The young nobleman came closer with an apologetic expression, his willowy figure – slightly hunched as he attempted to look smaller and unintimidating. Seeing his flustered expression despite the spring murk, Lorelei had to swallow a snicker. Compared to Duncan and Noah’s bear-like build, this young man could hardly be considered threatening, especially in the presence of Rish. Still, she appreciated his gallant attempt.

“So, what brings you here, young master?”

“I was not expecting to meet the lady, or anyone else, around.” Castor Firmon coughed and his cheeks became visibly red even in the darkness. “To be honest, I wanted some peace and quiet, and after that, I was so infatuated by Ildemar’s magic charms that I lost track of time and direction...”

“What!?” Lorelei and Rish were stupefied by the blunt reply but they were not the only ones. The shadows near the three wriggled and a white-haired figure jumped out and pressed a dagger at the young man’s throat.

“So that’s why you’ve been snooping around for the past half hour?” hissed Rasha and there was a silver light kindling in her eyes. “Who sent you? Are you one of the Red Hands?”

“He has to be!” Rish pulled out her own weapon, shoveling Lorelei behind her back yet again.

“N-no, no, wait! Let me explain!” Castor tensed up but didn’t dare move a muscle. One twitch and he was going to drown in his own blood – that was the promise written all over the twin-warriors' faces.

“Rish, Rasha, put your weapons down.”

Overcoming the initial shock, Lorelei finally gathered her wits and intervened.

“Sorry, it's out of the question,” Rish said through clenched teeth. “He might harm you.”

“How? He never threatened us. And do you think that a Red Hand would confess about his agenda so openly?”

“They are the sneaky kind.” Rasha’s blade dug a bit farther in, eliciting a sharp gasp from her victim. “He might want to mislead us. Who knows what he’s plotting?”

“Enough!” Lorelei’s tone was calm but resolute. “Both of you are overreacting. Put the knives down. Young Master Firmon, we better go back inside before we attract any more unwanted attention.”

“But my lady...”

“Is he a Binshi?”

“No”

“Is he carrying any curses, hexes, or other malicious items on his body?”

“Well…” Rish closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. “I don’t sense a thing.”

“You see?” Lorelei put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Let’s first go in and then one of you should inform the Duke about this little… ordeal.”

With a lot of grumbling, the twins followed her orders but never let Castor Firmon out of their sight. As the four entered a small room near the Grand Hall, the Binshi whispered an incantation and the darkness was dispersed by two floating silver orbs the size of a child’s fist. Their cold light made the furniture throw unnaturally long and deep shadows and even the large carved ancestral tree decorating one of the walls seemed like a menacing apparition.

“Should you waste your soul-force for something like this?” Lorelei sat in one of the chairs, beckoning Conrad to do the same. The young nobleman hurried to comply.

“And give him a chance to play some dirty tricks in the dark?” snorted Rish while she nimbly pulled out a fire striker In no time joyful flames lit up the heavy candelabra at the center of the table. With a snap of their fingers, the twins extinguished the enchanted lights.

“Rasha, go bring His Highness.” Rish dropped in the chair between Lorelei and Conrad, putting her dagger on the table before her. “I’ll guard the lady and our little friend.”

Lorelei could see the young nobleman’s face twitching, obviously feeling unhappy to be called ‘little’ by someone younger than himself. Still, he didn’t utter a word, but instead, put his hands on the table so that the wary Binshi could see them.

Rasha exited the room without much discussion and the three were left to sit in uncomfortable silence. Luckily, it didn't take long before the door flung open again and Noah stepped in, followed by the young Binshi, Baron Firmon, and Gregor’s father – Elder Tikotse.

“What mess did you cause, you unfilial child?!” The old Baron didn’t even wait to enter the room before his shout slapped the ears of the group. Castor flinched and his head sank between his shoulders but he remained silent.

“Calm down, Lord Harald,” said Noah and took a seat next to Lorelei. Despite his tranquil pose, she could sense the tension exuding from his body – a beast ready to jump at any provocation. “Take a chair and let’s hear what this commotion is all about.”

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Without waiting for a second call, Rish quickly summarized their encounter. All the while, not even a muscle twitched on Noah’s face. At the same time, Baron Firmon’s brows were threatening to merge together.

“How could you come up with such a distasteful buffoonery?” The old man shook his head, his tone now composed but still unable to completely hide his anger. “I want to apologize for my son’s antics, my lord. He spends too much time digging in dusty books to know when to jest and when to behave like a lord.”

“Oh, but I have a feeling that it wasn't as simple as that, Lord Harald.” Noah pressed the tips of his fingers together and looked over them straight at the young nobleman. “I believe it is about time to speak the truth, Master Castor, before you get in any more trouble and drag the whole Firmon household with you.”

“My lord…” The young man balled his fists and a flock of brown hair fell over his eyes as he lowered his head. “Believe me, I never intended to scare the Duchess or cause any harm to you or anyone else here. I… I was just so excited to be able to come here again. Two years ago, I thought I was crazy, but now I know it’s true…It’s true and I can see them! I was just too happy and blurted it out in front of the Duchess and her escort-”

“Slow down,” Noah interrupted him. “Your words make no sense.”

