“About two days, and a village a lot smaller than Ellistown and a bit harder to get to,” Jicks replied. “That’s all the information I have.” She paused, then gave Abi a sidelong glance. “Now . . . I’m curious, and given your connections, I suspect you might have an answer for me. Just why is Valdemar going to all this trouble for a lot of villages that are barely self-supporting? Why do you even want them?”

Beyrn looked indignant, and as if he was about to burst out with something confrontational, but Abi caught his eye and shook her head. “It’s . . . complicated,” she said. “The most obvious thing, and the thing anyone on the King’s Council will tell you, is that by expanding our borders, we prevent someone else, some unfriendly power, from moving in. So it doesn’t actually matter that these little towns and villages have nothing to give the kingdom. What matters is that we prevent someone hostile from taking over here—or prevent this area from turning against Valdemar by itself.”

Jicks nodded. “All right. I can see that. But you said it’s complicated.”

“There are reasons someone not from Valdemar probably wouldn’t understand.” She shrugged. “Let’s just say that Valdemarans don’t like to see people who need help and protection not getting any. But we can’t just ride in and force people to accept that help.”

Jicks barked a laugh. “So you want me to believe you’re all doing this out of the kindness of your collective hearts, and you’re so sensitive you won’t come knocking on peoples’ doors until they invite you to? Pull the other one.”

Beyrn got red in the face, but one look at Abi and he bit down whatever he was about to say.

Abi just shrugged. “I told you that you’d have to be one of us to understand it.”

Jicks chuckled and sent her hinny up to the front of the line to lead the way. Beyrn shook his head angrily. “That . . . rude . . . cow!” he spluttered. “Ignorant, pig-headed, blind . . .” he went on in the same vein for quite some time before he ran out of words. Interestingly, none of them were obscene. Wherever he’s from, he’s had a very gentle upbringing.

“No one true way, Beyrn,” she reminded him. “If that’s what her experience has left her with, well, that’s sad. But don’t let her make you lose your temper over it.”

He huffed a little, but gradually his anger ebbed. “Here I was thinking she was so well-traveled and had seen so much of the world, and I admired her for it! She’s nothing but an insular sell-sword!”