Brisa looked startled when Dakin asked her what was going on. How was she supposed to know? She didn’t even know everyone was gone. Yet she knew one thing…

“It has to be magic” she said speaking up. “People don’t normally just vanish, except when magic is involved.” 

“I’m Brisa by the way. Brisa Potter.” It was an afterthought to introduce herself, added quickly and just as quickly she plunged onward in her train of thought. 

“If everyone is gone…vanished…then there must have been some magic at work. I can’t imagine Autry, or Dorn, or your father Throven…doesn’t he lead the city guards…or your father Argurios…just allowing themselves to be…whatevered.”

“Magic, I don’t know what kind but some kind of magic. I haven’t read of any such magic before. Not in any of the magical histories I’ve studied.”

She stopped to draw a breath. She hadn’t talked that much to any of the children before, not even Dakin though they were on friendly terms. She blinked surprised at herself. She felt comfortable talking about magic, she had studied it for so long and so much that she had more understanding of it than other things. A sudden flash of inspiration hit her. That was why Autry had drilled her so much; a mage who lacked confidence was next to worthless. But what if it was something else, what if it was different. What if it was some not so esoteric source. She shut up quickly, snapping her mouth shut so abruptly you could hear her teeth clack together. 

“Sorry” she mumbled. “I just think its likely magic was involved. But I don’t think I’ve seen or noticed anything…odd. Except maybe her animals, they are all weird now. Silent and still but breathing. They were fine this morning though. Is that helpful?”

Brisa actually wanted to be helpful. She just wasn’t sure what to do now. 

She covered a yawn with a hand. It was late, very late, and dawn was fast approaching. She didn’t tell most of the others, just Atrus when she had helped him up after his potion wore off, that she planned to leave and wander the town at dawn. They would probably try to stop her, but she had to see for herself that Atury was gone. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe the others…she just needed to see it for herself. It was the one thing she was sure of. That and that magic had to be involved. She had to wait till dawn though, trolls terrified her. She wondered if they were even now roaming through the village destroying the place. 

She had no way of knowing that even the trolls would steer clear of the village for several days. The aura of the evil that now lurked there was strong enough to repel even them.