Chapter Nineteen

General Mendoza,

I am writing to inform you of the terrible news that the settlement of Nombre de Jesus in Chile has been destroyed. A fire broke out in the chapel, which resulted in the deaths of nearly all the villagers, as well as the sole clergy, Father Aragon. We are still unsure how the fire managed to kill everyone, as it was said to have happened at night and not during mass, but rumors have started in the nearby settlements, most of which are too preposterous to be true. That said, I feel it is my duty to inform you of what they are.

According to witnesses who came over from Primera Angostura, there was one villager left, a woman who had lost all her blood. She told the others that the Devil took over the church and sprouted wings. When the church collapsed, the Devil flew from the flames and picked up all the people with its claws, tossing them in the flames. Those who escaped, the Devil hunted down and bit, draining them of their blood.

She also said that the Syren who killed two men a few months earlier was found in the church with the Devil when the fire started. She looked like a human at first and had been on fire until she was placed in the sea—a trick, according to this woman. She said she saw the woman's legs transform into a tail right in front of her eyes. The Syren then swam away before they could capture her, and that is when the Devil flew out of the church, on fire, flying over the waves until it started to destroy everything and everyone in its path.

I do not know what you plan to do with these rumors. The only witness soon died shortly after. You know how these isolated settlements have a way of playing with people's minds. Several search parties from Primera Angostura and Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe have set out in the area on horseback and by boat to search for both this Syren and this flying monster. To my knowledge, they have found nothing.

The settlement is no more. Perhaps this is a sign for us to put our resources elsewhere. If pirates want the Strait of Magellan, maybe it's best we let them have it.

With regards,

Halberdier of the Guard, Felipe