"And now forward, the fingers all the ways to your toes! Wonderful, you're getting there."

Elissa was stretching and warming up with Nannade. The girl for her training as according to Garrett's plan, and Elissa for her dance. Now that the date for the harvest had been set, the festival of Harvest Thanks was as well, and he duty would be to dance in a ritual for the spirits. For this, she needed to get back into shape, something that became harder and harder for her with every passing year. The girl however was making fast strides. Her body was still nimble and growing, the ideal time to limber up and learn body tension and control.

Nannade was now wearing the ward Elissa had made for her. It was an intricate stitching on a linen armband and made sure, that every spirit around the girl knew to stay away from her and if any of them should come close nonetheless, Elissa would know. Faan had attested to the effect of the spell and Elissa was most pleased with his reports.

A sudden call alerted Elissa. A spirit told her of three men having entered the forest. She told the girl to continue while she took care of business. As the entrance to the forest came into view, she saw them, seemingly waiting for Elissa. That was a good sign, it meant they knew how to behave. Elissa could tell by the yellow surplices over their dark grey cowls, that they were members of the Communion of Sanctified Trade, a relatively young church that focussed on morally stringent, far-reaching trade. They were popular with merchants in Sturreland, because of the broad market and network they offered access to, in exchange for donation and worship.

These three members seemed friendly enough. They had an ox-cart with them, covered with a taut linen tarp. The man in front, the tallest of the three, greeted Elissa.

"You must be the Good Witch Elissa. My name is Lorenzus, and these are my two brothers in faith, Dougalas and Thomassus."

Elissa decided to return the pleasantries, it was too early to be snappish. "Greetings, how may I help you?"

"We wish to traverse through this forest with your guidance. We have handed in the respective inquiry with the Lodge's office." Lorenzus produced a folded piece of paper from his satchel. It was a filled out and approved inquiry for usage of the specially protected infrastructure of the Lodge, which included the road through Elissa's forest. She quickly cast a simple examination spell and saw that the seal and signature were genuine.

"I see no reason, but please give me some time to prepare. I will find you here again in a few moments, then we can head out." She hurried back to the hut and told Nannade to get ready. She would have to come along. Faan would watch over the hut. She packed a bit of bread and fruit for lunch, the way through the forest and back would take the better part of the day.

Before she decided to head out, she turned to the Priests again. "Now that I think of it, I would like to see your wares first."

The three men looked at each other with puzzled face, but reluctantly agreed.

Elissa took the linen tarp off the oxen cart, Nannade stood next to her peering over the cart's side. They found large piles of pelts and wooden carvings, sinew, bone, stacks of full cow hides and similar things. Elissa found nothing suspicious and put the tarp back on the cart.

They travelled in almost silence for a while until the girl asked Elissa a question. "What do they need all those things for?"

"They're traders, they buy things at one place and sell it at another, for more money."

The girl turned to the three men. "So you don't use the leather and fur yourselves?"

Lorenzus chuckled and answered in a very soft tone. „No, we instead make sure that the wares flow where they need to. You see, some places make some products more than they need to, and some things which they need not at all. By finding out which places have or need which and what, we make sure that people can afford the things they need for fair prices. Such is our duty as members of the Communion."

He spoke in simple and easy to follow words, very good to blur the facts and convince people of the Communion's cause. Elissa had to be careful, lest they manage to twist her head around against the Lodge.

"Wow. You do that all over Sturreland?" The girl had left Elissa's side and was now walking behind her next to Lorenzus.

"No, not entirely. You see, the Lodge forbids us to trade certain goods like metals, stones, timber and grain. They reserve the right to distribute and ration these themselves. But we are grateful for all trade they do allow us." Elissa could hear he was intonating that part towards her, but she ignored it. "But we trade far beyond Sturreland; these pelts might go to big cities like Halonnes or Laeddunn, where people value fine pelts and strong leather from Sturreland very much."

Elissa decided it had been enough missionary time. "Nannade, please stay by my side and pay attention to the forest." She took the girl's hand as soon as she came back to her side. "I want you to learn how the forest behaves and feels." It was a quiet day and the spirits were at ease. Honestly, the clergymen could have walked by themselves and be fine, but Elissa took her few responsibilities seriously and she did not intend to let up now. They had made it almost all the way to the forest's edge when Faan contacted Elissa by means of their mental bond.

"Someone's coming down the road, they're coming for the hut. Three people."

Contacting her with many and specific words was not easy, so Faan must have serious reason for concern. She concentrated hard and sent a message back. "Stay where you are, do not intervene."

Just a short while later, Faan contacted her again. "THEY BROKE IN AND STARTED RUMMAGING THROUGH ALL OUR STUFF!"

