Vincent and Livron took the Viscount's carriage to the farmer's house, which was tucked deep within the woods. The bailiff had mentioned that the farmer often spoke about disliking the noise of having people around him. He and his wife preferred the solitude and quiet of the forest. They had even birthed two of their children in that house.
"What is the man's name?" Vincent asked.
"Philip Thayer. His wife, Zenna Thayer, and their children, Agnes and Kaden—ten and eight years old."
"Hmmm. And they were all murdered by their father?"
Livron adjusted his glasses. "Yes, my lord. The bodies have been taken to the mortuary. The man is being held in the dungeon and he... he is not well."
Vincent frowned. "What do you mean by not well?"
"He appears to have gone mad, my lord. Mumbling incoherent words that I highly doubt are even English. He doesn't seem to recall whatever happened in that house."
"And you don't think he might be pretending to escape the consequences of his actions?" he questioned.
The bailiff gave the Viscount's words a brief thought. "He would have to be a fucking good actor if that were the case."
Vincent glared at the man.
"Forgive me for the language, my lord." He chuckled nervously.
Just then, the carriage came to a halt. They both climbed down, facing a narrow path that stretched deeper into the woods.
"His house is a short distance from here."
The Viscount followed behind while scanning the surroundings. There was nothing out of the ordinary in sight, but a foul smell lingered in the air, growing stronger the closer they drew to the house.
"Do you smell that?"
Livron turned briefly to look at the Viscount. Drawing in a deep breath, he frowned. "Smell what? Is it something bad?"
"I can't place what it is, but it certainly smells horrible. Good gods." He placed a hand over his nose to stop himself from vomiting by the side of the road.
That's how terrible the smell was.
"Hmm. That's odd. I can't smell anything unpleasant. I wonder what it is you're smelling. Perhaps the carcass of a dead animal."
"I know the smell of death pretty well. This isn't it. This is much stronger—I can almost taste it." He spat in disgust.
The smell lessened slightly, and he slowly lowered his hand from his nose. It was still awful though.
"That's quite strange," the bailiff added.
Why did the smell reduce? Could the source of it be somewhere nearby?
Vincent sighed.
He would have to investigate that later. His hands were occupied at the moment.
Soon, the house came into view. It was a large wooden building, simple but well-kept. Not bad looking at all.
The bailiff was the first to reach for the doorknob. The door creaked open, the only source of light coming from the open windows.
At first glance, the house looked calm and ordinary—except for the massive stains of blood covering the floors and walls.
"The mother was found here. In the sitting room."
Vincent stared at the blood on the floor. It had dried into a dark, almost black color.
They continued further into the house.
"The children were found in their playroom."
Their dolls were scattered across the room, blood splattered over the green rug and white walls.
The Viscount bent low, squinting as he picked up one of the dolls. It had long legs and blonde hair—half braided and half tied into a bun.
"How unfortunate," he muttered, placing it back on the ground.
As he prepared to rise to his feet, something caught his eye. Leaning forward, he stretched an arm beneath a small dresser before pulling something out.
Opening his palm, he found an amulet with a red orb at its center. It felt unusually heavy against his hand, strange considering how small it was.
"Oh my goodness! How could that be there? My guards searched this place a few days ago. They couldn't have missed something like this," Livron muttered in confusion and disbelief.
Vincent rose to his feet. "This was used to perform magic."
The bailiff gasped, taking a step backward. "That's not possible. Magic is... forbidden in Nox. No one would dare—"
"Apparently, someone dared."
"Do you think the farmer dabbled in magic? Perhaps he lost control and ended up killing his family?"
"That's a possibility, but I don't think so. There's another explanation—he might have been possessed by someone. If this amulet is here, then it got into this house one way or another. And it can only work if someone wears it." Vincent explained as he strolled toward the window, gazing out into the open woods.
"What could someone possibly achieve by doing this? These people were all innocent."
The Viscount turned to him. "And how sure are you about that?"
Livron's eyes widened. "I... everyone knew Philip. He was a kind, respectful, and trustworthy man."
Vincent smiled, shaking his head. "You are quite naive for a bailiff. I can promise you that this Philip man is not as innocent as you make him out to be. Everyone knows an amulet is an instrument of magic. If this was on his wrist, then he knew exactly what it was."
The bailiff stared in disbelief, struggling to accept what he was hearing. "But why would he want to kill his wife and children?"
"We would have to ask him that." Vincent slipped the amulet into the pocket of his coat.
"Is it safe to keep that with you, my lord?"
"You have nothing to fear, Bailiff." He made his way toward the door. "I advise you to station a few trusted guards here as lookouts. We never know who might show up."
"Very well, my lord. I'll do that."
"Good. Let's head to the dungeon."
Vincent stepped out of the house and made his way toward the carriage. The foul smell had completely disappeared.
He didn't want to admit what that smell meant. Now that magic was involved, there was no other explanation.
There was an Aelox lurking in the woods. And it might have been stalking them the entire time.
Good gods. Things had just become far more complicated.
He sighed again, rubbing his temples as the carriage rolled into motion.