“The markings on your body, how did you get them?”
“It was a tradition when a boy became a man, a seer would etch his future on his skin. I have borne these markings for almost ten years.”
“Why does the hawk on your chest match the victim’s?”
“I do not know. Perhaps you should ask the seer?”
Lusana huffed a sigh. “You broke the bonds on Mr Solis, correct?”
“I did.”
“And you did so, knowing such magic is forbidden in Teneria?”
“I did.”
“But it was not your sacrifice.”
“Huntress Aloisia made the sacrifice, having already opened the door with her blood.”
“Have you ever seen Mr Solis before you found him in the cave?”
“No. Nor am I the one who bound him there. Nor am I the one who summoned the Forgotten Gods. If it were me, why would I have released him? Why would I be helping in the first place?”
Lusana lifted her chin.
“As we speak, the Forgotten Gods grow in power. They are becoming more corporeal. And now, with Mr Solis free, the person who summoned those creatures is slowly losing control over them. Soon enough, they will have their own free will. And who knows what will happen then.”
“What?” Lusana paled.
“The spell was feeding power to whomever bound him. Now he is free, the power will be waning. And since he was not the one who summoned them, he will have no command of them. Once it has faded entirely…”
Tension rose through those gathered as the reality Inari was laying before them took hold.
“Enough!” Lusana snapped. “It is clear, shaman, there is reason Mr Solis cannot speak against either of you. And, frankly, you are the more suspicious of the two. It is also clear there will be no truth from you.”
“You are so quick to dismiss my words as lies, priestess. Perhaps the darts confiscated from me upon my arrest would help? They are imbued with a truth potion.”
Lusana scoffed. “And just how are we to confirm whether they work?”
“Both Huntress Kaja and Guard Oda can attest to that,” Inari said. “Both were subject to the effects of the darts. They are not of my creation, but the Shadow Sisters.”
“I will not use such crude tools to get the truth from you.” Lusana turned back to the crowd. “It is clear the shaman has some sort of connection to all of this. The tattoo, the magic, the timing of it all.”
“If only,” Aloisia said, “there was a definitive way to prove it.”
Lusana’s calm facade slipped further. “Such as?”
“What if we could hear from the Forgotten Gods themselves, to whom they answer?”
She barked a laugh. “Ridiculous.”
“Is it? What if there was a way? We could capture one creature and bring it to testify.”
“And how would you make it speak?”
“Truth potion.”
Lusana tilted her head, considering the huntress’s words.
