The masked man lost his knife, caught Bram’s collar, and recognized him at arm’s length.
“You carried them,” he said.
Bram drove his forearm between them.
The man raised his voice. “He delivered prisoners to Rook! Look at him!”
People nearest the service door turned. For a moment the accusation did what the knife had failed to do: it left Bram exposed, every face waiting for an answer while the witness and wounded escort staggered behind him.
He did not answer.
He pulled the attacker’s hand off his collar, shoved him clear of the doorway, and put his own body between the man and the envoy.
