Tanya stopped brushing and gazed at thevillage boy. “It would appear that I also owe you an apology, ArikClava,” the merchant’s niece responded. “It was meant as aderogatory term and I apologize for it. Why are you so interestedin the old times? I thought all of you Sordoans feared the Dark Onecoming in the night if you spoke of them.”

Arik dropped his brush and started.“You know about Sordoa?” he exclaimed. “I never heard it mentioneduntil earlier today. I’ve read a little about it, but only of timeslong gone. Do you know about the Collapse and whathappened?”

“Did this Master Tern teachyou how to do that with the brush?” Tanya smirked.

Arik apologized profusely and retrievedthe brush, once again applying long strokes to the horse. “What canyou tell me of the Collapse?” he questioned.

Tanya stopped brushing the horse andstuck out her hand for Arik’s brush. “You did good enough for a f .. . boy who is not used to taking care of horses,” she quipped. “Iwill tell you nothing of the Collapse or the old times. If yourtownspeople found out, my uncle would be driven out of town andtimes are poor enough as it is without losing some tradehere.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Arikpromised. “I won’t tell a soul. We could just be friends talking.No one will suspect what we are talking about.”

“You won’t tell a soul becauseyou will have nothing to tell,” she stated. “And I don’t havefriends. Friends cause you pain and grief and I don’t need anymoreof either, thank you very much.”

Tanya disappeared around the side ofthe wagon and a befuddled Arik headed towards Tedi, who was nowstanding with the crowd of townspeople that had gathered to hearthe latest news. Tedi noticed the woman in the green dress on theother side of the crowd and she seemed to be trying to slidethrough the group nonchalantly. After fifteen minutes of tales ofbleakness and starvation, bandits and rogue armies, the two boysleft the gathering with the mysterious woman only several feetaway. People started crowding around the merchant and picking outsmall items from a rather poor selection of goods. Tedi pulledanxiously at Arik’s sleeve and started to run towards theharbor.