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Tris followed the road that lay straight before her, the direction the

prathmun had indicated with such flattery said Id find some of the customs here barbaric,she informed Little Bear when she was out of earshot of the prathmun l l bet you a chop for supper this is one of the ones hejust because they deal with the dead?

Once she reached Achaya Square, Tris found the Street of Glass easily enough Reading about Tharios on the way here, she had formulated a plan of exploration with her usual care to detail She would start at the foot of the street wherewith the smaller, humbler establishments near the Piraki Gate, and work her way back to Achaya Square until her feet hurt She ht her

interest, but first she wanted an overview Tris was the kind of girl who appreciated a solid plan of action, perhaps because often her life, and her anized

As she walked, she looked on the sights and people of Tharios with interest Buildings here were of two kinds, stucco roofed with tiles like those in her hos built of white raceful colours and flat-roofed, with corners and coluraceful lines The Street of Glass and Achaya Square fountains were ranite Statues carved from marble and painted to lo o k life-like stood on either side of the paved stones of the road It was all very lavish and expensive Tris ht not have approved, but her view of people who spent so much on decoration was leavened when closer inspection showed her soft edges on statu es and public buildings, and fountain carvings worn al years of weather Tharios was an old city, and its treasures were built to last

The Tharians theed in skin colour from pale brown to black, and while their hair was usually black or brown, many women used henna to redden it Men cropped their hair very short or even shaved their heads altogether Ladies bundled their hair into masses of curls that tilted their heads to the ap propriate, sophisticated, Tharian angle The

prathth cut Tris had seen on the girl she spoke to All prathth tunic worn by Tharite th, drape-sleeved version called a kyten In suarments were cotton, linen, or silk, with sashes or ribbon belts twined around waists and hips On top of the tunic or kyten upper-class Tharians also wore stoles of many colour s, each of which indicated the wearer s profession She knew that reen, and priests of the All-Seeing God red Beyond that she was lost No htest cotton, or even silk, money could buy The Tharians looked cool and coirl had called her attention to shoes, Tris noted that better-dressed Tharian enerally wore leather sandals that laced up to the knee Many of the poorer residents went barefoot This wasn t as risky as ittrash and cleaning the street on nearly every block

Though Little Bear was content to stay with his mistress, Triss breezes were not T hey roa at curls, tunics,

kytens and stoles, exploring people s faces, then returning to Tris like excited children gone for a ith a favourite aunt They brought her scraps of conversations about trade rates, fashions, family quarrels and political discussions fro those scraps into her ears She half-listened, always interested inlocal gossip

Some conversations mentioned her A few of the Tharians she passed had discovered her way to stay c ool Perhaps her breezes wouldnt have been noticed if the air were not perfectly still The only winds outside Triss circle of influence were those ht frohed, and drew the breezes closer to her People continued to stare as her dress and petticoats stirred in different directions She ignored theive up her fresh air so a number of stuck-up southerners weren t made nervous If they were as clever as they claimed, theyd find ways to hold breezes of their own, Tris told herself

She had a number of breezes tied up in knots of thread back at the house Perhaps she could peddle some at the market, and make a bit of extra o, and the problem with city walls was that they tended to keep out the wind She ought to be able to sell a knot, or two, or three, for pocket o about it

On she walked, planning and observing She passed b etween shops filled onders: vases, bowls, platters, glass animals in a multitude of colours and sizes In the shops on the Achaya Square end of the Street of Glass, ere lass, treasures in and of the shape to the beautiful objects behind thelass that had been spelled in soical charms and letters in the sides and riicked to catch ic to capture and hold an i her the work of the glass es of Tharios It was for this reason that she chose to start alass and few char the glasshow they practised their craft