The silhouette whips around and Heli can confirm the identity of his saviour. Jakah's confused face is illuminated in the neon lights. He takes a hesitant step, then another, the broken bits of mirror crunching under his feet. As he crouches down in front of Heli, he reaches out and places a hand on each side of Heli's face.

"You…you're…" He draws back. "Are you for real?"

"I'm real," Heli nods. "And I'm- you're here."

Jakah throws his arms around Heli's neck. He's shaking. Heli wraps his arms around Jakah, but as he begins to draw him closer, Jakah suddenly pulls back and pushes Heli hard into the wall behind him.

"Where have you been?" He doesn't raise his voice, but it's filled with a cold anger. "Why did you leave us?"

Heli straightens up.

"Where did I go? I didn't go anywhere! You left me !"

Jakah's eyebrows furrow slightly but he tone doesn't change. "You were gone. You walked out…" He gives Heli another, lighter push. "How could you? How could you do that to us?"

"What are you talking about?" Heli's voice is rising. "You left me alone! You left me to die !"

Jakah reaches forward to give Heli another push, but stops. He frowns as he stands. "Why don't we discuss this somewhere else?"

Heli's not sure what there is to discuss, on his part. Jakah knows better than he does why they all left the castle. Why they all abandoned him. He stands and follows Jakah out of the fun house, back into the dark area, weaving between vehicles and into a small trailer. He bites his lip to hide the fact it's quivering. Every emotion he's gone through the past few minutes, the fear, relief, the confusion, is overwhelming. He wants to be angry about the accusations Jakah has thrown at him, but mostly he's in disbelief. This isn't right. They should have known he would never leave them, and he can't imagine any scenario in which he would willingly walk away. Whatever had really happened, Jakah doesn't seem any wiser than Heli's own spotty memory.

The little trailer Jakah climbs into is meant for living. There's a small sink in a tiny kitchen, a seat and a bed. Jakah flips on an electric light. It's certainly more comfortable than the tents Heli remembers from the beginning of the century carnival days. Jakah hops up onto the counter next to the sink and points to a seat across from him. Heli sits and Jakah stares, unblinking. Heli looks around the tiny home to avoid looking him in the face. He's not sure how to feel and the last thing he wants is to spoil their reunion.

"So. Where were you?" Jakah says.

Heli looks up at Jakah, forcing his face into a neutral expression. "In the north tower," he says flatly.

"For how long?"

"You tell me."

Jakah crosses his arms. "I don't understand. She told us you died."

"I would have been dead," Heli scoffs.

"She said you'd walked out into the sun."

That's not what he was expecting. It takes Heli a few moments to respond.

"Why would I do that?"

"That's what Jaan said," Jakah raises his shoulders. "That there was no way. You wouldn't do that. But then she pulled out your coat, you know the long wool one? It was singed and covered in ash, and you were nowhere to be found."

Heli drops his gaze to the floor.

"That was the most I've ever seen Jaan cry," Jakah continues.

They sit in silence. Heli considers how he might have reacted if he learned that the others had died, and had been gone all these years he was alone. But with Jakah sitting in front of him, he can't. All he can think is how grateful he is to have been spared the absolute despair they must have felt. What reason could Lamia have had to tell them such a horrific lie?

There's a light rap on the door. Jakah crosses the trailer and opens it just enough to speak to whomever is outside.

"We've got some new volunteers if you want to-"

"I'm busy," Jakah responds.

The second voice is a woman's and she continues. "They look really good, just come out and-"

"No really, I'm not hungry. Go away." He slams the door and returns to his spot on the counter.

"What's wrong with him?" the woman outside says, just outside the door.

Heli shifts in his seat and opts not to enquire what that was about.

"Where is everyone else?" he instead asks.

Jakah sighs. "Now, I don't know. The last time I saw any of them was about thirty years ago, when Shion and Noa left the carnival. After you left, we stuck together for a couple years, but after a while everyone just kinda drifted apart and went their own way." His expression softens. "Were you really there, in the castle, the whole time? How? We abandoned it when the war started."

"I thought you could tell me." Heli says. He may have found Jakah, but he has more questions than before. It doesn't even occur to him to enquire which war.

"Then how long have you been out this way?"

Heli shrugs. "Few weeks."

Surprise crosses Jakah's face. "A few weeks?" he mouths.

"I almost got staked first."

"What?"

He wants to explain everything, and interrogate Jakah for everything he knows, but one thing is bothering him more than anything else. The rest they can discuss later. For now, he needs to know one thing. Heli stands. "Is Lamia here?"

