Just a quick update: I've just started graduate school, working on my masters degree. The university I'm at now is farther from home than my previous college, so I've had to move part-time to a new town, and trying to get set up there in addition to adjusting to new classes has been very time-consuming. I do intend to continue all the stories I'm currently working on, but until I get settled into my new routine I don't know how much time I'll actually have for writing, so please be patient. I promise to update as often as I can.

Bo looked from Merlin's perplexed but concerned expression back to Morgana, who appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and got the feeling she was missing something. "Um, anyone wanna help a foreigner out here? Who the hell is the Witchfinder?"

"Well, I suppose he's a man who finds witches-"

This explanation earned Merlin an exasperated glare from his girlfriend. "Wow, really? I never would've guessed."

"This is no laughing matter, Isabeau!" Morgana exclaimed hysterically. "He has a well-earned reputation as the most brutal witch hunter in Albion, and he always finds his mark! Everywhere he goes, people die!"

"No one's going to die," Bo said firmly. "There are no sorcerers in Camelot for him to find, and even if there were, they haven't hurt anyone, so I wouldn't let the Witchfinder get them." She didn't care how badass he supposedly was, he was in for a world of hurt if he came anywhere near her warlock.

"Don't get out your daggers just yet," Merlin advised, seeing that Bo appeared ready to go hunt down the witch hunter before he even made it to Camelot. "Nothing's going to happen tonight, so why don't we all just go to bed? We can figure out what to do about the Witchfinder when he gets here, or maybe we won't have to act at all." He looked over at Morgana. "After all, there's no reason for him to investigate any of us, and if he does, there's nothing for him to find, so we shouldn't have anything to worry about."

###

Morgana tried to follow Merlin's advice and relax - like he said, there was no evidence against them; they hadn't used any magical objects in her lessons or left any visible proof of their activities, so as long as they both kept their mouths shut there was no way the Witchfinder could link either of them to the practice of sorcery. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom that had settled over her like a heavy cloak when Uther announced his plans to call in an expert to rid Camelot of magic once and for all.

"You need to chill out," Bo told her as they made their way upstairs. "Loosen up some, or you'll have frown lines before you hit twenty-five."

"Indeed," was Morgana's distracted reply.

Bo grabbed her sleeve, pulling her to a stop right in the middle of the staircase. "Okay, now I know something's really wrong if you're not freaking out at the idea of premature wrinkles. What's the matter with you? Why does the Witchfinder scare you so much?" After a short pause, she asked, "Does it have something to do with your dreams?"

"Shh! If you must speak of such things out in the open, at least lower your voice!" Morgana looked around quickly, afraid someone had overheard them.

"There's nobody here. So-" Bo dropped her voice to a stage whisper "-does your stress fest over the Witchfinder have anything to do with your dreams?"

Morgana sighed in exasperation. "You can never let anything go, can you? Come on - we are not discussing this here." She led Bo up the last few steps to a wide landing with a recessed space where they were partially hidden by a suit of ceremonial armor someone had placed there as a decoration.

"Of course my dreams are a cause for concern," she said once they were safely concealed from passersby. "It isn't normal for a person to be plagued with such frequent and severe night terrors. If the Witchfinder learns of my nightmares, he might suspect I've fallen under some malign influence, and if he convinces Uther-"

"Then Uther would want to help you, wouldn't he?"

"Like he wanted to help that cursed druid girl, you mean?"

Her words hit Bo like a slap in the face; she remembered Uther's lack of sympathy for Freya all too well. Now that she thought of it, she recalled Merlin expressing similar concerns when he first told her that Morgana's nightmares were actually psychic visions. "Oh... Yeah, I can see why you're worried. But look, the Witchfinder was hired to find whoever set off those fireworks, and you obviously had nothing to do with that. There's no reason you should even be on his radar."

Morgana cocked her head inquisitively. "Radar?"

"I mean there's no reason for him to even talk to you."

"But he certainly will want to interview you, since you were in the forest when those lights were seen. Gods, I've been so busy fretting over what will happen to me that I didn't even think of you and Merlin..."

