As they ate, Van kept complimenting Sileil’s cooking skills, until Kiran finally lost his patience and snapped irritably that they'd understood it well enough after the first time. Van retorted with an equally sharp tongue that he had to make up for the lack of compliments Kiran had undoubtedly left behind.

  To Salome’s disbelief, the two genuinely started arguing—though this didn't stop either of them from enjoying the delicious meal.

  Sileil made no effort to intervene, while Salome simply rolled her eyes and ignored them.

  Just at that moment, someone entered the inn.

  Strangely, it wasn’t the sound of the door opening that alerted Salome to the newcomer’s presence.

  A shiver surged abruptly through her body—like drizzle, both hot and icy at once, sending waves of heat and cold from her scalp all the way to her toes. It happened so suddenly that she nearly choked on a piece of bread.

  Salome turned slowly. Her gaze met that of a man who stared straight at her with bright, knowing eyes.

  He was tall, older, and broadly built, with a pointed goatee and a round, substantial belly beneath a simple brown robe. His features were cheerful, his nose bulbous, and permanent laugh-lines framed the corners of his mouth.

  Despite his harmless appearance, the man radiated such an intense presence that Salome could barely breathe. For a brief moment, he seemed to glow from within, as though made entirely of golden light and swirling sparks. And those eyes… Nothing could escape them—no detail, no secret too small. Salome felt utterly helpless before his knowing gaze, as if there was nothing she could possibly hide. Her heart began to pound, every muscle in her body tightening.

  Then Kiran suddenly turned his head and cried in surprise: “Master!” And just like that, there stood only an ordinary man with a friendly smile in the doorway.

  Salome realized she'd been holding her breath. She huffed, inhaled deeply, shakily, and glanced at Van in confusion—but he was too preoccupied with his food and hadn't even noticed the newcomer yet. Had she just imagined all of this? That couldn’t be possible… could it?

  “Master! You're already here?” Kiran exclaimed, hastily rising and hurrying toward the large man who towered a full head above him. The man placed a hand on Kiran’s shoulder.

  “Of course. I wanted to greet our guests as quickly as possible,” he replied in a deep, melodic voice.

  One by one, the other people in the room began to notice him as well. Some of the elders called out to him, and those who could still move around rose stiffly to greet him. The man waved his free hand and offered everyone a wide smile.

  Slowly, Salome relaxed again. Only now did she realize she’d jumped up from her seat and was gripping the low backrest of her stool tightly. She watched the man suspiciously.

  A small forest of swaying horns had formed around him by now. The elders gazed up at him with bright eyes, resembling beggars who had unexpectedly encountered a generous benefactor. He radiated warmth and familiarity, as if he were a grandfather visiting his beloved grandchildren.

  Eventually, Sileil, who had patiently been leaning against the bar until now, moved and reverently approached the man.

  By this point, Salome had no more doubts: this had to be the mysterious Master Lom.

  “Welcome,” Sileil said, inclining her head respectfully. “As always, it is a pleasure to see you.”

  “Sileil! There you are!” The elders stepped aside, making room for him to face the innkeeper. “As ever, I remain deeply indebted to you for your service. Ah, what would I do without you?”

  “I merely keep things orderly here, just as you've instructed,” Sileil replied coolly. “I’m certain you’d manage perfectly fine without me.” But the slight curl at the corner of her lips betrayed that she wasn’t entirely serious.

  Master Lom laughed—a rich, open laugh that invited others to join in immediately.

  “Still as modest as ever, I see! It truly delights me to find everyone safe and sound.” His attention then shifted to the two outsiders in the room, and suddenly Salome found herself wishing to be far, far away.

  “And you two must be Salome and Van.” A curious sparkle appeared in his eyes. “Allow me to welcome you to Adamer. My name is Lom. I am the guardian of this place—but I suppose you know that already.” He gave them an encouraging smile, prompting Van to greet him with an extravagant bow, exaggerated even by his own standards.

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  “It is an honor to meet you, Master of the Seekers.”

  Salome had never seen Van so formal before. What had gotten into him? And what did he mean by 'Master of the Seekers'?

  “I see I’m not entirely unknown to you,” the large man replied warmly. “But please, there's no need for formalities here. Under this roof, everyone is equal, and you're my guests. Feel free to call me whatever you prefer.” He laughed again. “Kiran has already told me a great deal about you. I'm sure you have many questions—and, as you might expect, there are things I'm eager to learn from you as well. But first—” He turned back to Sileil, who had returned behind the counter, busy stacking empty bowls. “Sileil, I've heard that during my absence someone else entered the city, aside from these two?”

  “Oh yes,” replied Sileil without looking up from her work. “A girl, around Kiran’s age. She hasn't been touched by the curse, as far as I can tell. Something else must have brought her here. She hasn’t woken up yet, so I haven't been able to speak with her. She’s upstairs with the others.”

