Peacebringer

Chapter Twenty Four - the Search in Stone Creek

Asha's mother, Raza, was completely distraught. After three days of her daughter not returning home, she decided to go into town. The neighbors hadn't seen her anywhere, and there was no sign of her in her usual hideouts.

Asha had never run away before, but her mother started to blame herself. We read all those books together where teenagers run off with the love of their life, or join an army, or get turned into toads! Honestly, what was I thinking? A teenager with no friends but chickens, it was bound to happen.

She knew she was being slightly over dramatic, but she felt she had a right to in this situation. What mother with a missing child was going to be completely rational, after all?

She was heading to Stone Creek, armed with a scripted description of Asha and a stubbornness that could move mountains. If there was any information about her in that town, she would find it.

Her first stop was Mr. Seeyerto's book shop, which she knew was Asha's favorite place in the whole town. Even if she hadn't been there recently, Mr. Seeyerto was likely to know something.

She marched through the stone gate and hooked a sharp right at the first cross street, almost bowling over a man carrying an armful of cabbages.

She stomped through the whole block until she reached the vibrant green door of the bookstore, and thrust the door open. She opened it so hard that the tiny bell that was supposed to signal someone entering fell off its hook and crashed to the floor.

Mr. Seeyerto, a short man with graying hair and a neatly trimmed beard popped out from a back room.

"Oh, Ms. Moto! So lovely to see you, I actually wanted to talk with you about purchasing one of your marvelous blankets. I do so love the ones you do with all the clever little stripes and the -"

"WHERE IS ASHA?" Raza cut him off. Mr. Seeyerto immediately sensed her panic.

"I haven't seen her in weeks. What happened?"

"She didn't come here four days ago? She didn't even come to look?"

"Well, no, I'm afraid not. Though I will say that is rather unusual, I know how much the both of you love to read. Usually getting her out of my store is a problem. When did you last see her?"

"Four nights ago. She disappeared in the middle of the night. She tends to go outside to read at night, but I didn't even hear her leave! I'm afraid..." Raza became unable to speak and choked back tears, her anger and frustration giving way to sadness.

"Afraid of what?" Mr. Seeyerto placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Were there rangers in town four days ago?"

"Well yes, I'm afraid they've been here rather often. Was she...." Mr. Seeyerto cut himself off, afraid to finish his own sentence.

Raza wiped away a stream of tears. "There's a high chance she's a fire spinner." She lowered her voice, careful to make sure she wasn't too loud. "Just like me."

Mr. Seeyerto took a deep breath in. "If they saw her spinning when she was here, even if they scared her enough for her to do it by accident..."

"Then they would have taken her," Raza said with resolution. "They took my daughter."