Fresh dawn arrived after the stormy night. The sky, washed by the torrential rain, was pristine blue - endless and unblemished by even the tiniest cloud. And yet, the tempest still lingered between the white walls of castle Ildemar.

Sitting in a chair in Shana’s anteroom, Noah tried to suppress the urge to pour out his frustration and break something. Or someone. His limbs, however, refused to cooperate and he struggled to overcome the persistent exhaustion and aches gnawing at his body. Instead, he did the next best thing and threw the people before him a bitter look.

“My order was clear. Why didn’t you wake me up?” He rubbed his neck with an angry groan, still making sure to keep his voice low. “We’ve lost precious time.”

“Even awake, you would have been completely useless in your condition.” William yawned. The dark circles under his eyes were proof of his own tumultuous night.

“It was just a minor injury!”

“I’m not talking about your body.” The Lord Steward peered into his friend’s eyes. “I’m still not sure that you possess the mental clarity to discuss any important matters involving the case.”

“You dare…” Noah was ready to spring up but a strong hand held him in place.

“Easy, boy.” Duncan squeezed his shoulder. “If we want to overcome the situation, we need to stay level-headed and not fight amongst ourselves. We are knee-deep in some nasty shit but at least everyone’s still alive.”

Noah exhaled slowly and supported his elbows on the table separating him from William. His head hung in silence. He knew he was acting rashly. He knew that William was right in his decision to let him rest. But the feeling that everything around him was slipping away from his control… It made him realize how useless his efforts were. No matter how hard he tried, how much of his own blood he spilled, the ones precious to his heart continued to suffer. His power wasn’t enough to protect them; his body wasn’t enough to shield them; he wasn’t smart enough to outmaneuver his foes. Rather, he called forth misfortune.

Noah took a couple of deep breaths, each one chipping away at his anger until all that was left was the naked core of his emotions. With a heavy heart, he asked the question he dreaded most.

“Report. How…" he choked, fighting the fear, desperation, and guilt that clogged his throat and threatened to drown him. "How are Lorelei and Gerash?”

“The Duchess is resting under Milly’s care,” replied Neli and eyed Noah with some concern before continuing. “She is bruised and exhausted but her life is not in danger. Don’t worry, she is a tough girl, she’s been through worse.”

Noah chewed on his lip without retorting. Falling from a cliff and almost drowning should have been bad enough for anyone, not to say a frail woman. He could only hope that Neli was right and Lorelei would get better soon.

“The little wolf has also been taken care of.” Kash-baba played with the bone beads that hung around her neck. “His soul has entered the kukulak and the Wolf Mountain healers have patched up his wound. But it will take time to recuperate and for his spirit to return to its vessel.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.” The old Binshi shook her head. “It could be a week or a month… or more.”

“Will his body be able to survive for that long with an incomplete soul?” Noah felt the weight of every quiet word that left his lips. He held his breath, his fingers interlocking tightly.

The old shaman pondered for a moment, her wrinkled face turning solemn.

“What you Limerians call simply a soul, we call amir-gamur - the dual spirit. The gamur, the core-bound soul, is still in his body. His amir, the wandering soul, I have put in the kukulak. The wound is more dangerous for the amir since it contains the youngling’s essence of self and...”

“In short, Gregor will survive in his present condition, as long as his life-core and the gamur haven’t been destroyed completely.” William interrupted her coldly and drummed on the table. “Any other measures we need to take to speed up the healing?”

“Having his loved ones around him will strengthen the effects of the mayak bead that would call back the amir. Other than that… pray.”

“Make sure Saya never stays alone with him,” said Noah and rubbed his face. “And… I’ll have to speak with Karusa and Tikotse when they wake up. The Elders said it will be today around noon.”

“Leave the small tasks to me,” said William with a grim frown. “There are more important matters you need to deal with.”

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“What happened?” Seeing his friend reacting even colder than usual, Noah braced for the bad news.

“Last evening, there was civil unrest in Yalda.”

“What?”

William flipped through the papers before him.

“Around early afternoon yesterday, two rumors began spreading throughout the city almost simultaneously. One was that the Binshi delegation and the Star-gazer attacked and murdered the Duchess and injured the Duke. The other one claimed that the Limerian dignitaries destroyed a precious heirloom left by the last Star-gazer. Before the city guard could stop them, a mob burned a couple of Binshi shops. At the same time, some Binshi hotheads tried to vandalize the Two Gods' churches at Fish Market and Mid-town Square. Six people died; over a dozen have been injured.”

