The summit hall was drowned in silence, the air - heavy with anticipation and the fragrance of burning herbs. Kneeling on the floor, Lorelei felt the cold pressure of the marble against her legs. All her senses seemed heightened, her fingers able to discern every wrinkle on Kash-baba’s bony hands. Behind her closed eyelids, the drums of her heart reverberated in the reddish darkness - fear and impatience mixing together. A low chant rose from the old woman’s mouth, entrancing Lorelei and plucking her spirit away from the Mortal Realm. Then came the promised pain.

The sensation was… underwhelming. After the scorching hell she was dragged into during the collision of dhrowghost and Star-gazer powers, the tiny ache that nibbled and pecked at her soul was nigh negligible. Lorelei felt the soul of Kash-baba gently reaching out to her, searching and curious but never intrusive or violent. Whenever the old woman felt resistance, she didn’t prod in but slowly, like flowing water, trickled her way between the memories.

Lorelei let her in, allowing the Binshi more access than initially intended. There was little to hide. Only the deepest wounds and the most intimate of secrets she deemed out of reach - the time her brother and his friends almost raped her; her wedding night; the poisonous whisper of Master Argente; Yanosh and her nesvet nature. Around those, Lorelei tried to build a mental wall, and before it - a sea of nothingness to discourage and drive away Kash-baba. It worked, but she had a feeling that if the old shaman had wished to pry, those flimsy barriers were not going to stop her.

Before long, the old Binshi reached the point where Lorelei’s nightmare-prompted sleepwalk had led her to the Star of Norden. As the scenes started playing before her mind’s eye, they felt so disturbingly real - the muggy mist, the branches scraping at her skin, the rough stones under her bare feet… and the drowning fear of the unknown.

‘Calm down, it’s only a memory. The memory of a dream. It isn’t real,’ she tried to calm herself as the pain of the soul-merge surged with her anxiety.

‘Oh, no, Moon-kissed Child. It wasn’t a dream. It was very real.’ Kash-baba’s thoughts echoed in her mind and startled her.

‘W-what!?’ Lorelei’s soul quivered and, in the real world, her fingers clawed into the old woman’s hands. ‘No, impossible! I never left Ildemar, I swear!’

‘Your body never did, child.’ The tone of Kash-baba was soothing. ‘But your spirit did travel some obscure paths, uncommon for a Limerian.’

Lorelei stiffened as dread overwhelmed her. She didn’t dare think or give her fear a name, lest the old shaman was to notice her true nature.

‘Don’t let such oddities bother you,’ Kash-baba continued, sensing Lorelei’s turmoil. ‘The realms of creation are, and will most likely remain, an eternal mystery. The border between the Spirit Plane and the World of Dreams is but a thin veil, and you don’t need to be a Binshi to lift it. Now, child, let us continue, let me see what happened next.’

With her stomach still a fluttering mess and a skull-splitting headache starting to form at her nape, Lorelei recalled the rest of the fateful afternoon. The clearer the memories were, the greater the ache from the soul-merge became. Each detail she tried to share was like a blade scraping against an open wound. Soon, the phantom-pain from the shattering glass slicing her skin merged with the agony caused by the hex, forcing Lorelei to break down with a scream.

It hurt! It hurt so much! Not only her flesh but also her soul was tearing apart. Her body shook and tears trickled down her cheeks, but her fingers grabbed the old shaman’s hands even tighter. She could bear it. She had to! Letting go was not an option, no matter how great the torment and the temptation were. This was her last chance to prove her innocence, the line between freedom and the gallows.

“Stop, child!” Lorelei felt Kash-baba trying to pull away as her voice rose in the real world. “You will kill yourself.”

“No, I can go on! I can remember better…” Lorelei mumbled, her tongue - thick and dry against her mouth.

“Let go. There is no need to suffer more.”

The last bits of her memories - the top of the tower, engulfed in bright light, and Shana’s twisted face - started to blur and fade into nothingness.

“No! No!” Lorelei tried to keep the images that were flowing away like sand through open fingers. “No! Please stop! Don’t go!”