Jakah scoffs. "No. Haven't seen her in a couple decades either." He pauses. "You shouldn't stick around. If she wants the Shadows to kill you, they'll be back."

"She wouldn't tell them to kill me. Why else would they have left instead of just killing both of us? They didn't even fight you. She's just protecting us."

Jakah also stands. "She's not even here and you're defending her. You know the Shadows only listen to her."

"They probably didn't recognise me. You know how protective they are."

"You're delusional."

He brushes off Jakah's words. Jakah doesn't know Lamia like Heli does. He is right though, that he shouldn't stick around. These Shadows most likely don't recall who he is, or perhaps they're new and they've never met him. Either way, they must have targeted him as an infiltrating vampire, especially since they hadn't appeared until he started poking around their living spaces. Though he never found out firsthand how serious the threat of enemy vampires was, she had said he might need to protect her from them. Once he finds Lamia, she can clear up everything.

But she's not here. Based on what Jakah said, she doesn't travel with the carnival anymore, at least not lately. That leaves him with a couple options.

He could return to Eugene. He probably should, but that would risk him spilling on the remaining bits of information he has about Lamia, especially if his memories keep returning as they have.

He could travel across the continent, searching for her.

"I guess I'll just-" he steps outside without finishing. He doesn't want to leave Jakah, not after they'd just found each other, but what else can he do? If he says good-bye, it feels like it really will be the last time.

He heads towards the light of the midway, and isn't much more than halfway there when a hand closes around his. He looks down to see Jakah, who's sporting a large bag over his shoulder.

"Like I'm letting you out of my sight again," Jakah says.

"What about the carnival?"

"I'm getting bored. Where are we going?"

Heli stops and tries to pull his hand away, but Jakah won't let go.

"Don't try to say anything about protecting me," Jakah says. "They're not going to come after us in the light. Once we get away from the carnival it should be safe."

"That's not it. I don't know where I'm going."

Jakah laughs. "That sounds right. Why don't we start with wherever you've been staying last?"

They cross back into the carnival's midway. The lights are still on, and the music is still playing but the crowd has thinned considerably.

Every expectation and plan he'd had for the night has completely unravelled. Taking Jakah to Eugene would be an even bigger risk.

"The truth is-"

"Heli!"

Someone is calling him. They sound close, and definitely real. It's not Lamia, calling for him in ways no one else can hear.

"Heli!"

Jakah looks up at him and squeezes his hand. He shifts his weight, ready to spring.

"There you are!"

Heli turns and sees Eugene jogging towards them. Viken and Sena are right on his heels.

"Sena said you were getting beat up by two guys in robes." Viken raises his arms but stops cold when he spots Jakah at Heli's side. "Who is this?"

Three sets of eyes flick from Heli to Jakah, who's looking up at Heli with the same question.

"Oh!" Viken shouts. "You were in the photo!"

"You have a photo of me?"

"He's coming with me," Heli says.

Eugene gives him a slow nod. "Okay, and you're coming home, right?"

Coming home.

He's dumbstruck as Eugene looks him over for injury, then wraps an arm around his shoulders and pulls him back towards the van sitting just outside the entrance gate. He thought Eugene would be angry the next time they met, which he hadn't counted on being so soon. He imagined yelling and cursing about the debt and breaking his promises, but instead Eugene's tone is one of worry.

"Did you find your friend?" Heli asks Sena as Viken slides open the van door. Jakah climbs in with a backward glance.

Sena nods. "I ran into Joan on my way out, the first time. She's waiting in the car."

"You went to get Eugene?"

"Yes," she says. "They were pretty upset not knowing where you'd gone off to."

"Oh."

"You're alright though?"

"I'm fine."

"Good," Sena gives him a light punch in the shoulder. "Until next time then."

Jakah takes to the others surprisingly quickly. Only a few minutes have passed since he was allowed inside, and he's already following Soule like a shadow, asking questions about everything from what's on their shelves to their treatment of Heli. He hasn't seen a lot of magic like they do either, and though he's familiar with the technology, the home of mages is still a whole new world. Soule happily pulls items off the shelf to show off in their animated discussion.

Heli sits down on the sofa watching them. When Eugene stops to stand over him, his arms crossed, Heli realises he had misunderstood Eugene's reaction.

He is angry.

"I told you not to leave," he says.

Heli looks up, trying to put on his most innocent face.

"You only said that the last time-"

"You tried to hide the carnival from us." He points to the folded newspaper on the armchair next to the fireplace. It's open to the page with the ripped corner. "Why?"

"That's because he is obsessed with-" Jakah starts but Heli shoots him a glare.

Shut up, shut up, shut up.

Jakah returns a curious expression. "Trying to find everyone," he finishes.

