Although Shanoa found herself prepared to jot down any dreams she might have had, several days passed after she bought the ledger with nothing coming to her in her sleep for her to write down. Had she wasted the money? No, she would not consider it a waste. The dreams would come again, she was sure. She just did not know when.

For the time being, she went about her days as always. She ran errands, played with Serge and Anna, and even had tea with Daniela. It was the old woman who brought up Shanoa becoming distant with the villagers as of late. "Is anything wrong?" the old woman asked of her one morning as Shanoa stopped by to check on her. "I feel it is you who needs to be checked on."

"Ah, yes, everything is fine."

The old woman peered up at her and remarked that Shanoa did not sound fine. "You do not look fine, either. Come inside."

Shanoa followed Daniela into her comfortable little home. She could not say no, not to Daniela. When they were inside and seated, Daniela assured Shanoa that what was said in her home stayed there.

"I doubt these young men are giving you trouble," she added as she studied Shanoa's face. "I know you could handle them yourself. Now then, what's on your mind?"

Shanoa sighed and weighed her words carefully. She started to explain the dreams she had to Daniela, about how that woman felt so familiar and yet so not at the same time, how it took several dreams for her to finally speak and it was to accuse her of sneaking up on her. "And yet, if you were to force me to put a name to her face, I could not do it," finished Shanoa.

Daniela had sat in silence, listening and nodding her head as Shanoa spoke. With Shanoa finished, she leaned forward and said, "Perhaps it is she who knows you, and she has some unfinished business with you."

"What do you mean?"

"There are plenty of reasons why this young lady keeps appearing to you. She might wish for you to find her if she cannot find you. You say you do not know her, but it could be the other way around. A spell, perhaps, causes her to appear in your sleep." She chuckled to herself and asked, "I bet you were very frightened by the first words you heard her say."

Shanoa had been. She had wondered who the woman was for quite some time, and yet the first thing she knew of that came out of her mouth had been an accusation. "I do not know any witches," said Shanoa, "if that is what you are implying."

"Can you say that for sure?"

"No," admitted Shanoa. Unless they were evil, she did not think witches came right out and said they were witches.

"She might also just simply be someone who is thinking of you, and somehow your mind knows of it." Laura had also made that suggestion. Could the answer be so simple? Shanoa hoped so.

"But how do I..." Shanoa trailed off as she realized she was wondering aloud. She looked to Daniela and said, "I only truly know of two places in my life, other than the areas my hunt for Albus and quest to defeat Dracula took me. Here and Ecclesia. The only place I could know her from is Ecclesia, but it is gone now."

Daniela steepled her fingers and studied Shanoa. She did not suffer from lack of sleep that Daniela could see. Though her dreams troubled her, Shanoa looked fine, without even so much as dark spots under her eyes. She had just become distant, most likely due to her mind racing, trying to figure out this mysterious person. "You're thinking of finding her." It was not a question.

"It would give me an answer, but it would also raise more questions," mused Shanoa. Finding her had hardly been on Shanoa's mind, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to even if it was just to finally have a name to call her. But finding her would not be easy. She said so to Daniela.

"You could start," the old woman suggested, "by going to what remains of Ecclesia. Surely there are settlements nearby. Or perhaps some form of documentation that still survives. You could then follow the trail from there. If you hit a dead end, you are always welcome back here. The people of Wygol Village owe you a great debt. No one will run you out of town." She then smirked and added, "It could be someone here might know of your mystery woman. Have you asked around?"

"No, I have only spoke to you and Laura about this."

"Do you plan to keep this a secret?"

"It is not that it's a secret, it is just that I am afraid no one here will understand." The lives of the villagers had been pretty mundane until they had been targeted and trapped by Albus. After she had rescued them and they returned home, their life had settled back into the mundane.

Daniela scoffed and said, "I am sure some of the men here dream of pretty women, but their dreams are different than yours!"

Shanoa felt herself blush as a laugh bubbled in her throat. "Maybe I will go back to Ecclesia," she said, "even if it winds up being fruitless." She thanked Daniela for her help and excused herself. If she was going to leave the village for a time, she needed to prepare.

Her mind now fully made up, Shanoa left the old woman's home and hurried back to her own living quarters. She would travel lightly, though she still needed to bring a few things with her. She packed a small bag with a few essentials and added the ledger and pen from her bedside table. She sat on the bed, the half full bag beside her, as she looked at her money she had removed from its hiding place. Would she need to buy other supplies, or should she hang onto it in case she needed a meal or a room while she traveled? She had no qualms of resting in the woods, but sometimes a hot meal and warm bed were life's greatest joy.

As she pondered her options, there was a knock at the door.

It was Father Nikolai, who held a wrapped bundle in his hands. "Forgive me for my intrusion, but Daniela informed me of what is going on. I pray the Lord blesses you with a safe journey and the answers that you seek." He held out the bundle to her, which turned out to be fresh bread, a block of cheese, and some fruit.

She thanked him profusely for his kindness and vowed she would return, with or without answers. He walked with her to the entrance of the village and said he would pray for her safety. She thanked him again and, with a wave over her shoulder, departed the village she had come to know of as home.

Shanoa found herself making great progress as she walked. She came upon no one else, though she could hear the occasional scurrying of a nearby animal. She knew that not every foe had been vanished, nor had every monster been defeated, but she felt no fear as she traveled. Of course, she also knew how to defend herself. She also had hope that the monsters that did lurk in the shadows knew of her and her skill. If she could vanquish Dracula, no other beast stood a chance.

She did not rest until the sun had sunk in the sky and had been replaced by the rising moon. She found a comfortable place to rest and propped herself up against a large tree trunk. She ate part of the food Father Nikolai had given her and kept her small bag in her lap. She was not tired, but she needed to rest for the following day. She settled against the tree and soon found herself drifting off to sleep.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty hall. It was familiar to her, and it should have been. It absolutely was Ecclesia, there was no doubt in Shanoa's mind. Every door in the hall was shut except for one at the far end of the hall. That was where she was going. At the door, she found herself pausing before she peered into the room.

There she was, just as Shanoa expected. The woman faced away from the door. She was bent over a table completely covered by stacks of books, piles of paper, and what looked like a map or two. "So you're here," called the woman. "I have exactly what you wanted, though..." she trailed off as she finally looked up from what she was studying to acknowledge the mess strewn around her. "I might need a moment to find it." She let out a weak chuckle as she began to sort through stacks of paper.

Shanoa left the doorway and approached the table. There were papers on things she did not understand, though she noticed a sketch marked DOMINUS. Curiosity compelled her to reach for it. The hand that reached for the sketch was not hers.

"That's where I put that!" the woman exclaimed as she saw the sketch. "Sorry, I know you asked for it ages ago. I thought I lost it." She laughed again and added the sketch to the top of the neat stack of papers in her hands. She then held out the entire stack. "I hope this is all of it."

"If it isn't, I'll just have to come back for the rest of it."

Shanoa awoke suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest. The hand, and the voice, were Albus's.