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  “Fiu fiu, the lordi lord’s girlfriend’s back in the castle. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t been out and about–because he’s been missing her,” Lenin says and I immediately try to shut down violent sparks of jealousy.

  I watch how Jorgen orders the guards to take care of Cassandra’s suitcases and the girl with the other mages as they’re shown to their chambers.

  “Oh and this is Falcon, my personal guard. He’ll be around me all the time; my father insisted. I had no choice but to bring him along,” Cassandra explains and Jorgen shakes hands with the dark haired guard.

  I exhale sharply, releasing some of my magic and sense someone staring at me. A moment later, I meet Falcon’s eyes and quickly back away into the corner.

  “Crap, he saw me. We need to go,” I say to my Pixies, feeling slightly dizzy. His energy riddles down my spine, invading my inner dragon.

  “What about our snack? Me and Jetli are starving,” Lenin shouts after me, but I’m already running back to my chamber, knowing I have to find out who the mage was those guards were talking about the night of the celebration, otherwise I’ll drive myself crazy not knowing. I think I’m halfway there…

  Chapter 2

  Death.

  Lenin and Jetli must have gone to the kitchen without me, because they didn’t come back to the chamber. My stomach’s growling again and I have no idea what the hell’s wrong with me–why am I acting so weird? I end up putting my pyjamas on, find an energy bar in the drawer and start eating it to stop thinking about the duke.

  This new jealousy is beginning to worry me. I shouldn’t have any feelings whatsoever towards Jorgen, and yet I hate the way Cassandra confidently flirted with him in front of everyone. It makes my blood boil thinking about it. I’m sticking around along with Lenin and Jetli because we have nowhere else to go. Besides, the duke needs to give me some kind of task or duties to complete as his assistant. I can’t keep sitting around doing nothing all day long. Eventually, the staff and guards will begin to ask questions–it doesn’t look good.

  At some point, I manage to drift away into a deep sleep, and even my noisy Pixies don’t wake me. That night I have my usual nightmare, but the part where Jorgen’s face is revealed is now hidden in a shadow like it used to be before I met him. What does this mean? I wish I could talk to someone who understood these things.

  I wake up at some point, breathing hard, glancing around my new chamber. It takes me a moment to remember the dream. I sigh loudly, rubbing my tired eyes.

  My Pixies are fast asleep next to my bed and I lay back down, soon enough drifting away again.

  When morning breaks, I can hardly remember my nightmare–glancing at the clock, it’s only a few minutes after six a.m. It’s pretty early and everyone in the castle is most likely still asleep. I stretch my arms and peek over at Lenin and Jetli. They’re both snoring loudly in tiny little hammocks they made yesterday.

  I pick up a book, turning the pages then hear voices outside my door and loud, heavy footsteps.

  “Wake him … no one knows. He’s the duke.”

  “It’s that mage’s cousin!”

  “Quickly, quickly … get Thayer.”

  I put the book down and throw some clothes on, wanting to know what’s going on outside. The maids and guards are unusually loud this morning. I concentrate on my magic, and shade my appearance with my invisibility spell. For some reason, I don’t want to be seen on the same floor where the duke resides. Mages and staff in the castle enjoy spreading unbelievable rumours and I hate being the centre of attention, especially now after I’m officially the duke’s assistant.

  I see guards running up and down the corridor, one of them nearly knocks me off my feet. The maids are whispering between themselves. It looks like something must have happened, everyone’s on edge and the tension lifts the tiny hairs on the nape of my neck.

  “She was so young. It’s such a tragedy,” says one of the maids, shaking her head. “It’s only been two weeks … oh my.”

  “I know, she was so brave and skilled. The duke doesn’t know–someone needs to wake him up,” says another one with short, dark hair.

  “Her aunt and uncle won’t care. Apparently they hated her when she lived with them.”

  I frown, confused, it sounds as if they’re talking about me. I walk past them and head downstairs, already sensing something is terribly wrong. There are guards everywhere, standing and hurrying with other officials who work with Thayer. Powerful streams of energy invade my system–my inner dragon’s aware there’s a lot more mages in the castle than normal.

