~Chapter 5- An Empty Home~

They found Seamus's house at the edge of the inner circle of the city. The retired seafarer bought a home in the city of Mortel, lived as a recluse, and rarely associated with anyone. While most cities in the area were built from clay and straw, this one was made of fine wood and stone. The two-story home had a pleasant view of the rural outer ring of the city.

... It wasn't far from Urba's home.

Since Seamus had no kin, the city was at a loss as to what to do with the home. Since the investigation, it had been left alone. With few neighbors around, there would be few prying eyes to their antics. The house's front door had a flimsy barricade nailed onto it, one that Ceptance quickly did away with.

"Aingr said we could take a look, just not to tamper with anything, right?" Ceptance said as the door creaked open.

"Yes... but I doubt he'll notice if we end up looking closely at something. Keep an eye out for that same mark we saw on his body," Lumb said. The three began to wander about the home.

The home was surprisingly spacious for a single person, yet dusty. Dustier than one would expect, considering Seamus had only been dead for a few weeks. There was a room with a long table where dinners could be held, though it looked unused.

Seamus' bedroom was plain as well. There was a sizable bed, a rocking chair, and a bookcase filled with material the old man must've used to amuse himself with. On a desk were several bottles, each with miniature replicas of ships.

"Lumb! Come upstairs!" Ceptance hollered from above them. Lumb and Deporah found the staircase leading up to an attic.

Basins around the room held clay and putty, and at a fine table near one of the walls were figurines made of the materials. Various animals, ships, trees - there even seemed to be a small replica of the King's castle. Lumb looked at the figurine of a clay dog; it was so intricately detailed that he could even see the bristles of fur coming off it.

Lumb was about to set it back on the table when it slipped from his grip. The clay dog's leg broke off. Lumb made sure none of the others had seen and promptly walked away from the scene of the crime.

On another table in the attic were half-done figurines, surrounded by brushes, wooden tools of various shapes, scalpels, and other things to assist in creating intricate details.

"Is this what he did with his time?" Ceptance brow furrowed as she looked at the many figurines set about the attic.

"Must've been. I could see him making a bit of money off it."

"Being cooped up like this all day would drive me crazy," Ceptance relented, "...Lumb?"

"Yes?"

"...If I ever think of retiring like this guy, put me out of my misery."

Lumb scoffed, "It's more likely that you'd kill me if I tried to get you to retire."

Deporah picked up a clay figurine of a knight, no doubt modeled after one of the Kingsguard. Each plate of their armor was detailed, and the sword was even detachable from the rest of the figure.

"I heard he was a good sculptor," Deporah remarked.

"Deporah, did you meet Seamus?" Lumb asked.

Deporah nodded but said nothing else. He didn't ask more, in case it would stir up some bad memories for her. There had been enough of that already.

"No sign of that mark anywhere," Ceptance remarked as she looked over each of the figurines.

"Maybe there'd be something in the basement?"

They found a wooden staircase leading to a stone basement beneath them. Without windows, they had to rely solely on their lanterns to see anything down there. More clay figurines waited ahead - finished ones that had been painted and set into cabinets against the wall. There must've been a hundred figurines between each of the displays.

They began to look over the figurines one by one, but no sign of the mark was found. But there had to be something here. There had to be.

Then a scent hit Lumb's nose. It was faint, but he caught a horrendous whiff of... something. He began to sniff the air, recoiling whenever he caught a hint of whatever it was. He followed it to a specific cabinet.

"What's wrong?" Ceptance asked.

Lumb smelled a faint yet horrendous odor, whatever it was, it was originating from this cabinet. He began looking through each of the figurines there.

"Do you smell that?

Ceptance and Deporah both sniffed at the air before finally catching a trace of it. "Oh! What is that?"

Lumb looked over each figurine, figuring that one of them might be the source. But it didn't seem to originate from either of them. The stench was still very faint but certainly present... Could it be behind the cabinet?

"Mom, help me with this," Lumb said as he braced his shoulder against the side of the cabinet and began to push. It was surprisingly heavy; it didn't budge until Ceptance lent her aid.

The wood grinded against the stone floor, and behind it revealed another door. The smell became more evident with the cabinet out of the way. "I don't think the lieutenant knew about this..."

Lumb parted the door slightly, and the foulest smell he'd ever encountered wafted through. Through harsh coughs, he stepped back.