Now Elissa was alert. Nannade noticed and tried to ask her what the matter was, but Elissa shushed her. She turned to the clergymen and started to call out to the spirits in the runic tongue.

Quickly, spirits of oak, birch and pine gathered and twisted roots out of the road and around the clergymen and the oxen, who seemed to be rather at ease, in contrast to the men.

"What are you doing, Good Witch? What did we do wrong?" One of them protested; Elissa had already forgotten his name.

"I am sorry, but as it turns out three assailants have entered my hut just as I was away leading you through here. You're under arrest. The Guardians of the Lodge will come by soon." She turned to Nannade. "Come, we have to hurry back."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you when there's time, DO NOT leave my side under any circumstance!" She took the girl by the hand and started running through the forest. How would they ever make it back there in time? It took only a few hundred feet of running for the girl to start stumbling. Elissa had to drag her back up. She would never make it before the assailants got what they wanted and Faan was not capable of facing down three people on his own. The girl was gasping for air. "Why are we running?" she asked.

"There are bad people at the hut. The three men we were escorting are probably in cahoots with them."

"I can't run all the way back!" Nannade protested out of breath.

"I know. Neither can I. But there is something I can do." She knelt down and beckoned Nannade to get on her back. "Hold on tight!" She said and the girl promptly wrapped her arms around Elissa's neck. Elissa started to chant again. Long and loud. She felt the gathering winds around her. She wasn't forbidden to do this, but she could get in trouble for using it wilfully. She doubted anyone would question her intentions in this case.

As more and more spirits of air and birds gathered around her, she managed to strike an acceptable bargain. The time for payment would be later. She felt herself get lighter and lighter, then float up on spectral wings. The girl's amazement was audible. Then Elissa's body started moving forward, accelerating ever faster until the two of them were bolting through the air just above the forest's canopy at ear-splitting speed. They took less than half an hour to get back to the hut, faster than any horse or carriage could have taken them. Faan was sitting on the roof, eagerly awaiting Elissa's return. Elissa and the girl landed behind the hut, without making a sound.

"Finally you're here. They have been through most of your study already." Faan told them as they touched down. The girl's face was still showing her amazement but also her fright of the speed. Her hair was wildly blown back and her eyes were red from the wind.

"Have you send for the Guardians?" Elissa asked Faan.

"Yes. Also told them about the three clergymen. Have you rooted them in place?"

"Of course! Now let's get in." She said while flipping through her cast book. "Nannade, stay behind me and Faan, but do not leave the clearing. Who knows what they might try? Of something goes wrong, hide close to the hut." She turned back to Faan. "Do any of them seem magically capable?"

"One of them has a crystal ball on a short stick, not even a staff, so most likely an alleyway mage."

Sometimes, people from the gutter happen to be born with the Arcane Gift and somehow discover it, taught by charlatans or criminal mages and away from universities and the law, they often end up becoming the highest rank of henchmen of more powerful and educated wielders of magic. "I knew I should have my staff with me at all times, DAMN!" Elissa was furious with herself.

Elissa decided on drastic measures. There were no living plants in the hut, so she could not ask the spirits for much assistance here. But she could utilize the floor boards with an arcane spell. She tore a few Tanglewood and several Freezebolts from her book. Then she cast a Defraction on herself. She had quite a bit of flux powder with her, so she took and entire fist full.

"Faan, I take care of the spellcaster, you keep the ones with blades off me and Nannade."

Faan nodded. Then they went around the hut towards the entry. Elissa made sure the girl stayed back but in sight. They arrived at the door and ducked below the window. Elissa directed Faan to sneak a peek.

"They're still in the study, going through stuff. One's in the cooking area, looking through some boxes."

Elissa nodded to herself. The Guardians would be here soon, the spectral wings she had just used for the first time in years were their major mode of travel, but she could not risk the intruders getting away either. She decided to act.

She burst through her own hut's front door, papers in hand and loudly proclaimed "Surrender now! Last chance!"

When none of them complied and instead drew their blades, she shot the first Freezebolt at the one in the kitchen. He was flung back against the wall and sunk to the floor, frozen in pose by an unseen force. With a puff of blue smoke, Faan turned from a grey striped kitty cat into a large black puma. The second assailant came for him with a drawn dagger, but Faan held him at distance, with growls and swipes, ready to pounce.

The third, still standing in the door to the study, held up a glass crystal ball embedded in a twisting wooden staff about as long as a dagger's hilt, primitive and amateurish in its make. He swung it like a heavy mace and hurled a fiery lance her way. It dispersed off her Defraction shield, but took out a good chunk of the flux Elissa had invested into it. She decided to take cover. The mages was distracted; with strides as long as she could, she rushed towards the table, flipped it upwards, and took cover behind the sturdy plate. Safe, for now. She drew the Tanglewood in preparation, took a deep breath, popped up and flung the spell the caster's way.

