The deluge of priests around the temple made it impossible for him to return; he fled that part of the town entirely, afraid to be caught.

It was a net gain- he had discovered exactly what he needed to know before he made his escape.

Maintaining a human form would require age or power.

What could he do to gain power quickly?

The answer came to him immediately, and he did not like it.

For this was Calsar's capital, was it not? That meant his Witchraiser Dubhán must be nested somewhere. Perhaps in the large castlekeep at the back center of the town, alongside Calsar. And Dubhán was someone who not only banished spirits, but kept them- as Douglásc had said he was trapped in the sapphire ring.

Could Sif not empower himself immensely by stealing some of Dubhán's wicked artifacts? He had to have at least a few evil souls trapped, and not just relatively nice ones that Sif would feel guilty for banishing?

These thoughts troubled him as he slept in the weeds behind a pile of discarded earthenware.

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