The Missing Children

Thirteen days before the start of the Shadow War, Sister Athelmae swallowed hard. Summer and Willow were not in their beds. Nor was Summer in the library, nor was Willow in the courtyard, climbing trees and darting to and fro, as was her wont. She had searched every place she could think of, and those two were either hiding from her, or had left the convent grounds.

"Probably left the convent grounds," thought Athelmae. Those two children were going to cause her a lot of trouble. Summer was something of a prize in the eyes of the Prioress. Sent to the orphanage when she was five years old after her family was carried off by the red fever, Summer was a prodigy. By the age of seven, she had memorized the Holy Books, and by the age of ten, she could recite the commentaries of the Fathers of the Church, or at least those of the little stock that was in the convent's library. The next year, she cast out a demon from a troubled traveller who had been housed in the convent's guest inn, and created a stir throughout the countryside. The poor convent was becoming a minor place of pilgrimmage, where all kinds of believers stopped to see the little prodigy. Sister Athelmae knew that the Prioress had hopes that Summer would decide to take the veil this year - she had this charisma about her, and her potential for good was high, if her character could be molded in that direction.

She only had one friend, who seemed to be her opposite in many ways. Willow had been placed in the care of the orphanage by a serf who had too many mouths to feed. Willow was energetic and overbearing where Summer was placid and subtle, but for some reason Willow was a different girl around Summer. Summer was the only person that Athelmae knew who could make Willow do something that she would not naturally decide to do - another sign that Summer was special, to those who had to deal with Willow.

Athelmae knocked on the door of the Prioress.

"Come in. Oh, it is you Athelmae. There is nothing amiss, I hope? You never knock on my door."

"Mother Superior, I ..." Athelmae did not quite know how to tell her. The Prioress had a reputation for being harsh with those who failed to act responsibly, and there was she knew of no way to soften the news.

She blurted it out. "Summer and Willow are missing. They must have left sometime during the night!"

The Prioress did not react as she had expected.

1. The Prioress said, "I know. I saw them leave. Let them go."
2. Without a hint of reproach, she replied, "I assume that you searched the convent grounds. Gather three others in the convent and go to the Quiniral Hill. You should find them there."

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