In Search Of The Goddess

Log Three

Elizabeth flings her hair all the way over her head, spraying mud up the walls and splattering over the ceiling. She smiled mischievously and before gulping a huge breath and plunging her face back under the water.

I'm nervously clutching a towel. I have no experience with children. I was the youngest at my monastery but I'm doing my best now.

I want to throw the towel at her and run away. But I just stand stone still.

"If you keep splashing, you have to clean up the mess," I say.

I don't think she hears me. She slams her fists into the water, sloshing muddy bubbles down the sides of tub.

"I think you're done," I exclaim, a little too loudly. Elizabeth smiles at me and I see a tiny knife flash through the bubbles.

"No knives in the bathtub, Elizabeth." My patience is slipping. I hold out one hand and she reluctantly hands me the knife. I have no idea where she was keeping it.

She gets out of the tub and I hand her the towel. She doesn't really know how to use a towel so I roughly scrub at her scalp. I teach her how to wrap her hair up in a towel and I use part of my robes to wrap around her as stand-in clothing.

We go back to my rooms and I unwrap her hair from the towel. I braid it and twist it up on top of her head in the apprentice style.

She seems to be calming down. I show her some meditation techniques (just to start off with).

Once the moon has fully risen, we leave the Bedrosien Inn. Elizabeth says she can help us find Trinite.

The sky is clear and a deep velvety blue. Tiny silver stars peep out at us. The air is colder and still crisp, but there is just teensiest bit of an under current of warmth. Like maybe the cold weather is finally lifting.

Elizabeth is mumbling about chicken coops and stars. Nik walks silently next to me. He's so short and slips so easily through the shadows that I forget he's there sometimes.

A quiet growl rumbles nearby. Elizabeth freezes immediately. A large dog is chained to the front of a brewery. Elizabeth turns slowly around, her large dark eyes glittering in the moonlight. "Trinite is here," she whispered.

The dog starts barking and it's loud. We all back up until the dog can't see us anymore. We wait until it lays back down, tucking its nose under its back paws.

Slowly, one by one, we creep forward. The dog wakes up and screams at us. We quickly back up again, stumbling over our own feet. A shadowy figure darts out from the alley beside the building. I shift my feet into position to fight.

It's Trinite.

"What are you guys doing!?! Trying to give me away!?"

He and Elizabeth are so excited to each other.

We have him come with us back to the inn. Javior wants to speak with him about his fire hand powers.