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and more than a little admiring as his friend and the Inn-keeper helped him to his feet. "He was quick. I've never seen anything like that in my whole life! I can't remember the last time a man pinned me down like that." He made his way back towards the bar. "I'll have me another mug, Habi. I swear, my nerves are jangling like that fellow's harp strings."

On the street, the minstrel made his way through the every day early evening activities of the town. He glanced backwards once, towards the inn, but instinct told him that neither Divin nor his companions were interested in following him. Not today, at least. He breathed an inward sigh of relief, letting himself relax.

The minstrel marveled at the ignorance of these people. They evidently, and mistakenly, believed that even a Rhiathon musician would not be trained to defend himself. Perhaps, he considered generously, it was not stupidity. It was because all of their minstrels were either too old or too crippled for any other work. That was quite typical in a town like this one. Only those unable to work in the fields could be spared for something as insignificant as music. The minstrel snorted. Only a small town such as this would be so blind as to consider music insignificant. Didn't they know their history? Had they so soon forgotten the ancient Warrior-Bards? They had wielded a power that was lost in this time and age.
The minstrel wished, yet again, that he had taken the time to study the languages that existed outside of the woods. Perhaps, then, he would have been able to avoid situations, like this one had been, completely. He liked to avoid trouble when and if possible. Divin had not really deserved being pinned to the floor, but, if past experiences were any indication, it may have come to worse than that if the situation had been prolonged.
The minstrel sincerely regretted having to do such things to ignorant people. They could not help being ignorant, and he would have been able to avoid the whole thing, had he known the language. Somehow, he had never thought it important to learn other languages, until he left the woods and realized just how crippled he was without that knowledge. It was as if he had tried to live out in the woods without his bow. He was struggling needlessly.
Not that the Rhiathon actually encouraged people to study the outside world at all. The Rhiathon were a private people, keeping to themselves, and blocking out the outside world as much as possible. Even if the minstrel had

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