by Logan Jacobs
“You guys search the trees south and east of town.” I jerked my chin toward the south. “Meanwhile, we will look to the north and west.”
“Yes, sir,” came the unified response, and the men led their horses in the opposite direction.
“Should we widen our search to cover more ground?” Mahini asked as she scanned the undergrowth for any movement.
“I’d rather us stay together,” I answered.
“If there’s a trail,” Jorgen pointed out, “you’ll spot it. You have the eyes of a hawk, Great One.”
“She can’t have wandered off very far,” Eva observed in a thoughtful tone. “We’ll find her before the night is done.”
“I certainly hope so,” Mahini murmured. “I was looking forward to my sleep.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have pushed us so hard after the Great One went hunting, then,” Eva teased the desert goddess.
“I knew he would have wanted us to keep a good pace,” Mahini chuckled. “As it was, we barely beat him to town.”
“That’s because he found and killed a stag faster than any hunter I’ve seen in my life,” Jorgen informed them with a chuckle. “I’ve never seen a faster hunter in my life.”
We walked our horses at a slow pace, and the three of us scanned the forest floor while we talked, but except for us, the woods were empty. I saw a few squirrels and chipmunks, but nothing bigger than that. The search went on for hours, but we didn’t find a single trail.
The air was calm and quiet, and the woods were silent except for the occasional chirp of a bird or the squeak of a squirrel. Leaves crunched under my feet with each step, so I could track the others’ locations by the sound of their movements through the undergrowth.
Eventually, the moon rose high in the sky, and we had to move carefully to be able to see our way in the dark. We partially fanned out to cover more ground, but we remained in sight of one another just in case we found a clue. The light of the torches only reached a few paces away, though, so it was slow going.
“I found the entrance to an old mine,” Jorgen informed me when we regrouped. “It looked abandoned, there was a cave-in not far from the entrance.”
“She wouldn’t have gone into the dark, scary tunnel,” Eva insisted.
“Well, if the tunnel is caved in, then there’s no way we will be able to search it, anyway.” I scratched my chin while I thought out loud. “We will skip it for now.”
The sun was beginning to rise, and we still hadn’t found a single trace of the little girl, so we headed back to town to see what the other men had found. They were lounging against the posts in front of the general store when I returned, and the weary expressions on their faces told me everything I needed to know.
There was still no sign of the little girl.
I didn’t want to lose the time we’d spent searching, though, so I reset to my savepoint from the previous afternoon when Jorgen and I were still on the road.
Chime.
“There’s a town up ahead, Jorgen,” I told the hunter as we pulled to a stop in the road. “We better hurry, a little girl is missing, and they need our help to find her.”
I didn’t wait for a response, and I galloped into the town to start my search anew, so it came as no surprise when the mother’s scream pierced the air a couple of hours later. I rode straight up to her, and I hailed her with a wave before I slid off Goliath’s back by her side.
“Don’t worry,” I said in an urgent tone. “I’ll find your daughter.”
“B-But how did you know my daughter is missing?” The woman gaped at me in astonishment. “I-I’ve never even seen you before.”
“Ma’am, I am the God of Time,” I informed her with a charming smile. “I know all things.”
“What’s going on?” Eva demanded as she strode out of the inn. “Is this woman bothering you, Great One?”
“No, no,” I said hurriedly, and I held up my palms to stop her. “We are going to help her find her daughter. Let’s form a search party and get started.”
“But, sir,” Riondale argued with furrowed eyebrows. “You have only just arrived in town, don’t you want to eat and relax first?”
“Not when a little girl is in danger,” I replied in a hard voice. “We can all rest well once she is found.”
After I’d handed off my kill to one of the guards, I organized the men again, but I directed them to search the north and west this time so I could look in the south and east. I had a feeling I would see something they may have missed.
I repeated the process of dividing up rations and torches, and then we all headed out of town once more. We rode our horses at a brisk pace until the light faded, and then we dismounted and continued in the dark.
This time, I had the three of us fan out further to cover more ground, but we still came up with nothing by the time the sun was shining over the eastern horizon. It was disheartening, but I knew I could reset and go through as many attempts as was necessary until the little girl was found.
It would be awesome when I could finally ride into town and already know where she was. Nothing else would satisfy me more than to ease the mother’s worries as soon as we met.
“This is a fruitless endeavor,” Eva said in a frustrated tone. Her face glowed in the light of the torch, and the flames cast shadows beneath her smoky-gray eyes. “We should head back to town and try again when it’s light out.”
“We aren’t going to quit until the little girl is found.” I frowned. “If you’re getting tired, you can head back, though.”
“I will stay with you until the search is completed,” Eva cleared her throat. “I am merely worried about your energy level, Great One.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t worry about that,” I laughed. “I have the energy of a god.”
“Very well,” Eva said as she inclined her head. “Shall we continue?”
“We shall.” I nodded, and I jerked my chin to my right. “You look that way. Yell if you find anything.”
“I know the drill,” she replied, but she obediently trotted off to the northwest.
