Already a third day, the camp was buzzing like an angry beehive. Soldiers and messengers were going in and out, carrying orders and reports, and questioning the refugees. In the beginning, the vagrants were a bit reluctant to cooperate, but the moment the rumors about Danika’s fate and the possible involvement of a Red Hand dressing as a nun reached their ears, things turned around. Everyone wanted to contribute somehow and their eyes burned with anger and bloodthirst.

By the order of sir William, the search area was expanded to also include Yalda and the surrounding settlements. He also ordered a lockdown on the harbor – ships and cargo could still come in, but no vessels could leave. In addition, the land roads from and to Yalda were under constant surveillance and strict check-ups for suspicious people and cargo. But even with all that, there were no clues about the imposter. And what was even worse, the investigation showed that for the past two months over twenty children of mixed blood had disappeared, the youngest being eleven and the oldest – sixteen. In all cases, some days before the disappearance, a sister from the Church was making her missionary visits and preaching the words of the Two Gods.

When she learned of this, the mother prioress firmly denied everything, and Lorelei was inclined to trust her. Despite the missing being children, no one had reported their disappearances to the city guards. Some of the children had been orphans. Others were considered runaways or even elopers. And above all, the parents had stated the same thing – who would make any effort in searching for a pauper of mixed blood?

Hearing this, Lorelei was devastated and furious. She wanted to prove them all wrong! However, despite her desire to actively participate in the search, she knew that it was impossible. Her presence would only complicate things and hinder the investigation. For the first time ever, Lorelei yearned for the freedom that the well-trained knights and even her female escorts enjoyed. But they were not the duchess of Norden. Besides, she knew very well that wielding a scalpel did not mean being able to use a dagger. In any confrontation with the kidnappers, her abilities were totally useless. She was so weak and it was really frustrating!

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, however, she sat in her tent, reading the reports, coordinating the knights and the vagrant volunteers, and speaking with the families and friends of the missing. She filled on maps the already searched areas and distributed them to the parties. With the help of the slum-residents, she even made a list with the descriptions of sister Simone and the missing children and handed it to the city guards. Besides that, there was also the constant correspondence and report-exchange with sir William in Ildemar, who had started to organize search-groups to comb through the Ducal Lands. And yet, the days passed by with no progress whatsoever, making her feel even more incapable and useless. The constant urges of the older de Mar brother for her to return to the castle and leave the work in the hands of the “competent people” also didn’t exactly lift her spirits. Well, she decided to pay no attention to his nagging for the time being.

And like this time passed.

This night was again no different than the rest. Sitting at the small table in the medical tent, Lorelei rolled up the tenth report she just read and pinched the base of her nose. Her eyes were stinging but she ignored them. There were more pressing problems at hand.

The hunt for the fake nun had reached a dead end yet again, no matter how hard they tried to find even the smallest leads. It felt as if that woman, known as “sister Simone”, didn’t even exist. The guards had searched taverns, brothels, back-alley bars – nothing. How could someone leave no trail behind? Who was so powerful and brazen to initiate and subsequently cover up such horrid operation as human trafficking, and in the very heart of the Ducal Lands at that?

Lorelei felt her helplessness and rage coil in her chest. And there was also a sliver of guilt, but it was soon extinguished. As her master’s pupil, she had vowed to care and protect life. But right now, she wished she could make that imposter and her accomplices feel the exact same pain and terror Danika had felt! The thought of this both disgusted and elated Lorelei, making her blood boil. She could very well understand now how Noah must have felt when initiating the extermination of the Red Hands. Before, she saw it as too cruel and extreme, but now she knew better. Her fingers involuntarily crumpled the report. How could a woman, no, how could any human being do such horrendous things to a child!? She would make sure that imposter would pay dearly for her deeds, even if it meant using all her power as duchess Norden.

The flame of the candle flickered when Saya leaned towards the absentminded Lorelei.

“You need some rest. You’ll get sick,” the woman said with a gentle but worried tone as she carefully removed the crumpled paper from her grip.

“I am fine. Just five more reports and we are finished for today.”

“If you collapse, you are going to get me in even more trouble with sir William than I already am,” huffed her friend and grabbed the next parchment from the pile. “I’ll read this.”

“Please, Saya, don’t be mad.”

“How can I not be! You should have returned to Illdemar as sir William ordered. Just leave the investigation to him and the knights! If the Red Hands really are involved, you are truly in danger staying here!”

“I believe I’ve told you already,” Lorelei shook her head, the string of her patience stretched almost to the snapping point, “I can’t go back. If I do, it will look like I’m abandoning these people. It will send the message that the duke’s house is afraid of some insurgents. We can’t show weakness and allow the Red Hands, if they are indeed involved, to spread even more fear amongst the populace.”

Saya opened and closed her mouth, unable to retort. She hastily grabbed two more scrolls and sat at the other end of the table. ‘I should have learned my lesson with the duke. You can’t fight with stubbornly passionate people’, she thought in resignation.

The two women continued going through the documents in silence. The flickering light of the candle made their shadows dance on the walls and ceiling of the tent. Even the wind had died out, contributing to the sleepy quietness. Nothing of this calm night indicated the chaos that was to ensue shortly.

The sound of rushing steps came from the outside, followed by Jessup’s panting and urgent voice.

“My lady, my lady, urgent news!”

“What is it, Jess?”

Lorelei dropped the documents she was holding the moment the boy flew in. The young squire stopped before his lady, trying to gather his breath, curly hair sticking on his forehead from the sweat. His face beamed with excitement.

“My lady, just received news from Ildemar. The lord sent a bird. They have already set sail to cross the fjord! He’ll be here by noon the day after tomorrow!”

Lorelei felt like her heart was going to fly out of her chest. He was coming back! He was alive and well! The relief was tremendous. Lorelei realized that she had been keeping her breath in. She felt Saya leaning in and putting an arm around her shoulders, supporting her slightly swaying body. This wasn’t right. She shouldn’t overreact like this and make her people worry. Her own emotions could wait… But he was fine!

“Any news about Kai and Anuk’s father?” she asked, managing somehow to hide the shaking and anticipation in her voice.

“He is with the lord, safe and sound, my lady!”

“Wonderful news!” exclaimed Lorelei and grabbed her cloak, drabbing it over her shoulders and hastily clasping the pin in place. “I’m going to tell Anuk!”

“Wait, Lorelei, you can’t just…” Saya couldn’t finish and her lady was already out of the tent, running like a wild rabbit. “Jess, hurry after her! Don’t let her out of your sight.”