Arik sat drawing pictures in the dirtwith a stick and finally jumped to his feet. “I’ve got it!” heexclaimed. “Let me sneak back into town and tell everybody thatwe’ve decided to go seek our fortune up north somewhere and lefttown. Whatever she wants, she’ll have to head north to findus.”

“That sounds good,” admittedTedi, “but why north?”

“The bandits you saw in theforest,” beamed Arik. “With any luck at all, they’ll take hercaptive before she gets to the next town.”

“I like it,” Tedi readilyagreed. “I’ll tell everybody down by the quay. You get yourself upto the Fisherman’s Inn and tell Master Tern. He likes you for somereason and the witch has to end up back there sometime.”

Arik dashed up alleys and slid betweenbuildings until he was behind the Fisherman’s Inn. It wasapproaching late afternoon and fairly soon the dinner hour would beupon him, making Master Tern unavailable without entering thecommon room. He still hadn’t figured out a way to get Master Ternto believe his story. Arik quickly slipped in the back door to thekitchen and caught Master Tern entering from the door to the commonroom. The kitchen help didn’t even blink as Master Tern strodeacross the room and swept Arik out the back door.

“What kind of trouble have yougotten yourself into?” demanded the innkeeper. “You should know bynow that the Markel boy is nothing but trouble.”

“I don’t know, Master Tern,”Arik quickly offered. “We didn’t do anything, but that witch meansus harm. I can feel it.”

“This has to do with thismorning and her window, doesn’t it?” Esta scolded.

“I don’t think so, MasterTern,” confided Arik. “Tedi was up on the roof this morning, butshe seems more interested in me and it doesn’t have anything to dowith her window. She’s been stalking us all day and finally trappedus on one of the docks. She threatened us and demanded to knowabout our ages and our families and where we lived.”