Rumors kept spreading rapidly through Lindworm.
At Skadi’s command, the town had been searching for Molly for days. While the patrol group did so in accordance with their orders, there were also private citizens who volunteered to join the search. With summer on the horizon in Lindworm, the searching was sweaty work. But Molly was nowhere to be found.
“We’ve looked everywhere,” Kay groaned as she sipped on some honey water in the Central Plaza. “Why haven’t we found her yet?”
“Lady Tisalia is searching the highway.” Lorna narrowed her eyes as she sucked on salted candy to replenish her electrolytes. “With our lady’s speed, she could easily catch up with her, even on the highway. But do you really think she went that far? Without anyone noticing?”
“They’re asking around in the Graveyard City too, right? But…”
Kay and Lorna both grew quiet, thinking. All of Lindworm was searching for Molly in order to help Glenn. But why Molly? How was she connected to Glenn? Very few people knew the truth. The ones who did were Skadi, Cthulhy, Kunai, Lime, and Glenn’s fiancées. Kay and Lorna had heard the gist from Tisalia, but they still had questions.
Why did Molly disappear?
What did her disappearance have to do with Glenn?
Skadi had artfully withheld that information while giving the order to search for Molly. At some point in time, baseless rumors began flying around Lindworm, such as, “Glenn will recover if we find Molly,” and “Molly loved Glenn too much, so she reaped his soul and ran away.” Considering the fact that the first-generation Molly had sent Glenn’s soul to the Underworld, that particular rumor wasn’t far from the truth—though naturally, the residents of Lindworm didn’t know that.
“I never thought it would turn out like this,” Kay said.
“I know,” Lorna agreed. Both of their faces remained downcast.
Of course they hadn’t. Their lady had finally found someone she loved to marry. Her attendants were at least as happy for her as Tisalia was for herself, if not more so. Glenn would be a very successful doctor. Tisalia would take over the trading company. Both were vital contributors to Lindworm and would lead the town together, as equals. They couldn’t begin to fathom how their lady’s new life could come apart like this before it had even started.
“I hope our lady is all right,” Lorna murmured with a grave expression. “You don’t think she would…try to follow him, do you?”
“No, no, wait a second. Dr. Glenn’s not dead yet,” Kay shot back in response to Lorna’s negativity.
“But there’s a chance he will die, right?” Lorna pointed out.
“Well…” Kay didn’t know what else to say.
There were groundless rumors for every scenario. Even the rumor that Glenn would recover if Molly were found was being laughed off. No one recovered from death.
“Even so, our lady has not given up hope!”
“That’s true—but why?”
Tisalia was serious, proud, and a hard worker, always putting her all into everything she did. On the other hand, she did have her weaknesses, and one of those was love. When it came to the man she loved, she could easily fall apart.
“It must be because she’s not alone,” Lorna said.
“You mean Sapphee? Or Arahnia?” Kay asked.
“Both, I’m sure.”
“Yes, you’re right.” They giggled together.
Kay and Lorna knew how reassuring it was to have companions to help you stay positive. After all, they’d always had each other—though since they were attendants, while Tisalia was their lady, they’d never been her equals despite the three of them growing up like sisters. They probably never would, either. But her two rival fiancées could. They couldn’t imagine how much relief their presence must provide her.
“In that case, there are things we must do.”
“Yes, you’re right,”
The two got back to business, using their centaur legs to search Lindworm. They weren’t happy about the predicament Glenn was in, but Tisalia had gained companions that were hard to come by.
This simple thought brought a small smile to their faces. All they had to do now was follow their lady’s orders and get to work.
Kay and Lorna were willing to do anything for Tisalia. They bolted off in search of Molly, the sound of their hooves echoing through the streets.
✦ ✦ ✦
Meanwhile, in the Eastern capital of Heian in the human realm, Souen was clenching his teeth, unable to speak. He had been preparing for a visit from the three ambassadors from Lindworm, including his own sister.
In one hand, he held a secret letter from a subordinate he had sent to infiltrate Lindworm. It had been express delivered by a harpy, the fastest way to get information from the West.
“Souen? What is it?” Saki asked, her head cocked to the side. With the changes in the human realm, she no longer had to hide her horns. She was legally Souen’s wife now, and she always noticed when something was off with him.
“It’s Glenn…”
“Your brother?”
“Glenn collapsed and was taken to the hospital. There’s a chance…he won’t make it,” Souen explained, surprising himself with his quivering lips. He was universally recognized as a merchant as well as a statesman. He never hesitated to use his relatives, even his siblings, in order to advance his own agenda.
It was Souen who’d appointed his sister as an ambassador to improve relations between humans and monsters, and he had no plans to stop using others for his own benefit. Everything he did was so Saki could live a peaceful life. People still held deep-seated prejudice against demons, meaning he had to counter everyone who criticized her.
He wasn’t the type to worry about something as trivial as his brother collapsing. Or so he thought…but he couldn’t keep his face from going pale.
“That fool…Sioux is coming here in a few days. How am I supposed to explain this to her? Or my father and mother, for that matter?” he complained.
“Calm down,” Saki said, taking the hand in which Souen held the letter.
She didn’t hold back, but she used her demonic strength to squeeze his fingers. The pain traveled all the way down to his bones. However, that pain helped him think clearly.
“First, you need to confirm the situation. You need to reply to your new Lindworm agent and instruct them to send more details,” she said.
“Ahh. Agh…”
“Leave your sister to me. You can meet with her once the color has returned to your face. You might be able to see a stranger like this, but a family member would notice something was wrong,” Saki instructed, her reasoning rock-solid.
Ahhh—I almost forgot.
Souen suddenly recalled the moment he became secretary to the Duke. When they were given non-arable land on a deserted island as a joke, it was Saki who illegally established a village for monsters and became its leader. It wasn't logical, but he fell in love with her at first sight.
In the East, where living as a monster came with massive disadvantages, Saki had struggled to carve out a space of their own, all on their own. She was so strong. That strength charmed him. He’d trusted his instincts about her, and it had brought them here.
Right…
He couldn’t be this pathetic in front of his partner…but she had already seen him like this on many an occasion, and there was no changing that now. Souen suppressed his trembling and rubbed his own face. Afterward, he looked like the hard-headed, cold-hearted merchant once more.
“I’m fine now. I will greet the ambassadors,” he said.
“Are you sure?” Saki checked.
“I can’t let something so small bother me. Setting that aside, Sioux is astute. Make sure she doesn’t catch on to anything,” Souen assured her.
“Teehee,” Saki giggled. Her tone was teasing, but Souen glared at her.
“I’m sorry, Saki,” he apologized.
“I don’t know why you’re apologizing now. I’ve endured plenty since I decided to be with you.”
“Take that back. You should learn to treat your husband with due respect,” he warned.
“This is me intending to treat you with respect…” she replied, furrowing her brow.
Even that exchange made Souen felt more like his usual self. He allowed himself to smile just a little.
“Now then, let’s get ready to greet our guests. I will find out more about Lindworm,” he said.
“Understood, Souen.”
✦ ✦ ✦
A few days later, three monster ambassadors to the human realm arrived. Sioux was in great spirits, perhaps because she was going to see her family for the first time in a while. The harpy kept her wings tucked close to her body, and the vampire looked timid, as if they’d been hit with a bout of shyness.
It went without saying that Souen took precautions to keep the three of them from learning about Glenn’s state.