Twelve times the bell tolled. Nene waited a few minutes before leaving her room. She brought the silver cross and dagger, hidden under her commoner clothes. It wasn't safe to venture out without her cloak, but she had no better option. It was likely that her witch theory was only a conjecture. In any case, if there was a real danger, at least she had some tools with her. She found Argor behind the counter, carrying some sacks into the kitchens. The inn was deserted, which was a good omen.
«Is Father Cosco doing mass again? That was fast», the innkeeper said.
«Yes. Aren't you going to church?»
He snorted. He left the heavy sack on the ground, causing a muffled thud. A scent of boiled potatoes and aromatic herbs was coming from the back of the inn.
«No. I’m cooking for the night. Don't look at me like that, you pipsqueak! I have a business to run, I can go to mass during the morning only. I'll go tomorrow»
«Please do»
«I'm not stupid»
Skipping mass once was no big deal in the end. The reason why the priests were so rigorous was to establish a habit. That way, people got used to taking the matter very seriously, thus minimising the risk of unrecognised possession.
«What ‘bout you?», the man challenged her.
«I'm busy», she replied dryly.
She rushed out of the inn. She didn't have all day, since mass in such a small village couldn't last long. Perhaps the priest would keep people a little longer with a sermon, explaining his abnormal behaviour that morning. She hoped that was the case, and that Cosco had made up a convincing story, one that didn't mention church burglaries.
She walked along the path, retracing her steps from that morning, as she was still unfamiliar with the village. Ostiir's house was on the edge of the woods. She recognized it as soon as she saw it: doors and windows were still rigorously barricaded. It had been at least two hours since she'd met Nila around there. She was told that the carpenter had a fever and needed medicines. Why did it take so long? Had Nila had to prepare some medicines on the spot? In her house? Did she have the equipment to do it? Had they gone to mass together?
More and more questions arose. She couldn't tell if it was intuition or paranoia, but too many coincidences, too many unusual events were taking place in that village, seemingly innocuous enough to go unnoticed by themselves, almost as if someone was hiding their tracks. Someone who was perhaps watching her from the shadows. She felt like someone was watching her at that very moment…
She checked the surroundings, between the trees, but saw no one. The village was deserted. Everyone had gathered at mass, as expected. She approached Ostiir's house and walked around it, away from the street. When she was at the back, out of sight, she began looking for a way inside. She examined the doors, but they were extremely solid, and forcing them might have attracted someone's attention. Almost instinctively, she put an ear to a window. She heard nothing, but sensed something worse… A familiar nausea pervaded her as she touched the dark wood of the building. Her blood boiled at the unmistakable presence of traces of the damned.
"Found it", she thought.
The beast was in that house. Or at least they had touched those doors.
She shivered. She inspected the house on all sides, determined to get inside, at the risk of being caught in the act. Unfortunately, she found no opening, so she decided to let go of discretion. She returned to the back window. She held back her disgust at the foul thing she had sensed, as well as her mind, desperately trying to speculate and jump to conclusions. She drew her dagger and tried to stick it in a crack between the doors, and tried to force them open simply by leveraging. Every creak startled her. She felt like a criminal. If she were caught she would surely be labelled as such. People would be quick to judge the newcomer in the village.
A louder creak brought a satisfied smile to her face. The doors were not barred from the inside, the crack widened a little. She managed to glimpse a small latch that held the two doors together. With a firm pull, the bolt gave way. The doors snapped out and slammed loudly against the wall. The hinges vibrated and clanged. Nene stood motionless for several moments, half expecting someone to come running. Luckily for her, none of that happened. She peeked inside the house, shrouded in shadow, and her feeling of nausea grew again. She had no more doubts.
The disgusting damned had been in there.
It wasn't Ostiir. She would certainly have noticed when she met him, otherwise. She had to go in and find out what was going on. If the beast was still in there, she was vulnerable without her cloak. A lump in her throat made her hesitate.
She held the dagger firmly and climbed inside.
An unspeakable stench greeted her. The foul smell only made her nausea worse. She waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dark. Luckily the house was of simple construction, and small glimmers of light filtered through the beams, allowing her at least to distinguish the bulkier objects and the walls. She was at the end of a corridor with a creaking floor. The house was bare at first sight. She took a few cautious steps forward. She didn't want to stumble somewhere, not sure if she was alone there.
