Chapter 7: The First Woman Part 2

“There you are...,” Danek said as he patted the nape of his horse. He felt relieved to finally find Faszén. Of course, it wasn’t anything challenging. He wasn’t that far from the road, eating grass near a set of bushes. He lifted his leg on the stirrup before pushing himself onto the saddle.

“You crazy horse,” he said before grabbing the reigns. “You’re lucky some other person didn’t take off with you. Do me a favor and stop taking off on me, ok?”

His horse neighed a little bit before the man lightly slapped the reigns. It didn’t take long before the horse trotted to the road before running into a full gallop.

Danek and his horse made a full run down the dirt path. Lady Chava’s mansion was left long in the dust. It would take several minutes before the man would arrive in the heart of the main village. He slowed down before coming to a complete stop.

At the beginning of the morning, many of the townspeople were carrying on with their daily errands. Various merchant stores and homes resided by the main road. The village of Čachtice was still waking up, but farmers and early merchants were still active. Danek had reached the local inn, eager to get something to eat.

Upon securing his horse, Danek was greeted by a familiar individual approaching from the other side of the street. His red hair, pale complexion, and bushy beard were the only notable differences between him and Danek. They both wore familiar clothing.

“András Keresztúry!” Danek greeted his associate.

“Danek, dangerous times are these,” the other man replied in a hoarse voice. They both extended their hands in a big handshake smiling at each other. “Come, let’s head in and eat together.”

Thirty minutes had passed. Danek gave a satisfying burp at his table before pushing his dish away from himself. Both men seemed to relax on their chairs.

“Hungry, aren’t you?” András asked. He had been mostly watching his associate eat.

“You can say that again,” Danek replied.

The local inn was small but fit for twenty individuals to eat. The two men had found a nice corner spot to discuss in private. Their timing was good, as there were only two other sets of people eating on the other side of the building. However, they didn’t appear to be in any threat of being eavesdropped on. András slapped his boots on the adjacent chair, almost leaning near the back legs of his own chair.

“Ugh ... I feel like falling asleep,” Danek told his associate.

“Not enough sleep?” András asked.

“Actually, I think it was the other way ... too much.”

“Well, I guess we should get down to business. Give you a chance to wake up after we finish our little morning meal. György Thurzó received a few additional missing person reports last week.”

“It’s nothing new,” Danek replied. “I checked up with the Countess yesterday.”

“And?”

“They have a report of workers that died of Cholera, but that’s all.”

“How much?”

“Over twenty reports.”

“All women?”

“I couldn’t completely verify that part.”

“Hmmm ... over what period of time?”

“A couple of months, at least.”

András seemed to think about it. “Hmmm ... doesn’t sound too much out of the unusual. Disease outbreak at her castle.”

“Yeah, but is that the whole reason for the missing persons’ reports, I wonder?” Danek leaned forward and put his hand on the table. “György Thurzó just gets a notice about missing individuals, but it just comes down to death by disease?”

“Did you recognize any noblewoman’s names when you went through her records?”

“There were female fatalities, but ... none of the names matched.”

András looked away as he noted it. “I haven’t spoken with Mózes, but you know what he’s going to say.”

“Yeah,” Danek remarked. “I haven’t spoken to him since we all departed. It’s still too early to blame the Countess for the cause of the missing noblewomen.”

“I have my own lead, and it may coincide with the data that you’re collecting so far. I think we have a kidnapping ring here. Women are always in high demand by the savages southeast of us. I was investigating Nobleman Balaz. I uncovered a small smuggling ring of goods being shipped in and out of the region. Balaz has been happily missing out on the Holy Roman Emperor’s taxes ... at least until I caught it and exposed it.”

“You think that’s where the missing women have been going?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have enough information on that. Balaz’s shipped things in small barrels that even children would have a hard time fitting into. I’m still collecting more information.”

“And that’s where I come in?”

“Yes,” András said, pressing his finger onto the table. “I know this is your first assignment, Danek. György Thurzó might not have hired you directly, but he knows that something is up in this region. Our enemies always find ways to destroy us, even if slowly.” The man sighed a little bit and leaned back in his chair. “What else have you uncovered?”

