T-I-G LVI: Panic at the Prancing Pony

[Beregond]

Having labored all day to complete it, Beregond sharpens the edge of the sword he had made a week ago.

"It's not pretty, but it should get the job done. I've never been much use making blades, but I have been improving my art."

He sticks it deep into an old chipped and mangled wooden block in the corner of his shop. Then he checks the tip.

"Hmmm. Not bad, not bad. Been getting some pointers from Gollum. Creepy fellow, and talkative, but I've never met anyone so knowledgeable.

I'm going to keep this sword on my side from hereon. Can't be too careful. Can't get the image of... of... No, rather not think about that. What we need to do is find these wraiths, or whatever they are, and see they don't do us no more harm!

I have suspicions, but it's real hard to see under the cloaks, so to speak. And I've happened to notice, only nine out of the nineteen or so people in our village have even spoke out yet. Ten, now. But wouldn't a wraith want to stay out of the sunlight, so to speak? Maybe none of them have posted at all. But wraiths are crafty folk - so I've heard from the elders, I haven't seen them myself - and by posting they could avoid suspicion, or try. Now, like I said before Gollum is a strange one, and he talks more'n I've heard before, but I can't fix him as an evil one. Maybe I owe him too much. Who else, then: Sally? Shasta? Durelin? Nerwen? I dunno about them. I have a feeling Brinn could be something other than she seems - she was the first to really encourage proper discussion and then she left, almost to deflect suspicion and avoid notice all in one. I don't know about the rest of you, but I just don't know as she is who she says she is."