Isolde dressed carefully as she readied herself for the meeting. She wanted to be prepared for any contingency and did not know who or what to expect. Finally, she hit on a pencil skirt and those ridiculous white half boots with the small heels. She frowned at the navy blue silk blouse that Chaya had slipped in but it went well with the linen skirt. A brown paper packet fell out of the sleeve as she dressed. Picking it up, Isolde saw the pearls that Hamish had insisted she bring. With an irritated sigh, she fastened them around her neck.<br/><br/>“Isolde,” Chaya called, as she came up the stairs with a breakfast tray. “Adina is in the kitchen having some breakfast and you really need to eat something before you go.”<br/><br/>Isolde busied herself with sliding her scrying materials in the drawer. She wasn’t entirely comfortable practicing magik around the girl yet and didn’t wish to offend her. Since Isolde had no idea who had sent the notes that she, Adina and Yvonne had sent, she was trying to find out through her arts the answer. The crystal had cracked when she reached a spot where she thought the answer might lie. Isolde still had no clue. Someone with great power was shielding that information.<br/><br/>“Chaya, I will drink some tea but the thought of eating makes me a little nauseous. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, though.” Isolde took the cup and sipped the now lukewarm beverage. “ Has Hamish come home? I need to tell him about this meeting and see if he will watch our back. I wonder if he even knows about what is happening today? I know that parade is this afternoon and he had preparations to make. I wanted to talk with him about some of my own plans.”<br/><br/>The young maid just shrugged, a little miffed that Isolde hadn’t even tried the homemade tarts. She turned to go.<br/><br/>“Your friend is ready to go and it is  nearly noon. I don’t supposed you will be rude to her and keep her waiting any longer.” She said, with a little sniff. She walked stiffly from the room.<br/><br/>Shaking her head, Isolde ran a brush through her short curls and slipped a gun into the small of her back. She lifted her skirt and slipped the atheme into her garter. The magical tool would be a weapon as a knife but also would give her magical protection if she needed it.<br/>“Adina,” she called down the stairs. “I’m coming. Grab your handbag.”<br/><br/>As the two young women walked to the bakery, not too far away, Isolde made small talk.<br/><br/>“How did you sleep? Was the bed in the guest room comfortable? That dark brown dress looks almost out of place in sunny Mittenwald, but it makes your eyes look ever so large.”<br/><br/>Adina murmured an assent but said quietly,<br/><br/>“Did you find out who called this meeting or what the purpose was?”<br/><br/>Isolde told her no and they walked in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.<br/><br/>The day was beautiful and the preparations for the parade were underway. The street had been blocked off and Isolde could hear bands in the distance as they practiced their tunes for the last time before the march began. Every window was draped with the red banners that held the black swastika. They fluttered in the bright sunny sky. The street corners were adorned with red and white geraniums and children were scatting around, laughing and eating giant platter sized suckers.<br/><br/>Isolde and Adina came to the bakery and stood outside the door, looking at each other. Isolde felt a sliver of fear slide up her spine and she fought it down. The energy surrounding this building was difficult to read. It was neither good nor was it evil. Isolde made it a rule to not entertain energy she didn’t understand but the note was compelling, not to mention she was curious. Who or what had gone to such great lengths to mask the authorship of the note?<br/><br/>Adina pushed open the door with her small white gloved hand  and the mouth watering heavy scent of yeast baking and cinnamon immediately made Isolde’s stomach rumble. Touching Adina on the arm, she indicated Yvonne sitting with her back to the wall in the far corner. Isolde made her way toward her. Something about the man sitting nearby drew her attention. She had never seen him before but yet, he seemed familiar.<br/><br/>“Do you know him?” she murmured to Adina as they passed him.<br/><br/>Adina shook her head and turned her attention to Yvonne. Isolde made introductions.<br/><br/>“Adina, Yvonne. Yvonne, Adina. We all have the same note.” She said in the way of explanation. “Have a seat.” She said to Adina but Isolde lounged against the wall, close to Yvonne and waited. Isolde was antsy. She hadn't seen Hamish since she had left the house yesterday morning. He was usually not late to appointments but he wasn't here now. She glanced at the small watch with the black band that she wore. Her palms were sweaty. No one was saying anything and there was clearly an air of waiting about the bakery. Patrons came and went, buying bags and boxes of pastries. None of them even glanced their way.<br/><br/>Isolde glanced at Yvonne who was coolly sitting close by. That man close by them, kept catching the blonde's eye as if they had a secret knowledge of each other.  Isolde watched Adina who kept opening and closing her handbag as if checking on the contents. What did she have in there? The small hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Had she walked blindly into a trap? Had yesterday's meeting with Yvonne been some kind of a red herring to make her think there was safety in accepting these blind invitations. She would wait a few minutes longer and then perhaps she should leave. If only Hamish were here, she thought, glancing at her watch again. Who else was coming to this meeting? Isolde shifted her weight on her feet and crossed her arms over her middle. So many questions and the silence hung over the room like a guillotine.