There were two doors, one to her right and one to her left. Slowly, she approached the right one and opened it. The creak startled her, she gripped the dagger tightly and kept her free hand ready to rush for the cross hidden under her tunic, in case of need. She entered what she quickly realised was a kitchen. There were some shelves, a table, a pot…The room smelled of sweat instead of food. Her feet got caught on something on the ground. She squinted and saw some blankets: someone was sleeping there. It wasn’t unusual, especially for poorer families,to have not enough space available to sleep comfortably. She deduced that Ostiir must have had a family, but where were the other members?
She would have liked to inspect further, but without a light source it was impossible, and opening the windows might have attracted the attention of someone who, like Argor, had not gone to mass. So she retraced her steps and went for the opposite door. Unlike the previous one, which had a simple wooden handle, that one had no knob. She rested her hand on it and, when she did, she had to hold back not to retch. The feeling of disgust grew so strong that she almost passed out. She had never felt with such intensity that kind repulsion. With trembling knees, she went in.
The door scraped on the floor and creaked ominously. It was battered. An unrecognisable stench came from within, but no sound suggested an immediate threat. She tried to analyse the situation in the dark. What she saw left her dismayed. There was a single bed in the centre of the room. The white blankets, which reflected the little light present, were marked with dark spots. Only then did she recognise the smell of blood. Some ropes were scattered on the floor: someone had been held prisoner there.
It was then that she heard shouting from outside.
She rushed into the corridor. She had to get away as soon as possible. The noise of footsteps and voices had become intense. Whoever they were, they sounded agitated and were rapidly closing in on the house.
She was trapped!
She, the outsider, would have been found violating the property of a local, in a village far from civilization, where a damned and other worshipers of the Evil One were hiding. On top of that, they could have accused her of whatever had happened in that house. As she weighed her options, someone knocked on the main entrance.
«Ostiir? Hey! Is everything fine?»
«Anybody in there?»
Those people sounded really worried. Nene ran to the window, but it was too late. She heard voices coming from the back as well.
«There's an open window here!», someone shouted.
«What are you waiting for? Get in!»
«Who, me? Are you kidding? What if there’s a bandit inside?»
«Call Father Cosco!»
The priest! Maybe the priest could save her. She wasn't sure what excuse Cosco could come up with to cover for her, but in the worst-case scenario, he could testify that she was an Inquisitor. She just had to hide until he arrived. Luckily for her, folks seemed reluctant to break into the house. She slipped into the kitchen and waited, her heart racing.
----------------------------------------
After a few minutes, she recognized the priest’s voice coming from the back of the house. That was the best time to come out and surrender. She walked to the window she had forced open. The light from outside dazzled her, and when she looked out, she was greeted with a series of dismayed gasps.
«Can someone tell me what's going on… Oh», the priest saw her.
Nene froze, not knowing what to say. A group of twenty or so villagers had surrounded the house, and they seemed more worried than furious. She looked for the priest, who was even more bewildered than her.
Until an elderly man with a long grey beard spoke.
«Isn't that your niece?»
«Yes. It’s her! I saw her by the market with Nila», a woman added. «What are you doing in Ostiir's house, uh?»
She hid the dagger in her robes, and stepped over, coming out very slowly. She had to make sure not to frighten these people and make her circumstances worse. From the small crowd emerged Argor, who stared at her in disbelief.
«You were right», a man told him. «There was someone inside the house»
«Speak up girl! What were you doing in there?»
«She has smashed the window!»
«A thief?!»
«But she's Cosco's niece!»
«Let's check her pockets! Pious folk don't break into other people's homes just for fun!»
The priest walked beside her and spread his arms.
«Everyone, calm down. Let her explain»
«She’d better have a good explanation!»
«Yes, she won't get away with it just because she's your relative!»
«Right! A thief is still a thief!»
Nene sighed. The situation was getting out of hand. Cosco had at least saved her from being attacked right away, but it was up to her to get out of trouble. And there was only one way to…
She took out the large silver cross she was carrying with her and raised it in a solemn gesture.
The priest turned pale. Most people looked at her puzzled, except for the old man with the thick grey beard, who immediately knelt.
«What are you doing, dad?», a young woman asked.
«You imbecile! That's the Inquisition’s cross!»
