A/N: Once again, please let me know if you see any mistakes as I still can't see very well! It's also probably time for another disclaimer, so here it is...

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Lost Girl.

jkrisp and valkubusfangrl - thank you! I'm glad to know people are still reading and enjoying this story.

Sim9542 - yes, I had laser eye surgery. I hope my vision doesn't stay blurry for as long as it was for your friend, though!

Snagam80 - she really is, isn't she? Which of course is quite the conundrum considering her species.

petronguacomole - very high praise, thank you!

"This is what was so important that we had to come to the Dal right away?"

Bo, Dyson, Kenzi and Tamsin were sitting around a table at the Dal, Trick standing at the head. He was holding a large and dusty book in front of them, open at a picture of a gleaming necklace and strange cursive writing that none of them could read. There were dark circles under Trick's eyes as though he had stayed up the entire night, rifling through his large book collection.

Bo's question hung in the air, Trick taking his time to answer it.

"This," he said slowly and with an air of dramatics, "is the necklace of Freyja, known as the Brísingamen."

Dyson frowned. Bo stared. Kenzi just looked slightly bored as she stifled a yawn behind one hand.

It was not the response Trick had expected.

"Freyja? Of Nordic history?" He turned to Tamsin, brandishing the book at her. "Surely you've heard of her?"

Tamsin hadn't said anything, instead staring at the open book with a mixed look up curiosity and confusion on her face. "I've always believed Freyja to be a myth. Valkyries don't believe in the old gods." She gave a small shrug. "They're human myths."

"Yes, Freyja is also known to humans as a mythological Nordic Deity, but she is no myth, not exactly." He sighed, preparing himself to explain further. "While the modern ideology of Freyja has now transcended into myth, she was once a very real woman."

"But no," he added, seeing Kenzi perk up as her curiosity was finally peaked. "She was no god."

"Was?" Bo asked, leaning forward to rest her head on her arms. The handcuff ratchets were finally gone from her wrists, Dyson having cut through the metal with his wolf claws when Tamsin and Bo had arrived at the Dal.

"She's dead," Trick explained simply. "She was killed a very long time ago."

"So tell me again why I'm not in bed asleep right now? What does an ugly old necklace have to do with any of this?" Kenzi asked, a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose.

"Everything," Trick said, his voice rising excitedly.

Kenzi nudged Bo with her elbow, who was sitting next to her. She whispered to the succubus in a stage whisper, "I think ol' Trickster has finally cracked it."

Trick gave her a withering look. "It may not look like much but Brísingamen, the necklace, is an extremely powerful talisman."

At this, Tamsin leaned forward. "Powerful enough to defeat the Wanderer? To kill him?"

Trick smiled, pleased that someone was finally understanding. "Yes, powerful enough to defeat him. But I do not believe we should, or even could, use the power in the necklace to kill him."

Tamsin stared at him incredulously. "Are you crazy? If this necklace is as powerful as you say it is then why not use it to kill him? To finally end this?"

"Because," Trick began, "there is a fear that the Wanderer cannot be killed."

Tamsin's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "If they can bleed then they can die. Trust me, the Wanderer bleeds like any other fae."

"It is not so simple in this case," Trick said. "Before the Wanderer was trapped in his realm by the blood sage, Raegos, many tried to kill him but they were never successful. Somehow, he escaped death every single time."

"Maybe they just didn't try hard enough," Tamsin muttered darkly.

"Oh, believe me, they tried." Trick said, giving her a wry look. "Do you remember before how I told you the talisman he found deep in the earth, the one that gave him immense power, also gave him power over death? Yes? Well, there are many who believe that not only did it give him power over death but that he became death itself."

"You're saying Bo's dad is the Grim Reaper?" Kenzi asked sceptically.

"Not exactly," Trick said, shaking his head. "But if he has the power over death, would that then also mean that he could not die?"

"Then what do we do?" Bo asked. "He's already proven that he can't be trapped forever."

"You're right, he can't be trapped again." Trick agreed. "I have been thinking of this and I believe I have found an answer."