"Hey, don't worry about us. If Merlin can put up with Arthur every day, he can handle one little Q and A with this guy, and I've faced things that would have the big, scary Witchfinder hiding under the bed for a week."

"I'm sure you have - you're very brave. Just be careful," she implored. "Don't underestimate the Witchfinder; just because he isn't like the monsters you're used to fighting doesn't mean he's not dangerous. I have a bad feeling about him." This frightened her almost as much as the Witchfinder himself, because such strong feelings were typically accompanied by visions, but this time her dreams hadn't warned her of the approaching threat or given her any hint of what he might be planning, what she had to watch out for. She couldn't understand why her powers had failed her at such a crucial juncture...unless it was the first sign of the visions she had recently experienced starting to come true. Now there was a truly terrifying thought...

Seeing that her friend was on the edge of tears again, Bo did what she normally did when Morgana was upset and gave her a hug. "Okay, I'll watch my back."

"Good." Morgana wrapped her arms around Bo, clutching at her as if she might be snatched away at any moment. "I couldn't bear it if I lost you." Then, realizing how sappy that sounded, she pulled back and wiped her eyes, just in case any traitorous tears had slipped out. "I'm sorry; that was awfully maudlin, wasn't it?"

Bo grinned. "Don't worry, I won't ruin your ice princess image by telling everyone you have a sentimental side. It'll stay between you, me, and ol' Rusty here." She rapped her knuckles on the ornamental armor, which gave a hollow, doleful-sounding ring. "And you're not going to lose me, I promise."

They left the alcove and continued upstairs, unknowingly leaving behind a very confused Kenzi. She had been looking for Bo when she spied her ducking into that cozy little nook with Morgana, so of course she had to hide around a bend in the staircase and listen in - Bo always told Kenzi about her clandestine meetings in due course anyway, so she didn't see it as a violation of her bestie's privacy - but she had no idea what to make of her observations. She'd thought Merlin was the one she had to watch around Morgana, she'd thought she had talked Bo out of her infatuation with the beautiful king's ward - an infatuation Kenzi had deemed pointless because she'd been positive Morgana would never feel that way about Bo - but now...she wasn't so sure anymore.

If there was one thing Kenzi was an expert on, it was hugging Bo in a purely friendly way, and friendly hugs did not include that much pressing up against each other, or leaning of heads on shoulders, lingering touches, and gazing dreamily into each other's eyes. Okay, maybe there wasn't that much dreamy eye-gazing, but still. And 'I couldn't bear losing you'? So not something you say to just a friend.

Kenzi didn't know what to do about this new development, so she decided not to do anything just yet; she would keep an eye on the situation, though, and take action if necessary. She was determined that all her efforts at finally getting Bo into a nice, stable relationship not go to waste, but damn if being a succubus' love guru wasn't hard work sometimes. There's too many triangles, and I dropped out of high school before we got to trigonometry.

###

Kenzi wasn't the only one keeping an eye on things; Kilgharrah had also been monitoring the witch and the succubus, and so far he wasn't pleased with the progress of his campaign to get rid of them - because there hadn't been any. The fake visions he'd been sending Morgana had certainly disturbed her, but not enough to make her lose control and set her chambers on fire again, or do anything that posed a danger to herself or those around her. Thanks to Merlin's training and, ironically, the emotional support of the very fae Kilgharrah was trying to push her into harming, the witch had proven more resilient than he could have anticipated.

Things were finally looking up, though; his interference with her Sight had blocked out the visions she should have had concerning the Witchfinder, which seemed to have shaken her more than his scare tactics themselves...and she hadn't been able to hide her distress as well as she usually did. Kilgharrah had never really understood before how fragile humans were, that a little thing like sleep deprivation could affect them so profoundly, but it appeared that all those restless nights were taking their toll on the seer, and the presence of Albion's most feared witch hunter might be the final straw that caused her frayed nerves to snap. It wouldn't matter then that Kilgharrah had been unable to turn Merlin against the witch; the Witchfinder would take care of her.