“Well...,” Danek explained. “Interviewed a few eyewitness reports of missing individuals ... mostly women. It’s as you suggested, daughters that go missing, but...”

“They aren’t nobles...”

“Exactly. Most of the reports surround those that go and work at the Countess’s castle, never to return, but I already mentioned that. However, I did uncover information that implied that another individual may be responsible for those missing women.”

“And who would that be?” Andra’s eyes peaked a little bit upon hearing that.

“Noblewoman Lady Chava. She’s the 2nd richest individual around these parts.”

“Chava...,” the bearded man scratched his jawline. “I’ve never heard of her.”

“Probably wouldn’t. Lady Chava likes to live by herself. Even her estate is in poor condition.”

“Have you investigated her?”

“Yes, the investigation is still going. Five women supposedly went to her and disappeared.”

“The source?”

“From right here at the castle.”

“I am curious ... is this Lady Chava young?”

“Quite ... probably in her twenties,” Danek said.

“I’m surprised that no man has swept her off her feet ... to live with such riches.”

“I don’t know what her intentions are. I plan on returning to her later on tonight.”

“Make sure to watch yourself.”

Danek had a brief pause, feeling that what András said was an understatement. “ ... Yes.”

“How are you doing?” András changed the subject.

“Worn out some. If we aren’t at threat of invaders, then something else shows up.”

“Well, don’t get yourself too emotionally involved. As investigators, we sometimes have to put our emotions aside. If dead bodies show up, no matter what you do, those bodies will still be dead by the end of the day.”

“I know ... I know. How about you?”

András smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Taking it easy ... interview some people here and there ... enjoying the countryside ... along with the fruit that blooms along the way.”

The hint of a mischievous smile could be seen on his face. Even Danek had to smile after hearing that statement.

“Ah ... maybe you’re right,” Danek relaxed on his chair. “For some reason ... I really hope those people died from Cholera.”

“Nobody really cares for peasants. Our goal is to focus on the nobles. We got a job to do.” András stood up from his seat. “Besides, it’s the Holy Roman Emperor that pays us to resolve the problems of the gentry. Remember that...”

Danek nodded his head. “Of course.”

András walked past the man before patting him on the shoulder. “Time, I find Mózes and share your information. Keep an eye out there.”

“You too.”

With that, András walked up to the counter and nonchalantly tossed a few coins to the innkeeper before leaving the inn. Danek didn’t entirely agree with the man’s last statement, but he did understand where he was coming from. This left Danek to his own thoughts. He knew that he had a busy day ahead of him. Thankfully, he was already at the inn, and the idea of renting a room for the day had crossed his mind.

However, his thoughts went back to Lady Chava. How she could have been responsible for those missing women wasn’t entirely clear. He knew that he would have to spend the day asking more of the townspeople about the mysterious individual.

But even then, his thoughts went to his earlier dream. Upon doing so, the various things that happened with him and Chava’s interactions began to resurface.

“I’m thankful I didn’t bring up the other things about Lady Chava,” Danek quietly said to himself. “I would have either been looked at as insane, or András would have sent soldiers straight to Lady Chava’s house for witchcraft.”

Danek did think more and more about Chava. Seeing her unmask herself was like looking at another woman entirely. There was pain in that face, but she was beautiful, stunning, even if he couldn’t see it completely. Yet, the enigma of the morning day loomed in his mind.

He shook off the thought. Perhaps he had been hallucinating, seeing things that leaped out of all logical sense. Maybe he fell and knocked his head harder than he expected. He needed to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. For now, he had to resume his investigations...

It had been later that afternoon. Danek’s horse slowly trotted closer to Lady Chava’s gate. This time, Danek was watching his horse closely.

“It’s ok, Faszén,” the man said, patting his horse. He got off the animal and looked into his eyes. He kept petting his horse, making sure that he wasn’t spooked.

