“Stay with me, sir Gregor!”

The binshi’s eyelids fluttered open. Was this a dream? A nightmare? Impossible! Right in front of him stood a woman with tears running down her cheeks and a silver blade in hand. It was one of his blades. And the crying woman hacking away the miasma-tentacles binding him was none other than the duchess!

“My… lady… NO!” The shock of seeing the woman, and the realization of what would soon happen to her, filled him with strength he didn’t think he had left. “Get away! The miasma will kill you!”

The young knight could see the black spots appearing over her exposed skin – a sure sign that the malice of the dhrowghost was quickly poisoning her. Not being a binshi, not carrying a guardian-amulet, nor having drunk a protection potion, it meant that her body took the whole brunt of the cursed power. It was a miracle she was even standing right now, but this was not going to last. Very soon, not only her body but most importantly her soul would be damaged.

Yet, little by little, the tendrils were cut by the silver blade, dissolving in whisps of dark smoke. Freed from its bind, Gregor stumbled forward, leaning heavily on the woman’s weak shoulder. The knight could feel her knees bending, but she still managed to carefully drop him on the ground.

As he sat there panting, Gregor saw her turn away and start hacking on the half-finished cocoon surrounding Rasha. His mind was in complete disarray. Something wasn’t right. How could she still be able to stand, let alone handle a knife? And what was more, the places where the miasma touched her bare skin did indeed turn grayish-black, but oddly enough, the dark tentacles did not attack her as they had done with him and the twins. Instead, it almost looked like they weren’t aware of her existence until she started cutting at them.

Ding!

A sharp metal clang came from nearby, interrupting his thoughts. Gregor turned his head only to see the agile figure of Noah dancing between the swirls of miasma, fighting his way to the cocoon that contained Rish. Red Dawn flashed scarlet and bloodthirsty, parrying, piercing, and chopping away at the dhrowghost’s vicious attacks. Finally, his sword slashed at the stem holding up the cocoon. As it fell on the ground, Noah made a long cut and with uncanny speed pulled out Rish’s body. Hurling the girl over his shoulder, he dashed out towards Gregor, dodging and jumping over the tentacles that were trying to capture him.

“Gerash, wake up! Do something!”

With Noah’s cry, the mind of the young binshi finally cleared. He pulled out two of his three remaining knives and threw them at the wriggling tendrils. As his hands were shaking, the aim of the blades was a bit off and one of them left a long gash on Noah’s cheek. Nevertheless, they found their target, evaporating the miasma they touched and giving the sprinting man the much-needed room to maneuver.

At the same time as Noah reached him, Lorelei and Rasha slumped exhausted next to the shaman.

“Give me the sword!”

Gregor yanked Red Dawn out of his friend’s hand. Pointing the tip towards the earth and shouted:

“Blood of my Teacher, heed my call! Give us Light, protect us all!”

A scarlet brilliance erupted as the sword pierced the ground. A small dome enveloped the five, and just in time. Mere seconds after the new barrier was erected, the miasma hit it like a black tidal wave, drowning the outside world in complete darkness.

“Had no… idea… it could… do that,” heaved Noah, struggling to sit up. “How long will it hold?”

“I am borrowing someone else’s magic, so not long,” answered the shaman while at the same time hurriedly checking Rish and Rasha’s life-signs. “Thank The Mother! They are still with us.”

Relief swept over the young man’s face but vanished almost immediately. His eyes fixated on the swaying figure of the woman next to him.

“My lady, what you did was above foolish.”

“But everyone is alive.” Closing her eyes, Lorelei leaned against Noah’s shoulder, who carefully supported her.

“Indeed. You did commendably, my wife.”

“Don’t encourage her!” Gregor grabbed the woman’s thin arm and studied the gray-black spots crawling over her skin. “Why did you allow this, Noah? The two of you should have tried to get away while that thing was busy with us. Both of you are fools!”

He felt the woman giving his hand a weak squeeze and lifted his head. From behind her drooping eyelids, his lady gave him a very familiar look. Defiant, sarcastic, and burning like a thousand embers – the same look he had seen every time in Noah’s eyes before his friend jumped right amidst the enemy.

