Penny stared at the letter which Alexander held in his hand. The envelope was dark green in color with a golden stamp on it. She found the timing to be quite odd as they were planning to confront the elderly couple once they would gather all the necessary information about them and their doings.
“What an opportune time. It is more than perfect that we go there by their invitation,” Damien stated when Caitlin interrupted him,
“They must have planned something to invite Lord Alexander and you. Their main target is you both,” she said looking at Damien and Penelope. Turning to Lord Alexander, she asked, “Have you ever eaten anything from there? In their house.”
“I have, why?” upon Lord Alexander’s response, her eyes cast themselves down on the table.
“Alone?”
“No, it was on one of the lunches they hosted.”
Caitlin looked slightly worried, “When we were young, Walter and I caught our uncle and aunt doing something in one of the rooms on the first floor of the house. Usually, people go to the bas.e.m.e.nts to hide something but my relatives have shown the people that they are harmless by taunting the people where they are blind and no nothing of what is going on.”
Penny tried remembering any strange room when she had revisited the Artemis’ house but there wasn’t any that she could recollect. Mrs. Artemis had taken them for a round of walk everywhere in the mansion as if to tell her everything in here was normal and they weren’t hiding anything or being suspicious.
But the truth was deeper than what they were trying to hide. The first floor…it must have been one of the rooms she had walked by.
When Damien gave Penny a look as if to ask her if she had spotted anything strange, she shook her head, “I think apart from the drink that was given to me, everything else appeared to look fine. Just like a normal house.”
“The villages we visited, they are some of the listed villages which the Artemis have been giving food,” Damien said looking at his cousin, “Obviously, they have been mixing something and giving it to them which explains what happened last night. Penny and I shall go back to the village today.”
“That’s good. I will go to visit Miss Helen’s house with Elliot. It is best for Caitlin to stay in here than get spotted by anyone who has known you,” he advised the woman who gave him a nod.
“I am sure most of them who knew me are already dead,” muttered the woman under her breath that had Damien smile.
Both Penny and Damien this time made use of carriage unlike last night where Damien had made use of his ability to transport him and Penny to the village. Reaching the village, the coachman pulled the reins of the four horses which also brought some of the attention from the local men and women.
It was only during the time of the council when carriages came to stop by the village or sometimes rare rich people of the society who came for the welfare which was as rare as the blue moon in the sky.
When Penny stepped out, she was surprised to see the number of people who were walking down the streets of the village. The people perfectly fine making it appear as if what they had stumbled upon last night was nothing but a dream.
“Look at the walking-talking people. What’s going on here?” he asked no one in particular as his voice was low, “More mystery to reveal.”
The coachman pulled over the carriage by taking it to one of the corners so that it wouldn’t obstruct the path of the fellow carriage men who would come to pass through this path.
“Look there, Damien,” Penny pulled his sleeve to get his attention, looking to her right where she jerked her head. It was the very same man who they had met in the first house, “It feels like a trick…”
A few hours ago they were looking dazed like a statue with no movement but right now, they looked healthy and fine.
“Let’s find out,” Penny followed Damien, making their way towards the man who was carrying an empty vessel. Noticing them approach him, Damien asked, “Hello, mister. Do you know where the magistrate’s office is?”
For a moment, Penny saw how the man looked blank as if trying to fetch the answer from his mind. His lips trembled before a smile came on his lips, his eyes wide as the night they had come to pass by.
It was obvious that the person wasn’t doing alright. The man raised his hand, pointing it in a direction to say, “You go around this corner and then take a left near the yellow house. You will find the office right in the corner,” the more seconds passed the more Penny started to feel creepy about this man. To smile like this with his eyes wide which somewhat gave out a mixed reaction, she didn’t know what kind of magic the Artemis had placed on the villagers.
She had tried finding it out from the books but there wasn’t much a white witch’s book could tell when this didn’t look like anything that belonged to pure magic.
“Is there anything else I could help you with?” the man asked politely and Damien smiled back to him.
“No, that would be all.”
The man bowed his head, his neck movements coming out to be reluctant, a slight jerk before he stood straight, “Then I shall be going on my way,” and with that, he walked away from them.
“This looks far worse than anything I have seen before,” Damien commented, starting to walk away from there and they started to feel the gazes of the people even though they weren’t looking directly at them, “I feel more popular today, mouse.”
Penny frowned while also smiling to say, “I think only you would like the popularity in any form.”
“Of course. You need to have all kinds of audience,” Damien’s chest puffed, running his hands as if he were an actor in the theater who was being received by his many admirers. The only admirers here being the doll-like people who were staring at them, their eyes following them when they passed.
She asked, “Do you think they have been hypnotized?”
“That could be one of the many options. Who knew that witches could do something so extreme by controlling more than a hundred villagers by their minds,” reaching the council office, they stepped back in to find the lady magistrate who this time was working instead of cutting vegetables.
