Scarlett found herself studying it for several moments.
Vetaal quietly watched her. Then he asked, "Do you know who he is?"
Scarlett slowly shook her head. "...No. I've never seen him before."
Vetaal nodded. "I expected as much. It's only natural. Very few people alive today would recognize him."
With a casual wave of his hand. Blood gathered from thin air. It flowed like liquid silk before solidifying into two elegant crimson chairs.
One appeared before Scarlett. The other before Vetaal. The chairs looked as though they had been carved from polished ruby rather than blood.
Vetaal calmly sat down and folded his arms across his chest.
He gestured toward the chair opposite him. "Please. Sit down, Scarlett. This conversation is going to take a while."
Scarlett glanced once more at the
mysterious portrait hanging on the wall. Then she silently pulled out the crimson chair and sat opposite Vetaal.