“The duke could do nothing else, sir Gregor.” The corners of her lips curved in a pained smile. “I forced him to choose. Let his closest people die in a feeble attempt to protect a stranger, or try saving you and thus buying a bit more time for the reinforcements to arrive. He made the right choice and I was glad to help.”

“You are the duchess Norden, my lady, not a stranger.”

Gregor felt his chest tightening. He wanted to say something else but felt the frail fingers in his palm squeezing him tighter and tighter. On the pale forehead of the woman, beads of sweat started appearing. The black spots on her arms also flared up, small vein-like protrusions crawling even farther under her skin.

“How bad is it?” asked Noah, trying to position his wife as comfortably as possible.

“She was touched by the miasma and not directly by the creature. Still, she’ll be dead in a few minutes if we don't purify her.”

“What are you waiting for then?”

“Your opinion of me is way too high.” Saying that Gregor pulled out his last remaining knife. “I can’t purify her now. I can just slow down the spreading. But it doesn’t matter anyway. We are all going to die when the barrier breaks this time.”

“You are supposed to be the optimist, remember?”

Gregor huffed and put the blade over his left wrist. The sharp metal dug into the skin, leaving a scarlet mark behind. The binshi reached out his wounded arm to Lorelei.

“I am sorry, my lady, but you need to drink some of my blood. I have taken a protection potion that amplifies the innate binshi resistance to miasma and ghost-touch, so it should be enough to ease the pain and slow the infection.”

“Treat the duke first,” said Lorelei in a weak but determined voice. “He got exposed to that black thing too.”

“There is no need for that.” Noah shook his head. “I drank the same potion myself. Besides, I am the wielder of Red Dawn. The sword is better protection against such critters than any amulet or talisman.”

“Drink, my lady. Don’t delay any longer.”

With a bit of reluctance, the young woman pressed her lips over the bleeding wound. In the meantime, Gregor started to chant fast.

“Blood of my blood, Light of my Light, give her my strength, a weapon to fight. Power of yore, beeth a charm, flow in her veins, protect her from harm.”

Before their eyes, the dark spots started to lighten at a visible speed until they looked like patches of ash on her unnaturally pale skin. Gregor retrieved his hand and carefully observed his lady, who was currently fighting the urge to throw up.

“Well, that’s that. We have avoided the worst for now.”

“Thank you, Gerash.” Noah supported the weakened Lorelei as his eyes peered into the sea of darkness outside. “Now what do we do?”

“There is nothing we can do.” The binshi tied a piece of cloth over his wound. “The dhrowghost was almost impossible to deal with before. Now that it has killed the horses and fed for the first time, it is even stronger. And to make things worse, it has sucked out a lot of power from me and the girls. To put It bluntly, it is unbeatable.”

“Can’t you make the barrier portable?” His friend studied the sword firmly stuck in the ground. “If I carry Red Dawn, we could try and make a run for it.”

“Don’t you think I would have done that if it was possible? I am borrowing the residual magic that kush-turgan Yanosh has left in the blade, so it is not easy to control. And besides, a barrier needs to be earthed in order to work.”

“Well, when we get out of here it would be best to sit down with the elders and devise a portable one.”

“Are you even listening to me!? There is no way out. We will be dead in a couple of minutes!”

“Now, that has always been your problem, Gerash. You are too quick to give up.” Noah rolled his eyes.

“I am simply realistic!”

“So what! Do you want me to wallow in misery, awaiting death like a sheep?! I have no intention to meet the Father of Darkness today or any time soon!”

“Well, that’s no longer up to you. You should have run away when you still had the chance.”

“Sure, I should have let you die!”

“We are dead anyway, you fool!”

“You are the fool!”

Both glared at each other, sparks flying between them.

“That’s enough, my lords. You are behaving like children.”

Lorelei’s soft words startled the knights. They blinked confused, the reality of what they had just said slowly sinking in.

“I… I am sorry.” Gregor coughed and lowered his head.

“You should be, indeed!”, snorted Noah.

“My lord. Now isn’t the time.”

“What? By the Gods, my own wife is betraying me! Alright, alright. I too am sorry.”

The young shaman lifted his gaze, meeting his master’s eyes. For a moment, an uncomfortable silence engulfed them. Then both men chuckled.

“And now, my lords, since you have calmed down, would you care looking outside.”