"I heard you were looking for a fortune teller."

"That's just, um, you see, Jakah…"

He glances back at Jakah who puts on a sideways grin.

"I can tell fortunes."

Eugene lets out a suspicious hum.

"What are we going to do with them?" Taho is leaning against the door frame to the living room. "Our house is going to turn into a vampire sleepover."

"Not being able to use the couch during the day is already kinda of a pain," Avys adds. "They'll be in the way on the floor."

"Viken, can I still use your-" Heli starts.

"No," Viken cuts Heli off as he marches by and straight up the stairs.

"Should we put some coffins in the cellar?" Avys says.

Jakah laughs but Heli follows Viken up the stairs.

Viken beelines to his bedroom, swinging the door hard behind him. Heli stops it before the door can slam shut. Viken spins on his heel and pushes, but Heli's too strong for him.

"I said you can't come in here," he snarls.

"Viken, I-" Heli's sorry, he really is. The words catch in his throat and Viken continues, raising his voice.

"After everything I did for you, you just leave without saying anything? Seriously? Where would you be now without me, huh?"

"You mean, without Eugene? Up to you, I'd be a pile of dust with a stake in my heart."

He's done it again, gotten defensive instead of just smoothing things over. He doesn't think he's in the wrong, but he's not helping the situation either.

Viken pulls the door back open.

"Stop trying to make me feel sorry for you."

"I'm not," Heli says.

"Yes, you are. Standing here with this face and feeling sad. It's not going to work."

He slams the door while Heli's surprised and slow to react.

With a sigh he turns to go back downstairs. Jakah is standing at the end of the hall.

"Which one is the best volunteer?" he asks.

"Volunteer for what?" Heli says.

"You know." Jakah makes a chomping motion.

Heli gapes.

"I'm thinking not Soule, he's eaten a lot of salt just since I got here." Jakah continues.

"No, no, none of them. Please don't even mention it, they're already all mad at me."

He turns Jakah around and pushes him towards the stairs.

"So then what do you eat?"

Heli shows him the refrigerator and Jakah sighs.

"This is sort of like the glass bottles they had in the army hospitals. That was still human though."

Heli spends the rest of the night explaining the events of the past few weeks and how he ended up living in a cottage full of mages, leaving out key points such as Eugene's spell with the mirrors and his search for Lamia. He sticks to the day to day activities of the group, and though he doesn't like omitting important details, he knows Jakah has had enough of hearing about her.

Jakah is interested in his curse though. He leans back into the sofa, his arms crossed and head tilted as he takes in the information.

"And you have no idea who cast it?"

"Not a clue."

"What's it attached to?"

"Me, presumably."

"Hm," Jakah frowns. "That sure is a problem."

And that's all he has to say on the matter.

"Oh!"

An excited voice rings out and enthusiastic applause follows.

Heli's looking down his blade at Solon, who's tumbled backwards to the floor.

He's won the duel. For the first time, he actually beat Solon.

Solon's looking up at him with annoyance and confusion.

"Wonderfully done," Lamia calls from the balcony. "Now finish him off."

"What?"

Solon's eyes open wide and Heli's head shoots up to look at Lamia. She's smiling.

"You heard me. Finish him off."

Heli drops his arm limply to his side.

"No, I won't do that."

Her smile doesn't falter as they stare at each other. Solon scrambles to his feet.

"Heli…" he whispers, his voice shaking.

Though only a few minutes pass it feels like ages under her gaze. Her smile widens.

"Of course, of course. I was only testing you, see? You're loyal to a fault, Heli."

She turns and disappears into the darkness. Heli returns the sabre, gives Solon a quick apologetic glance, and takes off after her.

She's already in her tower by the time he catches up. She sprawls across the pillows, stretching her arms over her head as she lays back.

"Come." She motions for him to approach and he kneels next to her. She sits up and pulls him into her shoulder, and runs a hand through his hair.

"The Shadows also swore an oath to me," she whispers.

"Who are they, really?"

A moment passes before she responds. "Survivors, drifters, loners and madmen. People for whom the future was never promised. People who were not missed. People much like yourself."

He tries to sit up to look her in the face but the grip on his hair tightens.

"People who had nowhere to go so they came to me in exchange for their safety."

"Did you really want me to kill Solon?"

She laughs. "A wonderful talent like him? He's almost as valuable as you, but not quite. I only wanted to see how far you would go. Would you do it if I had really wanted it? I've told you so many times. You are most important to me. I don't want you to have to choose between us, but what would you do if that day comes?"

