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Maeve frowned as she turned to him. Eyolf took a deep breath, but still, he didn't find the courage to look at her. His gaze remained far along the horizon as he said : "I am, of course, worried for my people. But most of all… " He paused as his eyes filled with tears. Maeve held her breath, as if she was trying not to disturb the moment. "Most of all, he continued, I am worried about my daughter. '' Maeve's heart skipped a beat as she breathed deeply to let the information sink in. She was not expecting this. Eyolf had a child. He had never mentioned it before. Maeve stood there silently, not knowing what to say. "Freyja is two years old, he explained. Her mother… She died when Freyja was born. " Maeve's eyes went to her feet, hardly hiding her discomfort through this emotional conversation. "I am so sorry " she said, stroking his back. This meant that Eyolf had a one year old daughter when they first met. Eyolf finally turned to face her. "Freyja is staying with my brother and his wife. I know they will protect her with their life, but we need to stop this. " Maeve held his hands in a solidarity manner. "We will, she assured. "
Sinbad had been observing the scene from the tiller. He could not hear the conversation but he could see how intimate and emotional it was. Dermott flew and landed right above him. "Hey there! Did you feel like a third wheel out there?" Dermott squawked in response. "Yeah, I feel you. I wish you could tell me what they are talking about. " Dermott let out a few sounds. "How I wish I could speak hawk right now." Dermott ruffled his feathers and Sinbad chuckled as he could have sworn it was out of frustration.
It had been a long journey, but the crew finally embarked the longboat and reached a bay. A frisky wind coming down the mountains made them shiver. Eyolf seemed amused by their reaction. As they started to walk on land, Eyolf pointed to the top of a hill. "My village is right behind that hill. " he said. Sinbad nodded. On their journey, they had all come to know about Eyolf's daughter, but Sinbad had assumed Eyolf was married.
- You must be eager to see your daughter, Sinbad casually said.
- Yes, very much, Eyolf responded.
- …And your wife too, the captain added.
Eyolf paused and sighed. "Umm, actually Freyja's mother died two years ago." Sinbad looked at him, speechless. "I am sorry to hear that." he said embarrassedly. At that moment, he could not help but look back at Maeve.
Firouz then ran to catch up with Sinbad and Eyolf. He presented them a small set of hollow wood pieces held together by strings. "Look at this! When something hits these wood pieces, it produces a sound. If we hang this above the villager's door, it could alert them if their child exits the house at night." Eyolf smiled "That's a great idea!" he said. Firouz smiled as he was proud of his invention. "I call it a door carillon."
When the crew reached the village, it didn't take time for the news to spread that their leader was back. People started gathering around them and Doubar heard some of them cheering and saying that their saviors were here. "Well, the expectations are high!" Doubar commented. Eyolf greeted everyone but his eyes were searching through the crowd for a familiar little girl. Soon enough, he heard her voice : "Papa! Papa!" she cried. The crowd parted to let a little toddler with curly hair run up to Eyolf. He swept her up and hugged her as tight as he could without hurting her as a tear ran down his cheek. The scene warmed the crew's hearts and made them smile. A couple and a pre-teen girl approached. Eyolf took the time to hug them too. "I am forever grateful that you took such good care of Freyja." He then turned to the crew. "Everyone, this is my daughter Freyja, my brother Eran, his wife Elie and their daughter Kai. "We appreciate you coming all the way here to help." Elie said. "We were not going to let children be harmed." Replied Sinbad. Eyolf then offered to find housing for each member of the crew. They were all feeling a little bit cold and tired so they all agreed. Except for Sinbad who argued : "If we want to find out what is going on here, we need to witness it with our own eyes and stop any child who would leave the village. We need to stay outside. " The crew reluctantly agreed.
- Don't worry, we will light a fire to keep ourselves warm. The captain reassured. Firouz, make sure to install a… what is it again? Sinbad asked
- Door carillon, Firouz answerd.
- Install one above every door.
- We will help you, Eyolf said.
Everyone split to accomplish different tasks. Firouz, Rongar, Eyolf and Eran installed the carillons. Doubar and Maeve gathered some food for the crew. Elie and Sinbad installed a campsite. She had brought warm blankets and cushions and he had gathered everything they needed to light a fire.
As the sun was setting, the crew gathered around the fire and sat for a warm meal. In this cold weather, Elie's soup gave them a comforting feeling. Eyolf had sat next to Maeve across the fire and Sinbad could not help but notice the way he was looking at her. Noticing his brother's discomfort, Doubar gave Sinbad a gentle nudge. "You're OK, little brother ?" He asked knowing exactly what was going through his brother's mind. Sinbad blinked more slowly than usual, hoping to brush away his thoughts. "Yes, I just hope we will soon find what is going on here." Doubar chuckled before taking a small sip from his soup. "Are you sure there is nothing else bothering you?" He asked in amusement. Sinbad shrugged. "Why?" Sinbad asked, trying to look as nonchalant as he could. Doubar shook his head with a smile.
