Chapter Six
I took a swift glance around me to scope out the town. It hadn’t been listed on the maps the duke gave me, and I wondered why. It was quaint, with only a handful of businesses on the street that ran through the center of the small village, and they all looked newer. There weren’t very many signs of aging on the cedar planks the buildings were made of, and the road didn’t look very worn.
A few people were milling about on the street, but they’d all gathered around when the woman screamed. Their faces were dirty, and their eyes downcast, and I looked forward to seeing some smiles before we left.
The rest of my party ran out of a building to my right with a sign out front that advertised it as an inn, and Eva’s eyebrows furrowed as she approached me.
“What did she do to you?” she demanded as she glared hotly at the distraught mother. “Do you need me to handle the situation, Great One?”
“Not at all,” I said hurriedly. “Her daughter is missing. She needs our help.”
“Oh, my apologies,” the duke’s daughter murmured as she stepped back.
“Have no fear,” Mahini said to the woman in a comforting tone. “The Great One will not rest until your daughter is found.”
“Bella’s been gone since this morning,” the woman said in a voice full of worry, and she wrung her hands together anxiously. “She’s only seven and never stays out past dark, and I’ve already looked around the entire town.”
“Well, then we’ll just have to expand our search radius,” I said in a decisive tone. “She’ll be found. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you so much for helping me find her,” the mother replied with earnest eyes. “She means the world to me.”
The rest of the guards had gathered around my horse at this point, and I raised my voice to address everyone nearby.
“We are going to form a search party,” I announced. “We’ll comb through the surrounding forest until we find the missing girl.”
“Yes, sir,” the guards said in unison with a crisp salute.
“We paid for some rooms in the inn already, but the inn only had three to spare,” Elissa informed me. “Riondale said his men could share a room so Evangeline could have her own.”
“That’s very kind of him,” I said with a smile. My respect for the young lieutenant grew stronger with each day. “Why don’t you stay here with the mother just in case the little girl comes back while we’re searching for her?”
“I can do that,” the tiny goddess replied in a cheerful tone. Then she wrapped her arms around the mother’s shoulders. “Let’s get a cup of tea, shall we?”
Now that I was satisfied the mother would be taken care of, I turned my attention to forming a search party. First, I directed one of the guards to take the deer meat from Goliath and Jorgen’s horse to get it cooked since I would be busy with the search for a while. Then I divided the men up equally into two groups, with Riondale leading the men who weren’t going with me, and I picked Mahini, Evangeline, and Jorgen for my own party. Then I gathered up enough torches for everyone and made sure the men all had some rations with them before we rode out of town at a brisk pace, but then I stopped before we split up in the woods.
“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 need 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.”
“She could be in trouble,” I added, “and not of her own making.”
“She’s a good kid.” Straya nodded her head sagely. “She never complained when we traveled to Northwood Valley to found the town.”
“How long ago was that?” Eva asked in an encouraging tone. There was a light in her smoky-gray eyes I hadn’t seen before, except when she was talking about adventure, and I realized she was having the time of her life.
“Two years and counting,” Straya answered with obvious pride, and her shoulders straightened a little. “I am one of the five founding families here in Northwood.”
“That’s quite an accomplishment,” I told her. “My wife was one of the first families in Bastianville, back when it was still called Addington.”
“Elrin inspired us to form our own town, too,” Straya said as her eyebrows rose in surprise. “Why the change in name?”
“To honor Sebastian,” Mahini informed her as she inclined her head to indicate me. “The Great One of legend is here before you.”
“O-Oh, my, my apologies, I-I had no idea,” Straya began to stammer out nervously, and she dropped into a quick curtsey. “Thank you for all your help here in Northwood, Great One.
“It’s okay, really,” I assured her. “Just call me Bash.”
“What do you bash?” The woman blinked at me in confusion.
“It’s a nickname,” I laughed. “You know what, never mind. Thank you for all the information, you’ve been very helpful.”
“My pleasure.” The innkeeper bowed her head and backed away. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Great One.”
“Should we go see the mayor and his son next?” I asked the two ladies at my side.
“Absolutely,” Eva replied immediately. “He seems to be at the bottom of this mystery.”
“I agree.” Mahini nodded. “The missing piece is the mayor’s son. He will know more than anyone else, I can feel it in my bones.”
I scanned the street until I found the nicest looking house, and I jerked my chin toward it. The building had a huge, wraparound porch, and it was painted blue with white trim. It also appeared to be only a few years old, if the condition of the paint was any indication. The second story had a candle burning in the window, so I knew someone was still awake inside even though it was getting late.
“Think that’s where he lives?” I asked as I shot a glance at the rising moon. It was bright, and the light of the celestial orb lit up the streets so the torches along the road weren’t necessary to find our way.
“Possibly,” Eva said, and she bit her bottom lip indecisively. “It’s very small. Are you sure it is fit for the leader of this town?”
“It’s not a castle,” I teased with a wink. “But it’s the biggest one in town.”
We hadn’t made it very far toward the big house when Elissa and Bella’s mother came out of the inn to my right.
“Any news on my daughter?” the mother asked in an urgent tone. “Do you have any leads?”
