Horon seemed taken aback by the question, but it was a fair one. And his reaction to it was of powerful interest. Snow white as he seemed, Horon was neither weak nor feeble. But he was clearly trying to balance telling the truth with omitting important details. Somewhere in the back of his mind Koe had already decided that he was going to ensure this old knight did not pass on to the next world. Somewhere. Or somehow, more accurately. It was not simply a question of making sure Horon did not die. He still needed to confront this witch. They would then need to deal with the far larger concern of dragons that brought madness with them. Koe did not know how one could be resolved and not the other. He only knew that he had to try.
"I do not know," Horon finally said.
"That makes very little sense," Koe answered.
"I only know what she is because... because she would come to me in dreams," and he grimaced at a memory. "Nightmarish things. She would tell me that she would take my son and..."
A grim tale. Koe could imagine someone implying that they would take Onainat from him. And he could also imagine what would happen next. A terrible sort of rending limb from limb, blood as water running through the grass. A dream or no. Horon's inability to speak of it was understandable. And Koe wanted to do something to help. Yet he could not rightly think of what to do. The creature had fled when it became apparent that this was not a fair fight. And the citizens of this village were prepared to do anything to escape, weren't they? Perhaps part of the reason this village was closed. And part of the reason it did not behoove them to stay.