It was late afternoon. Lorelei sat in the oriel of her anteroom, head leaning on the facetted window, while the warm sunlight weaved threads of copper and gold in her unbraided hair. Her breaths were slow and deep and the long lashes of her closed eyelids fluttered only slightly from time to time as she wandered through some unknown dream-paths. She didn’t wake up when Millly gently draped a thin blanket around her shoulders, and neither when the door closed with a low click behind Rish’s back, leaving the Lady of Norden to rest in her golden cradle, enjoying her afternoon nap.

Amidst her peaceful slumber, Lorelei’s brow furrowed a couple of times as she recalled bits and pieces of the morning events – the thrill of the archer’s competition; Jessup’s valiant duel and win against his Binshi peer; the youngsters boasting and chattering lively without a care in the world.

After some time, a deep crease trenched her forehead. The dream, previously so vibrant and full of joy, started turning dark and desolate. The laughter and bubbly chatter were replaced by dissonant whispers:

“Kill! Kill!”

“Erase the wretched mixed-bloods!”

“You mangy mutt! You’ll regret this!”

“All lies, lies by a false prophet!”

“Kill the Limerian, cleanse the filthy blood!”

With each poisonous word, gray sand and ink-like mist began swallowing the familiar forms of objects and people. Kush-turgan Bayan’s sad smile and pale face emerged in her dream, his deathly-cold body lying trembling in her arms, while the creepy shadows of the two traitorous kush-turgans looming over them with naked blades thirsty for blood. In the next moment, dark mist engulfed Bayan's features only to disperse a second later, revealing a pair of cold blue eyes hidden behind a silver mask shaped like a demon’s snout. The Masked man's fingers dug into Lorelei's neck, ignoring her pleas and tears, suppresding her desperate struggles. She couldn't scream, she couldn't breathe, but a second before her throat was completely crushed, his grotesque figure disintegrated into ash-like dust, leaving only bone-chilling coldness behind.

Panting and brushing away her tears, Lorelei looked around frantically only to realize that not just her assailant but the whole world had disappeared, turning into an endless desert with low-hanging storm clouds drifting above its surface. A black, twisted forest suddenly grew from the surrounding dunes, the thorny thicket creating an impenetrable wall around Lorelei. Cold wind whispered in the naked branches making them clatter like old bones.

Lorelei took a sharp breath as fear twisted her stomach. She tried to move but the bushes and the barren trees surrounded her from every direction. Claw-like branches caught into her hair and a crooked twig painfully scraped against her shoulder, tearing the sleeve and leaving a bleeding gash on her skin. Her heart skipped a bit. This… didn’t feel right! The throbbing pain coming from her arm was too realistic to be just another nightmare. The sensation of sand tickling her soles was so vivid, and the mournful whisper of the wind was…

“Help!” The breathy moan of a woman brushed against the back of Lorelei’s neck.

She shrieked and spun around, a couple of silky hairs and a piece of her dress remaining captive in the clutches of the trees. There was no one behind her. Instead, a narrow clearing had formed through the thicket. The path was hardly visible with threads of silver and black fog coiling around like poisonous snakes in a desperate attempt to swallow each other. Amidst their intense struggle, the silver one prevailed and crawled slowly towards Lorelei, its pearly strings twisting around her knees.

“Please… help!” the eery voice sounded again and it was coming from the silver mist. “Stop her. Save her. Save them all!”

A sudden pull forced Lorelei to stumble forth, following the uneven path through the forest. The column-like trunks with their arching branches reminded her of the white tunnel made by the ainishka trees, but the ones here were black and barren. Lorelei bit her lips but had no power to resist the pull of the silver mist. Her feet tripped on roots and slipped on the constantly moving sand. After countless strides, the path became steeper and the dead forest thinned, replaced by narrow walls and a run-down staircase.

Without stopping, Lorelei began her climb. It felt like overcoming a mountain, and with each step, the staircase became more and more vivid. She could feel the cold stones under her bare feet, polished like mirrors after decades of use. The rough walls scraped against her hands, leaving a coat of dust on her fingertips. The smell of old stones and spring green penetrated her nose.

