When morning came, the sun rose with a dark red light and the wind was fresh with the pollen of the summer flora. The watchmen began to awaken the predetermined search parties after awaking Kunigunde. She paced around the camp as she ate her breakfast. They had distributed a rationed deer kill, each person receiving a small portion. Sibylla sat in the front of her tent with her arms wrapped around her knees. Nobody conversed with her.

“Sibylla, follow me,” Kunigunde instructed as she walked by. Sibylla arose promptly without speaking. Kunigunde found this informality unusual but welcome. She has not had a friend that spoke to her as an equal since a few days before she departed for the Blue Pillar. She lead Sibylla back to one of the supply tents, guarded by two sentries wielding rifles. The sentries saluted with their fists to their hearts. Kunigunde passed them by with a walking salute in response.

“Have you had any sword training, Sibylla?” Kunigunde asked.

“No, ma’am,” Sibylla said with a degree of guilt. She felt frightened, to the regret of her accepting the task. “I have had basic bow skills taught to me by my father, Calev. That is the only weapon I have any experience with unless you consider dressing a bull.”

Kunigunde picked up a longsword and unsheathed it, inspecting it closely. The pommel was inserted with large red jewel and the quillons were with no curve. Sibylla stayed silent with her hands behind her back. The princess lightly touched the edge to feel its sharpness. She re-sheathed it and handed it to the deorling. Sibylla grasped by the scabbard near the cross-guard. She then grasped it with her right hand. While it was forged to be used primarily for two hands, she could only fit one and a half hands on the grip. She unsheathed it several inches to examine the blade. The fuller had what appeared to be an etching of the Creatrix Flower and the Seal of Viapacis. Under the Flower, it read, “Naubau Klopt”. Sibylla did not know what this meant but; upon closer inspection, there were scratches on the etching of the Flower. This discomforted Sibylla.

“Ma’am, forgive me. I am not ungrateful for your lending this to me, but it appears that an illustration of the Creatrix Flower has been heavily scratched. This would make me feel uncomfortable to carry.” Sibylla said. She was worried that she would offend the Princess, but she thought it would be best to address the issue immediately.

Kunigunde leaned forward to inspect it. She made a great exhale when she saw the damaged etching. With a bite of her lip, she drew her sword that was girded to her right side. The Princess’s sword was very similar to the sword that she had given to Sibylla, almost the exact same.

“Take this one then,” Kunigunde said while trading swords with Sibylla, “That sword belonged to the man we hunt for.” The swords fit into both scabbards interchangeably.

Sibylla then began to suspect that that man was likely employed by the Viapacian Family. The two exited the supply tent after Kunigunde gave Sibylla a bag of supplies. They had brought many reassembled kits with them from Viapacis. Oil, rope, jerky, knives, tinder, water skins, wine, bandages, red flags, and sharpening stones were in them.

It was not long until many of the other search parties had left and Kunigunde’s company was prepared to begin its search. Search parties gathered around coordination flags to avoid confusion they left in 10-minute intervals. Kunigunde's company was the last to leave. She told Sibylla to remain close to her on the mission. The day began to warm as they descended the gentle Hills down to the fields below. They walked for many hours and had few breaks as Sibylla’s nose constantly sensed the air. During the nights, they slept without tents.

There is nothing of interest found within the first few days of the march. But on the morning of the fourth day, before the sun rose while most of the men were still asleep, Sybilla awoke to the distant smell of decay brought by the wind. She smelled the air for a few seconds to confirm what she had awakened to. Kunigunde slept several feet beside her. Sibylla hesitated for a moment, is this something to awaken the princess for?

After a moment of thought, she moved and kneeled next to Kunigunde and grasped her shoulder.

“Madam Kunigunde,” She said lightly shaking her shoulder as Kunigunde’s eyes slowly opened. “I am sorry to wake you, but there is a foul smell on the air, a dead animal perhaps. I thought you might want to know.

There were a few seconds of silence as Kunigunde came to her senses. She grabbed her sword as she stood up, almost losing her balance. “Can you lead us to it?” Kunigunde asked.

“I reckon I can,” Sibylla responded.

“Then gird your sword and follow me, bring your pack as well,” Kunigunde said with confidence as she girded her sword and armored herself. She did not gird herself with anything else except wine and some bacon and Sibylla did as Kunigunde instructed.

The princess gathered four other men: Samson, Michael, David, and Eric, and told the watchmen to stay and keep the rest of the men back. The night was bright with starlight and moonlight. When they readied, they departed.

“Lead the way, my friend,” Kunigunde said.

