Chapter 108 - Visiting the village, again - Part 1

"What?"

"I discovered his body in a ditch, as well as several other dead bodies that I ȧssumed belonged to the villagers. They appeared to have been dead for weeks."

"So those bodies were where the unpleasant smell was coming from?" I asked, and Zeke nodded his head yes. No wonder the smell was so bad back then. 

"Were they killed?"

"I can't say for sure. When I found them, their skin was saggy, as if their blood had been suċkėd dry from their bodies. However, I can't find any signs of physical abuse." 

What on earth happened in that village? Dead bodies were left unattended without being properly buried, and no one even cared. If those people were indeed killed, whoever killed them was beyond ruthless.

"Did you confirm that one of those bodies was really the magistrate?"

Zeke took a piece of paper—a picture—from his pocket, followed by a golden ring. He handed it to Luke, showing a portrait of a man in his fifties, smiling warmly at whoever was taking his picture. He then pointed to the magistrate's finger, adorned with the same golden ring Zeke brought to us. 

"I took this ring from him," he said, handing the ring to Luke. Luke took the ring with a sigh. 

"The remaining villagers—what did they do during the evening? Did they go to the abandoned church?" 

Zeke quickly denied it. "No, sir. They immediately went inside their houses as soon as they finished their chores for the day. No one was out during the night." 

Then it was without a doubt that the church was what prompted them to act outside of their normal routines. They were most likely guarding the church against intruders since they had something hidden inside of that place. It was impossible to avoid another visit to the abandoned church. We needed to go back there. 

"Then what happened to the monthly report? Who wrote them? They have been diligently sending us their reports without a halt, but there was no mention of the problem in that village."

"I ȧssumed it was Mr. Wickham's doings."

"Mr. Wickham?" Luke lifted one of his brows, inquiring about the man's identity. He appeared to have an idea of who the man was. 

"The magistrate from the next village."

"The bald magistrate?" I asked.

Hearing it, Luke laughed, but it was not a laugh filled with humor. It was a laugh filled with disbelief. There was a lot more than the magistrate stuffing his own pocket with the village funds, as it turned out. He even forged a report from the neighboring village—reports.

"Did you give those people a proper burial?" Luke asked, massaging his temples. When Zeke replied that he did, Luke nodded his head in approval before dismissing the man. "Good work. You may rest now." 

As Zeke exited our room, Luke walked towards the sofa, sitting on the seat beside me. 

"Mr. Wickham... I should've given him a punch or two back then," he said, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. "It appears that we'll need to have another meeting with him. He'll know what happened to those villagers that turned them that way." 

"Aside from that, I think it's strange how those villagers could be so triggered when we were in the church. I'm sure they're hiding something inside that place. We need to get back there as soon as possible," I said, and he quickly agreed. "Oh, right. Do you remember the statue we found there?"

"What statue?"

"That statue of a nun in the underground room," I said, and he nodded in recognition. "When I touched the snakes on the statue, I felt the same burning sensation as when I touched Maggie before I broke my seal. Doesn't that mean the statue is enchanted with magic?" 

"Wait," he raised his hand, stopping me from talking any further. "Snakes?"

"Yes, snakes." I turned to him, wondering what got him so confused. "Why?" 

"What do you mean, snakes? I didn't see any snakes on the statue. It was a normal statue of a nun praying, wasn't it?" 

"No," I shook my head. "Well, it's a statue of a nun praying, but there were snakes on each side of her arm." 

Luke, too, had a frown on his face after mine. He remained silent for a few moments, thinking, before deciding that we should first return to the church and take another look inside. Now that I've broken my seal, it was possible that I'd be able to see things I couldn't see before. Perhaps there were many more things like the snakes on the statue. 

Considering the chances of those villagers coming after us again, I settled on a simpler dress that won't disturb me if I had to run later. Changing to a much more comfortable boots, I took my coat and my cape, not forgetting to keep the knife Luke'd gifted me safely in my pocket. I'm sure it would come in handy during a time like this. 

I glanced at the white smoke around my body, seeing how my magic was still refusing to stay under control. Should there be a confrontation, can I use my magic to keep both of us safe? But, given my inability to control my magic, I'm afraid it would be more harmful than useful to us. 

Perhaps it would be better for me to keep my magic inside. That way, I could also save more of my energy. 

I closed my eyes, trying to keep my focus on the flow of my magic. Calm and composed, just like what Maggie said. Feel the magic around my body, then pull them back in. I focused on the warm, tingling sensation around me, feeling them flowing all throughout my body. 

I repeatedly told my magic to come inside, hoping that it would finally listen to me. When I opened my eyes, my magic was... still out. I sighed.

Why is this so hard to master? I couldn't even let my magic in and out at will. I wonder if Maggie would be so willing to teach me more about magic—without having to pay a big sum of money. I'm afraid Luke would lose most of his money the more I ask for Maggie's help. 

Will there be any books about magic in the library? Maybe I can learn from a book to keep Luke's money safe. 

"Are there any books about magic in your library?" I asked Luke, who was busy taking out something from his closet. It was a gun. 

"Of course not. You won't find any books related to magic anywhere in Wonsvile, as everything about witches is banned. But you can probably find one in the White Church," he explained, pulling out another box from his closet which contained silver bullets. "Why? You can always ask Maggie for anything you don't know about magic."

"Well... it would be too expensive to ask Maggie questions," I said, and he laughed hearing it. 

"Are you concerned about the amount of money she'd ask of me?" He took two pairs of gloves, wearing them before touching the silver bullets. "Don't worry. I have much more money than you can ever imagine. I'm sure I can feed the whole population of Wonsvile for years and still won't run out of money."

That much? I mean, he'd always been so generous about money, but I had no idea that he was that wealthy. Was it even possible for us to make that much money by being a lord of a land? Should I rest ȧssured and use as much as I want? 

When he was done loading his gun, he put it in his back pocket and took off his gloves. Noticing how I was looking at him, he kindly explained to me.

"If we come across a black witch, silver is the easiest and the fastest way to kill them. Keep in mind that all dark creatures are weak to silver, even you. So don't go around touching silver when you find one." 

"White witches are also a part of the dark creatures?" I tilted my head. "But they're called white witches." 

"Any beings other than humans are referred to as dark creatures, so yes. White witches are also a part of the dark creatures." I nodded to his explanation. That made me wonder if I ever touched a silver by accident before. 

He took his coat, wearing it before holding out his hand for me. I took his hand and walked towards the door, starting our journey back to the abandoned church. A servant stood just outside our room, bowing upon our presence. 

"Prepare the carriage," came the order from Luke.