Red Riding Hood - Chapter 60
Slowly, everything came to a conclusion.
King Brian’s knights captured the wanted criminals, and even the descendants of those criminals faced trials as demon worshippers. The temple became the most significant piece of evidence in those trials.
However, the whereabouts of the White Goat Priest, the temple’s leader and the most prominent figure in the village, remained unknown.
Aside from Ylfus, no one believed that the White Goat Priest had fallen into the burning barn while saving Cinq. No trace of a person had been found in the barn’s ashes after the fire was extinguished.
The knights concluded, based on the evidence, that the angelic priest Cinq claimed to have seen was merely a hallucination caused by smoke inhalation. They believed the real White Goat Priest had fled into the forest the moment King Brian’s knights arrived.
Even the villagers of Mindi didn’t believe Cinq. While they admitted the priest had been fond of her, they insisted that such an intelligent and ruthless man would never risk his life to save a mere girl.
But Cinq’s faith was unwavering.
She climbed the tower and opened the door to the small study where the White Goat Priest had spent most of his time.
Despite his high status, the study was simple. Inside were only a desk, a large bookshelf packed with books, and piles of paper.
The window was half-covered, and thick curtains made of layered dark fabric hung over the uncovered portion.
Cinq pulled them all down, allowing sunlight to flood the dim room.
There was only one view from the window: the path leading from the temple’s back door, past the cemetery, and into the forest, with a wide field stretching between the cemetery and the woods.
Perhaps only Cinq knew the significance of this view.
Leaning her head against the window frame, she gazed at the scenery, then turned to look at the desk.
The wide desk was spotless, save for a single piece of old paper affixed to its surface. Cinq carefully removed it and examined it.
[Expandi manus meas ad te anima mea sicut terra sine aqua tibi]
I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a parched land.
Cinq couldn’t understand the words, but she smiled faintly and murmured,
“You know? Your words were always so difficult. I could only ever understand half of what you said.”
She still didn’t know his name, nor would she ever fully understand his feelings for her.
But one thing was certain—he had been there. She was the proof.
***
Cinq left the village with Ylfus. Soon, nothing would remain of the village.
On the day of their departure, Cinq tidied the house they had stayed in.
She burned perishable food and old clothes but set aside preserved provisions in the pantry for any wanderer who might one day stumble upon the house. She also organized the remaining medicine and stored it in a basket she had made with Six.
When all was done, Cinq donned her coat and tied her red hood over her head. She then went to the bedside drawer and retrieved the fève, a small ceramic figurine with tiny wings, glazed white.
She held it for a moment before kissing it affectionately and whispered softly to it,
“Thank you, my angel.”
She tucked the figurine safely into her cloak and stepped outside.
In the yard stood her husband, clad in black armor and a black cape, his wolf-shaped helmet gleaming.
Ylfus turned to her with a bright smile.
“Cinq!”
She smiled faintly and approached him.
Scooping her into his arms, Ylfus said,
“The vanguard is ready to depart. We’ll ride swiftly out of the forest with Sir Bétor and Leardon. The rear guard will stay behind to escort the prisoners.”
He lifted her onto his horse and climbed up behind her.
“It’ll be a bit tiring, but bear with it for a few days. We’ll reach the castle at Valdano soon.”
Looking up at him, Cinq said,
“I don’t mind, Ylfus. As long as I’m with you.”
Her words made Ylfus laugh as he bent his head down and nuzzled her cheek with his.
The rough scrape of his stubble made Cinq laugh out loud.
“It tickles!”
“Cinq, Cinq. You’re too cute! Don’t worry about a thing. Your knight is here to protect you.”
With a gentle kick, Ylfus urged the horse forward.
Speaking in a tender voice, he said,
“After resting at Valdano Castle, let’s travel home together. There’s so much I want to show you.”
Cinq smiled as she gazed up at him, but then she turned to look back.
Now, she understood.
The darkness wasn’t lurking in the forest. The wind was just wind, and ghostly apparitions didn’t truly exist.
All she saw were snow-covered trees and a small, tightly shuttered house in the woods.
But Cinq knew.
Even if it had all been a lie, even if it were merely an illusion visible only to her, one thing was certain.
There had been an angel in that village.