Inhaling a few jagged breaths, Lorelei swayed, her shoulder scraping against the wall but the pain was nothing compared to the shock of the sudden realization. This was no longer a dream! Despite the drowsiness that still weight heavily on her, she was awake. But... this was not her room. The fear almost made her crumble down. Somehow, she had managed to cross half the castle, with no memory of when or how, or even why she did it! Looking around, Lorelei recognized the narrow embrasures and the old staircase. She had climbed it twice already – the tower where the Star of Norden resided!

A weak tug at her hand forced Lorelei to look down. Her eyes rounded and the shout stuck in her throat. The silver mist from her dream was still there! It was almost invisible in the sunlight coming through the embrasures but its smoke-like tendrils were very tangibly pulling on her arm.

“Hurry! Danger! Stop…her! Save…!” the familiar small whisper echoed for a final time before dying down and the silver mist dispersed.

Lorelei stood there, frozen, rushed breaths squeezing through her clenched teeth. This was madness! She had to run! Someone was indeed trying to put a hex on her! Her eyes trailed down at the swallow brooch on her chest and her heart fell. The little trinket had lost some of its lusters and now the blue argali horn looked muddy and dull. Swallowing dryly, she tried to steady her shaking knees and inched her left foot backward until only the tips of her toes remained on the smooth stone. It was fine! All she needed to do was step back. Go down and look for Rish or Gregor, or any of the Shadows. All was going to be fine! The magic of the mist was broken.

Suddenly, a new voice echoed from above, making Lorelei freeze mid-motion.

“But dada, is… is this alright?” Shana’s hesitant words came from just a few steps ahead. “The Star protects us from evil.”

“There is… no other way,” a choppy familiar voice responded, its tone – strangely resonant like coming from far away. “In order to… help you… save your father… I need power. I’m growing weaker… ever since the Star came. It... binds me too. Please, my daughter! You must do it! Destroy it… so that… we can stop her!”

Lorelei’s foot almost slipped from the step but she managed to keep her balance. She recognizedthe second voice. But why would Yanosh want to destroy his own creation? Noah had said that the Star amplified the castle’s defenses. If it was gone, everyone was in danger... just like the silver mist had whispered.

“Don’t you… trust me, my sweet child?" Yanosh’s voice was soft and sweet. "Don’t you… want to save your father?”

“Alright, dada. I… I’ll do it!”

There was no time to scream for help, no time to wait for the guards! Without thinking, Lorelei ran up the rest of the steirs, pushed forward by fear and urgency. She was powerless but even so, maybe she could talk Yanosh out of this; maybe she could make enough noise and stall for time until the guards came. She knew she needed a plan but her feet were faster than her thought. The next step led her to the top of the tower.

In the empty room, the Star of Norden sparkled blindingly, refracting the late afternoon sun and bathing the walls in scarlet flames. Before the pedestal stood the white figure of a child, almost translucent in the sea of light. Lorelei’s abrupt appearance didn’t even faze her, as the little girl continued to stare at the sparkling crystal artifact.

“Shana!” A single word left Lorelei’s tight throat.

The child lifted her head and their gazes met. For a split second, there was a dark shadow in the little Binshi’s eyes.

“You! You can see me!” Fear and anger mixed in her voice. “You witch! This is all because of you!”

The moment Shana jumped forward, Lorelei followed suit. Time slowed and she could see the silver sparks surrounding the child’s fingers. Then there was the sound of broken glass and thousands of grain-sized fragments erupted in the air, some biting deep into Lorelei’s own outstretched hand. Instinctively protecting her eyes and face with her left arm, she felt her fingers closing around something smooth and warm. That very instant, the room was engulfed in blinding light. A powerful force pushed her body backward and slammed it on the hard marble floor. The last thing Lorelei saw before the darkness closed upon her was the white figure of a little girl slowly melting into the light.