With an unexpected strength, Kash-baba tore her hands from Lorelei’s grip. It felt like a string had broken. The all-consuming pain suddenly vanished like it never was. A cotton-like bliss engulfed her, and Lorelei almost fainted but two steady hands held her up.

“My lady!” Gregor’s tone was full of anguish. “Are you alright? You are bleeding!”

Lorelei blinked at him and the tissue in his hand. Her other senses tuned in to the real world once again and she felt something warm and sticky trickling down her chin. With shaking fingers she took the small piece of cloth and pressed it to her nose, its white surface quickly turning red.

“T-thank you,” she muttered, turning her attention back to the old Binshi before her.

Kash-baba knelt upright, her back straighter than an old oak, and looked seemingly unfazed. Her wrinkled face was the epitome of benevolent tranquility and her eyes looked back without any malice. Lorelei’s gaze moved down towards the woman’s hands and she swallowed a gasp. Deep red gashes ran along the Binshi’s wrists as if a wild animal had clawed at her.

“Dear Fathers! I am so sorry, kush-turgan!”

“What for?” The old woman huffed and flicked her arms, the many layers of her broad sleeves cascading over the wounds. “Old people have thin skin, child. On us, even a bird’s scratch looks like it’s done by a mountain lion’s claw. More importantly, how are you?”

“I am fine, but we need to treat your injuries.”

“There will be a time for this later.” The old woman turned to the anchor behind her. “Detir, help your baba up. The Duke is getting impatient.”

Her words sobered Lorelei up. While the young Binshi was helping Kash-baba on her feet, the Duchess of Norden dared to look at her Duke for the first time since the soul-merge started. Noah’s face had an unhealthy grayish hue, his body - leaning forward in the seat like he was preparing to jump. His lips formed a thin line that mimicked the one created by his drawn brows.

Noticing Lorelei’s stare, he opened his mouth, but no words came out and he just sank back in his chair. His gaze never left Lorelei while Gregor helped her to her feet and, as she leaned on the knight’s arm for support, her husband’s frown became deeper.

“Kash-baba,” Noah snapped, unable to completely hide his emotions, “Don’t make us wait. What have you found out?”

“Such impatience!” the old woman snorted and very slowly staggered back to her seat in a manner of exaggerated fatigue that contradicted the lively sparkle in her eyes. “I might be old and half-dead anyway, but shouldn’t you at least offer your wife a chair and a sip of water? The poor child went through a lot.”

Noah stiffened and two big red spots appeared on his cheeks despite the cover of his dark complexion. With a wave of his hand, a chair was brought to the center of the summit hall. It was then that Lorelei realized how weak her knees were. She sat down, trying to retain a bit of grace and not just slump on the velvety cushion, and Gregor offered her a full cup. She just stared at the young man without reaching up. The knight threw a look at Noah, who motioned with a hand to his lips and nodded.

“It’s birch juice, my lady.” Gregor took a sip from the cup and handed it again to Lorelei. “It will help you gather your strength.”

“Thank you,” she replied and took a mouthful. A pleasantly sweet and slightly sour taste rolled down her tongue and moistened her dry throat.

“So, Kash-baba,” Noah turned to the old Binshi again, “tell us about the soul-merge. The Duchess’ story…”

“It is true. Every word of it. The Star-gazer was the one who shattered the Star of Norden.”

The hall erupted.

“It’s a lie!” Kush-turgan Vukan yelled. “Has the Limerian mongrel bribed you? Why are you betraying your people for the likes of-”

A cry and the crash of overturned chairs cut the tirade short. No one noticed when Noha had jumped from his seat but now the leader of Bear Ridge was lying on the ground, coughing blood, and the Duke of Norden was towering over him. Before the dignitaries could react, the Shadows, weapons in hand, surrounded them.

“Do you all take me as a joke?” Noah barked, his foot landing hard on the quivering kush-turgan. “I tried with words, I tried with compromises, with threats. But it looks like you wild animals would listen only to a fist!”

He bent down and grabbed Vukan by the neck, dragging the burly man up with uncanny strength.