“This is insane!” Noah slammed on the table.

“Tensions have been on the rise in Yalda for some time and the black lightning spectacle yesterday was all the catalyst some people needed.” William shrugged and said in a matter-of-factly tone.

“Who spread the rumor?”

“Aiden is still investigating. I’ve dispatched additional troops and have instructed Mayor Preston to interrogate any insurgents we catch. But we can’t arrest the whole city.”

“Whether it is the Red Hands or your brother, it doesn’t matter,” Neli interjected. “The damage is already done. We need to act swiftly and take care of the aftermath.”

“But the Duchess is fine!” Duncan rubbed his chin. “We can simply send criers to spread the news and it should calm things down.”

“You think I haven’t done that?” William rolled his eyes. “Unless we show them the Duchess and the intact Star of Norden, the tensions won't subside.”

“Out of the question!” Noah tensed up. “Lorelei is too weak. And bringing the core of the Star out of the castle could further jeopardize our defenses.”

“I’ve never considered it either.” The Steward of Norden leaned in his chair. “But the problem remains. An alternative option would be to punish someone to calm down the masses. But it's still tricky, even if we want to use a scapegoat. The Limerian population of Yalda demands vengeance for their Limerian Duchess. The Binshi population demands justice for the inflicted damage.”

The young man threw a glance at Kash-baba.

“And I believe the kush-turgans have come up with their own list of requests, judging by the messages being exchanged since yesterday evening.”

“You are a dangerous cub to be able to decipher our script.” Kash-baba clicked her tongue and pulled out a silver pipe from the folds of her gown. After lighting it and letting out a few puffs of fragrant smoke, she continued. “Indeed, the kush-turgans of Trout Stream and Crescent Peak, as well as Zeze from Argali Planes, who acts as little Bayan’s substitute, demand of the Duke to take responsibility for the recent events and prove his loyalty to the oath he has given to the Star Children. Otherwise, their clans will be marching towards Yalda before the next full moon.”

“Let me guess.” Noah clenched his fists. “I am too incompetent since I allowed the Red Hands to wreak havoc in the castle, almost kill two kush-turgans, and threaten the Star-gazer, so they demand to hand over Shana to them or they will begin a civil war.”

“In essence - yes.”

“And what is your position on the matter, kush-turgan?” Noah peered into the old woman’s eyes.

“I’ve always trusted little Yanosh’s decisions. He wanted you to be the child’s guardian and I accepted his choice. Although...” The old Binshi chewed on her pipe. “Maybe if she was with us someone would have noticed her strange state earlier. Therefore. I will treat your way of handling this matter as a test. Prove to me that you can resolve the situation in a way that satisfies both Binshi and Limerians and I’ll support your claim over the Star-gazer’s custody.”

Noah nodded and swallowed dryly. He never expected anything less from kush-turgan Akasha - the Grand Elder of the Binshi and the one protecting their living memory. One word from her could turn the tides of their current predicament. If he could win her on his side, he could keep his daughter out of the hands of those vultures who only saw her as a holy vessel for the future generations of Star-gazers.

‘But are you worthy of even calling yourself her father?’ His inner voice hissed from a dark corner of his mind. ‘You almost lost her. Twice! What right do you have to put yourself higher than her own people? Maybe if she was under Akasha’s or some of the other kush-turgans’ protection, she would have been safer.’

Biting the inside of his mouth, Noah attempted to keep his expression neutral while fighting his poisonous thoughts. His skull felt like splitting and his body ached for rest, but he had no time for repose.

The low creak of the door behind his back jolted Noah. He spun around to see an old Binshi exiting Shana’s room.

“Elder Kotrag! Did something happen?”

“The Star-gazer is awake, my Duke.” A relieved smile stretched the Elder’s wrinkles.

The next second, Noah jumped from his chair and rushed past the man into Shana’s room. The drapes of her bed were pulled open and the remaining Elders and a few servants were busying themselves around the small figure tucked between a mountain of sheets and pillows. In his rush, Noah almost tripped and staggered to regain his balance, attracting the retainer’s attention. This cost him a bit of his pride and a couple of benign smiles, but he made no heed of them. All that mattered was Shana. She was awake. She was alright!

“Starlet!” He called to her as he approached the bedside, eager to see her face, her smile, her mane of unruly white hair.

What met him instead was a pair of frightened blue eyes.