Author's Note: Okay, here I go further mangling all things mythological (and Wicca). Again, I beg poetic license and ask your forgiveness. "Book of Shadows" is, traditionally, a book in which a Wicca (certain other neo-pagans as well) records spells, meditations, etc. Called a Book of Shadows because its contents were, traditionally, a very well-kept secret... I'm borrowing the name only. Nothing else that I may write later about this specific book bears any resemblance to actual truth. Trust me, the more of this story I post, the farther from that I stray…

Oh, yeah, and sorry for the long lapse between the last chapter and this. RL can be a real pain in the hindquarters at times... I probably won't be able to get up more than a chapter a week from now on, for which I am REALLY sorry.

Chapter 7 -- Woman in White

"So, what do you think?" Nigel asked as they returned to the guest-lodge.

"About Brenna?" Sydney asked. "Trouble."

Nigel nodded in agreement, sighing. "Something tells me that she is not a woman to make an enemy of."

"Yeah, well, neither am I." Sydney shook her head. "Here's a thought, Nigel."

Nigel glanced uncertainly at her. "Yeah?"

"Let's head up to the burial-mound tonight."

Nigel swallowed hard. "You really think that's wise?"

"Nigel..." Sydney walked to him and slid her arms around his waist. "Come on." She regarded him with wide eyes. "Please?"

Nigel shook his head. "That would work better if I didn't know you so well, Syd."

She laughed.

"I'll go, Syd, I will..." Nigel sighed. "I'm just not sure it's wise."

Sydney sighed and nodded. "I know, Nigel. Honestly, I'm not sure it's that smart, either. But I'm not going to sit around on my butt waiting for something to happen, either."

Nigel smiled faintly. "Why, Syd, how uncharacteristic of you."

She shook her head, grinning. "Shut up and kiss me."

"With pleasure..." Nigel assured her, cheerfully complying.

When he had pulled away, Sydney rested her forehead against his. "So..."

"So..." Nigel sighed. He smiled faintly at her. It was hard not to smile when confronted with that face. "What now?"

"Now... we take a walk."

"In the dark."

"Whoooo..." Sydney snickered for a few minutes before growing serious. "Yes, Nigel, in the dark."

Nigel sighed deeply, but shrugged. "Okay, Syd. But I'd feel better about this whole thing if you were armed."

"It was a picnic, Nigel. You expected me to bring my crossbow?" Sydney shook her head, grinning.

Nigel smiled. "Well, when you put it like that..." Laughing, he pulled open the cottage door. "Ladies first."

"Oh, how chivalrous." Shaking her head and grinning, Sydney walked through the door.

Grinning, Nigel followed. The dark seemed a lot less ominous with Sydney leading the way, so he retained his grin as he followed Sydney through the village.

"Going somewhere?" a low voice asked them.

Nigel yelped and jumped, spinning to face the source of the words. "Oh, Brenna. Hello." He smiled nervously at the woman who stood in the darkness, regarding them via the lantern-light.

"Did you happen to miss my warning about going out after dark?" she asked quietly.

Sydney rested her hands on her hips. "Dark doesn't seem to bother you..."

"Mmm..." Brenna regarded her steadily. "If you were smart, the dark would bother you."

Sydney smiled faintly. "Again, the dark doesn't seem to bother you."

Brenna raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on her face. "No, it doesn't. Should, but doesn't." Her smile grew unsettling. "Going somewhere?" she repeated.

"Yeah." Sydney nodded. "We are."

"Where?"

Sydney scowled. "None of your business."

Brenna regarded her in silence for a moment, ignoring Nigel completely. "You're going to the burial place. I wouldn't were I you."

"But you aren't us..." Nigel pointed out. "And we are going."

Sydney nodded. "You have a problem with that?"

Brenna shook her head once. "Your funeral. You want to fall prey to whatever lurks there, that's no skin off my nose."

Sydney glared at her. "In fact, it would be rather convenient for you, wouldn't it?"

"Actually, yes, it would be." With a bow, Brenna vanished into the darkness.

"Well, that was... interesting..." Sydney muttered.

"That woman scares me, Syd..." Nigel told her softly.

Sydney nodded. "Yeah. Wouldn't want to piss her off." She started out of the village.

"Um, Syd, I think we've already managed that..." Nigel muttered, following.

