Time stopped. For an excruciatingly long second, Lorelei could feel and see everything with crystal clarity – the nails of the Binshi scraping against her skin; the curved corners of her lips; the mocking laughter in the woman’s eyes; the stump in the place of her right hand hanging between them. Behind her, Rish’s gasp at such an obvious derision was deafeningly loud.
Blood rushed to Lorelei’s head. It drummed between her temples; it boiled down her veins and burned in her chest. As fear evaporated, anger overtook her, every sound dying down to a muted murmur, leaving only the pounding of her heart.
How dared they?! From all the Elders in Twilight Pass, they had to choose the only one who couldn't complete the ceremony with her! The smirk on that woman's face and the mocking glares of the rest of the delegates told her everything. They expected her to fail. They were planning to make her the laughingstock for being unable to properly greet the dignitary and then complain that the Limerians did not respect Binshi customs! They were deliberately trying to fan discord between the Duke and the kush-turgans! Oh, how she wished to smack that smug grin off of that woman’s face! To claw out those disdainful eyes…
Lorelei’s fingers tightened. No one had taught her how to deal with such an unthinkable situation but she had found an answer. Her nails dug into the Binshi’s wrist. The other woman gasped and tried pulling her hand away but it was trapped in an iron grip. Lorelei was vaguely aware of the murmur rising amongst both delegations and Noah’s persistent stare but didn’t care. She was going to teach them all a lesson. Rish’s lecture popped in her mind: ‘When you press your foreheads, it means you are of one mind. Pressed right cheek means reconciliation. Pressed left cheek shows unresolved grievance. But if a person is of a higher status, they may kiss the forehead to…’
The pain in Lorelei’s own forehead intensified to the point where it felt like there was a sea of molten iron behind her eyes. Still, she lifted up her chin and gave the Binshi before her a wolfish grin. Her right hand rose. The other woman tried to step back but couldn’t. Beside them, a loud voice started saying something but was abruptly cut as Lorelei’s open palm hovered inches away from the Binshi’s face.
“Esteemed member of Twilight Pass,” the young woman’s voice was sweet and polite, its cadence – almost identical to the greeting exchanged between Shana and the kush-turgans, “I receive your gift. Mother Above, share the gifted gift with my sister and her tribe, so that neither man nor beast would harm them.”
The whole summit was silent. Accompanied by the scorching gazes of the crowd, Lorelei leaned in to finish her performance. Her free hand grabbed the shoulder of the petrified Binshi as she pressed their left cheeks together.
“I hope you did enjoy your foolish act,” she whispered and could feel the other woman quiver. She then quickly proceeded to press their right cheeks to the utter amazement of everyone gathered. “I forgive you. But next time, choose your opponent more wisely, in case you are not so lucky.”
Saying that, Lorelei straightened her back. The murmur of the crowd swept over her but she was far from finished. It was time to put the last nail in the coffin. Her eyes stared unblinkingly into the Binshi, making the woman involuntarily lower her head. As the corners of Lorelei’s mouth jumped up in a brief snicker, she leaned in again. The crowd took a single breath as the Duchess of Norden planted a kiss on her opponent’s forehead. No one today, except the Star-gazer and the Duke himself, had a higher standing than her. No one had the right to trick or belittle her, for her word was the law separating life from death. Her word was a command to be followed, and her kiss – the seal to prove it.
“You are free to go now!” she released the woman, sending her tumbling back.
Lifting her head high, Lorelei looked over the crowd, daring them to speak up, dread and anticipation drowning her recent anger. No one uttered a word. The kush-turgan of Twilight Pass hurried to take away his companion, giving low bows to both the Duke and the Duchess.
Under the bright warm rays of the spring sun, Lorelei felt like a warrior after a gruesome battle. She swayed but a strong hand supported her back. Turning slightly, she saw Noah’s face bearing a dark smile.
“You did great,” he whispered. “It’s almost over.”
She cocked her head and licked her dry lips. Only two kush-turgans left. Hopefully, these two would be normal for a change. As the commotion settled down, it was the turn of the clan from Argali Planes to step forth.
With the delegation approaching, Lorelei found out something wasn’t right with her eyes. She blinked several times, but the gray spot in the sea of whiteness remained. There was no mistake then; the leader of one of the Great Clans was a mixed-blood. While his leisurely gait brought them closer together, Lorelei had enough time to compose herself and have a better look at the man.
