[Child of the 7th Age]

Cami came sweeping into the kitchen looking slightly cross. In her hands were several old leather volumes of indeterminate origin and a satchel bulging with pens and vellum. For once she was determined not to let Cook bully her, "Can't you give me a minute's peace? Every time I sit down to work, someone interrupts. At the rate I'm going, I'll be as old as Bilbo before I even manage to look at any of this, let alone write something of my own." She plopped the books down on the table and glared accusingly over at Cook.

"Alright, I'm here. Now exactly what is this problem that couldn't wait?"

Cook eyed Cami disapprovingly, "Always got your nose stuffed in one of those old books, Miz Cami. Someday, it'll lead to no good!"

Cami bit her tongue to keep from blurting out that she had already managed to get into considerable trouble by searching for secrets in older volumes. But before she could defend herself, or even admit to the truth of Cook's accusation, Derufin caustically observed, "Enough bickering, you two. There's a man in trouble out there, and all you can do is argue."

"What man? Who? What are you talking about?" Cami challenged.

Derufin sighed and went on to explain what they had just been discussing.

"Well," prodded Cook, "do you remember anything, Cami? When you last saw him or where he was going?"

Cami screwed up her brow and tried to think. A man vanishing and his riderless horse turning up could be a serious matter. Especially a man such as Eodwine who was here in the Shire as a royal messenger.

She hesitated a minute and then spoke, "I honestly don't remember too much. He sent me a brief note before he came. We were always going to sit down to talk, only we never quite made it. I got involved with the mathom sale, and he disappeared. That was the end of our talk. One minute he was bunking down in the stables, and the next he was gone."

"So you don't remember anything?" Cook added.

Again, Cami hesitated before responding. "Yes, there was one thing. I don't have the note with me, but I remember he said something about Buckland. People in Buckland he'd visited or he was going to see later..... It's all a jumble in my head. Anyways, it may mean nothing. He could have changed his mind or put off the journey till a later date. Derefin said the pony came galloping from the west, so that doesn't sound much like Buckland. But I do remember him mentioning the place to me."

Cami lowered her voice, directing her words at Cook, "I hate to say this, but shouldn't we report this incident to the Shirriff."

"Halfred?" Cook blanched. "You want us to tell Halfred?"

"He is the Shirriff," Cami noted.

"He's also an addle-brained busy body who sometimes has trouble telling the good folk from the bad!"

Cami sighed. She could scarcely deny the truth of Cook's words.

"No," continued Cook in a conspiratorial tone, "let's try to do this on our own. It may be we'll need to draw others in later, but I'd rather keep this matter private for now."

Cami shook her head and agreed to keep an ear open for any news. Before she left, she glanced back at Derufin, "If you do send out a search party, I would like to be part of it. Eodwine has done me a good turn on more than one occasion. I have a debt to pay." With that parting thought, Cami headed down the hallway.