Rowena waited impatiently in the shadows of a tall building, just in sight of the writing wall.
"Where is he?" she wondered. After she overheard the investigators from the palace, she decided to try and contact the watchman to warn him about the investigators before they got to him. "It's getting awfully late. I wonder if he's not coming." Then another thought struck her. "What if he doesn't come to the wall at all at night, but records the requests during the day and distributes the items at night?"
Disappointment began to settle in. Then, a movement across the plaza caught her eye. A dark figure moved along in the shadows towards the wall.
"That's him!" Rowena thought with excitement. "At least, I sincerely hope that's him, and not some reprobate."
The Phantom moved to stand in front of the writing wall before he began to look around him. As his gaze began to sweep her way, it was as if the air suddenly dropped below freezing, and Rowena couldn't help but shiver. She then realized that the Phantom's sweeping gaze had stopped on her. A cold fear suddenly gripped her heart as her courage melted away and she seriously considered fleeing. But she couldn't move. She continued to stare at the Phantom, and the Phantom continued to stare at her. It was as though if she moved the wraiths of Hel would leap forth from the shadows and come tearing after her. After what seemed like an eternity, the Phantom tilted his head as though he were curious. He then slowly raised a black gloved hand and beckoned to her. Rowena hesitated for a moment before she slowly started to move forward towards him. Then the remembrance of why she was there and all the good things the Phantom had done for people came to her, and she strode forward with a much more purposeful stride as her courage and determination returned to her.
"I've come to warn you that you are in danger," she whispered as she came to stand very close next to the Phantom and looked up into his hood. He was at least six inches taller than her, though that wasn't saying much since she was a rather short woman. "There are investigators from the palace that are looking for you. I'm not sure if they want to arrest you or not, but they definitely want to catch you."
The Phantom just nodded and gave her a slight bow before turning to the wall and taking out a book for notes and a graphite stick from a satchel under his cloak and began to copy the requests into the book. Rowena stood there a few more moments, but the Phantom seemed to be completely ignoring her. She quietly cleared her throat to get his attention, but he continued to ignore her and record the requests.
"Excuse me," she said after a few more moments. "Is there anything I can do to help? I want to help or support you in some way, I've always wanted to help the poor, but never have been sure how to do it." The Phantom just shook his head and continued to write down the requests without turning to look at her. "Please, I would really like to help you. I'm not in it for the fun or thrill, I really want to help the poor, and I don't want you to get caught. Please, you're sure there is nothing I can do?" The Phantom paused in his writing for a few moments before he turned to a new page and wrote this note which he showed to Rowena:
'Find out who are the shopkeepers that do not approve of my using their inventory and those that do not mind. Meet me back here tomorrow night with your report.'
"Yes, I shall do that," Rowena readily replied when she had read the note he proffered to her. "You can depend on me, I will not fail you. And don't worry about my telling anyone, I am good at keeping secrets. Do you need any money? I am very well off and can give you some to help pay for everything." They Phantom hesitated for a moment before writing another note below the first one:
'Not now, though I may need some in the future.'
"Very well, I shall see you tomorrow then," Rowena said before she hurried off into the night back to her house. The Phantom smiled to see her enthusiasm and began to finish recording all the requests.
"I hope this is not a mistake," he murmured to his shadowy compatriot who was plastered against the wall next to the writing. "No doubt she will want to help more, and what if she is followed or tells someone about where I am at certain times? We'll have to start coming at different times so that she will not waylay us often. I hope she quickly loses interest."
"On the contrary," the wraith rasped. "The requests are steadily increasing. You will need assistance soon. We will give her other tasks to test her resourcefulness and skill. If she proves to be a worthy partner, you will teach her how to be stealthier and give her part of your rout. They are searching for one Watchman. If there are two, it will be more difficult for them to find us, much less catch the right one."
"But what if she is caught? Will she spill everything or remain faithful?"
"That is a chance we must take. But I will follow her and learn what sort of a person she truly is. This will also determine whether we continue to use her help."
"I just hope this is the right course of action, and will not lead to our downfall," the Phantom muttered as he put his notepad and writing utensil back in his bag and started to the first stop on his shopping list with his ephemeral partner following behind.
"We are powerful. It would be difficult for even Odin in all his power to catch us."
The Phantom snorted quietly. "Your overconfidence will be your downfall."
"And your lack of faith in yourself and your unwillingness to take risks yours."
A surge of anger welled up in the Phantom's chest as he spun around to face his wraith companion. "No faith in myself? Not taking risks?" He hissed, "It was because of my cockiness and willingness to take exorbitant risks that I am here now, sunken to this lowly position! Now shut your trap and let me get on with the business at hand without having to listen to your 'sage' advice, oh wise and mighty one." The Phantom stalked up the street with the wraith now quietly sliding along behind.
A drunkard, curled in the shadows of the doorframe that he was in, saw the outburst of the Phantom. But since he could not see whom the Phantom was talking to, he reasoned in his groggy mind that the guy must be just as drunk as that guy was, and soon was back to 'sawing logs' without another thought about it.