It had been three months since it happened, when they battled the demon attacks in the forest and the soul vampire. The three remaining warlocks had not dealt with any major problems on their land since then. The three of them missed their fallen brother but did their best not to let it show. As warlocks they fully understood divine intervention. They accepted it as fate . The three remaining warlocks were Jim, the potions guru. Then there was Richard, he loved the adventure and thrill of a good battle.  Then Daniel the intellectual book worm, he researched and read everything, he could recite spells in his sleep. Presently Daniel was on another date with Zeta and the other two were out patrolling the land. Jim and Richard were the adventurous types. They wanted peace in the land, but they never turned away from battling a hellish beast every now and then.

"Hey Jim?"

"Yeah what is it?" Jim replied

"I'm still a little leery about those demonic attacks a few months ago."

"What about them?" Jim replied in a frosty tone.

"Do you think anyone or anything might have been behind it? Demons don't just pick a random village and terrorize it." Richard spoke with a hint of fear.

"When it comes to demons you never know." Jim replied as they walked through the forest.

The two warlocks finished up with keeping an eye on the forest and headed for the village. Once they finally made it past the edge of the forest, they noticed it was a busy day. Most of their friends and neighbors were out running errands and enjoying their daily activities. They walked until the village square that had a nice spot to sit and rest. They wondered when Daniel would return from seeing Zeta, which had been a more than frequent occurrence.

"Hey Jim?" Richard asked with a grin.

"Yeah what is it?" Jim replied slightly puzzled by his friend's expression.

'I'll race you to the pub."

"You're on, let's go!" Shouted Jim as he leaped up from a sitting position and ran for it. As always Richard got ahead of him at the last second.

"Come on Richard, the first couple are on me." Jim said with a smile. Richard agreed to that and held the door open for his friend.

When they walked into the pub they saw a few other people they knew. Their neighbor Tom was sitting at the end of the bar. His wife Betty had died last winter. Since then this tavern had become home to him. He wasn't the only one. Pete was there, he was Smitty's brother in law, he married his sister Sheena. She was a woman full of good old spitfire and impossible to please. Smitty was more than understanding with Pete. A few of the local farmers were there too. Bill and John they were good hard working guys.

 Smitty was a good fellow he looked out for everyone that walked in the door. He treated every single patron like family. It was a great place to go after a long day of work, no matter what your profession might be. Smitty's was a great place to unwind. Richard grabbed drinks for them both and found a booth in the back of the tavern. The two of them enjoyed having more than a few drinks. Daniel would know where to find them whenever he returned from seeing Zeta. They often teased him about Zeta, but they were happy for him to find someone like her. She loved books, magic and the old ways. It made her a great match for Danny boy. The two warlocks kept sipping their lager, wondering when their friend would return.

�Cr�v