The Halls of Medeia - Chapter 1

[A G Thing]

Before they head down Christine gives a little laugh. "Wadna dream of drappin the act! Too fun!"

Christine keeping to her act take a seat and sets to enjoying her meal. But as Oliver speaks quietly to her of their plans she answers between bites.

"We juist gan the camp in the mornin than back tae the schuil afore nuin gif we can manage. We shoud wauk up early. Nocht to it really."

[Ail]

The food is good. Not exceptional, but hearty and tasty, and due to the late hour it satisfies the two students. Without anything remarkable happening in the room, and without anyone else interfering with them, they go back to the room as soon as they're done.

The next morning they wake up early, as intended.

[Alastor]

Out of habit, Niles awakens early. The night's rest has cleared his mind somewhat and he resolves to put the troubling issues raised by Basil's death aside until Frances and he have their conversation later in the day.

Focusing on the few non-sinister events that have occured during the past few weeks, Niles does his best to compose a cheery letter home to his relatives in the short time before he has to go out.

[A G Thing]

Christine having enjoyed her rest at the inn rises with the morning sun with the pain in her leg lessened though still present.

"Ye ready tae gae Olly?"

She rises and gets herself ready to depart. Having slept in her costume it she makes sure to put everything back into place.

[Ail]

Niles enjoys the early hours when the school is mostly silent. While students can still lazy in their beds, he must make ready for the morning prayer, but allows himself some time to write a private letter. He considers whether he should write about the events at the College.

After writing the letter, he goes for a short walk, enjoying the cool dusk just before sunrise.

===========================

Oliver and Christine get up early and head for breakfast. The man serves them standard fare, but stocky, saying it is included in the room's price.

The students then leave the inn, looking at Castle hill in front of them, with the suns at their back. At the foot of the hill, deeper into the grasslands and close by the forest, is the encampment they intend to visit. As they make their way to gypsies, they notice that there is not much activity, although there are now some more signs of occupation than on the previous night.

===========================

Morning passes slowly for Niles. As midday approaches, Frances comes back to his mind more often, and he eagerly awaits the time to talk to her. Lunchtime would be a good moment to find her. Meanwhile, he wonders about Christine and George. What will those two be doing?

[A G Thing]

Christine quickly takes parts of her disguise off as she whistles the call to alert the camp to her arrival. The lack of people doesn't make her too concerned as she believes they are probably tired by what happened the night before.

She waits for someone to come to invite her further into the camp and looks to Oliver while doing so. A more comfortable look now on her face as she breaks character.

"Oliver. I assume I don't need to tell you that you should be as 'polite' as you can. I believe we really need to know what they can tell us about what is going on. But I don't plan on leaving here without learning what they know."

[Ail]

It takes a few minutes until someone comes to meet them. An old woman with an air of authority, that Christine recognizes from their previous visit.

She smiles, but in a mysterious, not too warm, way:

"Ah, Cristine! And Oliver as well. It is early, is it not? What brings you here?"

======================

At lunch time, Niles sees Frances, and she winks at him. Shortly after it finishes, Frances comes to meet the young theologian and asks him:

"Do you have some time to speak now, father?"

Meanwhile, George and Alma leave the refectory immediately after permission is given.

[A G Thing]

Christine smiles and bows her head in respect to the elder woman coming to meet them.

"It is good to see you again elder. I must say I hope to get the honor of your name on one of these visits!"

She composes herself for just a second trying to put the proper tone to her words.

"But as for why we are here so early... Well, I felt desperate to talk to you about what has been happening. But I was almost attacked in the forest by some...thing. It's eyes glowed in the dark and it... It hissed at me."

She shakes her head while trying to think of how to describe it but other than the sound and the eyes she can think of little else to say.

"Luckily I was rescued by Oliver from whatever it was. But I had to find out what you knew about what is stalking the school and happening inside it. Missing students and strange behaviors as well as one of them dying. I was so desperate I almost wandered stupidly into your camp during the full moon."

