“What is all of this?” Serin glanced around, taken aback. Kennard found himself at a loss for words to respond. It was his first encounter with such a scene as well. Although there were shamans in Baruchella Montefiano, he had always kept my distance due to his aversion to magic itself.
“Your Grace, this way,” Irish’s voice called out, prompting me to turn around and face a wall draped with an enormous crocheted shawl. As Irish lifted the shawl, a peculiar shape was unveiled.
“Remove it,” Kennard commanded. Without hesitation, Serin and Irish grasped the edges of the shawl and tore it away from the wall, filling the room with a flurry of white dust resembling snow. Kennard instinctively shielded his eyes and covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, while Irish and Serin coughed uncontrollably, discarding the shawl onto the floor.
“Oh my,” Serin exclaimed, stepping back and coughing. Kennard cautiously opened his eyes. “What… what is this?” Once again, Kennard found himself unable to provide an answer to Serin’s inquiry. The sight unfolding before them was so grotesque that it seemed to draw them into its macabre depths – a massive painting executed with blood.
Within the painting, scenes of burning forests and castles, people and animals impaled by swords and spears, or torn asunder by beasts, littered one side of the wall. Amidst the chaos, Irish pointed to the center of the painting.
It was a symbol distinct from the blood-marked ones found in the Terra Demorte Forest, yet eerily similar, prominently depicted amidst the carnage. Around this central symbol, grotesque images sprawled in all directions, entwined in a nightmarish tableau.
“Look up there,” Serin exclaimed, pointing to the wall as though he had stumbled upon a revelation. Kennard joined Serin’s side and peered at the indicated spot. It was so small that discerning its shape required closer inspection; at first glance, it resembled densely packed trees. However, as Kennard squinted and focused on the painting, the shape became clear. “It’s a frame for a painting.”
***
“Wasn’t Irish supposed to be on guard duty today?” Cura was on the verge of opening the bathroom door when she heard the voice of the knight who had been stationed outside.
“Cura, just a moment,” Elena whispered urgently, grasping Cura’s hand as she reached for the doorknob. Surprised, Cura turned to Elena, her lips moving silently in confusion. Elena gestured for Cura to come closer before quickly hiding behind the door, leaving only a slight crack.
Unnoticed by the knights, Elena listened intently to their conversation filtering through the narrow opening.
“Captain Serin summoned Irish this morning and then changed the guards,” one knight remarked.
“Why the sudden change?” the other inquired.
“I’m not sure, but it seemed like they’re going somewhere together,” the first knight replied.
“Where to?” the second pressed.
“He didn’t say. Just mentioned there’s something to attend to.”
“It’s unusual for Captain Serin to call for Irish and leave like this,” the second knight mused.
“Yeah, it’s got me curious,” the first agreed.
“Perhaps they’re going hunting?” suggested the second.
“Even if they were, they wouldn’t bring the Captain and Irish along,” the first reasoned.
“True. Maybe they’re scouting the borders?” the second proposed.
“The borders?” the first echoed. “Given what we found in the forest yesterday, they could be searching for those White Fox Tribe members.”
“Hmm, that’s plausible. But knowing His Grace, he wouldn’t go alone, let alone take us with him,” the second countered.
“There’s no point in speculating. Let’s wait for Irish to return; he might give us some answers,” the first suggested.
“He’s as tight-lipped as they come, especially if it’s an order from His Grace. He’d sooner keep a secret than spill it,” the second remarked, mimicking sealed lips before both knights erupted into laughter.
Cura, who had been eavesdropping with her ear pressed against the door, straightened up abruptly. “I heard His Grace took Captain Serin and a knight named Irish. Do you know where they went?” She leaned in close to Elena, speaking in a hushed tone.
“Yeah,” Elena replied, her body tensing momentarily at the mention of the White Fox Tribe in the knights’ conversation. Memories of their attack in the forest flooded back, filling her with a suffocating fear. She had instinctively tried to prevent Cura from listening in on the knights’ conversation, but she hadn’t expected to hear such troubling dialogue.
“It seems the White Fox Tribe returned to the forest yesterday. I wonder what they discovered. Should we inquire?” Elena turned her head slightly towards Cura, unable to indicate that she had overheard their conversation.
“Let’s just leave it,” Elena said softly as she opened the bathroom door and stepped out. The knights, who had been leaning against the wall nearby, quickly straightened up and resumed their positions.