VIII The Clues

A feeling of doubt suddenly appearing, making me unsure to came. I remembered the silver chalice Elgar had given me, which was one of the black witch's mystical chalices. I was a little afraid of meeting them, but I also wanted to make sure where they got the chalice from. I decided to just come and ask for an explanation.

I knocked on the door a few times rather loudly. "Elgar, Elgar, open the door!". Then the heavy wooden door opened and made a squeaking sound.

"Jenna! Come in..."

His blue eyes lit up when she saw me. He smiled like a rose in front of me. I entered cautiously.

"I didn't expect you to come back here." Elgar looked pleased with my arrival.

"Of course it's not without reason Elgar. Um...

I actually wanted to ask you something." I replied firmly as I looked into his eyes sharply.

"Ask what?"

My head felt dizzy. It felt like my head was completely empty. I tried hard to remember what I came to this place for and what I wanted to say, but I really couldn't remember. Then something came to my mind and I just blurted it out.

"A young girl was kidnapped in our territory, I saw her that night but couldn't save her. So we went on a search and I got a part in Willeth. But I walked too far and entered the deepest part of the forest. Luckily I still remembered a bit of the route to Cornwall, so I decided to come to your house for a while."

Then I remembered the strange noises in the forest that made me get lost and disoriented.

"Elgar, back in the forest I heard a strange sound like someone talking. I kept following it until it finally disappeared. And the strangest thing is that I couldn't find a single footprint!"

"Maybe you're being ruined by the witch Jenna. Of course she wanted to get you lost and use the opportunity to kill you." Elgar said. "But you were lucky to find this place again." he added.

"What did you go to that place for?" asked Kathleen who appeared from behind the door. "Willeth has been destroyed beyond repair. And you'll never find a single witch there!"

I looked at her and stared into her eyes for a long moment. "How do you know that Kate?"

"Um...I used to roam the forest and find Willeth. I walk through the area and there's nothing but rubble." she replied.

"Cornwall is pretty close to Willeth, but have you guys ever gotten into a feud with the witches or gotten some sort of interference from them?" I asked curiously.

"I don't think so. This village was only established about two years ago, maybe Willeth was destroyed when we moved here." Elgar said.

"Then where are you both from?"

"Far from the north. We moved because it was getting less fertile and we were running out of food. At least the weather here is a bit better than our old village." Kathleen poured hot tea into a cup and handed it to me. But this time it's not mint flavored.

"I think you need to rest Jenna. But this time you should stay longer." Elgar said.

"Oh come on. I didn't come to play around, I have lives to save. We have to find the boy quickly before it's too late!" I tried to refuse his offer.

Elgar stood up and went up to the second floor without saying anything. Meanwhile, Kathleen sat in front of me and we were silent. Before long, Elgar emerged with a large scroll. "If you go home, you'll miss a great opportunity!"

"What do you mean by a great opportunity?"

"I'll give you lots of clues to find the boy." Elgar climbed the stairs to the second floor and I quickly followed him.

He opened a small door next to Kathleen's room. The room was quite small but there were many plants as well as things that looked like medical devices. The temperature in this room was cool with some of the plants spreading across the outer window panes and some of the tips starting to reach inside through the vents. 

From the few objects kept in this place, it seemed that Elgar was an expert with medicine. He then opened a large rectangular wooden chest placed in the corner of the room.

"Elgar, I can guess that you are a medicinal expert or perhaps a plant expert."

He turned around, " I'm not a plant expert and the real healer is Kate, I'm just a newbie learning the ropes."

Elgar unrolled some scrolls and placed them on the table.

"What are these?" I flipped through the scrolls.

"Clues."

Elgar showed me a scroll that contained drawings explaining various witch rituals. Some of the writing on these papers had started to fade but some were still clearly legible. Then we came across a chapter describing the abduction of children and teenagers to be sacrificed in their rituals. 

The ritual is performed on the last full moon in a hundred years. By drinking the blood of the victims the witches would become possessed of certain powers and would be more difficult to defeat.

"The last full moon in a hundred years, and tomorrow night that time comes."

"Where can I find them?" I asked.

"In a moment, I'll find the others." Elgar shuffled through the contents of the chest and found a scroll that was longer than the others.

"Look! These hills are places used to perform various witch rites. There is one main hill called 'Kanchea'. Since the terrain is quite difficult to walk on, this hill is a safe place for them to perform their rituals!"

