The Destiny Detour

Pandemonium and a Toad

Taurin tugged on Drake's shirt. "Lil's back," he whispered.

The blond girl was his older sister, then. Drake would not have guessed. Her Kianne features were strong, and she currently looked more like a street urchin than a princess.

Drake's position allowed him to hear the reunion through the rest of the pandemonium.

"Are you hurt, Lil?" Katyrinna was asking, planting a relieved kiss on the top of the girl's head.

"I don't think so, Mama," Lillya replied with a trembling voice. "But she's—she's—"

"Where's Issabeth?" interrupted a voice that did not seem to be coming from anywhere.

"I don't know," wailed Lillya. She pressed her cheek to her mother. "They took her."

Someone took the High Sorceress? Certainly no one had such power. Drake remembered stories about the Malum from when he was a boy, but the current Queen had decimated them. If they still existed, they would not dare a direct attack.

A relieved voice interrupted Drake's thoughts. "Oh, Duck, there you are."

Drake tensed instinctively while Taurin dashed to his father and was scooped up into a hug.

"Thank you for finding him," Alexander said to Drake.

"Thistle is scared, Papa," sniffled Taurin, cradling his toad.

Alexander patted the toad twice, only wincing a little. "Everyone is safe at home, Thistle," he promised the toad. "Nothing to worry about."

"But everybody is worried," Taurin insisted. "Are Lil and Mama ok?"

"Lil is just fine," answered the named girl, coming over to him. She was streaked with gray and dirt, and she had bits of moss stuck in her clothes. This girl must have had a very trying night.

Her father knelt down to fold Lil in a hug and kiss her ash-streaked face.

"I've got something special for you, Duck." She pulled a sparkling blue rock from her bedraggled jacket pocket and handed it over. Taurin adjusted his toad to grasp the rock in one hand. His eyes lit up, but the edges of his smile soon dipped. "Why are you and Mama so worried?"

"Everything will be fine," Lillya promised Taurin. "We just..." She faltered over her words, not as confident as she was pretending to be.

"What happened, Lil?" Alexander asked gently, running a hand down his daughter's hair. If he had a favorite child, this was that child. Drake did not consider himself adept at reading people or social cues, but he had a sixth sense for what people found most valuable.

"We just lost—" Lillya swallowed and tried again. "We lost Aunt Issabeth a little bit. But we'll find her. I'm sure she's fine." Lillya forced a trembling smile.

Taurin scrunched up his face. "Of course she's fine. She's Aunt Issabeth."

"Of course, Duck," chirped Lillya in too high a tone. "What a beautiful toad. What's his name?"

At the mention of Issabeth, Alexander sped to Katyrinna's side. Drake could not hear their murmured conversation, but there was plenty of distress and head shaking. When Alexander returned, he was more full of worry than before. Drake wanted to leave, but walking out seemed rude at this point.

"Is there anything I can do?" Drake offered, not sure what to say.

Alexander's stunned green eyes fixed on him, as if just realizing he was there.

"Are you an expert in dark magic?" asked Alexander.

"I'm definitely not that," answered Drake.

"Well, then, if you would escort the children to their room, I would appreciate it. I swear Duck is as much of an Empath as his mother, and I can't be helping his peace of mind right now."