  Thayer left last night and I have no idea who’s in charge this morning. Moments later, I hear high-pitched voices in the corridor.

  “What’s going on? Why’s there such a racket this early in the morning right outside my chamber? This isn’t exactly the type of welcome I expected when I intended to pay Jorgen a visit,” Cassandra shouts, storming through the corridors wearing a silky dressing gown and some kind of bonnet on her head–her dark haired guard following dutifully behind her. He’s fully dressed in the same clothes he wore last night. Cassandra looks so different without make up on, and now I don’t know think she’s pretty at all.

  “We’re really sorry my lady, but one of the maids found a body in one of the chambers on this floor,” says the head of guards, I think his name is Roshan. My own heart skips a beat, then races triple time.

  No, I haven’t misheard him. He just confirmed someone died last night while I was fast asleep upstairs.

  Cassandra brings her palms to her face and gasps.

  “A body? For Hommis, how could this be? Have you informed the duke?”

  “Not yet my lady, one of the maids only just found the girl. Others are trying to calm her down in the kitchen,” the guard explains.

  “A girl?” Cassandra asks.

  Roshan hesitates and then adds:

  “Yes, my lady, the girl cannot be more than fifteen years old and she has dark hair–”

  “For Hommis, no, no, no. Please don’t tell me it’s Rosanna,” Cassandra screams, then falls to the ground. Falcon’s right beside her as she starts sobbing, not believing the tragic news.

  My throat’s dry and I’m considering going back to wake Lenin and Jetli. Falcon helps Cassandra back up and a split second later, she orders Roshan to take her to Rosanna’s chamber. I follow along, as a tremor of fear and nausea rocks through my entire body. My heart stops when I realise Roshan’s leading Cassandra to my old chamber–the same room where only yesterday I was chilling out with my Pixies before Thayer moved me.

  There’s a few shifters and guards inside as I walk to the corner, not wanting to risk bumping into someone and cause a panic. Being invisible has its perks, but I’ve yet to meet another mage with the same ability, so I need to be careful. Rosanna’s lying in bed and there’s blood everywhere–her eyes are closed. I gasp, seeing a huge hunting knife on the bedside table. She’s dead, and has been for a good few hours.

  As soon as Cassandra sees the pale body of her cousin, she burst into tears. She starts sobbing harder, keeps repeating that it’s impossible until she faints and an instant later, Falcon carries her out of the chamber.

  “The girl was stabbed to death in her sleep. We’ve been waiting too long to inform the duke,” Roshan says, hurrying out of the room, undoubtedly to head over to Jorgen’s chamber. Two other shifters are staring at the now dead Rosanna.

  “I thought it was the Wyvern shifter girl; the duke’s assistant,” one of them says.

  “Yeah me too, this was supposed to be her chamber. I don’t understand what this other girl was doing in here,” another one points out.

  I feel numb, and my blood pressure begins to rise. Thayer didn’t have a chance to tell anyone he moved me to a different part of the castle before he left.

  I leave the room with every intention of heading back upstairs. Derek, one of the doctors from the castle, is rushing through the corridors. There’s nothing else he can do–Rosann
a’s dead. She was an innocent, young girl who just arrived in Rivenna. This is such tragic news.

  Why would anyone want to kill her?

  I swallow hard, trying to come up with some kind of explanation, but none of it makes any sense.

  My stomach tightens with fear, when I hear a familiar voice on the stairs.

  “What’s going on in here? One of the guards just woke me up. Roshan?” Jorgen asks, walking towards me, wearing a black dressing gown. A bunch of electric sparks move down my spine, and I tell myself to get it together.

  “My lord, the girl was found stabbed to death in the third chamber by the storage room,” Roshan explains and Jorgen stops breathing, all colour drains from his face.

  “For Hommis, Astri,” he says, quickly moving past Roshan, running across the corridor.

  “My lord, my lord. This isn’t … please my lord,” Roshan shouts after him.

