Dressed in a loose shirt and hastily put on trousers, Noah sat behind the desk in his study, the gray light streaming from the window behind him. His disheveled black hair fell over his face that looked anything than happy in this early hour.

“It’s still hard to believe.” He pinched the base of his nose. “You are sure that you overheard two kush-turgans planning treason and possibly murder? Under my roof?”

“Believe me, my lord, it is true!” Rish threw Lorelei a glance and received an encouraging nod. “I would never dare jest with something this important! Milly heard it too.”

“T-that’s right, Your Highness. My Binshi-ka is not the best but from what I’ve understood, Lady Rish is telling the truth, my-.”

A knock in the door interrupted the maid.

At Noah’s beckoning, Gregor and Duncan entered the study, both their faces carrying earnest expressions.

“What did the Shadows say?” Noah tapped with his finger on the table. “I hope, for their sake, that they can explain why my wife and her escorts are doing their job.”

“None of them saw anything suspicious,” said Gregor, hands clenching behind his back. “The kush-turgans never left their rooms.”

“Gerash, I swear in the Mother-” Rish exclaimed but Duncan raised his hand, cutting her off.

“Easy, lass. Let your cousin finish.”

“The only people entering or leaving their quarters were the servants allocated to care for them.” Gregor concluded his report and threw Noah an intent glance. “So, now the question is whether the guards slacked on duty or are we dealing with a doppelganger talisman.”

“Doppelganger talisman?” Lorelei gently patted Rish’s back. “You mean like the thing Sister Simone used to look like me?”

“Precisely.” Noah nodded and the crease between his brows grew deeper. “But it shouldn’t be possible. It might not be an outright malicious item, but it is still included in the castle’s defense charms. With the Star of Norden in place, such trinkets should inactivate the moment they cross our threshold.”

“Yea,” grumbled Duncan, and his bushy brows furrowed, “unless they were already here.”

“You mean we have a rat?!” Noah gritted his teeth.

“Impossible!” Rish gasped and her eyes became huge. She grabbed her cousin’s hand. “No one from Wolf Mountain would commit treason! It’s out of the question!”

“I believe we shouldn’t ignore what Duncan said.” Gregor’s tone was leveled as he spoke to Noah, completely ignoring her passionate outburst. “But if some of our own prepared talismans, it would be hard to single them out. Everyone who has had contact with the kush-turgans and has been involved in securing the Grand Hall and the guest wing for the Binshi delegation is a suspect. That includes my father, me, as well as the twins and over half of the Shadows.”

“Great. I love good news first thing in the morning.” Noah rubbed his face and a small vein popped on his jaw. “Heed my orders. I want Vukan of Bear Ridge and Nekor of Twilight Pass under strictest observation. Exchange the Shadows responsible for their quarters and send the current ones to Karusa for questioning. After that, I expect you and Duncan to start meticulously hunting for rats.”

“Didn’t it ever cross your mind that I might be the traitor?” The young Binshi lifted an eyebrow.

“Well, are you?”

“No. But I have no way to prove it either.”

“Me still being alive is the greatest proof,” snorted Noah. “Considering how many times you’ve had the chance and the means to send me to the Afterlife, you hardly need the assistance of those two.”

“He’s right, lad!” Duncan’s paw landed on Gregor’s shoulder with a force that bent the young knight’s knees. “No one here is suspecting you, the gals, or Master Tikotse, so loosen up. Be it sloppy guards or a sneaky rat, we’ll figure it out.”

“R-right.” The shaman’s face quivered and he rubbed his shoulder. Nevertheless, his face brightened a bit. “The good thing is that doppelganger talismans have a short use-time after they are created. For them to be able to fool my Shadows, it means they were no older than a day. This narrows the time and the number of people we need to check.”

“Excellent!” Duncan clapped his palms with the sound of falling thunder. “Let’s get to work!”

“But my lords,” Lorelei interjected, “isn’t putting the kush-turgans under observation a bit too… lenient? Shouldn’t they be detained?”

“They are our guests and dignitaries. I can’t do anything more without solid proof.” Noah sighed but then his expression brightened. “Don’t be anxious, my Duchess. We have been forewarned and thus have ample time to prepare.”

He stood up and approached Lorelei, scooping her hand and giving it a little peck.