Trick leaned forward, placing his hands on the table in front of him. "Have you heard of the story of Apsû and Tiamat? No? I didn't think so. It is a legendary tale of two gods who came to a disagreement over whether to kill a group of younger gods who had begun to annoy them. To bring a stop to this, Ea, another powerful god, used great magic to place Apsû into a coma which he could never wake from."

"You want to put the Wanderer into a coma?" Bo asked slowly.

Trick nodded. "The power of the necklace could be used to create a curse that would cause the Wanderer to fall into an eternal slumber. As long as the necklace remained intact he would never wake."

They were silent, contemplating Trick's words.

"Then this is all we have?" Dyson's voice rumbled as he spoke for the first time since Trick had shown them the book. "An old legend and a necklace? Against one of the most powerful fae of all time?"

"We've beaten worse odds before," Bo said, her voice confident. "We've always had luck on our side."

"Yes," Dyson agreed. "Although I do not find these odds comforting. This feels like a fool's game to me."

"Battles are always more invigorating when you're the underdog." Tamsin said, folding her arms across her chest as she looked at Dyson.

The wolf frowned at her. "You act like war is a game."

"Because it is," Tamsin said simply. "War is a game and we all play our part."

At this, Dyson's frown deepened but he did not comment further. Turning to Trick instead, he asked, "how do we find this necklace, then?"

"That's something I have been trying to work out. Before Freyja was killed she hid her necklace so that it could never be found and it's power used for evil intent. Although this book has provided me with much information, there appears to be a page missing, a page of vital importance."

"Let me guess," Tamsin drawled, leaning back in her chair. "The page that tells us where Freyja hid her necklace is the page that's missing?"

Trick nodded.

Groaning, Kenzi put her head in her hands.

"Now what?" Bo asked. "How are we supposed to find this necklace if we don't even know where to start looking?"

"There is someone who may know, although I am hesitant to ask them." Trick said, placing his book on the table and finally taking a seat.

"Who?" Dyson asked.

Trick looked at the wolf. "I would not say this if there were any other way. I particularly know you will not like it, Dyson, given your history with this fae."

Tamsin was the first to realise who Trick was speaking of. "The Norn?"

Bo turned to Tamsin, her eyes wide, but it was Dyson who spoke.

"No." His voice was firm, the word final.

"Dyson," Trick began. "She could tell us what we need to know."

"Perhaps," Dyson agreed. "But at what price?"

"I'll do it," Tamsin said. Dyson and Trick both turned to her in surprise. "I'm the one who got us into this mess. It's my price to pay."

Dyson, although still looking surprised, didn't say a word. He understood that this was what Tamsin felt she needed to do, to feel as though she were now even with the rest of them.

Bo turned to Tamsin, an unreadable expression on her face. "I'll go with you."

Tamsin went to shake her head but stopped when she realised the expression on Bo's face was one of determination. Bo would not take no for an answer.

"Fine but I'm going now. We've wasted enough time as it is." Tamsin said, getting to her feet.

Bo shrugged, also getting to her feet. "Fine with me."

Kenzi opened her mouth to speak, most likely to offer assistance, but Dyson shook his head, silencing her. "I don't think the Norn would like it if you showed up, Kenzi, considering the last time you visited her you took a chainsaw to her tree."

"Are you actually complaining about my perfect negotiating skills, D-man?"

Dyson shook his head again, smiling softly as he remembered the lengths Kenzi had gone to for him to get his love back. "No, but I am sure the Norn would say otherwise."

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Norns and their grudges. Fine, I'll stay."

They pulled up out the front of an old house, Tamsin putting Dyson's car into park and killing the engine. Silence engulfed her and Bo as they both stared out the window at the concrete path running up to the house that would lead them to the Norn. Neither had been here before, not needing anything from this particular Norn until now.

"Let's go," Tamsin said, stepping out of the car and shutting the door. She walked up to the house, knowing Bo was right behind her. Taking a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles loudly on the door. Tamsin heard movement inside and the door swung inward, at first appearing to open on its own. Looking down, she noticed a short stout man staring up at them both with beady eyes.

