– The thing is, she's the Queen of Culdwynd," Evans added with absolute calm.

– Evans! – That statement took my breath away. He'd given away my secret!

– Don't worry, he's trustworthy," Evans smiled at me.

– That's how it is…" The old man leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. – As far as I know, King Merkswerd married Princess of Flammehav. Which means she's a demoness. Your battlemate doesn't look like a member of that race. – Alviss looked at his young friend carefully, as if waiting for a new explanation.

– It was true. She took the same potion that I do. If anyone recognizes her…

– That demoness will be captured and taken to the palace, and you will be executed! – The old mage bounced on the table with his palms on his hands, and his face was so angry that I flinched as if I'd been slapped in the face.

– Don't worry, we won't get caught," the healer continued, ignoring the raging old man. – We won't be here long.

– That will be enough time to kill you. I didn't help you so that you would act so thoughtlessly now!

– I'm sorry, it's my fault. I was the one who asked Evans for help," I interjected, as I couldn't keep quiet any longer.

– Of course you did, who else would have? – The old mage said sarcastically.

– Alviss, that's enough. – Evans stood up sharply, his palms on the table.

It was the first time I'd ever seen him like that: I'd always thought he couldn't get angry, but at the moment his eyes were shooting lightning bolts.

– Did she really seduce you? Demonesses, they say, are good at it! – The old man shook his head disapprovingly, as if he was not a grown-up mage, but a green boy barely acquainted with the beauty of women.

– Seduction is our talent, and you're right about that, Alviss," I said calmly, realizing that the old mage had his own accounts with my race. – But not all of us resort to it. You must have heard about the relationship I have with my husband, Derek Merkswerd.

– Let me guess: you hate him so much that you ran off with that fool? – Alviss rolled his eyes.

That phrase made both Evans and me laugh: no, he didn't!

– Evans, of course, is a man, but I assure you that my heart belongs to my husband, strangely enough. Sometimes hate turns to passion, and pain and bad memories are washed away by mutual love," I said quietly. The words came easily, but I thought again that my love for Derek had swept over me too quickly, but I didn't have time to search my mind for the hows and whys of it. I knew: I cared for Derek… It must be the distance and the separation that gave birth to these black doubts in me.

– Then why aren't you with him? Why did you run away? – The old man squinted his eyes. Apparently, he still didn't trust me.

– Unfortunately, our separation is forced: Derek is poisoned, and Evans and I have volunteered to find the herbs needed for the antidote. If you've heard of nysta decoction, you understand the threat to my husband. – I stopped talking and gave the old wizard a cold, piercing stare.

– Poisoned? By whom?" Alviss didn't look so surprised, but he frowned even more.

– It's a long story," I said evasively, not about to tell a stranger, though a good friend of Evans', about the misfortunes Derek and I had caused by my suddenly resurrected witch grandmother, Hund. – But that's why we need your help.

– You should never have come back, boy… The King hates you and will do everything in his power to wipe even the memory of you from the face of Emmerlend. You crossed him, and he will never forgive you," Alviss said in a quiet, trembling voice, looking at Evans.

– I know that! I'm not going to show up at the royal palace and drink wine with Jakub! – The healer shrugged with a short laugh. – We need the Dead Man's Axe. You will sell it to us, and we will return to Kaldwind immediately. Without this weapon, our quest will only end in our deaths.

– The Dead Man's Axe! The power of this weapon is legendary, but no one has ever been called upon to test its power… Not even our king, and he is a powerful mage, the most powerful of us all," Alviss said quietly under his breath.

– Excellent! We'll take our chances and test it, and then we'll give the Axe back to you if you want it," Evans said with a sigh of relief, as if glad that we were finally getting to the point, and leaned back in his chair.

– Give it back to me? Who said you'd get it? – Alviss left the table and left the room, as if he'd forgotten about us and the tea and cake.

Evans and I looked at each other and hurried after the old wizard.

– I know you have it," Evans said in an affirmative tone as he followed.

– I don't have it! No!" Alviss shook his head stubbornly.

– We'll pay you well! Very well! – I raised my voice, hoping to seduce the old man with the sound of gold coins, because it had worked so well before.

– Offer me even a mountain of diamonds! I don't have it!

– We need him! Without him we have no chance-" Evans began.

– Are you deaf? I told you, I don't have the Dead Man's Axe! And I have no idea what it looks like! – Alviss shouted angrily.

We went back to the shop. Alviss hid from us behind a low counter, opened a thick book, written from cover to cover in sharp, sprawling handwriting, and pretended to read one of the pages carefully.

– Then you won't help us? – I asked bluntly.

– I wouldn't think of it. Even if I had that weapon, I wouldn't sell it to a demoness for all the gold in the world! Who knows what kind of evil intent you would use it for? Ha!" the old mage snarled at me, not looking up from the book.

– But my husband's life depends on it… King Kaldwind's life! Don't you have any pity for him? – I exclaimed in despair.

– Why should I pity any man? Let him die! Maybe it's for the best! Hedda Juris will sit on the throne that is hers by law, and you will be sent back to your parents! It's a win-win for everyone!

– Alviss, you know me, you raised me! – Evans said quietly, but there was pain and disappointment in his voice.

But the stubborn old man didn't even look at him.

– Don't grovel to him, my friend… He's already made up his mind. – I was so sad that I didn't want to look at the old man or hear his voice anymore. I turned my back on him and walked over to the tall glass cabinet, where the shelves held artifacts and weapons I had never seen before. As I got close to the cabinet, I felt a grave chill go through my body and my insides shrink, causing me physical discomfort, but at the same time I was filled with a strange fierce energy.

Something in that closet had attracted my demonic essence. Something dark, ancient, demanding blood.

A hunch flashed through my mind, and putting my palm to the keyhole, I opened the door easily: my strength increased. The dark energy emanating from one of the objects in the closet brought them back to me.

Opening the door silently, praying that the old mage wouldn't stop reading his book, I intuitively touched the long, narrow sword, seemingly simple and even boring, but as soon as my skin touched the cold steel, I sighed noisily, fighting the lust for murder and blood that gripped my entire being.

– It's here…" my lips whispered soundlessly.

– Sylvia? What are you doing in there? – Evans' voice came from behind me, but it sounded as muffled as if I were under the water of a lake of fire, and he was standing on a rocky shore, trying to tell me something.

Dark energy was beating in my veins, as if it had displaced my blood. Terrible bloody scenes stood before my eyes, and screams of pain and fear rang in my ears, like the ones I'd heard when Derek was killing my people…

"Derek… Murderer and usurper! I will destroy you and your brats! I will make all you wretched humans suffer as my subjects have suffered, and weep as the mothers who took refuge in our palace but lost their children did! It was you who killed them! And you will answer for every life you took! Rivers of blood will flood the streets of your cities, and your corpses will be the food of crows…" – I muttered, gripping the blade of the Dead Man's Axe tightly and feeling the pleasure of what I was seeing in my head. The murders, the blood and the horrors brought me joy, but suddenly it all began to fade, fading into the distance, and soon disappeared altogether. The darkness was gone, and I was surprised to find myself lying on the floor, with Evans standing over me, steel claws in hand. His face was pale and nervous.