Though Mave was pleased to be away from Evelyn and her theatrics, she was less than pleased to be made the center of attention. The last thing she wanted was word of her location to filter back to those who were hunting her. Still there was no practical way to refuse without causing more of a scene. The gleeman nodded happily and moved off to begin starting his performance. Mave glanced down to the sword at her hip. It was a simple thing, a short steel blade with a leather wrapped hilt. Negotiating with the peddlers hadn’t gone well. The villagers had their own craftsmen who did most of the work, peddlers primarily bought in exotic luxuries like  silk thread and copper sheeting, which the locals used in their own crafts. Books and parchment and other such things made up the bulk of the trade.

“I learned to use a knife as a girl,” she explained. Domani marriage and courtship rituals involved the use of special marriage knives and most people learned the basics of using one, at least as a game. Mave didn’t truly need a weapon, she had the One Power, but something that caused an opponent to hesitate could be very useful. The sword wasn’t much longer than a marriage knife, but she didn’t intend to try to use it for anything like fencing.

“Your.. umm.. Bethrothed is very forceful,” she said after a moment, giving Ali a teasing look. Her eyes tracked the Wisdom as she strode across the green to acost two young boys who were up to some mischief.

“THere seems to be a lot of that going around in Tarren’s Ferry.”