I cast my eye over the place. Couple of men up ladders, working on the roof timbers. Two doing the fiddly stuff with the wattles. Bardán out of sight, since I told him to go inside until I called him. Looks like Ripple’s gone too. One man’s inside the heartwood house doing some measurements. ‘Ten days at the most,’ I tell the master. Feeling proud of a job well done and surprised we’ve managed it so quick. ‘I know a lot of folk around the district. Done work for most of the farmers. If you want, I can ride around and find out for you.’ And I could visit Blackthorn. We could have a brew and a catch-up. I could tell her about Bardán and ask what she thinks. Though I don’t need to ask, really. She’d say everyone deserves to be told the truth. Even if it’s painful.

‘You’re needed here,’ Tóla says. Which I thought he would. ‘You know why. But you can give me some names and I’ll send someone out.’

I tell him to start with a sheep farmer named Cliona, and if she can’t help, to ask her for more names, anyone who grows oats or rye. He lifts his brows a bit but doesn’t say A woman? the way some folk might. If he’d heard Cliona stand up for herself at Prince Oran’s council, on the matter of whose dogs were worrying a neighbour’s sheep, he’d know she’s a straight talker with plenty of common sense. I suggest Prince Oran’s home farm, something Cliona might not think of. Talk to Niall, who’s the farmer there. He’ll know who grows what around the district. And talk to Scannal the miller, about who he buys his grain from.

Not going to be quick, even if they do find what’s needed. Takes a fair bit of straw to thatch a roof the size of this one. They’d have to bundle it, load it on a cart and haul it up here. Track through the forest would be pretty well impossible. Means they’d have to bring it the other way, through Longwater. Could take a while. Morrigan’s curse, I can’t wait till this job’s over. Day time’s all right, working with the crew. Nights are wearing me out, messing up my head.