The sky outside had darkened completely. Inside the small house, the flickering glow of a single lantern cast long, trembling shapes across the floorboards.
Siel sat kneeling by the bedside, unmoving, fingertips pressed lightly against the sleeping man's temples. His expression was serene – almost solemn – and so unlike his usual bright, boyish self.
All Arin knew of Siel's talent was from the single sentence the white-haired tower master thrown at him in passing.
'It's an extraordinarily powerful tracking talent, with a reach that extends far beyond our limited perceptions, and into the realm of the metaphysical.'
- or something like that.
He honestly didn't know what to expect from it. And so, he waited with bated breath for something to happen.
Would there be glowing lines? Maybe some kind of holographic map? Damn, what he'd give for a HUD or a countdown timer –
A sudden, small movement pulled his attention back, and he had to stop himself from inhaling sharply when Siel's eyes snapped open.
The boy's face remained impassive for a moment, before easing back into a small, pleasant smile. His eyes, however…
Ordinarily friendly and expressive, they were now glowing faintly with a cool, clear light that emanated from his pupils. His gaze was following something Arin could not see.
After a moment, Siel turned to look at him.
'They're all connected, brother. It is a network. And it all appears to begin from the same place.'
He jumped up, his oversized clothes flapping around him.
'Let's follow them to the source.'
…
A few minutes later, Arin found himself standing before the village headman's estate.
'Looks like we've returned to our first theory,' said Siel with a small laugh. His eyes had, thankfully, stopped glowing with that eerie light. They were back to their warm shades.
The large building sat slightly uphill, but not too far apart from the others. Even so, it seemed to be built to overlook the quiet village. Like all the other houses they'd passed by, its windows were fastened – Sir Veylor had gone from house to house to ensure the elements wouldn't cause further harm to their sleeping residents – and the interior was dark and silent.
The air inside was thick with the smell of candlewax, and some kind of wilted flower. Their twisted, brown remains were held in small vases lovingly placed around the interior, in what must have once been a very inviting arrangement. A beautiful painting depicting an angelic little girl laughing as she hugged a small fawn, was displayed above the mantlepiece.
Arin looked around, while Siel walked straight towards one of the rooms in the interior of the house.
There were eight people asleep within the village head's house. They'd already seen them all, when Sir Veylor had taken them around earlier in the day; the village head himself, his elderly mother, a young, unmarried uncle, two maids, two caretakers, and his daughter –
Elara.
It was her room that Siel had entered.
'So, we weren't incorrect to assume that whatever has befallen Silvershade began from her – the strange slumber's first victim.' Looking back at Arin, who had followed him in, Siel continued, 'What a pity that old maid in Willowshade knew nothing that could be of any help.'
Arin nodded, looking past him at the girl sleeping in her bed. She seemed to be faring much the same as the others had been, with dry, drawn skin and sunken cheeks. Her breath came in short, pained gasps past her cracked lips, and the hands crossed above the covers were thin and dry, like twigs.
'Poor thing,' Siel shook his head. 'I can't imagine how sad she must've been after her mother's passing. I am glad to see she's had people to look after her, even in the years after she became withdrawn from the pain.'
Arin nodded again. Despite the charm of the rest of the house, it was clear to see that Elara's room was the most lovingly kept. Everything – the sheets, the drapes, and even the carpets, seemed exceptionally well-crafted. A plush armchair was placed by her bedside. It was somewhat faded and worn, as though from years of concerned family members and caretakers spending hours in it.
There were shelves full of carefully-arranged knickknacks she might have collected as a child, and amateur artwork was given the same honor as the more professional-looking portraits, gracing the walls side-by-side.
The largest painting was that of a laughing child held aloft in the arms of a beautiful woman. They had the same, bright green eyes, and the same, angelic aura. The work had been done in the same style as the portrait above the mantlepiece, and – as Arin suddenly realized – the portraits he'd seen hanging in the old maid's house.
'These must've all been painted by her,' he observed out loud.
Siel nodded. 'From back when she still worked here, I suppose,' he said. He was scanning the room with his wide eyes. Arin, in the meantime, slowly walked around the perimeter of the room, observing all the paintings with a practiced focus.
It was not unlike the many hours he'd spent entering nonsense into empty cells on Excel sheets, attempting to look like he was busy every time his boss had walked by. It had somehow worked even though the bulk of his job didn't involve Excel.
Pity they didn't have that stuff here…
After a few moments of silence, the boy turned to Arin. 'There's no tool, and no cursed artefact kept in here – not on Elara's person, nor anywhere in her immediate surroundings. If we are, indeed, dealing with a curse, it must've been cast upon the girl herself. I wonder if I remembered to keep a curse-dispelling tool?'
As Siel rummaged around his shoulder bag, he added, 'It's already quite late now. Do you suppose the curse will be taking effect soon, brother Rin? I must admit, I'm somewhat curious to see how it affects us.'
Arin didn't respond. His brows were slightly wrinkled as he looked at one of the childish paintings. It depicted a simple house, and several smiling people, all standing underneath a bright blue, sunny sky. There were even a couple of V-shaped birds dotting the horizon.
It was very similar to the drawings he himself had once made when he was younger; a child's portrayal of a happy household.
There was a young girl, flanked by a taller man and woman.
Elara and her parents, of course.
Then, there was an older couple holding hands, standing to one side, with a younger man beside them.
That must've been her grandparents and uncle, from back when her grandfather had still been alive...
To the other side stood a group of smiling men and women. They seemed to be dressed in uniform colors, and one of them held a broom aloft cheerfully.
Surely, the help… and…
Arin's frown deepened. Still ignoring Siel's questions, he suddenly said, 'I'd like to take a look at the caretaker – the next to fall asleep after Elara.'