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I spent the next few days in preparation for the trip to Erstürnach. Nothing much really. All I had to do was to be present for the Council meetings every morning, practice my magic in the afternoon, and I was free for the remainder of the day.

Heidi had been assigned as my official escort around Starkfurt. The sight of her ready smiles and burnished hair every day, as well as the quick, amusing tales of the city she grew up in were somewhat comforting to me. She almost made me forget that poor Josef was either being tortured by Lord Himmel, or he was dead.

Almost.

I still couldn't decide which was the worse of his two possible fates.

Even now, as Heidi was happily walking me down a busy street filled with exotic goods and colourful laughter, my thoughts strayed to Heidelberg. It was as though a part of me had rooted itself back there, unwilling to let go, refusing to completely accept that I had made the right decision to run away.

A summer breeze brushed my curls. It should have been a relief in the heat of the day, but I shivered instead. Was my meagre flute enough to keep me anchored? To prevent me from succumbing to Lord Himmel's undeniable charisma?

"Klaudia?" I heard Heidi calling. The usual perky grin on her face was gone; her lips were pressed together in worry. "Are you all right?"

I nodded. "It's nothing. It's just...you know."

She nodded back, the hard line of her mouth softening in sympathy. There were a few instances in the previous days where I was like this: wandering about aimlessly, looking but not really seeing anything, lost and drowning in my worries. She never asked-she didn't need to. The look in her eyes was indicated that she knew, and she understood that it would be futile if she tried to interrogate me for details.

After all, she was a Healer. Dealing with people was part of her expertise. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Lady Anya had specially asked her to keep an eye on me so that I wouldn't do anything silly. Like what though, I couldn't fathom.

"It's time we head back to headquarters anyway," said Heidi, squinting at the sun above head. It would be autumn soon, the season of the harvest. The heat showed no signs of relenting so far though.

"All right," I agreed. I suddenly regretted allowing myself to wallow in my situation-which I had no power to amend at the moment-instead of enjoying Starkfurt, like any regular newcomer to the stronghold.

Heidi took my hand and ducked behind a stall. Its millions of silky ribbons on display looked like coloured streams of water. The owner squawked, but didn't protest any further when she saw the pendant Heidi was wearing around her neck. Five interlocking circles carved onto the silver circular disk-the insignia of the Council. Anyone who had a head on their shoulders knew better than to find fault with the sorcerers directly associated with the Council.

In one smooth motion, Heidi removed the stopper from the water skin slung across her back and manipulated the water inside it, drawing it out till it formed a clear sphere hovering above her palm. With another hand, she gestured towards me.

I whipped my head around, making sure that there were no snoopers nearby. Fortunately, the stall had a large curtain to hide behind. Quickly, I lifted my skirts, leaning my weight on my right leg and sticking the left out towards Heidi. She shaped the water, forming a layer around my bad leg. She breathed towards it; it glowed for a while, before hardening and transforming into a support of sorts.

I let go of my skirts, feeling a lot safer when my skin wasn't bared to the world. Then we began the walk back to headquarters. At first, Lady Anya had insisted on a palanquin as my mode of transportation around Starkfurt, but I had refused. Bad enough that I had to be accompanied at all times by one person, let alone several. She had relented, but only when I had purposely marched out of the building by myself to prove my point.

This was Heidi's method of compensation. She would use her water on my bad leg so that it would ache less whenever we ventured in or out of headquarters. She'd told me that she'd cast her spell at all times, except that it would take a great strain on her. It didn't matter though. I was fine even if she hadn't offered this...leg support.

I nearly chortled out loud at the term I had given the water around my limb. Leg support.

Anyhow, it was a welcome help of hers. We set out for headquarters, the water nothing more than a cool tickle against my skin. Heidi's chatter droned in my ears. At least her mood hadn't been dampened by me.

So far, Heidi had not dared to take me anywhere farther than a league's radius from the Council's building, in fear that I wouldn't have the stamina to keep up. To be fair, she was right: even with the aid of her magic, I was already winded when we finally reached the gates. Still, I think I would have loved to explore more of Starkfurt.

Of course, that would mean going back on my word and requesting a palanquin from Lady Anya. Seeing her during the Council meetings every day was intimidating enough. I didn't need yet another reason to confront her.

When we entered the hallway, a young boy immediately came running up to us. "Lady Klaudia, there's a Council meeting Lady Anya wishes you to attend now," he panted.

I cast a sideways glance at Heidi; she shrugged in my peripheral vision. The Council meetings I had attended was mere protocol, apparently, as all available Magi were to be present. And I was the only Magus in Starkfurt who wasn't a Council member. My superiors had made me swear an oath that I wouldn't divulge a single word outside of the meetings. I had kept it so far. Besides, I was barely awake for the large percentage of their discussions-cum-arguments.

But this was surprising, even after all that I had been through. I had never encountered a situation which called for an emergency meeting before, and it was worrying.

