If I think hard enough, there probably was a time in my technically childhood years when I wanted to be a detective. I can see the appeal. One part stealthy information-gathering, one part diplomacy, and at the end you get to catch the bad guy, assuming things go according to plan.
In spite of me being involved, and my personal doubts of the external origins of Amanda's nightmare, I'd say things went according to plan. It's a rather satisfying feeling.
While Warnado did some magical reconnaissance, I discreetly tracked down a woman unrelated to our group with sufficient magical knowledge to assist my efforts in acquiring a device that can detect magic from a distance. It took quite a few favors and a few semi-truthful promises to get the transaction through, and the device was technically a loan, but I doubted we would be in this village long for that to be an issue and in either case it could be dealt with.
Warnado and I then met up in a dark cellar at a predetermined time to complete the transaction. The dealer was a tall, old man in a trenchcoat with a relatively congenial demeanor in spite of the relatively threatening bodyguard which stood beside him. The detector he showed us didn't look like much, but then again I'm not sure what I expected. It came as two pieces. The wizardry detecting part was round and flat and glowed green, while the second part was a tin case with a small rectangular opening where light was supposed to shine through when the green detector thingy sensed magic on the other side.
With Warnado's help, and the dealer's permission, we tested the detector and verified it could detect Warnado's magic, and compensated the dealer with some of Warnado's money and a spicy burrito. Thus, the transaction was completed and the first stage of our plan came to a conclusion.
The next step was to discreetly plant the detector. Warnado stuffed the detector and receiver under his conveniently thick and identity-concealing cloak under the cover of the dark cellar where our transaction occurred, and we then returned to the inn, pretending to act like we had another good reason to be there. At this point, it was mid-afternoon in the village, so the risk of our actions being detected by others in our group was low, but on the other hand we hadn't ruled out the possibility of an external spy.
We headed upstairs and put the detector underneath Amanda's bed, and quickly realized hiding the detector would not be as easy as we thought. Even during the day, the detector's green glow was easily visible on the floor around the bed. Warnado had a spark of inspiration and conjured up a bunch of napkins to cover the detector, but unfortunately they were the thin paper kind and easily slid off.
"Maybe we should buy some paint instead," I said. I rubbed my forehead, partly in frustration, but in part because I was getting another headache.
"No," Warnado said, determined. "I believe in the potential of these napkins. With enough napkins, we can accomplish anything."
Warnado then conjured an entire pile of napkins as tall as a small dog.
"Help me tie these napkins together. We're going to make a thicker napkin to cover the detector."
"Couldn't we just purchase a blanket?" I offered. "Or hide the detector under the mattress instead? Anything that doesn't involve sitting in Amanda's room for several hours and potentially jeopardizing our entire plan?" I usually wasn't the voice of reason, but I didn't like the idea of all of my carefully orchestrated trade deals turning out for nothing.
"If the village vendor is a spy, that plan could backfire. Besides, if I saw a pile of napkins under a bed I'd be inclined to leave it alone. And don't worry about the timing. I've been in situations like this before, and if I had to give a rough estimate, I'd say our napkin operation will take about 36 minutes."
I began to wonder what sort of past situations Warnado could possibly have been involved in that would require napkin-based textile production estimates, and I began to suspect his past was a bit darker than his innocent personality had led me to believe. Then again, this was Warnado.
"In that case, how would you like me to tie the napkins?" I asked.
Fast-forward a little over a half hour later, and the glowing green detector thingy was encased in a blanket made of napkins that was thick enough to hide its green glow. Thanks to Warnado's handiwork it actually looked like an ordinary blanket, albeit an old and tattered one, once it was hidden under the bed. At this point it was just a matter of testing the detector's range and deciding what to do if the dream weaver showed up.