[Lalaith]

Lalaith gazed at the bodies of the dead, with tears in her eyes. Her great, fine, respectable big brother, who had always looked down on his louche young sibling....well now she was looking down on him. Poor man. It was grimly ironic. And the guinea-pig breeder's husband, too....
The villagers were all talking, and Lalaith tried to take in and weigh up as much of it in as she could.
Of most interest was her sister-in-law, the grieving widow Roa, and this strange debate about wolves and wizards she was having with her sister's son phantom.
Lalaith's own inclination was to find and fight the evil in whatever form it took, lesser or greater, but there was merit in considering all approaches.

She called her daughters to her, and placed her arm around each of them, as if to protect them against whatever nameless thing was threatening them. She would ponder, while she worked, and return to the discussion later in the Day.
But one thing was certain. The chocolate she would be making today would be dark and bitter.