With the Star of Norden in his hands, Noah led the procession back to the castle, flanked on both sides by Shana and kush-turgan Akasha. As the crowd flowed towards the white bridge and the invitingly opened gates, Lorelei trailed behind a bit. She came close to Rish and lowered her voice so that only the young Binshi could hear her.

“We have a problem. Someone is trying to put a hex on me.”

“What!?” Rish hissed in return and looked around, but everyone seemed blissfully uninterested in their conversation. “Impossible! I would have felt it as one of the seal’s guardians.”

“I’m telling you, something is wrong.” Lorelei touched the back of her neck. “Just now, I had the urge to slaughter any Binshi in sight.”

“Don’t be offended, but you’d hardly be a threat, even if you tried.”

“I’m not joking, Rish!”

Seeing her friend’s pale face, the young warrior frowned.

“Alright. I’ll ask Rasha if she felt something amiss.”

Her steps as quick and silent as a wild cat’s, Rish melted into the crowd. Lorelei clenched her hands together and tried to put up a dignified façade. Why would someone even try to curse her? Was it yet another prank or…? No. What the clan from Twilight Pass did was a prank. What she felt was far more sinister.

A slight pressure against her chest distracted Lorelei’s dark thoughts. She dipped her head and observed the little bronze brooch that was surprisingly heavy despite its size. As the blue swallow sparkled in the sunlight, it was hard to believe that it was not a precious stone but made out of the horn of a strange goat. Lorelei’s fingers trailed the slightly rough surface, which was warm to the touch, and mused. Ever since kush-turgan Akasha had pinned it on her, the headache and the unnatural anger were gone. Did it also carry a hex? If it did, Lorelei was grateful for its timely intervention. And yet, she felt the fear inside her swelling. Magic was something she couldn’t grasp. It was so dangerous, unpredictable, and, for the most part, sinister, much different than the enlightened logic of alchemy and natural philosophy she had followed all her life. It frightened her. It made her feel vulnerable. And it now threatened to take her sanity, if not her life.

Despite her inner turmoil, Lorelei continued to walk forward. She had to, for the dignity of the ducal household. Up the steps of the main entrance; through hallways and up other staircases. After what felt like hours, their group reached its final destination – the tallest tower of Ildemar. Large glass windows on every wall allowed the midday sheen to bathe the room in gold. The only furniture was a lone marble column on a pedestal at the very center, crowned by a velvet cushion.

With reverence, Noah put down the Star of Norden, carefully positioning it on the cushion so that it caught the light streaming from the windows. The room was filled with sparkling reflections, multicolored flecks of light painting mosaics on the walls. The ruby at the heart of the Star looked like it was on fire, a hallo of red surrounding it.

“The Star of Norden has once again returned to Ildemar.” Noah turned around to face the crowd. “For as long as its light shines over us, no quarrel should disturb the peace between our people. Now go and rest. Tonight, we feast. Tomorrow, the Grand Council of Norden and the games for the Star-gazer’s ninth birthday shall commence.”

One by one, the delegates trickled down the stairs the way they came to be met by Ildemar’s servants at the foot of the tower and guided to their champers. Soon, the only ones left in the sunny room were Noah, Lorelei, Duncan, and Neli.

“Lean on me.” Noah offered his arm to Lorelei. “You are too pale. Are you alright?”

“I’m not.” She gratefully let him support her. “I think someone tried to put a hex on me.”

“What?” Noah and Duncan both blurted out. Neli remained quiet but her eyes became two narrow slits as she studied the young woman.

The sound of rushing steps came from the staircase and any further questions were postponed by the appearance of Gregor and the twins.

“Lad, the Duchess just said-” Duncan started but the young shaman interrupted him.

“I know. My lady, allow me to check the seal.”

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While he carefully inspected the nape of Lorelei’s neck, Noah tightened his grip around his wife’s waist.

“Did you feel anything strange?” he asked, his eyes intently peeled on his friend.

“I didn’t.” The Binshi’s eyebrows were so close together that they almost formed a singular line. “And neither did any of the girls. The seal also doesn’t seem to be broken. My lady, please explain what exactly happened.”

Lorelei briefly retold her experiences without embellishing or hiding anything. The longer she narrated, the odder and more unbelievable the story sounded in her own ears. As if reading her thoughts, Neli cleared her throat.

“I believe there is a simple explanation to all this other than a hex. The last couple of months were not what one would call peaceful and there is no denying that some Binshi had a hand in all of it.”