“I can’t have you run away on me again,” Danek said. “This time, we might not be so lucky. Someone else will just take you and use you for some nefarious purpose, like kidnapping women. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

His horse seemed almost to nod and give a grunt to his response. However, unlike the prior night, Faszén was utterly calm. The mansion was unchanged. A set of burning candles still resided by the windows.

Upon seeing that his horse wasn’t going to run away as before, Danek opened up the gate and let the horse inside the lawn. A wooden fence would still contain the animal if he tried to take off again. He closed the gate and patted the horse.

“I won’t have to tie you down,” he told his horse. “You got the entire field to yourself, and if Lady Chava complains, you tell her that it was my fault, ok?”

Danek let go of the stirrups of his horse and took the saddle off before placing it by the fence. He looked upon the mansion and made his walk down the dirt path. It felt like a repeat of the prior day, arriving at a home where the sun was going down.

Instead of mild trepidation, Danek felt somewhat giddy and excited about seeing Chava again. The image of the face from this morning seemed to loom over him like a cloud that never went away. He didn’t know why he felt this way, nor did he try to push it away either. He stepped up on the porch and knocked on the door.

“Lady Chava, it’s me, Danek!” the man called out.

He waited. For a few seconds, Danek’s heart skipped a beat. Was she gone? Did she flee from her home and act all innocent? He slowly lifted his fist and knocked on the door.

“Lady Chava, please answer the door so that...”

He didn’t complete his sentence. The door cracked open. It was unknown if the door’s locking mechanism was broken or not. It slowly opened, revealing a somewhat better-lit interior. Finally, a gloved hand could be seen, the hand of a woman gripping the edge of the wood, before she fully showed herself to him. She was in the same type of clothing as before, wearing her black hood, cloak, and white mask.

“Danek?” She greeted him.

“Lady Chava,” Danek politely greeted her. “Thank you for opening the door.”

“You would have just broken if I didn’t open it.”

He entered the establishment as Chava closed the door behind him. The fireplace was lit, giving a sort of cozy environment.

“I ... wanted to give you something,” Danek said as he turned to look at her.

“What is it?” She asked.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few gold coins before giving it to her. “For your troubles...”

Chava almost hesitated as she extended her hand to accept the money. “Why ... are you giving this to me?”

“For destroying your door earlier. You might have had it fixed somehow, but I’m sure you had somebody that did. Compensation for the repairs.”

The woman was about to accept it when she closed Danek’s hand.

“Keep it,” she said. “I’m to blame for it.”

Danek took the coins and put them back into his pocket. Even he knew the woman was probably swimming in money, and he probably needed it more than she ever did. Her tone was friendlier than last time. It was still coarse but not excessively hostile or malicious this time.

“Very well,” Danek replied. “I suppose you have the paperwork in order?”

“Yes,” Chava pointed to the table. “Have a seat.”

Danek followed suit as he sat down by the chair. On the table was a set of documents, including a set of small wooden boxes. There was another chair put in place so that Chava could sit down as well. With the fireplace active, there was enough illumination for the man to read.

“How was your day?” he asked her.

She seemed to remain quiet for a little while. Finally, she answered back.

“I don’t know,” she said.

“Not used to company, I suppose ... I understand.”

He pulled out the first set of documents and began to read it.

“You can ... actually read?” She asked.

“Of course. Taught by my local church.”

“So few can read ... I thought at first that you were lying to me that you wanted my papers ... that you were just a burglar to burgle my things.”

“I suppose that you can read too.”

“Yes, and I know many languages.”

“I know a little bit of French myself.”

“French, English, Italian ... many.”

Danek looked at the first set of papers noting financial exchanges. He narrowed his eyes and observed the words listed.

“How much do you know about the Countess?” he asked.

“I lived here before she gained power. I paid my taxes to her. She only raised it once since she became ruler.”

“I can see here on the higher payments...” he rolled his finger down the ledger. “Have any grievances with her?”

“She smells like blood.” Her voice almost sounded sinister.

“Excuse me?” He paused and looked at her.

“Sorry...,” her tone relaxed some. “Evil flows from her.”

