The large front courtyard, that appeared in front of him the moment RyuXin pushed the gates open, wasn't at all what he had expected. Maybe because he had been keeping in mind how clean, bright, and organized everything had been at VinWei's Household.
Of course there was no way he could compare the two, Snow thought, silently following RyuXin across the courtyard, towards the larger building in front of him that was probably the main hall. After all, the entire propriety had been abandoned for sixteen years, he thought, glancing sadly towards the bare, gray land flanking the stone pathway they were following, where a few patches of darkened, dry grass could still be seen.
Now that he was seeing it from the inside, the whole complex was also much smaller than VinWei's house had been. There was only that one path, while at VinWei's there had been three, leading to different areas. And, as far as he could see, the large construction in front of him was the only entrance to the house.
"The others are waiting for us inside," RyuXin informed him, climbing the stairs leading to the entrance door.
"Others?"
"Some of our brothers and sisters wanted to meet you as well," RyuXin declared with an open smile that still failed to reach his eyes, and Snow sighed, following him.
It wasn't as if he had expected RyuXin to be on his own, he thought. But he still couldn't help feeling a bit apprehensive at the thought of meeting new people.
The tall, heavy, wooden door carved with motifs of sailing boats, much like the ones he'd seen silently gliding across the channels that afternoon, creaked eerily when RyuXin pushed it open. And Snow could immediately feel the cold, stale air that poured outside.
Though some of the fire-holders had been lit, it was still very dim inside. And the large hall Snow stepped into was completely empty.
A high ceiling of painted wood, round columns flanking the wider main area, a small dais at the farthest end of the hall, a smooth floor made of dark stone. But nothing else, he quickly concluded, looking around. No furniture or decorations of any kind, even though he could easily see that long, heavy curtains had once hung from several places, and he knew that there should be at least one chair atop the dais, where the lord or lady of the house would sit when welcoming their guests.
"The people took everything they could carry," RyuXin declared as if answering his mental question. "They buried the dead and then looted the entire property as payment for their troubles."
Snow took another look around and then followed RyuXin as he made his way towards a door, to the left. Everything was so empty that even the sound of their steps echoed like thunder. The air felt heavy and damp, Snow thought, feeling its weight press down on his chest. Everything was so silent that it was hard to imagine that people had actually lived there, that there had been a time when that hall had been filled with voices and warmth.
"We brought a few fire-holders, so that we could see where we're going," RyuXin informed him, opening the door to allow him through.
"That way there's another room, smaller than the main hall. Probably for private meetings, or maybe it used to be a study of some kind," RyuXin said, pointing towards a white door. "You can take your time walking around and exploring the house later. Now I'll take you to the inner chambers," he said, leading Snow through a sliding door made of painted glass that led outside.
A shiver shook Snow's body at the sudden difference of air temperature, and he followed RyuXin through a long walkway made of wood. The canopy over his head, also made of wood, had rotten away, and collapsed in more than a few places. Looking around, Snow imagined that this must have been a beautiful inner-garden. He could still see the reminiscent of some stone benches, and the dead stumps of what must have been trees. There was also what looked like a lake, but it was now filled with some dark substance similar to mud. The land itself, however, was as dry and barren as the one from the entrance courtyard.
"That way is the kitchen and the servants' quarters." RyuXin pointed to the right and Snow saw more sliding doors made of glass. There were also other walkways, Snow noticed, intercepting one another, leading to other sliding doors. People must have crossed them frequently, while moving from one area of the house to the other, going about their lives, fulfilling their daily tasks. But now, looking at how abandoned everything looked, it was actually hard to imagine a time when the garden had been green and luxurious, and when the wooden walkways had been clean and polished.
Snow's feet suddenly froze in place, his heart beating faster inside his chest. Up till that moment, nothing in that house had felt even remotely familiar. He could as easily been visiting some strange, abandoned mansion. But now, even under the feeble light of RyuXin's lamp, he could clearly see it. The darker stain on the already dark wood. More than see it, he could undeniably feel it with every cell in his body. Blood. Someone had bled to death in that place, the blood seeping into the wood, the dark stain remaining there even after all those years.
"Is something wrong?" RyuXin asked, turning back with a worried expression on his face, and Snow simply shook his head, tip-toeing around the stain so he wouldn't step on it.
What was he panicking about? RyuXin had already told him, right? They had all died … They had all been killed … By him.
Snow had forced himself to come to terms with that reality before he had decided to set foot inside that place. He would not be shocked or frightened by anything he might see! That's what he had decided. And yet, every time he was faced with one of those dark stains he couldn't stop his stomach from turning, his mind imagining the man or woman who had died there, the same way those people had died inside his prison cell, bleeding from their noses and ears, tears of blood falling from their wide, dead, eyes. He almost sighed in relief when they went back inside, since the floors were made of black stone again. The hard, cold surface would have been unable to absorb any blood, even if someone were to be gutted right there, in front of him. And maybe the people had cleaned the blood, or time had taken care of that, but inside that large room there were no traces of death left. There were no traces of anything, Snow concluded, taking a look around. It was as empty and silent as the main hall had been.
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