Verdan shivered as he stepped into the glade which Gwen’s family had called home, a momentary chill running down his spine as he felt a touch of Aether probe him and draw away. He instinctively readied a defensive concept, wary of the strength of the probe that he'd felt. Straining his sense, Verdan felt a flicker of Aether around him as the others were also probed and assessed.

Following the flow of Aether back to its source, Verdan found himself looking at a towering oak tree that was central to the area. Verdan realised it must be the spirit that maintained the wards on this place, which meant it was no threat to him.

Relaxing slightly, Verdan breathed a sigh of relief. The strength of the probe had caught him by surprise at first. When a witch created a ward or long-term effect, they did so in concert with a spirit of nature.

No young spirit could manage that level of strength and such a deft application of it. That meant that the tree Verdan was looking at was old, very old. He'd guess at a thousand years, at least.

It raised his estimation of Gwen's family line. Not just any witch could claim a home that such a fierce guardian protected.

Happy that things were in order and a little more reassured now that he knew the strength of the spirit that was maintaining the ward, Verdan took the time to look over the glade properly.

The area was around a hundred feet across, with a large cottage in the centre and the towering oak looming protectively over it. No other trees, or any plants larger than a bush for that matter, were growing within the clearing, giving it a secure and enclosed feeling. The soft moonlight played across a fair-sized pond on the far side of the cottage, a bench set up to overlook the water to one side of the building.

‘It’s good to be back here,’ Gwen said softly, smiling slightly as she looked around at the glade. An invisible weight seemed to drop away, letting her finally relax and look at peace in a way that she hadn’t since she first woke up in Hobson’s Point.

It wasn't surprising, but hopefully, it would help her make a full recovery. Verdan recalled the damage done to her soul and the corruption still being cleared out of her body. The presence of a powerful nature spirit would help, as would her being in a place that resonated in a positive way with her. Verdan would need to examine her again for an accurate timeline, but he estimated a full recovery in the next few days.

‘I can imagine, the spirit powering these wards is a strong one indeed,’ Verdan said carefully, noting how her expression flickered to sadness and then back to hope at the mention of the spirit. So, she was aware of the source of the protection. Interesting.

‘Verdan,’ Gwen said, hesitating for a moment and biting her lip before turning to face him and continuing, ‘do you really think I’ll be able to learn control? The idea of dealing with spirits and controlling my magic is like a dream, but you make it sound so normal.’

‘That’s because it is. Where I’m from, every witch has a familiar and can deal with nature spirits on behalf of the common folk. I don’t know if your grandmother’s journals can provide any insight, but I promise that it’s possible,’ Verdan said solemnly, looking her straight in the eyes as he spoke.

It was a shame she wouldn't be able to learn wizardry. Verdan was sure that Gwen would make a fine apprentice.

‘I suppose that’s all I can ask for, thank you.' Gwen said before taking a deep breath and motioning to the cottage. 'Now, let’s get you all inside where it’s warm and dry.’

‘Is there anyone else here?’ Tom asked as they headed toward the entrance.

‘Not any more, my mother died a few years ago. I’d been meaning to move back, but the area had become a bit dangerous. I guess I don’t have much choice anymore,’ Gwen said with a shrug and a grimace. ‘But, that’s enough of that. With the ward in place, everything should be in good condition.’ Putting action to words, she headed inside, leaving the door open behind her as she went.

The interior was dark and cool initially, but Gwen soon had a fire going and added plenty of fuel to it from a pile set to one side, the flickering light building and providing much more illumination as the flames took hold.

‘Cosy,’ Tim said, his brother grunting his agreement as they set their packs down by the door.

‘Help me get these candles lit, and I’ll give you a quick tour,’ Gwen started towards a box in the corner, but Verdan waved her to stop and focused on the concept of a warm, soft light that was bright enough to fill the room.

‘Disir,’ Verdan spoke the word gently, causing a glowing orb to swell in his left hand, its gentle radiance filling the room and banishing all but a few shadows. Picking up a chamberstick with a burnt-out candle, he fixed the globe to its top, slightly altering the spell as he did. ‘Here, use this for now.’

‘Damn, now that was impressive. Just what sort of sorcerer are you?’ Tim said with a low whistle, his sentiment echoed on the other three's faces. Kai looked particularly impressed as Verdan handed the chamberstick to Gwen. A strange reaction, why pick this, of all the things he'd done, to be so impressed about.

‘I’m not. I’m a Wizard, which is something else entirely and apparently something that isn’t in these lands anymore,’ Verdan said simply, having already covered this with Kai previously and confident that they’d have no idea what a wizard was.

