I hadn't slept well. The departure of my count kept me awake for a long time. Several times I woke up in a cold sweat after a particularly bad nightmare involving the growth or loss of body parts: Yesterday's extensive demonstration of soul magic-based body modification had been too much. The unusual nocturnal activity in the stable afterwards did not help either. More than once, the sound of hooves passing through the courtyard. And now, at the crack of dawn, someone was galloping through the courtyard for some time.

Giving up, I stood up and looked out of the door.

Larina stopped her gallop as soon as she saw me and came running over.

"Good morning, countess? A little morning sparring?"

Sweat glistened on her human torso, foaming horse sweat began to form on her flanks, and the makeshift scarf bra hung dangerously loose, now that it actually had to support something. But her breathing was just heavy, without panting. She looked so healthy and energetic. Probably a bleeding soul, like me when I had first appeared in this world.

"Good morning," I mumbled tiredly, "later. Looking at her now muscular arms, I would have her try them on other things first.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

I pointed wordlessly at more than one tired servant or maid standing at some doors or looking out of some windows.

"How going to ridge later?" was my counteroffer, I was in the mood for some squirreling out after the nightmare and the departure of Count Radel. And hadn't I promised to show it to her a long time ago?

"Yes, yes, let's go!"

"Please, waiting for kitchen." I looked at her, pleadingly and tired.

"Ahh. OK, I'll get us some breakfast. Now I even dare the kitchen stairs."

I gave her a sceptical look and yawned. "I'll be right back," she said and closed the door. For me, chamber pot business first.

She emerged from the stairs as I brought the chamber pot back from the washing with at the well. She climbed the stairs sideways which I thought even more difficult than her going straight up. But whatever worked for her. As soon as she reached the courtyard, she ran towards me.

"They'll have something soon."

I decided to ask what was bothering me. "Uh, Larina," I stammered, "why keeping, uh, stallion penis?"

Now Larina blushed too. "I had it all the time. And I think it's easier to pee with." She shrugged, "Maybe I should ask to remove it now?"

I shuddered. All that easy body modification stuff was nothing to me. Strange as it might sound.

"Please, run with me for a bit," the prancing Larina said.

I sighed and returned the chamber pot.

And then we galloped to the gate at the end of the courtyard and back. It was even, I could turn much faster than Larina's heavy warhorse body, but she caught up in the straight. Ok, I was still very tired while Larina was exploding with inner energy.

"While waiting breakfast, I can asking Mage Tarik to checking your soul," I suggested.

She did a little jump. "Yes, yes, please. And then we go to the ridge and the trees."

Her playfulness was contagious. She seems reborn after the soul merge. Tarik deserved to see it first-hand.

Tired I started to walk my way to the third courtyard. It was still early in the morning, just after sunrise. The cool air helped me to be fully awake by the time I reached Tarik’s tower with the spiral staircase. It was surprisingly clean.

Tarik was an early riser, and his door was slightly open. I still knocked, "Mage Tarik?"

No answer. Maybe he was out for a bathroom break. But I did not want to go down again or wait in the dark stairwell. I entered and froze. This was not right! The inkwell was overturned and had soiled a half-finished rune. Not just recently, the thick stain of ink had already dried. His pouch was missing. And Tarik's scent was old. When I strained my senses, all I could smell was Tarik and the emissary, well, and myself.

* * *

I raced through the castle to Sir Hofengart's office. Fortunately, he was already there. "Sir Hofengart!" I panted.

"Good morning, Countess Kiara. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Mage Tarik going away?"

"What? No, he would not leave without notice. Maybe he just went to pee or to the kitchen."

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"No, his smell old. Ink spillinged on rune."

Sie Hofengart frowned. "That does sound indeed worrysome. Please come, we will investigate further." He shouted an order and a servant appeared. "Have the marshal come to the mage's room."

And then he left with wide strides. He panted on the last ascent of the spiral staircase. "Anything else you noticed?"

"No pouch, smelling only emissary and Tarik. No people. But smelling incense."

He turned and put his hand on my shoulder. "Repeat!" he mindspoke.

"I smelled only Mage Tarik and the emissary, and both were several hours old. And some incense, herbs smoldering for a ceremony. But the same that I had smelled at your ceremony then."

"Some other incense, that could be. Other factions prefer different incense. Still, Mage Tarik is a man of honour and principle, but he has not sided with any faction. So it must be the emissary. But why incense at night?"

I chuckled at his description of the mage. "Perhaps he used it for magic. It was not tobacco. Not for pipes, I think."

"Countess Kiara, I am no expert in magic. But I have never heard of incense being used in rituals, apart from to impress the audience." He stooped on a landing, a single wider step in the spiral. "Last floor," he encouraged himself., walked up and entered the room straight ahead.

Sir Hofengart searched the room as well. But there was little in it anyway. Soon the marshal came up the stairs.

"Good morning," said Sir Hofengart, "the mage is missing, and Countess Kiara says that she could only smell the mage and the emissary. And some unusual incense."