Jorgen shook his head as he watched her go, but the hunter didn’t comment.
“Any suggestions?” I asked.
“This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” he observed. “Without more information, there’s not much else we can do.”
More information was a good idea, and I realized I could have found out a lot from the townspeople before we left, so I decided to reset and try a different tactic.
Chime.
Jorgen and I galloped into town for the third time, and we managed to arrive right as the woman screamed out her daughter’s name. It was already late afternoon, so we didn’t have a lot of time to search, and I wanted to get started as quickly as possible.
“Bella!” the mother cried out, and then sobs rocked through her body.
“I’m here to help, ma’am,” I announced as I slid down from Goliath’s back. “Your daughter is missing, right?”
“H-H-How did you know?” she gasped as she reached for my hands.
“My name is Sebastian, and I am the God of Time.” I grinned. “You can call me Bash, though. Your daughter’s name is Bella?”
“Y-Yes…” The woman fought back her tears and regained her composure. “She’s only seven years old. There’s no way she can survive out in the woods all night by herself. I fear the worst has happened!”
Eva and my two lovers walked out of the inn at that moment, but before Eva could ask if the woman was bothering me, I explained that I was going to find the missing daughter.
“If anyone can find her,” Mahini interjected as she stepped up to my side. “It’s Bash. He is the most powerful man in all the land.”
“Really?” The mother blinked tearfully at me, but a spark of hope bloomed in her watery-blue eyes.
“Really, really,” I replied, and I resisted the urge to chuckle at my Shrek joke since no one here would understand why I found my own statement so funny. “I’ll n
eed some more information before I can locate her, but have faith. She will be found.”
“I’ll tell you anything you need to know if it means my daughter’s safe return,” the mother insisted in an earnest voice.
“When was your daughter last seen?” I asked as I channeled some Sherlock Holmes.
“This… morning,” came the broken reply. “We had breakfast before she went out to complete some errands for me, but then she never returned.”
The little girl had been gone all day, and the sun was starting to inch its way toward the horizon. Most of the townspeople had probably just finished their dinners, and I could only imagine how hungry the missing daughter was after not eating this whole time.
“Where does she normally go during the day?” was my next question.
“Well, I sent her on some errands,” the mother repeated as she frowned in thought. “So, she would have gone to the blacksmith to fetch the finished shoes for our horse, and then she would have gone to the general store for flour and sugar.”
“We’ll check in with the blacksmith and the store owner to see if she ever stopped by,” I suggested in a calm voice. “Why don’t you stay here with my wife while I ask around.”
Elissa stepped forward immediately and wrapped comforting arms around the woman’s shoulders. “Come, let’s get you a cup of tea. Bash will find her, don’t worry.”
I told the guards to stay put, and then Mahini and Eva fell into pace by my side as I made my way down the street to the blacksmith. I could hear the ringing of metal on metal, so I knew the craftsman was still hard at work at his anvil.
We stepped inside the smoky shop, and I squinted through the haze to see the man at the forge. The heat in the room was overwhelming, and sweat dripped down my brow after only a moment of being inside.
“Hello, there!” I greeted in a friendly tone loud enough to be heard over the smash of the hammer. “My name is Sebastian, the God of Time, and I need to ask you a few questions.”
“I’m Foster.” The blacksmith paused his pounding and turned to give me a curious look. “What’s this about?”
He was tall and broad-shouldered, and his short-cropped black hair matched the salt and pepper beard on his chin. The blacksmith’s eyes were dark as well, and he scanned me up and down while he wiped his dirty hands on his thick leather apron.
“Bella, she’s missing.” I reached out my hand to shake his as I spoke. “Her mother said she was supposed to come by here this morning.”
“Aye, she did,” he answered as he took my hand and clasped it firmly. “I gave her the shoes, and I told her I’d put them on since I know her pa is gone.”
“That’s very kind of you,” I replied as my eyebrows rose in surprise at the new information.
Where was Bella’s father?
“She declined politely and went on her way,” the blacksmith continued with a frown, “and I haven’t seen her since then. You should check with Mayor Ademar, his son plays with Bella sometimes.”
“Thanks for the tip,” I said, and then I waved goodbye.
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled for her,” he called to my back.
“Thanks again,” I said over my shoulder.
“So, Bella’s father is gone?” Eva asked with a frown of concentration. “Do you suppose that means dead, or missing?”
“I’m not sure,” I sighed. “But we need to find this little girl fast.”
“Where to next?” Mahini asked as she scanned the street outside the blacksmith’s shop. The shadows of twilight brought a chill to the air, but it was a welcome cool down after the heated interior of the metal worker’s store. “The general store is nearby. The girl’s mother sent her there, too.”
“Good idea,” I said, and I gave the desert goddess a grin. “She went for flour and sugar but never returned with the items, so the general store will tell us when exactly she went missing.”
So, we walked down the street, and the sun was starting to set, but I had to stop several times to talk to the townspeople. Apparently, word had spread that a god was in town, and everyone was in need of a miracle.