Of course, if Morgana was burned at the stake, Kilgharrah would still have Bo to deal with, but as he pondered that problem it occurred to him that his original plans for her might have been rather shortsighted. Perhaps there were other ways he could use her to further his ultimate goals that didn't involve killing her - as he had mentioned while explaining Bo's history, the Blood King was searching for her. Surely delivering her will be enough to earn my way back into the king's good graces. Why, he may even reward me! The tip of Kilgharrah's tail flicked excitedly as he imagined what prizes he could claim in return for reuniting the king with his last remaining family member.

The only obstacle to that plan was the inconvenient fact that he couldn't take Bo anywhere while he was chained in his cave, and escape in the near future seemed unlikely since he was still barely on speaking terms with Merlin. He settled back on his perch with a sigh, suddenly very aware of the manacle chafing his hind leg. Still, he knew he only had to be patient for a little while longer - and in his mind, 'a little while' could mean several months, even a year or two. It was just a matter of time before Merlin was faced with another threat he didn't know how to handle, and then he would come crawling back to Kilgharrah like he always did...unless his paramour had managed to give him the confidence and self-reliance he'd lacked before, as Kilgharrah had feared she would. Ah well, if she has, I must not despair. Perhaps fate will show me another path by which I might shape Camelot's future.

###

The Witchfinder came to Camelot three days later. While Morgana stayed in her room with Gwen, peering nervously through her window at the ominous-looking cage in the back of his cart, Bo and Kenzi slipped downstairs and watched from the shadows as Uther and Arthur welcomed him into the castle.

"So, shocking update," Bo summarized after the three men left, "the Witchfinder has a real name! Well, sort of. What kind of mother names her kid Aredian?" She paused, but Kenzi didn't jump in with a witty jibe at Aredian's mother; she was staring off in the direction he'd gone with an uncharacteristically pensive look on her face. "Oh no, don't tell me you're freaking over him too. First Morgana, now you – I don't get it. Okay, he's a little creepy-"

"He's a conman."

"Really? I know you've got great instincts about people, and I trust your judgment more than anyone else's, but how can you tell after watching him for all of five minutes?"

"How can you not? Were you even listening?"

"Listening to what?"

Kenzi sighed. "Okay, you heard Iridium going on about how bad things are in Camelot, right?"

Bo frowned thoughtfully. "Yeah, saying the whole town's infested with magic does seem kinda over the top – it was only a few fireworks, and way outside the city limits. They definitely didn't hurt anybody."

Kenzi nodded sagely. "The first step in any good con is to convince the mark that they need what you're selling – and then, once he had Uther all worked into a lather and desperate for his help, he jumped right into price negotiations and got a blank check and free rein to do his thing."

"Whatever that is - he wasn't very clear on how he's actually going to find the person responsible," Bo chimed in.

"Exactly, and him not wanting Arthur and the knights all up in his business means his methods probably aren't legit."

"So the world-renowned witch hunter's nothing but a big fraud." Bo let out a relieved little laugh. "Well, I guess I don't have to worry about him busting Merlin after all."

"Are you crazy?" Kenzi snapped. "This is bad, Bo. Be afraid, be very afraid."

"Why? If he doesn't really know how to sniff out people with magic-"

Kenzi was already shaking her head before Bo finished speaking. "Look, Bo, I may be a hustler with a heart of gold, but the truth is that most of the ones who get into the scam biz are not nice people. They lie, cheat, steal, and generally screw over anyone and everyone if it means just a few more dollars in their pocket. Do you think Uther's forking over buckets of gold for him to take a look around, declare Camelot sorcerer-free, and go on his merry way? He's gotta finger someone as a witch to get paid, and since he's not a true believer in the anti-magic crusade, he won't care if they're the real deal or not. He can just accuse any poor schmuck...and since everyone knows you and Merlin were closest to the scene of the crime, you're probably the first schmucks he'll go for."

###

"Now, I understand you were present at the time the magical phenomenon was seen, correct?"

