The small spot that had appeared on the back of his hand had grown over the past week. He knew nothing of its origin or nature, only that it caused his hand to tense up once or twice a day. So far, no one had noticed it. There was little doubt that Julian and Amber would take notice of his glove. He took off at a sprint, eager to visit the city proper. His mother called out for him to be back before they closed the gate and he raised his arm so that she would know he heard. The outskirts of Reddington stretched out for what seemed to the young man to be miles and miles. Julian and Amber had agreed to meet him at the crossroads just outside the eastern gate. He slowed down as he spotted the two of them talking at the crossroads. The other two waved him over when they spotted him. “The festival is in two weeks, you know what that means don’t you?” Julian asked as he approached. “Sure do. Merchants will be testing their wares, cooks will be testing their food, bards will be testing their songs, and the storytellers will be priming us all for their epic tales,”