“Please, look at this rash, Great One,” a woman begged as she rolled up her sleeve. “I need your healing magic.”
“Come visit my father while you’re in town,” another person requested. “He is not long for this world, and a visit with the God of Time may lengthen his life!”
“Bless me, Great One,” a man pleaded, “lay your hands upon me.”
I let them all touch me, shake my hand, and pat me on the back since I was used to being treated like a good luck charm, but then Mahini’s piercing blue eyes cut daggers through the crowd.
“The Great One is on a quest to save a little girl,” the desert goddess snapped. “Stand back and let us through! Her life depends upon it.”
The gathered people jumped back, and they split to form a pathway between them. I lifted my chin and walked through, but I made sure to smile and wave at everyone as I passed. I could already see the light of hope in their eyes, and I wanted to do everything I could to strengthen it.
The people moved to go about their regular tasks, and then several people began lighting torches along the main road through town.
Our next stop was the general store, and a small bell dinged as we entered the dimly lit building. It wasn’t much brighter inside than it was outside in the growing darkness, but the candles lit around the store added a warm ambiance that was inviting.
“Just a moment!” a voice called out from the next room.
I took the time to get a look around, and I was surprised to find it was mostly jewelry. Silver bracelets, earrings, and tiaras graced with colorful gems filled a glass-covered case in the front of the store. There were also shelves lined with everything else you’d expect from a store, but the shelving was mostly bare. I didn’t see any camping supplies, either, but there were the basic food products.
The curtain to the next room parted, and a woman came out. She had honey-wheat-colored hair, rosy cheeks, and ample breasts. She looked to be in her early forties, and while she was on the bigger side, her bright smile made her beautiful.
“Oh, strangers!” the woman gasped. “How lovely!”
“My name is Sebastian, the God of Time, and I need to ask you a few questions about Bella,” I said.
“Nice to meet you, Sebastian,” the store owner replied as her smile dimmed. “I am called Nora. Are you referring to Darla’s daughter, Bella?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Well, she never came by this morning.” Nora shook her head in dismay. “I opened the door extra early because her mother said she’d be over first thing in the morning, but I waited all day for her, and she never showed up.”
So, the girl made it to the blacksmith but not the general store.
“One other question,” I said as I eyed the jewelry case appreciatively. “What’s up with all the jewelry? It’s fancier than I would expect from a small town.”
“They are pieces made from the town’s silver mine,” Nora replied, and she let out a small sigh. “Maybe the last of them. It was a young mine, and it already shut down.”
“Why did it shut down?” There seemed to be no end to the mysteries of this town.
“Well, I suppose you couldn’t know,” Nora said with a shake of her head. “Darla’s husband died in a collapse, and they shut down the whole thing.”
“That would be devastating,” Mahini murmured in a sympathetic tone, and I knew she was thinking of the loss of her Golden Sword brethren who’d died in the copper mine back in Bastianville.
“So, wait,” Eva interjected suddenly. “The little girl never showed up for her errand, right? Doesn’t that mean we know she’s been missing since early this morning?”
“Exactly.” I grinned. “Now, you’re catching on.”
“I haven’t seen her all day,” Nora confirmed. “If she ever shows up, she’s going to get an earful, that’s for sure.”
“We should
review what we know and plan our next step,” Mahini suggested as we turned to leave the general store.
“Well, we know she went to the blacksmith’s,” Eva pointed out as we walked. “She’s likely still carrying the shoes around with her.”
“Her father died in a mining accident,” I added with a frown.
“Are you the people looking for Bella?” a woman asked me as soon as we left the store and entered the street. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
The woman had shiny brunette hair that glowed with golden highlights in the light of the torches along the street, and laugh lines were etched into her face around her mouth. She was shorter than me, but that wasn’t unusual since I stood around six feet tall, and she fixed me with a determined expression as she approached.
“Yes, I’m Sebastian,” I confirmed. “What do you want to tell me?”
“I own the inn where you and your people are staying the night,” the woman began. “My name is Straya, and I wanted to tell you I saw Bella this morning.”
“Excellent,” I said with a grin. “Where at?”
“At the inn,” Straya explained. “She snuck into the kitchen and stole a loaf of freshly baked bread. I yelled at her to stop, but she just kept going. She had a pack on her shoulders.”
“She stole from you?” I blinked in surprise at the woman’s story. I’d pictured a sweet innocent little girl who’d wandered too far away from home and gotten lost, but I was quickly learning there was more to the picture than met the eyes.
“Plain as day,” Straya confirmed with a nod. “It’s not unlike her, but she usually comes back later and cleans something to pay for it. She never did today.”
“What else do you know about Bella?” I scratched my chin thoughtfully. “Where else does she usually go?”
“I always see her running around with the mayor’s boy,” Straya informed me. “If you ask me, he’s a bad influence. He’s always getting her into trouble.”
“Maybe she is hiding or something,” Mahini suggested with a shrug. “Could she just be avoiding punishment?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Eva said just as the same thought entered my head. “The mother is upset, and that’s who we are here to help.”