“Don’t burden yourself with worry. Neither I nor any of my guests are easy to kill. On the other hand, you look like a wandering ghost. Go and have some more rest. If you aren’t feeling well, there is no need to appear during the tournaments today. Just have a good rest.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Lorelei suppressed a yawn and just then realized how heavy her eyelids were. She decided to let his remark slide. Moreover, he had a point – she did feel like a walking bag of bones. “I’ll see you at the tournament then. How can I miss the valiant performance of our knights?”

Exchanging a few more parting words, Lorelei left the study followed by Rish and Milly. The trio silently crossed the dim halls of the castle where the first rays were already peeking through the windows engraving facetted light spots on the old floor stones. Despite the beautiful cloudless morning, no one was in the mood for a happy chat.

Rish was absentmindedly but vigorously gnawing on the nail of her thumb until a pair of hands pulled it safely away.

“Everything will be alright.” Lorelei squeezed her friend’s fingers.

“Y-yea.” The young Binshi stiffened and her head hung even lower between her shoulders. “But someone from my clan, my family, might be a traitor. No, there is no way! No one would assist those vermin plotting against His Highness.”

“Of course. The Duke knows that well. You shouldn’t worry for no reason.” Lorelei hugged her.

“I… I’m not worried about me.” Rish swallowed hard. “I am worried about uncle and Rasha. Gerash said that anyone who had contact with those two or was near the guestrooms is a suspect, and… I mean… when Rasha went to fetch uncle last night for little Master Firmon, he was stationed near the Blue Trophy Room…”

“And the fastest way there is through the Binshi guest quarters!” Milly whispered, quelling a gasp.

Rish’s face paled even more.

“Yea, and on our way back after that, we split, since I needed to go in the opposite direction, so I don’t know-”

Suddenly, Lorelei put her palms on her friend’s cheeks, forcing the young warrior to look her in the eyes.

“Enough! The Duke is not suspecting any of you. Or do you think your sister and uncle would plot against him and one of the kush-turgans?”

“No! We all love the Duke. He saved me and Rasha from that dhrowghost, we owe him a blood-dept. We’d rather die than harm him!”

“See. Enough dark thoughts. Let’s go to the kitchen as we planned.” Lorelei pulled at her arm, barely swallowing another yawn. “I think that a custard tart or two would do us all good.”

***

The clearing outside of Ildemar’s western wall was full of people, their cheers rising high in the spring noon air. The week of the Grand Council of Norden coincided with the birthday of the esteemed Star-gazer and was thus designated by the Duke as time for friendly competition and bonding between Limerians and Binshi. For the past three days, the buzz of bowstrings, the clank of swords, and the neighs of horses were mixing with the hushed splash of waves and the roars of the anticipating crowd. People from Yalda and the surrounding settlements flocked to the white walls of the castle, eager to glimpse the dashing knights and their mysterious guests. The smell of leather, agitated animals and men mixed with the fragrance of fresh pastry from the peddlers’ baskets that tickled the nose and seduced the stomach. Jesters, acrobats, and minstrels paraded their arts, hoping to get noticed by some burg-lord or, if they were lucky, one of the barons. Some of the more daring ones even secretly dreamed to be chosen by the Duke himself.

Flanked by Rish and Sir Lucas, Lorelei made her way through the crowd with Saya chattering happily by her side and Milly finishing the small procession. Dressed in the blue-silver colors of the ducal house, there was no one who couldn’t recognize the Duchess of Norden, hence the plenty of bowing heads and curtsies accompanying her stroll. Lorelei nodded and smiled politely, trying to exude the expected nobility, while secretly wishing to run around in a maid’s garments – unknown and undisturbed by anyone, experiencing the unrestraint elation of exploring the tournament grounds. Alas, the memory of Noah’s somber gaze and tense face, paired with her own recent misfortunes, deterred her from such mischief. Dangers, both mundane and magical, could be lurking around, donning an innocent guise.

From the corner of her eyes, Lorelei could see some unassuming gray-clad figures mingling in the crowd, their white hair hardly the center of attention amongst the heaps of other Binshi visiting the event. From time to time, a mischievous sunbeam would reflect on the silver chains and daggers hidden under their light capes. Ildemar’s Shadows were vigilantly guarding their lords and guests. Despite Gregor assuring her that the anti-magic protection of the Star of Norden had been extended to the tournament grounds, the guards’ attentiveness calmed Lorelei more than anything.

Snaking their way through the crowd, Lorelei and her companions arrived at the area designated to the participants in the games. Amongst the clustered tents, the dark blue one with the ducal crest stood out like a splash of ink on a colorful carpet. Despite its gloomy appearance, the voices coming from inside were cheerful.

