Celestial Scribe Petrich Hollenburg and his assistant in training, Ellenora Hodgins-Baudelaire have been summoned by Dr. Leon Stephanotis, a maunscript archeologist, to accompany him on an expedition to Danzig Castle in the northwestern Gardarik reg...
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Although still very much peeved, Leon's spirit finally began to lift. He was in his element, hiking into the wilderness, and it showed. Nora thought it was because out here he could enjoy his own company and totally ignore everyone else. This was, of course, for the best. He confidently lead the way, and the others let him, being the experienced explorer. A few paces behind him was Fitz, constantly looking left and right and everywhere in between. According to Petrich, her eyes could pick up on body heat. The perfect physical asset for finding anyone lost. But surely the birds and the other small creatures that also generated heat could be very distracting. Nora herself followed Fitz. She did not worry too much about lagging behind. For years she and Petrich easily walked the entirety of Ecarte Island. Much of it was done in the evening hours, taking a portable telescope and other tools for measuring and drafting by lantern light to different hilltops for the best views of the stars. The nighttime walks on the island felt only natural. But hiking up a heavily shaded trail surrounded by trees (and who knows what else, other than Fitz) proved unsettling to Nora even by daylight. She turned just enough to see Petrich to the back of her, still gentlemanly even in his hiking gear. His eyes shifted to her face and he grinned. "Not quite like home, is it?" he asked playfully. "Not one bit." Nora replied solemnly, "The terrain is familiar. Being utterly surrounded by massive giants is not." "Yes, could turn one claustrophobic. It almost feels as though the whole forest is closing in on you." said Petrich looking to the sky. Nora looked up, too, and, only seeing a small patch through the towering tree canopy, her heart sank a little. They camped along the bank of the Valcalax River at a clearing that at one time been the Leidenshaftlich military settlement. It was a mile and a half diversion from the Danzig trail but Fitz's modified maps confirmed its location. It was a wise move for those experienced enough to be able to navigate off the trail, but tragic folly for those who were not. The river's bank in this particular area was far more level and practically rock free, for they had all been used to construct a great many fire pits. Some of them had toppled with time, many others, however, were built sound enough to stand the next thousand years. While there was still enough day light, they all gathered wood for a fire that could be fed the whole night, if need be. "Just imagine being out here lost all alone with nothing and the sun setting soon," Nora commented as she gathered with Fitz. "I would imagine it being fatal during the winter months, but still extremely miserable even in the summer. The elevation here brings cold nights no matter the season." said Fitz. "Do you believe those who took off by themselves were possessed by some spirit? An actual spirit of Crinoline Danzig?" Nora asked. "I will admit, I have no real experience on the subject of demon possession, but I've had investigations concerning severe mental illness. In my own personal opinion, they are one and the same. . . .however." "However?" "A total of seven people taking to the trail suffering from the same psychosis? Unlikely. But it's impossible to say without a thorough investigation." Nora. . . It was but a quiet, almost ghost like voice in her head, but Nora froze and looked about for Petrich. It was not the first time he reached out to her telepathically, but it tended to be something very intimate between a bound scribe and assistant, and, therefore, another rule not to be broken. When it happened once before, it was spontaneous and out of strong emotion, but quickly controlled. NORA!!. . . I'm Here! she thought back to him, dropping her gathered sticks and taking off at a full run. She heard Fitz drop her load, too, and come after her. When they had ran almost a hundred yards, Petrich came running out of the tree line and slid to a halt. "OVER HERE!!" he shouted. Fitz picked up her speed and ran on into the trees in the direction Petrich pointed. But when Nora got to him and made to run past him after Fitz, Petrich reached out and caught her about the waist. "No!" he said, holding fast to her. "What's happened? Is the Doctor alright?!" She then gasped. "Is it TIM??" Petrich shook his head. "I. . .don't know. Let Fitz have time to look." From a distance, Nora could see Fitz kneeling next to some heap on the ground among the trees. Leon stood nearby, watching, with folded arms, a hand at his mouth. Fitz stood, then stepped to the other side and knelt again. Nora could see she had a small notepad and pencil. She had taken off her goggles and would sometimes simply stare. Nora wondered if she was using the microscopic sight feature of her robotic eyes. By the time Leon and Fitz returned to their campsite, Nora and Petrich had built a fire in one of the large stone fire pits. They asked no questions, only watched them expectantly. Fitz immediately lit a lantern and sat with her pad, pencil and a filthy, small, leather messenger bag. She opened it and emptied out the articles within, and began cataloguing every article in her notepad. "It's not Tim." Leon declared, seeing that Fitz would be a while. Nora breathed a sigh of relief. "But, how can you be sure?" "Tim's only been missing three days." Leon answered, "This corpse had been there at least three weeks, according to Ms. Fitzhugh. Must be the other hiker nobody was searching for." "And cause of death?" Petrich asked, "the elements?" Leon shook his head. "Oh, no! Not another strangulation." Nora's hand automatically went to her throat. "No, must have tried to cross the river, and drowned." "But. . .he was off in the woods a good distance away from the river bank." said Petrich. "Yes, I know, but your master investigator over there said something about delayed drowning. When you take too much water into the lungs, but not enough to cause immediate death. The drowning actually happens a good 24 hours later. He must have only made it that far into the woods after getting himself out of the river, but could go no further." "Oh. . ." Nora said sadly, "That was bound to be slow and painful." They all sat quietly, for a moment, until they noticed Fitz staring at an unfolded scrap of paper by lantern light. "Fitz?" Petrich asked. She looked over at him. "Are you alright?" Fitz looked back at the scrap of paper and read it aloud to them.
To Whomever Finds Me- I journeyed to Danzig to pay homage to 'the disappointment' , what I found was a demon. By the gods I escaped, but it lives still. Beware the demon. Beware Danzig, Beware the thread. D.
Fitz lay the paper among the other items found in the leather satchel. "According to his identification papers, his name was Davin Rowe, from Machtig. Nineteen years old. He carried with him a bit of water and food, but not much else. He had a knife, at least. Apparently was on his pilgrimage to see the home of Crinoline Danzig, who was many times referred to as 'the disappointment' by those in the cult years ago. The title must have passed down and is still in use today by this new generation of followers. As the Doctor has told you already, his lungs had been infiltrated with inhaled water causing pleura effusion, ultimately causing death. The note was written just before time of death." "How can you know that?" Nora asked, amazed. "When the note was written?" "There were no other pencil written notes in the satchel, and the pencil was still in his right hand. And given the strained penmanship, he was struggling to even finish it." "There's reference to the 'thread'," said Petrich, "We've only heard about thread around the necks of the officers, and now it is written. What do you make of it?" "I honestly do not know," Fitz confessed, "Perhaps one of these hikers made it up to the castle, set up shop and is attacking visitors by strangulation. I mean, that makes more sense than, say, that same thread Crinoline tainted all those years ago, creeping around harming people." "But there's something else. . ." said Nora looking at Petrich, "The document tapestry itself." Fitz looked at Petrich. "Is that even possible?" Leon let out an incredulous laugh. "Now let's not speculate over the alleged evil doings of that tapestry. It's going to be taken back with us regardless, so let's not make the matter worse." Fitz ignored Leon and asked again to Petrich. "Is that even possible?" Petrich looked at her grimly. "I most sincerely hope not." he replied.