«The…»
Having finally realised the implications of his words, some of the villagers imitated the old man, but not all of them. Some folks were waiting for Cosco to intervene.
«People of Dena», Nene said. «I am an Inquisitor from the Church. Your priest summoned me since a damned is hiding in this very village!»
Her statement caused a chaotic chatter. Her cover had become useless. By then she was sure she was one step away from the solution, and mobilising the villagers could be the best way to end it. All things considered, anything would have been better than seeing that place incinerated by the Knights.
«I had to hide my identity because, contrary to what the Church and the Archangel teach us, this damned fool did not submit themself to the care of your priest, but went hiding instead»
«Father, what's this all about?» a woman asked.
«Unfortunately she speaks the truth», he answered. «I have summoned an Inquisitor for help, to hunt down the fiend»
«Are we in danger?»
That simple question sent the small crowd into an uproar. The greatest concern was everyone’s safety. Nene glanced at Ostiir's house.
«I'm sure the damned was here. That's why I forced the window, and I inspected the house»
«Ostiir is damned?!»
«Oh no! It can't be!»
«Poor Ostiir, poor Gil!»
«I haven't found out yet», she admitted. «As an Inquisitor, I demand everybody’s assistance»
The villagers stared at her as if they didn't understand what she was saying. Luckily Cosco was there, ready to speak to his fellow villagers in a way they understood.
«If you want to protect your loved ones from the damned, you should do as the Inquisitor says»
With some indecision, the small group of villagers had gathered at the back of the house. They were awaiting her instructions. Their fear was evident, but it wasn't clear whether they feared the damned or Nene's authority more.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
«I need to take a better look inside this house. I need someone strong to come in with me and help me open doors and windows. Also, go get some holy water at the church»
A couple of young men stepped forward. Their bravado faded when they were close enough to the window to smell the stench coming from inside. Meanwhile, another group ran towards the church.
«Should we look for Ostiir?», the priest asked.
«First I want to examine the interior under sunlight. Besides… I know where to find him»
She motioned to the two thugs to follow her and went back inside the house. She ventured into the dark first, heading for the front door.
«What is this stench?», one asked.
«Don't touch anything without my permission!», she admonished them. «A damned has been here»
The trio came down the hall. Nene tried unsuccessfully to open the door. A heavy iron bar was blocking it. His two helpers, with little effort and discomfort, being almost completely in a dark and stinking den of monsters, finally managed to open it wide. The light dazzled all three. Cosco was waiting for them there in front of the house, together with the group of villagers who had meanwhile increased in number. The rumour was already spreading. One of the two boys ran out, terrified, into the arms of an elderly woman who called for him in despair. People were in an uproar, terrified, rightfully so.
«Try to open the windows in that room as well», Nene ordered, indicating the kitchen. «Do not touch anything unnecessarily. No one but me and the priest must enter the other room», she shouted to everyone.
With a nod, she invited Cosco inside. The house, now lit up, was in poor condition: the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dirt and there were everyday objects scattered everywhere. The worst aspect, however, was the bedroom. The priest began to visibly tremble at the sight of the blood-soaked blankets. Unfortunately, Nene was right: thick ropes, also filthy with blood, were tied to the bed. Someone had been held in that room against their will. Thanks to the newfound light source, she observed traces of struggle in the room: broken objects, some thrown on the floor. The creaking door was lopsided as if it had been struck repeatedly with unprecedented force. On closer inspection, she noticed that the ropes appeared to have bite marks on them. The prisoner had fought back against their captors.
«Inquisitor», Cosco whispered. «What does all this mean?»
«I'm not sure. The only certainty is that the damned was here. Perhaps they have tortured some innocent soul, or are about to sacrifice them to the witch or the Evil One»
«Oh no! Gil!»
«Gil? Who’s that?»
«Ostiir's son! Oh dear, do you think he was…sacrificed? Such horrendous blasphemy!»
«I can't prove it, not until we find this Gil and his father»
«Please save them! They are good people! Ostiir lost his wife during winter and since then he has raised his son alone, they are hard workers and…»
Nene put a hand on Cosco's shoulder, who was beside himself. She felt pity for his state of mind, but sadly she needed his assistance despite all.