Still, he knew he'd need to have this conversation sooner or later, so he wanted to get it out of the way. It gave him time to speak with them about what he needed to do from their perspective to not stand out.

‘Stronger than a sorcerer?’ Gwen asked, eyeing the glowing orb atop the chamberstick warily as she spoke.

‘I don’t know yet. How would you rate me, Kai?’ Verdan asked, genuinely interested in what the sorcerer would say.

‘Middling to strong, but with unparalleled versatility. I’ve seen two of the four pillars of sorcery from you, Projection and Manipulation, but not Enhancement or Augmentation.’ Kai said, shrugging slightly as he spoke.

‘What constitutes those pillars?’ Verdan asked, intrigued by further insight into the types of sorcery.

‘Enhancement is using essence to empower your own physicality. Augmentation uses the same essence to empower objects or people in the case of more powerful practitioners. I awakened as an Enhancer. It’s how I kept up with those spiders; I was burning my essence to fuel my body the entire time.’ Kai explained with a tap on his sternum.

‘I see, that’s something that I can do, but not as naturally as you it would seem. What interests me, though, is the way you describe it is so different from the way I work,’ Verdan mused aloud, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully as he spoke. He should have expected that the sorcerers would have some form of doctrine, but it was so contrary to his own magic. Why break things apart into four categories?

‘Well, at least we know why you use those words when you do stuff now. That was a bit confusing for us,’ Tim said with a laugh, Tom grunting with a nod of his own.

‘Yes, though please do keep my origin and my difference to yourself. While I only want to help, no doubt some would feel threatened by me and seek to control me or cast me out because of that.’ Verdan wished he didn’t have to worry about such things, but human nature was fickle and wary of change at the best of times, only becoming more so as money and power became involved.

‘Don’t worry about us, Boss. We’ve got your back,’ Tim piped up immediately, his earnest tone making Verdan smile despite himself. He’d been quite lucky finding people such as this to help him.

‘If even part of what you have said is true, I’ll owe you a debt greater than I can express. You need not worry about me.’ Gwen was still holding the chamberstick with his light spell attached, her posture a lot more relaxed than when he’d first passed it to her.

‘Thank you, all of you. Your support means a lot to me,’ Verdan said with a smile. He hoped that he would earn the loyalty of those present and keep them with him. This was an essential step in reaching that goal.

‘Well, follow me and let me show you the rest of the cottage,’ Gwen said after a moment, motioning for them all to follow as she led the way.

The cottage was even larger than he first thought. The ground floor had a large living room, a kitchen and a dining area, while the upstairs held three decent sized bedrooms. The really interesting part was what had been dug out below ground.

There was a stairwell in between the living room and dining room, with stairs leading both upstairs to the next floor and down to a cellar. Gwen was already heading down toward the cellar with her candlestick in hand.

The expected cellar was present on their right when they left the stairs, though there was far more than Verdan had expected. Not the least of which was an extensive library that seemed to dominate the underground portion of the home.

The floor was worked stone, but several rugs lay around a reading area that held a long, low table and a few chairs. The air was cold, but Verdan could fix that easily enough.

‘Not what I was expecting down here,’ Tim said, looking at the book-filled shelves in surprise.

‘This is the stored knowledge of my family for hundreds of years, everything from journals to books on herbal remedies and potion-making. My grandmother’s journals will be in here. I just need to find them and see what happened to give her control.’ Gwen gestured to the array of books, pointing out a few examples as she spoke. In some ways, this was a treasure trove for Verdan as well. He’d have to see if she would let him read up on some of the alchemy notes her family had compiled.

‘That’s everything though, let me take you upstairs, and you can sort out where you want to stay,’ Gwen said as she started back up the stairs, the rest of them following along behind her with Verdan lagging along at the end, reluctant as he was to leave the books.

Gwen took her own room, leaving two rooms between the four of them. The expected pairing of the brothers in one room, while he and Kai shared the other, seemed reasonable enough, so Verdan didn’t raise any objections. Kai immediately volunteered to take the floor, pulling out his bedroll and making himself comfortable on the floor, despite Verdan’s offers to do the same.

He did consider whether he should spend some time meditating and working on his gathering spiral, but in the end, Verdan decided that he was better off getting his sleep and tackling their first true day of hunting fresh and ready for action. The Aether consumed for a pair of firebolts and a shield would be just about recovered overnight. He would have to be careful with his casting until his recovery speed was increased to match.

Banishing his worries and thoughts, Verdan took off his boots and settled in for the evening, enjoying the reasonably soft mattress and the security of sleeping in a warded glade.