Going South
- Ardow, Ban, and Da talk about the day's chores. There's tension because Ardow tells Ban the war's ruined him almost as if he went to it himself. Ouch.
- Ban catches someone walking, er, dancing in the field and wonders what's happening—so he gets closer to check it out, and finds Mistress Ankerton out there.
- She tells him that she's been wanting to go south, but he's got to keep it a secret. Agreed.
- Later, Ardow tells him that Da Mattow whipped Abenester Ankerton and Ellaner ran away. Hmm… Ban starts to wonder what she meant by she's going south.
- That night, Ban and Ardow head to the village and find everyone yelling and arguing. It turns out someone killed a bird with a stone. Why?
- Everyone decides they must hunt for an Uplander witch who is roaming these parts—Ban points out that she's just a maid, but no one seems to care.
- While everyone's hunting, Ban tells Ardow he heard Ankerton went south. Ardow doesn't know how Ban could have heard this, but tells his little bro to zip it.
- Ban's fed up with playing these games, so he leaves the hunt. If they want to find the witch, they'll have to catch her themselves.
- Ardow and Ban catch up later, and Ardow tells his brother he's proud of him for standing up for what he believes—it takes guts to do that.
- Since Ellaner's gone, Ban goes to the woods and finds an Uplander girl. She claims to be going south to Apstead, but Ban can see she's headed north, a.k.a. home, and he gives her a satchel of food.
- Later, Ban takes one of his mom's cheeses and tells her he's going away to Apstead. She's got plenty of sons, and he'll come visit. He promises.