Chapter 137 - 138
He tossed the bag to the older boy. "See for yourself."
Zech stabbed his wooden sword into a pile of snow that had been gathered after the most recent snowfall for the sole purpose of holding their weapons, the young tavern hand hurrying to retrieve his coat from the side of a little fire that had only recently been started. Both he and Jaden wore belted tunics over loose trousers, their clothes showing signs of constant mending.
"Any change, Alistar?"
Frowning, he shook his head. "I’ll let you know if something happens."
Zech had asked about Vanessa’s energy imprint almost every day since Team Tempest had gone missing. At this point, they could only hope that the fact that the Silent Swordsman was still alive meant that their acquaintances had simply embarked on a new adventure after giving up on exploring the Iron Dungeon. More than anything they hoped that those five weren’t in dire straits, a fate that many suspected had befallen the hundred or so other frontiersmen that had failed to return from the increasingly infamous labyrinth of tunnels.
"Still," sighed Zech, who caught a piece of bread that Jaden had just thrown in his direction. "I’ve been stopping by at the guild lately, asking around for any information on them. There still isn’t any word of them giving up on the assignment, which needs to happen if they want to take on any other tasks." He took a bite of bread and chewed it in silence for a time, blue eyes appearing a bit paler in contrast with the cold waters of the Greyline and the pretty, snow-covered woodland. "I just wish I knew what happened to them after they left."
These days, Zech’s hair was about a hand’s length of thick sandy strands, much of which was matted with sweat that was freezing in some areas now that the boy had stopped using his swordsman’s aura. About a finger’s length taller than Alistar, Zech’s shoulders were a bit broader than before, with more muscle to his lean frame than had existed in the past.
"So do I, but they should be okay. If Vanessa’s still alive, then the others probably are too, right?"
Nodding half-heartedly, Zech didn’t seem convinced. Although his eyes were glued to the ground, he reflexively caught a piece of cheese that Jaden had just fished from the bag.