Here's a another piece of the puzzle.
Though Ramuz had slipped away again, we were understandably ebullient at the liberation of Cove and our steps were a bit lighter as we began to tend to the wounded. Suddenly, Iyona’s voice rose above ours. “I have found something!” she called out. To my surprise, Iyona was rummaging through the gory corpse of the slain beast. “A bag!” she said. “Or, it used to be…” She pulled a bloody, sodden mess out of the beast’s body. I retched, but I don’t think anyone saw me.
“It seems that the contents are not ruined,” Iyona mused, as she wiped the gore from the dark bundle. “A journal!” She gasped. “Malabelle’s journal!” Shocked murmurs rose from the crowd.
“It is written in a strange text I cannot read! It is not in a language of this realm!” Iyona’s frustration was evident. One of the Guard suggested that she show it to Clainin, and Iyona agreed. Wearily, she informed us that she was returning to the Castle and taking Malabelle’s journal with her. She congratulated the Guard on their bravery, and left. Her departure was a bit abrupt, but I and other attributed that to her exhaustion and her frustration at the escape of Ramuz.
I made my way back to my home and set my pen to paper in order that you, my noble Lords and Ladies, should hear of today’s events. Now, I must rest. It is my hope that Clainin will be able to decipher the journal of poor Malabelle and we shall see an end to this mystery.
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So, Malabelle had a journal, written is an unknown language. If it was hers, perhaps she was from some other dimension, like Keeonean was. Or perhaps it wasn't hers at all, but was of great importance none the less. It no doubt had information of great importance to the realm.
It seems likely that a Relentless Tracker killed Malabelle, and took the journal she carried.
Here's my take on the events:
Malabelle is Dupre's contact in Tokuno. He sends her back to Britannia with this journal, which has very important information concerning the dealings in our world/dimension of those from another.
Meanwhile, Odric is working on his own things, and these are at odds with whatever Minax is working on...in the Tokuno Isles. (Odric and Minax are not on the same side (as proven when Odric took the Black Necklace from Minax), and thus Ramuz the Shadowlord is not on Minax's side (because Odric and Ramuz are the same being).
So it's likely that this journal was of great importance also to Odric.
In his efforts, Odric must have used his position gained in the realm of Britannia (no one knew he was a Shadowlord, and he had saved the Captain of the Royal Guard's life) to gain influence with Malabelle, and her trust. Malabelle had been "influenced" wrongly in the past, by Minax.
This is how Odric knew of the safe house location where Malabelle was found dead.
At at the same time, Belo Ondariva comes on the scene and is after Odric (for some reason, the Black Necklace that he now had?), sending the Relentless Trackers on his trail and following after them. Although these Trackers were not all grouped together, like hound dogs some were faster on the trail than others.
So what we have is this (I think):
Dupre gives Malabelle this journal he had discovered, telling her to take it back to Britain.
The Relentless Trackers are on Odric's trail.
Odric hears from Malabelle that she's on the way with this journal, and it's his chance to get it.
Odric calls a meeting with the Royal Guard because he knows the Relentless Trackers on on his trail, and he can use them to take care of the Trackers while he takes the Journal.
Odric had been to the safe house himself, as he was being tracked and on the move, and the reason he was late for the meeting.
The Relentless Trackers follow Odric's scent to the safe house.
Malabelle was at the safe house awaiting the time of her scheduled meeting with Odric and the Royal Guard, when the Relentless Trackers arrive, they kill her, and one takes the journal.
Malabelle doesn't show for her meeting, some of the Relentless Trackers follow Odric's scent there, and they are defeated by the Royal Guard just as Odric counted on. The party goes to her home in Yew and finds a ransacked house. This could have been anyone's doing (Odric, Belo Ondariva, Minax, or anyone else), but Malabelle had not gone there, choosing the safe house instead. More Relentless Trackers follow Odric's scent there, and they too are defeated by the Guard.
Finally, Odric leads the party to the safe house. Here they find Belo Ondariva, who had followed his pets, the Relentless Trackers, here. He was investigating the scene himself. Words are exchanged, Belo leaves because Odric is protected by the Royal Guard at this time. Odric knows that the journal is not there and thus the cause of his concern. Belo Ondariva is not after the journal though, or else he would have retrieved it from his Relentless Tracker that had killed Malabelle, and was still on Odric's trail. The Trackers were never after Malabelle, only Odric.
Later, at another event that soon followed, Odric is revealed as a Shadowlord. One of
our Shadowlords, perhaps the first in our individual shards. He flees to Cove where he is followed by a Relentless Tracker, the one that had killed Malabelle and taken the journal. But Odric doesn't know the journal is present. He hides in the mountains, while the Royal Guard arrives because of the disturbance. The Guard defeat the Tracker, and Iowna Condo finds it, and takes it back to Britain (she said, anyways. Note that she has disappeared too).
Odric (Ramuz the Shadowlord) disappears, and along with him so does Belo Ondariva and his Relentless Trackers.....
For now.
