Chapter 6: The First Woman Part 1

The sun was quickly setting as it got darker and darker. The horse came to a stop at the gate of the small mansion. Danek could note that there was a lit candle by the porch.

Something seemed to spook the horse, however. The animal was getting jumpy and pacing in place with Danek on top of him.

“Relax, Faszén. You did your job,” he said as he patted the horse. The animal neighed before shaking his head.

He dismounted the horse before patting his horse again.

“That’s a good boy ... yeah, good boy,” he said as he patted the neck of the horse. “You getting spooked for some reason being here. You weren’t like this before when you got here. Why now?”

Danek gripped the hilt of his sword as he looked at the mansion. His crossbow launcher was at the ready.

Whatever the case, Danek had difficulty getting his horse to relax. Finally, the animal lifted its front legs and neighed loudly in panic.

“Faszén, my boy, I can take you far away from here, alright? I don’t know why you are so spooked. I can make the walk alright. Come let me take you...”

The horse lifted high from its front legs, almost lifting Danek from the ground as he held the reins. It staggered him, causing him to lose his footing. He lost his grip on the reins as the horse ran free, almost trampling him in the process. The horse continued running deep into the village, disappearing into the darkness.

“Well damn,” he commented. “Faszén! Come here! Damn ... He’s gone.”

He scratched his chin as he considered his actions. There was a sense of unease as he looked at the manor. In the day, it looked abandoned. But at night, he could only see a few glowing candles from the window sills.

He still thought about getting his horse, but for some reason, he felt drawn to the home the longer he looked at it. Despite his unease, it felt like something was pulling him there. He wondered if it was his curiosity to investigate, but the lights in the home obviously meant that Chava was home. With it would be the answers that he needed. He would have to be ready. Lady Chava might be a noblewoman, either irate or friendly. Even a mild complaint from her could prove troublesome to his superiors.

“Egh, Faszén,” he said, shaking his head. “Wish I knew what spooked the horse. Trying to find him now, I could be spending hours. At least I have the backing of a noble to compensate for this.”

He walked up to the gate and opened it. He closed it behind him as he walked down the path to the porch. Past the dirt path, the grass was quite long and thick. There was still some light that he could see, but it was getting darker quicker and quicker. He could hear the crickets from the nearby forest that sang ablaze.

“Lady Chava,” he called out to her. He kept his voice at a high enough volume to notify her of his presence. But there was no response. The porch was nothing glamorous, even for a manor. It was simple in construction, consisting of a wooden elevated platform, a single rotted stool, and a few stairs that led to the main door. The door was large but not excessive in size. It was red with hints of flaking paint.

“Hmm...,” Danek said to himself quietly. “Not exactly well taken care of. Does Chava even have peasants or groundskeepers to keep this place maintained?”

The man looked at the lawn. Even with the impending darkness, he noted that the mansion could be improved. There was a certain eeriness to everything. It was as if the place was lifeless. No noblewoman would dare live in such squalor. Perhaps she didn’t have the finances that most people considered. Regardless, the man pressed forward.

“Lady Chava,” he called out to her. He knocked on the door.

Again, no response. Danek’s patience was starting to run thin. He scowled and beat his hand to the door.

“Lady Chava! I have evidence that suggests that you are responsible for the disappearances of five women! Come out so I can talk to you.”

All was quiet for a few seconds. Suddenly, there was a sound of a gathering wind. The candles that were lit by the windows blew out. Danek turned his attention and noted it. He knew that there was some sort of activity inside.

“My name is Danek. In the name of György Thurzó, you are to respond to his wishes in the disappearances of these women. Answer now or face the lord’s wrath.”

“ ... You disturb me...,” a female voice responded. It was coming past the closed door.

“I serve as a detective for György Thurzó. I assume that you are Lady Chava?”

“ ... Yes...”

Danek appreciated the fact that the woman was finally talking to him, but her tone was aggressive, like a person that was in control. The man wasn’t going to have any of it. Two women, seemingly hell-bent on avoiding talking with him. He knew he had to get aggressive.

“Lady Chava,” Danek explained. “You are implicated in the crime of kidnapping and the disappearances of five women. I demand to talk to you face to face.”

“I never touched any woman,” Chava replied.

“I need more than that.”

“That is what you will have ... now ... leave me!”

“Lady Chava, I will not tolerate this. György Thurzó would not take kindly to this.”

“Then summon your men ... break down my door. You will waste your time.”

Danek thought about it for a few seconds. He was hoping she would be more cooperative than this. She ignored his bluff. This put him in a situation that he was well aware of. He would have to go and get his horse if he summoned more men. Leaving the mansion now would give Chava a chance to escape and make a run for it. Justice demanded action.

“Will you provide your statement?” he asked. “I wish to speak to you and get to the bottom of this.”

