A slender wisp of white smoke curled upward, filling the room with a fragrant haze. The smoke rose from an incense burner placed on the table in front of where sat.
Across from the two delicate streams of smoke ascending toward the ceiling, Diara sat with her eyes closed, breathing slowly, dispersing the fragrant tendrils near her face. Her lips were pressed tightly together as she contemplated the events that had befallen Lillu, a child of the farmstead, earlier that day.
After Gallad and Gravel had left the farmstead to search for Warren's wagon, they had returned with Lillu in their arms. They washed the blood from her body to help her find some calm and laid her on a bed in a small room on the second floor of the longhouse, waiting for her to awaken.
Lillu lay on the bed, seemingly asleep, but the furrowed brow and tiny beads of sweat on her forehead suggested she might be reliving the painful experience she had endured that day, causing concern for those watching over her.
Diara and Lisia had stayed by Lillu's side for some time before leaving the room. They moved to another space after someone from the farmstead informed them that Gravel had brought Warren's wagon back.
Rant and Roper were already standing by the wagon, listening to Gravel explain the situation. Lisia had asked the two to investigate the wagon for any clues about what had happened to Warren. Afterward, the two knights of the Hidden Moon, clad in blue robes, headed to Lisia's study.
"What do you think, Diara?"
Lisia asked, extending her arm over the incense burner and gently drawing the fragrant smoke toward herself with a soft gesture.
"It wasn't a wild animal… and they say nothing was stolen, so it doesn't seem like the work of goblins either. The pool of blood that Gravel mentioned… and the bloodstains on the ground. The only things missing from that place were Lillu's parents. There are too many things that don't make sense."
"You're right. The wagon was in far too pristine a condition. Doesn't that at least rule out human involvement?"
Lisia responded.
"The child said something about a monster attacking her parents before she lost consciousness. So, when she wakes up, we might get some answers about what she meant by 'monster.'"
Diara said with a small sigh.
"That's true. Once Lillu wakes up, as you said, things will become clearer. But it pains me to think of asking her about it. She'll have to relive that moment…"
Lisia said, her eyes narrowing as she thought of what Lillu would face upon waking.
"That's why I'm trying not to think too much about it until then." Diara replied.
"Then this incense should help. It's called 'Teng', a type of aromatic wood from the dwarven lands. They say Teng means 'to hold onto something,' which is quite paradoxical."
Lisia closed her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose, and added a small piece of wood to the incense burner before continuing her explanation to Diara.
"Lighting this wood to forget something is, in itself, a way of holding onto something… 'Just enjoy the fragrant aroma,' they say. Isn't that an interesting notion? It's something my dwarven teacher told me when he introduced me to this incense."
"Thanks to you, Lisia, I feel much more at ease,"
Diara said, her expression softening compared to moments before. As she inhaled, the rich fragrance filled her senses. It evoked the scent of rain before it falls, the sweet aroma of small flowers, and the pleasant imagery of a fresh dawn morning. As she exhaled, the tangled thoughts in her mind seemed to leave with her breath. Just then, a knock on the door and a man's voice interrupted.
"Lisia, it's Roper."
"Rant is here too."
Hearing the two men's voices, Lisia opened her eyes and called out, "Come in."
As soon as Lisia spoke, the door opened, and the two men entered the room.
"Before we begin, I should excuse myself. I'll go stay with Lillu so you can talk."
Diara said, rising from her seat.
"If we're interrupting your conversation, we're sorry. But we thought this needed to be discussed urgently."
Roper said, placing a small fist-sized sack on the table next to the incense burner.
"Before you go Diara, take this incense burner. It'll help Lillu too. And you two, tell me about this sack." Lisia said, handing the incense burner to Diara.
"I'll be going then, Lisia."
Diara said as she left the room. The door closed softly behind her, and Lisia gestured for Roper and Rant, standing by the table, to sit.
"Look at this, Lisia. We found it in Warren's wagon just now."
Roper said, untying the sack's string and pushing it toward Lisia to reveal its contents.
"These… are farmstead seeds."
Lisia said, scooping a handful of seeds from the sack and examining them in her palm.
"Yes. They're wheat seeds resistant to pests. They were hidden in a small box in the deepest part of the wagon's cargo hold." Roper explained.
"Hidden? Don't be so quick to judge, Roper!" Rant interjected loudly.
