Isabella wakes up from the nightmare. She knew that what she saw in her dream about the Mayor is the past showed by Jasabell. It's 12pm and she couldn't sleep. She went to her grandmother's room. "Grandma Hilda are you awake?" asked Isabell.
"yes dear I am. Today is a rather gloomy day don't you think my child?" Said grandma Hilda.
"Do you know who Travernodus is grandmamma?" asked Isabell.
"Oh why yes. I know the history of this old village and this Tavernodus you speak off. It's a rather folktale if you ask me" said her grandmother.
"Tell me grandmama. Tell me all about it" says Isabell.
Grandma goes on with her little story, Isabella sits at the foot of her bed....
…..Many years ago this tiny village used to be a part of a rather big village consisting of more than 200 families. Back then it was called " The Hoghilag Valley".
The people were church goers. They were very devoted and had no visitors from other land as the village was quite remote.
One day four travelers, all middle aged men, came to the village looking for some accommodation. Since it was the first time that the Villagers have met outsiders, the people were extremely helpful. They built a house for them and gave some land to do farming and agriculture. The men specifically asked for a remote area to do their farming. The villagers didn't hesitate and helped them. The farming and agriculture flourished in the land given to the outside men. They also built a factory to which no one was allowed to enter expect them. The villagers didn't think much of it as they thought the men are of no threat.
After a couple of years the land around the factory flourished while the land of the villagers began to rot.
The villagers didn't know what to do and decided to ask help from the outside men. The village elders visited them and asked for a solution. The men invited them to the factory assuring a solution to their problem.
When they entered the factory there was a huge sculpture of a winged man sitting with hands on his chin.
The elders were confused. The outsider men started to kneel and bow before the statue and started to chant..... "Hail Tavernodus.... Giver of wealth and success". The men turned to the elders and said that this is their Deity, Lord Tavernodus. He is the God of wealth and success. Whoever sacrifices blood to Tavernodus will have success and huge wealth. But whoever denies him, dies spilling black blood and rot. The elders couldn't believe what they just heard and started to question about its authenticity. One of the elder goes out saying he will not be a part of this atrocious activity. Nobody bothered to stop them or go with him as they were scared if what the strange men said may be true. After a while they hear a loud crying from one of the village girl just outside the factory. She said she followed the elders to see what was going on at the factory and on the way back she saw the elder who left earlier lying on the field and black liquid running down his mouth.
One of the outsider men grabbed the girl and informed the others. They told the elders that unless the girl is sacrificed to the Tavernodus, everyone will be in grave danger as she has seen him. They added that any woman especially a teenager girl like her, is not supposed to look at Travenodus. If she sees him, then she will have to Wed him thereby sacrificed to him.
Be aware that if she is not sacrificed by midnight the town will rot the men added.
The village elders being the hypocrites and cowards they are, bowed before the statue and agreed for the sacrifice.
The whole village got the news and informed the girl's parents. Devastated and betrayed by the villagers the parents took their life by drinking the juice of the root made from poison ivy, leaving the girl and her sister alone.
At night around 12pm the girl was dresses up in white and had her put on a flower crown around her head.
The outsider men along with the whole village stood in front of the closed factory door. The outsider men wore black hooded clothes. They chained the hands of the girl and took her inside. After leaving the girl inside the factory the men came out and told the villagers to go to their houses. The villagers didn't resist and went back. The next morning a lifeless body of the girl was found outside the factory. She had black liquid coming from her nose, mouth and ears and seemed as if rotten.
The villagers were very silent. They stood far away from the corpse. A crying young girl similar to the dead girl's age came running and embraced the dead girl. One of the woman among the crowd came and took the child away. The outsider men looked at the crying girl dead in the eye.
The village started to reduce in family members and once a big village reduced and soon came to be known as the tavern.
After a year the child who's name was Catherine died. She was Margaret's sister and the next sacrifice.
Grandma Hilda coughed. "That's all about the history and the story" said grandma Hilda.
"But grandmamma, it's not a story….. it actually happened" said Isabella desperately.
"Oh really... Kids these days believe in old folktales".... Said grandma Hilda jokingly.
"Why don't you believe grandmamma?" asked the girl.
"Off to bed now Isabell" said grandma Hilda in a sturdy voice.
Isabella kissed her grandma goodnight and went upstairs. On the way she saw the clock has again stopped at 12:03pm. She brushes it off and goes to her room.
Isabella feels a strange painful sensation on her chest. She looks at it and finds the markings in bright red color almost burning her.
She goes to her drawer and pulls out a piece of parchment paper and a pencil. She takes them in her hand and sits on her bed. Suddenly she felt like drawing something.
She began sketching and while doing so she fell asleep. The parchment paper in her hand fell off the bed. The place where the paper was laying burned the wood exposing a symbol.
End of Chapter 5