“I told you to leave me be!” She responded.

“Lady Chava,” Danek reached into his coat and pulled out his sword. “I am here to conduct an investigation that you are impeding. If you do not open this door, I will be forced to break it open.”

“Then I will kill you.”

A direct threat. Danek touched his right wrist, making sure that his crossbow launcher was ready. A lone woman did not scare him. He knew that since he entered this village, the reactions of the individuals seemed off. The more she resisted, the more he had to gather answers. Her very words were insulting to him. He thought about negotiations, but her tone made it clear.

“Then you leave me no choice,” he said. He took a step back and slammed his boot onto the door.

THUNK...

The door’s hinges creaked a little bit. He paused for a bit to hear if there was any activity inside, but there was none. There was no voice, nothing. He lifted his boot and delivered another kick to the door.

THUNK...

The hinges buckled under the mighty blow. This time Danek wouldn’t hesitate any longer. He lifted his boot and used all his force into one more kick.

BAM ... the door’s hinges snapped free. With a satisfying thud, the entire door fell over and slammed onto the wooden floor. Danek regained his footing and stared at it toppled over.

The man readied his sword in one hand, his crossbow launcher trigger in the other. He looked inside, waiting for the dust to settle. The bang could be heard all through the interior of the house.

Danek tried to see inside, but it was quite dark. The loss of lighting from the extinguished candles did not help. It was up to Danek’s eyes to adjust. He slowly pushed the sword through the entrance expecting a woman to come rushing to attack him. He remained quiet while his footsteps caused the wooden panels to creak below him.

From what Danek could see was a basic living room. On one end was a large open bottom that had a fireplace with a couple of chairs. The fireplace was unlit. There was a carpet that Danek nearly tripped on as he stepped further in. The living room had a set of stairs that led straight up to the second floor. Above was a balcony that led to a path where there was a living room up above him and another room beside it, possibly a guest room of some sort. From the bottom floor, he could look straight up to the floor above. He tried to look at the top of the ceiling, but his eyes had not adjusted.

“Chava! I’m here! Show yourself,” he said.

No response. Danek’s heart was beginning to pound. This woman knew her home and was likely either hiding or laying an ambush. To him, a woman could still be dangerous if she had the right weapon available.

“I need answers!” He yelled out. “Show me that you’re innocent, and I’ll leave. The lives must be answered.”

He said nothing more and waited. Danek had to confirm that she was hiding. The longer he waited, the more likely there was a chance that she was going to open up some window and escape. Most likely, she probably already did. However, he decided to begin his search. Even if she did escape, he could at least gather evidence to conclude whether she was innocent or not.

Danek’s eyes slowly adjusted, even in the growing darkness. Any light from the setting sun at least flooded in for his eyes to pick up. He started to do his full investigation, letting his nose try to pick up any unusual scents. He kept his ears trained to track any form of movement. So far, nothing. However, his eyesight did show two tables that were in the living room. One was a low-level set near the chairs. The other was pressed to a wall near the stairs. The one by the chairs had a few pieces of parchment lying on its wooden surface. He picked it up and attempted to read it.

“Hmmm...,” he commented. “Wish I had more light.”

The lettering was difficult to decipher. One was in a language that he didn’t understand. Another one was in Hungarian. He let his eyes scan the words.

“A letter of taxation from the countess ... nothing too important...”

A snapping sound could be heard. Danek was quick as he dropped the letter and aimed his sword toward the stairs. There was nothing there. Most likely, he concluded that his weight shifted the floorboards. He relaxed a little bit as he turned his attention to anything else of interest.

“Not much...,” he said to himself quietly. “No servants ... a woman to herself.” He sighed. “Wish I knew more about Lady Chava...”

While he tried to keep his voice down, it still trailed through the inside of the living room. Danek’s eyes caught something. It was a green and red glowing light coming from the other table.

“What ... sorcery,” Danek remarked. The light flickered in the darkness. His eyes seemed to be drawn to it. With it being the only internal source of illumination, it only naturally drew his curiosity. It was unlike anything that he had ever seen before.

The objects were on a plate. They both began to pulsate as he closed in on it. They were crystals, rocks shimmering with light. He felt tempted to touch them but tried to hold his hand back.

“What in God’s name would create this?” he asked himself.

There was a humming sound that echoed in the man’s head. His brain registered something where it only grew more and more tense the longer he stood next to the crystals. He put his hand to his forehead as he withdrew.

“Ungh...,” he cringed. “Lady Chava, show yourself! Using witchcraft will not save you!”

The humming sound was getting louder and louder. It was like an echoing bell. He turned his head and knew that the source was coming from them. He pulled further and further away, tempted to leave the place and report his findings. However, the volume kept getting louder and louder despite the distance he put towards the shining objects.

