We gathered around the big wooden table for the midday meal. Jack was at its head, Ellie on his left. Mary was seated on a high stool next to her mother. I was opposite Jenny, while James, my brawny blacksmith brother, sat at the foot of the table, head down, tucking into a massive plate of hotpot.

“What puzzles me,” said Jack, resting his knife and fork on his plate to give Jenny a stare from beneath his bushy eyebrows, “is why a young girl like you would want to do such a dangerous and terrifying job. Wouldn’t it be better to find a kind man and raise a family together?”

“Oh, Jack!” cried Ellie. “Leave Jenny alone! A woman can do most jobs that a man does. She’s even better at certain tasks! What you’ve got to remember is that Tom’s job often involves helping people and making it possible for them to live their lives without fear—something to which a woman’s well suited.”

“I want to be a spook!” Mary cried out. “Want to talk to a bog!”

We all laughed, and I smiled at Ellie. More than once my job had brought danger into their lives. It had scared Ellie, and I knew that she preferred it if I wasn’t around the farm after dark. But it was nice to hear her talk about my job like that. It made me feel that she appreciated what I did.

“Why don’t we let the girl speak for herself?” Jack wiped up the last of his gravy with a big slice of bread.

“A woman has to make her way in the world as well as a man. There aren’t that many jobs she can do to keep the wolf from the door,” Jenny said, meeting Jack’s eyes. “Like Tom, I have special abilities that make me fit for this line of work. Of course, one day I would like to have children, but having a family doesn’t stop you from working. Your mother was a healer and a midwife, perhaps the best in the County. She raised seven sons and yet found time for other work. I hope to do something similar.”

Once again, I was stunned by all that Jenny knew. She must have asked around to find out about Mam. Or maybe Mam had visited her village . . . she’d been well known and respected throughout the County.

The table became quiet at that. What Jenny had said was quite true, but it made us think of Mam and her absence from the family table. She was sorely missed.

“Is this just a family visit, Tom?” James said, breaking the silence. “Or have you got spook’s business in the area?”

“No, things are fairly quiet at the moment. I was just passing nearby and took the opportunity to visit you, that’s all. But have you heard about any problems around here? Has anyone gone missing . . . ?” I didn’t want to alarm my family, but I was worried that other Kobalos mages might be loose in the County; I had to ask.