Jak had promised that he and Seely would visit Obernewtyn on their way back to the west coast complex, which they now called Oldhaven, after they had finished establishing a colony of taint-devouring insects in the Sadorian desert. Their most recent missive had bidden us expect them for the next moon fair, which was to commence on darkmoon. It would be a somewhat larger occasion than usual because Dardelan planned to attend in his capacity as high chieftain to perform the offices that would confirm Obernewtyn as a settlement and Rushton as its chieftain. In a brief missive to me, Rushton had explained that, given Dardelan’s intentions, he had issued an open invitation to the moon fair to all Landfolk.

He had asked that I announce the news at guildmerge, since we would need to prepare for the visitors. He also asked me to explain that the moon fair would be run over three days, as on the west coast, rather than lasting a single day.

Most of the others had been excited by the idea of having a three-day moon fair, and moreover one that would be attended by strangers instead of only our own people. Secretly I hoped most Landfolk would decide against accepting Rushton’s invitation for fear of being attacked by the bands of robbers and ruffians rumoured to be active on the main roads of late, or out of reluctance to travel in the notoriously uncertain weather. I did not like the thought of so many strangers roaming about, besides which it seemed likely to me that anyone who came up to Obernewtyn would be unable to resist returning to make a home here. Unfortunately, we had received numerous missives from traders and jacks wanting to apply for space to set up stalls, which, as Ceirwan had observed with irritatingly good humour, indicated that many would make the long journey to the mountain valley for the moon fair.

I had promptly delegated all preparations for the expected influx of visitors to him and the other guildmasters, pleading my duties as mistress of Obernewtyn as an excuse to distance myself from the moon fair; to my guilty relief, no one appeared to find it odd or unfair. Certainly Ceirwan did not seem to be finding it a burden, though the weight of most decisions had been falling to him.