#earthrunes

"Have you checked with other holds? The Count?"

"I checkeed with tea neck, another barony. "

"I also checked with a hold in Iowa.. it was unaffected"

"The Farm? Aye, I have texts from Clem that day..."

"Ah, yes, of course you'd know the Chieftain there." A thoughtful look "Seems to be Bergen...but how? And why?"

"And Scarsdale is just over the Hudson..." She taps her chin, thoughtfully.

"So. Something obviously happened, and someone wished it to be forgotten - in a rather outsized way."

"I hesitate to say it - but this may be willworker magic. They are rumored to be able to do such feats. They also will drink a balefire dry to power such..."

"Willworkers? You mean...mages are reall?" Her jaw opens "I thought they were just ..well, i heard stories they'd been destroyed by hidden evil"

"Wizards, vampires, werewolves, ghosts - aye. Think you not all is possible?"

"Werewolves, of course, were fae once - but they have forgotten their roots. Vampires are an abomination, a wraith entrapped by dead flesh..."

"I had heard of the shifters and ghosts... believe in em but wizards" A thoughtful look "oh my."

"Some kinain are able to do magic - Kansas City is a crossroads, and there is much to be seen if you pay mind."

She frowns at the phone. "Perhaps... perhaps I would need to visit Bergen in person. I wonder if my phone would be wiped upon entrance... or if the casting was for the moment itself?"

"that's a good question, " A thought "Zara, I don't want to endanger your memory or property. I came here to do research, not throw you on to some trail I was walking meself. Not fair to you. You're a busy woman"

"But... oh, I wish to help! It's a mystery!"

A tilt of her head "Well, truth to say, there are some of us at the lodge thought of abandoning it and moving on. Not like it hurt us any"

A sigh. "Trolls."

"So... pragmatic."

"You say that like it's a bad thing" a touch amused

"I don't see how they can just be content not knowing!"

"We'll never know it all," She says "A person could live a hundred life times and not know it all. So why beat yourself up about not knowing something?" Siv herself was and is curious, but feels a bit devil's advocate here

"Is that not why we have so many lives, to learn?"

"Maybe it's to travel, or love, or even just be. Maybe it's a matter of self reflection and... pardon, it occurs to me I might just be trollin' you, pun intended- but you do seem awful driven to find about this when it's a Bergen problem"

"Because as you said - it is not a "problem" - it is a mystery."

"Can't you imagine the possibilities?"

"Yes, you mentioned balefire eating willworkers. Wouldn't the smart thing be not to go poking at such people?" Curious now

"And then, what - let them think they can just keep doing such?"

"Trolls defend, trolls guard... sluagh... we learn, and we punish."

"Well, they didn't eat a balefire, they ate a date."

Her brow wrinkles, "I shan't lie. Does get me curious as well"

"Aye. For a reason. You don't destroy all records of a day if you did something nice."

"A cover up?" New interest "A crime, magical or fae, or whatever...interesting"

"Exactly. So - two questions, nu? Nay, three..."

"What happened, who did it, and how did they cover their tracks?"

Siv ponders this and bites her lip "Oh mum and da are liable to be so mad at me"

"Mad? Why?"

"Oh me getting into trouble, risking myself... poking prodigals. I'm..vulnerable to banality so they tend to be very protective. You've no idea how protective parents are until you see troll parents. But.. problems should be solved by those who see them and since I started this, or at least found it first. I better do this." A look at Zara, "Could I trust you to keep this somewhat on the downlow if WE do this?"

"Miss Siv, my mother is jewish and boggan-blooded. I have an idea." She smiles.

"But I can be discrete. I will not blab, especially if doing so would hinder..."

Delores comes in "mm?" A tea set "Sorry it took so long, Miss Zara. "

She turns , "Hello, I'm Delores, Steward of the hold. "

"Oh, Delores! Thank you! I do hope Bronte wasn't too forward in mugging for treats..."

"She certainly knows a lot of quotes about candy and such" Delores says

"Siv Waveborne, good steward, and thank you very much" Siv says

"Bronte is a most clever darling, aye." Zara pours the cups.

"You two okay? How do you know each other?" The boggan says with a smile coaxing

while no pooka, she has that 'me? I'm just a boggan feel free to talk' look her own mom has something of

"Oh, I travel a bit and we met rather by chance. I'll admit, I kvelled quite a bit about our library here..."

"And I can see why" siv says "Me being no biblophile to be sure, but tis a grand collection indeed."