“Ergh!” he grunted. It was so loud that the ringing drilled into the man’s brain. He was tempted to fall to his knees in pain. Finally, his brain told him what he needed to do. He sneered and ran to the two crystals. His hand went straight toward the green crystal.

Shink!

Energy coursed through the man’s hand. Greenlight surged through the object. The energy drilled through the man’s body, and the pain intensified more and more.

“Argh!” Danek yelled out in pain. He tried to let go of the crystal, but his hand refused to move. He couldn’t let go of the crystal anymore. It was almost glued to him. He resisted, but there was nothing more that he could do.

All life seemed to drain from the man. He lost all strength as he heard his sword leave his hand with a proverbial thunk. He felt himself become lightheaded. The ringing grew more and more, till it finally ceased...

“Ugh...,” Danek grunted. He slowly opened his eyes. His hands and feet lay on the ground. He was greeted by daylight.

“What?” He reacted. He felt at ease. The memories of the screeching noise were gone. Instead, the man looked around and noted his surroundings. No longer was he inside the dark mansion but in a forest.

This was not the same forest outside the mansion but of something else. Everything seemed to glow in some way. Even the sunlight radiated his pale skin. He slowly stood up from the grass and noted his appearance. He was completely naked from head to toe, and his equipment and clothes were all gone. Danek was nothing but confused.

“What’s going on?” He spoke. “I’m ... not dead?”

He slapped his hands to his chest and was tempted to pinch himself. His hand could feel his heart beating. Everything felt real, but it was so different.

This forest was a place of wonder. Its profound beauty was like nothing he had ever seen. The grass was like silk, smooth and gentle upon his feet. There were trees all around him with green thick luscious leaves. Flowers and red roses blossomed from their branches. There was even a hint of a distant chorus. The choir sounds of men and women singing in harmony radiated all around him.

“Am I ... in heaven?” He asked. He began to walk forward. A profound smile could be seen on his face.

“It’s not possible,” he said as he turned to look from where he stood. “I must be hallucinating ... dreaming. I remember the crystal ... the pounding in my head.”

He stepped past the first set of trees. Upon doing so, he could see a clear open field. It was nothing but green grass with wondering herds of goats and a few wild horses. In the vast distances was a set of mountains. The trailing chorus was distant but always present.

“So incredible ... nothing like any forest.”

Danek turned around and proceeded through the sets of trees ahead of him. He walked past a tree to see another one with budding fruit. The apple tree was ripe for the picking.

“It’s ... not possible,” he said. “Heaven ... Eden ... it can’t be. Hello?”

He called out, but nobody answered. He was left scratching the back of his head. He felt no pain but, instead, felt like he was in complete paradise. Yet, there was a sense of being misplaced, like he wasn’t supposed to be there.

“Not dead ... alive ... not home ... but not the same,” he said.

The man walked forward as he could hear a set of running water. The choir slowly began to die down. Danek recoiled a little bit when he saw a small python on a tree branch. However, he could see that the snake had no interest in him and slithered away up the tree.

It took him a minute of wondering before his mind told him that everything was what it seemed. He didn’t feel any threat, nor that there was any malice around him. He stopped for a second as he heard the sound of running water.

“Stream?” he said. He stepped through a thicket ahead of him. It didn’t take long before he reached a central grove. In a large open area of forest was a tiny river that flowed. It formed a large natural pond.

“Ah...,” he remarked. “Well ... where there is water ... there’s going to be somebody else...”

Danek went and sat down on the grass not far from the pond. His goal now was to wait. His butt could feel the smooth greenery press against him. Somebody or something brought him there, and he was well aware of it. The memories of the mansion remained hard-pressed on his mind. The mystery had yet to be solved. Those missing women needed to be found if they were alive at all.

His only goal was to relax, and that was the easy part. He closed his eyes and let the environment soothe his mind and spirit.

“God...,” He finally said. “If I’m dead, then thank you for bringing me here...”

The sound of laughter could be heard in the distance. It woke Danek from his daydreaming. He turned his attention toward the sound to his right.

“Hello?” Danek called out.

There was no response. What he could see was a single woman that came running out of the bushes. She was in a joyous mood, almost as if she were being chased. Not far behind her was a man. Both individuals were completely naked. Much like Danek, their pale skin was reflected by the bright sunlight.

“Umm ... excuse me?” Danek called out to them.

No response. The woman slowed down as the chasing man approached her. Danek took complete observation of the scene in front of him. The woman was a redhead. Her long hair flowed down her shoulders and touched her rounded breasts. Immediately, Danek had a firm view, noting the woman’s nudity. A small pink nipple dotted each breast. Her slim frame was met with a thicket of red pubic hair on her nether regions. Her youthful appearance was extravagant.