The rest of the afternoon was a blur for all those involved, including Ethan, as everyone who could do something rushed about doing it. The head cleric was brought back to the guild hall so that she could be examined and provide as much additional information as she could. For some reason, throughout all of the conversations and recounting of events Ethan was allowed to remain. Given the situation the focus was on Katarina, the head cleric and the efforts to find the children but still the fact he wasn’t asked to leave would come up in people’s minds later.

It just so happened that the choice to keep him around was due to his presence at the sanctum over the previous two days given his assignment. However, it took several hours before they turned to him for any additional information he could provide and by that time he was rather overwhelmed by everyone’s emotions. Every fearful, concerned, or angry look sent a matching wave of feelings crashing down onto him. It took Owen calling out to him several times before his words registered with the boy.

“Ethan? Ethan? Ethan?!”

“Huh?! I’m sorry! Yes?”

Owen paused for a second and considered the boy’s reply before once again asking his question.

“Did you notice anything unusual when you were working there the last two days?”

Ethan looked down as he thought about the events and slowly shook his head as he replayed the various acts or interactions he could remember.

“Nothing unusual... I spoke to the children a few times but didn’t see anyone el...”

He had been about to say “else” but suddenly stopped when he remembered the suspicious group who disappeared down the alleyway. With his pause and the sudden enlarging of his eyes Owen leaned forward with great interest.

“Ethan?”

The boy suddenly looked up and recounted the situation to those present. His face was plastered with an expression of sadness and apology.

“I’m so sorry, I was so excited about finishing my first job and returning to the guild hall that I just figured it was nerves...”

Owen held up his hand to silence Ethan while slowly shaking his head from side to side.

“No Ethan, this isn’t your fault. If we went around investigating everyone who may have looked suspicious the lives of everyone involved would be disastrous.” 

He offered a smile before continuing, reaching out to give the boy’s arm a few reassuring pats.

“Besides, a few people looking around before going down an alleyway is hardly concerning on its own. You also have only been in the town for a few days so you would have no idea what places were along the alleyway they could have entered.”

Ethan seemed a bit more at ease with himself after listening to Owen’s attempts at reassuring him. While he considered the guild master’s words Owen turned to Lorelle who had been standing nearby listening.

“Please go the Lady Mayor and ensure she knows what is going on. Let her know that I ask for her assistance as this is also a matter of public safety.”

Lorelle bowed after hearing out Owen’s instructions and quickly made her way out the door. It would take her a little bit of time to make it to town hall and get an audience with the Lady Mayor. Owen looked over to the head cleric and Katarina who were huddled together trying to comfort one another.

“The Lady Mayor will see Lorelle when she hears of an emergency. Those two actually go way back so rest assured, it won’t take long.”

The pair managed to look up from their clasped hands and nodded before looking over to Ethan with weak smiles. The head cleric was the only who spoke though, as it seemed that Katarina was conflicted and slightly embarrassed.

“Thank you so much for your help in this situation. May the Keepers bless you. If you hadn’t seen those three when you did we wouldn’t have anything to go on right now. Thank you.”

Or expression, though weak, was filled sincerity and genuine appreciation. In fact it was so emotionally charged he looked away with warm cheeks and had to clear his throat to try and make himself feel more comfortable. He finally managed to look back with a small smile and nod.

“Of course, I’m just happy I could help.”

“Ethan, do you think you could show us the alleyway on a map?”

Owen interrupted the exchange with a legitimate question and Ethan offered a pitiful expression in response.

“Maybe? It all happened so quickly. I would know it if I was standing in front of it though.”

It was simply offering a reply and additional insight without thinking too much of the possible ramifications. Owen’s gaze narrowed ever so slightly but quickly relaxed when he realized the boy wasn’t trying to be a hero, he was simply being honest.

“I see, we’ll leave it at that until we hear back from the Lorelle and the Lady Mayor. If the town gets involved we will also have the garrison and patrol to assist. The more bodies we can deploy the better.”

Owen finally stood and made his way over to Ceceila before asking her to get some more drinks and a bit of food for their two guests. After she bowed and made her way out of the room he walked over to Ethan and motioned for him to follow. At the door he stopped and called out to the two back on the couch.

“Please rest here while we gather more information. Cecelia will be back shortly. Please let her know immediately if you require anything.”

Both he and Ethan stepped out as the pair silently nodded in reply. Closing the door behind him Owen took a deep breath before making his way down the hall leading away from the receptionist area. Ethan stood there for a second unsure if he should still be following but quickly caught up after seeing Owen silently motioning for him to follow once again.

“It’s so great to see everyone react this way for the children. Honestly I’m a little surprised.”

Ethan didn’t think the world was all bad, however, the level of response for some orphans in a run down sanctum he had witnessed so far was enough to bring a smile to his face. That was, of course, until Owen corrected him.

“Sadly your interpretation of the situation is lacking some. While, yes, there are some who are genuinely concerned for various reasons, the response you are seeing from this guild, and hopefully the town, is much more political than out of the goodness of someone’s hearts.”

Ethan, taken aback by Owen’s words came to a stop and looked up at the main with a shocked expression. Owen who figured Ethan would stop had already matched the boy’s actions and turned to look down at him with a blank expression.