  Of course, Jorgen thinks it’s me who was stabbed last night. Thayer most likely didn’t tell him he moved me into the room next door to his. In a minute or so he realises it was Cassandra’s cousin who died last night, not me.

  I get back to my own chamber as quickly as I can. My heart’s pounding in my chest while I try to figure out who would want me dead. Maybe the guards who talked about another mage from the Asian World were right. It was never Jorgen. Maybe someone else found out I’ve been alive all this time, and last night he came back to kill me.

  Once I’m inside my chamber I release my invisibility spell, trying to find my belt.

  “What’s going on, Astri? Why are you up so early?” Lenin asks, rubbing his eyes and stretching on his hammock. Jetli’s up too, flying around me.

  “We have to go now. Someone was murdered last night,” I explain. “Have any of you heard or seen anything?

  Lenin shoots up in the air and Jetli shakes her head, touching my face. I need to find Jorgen and let him know I’m all right. He’s probably freaking out, looking for me around the castle.

  “Last night? What? No, we didn’t seen anything. We went to the kitchen, filled our hungry bellies and went back to the chamber. The corridors were empty; we didn’t see anyone,” Lenin explains when I close the door and start rushing through the corridors.

  That shifter girl was underage and she wasn’t even from Rivenna, why would anyone want to kill her, unless …

  The answer strikes me like a thunder bolt and I stop suddenly, remembering to breathe.

  Unless the killer wanted me from the very beginning… He stabbed her, convinced he was finishing me off for good. She was almost the same height as me, and we shared the same body type. It feels as if the air’s been punched out of my lungs, but I tell myself I have to keep going. There must be another explanation.

  I get downstairs to the main corridors by the entrance to the dining room, seeing Jorgen pacing around in distress. Guards and a few other maids are watching him, the silence is unnerving.

  “My lord, what’s going on? I have–”

  “Astri,” he says, finally noticing me. “For Hommis, I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  Then he’s beside me, embracing me with his arms. Warmth flows through my body, and I get lost in the intimacy of the moment. Familiar heat’s rushing back, riding over my skin and melting my insides. I’m suddenly mindful everyone’s staring at us and he should know his staff might start talking. He’s holding me so tightly–I tell myself I shouldn’t be enjoying this–maybe it’s only an act. But what motivation does he have now? I saw his face when I was invisible earlier, he thought I was dead and he was completely devastated. Why do I keep doubting myself and him for that matter? Because of what the guards said in corridors… I was positive I knew what Jorgen was about until that moment; I’ve been a wreck of emotions since–guilt ridden and trying to justify my actions somehow in my mind.

  “Jorgen, what’s the meaning of this? I’ve been waiting for you in my chamber,” a high-pitched voice interrupts our moment.

  Cassandra…

  Jorgen pulls away and I move toward the back wall, knowing my face is most likely red. My chest is tight. There’s an odd sensation I feel deep inside and butterflies fill my stomach. Jorgen clears his throat and looks uncomfortable, glancing at Cassandra who’s approaching him now fully dressed with her guard by her side.

  “I’m sorry, Cassie. For a second I thought it was Astri–it was her chamber. I panicked when I couldn’t find her. She’s my newly appointed assistant,” Jorgen says, sounding hoarse. I want to disappear, conscious everyone on this floor’s staring at me.

  Cassandra’s deep, honey-coloured eyes drift over to me. She purses her lips in a hard line, glaring at me from my head to my toes. She has the same look of rage on her face as my aunt Beatrice when something doesn’t go her way. Then her eyes notice my scar and her facial muscles relax slightly.

  “So if it was this girl’s chamber, then what was Rosanna doing in there? I’m outraged by this treatment, Jorgen. How could this happen–in your castle of all places? You must find the killer right away. Her parents will be devastated and I must send a letter to them right this instant,” Cassandra says and starts sobbing. I want to roll my eyes, because for some reason her misery doesn’t seem genuine. Jorgen instantly rushes to comfort her.

  “My lordi lord, we were just telling Astri that we didn’t see anything suspicious last night,” Lenin throws in his two cents, flying over to Jorgen and Cassandra screams with fear, waving her hands and hiding behind Jorgen.

