Outside 46

[Ashen Lilies]

[Village of Hamletsdale]

Poor Sam.

All he's getting to do is watch his partner harass brains. He could stand around and wait for the result. Or he could start poking around himself. The town IS pretty big and there are likely clues scattered about. Whatever did this isn't trying to be secret about it. It's like a game of Clue! Except with more actual murder.

As for Cassandra, she'll find the magic to be pernicious and deep. Whatever did this took its time, several hours at least, to carefully weave this spell. Likely while the blacksmith was asleep. That might explain why he and his wife remembered the problem yesterday enough to send the contract and have no recollection of it what so ever today. The magic itself has a distinct air of unreality to it, gossamer threads of dreams woven into a rough analog of reality. That is, perhaps, why such an unconvincing lie is believed by the blacksmith. One often doesn't question logical inconsistencies while dreaming.

Though, perhaps most odd, is the fact that the spell appears to be tied to the existence of whatever awful dark faerie cast it.

If the creature were destroyed (or compelled to remove the hex) it would harmlessly unravel itself. There's nothing in the spell that would require this to be the case. Whoever cast it added this feature intentionally.

Someone is playing games, here.

[Village of Hamletsdale]

Sam tries to ignore the magical harassment happening at the moment and sniffs experimentally at the horseshoe, wondering if there's enough of a scent on it that he could use it to track a dragged-off child who had lived in the place.
He's never actually tried this sort of thing, but he's been told pigs are very good at it, so it's worth a shot.

[The Road to Inside- Forgotten Grotto]

Willa returns his warm look and sits down.
"They were designed by a superior of mine, the goddess who protects the town I live in. She has honored me, so I honor her." she explains simply.

[The Village of Hamletsdale]

Well. That's enough information to be going off of at the moment. Cassandra releases the blacksmith from her clutches, stepping back and straightening her coat before turning around as if she didn't just totally assault him. The blacksmith himself should be none the worse for wear, the magical examination leaving no actual lasting effects other than the initial shock to his system, to say nothing of the shock of being grabbed and manhandled by a woman likely less than half his size.

"Discover anything?" She asks Sam, watching his own efforts curiously.