Danek had a chance to note more about Chava’s figure. Her hood seemed to be hiding something that was over her head and hair. Perhaps her hair was more prominent than it appeared.

“Do you believe she is guilty of witchcraft?” he asked.

“Maybe she is...”

“What proof do you have?”

“Why do you need proof? The Spanish don’t hesitate to burn heretics at the stake.”

“This isn’t Spain.”

“No, but all of you will act the same in any case,” Chava said.

“You’re talking about the Countess ... the ruler of this land.”

“And that’s why she’s getting away with it.”

Danek pulled another piece of paper and began to read it. He gave a questioning look at her.

“What?” She almost angrily replied.

“I have documents that do show that you hired workers to make occasional renovations to your home. It’s few ... but enough to still show that you had people.”

“Why does it matter?”

“You made it sound like you hired nobody when I last spoke to you. This contradicts your statement.”

“Why ... does ... it ... matter?” she repeated.

“Because it may coincide with the Countess’s statements that showed that you had people here ... people like some women.”

“Keep reading,” she emphasized.

“Alright...,” Danek laid down one document and read another. This one didn’t appear to be anything extraordinary.

“A letter...,” he said.

She held her hand out to him, but he decided to read a little bit. It seemed a little private and nothing in particular to the case. He handed it to her and ripped it up.

“I didn’t know you felt that way...,” he remarked.

“Is it a crime?” She asked.

“Against God, yes.”

“How little you know.”

Danek paused and looked at her. “There’s ... something perplexing about you.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“That letter might be damning to you. It shows me that you wanted to have sex with another ... of the same gender.”

“And you wonder why I didn’t want to have you here!?” She almost snarled a little bit through her mask. “There was a case where I preferred to be with the opposite sex.” Chava leaned forward on her chair. “It’s not a crime!”

“I’m less concerned about that ... just the fact that you may have had women that came here. Sometimes nobles prefer to hire whores to serve them, even under the eyes of God.”

“The Gods don’t care ... he never does. Not now ... not ever.”

“It will be quite interesting to hear you say that in court.”

She leaned a little bit to her side. “I destroyed the letter; your proof is gone.”

“My word is enough to have you implicated, but...”

“Yes?”

Danek’s curiosity seemed to hover over his judgment. “You consider yourself pagan?”

“I will not answer about my religion or my beliefs.”

“I see...”

“It’s my turn to ask you a question, Danek,” Chava said. “Are you ... lonely?”

Danek didn’t know if Chava was trying to throw off his line of questioning. However, a small part of him wanted it to get to this point. He hesitated but answered.

“A little bit...,” he answered truthfully. “A job that requires me to travel a lot ... doesn’t allow you to settle down, but it’s better than being some peasant farmer worrying about the next invasion from some country that wants you dead.”

“You can still end up dead from the people that you meet.”

“True, but I feel like I have more control over my fate. Besides, I believe in justice.”

“One’s justice is another’s suffering.”

“You must have had a rough life, but” he slapped the papers. “Apparently, you turned out with quite a fortune. Even a place like this is better than what most of the peasants have. How did you end up with such a fortune?”

“It just comes to me...”

“Hmmm?”

She sighed. “I inherited my fortune from my father before he passed away.”

Danek had a mild suspicion about that statement. He was checking that paperwork but found no indication of a will or statement of inheritance. He gave a confused look.

“Where are the documents on that?” he asked.

“Do I need paperwork on everything!?” She asked with a hint of anger. “I have money ... riches ... that’s it.”

Danek sighed. “If the Countess didn’t seem to care about your presence on her land, then it truly doesn’t matter to me either. However, keep in mind that if you’re found in conspiracy of crimes, your land and fortune may be seized by the crown. Any other family members entitled to your inheritance may lose it.”

Lady Chava lowered her head. It wasn’t exactly the response that Danek expected. She seemed to relax.

“Do you find me pretty?” She asked.

“What?”

“When I took my mask off ... today.”

He relaxed on his chair. “Honestly ... yes. I didn’t get a good look at you, though. You keep that mask on, and I can’t see what’s underneath.”

