Tedi stared down the alley and tuggedat his woolen breeches. “You know,” he began, “in all the time I’vebeen checking out the Fisherman’s Inn, there has never been a lonewoman staying there. In fact, I don’t remember any woman everstaying there. Most of the women who come through town stay at oneof the inns along the highway. That’s a pretty fine dress to beheading for the quay. Well, at least we know she won’t see us whenwe talk to Esta. Come on, we’ll go up the alley to theinn.”

The boys were laughing at being soskittish as they proceeded up the alley, but, still, they eachturned and looked towards the street as they passed any openingthat afforded a view. As the boys neared the Fisherman’s Inn, thedistinctive sound of a traveling merchant trilled the air. The twoboys looked at each other with their mouths hanging open and racedbetween two buildings to the street. Where the street met thecoastal highway, a lone merchant's wagon was just pulling into asmall courtyard. The boys forgot all of their thoughts regardingbandits and finely dressed women and raced towards thecourtyard.

Chapter 2

Witch

Arik and Tedi screeched to a halt justas the old merchant was climbing down from the driver’s seat of thewagon. The old man was dressed in drab gray woolen breeches andmatching tunic. His garments were clean, but had obviously beenmended many times over the years. A gray woolen cap was stretchedover his head and he moved as if he had been sitting too long onthe wagon. A young boy, similarly attired but in brown, was alreadybringing oat buckets from the rear of the wagon for the two oldhorses that stood quietly at the front of the wagon. The oldmerchant moved to the rear of the wagon and lowered a small gatethat kept parcels from falling off.

“Say, old timer,” hailed Tedi,“what news do you bring from the North?”