“I’m sorry, my lord.” Castor took a deep breath and licked his lips. “The last time I visited Ildemar was two years ago during the Grand Council. Back then, I thought I saw the walls of the castle sparkle and exude multicolored light, but when I spoke with my brother and father, they said I was imagining things.”

“Don’t start again with the nonsense.” Baron Firmon snorted but one glance from Noah was enough to shut him up. Castor continued:

“I thought that they were right, that I’m hallucinating. But ever since then, I’ve seen a similar sparkle on the Main Temple in Yalda and on the old chapel in our castle but not on the new church in Narta. I spent the past two years studying the old texts; all the while the colorful shimmers I saw became clearer.”

“And what did you find?” Noah squinted, fixating the young man.

“I found that the Firmon household has blood connections to Saint Oronte The Seer.”

Lorelei gulped and she was not the only one. The eyes of Baron Firmon were about to pop out, the thin hairs of his scalp trembling in unison with his shaking head. And while the Binshi were seemingly unfazed, Lorelei understood the tremendous meaning of the young nobleman’s statement.

Saint Oronte was not called The Seer for nothing. According to the legends, he was able to see the flow of magic. There was no illusion that could fool him. He could somehow even see the structure of incantations and curses and analyze them. Amongst the Saints sent by the Two Fathers, Saint Arslan was the one who could negate any magic, but he couldn’t see or feel it. That’s why Saint Oronte was his eyes when they faced the creatures of darkness and the evil warlocks of old. Those two, together with Saint Ursule The Righteous, Saint Emina The Eternal, and Saint Markus The Builder, were amongst the most venerated Saints in Limeria. The Imperial family prided itself on being descendent from Saint Arslan and proudly gave their offspring lion-names to revere their patron. The current Pope gained his position mainly because he had blood ties with Saint Markus. And now, this young man before them claimed to be related to one of the Great Five!

Lorelei chewed on her lip, her fingers locking together. Was Conrad Firmon the second coming of Saint Oronte? Or maybe he was just an Acolyte, gifted a small portion of the original power by devotion or blood? Either way, it was crucial to know how strong his gift was. Was he able to see her life-core? Was it obvious that it was fake?

A bead of sweat crawled down Lorelei’s spine and made her shudder as the grim possibilities rolled before her eyes. Noah and her friends were going to treat her as a monster. She was going to burn at the stake as a witch. Or maybe even worse – the Church was going to claim her and force her to become a true vessel for a new Saint!

“Your Highness,” the quiet words of Elder Tikotse were like a slap that sobered her up, “may I test the young man’s words?”

“Go on.” Noah nodded, tuning over to Baron Firmon. “Lord Harald shouldn’t have anything against it, since his offspring is, after all, a potential threat to our security. Don’t worry, Baron, your son won’t be harmed.”

The pale old man only nodded, throwing poisonous glares at Conrad.

“Young Master, please look here and tell me what you see.”

Elder Tikotse stretched out his arms with the palms facing up. Shortly after, a flock of familiar silver snowflakes appeared over his right hand. Judging by the twitch on Conrad’s face, he too could see the gathered soul-dust.

“There is a silver shimmer over your right palm, Elder.” He narrowed his eyes. “It looks like a swirling smoke or… liquid light but it’s very faint.”

Lorelei almost laughed out of relief. If the bright soul-specs were just a blur for him, seeing the intricate touch of Yanosh’s magic that could fool even Binshi was above his abilities.

After exchanging nods with Tikotse, Noah rubbed his forehead and sighed.

“Baron Firmon, your son has presented us with quite the conundrum here. It would be best if he does not leave his chambers for the time being unless explicitly summoned. I will discuss with my shamans how we are to proceed from now on.”

“A benevolent decision, my lord.” The Baron quietly agreed, his old face seemingly aged even further in the last couple of minutes.

“And since the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…”

“I will remain in my chambers unless summoned too, my lord. And I would appreciate it if one of your shamans is escorting me at all times to prevent further misunderstandings.”

“Of course Baron. Rish, Rasha, accompany the lords with Tikotse. Your permanent escort will be assigned tomorrow.” Noah gave them a sign to leave but before they exited the room, he stopped them one last time. “Lord Harald, you should know that I value your son’s honesty tonight. It might have saved you a lot of future trouble, so, don’t be too harsh on him.”

“This son of mine wears his heart on his sleeve and is unfit for schemes and court games.” The old man threw a scorching glance at Conrad. “Whether it is a blessing or a curse, we shall see. Alas, it won’t change the fact that I’ve fathered an idiot. Good night, Your Highnesses.”

With that said, their small party left. Slowly letting out the air in his chest, Noah drew a hand over his face.

“And all I wanted was some peace and quiet,” he mumbled to himself. Then he straightened his back and turned to Lorelei. “Would you care to accompany me for a walk under the moonlight, my duchess? Or are you too tired?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep anyway tonight.” She shrugged in response. “Where are you going to take me, my lord?”

“Around the earth and up to the stars.” Her husband smiled mysteriously and offered her his hand. “Tonight you will learn about the blood of Saints that protects us all.”