Brenna shook her head as she watched them go. With a sigh, she went to Audra. "They're going to the burial mound."

"Why?" Audra asked.

"Maybe they're looking for something." Her voice was tense. "Something long buried, perhaps?"

Audra frowned. "Go!" she ordered, waving her hand in the direction of the door.

Brenna left at a run.

Alone in the cabin, Audra shook her head. "Which god did I offend to be reborn into such times as these?" she muttered with a deep sigh.

***

"Um, it might have been wise to grab some torches before we left, Syd..." Nigel muttered as they approached the mound.

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, Nigel. You could have something there..."

"We'll never be able to see the inside." Nigel sighed. "Without a torch, the inside only has natural light once a year..."

Sydney nodded. "Well, probably smells anyway."

"So what are we doing here?" Nigel asked. "Waiting to see the ghost?"

Sydney nodded. "Basically, yes."

"Oh, bloody hell, Syd. You don't actually believe that tripe?"

"I don't know, Nigel..." She shrugged. "Right now, I'm not sure what to believe."

"If you believe nothing else, believe that torches would make your grave-robbing more successful..."

Sydney rolled her eyes before turning around. "Brenna. How good to see you again..."

"You lack a certain degree of enthusiasm, Miss Fox." Brenna stood a few feet away, wearing an unreadable expression. "Tell me what you seek here."

Sydney glared at her. "Answers."

"You'll find none. Only the long-buried resides here. Leave it."

"No." Sydney shook her head firmly. "What's in there that you don't want us to find?"

Brenna stared levelly at her. "I want you gone as badly as you want to be gone. If your answers were in there, I'd bring you straight to them. Leave it."

"Prove to me that there's nothing in there..." Sydney challenged.

"I will not have you desecrating our holy ground." She shook her head. "Let the dead rest."

"We hear they don't do that anyway..." Nigel said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished he had not said them.

Brenna fixed him with an icy stare. "Then you would be twice as wise to let the dead past lie buried."

"What are you scared of?" Sydney asked her.

"What do you know of fear?" Brenna scoffed. "You wouldn't recognize it if it ran screaming at your approach. You would drop dead of fright the first time you heard a banshee call or saw an actual werewolf."

Nigel was inclined to agree with Brenna's assessment, but Sydney just shook her head and said, "We've been up against some pretty scary opponents in our time. The ones who made the mistake of underestimating us aren't around any more."

"Is that a threat?" Brenna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Syd..." Nigel muttered anxiously.

She ignored him. "Consider it friendly advice. Do not underestimate us, Brenna. And don't screw with us."

Nigel sighed. "All we want is to get home."

"Good." Brenna smiled, but it was not a particularly friendly sight. "Then we want the same thing. Leave this place. You'll find nothing here that you want to find."

"Hey, maybe the ghost will get us." Sydney smiled at her. "Solve all your problems."

"No, only one of them." Brenna abruptly shifted her gaze from Sydney to Nigel. "I saw who you were talking with today."

"Um..." Nigel stared blankly for a moment, until he realized that she was talking about Bridgit. "Not a crime, is it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

"No, but it isn't exactly normal, either. I know that the two of you are not as you seem. I will watch you closely." With this pronouncement, Brenna turned to leave.

Nigel gasped and grabbed her shoulder abruptly. "Your ghost's here..." he hissed in her ear, pointing.

Sydney and Brenna both looked in the direction he indicated. Sydney's jaw dropped as she took in the ghostly figure, dressed all in flowing white, who stood about a hundred yards from the burial-mound. The figure quickly vanished into the forest.

"We should return now..." Brenna said impassively. "It will be back." Without waiting to see if Nigel and Sydney followed, she started back towards the village.

"What is it?" Sydney demanded as they followed.

Brenna spoke without looking at them, not slowing her pace. "Not a banshee, certainly, but almost certainly a Sidhe of some sort."

"Is it dangerous?" Sydney asked.

"All Sidhe are dangerous." Brenna stopped and turned to face them. "Every Sidhe ever born into the land has the potential to cause any human ever born here great harm. We avoid them, they avoid us, everyone is happy."

"Except that this one doesn't seem entirely clear on the whole avoidance thing..." Nigel said.

Brenna winced almost imperceptibly.

"What does it want with a burial mound, though?" Nigel asked.

