******

We went back and forth like that for a whole month: Elise pushing me to learn a new spell; me fumbling and stumbling until I got it right. There was no mention of my Drinking ceremony, a ritual in which I would become officially bound to Heidelberg's Fountain, thus sealing my status as a citizen here. According to law, my status as Lord Himmel's fiancee should have been enough to grant me the right. I oftentimes wondered what I'd have to do in order to earn it.

So far, Elise didn't trust me to deal with higher workings, healing being one of them. She'd said that I was incredibly lucky the other day to not have somehow damaged myself while mending my back, and that although her act of inflicting pain was an effective tool for teaching, she didn't want to let it be the driving force behind my magic.

That was fine with me. I didn't want to have her digging her nails into my wounds every time as motivation.

We didn't interact much with each other outside our lessons, as Elise clearly had other business to attend to. For the life of me, I still couldn't figure out her position in the castle. She was definitely very close to Lord Himmel, and she was a Magus, but she didn't have a title. It was a mystery on how Elise ever came to be under Lord Himmel's service. Magi were already rare; having two under the same grounds was a phenomenon not unlike a red moon.

These thoughts occupied my mind as I hobbled to the music room. The sun had barely crested over the land, but the castle was already buzzing with activity. Maidservants, courtiers, sorcerers and the like all bowed or curtsied to me as I passed by. Initially, I had been uneasy—I was more used to jeers and spits than signs of respect. As the weeks went by though, I tolerated it. Tolerated—I still wasn't accustomed to the treatment.

Meanwhile, ever since my first—or technically, third night in Hamelin, I never heard those moans, and I never saw that man again. Which made me contemplate if the incident was just a fabrication of my mind.

To my surprise, Elise was standing outside the double doors leading into the music room. Normally, she would wait inside, chide me for arriving later than her, then start the lesson without another idle word. Her violet eyes glittered at me; she was fairly bouncing with excitement.

For a second, I thought that she had been possessed.

"I thought you'd never arrive," she said, her tone frosty. That was more like her.

"My apologies, Mistress Elise." Mistress was the best word I could find in place of 'lady'.

She waved a hand in dismissal. "No matter. Come with me. I think it's about time you had a proper Medium made for you."

She turned down the hallway as soon as she finished talking. She measured her strides carefully, considering my disability. Unlike Lord Himmel whenever we walked around the castle gardens every evening.

"A proper what?" I asked.

"A Medium. A tool for you to use your magic."

My brows drew together in confusion. "I already have a tool, no? Music."

"True. But above all instruments, you will have something you're most attached to. And Mediums are not regular items—they are specially crafted by the Tinkers for all sorcerers. Once you're bonded to it, you can perform greater feats of magic."

"Oh." I looked at the violin case Elise was carrying. "And is that your Medium?"

"Yes," she replied briefly.

Now I knew why she never switched instruments, even when there were other violins of seemingly better quality at her disposal.

"We're here," she announced, stopping abruptly.

I'd hardly noticed that we were approaching one end of the castle. A powerful, solid door was in front of us. It looked brand new and didn't quite fit into the stone walls. It was humming with power; something was repulsing my magic inside me. My knees felt weak, even more so than usual.

Elise didn't seem affected by whatever charm that had been cast on the door. She hummed a quick tune, and the barrier temporarily subsided. She wrenched the doorknob open and pushed me into the room. "Get in," she snapped. I did.

I took in my new surroundings carefully. If I thought that the castle outside was busy, clearly I was wrong: this place was the very embodiment of busyness. It was far larger than the single door would have indicated, and the area looked like it was an entirely independent castle wing. Numerous worktables were arranged in rows and rows of impeccable neatness, and every single one of them was occupied to their maximum capacity.

Men and women sat at them, heads bowed over their individual projects. Their hands flew, grabbing tools from the boxes laid before them, crafting random items into works of magic—literally. Sparks would fly whenever the items were hammered or beaten, and some of the workers were breathing golden light into their works.

Beyond the worktables, there was another door. I could see faint silver light emanating from the other side. I studied it intently, intrigued.

"Come along now. Josef is an extremely busy Tinker, and it'd do you good to not tarry," Elise's voice rang in my ears.

