Tedi’swhole life had fallen apart the day their mothers were taken fromthem by bandits. He wondered how long Tedi had been sneaking intothe forest at night in an attempt to find his mother again. Ariktalked admiringly as he gave the small weapon back to Tedi. “Youhave more courage than any ten men in this town, Tedi. Only a foolwould have attempted that camp twice. You’re pretty quiet when youwant to be, but that bandit must have pretty good hearing. You’reused to sneaking around people, not animals. I’ve learned a fewtricks about being quiet in the woods from old man Grein, thetrapper. I could show them to you if you want.”

“I would like that,” beamedTedi. “And I’ll let you practice throwing this nasty little thingat trees. I don’t know how we are going to alert the townspeople,though. My father has warned me to stay out of the woods at nightand you know what he’ll do if he finds out.”

“Esta knows that I hunt in thewoods,” offered Arik. “I can tell him that I saw the bandits andyou won’t get in trouble. Tell me exactly where you saw them on theway back to the inn.”

Arik went back to the front stoop toretrieve his bow and quiver while Tedi ran next door to get hisown. The boys walked along the shore to the quay, lost inconversation of bandits and battle and the town finally standing upto the thieves. The problem, of course, was that most of theable-bodied men were out to sea trying to haul in meager catches offish. At the quay, the boys turned up the broad street heading forthe coastal highway that ran through the town of Lorgo. Many of theshops were abandoned and boarded up. Arik, once again, began tothink of what the town must have been like before the Collapse. Hepictured all of the businesses open and people bustling about withgaily wrapped packages under their arms. He imagined grandcarriages bearing nobility up and down the street with theirfootmen keeping pace and their mounted guards fore and aft.