Another slight wince from Brenna. "Let what is buried remain buried. Do not go back."

"Mounds... They're commonly believed to be portals to the realm of the Sidhe..." Nigel said abruptly.

"This is their realm..." Brenna informed him calmly as they approached the village. "Go back to your cabin and stay there until the sun comes up. Many dangerous things roam the land at night. The Sidhe are not the only inhuman creatures that live here."

Sydney looked her over once, then caught Nigel's arm. "Come on, Nigel. We'll go back tomorrow."

Brenna shook her head and returned to Audra's hut.

"Well?" the older woman asked quietly.

"I found them at the mound. I saw it again. I convinced them to return to their cottage."

"Will they leave the mound alone?"

"I don't know. They say they only want a way home. I told them that they won't find it there."

Audra nodded and sighed. "Did the creature come close?"

Brenna shook her head. "No. It stayed by the tree-line again. It always does when it sees me."

"Is it afraid of you?"

"If it's not, it should be."

"Brenna..." Audra said in a warning tone.

"I don't know if it's afraid. All I know is that it hovers around the burial-mound but vanishes into the woods if it sees me. What does it want, my Lady?"

Audra shook her head. "Maybe nothing." She ignored Brenna's dubious expression. "The guests..."

"Them... is it related?"

"I do not know." Audra shrugged. "Someone summoned them here, Brenna. Find out who."

"How? No one here uses magic except us."

"Obviously someone does."

"Or something."

"Or something..." Audra agreed quietly. "Go, make sure things are as they should be."

Brenna nodded and left the hut, leaving a very troubled Audra behind. "We live in evil times."

"Times are not evil, old friend. People are evil."

Audra glanced up at Bridgit, not entirely surprised by her sudden appearance. "Can I offer my Lady a cup of tea?"

"Please." Bridgit nodded and sat down, sweeping her long black hair behind her shoulders. "Brenna is troubled."

"She is not the only one." Audra poured a cup of tea and handed it to Bridgit. "These people... your friends..."

"They are harmless." Bridgit smiled faintly. "Although Sydney Fox, like Brenna, has a warrior's spirit to her. She will fight to protect herself and Nigel."

"Is he a consort of yours?"

"Not your concern..." Bridgit retorted. She glanced reflectively into her cup. "His heart beats for her alone. I would not stand in the way of such love."

"Why are they here?" Audra asked.

"Why do you think?" Bridgit replied quietly, staring at Audra.

"They want the Book?" Audra breathed.

"They want to get home..." Bridgit corrected mildly. "Whoever brought them here, however, may very well be seeking the Book of Shadows."

Audra cursed quietly. "Not a good thing, my Lady."

"No, it is not." She looked up at Audra. "Your Brenna would do better to work with them to keep the volume from being rediscovered. And you may tell her I said so."

Audra nodded. "I most certainly shall. Will you be--"

"No." Bridgit shook her head. "This matter does not concern me. I can not involve myself any further than I already have."

Audra nodded. "Thank you for involving yourself this far."

Bridgit nodded and rose, taking Audra's hands in her own. "These two people... they are special. Take care of them for me. Help them as far as you may, and, always, have faith."

"Always." Audra nodded.

"Good cheer, sister." Bridgit kissed Audra's forehead and quietly left the hut.

"Easy for you to say..." Audra murmured, alone in the darkness.

***

Although she never would have admitted it, even to Audra who was both adoptive mother and surrogate sister to her, Brenna was terrified of the dark. More accurately, she was scared of the things that she knew to lurk there. It never stopped her from fulfilling her duties to the villagers, but it was fact. Brenna hated the dark.

And, as she held her torch high over her head and approached the burial mound for her second time tonight, she hated the strangers whose presence had forced her out into it for a second time in one night. Sidhe, ghosts, spirits, wild animals... and clouds over the moon that was normally her one source of comfort.

Shivering, she drew her cloak more tightly about her slender frame and squared her shoulders. There was no shame in being afraid, she knew, only in letting that dictate her actions. So she moved towards the mound, fully intent on entering. She stopped abruptly as she saw movement near the tree-line, a flash of white retreating into the trees.

Whatever it was, it had every villager in fear. It was her job to protect them, not her job to stand by idly as her friends and relatives were terrorized.

