Sean woke us, holding a piece of paper. He handed it to Gretta. As she read it, Sean looked around his shop again. From the sadness he radiated, I could tell he was remembering lost apprentices who had once made this shop roar with life. Now, it was almost a tomb, silent and still. Gretta showed us the letter.
"Snathdubh's magistrate received both Enraig's report and our letter, along with a complaint from Sim. The magistrate sides with us and agrees that freeing trapped souls to be more valuable than Sim's research. He requests for us to 'further your exploits' and 'unshroud this area from the cloth of death'. Since we were headed south, he concluded Coille to be the best place to send this letter."
"Good," remarked Lisa, "it is nice to have local support and a person of authority on our side."
Sean interrupted, wanting to know why a magistrate was writing to us. Choosing her words carefully, Gretta explained the cleansing of Castle Night. Sean, a worldly fellow, accepted our actions easier than most. He thought for a moment then asked if there was a way to allow him to keep new apprentices safe enough to open his shop again. A simple request but full of emotion. We looked at each other, options swirling between us. Our eyes went to our pendants. I, in all honesty, didn't really need it as I could sense undead already and had already felt a spirit. Sarah, too, had demonstrated she could feel them at the extreme edge of the pendant's range. We both removed ours, Sarah handing hers to me. Clasping them in my hand, my riding set encasing them, I sent to Brimagor Sean's need. I felt the set grow warm and saw the eye glow. My hand felt fuller. When it ended, I opened my hand and saw not two pendants, but eight, slightly different from my sisters'. In my mind, Brimagor explained what he had added. With Gretta translating, I handed them to Sean.
"These are to be worn outside this or any protected place. Any spirit that gets within one hundred feet will cause this center to glow. The closer the spirit, the brighter the glow. Dangerous spirits or undead within fifty feet will not view you as leprechaun. They will view you as dragons, which should keep most of them away. If they get within twenty-five feet, holy power will shine and hurt them. A spirit or undead who touches any wearing these will be destroyed."
Sean nearly collapsed as I placed them in his hands. He began insisting on paying us or only taking two or three. We told him that returning his craft to the world was payment enough. With a broad smile, he hugged the pendants to his heart and left.
We gathered our gear, checked the fire, and headed out of the shop. Sean met us outside. He wanted us to follow him. We went into his house. From his bench, he gathered something. Nearly demanding we take them, he pressed finely crafted wooden items into our hands. We marveled at them. "Chains" of wood, delicate rings, finely engraved bracelets, and, to Set, a collar of sorts that seemed tailored to him as it rode perfectly around his neck. They were beautiful. We thanked him and told him we would tell everyone who had made such glorious things. Sean blushed. Set was viewing his new collar in Sean's mirror.
"I handsome! Too bad I will out-grow this before long."
"Don't worry, my dear, we'll find a way for you to keep it for a long time. We have powerful friends," I assured him.
Pulling Set away from his reflection, we left.
Eating as we walked, we left Coille and continued south. The Treant's path was easily found and, while not straight, took us through the forest as fast as any road. As we walked, we tested Sean's items on our other companions. Echo's small neck accepted a thin cuff bracelet like a necklace. A wooden "chain" draped elegantly around Dawn's throat and did not hinder her in any way, not even looking like a chain among her feathers, but like accents or natural spots. Bo's head went through another bracelet and it rested gently against his wings yet still let him fly with ease. The rest we stowed for later use.
We reached the end of the Treant's path at another river. In the dirt, a mark told us to wait for "Rose" to guide us to the governor's palace. It was afternoon, so we used the time and the river to wash our clothes and ourselves. It was a chilly bath, but a needed one. Set reveled in the cold water, his body heat making steam rise around him. We warmed up and dried by our fire, speculating who or what "Rose" might be. Our companions found fish for themselves and us. Our maps shown the next town of Bainne was not far from this river. We hoped this "Rose" would be here by morning, only because waiting in the cold was not our idea of fun.