The tone of his mistress made Gregor’s skin tingle. Still, what he saw on the other side of the barrier made him feel even worse. The sea of chaotically swirling blackness was churning. What was more, from time to time, ghastly misshapen silhouettes appeared amidst the flow of the miasma. This could mean only one thing – the dhrowghost was maturing.

Suddenly, the blackness parted. A thin white figure walked on the narrow path, a chain of dimming silver trailing behind. Its dragging steps led the creature to the barrier. Lifting its scrawny arm, the dhrowghost touched the glowing surface with a long bony finger. Sparks flew in the air and the sound of silver bells echoed over the desolate clearing, but the barrier held. With an ear-piercing cry, the monster slammed both of its hands down. The dome of light shook, small cracks appearing all over it.

“No, you won’t!”

Gregor jumped forward, putting both his hands on the hilt of Red Dawn. In a second, the cracks disappeared. But this was just the beginning. Again, and again, the monster pounded at the barrier. And with each strike, the sword in the shaman’s hands jolted. Sparks flew everywhere and more cracks crawled over the dome. After one especially strong hit, the blade almost dislodged. Fortunately, another pair of hands clasped over his.

“I wouldn’t mind a miracle or two right now,” squeezed Noah through his teeth.

Both men poured all of their strength into the sword. But it was a losing battle. Thin like spider threads, the cracks spread further and further. All that was needed was one more hit, and the dhrowghost knew that. Outside of the tearing barrier, its big mouth stretched into a toothy grin. Its fists fell down with the might of a sledgehammer.

With a crystalline sound, the dome of light shattered. The creature jumped forth, its claws – ready to dig into its target. Suddenly, it froze in midair. Its gloating grin disappeared, replaced by confusion; its talons almost touching Gregor and Noah’s faces. A rod of light protruded from its chest, impaling it on the spot.

The knights were petrified. They looked at each other. Then they looked back at Lorelei, but she too stood there with huge eyes and mouth agape in disbelief.

In the meantime, the dhrowghost had awoken from its surprise and with a screech tried to pull itself free. At its command, the churning miasma swept down, trying to drown everyone in its poisonous waves.

“BEGONE! Don’t you dare touch my daddy!”

As the strange shout reverberated through the air, it penetrated deep into one's bones. A brilliant gold light engulfed everything. Blinded by the radiance, Gregor was forced to close his eyes, but even then, he could still sense it through his eyelids. He heard the screeching and hissing of the dhrowghost, that soon died out. He could also feel the warmth of some unknown, yet familiar, force engulfing him, healing him, replenishing his powers.

In a few heartbeats, the glow dimmed enough so that they could open their eyes. The young shaman blinked in disbelief, and he wasn’t alone. There was not even a trace of the miasma left. In the place where the monster had stood now only a small pile of blackened bone fragments could be seen. The light was also there, now shrunken into the shape of a little girl.

The glowing child turned around and faced the knights.

“Sha-Shana!” Noah, stretched out a trembling hand, his palm almost touching the little girl’s cheek.

“Hurry back, daddy,” the child’s voice chimed like a distant bell. “I need you. Hurry back.”

Without a sign, the figure of light burst into thousands upon thousands of glowing snowflakes that slowly disappeared in the ground.

“W-what… how…?!” Noah couldn’t even find the right words.

“These are the powers of a Star-gazer,” whispered Gregor with reverence. “It truly was a miracle!”

“But she… she hasn’t awakened yet. She has more than a year to her tenth birthday.”

“She does. But she also soul-projected just now. It’s likely that…”

A low groan interrupted the shaman mid-sentence. Next to him, Rish and Rasha sat up almost simultaneously with sleepy expressions on their faces.

“Cousin, what is going on? What did we miss?"

“Rashendra! Rishkara! You are fine!”

Gregor pulled both girls in a bear-hug, laughing and not even trying to hide the tears in his eyes.

“I told you, if you call me like that again, I’ll kill you.” Despite her words, Rish patted her cousin gently on the back.

“We are fine, Gerash,” assured him the other twin. “What did you do? I’m almost completely healed.”

“Auch, speak for yourself, Rasha. I still have a gash on my right arm. Au, au, Gerash, it hurts. Let go.”

Unfortunately, their happy reunion was cut short by Noah’s worried shout.

“Gerash, I need you. Something is not right with Lorelei.”