Ignoring every instinct, turning her back on years of teaching designed to keep people out of the woods after dark, Brenna pursued. The figure in white saw and moved away more quickly. Knowing that the torch would bring with it the danger of forest-fire if she carried it into the trees, Brenna dropped it onto the bare, packed earth around the burial-mound and then ran into the forest, following close on the heels of the white-clad figure.

***

"You want to go back tonight?" Nigel asked, shaking his head.

"You want to wait?" Sydney replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Nigel said firmly. "Syd... Think for a moment."

She sighed. "I just want to get home, Nigel."

"So do I, Syd." He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "But we both know that going off half-cocked isn't the way to bring that about. Let's just... sleep on it."

"Brenna wants us not to go into the burial-mound for a reason..." Sydney pointed out. She slid out of his grasp and pouring herself a cup of wine. "Want one?"

Nigel nodded and sat down. "Please."

"It has been a long day..." Sydney admitted, sitting down next to him. "But I can't shake the feeling that there's something in that mound that she doesn't want us to find." She handed him a cup of wine and took a long sip of her own.

"Maybe there is..." Nigel agreed, taking the wine with a smile. "Thanks, Syd." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "But it might just as easily be unrelated to all of this. She thinks we're grave-robbers, Syd. She's a Holy Woman trying to protect Holy Ground. The Celts were known to bury all sorts of treasure in those mounds along with their dead. That could be all there is to it."

Sydney nodded slowly. "You could be right, Nigel..."

"Syd..." Nigel began gently, turning to face her. "I know that you very badly want to get home. So do I. But we're not going to do that by making an enemy out of probably the second most powerful person in this village."

She sighed and nodded. "I know that, Nigel. I just..." she trailed off, not sure what she wanted to say.

"You're a woman of action." Nigel smiled. "I'd noticed. It's one of the things I love about you."

She smiled at this. His ability to finish her sentences for her was one of the things she loved about him. "Nigel..." she muttered, leaning forward and gently kissing him.

After a few moments of reflection, she rose, pulling him to his feet with her without breaking the kiss. She stopped kissing him long enough to push him onto the bed. He sat there, looking a bit stunned, as Sydney sat down next to him and pulled him into her arms, kissing him again.

"Mmm..." Nigel breathed when she was done. "Letting the wine go to your head, Syd?" he asked, panting a little.

She grinned. "Actually, no. I was hoping it had gone to your head enough to let me take advantage of you."

He smiled. "You don't need to get me drunk for that, Syd. In fact, if you don't mind, I'd rather be sober. Remember better that way."

Sydney laughed softly and leaned in to kiss him again.

Sighing, Nigel held up his hand. "You're probably going to hate me for this..." he began quietly.

Sydney stared at him. "It's too soon, isn't it?" she asked softly.

Nigel nodded slowly. "Syd, I love you and I don't want you to do anything that you're going to regret later. We have all the time in the world." He watched nervously, wondering what her reaction was going to be, sure she would be angry.

Sydney stared at him thoughtfully for several minutes before speaking. "Nigel, it's official..." she said with a sigh, shaking her head.

Nigel's face fell, sure that he had just ruined everything. "What is, Syd?" he asked in a whisper.

"I love you..." she whispered in his ear.

Nigel glanced up, startled. "Syd?"

"You're right. It's too soon and we're both under way too much stress to make this kind of decision." She smiled and kissed his cheek, rising. "I love you..." she repeated, amazed that it had taken her so long to admit it to herself. "Good night."

He smiled that goofy smile she loved so much. "Sleep well, Syd."

She started towards the other bed, then changed her mind. "Want company, Nigel?" she asked. "Just company."

He smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

Sydney grinned. "Okay. Let me go get changed."

Nigel grinned as he changed into his own night-shirt. He had done the right thing. A woman like Sydney was worth the wait. As they curled up together, that belief was only reaffirmed.

"So, tomorrow do you want to check out the burial mound?" he asked gently, playing with her hair.

She nodded. "I talked to almost everyone in the village today. They all seem like dead ends. Don't know what else that leaves."

"Maybe nothing."

She glanced back at him, startled. "You don't think we're stuck here?"

He shrugged. "Not necessarily, no. But we might be going about it all wrong. Maybe it's time to look at things from a different direction..."

