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  [Sigurd]

  Opening the door revealed a tear-streaked woman, and a stoic, pale faced man. Grief etching his features. Sigurd felt his heart sink. Something terrible had happened, He just knew it. Like a shadow looming over him, its dark tendrils creeping over his heart. Sigurd blinked and banished it to the recesses of his mind.

  “Oh, Sigurd!” the woman sobbed, sniffling, and spluttering as the tears fell from her eyes.

  “What’s happened, Darlene” He asked quietly. “Wesley?”

  “It’s our son, Sigurd, he’s gone.” The man, Wesley, responded, as his wife cried into his chest. Wesley wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. Trying his best to comfort her. The shadow crept back over Sigurd a fraction. Oh no.

  “What do you mean ‘gone’?” Sigurd asked, fearful of the response to come.

  “So, you haven’t seen him?” Wesley asked, hope falling from his face like rain from the sky. Robbing from his face what little colour he had left.

  “No, we just got back from the dungeon. What do you mean gone?” Sigurd replied, hesitantly.

  “Oh,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “We were hoping you had seen him on your way back. Mik’s just disappeared! He stayed up late last night with the other boys, but this morning he wasn’t in his room. He knows he has to be back. He’s gone Sigurd!” The shadow crept back a bit further, clawing its way out to the front of my mind.

  “Well, it’s possible I missed him; we were sprinting back to get Jenna healed. We were lucky I had a potion here really. I could have missed him on the way back.” Sigurd answered, providing a little hope to the distraught couple.

  Darlene started sobbing even harder. And Wesley hugged her tight. His heart sank.

  “Kael!” Sigurd called out, as quietly as he thought the man would hear. Kael had far keener senses, he might have spotted something.

  “Yeah”

  “Can you come here please!”

  “Sure, one sec…”

  “Kael’s far more observant than me” Sigurd said in explanation to the parents.

  Kael turned up a few seconds, his customary smile falling off his face as he saw them.

  “What’s up Sigurd?” he asked under his breath as he ghosted up on silent feet.

  “Darlene and Wesley can’t find their son, Mik, we wondered if you saw a boy or anything odd on our way back. I didn’t notice anything, but you’ve far better eyesight than me.” Sigurd explained.

  He thought for a second. “I don’t think so, I wasn’t really focused on anything other than dodging the roots and trees. We were in quite a rush after all.” He replied sadly.

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  “Was there anything odd about his behaviour last night…” Sigurd asked, thinking. Trying not to let all hope go.

  “I don’t think so” Darlene replied, her shoulders rising and falling in grief.

  “He seemed… normal. Maybe a bit nervous and uncomfortable at dinner. I thought he was just excited to hang out with his friends, as usual. But… perhaps it was something else.” Wesley added, his face sullen.

  “Who was he going to hang out with?” Sigurd asked, thinking hard.

  “John, but his mother says John’s fast asleep. I don’t wasn’t to disturb anyone else.” Darlene replied.

  “Darlene, you know everyone would gladly help, come on, let’s go ask around.” He responded, “Kael, let the others know if you would” he nodded “see if they saw anything as well.” Sigurd muttered, slipping into his boots and stepping outside.

  “Sure, I got you” Kael said, closing the door gently as he walked away.

  ***30 minutes later ***

  They had searched the town and knocked on all the doors below the stream that gave Littlebrook its name. No-one was missing and no-one had seen anything. It was starting to look as if Mik had just disappeared.

  Well, that was until they came upon the twins’ house.

  Rounding the side of the building, Sigurd walked into the pale spot of light cast from the waning moon, and saw a huddled figure curled up on the doorstep. He recognised him at once. Indry. The boy was slenderer than his brother and the short hair made him very distinguishable in the small town. Sigurd felt the hairs on his neck rise. Gloomy thoughts lurked in his mind.

  “Indry!” he hissed. No response, save for that of a small breathy moan. he walked closer.

  Sigurd crouched down in front of him, “What’s wrong buddy?”

