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The green was croith newly pitched tents,centers Shelby didn’t have e her hot-pink elastic hair band for a lace doily in the shape of a heart, which she planned to give to Luce "from Daniel"

She’d also happily swapped a heiven her on soured Daniel ht like Guys were hard to shop for

The hair band and the anklet were less than worthless to Shelby, but they were exotic to the merchants "What is this alchemical substance that stretches and retains its shape?" they asked her, exaehter, those hts

Like always after shopping, Shelby was ravenous She hoped Miles had dug up soreen to ht ca?

"Oh, what a lovely bonnet!" A fair-haired woman with a broad smile appeared before her She stroked the lace veil of the wi "Is it one of Master Tailor’s?"

"Uh, who?" Shelby’s guilty blush crept up to the tips of her stolen hat

"His stall’s just over yonder" The woman pointed at a tent ot three sisters, all gorgeous seamstresses Most of the year, their needles fly only for the vestirls alwayssmall and special for the Faire Their work takes my breath away"

The tent’s flaps were open, and there, under an awning, stood the stout ht train thatThe athered and was giving off oohs and aahs, ad apparently very precious Shelby had to press up against the other fairgoers before she recognized the iteers cap

"Admire the exquisite dye of this buckram visor!" Henry Tailor was deep in the throes of his sales pitch, as if the hat had always been a part of his collection, as if he had sewn it hiular, to the point of … invisibility!"

"And when a sword slices through that felt, Henry, what then?" a an to buzz that perhaps the visor was not the most invincible item in Henry’s collection

"Fools," Henry said "This visor is not ar can be made simply to please the eye and the heart?"

As the fairgoers hooted, Shelby’s heart hammered in her chest, because she knehat she had to do

"I’ll buy the hat!" she shouted suddenly

"It’s not for sale!" Henry said

"Of course it’s for sale," Shelby said, pushing aside her nerves about her awful English accent, pushing aside a few startled people, pushing aside everything but her need to get the hat It was important to Miles, and Miles was ie! My, u and it doesn’t, um, fit"

Henry looked up, and Shelby had a moment of panic--certainly he would know she’d stolen the bonnet Only, when he tilted his head at Shelby, he didn’t even seeed to him "Yes, that bonnet does h"

What? She didn’t have big ears! Shelby was about to give Henry a piece of her mind when she remembered as important here

"Come now! That hat is old, its er "And what manner of wickedness do those letters enify?"

"Are they letters?" someone in the crowd asked

"I don’t kno to read," said another

And it was clear Henry didn’t read, either "What do they say?" he asked "I thought they werethat he’d claiiven to entleman"

"They are thelouder as she gained confidence "The spiky arasped and pushed closer The set a breath

Henry held the cap away from him "Is that so? Then why do you want it?"

"Why do you think? I aiht in the world"

There was a murmur of approval from the crowd

"I will burn it and rid this world of its evilinto this

A few in the crowd gave feeble cheers

"I will protect us all from the bane of the cap!"

Henry scratched his head "It’s just a cap, though, innit?"

Around Shelby, people turned to look at her "Well, yes, but … my point is that I’ll take it off your hands"

Tailor looked at the bonnet in her hand, his left eyebrow rising "That handiwork looks faain at Miles’s cap "An even trade, then?"

Shelby held out the lacy wimple "An even trade"