"Now?" I said.

"Now," the boy confirmed.

I looked at Heidi again. "I'll take the water away. You don't have to do anything," she said.

The boy took it as his cue to scurry off. Heidi waved a hand, and the water around my left leg lost its rigidity, dropping into a puddle by my feet. She pulled every droplet away and put it into her water skin. "Go. The Council cannot be kept waiting." Her lips were upturned at the corners, but they were creased with anxiety. Even she thought that this couldn't be a good sign.

"Thank you for today, Heidi," I said, genuinely grateful.

"No need for thanks. Now get along!"

I flashed her a quick smile before walking towards the meeting room. One good thing that came out of my idleness was that I was familiar with most of the buildings' areas, and could find my way about easily enough.

The Council members were talking heatedly. They stilled their tongues, however, once they saw me. I curtsied stiffly and took my place at the sole seat in front of their table, trying to ignore the tension tightly laced in the atmosphere. I couldn't help but feel like I were a prisoner waiting for judgment.

"This came today," said Lady Anya, holding up a rough, unpolished stone. It was dark and raw, and looked completely unremarkable. Lady Anya threw it towards me; it crested in an arc and stopped mid-air, hovering above the ground. I stared at it.

A brilliant blue light began to spill from it, and I threw up my arms to shield my eyes. When the light dimmed, I risked a peek.

Lord Himmel was standing before me.

Or at least, a shimmering, light-filled version of him.

I resisted the urge to leap onto my feet and bolt out of the room. My chest was seized with panic. This wasn't the real Lord Himmel, I knew, yet some primal instinct it me coiled up at the sight of the man.

"You all have something that I want." It even spoke with Lord Himmel's voice. Cold sweat beaded down my neck. "And I think you all know very clearly what it is. Hand her over to me, and perhaps I will consider not attacking Starkfurt."

He moved, and he was grabbing a handful of hair. Lord Himmel heaved the man up with monstrous strength, before shoving him onto the floor. The man looked tired and beaten and bloody, even through the...message, of sorts. He was naked saved for a loincloth, and his frame, though large, looked weak and frail. Lord Himmel yanked on the man's hair, forcing him to look upwards.

I almost screamed when I recognised the man.

Josef.

He had a terrible slash running down the left side of his face, and his left eye was missing, but I still recognised him anyway. Despite the injuries, he looked grim, determined, and his single eye shone steadily without a trace of fear.

"I believe you recognise him." Lord Himmel shook Josef around; the latter didn't make a single yelp of protest. "I shall expect an answer by next week. Good day."

Light exploded in the room once more, before ebbing away and returning to the stone, still hovering in mid-air.

It clattered onto the floor in an anti-climactic fashion.

With a sputter, I began to sob.

Lady Anya remained impassive towards my outburst; Lord Konrad and Lord Alonzo's brows creased together in slightly disapproval; Lady Gertrude and Lord Hugo's eyes were brimming with unwelcome pity. They all remained silent for a while. Only my cries echoed in the room.

Then Lord Alonzo spoke up: "Calm yourself, girl. It's not the end of the world."

I hiccupped, took in a deep breath, and choked on my sobs.

"It may very well be, if we don't find the proper solution to the problem," said Lady Gertrude.

"We cannot afford to be indecisive any longer!" roared Lord Konrad. "Lord Himmel is making a direct challenge to our power-we must crush it immediately, to make him serve as an example."

"It sounds strange, but I actually agree with Konrad," said Lord Alonzo, his bright eyes dark with seriousness. "There may still be a way for us to infiltrate Heidelberg yet."

"Are you implying that we send the girl straight into Lord Himmel's arms?" snorted Lady Gertrude.

"There may be no other choice," he replied quietly.

A deadly silence followed suit. The Council members-save for Lord Konrad and Lord Alonzo-were completely stunned by the bold and direct words. I stayed very still in my chair, mute with terror. To go back to Lord Himmel, after everything that had happened...I wanted to cry again.

I held my emotions back. Weeping would do me no good in this situation.

"What was that?" I asked, tone raw.

"A lodestone," replied Lady Anya. "I'd mentioned that it can be used to record memories. That's not its only use. Another one of them is to send messages. The recipient will then answer by recording him or herself using a spell, before sending the lodestone back."

"By what? Do people ferry lodestones?"

"Of course not." Lady Anya looked scornful. "We can teleport them."

A sudden thought struck me. "What if...can you teleport humans? As in a whole army?"

The scorn in her expression grew. "One sorcerer can only teleport a few people at a time, assuming he or she is at full strength. And those people must not have magic. Our Cores somehow tend to react when a powerful spell is in action; teleportation is advanced magic. So we can't bring sorcerers with us when we teleport."

"Oh," I said dumbly. "Never mind."

Lodestones. Something new I've learned about today. The image of Josef, bruised and bloody, missing an eye abruptly popped up in my mind. Lord Himmel knew. And he was using my friend as leverage against me.

