The Horned Child of Reaver and Baroness

ON THE WAY

"Are you sure you really want to do this?" asked Cyrus, leaning back heavily in his seat. "I mean, we won't stop you, but you could at least wait for Vera to wake up." He looked down at the half domes of obsidian that made his shield in his lap. "She's still alive... Just barely."

"I have to get going before they're too far away for me to catch up. I can't waste any time." I was standing near the stairs at the exit of the base and ready to ascend.

"It's been three days. If they're gone, they're gone. Can't you at least wait so we can all go together?" He attempted to stand and fell back into his seat, threatening to reopen the wound on his side; a straight line from front to back, barely missing his lung.

"No." I began ascending the stairs, stalwart in my decision.

"Wait," said Jefford. "Let me show you something." He was standing near the staircase down to the living quarters.

Curious, I stopped and looked back at him. "What is it?"

He held up his hand and in it sat a small green pin shaped like a pair of horns. "Sandra made this for you. I don't know why she never gave it to you, but it's imbued with her magic. It might be of some help. Maybe it'll even bring a little shine back to your horns. They've gotten a little dull."

I stepped off the steps and reached for it. "Thank you."

He closed his hand around the pin before I could grab it. "Before you go, you should know that none of what happened was your fault. None of it. Remember that." He opened his palm again.

"Thanks." I took the pin and made my way back to the stairs. "Even if that's a lie."

He shook his head and said, "You can believe that if you want."

"I will." I continued up to the door and outside.

I went back to the bridge and took a trip back to York Town. Alone, I was able to get there just as the sun started falling on the horizon.

After returning with Sandra in my arms, I passed out, so I wasn't conscious on the way back, but Cyrus told me that the people we killed weren't there. We told the Bridge Town authorities what happened and they sent out a scouting party but returned with nothing.

It was my turn to search. The spots where each body lay in rest were vacant and even the graves were empty. Despite the high amounts in some places, there wasn't even a trace of blood. I called out Meo and Katie to sniff for clues with me, but they couldn't find anything either. Meo also assured me he was no longer being controlled. I had no way of knowing he told the truth but had no choice but to trust him.

That all changed when we entered the mausoleum.

As soon as I set foot in the building, it was like a weight fell on my shoulders. I paused for a second and continued. I couldn't ignore this unnatural presence and looked around to the best of my abilities.

"Meow!" cried Katie, the first to find something.

I went to see what she found and learned that where she was standing was the seat Muriel was sitting, and the spot he killed Sandra.

"Of course, it's the spot I was avoiding." I knelt on the spot and heard someone say something in a hushed tone behind me. I looked around and saw no one. Both Meo and Katie were silent.

I thought maybe there was someone there I couldn't see. Remembering what the man who inhabited my body said, I concentrated on my eyes in relation to my surroundings and cast a spell. "Extrasensory."

Unlike before, the area I could detect with this spell was limited to only a quarter of the room. Beside me was a vaguely human-shaped figure that I couldn't see with my eyes.