"I will," he says, shuffling talisman papers in the front of his half-gown, pulling out one after a moment that he plants on the nearby tree. "Silencing talisman," he adds, "I had a rough one started before the digging, this one should last through to burial. The problem will be if I step outside of its limits, I won't hear you."

He glances to her, frowning.

"You'll need to be aware and ready to defend yourself if for some forsaken reason I have to go out of line of sight to find pebbles."