The earthy smell of wet clay permeated the room. Small specks of dust danced in the air, tingling the nose and giving substance to the thin rays of light that dared to peek through the shutters. Hidden behind the half-closed window, Noah fidgeted a bit, his unblinking eyes remaining focused on the view outside. Despite their good vantage point, he was still unhappy. The storehouse of the pottery shop he and his men were currently occupying was a one-story building. There was no way to peek over the tall wall of the merchant’s residence on the other side of the street unless they climbed the roof. And this would increase the chance of the enemy spotting them.

For now, however, their enemies were going on with their work, not suspecting a thing.

The street outside the shop was almost empty in the early morning. There were only two people in front of the gate of the big merchant house across the road. One was a binshi man in his mid to late thirties pretending to sweep some garbage away from the entrance but instead spending most of the time basking in the spring sun. The other was a youth of seventeen who was busy refilling the lanterns on both sides of the gate.

Everything seemed peaceful.

Noah cursed quietly and squeezed the pendant that lay on his chest. On the way here he had felt a sharp pain piercing his heart. This could only mean one thing – Lorelei was hurt! To his relief, Noah could still sense the connection of her twin-drop, which, according to Gregor, meant that she was alive. Feeling the presence of the other amulet so close, yet still out of reach, was infuriating! Right now, his instincts were screaming to barge through the gate, sword in hand, and get to Lorelei as soon as possible. His mind was telling him a blind attack would bring death to his men and to her. There was no other way. They had to gather information before the strike.

Behind the man’s back, some shadows shifted, but he ignored them. Duncan and the rest were itching for action just like him. The tension in the air was palpable.

Just as the wait was getting unbearable, something moved outside of the pottery, attracting Noah’s attention. Two giggling women, probably barely out of their teens, were walking down the cobblestone street. The warm sunlight was making their hair sparkle like fresh snow. Despite the budding spring, the fresh wind was still carrying some chill, but this did not seem to bother the two young binshi. Both women were wearing only thin shirts over their baggy trousers, so their plump breasts were clearly contoured for everyone to admire. What was more, the strings of their gowns were loosened, so the boldly opened shirts ensured just enough view of their pearly skin and the deep dent between the two perfectly shaped mounds. As a finishing touch, a colorful sash hugged each of their slender waists, emphasizing the curviness of their bodies. With flushed cheeks, smiling blue eyes, and the alluring figures of elves, the view of the two young damsels could leave no man unmoved.

A low moan reached Noah’s ears:

“Mother Above, second aunt will skin me alive if she finds out!”

He threw a glance back and saw Gregor’s flustered face inches away from his shoulder, glaring daggers through the shutters.

“Then send your aunt to me.” Noah returned his attention to the street. “Besides, it was their idea.”

“But that’s stupid! We didn’t have ingredients for a proper infatuation charm. Who would ever fall for such an obvious act? In broad daylight! They only have an attraction-sigil on their bodies. And I had to draw it with charcoal instead of flower ash, and with my blood! My blood! It had to be the blood of a virgin male!! Damn, if anything goes wrong…”

“Enough, Gerash! If you wanted to protect them, you shouldn’t have let them tag along. You trust them to fight spirits. Now trust them to fight men.”

Despite his seemingly harsh reprimand, Noah too felt uneasy, but they had no better plan to get the information they needed without raising even more suspicion. Feeling the tension coursing through his veins, the man lay a hand on the pommel of his sword. His muscles relaxed, as he prepared to jump out at the first sign of hostility towards the girls. Fortunately for all, no intervention was needed.

The twins reach their targets and with a loud giggle started to chat with them. From the distance, Noah couldn’t clearly hear the conversation, but he could see Rish pressing herself against the man and whispering something in his ear. Not even a minute later, there was a large hand wrapped around her body. Her sister, in the meantime, was teasing the blushing servant boy, who was staring at her like hypnotized. She unbound her sash and wrapped it around the youth’s neck, all while circling playfully around him.

Crack!

Looking down, Noah saw Gregor’s fingers digging into the splintered window frame. Well, at least now they knew that his hex was working. Yet, Noah was not completely sure how much exactly was magic, and how much due to the twin’s own charm.

Just as the man thought that his friend was going to lose it and jump out, the twins turned around and went with light steps towards the storehouse. The man and the boy followed them in a daze.

“Everyone, get ready!”, hissed Noah and dove into the shadows.

With the grace and silence of wild cats, the knights and the binshi followed his lead. In mere seconds, the room looked completely empty. And just in time. Some muffled conversation came from behind the wall.

“D-Desh, we can’t simply leave…” a young voice stuttered in a weak attempt to protest but was immediately interrupted.

“Then go back to filling your darn lamps!”

“But…”

“No buts! These flowers have requested our help. Such an evil master, to make them carry heavy crates all by themselves.”

“Oh, my! Uncle, you are so nice!” Rish laughed. “What would we do without someone as strong and kindhearted as uncle to help us?”

“I told you, call me big brother. And don’t forget your promise – a kiss for each crate of pots. And to be clear, a kiss per crate from both of you, my little snow-flowers!”

“Hehe, what a greedy big brother…”

“B-but the potter and his apprentice should be the ones to help them.” The youth tried to protest again without much success.

“Shadap, Evan!” The man named Desh erupted. “That good for nothing potter is probably drunk and sleeping under some bridge. You too, better get out of my sight. A cowardly pip-squeak has no work here anyway.”

“Nooo, big brother! Don’t drive him awaaay.” There was some childish pleading in Rish’s voice.

“And why not? He is a whining idiot.”

