Noah stirred on the cushion and tore his eyes from the statue of Saint Ursule. It had been years since he had last prayed so much. The last time he had earnestly begged any god or saint for protection was the night Yanosh and Orhana had died. Back then, his plea remained unanswered. And if the Mother Above didn’t move a finger for her most precious child, her own prophet, then what use was there to pray?

But now, he was out of options.

Noah pulled on the leather band around his neck, revealing the two sparkling twin-drops. In the flame of the candles, the blue one sparkled like a shard from the starry sky. The white one, however, seemed to Noah muddy and lacking its usual iridescent sheen. Did this mean that Lorelei was growing weaker? Or was it just his anxiousness, playing tricks on him? Whatever it was, he couldn’t afford the risk of ignoring a possible source of salvation for his most precious people. So, for the past several days, he had developed a most bizarre prayer routine.

At nightfall, before going to sleep, he spent an hour talking to the Mother Above and even offering some of his blood as a sign of sincerity. When Duncan had first seen his bandaged wrist, he had frowned but refrained from scolding him.

At midnight, he sang the hymns to the King of the Djinn, begging him to keep Ferhazar, the djinn of sickness, away from his loved ones. His tongue twisted from the unfamiliar language, his heart jumping every time he made a mistake, but he hoped that the intentions mattered most. As a tribute and means to show his sincerity, he fasted from sunrise to sundown, drinking only water and abstaining from meat for his meal.

The rest of the day he spent kneeling in the Healing Saints Chapel, burning incense and whispering prayers. He even donned the penance habit the clerics had given him. The thin rough fabric rubbed against his skin with the coarseness of desert sand and let him feel every gust of wind. But he didn’t mind. In his prayers, he begged as much for Lorelei and Neli’s protection as for forgiveness and absolution of his sins. After all, he dared speak to other gods under the roof of the Two Fathers' temple.

Rubbing his face, Noah threw a defeated look at the tranquil face of Saint Ursule.

“I know you exist,” he muttered and balled his fists. “I know that you and all the gods and djinns are out there. And I know that you’ll ignore my prayers as per usual. You all don’t care about the plights of us mortals. But if, for some unfathomable reason, you do listen, concentrate your anger on me. Don’t punish the innocent. Don’t reap their souls. Their time still hasn’t come. Please, if you do this out of hate and spite, I’m the one at fault. Punish me in their stead.”

The marble statue remained tranquil and unmoving, enveloped in the fragrant smoke of the incense burners.

Noah sighed and a sad smile twisted his lips. He stood up and wobbled to the chapel’s door, his legs stiff from kneeling and his head light from fasting. His naked body under the habit shivered slightly and every twitch of his muscles rubbed against his habit’s sandy texture. He paid none of it any heed. The nights spent camping in the southern deserts had given him torture much worse than this.

“Lucas!” At his call, the young knight’s head immediately peeked in. “Duncan is taking too long. I fear something bad happened with Lorelei or with Neli. Go find out what’s going on.”

“Yes, my lord.” The young man hesitated for a moment. “My lord, don’t worry. I’m sure the Two Fathers and the saints will be moved by your sincerity. The ladies will get better.”

“From your mouth into the Gods’ ears,” mumbled Noah and patted his shoulder. “Go now.”

Lucas hurried away and Noah was left alone yet again. He stretched with a moan and then knelt again on his cushion. His hand picked up the loose rosary made from alternating ebony and ivory beads and his thumb shifted a piece with a ‘click’.

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Warding psalm to Father Norn. Click!

Warding psalm to Father Lustris. Click!

Entreaty for protection to Saint Ursule. Click!

Entreaty for protection to Saint Teodoro. Click!

Lost in the hypnotizing cadence of the prayers and the clicking of the rosary, Noah almost missed the quiet screech of the opening door. Almost. While his lips continued to repeat the holy verses, Noah’s mind concentrated on the intruder. There was the rustling of fabric trailing on the floor and the strong smell of honey, roses, and peaches that overpowered even the fragrance of the burning incense.

Noah rolled his eyes. He had neither the patience nor the willingness to entertain that spoiled brat right now.

“Good day, Lady Pricilla,” he said dryly, enjoying the loud shriek coming from behind his back. She had really thought she could sneak up on him.

“M-my duke! How…?”

The infuriatingly similar voice further soured Noah’s mood. If only the one standing behind him had been Lorelei.

“What brings the lady here? Forgive me, but I’m busy and can’t attend to your needs right now.”

“Oh, no, no. I need nothing, my lord. All I wanted was a place to say my prayers and perhaps a shoulder to cry out my anguish on.”

“And you decided to come here?”

“Yes.” Passing next to him, Pricilla sniffled and delicately patted her nose with her handkerchief. “After all, we are both mourning for the same person.”

“Lorelei isn’t dead yet!” Noah had to call upon every ounce of his will to not jump up and slap her senseless.

“The flame of hope is minute and waning.” She went to one of the crackling burners and put some fresh incense inside. “That’s why I came to offer hallowed spices to the Healing Saints and pray for my sister’s soul and body.”

Noach clenched his teeth and observed how Pricilla bowed to the statue of Saint Ursule and dabbed her eyes and nose again before turning around and taking place on the cushion next to him. With simply braided hair and in the gray attire of a novice priestess, the girl looked painfully similar to Lorelei. He clenched his rosary and took a deep breath of the fragrant incense, trying to quell his anxiety and find the patience and inner peace to resume his prayers. His lips started moving again, but this time a shaking voice repeated the verses in unison. The crackling of the candles and the drumming of the rain against the faceted windows accompanied them as they implored the gods for protection and healing.

The monotony of the psalms, the thick sweetness of the incense, and the aching in his heart nibbled away at Noah’s mind. His thoughts strayed endlessly, only occasionally flocking around the precious image of Lorelei. Her gentle smile. Her slender neck. Her hair - like pure silk. And her heart. The biggest, warmest, and gentlest heart he’d ever encountered.

“Holy Fathers,” he whispered and choked, the light of the surrounding candles blurring into golden orbs. “I beg You! Please, don’t take her away from me.”

Suddenly, a loud sob to his right made him turn his head. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, but the traitorous moisture in his eyes kept the world shrouded into a golden blur. Next to him, Pricilla knelt with a straight back and hands tightly clenched together. Little, gem-like tears rolled down her cheeks. Seeing her, bathed in the flickering light and shrouded by thin wisps of incense smoke, made Noah’s heart quake.

Without the thick layers of face powder, the glamorous dresses, and the heavy jewelry, Pricilla finally looked her age. She was a child faced with a terrible predicament and trying to act bravely in the face of adversity. No matter what her father and Lionel plotted, no matter what his own intentions towards her had been, all that Noah could see right now was a younger copy of his beloved woman weeping desperately next to him.

His hand moved on its own accord, his fingertips carefully brushing away the tears from her smooth cheek.

“Don’t cry, girl,” he whispered hoarsely, slightly surprised by the difficulty with which the words rolled down his tongue. “Everything will turn for the better.”

Pricilla sniffled and bit her lip - a gesture he had seen repeated so many times but by another.

“L-Lore…”

The precious name couldn’t leave his lips. Before he knew it, Pricilla had plunged into his embrace, her tears rolling down yet again.