"Dead," Bankster echoed. He felt as if his suspicions were proven right once more, that Vyrena was just a fraud. A criminal trying to cover her tracks with lies.
"They were like reanimated corpses, following orders."
This opened up possibilities they had not considered previously. The kidnapping case, the mysterious murders, could it all be linked. Caster recalled the reports he had received on the murders. All of them had been clawed and eaten, till the corpses were barely recognizable. From witness accounts, no one had heard or seen a large wolf. No one reported any howling either, apart from the night Lycster went missing. Everything was plausible.
"Are you sure," Caster asked.
"I think I am. The way everything played out that night, makes me think that it might be so. The kidnappers, they are definitely working for someone else. They had this symbol tattooed on their hands," Vyrena took out a piece of folded paper and handed it to Caster.
It was a drawing of the tattoo she had drawn so that she would not forget. The way the second kidnapper died was etched in her mind. She also explained to Caster and Bankster what happened to the kidnapper when she tried to question him.
"That definitely sounds like a bound curse," Bankster said.
"A bound curse?"
Caster explained that it was a type of curse that was meant to keep secrets safe. If the person tries to reveal the information to another, the bound curse would come into effect and kill the person.
"A snake-like pattern would appear around the neck of the person. Once the snake.."
"Once the snake meets its tail, the person would die," Vyrena finished Caster's sentence.
Caster had thought that Vyrena was lying to them, but it was becoming abundantly clear that she was telling them the truth. But there was too much mystery surrounding her for him to make a clear decision on whether he should trust her or not.
"Miss Vyrena, if I might be frank with you; everything you have told us about the hounds seems so unbelievable. How can we trust you," Caster asked.
Vyrena leaned back on her seat and replied, "You can choose to. I know there is nothing I can give that could prove to you that I am a trustworthy person. I am not from this town and as far as you're concerned, that alone makes me suspicious."
"Exactly," Bankster added on.
"But," Vyrena said, "the evidence about how these things happened is all for everyone to see. I admit that I was in the wrong to have tried to deceive you. That was my misjudgement. You can interrogate the people I have acquainted myself with in this town. They can vouch for my character. I don't expect you to believe my words, but I am certain you could trust theirs."
She had a good point, and both men knew it. There was nothing else that they needed her for, she had told them everything she knew, or at least that's what she had led them to believe. The girl might be young, but she was quite smart. Her analytical skills were useful too. If the circumstances were different, Caster might have hired her to be his assistant. A competent assistant was not easy to find in such a town.
Bankster was loyal and helpful, but he often lacks an opinion of his own.
"I trust you, for now. But mark my words, Miss Vyrena, for it might not last very long," Caster said.
He reached over and took off Vyrena's cuffs.
She was surprised, "I am free to go?"
"Yes, and I hope you will be a law-abiding citizen from now on, Miss Vyrena. Stay out of trouble," Caster warned as he opened the door to let her out.
After sending her off, Bankster remained silent as he followed Caster back to his office. The older man could sense that the young man was upset.
"If you want to say something, then out with it," Caster said in an annoyed tone.
Bankster was caught off guard, but he continued sulking. "I don't trust her."
"And why don't you trust her?"
"Because of the circumstances and the way she talks, and her mannerisms! Can we really take her word for it? She could be making all of this up just to cover her tracks."
"But how would it benefit her to lie to us, yet again," Caster asked.
Bankster paused in thought, he could not think of an answer.
~
Vy took a deep breath and let the air out of her lungs slowly as she continued her way back to the market.
She was a free woman, but could it be short-lived?
This town, this world was still very new to her and there were so many things she could not predict.
But for now, as long as the people she cared for were safe, that was all that mattered. She reached into her pocket and realised the cloth map she had found on one of the kidnappers was still with her.
Vy took it out and analyzed its contents.
She realised that both sides of the cloth had writing on it. On one side, there was a map with several locations marked out with an 'x' symbol. On the flip side, there was a set of instructions written in strange symbols.
-Dotty, are you able to tell me what all these mean?-
Dotty in its spherical light form circled the cloth map Vy held in her hand and analysed the information. In Vy's mind, Dotty reconstructed the map to include the names of nearby towns and villages.
-What about the other side with the symbols?-
-You're right, I'll check with them the next time I see them. Thank you for your help Dotty!-
As Vy approached her stall in the market, someone rushed forward and grabbed onto her. Vy nearly fell backwards but she managed to stand her ground. When she looked down, she realised that it was Lycster!