The Young Daughter of the Goddess 12

When night fell, the rain turned into a downpour. The wind also grew stronger. It had already been dark like dusk, so now that it was night, there was no sign of people in the fields or forests. But despite the stormy night, there was someone riding through the rain on a horse. It was Laban.

His old friend, Andora, had treated him well. Without hesitation, she linked arms with him, saying he visited often, and even summoned a maid to testify and took out gold coins to show him. “Those of us who are in the business of trade sell things when we can,” she said. The steward had sneered in contempt, but nonetheless returned to the palace. Andora was even quick-witted. As Laban was about to leave, she handed him a bundle, and when he opened it after going some distance, he found several clean women’s garments and underclothes neatly folded. Even with money, it would have been difficult for a man to purchase such things himself.

It was a funny thing. The good friends from noble families, whom his father had forced him to associate with, had been of little help, while his poor friends, whom he had secretly befriended, had protected him several times, just like today. Perhaps it was because Laban kept straying from the path his father wanted for him. Like today. Once he left Epherium, there was no telling when he could return. But there was no lingering attachment. It was a hometown without either his father or his mother. It was a land where only the pain of betrayal remained.

Although late, Laban had brought food. For Tina, who had been starving for a long time, he bought soft bread, cheese, bananas, dates, and a pouch of goat’s milk. He couldn’t provide anything warm since he couldn’t start a fire, but they would have to endure until they reached a safe place. As he made his way through the reeds and the mill came into view, he smiled, thinking of the clothes Andora had provided. Those clothes would suit Tina well, he thought.

However, there was no one at the mill.

Laban immediately rushed out and scanned the surroundings. There were no signs of a struggle. Did Tina leave on her own? Because she didn’t trust him? When he went back inside and examined the ground, he noticed traces of dirt. It was dried mud. Looking down at his own shoes, he understood the situation. Anyone who had passed through the reeds would have their shoes covered in mud. From the amount of it, it was clear several people had come in. Through both the front and the back entrance. But there was no blood. It seemed likely that she had been threatened and walked out on her own. Wondering where she might have gone and whether she was still alive, he felt as if a noose was tightening around his throat. At the same time, anger boiled within him for being too late. If Tina and Gene were sacrificed like this, he felt he would never be able to forgive himself.

A path trampled by several people soon appeared. Laban confirmed the direction they had gone and fetched his horse. But by then, the increasingly heavy rain had erased all the traces. He rode throughout the evening, but only ended up thoroughly drenched.

Laban was certain that those who had taken Tina were not locals passing by. It wasn’t the kind of place where that would happen, and if it had been, there wouldn’t have been footprints surrounding the area. If they were servants of Queen Sabina, they wouldn’t have gone towards the castle. If they had already killed Tina and buried her somewhere, he was chasing in vain. Even so, he couldn’t stop. By midnight, he was still aimlessly racing across the vast, indifferent plains.

When the rain finally let up, Laban stopped. With the pounding rain gone, his dizzy mind cleared as well. For the first time in a while, he had coherent thoughts. Tina was most likely already dead. Finding her body would be impossible. But if by any chance she was still alive, where would she be?

Then, a location came to mind. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Perhaps it was because he believed Tina had been captured, but it was a place he should have checked earlier regardless.

Now that he had a destination, the long journey didn’t feel long at all. White rocks began to appear. One, two, three… the eighth one. Below two rocks that overlapped strangely, there was a narrow gap. It was barely large enough for a person to crawl through, bent over. But Laban didn’t crawl. Instead of getting on his hands and knees, he lay down and slowly slid his head in first. Once his upper body passed through the entrance, he sat up and pulled in his legs. Standing up, he was now inside the cave.

The reason this place remained secret was that those who tried to enter by crawling, as one would typically do in such a narrow space, found the wall too close on the other side to stand up. Only by lying down could one enter and stand upright. Beyond that narrow entrance, the cave opened up into a much larger space.

Standing up, Laban listened for a moment before finding his flint and lighting a twig he had dipped in oil. He then lifted it to illuminate his face.

“Tina?”

There was a faint movement in the corner. As he approached, Tina’s figure emerged, her legs outstretched as she sat slumped against the cave wall. Seeing her face, he let out a long sigh of relief. He felt like kneeling and offering thanks to the goddess protecting Tina, or even sacrificing a cow if he could. Unconsciously, he murmured,

“Anir, thank you. I thought I’d never see you again.”