"I don't know," Heli responds. Would he be able or willing to sacrifice anyone if it meant keeping the others alive? He's not sure that he could. He needs her in a way he can't describe. But they mean more to him than his own life. Such a scenario would be unbearable, and he hopes she's only speaking hypothetically. How could she even say such a thing…

"But you also once told me not to move, even if the sun came up," he continues.

"Did you think I was serious? I said you sometimes need a push. I wouldn't actually have let anything happen to you."

"Oh." He's relieved but her words also leave him uneasy.

"Even so," she says. "I need someone who would never hesitate to fulfil their promises."

Her grip tightens even more, her long nails digging into the back of his head.

"Don't ever disobey me again."

He jerks up with a start. His heart is pounding. A blanket slides off his head. Had he been dreaming? It had been so vivid, he can still feel her fingers pressing into his head.

"You're not fooling anyone," Viken is sitting in the armchair by the fire. "You've been breathing for a while." The fire behind him illuminates only one side of his face, and his expression is hard to make out. None of the electric lights are on and the house is quiet.

"Funnily enough," Viken continues. "Your friend sleeps like normal. Dying seems to be a you thing. At least you close your eyes, it's weird enough when Taho sleeps with his open, and he's still breathing."

His tone is dry, void of any sense of humour.

"Where is Jakah?" Heli asks.

"Outside, with the others," Viken replies. "You want to run right out there, right?"

"I was only asking."

"Why don't the two of you just run right off?"

"Look, I'm sorry. But you can't possibly understand-"

"No, you are correct," Viken scoffs. "I'm being silly. I've only known you for a short while, it's nothing like someone you grew up with. Or died with. How can anyone else compare? Nevermind the fear I endured, or the hassles and harassment I go through, making sure you can eat. "

"If you're talking about the butcher and his wife, I'm sorry about-"

"Yes!" Viken claps his hands together. "I just love walking through town being called a devil-worshipper now, thank you for that."

It's Heli's turn to scoff as he shoots back. "Aren't you though?"

"If we were, Eugene wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of finding mirrors that were already magic."

That's just one thing, and though Heli hasn't seen them do a lot of magic, the use of blood alone in their spells doesn't help his case. Taho had also mentioned summoning things, and if that doesn't mean spirits and devils, Heli can't imagine what else he could have meant.

Viken jumps out of the chair. "Why don't you go look then, huh? Your friend isn't as suspicious and he seems to be having a good time."

He storms out of the house.

When Heli steps outside, the sun has completely set. A lantern is set on one of the steps up to the door, casting a little bit of light over the figures gathered around. Jakah does indeed appear to be having a good time, watching as Taho carves circles into the gravel with a small stick. They burst into flames of bright colours, shooting sparks into the sky before disappearing. Jakah laughs.

"Is that it? What else can you do?"

"Of course that's not 'it'," Eugene says and looks up into the sky. "Though the overcast weather does limit things a bit."

"Summon a demon for Heli," Viken says, earning a glare from Eugene.

"Not funny," he replies. "You know how much time I could have saved myself instead of trying to modify spells in order to not do that."

"I said I was sorry." Heli sits next to Soule who's settled on the grass with Jakah and Eugene.

"And then you called me a devil-worshipper."

Soule leans over. "You two aren't going to make up if you keep needling each other."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," Heli replies. "I didn't even start it."

"The hell you didn't," Viken says from the other side of Taho's magic show.

"It is possible to make pacts with devils," Taho says. "But you can imagine it's awfully dangerous, among the moral implications."

"Where does the magic come from then?"

Soule gestures vaguely around them. "Different energy. You already know about the moon. The stars."

Heli looks up into the sky knowing full well it's cloudy. If vampires could draw energy from the moonlight, there's no reason mages couldn't either.

"You saw how blood can be used," Taho continues. "That's also not much different from how it works for you. But for us, it's all about finding different sources of energy to do different things."

"Show them the new thing," Avys calls. "The one we were testing the other day."

Taho draws a more elaborate circle and steps inside. He leans down to etch in a sigil and promptly disappears. A chorus of 'oooh' rises from his audience.

"Where did he go?" Jakah gasps.

"Right here," Taho's voice is behind them, but when Heli turns all he sees is the outline of the trees.

"Is he invisible?"

"Cool, isn't it?" Avys says.

Viken steps forward and scuffs the edges of the circle. Taho reappears, a wide smile on his face.

"That's incredible," Jakah says. "Divination is one thing, but for mortals this is a completely different level."

"The energy source is this," Taho pulls a smooth white stone from his pocket. Iridescent green shimmers in the lantern light. "An enchanted opal."

They make it look and sound so simple.

"You see," Viken says, pointing to Heli. "The only one here with a blood pact is you."