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When I woke up, I was overcome with a sense of disorientation. The bed was too soft; the air too clean; and the blankets too thick.

I slowly sat up, scanning my surroundings. Then it hit me why this place felt different.

I was no longer in Starkfurt. This was Heidelberg. This was Lord Himmel's castle.

The memory of me talking to Elise played in my head. I massaged my temples, wondering if everything had been a delirious dream. Elise was Maria, and Maria was my mother. The woman I'd spoken to yesterday was a stranger. The strangest thing was though, I felt like I had known this stranger for all my life.

No. It wasn't a dream. The sharing of what had happened in Hamelin one decade ago couldn't be a product of my imagination. It was too vivid-too real.

I moved my bad leg, wincing as pain lanced throughout it. This was real too. But this was a result of the fight between the Pied Piper and my parents. In an odd way, there was a purpose to my disability-I know it must had pained him to do so, but Anton had broken my leg out of his love for me.

Tentatively, I pulled up my skirts and stared at the leg. I usually hated to see it; it reminded me of Hamelin, of the people who always pushed me aside, of my own limitations. I traced its misshapen outline, feeling every curve of its ugliness.

Yet strangely enough, I no longer felt ashamed of it. Yes, it was inconvenient. Yes, I could never move around freely. But not ashamed. It was an injury I'd earned the night the plague came to Hamelin, and it was proof that I had survived. I had fought to stay alive, and I would continue to fight.

It was the mark of a survivor.

Despite my current situation, I smiled. No matter what, I had to stay strong. For Josef's sake. For my mother's.

And for mine.

Slowly, I moved till I was seated on the edge of the bed. I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths. I was in Heidelberg again. I had delivered myself straight into Lord Himmel's hands. But I wasn't going to give up fighting. Who knows? There could be a way to defeat the Pied Piper from inside his own castle.

A knocking sounded from my door. "Who is it?" I called out, although I had a good guess to the incomer's identity.

"May I enter?" the voice I'd expected rang from outside.

"Yes," I replied. I stood up and sang a little song to myself, instantly scrubbing myself clean of any tear stains and leftover dirt. The dress that replaced my filthy day gown was dark green, embroidered with gold. It reminded me of the day I'd first escaped Lord Himmel in Starkfurt. I pushed the memories away.

The door swung open to reveal Elise standing in the doorway. Elise-or Maria? Maria or Elise? Both were part of her, but Maria had been gone for a long time now. Elise was the persona she'd been showing to the world for the past ten years.

She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Are you all right?" She searched my face, and I saw concern in her eyes.

"As all right as I can be."

"Good." She gave me an encouraging smile. Just before yesterday, I might have been frightened of her smile. Now though, I welcomed it, as though it were a long lost friend. "Lord Himmel wants to see you."

"Of course he does." I checked my side. My pouch was already tied to my belt. I felt the comforting slimness of my flute pressing against my thigh.

"You sure you're all right?"

I looked at Elise. "I am," I said honestly. I offered a smile of my own.

Her shoulders sagged slightly with relief. "Well then, shall we?"

I gave a terse nod. She led me out of my room and down the hallways. It had been quite a while since I'd last been here. But I could still remember all the winding twists and turns. The carpeted floor muffled my heavy limping, and the light from the steinliohts were almost comforting.

We arrived at the door leading to Lord Himmel's office all too soon. Memories surfaced in my mind, all of them tinged with a bittersweet flavour. This was where I'd first learned of my magical abilities, where I'd escaped Hamelin. At the same time, this was where evil lurked in the corners, where the heart of the plague lay.

As if the time of our arrival had already been estimated, the door swung inwards by itself. Elise went inside without hesitation. I squared my shoulders, and after steadying my nerves, I followed her.

Lord Himmel was standing, facing the window which granted a spectacular view of his ruling province. "I trust you had a good night's sleep, Klaudia?" he said without turning.

"Naturally, milord," I answered flatly.

"Glad that you did." He finally wheeled around to face us. His crystalline blue eyes were as clear and as cold as ice. They contained no trace of Hans-of passionate, caring Hans, who would have done anything to save the ones he loved. In his place was a ruthless, cunning lord.

For a brief moment, I felt nothing but pity for him.

"Elise, you may leave now," he said. "I wish to speak to Klaudia alone."

Elise hovered lightly on her feet before giving a curtsy and exiting the room. She was outwardly cold, but I could still sense her worrying glance towards me. I straightened myself and attempted to look tall.

When the door closed behind me, Lord Himmel strode over towards me and planted two quick pecks on my cheeks. I stiffened. He took me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes, freezing me with their intensity. His fingers were like lycanthrope claws on my skin.

"I've missed you dreadfully, Klaudia dear," he said.

I tried not to snort. "Me, or my Affinity?"