«Father, please, get a hold of yourself. I need you to bless this house. Go through the procedure as if a real purge had taken place here. You should also remain on guard duty. I don't want anyone to see this mess»
He nodded, took a few breaths and seemed to regain his composure, though still pale and unmistakably disturbed.
«What will you do in the meantime?»
«I will find Ostiir, and find out what happened to his son»
She went out of the house. People were mumbling in fear. She looked for the young man who had kept his nerve just before, considering him a reliable guy with good principles. She found him chatting with some of his peers, slightly older than her.
«I have another assignment for you»
«Why him?!», one of his buddies said.
«What do you want me to do?», he asked.
Nene smiled. She had judged him correctly, hope wasn’t gone. Dena was not a den of heretics as she had feared. If the majority of the population had cooperated, she could have reported it to the Knights, who would have been less drastic with their investigation.
«I saw a blacksmith's shop at the square. Ask him if he made the bolt that closed Ostiir's door, and if so, what he remembers about it»
«I will»
She glared at his friends, two girls and a boy, all in their early twenties.
«Will you let him carry this burden alone?»
The small group of young people, heads lowered, set off towards the square. Nene continued to scrutinise people, who avoided her gaze in return. She needed a guide. Her last clue as to Ostiir's whereabouts was that the carpenter had gone to Nila's house to get some medicine. Unfortunately, she didn't know where to find it, and she hoped that Argor could lead the way, but he was gone. Luckily, amid that crowd of frightened people, someone stood out. It was the old man who recognised first the silver cross. Unlike the others, he was on his knees, facing the house, whispering a prayer with folded hands.
«What's your name?», she asked him.
He opened his eyes slowly, as if torn from a deep concentration, and smiled at her.
«My name is Loif, ma’am»
Being called "ma'am" felt extremely embarrassing. It was the correct etiquette, of course, but Nene had just recently been promoted to Inquisitor, she hadn't gotten used to it yet.
«Loif, I need a faithful soul to guide me somewhere. Can I rely on you?»
«Wait, just a moment», a young woman broke in. «Do you need a guide? I can do it. My father is old. Please, leave him be»
«My daughter is a good girl», the old man explained. «I know she didn't know the cross before, but please forgive her. Ours is a poor family, we couldn't get her to study much»
The girl nodded. A couple more men stepped forward. People were finally overcoming their fear, and starting to act for the salvation of the community and their souls.
«Do you know where Nila, the herbalist, lives?»
Her "guides" hesitated, until a man spoke.
«Everyone knows it but… We don't go near that place»
«What? Why is that?»
People around her exchanged hesitant glances. Finally, Loif got to his feet.
«Nila's father, God bless him, was a prodigious craftsman. He built their house with his own hands. A very strange house, to be fair. That's why fools are afraid of it»
«That's it?»
She breathed a sigh of relief. Deep down she wanted to believe that Nila wasn't involved in whatever was happening in Dena. She was just an out-of-the-ordinary person, and her father had been too. There must have been silly gossip going around the village about her family, nothing more.
«Gisela, go and accompany the Inquisitor», the old man said. «We must all work together, for our good»
«There's nothing to fear», Nene added. «Nila may know where Ostiir and his son are, that's all»
The woman nodded reluctantly and led the way.
Nene stopped at the inn to collect her belongings. Argor was not in the salon, and neither was his roundsman. Now that her cover was blown, she could put on her cloak again and carry her sword around. The black robe embroidered with silver made her feel safe. On the contrary, her companions seemed extremely impressed, almost frightened. They led her into the woods, along a path carved by footsteps in the grass. They were getting far away from the village, and Nene began to grow apprehensive, fearing an ambush. Usually, an Inquisitor travelled safely, no one would ever be foolish enough to attack them, not even marauders. Dena, however, was a mysterious place, where common sense seemed to falter. She had to stay alert.
Finally, she saw a building among the bushes. Her guides seemed increasingly hesitant as they got closer. Nene couldn't help but remember all those folk tales of a solitary witch who lives alone in the woods, in a bizarre hut created with blasphemous magic. Suddenly she began to sympathise with the fear of those people. But they were only fairy tales, weren't they?