Sibylla sniffed the air once more as the others watched. After a few moments, Sibylla began to walk further northeast. Several minutes at a time they would walk, until Sibylla stopped to smell the air again, usually adjusting their path. For about a half of an hour they trekked until they came across a shallow stream that had a gravel bed of sharp rocks. They walked downstream until it was not only Sibylla that could smell the foul odor.

At this time, the light from the sun started to barely brighten the atmosphere of the horizon. As they continued downstream, Michael looked down into the water.

“Ugh!” Michael interjected.

“Quiet!” Kunigunde whispered intensely.

“Look, milady!” Michael whispered back as he pointed to the water beside his feet. There laid a bloody skin with dark fur.

Kunigunde approached it to examine it more closely. She unsheathed a knife from her boot to pick up the skin. “It looks like goshen skin. Are goshen native to this area?” She asked. Holding it close to her face, she exhaled with emotion. “This bears the Viapacian brand. This is ours. Conrad must have been here, or another animal killed it. Are there any animals in this area that hunt goshens?”

“Conrad?! The Prince of Viapacis?” Sibylla whispered with intensity. Sibylla was now concerned that the Prince was in danger. There was an old deorling legend that men could lose their own will to a foreign entity as a spirit or a ghost that invaded their bodies, making them do strange things. Possession, they called it. Was Prince Conrad possessed, making him eat the raw meat of a goshen?

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Kunigunde sighed, “Yes. The man we are looking for is my brother. Now Samson?”

“There could be, milady, but none that I am certain,” responded Samson.

“Well, let us try to find the rest of it.” She said.

“Madam Kunigunde, the scent continues this way,” Sibylla said, pointing out of the stream’s path and into the fields.

Sibylla again lead the way, through the brushed perimeter of the stream. The pungent stench became even more potent. It was very close where they found the remaining parts of the goshen. Its organs hung out of its ribs and parts of its limbs had clearly been eaten. She knelt down and began to sniff the limbs where there were bite marks.

“Was that bag that you gave me belong to Prince Conrad, ma’am?” Sibylla said.

“Yes.” She responded quickly, as if she was annoyed.

“I can smell him on this, ma’am.” She said.

“Well, at least we have a lead. Let us have a quick look around for any more.” Kunigunde said.

After a short while, they found nothing of concern. As the sun rose, they arrived back at their parties to find them awake and preparing their breakfasts.

“Quickly prepare your breakfasts! You have an hour and then we move!” Kunigunde shouted as they arrived.

The sun now was now completely above the horizon, still giving a reddish glow to the wispy clouds. Kunigunde only ate a chunk of stale bread and drank some wine for her breakfast. Sibylla did not eat, however.

At the end of the hour that Kunigunde gave her men, they stood up after gathering all their things in haste. Sibylla lead them down the stream for several miles. The men had pleasant conversations among themselves: speaking about their wives, their children, their work. They told stories about their childhoods and humorous anecdotes.

“When I was 15 years of age, I once slit open my hand whilst trying to demonstrate that it was dull to my father. He thought most humorously of it.” One of the men said. It was met with a chuckle from most people and a few great hysterical laughs from others.

It was around ten miles after their march started that they stopped. “Excuse me, Madam Kunigunde. I smell wood burning upwind. It is likely several miles north.” Sibylla said with her hands together in front of her chest as if in prayer.

“Thank you, Sibylla. We will do as we did early this morning. But let us get closer before we separate again.” Kunigunde replied.

The company carried on, however, restricted to whispers. The wind started to become colder and more violent.

Within the hour the company stopped once again. Samson, Michael, David, and Eric once again followed Kunigunde; Sibylla was with them as well. She leads the Princess and the men once again further down the stream. The smoke that Sibylla smelled became visible in the sky: an opaque white. They could not see the fire as the grass and hedges were tall. They stopped for a moment.

“Weapons ready. Can you smell if anyone is there is, Sibylla?” Kunigunde whispered.

“I do not think that is Prince Conrad, ma’am. It is a Domaeling man, I can tell.” Sibylla whispered back.

Kunigunde sighed heavily as she sat down on the balls of her feet and covered her face with her gloved hands. Her men stared at her and glanced at each other, like a dog waiting for commands. A few moments passed.

“Carroll is that you?” The man shouted out.

Kunigunde stood back up. “Peace, friend!” She shouted back.

The man emerged from the tall grass. “Has Deorgrad invaded again?” He said in confusion. Never had the man seen anyone armed and armored as the Princess and her men.

