Faustus' cell was at the other end of the corridor. Valentina had to take out two more guards with her pattern before she reached the heavy iron door.

The door swung open with a soft creak. Faustus crouched on a narrow cot, his expensive nightgown torn and bloodstained. His face was marked by blows, but nowhere near as badly battered as Gladder. The Illumination had held back on him – probably because they thought the spoiled nobleman would break faster.

When he looked up and saw her, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Lily?" His voice was hoarse, barely more than a whisper. "How... what are you doing here?"

She faltered briefly, thrown completely off course by his confusion.

"Oh dear, the boy doesn't know where his head is," Vyxara snorted in her head. "But well, that should make it a bit easier."

"I heard about your arrest," Valentina improvised quickly and opened the restraints around his hands and fingers. "At Violet Delights. The other girls told me about it, they were very worried about me."

"You... you're risking your life." He stared at her, stunned. "If they catch you..."

"They won't." She knelt down next to him. "I know the guard's routes. And I've brought something that will help you."

She pulled the six vials of Distilled Essence out of her pocket. Faustus' eyes widened even more. "This is worth a fortune."

"Enough to keep you safe." She pressed the vials into his hand. "Listen to me carefully. The guard will change in half an hour. You have to take the corridor on the left, then take the third on the right. There's a side entrance there. I took the guards there out."

She gave him detailed directions through the streets at night. "Don't go north, to your family. They'll be expecting that. Go south, maybe even try to cross over to Clairmontine. There are enough noble houses there that would take in a talented Essence Weaver without asking too many questions."

Faustus clasped her hands. Tears ran down his battered face. "Why are you doing this for me? I was... I was... why... you don't owe me anything."

"Maybe I'm doing it because I do have feelings for you." The lie came easily – she'd say anything to get him to finally shut up and run away. "Because I don't want to see you die." That wasn't a lie.

"Come with me," he begged. "We could go together-"

"No." She gently placed a finger on his lips. "That's impossible. I have... obligations here. But you have to go. Now."

He pulled her close and kissed her desperately. His lips tasted of blood and tears. "I'll never forget this, Lily," he whispered. "One day I'll find a way to pay you back. I swear it."

"Farewell, Faustus." She gently detached herself from him.

"I love you," he breathed.

Valentina suppressed a groan. "Go now! And take care of yourself."

She waited until his footsteps had faded away. Then she set off. She still had one more thing to do. She had to find the Eye of Deceit before the guards regained consciousness.

She searched the musty corridors until she came across a heavy iron door behind which she could hear no one. The lock had several protective patterns – much more elaborate than the simple patterns on the cell doors.

"Prepare for trouble," Vyxara warned. "The Illumination will have their most important piece of evidence well secured."

Valentina studied the patterns. Complex geometry, several types of Essence skillfully interwoven. But nothing I couldn't handle, she thought, as she unraveled one pattern after another.

The evidence room was surprisingly large. Shelves full of confiscated items lined the walls – most of which had nothing to do with Essence Weaving. Stolen silverware, contraband, daggers with suspicious bloodstains. The pungent smell of old leather and mold hung in the air.

She found what she was looking for in a corner – a lead-lined box with warning patches on it.

Once again, she had to undo several protective patterns. As she undid the last knot, she heard a soft hiss – as if the box was exhaling. The bronze cube of the Eye of Deceit gleamed through a gap in the lid. The engraved eyes seemed to stare straight at her.

She reached for the artifact. A wave of nausea overcame her as her skin touched the bronze. At the edge of her consciousness, she heard whispers – too faint to make out the words, but imbued with a malevolent presence.

"Just be careful with that thing ," muttered Vyxara uneasily. "It's more dangerous than you know. If you really want to keep it, we need to take some precautions. The corruption it radiates..."

Valentina hastily wrapped the artifact in a leather cloth she had brought with her. The voices fell silent.

A thought seared through her – She had to make Faustus' escape seem plausible. She quickly returned to his cell and inspected the door. With an Ard pattern, she forced the lock from the inside – it would look as if he had freed himself.

A distant groan made her wince. The first guards regained consciousness.

"Time to leave ," urged Vyxara.

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Valentina hurried through the corridors, clutching the leather-wrapped artifact tightly to her chest. The weight felt wrong, unnaturally heavy for its size.

She heard footsteps at a corner. She pressed herself into an alcove as the jailer walked past – a tall man with a gray beard who yawned sleepily. He carried a bunch of keys that clinked softly with every step.

