96

Eirian drew Ardain from her sheath. The blade gleamed in the sunlight, thousands of sheets of folded steel. Etchings in a language she didn't understand had appeared when it had become a blooding blade. 

She still didn't know what they meant, but she had them memorized so she could recognize them if she ever saw them anywhere else.

Ardain's song had grown into a howl in Eirian's mind, but she couldn't quite make out the words yet. 

But whatever she was saying, Ardain was clearly trying to warn her about something, and that something was in Song Manor.

She glanced over at Chenzhou and Yuze, both of whom wore pinched expressions, and they kept glancing between their swords and the manor. Clearly, Ardain wasn't the only one attempting to warn her master. It was a bit odd that neither man seemed that in tune with their blades. What was the point of creating a Blooding Blade if you weren't going to use it as one?

Li was organizing his men, and Finn was standing well back with his two friends. He'd been more shaken by his sighting in the orchard than Eirian had realized at first, and she wondered why. The boy seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, and he came from a family that, while known for their dramatics, wasn't known for madness of any kind.

Eirian had never seen a ghost herself, though, so maybe it was a normal reaction, and she'll end up just as shaken when it's her turn.

Which is likely to be very soon.

Hopefully.

If Chenzhou's mother had grown up in this village, it's likely she knew the stories, maybe even saw one of the ghosts herself. Perhaps she was so scared by it that she never spoke of it to anyone after. 

Chenzhou, despite being a kind man, seems to have inherited her silence. Eirian hadn't noticed before, but she's starting to see that he doesn't speak of himself or his loved ones often. It's almost like he doesn't see himself as anything but the Lord of the Camelia, and his childlike interest in learning about his mother had been a surprise.

Not a bad one, but perhaps something that, had he dealt with it properly, wouldn't have left him vulnerable enough to be pushed around by his lords. 

Eirian would never have allowed them to push their way into this trip, regardless of their motives, if they'd ambushed her like that, but Chenzhou grants them more leeway than she thinks most people in his position would.

It's likely a holdover from his long period of illness, which really, was only a couple of weeks ago, so it's not too surprising that he hasn't grown out of it yet, but he's going to have to at some point.

The Song Manor front doors were intact. In fact, from the outside, it looked like most of the building still was. Some of the outer buildings had collapsed, including what looked to be a storehouse and a gazebo. The house must have had a large garden at some point, as most manor homes did as a matter of status.

Even the great houses in Aontacht, a city that occupied the entire island and had no space to grow, took up large swathes of space with their gardens. It had nothing to do with necessity and everything to do with wealth. Eirian loved fresh flowers and gardens, but even she could admit that the lower class of Aontacht would be so cramped and miserable if higher society gave up some space.

The steps leading to the front door were split and warped. Eirian stepped carefully along the side where they were nailed to the supports underneath, hoping those at least had enough integrity left not to dump her on her ass, and slowly made her to the door.

The carvings on the door matched the archway, and the remnants of the paint that had once covered the entire door were still clinging in a few places, though they were severely faded. The color would have been gone completely if the door hadn't been protected from the sun by the roof that extended out over the steps and the porch that ran along the outside of the manor.

The knocker was too rusted to move and had probably resembled an animal at one point. 

The doors themselves were slightly warped, the bottoms beginning to split where water and rodents had worn away at them. Eirian didn't recognize the wood used, but it wasn't allgreen, which was very unique when cut for construction, nor was it the pink or white baelric that was the second most common wood used to build homes in Sorrow. 

It was possible the wood had come from Song and Snow. Some kind of elm or fruit wood, but Eirian wasn't familiar enough to recognize it. The wood looked like it had expanded over the years, swelling until it hit the frame and sealing the door shut.

It was going to take some strength to pull open. Otherwise, they'd just have to chop it down. 

Would that make the ghosts angry? The thought jumped into Eirian's head, and part of her wanted to laugh. All her life, and now she was considering what would make a ghost angry. A ghost she hadn't even seen herself.

It wasn't like the ghost could do anything to her anyway. 

Right?

Eirian reached for the door handle, but before she could touch it, the door started to creak and shake. 

She stepped back as it swung open.

The interior of the manor was dark, with a few broken beams of light coming through holes in the ceiling. The dust in the air looked like glittering gold in the light. She could just make out the staircase leading to the second floor and the hallways that disappeared into shadow.

There were hints of its past greatness. The staircase being one of them. There seemed to be a few paintings still hanging on the walls. Furniture that hadn't moved in decades.

An eerie quiet settled over the place as Eirian stepped inside, Ardain at the ready.

~ tbc