“What are you implying, Lady Abrahmandar?” Lorelei gave her best to tone down the anger and frustration in her voice.

“Is it possible that the lady is simply stressed? It is not unheard of that a person faced with great adversity would project their fears and sometimes even get swallowed by strong emotions long after the tribulation is over.”

“I’ve seen it amongst the youngsters after their first battle,” said Duncan while stroking his beard. “Sudden outbursts of fear, anger, sometimes even maniacal laughter. Some lads were acting like they’ve been possessed by a demon months after the battle and would jump into a brawl for nothing or curl up in a corner and cry like babies after a single word.”

“I… believe that might be true, my lady.” Rasha gave Lorelei a knowing look. “I’ve been experiencing similar outbursts of uncontrollable rage before we had our talk and you gave me that tea.”

“Lorelei, I swear,” Rish grabbed her friend’s hand. “I never felt even a whiff of magic around you. There was no hex.”

Their words shook Lorelei’s previously firm beliefs. Maybe she was really imagining it? Overexaggerating and misinterpreting her confused emotions. Turning her face up, she searched for Noah’s gaze. On his dark chiseled face, his gray eyes burned with cold determination.

“I want to be completely sure. Gerash, cast a purification hex on her, just to be safe. And make sure that the charms in our guests' rooms are always active.”

“Checked them this morning. No outsider can perform hexes in their assigned quarters and when outside, the Shadows are trailing them.”

“Check again.” Noah was unyielding. He then carefully guided Lorelei towards the stairs. “I will escort you to your room. Rish will be with you at all times. And also that brooch Kash-baba gave you – keep it by your side. Argali horns are used to break illusions and clear the mind.”

“But… Isn’t it dangerous?” Lorelei hesitated. “It might be a gift but… Can we trust her?”

“No malicious hexes can be brought into Ildemar from the outside. Yanosh and I made sure of it.” Noah threw a glance over his shoulder. “Even more so when the Star of Norden is in its place.”

Without further comments, he led Lorelei down the stairs.

***

In the quiet of her room, Shana sat on the window sill, her eyes staring into nothingness. A translucent figure hung in the shadows beside her.

“I failed, dada!” The girl chewed on her nails as she poured out her frustration. “The hex didn’t activate. The evil aura of that witch is still hidden. You told me that the hex will make her evil thoughts take shape; will make them visible even to the Limerians. But there was not even a wisp of black aura around her. What did I do wrong?”

The ghostly projection of Akh-Moren jittered and paled before returning back to shape. That was a valid question. Especially since he knew that the hex had activated. His little spy had made sure that the protective seal on the Duchess was flawed. It wasn’t a visible flaw, just a crack so that Shana’s magic could sneak in unnoticed. And even without it, the Star-gazer’s powers were strong enough to obliterate any defenses put up by a mere turgan. The curse had found its target for sure. But why didn’t that woman react? Why didn’t she run amok as intended? After all, Shana’s hex was specially modified to amplify the Darkness in one’s life-core. The bloody spectacle he had hoped for didn't happen, and there was only one explanation – the Star of Norden.

Akh’Moren frowned, completely ignoring the girl’s uninterrupted whining. He knew that the artifact created by that bastard Yanosh was powerful. That was the reason he had been unable, no, unwilling to risk coming to Ildemar personally until now. It turned out that the rumors were true. The Star of Norden contained parts of Saint Arslan The Purifier - the destroyer of magic who led the Limerian dogs to invade their lands centuries ago.

Akh-Moren could indeed feel that bastard’s obscene power, capable of weakening and negating magic. He had felt it even before today, a dull pressure trying to disperse his soul-projection, but had ignored it. It had presented no danger to someone of his power. Now it felt like scorching tidal waves seeping out of Ildemar’s walls, as if the castle was an amplifier for the relic's potency. It was no longer possible to neglect it. If he wanted to wreak havoc and take away his little bride over the Duke's squirming corpse, the Star had to be destroyed.

“Dada, are you listening? What are we going to do now?”

Shana’s whiny voice called for him. Akh-Moren tried to twist the face he was borrowing in the most benign and fatherly smile.

“Don’t worry, my sweet child. Nothing is lost. We will find a way. Do you trust me?”

“I do.”

“But are you ready to get your hands dirty?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“It will be dangerous to do a big hex right now. But give your father some time. I promise you, I won’t let you down as long as you are willing to help me.”