The unexpected

Patrick takes Sendrey with him on a tour to feed your few remaining captives. As they leave he mentions they should go to Caroline and Katherine's room last so they can have a little chat. You bet he'll also be giving her some pointers about his niece long the way.

Sandra takes the initiative and starts searching your index of magical items for things that hypnotize, put to sleep or otherwise incapacitate but that are also subtle. Being Sandra she makes sure to bend at the waist when she has to reach deep inside a crate, wiggling her fiery tail and checking over her shoulder to make sure you notice.

"I should have given you some other fur color," you tell her.

"Oh?"

"You're too on-the-nose, my naughty wife. Redhead and a catgirl, horny beyond all belief?" You catch the tip of her tail and gently rub the flesh beneath the fur with your thumb.

"It's not my fault," she says, squirming. "All your other sexy catgirls need to learn to be as horny as I am, that's all."

"It would be strange if only my wives were such unreasonably horny young girls."

"I didn't mean just your wives. I meant all your catgirls."

You sigh, knowing there's no point trying to argue with her. After a kiss and a hug you tell her, "I'm going to check the lower vault. Would you mind looking for these items in the second and third storerooms?"

"Sure thing."

Some time later, outside the lower vault...

You dust yourself off, verifying once more that the two items you found are properly discharged and safe for the moment. Now, there was one more thing you wanted to grab - a little silver wand that makes people silently sneeze when they try to speak. It wasn't in the vault, so you probably left it up in the study.

When you move to put the items in your pockets a piece of paper catches on one of the items. You pull it out so you can stuff the strange, bejewelled beetle shell into that pocket. Hmmmm... what was that it you wrote on that paper? Checking it, you see your notes of the strange, magical wind. Notes from multiple separate occasions. Many of them to do with the wind affecting and sometimes boosting your magical powers.

It's confusing. These are worrying signs, definitely something that you need to investigate, that you would always investigate, yet you didn't. What if it's some interaction with a spell some other mage has managed to slip through the defences of the mansion? And yet it's as if each time you've seen it happen you've pushed the idea away within minutes.

The hackles on the back of your neck rise and you head back inside the vault. It's one of the most protected zones inside the mansion, for some things in the mansion need to be protected from some of the more powerful items in here. You place the note atop a lead glass case and extend a few additional protective mental spells. They aren't your forte, but with effort you strengthen your mind beyond the protections usually granted by the mansion's wards.

Now, time to consider what you've seen. You get out a few pieces of notepaper so you can write down everything you've seen in relation to this strangeness.

A good quarter hour later...

Are you going mad? You've racked your mind and filled a page with quick notes about all the times you've experienced the 'wind', another two pages with guesses, similarities, triggers and so on. And... the only thing these events seem to have in common is Sandra. You get the impression there may have been a few other incidents you can't remember, but for all the ones you can think of it appears Sandra has been the trigger. She wishes something would be a certain way and soon enough it is.

But what kind of magic could do this? Could Sandra be a mage herself? No, that's not likely at all - you checked her for magic when you first met and you also checked after her transformation. So it's probably some artifact or collection of artifacts that she's somehow using. But that doesn't fit either because there would have to be a huge number of artifacts to accomplish all the very specific effects she's triggered.

You hear the door to the vault squeak open and a light tap on the door. There she is, looking curious. 'Could she be playing me?" you wonder. But no - you can't believe that. Manipulative and deceptive and cunning Sandra might be, but she has always been on your side.

"Did you need any help?" she asks.

Another part of your mind says, 'Just ask her'.