"Cedric, you seem to know a lot about what's going on in Llyncroft. Did you? Did you know about my grandmother's plans for me?"

Cedric's green eyes flickered with something — recognition, perhaps? He set down his glass and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "May was a remarkable woman, Evie. She had a way of seeing things others couldn't."

I felt a lump form in my throat. "But what did she see for me?"

He sighed. "Your grandmother believed you had a special connection to this land, even before you knew it yourself. She spoke often of your potential, of the role you might play in maintaining the balance here in Llyncroft."

My heart raced. "But why didn't she tell me? Why all the secrecy?"

Cedric's lips curved into a sad smile. "May was protective of you, Evie. She wanted you to discover your powers naturally, without the weight of expectation. She feared that if you knew too soon, it might overwhelm you."

I felt a mix of emotions swirling inside me. "So, the bed-and-breakfast, the condition in her will, it was all part of her plan?"

He nodded slowly. "She believed that by bringing you here, by connecting you to this place, your abilities would awaken on their own. The year-long condition was her way of ensuring you'd have time to adjust, to learn, to grow into your power."

I sat back, processing this information. My grandmother had orchestrated all of this, had seen something in me long before I'd seen it myself. It was both comforting and unsettling.

"There's more, isn't there?" I asked, sensing Cedric was holding something back.

His eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of uncertainty. "May... she had concerns. About forces that might try to exploit your abilities once they manifested. She wanted you to be prepared, to be strong enough to face whatever might come."

"What kind of forces?"

Cedric's eyes darted around the room before settling back on me. "There are those who seek power, Evie. Those who would use your connection to the earth for their own gain. Your grandmother wanted to protect you from that."

I thought of the threatening messages, the vandalism at Willow Grove. "Is that what's happening now? Are these forces trying to scare me away?"

He nodded gravely. "It's possible. But remember, you're stronger than they realize. Your grandmother knew that."

I sat in silence for a moment, processing everything. My mind whirled with questions, but one stood out above the rest. "Cedric, you mentioned a nexus earlier. What did you mean by that?"

He leaned back, his fingers drumming on the table. "As you know, Llyncroft is special. It's a place where different magical energies converge. An earth elemental like yourself, a golem like Gideon, a vampire like me. We are all drawn here."

"But how?" I pressed.

"Think of it as an ecosystem," Cedric explained. "Each of us represents a different aspect of the supernatural world. When we're in harmony, the village thrives. But if that balance is disrupted..."

"Chaos," I finished, remembering his earlier words.

He nodded. "Exactly. And that's why your role here is so crucial, Evie. As an earth elemental, you have a unique connection to the land itself. You can sense disturbances, heal wounds in the earth that others can't even see."

I thought of the tremors in the market square, the way I'd instinctively calmed them. "So that's why my grandmother wanted me here? To help maintain this balance?"

"Among other reasons, yes," Cedric replied. "But she also wanted you to find your place, to understand your own power. She believed in you, Evie. More than you know."

I fidgeted in my seat, trying to make sense of Llyncroft's delicate balance and my place in it. My mind kept returning to Alun and Thomas Davies.

"How well did Alun and Thomas get on?" I asked.

Cedric took a slow sip of his drink. "Not very well," he said. "But Thomas was Alun's only brother, and grief does strange things to people."

I nodded. "Do you think Alun could have been involved in, you know, with Thomas's death?" My voice faded into the shadows of the room.

Cedric shrugged. "Alun's a warlock with his own plans. His brother's death makes it complicated."

Complicated. The word echoed in my mind.

"People do strange things when they grieve," Cedric said. "And when you mix that with power."

He didn't finish his sentence but pondered his own words. I knew him well enough by now to know that he was about to share someone else's secret.

While I wondered about his cryptic words, my phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking the pub's otherworldly atmosphere.

"Evie Hartwell," I answered, not checking the caller ID.

"It's Captain Wolfhart," came the brusque reply. "Can you meet me in the courtyard at your home? It's police business."

I hesitated, phone to my ear. I wasn't sure I wanted to see Gethin so soon after our last conversation. There was no arguing with the tone of his voice. This was a professional request, not a personal call.

"Okay," I said. "I'll be there soon."

The line went dead. I excused myself from Cedric and Gideon's company and headed outside. The fresh air was a relief. I needed to clear my head.

Gethin was waiting in the courtyard when I arrived.

"You said this is police business?" I said as I approached. I crossed my arms against the chill and maybe to create a barrier against whatever he was about to say.

"Yes," he said, turning to face me. His expression was hard to read in the half-light. "I've discovered that you knew Thomas Davies before."

"I did?" I said.

Gethin's blue eyes bored into mine, searching for the truth. "Why did you keep it from me?" He sounded disappointed, maybe even betrayed.

I squirmed under his gaze. "It wasn't deliberate," I said. "When do you think I met him?"

Gethin's eyes narrowed as he seemed to do more than just look at me. His nostrils flared, and I realised he was scenting me. It was a strange feeling, knowing that he could pick up on things I couldn't. The thought that my scent might betray my innocence made me feel exposed, vulnerable.

"We've been piecing together his last movements. You were at the property of a Mrs Whitman at the same time."

"I don't understand," I said. "When you say 'at the same time', do you mean during that bloke I'd never met before assaulted me and was trying to get Mrs Whitman to sell her land?"

He nodded, still looking at me. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Our investigation shows that Thomas Davies was at Mrs Whitman's garden and assaulted you."

I tried to remember that afternoon in Mrs Whitman's garden.

"I just remember a guy being a jerk and hitting me. I thought Mrs Whitman she handled the situation well." I paused, trying to remember. "I had no idea it was the dead guy I found."

Gethin watched me closely, as if weighing each word I spoke against some unseen scale of truth. "And you didn't think this was worth mentioning before?" There was an edge to his voice, one that suggested he wasn't just asking out of procedural duty.

"I honestly didn't know," I said, feeling defensive. "I didn't remember his name, it wasn't important to me at the time. I was more concerned about how Marcus would react if he saw me with a black eye. I was worried about what he would do."

I was sure I heard Gethin mutter the word "renegade" under his breath.

He seemed to relax ever so slightly, but remained vigilant. He seemed to sense something was wrong, but couldn't yet pinpoint the source of the threat.

"We're trying to piece together his last few days," Gethin said. "Thomas had many enemies. We need to establish everyone's whereabouts and interactions with him."

I nodded, understanding. "I see. So now you need to find out if my encounter with him has anything to do with everything that's happened."

"Exactly." He paused, looking away for a moment as if considering his next words. "It's not just about alibis and establishing timelines. It's about understanding his state of mind in the last days and who might have wanted to hurt him."

"So you think because he hit me, I would want to hurt him?"

"No, no, that's not what I'm saying, but there are people in the village who will see it as suspicious. He was killed here,"

"... before I moved here," I said.

"... and you found him," Gethin continued. He tried to reach out and touch my shoulder, but I recoiled.

Gethin's frustration was obvious in his eyes. "How am I supposed to keep you safe if you don't tell me everything?" his voice barely suppressing his irritation.

I stood my ground and looked him in the eye. "It's not your job to keep me safe," I said. "I can look after myself."

He stepped closer. "May asked me to look out for you," he said.

"And what? You're my knight in shining armour?" I said I didn't want someone to protect me. I wanted to know what was going on.

Gethin's expression softened. "Not a knight," he said. "But someone who cares about what happens to this village and its people."

I exhaled. "And you think that includes me?"

He smiled, placing his hand on my cheek. "Especially you."