It was not the big towns that they feared, but rather the villages, the depopulated places, where everyone knew everyone. When a stranger entered these places, the locals were informed in a few hours. Gossip came up the streets, scattered in lanes and houses, and gossip poisoned common sense and restraint. The rumour train was well underway and going unnoticed in these places was impossible. Also, since the beginning of their journey, and even if they had allowed themselves some deviations to this not so sacrosanct rule, Roland, Adam, and Erma preferred to visit the average-sized towns when they had obligation to stock up.
Radstock was not far, only a few miles away, but they preferred to camp away from the busy streets. The dilemma was there: if the villages got wind of the escapees in t
