With Kai and the old binshi tailing reluctantly behind her, Lorelei entered the well-lit tent. Around an improvised war table in the middle, several knights were vigorously discussing some matter and, judging by their furrowed brows, it was a topic of high importance. Duncan’s thundering voice was overpowering all the rest as usual.

“Taking only twenty people is suicidal, my lord!” the old knight grumbled. “Even if they are our best-trained soldiers, you have no idea how big the enemy forces are!”

“If we don’t want to cause a commotion and catch the attention of baron Rowell’s spies, we need a small force. With all the information Will has gathered it is almost certain by now that he too is involved in this. We need to be careful not to alert him and give him any chance to react. Besides, I have ordered Jess to send a bird to baron de Mar. We should have twenty of his men at our disposal. Forty strong should be more than enough,” Noah replied calmly.

“Even so,” Duncan was not going down without a fight, “even if we assume that the manpower is barely enough, what about the equipment. Only wearing chain mail is like inviting someone to kill you all.”

“Speed is of the essence, Duncan.” This time the reply came a bit harsher. “We will tire the men and the horses too much with bulky equipment. I am not planning to wage war, but rather going to exterminate some vermin. Besides, I have no intention of freezing our buts in plate in the middle of nowhere while camping under a bush. No, inconspicuous armor and archers with good eyes are all we need.”

In the middle of the heated debate, it took everyone some time to notice the new arrivals. Jessup didn’t dare disturb the knights who outranked him but also couldn’t send the duchess Norden to wait outside in the cold spring dusk. There was one way to solve this dilemma. Lorelei stepped forward, head held high, and butterflies in her stomach.

“Please excuse my intrusion, my liege.” Her clear voice gathered everyone’s attention. “As you’ve requested, I’ve brought the old man and the boy.”

For a brief second Noah seemed perplexed by her presence there, but then his eyes glanced at the two trembling figures hiding behind her and everything became clear.

“Thank you, duchess.” He nodded and beckoned with his hand. “Elder, lad, come here. We need some more information from you.”

The old man and Kai inched nearer with pale expressions ready to throw themselves on the ground and beg for their lives at any moment. On her side, Lorelei remained standing with Jessup at the entrance. Since Noah didn’t send her away immediately, she concluded that he meant for her to observe the meeting.

Without any delay, Noah came straight to the point.

“I want from you two information on the exact location of the mine and the slavers’ camp, as well as possibly their numbers and organization. Elder, from what I gathered, you’ve assisted the children in their escape. Can you show us where you found them and give us some details about the terrain and manpower the slavers possess?”

“M-my lord…” The old man gulped. “I-I didn’t… my lord is mistaken…”

“Come on, man, stop mumbling and speak up already!” Duncan thundered, resulting in the old binshi falling on his knees.

“Duncan, lower your voice. You are scaring them,” came Noah’s swift reprimand. “Excuse my knight, elder. He has a fiery temper. Tell us, what exactly do you mean.”

“My lord…” The binshi managed to gather some courage. “I didn’t assist the children. I met them five weeks ago on the north-eastern shore of Tight-Pass fjord and took them in. That’s all I did, my lord. But…the children said they had been walking for almost two weeks before that.”

“Are you crazy, old man?” Duncan threw him a grim look and snorted. “You mean to tell me that two small children wandered for weeks in the mountains alone during winter? Not just wandered, but survived!?”

“Y-Yes sir knight. That is the truth, I swear in the Mother Above!”

A murmur rose from the knights. All eyes were now staring at Kai. The boy fidgeted a bit, not daring to raise his head.

“Is that true, lad?” Noah’s words carried distinct softness. “Did you two managed this no your own?”

“Y-yes, my lord,” Kai nodded and replied weakly. “We… had no other choice. We couldn’t wait anymore. They… they were planning to sell Anuk to a whorehouse at the beginning of spring since she is too weak to work.”

“Dear saints, but how?” Duncan was looking at the boy with burning eyes. “How did you do it!?”

“Father has taught me how to survive in the wild.” Kai went silent for a moment but managed to compose himself with some effort. “We escaped only because those people thought that we are going to die in the mountains, so they didn’t chase us. After that it was easy. We just followed the river.”

“Easy, you say?” Duncan was shaking his head in disbelief and a few others looked just as stunned as he was. “Do you realize what you are saying, lad? You…”

“You said river,” Noah interrupted him abruptly. His eyes were sparkling with the delight of a hound closing in on its prey. “There is only one river near the north-eastern shores of the fjord – Dunai.”

Suddenly it got livelier around the table. That was the clue they needed! Now they had an approximate location to start their search.

“Come here and show me where you were held, lad.” Noah gestured to the big map on the table.

For everyone’s disappointment, Kai shook his head and his face got paler.

“I am sorry, my lord. I… I can’t read maps.”

Noah frowned slightly, then sighed with regret.

“I should have thought of that. It was foolish of me.”

“Still, we have an approximate location, my lord,” said one of the knights.

“But the area we are talking about is huge,” another one replied. “There are three mountain ranges near Dunai. It could take us months to search everywhere.”

“I… I can lead you there,” a small voice interrupted them.

Silence fell. Kai hung his head between his shoulders and looked amazed and scared by his own words. Nevertheless, he repeated a bit louder.

“I can’t read maps, but I can find the way back if that’s what the duke wishes.”

