“You can’t just hide in the mountains all the time,” Mam said. “And you can’t seem to be here athout getting into trouble. You’re sixteen now, and you’ve got to find a vocation. You could go to Oden’s Ford, enter the warrior school, and become a officer. That don’t take no connections, and there’s lots of call for soldiers these days, so they don’t ask a lot of questions.”

Officer? Most of the soldiers he knew were in the Guard, and they’d never take him. Plus he couldn’t see himself smashing heads on the street. But what if he could be an officer in the regular army? He’d have armor and a sword, and his enemies would be out in front of him. He wouldn’t always have to be looking over his shoulder.

Only there was one big barrier to all of this. “It costs money to go to Oden’s Ford,” he said. “And we don’t have any.”

And then he had a thought. He scraped back his sleeves, exposing the silver cuffs. “We could sell these,” he said. “They ought to bring enough money to live on for a year or more.”

Mam shook her head, looking from the cuffs up into his eyes, her face pale and strained. “I think you’d best leave well enough alone. They ain’t meant to come off. Not ever.”

Han stared at Mam. There was some knowledge in her eyes, and fear as well.

He wanted to grip her by the shoulders and shake her. He wanted to yell, What do you want from me? It’s that or thieving! I got nothing else. But he couldn’t, not with Mari in the room.

“I’ll ask Willo about it again,” he said, tugging his sleeves back into place. “There must be a way.”

There was a way. One good taking, one good mark with a heavy purse, and Mam and Mari would be set for a while. A few more takings and he might have the swag to go to Oden’s Ford.

He thrust the idea from his mind.

Fetching his rucksack from the corner, he stuffed his spare breeches and shirts into it. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled his Ragger neck scarf from under the mattress. He thought about the amulet buried out in the yard. His fingers itched, longing to touch it again. But no. It was safer where it was. If anything happened to him, it would rest there forever, out of reach of the Bayars. It gave him some small satisfaction.

Mam handed him a cloth bag. “Here’s some bread and an end of cheese for the road,” she said. “Tell Willo thanks for your keep,” she said roughly. “Tell her…tell her I’m sorry I can’t provide for my own son.” Her lower lip trembled, and tears stood in her eyes.