3

"You have been poisoned. Your injuries are healing nicely. Though it will take a few days for you to fully recover." He said calmly.

"Who did this to me? Who attacked me? What have I done to deserve this?!" She demanded. Brathor nodded solemnly.

"They call themselves the Dark Brotherhood. They have been hiding in these woods for centuries. They have been waiting for someone like you to show up. Someone strong enough to challenge their leader. He has been wanting to end the war between our people for years. So he sent a group of mercenaries to hunt down the leaders of the opposing clans. And your mother was the first one to fall."

Bilbo closed her eyes, remembering the look on Mirya's face as she had died in her arms. Her heart ached as she thought about it.

"I saw her die. I didn't even get to say goodbye…" She murmured sadly.

"Don't worry. We'll find who did this to her. I'm going to leave you with some food and water. There is something I'd like you to do for me. This should be easy for you to handle." He said kindly. "Can you think of anyone who might want to harm your family? Anyone at all? Please think carefully, we can't afford to make any mistakes. Think of anyone who might want to hurt your mother. I need to know everything you can remember."

Bilbo sat down on the bed and thought about it. She thought of everyone who was angry with her, or who she had ever angered in her life. Everyone except for one person. But she knew that he would never hurt her mother.

"No. No, no, no, no, NO! I can't think of anyone. Anyone who would do this to her. My mother doesn't have enemies. She wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone! She would never hurt anyone!" She cried, clutching her head in her hands. It was no use. She couldn't think of anyone.

"Good, good... Now, eat something. You've got a lot of strength to gain yet." Brathor said, motioning to the food. She grabbed a wooden bowl and started eating ravenously. It was mostly soup and bread, but it tasted good nonetheless. She ate until her stomach was full and her hunger was satisfied, then she lay down to rest.

***

It was night when Cirler arrived at the camp, and they were all gathered there. He strode over to where they were sitting and bowed low, indicating for the men to rise.

"My apologies for coming so late. I encountered some trouble on the way. I managed to find some information about the Dark Brotherhood's basecamp. It is located in the central region of the forest. It is not far from here. Unfortunately I don�t know which direction it is in. I plan to scout out the area tomorrow, but I wanted to warn you about what happened earlier today. It is possible that they are already raiding the camp. If they are, then we need to be prepared. The Brotherhood is a threat to everyone.