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I had prepared myself for this. But of course, it wasn't any easier, knowing that Lord Himmel knew I'd been hiding something from him. Still, I feigned a look of innocence, and parted my lips in an automatic response. "But – impossible! This can't be..." I said, half-praying that I was convincing enough.

Lady Anya turned upon Lord Himmel. "You had no prior knowledge to this?" she snarled. I flinched from the steel in her voice.

Lord Himmel seemed to maintain his nerves. "No. Not at all." He fixed his eyes upon me; they glimmered like crystal shards—cold and detached.

"Then why did you ask for this testing to be performed?" demanded Lady Anya.

"Curiosity. And instincts, I suppose." He peeled himself off the wall and strode towards us. Or more specifically, towards me. "So, Klaudia." He paused deliberately, wetting his lips; I did my best to appear as bewildered as possible. "You had absolutely no idea of your true Affinity."

"No," I said, shaking my head vigorously.

"At all?"

"No."

He didn't continue to press me, but the look he gave was intimidating enough. I could see the gears turning in his mind, calculating and conniving, already wondering what to do with me. My heart thundered in my ribcage; cold sweat slicked my palms.

"You've brought quite a pretty little problem to us here, Lord Himmel," said Lady Anya. She had recovered some of her frostiness now, though her cheeks were still splotchy with agitation. "This isn't an Affinity we can take lightly. In fact, I'll have to immediately report to the Council—"

"Your ladyship, if you may, I'd like to withhold this information from the Council for a while," Lord Himmel interrupted calmly.

The lady's eyes widened incredulously. "You can't be serious," she snorted.

"But I am serious." His tone had gone low with the promise of violence. "Otherwise, you can be well assured that you won't have the support of Heidelberg anymore."

I could scarcely believe my ears. The Council was essentially the government of our fragile society, the only thing that was holding us together in this time of chaos. And Lord Himmel was threatening to...separate from them? To form a city-state by himself? This was walking on the line of treason!

"Lord Himmel, what exactly do you mean by that?" Lady Anya's voice had also deepened into a rumble, a storm looming beyond the horizon.

"Oh, Your Grace, surely your hearing hasn't deteriorated? Ah, but I forgot that you're older than me."

Subconsciously, I took a small step backwards. And another. And another. If only I could get away from these two, get myself out of Starkfurt, out of Heidelberg—basically out of civilisation. I suspected that even monsters were better company than these poisonous snakes.

"Well then, if my ears don't betray me, I think you intend to wage war against us, hmm?" Suppressed magic crackled in the air, and my Core stirred in response. It warned me that the two Magi before me were already gathering their energy, prepared to duel each other if necessary. Lady Anya was fingering the insides of her sleeve.

My eyes darted about the room. No exit points save for the door; there wasn't even a window here. Trapped. I was trapped. No way out. Like when the brutes in Hamelin had cornered me into a back alley. Trapped. No way out. Panic seized my chest. My mind was slowly blanking out. Trapped trapped trapped—

Pull yourself together! a voice screamed in my head. It sounded suspiciously like Josef's. Stay calm. Think. There's always a solution.

For a moment there, I actually thought that Josef had somehow managed to convey his thoughts to me via telepathy. But then I remembered that he didn't have an Affinity for the art, and that it was nigh impossible for a regular sorcerer to be able to communicate over such an incredible distance.

No, it was my own mind, telling me what Josef would have done in this situation. He had already done so much for me. I couldn't let everything end here—not now. Not when we were so close to the Council, to exposing the truth.

I took in a deep breath, assessing the situation. My hand strayed to my pouch, feeling for the comforting shapes of my flute and the vial. I still had my main weapons; I wasn't completely helpless.

Then Lord Himmel rushed towards Lady Anya in a blur, catching her by surprise and tackling her down.

With mute horror, I watched as they wrestled on the floor. Without her fire, Lady Anya was rendered almost incapable in combat. Lord Himmel, on the other hand, still had his music. He had saddled himself upon her, fingers clamped around her wrists. She thrashed about wildly, mouth moving to scream profanities. Except that no sound was coming out. Lord Himmel must had subtly cast a silencing spell beforehand, when I'd sensed his magic through my Core.

"You have always underestimated me—all of you," Lord Himmel snarled. He spat into the lady's face. She glared at him fiercely. She no longer tried to fight back, although her expression was contorted into one of pure, distilled fury. Then in a slightly more tender voice: "It's a shame, really. You've always been one of the more level-headed members of the Council. Unfortunately, like the rest of them, you will have to be destroyed."

Move! Help her!

But I didn't move, and I didn't help her.

"Why?" Lady Anya mouthed.

"Because." The light in his eyes hardened. "I'm sorry, my friend."

He started to sing, low and soft, disguising the sheer power of the melody. It filled the little room with its cadence, practically taking up the whole emptiness in the air. Fortunately, the spell wasn't directed towards me. Unfortunately, it was directed towards Lady Anya. The magic caught her fully in the face.