"Morning," the marshal panted, "I - have - the gate - closed."

"Good thinking. Let's find the emissary. Countess Kiara, please follow."

* * *

First, we went back to his office. He held the door open for me. "Countess Kiara, please have a seat while - sorry."

I smiled at him and sat on my haunches. "Sire Hofengart, great honour that you forgetting countess not human."

"I must admit, you are a clear case of 'where the form is not telling what there is' to cite the great cleric Ruggendorf."

"Thank you." Because it sounded like a compliment even though I did not understand it.

"Now about the incense." He went to a small cupboard and took out a small, tinted glass bottle. "This is Catiara fir sap, not like our firs. Smell it, please."

The mere approach to the bottle almost burned my nostrils and my eyes were watering. No doubt. "Yes, huh, strong-smelling, yes, this smelling in room."

"Countess Kiara, let's have breakfast with the clergy."

"Breakfast?" I was surprised. I shrugged and followed Sir Hofengart.

We hurried to the last courtyard and then turned to the building on the right. But then, just after entering the archway to the clergy area, we knocked on a small side door.

After some time, a small monk in a blue cowl opened the door. "Sir Hofengart, good morning."

"Good morning, I hope I have not disturbed the morning prayer. Can we speak to the emissary?"

"No. Sorry, Sir Hofengart, I have strict orders not to let anyone in at the moment."

I took Sir Hofengart's hand. He understood, mindspeak. "The smell of the emissary is old. As old as Tarik's room," I whispered in Earth.

"I see," Sir Hofengart replied to the monk, "please tell him I need to see him urgently."

The monk nodded. "Of course, I will tell him as soon as possible. Excuse me." Then he closed the door.

Sir Hofengart motioned for me to follow. "That nose of yours is brilliant. Anyway, there's not much we can do, so let's indeed have breakfast."

"Sir Hofengart," I said, "I originally ordered breakfast for Larina and me."

"Ahh, sorry. I believe this concerns her as well. I will send someone to inform her."

I still felt bad about disappearing for so long, and then even missing breakfast together. But the situation has changed.

* * *

"Countess, it never gets old to see you eat with a knife and fork."

"Sir Hofengart." I was not sure if this was meant as a compliment. Filling myself certainly took some time compared to the sole half slice of bread that Sir Hofengart ate. "What you thinking of Larina and me?"

He thought for a while. Then he stretched out his arm to touch me for mindspeak. "Before I met you, I just thought these poor old souls had their memories erased when they were summoned, that they were like largely empty husks, string puppets for Kwal. And quite a few of them were. Those stupid mages had stripped the souls of all experience, turning them into automatons. The most cardinal sin is to erase experience from a soul. And these centaurs appeared as simple, almost empty personalities, poorly overlaid, in failing bodies. Even in their only craft, fighting and war, I have more knowledge, and I am a cleric." He paused again. "Then you appeared. A full personality, with richer experience than anyone in this world. With a body forged with the full power of this new soul magic, and as healthy as heaven. And it got me thinking. So I started talking to Centaur Larina again and saw how her soul had grown, how she was growing a personality. And then came the young Mage Tarik. He was as different from the soul mages of yesteryear as anyone could be. His drive to make a difference would even have made him a great cleric. What he did for Larina and the other two was amazing. Weird, but amazing."

"I still think I was very lucky that he never called my soul, he never woke me like the others."

"Yes and no. If Tarik had not gone to great lengths to merge various animal souls when he perfected your body, you would have simply died. So, lucky for you. While Mage Tarik did a great job on you, I am still not sure whether to congratulate or condemn him for that."

Well, I had no doubts. "I'm grateful for this second chance at life. Not only my soul. To be honest, I am not sure if I want to live as a mere human anymore. Sorry about that," I said while chewing my coleslaw.

"That also sets you apart from the centaurs. They have a miserable existence because of their crude make-up. I think the meeting with Larina had more effect on Mage Tarik than he let on."

"Mage Tarik has done really well. Larina felt so good this morning."

"Please don't forget to eat. But you see, the fact that you kept your past experiences has opened Pandora's box. If you can be given a new life while remembering your previous one, why not someone else?"

"Even if it was in the shape of a centaur? Or me?"

"Dear countess, more ruthless people than Mage Tarik would not hesitate to exploit soul magic and would certainly have no scruples about using human souls to do so."

Suddenly my appetite was gone. "You mean... "

"We need to find Mage Tarik and bring him back. If he really left with the emissary, I doubt it would be voluntarily."

"Sir Hofengart, he did not leave voluntarily. He would have said goodbye and tidied up his room. The room looked as if he had just left. And not even then he would have left a spoilt half-finished rune on his desk. No doubt about, er, kidnapping."

"The word is probably abduction. Yes, that is likely, I fully agree. You don't seem to be hungry anymore?"

"Not if the mage is abducted," I nodded.

"Then let's go back to my office."