It had been three days since Will went missing, and there still had been no sign of any Mord-Sith coming to collect one of her sisters. Layla was sitting by the fire with the rest of her family. She had been up all morning with Viviane whose morning sickness had gotten worse without Will. Now they were all just sitting by the fire like nothing had ever happened. The twins were braiding each other's hair and Dorothy was deep in a new book while fern bounced on Viviane's knees.

"Enough of this," Layla stood abruptly, "I'm going after him." She turned on her heel and marched into her room to start packing a bag for the road. Viviane sighed before rising from her seat to follow her.

"You can't go after him." Viviane insisted, "We need you here."

"You'll do fine without me." Layla assured her, "I already checked with the Silversters and they'll share their extra food with you so long as you watch their youngest during the day."

"Forget the food." Viviane's voice started to rise in volume and pitch, "What about your mother. She'll be devastated. We still haven't told her about Will. If she loses both of you it'll kill her."

Layla sighed. She had always worried about her mother, but maybe it was time to be more realistic. Be more like Will. "She is practically senile." Layla cringed as she said the next words to come out of her mouth, "Besides, we need Will more than we need her. I'm leaving tomorrow morning whether you like it or not."

Viviane stepped back as though she had been slapped across the face. Her jaw set and she reevaluated her argument, "If you can't get Will back, and we lose you too, then what?" Viviane voice rose even louder and her next sentence came out just below a yell, "Huh, What do we do then? Do we just starve?"

"Look," Layla turned and stood right in Viviane's face, "Viv, I can't just sit here and wait for something to happen. You want him back don't you? And I am the only one of us that can go out looking for him. Unless you want your baby to grow up without a father, I suggest you let me go."

They both stood there for a second neither wanting to back off first, until they heard Fern cry from the other room. Viviane knew there was no changing Layla's mind, and turned to leave and find out what little Fern needed.

"Layla," Viviane whispered, her voice tempered by shame.

"Yes?"

"Just," Viviane started, "Ask Clem to go with you. There is no reason you should go by yourself."

Layla sighed again and looked up to the sky as though asking the creator why she was going through this. Layla did not want to drag more people into this, but she had to admit that she couldn't do this on her own.

"Okay, I will." Layla reassured her, "And don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."

The next day Layla headed to Clement's house. The morning air was brisk, but spring would be coming soon. The woodland creatures had started to pop out and run across the ground, especially when the sun was just coming out. Layla had been to Clement's house hundreds of times. Clement was Will's best friend growing up, so he was always around. When she was 11 she developed an enormous crush on him, and a small part of her girlish self will always pine for him. More than anything else he had become a dependable friend. She and Will both needed a friend they could rely on when their father was away. Especially since there mother had never recovered from her husband's absence.

When she got there, and knocked there was no answer. She paced back and forth waiting for someone to get home. She walked around back and found the small garden Clem's mother had started after he was born. There wasn't much there, just a few crops the family could use for food. She knelt by the fragile stalks and stroked the green leaves.

Once, Clement's mother had told him that singing to plants helped them grow faster. He had been waiting for the potatoes and carrots to grow so that he could have his favorite stew, but he was impatient as a child. Clement had run to Will and Layla's house and dragged them over to the small garden. The three of them had sat in the dirt for hours singing to the plants. Everyone who walked by had stared and giggled, but Clement had been determined that by the end of the week he would have his stew. The next day Layla had woken up and run to his house to check on the plants, but they had gone. She had knocked the door, and Clem had answered with that toothy grin and had told her the plants had grown and his mother had just finished making the stew. They had sat and gobbled that stew together tasting their hard work.

Layla smiled remembering their broth covered chins and sticky hands. She stood and walked around to the front of the house again, and saw Clement walking up the dirt path. Of course he was fully grown now, but he he still had that toothy smile.

"Clem!" she yelled running up to meet him.

"Layla," Clement answered, "I was just at the market. Is everything alright?"

"No," she answered hesitantly, "It's Will. I'm guessing you've heard by now that he's gone missing." Clement nodded. Then he saw the old bag slung over Layla's left shoulder and the grim look on her face.

"You're going after him?" Clement asked incredulously, "Layla, you can't. It's madness. You could be killed or kidnapped or robbed before you even get close to finding him.

"I have to go." Layla said looking straight into Clem's blue eyes "We need him. I can't let that child be born without it's father. And you can't stop me." Layla pushed past him and started walking down the dirt road.

"Wait!" Clement wet his lips, and ran up behind her, "Do you even know where he's gone?"

Layla didn't know much about the Mord-Sith, except that they took the girls in their town, and did the bidding of Darken Rahl. Layla figured that if they Mord-Sith wanted one of her sisters they'd have taken them already. She just hoped she was right, because if she wasn't then she was leaving her family completely unprotected.

"I don't know," Layla responded, "But if I go to the People's Palace maybe I can find out where they might have taken him and why. I mean, the Mord-Sith act as servants to Rahl, so he must know what happened to Will."

Clement stayed quiet. Layla could tell by the furrow of his brow that he was trying to analyze the possible outcomes of this course of action.

"You know he'll probably just have you arrested for heresy or something like that."

Clement answered very seriously.

"I don't have a choice." Layla said with determination and turned to face Clement. "Viv wants me to take you with me, but it would be better if you stayed to watch after the girls in case the Mord-Sith come back. I can do this on my own."

You're kidding yourself if you think I'm letting you do this by yourself." Clement broke eye contact and added, "I mean, he was my best friend, and just as much my brother as he was yours. So there is no way you're leaving me behind."

Layla smiled at Clement's moment of transparency. There was a warmth in her stomach that made her wonder if she really had gotten over that girlish crush of hers.

"That's all fine," Layla said suddenly very serious again, "but someone still needs to watch over the girls. Just in case the Mord-Sith comes back for them. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I'd left them completely unprotected."

"Easy solution," Clement smiled smoothly and winked, "I'll get my father to keep an eye on them." Layla nodded in approval a smile threatening on the corners of her mouth.

"Besides there is no way you'd get there on your own." Clement joked shooting for a full on smile from Layla, "You need my navigational skills otherwise you'd end up in Aydindril."

Layla did smile, and she knew that she'd need Clement with her. Not just for his navigational talents, but also so she wouldn't get too wrapped up in worry and fear.