[Nogrod]

"Well, just bad dreams and fear. I wouldn't like to go back to them right now. But this young lady has been just as charming as I remembered her being. And most informative too." He glanced at Meghan and winked his eye to her conspirationally, smiling heartily. Then he patted her shoulder lightly. "We sure would do with some more sparrows like you during these gloomy days".

Then Sythric got to a more serious mood, addressing Raedwald. "So, what's your view of the situation? I do trust our sparrow here, as I count on Osmod. He's a good lad. His father is a friend of my brother and we've met a couple of times. Honest and hard-working boy he is. His father has taken good care not to spoil him. But how about the others? Fionn's father is a stern man I quite appreciate, so I'll have all the confidence on his offspring. But this Eostre-girl? I don't have a very clear picture of her family. I kind of think knowing her father, if he is the man I think he is. And isn't this Eostre living with her uncle or something? Meghan here told me nasty things about their relations. The one thing we can't afford, is us jumping on each other."

Sythric took the pipe that Meghan offered her again, nodded to her and puffed a fragile ring that ascended to the darkness surrounding the three of them.