She kind of flushes with a bit of embarrassment and yet holds her composure.

"But I quickly remembered to leave as soon as I realized my mistake. Honestly I forgot that the full moon is also sacred to your people and though I never knew why I remember being told never to come then. So we found a place to stay for the night and we came here early before going back to the campus."

She looks the woman in the eye with respect trying to show her earnest intent. "But we need to know elder... We have to know whatever you can tell us about what is happening at our school."

[Ail]

The woman nods, all semblance of joy gone at once from her face.


"You did well to avoid the camp last night. I thank you, and commend you, for that. Please, sit. This might take some while."


Oliver stands by, mostly supporting Christine, but barely hiding his curiosity. Before he can ask a question, the old woman turns back into a wagon.

Oliver sits on a stone, but can not quite find an easy position. His discomfort is evident, and is only increased by the amount of time that passes, during which the camp remains empty, safe for some black birds that hop here and there looking for grains.

The air is grey and cold, with a low clammy mist hanging to the ground and clinging to the skin. Even sounds seem a bit muffled.

It takes around 10 minutes for the woman to come back, bearing two cups that she gives to the students.


"Drink. It's a strong brew, it will warm your limbs. As for the school... you probably know more of what is happening there than I do. But I may know more of what happened before than you do! Is that what you are looking for, Christine?"

[A G Thing]

Hearing the confirmation by the elder in her decision she is glad to hear such. "Thank you elder... I would like a seat."

As the elder heads off, Christine accepts Oliver's help in taking a seat as they wait. Her ankle throbs a bit but the relief is immediate.

"Thank you Oliver. I owe you for all your help."

She gives him a smile as she cleans the fog from her lenses.

As she waits she looks around the mostly empty camp amazed at how quiet it all is compared to how it had been before. Still as they wait she looks around to the birds remember those that followed her sisters camp long ago.

When the elder returns however she accepts the drink gladly.

"Thank you for this elder." She takes a sip of the drink as she thinks of what to say.

"To start elder, some students... Those three responsible for the attack on the boy who is kin, all vanished. While I am not worried for them exactly, their disappearance is concerning and the others in the school began to act oddly. Some of the students became more violent and aggressive. The staff won't speak of what happened or continues to happen, and they won't let us speak of it to others outside. And now at least one student that I know of has died in the forest... A boy, mauled by some unknown beast... A beast that may be out in the woods as I met something there last night. But the boys body had a strange medallion on it. I did not get a close look at it but it seemed odd. But what any of this has to do with the ruins or the mysteries in the past of the school I don't know... I was hoping you had some answers."

[Alastor]

The young deacon smiles at Frances as he replies:

"To be sure, I've cleared some time knowing you had something to speak about.

He looks around the near-empty dining hall, where a few of the staff have already begun cleaning up.

"Perhaps we could go elsewhere for this discussion. There are a few places on campus where we should be able to talk without being interrupted ... or overheard, if that is a concern of yours.

[Ail]

The young deacon smiles at Frances as he replies:

"To be sure, I've cleared some time knowing you had something to speak about.

He looks around the near-empty dining hall, where a few of the staff have already begun cleaning up.

"Perhaps we could go elsewhere for this discussion. There are a few places on campus where we should be able to talk without being interrupted ... or overheard, if that is a concern of yours.

"Thank you, father. Yes, I prefer to go somewhere quiet."

Niles nods and leads Frances to a secluded place of his choice, and after making her feel at ease lets the girl begin her tale.


"You know, Father, there is something strange happening here. I'm sure there is a strange club of some sorts, and to be honest, I find that they're discriminating. I've seen these older boys gather and talk secretively, always running with papers under their arm, books, and so on. They go to the library at odd hours, and to other parts of the castle.

