Herkor and his brother sit on some straw mats outside the largest of the huts, then motions for you to sit on others near them. He explains, "I suppose word came out from some of our recent guests about that ruined, derelict temple. I'm telling you there's nothing of importance out there. It's just an old temple with its runes smoothed away and made illegible due to the passage of time. Anything of wealth was long stripped from it by the occasional traveler and semi-intelligent beasts. Even now the area is heavily populated with the sorts of creatures with a strong taste for humans, and I'm sure they'd be even more interested to take a bite into obvious foreigners such as yourselves. If I were you, I'd report the area as lacking anything of importance and just turn back. It would make things easier for both you and our village, and if we both hold to our little secrets than we would also both benefit from deserved peace and quiet." He says the last with a broad grin and a conspiratorial wink.
Briony scoffed. "Benders. Yeah. Could be that. Or, worse, could be lust. Or worse still . . ." Briony shivered, " . . . it could be a nasty case of cough*love*cough." She froze. No. Screw that. There's no way. Like that'd ever happen. He'd never go for it. Ugh. I'm an idiot. She growled and stalked away, somewhere there weren't any people. Her tent, maybe. Let Ange do the negotiating. She was good at it. And Briony had things to stew on.[/section]
