A librarian gets sucked into a web of horror as she investigates a century-old disappearance in the new town she has moved into.
***
Yvaine Agan had always led a quiet life and had expected to do the same when she moved to the small town of Andrasvi...
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The edge of the knife glittered in the dark, its shine unblemished even after years.
Its hilt was plain, made of simple wood and slightly curved at the end. Even in the complete darkness of the fourth floor, the sharpness of the knife was very noticeable. Shaking off the dust and bits of the floorboards, Yvaine brought it closer to her to inspect it closely.
"Wow..." a low mumble escaped her lips, as she traced the surface of the knife. The metal felt astonishingly cold against her skin as if it was made not of iron but a block of ice. It was quite smooth for most of the part except for a few irregularly shaped splotches here and there.
Yvaine rubbed her fingers against trying to make out what it was. Unable to understand she brought the knife to her nose and took in a strong sniff. A metallic, salty smell evaded her nostrils, widening her pupils. It was the smell of blood. How in all the world did a knife with dried blood end up in this unused part of the chateâu?
Confused about what to do next, Yvaine sat with the knife in her hand when again the despicable chill passed by the corner of her neck. Goosebumps appeared on her exposed flesh. Alarmed, she looked hither and thither expecting to see the smoky form of Wilhelmina Andras. However, instead of the appearance of the spirit, throaty whispers filled the space.
"No! You can't do that!"
"You are going to join her soon, little sister."
"No... No...you can't do this...no!"
"Mina...Mina...goodbye Mina!"
It was horrible. The whispers were horrible. Yvaine desired to throw up everything she had eaten since morning at that moment. Her head throbbed viciously giving the semblance that her brain was trying to burst out of her cranium. Intense cold prevailed in the place, making her shake uncontrollably on that warm July night.
The knife dropped off her hands. And with it disappeared the cold and the whispers, creating a harrowing vacuum. Yvaine took in a deep breath, holding her thighs tightly to maintain her balance. Sweat dripped from her forehead, her face flushed with shock. What was it that she heard?
She could recognise the male voice: it was the very same one she had heard in the library and the living room. But the other was something she was rather confused about. Did it belong to Wilhelmina Andras? Could this mean that she was murdered? Yvaine wondered, the frown on her face deepening. If the whispers were to be taken into account then this meant that one of the two brothers of Wilhelmina had killed her.
Yvaine looked at the knife, which was now upon the floor. No matter what, it definitely was a clue. Carefully she picked it up and enclosed it in the folds of her shirt, before getting up and descending to her bedroom. She would let Oleander and Amberly know about this new clue the day after.
***
Yvaine was still asleep when the call came.
The birdsong that swished its way to the sleeping Yvaine's ears, made her curl even closer to her pillow, her hair concealing her eyes from the light of the justly risen sun coming from the open window. And that very serene moment her phone rang, its loud ringtone waking her up instantly.