  “What are these creatures? Shoo …. Shoo. Get away from me you dirty, flying rats,” Cassandra shouts.

  She did not just call my Pixies dirty, flying rats! Ignorant cow… I’ll “shoo” her. I think to myself, steaming with a quiet, building rage.

  “Calm down Cassie, they’re Welsh Pixies and they won’t do you any harm,” Jorgen explains.

  “Yes, missi pisssi. We aren’t filthy fairies but Pixies, and we don’t do any harm to shifters or mages,” Lenin adds, and Jetli nods enthusiastically trying to smile, but Jorgen’s staring at me, like he’s annoyed with me all of a sudden. I snap up both of them and shove them inside my pocket. I truly want to smack that horrible woman for insulting my friends.

  “All right Cassie, let me take you to your chamber and I’ll take care of everything. The murderer will be brought to justice. A full investigation will be launched straight away,” Jorgen says, finally giving me a long, apologetic look, before he vanishes through the corridor.

  Cassandra’s guard, Falcon, turns to look at me. His eyes move down to my scar then flickers with a blazing fire. We stare at each other for more than a few seconds, and I feel his magic, mounting and stinging my skin. His energy becomes hostile and unfriendly, my inner beast roars with rage as my skin prickles with odd sensations rising to the surface.

  Not today, mate… I’ve had quite enough, thank you very much.

  “Lady Cassandra will expect a full explanation, shifter girl,” he barks then turns around chasing after Jorgen and his beloved mage.

  Run along you boot-licking, arsehole… run after your precious Cassandra. You wouldn’t want to keep her waiting.

  “No one knew, Astri, Thayer didn’t tell anyone he moved you to a different chamber last night. And fiu fiu … he saved your life,” Lenin sings, flying out of my pocket along with Jetli. For the first time, I want to agree with him entirely.

  Chapter 3

  Marriage can fix anything

  A few hours later, I’m hiding in the bathroom trying to deal with the stream of emotions overwhelming my entire being. My face is red, and scar more visible than before. I run my hand over my arms and tiny goose pimples break out over its surface. I can’t stop thinking about Cassandra’s dead cousin. I’m alive, because someone made a mistake last night and killed her instead. The tiny voice inside my head reminds me I need to find a way to get to the truth. If Jorgen isn’t the mage who I’ve been seeing in my dreams, then I’ll never forgive myself for standing by callously and not acting when Bratlav
performed the “cutting of the mage” ritual. What if he’s someone my subconscious filled in the gaps with? My dreams are now shadowing what used to be Jorgen’s face. Nothing makes sense anymore. Who’s this mage from the Asian World and how do I find out anything about him?

  Scenes flash on replay when Jorgen had his arms around me–they keep moving in front of my eyes–the emotions I feel are unnerving. He cares, he always cared. I desperately want to be believe he’s not a bad man. Despite my doubts, I can’t be attracted to him–I just can’t, even though my body betrays me when I’m in his presence. We’re both from two different worlds, it could never work. He’s no one now, not even a mage... A huge part of me can’t help but feel responsible.

  I’m done with self-pity. Everyone’s going to know the real, strong and brave Astri from the contest.

  Jorgen’s had a few weeks to come to terms with what happened in the Decaying Mountains. I gave him time, now we have to work together to solve this murder. His secret is safe with me and I don’t regret taking part in the contest.

  I splash cold water on my face then dry it with a towel. Lenin’s talking to Jetli about the murder and lady Cassandra. Somehow those two are able to communicate despite the fact Jetli’s mute.

  It’s nine a.m. and I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I can’t keep hiding in my chamber–I need to speak to Jorgen about the murder.

  “Come on guys, let’s head over to the dining room,” I say, grabbing my bow and arrows.

  “Astri, I don’t like that dark mage, the missi pissi’s guard,” Lenin says and Jetli agrees with him.

  “Well, he’s going to be around as long as Cassandra’s here, so we might as well get used to him being here,” I say, thinking about speaking to the maids who were working last night.