"Quick to judge? What's that supposed to mean? The seed sack was found in Warren's wagon, tucked away in a small box in the deepest part of the cargo hold. How is that not hidden?"
Roper shouted back in a gruff voice.
"There's no solid evidence! It could've been… I don't know, maybe the kid put it there. Or Warren's wife—what was her name? Doesn't matter. You can't just say Warren hid the sack!"
"Damn it, you're impossible! Keep making excuses, but that kind of nonsense won't fly with the farmstead folks. Go ahead and try explaining it!"
As the argument between the two men stalled, Lisia broke through the heavy atmosphere and spoke.
"I'll talk to the others at the farmstead about this seed sack and figure out what's going on. Until then, please both of you make an effort to prevent misunderstandings from deepening among the people here."
Lisia tied the sack's string and placed it back on the table. Roper and Rant let out heavy sighs, trying to calm their heated emotions.
"Yes… we'll do our best, as you say. But the misunderstandings among the people are already deep, and I'm not sure they'll be easily resolved." Roper said.
"Ugh… too many people have already seen Warren's wagon…" Rant added.
As Roper and Rant left the room, they mentally rehearsed what they'd say to others, their faces grim. After exchanging farewells with Lisia, they closed the door behind them.
"Things aren't going as planned…"
Lisia placed the back of her hand on her aching forehead and leaned deeply into the back of her chair.
*****
In a small room, the faint fragrance from the incense burner Diara had brought from Lisia gently filled the air.
On a bed against one wall, Lillu slept, her soft breaths barely audible. Diara sat on a chair next to a small table where the incense burner rested, watching over Lillu. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.
Creak
The door opened with a short squeak, and Lisia entered. Careful not to let the door slam, she held the knob and closed it gently before walking toward Diara.
"How's Lillu doing?"
Lisia asked. The room was small, so it took only a few steps to reach Diara.
"She's much better than before. She's sweating less, and her breathing is calmer."
Diara replied, looking at Lillu on the bed.
"She must have been so frightened. All that blood…"
Lisia said, brushing Lillu's hair gently.
"Yes… it must have been too much for a young child to bear." Diara agreed.
"Maybe the goddess's blessing kept her alive…"
Lisia said, noticing a glowing sigil on Lillu's earlobe as she brushed her hair aside.
"She turned eight recently and received the goddess's blessing at the temple in Lacha-Walia."
Lisia explained, her eyes closing as she stroked Lillu's hair and told Diara about the glowing sigil. She continued their conversation.
"Just a few days ago… she showed me this blessed sigil on her ear, smiling so brightly… I'm worried about how she'll cope with this situation when she wakes up."
"Gallad and the others are searching for Lillu's parents." Diara said.
Both women knew, from the description of the wagon's discovery site, that the search held little hope. A heavy silence settled between them.
"Didn't you say you grew up in a temple from a young age, Diara?" Lisia asked.
"Yes, I was raised in a temple."
"Then you might not know much about the goddess's blessing that Lillu received?"
"I know a bit. Most of the girls I met outside the temple showed me their blessed sigils."
Diara replied, recalling past memories. Her expression turned slightly wistful, as if those memories weren't entirely pleasant.
"Oh, by the way, what happened with the seed sack?" Diara asked.
"I asked them to keep the talk to a minimum and buy some time until Lillu wakes up to explain the situation. But now that I think about it, even if she wakes up, she probably won't know anything about the seed sack…" Lisia said.
"Then, as expected…"
"Yes, the division among the farmstead people will likely worsen. I barely managed to calm them down by asking them to wait until we could send a letter to Lord Ratak to sort things out."
Lisia said, biting her lower lip and furrowing her brow. She let out a long sigh before continuing.
"Superior crop strains are valuable, whether to a lord who cares about the farmers' livelihood or one who's only interested in the taxes they'll collect. Either way, the people who've been here since the farmstead was built don't want to deal with those driven by greed."
"It's unfortunate… If they could just wait a little longer, everyone could get what they want. This goes against the very reason Lord Ratak established this farmstead."
Diara said, thinking of the farmstead's people, unable to understand or wait for one another.
"'Do not crave to possess more, nor fear to lose what you have…'"
"'I am the guardian of all pleasures, watching to prevent excess…'"
The two women recited the teachings of the Hidden Moon temple in low, calm voices. After their words, the only sound in the room was Lillu's soft breathing as she slept on the bed.