The pregnant pause that hung in the air in response to Liraeth's question was troubling. It should have been a simple enough question to answer, but clearly the Knight was putting in a great deal of thought to it, his brows furrowed, sat in silence. He had been careful in his wording, trying his hardest not to activate the Geas cast over the Knight, but there was still something strange about his manner that made Liraeth wonder if there was something more deeply wrong with his newfound companion's mind.

He would have to take the time of preform a more thorough examination on him. But first they had to get out of this castle, the dark presence that hung over it could not be doing either of them any good. 

Thankfully, it seemed that his second question was a lot easier for the Knight to answer. He sat up promptly and finished unfastening the last of the soot stained armour that had previously encased him, though Liraeth did note that he kept his sword fastened to his belt. When he stood he seemed steadier on his feet than Liraeth had seen previously. Standing next to him he had almost forgotten how big the Knight actually was, almost a full head taller than Liraeth was, and broader by far at the shoulder than the slender mage. 

They picked his way through the piles of burnt wreckage and rubble, retracing Liraeth's steps back to the sundered gatehouse that led to the mossy cobbles of the forest road beyond, when Sir Tenth asked him a question.

He considered it. Had he found what he was looking for? 

He had come here following dark rumours, tales of strange signs and portents, of things not of this world emerging from a dark and isolated forest and the damage they were bringing to the people of this land. And then when he had arrived he had wanted to find the source of the calamity that had befallen the castle, and whoever had placed such a hideous curse upon the Knight. He still wanted to find those things, out both a mix of obligation and righteous indignation.

But in his heart of hearts, Liraeth knew the real answer to this question.

He had been looking for [i]him[/i].

And he did not know whether to be relieved or bitterly disappointed that he had not found any clear sign that he had been here. There were only the scattered fragments of the ritual he had to go off of, and whatever he could glean from the memories of the damaged Knight accompanying him. It was not much, but it was more than nothing.

"I found... something," he replied slowly, "not quite what I was looking for, but a start nonetheless. And I guess I found you as well, Sir Tenth, so that counts for something too." 

They passed through the opened gates, beneath the rusting teeth of the iron portcullis that hung above, and beyond the foreboding walls of the castle. Liraeth found he could already breathe easier here, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, one that he had barely noticed at the time, yet its sudden absence left him feeling light as a feather. The persistent rain that had troubled them thus far finally began to let up, the sky clearing even as the day grew long

With the rain finally stopping, Liraeth pulled his multicoloured hood down and pushed his light blonde hair away from his face, revealing the tips of his pointed ears. A teardrop of aquamarine crystal hung from the lobe of each. He looked up at the sky and gave it a wan smile of appreciation.

He knew they would not make it far this day, so the pace that Liraeth set was not a hurried one. Though the Knight had said they were well enough to travel, he had seen how unsteady on their feet they had been only hours before. It had taken Liraeth the whole morning of walking at a brisk pace to make it out to the castle from the village closest to the edge of the forest. They would have to spend at least one night in the forest, perhaps two if the Knight needed more time to rest and recover. 

As they traversed the slope down away from the castle, Liraeth spoke again.

"How is your head feeling now, Sir Tenth? Any easier to think? I was hoping that I could ask you some questions about what you remember about what happened back at the castle... there is no rush though, we can take our time."