Chapter Five

Meveldo looked up as Mardor and Thardo entered the room. “Oh, there you are. I was sent to fined you, but I can’t remember what for.” He frowned at the ground. Mardor stayed quiet as Meveldo thought. “Oh, yeah! That’s it.” Meveldo nodded as he looked back up at her. “Sir Rapolo sent a messenger, he wants to talk to you.”

Mardor raised her eyebrows. “What about?”

Shrugged, Meveldo replied, “Something about the missing people, I think.”

“Where is he?”

“The drawing room...I think.” Meveldo frowned as Thardo smiled a little, shaking his head at his brother’s pretended forgetfulness.

Mardor rolled her eyes. “Which one?”

“The big one?”

Mardor shook her head as she turned and left the room. A few minutes later she was walking under the stairs to the drawing room, where Meveldo thought the massager was. Opening the door she almost ran into a short young man who had been about to leave the room. She hid a smile as the young man stepped back, a startled look crossing his face. “Your Highness! I’m sorry, I did not know you where there!”

“That’s quite alright,” Mardor smiled. “I was told you have a message for me.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “Sir Rapolo and a few of the other man found a group of the missing people in the forest near Fanardera.”

“When?” Mardor tried not to show her excitement. Yes, it was wonderful they had found some of them, but there where still quite a few missing.

“A day or so ago.” A small frown creased the man’s forehead as he looked down.

Mardor frowned, “What’s wrong?”

“Well...they do not seem to remember anything.”

Her face remained blank as she looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Your Highness, the only thing they seemed to be able to tell us was their first names. They don’t even remember being gone.”

“They don’t remember anything? How is that possible?” Mardor frowned as the man shrugged, shifting from one foot to the other as he did.

“They seemed to be remember things when they see them, but not before. Sir Rapolo tried asking them where they had been, but they could not give him any answer.”

Mardor stifled a sigh. “Thank you for informing me of this. You may go.”

She moved out of the door as the young man, looking a little relieved, passed her. She watched him walk down the hall and out the big front doors before she walked over to one of the couches and flopped down in a very unladylike manner. Sighing, she put her head back against the armrest and closed her eyes.

“Was the news really that bad?”

Mardor kept her eyes closed as she nodded. “In a way, yes...but in a way no.”

“Care to tell?”

Mardor gave a small smile as she opened her eyes. “Knowing you, you were most likely listening.”

Scar smiled as he sat down at the other end of the couch. “You know me too well,”

Mardor sat up with a little shake of her head. “No one could truly know you. They may know little things about you, but could never know you.”

Scar gave her a small smile. “Am I really that mysterious?”

Mardor nodded. “Yes. You always seem to know everything, even things it makes no sense that you could possibly know.”

“Really?” Scar’s smile widened.

“Yes, really.” Mardor nodded once as she smiled, though it slipped away a moment later. “How could they wipe someone’s mind like that? It doesn’t make sense...”

Scar stared at a picture of one of Mardor’s relatives hanging on the wall across from him. “I’m not sure.” He shook his head. “Their technology has obviously gotten better.”

Mardor looked at him. “You mean they could have done it with a machine?”

“Possibly.”

“What do you mean, ‘possibly’?”

“Well,” Scar narrowed his eyes, “they could have used a drug,”

“A drug?” Mardor frowned. “You mean like one that could erase their memory?”

“It would not have gone completely, for they are remembering things as they see them, but temporarily.”

“I suppose...but why are they just taking people? Why aren’t they killing the, like they have every other time?”

Scar frowned. “They’re looking for something.”

“Looking for something?” Mardor echoed. “But what?”

“Who’s looking for something?”

Mardor turned her head to frown at Meveldo, as he walked over to the couch. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to walk in on the middle of a conversation and ask questions?”

Meveldo shook his head with a shocked look. “No I never knew that, it’s quite fascinating though!” He grinned as he stepped back a few steps when Mardor tried to kick him. “Tsk.” He shook his head in dismay, “And I thought you where supposed to be a lady.”

Mardor glared at him. “Well growing up with boys as your best friends can have strange effects on a girl.”

Meveldo gave her a horrified look. “You mean you’re lying and you’re not really a lady?”

“You better watch it mister, I can still beat you if I wanted to.”

“Not in that dress you couldn’t.”

Mardor was about to launch herself at Meveldo when Asandera appeared in the doorway. “Your Highness, there is a man here who would like to speak with you.”

Mardor gave Meveldo a menacing look; he returned it with an innocent grin, before she turned to the young girl. “You may send him in.”

Mardor hid her smile as the farmer from Lord Macardara stepped into the room.

“Your Highness.” He bowed slightly. “Lord Macardara is pleased to say that we have found a little over half of the people missing from the villages.”

Mardor gave him a brilliant smile, as she resisted the urge to jump up and hug him. “That is wonderful news!”

The man frowned, “They are only able to tell us their first names, though.”

Mardor sighed as Scar asked, “But they are remembering things as they see them?”

“Yes sir,” the farmer nodded. “Slowly but surly, they are remembering. Although Lord Macardara thinks that they will not be able to remember where they were or what happened to them.”

“The most important thing right now is that we got them back. We will worry about where they were, later.”

“Yes, your Highness.”

“Thank you for coming to tell us. You may go back to Lord Macardara and tell him that he has done fabulously.”

The farmer smiled. “Yes, your Highness.” He turned and left the room, closing the doors silently after him.