She'd done it! She'd outwitted the big oaf. The big, oversexed oaf. She patted her donkey Marshmallow's neck affectionately, giving her a good scratch behind the ear. "Nearly free my friend." She adjusted her seat on the donkey's back. She'd had to leave behind her cart for expediency. No matter, she had all that she needed close at hand thanks to her generous friend Willa. Everything but a place to spend the night! She had meant to find lodging before dark but there had been nothing for miles. Up ahead she could smell smoke and see a large cluster of bon fires. That meant only one thing. A festival. Most likely it was a harvest celebration. The farther you got from the coast, the more the people clung to the old ways.