- At the inn, there's a table full of merchant men who rub Katsa the wrong way—not only are they loud and boisterous, but they leer at the young serving girl.
- When one of the men grabs the girl by the arm and refuses to let go, Katsa rises to her feet before she knows what she's doing. Po stills her, but Katsa standing up? That was enough to get the merchants' attention. They cease and desist. For now.
- That night Katsa has two girls cut her hair "as short as a man's" (18.24), and while they snip and sweep, she asks them if anyone in the village teaches girls to protect themselves. The girls say there is no need—their fathers and brothers protect them. Katsa isn't so sure that's the best model.
- Later, Katsa is awakened when Po knocks on her door and informs her they're about to be visited by the merchants.
- She goes to his room, and sure enough, the merchants show up claiming to have information for them, for a price.
- The information they share isn't great, but some of the things they say are inadvertently helpful, leading Katsa and Po to believe that Leck is, in fact, involved.
- Unfortunately for the merchants, they make a few lewd comments about the innkeeper's daughter and about Katsa before they get their payment, which means: they won't be getting their payment. Po tells them their payment is not getting killed right then and there—and Katsa further threatens them by telling them she'll end their wretched lives post haste if they lay a finger on the innkeeper's daughter.
- The merchants snivel their way out of the room, and Po and Katsa discuss what they've learned. Everything seems to point to Leck, but they don't understand why or how he could be involved.
- Po suggests that perhaps Leck, who wears an eyepatch, is Graced in some way that allows him to control the way people think of him or how they see reality.
- It's a frightening thought to Katsa, who wonders, "Could there be a Grace more dangerous than one that replaced sight with a fog of falseness?" (18.170).
- They decide to head for Monsea to find out.