I snapped myself out of my lull, feeling a little sulky. I remembered that a few days into the lessons, I'd asked for my original flute. Elise had said that they'd burned all of the items I'd brought along with me. Her reasoning was that they would only serve to connect me to Hamelin, and so I could never become a true citizen of Heidelberg. I'd cried myself to sleep that night, but had eventually consoled myself with the knowledge that I was leaving my previous life for good.

Now though, I wished that I had my old flute back, the one thing from Hamelin I truly cared about, asides from Papa Gunter.

Elise led me to the door silhouetted with silver. My eyes widened in curiosity. She hummed another song, one that contained far more power than the previous one. The door swung inwards by itself, a silent invitation for us to enter. My jaw slacked at the sight of the interior.

Because right before my eyes, was the Fountain of Heidelberg.

Or at least, the undercurrents that fuelled the Fountain.

Heavy machinery pumped the silver-golden liquid from the earth and into the above. The whirring hum of mechanical magic filled the atmosphere. There were fewer Tinkers than the outside here, but this group exuded authority. They scurried to and fro, continually checking pumps and valves and occasionally bellowing orders to their assistants. It was a wonder that none of them stopped to admire the power they worked with—the liquid was practically glowing, with speckles of twinkling flakes flowing within it. If Heaven's water was in mortal form, surely it would look like this.

"Josef!" Elise called, her shriek driving a nail through my skull.

Like a dog on a leash, a man came ambling towards us. I heard myself giving an involuntary gasp. It had been dark then, but I recognised the man.

The same man whom I'd run into when I was trying to investigate the source of the moans—it was hard to ignore his colossal height.

As he came closer, he was less of a man, and more of a boy. Or he was caught somewhere in between. His face had matured into adulthood, hardened and handsome by the years, yet it retained the innocence of youth. His whole demeanour struck a familiar chord within my mind, but I shook it off when I couldn't pinpoint why.

"Elise, you summoned me?" he said cheerfully.

"Evidently." I was standing behind her, only daring to peek over her shoulder. She stepped aside to gesture towards me. "This is the future Lady Himmel, and she needs a Medium."

"Ah, Lady Klaudia. We meet again, I see." I managed a courteous smile as my cheeks heated up in response.

"You've met her, Josef?" Elise inquired, arching a brow.

He grinned at her. "Not that you need to know of." Then towards me: "All right then, follow me. We'll craft out a proper Medium for a Magus of your status."

He wheeled around, leaving the Fountain area. Elise and I trailed behind him. We approached a small, but private worktable in a corner. It was facing a wall, which had shelves carved into the stone. Upon them sat blocks and blocks of untouched wood, as well as a few sheets of metal. Josef pulled out a heavy chair and plopped himself onto it, lovingly arranging the impressive array of tools set upon his table. After adjusting the steinlioht—the floating balls of light that were used for illumination around here—hovering above his work space, he turned back towards us. "What is your preferred method of utilising magic?"

"Music," I replied. "Or more specifically, a flute."

His smile froze on his face. A few seconds passed before he shook his head of thick chestnut locks, resuming his laidback countenance. "Another musician? Really, three Magi who use the same aspect for their magic can be a little too much at times!"

Elise ignored the stiff, stilted tone to Josef's words. "Just do as Lady Klaudia wants, Josef."

"Will do." He grabbed a wooden bracelet scrawled with runic scripts. "Milady, if you would give me your hand."

I shot him a wary look. There was no way I was going to let him touch me so easily.

"It's all right, Klaudia. Do as he says," Elise assured me. Her tone was surprisingly gentle, and I had no choice but to comply with the two of them.

Josef fitted the bracelet onto me. It hung loosely around my pitifully thin wrist. Then, it began to mould itself around my skin, following the line of my bones like a snake coiling around its prey. But it didn't hurt me. In fact, if no one had pointed it out, I might not have even noticed that I was wearing it.

He tapped against the wood lightly, whispering, "Versturmia." His breath came out in a golden puff; it drifted towards my bracelet, sinking into it and making the runic scripts glow. My hand only felt a little ticklish at this. The light of the words intensified until they were almost blinding. I squeezed my eyes shut, and only until I was sure that it was safe I opened them.

The scripts were still glowing. Dim, pulsing. But glowing, nevertheless.

