Warning: grotesque scenes up ahead. This part is not for the faint of heart. Read at your own risk.
It was already a little over lunch time when she finally reached her destination. Her heart beat like a drum in anticipation.
She will get to see Hazel's remains and retrieve it. Unfortunately, she could not find Hazel's relic on the spot where she had last seen it.
"That's weird. Did those soldiers take Hazel's body?" she mused as she kept searching for her lady-in-waiting. "I don't think they would do that. It doesn't make sense at all."
Knowing that she was running out of time, she took the spell book and tried using a locator spell.
"Spill your blood as sacrifice. Draw the thirty-second pentagram of the Saturn using your blood. With a valuable possession of the person you are looking for as a catalyst, recite the spell and it will lead you to what you seek." She read.
Lily took a tiny dagger from her satchel and did the procedure. Using Hazel's amulet as a catalyst and her blood as sacrifice, she drew a pentagram.
The pentagram glowed and several drops of blood formed into three marbles.
The marbles began circling the map until they converged on a spot. Lily examined the area but the sketch was too small for her to discern.
"How am I supposed to know where that is?" she asked.
As a reply the three marbles spread out and the map gave her an enlarged version of the place.
"That place is close to the village." Without second thoughts, Lily followed the trail leading her a bit closer to her former home.
She took a glimpse on her map again and followed the guides towards her destination. Instead of going to the village, the marbles led her deep into the woods.
As she was walking towards the core, a very strong stench assaulted her senses.
"What in the world is that smell?" she complained. Feeling a bit nauseous, she covered her nose.
Drawing near her destination, Lily noticed that the stench was getting stronger. But despite the putrid odor, Lily pushed her way through and stopped short as she finally saw the place.
"The execution grounds!" she mumbled as she let her eyes wander the area.
The walled enclosure was ruined and the interior of the building was bare to the outside world. Lily noticed the three gallows situated at the sides.
She took note of the guillotine placed at the right corner. Torture devices were scattered and a really huge pit filled with cadavers was a little farther on her left.
The marbles flew from her map towards the pit before they disappeared.
In astonishment, Lily forgot that she needed to cover her nose. As the pungent smell overwhelmed her, she got sick and puked out her the masticated ginger bread she had for breakfast.
Some of the bodies were in the state of advanced decomposition. There were cadavers of the beheaded.
Some were burnt beyond recognition while others still have flesh on them. Scavengers were feasting on some of the remains which made Lily empty her stomach.
Lily withdrew towards the woods and was almost caught when a group of enemy soldiers came to dump more of their victims.
Luckily, the girl managed to hide under a large bush. Holding her breath, she let the soldiers leave before coming out of her hiding spot.
Using a purifying spell, she cleaned up before putting on a handkerchief to block the smell. Then she made her way to the mountain of corpse.
"How in the heaven's name am I going to find Hazel here?" she sighed. "I don't want to dig into this heap of cadavers."
"Maybe there is a spell that I can use." she mused.
Taking out the spell book, she read another spell. Using Hazel's amulet as a catalyst, she locate the other girl's body.
At first, she thought it did not work but a few moments later, Hazel's headless body rose up from the mountain of corpse.
Lily's eyes brimmed with tears as she noted the state of her lady-in-waiting.
"Hazel, what have they done?" she cried out as she drew near the decaying corpse.
Her body was beyond recognition. The skin had turned greenish and some parts of her flesh were gone. It seemed that some of Hazel's organs had begun to rot.
Swallowing the bile that was starting to rise, Lily took a clean white cloth from her satchel. She made the remains hover on top of the cloth and cast a purifying spell.
However, the purifying spell was not enough to clean the rot and other filth from the relic. Lily checked her satchel and found several vials that Zeke added.
From the set, she selected powdered hen's tooth, unicorn oil and mermaid's tears. With a few herbs from the vicinity, Lily was able to create a solution which she had poured over Hazel's remains.
The stench and the rot were slowly flushed from the flesh and bones. Dark substance oozed out from the remains before they get absorbed by the cloth. What was left of hazel's body was cleansed.
Using a white muslin cloth, the girl wrapped the remains and shrunk it to a more convenient size. She secured it inside her satchel and prepared to leave.
Burning the evidence of her visit, Lily's task was halfway done. The next problem that she needed to hurdle was bringing Hazel back to Heather on time.
Judging from the position of the sun and the rumbling of her stomach, Lily could tell that it was around four in the afternoon. It only means one thing: she was running out of time.
"Oh dear! If I walk, I won't make it. I really have to take the risk." Gambling her luck, she ran towards a clearing. Side-saddling the broom, she concentrated her mana and commanded it to fly.
The broom took off and flew through the skies unsteadily. Sometimes, it would fly high above the trees and sometimes low on the ground.
She was already crossing through the Forest of Silence when she remembered something.
"Crap! I forgot the invisibility dust. Hopefully, no one saw me." She muttered.
From below the Forest, a screech reverberated. Lily's eyes popped out as she remembered the sightless lady.
As response to the chilling threat, Lily made sure to make the broom fly higher than the trees. For extra precaution, she sprinkled the dust as best as she can on herself.