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hair, too. Brown and black as well. They are beautiful beyond compare, and I can see that many of the women here must have Highland blood coursing through their veins.”
    A middle-aged woman standing by her husband blushed.
    “If they’re so beautiful and the land is so good,” a tall man called out, “why aren’t you going there?”
    “I am!” Edmund shouted back. “And I’m going to beat you all there so I can have my pick of the wealthiest women of the lot!”
    More laughter erupted.
    “But how do you get there?” somebody yelled. “Where is this Rood?”
    “I’m going to follow the River Bygwen north. That’s the route I’m taking.” Edmund stepped off the box. “It’ll take me about two months or so, but the journey is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, as they say. Plus, I want to become rich!”
    “So you’re really going?” two men said in unison.
    “Can I join your group?” a third asked.
    Edmund hooted.
    “Look at me,” he said, gesturing to his gaunt face and missing eye. Even with new clothing, he still looked haggard. “The last thing I want is other men going with me. Why, you younger lads will win the hearts of the northern women before they even look at me! No, sir. I’m going now, and I’m going alone so I can b-beat you all to the punch!”
    Tucking the announcement into his pocket, Edmund strode away quickly. With a subtle glance at Pond, he inclined his head up the street.
    Pond winked.
    Some of the men called for him to wait, but Edmund kept walking, leaving the crowd to boil in its anticipation and excitement.
    “They have really big bosoms?” Edmund said doubtfully after he met up with Pond. Even a block away from the notice boards, they could still hear the buzz of the crowd.
    “Arable lands?” Pond chuckled. “You may know books, but I know sales. You can’t use all those big words of yours; it scares them. None of those people knew what ‘arable’ meant. Trust me.”
    “True.”
    “Plus, men like that only want two things: an easy way to make a good living and a beautiful woman in their beds.”
    Edmund thought about what he wanted out of life.
    “Anyhow,” Pond went on. “What you did back there was very kind. You surprised even me.”
    “Maybe. Those men will probably go all the way up to Rood and then come back to kill me when they don’t get their free land.”
    Pretty soon everybody will be wanting to kill you. You should’ve just kept to yourself.
    Pond smiled at him.
    “What?” Edmund asked, annoyed.
    “You’re beginning to heal. It’ll take time, but eventually you’ll be okay and you’ll finally be able to move on from Molly.”
    “Nonsense. I … I just want Rood to be rebuilt, that’s all. But they’ll need food first. Hopefully a few of those men will go up north and begin farming.”
    Pond’s grin didn’t go away.
    Ignoring him, Edmund examined the storefronts, peering into their windows as they walked past.
    “Do I really have to go to this get-together?” he asked. “I mean, what’s the point? I’m not interested in meeting a bunch of old spinsters whose sole purpose in life is to marry a wealthy man.”
    “We’re doing this,” Pond replied, “because you were asked by a very influential person in this region, and going will help us blend in. Besides, I like it here. It reminds me of home. Maybe we can settle down and buy a business. I walked around this morning while you were fastened to your bedroom floor. There are several suitable building sites available, and nobody in town sells books, so we could have the market to ourselves.”
    Edmund began to protest, but Pond cut him off.
    “You’re going,” he said. “And that’s that!”
    Going to this get-together or being stuck in the goblin pits …
    I don’t know which is worse!

Chapter Eight
    Bathed in soft blue starlight and the red glow of sputtering lanterns hung overhead from posts, Pond examined the early evening sky with satisfaction as he