I saw her lips moving in a crazed, desperate chant. However, with the ability of speech taken away from her, she practically had no magic. Or perhaps it was a prayer, a silent plea to the saints to spare her form the wrath of Lord Himmel.

Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed.

Lord Himmel slowly hauled himself onto his feet. He nodded at Lady Anya's limp form, a self-satisfied smile playing on his lips. "She certainly won't be waking up for quite a while," he said.

"Is she—is she dead?"

"Oh, no. So she'll be sure to blab about everything once she's awake. We'll have to rectify that problem, of course."

A chill snaked down my spine.

He started to sing; magic was tightly laced into his words. If I thought that the spell before was powerful, this was earth-shattering. The air fairly pounded with his energy, thrumming with it, singing along to his rhythm. It was beautiful yet terrifying, like the gleam of a blade underneath a silvery moon. I knew I had to stop him.

I did the best I could—I rushed towards him.

He broke off the spell when I rammed my head into his gut. He doubled over, wheezing, both from the impact and from the full weight of the interrupted spell crashing down on him.

However, that wasn't enough to stop him. He recovered quickly, drawing himself up into his full height. I should attempt a spell of my own, try to stop him here and now. But I felt so dizzy, and my bad leg was throbbing terribly. I felt sick—yet I didn't know why. Could it be because of the spell I cut off?

He smiled, but there was no warmth in it. All trace of humanity was gone now; all that was left was a monster. A monster in human skin, disguised beneath the silks and the gold and the magic. Fear rose in me—fear I had felt when I'd spotted my first monster in the wastelands.

"Oh dear, it looks like I have no more energy left to alter Lady Anya's memories. A pity, really. All she would have remembered is that she had somehow insulted us, and we'd left Starkfurt in a rage. Looks like there's a change of plans then. We will incur the wrath of the Council once they learn of this, but it doesn't matter. I have you by my side, my dear. Now, we must waste no more time. We'll head back to Heidelberg."

He spoke so pleasantly, as though all of this never happened. I shrank away from him. "Now?" I choked. My hands clung tightly onto my pouch.

He raised a brow at me. "What do you expect?" He snatched my wrist forcefully, twisting it in the process. I gave a cry both of pain and of shock. "You thought that you could deceive me, did you? The game is up, my dear Klaudia, and you are coming back with me, whether you like it or not."

I backed away from him; he matched my steps. "Go – go away!" I cried feebly. "Or I'll – I'll –"

"You'll what? Try to control my mind?" He bared his teeth. "Oh no. I don't think so. You don't know how to use your power. And although I don't have enough magic to recast the memory-altering spell, make no mistake: my Core is still plenty strong."

Without another word, he dragged me out of the room and flew down the steps. I fought against him, kicking and snarling and shrieking, but his grip was tight. His thin shoulders certainly belied the extent of his physical strength.

Why isn't anyone coming? Surely someone would have heard my screams by now.

Then realisation slapped me in the face: He hadn't just cast the silencing spell upon Lady Anya—he had cast it upon me too.

And he'd probably cast an illusion over us, to boot.

Oh saints. How was I going to get myself out of this situation?

What would Josef do? I asked myself. Josef, because he was the one who would think of a solution to every problem, the one who would definitely find a way out, no matter how perilous the circumstances. My first and only friend, whom I would probably never see again.

The thought induced tears to prick at the corners of my eyes. No, focus! Think, Klaudia. Think.

Lord Himmel led me back to where we came from. Amazingly, the few sorcerers who we passed by still bowed or curtsied towards us, apparently oblivious to the fact that I was yelling and dishevelled, that Lord Himmel had a maniacal, sadistic grin plastered on his face while he dragged his fiancée along the hallways.

So I was right. He did cast an illusion over us, somehow.

Now how was I going to break free of it?

My flute was definitely not going to help me, as powerful as it may be. Josef's potion, however...

I stopped fighting against Lord Himmel. He threw a look over his shoulder; I bowed my head dejectedly. He evidently assumed that I had already given up, that I realised that struggle was futile, for his gait grew more relaxed, though the muscles in his back were still taut, ready to spring into action should anything happen. He slowed his pace now, slightly more accommodating for me.

That was enough.

With my free hand, I reached for my pouch. It was a bit of a struggle getting the vial out, with my bad leg screaming in protest and Lord Himmel unflinchingly forcing me to follow him. But I managed.

My flutist fingers were deft and agile, and I had no problem uncorking the vial with one hand. I inhaled deeply, clearing my mind. My Core was humming, ready to unleash its power at my command. I steeled myself.

I emptied the contents of the vial onto Lord Himmel.

He immediately whipped around, sputtering in rage. His lips were drawn into a feral snarl. His fingers were still wrapped around my wrist. The purple liquid dripped from his back.

