Selen watched the tall towers of the castle as they galloped forward. The sky was gray, and the first snow would probably fall by nightfall. Fortunately for them, they arrived just as darkness was beginning to settle.
Since the duke had been away for quite some time, it was customary for most of the servants to welcome him upon his return. Yet today the atmosphere felt strange, almost sinister. A crow cawed in the distance as Selen stopped her horse in front of the line of servants gathered before the entrance.
"Welcome back, Your Grace," said Leonard—the advisor—bowing respectfully.
"And to you as well, princesses," he continued, addressing Selen and Rose.
Clearly, the coded letters the duke had sent him had reached their destination. Yet Selen sensed something strange in the behavior of the servants, and even in Leonard himself. He looked both stressed and weighed down by something.
The duke was about to guide his horse toward the stables when Leonard's voice stopped him.
"Something has happened, Your Grace. It would be better if you dealt with the matter immediately."
Another crow cried in the distance, and Selen realized that whatever had happened must be serious for Leonard to ask his lord to handle it before even resting. She saw the duke frown, while Rose shifted nervously on her horse. Clearly, she too felt that something was wrong.
"Bring them," Leonard said, gesturing to two knights.
A few minutes later, they returned dragging two young women who were clearly servants of the castle. Judging by the state they were in, they had probably spent some time in the castle's dungeons. As soon as the knights pushed them down at the foot of the duke's horse, they immediately burst into tears.
"Your Grace… please… have mercy!" cried the first one, covering her face.
"We didn't mean for this to happen… please, Your Grace… we didn't think she understood," sobbed the other, her face soaked with tears.
Leonard stepped forward beside the duke before turning to the servants.
"Silence. Your crimes will be presented to His Grace, and then you will be judged according to the punishment he decides."
Selen did not understand why the mistake of two servants was being punished so publicly, and she turned toward the duke. It was then that she noticed the change in him. He sat as rigid as an oak upon his horse, and she realized he had not spoken a single word so far.
"You are both servants assigned to Mother," Rose suddenly said, her face troubled.
She looked lost, as if she were imagining something but refusing to believe it, Selen thought as she observed her expression.
"What happened?" Rose cried.
Her horse began to shift nervously, sensing its rider's agitation. One of the knights stepped forward to help Rose dismount, and she rushed toward the two servants before her brother stopped her with a sharp command.
"As lord of these lands, I, Jason Clover, will hear the crimes of the accused."
"Confess your crimes," Leonard shouted at the two servants.
The servants burst into louder sobs. One of the knights grabbed one of them by the hair and forced her to face the duke.
"Confess your crimes, or you will die immediately by my blade," he said, drawing his sword and pressing it against her throat.
The servant trembled in fear and forced herself to stop crying.
"Your Grace… we were assigned to watch over the duchess two days ago, and when we received the good news of your return with milady…"
More sobs escaped her.
"While the duchess was gardening in her garden, we spoke about it in front of her. We didn't think she understood what we were saying."
She paused before breaking down again.
"You. Finish confessing your crimes," Leonard ordered the other servant.
"We mentioned milady's disappearance in front of Her Grace, but we didn't mean anything by it."
She paused to suppress a sob before continuing.
"We accompanied Her Grace for her nap and then left her to rest as usual… It was only when we returned to bring her to dinner that we realized she was no longer in her room."
"Continue," Leonard shouted, grabbing her arm.
"We searched everywhere before remembering the incident a few years ago at the lake. We rushed there and found madam by the water… She was crying that she wanted her daughter… that they had taken her daughter…"
She broke down in tears.
"We couldn't do anything. She threw herself into the lake… we tried everything, but…"
Selen saw Rose collapse to her knees. She looked as if she were in a trance. Selen dismounted and hurried to help her.
"No… no… no…" Rose whispered.
When Selen touched her shoulder, Rose snapped out of it and began screaming in anguish.
"It's my fault… it's my fault! If only I had stayed…" she cried.
"Take Lady Rose to her room to rest," the duke ordered as he dismounted his horse.
Two knights lifted Rose as she screamed and sobbed.
The duke drew his sword and approached the two servants when Leonard stepped forward.
"With all due respect, Your Grace, I would ask that you allow me to punish the criminals myself," Leonard said, bowing under the duke's barely restrained fury.
"As you know, the Raviell family has served the duchy for years, and these two criminals are my cousins, whom I personally recommended. I would like to punish them myself and erase the dishonor they have brought upon our family."
The duke stood silently for a full minute before handing his sword to Leonard.