"Deporah, you might want to wait upstairs... I don't think you want to see whatever is in there."

Deporah gave him the same dour look as usual and nodded before heading up the staircase. With a hand over her mouth, Ceptance opened the door.

There was another small room. They peered in and saw a single bed, sized for one person. It was without any sheets and had dark stains on it. At each of the four corners of the bed were shackles.

Around it were several barrels filled with some liquid - a slosh. One of them had been left open and was clearly aged and rotting. In one corner of the room was a table with a funnel, several cutting tools, a bottle of alcohol, an unlit candle, and a journal lying on it.

"What happened here?"

Lumb kept a hand over his mouth to obscure the smell. He observed the featureless journal... All it had was a list of names filling a few pages. One caught his eye; the very last name on the list was Seamus.

"Anything impor-" Ceptance gasped as she looked at the side of the bed. Lumb looked as well and saw a corpse. The skin of the body was discolored and tight to the bone, the abdomen was bloated, and dried liquids were visible around its mouth. Whoever it was, they'd been dead for a while. Lumb nearly vomited at the sight.

The two rushed out of the room, Lumb holding tight to the journal he found. Both were speechless, trying to catch their breath and get the smell of that room off them.

"Uncle? Grandma?" Deporah's voice echoed from the staircase.

Ceptance rushed out of the room, "You should stay upstairs, dear, you don't want to see what's in there."

"But... There's a man here." Deporah whispered.

They quieted themselves. They listened carefully... there were footsteps upstairs. Lumb drew his axe from his belt and readied it in front of him, while Ceptance wielded her hand axe.

"Get behind us, dear," Ceptance whispered, and the little girl circled around them. After dowsing their lanterns, Lumb trod up the stairs with his axe held out in front of him.

Lumb looked around corners as he reached the ground floor. Hay had been laid on the ground, and he could hear the quiet shuffling of feet elsewhere in the home.

... They were in the dining room.

Lumb and Ceptance separated, heading for the two pathways into the dining room. Lumb peeked around a corner and saw a large man in a trench coat with a hood pulled over his head, scattering hay around the house.

The man reached into his coat. His movements were rigid and unnatural. He pulled out a piece of flint and a dagger, knelt, and began to dash them together. Sparks started and caught onto the hay, creating the beginnings of embers that quickly grew.

'This man must be responsible for everything that's been going on.' somehow, Lumb thought.

Lumb stepped out into the dining room with his axe firmly gripped, "Hey!"

The hooded man promptly stood and turned to Lumb. In the darkness, he couldn't make out any features but could see bright green eyes.

The fire began to spread behind the man through the dining room. The flames trailed up the walls and began to burn away the walls, keeping Ceptance out of the dining room.

"Get out of here!" Lumb shouted to the others.

The hooded man looked at the spreading fire, then at Lumb. He charged, reaching out his hands for the axe. Lumb went for a swing, but the hooded man caught it by the handle before it could gather much momentum.

The two grappled over the axe, and Lumb could tell the man's solid frame was much stronger than his wiry body. He tried to wrest the axe away, but the green-eyed man's grip was tight.

With a strong shove, Lumb was knocked to the ground. But he didn't dare release his axe, pulling the man down with him. The hooded man pulled as hard as he could to tear the axe away. All the while, flames were spreading.

Lumb could feel his fingers starting to give out; he wouldn't be able to hold the axe much longer. But then, the man screamed. A handaxe had struck him in his shoulder. Ceptance had thrown it at him while little Deporah stood behind her.

Lumb jerked the axe away from the man. He pulled the handaxe from his shoulder, tossed it on the ground, and ran past Lumb. Glass shattered; the hooded man had charged out of a window.

"Get up!" Ceptance commanded as she helped her son to his feet. She picked up her handaxe, and the three rushed outside the burning building. They looked for a trace of the hooded man, but he had vanished into the night.

Lumb knelt outside the house as the flames grew more powerful. Neighbors had left their homes to witness the fire.

"He was destroying evidence!" Lumb said.

"I think you're right," Ceptance replied, "But who was he? What about the dead man in the basement? Why would he destroy evidence today of all days?"

"...Not sure..." Lumb pulled out the notebook he had taken from the basement, "I wonder if this means anything. We should give this to the Kingsguard."

"With a fire like this, it shouldn't take long for them to come here."