Tina didn’t reply. Laban brought the light closer, sensing something was wrong. Tina was limp, and her face was pale. She was barely holding herself up, feeding the baby, but her eyes fluttered as if she would faint at any moment. Laban quickly noticed that Tina’s arm was covered in blood. A chill ran down his spine.

“What happened?”

He hurried to her side, only to place his hand on something sticky. It was a pool of blood on the floor. She had tried to bandage the wound herself, but it seemed she couldn’t tie it tightly enough with just one hand. Who knew how long she had been like this or how much blood she had lost?

“What happened to you? Tina? Are you okay? Stay with me!”

Tina was looking at him, but her expression was vacant, as if she didn’t recognize him. When he touched her forehead, he felt a cold sweat, and her jaw trembled. She was in shock. First, Laban gently laid the baby aside, then retied the bandage tightly around her arm and lifted it. When the bleeding didn’t stop, he pressed the pressure point above her collarbone. Finally, the blood slowed.

He gently laid her down, supporting her back. It would have been good to have something to protect her from the cold ground, but his cloak was soaked through from the rain and was useless. Tina’s clothes were also damp. Suddenly, he remembered the clothes Andora had given him. Opening the bundle, he found that the innermost garments, wrapped and tied securely, had fortunately stayed dry. Laban carefully cut away Tina’s wet clothes with his dagger, making sure not to disturb the wound, and covered her with the dry garments.

There was little else he could do to keep her warm, which frustrated him. Just as he was sitting down, Tina reached out and muttered,

“Our baby…”

At that moment, Gene, who had been lying down, turned over and nestled into his mother’s arms. Tina cradled him with one arm. Since the baby was warm, Laban thought it would help. Then, he had a better idea.

“It may be uncomfortable, but bear with me.”

Laban took off his wet outer clothing and wrapped both Tina and Gene in his arms. It seemed to work, as Tina’s cold body gradually regained warmth. Holding them both close like this, it felt as if the three of them were a family that had endured all sorts of hardships together. The gentle movements of Gene between them gave a sense of peace. After a while, Tina brushed her hair back. A woman caring about her appearance was a sign she had come back to life.

“Tina, are you feeling better now?”

There was no reply, but a faint smile touched her lips. Laban smiled back.

“I’m curious about what happened, but you can tell me later. For now, you need to rest. Sleep deeply. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

Tina nodded, and Laban brushed her eyes shut with his hand. Then, he added,

“Sorry I was late.”

Much later, Tina mumbled,

“The dagger… it was helpful…”

Laban didn’t reply. Once Tina was asleep, Laban went outside the cave and gathered some wood. He peeled away the wet bark with his dagger and used the fire from the twigs to create a small campfire. He spread their clothes around it to dry and then lay down again next to Tina and Gene. He held Gene to keep him from crawling towards the fire and rocked him gently as memories from the past flickered in his mind.

Laban had once had a wife and a young son. His wife had been the daughter of a carpenter, and their son had been a year old. Laban had met his wife when he lingered around the workshop, wanting to learn woodworking. She had taught him how to carve wood. When he was almost finished with his first chair, he had asked her to live with him, and she had been overjoyed. She had lost her parents early, so there was no one to ask permission from. The workshop where she had lived had been left to one of her father’s apprentices, but despite her own skills, he had only given her menial tasks and never taught her enough to become an independent artisan. He had feared she might take over the workshop’s reputation if she became a master. When Laban went to see him before their wedding as a formality, the man had been eager to get rid of her. His prediction that Laban would solve his problem was correct. After they married, his wife had only made things for the house, like tables and chairs. The crooked chair Laban had made sat among them. Later, a crib had quietly joined the set. That had been her last creation. After their son was born, she hadn’t had time to pick up her carving tools.

That had been eight years ago. Now, Laban had no wife or son. Only Tina and Gene remained. The campfire flickered. When Gene sought milk, Tina immediately woke up and, still lying down, began to nurse him. She was the kind of woman who would protect her son no matter what. As he looked down at her, Laban made a vow to himself. He would protect these two. He would never let them be in danger again.