“We are working on it,” I explained gently. “Your name is Darla, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.” Darla frowned. “How did you-- Never mind, please, you must find her.”
“We are headed to the mayor’s house next,” I informed her in a calming manner. “Would you like to join us?”
“Oh, yes, please, Great One,” Darla gushed as excitement lit up her face. “Bella is always playing with his son, Joshua.”
“That is what we have learned, as well,” Eva said, and she took Darla’s hand in hers. “Come, walk with me.”
Darla and Eva led the way to the mayor’s house while Mahini, Elissa, and I followed closely behind. The distraught mother took us straight to the big house, and I congratulated myself on my correct assumption.
We climbed the steps to the wraparound porch, and then I knocked firmly on the door. A part of me felt bad for disturbing the mayor after dark, but it had to be done. We needed answers, and soon.
I itched to find Bella, and then I would reset and ride into town with the knowledge of her location in my repertoire. I would look like a total badass, and the thought urged me to knock again, but louder this time.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming!” an angry-sounding voice echoed from inside the house. Then a red-faced older man ripped open the door and glowered at us. “What is all this fuss about? I was just getting into bed!”
He was indeed wearing a long pajama tunic and a sleep cap, and he looked like something straight out of a nursery rhyme. He was a gray-haired, older man, probably in his sixties, but the look of rage on his face almost made me laugh.
“One of your people has gone missing,” I informed him in a gruff tone that conveyed just how displeased I was with his greeting. “Strangers have volunteered to look for her while you’re off to bed, but I suppose the leader of the town can’t be bothered when one of his citizens is in danger.”
“W-W-What!” The mayor took a step back into his house, and fear lit up his eyes. “Who are you? Why have you disturbed me?”
“Watch how you speak to the Great One,” Eva said in a warning tone.
“Yes, give him the respect he deserves,” Mahini added as she narrowed her ice-blue eyes.
“Or face our wrath,” Elissa finished, and I wondered if the three of them had practiced their synchronicity before this moment.
“Bella is missing, Mayor Aldemar!” Darla exclaimed as she crossed the distance to the man, and she took his hands in hers. “Please, tell me you’ve seen her today. I need some good news.”
“Why, she was here this morning, wasn’t she, Joshua?” The mayor turned to look at someone inside the house, and I could only assume it was his son.
“Is that Joshua?” Eva asked as she and Mahini shared a knowing look.
“We need to talk to him,” Mahini added.
“Who is Joshua?” Elissa questioned with a frown. “Did I miss everything?”
“Joshua is my son,” the Mayor of Northwood Valley explained to the tiny goddess. He gestured for the boy to come forward, and then Joshua stood by his father’s side with a sheepish expression on his face.
The boy had big hazel eyes, his sandy-blond hair was tangled and dirty, and he appeared to be about seven years old. He looked like he was about to get into trouble, and I knew something was weighing on his conscience.
“Hello,” the boy muttered as he averted his gaze.
“Joshua, we need to ask you some questions.” I squatted down so I was face to face with the kid, and I gave him a stern look. “I need you to be honest with me, and tell me everything you know about where Bella is.”
“I don’t know nothing,” Joshua argued with an emphatic shake of his head.
“But you do know something,” Elissa quipped.
“It’s written all over his face,” Mahini announced.
“I see it, too,” Eva added as she fixed Joshua with a hard gaze. “Guilt.”
“Do I need to rough him up?” Elissa asked as she crossed her arms and tried to look threatening. It was amusing to see the tough expression on the tiny goddess’ freckled face, and I resisted the urge to laugh.
“I’m sure there’s no need for violence,” the mayor said in a rushed voice. “Please, sir, he’s just a boy.”
“I-I-I didn’t mean to!” Joshua stammered out at the same time. “It was just a joke. I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen to her!”
I held up my hand to stop anyone from talking, and I nodded to Joshua. “Go on. We’re listening.”
Joshua stared down at his feet, and he shuffled his toes a little while we waited in silence. Finally, he lifted his eyes to mine and sighed.
“I dared her to go,” he confessed with a look of shame upon his face. “She didn’t want to, but I told her she would be a chicken if she didn’t. Bella hates being called a chicken.”
“She… wants… to be brave… for her mother,” Darla choked out with a ragged sob.
“She can be pretty dumb sometimes,” Joshua pointed out with a frown. “But I didn’t think she’d be dumb enough to take the dare. I figured I’d won the game for good, but she wouldn’t have that.”
“Where did you dare her to go?” I asked in a hard voice. “Be honest, Joshua. Bella’s life is at stake here.”
Joshua stared into my eyes for a long silent moment, and we all waited with held breath.
“To… To the mine,” he said at last, and I let out my breath in a large exhale.
“You dared her to go into the collapsed mine?” Mayor Aldemar demanded, and boy was he pissed. His eyebrows rose into his stocking cap, and his face was beet red. Then he smacked Joshua on the back of the head and pointed inside the house. “Go to bed. This instant.”
“Yes, sir,” Joshua sighed, and he cast an apologetic look at Darla. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.”
