Sorry for such a late update y'all. My laptop's been real janky over the last few months and it's just progressively getting worse. So, most of this chapter has been done from my phone. Gonna apologize ahead of time if there's any errors. I'm also estimating for there to be around three to five chapters until this is finished.

Enjoy~


Dante walked through the back streets of the Encanto. Keeping his eyes trained on the ground in front of him, trying to keep any unwanted attention away. The cheerful voices from the townsfolk filled the alleyway. From their attitudes, it was apparent that the villagers hadn't noticed that one of their beloved protectors had even gone missing.

Lorenzo warned him that the matriarch questioned the leader of the party they'd entered the village with. Obviously, the family had its suspicions about his group. Hell, for all he knew, the Madrigals already found out about their person on the inside.

However, if they did know, why hadn't they done something? Surely, they'd want to save the redhead. Especially if they were as close as Carlos claimed.

Turning down the side street that led to Carlos' house, two figures caught his attention. As he got closer to the pair, he instantly recognized the duo. Across the street stood the two youngest Madrigals. Mirabel and Antonio (if he remembered correctly).

The curly haired boy sniffled. Mirabel wasted no time kneeling down beside him. Reaching out she gently wiped his tears away. Pulling the boy towards her, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "It's okay Toñito."

"But Mira, I'm worried." Antonio muttered, burying his head into his cousin's shoulder.

Dante quietly watched as the bespectacled girl leaned back and gave her cousin a soft, reassuring smile. "There's nothing to be worried about. Our whole family is looking for her. We'll find her."

"B-but what if we don't?"

"That…" Mirabel started. However, the girl paused. Unlike Antonio, who kept his attention focused on the ground, Dante caught the brief look of uncertainty that crossed her face. The soft smile returned as she patted the boy's head affectionately. "Isn't going to happen. Have I ever lied to you?"

"No..."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course!"

"Then believe me when I say we'll find her." The gift-less child looked up, as if sending a silent prayer to the sky above. Standing, she held out her hand. The dark-haired boy wasted no time placing his hand in her own. "Let's head back to Casita. Maybe the others have found something."

Dante stepped back around the corner before the children could notice him. Leaning against the wall, he tried to stop the guilt that started to rise. He'd felt it briefly before. (After the conversation with the woman.) But hearing the sadness in the young boy's voice brought it all rushing back.

No.

Shaking his head, Dante pushed himself off of the wall and continued down the street.

He couldn't afford to back out now. This was it. The only chance he had to be united with his own loved ones. To bring back his family.

With a sigh, he pushed open the door to Carlos' home. He was overthinking things. In the end, everything would be fine. Everyone would be happy. It wasn't as though they were hurting the redhead. 'The vessel wouldn't come to any harm. Pachamama wouldn't accept anything less than perfection.' Santos had spoken those words himself.

At the sound of the door, Heidi poked her head around the corner. "Oh, Dante. Welcome home."

"Thank you." The tired man gave a nod of his head as he hung his poncho on one of the hangers by the door.

Since he'd spent most of the day watching over the woman, he wasn't sure of what Santos' plans for the group consisted of. However, with Carlos' house being far too close to the Madrigal's home, he couldn't just come right out and ask. Instead, he would have to go about asking another way. Picking up the notepad that was on the table, he flipped to a clean page before scribbling out his question.

When do we leave?

"Dinner later on tonight." Heidi said with a broad smile. 'Dinner', in this case, referred to their ritual. Before entering the town Santos made it clear that they were, under no circumstance, to use any words that would give them away. So, they resorted to using the code words that Lorenzo suggested.

Heidi sat her hand on Dante's shoulder. "You know, you look tired. Why don't you rest until then?"

Dante stood from his chair, stretching his arms up over his head. Sitting on the cave's floor and leaning against its walls were far from comfortable. Not to mention he'd been watching the woman for well over twelve hours. Maybe a nap was just what he needed to clear his mind and hopefully calm his nerves. "Yeah. I think I will. Thank you."


Pepa wasn't sure how much time passed since Lorenzo had replaced Dante. Unlike Dante, who sat across from her the whole time, Lorenzo moved all around. He would disappear just out of Pepa's eyesight. She heard the sound of rustling and shuffling coming from behind her. He stayed out of her sight for a while, when he finally returned, he held three bags.

