The two travelers looked up in surprise at the distressed woman calling out. She saw their startled gazes and race-walked over to them, sweeping a blonde lock of hair out of her pale, tear-streaked face.
"Have you seen a little girl wandering about in this area? Blonde hair, green eyes like mine. About this tall."
The woman made a gesture with her shaking hands, bringing them up to her waist.
"Her name is Midori. She's been missing for days. Have you seen her?"
The travelers looked at each other. In silent agreement, they pulled off the hoods of their robes.
The tall figure was a man, with curling hair and closed eyes, clutching a long bejeweled staff. With every step it made a musical jingling sound, and it seemed that he used it in the place of his sight. Pale and slender, with a gentle smile touching his lips, he had an air of constant grace about him, as if he was trying in elegance to make up for his blindness.
The shorter figure was a young lady, disheveled black hair pulled back with a white band and an exquisite green gem. She had a pretty, delicate face but her expression held a bit of permanent irony that was lacking in her companion's countenance, as if she was a bitter person. But she seemed sympathetic.
"No, I haven't seen anyone of that description about recently," the lady said softly.
"Will you help me look?" The distressed woman glanced at the tall man, then forced a brittle laugh. "Oh, never mind me. I didn't notice you were-"
"Of course we'll help you look, Miss." The man didn't seem insulted that she was poking fun at his blindness.
"Wha-" she began, but the short lady put a hand on her shoulder.
"Trust him." The lady in white said.
"Thank you...I'm Sonia."
The white-clad lady indicated the man beside her. "That's Aka Houshi Rezo. I'm Eris, his assistant."
~~
It was near dusk, and they were nearly ready to begin. The Red Priest pulled two cards made of rice paper out of his sleeve. "Ah, here we are," he said softly. "Eris?"
"Right here, Rezo-sama," she said, taking the cards from him and looking them over. The ancient symbols painted on them were clearly the right ones.
"They're correct." She said briskly, handing them back to him.
Sonia looked on, watching the two travelers work.
Rezo stretched out his arm and a flame bloomed in his palm. With his other hand he dipped the two cards into the fire.
Eris knelt on the ground and pressed her palm facedown, closing her eyes. In instants, a mobius sprang from the ground and glowed consistently, a bright red star with the Red Priest in the center. A strong wind began to gust, and Eris stumbled out of the circle to let her master complete the spell.
He murmured a few words and the cards crumbled into dust and wisped into the chilly air. The mobius disappeared, the wind ceased, and he just stood at attention, listening for something.
"The spell was to check for your child's soul, and whereabouts...In a few moments, we will know if Midori is dead, and if not, where she is." Eris whispered compassionately.
Sonia nodded.
All of a sudden Rezo dropped his staff and ran, red robes trailing behind him like blood. Eris took off after him, grabbing Sonia's elbow to pull her along. They ran through thick woods on the outskirts of town, and finally stopped at a bubbling brook.
The Red Priest pushed a decomposing tree trunk and some thorny brambles away from a hole on the side of the path, and knelt beside the dirty, crying little girl that was curled in a ball, clutching her stomach.
"She hasn't eaten in days and her head hurts. Her knee is broken and she wants a bath, and her mother." Rezo said, still breathless from the run.
"How...How did you-" Sonia gasped, hugging the sobbing Midori to her.
"Shh, it doesn't matter now." Eris said, helping mother and child stand. "Just get her inside and fix her up."
Tears streamed down Sonia's cheeks. "Thank...Thank you so much!"
Rezo smiled faintly. "You're very welcome, Sonia."
She looked down at her daughter with love and started off towards the path back to her village. When she looked back towards the clearing and brook to get a last glimpse at her daughter's personal angels, all she saw were trees.
~~
"Have you seen a little girl wandering about in this area? Blonde hair, green eyes like mine. About this tall."
The woman made a gesture with her shaking hands, bringing them up to her waist.
"Her name is Midori. She's been missing for days. Have you seen her?"
The travelers looked at each other. In silent agreement, they pulled off the hoods of their robes.
The tall figure was a man, with curling hair and closed eyes, clutching a long bejeweled staff. With every step it made a musical jingling sound, and it seemed that he used it in the place of his sight. Pale and slender, with a gentle smile touching his lips, he had an air of constant grace about him, as if he was trying in elegance to make up for his blindness.
The shorter figure was a young lady, disheveled black hair pulled back with a white band and an exquisite green gem. She had a pretty, delicate face but her expression held a bit of permanent irony that was lacking in her companion's countenance, as if she was a bitter person. But she seemed sympathetic.
"No, I haven't seen anyone of that description about recently," the lady said softly.
"Will you help me look?" The distressed woman glanced at the tall man, then forced a brittle laugh. "Oh, never mind me. I didn't notice you were-"
"Of course we'll help you look, Miss." The man didn't seem insulted that she was poking fun at his blindness.
"Wha-" she began, but the short lady put a hand on her shoulder.
"Trust him." The lady in white said.
"Thank you...I'm Sonia."
The white-clad lady indicated the man beside her. "That's Aka Houshi Rezo. I'm Eris, his assistant."
~~
It was near dusk, and they were nearly ready to begin. The Red Priest pulled two cards made of rice paper out of his sleeve. "Ah, here we are," he said softly. "Eris?"
"Right here, Rezo-sama," she said, taking the cards from him and looking them over. The ancient symbols painted on them were clearly the right ones.
"They're correct." She said briskly, handing them back to him.
Sonia looked on, watching the two travelers work.
Rezo stretched out his arm and a flame bloomed in his palm. With his other hand he dipped the two cards into the fire.
Eris knelt on the ground and pressed her palm facedown, closing her eyes. In instants, a mobius sprang from the ground and glowed consistently, a bright red star with the Red Priest in the center. A strong wind began to gust, and Eris stumbled out of the circle to let her master complete the spell.
He murmured a few words and the cards crumbled into dust and wisped into the chilly air. The mobius disappeared, the wind ceased, and he just stood at attention, listening for something.
"The spell was to check for your child's soul, and whereabouts...In a few moments, we will know if Midori is dead, and if not, where she is." Eris whispered compassionately.
Sonia nodded.
All of a sudden Rezo dropped his staff and ran, red robes trailing behind him like blood. Eris took off after him, grabbing Sonia's elbow to pull her along. They ran through thick woods on the outskirts of town, and finally stopped at a bubbling brook.
The Red Priest pushed a decomposing tree trunk and some thorny brambles away from a hole on the side of the path, and knelt beside the dirty, crying little girl that was curled in a ball, clutching her stomach.
"She hasn't eaten in days and her head hurts. Her knee is broken and she wants a bath, and her mother." Rezo said, still breathless from the run.
"How...How did you-" Sonia gasped, hugging the sobbing Midori to her.
"Shh, it doesn't matter now." Eris said, helping mother and child stand. "Just get her inside and fix her up."
Tears streamed down Sonia's cheeks. "Thank...Thank you so much!"
Rezo smiled faintly. "You're very welcome, Sonia."
She looked down at her daughter with love and started off towards the path back to her village. When she looked back towards the clearing and brook to get a last glimpse at her daughter's personal angels, all she saw were trees.
~~