Silence reigned in the summit hall, so thick that it was suffocatingly palpable. The piercing stares of a dosen eyes stabbed at Lorelei, but she withstood them. Even more so, this time, there was something else besides animosity hidden in them - a sliver of respect.

A sudden bout of heavy coughs broke the tense calm, attracting everyone’s attention. Kush-turgan Bayan bent over, heaving for air, but he still held his hand up and stopped his worried attendant.

“I… beg the Duchess to reconsider,” he said in a weak, raspy voice. “What you request… is impossible. If you attempt a soul-merge… one or both parties will die.”

“Such ignorance…” Vukan of Bear Ridge let his voice trail off. “Or maybe, it isn’t?”

“Without a doubt, it was a calculated plan to harm one of the kush-turgans!” Nekor of Twilight Pass hurried to chime in. “But the plan of our Limerian lords seems to have gone astray.”

“Silence!” Noah’s fist landed on the armrest of his chair with a bang. “One more attempt to twist the truth and sow discord, one word of baseless accusation, and you will be removed from this gathering. You have let your mouth run wild one too many times today.”

“Baseless accusation?” Nekor crossed his arms and snorted. “For some reason the great Beast of Norden allows his own wife to destroy a sacred artifact. You, the man who stood up face to face against Akh-Moren and the Red Hands and defeated them, suddenly have difficulties controlling the actions of a single Limerian girl? You then gather all kush-turgans and conduct a farce of a trial where the perpetrator of the crime continues to insult us, and now even attempts to drag one of us into a life-threatening situation. This is too much to be just a coincidence!”

A murmur rose from the Binshi side of the crowd. Seeing the reins of the conversation slipping from between her fingers, Lorelei opened her mouth to interject but was cut by an icy voice.

“Nekor of Twilight Pass,” Noah lifted his hand and suddenly several gray-clad Shadows surrounded the mouthy kush-turgan and his aid, “it seems that because I treat you as a guest, you have forgotten your situation. The law of hospitality may protect the ones under my roof. Yet again, I am the law of Norden. And I have short tolerance when it comes to those who try to put a wedge between my people. None of the previous dukes deemed it necessary to discuss his decisions and plans for Norden with any of the Binshi, not even with the Star-gazer. I have made you all part of this council out of respect and with the hope that it would unite our people. However, I can no longer overlook your malicious intent. Take the kush-turgan to his chambers!”

“How dare you!” Nekor wriggled in the hands of the Shadows to no avail. “I am the leader of Twilight Pass! How dare you treat me like a low-life? Like a mere servant?!”

“If you were a simple low-life, I wouldn’t have spared your blabbering even a glance.” Noah’s lips curved into a hungry smile. “And if you were my servant, I would have ordered you flogged and your tongue cut out. So keep that poisonous thing behind your teeth, lest I reconsider!”

With that, the kush-turgan and his attendant were mercilessly dragged away by several of the Shadows. The rest stayed on the Binshi side of the summit hall, their silent presence looming over the remaining dignitaries.

“I hope no one has any more baseless disruptive accusations to make?” said Noah, his eyes locking on kush-turgan Vukan. The Binshi remained tight-lipped but a thick vein popped on his forehead.

“The lord of Norden… has acted with wisdom and mercy,” heaved kush-turgan Bayan as a small bead of sweat rolled down his temple. “But… it doesn’t change the fact… that the Duchess’ request… is dangerous. I hope she would reconsider and we can find another way…”

“The one from Argali Planes speaks the truth,” the kukul of Crescent Peak nodded her veiled head. “A soul-merge between a Binshi and a Limerian is sure to have devastating consequences.”

“Is it?”

Lorelei finally got a chance to jump into the conversation. She straightened her back and threw Noah a glance. His eyes were heavy, many unspoken feelings hidden beneath their cold gray surface. She could see his fingers twitch, as if wanting to ball into fists, but, instead, he sat back in his chair and gave her a sign to continue.

“I might be a newcomer to Norden,” Lorelei returned her attention to the five remaining Binshi delegates, “but even I am aware of the magical prowess of the esteemed kush-turgans. I know that even to become a simple turgan one needs to be the most powerful shaman in their tribe. I am also aware that amongst all shamans in Norden, the powers of the kush-turgans are second only to those of the Star-gazer.”

Quickly moistening her lips, Lorelei tried to fight the horror that gripped her heart, her mind not losing a second as it spun the fine threads of her plan. If she failed to goad them to do the soul-merge, all was doomed. She had no other way of proving her innocence, and Noah, even if he wanted to protect her, would be unable to do so, unless he was willing to spark civil unrest amongst Binshi and Limerins. She much better preferred to perish trying to clear her name than as a presumed sinner on the gallows. But there was hope. In her short time here, she had learned how prideful the people of Norden were, both Binshi and Limerians alike.

Slowly letting out a breath, Lorelei brought a soft smile to her lips and spoke again to the Binshi delegates, while her eyes remained fixed on Noah.

“With such magical abilities, it makes me wonder why the esteemed kush-turgans refuse to soul-merge with a Limerian when the turgan of Wolf Mountain managed to do it successfully?”

She straightened some non-existent creases in her white gown, her bearing - a majestic facade of confidence and innocence. Lifting up her chin, she gave every one of the Binshi a defiant glance, and her smile twisted into a ridiculing smirk.

“If you happen to doubt my words, you can ask His Highness. After all, he was the one to perform the soul-merge. If a member of the Limerian Imperial Family, the one most blessed by the Saints, survived the clash between holy powers and magic, then where would the issue be with someone low-born like myself? Or are perhaps the kush-turgans cowards?”

“Lady Lorelei!” Noah managed to overcome the angry hubbub of the Binshi dignitaries. “Considering your situation, it isn’t a wise decision to so outrageously insult any Grand Council members. Apologize to the honorable Elders.”

“An apology is needed only when one is in the wrong, Your Highness,” Lorelei remained unyielding. The slight widening of Noah’s eyes and the gasps from the Binshi’s side were like a balm to Lorelei’s soul. “Today I’ve heard demands for my life, for my head on a silver platter, and that, despite me proclaiming innocence. I am ready to sacrifice my life to find out the truth. Isn’t it also right for the accusers to wager their own lives on their beliefs?”

Before Lorelei’s words could die out, a giggle echoed under the tall arches of the summit hall. All heads turned to the small, wrinkled woman sitting quietly at the last seat on the Binshi’s side. Surrounded by clouds of fragrant smoke rising from the thin pipe that hung from the corner of her mouth, kush-turgan Akasha looked like an other-worldly creature that had casually decided to wander the world of the living. As she laughed, more and more smoke puffs escaped her lips, soon hiding her features behind a gray curtain.

“I thought people called you Shimshi, child!” a cackling voice rose from within the smoke. “To me, you look to be a true bat-bagir, a mountain lion, not a chirping little bird!”

The old Binshi pulled out the pipe from her mouth and with a single move cut the wall of smoke in half, dispersing it into nothingness. A toothless grin stretched the woman's face, her eyes - sparkling like two polished sapphires.

“Your words are true, child, those young fools are all cowards. It seems that Kash-baba needs to set things straight. I will soul-merge with you, and I would be very delighted if that young Wolf you’ve mentioned agrees to be one of my anchors.”