"Yes?" His voice was a croaky whisper, as though he did not speak often.

"We're here to see the Norn," Tamsin said.

A smile spread across his face and he opened the door slightly wider. "Come in, come in. She's waiting for you."

The inside of the house was damp and musty. The living room the small man lead them to was dim, with only a few weak globes illuminating the room in a soft yellow colour. In the middle of the room stood a huge tree, only the trunk and roots visible as the rest of it seemed to disappear through the roof. An old woman was sitting in a rocking chair by the tree, a olive green shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She was knitting, a seemingly normal activity for someone of her kind.

The Norn did not look up as they entered the room, beckoned inside by the small man. He scurried over to her and bent down to whisper in her ear. She kept knitting, the only indication that she was listening to the man was the slight tilt of her ear towards him. Finally, she put her knitting down. The man quickly picked up an old and gnarled wooden cane which the Norn wrapped her equally as gnarled fingers around. Helping her to her feet, the man then disappeared, seeming to almost slip back into the shadows at the edges of the room.

"I have been wondering when you would come to me, valkyrie." The Norn's voice was high and scratchy. When she spoke, her lips pulled back to reveal yellowing teeth. "Come and let me look at you, don't be shy."

Stepping forward so that the dim light washed over her face, Tamsin positioned herself so that she was standing slightly in front of Bo, obscuring her from the Norn's view. If the Norn noticed this she did not say, but her lips twitched slightly in a small smile.

"How endearing," The Norn murmured, her lips still twitching. "You look so much like your mother, at first I thought she had come back to trade another favour from me."

At this, Tamsin frowned. "My mother? What-"

"Is this what you have come here for, then? To bargain for information on your mother?" The Norn said quickly, talking over Tamsin.

Tamsin glanced back at Bo who was wearing a curious expression. She shrugged at Tamsin and the valkyrie turned back to face the Norn again.

"No," Tamsin said finally, knowing she had to keep to the real reason her and Bo were here. "But it is information I am after."

The Norn nodded to herself, stepping forward to place one hand fondly against the trunk of her tree.

"It is information you seek? Then information shall also be the price. We shall each ask one question and give one answer. Do you agree to these terms?"

Tamsin frowned, unsure for a moment. All the Norn wanted was information? It almost seemed too easy. "Yes, I agree."

"Then a deal is struck. Ask your question, valkyrie. Choose wisely, you get only one."

Tamsin didn't pause, didn't hesitate. She knew why she was here. "Tell me where I can find the necklace of Freyja, known as the Brísingamen."

The Norn nodded, sucking on her teeth for a moment before answering. "I know that of which you speak. Strange, as many do not. Tell me, valkyrie, for what purpose would you seek this talisman?"

"You don't need to know that," Tamsin said sharply. "It isn't part of the deal."

The Norn crowed with delight. "Yes, yes, very clever. But perhaps I already know the answer? Perhaps you seek it to use on the Wanderer?"

Startled, Tamsin cast a look back at Bo. The succubus was staring back at her, just as shocked as she was.

"How do you know that?" Tamsin demanded, taking an intimidating step towards the Norn. "How?"

The Norn chuckled with laughter but did not answer Tamsin's question. "Ahh, the Wanderer. I have not heard that name in a very long time, not since your mother visited me all those years ago. There are many secrets I know about that man, many secrets."

Tamsin was growing impatient. The longer they spent in the dim and musty room the more unnerved she became. "Just tell me where I can find the necklace, old woman."

The Norn stopped laughing and her eyes narrowed slightly at the insult. "Calm yourself, girl. I will give you what you seek." She shuffled back over to her rocking chair, sinking down onto the plush cushion. "The necklace is hidden away many miles from here, in a place known to the fae as Theoria. Travel west for three days and you will come across a cave. The necklace can be found within, deep underground."

Tamsin nodded and turned to leave.

"Valkyrie," The Norn's voice was stern. "Are you not forgetting your part of the deal?"

Tamsin paused. She looked back at the Norn. "Then ask your question."