Hearing this, Noah measured the boy from head to toe. He was so young and frail, but there was quite the familiar fire burning in his eyes. The man smiled gently and stepped in front of him, putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“You are a brave lad, Kai. Your father will be very proud of you.” He turned to his knights and in a split second his mood changed completely. An icy grin appeared on his face. “It seems like we have our guide, men. Tomorrow we go hunting vermin.”

***

It was incredibly early. The moon hadn’t even set and the cold spring winds were making the ropes of the tents squeak and their covers flap as if a bunch of angry desolate souls were taking a stroll in the outskirts of Yalda. In the darkness of the early morning, a shadow crept towards one of the tents.

“Stop! Who goes there?” Jessup stepped up with his dagger ready, but soon his tense muscle relaxed. “Oh, good morning, master.”

Noah silently greeted him and went for the entrance of the tent. Inside was almost as dark as the rest of the camp. Only the faint glimmer of a brazier provided scarce light. This posed no difficulty for Noah, however, since his eyes were well accustomed to the murk. He walked to the camp bed softly like a cat. On top of it, he could discern Lorelei’s shape. She was sleeping so peacefully as if her whole life had been spent camping in the wild. What a strange lady she was. Noah chuckled, imagining his wife being an old war-hardened veteran resting before the next battle. Well, this was true to some extent. They both had their separate battles awaiting them and hers was going to be just as difficult as his.

Deciding against waking her up, he leaned down and carefully pulled the blanket over her shoulders to cover her better. The night air was still chilly enough for her to catch a cold. Lorelei sighed and turned around but didn’t wake up. By the Gods, had she no instincts of self-preservation? Noah didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. What if he was an assassin? He leaned further down, his face only inches away from hers. Her unique bitter-sweet scent of herbs and soap filled his nose, making him lose himself for a moment. He could see her white skin shining in the dim light, surrounded by the darkness of her hair. An unruly strand had fallen over her forehead. His hand reached carefully and took it. To his touch, it felt like smooth silk. His heart was starting to thump wilder with emotion he could hardly control. She seemed so fragile and vulnerable that he felt almost like a hungry wolf, preparing to sink its teeth in a helpless doe. Noah hesitated for a moment, then finally his lips gave the lock of hair a light kiss before letting it slide like a waterfall between his fingers.

“Goodbye, my duchess,” he whispered softly. “I’ll see you again soon.”

With that, he stood up and hastily went out of the tent. Not far from there a group of horsemen was waiting. Noah jumped on his steed and gave a short whistle, and they trotted towards the port.

In the early hour, the harbor was bustling with sailors and ships ready to leave with the morning tide. A bit to the side a lean ship was waiting to take the duke and his men across the fjord. The preparations were almost ready. Everyone was on board. On the pier, Noah was giving his final instructions to the knights staying behind. At that moment a shout startled them.

“My lord, wait!”

Noah turned his head and what he saw was going to remain with him for the rest of his days. In the gray morning light, a woman was running towards him, her long hair trailing behind her like a flag. The knights stepped forward to block her way, protecting their lord, but Noah pushed them aside and went to meet her. Due to the gathered momentum, the woman couldn’t stop, stumbled, and almost crashed into him. He stretched his arms out and caught the panting Lorelei before she could fall over.

“Wife! What are you doing here? Where are Jessup and Rish?”

As if to answer his question, another two panting figures appeared on the pier. Jessup was holding his side and limping painfully, his expression saying that he desperately wanted to puke. Rish looked a bit better but still on the brink of collapsing.

“Did… did you run all the way here?!” Noah was shaken but their collision had nothing to do with it. The distance between the refugee camp and the port was nearly two kilometers! And she had run from there, on the uneven road, in the sparse morning light, even leaving Jessup and Rish trailing behind. By the Gods, was she a noble lady or a rabbit?!

“I’m… glad… I… made it!” came the gasping reply.

After managing to collect her breath, Lorelei got up with some effort and looked Noah straight in the eyes. With slightly shaking hands she took something from her neck. Even in the dim light, the man could clearly see a rather familiar shape.

“This…” He couldn’t finish. She put the amulet carefully around his neck.

“From a friend for good luck and safe return, your highness,” mumbled Lorelei.

Despite the sparse light, Noah could discern her blushing cheeks. Fighting for air with a bright red face, she looked unexpectedly cute! What was more, he could see the silhouette of a white pendant shaped similarly to his lying on her chest.

“But… my duchess…” Noah had difficulties finding the right words. “These… are these twin-drops?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know… Do you know what they mean? What they do?”

“I-Isn’t it an amulet for protection?” She averted her gaze and pulled herself away from him. “Goodbye, my lord. I hope to see you soon, safe and sound.”

Without waiting for a reply, Lorelei turned around and prepared to go back. Suddenly, she felt something long and heavy enveloping her.

“Coming back safe and sound only to find you down with a cold is not something I wish for, my duchess,” said Noah softly while wrapping his cloak around her shoulders. “I’ll see you in two weeks, my lady.”

She turned around, but he was already running up the ramp. With a rattling sound, the anchor was lifted. The sails opened, catching the strong morning breeze. Lorelei couldn’t move, so she stood there, watching the ship getting smaller and smaller. As it disappeared behind the horizon, the sharp pain in her chest intensified.