Finally, some of the secrets were revealed in the last chapter. Below, Roderick's story continues. The last time we heard from Prince Roddy, he'd finally discovered the cursed village.
Prince Roderick's Travel Journals, Part 1
4 days of counting before April, in the year 217 -Evening
We arrived yesterday in the cursed village, the Lost Village, or as Thomas the blind tailor calls it, the Village of Last Hope. It was hidden cleverly from the main flow of the Trade River by an embankment of tangled forest and thorny bushes. We followed a small stagnant stream up, pushing aside the overhanging branches. The water so thick with mud and dead
leaves Leric wouldn't touch it. We kept on until we came to a long dock on stilts, a good three feet above the water. The wood was rotted, full of holes and broken boards. Climbing gingerly out we made our way from the dock to the riverbank. A single fishing shack stood there, its door locked with a heavy bolt and chain. Near the door was an old tree stump, a fishing pole and buckle that swarmed with fresh worms. Did we interrupt someone?
From the dock a dirt road led into the village proper. I call it that, however there was hardly any village there. There was no inn, no stores, and no craftsman's workshops. Only a few buildings clustered together in a small clearing. The forest pushed at the edges, looming on all sides as effective as any city walls. One building appeared to have a tree growing inside it, the branches broke through a hole in the roof. No one came out the greet us. I felt uneasy as we walked the dirt road. The quiet was unnerving, broken only by a crack from the forest, a dog barking and the creak of window shutters. A large dog, almost wolf-like stared at us from a doorway. We saw a woman briefly. She abandoned her bucket at the well, and hurried away from us. I noticed she didn't have hands. Blind Thomas sat nearby, underneath a lean-to. He invited us to stay with him.
Leric warned me to keep our search a secret, and I told Blind Thomas we were separated from our riverboat and end up floating here. This is no doubt the village we wanted. Blind Thomas told us his circumstances. For many years he worked as a tailor, until a curse struck him blind. Unable to see his work he ended up here in the Village of Last Hope.
Leric's family is not here. As soon as he could he asked Thomas. He described them, and what had happened. There is no one named Loss.
Leric took the news much better than I expected. He unwrapped his lute and struck up a tune. After being in the oil cloth, and out in the elements for so long, it sounded terrible. I'm surprised it has remained intact at all. None of the strings were broken however badly out of tune it was. It made any song Leric tried badly melancholic. Before he could apologize to our host, Blind Thomas cried, "What a marvelous instrument. My eyes may not see, but there is nothing wrong with my ears. The tuning may be a little off-key, but once that is fixed it will sing as pretty as a nightingale. May I try?"
Leric offered him the lute. Blind Thomas cradled it and using a gentle touch gave it a fine tuning. "I've always had a way with strings and thread," he said.
Then Leric played, the Lady's Lament. The sound I heard so sorrowful and eerie, yet the haunting melody struck me to the very core. Next he did a playful dance, and finished with a one more solemn tune. The songs sounded like a farewell.
After his performance Leric presented the lute to Blind Thomas, "A gift for our host. I'm certain you will take good care of her."
"But I can't play!" Blind Thomas protested.
"Nonsense, all you need is a gentle touch, which you have, and your fingers are not weak. You already know how to tune her better than I've ever. I'll show you some chords and simple songs, the rest will be up to you. Unless you have something else to occupy your time?"
"Well no I -" Blind Thomas looked embarrassed. Finally he accepted Leric's gift, and that is how Leric lost his lute.
3 days of counting before April, in the year 217 -Morning
Blind Thomas has suggested Leric speak to the village matriarch about his family. He has offered to take us over there later this morning. Everyone in the village must surely know of us, especially after last nights lute lessons. The village gets so few visitors, Blind Thomas explained. The occasional merchant vessel will stop at the dock on accident, then months go by with no one, and only sometimes will a new arrival find their way to the village.
"How?" I inquired. "By river or through the forest?"
Blind Thomas shrugged. "Either way, or both."
I couldn't imagine actually traversing the Fire Woods for any reason.
We go shortly, after another music lesson. Ever if Blind Thomas has a gentle touch, he does not quite have a musical one yet. Give it time, Leric says. If only my ears would stop ringing.
to be continued . . .
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