A myriad of thoughts buzzed in Lorelei's head. Ever since she reluctantly parted with Noah at the ninth bell and resumed her training under Kash-baba's watchful eye, she struggled to concentrate on her task. Practicing to hide her nesvet powers was difficult under normal circumstances, but this time, it felt twice as cumbersome.

She thought about her conversation with Noah from this morning. The new revelations about her husband's complex relationship with the Church and the Imperial Family added a new load of worries to the already existing ones. She didn't even want to think about what further complications this could bring to the looming danger of her sainthood examination, but she had a suspicion that a certain vindictiveness on the quaestors' side was to be expected.

Cursing under her breath, Lorelei made a futile attempt to focus and guide the energy of the soul-dust through her body. Akin to a chilling breeze over a frozen snow field, it refreshed her mind and brought her some clarity. The one forewarned is forearmed, went the old saying. Knowing that the quaestors might try to play dirty to further damage Noah's reputation, or worse, actively harm him and Norden, meant that they just had to be a step ahead of the enemy and thwart their plans, whatever they might be.

Lorelei took a few deep breaths, relishing the short moment of peace. However, it was soon clouded by a new bout of anxiety. The matters of Pricilla and her father were also left unsolved as of now. Imagining the two, lurking in the shadows and weaving some wretched plans against her and Noah, made her feel nauseous. But soon enough, her trepidations morphed into hatred. The image of Pricilla defiling her man, touching her Noah with those dirty fingers, made her anger erupt with the force of an exploding volcano. Her sister, no, that vile snake, dared to harm her most precious person! Those damn Ortens tried to destroy her happiness at every turn! She had never done anything to warrant their animosity. But now, she was going to pay them back everything with interest. It was one thing trying to harm her, but to dare lay a hand on Noah was their final mistake!

Completely engulfed by the dark vortex of hate and vengeance, Lorelei was completely oblivious to her surroundings. Therefore, when Kash-baba's cane struck her head, she gave out a loud yelp and tumbled backwards.

"Ouch! That hurt!" she moaned, rubbing her head, and blinked accusingly at the old Binshi squatting next to her. "Why did you do this?"

"Cause I don't want to be turned into an icicle in mid-summer," answered Kash-baba and pursed her lips. "It won't hurt to reduce the soul-dust you absorb next time."

It was then that Lorelei realized that the temperature in the room had dropped significantly. From where she was sitting on the polished floor, concentric circles of snow spread out as if a stone had been thrown into a clam pond. Even the walls shimmered with grain-sized ice crystals, and fern frost covered the windows. White puffs escaped Lorelei's mouth as she exhaled shakily and sniffled.

"H-How? I did all this?"

"It sure is more than the occasional zap you've given us with Roslinde." The old shaman rubbed her chin and squinted, looking Lorelei up and down. "It seems that your emotions were out of control."

"I was angry," mumbled Lorelei, avoiding her gaze. "But this is too much! How did this even happen? I'm not a Binshi. I'm just storing some soul-dust in my body!"

"The soul is the source of our magic. With the soul-dust being fragments of the essence of lesser beings, it seems that it has similar effects as a Binshi soul when it enters your body. And emotions are what guide the energy and give it the shape of a hex."

"So what now?" Lorelei sniffled again and rubbed her nose, leaving a red trail on her hand. "If I don't get a grip and control my feelings better, the quaestors will accuse me of being a witch."

"Well, you are sourcing powers from somewhere else rather than from your Two Fathers, so, per your church's definition, you are a witch." Seeing the young woman's mortified expression, Kash-baba cackled and handed her a colorful handkerchief.

"I'm going to fail and doom everyone!" Lorelei pressed the cloth against her bleeding nose and fought the urge to scream.

"No one said that it's going to be easy." The shaman patted her shoulder. "But I believe in you. In a few weeks, we achieved results worth years. Let's rest a bit and wait for Roslinde to practice some more. Strange that she's still not here at this hour."

Still pressing her bleeding nose, Lorelei stood up and dragged herself to the nearest table. A cup of cold birch juice and a few sweetmeats later and her anger subsided. The fear, however, stayed like a poisonous snake coiling in the pit of her stomach. Strangely enough, as terrified as she was to face the Church's inquiry, the actions of Pricilla made her even more uneasy.

For her sister to be brazen enough to attack the Duke of Norden, there had to be some sort of a sinister plan in motion and someone powerful enough backing her. The explanation of her sister simply being spoiled and wanting to steal her man in an egoistic fit of self-indulgence just didn't cut it. If Lorelei's fears came true and Lionel was involved in this somehow, it was still unclear what his aim was exactly. To discredit Noah and ruin his engagement to Pandad's marzbane? It didn't make sense, since Noah's marriage to her had already drawn an edge between Pandad and Norden. Was the Second Prince just a sadistic lunatic? Likely. But Lorelei still felt uneasy.

"Stop frowning like that or someone might mistake you for a dhrowghost." Kash-baba hooked arms with Lorelei and pulled her towards the door. "Let's go have some fresh air while we wait for Roslinde. If she doesn't come in an hour, I'm sending her a mimi-shi. Oh, I do hope it finds her mid-sermon or some other ecclesial hocus pocus. Your clergy people start foaming around the mouth when met with a hex."