Bo stared across the desk to where Aredian sat, taking notes with a quill that he periodically dipped into what looked like a genuine human skull while his chains and various instruments of torture hung on the wall behind him - the guy wasn't exactly subtle about the fact that his office's setup was designed to intimidate - and tried to figure out if the question was meant to trip her up. She wasn't normally one for careful analysis, preferring to jump into things head-on and deal with any consequences later, but with Kenzi's dire warnings from the night before still ringing in her ears, she was determined not to be tricked into incriminating herself.

When she didn't answer right away, Aredian stopped writing and looked up. "My lady?"

"I wouldn't exactly say I was present," Bo said at last. "I mean, the forest is a pretty big place."

"Yes, I suppose it is. You could have wandered through it for hours and never come within a mile of the sorcerer...or he could have been mere inches from you, just on the other side of a tree. You were in the company of a servant boy-" Aredian made a show of checking his notes, although Bo was certain he'd memorized all the pertinent facts well in advance "-Merlin, were you not?"

Bo's stomach clenched; his wording seemed to imply that he suspected Merlin. "Yes, I was with him the whole time. Neither of us saw anyone else."

"Hmm. As I said, it's entirely possible that the sorcerer might have been in another part of the woods, far from you...but according to the guards who saw you leave in the morning, you were gathering herbs for the court physician. Now, it seems that one of the plants he sent you to fetch grows only in large bodies of water, and the lights appeared over a lake. I'm not aware of any other lakes that lie in the direction you went..." He trailed off suggestively, leaving Bo scrambling for a way to explain how she and Merlin could have failed to see who conjured the fireworks when Aredian had proof that they had been in the same place.

"We got the plant from the lake around lunchtime," she said after a moment's hesitation. "The fireworks didn't happen until after dark-"

"At which time you were still outside the city," Aredian interrupted. "By my reckoning, you could have been at the lake when the...fireworks, did you call them?...appeared, and still made it back to Camelot at the time the guard saw you return."

"Well, your reckoning's off. I tripped over a tree root and twisted my ankle; it took me a long time to hobble home, so we had to leave early." Bo held her breath, wondering if Aredian would be able to tell that she'd gone from shading the truth to outright lying, but he just nodded and abruptly switched tacks.

"And are you certain Merlin never left your side?" She gave a terse nod. "Of course, no decent servant would leave an injured lady on her own... So he couldn't have doubled back and cast an enchantment without your knowledge?"

"Absolutely not."

There was a pause as Aredian took in Bo's defiant expression; when he spoke again, there was an almost threatening edge in his tone. "And if you did see the boy using magic, you wouldn't lie for him, would you, my lady?"

That was when Bo decided it was time for drastic action. Feigning outrage, she leapt to her feet and leaned toward him, slamming her hands down on the desktop to brace herself. Incidentally, this allowed her to touch her little finger to the back of his hand - luckily, he didn't share Uther's fondness for gloves - and hit him with a low-level pulse. It wasn't strong enough to arouse him - she wasn't in the mood for kinky playtime even if the scene was perfectly set for it with all those chains - but if she'd gauged the release of her power right, it should make him believe anything she said.

"Lie for him? In case you haven't heard, I'm here because a sorcerer kidnapped me; I was just minding my own business when some old coot - who by the way had really bad teeth and smelled funny - grabbed me off the street and turned my life upside down. Now I'll never see my home or my friends again, except the one who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got snatched too, so you're way off base if you think I would ever protect anyone who uses magic."

"You're quite right, my lady," Aredian agreed in a much more pleasant, apologetic tone. "Forgive me; I should have known no one who has suffered at the hands of sorcery as you have would sympathize with its practitioners. You're free to go."

"Good, I'm glad we got that cleared up." Bo straightened up, 'accidentally' knocking his macabre skull prop to the floor, where it shattered. "Oops. Guess now you'll have to find something less disturbing to put your ink in." She swept out, feeling very pleased with herself. I totally kept my cool and had him falling for my story like a ton of bricks, so he shouldn't bother me or Merlin again. Everything will be okay now.

She had no idea how wrong she was.