Fallen One (Book three of Alfireán age)

- Into the Woods -

"Yes. Mr. Dinwiddie most emphatically informed me about them this morning," Harold answered. The butler chuckled as an image of the cranky old man jumping up and down and flailing his hands appeared in his mind.

"I'm not too surprised," Garvin said as he wiped sand off his backside. "With that massive explosion the other night, I wouldn't be surprised if dragons themselves started to come out of the woodwork."

"It does indeed appear that with Vackzilian at the helm of the nation, we are in for some bad times," Harold surmised. He gazed over the dusty, brown field and down at the crystal clear lake nestled in a forest of green. "We may have to establish a strict buddy system for anyone traveling outside of the town's borders."

"Harold!" a frantic voice called from the footpath leading up through the woods to the temporary training ground.

"It seems I am needed elsewhere," Harold informed the others and made his way down the bank, over the small creek bridge, and towards the trail.

To his surprise, and several of the orphanage's den mothers came running up to him at the edge of the woods.

"What seems to be the matter?" he asked, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

"Danarc," Heralda gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

Harold's already less than stellar mood soured. "What did the child do this time?" he grumbled.

"He's gone!" the maid answered frantically.

The headmaster raised an eyebrow, eliciting more of an explanation.

"He...," Heralda panted, "told my daughter last night that he was going with Alf to the arena. And now we can't find him anywhere."

"Are you certain he's not hiding in the town somewhere?"

"Yes," one of the den mothers answered. "We've searched all morning for him."

"I see. I will go and retrieve the boy at once," Harold said, pocketing his handkerchief.

"You? By yourself?" Heralda asked, her grey eyes, much like Herald's own, full of worry.

"Yes, I am fully capable of handling this by myself, and as much as I loathe to admit it, the lad's guardian did entrust him into my care, so he is my responsibility," the headmaster answered. "I will be back in several hours."

This would also give Harold a valid reason to check up on Alf and Olivia, who should've returned yesterday. He knew he was being overly protective, but the explosion that had shaken the land so violently and lit up the night sky had him worried for their safety.

***

Zaphaniea sat there listening as the others prattled on, the buzzing in her head becoming louder and louder until, at last, she could take it no more. "All right! Enough is enough. Let's either go back to the city or go through the stupid forest already."

As if on command, the wind blowing through the trees and over the tilled fields came to an abrupt stop, and the others turned to look at her.

"What?" Drake asked.

"I said, let's either go back to the city or let's go already. I'm tired of sitting here," she answered in annoyance.

"But," Olivia started to say.

"No butts about it. We've already talked this thing to death. All you're doing now is poking and prodding at it. There is no way over or around the woods. So let's go through it or go back. I'm done sitting here," she declared with finality, plopping down into a chair made of her spheres and rubbing her temples where the endless buzzing originated from.