“I knew something was amiss!”

Lorelei smiled triumphantly and arranged her shift. Next to her, Duncan and the infirmarian stood motionless, with rigid faces and eyes directed anywhere else but at her. Castor too had stepped away and was now hiding in a dark corner, carrying an expression saying that he was about to vomit or faint, or most likely both in succession.

“Honestly, I was expecting a more jovial reaction,” said Lorelei, her heart so light she thought she could fly. “We aren’t dealing with the Blood Plague after all.”

“Ahem, Duchess,” Duncan cleared his throat and said in an unusually bashful tone, “I believe, regardless of the circumstances, that you should refrain from acting like such in the future.”

“Pardon? Like what?”

“You…” The old knight blushed and cleared his throat again. “You’ve exposed yourself to outsiders and strangers, my lady. Repeatedly. Your honor might be-“

“I don’t see a problem. Had I stayed demure and proper, we would have never acquired this precious information.”

“But… think of the lad, I mean, His Highness.”

“He’d hardly find any fault in my actions since it was for the good of our people. And even if I get scolded and shunned for showing indecency, it’s a small price to pay for what we’ve gained.”

“Lady, you…” Duncan sighed and rubbed his face slowly. “You’re one scary woman, my duchess.”

Next to him, the infirmarian vigorously nodded, mumbling some prayer to the Saints. Lorelei, however, ignored their qualms. It was all untimely and impractical bashfulness when they had more relevant problems at hand.

“So, it seems that we are likely not dealing with a plague but with some sort of a hex.” Her joyful expression dimmed. “And as it stands, Bessie is our main suspect.”

“But…” began the infirmarian with a thin voice and coughed to clear his throat, “she came from the mainland with Your Highness’s sister. And besides, she doesn’t look like a Binshi.”

“True.” Lorelei closed her eyes, remembering the faint smell of walnuts that had haunted her every time she had been in the maid’s proximity. “But not looking like one and not being one are two different things. And there is also a possibility that she’s carrying and spreading a curse without realizing it. In any case, we need to find her. Sir Duncan, I want you and the Father Infirmarian to-“

“No.” His brisk refusal was unexpected. With a grim face, the old knight stepped forth, towering a whole head over her. He gave Lorelei a long look and put his right hand over his heart. “I won’t be leaving your side, Duchess. The Father Infirmarian is more than able to alert the bishop and the guardian priests and start the search for that maid. My priority right now is to keep you safe.”

Lorelei crossed eyes with the old man. From the wrinkles on his face to the corners of his mouth, usually uplifted in a jaunty smile, his whole being now exuded the cold sternness of an indomitable rock.

After about a minute, Lorelei turned her head without saying a word and concentrated her attention on the infirmarian.

“Father,” she said, ignoring Duncan’s triumphant grin, “You need to urgently contact the guardian priests and report our findings to Bishop Petronius. Binshi or not, we must find Bessie and question her. Proceed with extreme caution.”

“As you order, my lady,” replied the priest weakly, still shaken from the recent revelations.

“Good. And take Master Castor with you. His ability should be of great help.”

“Indeed!” The infirmarian’s eyes brightened. “To think there was a new acolyte of Saint Oronte! The bishop will be ecstatic to welcome another gifted brother in our midst.”

“Father Infirmarian,” Lorelei’s gaze became heavy, forcing shivers to run down the cleric’s spine, “Master Castor is currently in the duke’s service. Him joining the Church is a matter of discussion that needs His Highness's presence and approval.”

“But-“

“Father Infirmarian,” Lorelei’s tone became sharper, “it is futile to argue on matters that are out of our competence. Others will make the decision. Now, I advise you to set your priorities straight and stop wasting precious time.”

She turned next to the shaking youth who was hiding in the shadow of a nearby statue.

“Master Castor, we are relying on your ability to resolve this matter. I trust you won’t disappoint us.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness,” he mumbled weakly and his expression twisted as if he wanted to cry. “I… I’m to only search for the maidservant, right?”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

At his question, Loreli’s heart sank. In all the rush, she had never stopped to consider Pricilla’s involvement in all this. However, it was unlikely that her sister, the sheltered flower of House Orten, would even know what a Binshi is, even less – being involved in all those deaths. She had seen Pricilla’s expression when the plague outbreak had been announced. No matter how good an actor she was, the horror on her face had been genuine. Still, it didn’t hurt to be careful.

“You are right. I’d appreciate it if you could look at whether there are some traces of a hex or a curse on Pricilla too. Start with her, since we know her whereabouts before-“

“M-my lady…” Castor’s whole body shook. “I… it was my mistake. Please, isn’t it possible that a priest just performs some purification rituals on her? I can’t… after seeing you… I mean, my… my gift puts a lot of strain on my body… and eyes. If I was to examine Lady P-Pricilla, I might not be able to properly help in the search.”