“It’s okay, Joshua,” Darla replied with a comforting smile through her tears. “I only hope she is okay.”
“Where are the mines?” I asked the mayor in an urgent tone.
“To the southwest of town,” he replied with a frown of concern. “You can’t possibly be considering going there yourself at this time of night!”
His words made me remember the mine entrance Jorgen had spotted during our search, and I wondered briefly how close we’d been to Bella without finding her. The hunter hadn’t seen any clues, but that could have been due to the darkness since I knew he was a skilled tracker. It was hard to see anything by torchlight, after all.
“Time doesn’t matter to me,” I informed him with a shrug. “I’ll just need some torches.”
“And some helpful ladies,” Eva interjected with a grin.
“Yes, all three of us,” Mahini agreed.
“Oh, a mini adventure!” Elissa squealed with delight. “We’ll be back with Bella before you can blink.”
Little did my wife and the other ladies know, I was going to reset to the moment before anyone knew the little girl was missing. I just had to find her first, and then I would look like a total god when I galloped into town with the knowledge of her location secured.
I just had to actually find her first.
We said goodnight to the mayor, but then I turned to Darla and gave her a compassionate smile.
“You should go home and wait for us there,” I told her in my most soothing voice. “No use dragging you out into the dark. She could still come home on her own while we’re out searching for her.”
“You spent so much time getting more information, it is almost the middle of the night,” Darla huffed with frustration, and she crossed her arms and stepped down from the mayor’s porch. “I suppose that’s where I’m of the most use, though, just sitting and waiting.”
“It won’t be long now,” I assured her as she walked away, but then I turned to the three ladies by my side. “Let’s do this.”
The four of us returned to our horses, and we followed the mayor’s directions to the mine entrance. The tunnel was indeed closed off with a pile of rocks, and I wondered if there was another way in.
We searched the woods by the entrance by torchlight for a while before we turned our attention to the tunnel opening.
“There has to be another way inside,” Eva mused. “Maybe a side entrance?”
“We could always try to move those rocks out of the way,” Elissa suggested as she tapped her index finger against her chin.
“That could cause a secondary cave-in,” Mahini pointed out with a shake of her head.
“She’s right,” I said with a sigh. “If we try to move those rocks, the tunnel could collapse in on our heads. We could get trapped inside, and then we wouldn’t be able to help anybody.”
“There’s a small gap near the top of the rocks,” Eva pointed out as she analyzed the entrance, and she turned to give us a bright smile. “I could squeeze through, I’m small enough.”
“If you can, then I can, too,” my wife said as she planted her hands on her hips. “I’m the smallest one here, after all.”
“We could try to move just enough of the rocks to allow us all to crawl through,” Mahini suggested as she cast an amused glance at my wife.
“Alright,” I allowed, and then the four of us got to work.
Once we’d widened the hole enough, Evangeline and Elissa crawled through the sliver of an opening between the rocks, and Mahini and I stayed on the entrance side of the obstacle. Then the four of us carefully removed one rock at a time from around the small gap until it was big enough for my broad shoulders to fit through. It took some finesse to wiggle through the crevice to the other side, but I managed it with only some minor abrasions on my knees and elbows.
By the time I’d made it through to the other side, Mahini was already following after me. A moment later, the four of us were reunited again, and Elissa wrapped Mahini up in a quick hug.
Then we grabbed our torches and explored the mine.
The walls glinted with hints of silver and other metals, and various tools were left scattered across the tunnel floor. It looked like the miners had attempted to reopen the cave-in but had caused even more rocks to fall, so they’d given up on the endeavor.
“Bella?” I called out in a loud voice, and the word rang out through the tunnel and bounced off the walls.
No response came, but I hadn’t given up hope. All trails led us here, so she was bound to be in here somewhere.
“Bella, let us know you’re in here, sweetheart!” Evangeline’s voice was sweet as honey, and the echo was pleasant to the ears. Still, no response came, so we continued onward.
We walked for an hour or so, but it was hard to tell the passage of time within the depths of the mine. Then we came across another cave-in, and the walls of the tunnel seemed even more unstable than near the entrance.
“Bella, are you in there?” Mahini called out through the rock.
“H-H-Hello?” a small voice replied, and we all whooped with joy.
“Bella, is that you?” I asked in a hopeful tone, but who else could it be?
“Yes, it’s me,” the squeaky voice said. “C-C-Can you help me get out of here? I’m stuck.”
“Of course!” Eva said eagerly. “That’s why we’re here, honey.”
Except now we were going to leave. I felt a little bad about leaving the little girl stuck in the mine, but I reminded myself that I would save time by resetting to my savepoint.
Chime.
“Jorgen, we must hurry,” I said to the hunter as we galloped down the road. “There’s a little girl trapped inside a mine up ahead, and she needs our help!”
The sun was still beginning its descent to the western horizon, so we still had some daylight left. With any luck, and the God of Time on the case, we’d have Bella in her mother’s arms before her bedtime.
I’d lead Darla straight to her daughter, and then I could enjoy the rest of the night with Eva and my two ladies.
The God of Time was also the god of finding missing children, it seemed.