Kunigunde rose back up to her feet. “No.” She said plainly as she then extended her hand towards the man and the man did the same. “Kunigunde Viapacis is my name.” She said, kissing the man’s mark.

The man hesitated for a moment before returning the kiss. “Jonah is my name. What brings you to here?” He asked.

“Forgive our presence. We are hunting a fugitive.” Kunigunde said.

“Oh? What are their crimes, if you mind not me knowing?” Jonah asked.

“Murder, treason, heresy, and blasphemy at the least,” She said with an annoyed tone.

“Oh my,” Jonah interjected. “Is there any service I may be of?”

“Well, you have not happened to see any strangers?” Kunigunde asked.

“I am afraid not.”

“Do you have a reliable map? Our maps have proved to be less than very helpful.” Kunigunde requested.

“Of course, milady! Come to my house.”

He lead them about 300 yards farther North. Kunigunde drank from her canteen as they walked upon rocky trails between the high grasses. They came upon a small hut with a thatched roof and walls of wood and pitch. The windows had no glass but were covered with and the door hinges were made of leather. As they got closer to the house, the ground became muddier and the mosquitoes became more prevailing, especially around the well. Just outside the door was a large table stained with blood.

Jonah held the door open for Kunigunde and her men. In the house, was a rope suspend bed on the side and a large table in the center. There were embers still smoking in the chimney. The floor was covered in dirt

“I apologizer for the disorder. I was not expecting the Princess of Viapacis.” Jonah said.

“There is nothing that you should apologizer for,” Kunigunde said.

There was a short moment of silence. “What am I doing? May I serve you some beer. I have a keg all the way from Turoekanst that I received as a gift.” Jonah offered as he already went to retrieve it; climbing up a ladder to the loft of the hut.

“I appreciate the offer, Jonah but as you may imagine, there is a dangerous man in your fields. Perhaps you can come to my Viapacis someday and we could drink it then.” Kunigunde said.

“You are right, my apologies!” he shouted from the loft.

There was rustling and banging up in the loft as they waited in the main room below. Sibylla and the men did not speak the entire time but they exchanged looks and examined the room. Soon Jonah claimed back down the ladder after dropping a leather envelope down.

“Here is one of my maps. I have several others. I believe this one is the most accurate.” Jonah said as he picked the envelope back up and set it on the large table.

He pointed to the map, “We are here. The crossroads at Fox Run are about ten miles north.”

“We have made it farther than I had anticipated,” Kunigunde said turning to her men. “Eric and Michael, go tell the men to approach. We shall wait here.”

“Yes, Milady,” Eric said. The left immediately as the windswept their hair as they exited the house.

“If you be waiting here, milady, why not enjoy some ale? I would very few things more than to serve our princess our best.” Jonah said.

“I would not take your best ale, but if you have enough for all of us as well as the two that just left and you insist, then I will drink. But we cannot stay long after the rest of my company arrives. There are people in danger.” Kunigunde said.

“Without hesitation! I will return shortly from my cellar.” Jonah said. He walked quickly out the same door that Michael and Eric departed from.

“A very nice man,” Samson commented, clearly an attempt at small talk, yet not insincere.

Kunigunde stayed silent as the thoughts of regret crept into her mind. “I should have stayed Conrad’s hand and this would not have happened.” She thought.

In the silence, a woman close in age to Jonah entered the house. She was with child and she leaned back with her arms on her hips. “Woah! You have chosen your plundering locations poorly, we have not much to take.”

“Worry not, milady! Jonah invited us.” Kunigunde said as she stood from the chair and walked toward the woman with her hands visible. “I am Kunigunde Viapacis. I am most honored to meet you.

“Carroll elpst Angkultap. What is our princess doing here in the countrysides?” the woman said.

“Hunting a fugitive. Is Jonah your husband? He ” Kunigunde asked.

“Jonah is indeed my spouse. Where is he? I heard him call me.” Carroll Asked.

“He insisted to serve us ale. He went to retrieve it a few moments ago.” Kunigunde said.

David and Samson stood up and formed a small line behind Kunigunde to proceed with introductions. Sibylla stayed standing next to the wall with her hands folded in front of herself.

“Samson elpst Viapacis.”

“David elpst Oxbow.”

“What about you, young lady?” Carroll asked with enthusiasm.

Sibylla then approached, again careful not to scratch the wooden floor with her claws. She kissed Carroll’s hand and bowed her head down to offer her ear.

“Sibylla tü Toroekanst, ma’am. It is a pleasure to meet you.” The lone deorling said.