They marched with firm steps toward the church, already visible in the distance at the center of the village. Along the way, the interrogations continued.

  Torren grabbed a fisherman who, exhausted, was cleaning up the debris left by the storm.

  “Have you seen any pregnant woman or any recent birth? We have a missing baby, we need to know who the parents are.”

  The man shook his head. “I don’t know anyone, captain, only the fury of the heavens. I didn’t even dare leave my house yesterday… the only one I know who was pregnant was the jailer’s daughter.”

  The investigation went on, Torren refused to give up and admit defeat, he still had faith he would find an answer.

  More villagers denied knowing anything, their voices trembling with fear of the captain. Some said they had not left their homes, others claimed they knew of no pregnancies. It was a mystery.

  “How is it possible that no one knows anything?” Torren muttered, his voice low and introspective.

  “I don’t know, captain. I also find it strange… it’s like what happened this morning, nobody knew anything…” Jorem replied, also frustrated by the lack of answers.

  “That’s right… someone must have given birth to him,” Garrick answered crudely. He had always been that way, but he was not wrong.

  They finished the walk to the church and, upon arriving, found a crowd at the door and Father Meleq standing on the last step at the entrance, seemingly delivering a speech. The soldiers approached.

  Meleq was preaching, his fanatical voice echoing.

  “It is divine punishment! For our sins, and the Ebon Sea judges us! Repent!”

  “I tell you, this is only the beginning, for many ill omens will come upon these lands,” he cried, as the faithful trembled, their eyes wide with terror at his words.

  Torren, Jorem, and Garrick exchanged incredulous looks at what they had just heard. They knew Meleq, he was all talk and no action, frightening people with his empty words, and the faithful believed him without hesitation.

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  “Father!” Torren thundered, his commanding voice cutting through the air. “We need to talk. Now!”

  Everyone fell silent and looked toward the soldiers. Father Meleq, his face red with displeasure, motioned for them to enter the church. The villagers opened a path so they could pass.

  “Captain Torren. The Sea speaks louder than men.” Torren already knew the priest and his tricks.

  “I don’t want your eloquence or your smooth talk. I want to know if anyone has confessed to you about abandoning a child.”

  Meleq gave a crooked smile but answered truthfully. “No, captain, no one has. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

  “Stop this nonsense! This is a serious matter!” The priest stared at him, incredulous, Torren had already lost his composure.

  “Calm down… captain, if I knew anything, I would say it. I’m telling the truth: I don’t know anything, and I haven’t seen anything”, Meleq tried to calm him, but without success. Torren stepped closer, ready to speak again, when, to everyone’s surprise, a man entered the church and a tense silence fell. The thin villager was out of breath, as if he had been running.

  “I… I know something! Thirty minutes before your patrol, I passed by the trail…”

  The soldiers moved toward the man, who had sat down on a pew. Even the priest followed, eager to hear the conversation.

  “I saw a strange smoke, captain… near a tree. It looked like a mist or a smoke… it was moving on its own. I got scared and ran away… I never imagined there would be a child there…”

  Everyone was left gaping in disbelief at what they heard. A mist that moves on its own?

  Even Meleq turned pale, “A mist… that moves on its own? It can only be the work of God! Where is the child? I must see it!”

  Torren felt a shiver and immediately remembered his nightmare—the white smoke on the surface… it had to be a coincidence.

  “No way! The child is under our care, no one touches him!” Jorem’s imposing voice pulled Torren from his thoughts.

  “Of course not… no one will touch… him.” The captain glared at Meleq, who answered with a disdainful look.

  “You cannot forbid it. He may be a sign of the divine!”

  “Silence!” This time it was Garrick who intervened. “Stay with your faithful! Besides, that child was abandoned. If the divine exists, it would have helped him, not left him there to die!” Father Meleq did not reply, and the villager remained seated, just watching.

  “Very well, I see you no longer need my help… I shall retire to my faithful,” he said, turning his back on them, the taste of the reply bitter in his mouth.

  The soldiers decided to question the villager again, but he said exactly the same thing: that he had seen a white smoke. It made no sense at all, what the man described could very well be a lie. And so they were back to square one, with no trace of the parents. Together, they decided to return to Torren’s farm and plan their next steps.

  Ebon to grow and reach more people. Thank you all for the support and for continuing this journey with me! More chapters coming soon!