Lusana sneered. “Though it is debatable whether the shaman will shed light on the truth.”
“What of the trial?” Mavka asked. “When is it set for?”
“Nine o’clock, two days’ time.”
“At least, now we know, we shall attend.” Mavka rose, placing a hand on Aloisia’s shoulder. “Will that be all?”
“There is no further business,” Asmund said. “Guard Oda will show you both out.”
“What of the copies?” Aloisia glanced to Silas. “The ones made of the markings. They need to be destroyed.”
“Until we have met with this shaman,” Lusana said, “we cannot determine his motivations for saying such things, nor if his knowledge is genuine. It will be dealt with, only if it needs to be.”
Aloisia took a deep breath, restraining herself from screaming. “On your head be it.”
“Gladly.” Lusana smirked.
Mavka, keeping her grip on Aloisia’s shoulder, led her out of the room. Neither deigned to give false niceties as they departed, holding themselves tall. Guard Oda met them as they left the room and guided them back to the vast entrance hall. They remained in silence until they were long past the gates of Magistrate Vester’s home, riding through the cobbled streets.
As they neared the edge of Littlewatch, Mavka let out a sigh. “I dislike that priestess. Divines forgive me, but she is not a woman I wish to see leading the Temple.”
Aloisia breathed a laugh. “I agree with Kaja, she’s a witch.”
“I cannot believe she as good as accused you of falsifying evidence.” Mavka shook her head. “Your shaman will want to be careful. Asmund Vester may be a viper, but at least he can be reasoned with. That priestess, on the other hand, is as stubborn as a boar. With tusks just as sharp.”
“I hope after all of this he can read the markings. If he can’t… Where do we go next?”
“Try not to worry, child. Take each thing as it comes. First, we need to get the judiciaries to approve of him seeing Brighde. We will deal with what comes next when it happens.” She reached for the mare’s bridle, tugging Aloisia closer. “Fynn is innocent. I believe as much, the same as you. So, there must be something out there which can prove it. We will find it. Hopefully, the answers are in those markings. Or, if not answers, a clue.”
Aloisia nodded. Her thoughts turned once again to Fynn, and she realised she hadn’t asked to see him. Then again, with how the conversation had gone, perhaps it was for the best. It hadn’t exactly been the ideal forum for such a request. If she could speak to High Priest Silas alone, maybe she could use him to convince them. Even then, it could still be a slim chance. But if there would be any chance, it would rest with him.
First, she would need to convince Inari to go to the judiciaries. Like Mavka said, one thing at a time. And she was not looking forward to talking him into it.
NINETEEN
TwistedbranchescarvedtheskyaboveAloisiaasshetracedherpaththroughtheDeadWoods.Herfingersbrushedoverthenotchesshe’dleftinthebark.Shehadtravelledthispathsomanytimesinthepastfewdays,theyonlyservedasreassurancesinceherfeetcouldfindtheirwaywithoutthem.
Part of her wished to vanish within these trees and leave all the worry behind. But the thought of a noose around Fynn’s neck was enough to snap her back to her senses.
The conversation with the judiciaries resounded in her mind as she went. One thing kept coming back to her. Mother Lusana had visibly flinched at the mention of the Forgotten Gods. What had elicited such a reaction? High Priest Silas knew of them, yet did not seem as concerned. What about those creatures struck such fear in her? The Forgotten Gods, by name alone, had been enough to crack the Modäiti’s serene facade. Why?
Aloisia sighed, pushing away the endless questions. Back at Inari’s hut, she was unsurprised to see he was not there. She hoped he would not be in the stream again.
As there was no time to delay, she set to searching for traces of where he might have gone. Mavka had reminded her they had a hunt in the afternoon, so she needed to find him soon. Dhara would not tolerate lateness or absence, not after she’d tried to run away the last time.
As she headed further into the woods, not far from the hut, Aloisia spotted an odd track. It was larger than a human print, or any animal she had seen. Pacing along it, three of her own feet marked the length of it. Three clawed toes tapered back to the imprint of the foot, the back of which narrowed towards another claw. It looked almost bird-like.
She followed the set of tracks, heading westwards. Her hand lingered on the hilt of her dagger and Aloisia wished she had brought her bow. The times she had been in the woods prior to now had made her bold enough to think she would not need it. Not if she were only visiting Inari. But other things lived in these woods alongside the shaman. And she should have been wary on instinct.
The tracks had a loping gait, uneven and erratic. Whatever it was had been running or moving at speed. There were no other tracks to indicate a chase on land. Aloisia glanced about her as she trailed beside the footprints, moving as silently as she could and trying to leave no tracks of her own. The further she went, the colder it became. A chill danced over her arms, raising the skin in goosebumps.
She came to a halt as the prints took a sharp left turn, heading southwards. Fear clawed at her throat. Had Inari been part of this pursuit? The absence of other tracks eased her concerns a little. However, the sudden change in direction implied it was chasing something.
“Vyö hylän,” she murmured. The familiar burn behind her right ear showed the rune taking effect. With her hearing heightened, she remained still and listened for any signs – near or far – of the beast which had created these tracks or its prey.
Her senses were overwhelmed, all the sounds of the forest bombarding her ears. Aloisia stepped over the tracks, resting a palm against a tree trunk as she focused in on the individual sounds. Rustles came from the branches above, squirrels dancing from tree to tree. Further south, careful footfalls across the underbrush as a predator stalked its prey. If the tracks were any sign, these steps were too delicate, too cautious to match this beast.
Aloisia closed her eyes, honing in on sounds further away. The lapping of water as an animal drank from a pond. A flap of wings as a bird took flight. The pounding hoof beats of deer on the run. Still, nothing matched the prints.
