[the following is extra content that takes place between chapters 3 & 4, and is not necessary to read in order to follow the larger plot.]

Kino, the guard Sedan had sent to the academy, returned. All he found there was the body of the groundskeeper and a grand mess of things inside the building. It seemed to have been ransacked, though not thoroughly. A lot of the girls’ clothes had been strewn about, and many doors and wardrobes were broken or splintered. There had been seventy-four students attending the academy. None of them were there.

Leaning back in his chair, a finger against his lip, Lark asked, “Did you notice, was anything burned?”

Kino scratched at his hair. He had cut it close to his scalp after an accident some time earlier in the year, and it was beginning to finally reach a length beyond his ears. “The academy is largely stone and marble,” he said, “so it’s quite hard to burn in any way.”

Still appearing strangely leisurely for the subject matter, Lark pointed out, “I thought the structure of the roof was made of timber? Particularly on the interior, though I remember a few exterior pieces being necessary due to material shortages near the end of construction.”

Though it had been twenty years ago, Lark had been very closely involved in the design and construction of the academy. Sedan, who had also been present at that time, was surprised the prince had such a good memory of it.

Kino hummed, doubtful. “I don’t remember very well, honestly,” he admitted. “I didn’t look very hard at the roof.”

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter,” Lark admitted. “Our focus should be on the seventy girls that have gone missing. You didn’t see any sign of them having run to the forest?”

“Nothing a dog couldn’t have done. Of course, I didn’t circle the academy, as I was concerned about returning quickly.”

Lark made a note of that. “Right, of course,” he mumbled. Looking back up, he announced, “I’d like a full search to be done, in case anyone did make it out. Sooner rather than later, and certainly no later than the coming midday. I want someone high rank to remain here to watch the girls that did make it out, but other than that only a skeleton of the perimeter guard need remain.”

He looked forward at Kino while he spoke, his expression determined and final. Realizing he had nothing else to say, Kino looked helplessly at Sedan, who had been standing with his partizan at Lark’s side. It was typically his job, as captain, to organize these kinds of things. Kino was certainly capable, but it put quite a bit of pressure on him, considering the circumstances. Sedan raised an eyebrow at him.

Carefully, he said to Lark, “I suppose you expect me to remain here, at your side?”

Understanding that Kino and Sedan had silently been bargaining, a sigh completely deflated the prince. He rubbed between his eyebrows. “I’m afraid in the unlikely event that we are attacked with only a skeleton perimeter, your superior skill would be the only thing to balance our odds of safety.” He turned to Sedan, expression much harsher than usual. “So yes,” he said, “I do expect you to remain here. I wouldn’t want to foolishly repeat such a fresh mistake, would I?”

Though he hadn’t been the target, Kino meekly sputtered, “Of course not, Prince. I’ll organize a party at once.”

Lark nodded and dismissed him. With the door shut, he leaned back again and covered his eyes, completely tense.

Sedan put a hand on his shoulder. After a silence, he said, “May I say something we haven’t addressed yet?”

Lark didn’t move, but hummed his assent.

“Your sister will need to be told of this.”

Whatever breath had been left in Lark’s lungs hissed out of him and he knocked his head backwards, exasperated. “Fuck.”

Teasingly, Sedan tugged on Lark’s little ponytail. Lark swatted at his hand.

“This affects every major city,” Sedan quietly pressed. “Those seventy girls have families all across the country. She has to know what’s happened.”

“I know, I know. I just…”

Sedan moved to lean against Lark’s desk, facing him. He knocked their knees together. “Just wish this hadn’t happened?” he guessed.

“Dearly,” Lark agreed. After a moment of continuing to knock against Sedan, he sighed again. “There’s something else that worries me,” he admitted.

Sedan raised a brow. “What would that be, amidst all this?”

Biting his lip, Lark leaned forward, his fingers laced together. “There’s little chance these girls will still be wearing their uniforms,” he started, haltingly. “A group of people with unusual clothes escorting a horde of girls with my badge on their uniforms would catch…far too many eyes. Namely the eyes of my sister’s guards. And why else would their clothes be thrown about the academy, if not because they were made to change?”

Slowly, Sedan caught onto what was behind Lark’s words. His color had drained. “…there will be no way to recognize them. Certainly not all seventy.”

Lark looked at him, his face creased by troublesome thoughts. “I believe...there is a way,” he said, carefully. Sedan looked pointedly at him, urging him to just say what he meant. With a huff, Lark told him, “There is…a relatively high chance that the two little ones that have come to us will know the faces of their classmates.”

Immediately, Sedan was shaking his head. “I don’t like it.”

“You think I do?” Lark contended, weakly. “I don’t want to force them to do anything, but once my sister knows the case, I can’t be sure what will happen. There’s simply no chance that a recent portrait has been made of every girl that was taken, and that’s the only other help that we would have.”

Not wanting to discuss it any further, Sedan simply said, “We need to send word today. Every moment we wait, these people become farther and farther away from us. We can only guess at their destination.”

“While I agree, we both know she will just send back a summons. To send a messenger just to have to turn around and see her myself is an enormous delay.”

Sedan tapped his fingers against the desk. Slowly, he came into an idea. Enunciating practically every syllable, he suggested, “Then don’t simply tell her what’s happened.” His expression hard grown hard. “Inform her that we’ve invoked my power as tribunal and are already working to resolve the matter.”

Lark looked at him incredulously. It wasn’t a particularly brazen suggestion, but it was quite out of character. Sedan had been the estate captain for over a decade. In that time, he had never so much as thought about his power as tribunal. When something could be taken out of his hands, he gladly passed it along—not out of apathy, but rather with the humble belief that he may not be so capable as others. Weakly, Lark began, “Do you…?”

He didn’t really know what to ask. The sentence branched into a number of different thoughts. Do you really want to do that? Do you think my sister would accept that? Do you truly think that we can resolve this without her? He put his head in his hands. This event was eating away at his heart very quickly.

“It’s not an unreasonable idea,” Sedan prodded, gently. “With my knowledge of the academy, she would want me at the head of things anyway. The only thing that this changes is that we will have a head start, and we will need to ask her directly if we need any resources or support.”

Miserably, Lark said into his hands, “This makes me feel like a child again, skipping over permission to ask forgiveness. I feel horribly as if I’ve made some grand mistake I will never come back from.”

Sedan reached to put his arm around Lark’s far shoulder and tipped him into a loose embrace against his side. He didn’t have anything to say. He knew this would haunt Lark endlessly; such was the prince’s nature.

Without segue, Lark sighed against Sedan and quietly said, “I think we ought to show those little two a portrait of your aunt and uncle.”