Swamped

"He says the part of him that is Nual may die this very night," Flame continues. "I don't entirely understand what that means. I doubt it's anything good, though."

"I'm here to talk about more earthly concerns at the moment. Though I'm not entirely sure they're unrelated. It's been a strange night."

You explain about the fishmonger's, the strange liquid, the woman who seemed to be running it all, and the other woman who claimed to be her sister and clearly looked the part. You leave out the involvement of Sunflower, Black, and his nephew for the moment - those parts seem easier to sort through yourself.

"And somehow, she's completely frozen. I'm not sure what to do about that."

Flame frowns.

"That's not good. I don't know what either of the sisters want - well, the younger one is looking to take control of the Guild, but so are a lot of other people. And I couldn't say why she is. But I may have some idea of what was in the cauldron. A phony wizard was trying to sell us a concoction like that some years ago. She said it could put a whole town to sleep. The sample she tried to thrust in my face was a very memorable color."

"So one of your rivals got in touch with her," you muse. "But why did she contact you in the first place? Did you actually intend to put the town to sleep?"

"Hardly. Though we were desperate to establish a foothold here. We had a lot of especially unscrupulous types trying to sell us something that would make a difference. Even got a few offering mercenaries." He frowns. "But that isn't what the Guild is about."

It is back in your time, from what you've heard. Whatever happens next, you doubt Flame's going to come out on top.

"Well. Right now, I need help dealing with it. And you may not have the power you once did in the Guild, but you're the only person I can think of to ask."

"And Brume wants me to aid you. But there's little I can do, except tell you who I trust. Just what sort of help do you need? Perhaps I can point you to someone specific."