I stared into nothingness, considering. Then I said, "I'll do it." My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

"Do what?" Lord Konrad leaned forward eagerly.

"Go back to Heidelberg." I had to go back. For Josef.

Lady Anya startled. "Klaudia, this isn't necessary-"

"No. I'll do whatever I have to," I interrupted, not heeding protocol. "If I escaped Lord Himmel one time, surely I can do it again."

"This is about the Tinker, isn't it?" she growled. I could hear the accusation in her tone: I thought we'd agreed that you'd do what I say.

I stared at her squarely in the eye, lifting my chin. "Yes."

More silence. I didn't break the stare.

"Of course Lord Himmel would use the girl's weakness," groaned Lord Hugo. He rubbed his beard furiously, as though it could somehow avert the situation. "Exploit it, even. He's walked us into a corner."

No one dared deny the statement. Give in, and Lord Himmel would have me; fight back, and he would crush us.

Walked us into a corner, indeed.

"Klaudia, if you go back to Lord Himmel, you'll just be playing into his hands," reasoned Lady Anya. She was struggling not to scream at me-I could tell that from the tremble of her lips and the forced levity of her words. "If you go back, you'll be giving the Pied Piper a weapon. But if you stay, we might be able to find a way to defeat him."

"The girl has already volunteered, Anya," said Lord Konrad crossly. "She would be a direct agent for us in Heidelberg. She can get close to Lord Himmel-more so than we can ever achieve with our own sorcerers."

"She's too poorly trained," said Lady Gertrude. "She won't be able to survive under Lord Himmel."

"Then do you have a better plan of action?"

Everyone's faces were practically splotchy with redness from all the arguing-even Lady Anya was barely reining in her anger. "The original plan: Take Klaudia to Erstürnach, see if Anton had left anything behind for her there, and continue to warn the rest of Achein," snarled Lady Gertrude.

"What if there's nothing in the city? What then? Lord Himmel would have already rallied his sorcerers and attempt to take Starkfurt! He is the Pied Piper: he has been draining Fountains of their magic for a century now. He will be more powerful than all of our Magi combined. If we fail in Erstürnach, we will never have another opportunity to find his weakness!"

"And you think giving Lord Himmel just the thing he wants will help our situation?" interjected Lord Hugo. I jumped in my seat; his voice was unusually deep and rumbly, a storm looming over the horizon. I had a feeling that Lord Hugo wasn't one to get frustrated easily, but once he was, everyone had better steer clear of him.

"Better than chasing after a clue that might be useless or may not exist in the first place!" answered Lord Alonzo, slamming his fist onto the table for emphasis.

"She is just a girl, Alonzo," said Lady Gertrude, exasperated. "What can you expect of her?"

Girl. Thing. Weapon. That was all I was in their eyes, it seemed. A tool to be used, whether for good or for bad. I felt the tips of my ears growing hot. Couldn't I decide my own fate? Why, even though I had escaped Hamelin, I still wasn't free? Why, even though I was a Magus, a person who was supposed to be respected and feared?

"Enough."

Lady Anya's voice rang out sharply, immediately silencing the others. The tension in the room was far from dissipating, however. The Council members were still shooting daggers at each other with their eyes.

"I suggest that we take a vote, and if the result pleases Klaudia, we shall go along with the plan. Now, in favour of handing her over to Lord Himmel?"

Only Lord Alonzo and Lord Konrad raised their hands.

"In favour of proceeding with the original plan?"

She, Lady Gertrude and Lord Hugo raised their hands.

"Fools. All of you," snarled Lord Konrad.

"Hold your tongue," snapped Lady Anya. "It is settled then. Klaudia, are you satisfied with this?"

Was I satisfied? A mirthless laughter almost escaped my lips. It didn't matter if I wasn't satisfied-I knew that they would proceed with whatever they had decided upon.

Besides, I wasn't sure what I wanted. At first, I'd lunge headlong into the danger of Heidelberg without a second thought, just to see if I could somehow save Josef. But after listening to the others' arguments, there was a point in not handing myself over. My efforts as an infiltrator might prove futile, as Josef was no longer able to help me and Lord Himmel would be wise to my intentions.

Honestly, it didn't matter which route I took, there would always be a calculated risk.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. "I shall defer by your final decision."

Lord Konrad and Lord Alonzo shifted in their seats. I could almost hear their inward groans.

"All right. Lord Hugo, dispatch a message to Lord Himmel stating that we refuse his offer," said Lady Anya. She looked unfazed, as if she'd been expecting this. "Lady Gertrude, myself and several select sorcerers shall accompany Klaudia for her journey to Erstürnach tomorrow. Lord Konrad, tell your sorcerers to prepare for any attacks. Lord Alonzo, make sure to send delegations to every city and town and gather their forces."

Everyone received their orders with a nod.

"And that concludes our meeting," announced Lady Anya. "You all may carry on with your duties now."

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