Mave dipped her spoon into the broth and tasted it carefully. It was gamey but surpsingly spicy, not at all unpleasant. During her childhood she had eaten very well and the bland diet afforded by the life of a Novice had been a trial. Having grown used to the simple fare of the Tower, and having gone hungry as often as not since fleeing she found this oddly pleasing. Perhaps it was that Ari had cooked it specifically for her.

"Well...," she hedged, reluctant to scare Ari but conscious that he had a right to know. She took another spoon of stew and chewed for a moment. What was chasing Ari was a good question, but one that was difficult to answer given the information she had.

"Fades and Trollocs are bad enough, but they cant move openly through the country side except in wild places," she made a broad gesture to encompass the forest that surrounded them on all sides.

"In villages and towns there are darkfriends," she said, a trace of bitterness in her voice. In the Tower as well there were darkfriends, though it curdled her soul to think on it. 

"The Dark one has other servants I have read about, darkhounds which hunt in the night and grey men who your eyes slide off. I think I would sense their presence but if you find yourself ignoring someone despite how much you think you shouldn't ..." She trailed off and cleared her throat.

"While we are within my wards we are safe," she explained, "and once we get moving again, well, even a fade cannot fly."