The Norn smiled and slowly stood up from her rocking chair. She shuffled over to Tamsin, the shawl still wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She leaned forward, wrapping one bony hand around Tamsin's arm, her lips by the valkyrie's ear. "The Wanderer keeps an item on him at all times, doesn't he? Something always there, never gone from his side. Tell me what it is."

Tamsin frowned with confusion, pulling away from the Norn. "What?"

"Think, valkyrie. What does the dark one keep with him, never parting with? Something small, something hidden... but you've noticed it before, haven't you? I know you serve him. I know you have seen it."

Tamsin stared at the Norn. This was her question? She thought back to all the times she had seen Bo's father, trying to remember if there was something that he always had with him. At first, her mind was blank, but there was something -

"A blade."

The Norn stared at her intently, eager for more. "Yes?"

"He keeps a dagger by his side at all times. He doesn't let anyone touch it, I don't know why." Tamsin shook her head. "But it's old and the blade isn't that sharp. It's hilt is even made of wood. It looks completely useless."

"Everything has a use, this one more so than others." The Norn said vaguely.

"What is it, then? What does it do?"

"No more questions. The deal is done." The Norn turned away from Tamsin and walked slowly back to her tree, reaching out to again place her hands against the trunk. "We both have what we want. You may leave, valkyrie."

It was as Tamsin was turning to leave, Bo by her side, when the Norn called out once more. "Although you now know where to find it, I wish you luck in being able to see the Brísingamen, valkyrie." The Norn's voice trailed off as she cackled to herself.

Tamsin stopped in her tracks. She turned back towards the Norn but it was Bo who spoke first. "What do you mean?" The succubus asked, confused. "Why would we not be able to see it?"

The Norn smiled cunningly as she looked at Bo. "There is one more question you have forgotten to ask - how to retrieve the Brísingamen."

"Then how?" Tamsin demanded angrily but the Norn tutted patronisingly.

"I would have thought you would have understood how this works by now. A question for a question, remember?"

"Then ask another question," Tamsin said bitterly. She was growing tired of the Norn and her games.

The Norn faked a yawn before once again sitting down in her rocking chair. "I am afraid there is no more information I seek from you, or your succubus friend," she added, as Bo opened her mouth to speak.

Tamsin stepped closer into the room towards the Norn. "Tell me what you want from me, Norn."

A pleased smile spread over the Norn's face. She curled a strand of her own grey hair around one gnarled finger as she continued to smile up at Tamsin. "There is indeed something I would like from you."

Tamsin looked over her shoulder to exchange a look with Bo. The succubus, Tamsin noticed, was looking like she wanted nothing more than to leave the Norn's house.

"For one more question, valkyrie, you will grant me a lock of your hair."

Tamsin's eyes snapped back towards the Norn. They stood feet apart, staring at each other intently.

"No," Tamsin said, shaking her head. "There must be something else you want."

The Norn let out a long soft sigh. "No, there is nothing. A lock of your hair is the only price I will accept."

For a few moments, Tamsin was silent. They continued to stare at each other; the Norn waiting with bated breath and Tamsin, her face as hard as stone, an internal battle raging within her. The valkyrie was the first to break the silence.

"Fine. I agree to the deal."

If it were possible, the Norn somehow managed to look even more pleased.

"Then a deal is struck. For a lock of your hair I will tell you how you may retrieve the Brísingamen from Theoria."

Tamsin waited for the Norn to continue but the old woman did not speak. Instead, she held out her hand, palm upwards, an expectant look on her face as though she knew how reluctant Tamsin was to uphold her part of the deal. The small man appeared again at Tamsin's shoulder, this time with a pair of scissors in his hand. He made to cut the lock of hair himself but Tamsin grabbed him by the wrist, glaring at him threateningly. "Touch my hair and it will be the last thing you do," she snarled.

The man relinquished the scissors to her and quickly backed away. Slowly, without looking away from the Norn, Tamsin brought the scissors up to her hair and cut one single lock of her blonde hair. Walking over to the Norn, she dropped the lock into the old woman's palm. The Norn snapped her hand closed around it and brought it up to her nose, inhaling deeply.

