Chương 66: The Shadow Behind The Altar

"Ha…" Back on Widow's Wall, Ulric… looked older. He stared at the numbers on the table, and for the first time in several days, a smile crept on his face. With the Dark Forest growing calmer, the amount of ink they could gather from the trees had multiplied severalfold. It… was growing in novelty, too. Ulric had packaged the ink well for nobles, endorsing it as ink from the Oathrunner's pact with the corrupted Great Spirit Blakwud. And of course, the nobles bought the story… and the product.

The animals were growing in number, too. Widow's Wall might not grow crops that well, but grass, at least, the city had plenty of.

"Ha…" He sighed again, leaning back on his chair in relief. But then, someone knocked on the door.

"Enter," Ulric said. A guard stepped in and bowed.

"Sir Ulric. More refugees have arrived." Ulric closed his eyes.

"More…?"

"Yes, sir."

"From where this time?"

"A hamlet near the border to Veyrmark. They… brought pumpkin seeds." Ulric opened his eyes and stared at the guard.

"Pumpkin seeds? Did they say why they came here?" The guard hesitated.

"They… said Lord Enel offered them a place." Ulric slowly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Another one?"

"Sir?"

"Nothing." Ulric lowered his hand and looked back at the numbers.

"Let them in. Register their names, and put them to work in the farms—they might be able to help with the soil."

"Yes, sir." The guard bowed and left, and Ulric stared at the door.

"And where even is Lord Robert? He should have been here an hour ago making plans for the city." Far below the manor, Robert was not thinking about Widow's Wall at all. He stood in the chamber beneath Widow's Wall, staring at the strange vessel his son had fallen from years ago. Beside him, Mira watched as its pale lights crawled violently across its smooth surface.

"What… is it doing now?" she asked.

"Why did you call me here?"

"Watch," Robert said. Then he stepped closer and pressed his hand against one of the glowing lines.

"Robb."

"Watch." The light shuddered beneath his palm. Then, above the vessel, thin lines rose into the air and twisted together until they formed the shape of a deer with trees as antlers.

"This is… Blakwud?" she whispered.

"Yes," Robert said. Symbols appeared beneath Blakwud. Mira leaned closer.

"Those almost look like…"

"Letters." Her foot touched something on the floor. Pages. Books, opened and stacked around the vessel.

"Robb," Mira slowly said.

"Why are there books here?" Robert did not look away from the lights.

"I have been reading to it." Mira stared at him.

"It listens," he said quietly.

"And I think… it is learning. The symbols beneath it did not look like that months ago."

"You should not—" Before Mira could finish her words, the hovering portrait of Blakwud suddenly disappeared. The pale lights across the vessel glowed brighter, flaring so violently that both of them stepped back.

"What… is happening now?"

"I… do not know." Robert shook his head.

"But one thing I learned… is that the ship reacts to our son."

"B-brother Enel?"

"I am here."

"I… I can't see you."

"I can hear you." There was only white inside the cave, and the weight of the fog made Alma want to run back outside. But instead, her hand tightened around Enel's fingers even more, almost until her nails pressed against his skin.

"Is…" She gulped.

"Is Valir's Shadow truly here?"

"I do not know yet." The fog moved around them, brushing against their faces like soft cloth. It was nothing like the Dark Forest. That fog had crawled with anger, but this one seemed almost gentle… warm, even. And soon, it thinned, and they could see colorful flowers glistening across the ground.

"W-woah…" Alma's eyes turned wide, and her grip on Enel's hand loosened a little. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. There were not that many flowers at first, only a few pale petals scattered along the path. Then more appeared, laid carefully in trails across the stone. Yellow, white, blue. Some were fresh, but most had already begun to wilt. Alma breathed out shakily.

"They… told me to follow the flowers."

"Follow me. Okay?" She nodded. They continued forward, with Enel slightly ahead while still gently holding Alma's hand. But soon, the voices came, and Alma moved faster, her other hand now gripping Enel's clothes. The whispers were soft at first, but grew louder and louder.

"Brave child… blessed child… do not be afraid." Alma completely stopped, and Enel stopped with her.

"D-do you hear them?" she asked.

"Yes."

"They… they sound like mama and papa."

"Do they…?" Enel listened closer, and the voices were indeed warm and gentle. But he had heard this before, back in the Dark Forest. Voices that sounded like they would cradle you, but strangle you in the end.

"Do not listen to them, okay? They are not your parents. Only… listen to my breathing, okay?"

"O-okay," she said. Still, she took a wider step, this time pulling Enel. The path curved deeper into the cave, and the fog thinned enough that they could make out the grooves of the walls next to them. And soon they reached a wide chamber, a grotto lit by lamps hanging from the walls and ceiling. At the very center stood an altar carved from the stone of the cave itself. And in front of it were baskets. Bread stacked on top of each other, meat wrapped in leaves, jars of milk, fruits, and many more.

Alma stared at it with wide eyes.

"Valir provides."

"Hm…" Enel only hummed in response, and the voices continued to whisper around them.

"Blessed child… come closer… return to us." They were louder now, almost coming from just behind the altar. Alma quickly let go of Enel, clasping her hands and bowing her head as soon as she noticed a shadow move beneath the fog. Enel glanced at her for a moment, then tried to look past the fog. But even though it was thin, the darkness made it hard to make out the silhouette. And so, he tilted his head and pointed his ear toward the shadow instead.

He could hear the voices first, but there was something else there—a hiss. Enel's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Alma again before turning his focus back to the shadow. And then… he heard it. The sound of metal dragging against stone.

"What is—" Before he could listen deeper, however, he heard footsteps drawing near. Not vemons. Men.

"... a girl this time," one of them said.

