*Katerina's POV*

As we left the baker's building, I realized we hadn't even tried asking the man for any information. It was a bit of a wasted opportunity, but at least we had flour. I suspected that neither Brandon nor I wanted to go back inside.

"Shall we try talking to more sellers or see if someone needs a letter written for whenever the mail rider comes through?" I asked him, trying to break the silence.

"We can try."

"While you do that, I'll see if that woman sweeping off her porch is open for a bit of gossip."

He nodded, and I idly wandered down the street as if bored and waiting for him.

A woman with bolts of cloth arranged on a table commented, "How was the road so far?"

"Not bad. Haven't encountered any bandits so far. I believe we're less than a day's travel from the city now?"

"It's a bit of a walk. If you leave soon, you'll get there just before sunset."

I nodded absently and glanced at Brandon as if checking where he was, then said, "We saw a bunch of mages ride past us a few days ago. Did they pass through here too?"

"You came from the south? Oh! Someone said a dragon attacked some mages in a mine and left a huge hole in the ground. Did you see the dragons?"

Just like every other conversation attempt, people immediately changed the topic to the dragons and what happened at the mine. I was becoming quite certain the mages weren't present, but they might have bribed the villages into silence, or if they were here, they might be paying them for any gossip or information.

"I saw a few dragons flying overhead," I dutifully replied, "and there was a big hole near one of the mine entrances when we passed through."

She nodded as if I confirmed what she had heard. "I'm glad none of them got hurt. Well, the mages didn't survive, but that's what happens when you anger dragons. It's a miracle they didn't burn the entire village down."

"That would have been bad," I agreed. "That might be why the other mages were fleeing."

"Could be."

I frowned, as if concerned, "I wonder where the mages stopped. I wouldn't want to be in the same place in case those dragons return."

"I wouldn't either. Did you see how big those dragons were? They were huge!"

No one else was nearby, so I tried to subtly bring back the mage topic. "No kidding. They could have swallowed someone whole. If they're after the mages, it makes me worry that they'll check the city next. Did the mages keep going north?"

"They did... I hope the dragons don't attack the city. I have an aunt and some cousins there."

"I really hope they aren't in the city," I murmured, rubbing goosebumps that had appeared along my arms. There was no way I could search through an entire city without someone noticing my magic.

It was why I barely set foot in cities or villages large enough to support a healer. A healer's power often monitored those around them; most genuinely wanted to help people and were just trying to catch serious underlying health problems, but they'd be able to sense my magic if they got too close.

"Dragons don't usually attack an entire city," the woman tried to reassure me. "And the king here often entertains riders in his castle, so he's on good terms with them."

"Thanks." In an attempt to wrap the conversation up now that I knew the mages weren't around, I said, "This fabric is very nicely woven. I don't have any coins on me now, but do you go to the city occasionally?"

She happily began discussing her loomwork, how she sent extra cloth to her cousin in the city, and exactly where the market stall was. After asking several questions to pretend I had details memorized, I thanked her and began wandering toward Brandon.

He was writing something for another seller who must not have been literate enough for actual letters, so I waited at a polite distance as if I was used to this. With a yawn, I visited a few other people selling things, although they knew I was waiting for him and weren't particularly talkative.

Still, I made good use of the time and asked about any rest stops up the road, including the best ones to stop at and which ones would have open rooms if a number of travelers were staying there.

Once Brandon finished, he came over, and I said, "We should continue north. This was a nice rest stop, but we should keep going."

He tilted his head slightly, and I nodded toward the road leading north.

He took the hint. "Let's keep going then."

As we headed back toward the road, I spotted Randel heading the same direction with a large coil of rope looped over his shoulder. He paused and stared at a large turkey as it ambled past him, then he followed it behind a large building

"What is he doing?" I murmured.

"I don't know, but we probably have to intervene."

We sped up our steps without being overly obvious and rounded the corner of the building just as Randel managed to grab the huge bird.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one could see us.

"Look at this funky rooster! What's wrong with its head?"

"It's a turkey," I informed him tartly. "Put that thing down before someone catches you."

"That's what a turkey looks like?" he asked as he set it back on the ground.

The bird ran away, then stopped and flared out its tail and wings as it gobbled at him. After shaking out its plumage in an attempt to recover its lost dignity, it strutted away.

"That is so weird," Randel said, shaking his head.

Brandon also shook his head, but at Randel instead of at the turkey, then asked me, "So the mages aren't here?"

"No, they kept going north."

"Then we'll go north while Randel goes south."

Randel shifted the coil of rope over his shoulder. "Let's get some food before we leave."

"Good idea," Brandon said. "I saw a couple of food stalls down that way. If you can convincingly meet us there, I'll even buy you some."

"That works for me." Randel promptly continued walking.

After waiting a few seconds, we returned to the road and hoped no one noticed our side trip. When we got closer to the food stalls, we saw Randel looking at the various options.

He looked up. "Oh, hey. I'm surprised to see you two are still here. Grabbing some food before heading to the city?"

If I hadn't known this was Randel, I would have wondered if he had an identical twin.

Even Brandon blinked before saying, "Yes, it's a couple of hours until the next village so we figured we'd get food. Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"Yeah. Wasn't easy."

Brandon grinned as a twinkle entered his eyes. "Well, I got a quarter copper for writing letters, so let me treat you to one of those meat kabobs before you have to go back to your delightful mother-in-law."

Randel winced. "After that reminder, you owe me some food."

Brandon laughed and bought three kabobs from a vendor, passing one to each of us.

"This is great!" Randel exclaimed as he chewed on what looked like overdone pork.

"It is pretty good. Thank you, Brandon," I said as I nibbled on the strips of chicken and vegetables.

"You're welcome."

"This is really good! And no burnt pieces!" Randel said as if amazed by that detail.

"Is your mother-in-law's cooking that bad?" Brandon asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Nah. That'd be my cooking."

"How did your trades go?" I asked him.

"It took forever to find someone who would trade a spool of thread for the shells and feathers. I had to give her a quarter copper too. And I got ten arm-lengths of thin cord for the two rabbit hides, like I was asked."

"That looks like way more than ten arm-lengths," Brandon commented, tilting his head as he examined the rope looped over Randel's shoulder.

"I measured." He stretched out both arms as far as they would go. "The seller complained I had long arms, but I told him the hides were from big rabbits, so it was only fair."

I blinked slowly. "You got ten lengths from fingertip to fingertip?"

"Yeah. Why?" Randel asked, looking at me in confusion as he took another big bite of meat.

"An arm-length is usually from the fingers to the shoulder," I murmured. "I'm amazed you managed that trade. How much thread did you get? A spool, you said?"

"Yep." He pulled a small spool out of his belt pouch and held it up proudly.

"I am impressed," I said. "Most people wouldn't have gotten half that much."

He tucked it back into his belt pouch with a big grin and took another bite of the kabob.

"Well, we're going to continue on our way," I told him. "Best of luck in your journey."

With a half wave, he wandered the other way, still delighted with the snack.

"He's a surprisingly good trader," I murmured.

Brandon looked thoughtful. "Most of his relatives were merchants, traders, or worked in auction houses of some sort. He could have picked up a lot as a child without realizing it."

"I think he was wasted as a squire. If what he just did is any indication, he would have been a very good merchant."

"Assuming he didn't mistake a full-grown turkey for a chicken."

I chuckled. "I don't think he'll make that mistake again. And I really hope he doesn't try tipping cows over at night, or at least not until I'm far away."

Brandon grinned in reply.