“You were great, Master Jessup, how you swung that staff and all! Can you teach me? You think I can participate next year too if I train hard?”

“Whoa, stand down, tenderfoot! Can’t even hold a weapon right yet and wants to measure up with a squire. Just take notes from me and Jess and in a couple more years you might learn something.”

“You know, you too are still a page, right?”

“Damn it, Celeste? Whose side are you on?”

“Kai’s.”

“Traitor!”

“I am simply objective. Face it, Simon – the kid probably has more real-fight experience than you.”

“Vile woman! Whenever brother Castor is not around, you show your true colors!”

Lorelei and her escorts exchanged glances and tried to hide their smirks before entering the tent. Their sudden appearance startled the youths, who froze and gaped at them for some time, giving Lorelei enough time to savor the chaotic picture.

The centerpiece was a narrow cot, upon which sprawled Jessup’s willowy body with a big pledget pressed to his jaw. There were a few green-brown patches on his trousers, sprinkled here and there with reddish splatters, which was in stark contrast with his clean white shirt. Sitting on the cot with a wooden basin in her lap, Celeste Argente was frozen stiff with an outstretched arm, a piece of wet cloth hanging from her hand. Judging from the wet stains on her brother’s shirt and the droplets slowly rolling down Simon’s face, her improvised weapon had found its target. Beside them, Kai stood gaping, a piece of leather armor dangling on his arm.

“Good day young lords, young lady!” Lorelei greeted them cheerfully, biting her lips at the sight of three adolescent faces slowly turning beet-red.

“G-good day to the Duchess!” a disharmonious reply greeted her.

“M’lady!” Jessup mumbled with some difficulty and tried to jump out of the cot, but Lorelei pushed him back in.

“Stay still. You fought valiantly and now deserve some rest.” She chuckled and pushed away his hand pressing down the pledget, revealing the reddish-purple bruise adorning his jaw.

“Looks much better than expected!” Lorelei’s brows flew up.

“The secret is in the ice, my lady,” Sir Lucas conveniently explained. “It reduces the swelling and bruising to some extent.”

“Fascinating! The physicians in Sefis usually prescribe putting a piece of raw meat on bruises and keep it there for a few hours.”

“Do you eat it after that?” Rish sounded confused.

“Usually not.”

“What a waste of good food.” The young warrior rolled her eyes.

“Well, we don’t have much ice even in winter, so that is that. Then again, if you can afford to put meat on your bruise, you don't care about wasting it.” Lorelei shrugged, continuing with her patient’s checkup. “It doesn’t look broken or dislocated but don’t eat hard foods for the next few days.”

“Yes, m’lady!” Jessup eagerly replied and hissed, quickly putting the ice-bag back on its place.

Something in his reaction caught Lorelei’s attention. Her gaze trailed down to his left hand, which he tried to hide, but her sharp eyes still caught a glimpse of a tangled red tassel and a shimmer of green.

“’m sorry, m’lady,” the squire squeezed through his teeth and blushed. “I lost again.”

“What do you mean?” Lorelei put a hand on his forehead and smiled. “Did your opponent hit your head too hard? You won the duel.”

“Yea!” Simon Argente puffed his cheeks, finally finding his voice again. “They carried out that Binshi on a plank.”

“And that guy was twice your size!” Celeste said bashfully.

“If ‘t was a real fight, we both w’d be dead,” whispered Jessup.

“Small steps make big advances.” Lorelei smiled and patted his tightly clenched arm. “Have patience and perseverance. Next time, you will be even better.”

She stood up and nodded at the rest of the youths.

“Take good care of him. I’ll send an ointment for the bruises with Milly later.”

“Yes, Duchess!”

Sir Lucas escorted Lorelei out into the sunny afternoon. Squinting from the bright light, Lorelei took a deep breath, two opposing feelings fighting in her chest. She hated seeing the people she loved injured and suffering, yet, she also couldn’t be any prouder of Jessup. He was going to become a splendid knight, strong in both body and mind.

“Such a pity that His Highness couldn’t witness the fight,” she muttered absentmindedly. “He would-”

“Duchess Norden!” A soft, polite voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned her head, to meet with the unexpected intruder, who had just exited one of the other tents.

“Meeting you here, it must be a sign from the Mother Above.” Kush-turgan Bayan smiled at her, his boyish face beaming with excitement. “Would you indulge me for a walk?”