The terrified daughter was consumed by fear. She was surprised she hadn’t blacked out yet. Thinking she had guts to take a drastic action, she took a couple of steps towards the door for dislodging iron clubs. Then she took many steps back. Maybe she was considering her father's advice, although it was a move meant for the spineless.

Her voice evaporated as half of Nortze's body attempted to swim towards her from the entrance. Scare was carved all over his melting face and his scream—stripped off its sound. Then the smoke like figure disappeared like it had been sucked into something.

"Father." Rikilda removed iron rods from its holders. She spread her arms and caught the handles on both sides of the door panels. Through that increasing space of the humongous door, she saw the same big man kneeling near a vessel.

"No. No." Saer rose, leaving the shaking vessel on the floor.

Rikilda's breathing intensified. Her mind processed Saer's voice as a senseless jabber and her hands involuntarily reached for her waist, as she did not find her father anywhere.

"Don’t be scared." Saer said, "I am here to help you."

The girl was sweating.

"Don’t worry. Ser Calajhan is with me." Saer inched closer to the girl, "I need you to something about the curse-"

Rikilda threw a fistful of sleep powder at Saer's face. The white man's knees gave up on him and sprawled on floor. She left the intruder with bleeding ear then went for the vessel, moving as if it had a live rat. Its lid leaped above its rim, only to land on the same spot again.

Even with the attacker down, she hesitated to open the vessel, about to lose its upright posture anytime. Somehow, she gathered her nerves and touched it.

She blacked out after feeling a strong hit on back of her head. Saer's forearm was too much for her.

Saer released a big wave of breath he had been holding for so long. He crawled away from the powder for his own good. Saer had escaped the powder but couldn’t get away without mild sleepiness. He feared he would start dreaming if he kept his eyelids closed for over two seconds.

He dusted remaining powder from his clothes and held the vessel before it could fall. Saer lifted its lid an inch for adjusting, but Nortze's hand came out of its opening. His fingers covered the rim, trying to pull his body upwards.

He forced the lid on his hand and closed it tight with his palm pressing against the lid. Saer still could feel Nortze hammering the lid for freeing himself. Even the vessel couldn’t keep him confined. Saer scratched his head in confusion, unable to accept the scale of his plan's failure.

The vessel bounced again. This time Saer had to press the lid by full strength of his arm and beat him in the test of muscles. His glance fell on the pouch near Rikilda then.

He hurdled Rikilda and picked the bag of sleeping pollen.

"Sorry, Ser Calajhan." He poured some of it inside after opening the lid.

Nortze's hand, which had reached out, loosened and descended inside like a dead snake. Saer got a chance to observe his ear injury afterwards. Blood on floor gave him a clue about seriousness of the wound.

He pretended of not to have any pain and opened the lid by keeping its one end connected to the rim. Rikilda turned into smoke and floated to the vessel in Saer's possession.