Sydney nodded. Where she could always be trusted to rush into the fray, Nigel could always be trusted to approach things with caution and logic. The two approaches, which should have made it difficult for them to work together, actually suited each other nicely. Sydney and Nigel balanced each other out and kept each other honest.

"Okay, Nigel. What do we know?"

"So far? Not much." He sighed thoughtfully. He would have traded his healed foot for access to a library or the Internet. "Let's see. We know that neither Brenna nor Audra brought us here."

Sydney nodded. "Right. The one person here we can trust told us that. Which means that it was someone else."

Nigel nodded. "Right. Bridgit said that some people have found a way to use the magic that's in the land or in their own bodies to cast spells." He paused, remembering the earlier conversation. "She seemed to really disapprove the practice."

"Well, that would be cutting in on her territory..." Sydney pointed out.

He shook his head. "I got the impression from her that there was a lot more to it than that. She is not a jealous god, Syd. She adores magic. I think she'd be a lot happier if everyone used it. I think..." He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's harmful somehow if you do it wrong."

Sydney nodded, remembering how one of her grad students had once gotten sick after accidentally invoking the powers of a magical amulet. "So, our culprit is bootlegging magic?" she asked.

Nigel nodded. "That much we do know. But how do you tell when someone is?"

She shook her head. "No idea, Nigel. I've talked to everyone in the village for at least a little while today, and I wouldn't bet on it being any one of them."

"Does it have to be someone who lives in this village?" Nigel asked.

"No other people around, according to everyone I've talked to."

"Hmm..." Nigel muttered.

"Let's sleep on it..." Sydney suggested with a yawn.

"My kingdom for a library..." Nigel sighed, closing his eyes. "Night, Syd."

"Night, Nigel."

***

They awoke together, startled by a pounding on the door. Sydney tried to get out of bed, but found her legs tangled with Nigel's. Both landed on the floor with a grunt.

"Sorry, Syd..." Nigel groaned, climbing off of her and helping her to her feet. "Yes, we hear you!" he called as the pounding on the door continued. "Wait a second!"

The pounding ceased and he walked over to the door, opening it. Audra stood alone in the pre-dawn darkness, wide-eyed. "Tell me that you have seen her..."

"Seen who?" Sydney asked, joining them at the door.

"Come in, Audra..." Nigel said gently, taking her by the arm and steering her inside. "What's wrong?"

"Brenna. She did not come home tonight."

"Wait..." Sydney protested. "We saw her walk into your hut after we were at the burial-mound."

"I sent her out again. She has not come home yet." Audra shook her head, tears in her eyes.

"Okay, calm down..." Sydney said, maneuvering her into a chair and sitting her down. "Just tell us what happened." She crouched in front of Audra.

"I sent her back to the mound to check on something. She did not return."

"What's there, Audra?" Nigel asked gently. "What didn't Brenna want us to see?"

"A book..." Audra muttered. "It's not important now. We have to find her."

"Yeah, we do." Sydney nodded. "We'll need torches and volunteers."

Audra shook her head. "No. No one can know. Not yet. The panic it would cause..."

Sydney glanced at Nigel. "Okay, just the three of us, then."

Audra nodded. "There are lanterns in my hut."

"Give us five minutes to get dressed..." Nigel told her, picking up his clothes and vanishing into the back room.

Sydney quickly pulled on her clothes. "Audra, I know that Brenna doesn't like us very much…"

"Brenna is protective. This is… who she is." The priestess wiped her eyes and shook her head. "She loves these people."

"We'll find her..." Sydney promised gently.

"We will..." Nigel agreed, returning to the front room. "Let's go."

"If she's hurt..." Audra muttered as they walked towards her hut.

"Relax..." Nigel told her gently, squeezing her arm. "Audra, I promise you, we will find her."

They quickly grabbed three bull's-eye lanterns and started for the burial mound.

"What time is it?" Nigel asked.

"About three..." Sydney supplied, glancing at her wrist-watch.

"It will rain soon..." Audra announced quietly.

"You sure?" Sydney asked.

Audra nodded.

"That's going to make her trail harder to find..." Nigel said.

Sydney nodded in agreement, but hastened to add, "But probably easier to follow once we have found it."

"Well, I can tell you that she's been here..." Nigel announced as they approached the mound.

Sydney glanced at him in surprise. "How's that, oh Great White Hunter?"

