Mave caught Ali’s arm as he turned to go her eyes on the darkening sky. Beltane was the new moon and so the thin sliver of silver of the previous night would be entirely absent. Ali tensed uncertainty under his grip and gave her a questioning look, obviously a little relieved to have an excuse to hesitate.

“If we are going to go back to the farmstead tonight, we should get going,” she said quietly her voice strangely intent.

“It isn’t a night we want to be on the road after dark,” she said, her voice quiet and intense. Ali stared at her in perplexity. 

“Why not,” he asked glancing about. All around them the villagers continued their happy celebration, making her obvious concern seem all the more out of place.

“I’m not sure,” she replied with her usual infuriating lack of information, “But if we aren’t going to leave soon we should stay at the inn.” Ali threw up his hands.

“We can't stay at the inn tonight Mave, all the rooms have gone to the peddlers and the gleeman,” Ali pointed out. Mave, unfamiliar with the village, hadn’t considered that. Families from farms that were too far to make the trek were also in town overnight, meaning that their wouldn’t be any spare beds.

“Then we should leave quickly,” she repeated, hefting the leather pack she had bought. She had an uneasy feeling that she had tarried too long here, the peddlers hadn’t had half of what she had wanted but it was too late to worry about it. Ali glanced back at the inn obviously torn between whatever it was he needed to do and her urgings. At last he took her arm in his and they headed out of the village. 

They didn’t speak much as they made the now familiar trek down the forest trail. Darkness was already beginning to close around them and wisps of cloud veiled the stars save where odd breaks permitted an occasional glimpse.  Despite Mave’s fears they reached the house without incident, though she thought even Ali was glad to bolt the door behind him.

“So you are going to leave tomorrow, he asked as she set her pack down and he piled some kindling in the fireplace and struck it to flame with a flint, blowing gently until the fire caught and began to spread over the twigs and branches.

“I think I had better,” she said with a ghost of a smile.

“The Wisdom and your Evelyn will probably be here with torches and pitchforks if I don't, plus your family will be coming back and you won't have space for me.” The words were a little sad, she had enjoyed her time with Ali. He was handsome and brave and dependable in a way that no one had been since she had signed her name into the Novice Book years ago. She was going to miss him.