***Edgar***

Edgar looked into Willie's eyes. "Take care of your girl and our grandson."

He ran home and changed into his winter hunting clothes and cloak.

Something wasn't right. He had to check on his kids. If De was going to scold him for butting in, he could do it later.

Edgar sighed. Let would probably have a panic attack or something if any of the kids got hurt again. He didn't want that, either. No good father would.

He grabbed his staff trying to lock onto Violet.

His connection was fuzzy. Just where did the kids end up?

Great. Edgar was going to have to look for a needle in a haystack.

Edgar was wishing he had a clock. He had no clue how long he had been aimlessly wandering. At some point, he ended up at a town border.

A boy carrying jugs of water in each arm approached him. "Are you alright, mister?"

"I'm fine." Edgar painted a smile on his face. "I'm just a bit lost."

"What are you looking for?"

"Has anyone named Violet passed through here?"

"My boss has a friend named that!" The boy smiled. "Let me go get him!"

"Would his name happen to be Jack?" Edgar asked.

"That's right! I'll be right back!"

A young man with blond hair and bluish-green eyes followed the boy back. "It's good to see you, Edgar. What brings you to this sleepy little town?"

"I'm looking for my children."

"Benny, fetch Violet for me, will you?"

Benny tapped his chest. "Yes, sir."

"They're fine. They're staying in the church. I ensured their room was in sight of my room."

"It was definitely lucky to bump into your subordinate like this," Edgar said.

"I don't think I've seen you on edge like this before. I remember Kai saying it was easier to upset your wife."

"Edgar?" Violet furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you need?"

He hugged his daughter-in-law. "Are you kids alright?"

Violet glanced at Jack.

"I didn't tell him anything."

Edgar asked, "What happened?"

Violet sighed. "Edgar, you're acting like your wife."

"What happened?"

"Tell me what you're worried about first."

He whispered, "You remember Johann, don't you?"

She frowned. "So, your fears are sound..."

"What happened to you?"

"We had a run in with bandits. We're fine. The wagon was a small price to pay. Everyone else is making a bigger deal about it than we have."

Sky jumped up when they finished eating dinner. "Can I go play outside? I'm tired of not doing anything!"

"I know you are. You did spend of a lot of time in bed." Vi squeezed his hands. "Still, you should wait because you just ate. Otherwise, you might feel sick."

The little boy hung his head.

Lulu, who'd been sitting beside him, rubbed his back. "I'll play with you after our food settles. I'm tired of sitting around, too."

Kai sighed. "Play in the halls. It's dangerous at night."

Sky shivered. "Oh, yeah. The weirdos are still out there."

Allie shivered and rubbed her arms. "Have fun."

Vi put her arms around the girl. "Let's get you in bed."

Once the trio left, Sky tugged on her sleeve. "Can we play now?"

"Sure."

Sky ran down a nearby corridor.

"Sky, slow down! Your leg just got better! You might get hurt again!" Lulu shouted.

***Edgar***

When they got to the church, Violet led him down a long string of corridors.

Lulu ran toward them. She looked like someone flashed a light in her eyes. "Vi, where's Kai? Allie's gone!"

One of the other boys from the incident with the Peeping Toms Incident ran off, assumingly to fetch Kai. "Cody, get Master Jack!"

Edgar fell to his knees. He was too late. This was just like what happened to Vi's brother. Let at least had an excuse back then.

"Edgar, you need to get a grip." Jack squeezed his shoulders. "You have a daughter to rescue, don't you?"

"How-?"

Violet put her finger over his lips. "We're going to find her. Even if that means we have to find her the old-fashioned way."

The young men formed rows and patted their chests at Jack.

"Kai, Edgar, and I will search for Alice. The rest of you are to guard Violet and the children."

"Sir!"

Edgar had to choke back a gasp. It was those guys again... The one who had intended to sacrifice the little girl he had saved all those years ago.