"So very useful, a lock of valkyrie hair," the Norn murmured, looking up at Tamsin. She watched as the valkyrie handed the scissors back to the small man and turned to face the Norn again, waiting.

"You have what you want," Tamsin said impatiently. "Now it's your turn."

"Yes, yes," The Norn said absently. "I will give you the information you require."

The Norn shuffled around on her rocking chair for a moment as though trying to get comfortable, Tamsin's lock of hair still clasped in one hand. Tamsin waited impatiently, arms folded across her chest. Finally, the Norn spoke.

"To prevent it from falling into the hands of the fae, while the Brísingamen remains inside the cave of Theoria it can only be seen by a human of pure heart. A human with no magic running through their veins, unable to invoke and harness the power of the Brísingamen."

"So we need a human to retrieve the necklace from the cave?" Tamsin asked.

"Not just any human, but a human of pure heart." The Norn corrected her. "Now leave me, I grow tired of your presence."

Before they could ask any other questions, the small man scurried over and ushered them out of the house, shutting the door firmly behind them.

"Wow," Bo muttered. "Creepy. I feel like I need another shower after being in there."

"You did volunteer for the trip." Tamsin reminded her as they walked back down to the car.

"I'm not complaining," Bo said. "I'm just saying, that was weird."

"That," said Tamsin, unlocking the car and sliding in behind the wheel, "was the Norn."

"Yeah," Bo said, opening the passenger door and getting into the car. "What do you think she meant when she said those things about your mother?"

"It was probably nothing," Tamsin said, fiddling with the car key to avoid looking at Bo. "And I'm not exactly eager to go back there and ask."

"What?" Bo asked, turning in her seat to face Tamsin. "You think she was lying?"

"She was probably hoping I would ask her to explain what she meant about my mother so that she could take more of my hair. It was just more of her games, nothing more. Even if it weren't, I don't care. I hold no curiosity for the dead."

"About that," Bo began slowly. "What was with the whole hair thing? I mean, that was weird, right?"

Tamsin shrugged, still not looking at Bo. "Maybe she's making a wig. God knows she could use one."

Bo gave her an unimpressed look.

"You're lucky she didn't try to take some of your hair," Tamsin added, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Although I can see why she didn't want any of yours. Do you even know what conditioner is?"

"I'm not the one whose hair is falling out," Bo retorted.

"What?" Tamsin asked, her eyes snapping up to finally look at the succubus.

"There was blonde hair all over my pillow this morning. You shed like crazy, Tamsin."

Tamsin quickly ran a hand through her hair, relieved when no strands came out. "Maybe you should sell it. Buy yourself a place that doesn't look like it was the scene of a murder."

Bo snorted. "Yeah, because your hair is that valuable."

"The Norn seemed to think so. It got us the information we needed, didn't it?"

"And now we know where to find the necklace," Bo said, buckling her seat belt. "All we have to do is have a human take it out of the cave for us."

"How many humans do you know that you would trust to do something like this?" Tamsin asked her, sliding the key into the ignition.

"Kenzi," Bo said immediately, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Kenzi?" Tamsin repeated back to her sceptically. "A thief is your idea of a pure hearted human?"

"She's the most pure hearted person I know, fae or human," Bo said adamantly.

Tamsin started the car, her eyebrows raised. "I hope you're right, succubus."

"Pure hearted? Pure hearted? Me? You're kidding, right?" Kenzi was staring at Bo and Tamsin as they stood in the Dal, disbelief etched all over her face. "Did visiting the Norn give you brain damage?"

Tamsin turned to Bo, a small triumphant smile on her face. "See? I told you this was a bad idea."

Bo ignored her.

"Kenzi, you can do this, trust me." Bo reached out to grab Kenzi's hand. "You are pure hearted, whether you like it or not."

Dyson nodded in agreement. "If there's anyone that can get that necklace for us, it's you, Kenz."

"We could always kidnap a human child," Tamsin suggested instead. "If that's not pure hearted then I don't know what is."

