The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford

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PART II: THE WITCH AND PERHAPS BROTHER DIRK

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With Rowan deciding he's more interested in Rosie's charms than risking his neck for gold, Wren, Gann, Nessa, Sable and Kitt gather near the front gates of Brandonsford. They've filled up on Quinn's mediocre food, checked their weapons and armor, packed their packs and are ready to strike out into the woods east of the village.

As the sun nears its zenith, quite a crowd as gathered to watch them go, even cheering a bit. Some approach and offer words of encouragement.

The town Reeve, Eric, shakes each of the party's hands, wishing them speed and luck. He reiterates that the town's thousand gold coin reward will be theirs should they slay the dragon or otherwise rid the countryside of its menace.

He looks like he still needs a good night's sleep.

Tamsin, one of Bentley and Eloise's daughters, has climbed up onto the sturdy wooden walkway that allows the town guards to peer over the palisade into the woods and river beyond.

The messy-haired girls waves and smiles at the party, swinging her dangling feet like she's on a playground rather than a fortification.

Nearby, also on that elevated platform, watchmen... watch... dourly.

"Well, good luck, nice knowing you!" the tall one says.

"Ignore that lout! Just aim for the eyes! The eyes I say!" the shorter and chubbier one adds, gesturing to this own porcine orbs. "Scales like iron, remember!"
Quietly, Father William catches Gann's attention and nods are exchanged. The man puts his hand over his heart and bows briefly, thanking the Marchguard for agreeing to look for Brother Dirk.

Then, next to him, someone pushes through the crowd to the front, and she calls out as the quartet and wolf are about to depart.

"Wait!" Ingrid nearly shouts, quite an effort for her in front of so many townsfolk.

"Wait! I -- I have something for you!"

She carries something bundled in cloth, and presents it to Gann and Wren as she crosses the distance to them. "H-here! It m-might help! If shaken, it will shine -- like a torch, or lamp! But b-be careful! If exposed to fire... it will b-burn... and p-perhaps even explode!"

Wrapped in the cloth? The firelight citrine from her shop!

"Thank you," the woman manages to add as her cheeks pinken. "For... everything."

Sable slumps down and brings his hood up, planning to take the rear and make sure no one gets lost. He is happier than expected that Ingrid and Warwick seemed to have made some sort of positive communication and Kitt’s tail wags with excitement, happiness, or both. He hands the map to whoever decides to lead.

"Please, let’s get out of here Gann."

As they set off on their journey, Wren begins to sing. The others had heard her sing before, when she took them up the river in her boat. On that trip, she sang tales of the river and the stories of fishermen and boatmen who loved and lost. Those songs were steady in rhythm, with a simple 12 bar structure. But today, she sings the song of the Thrush and the Meadow, a moody tale in alternating chorus. As she sings, she pulls out a feather quill and asks for the map. As she sings, her hand holding the quill traces a subtle line, revealing the most expedient course to Vivian's.

Gann takes up the front of the party as they travel, heeding Wren’s directions as she gives them. He stretches his arms wide and laughs at nothing. "Good to be back in the wilds!"

The farms around Brandonsford are not densely situated, nor are there many of them. Hundreds of feet or even yards separate most neighbors, and the land is cleared around the village for less than a quarter mile in most cases to the north, south, and east. So it does not take long for the quartet to leave the village and most of its farms behind as they head for the witch.

While it is late in the growing season, fields of flowers and long grasses are still going strong... some of them looking out of place with the arable lands of the farms. It now being early in the afternoon being the middle of the day, several of those farmers are out working now; most wave or call encouragements as they've heard that a troupe of mighty warriors intends to slay the dread dragon.

Gann and the others believe they have left the farmsteads behind when the dark woods in the east eventually loom, but a final farm is visible, right at the edge of the forest. Even from a hundred paces away, they can see that the place is abandoned. The fences are broken, the barn is half-smashed in, and a number of nearby trees appear to have been felled.

All is quiet save the breeze, its rustle in the woods ahead, and the pleasant bird and bug songs that have accompanied their journey so far.

Wren points at the abandoned farm and says, "Look. I wonder what happened? I'm guessing there's no good reason to take a peek inside, yeah?"

"Might as well take a look. I doubt there is any danger around." Nessa remarks with a tone that makes it hard to tell if she is being sarcastic or not.

Wren, assuming she is being sarcastic, decides to tempt the gods and adds, "yeah, what could go wrong?"

Sable grunts noncommittally.

"Well, birds are still singing and bees are still buzzing. If it stops, we'll leave."

He follows Wren to tempt fate and check out the barn. Maybe they would find a clue about the dragon.

Seeing the smashed up barn, Gann steps more confidently into the lead. He loosens the straps that held his sword at his side, and gently pulls it free.

"Uncle, want to take a walk?" he says, stepping through the broken splinters where the fence was sundered. "Warning wouldn't go amiss if it's still nearby."