"For failing in their duty to protect and serve their mistress, the two accused are sentenced to death," the duke declared as Leonard stepped forward.
The funeral took place the next morning.
The body of the deceased was in such a state that the flower ceremony—where the deceased is covered with flowers and prayed over before burial—was omitted. The burial therefore took place with a closed coffin.
Selen stood before the ducal mausoleum.
She had gone to Rose to convince her to attend the funeral at the duke's request. Rose was consumed with guilt and had locked herself in her room. Selen also knew that the duke himself was devoured by grief, though he tried to maintain composure.
It had taken two knights and much persuasion and comfort for Rose to finally agree to come.
The duke left the ceremony as soon as it ended.
Only Selen, Rose, and the knights who had helped bring Rose remained.
"His Grace requests your presence," Leonard said as he returned to fetch her.
Selen cast one last glance at Rose lying on the ground atop her mother's grave.
"Let's go," she said, turning to follow Leonard.
He led her to the shed behind the castle.
The first thing that struck her when she entered was the smell of blood.
I see he's already started, Selen thought.
"Heal him. He hasn't said anything yet," the duke said while wiping his hands with a cloth.
Selen sighed when she saw the priest's condition. The duke had left the ceremony only half an hour ago. He clearly had not tried to extract information—he had simply vented his rage.
"Do you really think you can attack a priest like this without consequences?" the priest tried to shout, spitting blood.
Selen approached him, lifted his head, and healed his wounds.
"Go slower this time," Selen said as she sat down on a chair nearby.
"You… I recognize you," the priest shouted. "You are the knight His Majesty sent here. How can you participate in such a crime?"
Selen smiled slightly.
She had almost forgotten that she had introduced herself to him when she first arrived at the duchy.
He was the priest who led the largest temple in the north, and therefore the one who could provide the information they needed.
"Interfering in the affairs of the temple is punishable by death. Imagine what torture will await someone who harms a man of God," the priest warned.
Selen leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
This was going to take a while.
"That is only if you are still able to speak when we are finished," the duke said, picking up an enormous pair of scissors.
Garden shears? Selen wondered.
"I know you won't kill me," the priest said, though fear filled his eyes as he stared at the scissors. "If I die here, you will never escape the emperor's wrath."
"You know, my father was a devout believer. Despite all his doubts about the heretics, he continued to attend the temple and make donations. So answer me this: if you are a man of God, why did you kill him?"
"Your father and your brother died on God's path. The temple had nothing to do with their fate," the priest replied.
Selen nearly laughed.
The priest clearly did not know that his fellow priests had confessed before dying on the island.
The duke had ordered his arrest even before they left Puerto Rosa, preventing the temple from warning him.
Instead of losing his temper, the duke placed the scissors on the priest's thighs.
"It is customary in the empire that all priests—except the five cardinals and the high priest—are castrated so they may focus entirely on their duties to God and forget earthly pleasures," the duke whispered in his ear.
Selen saw the priest swallow nervously.
"Whether noble or peasant, all must obey this law… Yet you, Father, have not, have you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" the priest shouted.
"I told you. I have suspected you for years, so of course I kept you under surveillance. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that our devout priest enjoyed visiting brothels whenever he traveled."
The priest's silence was answer enough.
The duke picked up the scissors and stood in front of him.
"If I castrate you here, what will you accuse me of before the emperor?"
The priest began screaming as two knights lifted his robe. Selen turned her gaze away. The genitals of priests—or anyone else—did not interest her in the slightest.
"Think carefully, Father. Tell us everything you know… or…" the duke said, making a cutting motion with the scissors.
When the duke raised the scissors, ready to act, the priest finally broke down and agreed to cooperate.
The duke placed a map of the duchy on the table and forced the priest toward it.
The priest pointed out several locations, which Leonard marked carefully before the duke shoved him aside.
"Whatever you do, you tortured a priest! You will never escape the emperor's judgment!" the priest shouted from the ground.
The duke sighed, picked up the map, and left with Leonard.
"I'll leave him to you," the duke said to Selen before exiting the shed.
Finally, Selen thought. She was starting to get bored.
She asked the two knights to hold the priest firmly.
"You cannot kill me," the priest said, trembling as she approached.
Selen smiled and placed her hands on the priest's head.
She had learned something from observing the heretics.
When a large amount of magic was poured into a human brain, the mind shattered completely.
The priests used dark magic—easier to obtain through human sacrifices—to control heretics through rituals.
But she possessed her own magic.
"There are many ways to silence someone," Selen said calmly as she released a powerful surge of magic into his mind.