She doubted her own reasoning when the entire house was visible. Gisela and the others refused to go any further. They came to a small clearing, in front of a house like she’d never seen before, even more bizarre than Ezio’s. The architectural style was unrecognisable, something Nene couldn't explain. It looked like a figment of a child's imagination, or perhaps from another land or era. It was made of clay bricks, the plan was a complex geometric shape, certainly not made by locals. The glass windows were framed with finely worked white wood and had no hinges. The wooden door had a small rose window in the upper part, a glass mosaic. The clay roof tiles had a precise convex shape, each one identical to the previous one. Despite its modest size, that building was of a more refined construction than anything that she had ever seen, as to make a nobleman's mansion seem crude in comparison. The dizzyingly high tubular chimney gave off a faint smoke.
Nene walked to the door. She climbed a couple of stone steps to a small landing. She noticed with amazement the brass handle, under which there was a small keyhole. She knocked, in vain. She tried to open it, but it was useless.
«Can we go now?», a villager asked.
«Yeah, I don't want to run into the alchemist»
"Alchemist"? Was that what they called Nila? She had been told that she was a sort of darling in the community, but apparently, some thought differently. After all, she was Ezio’s pupil, a very bizarre man, who lived in a strange and absurd house and had prodigious abilities to cure the sick.
«Go back to the village. You should gather the elderly and children in the church, to keep them safe»
Without waiting for her to finish the sentence, the three ran away.
Nene was weighing how to act when she noticed a small basket resting on a windowsill. It contained some eggs and a bouquet of wildflowers. She frowned, remembering the gruff shepherd who had promised to bring Nila gifts. She tried to push the window open but it was so bizarre she had no idea how to, if even possible. It was then that, to her utter amazement, she discovered it could slide upwards. The wooden frame rested on two rails, and a mechanism she could not decipher held it locked in place when fully opened. Yet another oddity of Dena, where technological advancement and rural life seemed to meet as if it were the most natural thing.
She broke into what looked more like a fairytale palace than a house in a remote village. The place was warm, the walls smooth and white, and the floor tiled with pink ceramic. It smelled of flowers and herbs and was extremely clean. The interior consisted of a single room, separated by curtains mounted on metal supports. There were several shelves filled with books, a metal bed with a mattress and even a wardrobe. Nene couldn't believe her eyes at all that bizarre opulence.
She approached what looked like a workbench, on which were arranged some alembics and some bowls containing salts and leaves of various types. All the equipment was in perfect order and clean, as was the rest of the house, suggesting that it hadn't been used recently. She breathed a sigh of relief. That house was really strange, but there seemed to be nothing dangerous, no signs of struggle or a sudden flight. However, something still didn't add up: where were Nila and Ostiir?
She went through some books, picked one at random, and skimmed through it. It was written in that bizarre but still understandable language she had found in the volume lent by master Ezio. She had been told it was the language of a distant land, but she needed to do more research to find out what it was. She opened the wardrobe, finding mostly fancy and expensive clothes, typical of Nila. Finally, she found a cauldron and some wicker baskets containing bread and other food. Her inspection was over, even if she didn't get much out of it. She couldn't get the general picture. Perhaps the meeting between Nila and Ostiir that morning had been a simple coincidence.
She climbed out, closed the window and walked towards the village, using the tall belfry as a compass.
----------------------------------------
Nene found her way back and headed towards the carpenter's house. Father Cosco was in front of it, sitting on the ground, with a worried expression. He had somehow managed to disperse the onlookers. Seeing her coming, he jumped to his feet and almost ran towards her.
«Did you find something?»
«Unfortunately, no. Nila said she took Ostiir to her house to give him some medicine, but I couldn't find any trace of either of them»
The priest sighed. The suspicious house had been sealed again, to prevent some fool from poking their nose into it.
«I cleansed that... that massacre, as you asked me. Now, I should go back to church. People are terrified and have taken refuge there. I can't leave them alone»
«Yes, it’s the safest choice. Instruct everyone to stay inside the church. They mustn't leave unless they have no other choice. Also… You should look for volunteers to guard this house. Ostiir could come back. He certainly knows something»
Cosco nodded several times. He pulled a wooden cross from his robes and raised it towards Nene.
«Be blessed, we're counting on you»
«I'll join you at the church as soon as possible»
The two went separate ways. Nene still had one lead to follow, that of the blacksmith. She went to the village square, almost deserted. The only ones still around, despite it being just mid-afternoon, were some craftsmen hurrying on closing up shop and the group of young people she had sent to question the blacksmith. She approached the forge. The craftsman, seeing her, turned pale.