His fingers tightened themselves on my shoulders, digging into flesh, and I cried out involuntarily. "Your Affinity is, of course, a nice complement on the side, but it's you who I'm interested in, my Klaudia."

I wriggled in his grip, but it didn't loosen. "What do you want?" I snapped.

"Tell me what you saw in those memories."

I blinked. Of all things, this wasn't what I was expecting from him. "Why should I?" I countered cautiously.

"Because"-although it seemed impossible, his nails dug deeper into my flesh-"you gave an oath. You would do whatever I say, remember?"

I did remember. But even as I wanted to retort with something spiteful, my tongue was stilled. It couldn't form the words I wanted to say. Magic was holding it back.

"Ah, I see that the blood oath has finally taken its effect upon you," Lord Himmel remarked. "How does it feel, to be bound so tightly by magic?"

"Not very pleasant," I said, actually pleased that at least I was able to spew a few words out.

"I understand. I have, after all, taken a blood oath too, just in a different way."

"What do you want?" I repeated.

"Haven't I made that clear enough? I want to know what you saw in those memories."

He already knew everything anyway. So I complied, proceeding to tell him every little detail of what I saw, somewhat relieved that I could pour it all out. It had been a weight upon my shoulders, I suddenly realised.

When I was done, he released my shoulders. I quickly stepped away, rubbing them down with a frown on my face. "I see. So you know. Freya..." His face gained a distant, faraway look, and I could nearly see a glimmer of Hans in it.

"What happened to her?" I asked quietly, genuinely curious. I know she had died, probably murdered. But the actual cause of her death was unknown to me.

Lord Himmel's expression resumed its usual impassiveness. It was rather unnerving, to think that he was well over two centuries old. However, it wasn't unbelievable-his eyes reflected his age, scarred by the years and indifferent from everything that had happened to him. "She died," he said after a moment's silence. "Murdered-her throat had been ripped open, and she'd been dumped on my bed for me to see. An insult-and a wound."

"Why?"

He looked at me long and hard, and I bowed my head, appearing meek. Was the question too insensitive? "She was my lover. She was technically a noble, but her family had fallen into ruin. Lord Weilsterhein claimed that they were using her as a method to get close to me-and to our wealth."

I waited for a few seconds before I continued: "Did she? I mean, was she truly after your inheritance?"

"No. As you had seen, she was willing to sacrifice everything, just so we could be together." His hands balled into fists, and his expression darkened. "I was a fool. I should have listened to her-then she wouldn't be killed."

"By whom?"

"By Lord Weilsterhein, of course." He wasn't holding back anything now. All that remained of his memory was slowly being revealed to me, and I wasn't going to stop it anytime soon. "He had always been against me and everything I did. Besides, only he would have the audacity to do something like that to Freya and to me." His tone carried a trace of amusement, as though the matter were something trivial, to be told as a joke in later years. I shivered.

"How were you so sure?"

"It couldn't be anyone else," he snarled. "If you knew Lord Weilsterhein, you'd understand that only he could do something so monstrous and gotten away with it."

I drew my brows together, thinking. Was the truth really that clear cut? From what I saw, Hans wasn't much of a negotiator-he'd jump headfirst onto accusations so long as he had the flimsiest of proofs. Lord Himmel seemed somewhat similar. That was one trait that hadn't changed throughout the years.

"But he hadn't gotten away with it," I resumed, deciding to appease him for now.

Lord Himmel's lips curled into a cruel smile. "No, he didn't. He underestimated me. That was his first and only mistake."

"How did you do that? I saw you actually expanding your Core."

"I learned it myself," he said, a tinge of pride ringing in his voice. "It's quite simple really, if you know how."

"And I don't suppose that you're going to reveal your secrets, are you?"

A maniacal laughter escaped from his throat. "Excellent guess, Klaudia. But let us be honest: if I told you everything about my powers, that would be giving away too much, wouldn't it?"

One moment he was stony, the next he was chatting away as though we were old friends. I didn't know what to make of him. I laughed nervously and said nothing.

"So I drained Erstürnach of its Fountain," he said casually-too casually. "Its power sustained me for the next century or so, but then I realised that it still wouldn't last me forever..."

"And you became the Pied Piper," I finished off, my words a harsh whisper.

"And so I did. The first town was a little one on the outskirts of where Erstürnach used to be. Drullin, I think it was called. They called me the Pied Piper, because apparently I'd woken up a few sleepers and they'd caught sight of me and my pipe. I was wearing plaid breeches at the time, see?"

"Why the children? If you already stole magic from Fountains, shouldn't that be enough?"

"That, my dear Klaudia, is for me to know, and for you to find out."

I studied his face, probing it for any signs of tension. Nothing. A thousand questions roared in my head, but I held them back. Instead, I said, "I doubt that you summoned me just to talk though. Is there anything else?"

"How perceptive of you." He flashed his teeth at me. "Come, I want you to control my mind."

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