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"That's a bit cruel." Lorelei swallowed an involuntary chuckle. "I still find it hard to believe that the protection of the Two Gods over their hallowed grounds is just a useless hoax."

"Oh, it's not a hoax! Holy powers do negate hexes. Fire evaporates water, yet dies from a flood. It all depends on which side would tip the balance."

Deep in conversation, the two women strolled through the castle grounds, enjoying the warm sunshine. Lorelei was equally apprehensive and excited by the topics they discussed. Being able to open up to someone else and talk freely about the similarities and differences between holy powers and hexes was a rare and dangerous privilege. If one wrong word reached the right people, an excommunication, a deadly curse, or likely both awaited. Yet, Lorelei never doubted Kash-baba's sincerity. Talking to her felt like conversing with a friend she'd known for decades.

"Honestly, only crazy folk would even consider mixing hexes with godly blessings. Yanosh would have found you a kindred spirit." The old Binshi shook her head with benign laughter. "Many thought he was an insane dreamer. Well, the line between genius and madness is thin. Luckily, Orhana was there to beat some sense into him. Occasionally."

"And yet, his unhinged idea bore incredible fruits." Lorelei gestured at the white walls surrounding them. "And as we are on the topic of combining hexes, how is the restoration of the wards going?"

"A slow, organized chaos, it is," huffed the other woman and rolled her eyes. "Our little Star-gazer is doing her best to restore the Star of Norden, but, well, things are going far less than smoothly."

"It must be a very complex magic."

"It is, but that's not the main problem."

Kash-baba clicked her tongue in frustration and began stuffing her pipe. Next to her, Lorelei remained silent. She was curious about the progress on the hex, yet talking about Shana's doings still made her uneasy. The child had begun acting cordially towards her, and Lorelei understood that the Red Hands had been the ones manipulating her step-daughter. Still, the wounds left by the little Star-gazer were too fresh and too deep.

In the meantime, the old Binshi had finished preparing the pipe. With a snap of her fingers, a flock of red sparks surrounded her thumb, and she used them to light the fragrant herbs. After a couple of content puffs, the shaman sighed.

"Shana's problem is that she can't use the full extent of her powers. Or rather, she refuses to do so."

"What?! Why?"

"It seems she's afraid that her powers might get out of control and she'll end up hurting someone."

Lorelei felt a pang in her heart as the old woman's words slowly sank in. The scars Shana bore were no less deep than her own. Despite being a child, the Star-gazer carried responsibilities and wounds that would crush even a grown man. Thinking about her own sentiments towards the girl, Lorelei had to admit that she had been too harsh.

"Still, Shana is starting to show some progress." Kash-baba's words interrupted her thoughts. "But now, little Castor is starting to make me worry."

"Castor?" Lorelei was taken aback. "What about him?"

"I know the pup doesn't have it easy away from home and with a gift he's just beginning to understand." The old Binshi puffed her pipe and looked at the pristine blue sky, looking for the right words. "But for some time now, he's been acting like a hunted rabbit."

"Well, the encounter with a bunch of vapirs is definitely nightmare fuel." Lorelei shivered, remembering the pale, blood-smeared faces and the black, web-like veins crawling under their skin.

"True. But even before the attack on the temple, he's been showing signs of distress - forgetting his tasks, anger outbursts, sudden mood changes. At first, I thought it was all due to the matters with his father and his acolyte gift, but now I'm not so sure."

Saying that, the old woman sank into silence, the smoke of her pipe slowly engulfing her in an aromatic mist. Lorelei, too, mulled over the situation. Now that the old shaman mentioned it, she too remembered certain peculiarities in Castor's behaviour. She knew the youth as being polite and quiet, yet a delightful conversation partner. However, for some time before their unfortunate trip to the main temple, he had indeed closed himself in.

An image appeared in her mind - Castor preparing the funeral rites for Bessie's victims. The utter terror in his eyes as he had faced Lorelei had not been a natural reaction, even under those extreme circumstances.

"Indeed," she muttered, recalling even more instances of the youth acting scared when she was near him. "Something is amiss."

Suddenly, a surprised shout attracted Lorelei and Kash-baba's attention. Not far from them, a man and a woman seemed to quarrel, surrounded by the blooming flowerbeds. The woman had fallen on the ground, a basket of food overturned and spilled around her. The man loomed over her, shaking, fists tightly clenched.

"Castor!" Lorelei and Kash-baba shouted simultaneously and ran towards the pair.

Seeing them approach, Castor's pale face drained of blood completely. Without a moment of hesitation, he spun on his heels and darted away. Reaching the fallen woman, Lorelei blinked, even more confused.

"Rasha?!" The young Binshi looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I w-wanted to bring him something to eat," stammered the girl. "I knew he was checking this section of the wards. But… I just tapped his shoulder and he… he just snapped!"

"You stay with Rasha." Lorelei motioned at Kas-baba. "I'll go fetch him. By the gods, he has some explaining to do!"

Gathering her skirts, Lorelei sprinted after Castor. Alas, she quickly lost sight of him amongst Ildemar's winding corridors. She asked a couple of confused servants and managed to catch up to his trail, but soon was met with a new challenge - an empty T-intersection branched before her with one hallway leading to the library and the other to the minstrel gallery. Taking a few hasty breaths, Lorelei needed but a moment to decide.

With a steady step, she followed the corridor to the library.

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