Only when his footsteps had faded did she dare to continue. Her heart was pounding. She knew she only had minutes before he would raise the alarm.

She slipped out through the side entrance again into the darkness of the alley.

Behind her, with her Essence Listening, she heard the dungeon slowly come to life. Muffled shouts, the clanking of armor.

Valentina ran off, pressing the artifact tightly to her breast. The sky on the horizon was already changing color slightly. She had to get the Eye of Deceit to safety before the city fully awoke.

In a side alley, she had to hastily squeeze into the shadow of an archway as an Emberwarden patrol stomped past. The men looked tired and irritable – they had probably been up all night.

"... a complete dung heap," growled one of them. "First that damn cat, and now we have to comb through the city all night."

"Shut up and just be glad you're not a puddle on the ground like Erec," snapped his comrade. "The sooner we've finished our sector, the sooner we can get some rest."

Valentina waited until their footsteps had faded. Her whole body ached with exhaustion, but she couldn't allow herself a break now.

The forest lay quiet and peaceful. She found her hiding place and dug out the bag again. She placed the Eye of Deceit with the forbidden books after carefully wrapping it in several layers of leather.

"Shouldn't we perhaps destroy it after all?" asked Valentina hesitantly.

"That would probably be wiser ," Vyxara admitted. "But I know you well enough by now to know that your scientific curiosity is stronger than your caution. Let's at least make sure it doesn't do any harm. Later."

Valentina smiled faintly as she buried the bag again and renewed the protective patterns.

The university was just coming to life when she slipped back through the south entrance. She hurried to her room, quickly changed her clothes and washed her face in her water bowl. When she entered the dining room, only a few sleepy students were sitting at the tables.

The first excited rumors were already making the rounds though. A large group of Emberwardens had set off for the city gates a few minutes ago. Some claimed that one of the prisoners had escaped. Others spoke of dead bodies in the dungeon.

Valentina forced herself to eat her breakfast quietly. She didn't want to attract too much attention. It was enough that people saw her here.

Back in her room, she sank exhausted onto her narrow bed. The events of the night swirled through her mind – Gladder's confession, his death at her hands, Faustus' escape, the Eye of Deceit...

"You should sleep," Vyxara said gently. "Don't go to the lectures today. There will be plenty other students who will skip them. It's been a long two nights for you."

"We need to talk first." Valentina sat up. "What Gladder said about you..."

"That I'm too interested in getting you to spread your legs?" Vyxara chuckled. "Well, he wasn't entirely wrong. But his conclusions were wrong."

"In what way?"

"Not all demons are the same, you know." Vyxara's voice became thoughtful. "Some revel in violence and bloodshed. Others prefer feeding on despair or madness. But that was never my... favorite flavor of depravity."

"And what is your favorite flavor?"

"You should know that by now. A sweeter taste. I want to experience things. Seduction. Lust. Indulgence." The demon made an amused purr. "I like it when you discover and fulfill your darkest desires. When we cross boundaries together and have new experiences. It's so much more satisfying than bursting heads, melting eyes, leaking guts and twisted limbs."

"But what about Sefarax' plans? What about the tyrants?"

"No one asked me if I wanted to be flung into this realm," Vyxara snorted. "Why would I serve another demon? I'm quite content with the way things have been going."

Valentina frowned. "But you know more about the tyrants, don't you? About their plans?"

A long pause followed. "Of course they want revenge on the Martyr ," Vyxara finally said. "Of course they want to plunge this world into chaos, feed on it. The pendulum is swinging back, it's inevitable. But you know what? It's been swinging back for centuries. And the Martyr is still holding out. Your world won't end tomorrow. Not even next year."

"But at some point?"

"Eventually ," Vyxara confirmed. "But for a human like you that's a very long definition of 'someday'. Don't worry about things that might happen in a hundred or five hundred years. We can worry about that when the time comes."

Valentina thought about it. "For now," she finally said, "I'll content myself with that. But we have to find a way for you to warn me about demonic entities around me despite the rules of the ritual. We can't let that happen again."

"Agreed." A warm wave of affection flowed through her. "We'll find a solution. As always."

Valentina's smile became a yawn. So many unanswered questions. What else lurked in the crypts of Bridgewater? Would she be able to close this connection? What did Vyxara really know about the tyrants' plans?

But those were worries for another day. Now she desperately needed sleep.

"Rest ," Vyxara purred softly. "I'll watch over you."

Valentina snuggled up in her thin blanket and tried to get the images of the last two nights out of her head. It took a while before she fell asleep.

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