Nigel bent over and picked up the extinguished torch. He sniffed it thoughtfully. "It's been out for a while, I think."

Audra took the torch and nodded. "Yes. She must have dropped it here shortly after I sent her out." She exhaled deeply. "Why would she do that?" she demanded, shaking her head in confusion.

"Two possibilities that I see." Sydney told her.

Nigel nodded. "Either she was forced to drop it, or..."

"Or she was afraid to bring it into the forest..." Sydney finished.

Audra glanced towards the tree-line. "I do not think she would go into the forest in the dark. Not alone. Not of her own free will."

Sydney dropped into a crouch and examined the dusty ground. "Nigel, could you hold this?"

Nigel grabbed her torch and held it up helpfully. "What do you see?"

"Maybe a footprint..." she muttered, examining the depression in the earth thoughtfully. "Hard to tell... She's not that heavy and the ground here is dry."

"Maybe closer to the trees..." Nigel suggested.

Sydney nodded and started towards the trees, staying in a crouch as she moved, examining the ground. "Yeah, this is definitely a boot-print..." She pointed. "But it's small... looks more like it belongs to a child."

Audra bent over her shoulder. "Brenna has very small feet."

"This small?" Sydney asked.

Audra started to shake her head, then paused. "Maybe. I'm not really sure."

"Would any child be out at this hour?" Sydney asked.

Audra shook her head. "No."

"Then it must belong to Brenna..." Nigel said. "By process of elimination..."

"Headed... towards the forest..." Sydney said, nodding and glancing at the tree-line.

"Without light?" Audra asked. "It makes no sense."

"Why didn't she have a lantern?" Nigel asked. "Why a torch?"

"Torches scare away the wild animals..." Audra explained. "Things know that you are coming when you have a torch."

"Maybe she didn't want someone to know she was coming..." Sydney muttered, straightening.

"We must find her..." Audra muttered, wringing her hands.

"It's going to be okay..." Nigel muttered gently.

They walked towards the forest together, spreading out a few dozen feet, looking for foot-prints or other signs of Brenna.

"Nigel!" Sydney called. "Over here."

He hurried over to her. "Yeah, Syd?"

She held up a small crossbow. The one that Brenna had been leveling at them the first time they saw her.

"Damn..." Nigel muttered.

"She would never leave that..." Audra announced quietly, joining them.

"It's wound..." Sydney announced. "She was about to fire it at something."

"And it was knocked out of her hand first..." Nigel said, looking around on the ground until he found the bolt a few yards away.

Audra covered her mouth with her hand, shaking.

Sydney drew Nigel a few feet away and kept her voice at a whisper. "There was a struggle here, Nigel. Look at the way the underbrush has been trampled down..."

Nigel nodded and held up the crossbow bolt for her examination, shining the lantern-beam on it. "Blood, Syd."

Sydney glanced back at Audra, who was crouched in the center of the clearing, holding her hands a few inches above the ground. "What's she doing?"

Nigel shook his head. "Praying, probably. You think she's dead?"

Sydney shook her head. "Or she wasn't when she was taken. It doesn't make sense to carry off a body."

"Then there's a trail around here somewhere..." Nigel said.

Sydney nodded. "All we have to do is find it."

"What about her?" Nigel asked.

"We bring her back to her hut."

"Trail'll grow cold, Syd..." he muttered.

"I don't like the idea of bringing her along, Nigel. I doubt she can fight if it come to that."

He nodded. "So we bring her back, then we come back here and look for Brenna?"

Sydney nodded. "I don't see what else we can do. Can't send her back alone in the dark..."

Nigel nodded and they approached Audra. "We're going to bring you home now, Audra..." he told her gently.

"But..."

"Then we're going to come back and comb these woods until we find Brenna..." Sydney added quickly. "We'll need weapons."

Audra extended Brenna's crossbow with a shaking hand. "There are bolts in the hut. Knives as well. All of Brenna's weapons... take what you need, just find her."

Sydney nodded. "Thank you. We will find her, Audra."

Brenna's arsenal turned out to be more formidable than Sydney's own. Brenna could have armed the entire town from this supply, which, Sydney supposed, was the point. Brenna's purpose in the village seemed to be a combination of healer and constable.

Grabbing a handful of bolts, several knives, two small swords, and a backup crossbow for Nigel, they refilled their lanterns and returned to the scene of the crime.