Sunlight streaming into the open hayloft door awakened me, and I quickly became aware of my growling stomach. I rummaged through my pack to see if any food that I had gathered had fallen to the bottom, but no such luck. I did take the time to pull out one of the coins that I had brought with me and stick it in my pocket. It would be more than enough to pay for some food and perhaps some supplies. I wondered about the reaction of anyone seeing a scruffy boy with a gold coin, but hoped that the greed of the merchant involved would overcome any questions he had. I could see the village clearly from my perch. From this distance, it was closer to a small town than a village. There were perhaps 80 to 100 buildings clustered together close to the road. To the right of the road leading to it were the farm fields I had passed by yesterday leading right up to the edge of the village. Those fields blended in with gardens that seemed to be behind most houses. To the left of the road where my barn refuge was seemed to be mostly pasture land. These pastures were dotted with sheep and seemed to be devoid of people. I felt that entering the village too early in the morning might raise concerns about why I didn