  Indry looked up, fear in his eyes. Sigurd knew the look; something had just become very real for him, very quickly, like a wounded animal confronted with the hunter. Sigurd reached out and patted his knee, turning around and sitting beside him, trying his best to comfort the traumatised child.

  Indry leant into him, and Sigurd rubbed his back.

  “It’s my… fault… Sig, it’s all my fault…” he wept, getting the words out between sobbing hiccups. Tears and snot mingling and falling with wet plops to the gravel below.

  Oh God… Sigurd thought to himself, guiltily. Something dreadful had happened, and all Sigurd wanted was to go to bed. He sighed, thinking.

  “It’s ok Indry, I’m sure it’s nothing”

  What the boy said next sent shivers down his back, he was glad that Darlene and Wesley were a few metres back as they didn’t hear the chilling words.

  “He’s dead because of me, Sigurd, dead…”

  Shit! Sigurd thought to himself. What the fuck had happened since he was gone? It felt like this day was cursed.

  “They’re all dead!” Indry wailed. Fuck! Why did he have to say it so loud Sigurd swore mentally, knowing he would have to fend off Darlene.

  “Dead!” Darlene choked out. “What does he mean? Sigurd?”

  “I don’t know Darlene!” Sigurd replied loudly. “Give me a moment with him.”

  “Sorry” He added a moment later realising how that must have sounded.

  What was he supposed to do now, what was the right step? Jenna would know, he thought to himself. She was the compassionate sort. Sigurd wasn’t, he didn’t think anyone would have called him compassionate. How did I end up here? He thought to himself.

  He sighed sadly.

  “Wesley, go wake everyone up. Something’s terrible has happened. Get everyone and take Darlene with you.” Sigurd commanded in a no-nonsense tone.

  “No!!! I want to know what he meant. Indry???” Darlene shrieked.

  “Wesley!!!” he shouted, he looked up. “Go!”

  Footsteps sounded out from behind him. Shit! What a fucking night.

  Thankfully, Wesley had listened, and guided his wife away shortly before whoever was coming down the stairs opened the door.

  Sigurd gave Indry a quick hug before standing. The door opened, revealing a big man, nearly twice as tall as himself. Jason, the twins’ father stepped out. Sigurd knew of course that he wasn’t that tall, nor that big. Especially as compared to Jackson, but with the situation he was currently dealing with, the man seemed to tower over him.

  Shit. What the fuck am I supposed to say now? He thought.

  “Indry? What the fuck are you doing on the floor? Get up! … Sigurd?” He said, his gruff voice harsher than Sigurd was sure he meant. Jason was a hard man, years in the army had made him that way and retiring to Littlebrook hadn’t softened him up any, but he was a good man.

  “Jason” he replied, nodding his head.

  “What’s going on?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Darlene and Wesley knocked on my door in tears. Mik’s disappeared. We’ve been going around the doors asking if anyone’s seen him.”

  “Well, I’ve not, I’ve been asleep. If that’s all? … Indry, get up.” He interrupted.

  “That’s not all, I’m afraid, I discovered Indry here sitting on your doorstep in tears. I managed to coax a little out of him. But, well. Something bad has happened. I’ve my suspicions, but I hope I’m wrong. Oh God I hope I’m wrong Jason. Wesley’s gone to wake the town; I fear none of us will be sleeping anytime soon.”

  Jason sighed, tipping his head back and staring into the night sky, Sigurd assumed in frustration.

  “What’s wrong honey?” Jane, his wife called down.

  “I’m not sure yet, go wake Ardoi love.”

  Sigurd closed his eyes, hoping he was wrong.

  He wasn’t and Sigurd cringed as Jane called out, distraught.

  “He’s not there.”

  She began to descend the stairs.

  “Fuck!” he swore to himself.

  “Indry…” Jason asked, concern broaching his normally stony face.

  “I’m sorry Dad…” he said between moans, tears now streaming down his face. Raining upon the floor.

  “Indry, where’s Ardoi?”

  “…”

  “…”

  “…”

  “Dead” the word whispered out had never felt so loud.