He was neither tall nor short, with long ash-gray hair braided in a single braid. At a glance, Lorelei couldn’t tell whether the man before her was twenty or forty. His features were fine and slightly feminine, his whole face exuding some sort of timelessness.
“Welcome to Ildemar, kush-turgan Bayan!” Noah held the extended hand of the man and completed the otdavak. “It is a surprise and a pleasure to finally receive you in person after so many years.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Duke Norden.” The Binshi bowed his head politely. “It isn’t like I didn’t want to visit you but you know best how heated some heads become when kush-turgan Yanosh’s prophecy comes to play. I didn’t want to stir additional trouble.”
Lorelei, who was exchanging greetings with an old Binshi man, turned her head abruptly and stared at him with huge eyes. This earned her a good-natured smile from the kush-turgan.
“Greetings to you too, Lady Norden. In the name of my people, I want to beg for forgiveness for kush-turgan Nekor and his clansmen. It was surely an oversight on their part but it was still of bad taste and unbecoming to the spirit of our meeting. I hope there will be no ill blood between our people.”
“I finished the ritual, Lord Bayan.” Lorelei returned his smile and secretly sighed in relief that this time there was no reason for her unusually fiery temper to flare up. “All that was to be said and done had been said and done.”
“The rumors of your prowess indeed match your character. I would be honored to have a longer conversation with you in the coming days, with the Duke’s permission, of course.”
“I would be delighted.”
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After exchanging a few more words with Noah, kush-turgan Bayan retreated to let the last group come in. Led by the oldest woman Lorelei had ever seen, the ambassadors from Twin-moon Lake approached. Accompanied by the clanking of beads and bells, the old woman stopped in front of Noah. Behind her, two younger Binshi carried a wooden chest, carved with stars and running wolves.
“It’s finally my turn, little wolf.” She greeted, giving him a toothless grin. “I’m glad these old bones of mine held up long enough to see you again.”
“Welcome to Ildemar, kush-turgan Akasha.” For the first time, Noah bowed his head. “Long time no see. You haven’t changed at all in six years.”
“Why are you addressing me so formally, boy? You sure have developed a silver tongue while I wasn’t around.”
“Time flies and all change... all but you, Kash-baba.”
“Bah, when you pass a hundred and fifteen like me, you can hardly get any more wrinkles.” She playfully winked at him and then suddenly turned to Lorelei. “I am happy to see you again too, Moon-kissed child. A lot has happened since the day our paths crossed.”
“You!” Lorelei looked her up and down, the image of the kush-turgan overlapping with the one of a toothless granny smoking a pipe. “You sold me the twin-drops!”
“Indeed. But it seems you didn’t like Kash-baba’s merchandise. Such a pity.”
“No!” Lorelei lowered her eyes, her hand touching the place on her chest where the small white twin-drop once hung. “I liked it a lot. That pendant saved my life. But… I lost it. I’m sorry.”
“What’s lost isn’t necessarily gone forever. As long as it isn’t destroyed, with the blessing of Mir-Mama, it might be found again.” She threw Noah a sly look. “Only time will tell. But until then, allow me to give you a little gift.”
The old woman waved her hand and from the depths of her broad sleeve, a small box appeared like summoned with magic. The kush-turgan opened it and took out a bronze brooch. On its polished surface was engraved a blue sparkling swallow, its wings spread in flight. It wasn’t very intricate and the craftsmanship wasn’t pristine, but somehow the little pin had a rugged charm.
“I know what the ‘Shimshi’ did for my people. The sick girl you saved and all of her friends are under my care. They carved the argali horn for the swallow themselves in hopes that it would protect their lady from harm. The bronze was donated and shaped by the inhabitants of the vagrant’s camp.”
“I…” Lorelei’s eyes stung. “I don’t deserve this. It was the Duke who helped them.”
“I’m just the go-between, Moon-kissed child. And neither you nor I were the judges, but the ones you healed and gave hope to. Accept the gift and the will behind it.”
Lorelei couldn’t say a word. She just stood there, fighting back the tears. Out of nowhere, the pulsating headache crawled back in, each throb reverberating in her body. She did indeed save people. But why was there a need to do this in the first place? Because of you! Where were the benevolent kush-turgns when the Red Hands raged and slaughtered? When little children were tortured and turned into monsters? The Saints and their Acolytes had been too lenient, too foolish when conquering these barbaric lands! They should have cleansed the earth of the Binshi and their dark magic. Of the Star-gazers and their useless prophecies. If she had even a sliver of power, she would give the white-haired demons all the punishment they deserved!
