"Bang, bang, bang." Lute folded away his wings and landed on the windowsill. He raised his hand and knocked on the bottom pane of the window. A small face soon appeared behind the foggy glass. It was clearly a little girl, looking no more than ** years old. She wore an absurdly oversized hood. Beneath it were silver bangs and slender eyebrows, and below those were a pair of huge, expressive eyes, with a faint glow floating over their silver pupils.
She wore a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, their frames round. A crack ran through the left lens, and her cheeks were flushed. When she saw the pixie outside the window, a delighted expression quickly spread across her face. She hurriedly undid the latch, opened the window, and let the pixie fly inside.
"Are you all right, Mr. Lute? Did you find my sister? Was she captured by the Goathead Cultists? Is she all right?"
As soon as Lute flew into the room, the little girl shut the window and eagerly fired off a whole string of questions.
"I'm sorry, Lian. The defenses around the square were too tight. I couldn't get through, so I don't know whether your sister was there." Lute flew straight to a desk. Most of its surface was covered in a thick layer of dust, except for one spot that had been wiped clean. He settled there and answered her.
Lian's face turned pale in an instant. Leaning helplessly against the chair, she said, "You still couldn't find my sister..."
Lute glanced at her and comforted her. "You don't need to worry too much. Those people haven't begun their blood sacrifice yet. If your sister really did fall into their hands, she should be safe for the time being.