Bob and Fern Catch Up

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Bob and Fern sat around their own smoky peat fire, spilling warmth into Bob’s hut.  He had settled Fern into his favorite chair and sat down across from her.  They smiled at each other in perfect convivial understanding.  Fern broke the spell.  She coughed, shook her head, then leaned in towards Bob and said “Well, who do you think took the foxglove?  Are we sure it was Viola, and if it was her, why?  You know, there still is some missing from the vial, even after the bit we got from Bone’s place.”

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He sat thoughtfully, dredging up an old memory from the past.  “What I was thinkin’ Fern was that this whole Mus thing” he paused as if trying to get the words straight that he was going to say, ”You remember the way she was, after Cranberry back in their youth?  Well, that got me to rememberin’ how the same thing was goin’ on in our day.”  They both smiled the memories filling their heads.  “Well, we had the same sorta problem with Viola back then; just like Mus. It was before I met you.  Viola used to go after all us boys with a vengeance!  Didn’t seem to matter which one.  I know it’s hard to believe when you see her now, but she was a bit of a looker back then in a hussy sorta way.  Not pretty like you!” he was quick to add.  “She was a flirt and a fool.  Took a while for the boys to figure out what her game was.  And you know who it turned out she was after?”  He looked at her straight on “It was Raven!  And you know Raven.  He doesn’t suffer fools.  He told her exactly what he thought of her right there in front of everybody at the Gatherin’.”  He leaned back into his furs and linked his hands behind his head.  “Well, she gave as good as she got.  A foul mouth she had!  Raving mad she was – her pride hurt no doubt.  He told her he’d never marry her, even if she was the last female in the bog.  Well, she was furious.  Mad enough to eat the roar from a grizzly bear!  Huffin’ an’ cursin’ at Raven.  Didn’t faze him one bit.”  He looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.  “Funny, lookin’ back.  It’s hard to believe that pathetic old woman is that girl grown old.”

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“My, my” Fern was shaking her head.  “Now that you mention it, I did hear tell of her being a hussy.  Didn’t know she was after Raven though.   Wasn’t too long after, she married Syn, was it?  Had an ‘early baby’ as we girls used to call them.  Think she’s still out to get back at Raven?  I mean, it’s been what? Over forty years!”

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“Sure she could be” said Bob.  “I never got over your father not lettin’ me marry you and that was the same summer.” He gave Fern a frisky smile and a wink.  “There’s also the fact that she seems to want to be an Elder real bad.  Tryin’ to impress us with that amulet; then the foxglove.  Must have been her in the Lodge with us that first night, else how would she know about the notches in the vial, and what was inside?  Could she have just spilt some of the foxglove while she was messin’ with it and just be tryin’ to get our attention?”

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“Well, she’s got that!” Fern harrumphed a mirthless laugh.  “But what worries me is that the foxglove might not have been spilt and there’s still a bit of that it out there, and whoever has it may not know just how powerful it is.  You could kill ten folk with what’s missing.  So you think she still holds a grudge against Raven?” she asked, looking at Bob.

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Bob nodded, his lips held together in deep thought, considering the options.  “Could be.  But would she act on it?  I dunno.  It’d be hard to get to him.  He’s no fool.  Sharper than a razor clam he is. He’d never take anything from her.”

“You’re right there.  And Phlox has left him for good, so there can’t be any jealousy there.” She furrowed her brow in concentration, and a thought came to her that just about knocked the breath out of her.  She looked up at Bob wide eyed “What about his raven?  What about Blacky?  If she got to him that’d hurt Raven to the core!”

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They both looked at one another, their eyes dead serious.  Bob said “We’d better go talk to Raven.”