Lorelei took notice of his reddened, teary eyes and his emaciated body that even the habit couldn’t hide. He had been straining himself for days under Noah’s order, trying to prove Rasha’s innocence in the tower fall. And now, she was demanding even more from him. Considering his condition and the merit in his words, Bessie was much more important at the moment than Pricilla.

“Fine. Organize some priests for a purification ritual. Nevertheless, make sure Pricilla is under guard until we clear this mess.”

“Thank you, my lady!” Castor bowed hastily and scurried out of the chapel as if fearing that she might change her mind. The infirmarian followed his example.

Left alone, Lorelei and Duncan exchanged glances.

“We should get going too.” Lorelei stroke away some wrinkles from the front of her shift. “The duke needs to know about this. But before we meet him, I think we should release Lady Nelini from her confinement.”

“Now that’s music to the ear!” beamed Duncan and rubbed his beard. “She’s been like a caged dragon in both act and temper. But before that…”

Duncan took off his doublet and draped it over her shoulders.

“Noah will kill me if you happen to catch a cold.”

Lorelei pretended to ignore his words and the burning in her cheeks and strode off, her heart – light from the thought of the soon-to-be happy reunion and the even happier news she was going to bring Noah.

***

“Goodness! Won’t you keep your hands to yourself, you old badger! Show some decorum!”

Neli playfully scolded Duncan while eagerly returning his hugs and kisses. The two of them, together with Lorelei, were on their way to the Healing Saints’ Chapel to meet with Noah, and all the while the old knight was like glued to the Marzbanati, showering her with affection every couple of steps.

Biting her lips, Lorelei pretended to ignore the vivacious couple but secretly envied their unbridled show of affection. She probably would never be allowed to act like this with Noah, especially since he was going to officially marry someone else. But seeing Duncan and Neli’s happiness strengthened her resolve to confess her feelings to him. And she was going to do it right now. It was probably neither the right place nor the right time, but her recent brush with death showed her clearly that there was not enough time to waste in doubt and hesitation. No matter whether Noah accepted or rejected her feelings, she needed peace of mind. Besides, after giving it some thought, she had more than enough reasons to expect a positive reaction on his part.

The corners of Lorelei’s lips involuntarily flew up and her heart pounded in fear and anticipation. All other problems and worries - their current predicament and Bessie’s uncertain involvement in the death cases, Rasha’s imprisonment and the destruction of the temple’s tower, the unwanted presence of Pricilla and her father - all paled into oblivion while Lorelei let herself be engulfed by the happiness of being alive and the joyous palpitation of blooming love.

She quickened her pace, leaving Duncan and Neli a pace behind, and hurried towards the Healing Saints chapel. Turning around the next corner, she almost bumped into the rather flustered Sir Lucas. The moment he saw her, the young knight’s face became a mixture of puzzlement and relief.

“Duchess? Sir Duncan! Lady Nelini!? What are you doing here? I mean… Greetings to her Highness and Your Lordships.”

“What are we doing here?” Duncan snorted and lifted an eyebrow. “What are you doing, hopping around like a headless chicken?”

“I was looking for you.” Lucas seemed too relieved to take the old knight’s jab to heart. “The Duke was worried since you disappeared, so he sent me to look for you. But I couldn’t find you anywhere. I never expected to find you and Lady Nelini, out of confinement and in Her Highness’ company. What happened?”

“It’s a long story.” Lorelei chuckled and made a sign for the young man to follow her. “I’m on my way to report our new findings to His Highness, so you’ll know everything in a minute.”

Helming her increasing entourage, Lorelei resumed her stride and even picked up pace. They shouldn’t keep Noah worrying and waiting.

At that moment, Neli’s stern voice came from behind:

“If you two are running around the temple grounds, who is guarding the Duke? Rober and Martin? Or Hugh and Janus?”

“Hugh and Janus are sleeping after the night shift,” answered Duncan. “And the other two should be keeping Rasha and Petronius’ priests in check.”

“So nobody!?” The worry in the Marzbanati’s tone resonated with Lorelei, making her heart sink. “How could you allow such a blunder!?”

“Rest at ease, Lady Nelini,” said Lucas cheerfully. “No one is crazy enough to attack the Beast of Norden under the Two Gods’ roof.”

A dark foreboding sprouted in Lorelei’s heart.

“Make haste!”

She gathered her skirts and darted off without looking back, certain that the three would follow her. The barrage of the hale on the roofs’ tiles and the windows hastened her every step with the merciless rhythm of a war drum, making her ears deaf for all speech or sound.

When she finally reached the door of the Healing Saints’ Chapel, she didn’t bother knocking but barged straight in, dreading what might await her.

What greeted her was even worse.