“All you know is to scream and slander!” Bearing his teeth, Noah shook the Binshi like a rag doll. “I have tolerated your antics long enough. It seems you have forgotten who the Beast of Norden is. Well, the language of reason does not suit a Beast anyway. Now I’ll hit you until you bleed!”

Noah’s fierce gaze scorched the summit, both Limerians and Binshi alike. In his hands, kush-turgan Vukan slowly began turning blue. When he spoke again, there was ice in Noah’s voice.

“For Twilight Pass and Bear Ridge, hunting tax - doubled. Free travel through the Ducal lands and the Baronies - denied; entry fees - three silver coins per head. Tax for selling furs - doubled. Price for wheat purchase - increased from one dram of silver per stone to one and a half dram. Price for barley - increased from half to one dram of silver per stone. Price for bee’s wax - increased from six to seven dram silver per stone…”

“You can’t do this!” The kukul of Trout Stream shouted but was silenced by Noah’s glare.

“For Baron Firmon,” he continued, “exclusive rights to ambergris trade - suspended for three years. For Baroness De Vindur - the price of golden salmon roe will be decreased from nine to seven dram per stone; further - oversight of the ruby mines at Snow-wall Mountain will be transferred to the ducal authorities for three years.”

“But…” Lady De Vindur raised her voice but was also met with a pair of steely eyes.

“I advise you all to accept your punishment quietly.” Noah made a sign and the blades of the Shadows gleamed menacingly. “With your behavior, I could be demanding your lives, not your money. And don’t mistake my courtesy of not doing so for inability. If I aim for your neck, no laws or customs would save you.”

No one dared utter a word.

Taking a deep breath, Noah finally let go of kush-turgan Vukan who slumped on the ground in a heaving mess. Giving the man a final kick with his boot and murmuring a short “To his chambers!”, he turned to Lorelei, who sat petrified in her chair. In three big strides, he reached her and stopped abruptly.

“Duchess Norden,” his voice sounded somber and pained but there was no trace of the recent anger and malice, “what you have shown us today is a prime example of will, bravery, and perseverance. Risking your life, you've proven your innocence before the Gods and the Law. I was a fool for not trusting you. I let the father speak and not the ruler.”

Suddenly, he bent his knee before her. Reaching out, he took the end of her silver-white dress and pressed it to his lips.

“I will atone for my mistake soon, my lady. But until then, I, Noah Lux Norden, offer my sincerest apologies to the Duchess of Norden.”

Lorelei sat in her chair and shook. She was hurting. She was tired and angry, and relieved, and… happy. And she was stunned. The Duke of Norden was performing in public a genuflection reserved only for the Emperor and Empress. She should have been flattered but, instead, her chest felt empty. Keeping her eyes straight, Lorelei set her jaw and carefully pulled the hem of her skirt free from Noah’s grasp.

“How will you proceed from now on, my lord?” she said as leveled as possible.

Climbing up on his feet, Noah ordered Gregor:

“Go fetch Shana. I want to hear how she would explain all this. And tell Saya to come and take the Duchess back to her room to rest.”

“No,” Lorelei shook her head resolutely. “I will stay. I believe I have the right to do so.”

“You do.” Noah measured her up with some concern. “You have earned your place here. You can sit beside me while we wait.”

“I…” Lorelei hesitated and averted her eyes.

“Come sit with me, Moon-kissed Child.” The voice of Kash-baba startled them both. The Binshi gave Noah a toothless grin. “An old thing like me needs some company and entertainment while waiting or else I might fall asleep.”

No one dared to disagree with the Binshi’s Grand Elder. Lorelei hurried to the old shaman’s side with a heart full of relief and a bit of ache. She didn’t want to be close to Noah right now. Her feelings were too confused and traitorous and she feared that she might do something to regret later on.

Engulfed by the fragrant smoke of the old woman’s pipe, Lorelei listened to her stories and only occasionally nodded without saying a word. Her eyes wandered from time to time to the central seat of the table and Noah’s distraught face. Sometimes, their gazes met, both carrying a thousand unspoken words. They had to talk, no matter how painful the result might be. But not here and not now.

The heavy door of the summit hall opened with a bang and Gregor flew in panting.

“Reporting. Lady Shana has disappeared from her chambers!”