“I can’t ... show my face.”

“You did this morning, though.”

“I ... can’t take this off.”

“I don’t understand.”

Danek had to remain focused. He picked up another document and started to read it. However, the lack of information didn’t seem to make sense.

“I see no form of receipts,” he said. “Lady Chava, how do you eat?”

“ ... I don’t understand,” she replied.

“Do you have wagon loads of food brought to you? Basic supplies. Even a rich person like yourself must have something to eat.”

“I usually destroy that information. I see no point in having it or to have it documented.”

It was an argument that mostly made sense to him, but even then, there would have been some form of receipt that would pop up in a line of documents. Not all merchants and traders operated in that fashion or cared to make such records. But even then, he took note that this woman was getting her supplies almost from nowhere.

“That doesn’t entirely make sense,” he said. “The logs to burn your fireplace. Do you chop wood, or have it shipped here by oxen cart? Do you have your food delivered? Or is there some garden or field you own that I don’t know about?”

“I ... live,” she answered.

“That still doesn’t make sense.”

Chava wasn’t going to budge on this one. She simply remained quiet. Danek remained confused as he placed the documents on the table.

“What do you do each day?” he asked her.

“I read.”

“You read? You have a library here?”

“Yes, I do, by my room.”

“I imagine that someone that lives to herself must have quite an imagination with the material available.”

He sat back and relaxed a little bit. His arms stretched on the chair.

“You like my chair?” she asked.

“It’s quite comfortable ... almost rivals what the Countess has.” He decided to change the subject. “Lady Chava, why the mask?”

“Is this a part of your investigation?”

He shook his head. “Just curious.”

“I ... can’t.” She looked away.

“Your hair ... it sticks so high up above your head that the hood is being pushed up.”

“I...”

“Why are you afraid to tell me?”

“Because...” She held her gloved hands together, which Danek noted. Her breathing tensed. “I can’t.”

“Lady Chava, you’re not ugly.”

The man could see the woman relax a little bit. Her fidgeting slowed, and her breathing seemed to come to an ease.

“You humans are all the same...,” she said.

“What?” He gave a confused look at her. She looked back at him.

“You say that, but in the end, if I take this off and show everything that I am, you will either pull your sword on me or flee in terror.”

“All I care about, Lady Chava, is justice. The Countess’s documents show that you had women come to your estate.” He pointed at the door. “Do you counter that claim?”

“Yes, I do!”

“Missing individuals ... are you anyway involved in this? I will ask this as many times as I like. Do you work for another?”

“No!”

“This document!” He lifted it up and pointed it at her. “Carpenter Golan that worked on this home. I have my own personal notes that show him to be a person who works not only in this region but three others. He has a horse cart big enough to carry people in it.” He slapped it down on the table. “I’m going to interview him, turn his cart inside out. I find any trace of a person. It can lead to you.”

Her hands gripped her chair. “I had no involvement in those missing people!”

Danek relaxed on his own chair. “I’m trying to be easy on you, Lady Chava. I’m not the only one involved in this case, either. However, I have a job to do.”

“And when you find out that I had nothing to do with it?”

“I would be relieved.”

She chuckled a little bit. “No ... you wouldn’t ... because I would never see it. You, men, are all the same.”

“Why are you so cynical? If you were in my boots, you would be doing the same thing I would be doing ... maybe more.”

“I would do better.”

Danek put his hands together. He was unimpressed with her tone and how malicious she could be at times. For some reason, though, a part of his brain told him that the only way this would be resolved was to drop any form of accusatory language. It was a brutal battle that waged within him, duty vs. compassion. He was well aware that he was a novice investigator. The other two investigators could do a better job than he. He decided to humor her.

“You’re probably right...,” he told her.

She tilted her head back. “Truly?” She replied.

