Varcola Arnfried's Journal: Cèitean 12th: The Desperation Letter
A matter of the utmost urgency
Cèitean 12th
It has come about that I have discovered the truth of how she does so! It is rather simple, so much more than I originally thought possible. There are deep hand-holds dug deep into the exterior walls of the parapet wall. This I was able to discover by testing exiting the library via the window, only to discover the indentations in the wall.
The knowledge could be of some minor assistance, at a later time I thought to myself though quite how, I shan’t imagine. Anger continued to bubble deep within me, and well might I have left the matter to one side were it not for the most peculiar of sound for this place; that of laughter.
So bereft of human joy was this wretched place that the sound, was now considered odd to my ears.
It was at this time that I threw myself against the door to seek to find the source of this sound. Startled and pleased I was brought short by the discovery that the door from my chambers was locked.
Struggling with the door I called and cried out for Klove.
Next came the rush to the window by the small bed that I had had lent to me, wherefore I attempted to call out to those in the courtyard.
Gone were the wolves, as I soon discovered and down before the castle gates were a group of Ratvian. Rat-men, and women with the louse snouts of rodents and grey or brown fur, others bore the appearance of mice or squirrels, but all were in the midst of a great festival. They sang, ate and in all seemed mighty pleased with themselves.
“Help! Help! I am a prisoner in the keep!” I attempted to call out to them, all to no avail.
Rather than assist me, the elderly turned away and the young pointed and hooted. Some even called me names, only for the ribaldry especially those of the women to worsen when I shouted out that I was a man of the cloth.
“Scream, scream for us o brother!” They sang in a sing-song voice, revelling in my misery and in my cries and shrieks.
What served to silence me, was not the cruel mockery and jeering of the rat-folk, but rather one of them calling out to me.
“Brother, what has become of you? Why do you cry so for aid?” He asked, genuinely concerned it seemed to me, so that, hope sprung to life in my heart once more.
The memory of all that had previously taken place fresh in my mind and heart, so that inspired to action I tore a sliver of cloth from the bed-sheets wherefore I tied a copy of my journal to a small sliver of heavy wood from the chambers.
“Here is my journal, do get it to the island of Graugebiet to the fisherman who brought me here, or Brother Reinhardt so that they may take my journal to a lady by the name of Sieghild of Grünmeer!” I shouted down at him, thinking I had at last met someone who had the kindliness to convey my plight to those who might intervene in my favour.
The Ratvians continued their celebration with the rat-man who caught my journal, disappearing into the crowd of visitors so that full of hope from a distance I revelled in my victory. Pleased to have at last out-foxed the old Baroness, I was so utterly convinced of my victory, and of how I would soon escape from the grim-castle in which I had been imprisoned that I simply sat there, in a chair rejoicing.
This was mayhaps the greatest mistake I made, in all my time since my arrival in the castle (or since my arrival hereupon the isle for that matter).
It was not until hours had passed that it happened that when I left for the library, to note down further details regarding the construction of the keep.
The peculiar behaviour on the part of Klove who entered the room, as in the older days of my stay in the keep with nary a word and only sliding my plate over to me should have caught my attention. It did not.
Eating idly, ere I decided to venture down to search about the principal floor of the west-wing of the castle where I was staying revealed little. This search of the castle was more intended to at last familiarize me with the interior of the castle I had hardly taken the time to explore.
It revealed only an armoury, a small series of kitchens and a small room full of old busts of previous barons or so I assumed. Most were of women, of incredible beauty so that I was awe-struck by the beauty that might well have decorated the castle.
It was several hours before I was told to leave the room, by an enraged Klove, who was offended by my presence in that room. “Get out! Your meal has been prepared!”
Ejected from the room by the red-faced servant, I was in the midst of eating when the Baroness appeared to one side of me with a small malicious smile on her thick lips.
“I must say that you surprised me, my friend,” Muttered Vârcola with a hint of triumph in her voice, so that I looked up from the stew I had been enjoying. Seeing the glittering eyes, which so daunted me as in prior days I looked down only to freeze at the sight of the journal I had attempted to send away.
I knew then what had preoccupied her for all those hours, and why it was that she was revelling in her victory.
Stunned, it was all I could do not to shrink away or to freeze in place, in place of that trembling and frightened I slowly met her gaze.
The dark satisfaction that came from knowing that she had cornered me, was there to behold along with something else. Something evil. “How so?”
It was a blessing from Tenjin that my voice did not quaver in that moment.
“I had not known you kept a journal, Brother Arnfried,” She murmured silky yet venomous as a serpent, smirking with her canines never more visible than at that moment. “Regarding the night you met sir Hermann...”