Exchanging farewells with the slightly dazed Father Ignatus, Lorelei left the chapel. She blinked, blinded by the strong noon sun, and steeled herself. No doubt, Neli was going to be on her neck again. She sighed and shuddered, knowing that it would be hard to escape from the pending continuation of their conversation.

But contrary to her expectations, no one waited for her at the bottom of the small staircase. Lorelei looked around relieved but slightly confused. For some reason, an ominous feeling started to bud in her heart.

Not far away, a patch of trees formed a small copse. Between the lean trunks and low bushes, Lorelei spotted Neli’s red-orange garbs that looked like a tuft of flames amidst the fresh greenery. The Marzbanati seemed to half-kneel next to a tree, her upper body leaning against the trunk.

Something in her posture felt wrong.

Forgetting her previous qualms, Lorelei rushed towards the copse. The sound of her steps alerted the old woman and she turned her head around. The grief and despair twisting her face were enough to make Lorelei slow her gait even before Neli’s words reached her.

“Stay away! Don’t come near!”

“What’s wrong?” Ignoring the warning, Lorelei closed the distance.

The moment she took in the whole gruesome picture, the breath got stuck in Lorelei’s chest. Fear, comparable only to the horror of a dhrowghost, clenched her heart. Her mind desperately tried to deny what her eyes were witnessing.

On the soft green moss at the foot of the tree lay the lifeless body of a girl. Her gray habit, distinguishing her as a novice priestess in training, was covered in dirt and green smears. And blood. Like fine threads of molten ruby, blood trickled from her eyes, nose, and the corners of her mouth. Her ghastly face, its expression frozen in the final moment of her life, was twisted in agony and fear.

“I… wanted to take a walk. Clear my mind,” whispered Neli and choked. “I found her here. Facing down.”

“You touched her!” Lorelei gasped.

“I didn’t know.” Neli’s eyes turned glassy as she stared at the little figure. “I thought she had fainted. I didn’t know… I… Am I doomed?”

“You…” Lorelei bit her lips. She couldn’t say no. And she could no longer deny the facts. The Heavens had forsaken the Main Tempel. Or maybe, if her worst fears became true, the whole of Yalda.

“Stay here,” she said resolutely, swallowing her fear. “Don’t touch anything. I’ll inform the priests that we have a case of the Blood Plague.”

***

“Let me go, you pricks! I have to be with her!”

Roaring like a wounded bear, Duncan took a step towards the door, dragging Lucas and Noak like they were ragdolls.

“Sir Duncan, come to your senses!” panted the young knight and tried to find a foothold on the granite floor.

“Damn you, old man! Are you seeking your death!?” squeezed Noah through his teeth. “Calm down. Now!”

“She’s been more of a mother to you than the woman who birthed you!” shouted Duncan in a blind frenzy. “How can you be so cold and heartless!?”

With all his might, the old knight swung the arm Noah was tugging at.

The combined effect of a warrior’s strength and his unhealed injury, made Noah lose his bearing. With a cry of pain, he tumbled backward and crashed against the bed.

His scream sobered Duncan up. The old knight froze, fear and guilt replacing his anger.

“Noah, my boy, I’m sor-”

“You think I don’t care about her!?” Leaning on the bed for support, Noah clutched his injured leg and gave free rein to his feelings. “She’s the only connection I have left to my roots. The only mother I know! But this doesn’t mean that I’ll allow you to throw away your life like that.”

“My lords, please. Calm down.” Lorelei stepped forth and helped Noah sit on the bed. “It’s not like Lady Nelini is showing any symptoms. She isn’t dead yet. There is still a chance.”

“A chance?” Duncan snorted and his gist collided with the stone wall of the cell. “We are talking about the Blood Plague. That scourge almost destroyed Limeria thirty-five years ago! Not even the royal physicians could find a cure. It took the life of Empress Mathilde. And even the Emperor wouldn’t have survived if the now-empress Sophia and the De Marcus family hadn’t provided an ancient artifact containing the blood of Saint Emina and Saint Ursule. It’s a miracle that the infant crown prince survived but after that he…”

“But some people did survive.” Lorelei lowered her head and added softly. “Even if it was one of every hundred, there is still hope. If we do our best, we might be able to save lives.”

“I support the Duchess on the matter.”

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Everyone became quiet as Bishop Petronius raised his voice. Lorelei too was taken aback, her confusion showing on her face clearly enough for the cleric to notice.

“Duchess Norden,” the Bishop’s mouth twitched into something akin to a smile, “I realize that my statement might sound perplexing considering… the history of our relationship. But all my life, I have been nothing but a servant to the people of Limeria. My stand on magic and the inclusion of the Binshi into the Empire might differ from yours and the Duke’s, but my highest priority has always been to protect my parishioners. Believe me, death from the Blood Plague is not something I’d wish upon even my enemies.”

Saying that, the old cleric turned to Noah.

