Page 3766

“If I do not curtail your natural curiosity,” said Zeff, “then we will be here until our gracious host decides that he can no longer tolerate our presence. I would sooner leave this place and let you ask your questions later.”

‘That’s understandable, but if there is, as I suspect, some kind of favorable time dilation in this workspace, then it would actually be best to indulge our curiosity before we leave, while the moments are lasting longer. Would my guess be correct, Master Artisan?’

“Hmph. It would, yes. But I rather appreciate your servant’s desire to not impose. And time dilation is not without its own costs, especially now that our souls are sharing this space. It would still be better not to linger without clear purpose. Plus, I have matters to attend to.”

‘I see. Well, then perhaps I should skip a few of my questions and get right to the objective. Would you happen to know of any item or artifact that could help locate a lost person?’

At that, Zeff’s eyes widened a little. The mere idea of such a thing was enough to spark an almost unwelcome sense of hope in his chest.

“A soul compass, you mean?” said Daro.

‘Or anything functionally similar to one, yes. Anything we could use to find a person whose whereabouts we currently have no clues for.’

Daro scratched his brow. “What is the nature of your need, precisely?”

Zeff could answer that. “Lost children. My own. One kidnapped. Another simply missing.” There was Gema, too, of course, but her circumstances were more questionable and less pressing than those of Emiliana and Francisco, he felt.

The other man’s stony expression twitched.

-+-+-+-+-

Daro Bright’s heart was breaking. Of all things, kidnapping? The mere mention of it was enough to bring on a tidal wave of bad memories.

Vantalay, his beloved homeland, had seen many horrible things over the last half-century. This current power struggle between Ridgemark and the rest of the nation was merely the apex of a long buildup of problems that never seemed to get addressed. Only swept under the rug.

It wasn’t typically Daro’s purview to worry about such things, though. His talents were best spent in the background, toiling away on projects that could aid others in the medium- and long-term. Dealing with the ugly flaws and terrible complexities of the world was more the work of Linus and Kristof.

Usually.