The next morning, Cheng visited the sight of ambush, with her most trusted guard and right hand maid Aiko. The guards and masked attackers who fell in battle started to decay and smell.
The sight unholy. "What a pity" Cheng mocked looking at the dead slave trader's body.
The morning mist clung to the forest floor as Empress Cheng surveyed the gruesome scene, her silk slippers crunching softly on dried leaves.
Nearby, her personal guard Gen supervised masked men dragging corpses into a large wagon to be disposed of later
"A waste of perfectly good resources," Cheng remarked dismissively to her maid Aiko, who stood discreetly behind her. "She caused all this fuss for nothing."
Aiko pointed toward the bloody patch of ground where Bella had been attacked. "My lady, look here. Someone else intervened after Sora's initial assault."
Indeed, fresh blood trails led away from the central impact zone, suggesting another party or some one had arrived and ended things quickly.
"This is strange," she murmured, tracing a smear with her finger. "These wounds... they're not from our assassins' blades.
Gen knelt beside Sora's corpse, examining the fatal wound to her neck. "Empress, look here. This wasn't caused by a rock or any weapon she had on her person." He pointed to the precise cut across Sora's throat. "This is a clean slice from a single-edged blade. Someone else was here."
Cheng's gaze swept over the blood-soaked clearing where Bella had been attacked.
"And where is our little murderess now? Did she crawl away to die somewhere?" She called out sharply to her personal guard.
"Search the surrounding area immediately! Check every bush and ravine. Find me that body!"
Aiko hesitated near her mistress's shoulder. "Your Majesty, the sun is already high. Perhaps we should return to the palace and send reinforcements before night falls again."
"No!!!" she spat out. Cheng orders for Sora's body and the rock to be rid of. She then continuous to look around. She notices the bloody trail to the river.
She sights the bloodied piece of cloth, the twig still greedily held on to. It only surrendered the clothing, when she yanked it for the third time.
"Look what we have here" she chuckled to her self. Squinting her eyes ahead, she saw no outline of a body at the other side of the river bank. The water was still painted a light red. She turned around to her men. "Seize the search! ".
Gen looks at her confused. "My empress he bows respectfully, her body is not yet found... And there's a probability someone intervened".
She scowled at him feeling insulted "Do you perhaps question my wisdom?". Gen bowed apologizing. She clicked her tongue at his apology and puts her hand on her waist. " It is obvious what happened here."
"After that big for nothing couldn't do his work properly, she was brought into the forest to hide, by that goody two shoes Hiroki, who got his head chopped off for nothing....."
"That's what you get for being loyal to the weakling of a husband". She paused for a minute.
"After his death, Bella, foolishly ran deeper into the forest as anticipated where Sora intercepted her. It's obvious she smashed her pretty good. I am guessing Hiroki gave Bella a dagger or something before dying."
"She fought back slitting poor Sora's throat... Her poor mother will be devastated when her daughter doesn't return home" she said the last part with sarcastic pity and sadness.
"You see this trail?" Cheng points the blood trail leading to the river. "It seems the gods answered my prayers, because a crocodile, alligator or even a river spirit dragged her to this river and devoured her. I hope it ripped her apart alive ".
Her voice was laced with hate as he imagines a loud of Bella last moments. Her being ripped into a million pieces , her struggles in vain against the beast or spirit that devoured slowly and painfully.