Abi was used to having a lot of people around her, used to Haven, and all that empty land and silence broken only by the sounds of far-off sheep, birds, and wild animals was . . . unnerving.

As the days grew longer and longer, they stopped later and later and covered more ground. By now, though, their camps were models of efficiency, and the hinnies practically put themselves and the wagons in place without needing to be guided, so they spent a lot less time getting set up. Which was a good thing, as in these hills, once the sun set it got dark very quickly.

“Where are all the people?” she asked Jicks, finally, after a full day of seeing nothing and nobody. They were all sitting around the fire, wearily waiting for the stew to finally finish cooking. Stev had taken Abi out to forage to add to their plain meal; the peppery, fresh taste of watercress added a much needed touch of flavor, and Stev seemed to know exactly what mushrooms were safe to eat and which weren’t. He’d taken his bow with him as he always did, but luck hadn’t been with them that night. No hares had been startled up out of the bracken to add to the pot.

Jicks chuckled. “Where you can’t see them,” she said. “Those cattle, sheep, and goats you’ve been seeing all need watching. The cattle are pastured in the valleys but away from the road. Each herd has a woman watching; they live in summer huts and guard and milk the cattle and make cheese all summer long. Then they are joined by some of their family to drive the cattle back to the family farm for the winter. The sheep and goats are in their summer pastures too, and every flock and herd in the hills has a shepherd or two that stays with them all spring and summer and into fall, when they’re brought back down to the homestead to be cared for over winter. And the homesteads are hidden in the valleys away from the road to prevent casual thieves from spotting them.”

Bret got up, peered in the pot, gave it a stir, and sat back down again. “Lots of cattle thieves in the hills,” he said laconically.

“But Valdemar doesn’t have casual looters,” Abi protested. “We have the Guard to keep people safe.”