Sitting down, he kept his back to Pepa. She could barely see that the man had dumped the contents of the bags onto the ground.

"Hey." Pepa called out, trying to get his attention. The muscular man didn't acknowledge her. Instead, he continued on shuffling through the items he'd dumped.

Pepa felt her eye twitch in annoyance. If her powers were working, she knew that the infernal thunderhead would be forming over her.

"Aye, músculos. I'm talking to you."

This time Lorenzo turned around to face the redhead. The bored look he gave her only fueled her ever growing annoyance. "Oh look, he does understand."

"I have nothing to say to you." Lorenzo said evenly as he returned his attention to the scattered items.

"The least you could do is answer some questions, considering you're holding me hostage."

"I already told you. I have nothing to say to you."

"I don't give a-"

Pepa's sentence was cut short by a feminine shout that echoed throughout the cave. "Oh, big brother! I'm here!"

Lorenzo didn't bother you turn towards the voice, instead he continued on with his sorting, completely unbothered by the girl's sudden appearance. "Zara, you shouldn't be shouting. The family will hear you."

"The only way the girl would hear us is if she's close by."

"How do you know she's not?"

"Because, I passed her on my way out of town. She, the flower girl, and the old broad were still following father around. They seem rather suspicious of him." Zara said smugly.

Pepa felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. As much as she hated to admit it, there was a small irrational part of her mind that told her no one would look for her. That she'd be swept under the rug and forgotten just as they'd done with Bruno.

But that wasn't the case. Her family was, in fact, looking for her. Her mother suspected Santos. And that meant they were on the right path. All she needed to do was wait. They'd find her. Soon enough she'd be back in the safety of Félix's arms surrounded by her family.

"I can't imagine why. It's not like you didn't kidnap a member of their family or anything." Pepa scoffed, her bravado returning. "I mean, what did you expect? Your group is new to the Encanto. They're going to suspect you did it."

"But the question is, can they find you before we can finish our ritual?" The girl's tone was confident. Like she knew that they wouldn't be caught. With a shrug of her shoulders, she put the box she carried on the ground by her brother. "Either way, since he was preoccupied, he asked me to bring the supplies."

The muscular man simply looked at the newly placed box. "You brought everything we needed?"

"Of course." Zara rolled her eyes. "I'm not incompetent like the others. I know how important this is. You think I'd be stupid enough to forget something? Especially at this point?"

"Well-"

"Don't start with me brother. You'll ruin my good mood." Sitting down on the box she'd placed; she looked up to the jagged rocks above. She grew quiet. And her gaze seemed far away. Almost as if she were daydreaming. "Just think, once the others arrive, we'll be able to start the next step of the ceremony."

Pepa couldn't tell if Zara was speaking to her or her brother. But it seemed as if this girl was overly confident. Which meant, if she played her cards right, she might be able to get some more information out of her. "Which is?"

"The vessel must be prepared. The goddess needs to know where to go."

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh! You see, there's symbols." The girl continued on, completely oblivious to the redhead's attempt for information. Zara knelt down in front of Pepa. Moving her finger along the soft dirt the dark-haired girl drew a chakana. In the very center of the chakana, she drew a spiral. "This symbol, along with some others, must be present on the vessel. They're what guides Pachamama to the vessel."

"If she's so great, shouldn't she know which vessel to go to? Why need the symbols?"

"It's just how it works I'm afraid." Zara said casually.

With his items sorted Lorenzo finally stood. Brushing his pants off, he looked over to his sister. "We need to move her."

Zara's smile widened just a little too much for Pepa's comfort. Reaching into the mochila she wore over her shoulder, she pulled out a small syringe and a vial. "What is that?"

"Oh, just a sedative. I'm not Hernesto. I know you can fight. So, I'm taking precautions." Zara said as she held the bottle upside down before poking the needle through. Pepa watched as the contents of the vial went into to the syringe. Narrowing her eyes, the girl focused on the lines along the side. Once she was happy with the amount, she pulled it free of the vial. "There we go. That should be enough. Now, hold still. It'll only pinch for a second."