  Master Lom raised an eyebrow. “Really? How intriguing... I’ll go see her right away. Kiran, would you accompany me, please?” He glanced at Salome and Van. “And you two as well.” Without waiting for their answer, he swept toward the stairs at the back of the room, evidently expecting them to follow without question. Kiran quickly rushed after him.

  “You know him?” Salome whispered to Van.

  “Not personally,” he replied softly. “But everyone knows the Seekers. And they supposedly serve a mysterious master no one has ever seen in person. So I added one and one together.” He seemed pleased with himself.

  “And what exactly are Seekers?” Salome asked.

  “Well, Kiran is one, for example. Did I never mention that?”

  “No, you didn’t!”

  “Come on now, hurry up!” Kiran called back over his shoulder.

  At the end of the corridor upstairs, roughly opposite the room where Salome had first awakened, there was another door, which Master Lom opened carefully. They entered a large room that occupied almost the entire upper floor. Two long rows of beds stretched along both walls, separated by occasional wooden beams supporting the rafters. A narrow aisle ran through the middle of the room, extending to the opposite wall.

  The air smelled medicinal. Shelves crowded with bottles, bandages and papers lined every bit of wall that wasn’t taken up by windows. The atmosphere was pleasantly cool and quiet, occasionally disturbed by a rattling cough or the rustle of sheets from someone tossing in sleep. Many of the beds were occupied—not by the cursed with their eerie horns and cracked, rock-like skin—but by ordinary-looking people.

  Yet something about them felt off. None of them were awake; they appeared trapped in restless, feverish dreams.

  At the far end of the room, a boy and a girl wearing white aprons were busy changing sheets. When they saw Master Lom, they abandoned their tasks and hurried toward him, greeting him joyfully but in hushed voices. He replied just as quietly, “Good to see you, Nyor, Erin. Thank you both for your diligence and the care you've given these people. You’re a great help to Sileil.”

  Both blushed deeply at his praise. They were older than the other children Salome had encountered so far, yet still considerably younger than herself.

  “I've heard someone new arrived?” Master Lom asked. Both nodded eagerly.

  “Yes, a girl,” Nyor whispered.

  “She has such beautiful hair!” Erin added excitedly.

  They led Lom and the others to a bed further back. Passing by, Salome glanced at the sleeping people. Somehow, she felt certain that they were all afflicted by the same illness, though she couldn't pinpoint why exactly she believed this. It was merely a vague feeling…

  Then she spotted a small horn-like protrusion on the forehead of one of them—a young man. She blinked, examining the others more carefully. Now she noticed subtle similarities with the cursed scattered among all the sleepers. On limbs protruding from beneath blankets, she saw patches of ash-gray skin spreading like sores, and tiny bumps appeared on several foreheads.

  It seemed as though the curse had just started to take hold of these people, slowly transforming them into the eerie beings Salome had met earlier. Was this why they were sleeping up here?

  “They’re fighting,” Master Lom suddenly said to her, as if he’d read her thoughts. His expression darkened. “They are all fighting a hopeless battle, one they’ll eventually lose unless I finally find an effective remedy.”

  Erin stopped by a particular bed, and the large man focused his attention on its occupant. It was a girl whose gentle face was sprinkled softly with freckles and framed by fair hair.

  Red hair.

  Salome had never seen red hair before in her life.

  Her cheeks seemed slightly sunken, and dark shadows beneath her eyes suggested exhaustion and hunger. She breathed evenly, though her eyelids trembled slightly and beads of sweat dotted her forehead. Beneath the thin sheet covering her body, the outline of a slender figure was clearly visible.

  “I had to comb and wash her hair for hours because it was so filthy,” Erin said softly, looking at the girl compassionately.

  “Erin has bathed her several times and changed her clothes repeatedly, but she hasn't woken up even once,” Nyor said, brow furrowed. “She didn't have much with her, only this.” He took a thin necklace from a shelf near the bed, handing it to Master Lom. It had a pendant that was slightly ajar, revealing a tiny mirror inside. Lom briefly examined it before placing it aside. His sharp gaze lingered thoughtfully on the sleeping girl’s face. After a while, he murmured pensively, “How peculiar…”

  “We feed her daily and also give her some medicine Alin recommended,” Erin explained.

  “Good,” Lom grunted. “That should help her regain her strength. How long has she been here?”

  “If I'm not mistaken,” Nyor replied, “Mrs. Sileil found her about two days ago, around noon, and immediately brought her here.” Erin nodded eagerly.

  Master Lom approached the shelf by the bed, thoughtfully studying the vials and books stacked there.

  “She's recovering quickly, yet she should've woken by now. Very odd indeed,” he said more to himself than anyone else. Behind him, Salome stepped closer to the bed. The girl didn't seem sick, at least not at first glance. Moreover, there was something else—something elusive, a faint glow Salome felt rather than saw, setting this girl apart from the others. She was—

  Suddenly, the girl's eyelids fluttered open, and she stared straight at Salome with clear, emerald-green eyes.