“But big brother,” Rasha said shyly, “we… we thought that… since the potter and his apprentice are gone… we could… play a bit before finishing work. Letting big brother go with just a kiss, it’s unfair!”

“She is right, big brother. Serving master is so dull. All day work, work, work. We really would like to play a bit. And, you know what they say – when you play, the more, the merrier. …”

“Heh, don’t worry, I have more than enough to satisfy you both, my beauties.”

“Oh, please, big brother! Please!”

“Well, if you insist… I’ll be generous. Hey, half-pint, I know you love peeping in the women’s baths, so count yourself lucky. Who knows, maybe today will be the day when you finally become a real man.”

There were some rough laughter and a delighted squeal. Then, a kick landed on the door and it flung open. A grinning man stumbled in; each arm tightly wrapped around a slender waist. Behind the three, the youth dragged his feet, and there was a strange mixture of unwillingness and desire written on his flushed face.

The door screeched to a close behind them. Rasha smiled and licked her lips, beckoning the boy closer, and then stemmed any future protests with a long kiss. Beside her, the older binshi was already ravaging her sister’s mouth. Grabbing the man by the collar, Rish let out a muffled grunt as she struggled to breathe. Then in a flash, her knee slammed the groin of her eager wooer.

With the wheezing of deflating bellows, the man folded in two and dropped on the floor. Simultaneously, Rasha kicked the boy’s knees, swiftly throwing him on the ground before he even could fathom what was going on, and stuffed her sash in his mouth. A split second later, Noah and the knights sprang out of their hiding spots and completely immobilized the two.

“What took you so long?” Rish coughed and spat in the direction of her still squirming target.

“Well, lass, it looked like you two had everything under control.” Duncan shrugged and won himself an icy glare.

“You two… how did you… the things you did… when did you learn this?” Gregor’s gaze was wandering between the girls and he seemed genuinely frustrated.

“Well,” Rish gave her cousin a smirk, “Saya’s stories were great source material.”

“T-that… That’s enough! Go put your clothes and mail back on. And rub away that damn attraction-sigil.”

“Yes, turgan,” came the chorus reply.

Turning a deaf ear to their family squabble, Noah knelled down by his two captives. A dagger appeared in his hand and in two swift moves their shirts were cut open to reveal their chests. The binshi’s skin was smooth and untainted, but over the heart of the youth sprawled the red mark of an open palm.

Shadows crept over Noah’s face.

“Lucas. Aiden. Take the twins and two more knights and bring the man to the other room. I want him to sing. I want to know everything about their hideout and the whereabouts of the duchess. Use force if necessary. I’ll deal with our little friend here personally.”

“Yes, my liege!”

After the knights dragged their prisoner out and closed the door, Noah turned to Duncan.

“Lift him up and hold him. If he tries to scream, you know what to do.”

Noah then removed the gag from his mouth. In the next second, the youth spat in his face.

“Damn monster! I’m not afraid of you!”

There was venom in his words as his face contorted, looking more beast-like than human. It had nothing to do with his previously shy expression; as if standing before them was a different person.

Instead of getting angry, Noah just calmly wiped away the spittle. He then gave the youth a glance.

“I can see you aren’t. It seems that you people have forgotten who I am and why you should fear me.”

“The blessing of the Two Gods protects me.” The flames of insanity were burning deep in the youth’s eyes. “I don’t have to fear a heretic that goes against the laws of the Gods! A mixed-blood yourself, you are colluding with those white demons to create even more abominations. The Pure Blood will right your wrongs and bring divine retribution upon you all!”

“Just a while ago you were pretty intimate with said demons yourself.”

“That wench bewitched me!”

“But why?!” Gregor stepped forward and his fists were shaking. “Why are you with the Cult when you hate my people so much? The Red Hands proclaim mixed-bloods as impure beings since they lose their connection to the Spirits. But you are a limerian! Limerians have no connection with the Spirits to begin with. Why are you aiding them?”

“Poison flows both ways,” hissed the youth. “Mixing limerian blood with the likes of you, with some unholy creatures that simply wear the skin of humans and disturb the rest of the dead, is disgusting! Your whole unnatural kin should be cleansed by fire and…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence. Noah was swifter than a diving hawk. No one really saw how it happened. There was a flash. Then there was blood. Even the prisoner needed a few seconds to realize that a dagger was now sticking handle-deep into his right thigh. Luckily, Duncan was also fast to react, so the youth’s scream came only as a muffled sigh from behind his palm.

“Quit your crazed rambling!” Noah leaned in and his gray eyes were colder than the steal in his hand. “I need information, and I’ll get it. Even though I hate torture, I don’t have the luxury of time.”

Another muffled scream escaped the prisoner’s mouth as Noah twisted his dagger a bit.

“I have missed your major blood vessels. This gives us a few more chances for the persuasion to work. Now tell me, how many guards are inside? How many exits are there? Where are you keeping the duchess?”

He motioned to Duncan who let go of the youth’s mouth.

The prisoner heaved deeply, tears gleaming in his eyes. In the next moment, however, he gave the knights a toothy grin.

“The monster cares for his bitch! Too bad, you won’t get her back. After master Argente and that shaman are done with her, you might have some nice leftover pieces to bring back home though.”

This time Duncan was a second too late. A short howl tore the youth’s throat after Noah turned the dagger a full rotation.

“This,” whispered the man, “was a wrong move.”

There was a slight tremor in his voice, that no one but Duncan could hear. Noah let go of the blade and stretched out his hand.

“Gregor, how many knives do you have?”

“Ten.” The binshi pushed the knife-belt in his master’s palm.

“Good. Then you have ten more chances to give me the right answer. Speak! Where is my wife?”