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and a small trunk.
    “Sure am glad ya said yes!” she told him.
    “It was getting a bit crowded at the Mochrie’s,” Colin replied.
    “You make yourself right at home, now. I have a meetin’ to get off to, but I’ll be home around evening.” She winked and then left Colin to get settled.
    Catrina slept through the afternoon. It was the first uninterrupted sleep she had been able to have since Colin had saved her from the cave.
    Evening came and Billie did not come home.
    Catrina woke briefly and Colin told her he would grab them some dinner. When he returned she was sitting up in bed, but still looked tired.
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    Catrina yawned.
    “You should get some more rest,” insisted Colin.
    She did not argue.
    “I’ve never felt so tired,” she muttered, sinking into her blanket.
    Colin grabbed another blanket, taking a seat on the ground next to the bed, but sleep evaded him. Instead, he stared dreamily at Catrina while she slept, soundly.
    What would happen once people discovered her? It was bound to happen.
    He feared that moment.
    Would he be able to protect her?
    Did she know why she had been put into the glass coffin?
    He hoped that after Catrina felt rested and recovered, he would finally get some answers.
    He leaned his head, resting it on the side of the bed, and at some point, while watching Catrina, his eyes closed.
    Meghan awoke the next morning to the sounds of a heated discussion just outside her room. Her sleep had been spotty, at best. A terrible feeling had been nagging at the back of her mind all night regarding her brother.
    Before she could even speak, Nona jumped onto the bed.
    “I already took care of it!” the Catawitch said in reply, to the task Meghan had not even officially asked her to do, yet.
    “Still don’t know what I’d do without you, Nona.”
    “Nor I, you,” she returned. “Your dreams were vivid and I agreed with your thinking.
    Therefore, I checked on Colin this morning and all is well. I will keep an eye on him just the same. Trust your senses, Meghan. I do.”
    “I just feel like something horrible is about to happen to him, Nona. But I can’t sit around worrying about him every minute, when I have so much to learn.”
    “Which is why you will leave this task to me.”
    Meghan touched her forehead to Nona’s, saying thanks.
    While dressing, she turned her attention back to the debate going on in the tent’s front room.
    “Our food supply is running dangerously low,” a man’s voice spoke. “And, I’m sure you all noticed the lack of stores nearby. Growing food is our only option. Although, without knowing what’s going on, or how long we will be here, growing may not be a viable option.”
    “It would be viable if you would allow me to use magic,” a female retorted.
    “Yes! The food could be ready in weeks rather than months!” Meghan recognized this voice as Darius Hadrian, from the Viancourt.
    “We have already been over this! We have tested it before. Food grown by magic, lacking the normal growing period, also lacks proper taste and nutrition! It’s not real food!” the first man argued.
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    “Would you rather NOT have ANY food?” the woman spat.
    The man sighed, giving in.
    “No, of course not. We cannot go hungry. Banon, Vian Hadrian, I will leave this choice up to you. Sadly, I fear we may have no choice, as it may come down to a choice of low-quality food versus no food.”
    “Even if we do decide to use magic,” began Darius, “there is still the matter of gathering enough magical energy to do so. We still have to address the issue of our weakening magic.
    Our emergency stores are also at dangerously low levels.” The room went silent. Meghan took a quick peek out of her door. The group sat at the long wooden table, facing the Banon, waiting for her to reply.
    “Whatever is decided here today, we must all remain calm,” she insisted. “We have already prohibited the use of magic for the investigation. For now, this will keep the people