Josef removed the bracelet. I rubbed my wrist although it didn't hurt in the least. "What did you do?" I asked.

He held up the bracelet for me to see. "I removed some of your essence. This way, I can properly bind you to your Medium, thus ensuring an unbreakable connection," he answered, his dark eyes beaming with pride. "Should anyone else try to use your Medium, they would find that it's practically useless."

"Oh. Are you the only sorcerer around here who can make Mediums then?"

An amused chuckle escaped from between his lips. "Naturally not. It'd be too much to bear for one man. Not all Mediums can last till the day you die, you know? Much repairing or reconstructing is required in this line of work. Elise only brought you to me because I'm the only one around here who isn't far too wrapped up in their projects."

"Actually," interjected Elise, "I brought you here because Josef is one of our best Tinkers around. If anyone can create a proper Medium, it's him."

"Don't flatter my skill. I simply enjoy my work," he said with a smile. He did genuinely enjoy his work—lived in it. I could see it in the way his face lit up when he was talking about it. It was a reflection of my love for music.

"Well then, we'll leave you to your work then." Elise nodded at Josef. "Thank you." She gave me a violent nudge.

"Oh—er, thank you, Josef," I stuttered, gathering my manners.

"My pleasure, milady." He pushed himself backwards with the bracelet in hand, climbing onto his feet like a lumbering giant. "Now, Fountain duty calls."

******

Later that night, I heard the moans again.

And this time, they were accompanied by distant screams.

I sat up on my bed, pushing the covers aside. Then I remained completely still, tuning my ears to the silence. Yes, it was there—it wasn't a fabrication of the mind, after all. It was real, very real.

And no one was going to stop me from finding its source.

"Liohtia," I said, the command spell for igniting a steinlioht, a basic cantrip anyone could perform anytime, regardless of Medium. A sudden flash exploded before me; I threw my arms over my eyes. Then, my pupils slowly adjusting to the only light in the darkness, I grabbed my crutches and stumbled towards the oversized wardrobe. I pulled out a robe, wrapping it around my shoulders before venturing outside. If anyone caught me prowling—or staggering about, I wasn't going to face them with a mere shift.

Only, I didn't even have a chance to stagger when I unlocked the door and opened it, because Josef was standing right outside.

I yelped in shock. Josef didn't so much as flinched. He barged his way into my room, ignoring my cries of protest. Then clamping a hand over my mouth, he pressed me against the wall and leaned towards me. I clawed at him, crutches forgotten. However, all those years of working as a Tinker must have made him inhumanly strong. My stomach churned in fear. My skin chilled against him. Surely-surely he wouldn't want a cripple—

"Who are you?" he hissed, tone low and threatening.

I blinked confusedly. What kind of a question was that?

"Who are you?" he repeated. Seeing that I didn't answer, he crushed my hands in his grip. "Answer me!"

I couldn't answer him, not because I didn't want to, but because he didn't even allow me to breathe. I wriggled frantically, trying to get him to release me. He realised his mistake and immediately let me go. I took in deep, sobbing gasps, catching my breath and recollecting my wits.

"What do you mean by that?" I could try to scream. However, curiosity was overwhelming me at the moment. It also didn't help that I was only half-awake.

"Look, I don't know who you are, or what are your intentions here," he growled, "but do not test me. Keep out of matters that are none of your concern, witchling."

Witchling. The insult was basically a slap to the face. It was far, far worse than 'cripple'. To have someone actually compared me to the—the beasts that would eventually grow into fully monstrous witches, was even more defiling than having my virtue taken away.

"Get out of my room," I snarled. I could tolerate many things, but this wasn't one of them.

He leaned towards me again, so close that if I just tilted my head a little our lips would brush against each other. He smelled of wood and substance and power. "You may have fooled everyone, but I see the person behind your mask. Mark my words: I will not allow anyone to harm my master."

With that, he straightened himself and stalked out of my room.

I slumped onto the floor, knees weak and arms trembling. What had just happened? Then, annoyingly, I realised that the screams and moans were gone.

I definitely wasn't going to obtain my answers anytime soon. The lateness of the night sank into my bones; my eyelids felt heavy. Slowly, I crawled back to the comfort of my bed, allowing the absurdity of everything to register in my mind.

******