With eyes on the stone flag floor of Appocca’s office, Pyre stood silent, listening to the shrill rising voice of the new Head Councilman. He had never heard, nor seen Appocca in such a fury of emotion. His eyes sparked with anger and his voice trembled as he demanded, “Tell me now where your mother is!”

Beside Pyre, Loren stood completely composed. In his peripheral vision Pyre could see that Loren’s head was up and he was looking straight at Appocca. It was a feat Pyre could not manage. Calmly Loren said, “I have told you I do not know where my mother is.”

Appocca’s fist struck the top of his mahogany desk with a hard thud. Startled Pyre looked up at the Head Councilman and then quickly looked down. He so wanted out of this room! To Loren Appocca said, “If you won’t tell me where, tell me why she has taken Fand with her?”

The sound of Pyre’s heart was like a great metal drum. He was certain Appocca’s entire office was vibrating with the sound of it. He waited for Loren’s response. Loren lied, “I do not know.”

“Blast you Loren! Your mother has taught you too well. I fear for your folly. I can’t even read Pyre’s simpering thoughts, much less get a lock on yours.” He paused a moment then cursed, “Damn you, answer me or I will put you and your terrified friend in prison.”

Loren was nonplussed. “You have need of both of us in the Infirmary. You especially need my skill. My mother does what she does you know that. You also know that she is brilliant and careful. What ever she has done is to some purpose.”

Thoughtfully, Appocca stroked his long white beard. “Your mother will be the death of me yet.”

“And without you,” Loren said, “my mother would have been dead long ago. Don’t think I have forgotten how much we both owe you. I am not doing this to be contrary. I have to trust my mother. Pyre thinks so, don’t you Pyre.”

For the first time Pyre raised his eyes to Appocca’s. The anger he expected to see in those had been quenched. He stammered, “I-I believe she can be trusted.”

Appocca furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you base this belief on?”

Pyre stuttered, “Her-her um humility and her selflessness. She is the most selfless person I have ever met. I think where ever she is, is the safest place for Fand to be.” Pyre noticed a strange gleam come to Appoca’s eyes and abruptly stopped talking. Had he said too much?

Appocca asked, “So Fand is in some sort of danger, a danger so great it is beyond my ability to protect her?” At this question, Pyre dropped his gaze. He could not meet the anger that had reignited in the Appocca’s eyes. He didn’t like anger, he never had. It frightened him. With another crashing blow of his fist on his desk top, Appocca said, “Answer me!” Loren started to speak, but Appocca waved him quiet. “Pyre will answer me. You may cover his mind, but you cannot cover his mouth. Speak Apprentice!”

It took a moment for Pyre to gather his wits. The silence that filled the room was suffocating. Finally with eyes still cast down, he managed to say, “You know the answer to your own question sir.”

In a hard voice Appocca replied, “I do. I don’t have the power to protect her for some reason you dim wits won’t share. Still, I don’t like, but I will trust Renate. I pray my trust is not misguided. You two will be questioned again and you will be watched. Do not mention Fand’s disappearance to anyone. Especially not her uncle. He will be told she is in quarantine until her hand has been properly scrutinized. Does anyone else know she is missing?”

Loren said, “The Pathfinder.”

“Merciful heavens. Blast it all! There will be trouble of some sort. At least I am certain he doesn’t know anymore than I do. Does he?”

In unison Pyre and Loren said, “No sir.”

Appocca let out a sigh of frustration. “If I had any guards to spare I would put four on each of you, but I don’t have that many to spare. Wait, there is Rufus. He will join you Pyre. Loren is too slippery and I don’t want any harm coming to my Guards. Now go. Rufus will be sent to you in the Infirmary Pyre.”

“Yes sir.”

“You are both dismissed.”

Without ever looking up, Pyre turned and followed Loren outside. They made their way onto the street. The afternoon sun was casting shallow shadows on the pavement. In the distance they heard the clattering of hooves. Pyre recognized those hooves. It was Resen, on Donner. The horse was galloping down the littered street as if it were a cleared fairway. When Resen reached Pyre and Loren he reined in the horse and said, “I am going to find Fand.”

The color in Loren’s face quickly changed to bright angry red. He looked up at Resen and said, “You won’t find her.”