"Good. Less trouble on the road."

"She has a twin, doesn't she?"

"The Bishop marked the other one for the next full moon."

"Where do you think they even take the children?"

"Ssh. It is not for us to question. We are only here to obey. But… did you hear about the guests Nine and Ten of Veyrmark brought?"

"They are wealthy, right?"

"Yes. But… I heard they have been asking questions." Enel's eyes widened as he continued to listen. His head snapped toward where the voices were coming from, and soon, four people wearing Black Masks emerged from the fog. Behind them was a cart with a cage on it.

"B-brother Enel?" Alma's prayer stopped as soon as she saw them, and she quickly rushed back to Enel's side.

"What the…" The four Black Masks stopped when they saw Enel. And for a moment, no one moved. Then one of them slowly raised his lantern.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Enel did not answer.

"Ah," another said.

"It's one of the guests."

"Why… is he inside?"

"Doesn't matter. Dispose of him and take the child." One of the Black Masks stepped forward, but Enel only crouched and looked at Alma.

"B-brother Enel…" she whispered.

"What… what is happening?"

"Close your eyes."

"H-huh…?"

"And cover your ears." Alma stared at his face for a while, then nodded as she closed her eyes and covered her ears without another word. One of the Black Masks laughed.

"What is—" And then the entire cave shook. The tremor was so strong that the flowers hanging from the houses outside swayed. Several villagers gasped, and a few lifted their heads from prayer. Hadd stood near the pillars, then immediately knelt.

"Did… did Valir reject the blessed?" he whispered loudly.

"Please… please forgive—" Another tremor struck, stronger this time. Hadd felt his knees leave the ground for a breath.

"A-Alma?!" Mira tried to run toward the cave, but Lamb caught her.

"No."

"M-my sister!" Mira cried.

"Stop."

"She… something is happening inside!"

"I know." Lamb held her tighter, though her eyes never left the cave.

"As long as Lord Enel is with your sister, no harm will fall upon her. Remember that." Tiny stood beside Guinevere, both of them watching the fog.

"What… do you think the lord is doing?"

"What he thinks is right," Guinevere said. Another tremor quaked through Valir's Crescent, and they could hear stone crack somewhere inside the mountain. The villagers began to whisper, while some buried their heads against the ground and begged for forgiveness. Others backed away from the cave completely. Hadd noticed them panicking and quickly stood, raising both hands.

"Brothers and sisters! There is no need to be afraid!" he roared.

"This is Valir showing his joy! Our blessed child is escorted by one touched by the Great Spirits!" Lamb's eyes narrowed.

"If that man says one more thing, I am going to put my fist in his mouth."

"Please, brothers and sisters! Pray!" Hadd motioned to those leaving to come closer.

"Pray so Valir may know our good intentions. Pray, so that our food for this month will be even—" Hadd stopped speaking when he noticed everyone had already raised their heads. Their eyes were wide as they stared at something behind him. He slowly turned back… and saw the fog twirling. And after a few moments… Alma stepped out.

"Alma!" Mira tore herself from Lamb's arms, and this time, Lamb did not stop her. Alma dropped the bouquet she was still holding and ran too. The two sisters collided in front of the crowd, clinging to each other as they fell to their knees. The villagers watched, most of them covering their mouths as they gasped.

"How…" Hadd approached them, but before he could take one more step, something enormous stumbled out of the fog.

"W-what is that?!" Hadd fell back. The villagers started screaming, and even those whose knees were planted firmly on the ground backed away in fear. How could they not? The thing that emerged from the cave was grotesque. It was huge, pale, and its large eyes almost dangled from their sockets. Its snout was clasped with a muzzle, and chains dragged from its neck and legs. It looked like an overgrown, deformed lizard. It moved wildly, claws bleeding black as they scraped against the stone road.

Foam spilled from its muzzle as it tried to stand beneath the sun. It turned its neck, and some of its flesh tore where the chains pulled.

"Is that… Valir's Shadow?" someone whispered.

"That was inside the cave? It… it can't be Valir's Shadow. It—" Lamb's eyes narrowed, and smoke began to trail from her finger.

"It's… a vemon." The vemon shrieked and lunged toward the crowd, but it suddenly dropped violently to the ground, its head almost cracking the stones. Enel appeared on top of it afterward, his fist closed. There was dust on his coat, and blood on one sleeve. The crowd became even more silent as they stared up at him. Then the chains moved again as Enel leaped down from the vemon. He held a chain in one hand and slowly walked toward the crowd. And as he did so, he pulled something else out of the fog.

The Black Masks. All tied to the other end of the chain. They stumbled after him, dragged forward by the same chains that had bound the beast. One tried to dig his heels into the stone, but Enel did not slow down at all. Everyone could only watch, and some of them even seemed to forget how to breathe. Enel stopped in front of Hadd, looking down at him as he knelt on the floor. Hadd looked up, and his throat almost locked at the sight of Enel's face. Enel was not shouting. His eyebrows were not even lowered.

His face was calm, but his eyes… oh. His eyes were not, and everyone saw it—the red. His eyes glowed red, almost as bright as the sun above them. The light in them hissed, and smoke trailed from the edges. Hadd quickly looked away from him, then stared at the Black Masks, then at the giant vemon, then at the twins.

"Hadd," Enel whispered.

"Brother Enel…" His voice trembled.

"What… what is this? What did you—" Lamb suddenly appeared behind Hadd, grabbed him by the back of his neck, and drove him down to his knees.

"You kneel when he speaks," she said. Hadd gasped, but did not fight her. No one moved as Enel dropped the chains at Hadd's feet. He stared down at him for a few moments more before asking,"Hadd… where do they take the children?"