Clenching her jaw, Lorelei could hardly fight the urge to strike at the Binshi before her. The mere presence of the hag was nauseating. She would slit her throat and let that filthy blood of hers soak the land. She would gauge out those gem-blue eyes that even dared look at her.
Lorelei’s hand twitched, her fingers slowly curling up into a claw. Now was the time!
A sudden prick on her chest sobered her up.
“Ouch!”
“Forgive me, Moon-kissed child,” kush-turgan Akasha grinned at her. “These old hands are quite unsteady. Oh, look how good it looks on you. The children will be so happy. May it give you health and good luck.”
As if blown by a strong wind, the clouds in Lorelei’s mind cleared. The blood no longer rushed through her veins and there was a strange metal taste lingering in her mouth. Blinking and looking between the old woman and the brooch sparkling on her chest, Lorelei felt like she was waking up from a deep slumber. Those thoughts she just had… Did she really wish to do such horrible things?! And that strange headache…
“T-thank you, kush-turgan Akasha. I... will cherish your gift and will make sure to keep it safe this time.”
Cursing herself for only noticing now, Lorelei tried to act normal, but deep inside, fear gripped her heart and her limbs grew cold. Her unnatural mood today had to be a hex! Wasn’t Gregor’s seal supposed to protect her? Neither he nor the twins showed any signs of worry, so maybe it was just her imagination. No! It was real. She could clearly remember the elation she felt thinking of attacking the frail old Binshi that was smiling at her.
“No need to thank Kash-baba, but I’ll tell the children you liked their gift.” The smile on the kush-turgan’s face faded a bit. “But you look too pale child. Is everything alright? Maybe we should speed things up a bit?”
“All is f-fine…” Lorelei replied shakily but Noah interjected.
“My wife has a weak constitution, Kash-baba. We should indeed proceed with the ceremony. But before that, I want to give you, the Grand Elder of all free Binshi, a gift of my own. Duncan!”
The old knight approached, carrying his wooden chest. Noah’s voice swept over the crowd.
“I know that amongst the Binshi, sharing your hunt and your fire is the greatest form of hospitality. I hope you will accept this little trophy my Barons and I hunted as a sign of our friendship and hospitality.”
Prompted by him, Duncan lifted the lid. There was a gasp and the crowd swayed and rippled. Lorelei was no exception. She bit her lips to stop herself from throwing up and was grateful when she felt Rish’s sturdy hands steadying her back.
On a bed of salt at the bottom of the box lay the head of a man. His muddy eyes stared into nothing and the tip of his graying tongue stuck between the cracked lips. The flaky skin was peeling down, revealing the unnaturally black flesh and bones below.
“We have no custom of hunting our own kin.” The wrinkled face of kush-turgan Akasha shriveled further and, for the first time, there was coldness in her voice.
“What my Barons hunted was a monster.” Noah took the box from Duncan and handed it to the old woman. “He pillaged, destroyed, and sold the people of his land. And, in his final moments, he foolishly condemned his own soul to oblivion by means of black magic. I might be the Beast of Norden, but I have no such creatures as my kin.”
“The gift you are giving me is quite heavy, little wolf.” Kush-turgan Akasha knitted her brows. “I accept it. But I hope it would be the last of its kind.”
“I do too, Kash-baba. Rowell’s blood was spilled to honor a pact forged in blood. I swore to protect Norden from any threat.”
“The pact you have honored…” The old woman sighed. “But it would have made little Yanosh sad.”
“It would have. But sometimes, when words fail, steel is needed.”
Kush-turgan Akasha chewed on her lips for a moment but remained silent. She then lifted her hand and the two people carrying the engraved chest opened it. Lorelei flinched, expecting another grinning head inside. Her stomach turned as she broke in cold sweat.
Her fears were for naught.
The object inside the chest caught the midday rays and showered all people close by in rainbow-colored sparkles. Upon kush-turgan Akasha’s beckoning, Noah gently lifted it with both hands. It was the largest snowflake Lorelei had ever seen. It took her muddled brain a few seconds to realize that the object in her husband’s hands wasn’t made of ice but crystal-clear glass. Every branch and sharp point reflected the light, breaking and reforming it into a mosaic of sun flecks. At its very center was a big red gem, gleaming like a giant drop of fresh blood.
“A pact of peace formed of blood and promise. We reunite the Star of Norden with its creator!” The voice of kush-turgan Akasha commanded everyone’s attention. “May its light shine over us all for another year.”