I know, this does not sound too suspicious, but then hear this. I have tried to know what they talk about. But I've had no luck. Every time I approach, they shift the subject immediately, stop the conversation and go somewhere else or just tell me to go away. But I've heard, once or twice, them refer to someone, a She that seems to be at the centre of the group. But there's never any woman in this group! What's worse, they all come from powerful families, I've checked that.

I'm not exactly a saint, Father, I know when people are hiding something they feel guilty of, and these guys fit all the bills. So I tried to spy on them. I saw once a book that one of them had left in the library, it was a book about international politics. He had forgotten a page inside, which I found odd. It had some scribbled notes, but he had then striked them out. Anyway, here it is, if you want to see it.

I could never find if they have secret meetings, and I never found who this She is. Never even a name. Only once I heard a reference it might be a teacher. Why would a teacher be involved in a secret society on campus? And what is their purpose? Why don't they take other students as well?"


Niles receives the page from Frances, after her long rant, for lack of a better word. The page had some dates, country names and numbers, identified as currencies. But their values were big enough to be incomprehensible to Niles. Nothing in his daily life experience could match those quantities. But what attracted Niles's attention were the idle scribbles the student had absent-mindedly left on the paper. Among some common curves, spirals and even calligraphic practice, Niles could recognize the unmistakeable form of Gribble's medallion.

[Ail]

The elder nods at Christine's words. She looks at Oliver, a if trying to read his mind, and the boy holds her stare admirably.
"Christine didn't say, but that boy died only 2 or 3 days ago, probably during the night."
The woman nods, the hard lines of her mouth soften just a bit.

"I understand your fears, Christine. It's natural to come out for help seeking for answers. But to try to do it at night, after what you told me, child... wasn't that foolhardy?
I know, I know... there are rules."
She gets up, as she spits those words. "Better to be free like us, and live with the wind in our feet and the birds' voices in our songs."

"I don't know what is happening in the School, Christine, why those boys disappeared. But for someone to be killed in the forest, that is unusual. It has not happened in a very long time..."

There is a long pause.

"There was a time when this forest was less peaceful than it is now. There was great evil here, and in that castle even, but it was cleansed. There are memories still. The great fire that brought the castle down, it was not a freak accident. It was bred out of fear.
Evil left, we believe, but was it for ever? I believe, Christine... we believe... that Evil remains while there are those who would search for it. And that it wants to be forgotten. This forest you see here... it has grown, it has put on a semblance of friendship, it has made you forget what was before, it brought sleep into the vigilant spirits of the people nearby... Peace, time, distance... they all make you forget what was. But at its core, it is still there. The evil in the heart of the forest has remained ready to be awakened. Has someone found it and restored it? We don't know where it is, we don't go there. There's a shadow in the forest and we don't know its nature.

You need to know more, Christine. You need to learn about the past. If you find more, a name, an object, something... I might be able to bring my sight upon it and find its dark secrets. But I am sure of one thing: there is a link between that past and the castle, and there might still be living memories in there who kow about what was."

[A G Thing]

With the elders words, Christine tries to take heart. The fact that help was offered raised her spirits but the idea that more would have to be learned before it could be given was a bit frustrating.

"I have been trying... But so far elder, all I have been able to discover is that the castle had been abandoned when the original line failed. But I cannot discover to whom that family line belonged. The part still in ruins was apparently both old and damaged by fire though I have no idea why the fire started nor why it has not been repaired. Hector-James Fairfax purchased the land and his daughters Victoria and Emilia who now run the place have taken over its renovation and operation as a school."

At this point she looks over to Oliver adjusting her glasses as she does such. "Did you perhaps discover anything about its past Oliver? I know you were looking into some things but is there anything of note you have learned perhaps?"

[Ail]

"Not me, Christine, I never found documents of note. But wasn't George looking for that in the library? Maybe he has found something by now."


The old woman adds:

"I can do a reading for you now, Christine, though I fear it can only give vague answers. But there might be records around. There is an old church in Cadborough, it's only a 5 minutes walk from the Castle. Maybe they have some records in their archives?"