As though the valkyrie had thrown her a rope while she were drowning out at sea, Kenzi clung to the suggestion desperately. "Finally someone who's speaking sense!"

Bo stared at them both in shock. "You're idea of sense is kidnapping a child?"

"It's a far more sensible idea than yours," Tamsin muttered under her breath.

"Wow," Bo said, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe someone like you is an actual cop."

Tamsin frowned, her nose scrunched up in confusion. "Someone like me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Someone selfless and brave. I feel so happy and safe knowing detective Tamsin is out there protecting the city every night."

"As you should," Tamsin said, Bo's sarcasm lost on her.

Frustrated, Bo turned to Kenzi. "You can do this, Kenzi, trust me! We all believe in you."

Tamsin snorted loudly.

Kenzi sighed loudly before throwing her hands up in the air in defeat. "Ok, ok. I'll do it."

A smile spread over Bo's face and she pulled the other woman into a bear hug.

"Let me just go on the record as agreeing with Tamsin; this is a terrible idea," Kenzi added, allowing herself to be squished by Bo.

"I need to make a call," Trick said hastily, slipping away to his lair beneath the Dal for a moment.

"So this place, Theoria, is where we will find the Brísingamen?" Dyson asked Tamsin, his voice low.

"Yep," Tamsin said, moving away from Bo and Kenzi to lean back against the bar counter.

"Perhaps Trick will have a map," Dyson said hopefully.

"What?" Tamsin asked sarcastically. "'Three days west of here' aren't good enough travel instructions for you, wolf boy?"

Dyson laughed quietly, moving to lean against the bar next to Tamsin. He watched Bo and Kenzi who were talking together, most likely planning their trip to retrieve the necklace, before answering. "The Norn somehow manages to be the most useful and useless fae there is. I should have known she would not have given you clear instructions."

Tamsin hummed in agreement. She looked over her shoulder behind the bar, wondering if she could sneak a brewski before Trick returned.

"What price did she ask of you, Tamsin?" Dyson asked, his voice subdued. "I hope it was not too great."

"It doesn't matter," Tamsin said vaguely. "It was necessary."

Just as she was about to push herself away from the bar counter to sneak a quick drink, Trick came back up from his lair. In his hands was another book, leather-bound and smaller than the rest of his collection.

"Dyson, Tamsin, come over here," Trick beckoned them over as he sat at the table next to Bo and Kenzi.

Casting one last forlorn look behind the bar, Tamsin followed Dyson over to the table and sank down into a chair across from Trick.

The blood sage held the small book up, showing it to them all for a moment before handing it to Kenzi. "This is a map of the region. It is old and some of the landmarks it depicts may have changed or no longer exist, but it will show you the way to Theoria."

Kenzi took the small book, flicking through it curiously.

Next to Tamsin, Dyson sighed loudly. "I still wish we had better cards to play than an old necklace."

Trick looked across the table at him. "This is the only one we have for now."

"So now what?" Dyson asked Trick. "We leave, search for the necklace and hope we find it before the Wanderer manages to leave his realm for good? What will we do when he arrives with an army at his heels?"

"Kenzi will retrieve the necklace and return in time. She is a human of pure heart-"

At this, Kenzi snorted loudly. Trick ignored her.

"-and will be able to retrieve it from the cave."

"I'm going with her." Bo said. By the look she exchanged with Kenzi, it was obvious they had already discussed this.

"No you're not, you will stay here with me. I'm keeping you safe and away from your father." Trick said firmly.

"I wasn't asking your permission." Bo snapped heatedly.

"You're not going!" Trick said, his voice rising.

"She's not going alone!"

"No," Trick agreed. He turned his gaze towards Kenzi. "She won't."

"Then who?" Bo's voice trailed off. She eyed Dyson but it wasn't the wolf who spoke.

"Hello lovelies, I hear somebody is in desperate need of my assistance."

As one, they all turned towards the entrance of the Dal to see who had spoken.

Standing in the doorway, idly inspecting his neatly trimmed nails, was Vex.