What should have happened was that the floorboards rose up and grew into vines that grasped the target's legs. But what happened instead, was that the floorboards bent and twisted themselves until they broke into splinters. She could try another one, but he seemed to be protected by some kind of shield. This was exactly what Garrett was good at. She never properly learned Abjuration – the field of magic concerning itself with countering, dispelling and denying of others' magic – so she had to keep flinging at him until something stuck.

Faan was still keeping the other attacker in check. He was around the corner from the caster, next to Garrett's bed, but the caster started to move into the room. If he got a clear line of sight to Faan, the two could overpower first him and then Elissa. Nannade was still cowering behind the door frame, only occasionally peeking in to look over to them.

Elissa had made a decision. She concentrated on a specific weaving, then she popped back up from the table and cast her spells.

All the pots, jars, glasses, cups and books on the shelves in the kitchen area started to dart towards the assailant. He had to duck and jump back to avoid them, stopping his advance into the room, this gave Elissa the time necessary to hurry over to her work bench. The attacker tried to fling another fiery lance at her, but his aim was interrupted by a small pot of parsley. The lance shot out the door and into the forest to scorch a tree's bark somewhere further away.

Elissa grabbed a knife on her work bench, held it out in front of her and concentrated on the most primitive yet powerful spell she knew. The knife darted off at the caster, cutting the air apart with a whistling scream. He didn't manage to dodge. A wet scraping sound was heard as the knife sank into his abdomen, then a crack as his ribs on the other side of his lungs broke under the impact.

He screamed in pain, calling out to his colleague, who turned around, ignoring Faan for a second and tried to throw himself at Elissa, but just as he set one foot in her direction, Faan pounced on him, pinning him to the floor.

The caster was bleeding out fast, but he had one more in him. Elissa was walking over to Faan, so she missed what the caster was doing. Faan cried out to her and she could throw herself back and out of the way at the last moment, not realizing where she had stood. As she was gliding backwards, she saw Nannade peeking through the door frame.

The fiery lance emanating from the caster's crystal ball shot through the room, and hit the girl square in the face. She was flung back several feet, coming to a rest motionless on the ground.

"NO!" Elissa got back up and ran towards Nannade. As she picked the girl up, she could see scorch marks and burnt hair in her face. "No, NO! Wake up, dear!" But the girl did not respond. Elissa did not give up hope. She put her fingers to the girl's neck and searched for a pulse. There it was. Her heart was still beating.

Elissa sighed with relief. She checked under the girl's shirt and found the vial. It was empty, all the blood in it had been drained when the magic on the vial weakened the effect of the spell to a non-lethal level. Elissa laughed and embraced the girl tightly while rocking back and forth.

It wasn't long after that the Guardians of the Lodge showed up. Elissa was sitting on the porch chair, the unconscious girl on her lap. Through the forest's canopy Elissa could see them approaching on ethereal wings emanating from their black feather pauldrons. Already from a distance she could see their grey surcoats with green edges and crest of the Lodge on the chest over their leather scale armour. After touching down, one, wielding the staff of a captain, walked over to Elissa while three more, wielding spears, took care of the attackers bound up inside the hut.

"Sister Elissa, I hope you and your apprentice are well." The Captain took off his leather helmet to address her properly.

Elissa nodded. "We made it out fine, she just took a sudden blow."

"Another group has already taken care of the clergymen, they're already being held at the nearest post."

"One of them is dead, the others should be easy to take care of."

Two Guardians accompanied the two survivors out, while the third Guardian and the captain accompanied Elissa inside. "They had nothing from here on them, we should still check whether anything is missing." Said the third Guardian.

The three of them searched through the mess the attackers and the ensuing fight had caused. The ground was strewn with shards of plates, bottles, cups, pots and jars, herbs, spices, powdered minerals, dried or pickled animal organs, pans, bedding, torn cloth, books, loose papers and pages, cutlery, plates. It would take them all day to check all of it. But even longer to replace it all. Summer was ending and many flowers could no longer be picked.

The girl eventually woke up. She had no problems remembering the events and her head seemed to be uninjured, safe for a few scorched hairs. After the Guardians had left, Elissa got to writing a letter. Not to anyone within the Lodge, but to Garrett. The assumption that the Communion of Sanctified Trade was behind the attack was obvious, but Garrett had once told her that the obvious is the best hiding place for the absurd. She knew that he had a safe house in Doessenhof and she knew a barkeeper he frequented for updates and messages. She just had to address it right and add the required fee.

The spirit coming after Nannade, the Communion distracting her, the absence of Garrett, the thugs searching her house, it was all convenient for anyone trying to hide something. And if anyone tried to hide something, Garrett would be able to uncover it. She trusted his abilities that much. it was time to finally get to the bottom of all of this.