“It seems that the Two Gods are giving us tribulations and trials one after the other. But the lockdown you ordered of the church and the temple grounds might be a blessing in disguise. I will order an investigation of the novice’s whereabouts in the last couple of weeks and inform the city guards to keep an eye out for outbreaks in Yalda. Discreetly, of course. And we’ll monitor everyone on the temple grounds for symptoms. As for researching treatments,” he turned to Lorelei, “I hope the Duchess will provide us with assistance.”

“I will!”

Lorelei felt Noah’s hand clenching her wrist in an iron grip. Her eyes met his and for the first time, she saw in them fear, desperation, and… hopelessness.

“The Blood Plague is highly contagious, but only if one touches a sick person directly or drinks contaminated water.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “It doesn’t seem to linger in the air, so if I wear gloves and cover my mouth it should be rather safe. And if we combine the knowledge I’ve gained from my master with the Church’s records, we might be able to find a way to save more people.”

“And we also have the blood of an acolyte of Saint Emina.” Bishop Petronius added, pretending to ignore the stunned gazes directed at him. “It might not be as strong as the original, but it’s still better than nothing.”

Noah hung his head. His jaw clenched until a vein popped on his neck, but his fingers finally loosened their grip.

“Be… careful,” he whispered before turning to Bishop Petronius. “How can I assist?”

“Your Highness should stay put in his cell and refrain from making contact with others as much as possible. We can’t risk the stability of Norden any further.” The old priest paused for a moment, studying his lord’s face. “At the end of this hallway, there is a small chapel of the Twelve Healer Saints. You can pray that we survive this ordeal.”

***

“Oh, Gods! Oh, Gods! Oh, Gods!”

Pricilla chewed on her thumb and frantically paced around her room. It felt like the whole world was collapsing around her. A small tug in her abdomen made her halt abruptly, but the fear in her heart only grew stronger.

Her baby was in danger. She was in danger. A plague outbreak! even in her worst nightmares, she had never imagined being embroiled in such a horrific predicament.

“Leave now!” She waved her hand at the novice girl that had brought her the dreadful news.

When the door closed behind the girl, Pricilla wrapped her arms around her body and shuddered. Feeling her knees losing strength, she leaned on the hard stone wall with only one thought left buzzing in her mind. She didn’t want to die!

Swaying dangerously, she took a few steps and reached for Bessie, who had been standing silently in the corner.

“Get me out of here!” She grabbed the front of the servant’s gown and shook her. “Use your damn magic and get me as far away from here as possible!”

“But we haven’t finished our mission.” Bessie’s reply came surprisingly cold, making Pricilla flinch.

“To hell with the mission! It’s the Blood Plague, you moron! You dare disobey me!?”

Lifting her hand, she was about to slap the impudent maid when five bony fingers grabbed her wrist. With a cry, Pricilla tried to pull free but the force of the grip only grew stronger, threatening to crush her bones.

“The Second Prince gave us an order.” Bessie’s voice was low and dangerous. “Your job is to get the Beast’s seed. My job is to protect you. All you need to do is concentrate on making him take you. And as long as I’m around, you don’t need to fear any Blood Plague.”

Pricilla finally tore away. Losing her balance, she was about to fall but Bessie coughed her at the last moment.

“Careful, my lady. You might hurt yourself and your precious child. Now have some rest and recuperate. I’ll take care of everything else.”

Without being able to respond, Pricilla allowed herself to be brought to the bed and tucked in. She could only lie petrified as the maid pressed their foreheads together and whispered:

“Make truth to seem like waking dream. Forget what is. Find fleeting peace.”

Pricilla’s eyes became glassy. She sighed and her eyelids fluttered shut.

Leaning over her, Bessie was trying her best to reign in her desires. If she tried to rip that bitch’s soul, her own could shatter. The restraints and the mental imprint those damn priests had put on her under the Second Prince’s orders were still too strong. She had to protect that woman until their mission was fulfilled. Whenever she tried to disobey, the pain was just too much, threatening to erase her mind completely.

Bessie frowned, her bony finger tracing Pricilla’s jaw. That damn prince liked playing games. Her orders were to make sure Pricilla could pass his child as the heir of Norden and in the meantime to slowly curse the Dike to death. A sneaky plan to make the Binshi scapegoats in his indulgent play. And in the end, she was supposed to die for her master’s plan.

But the princeling had made one miscalculation. The shackles he had put were binding a Binshi’s soul, what he had broken had been a Binshi’s mind. But she was no longer a Binshi. Almost. Only a couple more souls and all the restraints were going to disappear and her power would flow once again. As long as anything human was eradicated, her shackles were going to shatter.

And then she was going to slaughter them all. That bitch. The duke. The damn priests running around.

But she couldn’t act rashly. They had almost coughed her. Luckily, they had interpreted the marks she left on the body wrongly. She could use this to her advantage.

Silently, Bessie left the room. She crossed the unnaturally quiet hallways with a quick step and a lowered head. Reaching her destination shortly after, she knocked on the infirmary’s door and curtsied the moment it swung open.

“Greetings, Duchess. My mistress has sent me to assist you.”