"Urghanga!" I said. The trigger word was like a fireball flying straight out of my mouth and towards Lord Himmel.

He let go of me.

The liquid began to smoke, curling and wafting around the area. It was actually to my advantage that Lord Himmel had cast the illusion, for everyone who passed by didn't see the terrified lord right before their eyes, clawing wildly at his formless opponent.

I only would have a few precious seconds to act. I started to weave a veil around me, helping me blend into the background. I hoped that it would hold up; triggering Josef's spell had cost me more energy than I'd like, and my vision was growing blurry.

I quickly backed away, ducking behind a pillar. The shadows were more prominent here, lending their aid to me. I observed as Josef's illusion took shape. A vague humanoid form first, then the details: curling brown hair, flowing in untamed waves down the back; a dress in the colour of the forests; a meek, fearful expression; a thin, pathetic form; and a limping leg. From what he'd told me, it was an extremely powerful illusion, and had somewhat independent thought. Basically, it was a copy of me.

Hopefully it'd be able to fool him for quite a while.

Once Lord Himmel recovered, he growled angrily at 'Klaudia'. "I've had enough of your tricks! You will pay for everything once we get back to Heidelberg."

"I – I'm sorry, Markus," my double stammered. I stared at it. The resemblance was uncanny. Chilling, even. I should run. Go, while I still had time. Every second ticking by was an added risk, a weakening of the illusion.

Lord Himmel only snarled again in response while grabbing the illusion. Josef definitely wasn't jesting when he said that it was powerful—the Magus's fingers closed around the wrist as though it were solid flesh.

Appropriately, my twin still fought against him. They eventually disappeared down the hallway. I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Then the entirety of everything that had just happened dawned upon me.

I'd escaped Lord Himmel.

I didn't know whether to laugh or sob. Both, maybe. A hysterical cry gurgled at the base of my throat; I shoved it down. I needed to find Lady Anya. Fast. And if possible, alert the Council members of the incident.

Not daring to completely unravel my illusion, I skirted the walls, finding my way back towards the tower. We had not walked very far, but the distance was enough to lag my pace. I slowed myself, though in the end I forced myself to hasten my speed, egged on by the direness of the situation.

When I reached the base of the tower, I saw a figure staggering down the stairs. Lady Anya. Her robes were smudged with dirt and the hem was slightly ragged. There was hardly any colour left in her face, yet her eyes still shone with determination. Then perplexity and anger at the sight of me. I hurried towards her, throwing off my illusion.

"Lady Anya!" I said, extending my arms outwards to help her. Quick as a flash, she whipped out a match and struck a fire, holding it like a barrier between us.

"Who are you?" she snarled. I half-expected anyone of the Council members to come at any moment; she might have been stalling my potential escape. But then I remembered the spell Lord Himmel had cast over her. If he had managed to perform that in such a short amount of time, and with such subtlety, who was to say that he hadn't blocked all forms of communication for her? So for now, she could roar but she couldn't bite.

I threw my hands up. "I am who Lord Himmel had introduced me as—Klaudia."

"You are not a relation to Anton?"

"Who?"

"Anton." After a moment of black silence, she gave a low hiss, blowing the match out. I cautiously took a step towards her. She didn't protest, so I offered her my shoulder. "Oh saints, you truly don't know, do you?"

"Lady Anya, Lord Himmel is leaving Starkfurt as of this moment. Can you contact the other Council members and stop him?" I said, a sense of urgency in my tone.

She gritted her teeth. "Lord Himmel was more powerful than I thought. He somehow managed to drain my magic...Lend me some of yours."

"What?" I squawked.

"This is no time to question me," she snapped. "Lend me your magic!"

I didn't know how I was supposed to lend her magic, but I said, "All right," anyway.

She clutched onto my arm and chanted. As if my aching leg weren't enough, I had to contend with her weight, which was growing heavier and heavier by the second. My Core, already weakened by the two illusions I had to cast, was now having what remained of its energy sapped away. I could feel my limbs losing their strength, my fingertips no longer sparking with magic. The power I had grown accustomed to over the past few months was being taken away from me.

Just when I was about to collapse, Lady Anya stopped chanting and steadied me on my feet. Black spots were dancing before my eyes, and I was coated in a sheen of cold sweat. Only the nails digging into my flesh were keeping me conscious at this point. "Stay awake," Lady Anya said sternly. "Not now, Klaudia. Just not now."

Why not now? I wanted to shoot back. But I was too tired to argue. Instead, I poured the rest of my remaining energies into trying not to faint.

Lady Anya slowly released me from her grip, making sure that I wasn't going to keel over half-dead anytime soon. Then she coaxed another flame. Somehow, it seemed wrong that I could taste my own power coming out of her, that she was using me to shape her fire. It was like a part of me had been violated.

But there was nothing I could do about it. Her eyes were closed in deep concentration.

When they fluttered open, I saw a grim hopelessness in them. "Lord Himmel has escaped," she announced.

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