Lowell asked, "Why didn''t he leave?"
"He can''t," the driver said. "He has to take care of his younger brother. They''re orphans; their parents passed away a long time ago."
Lowell was surprised. "He''s an orphan?"
"Yep. His father died before Diaz was even born, and his mother died in childbirth. Diana raised Diaz all by himself. It''s just the two of them, depending on each other."
Lowell frowned. "How do they get by?"
"When they were little, they needed help from the neighbors. Now, Diana is the one helping everyone else."
"Diana is a hard worker. He raises over a hundred head of cattle and sheep, and sells them for money to support his family."
"His eagle is incredible, too. It catches fresh prey every single day."
"If the catch is small, Diana and his brother eat it themselves. If it''s big, he shares it with the neighbors or sells it at the market for cash."
"Even without parents to rely on, Diana has raised his brother to be strong and healthy."
Lowell nodded in agreement. "That is impressive."
"He''s not just capable, he''s also very kind," the driver added. "Whenever the elders
in the vige need a hand, he never refuses. If he can help, he will."
Lowell asked, "How many families are still in the vige now?"
The driver shook his head. "I don''t know the exact number, but the town should have a record of it."
"Are they doing okay now?"
"Definitely better than before..."
The two chatted casually all the way to their destination.
At the entrance to the vige, a few old men were basking in the sun. Lowell and the driver got out of the car to ask for Diana''s house.
When the old men heard they were looking for Diana, one of them immediately asked, "What do you want with him?"
The driver answered for Lowell. "This friend came from far away to see Diana''s falconry. He even brought a lot of gifts for him."
Lowell smiled, looking perfectly
innocent and harmless. "We met this morning at old man Sutton''s house. was fascinated by his eagle, and since I had some free time, thought I''de visit him at home."
Unlike Axel or Tarquin, Lowell had a kind face and a gentle demeanor. He didn''t look like a bad person.
The old man pointed the way. "Follow this road to the veryst row. The house closest to the mountain is Diana''s. But you''vee at a bad time. He''s not home right now."
Lowell was curious. "Where did he go?"
"He went up the mountain to bring food to the madman," the old man said.
"The madman?"
The driver spoke up. "I know about this one. Their vige has a madman named Wyatt. He''s always muttering to himself and attacks anyone who gets near him. He attacks everyone except Diana."
Lowell was intrigued. "Why can Diana get close to him?"
The driver shook his head. "Must be
shook
some kind of connection. I heard he
came back from the outside and just went to live on the mountain. Once Diana got a little older, he started bringing him food regrly. return, the man helps watch over Diana''s cattle and sheep
Lowell grew suspicious. "He came back from the outside?"
The driver nodded. "The story goes that when he was young, he went to the big city to make his fortune, He earned a lot of money but then someone cheated him out ofall of and he just... went mad."
A strange look shed in Lowell''s eyes. He expertly concealed his thoughts, bid farewell to the old men at the vige entrance, and headed towards Diana''s house.
Diana''s home was a small brick bungalow, not much different from the others. It clearly looked like part of a newer housing development.
Lowell asked the driver to wait for him at Diana''s house while he went up the mountain to find him.
The driver, worried about him, even handed him a stick for fending off stray dogs. "Just stick to the mountain path. Don''t take any of the smaller trails; it''s easy to get lost."
Lowell smiled. "Okay, I will."
After Lowell left, a few vigers came over to ask the driver about him. The driver repeated the cover story, "He''s an outsider, here to see Diana''s falconry. His boss''s son loves eagles..."