-Lunos, Castle of Linda Lunos – Winter of 7335-
The letter arrived at dawn, delivered by a messenger with a torn cloak and deep shadows under his eyes. It came without a seal, without a crest, just a folded parchment tied with a leather cord. The man who brought it refused to give his name. He only said he was "a friend of House Lunos."
Linda read the letter in the silence of her study, her eyes scanning the lines once, twice, three times. Her face, first tired, then pale, then hard as mountain stone.
"Mother?" called Luna, who had entered without knocking. "What is it?"
Linda didn't answer. She just handed over the parchment.
Luna read. The words were few, but each one weighed:
*"Marchioness, a betrayal is being prepared in your own house. Baron Móber's dinner is a trap. Your husband and your sister are conspiring with Refibus. Luna's tower will be taken. Zirinos will be removed. Protect your daughter. – A friend."*
"The handwriting is a woman's," said Luna, returning the letter. "Do you recognise it?"
"No." Linda threw the parchment into the fire. The flames devoured it in seconds. "But whoever it is, they speak the truth. Merius… Nalía… I suspected. Now I am sure."
"And what will you do?"
"What I should have done years ago." Linda stood up. "Call Zirinos."
---
Zirinos was in the courtyard, training with a wooden sword against a snow-covered dummy. His strikes were fast, precise, his breath smoking in the cold air. When Luna called him, he sheathed his sword and followed her without question.
In Linda's study, the fireplace fire crackled high. The marchioness stood by the window, her hands behind her back, her silver hair shining in the morning light.
"Zirinos," she said without turning. "Do you know of the conspiracy?"
"I suspected."
"Why didn't you warn me?"
"Because I had no proof. Only shadows leaving a hut."
Linda turned. Her tired light eyes fixed on his.
"And now?"
"Now I have your letter."
"And do you believe it?"
"I believe you have nothing to gain by lying to yourself."
Silence settled. The fire crackled.
"You will leave," said Linda. "You and Luna. Today."
"Today?" Luna paled. "But winter…"
"Winter is our excuse. The conspirators expect us to stay until spring. If we leave now, we catch them by surprise."
"And you?" asked Zirinos. "Do you stay?"
"I stay. The marquisate is mine. I will not abandon it."
"Refibus will try to kill you."
"Let him try."
Zirinos looked at Luna. She was pale, but her light eyes did not waver.
"I'll go with you," she said. "Wherever you go."
"To Ban." Zirinos tightened his hand on his sword. "We need to speak with King Zayan. And with Magnus Troydís. They have knights. Soldiers. Allies."
"Ban are friends of Lunos," added Linda. "But they are not an army. You will have to convince them."
"I will."
Linda approached her daughter. She hugged her tightly.
"Take care of yourself. And trust no one."
"I trust Zirinos," Luna replied.
"Then trust him. But keep a part of yourself only for yourself."
Luna didn't answer. She just held her mother against her chest.
---
They left at noon, when Lunos's pale sun hid behind the clouds. Zirinos rode a dark horse with gentle eyes, lent to him by Linda. Luna rode a white garron, smaller but sturdy. Behind them, two loyal guards – Sanderá, the grey-bearded baron, and a young soldier named Erlan.
The snow fell lightly. The flakes, small, almost invisible, clung to cloaks and manes.
"Lucinar's church," said Luna, pointing to the hill. "Shall we go?"
"We shall."
They left the main road and climbed the slope covered with Carterá pines. The white needles shone in the scant light, and the wind howled between the trunks.
Lucinar's church stood at the top of the hill, isolated, its white iron walls shining even without sun. The metal reflected the pale light of the red and purple sky, and the narrow windows let in only slivers of brightness.
Inside, the silence was heavy. The wooden benches were empty. The stone altar at the back held the eternal blue flame – a tongue of fire that never went out.
Zirinos knelt. He did not pray. He just looked at the flame.
"Are you asking Lucinar for something?" asked Luna, beside him.
"I ask that he protect us from bad luck."
"The god of bad luck protects from bad luck?"
"That's the irony." He stood up. "Or the lie."
"Do you believe in gods?"
"I believe there are things greater than us. I don't know if they are good or bad. Just greater."
Luna touched the flame with her fingertips. It did not burn.
"My mother used to say that Lucinar's flame is cold. It doesn't burn. It only illuminates."
"Like truth."
"Yes." She withdrew her hand. "Like truth."
They left the church. The snow was falling harder now.
---
The road south was long, crossing pine forests, snow-covered valleys, and stone bridges over frozen rivers. The horses tired with each hour, but Zirinos did not stop.
"Baron Refibus," he said at the end of the first day, "will try to stop us."
"How do you know?" asked Luna.
"Because I would do the same."
"And how will you stop him?"
"By reaching Ban before he does."
Sanderá, the guard riding behind, interrupted:
"The road to Ban is long. It will take us two weeks, if the weather holds."
"The weather won't help," Zirinos replied. "So we'll ride faster."
They quickened their pace.
---
On the first night, they camped in a cave, sheltered from the wind. The fire crackled low. Luna slept wrapped in a blanket, her head resting on the saddle. Zirinos watched the entrance.
"Zirinos," she called, drowsy.
"Sleep."
"I can't. I'm afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of not coming back."
"You will come back. When the snow melts."
"And you?"
"I…" He hesitated. "I don't know."
"Then why are you coming with me?"
"Because you came with me. When I went to the mountain to kill Trussum."
"You saved me."
"You saved me. You told the truth. The truth that broke the lie."
"It was the only thing I did."
"It was the only thing you needed to do."
She closed her eyes. She fell asleep.
Zirinos sat watching the fire.
'Luna', he thought. 'The girl who trusts me. Who dances with me. Who cries for me.'
'And I? What do I feel for her?'
The answer did not come. Only silence. And the snow outside, falling.