“I always find what I am looking for.”

“No, not always.”

Loren’s words seemed to touched some deep sore memory in Resen. He flinched, and then tightened his hold on Donner’s reins. The big horse snorted with impatience. Without another word, Resen loosened the reins and dug his boots into Donner’s sides. The horse shrieked and leapt forward.

Loren shouted, “Go and meet the desert of your pride!”

Donner was racing toward the closed gates. Resen shouted, “Open the gate for me.”

“No Sir!” shouted the Guard. “No one comes or goes without the proper papers. Do you have your exit papers?”

Resen did not even slow down. Keeper was he going to try to get Donner to leap the gate? It was too high. The horse would die in the attempt. The Pathfinder was crazy! Loren lifted his left hand. An orb of blue light encircled Resen and Donner halting them in mid air. Enraged Resen turned and glared back at Loren. He shouted something, but his voice did not penetrate the orb. Pyre had never seen magic like this before. Ever. He hadn’t even read about it. Slowly, Loren lowered his hand. He shouted to the four Guards of the Gate, “I am about to release him. Be ready.”

Once the Guards were assembled around the orb, Loren dissolved it. The largest Guard grabbed Donner’s head. The other two pulled Resen off the horse. Fighting mad, Resen struck out at the Guard nearest him. His fist hit the Guard’s jaw with a sickening crunch. Before he could throw another punch he was quickly and deftly knocked down by the another guard. Like a calf, his hands and legs were quickly tied up. When the Guards were finished they asked Loren, “What now?”

“Take him to Appocca. Appocca will tell you what to do with him.”

Resen shouted obscenities at them all. Pyre was shocked. How was it that the man he had first met, had become such an angry lunatic? What was driving his madness?

“Come,” Loren said. “Resen will hate us even more if we gape at him in his humiliation. Damn it, I didn’t want to humiliate him, but he left me no choice. This does not bode well for us my friend.”

Did anything bode well for them? It didn’t seem so to Pyre. He asked, “What will Appocca do with him?”

“I have no idea.”

*

The roof had been mended on the dining hall. It offered shelter for many of those whose homes had been burned. Tables were shoved up against the walls. Children and women had set up house in the center of the floor. The picture of Jerue was gone. No one knew what had become of it. Pyre suspected it had been burned. Only the High table remained in its usual spot. Appocca and the Elder Councilmen were seated and eating.

Pyre and Loren sat against the west wall. Both were wiped out after a day of tending patients. Two had died from burns, but a midwife had delivered living twins an hour ago. Life had a strange way of balancing itself.

Across the table from Pyre sat Rufus. Rufus was a large young man with a thatch of white blonde hair. His eyes were sharp and black. He was dressed in Council Guard Blue.

Cook Grayson’s stew, foul as ever, was at least warm. Pyre held the bowl and breathed in the steam of it. A cold front had blown through that evening bringing rain and a frightful storm. Outside the thunder still boomed. The dining hall doors opened and a soaked Guard rushed to the head table where Appocca sat slowly eating his diced chicken. Pyre watched the old man’s face. Loren was watching too. Rufus craned around to see what everyone else was looking at. As Appocca listened his expression did not change, but there was something about the nod of his head that made Pyre uneasy.

When the Guard left. Appocca continued eating as if nothing had happened. All eyes turned back to their bowls of stew. Loren sat silent for several moments and then swore under his breath.

Pyre asked, “What is it?”

Loren glanced at Rufus and shook his head. In his mind he told Pyre, Appocca put Resen in solitary confinement but the damned Pathfinder has escaped.

Aloud Pyre blurted out, “What does this mean?”

“Trouble. My friend.”

“Will it—“

Loren waved his hand to silence Pyre. “Not if I can help it.”

Rufus asked, “Help what?”

For a moment Loren studied Rufus, then he said, “Questions can be asked, but they do not have to be answered.”

“Aye,” nodded Rufus. “Tis true, but answers has a way of coming. And I has a way of finding ‘um.”

At this remark, Loren smiled at Rufus. “You are a wise one. Appocca chose well, when he chose you.”

Returning the smile, Rufus said, “Aye, he did.”