"Is that place far from here?"

"I don't think it's too far. This hill is located to the south behind this forest. That is to say, if you walk straight south to the end of this forest then you will reach the witches' hills."

I let out a long breath after hearing Elgar's explanation. This was going to be quite a difficult thing for us. Considering the terrain is quite difficult and of course we have to deal with hundreds of witches who will gather at that place. Elgar's information was very helpful and I've gotten all the answers I needed. But to be honest, I was still curious how he knew everything about witches.

"Elgar, how did you know about all this?"

"Um...actually, my father was just a regular blacksmith and my mother didn't work. They died of the plague. We were taken care of by our uncle. He gave us a house and everything, including all these records. After our uncle died, I lived alone with Kathleen. After moving around, we came to this small village."

"So that's why you have so many weapons in the fireplace room, and all this."

I took some time to study all the notes Elgar had given me. Everything about witches and the ritual of the last full moon in a hundred years was clearly depicted in these thick, worn-out papers. Including the route to the hills that were often used as a ritual site. The hills were located far to the south. It requires crossing a large river and vast grasslands and rocks to reach the place.

I guess I should hurry to the place we were assigned to. It's possible that Marlon is looking for me right now. All the information has been very helpful for the rescue mission. I descended the stairs and returned downstairs, walking down the corridor as the door to Kathleen's room was slightly ajar.

I accidentally saw it as I passed by. Kathleen was putting some dried plants into a small bowl and her right hand was holding the tip of an arrow. Seeing me standing in front of the door, she looked surprised and walked towards me.

"Jenna!"

"Um... Kathleen, I'm sorry. I accidentally saw you earlier."

"It's okay, it's my fault for leaving the door open." She smiled as she wiped her dirty-looking hands.

"What were you doing Kate?" I asked curiously. "I saw you concocting a potion, and I saw you holding an arrow tip."

"Of course, of course I was making potions. My uncle used to hunt animals with arrows laced with poison. He also taught me how to make potions. Sometimes I long to do the things he used to do."

"So are you going hunting?"

"Maybe if the weather is better. Or maybe after the whole witch thing is over."

I laughed at that. "Well Kate, we'll do our best to defeat them. So that you can hunt safely." Kathleen laughed at my words. Then Elgar appeared and invited me out.

"Make the most of your opportunity Elgar. Before our guests leave." Kathleen winked and returned to the room. Meanwhile, Elgar and I went outside and sat on the terrace looking at the slowly falling snow.

"Are you happy to be here Jenna? I see you're enjoying every moment here." Elgar asked.

"You're right, it's very cozy and I love it here. Maybe Alden and my other friends will come looking for me again, but I'm sure that they know I'm okay."

"Your words seem to imply that you have a hard time dying." Elgar laughed.

"Haha... it's not like that, I mean I'm just going to Cornwall and there's nothing to worry about. But I still have to go now." I said as I rolled up the notes Elgar gave me and put them into my coat pocket.

"I don't think I can let you walk through the forest alone. You said you got lost because you heard strange noises. Maybe I can take you to a place that's safe enough." Elgar offered his help.

 "Okay." I agreed to Elgar's suggestion to drive me. He took a black fur coat and covered his head with a hood. We drove back past the frozen lake, which was rather eerie. Elgar told me to look straight ahead regardless of the surface of the lake which scared me.

Snow began to fall as we entered the forest. The flakes were quite large and turned our coats white in just a short time. The intensity was quite heavy. So we had to move quickly before the snow layer got thicker.

"We must hurry to the starting place. If the snow gets thicker, it'll be harder to walk. We'll have to run a bit!" Elgar pulled my hand, leading me to run through the trees and the thickening snow.

As we ran, his hood opened up to reveal his black hair that had begun to fall in the snow. His face looked so young and radiant. Her piercing blue eyes cut through the jungle that always looked the same and confusing.

We were able to pass several climbs and descents with ease. I think we've reached a pretty safe place.

"Elgar! I think it's safe and I can go back by myself." I said breathlessly as I brushed the snow from my hair.

"Of course. We're close enough to Willeth. Your friends might still be there."

"Thank you for everything." I grasped Elgar's hand for a moment, then let go.

"I'm glad to see you again. However, Willeth is not a safe place. Be careful!"

I looked into him once again A second later he turned around and disappeared behind the trees.