Chapter 21 (T) - Disappearance Recounted

“You wish to know what happened? I’ll tell you what I know.” The princess stares at the ground, gathering her thoughts. “If I recall correctly, it would be five years, three months, and twenty seven days since your mother’s disappearance. As I stated a moment ago, your parents and I were cooperating for a joint investigation into a crime ring spanning our two countries.”

“Was this crime ring really such a big deal that Gaela’s princess and a member of the Knights’ Council had to be assigned to it?”

“Your father was not yet a member of the Council at the time. As for my own involvement, permission was granted at my own request. Returning to the topic at hand, we had gleaned that the ring consisted primarily of stranded remnants of the Holy Order of Solaris.”

“Hang on a sec. The Holy Order were those guys your dad fought out of Gaela… what, thirty years ago, or something like that?”

“Forty one, but that’s irrelevant at the moment. We had been dedicated to this investigation for several months, and by the day of your mother’s disappearance, we believed we had finally identified their primary base of operations as the goddess’ temple in Gaela.”

“Wha…? Why’s there a temple to Solaris in Gaela?”

“It predates Gaela’s founding, so I do not know. Regardless, that information is irrelevant. On the day of your mother’s disappearance, we had intended to perform one last scouting mission, to confirm beyond doubt the ring’s activity within the temple, before submitting our report. However, we were discovered by scouts of their own, who rallied their numbers. While their numbers were few, there were only the three of us, so we were forced to scatter and flee for our lives. I no longer recall the reason, but your father had been astride your mother’s wyvern- Greta, I believe it’s name was- while your mother was on foot. She sensed the ambush before your father and I, and gave the command for Greta to fly away before your father had the chance to protest. I too attempted to flee with my own wyvern, Ailezar, but I couldn’t simply leave an ally behind. Your mother had been surrounded, and was fighting like a demon, but her strength would not have lasted forever. Thankfully, Ailezar and I managed to break the enemy’s ranks with our unexpected strike, and create an opportunity for her to slip past them. …As far as I am aware, this was the last time she was seen, alive or dead.”

An uneasy silence hangs in the air. “...So did… Did Dad abandon her…? He didn’t turn back…?”

The princess shakes her head. “Do not blame your father for this. Without a command whistle, it is nearly impossible to give a wyvern commands while in flight. The command whistle for your mother’s wyvern was still in her possession at the time. There was nothing he could do as he was carried away to safety.”

A bit of tension I didn’t realize I had drains away. “...Oh…”

The princess continues. “Of course, we searched for her. For several days, as a matter of fact. Wyverns have an incredibly keen sense of smell, keen enough to track a person across a large distance, similarly to the hounds utilized in Fierte. However… The trail ran cold.”

“It… ran cold…? What’s that mean?”

“Your father and I had been atop wyverns at the time, quite a distance from the ground. We had no idea until significantly later that at the time of the incident, an earthquake had struck the region. Your mother had fled through the Ralid Mountains, and we lost her trail at the site of one of many rockslides.”

My heart sinks. “...Oh. …I guess… I mean, I’ve come to terms with the fact that she’s not coming back, but… I guess part of me was still hoping she would.”

The princess stares at the ground again. She looks almost… sad? “...Further investigation eventually revealed that an abandoned mining system beneath the mountains had also partially collapsed, much of which seemingly before the rockslides struck, so it’s not impossible that your mother fell into the mines and was trapped, rather than being crushed under the rocks. It’s also possible that she discovered one of many exits from the mines, and is unable to return for some other reason. This is why she has been officially classified as ‘missing’, as opposed to ‘deceased’. While incredibly small, there’s still a chance she might return…”

She mutters something under her breath, staring at the ground like she’s trying to bore into it with her eyes. It sounds almost like, “In your case, at least…”

She turns away from me, hiding her face. “...There. I have told you what I know. Are there any more questions you would like to ask me?”

I wrack my brain. There’s a ton of things I want to ask, but I can’t figure out how to say them. And even if I did, she probably wouldn’t know the answers. “...Not that I can think of.”

“In that case, good day.” The princess strides off a short way, before turning again to stare holes into my soul again. “Actually… there is something I would like to ask you about.”

“Th-There is?!”

“There is. You are acquainted with Detective Zach Steele, correct?”

“Uh… I mean, I’m a lot closer with his brother, but… yeah?”

“I want you to tell me what you know of his past.”

“Of his past? Uh… not much?”

“I see… So, he reveals little of himself even to those close to him.”

“Uh… Why? Why do you wanna know about Zach? Just ask him yourself, he loves talking about himself.”

“I have attempted several times to glean information about his past, yet rarely if ever do I glean anything of note. The man is a brilliant engineer, possibly even the world’s best, and yet he has chosen the career of a detective. Certainly, he’s quite skilled as one, but he would see far more success making a living off his passion.”

“I mean… I guess you’ve got a point. I’ve asked him about it before, and he just says he likes solving things and helping people.”

“That is the same answer he has always given me. But while I don’t doubt his words, he is never capable of making eye contact while stating them. There’s something more to him than he’s revealed, and I need to know what.”

“Uh, maybe he just doesn’t make eye contact because you’re terrifying?”

She looks almost… surprised? “...Terrifying? That’s a rather strong term to use. In what way?”

…Does she not know? Like, about the whole ‘stare through your soul’ thing she seems to do to, like, everyone? “Uh… Well, you kinda… glare at people… Like, a lot…”

“...I see. I was… not aware of this. I will take steps to rectify this lapse in proper outward appearance. Thank you for informing me of this. …Now then, I ought to be going. Once again, good day.”

Without another word, the princess turns and leaves, again, and for real this time. And I, uh… I need a nap. This has been way too much to process at once, and I’ve gotta figure out what’s what. With that thought, I leave the records room, and head for home.