Eran approached the crew with a bell in his hands. "There are no more carillon for our door, but we have this goat bell. Could we use this instead?" He asked Firouz. "Sure, the scientist answered. I guess we could call it a door bell." Eyolf then took the blanket he had next to him and wrapped it around Maeve's shoulders. She replied with an appreciative smile as the temperature was dropping lower since the sun had set. "Well, it is getting late, Eyolf declared as he stood up next to his brother. I should go and keep an eye on Freyja. " Sinbad saluted Eyolf in a friendly manner. "We should all get some sleep, he said. We have a peculiar night ahead of us."
The crew had settled around the fire, covering themselves with the blankets Elie had brought for them. Sinbad had volunteered to take the first watch. Behind the flames, he noticed Maeve turning and bringing the covers closer to her face. Reading this as a sign that she was cold, he placed a few more logs in the fire. As he sat back on a fallen tree log, Maeve opened her eyes and slowly stood up, wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. He watched her as she circled around the fire and came to sit close to him. Sinbad took the blanket sitting on his lap and unfolded it. He held it in front of his knees, inviting Maeve to share the warmth. Maeve gave him a quick smile. "Oh, thank you" she said nervously as she skooched closer to her captain. Sinbad gently placed the blanket over their knees. Both of them watched the flames, wondering if the other felt as uneasy and nervous as themselves. After a few seconds, almost as if they had planned it, they looked at each other at the same time. Both feeling as happy to be in each other's company as they felt awkward and tense.They smiled and burst into a contained nervous laugh, avoiding to wake the others. Their warm breath created a white fog in the cold air. Sinbad broke the silence.
- I hope I didn't wake you, he murmured.
- Nah, I couldn't sleep. I can sense the evil presence on this land. Whatever or whoever we are facing, is very powerful.
- Do you know what could cause this? Sinbad asked.
- No, I've never heard of anything like this. Dermott senses it too.
- Where is he? I haven't seen him since we arrived.
Maeve pointed to one of the highest trees around. In the darkness of the night, Sinbad couldn't see the dark feathered hawk. "He's been surveilling the village from the sky. " Maeve explained. Since the fire seemed to be fading, the sorceress waved a hand and suddenly the flames grew even bigger than they were before. His elbows resting on his knees, Sinbad stretched his hands forward to feel the warmth and gave her a timid smile.
For a moment, Maeve allowed herself to watch the flames dance in his eyes. Her thoughts traveled to the last time they had kissed and her heart began to race. Ever since that night, she had blamed herself for losing control of her impulses. The day Sinbad had killed Turok, she knew she could count on him to be an ally in her quest to vanquish Rumina. However, she could not allow herself to lose sight of her goal. She could not allow herself to think of him as anything more than a friend. That last time they had kissed had turned her world upside down. She had to keep her distance to avoid losing control once more. After an entire voyage keeping her distance, she missed his presence. She thought maybe she could try to act as if nothing ever happened. Maybe, the conflictual thoughts in her head would vanish.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of wood pieces tinkling. Sinbad and Maeve both jumped to their feet. They ran towards the sound, not knowing exactly where it came from. It wasn't long before they spotted a young boy wandering outside. They both placed themselves in front of him to stop him in his path, but the boy continued to walk as if he didn't see them. Sinbad gave Maeve a puzzled look. Not taking her eyes off the boy, she explained "This is probably the transe Eyolf was talking about." As the boy was now close to them, Maeve placed both hands on his shoulders to stop him. She squinted her eyes to examine the boy in the darkness. His eyes were empty of life. He looked as if he was sleepwalking. Sinbad waved a hand in front of the boy. "Hey there, wake up." He said. The boy fluttered his eyes before looking at Maeve and Sinbad. He seemed confused. At that moment, a woman came running in panic. She hugged the boy, grateful that he didn't disappear.
Sinbad placed a hand on Maeve's back, inviting her to head back to the campsite. As they were about to sit, they heard another carillon. That time, they woke the crew to help them. They all spent the night waking kids from their transe and returning them to their homes every hour or so. By sunrise, they were all exhausted. Eyolf invited them to his home to elaborate a plan. Elie, Eran and Kai joined them.
- We need a new plan, Sinbad declared in a serious tone. We can't spend another night chasing every kid in this town.
- It doesn't help us find out what is going on here, Doubar added.
- We are back to where we started, Eyolf said.
Everyone could hear the sadness in his voice. A heavy silence filled the room. After what seemed an eternity, Firouz broke the silence in a low voice.
- If only we could follow one of them to see where they are going.
Everyone turned to the scientist, evaluating the possibility. "No parent in their right mind would ever allow that" Doubar argued. Rongar nodded in agreement. And the silence filled the room once more.
- I'll do it, Kai said in an assertive voice.
- No, you can't, Elie protested.
- Mother, I have to, argued Kai. We can't wait for another child to disappear. Everybody has been on edge for weeks because of this. I just want it to stop.
- Kai, this is too dangerous, Eran added.
- Your parents are right, said Doubar. We can't ask you to take that risk.
- I know, replied the young girl. You're not asking me. I volunteered. You will all be there to protect me.
All the adults looked at each other. Eyolf placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We have to try this." He then turned to Elie. "I'll go with her. And I'll protect her with my life." A single tear drop ran on Elie's face. After a long pause, she nodded in agreement. Sinbad stood up. "Then I suggest we all get some rest before tonight. "