«Inquisitor, how can I help you?», he said.
«Have you already been informed of what happened?»
«I told him everything», one of the young’uns explained.
The blacksmith nodded. He rubbed his bushy black moustache and cleared his throat.
«Ostiir had commissioned me that iron bar two weeks ago now. He said he needed it to reinforce a wall in his house. I found it very odd since he is a very good carpenter and could have fixed it with wood. Also, his is a poor family, since his wife who worked at the mill died they never had much money... yet he paid for the job in advance»
«How long ago, you said?»
«I think it's been at least a couple of weeks. Guys, do you remember the day Father Cosco wanted to bless all the houses? How much since then?»
«Yes, I remember that», a young woman answered. «That was at least... fifteen days ago»
«Did the two things happen on the same day?», Nene asked.
«Exactly»
She needed to write down what she had discovered to try to solve the mystery. Luckily, some information she had found led back to the priest, so her next step was obvious.
«I understand. You've been extremely helpful. You should take refuge in church as soon as possible, all of you»
«How long will this mess last, Inquisitor?», the smith asked. «We are simple folk, most of us get a living out of working on farms. We cannot leave crops uncultivated and animals in the stables for too long»
«Don't worry, I would never ask you to starve. I will solve the matter as quickly as I can. Father Cosco will take care of you and keep you safe»
«I'll hurry there as soon as I’m done here»
Nene walked towards the church, followed by the small group of frightened young people. One girl kept pestering her with her apprehensive questions. She tried to calm her down, understanding her state of mind, but felt extremely relieved when they arrived at the church. She took the opportunity to say goodbye and ran inside.
The scene was quite depressing. Her presence attracted many looks, looks of fear. Dozens and dozens of people were sheltering in the church, so crowded together that it was difficult to push her way through. It was all because of the negligence of just one individual, maybe a few. The Church had refined over the centuries a system to keep people safe from the Evil One. The moment the system failed, people lost their daily lives. They could count themselves lucky that no one had yet lost their life, or worse, their soul.
«Inquisitor, have you found it?»
«When can we go home?»
She pushed away people who clung to her robes, as she desperately searched for Cosco among that chaos. The air inside the church had grown humid and warm. She heard the cry of a newborn in the distance. On the ground, some of the folks had set up real makeshift camps, complete with improvised beds.
«Inquisitor, this way!»
The priest called her from the back of the church. He was directing an elderly woman at the small door that led to his private quarters.
«Father, I'm almost afraid to ask but... How is the situation?»
«As you can see it. I'm moving the most in need upstairs, but we can't keep going like this for long»
«You’re right. However this is the only sacred ground in the village, and I cannot stay here and protect all of you. I have to hunt down the damned»
The priest nodded. Blessing the soil required days of preparation and work, they couldn't improvise a shelter out of thin air, especially since the two of them knew that the damned might not have been the greatest menace out there.
«I need to ask you some questions», Nene said.
«Of course. But please be quick about it. I should speak to everyone. They're all scared, and I don't want panic or quarrels to break out»
«Master Ezio told me that you are old friends, is that true?»
«Yes. We met when I was little more than a child. He came from some town near the Capital, I don't remember the name. He was in correspondence with my predecessor and when he learned about the ruins in the woods near here, he came to study them. Eventually, he settled in the village»
It matched with what she knew, but it wasn't Ezio who intrigued her as much as a figure who until then had remained shrouded in mystery. She remembered the unusual way everyone seemed reluctant to talk about him, a behaviour she had thought was an act of kindness towards his daughter.
«And Nila's father? Were you friends with him too?»
Cosco nodded. He didn't seem keen to discuss the subject, yet Nene had to know. The Knights, upon their arrival, would have accused the most suspicious people in the village, without bothering too much to verify the situation. Nila was undoubtedly one of them. For her safety, it was mandatory to clarify.
«No one likes to talk about him. You may have noticed that people are even afraid of his home»
«Why so much fear? All I know is that he was a craftsman»
She thought back to the unusual house she had inspected just before, to Nila’s flask, capable of keeping the water cold for a very long time… But also the mill, and all the other technological prodigies she had observed in Dena, and she began to connect some dots.
«A craftsman from a distant and unknown land», Cosco finally said. «Which, one night… took his own life»