It was true that they weren’t on good terms but Penny wasn’t spiteful to play a joke as dull as that even though Damien thought otherwise. Her uncle had lost his fingers thanks to Damien turning them to dust by using his hand which was more than enough along with the humiliation of what they had done to her to be known by the other villagers they lived with.
Penny said, “I wouldn’t do something like that, Aunt Marion.”
“Penny is right,” Damien supported her, “If she really wanted you dead, I would have you in the coffin before you even knew it. If you’re still alive it means we had nothing to do with it.”
“You broke my husband’s fingers, made it such that we cannot earn-”
“This is what happens when you try to sell people out who trusted you,” Penny retorted back at the woman before she could play the victim card, “Did he tell where this grave was dugged up?” she asked her relatives.
The wrinkles on her aunt’s face deepened, “It comes in the next town near house number twelve,” came the reply from her aunt.
Damien then asked the woman for what they had come here today, “Do you know where your sister came from or how she was before coming to your family?” he inquired about the woman who was the closest to her mother as they grew up as sisters.
“I don’t know,” the woman shook her head, “And I don’t even want to know about her. I would like to stay as far as I can from you,” she looked at Penny and then said, “And your mother.”
And with that information, Penny and Damien stepped out of the house and headed on their way to the next town to see the graves which had been dug for her mother and for her aunt and uncle. When there was no one to look at them, Damien held Penny’s hand and apparated to the next town without having the need to walk all the way there.
Penny asked him, “Do you know any councilman who would play a joke like this? A human.”
“There are plenty of humans who work for and in the council but I don’t think anyone has the audacity to come to someone’s home and pull up a joke like this one. Your aunt wasn’t sure if it was a councilman so it can be anyone who is of the high social standing and it can also be someone who rented clothes to look like he was rich while intimidating your uncle and aunt successfully,” Damien explained, their footsteps quick while they made past the houses that had been serialized in order.
“The person included my mother. Saying we the body was moved from the current cemetery to this place,” Penny pointed out that had Damien wondering who it might be.
“Must be a dear friend of your mother to be considerate enough to move the coffin of someone else. Only we knew that there was no body there until I spoke to the caretaker and the man filled it with someone’s body,” they walked past the fourth house while Damien continued to speak, “We can always check the grave to verify but do you think the person had any reason to scare your uncle and aunt over it?”
“I don’t think so. It is mind-boggling right now to think that someone would joke with them like that…” Penny didn’t know why one would do that.
Reaching the twelfth house, they walked to the next house to read the house that carried the number fourteen on it, “Hmm? Where is the thirteenth house?” Damien asked in wonderment.
Penny turned behind her to take a look at the number of the previous which was clearly written as twelve and one had to move to the other side of the street which was the next house denoted with the number fourteen.
“Is it located on the other side? Maybe the person who was marking missed to write the right one,”Penny said, looking at the next house and then the next one to notice that something was out of order, “I don’t think it’s a house,” her eyes moved from the houses to the barren land which was a few distances away from the houses.
Hearing her speak, Damien looked in the direction she was looking in to find a widespread forest that surrounded half of the village, the side where they stood at right now.
“The thirteenth number is not a house but the cemetery,” they walked away from the forest, moving past the wet and slippery ground to the forest area which had long grasses that had grown to the length of their knees.
Not too far away stood the lonely graveyard with not a single soul to be seen near it. They had come across people who were walking in and around the village which was enough to tell that this village was not under spell, unlike the one they had found in the land of Valeria. It wasn’t uncommon to have a bed of bodies to be laid in the forest as it contributed to the growth of the forest.
Walking closer to the cemetery, Penny saw how most of the lands and graves were occupied as the cross of wood was placed along with flowers. Some flowers were old and dead while there were few which were fresh but not fresh enough that was from today.
“There’s the grave,” Penny pointed when her eyes fell upon the two open dugged up grounds which were waiting just as the man had told her uncle and aunt. Going towards the grave she caught hold of the words that were carved on the wood. It was the name of her uncle and aunt there.
“Looks like someone doesn’t like your aunt and uncle. They must have done some shady business the way they sold you to the slave establishment,” said Damien, sitting down on his heels he observed the ground and the one next to it which was filled up, “I doubt it would be anyone from their village. No offense but they wouldn’t be able to afford clothes even if it was a rental one.”
