Valerian Empire

Chapter 92: Truce of South- Part 1

"What massacre are you talking about?" Ralph asked, his brows knitted together. He took the parchment from Malphus' hand, "It's just circles and lines."

"It isn't a simple figure and you said it yourself that you saw it in the witch's house," Katie shook her head, "The night when our entire town was killed this was what was found. Drawn around the entire down. Lord Alexander said that this is what the witches use before a mass murder takes place so that they can use the energy of the living."

"But this town is the nearest to Lord Norman's mansion, isn't it?"

"Then are the witches trying to kill him along with the others? That doesn't make sense. I mean, aren't the witches working with him?" Katie asked them.

Malphus who was in deep thought, got up from the chair to go outside and check if there was any evidence of anyone being there.

"That's the information we had but now it looks like it's not. Do you think the Lord would have missed the marking?" her cousin asked curious and heard Malphus speak,

"I don't think he's that stupid. At least where it concerns his safety," he murmured the last sentence, "In this case the marking is not complete."

"What do you mean?" she questioned to which he replied, "Come with me. I'll show you."

The three of them went outside after locking the house, going up the small hill that was situated next to the town. Most of the towns folks had gone home for the day. They walked under the dark sky as crickets chirped around them.

"So how do normal witches mark this?" Ralph asked curious on the way.

"I'm not sure. Probably draw it with a stick I guess," she answered unsure, "Um, Malphus, isn't it hard to see the markings while standing this far away from the town?"

"Trust me this is the clearest view," the ghost replied going to stand still as the entire town was visible from where they stood, "Look."

When Katie looked at the town from above she found nothing unusual. It was just the normal build of little houses and trees. The night wind blew to hinder her sight as her hair loosened to wave in front of her face. Catching hold of the hair she tucked it behind her ear, concentrating her eyes as she looked ahead.

Just when she was about to ask Malphus about where the marking was something caught her attention. It wasn't the buildings but the forest. The forest surrounded the town in a circle and on closer look there was the triangle, it was the buildings and forest that together formed the markings but they were disconnected.

"It might be coincidence but it's hard to ignore that unlike other towns with straight or haphazard constructions this one was built symmetrically. Wait…there's another line," Malphus pointed out showing his hand to his right.

He was right, there was another perfect line that looked like a cross marks.

She was aware that witches had different markings which had different meanings and signs to them

She was aware that witches had different markings which had different meanings and signs to them. With what she saw it seemed that this wasn't an incomplete marking, perhaps this was complete but what did it mean?

"Where do you think we can find references about this?" Katie asked with a worried look.

"I doubt you'll find anything here in the south about them. Didn't you see the way they burnt the woman in the middle of the town?"

"Ralph is right. Any traces of their existence in books has been erased in the south empire. If you find one count yourself lucky but careful because this empire isn't tolerant with anyone who shows even a slight interest in witchcraft," Malphus said as they headed down the hill, "There's an old restricted library behind the church."

"I think it's worth a try to go see if we find something there. Who knows we might find a lead," Katie said as they headed back home, "We can go tomorrow," she decided while watching over her footing down the hill as the clouds had begun to drizzle.

Ralph had to go for work but Malphus and she were free, they could put the time in finding something useful, she thought to herself.

In the morning, Katie and Malphus left to the church. The clouds were dark, the ground damp due to the rain at midnight. Holding her dress off the ground, she walked beside Malphus who no one could see. Crows cawed at a far distance sitting on the large trees across the church. When she walked through the door she was skeptical if the ghost could enter and when he did she wondered if mankind had incorrect assumptions on how the universe worked.

She noticed that there weren't many people in the church as she sat down in one of the benches in the corner. The father of the church stepped out of the confessional box and from the other side a man stepped out. Seeing who it was, Katie's eyes went wide. Dropping her white handkerchief on the ground purposefully, she bent down, waiting for the man to leave.

Feeling someone pass by she finally sat straight again.

"What was that all about?" she heard Malphus ask her with a raised brow.

"That was Norman," she leaned forward to whisper even though no one was around them.

"That young man? The last I checked Norman was a man in his fifties not in his twenties. Unless he took some potion to reverse his age."

"Not senior," Katie replied without moving her lips much when a couple sat in the other row, "It's his son Silas Norman," she saw his eyes widen in surprise and turn around to see the doors where Lord Silas had walked out.

He did say he worked for the Lord few years ago and he might have known the younger lord of the south. Of course he had died few years ago so he wouldn't know that Lord Silas was a grown man now.

"So strange. I feel like I have woken up from my sleep to see thirteen years pass by in a blink," he said with a troubled look and then got, "I'll see you back at home," and with that he walked away. She wondered what was up with him.

Last night after they had got back home Malphus had tried getting into the library later but he couldn't. Apparently the building was protected from other creatures except for humans.

Sitting for few minutes there she pondered on what the marking could mean. Surely there was meaning to every single line with the curse a witch could utter but with what she had heard massacres were held by a group of witches as they needed energy to channel. Inhaling deeply, she exhaled out the air.

When she was a child a massacre had taken place. When she lived with her relatives another one had taken place. It wasn't that no other mass murder had taken place in other empires but if it weren't for Malphus pointing out the other line she would have labeled herself to be cursed. But thinking further she realized Malphus was involved when the village was murdered by the witches. He had died and Ralph had survived, including herself. She and her cousin were lucky.

She had to get permission into the library as it was restricted. Apparently with what they learnt this library was accessible only to the Lord's and few ministers who worked for the south and this was the only library in the entire town. What was the point of having a library when no common man could use it? To her it looked like the higher members of the society weren't allowing the lower class to thrive.

Going up to where the father of the church was she began to converse with him telling how beautiful the church was compared to the one she had been in Valeria. Being an old man of traditional values he spoke about his view on why churches should not have been built on the vampire's land. The man felt it was unholy to do so. She said nothing but listened to him with a smile on her face until the muscles of her cheeks started to pain.