“This is my first job as an investigator.” He lifted his hand and waved it to the side. “I can imagine that me telling you that, that you would find some way to make yourself higher than thou. You’re used to living in a world where you are the ruler of yourself and yourself only. Of course, you’re only going to turn around and tell me I should find another job or find a way to keep yourself on that platform of yours. So which is it, Lady Chava? I have all day. The rulers above you will tear this countryside apart if need be to get the information that they want. This isn’t a threat. It’s a fact.” He pointed at the documents. “It goes beyond that. It goes beyond me. It goes beyond everyone else. Want to placate me for the fool? Go ahead. In the end, you can’t outrun what’s happening here.”

For once, Chava tilted her head to the side as she looked toward the fireplace. Danek almost responded the same way. He wasn’t trying to expose his feelings to her, just state a fact. He was almost expecting a response that she continued to persist in. He waited and waited.

“I have truly fallen alone...,” she said to herself.

“What?” he asked.

“I have let another into my home ... I have forgotten how to even interact with another.”

Her voice was sad and woeful. Danek noted that he could see a trail of liquid come from the mask’s eye slit. It was blood.

“Lady Chava, you’re bleeding,” he told her.

“I’m sorry,” she lifted her gloved hand and wiped her mask. “You humans ... you are capable of great compassion and great evil.”

“We are all sinners, Lady Chava. I’m sorry for being mean to you.”

“Do not apologize ... it only makes you weaker.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because we all eat to survive, Danek. It is like the fox and the rabbit. Both are compassionate creatures. The fox does care for the rabbit, but the fox must eat to live.” She looked at him and took a deep breath. “But in the end, the fox is still the villain. We are all like that, Danek.”

The man could feel a presence that seemed to loom from behind the mask. It was more than Chava, but something else. It was that of great power, ancient, and domineering.

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes, you do. A fox has invaded this land. It sees all of us as rabbits. To him or her, it sees itself as innocent. In the end, it knows it must feed.”

Danek wasn’t exactly expecting this form of response from her. The fact that she bled from her eyes was something he took note of. He pressed forward on this observation.

“It is a miracle...,” he said.

“What is?” she asked.

“I’ve heard of the stories of bleeding eyes ... but that of statues. Have you always had that ability?”

“For most of my life.”

“It was said that Jesus wept tears of blood.”

“A man of faith, but I know what those type of people are, Danek.”

“I just can’t ... explain what’s been happening since yesterday, Lady Chava.” He pointed at the counter by the stairs. “It’s beyond belief ... are you going to tell me that I’m mad?” He asked calmly. “That I just broke into this household and fainted for you to conveniently bring me up the stairs ... how? Who knows? Yet, this morning pretend that none of that ever happened?”

She paused a little bit. “You’re not mad...”

“Then what is it? What happened?”

“You have two choices. You can choose to open that box in front of you.”

“And the other?”

“The other is where I disappear and never return. The choice is yours.”

Danek gave a scolding look at her. How would she be able to just disappear? He was there, and she had nowhere to go as long as he was there. However, at the same time, he knew that there was far more going on than he could realize. A part of him felt that he did owe it to her to look inside the box. Maybe she was somehow hoping that he took the first option. He had to continue down this path. Somewhere past that cloak and mask was a woman, a human being whom he felt enamored.

He reached forward and picked up the box. The simple wooden container was one that he had no trepidation towards. It was just a simple object. That was until he opened it to reveal its contents.

Inside were two crystals. Both of them were glowing, with one being green and the other red. The man’s eyes went wide. Now, he knew he wasn’t crazy. He looked at the objects before turning his gaze to her. She remained calm.

“It was real,” he said. “It was ... ack...”

The ringing started to pick up. The green crystal resonated like a ringing sound. Danek was fully aware of what was going to happen. He picked up the crystal with his hand, hoping that he could somehow try to destroy it. However, the moment he did, the energy surged in his body. It stuck onto his hands like glue.

“I truly made a mistake to leave them there yesterday, Danek,” Chava commented to him. “But ... I’m happy that you made this choice.”

“Ergh...” Danek grunted. He knew what was going to happen to him. He was tempted to stand up, but his body was growing weaker. However, he accepted his fate. His eyes grew wearier and wearier. In a few more seconds, he finally passed out...