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Chapter 15. The Search |
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ister Lemony was asleep when Mog pushed through the tent flap clutching a small red paper lantern. She blinked blearily in the ruddy light amid her untidy nest, a little annoyed that he had awakened her. The expression on his face was not the kind she liked waking up to. He was grim and his bearded jaw tensed as he placed his set of pipes back it is case and began tossing items into his traveling kit. “What’s going on, Moggie?” she croaked, sitting up now and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Now she could hear shouts going up in the courtyard and the mad scramble of feet running over the cobbles outside. “Me brother,” he choked angrily, “Oh gods, I’m goin’ t’ kill ‘im this time.” Lemony frowned and rose from her little bed against the wall of the tent they shared. Their beds were as far from one another as was possible given that Mog’s snores could wake the dead. Her only recourse was to be well asleep before he turned in for the night which was not difficult given his penchant for staying up late to make music each night. On the other hand, her habit of rising before dawn to give praise at Dwayna’s most sacred hour had annoyed Mog on more than a few occasions when she tripped over his legs in the darkness on her way out. Despite that, theirs was an easy friendship and she would not trade tent mates with anyone. “What’d he do?” “Penny boy is missin’, an’ so’s me brother an’ his mis'rable brother ‘n law.” Lemony frowned, letting the news sink into her sleep fogged mind. “Pendaran is gone? At this time of night? But he was dancing with Teleri.” “All th’ boats have had their moorin’ lines cut an’ set adrift. One’s missin’. Murdi and Bel are gone, an’ so’s all their things. I should ne’er have let ‘im stay. It’s me fault. I shoulda warned yeh me brother were a scoundrel o’ th’ worst kind.” She could hardly believe her ears. Belenus she did not know, but Morisedd? No, it could not be. How could he have fallen so low that he would dare harm Pendaran? “Why would he do that?” she demanded, her voice rising in pitch, “I don’t understand.” “Th’ bounty on Pen musta seemed easy money,” Mog sighed, “All he needed were an accomplice. An’ he found one.” “No,” Lemony moaned, “Oh no. Poor Pen. Poor Teleri, she must be worried sick.” “Aye, Xiang Yi’s servants are with ‘er. She’s out o’ ‘er mind w’ grief. Everyone else is goin’ to th’ mainland to begin a search. Belenus can’t ‘ave gone far in th’ last hour or two.” Sister Lemony felt tears stinging her eyes as she hastily searched for her loose pantaloons and gown and threw them over on over her shift. Mog rose to his feet, bent nearly double beneath the low roof of their home. He clutched his pack in one hand and an ornate staff in the other. At his touch, it glowed with arcane energies, a shimmering cascade of magenta chaos curling through the triple circles on its head. “Please find him,” Lemony said, “We need him to find Master Bei… and he’s been through so much…” “Don’ worry yerself, lass. I’ll fin’ me scoundrel brother an’ free our Penny boy.” She watched him duck out the tent flap by the glow of the red paper lantern he had left behind. Sighing, she pinched out the candle inside of it and rose. Though she badly wanted to assist on the search, her gut told her Teleri needed her.
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