Visiting Sutherland (8)

At the entrance to the forest, the residents were peering anxiously into the woods.

When they saw the children, a joyful cheer went up, and several people came running toward us.

The children seemed to spot familiar faces, too, and broke free of my hands to run off.

Commander Cyril tried to set the girl in his arms down, but before he could, one of the residents hurried over and snatched her back from him.

"P-Please give her back! Don’t touch my child!"

The girl, roughly snatched from Commander Cyril’s arms, must have been startled; she clung to the woman who seemed to be her mother and began to cry.

"Oh, you were scared, weren’t you? It’s all right! Mommy’s here now."

As I glanced at the mother desperately hugging her daughter, Commander Curtis began reporting in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Two basilisks appeared about five minutes from here. We defeated them, so it’s safe now. Not one of the children is hurt. Please inform the person who went to fetch the Saint."

Any resident should understand how terrifying basilisks were...