“Course we’re not.” Jed wiped the pie crumbs off his face with his sleeve. Grandad Cruise’s watch glinted on his wrist. “Half the town’s tacked up outside – they’re ready to follow Maggie anywhere. Look through the window.”

There they were. A long line of ponies and traps, people from all over town. The whole Merino family. Old Doddy Stanbury. Mr Webster. Mr and Mrs Owens. The Rickard sisters with their violins. Frederick, reading his book in the back of a cart. And Lindi, of course, saving a space right next to her for Jed.

All of them, waiting there in the street.

Waiting for me.

Even Mayor Anderson was there, wedged between Peg Goodman and Mr Temple. She was going to help us track down the eldests, like it or not.

“Wow,” said Trig. “There’re hundreds of them. One, two, three…”

“And,” croaked Mum, “Mr Opal has personally promised me he’ll teach Jed and Maggie everything he knows about keeping safe while you’re wandering.”

“Mr Opal should be staying put.” Doctor Sunita swung her bag off the bed. “That leg of his’ll get better much quicker with rest and recuperation. I’ve told him that, but he doesn’t take the slightest bit of notice.”

“Can’t bear to stay in one place now, that’s what he told me,” said Jed. “Happens to a lot of wanderers, he says.”

“Eighteen!” Trig beamed. “Eighteen ponies and eighteen carts!”

Mum held out a hand to Dad. “Maggie’s going to bring the eldests home. She’s got plenty of help. And someone’s got to stay here and make sure there are still fields and cows and crops for them to come back to.”

Fields and cows and crops.

I was leaving everything. Everything I knew and loved and trusted.

My chest gadumped.

Dad sighed. “Yep. OK. C’mon then. Finish up your goodbyes. I’ll come out and see you off.”

I buried my head into Mum again. Smudged her bedclothes with my tears. She ran her hand through my hair.

Her heart beat under my ear. I breathed in time.

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.

Feel your fear, Maggie. Feel your fear.

In. Out. In. Out.

“Oh, Maggie, get off. You’re messing up the sheets again,” said Trig.

We were using Mayor Anderson’s trap, and Melissa, the piebald pony.

Mr Opal sat on my left. His hair was all washed, his leg was all splinted up and he had a brand-new bottle of trellicillin in his inside pocket.

“We’ll have you digging fire holes before you know it, Maggie,” he said.

Una was on my right, wearing a clean, new, green gingham dress. One of Lindi’s. A bit big maybe, but that was all right. Just meant it’d last her for longer. She tucked her hair behind her ears. It fell straight back out again.