'We have to tell Balkar!' said Rodrigo, rising from his bed and heading for the door. 'It won't open! It's locked.'

A noise behind him made him jump. Mirena had just appeared on the other side of the room, next to the cupboards jam-packed with potions.

'What are you doing, Rodrigo?' the nurse locked her severe gaze on him. 'I told you, you can't leave here.'

'We need to speak to Balkar,' Rodrigo responded. 'It's extremely urgent.'

'Balkar isn't in the fortress. He had to leave on a mission. What's so urgent that you must see him now?'

Rodrigo considered telling the nurse what had happened but then he remembered that the grand master had told them not to speak to anyone about the rings.

'No. It's nothing really,' he lied. 'I only wanted to get out of here.'

'Well, you can forget about that,' the woman replied. 'Now, you must eat your breakfast to regain your strength.'

Mirena gave them identical trays with milk and toast before disappearing again.

'Damn it,' Rodrigo whispered. 'We need to do something. Donegan could be loose in the fortress.'

'Donegan?' Oliver appeared puzzled. 'Why would you think that?'

'Who else could have entered here without being spotted?' Rodrigo asked. 'You heard what Vega said. He entered the seer's bedroom and Balkar's study without opening the door.'

'Maybe it was the imp,' said Oliver. 'You know, the one who stole your plate of food. Why would Donegan take the rings from us? I mean, if he wanted to hurt us, why didn't he just kill us?'

'I don't know. Maybe he doesn't want to kill us. Maybe he wants to–'

'To use us to find the Mirror of Power,' said Oliver, finishing Rodrigo's sentence.

'Exactly.'

They were both quiet for a moment. The thought that Donegan could still be inside the fortress was very worrying.

'Hi, boys. Look out the window.'

Despite knowing Aisha's gift, Rodrigo still jumped every time he heard her voice inside his head. Oliver must have been surprised as well because he was looking from one side to the other as though searching for the source of the voice.

'Come on. What are you waiting for?' Aisha insisted.

They both got out of bed and went over to the window. The library's tower stretched up into the sky in front of them and they saw their friends waving to them from one of its large windows. A narrow stone bridge linked the tower with another. It was the buttress Kyle had wanted them to walk across the day they had reached the fortress.

'If you're fine, lift your arm. If you need something, shake your head,' said Aisha.

Rodrigo raised his arm but Oliver shook his head from side to side.

'Why are you shaking your head?' Rodrigo asked.

'We need to tell them about the rings,' said Oliver. 'Somebody needs to find out if Donegan's still inside the fortress.'

Rodrigo had to accept that his friend was right. Although Balkar had asked them not to speak of the rings to anyone, he almost certainly hadn't considered the possibility of the rings being stolen from them. He was about to agree with Oliver when he saw Aisha climb through the window and walk across the buttress as lightly as a squirrel.

'Aisha!' Oliver whispered, opening the window. 'Someone will see you.'

'I don't think anyone's going to be looking up here,' she replied. 'Right now, there's a dragon flying above the north wall.'

From the mischievous grin on the girl's face, Rodrigo soon realised the dragon was one of Darion's illusions.

'You'd better not come in here,' said Rodrigo. 'Mirena could appear at any moment. Anyway, you probably shouldn't come too near us, just in case.'

'It doesn't matter,' she said. 'We can talk from here. How are you?'

'Not great,' Rodrigo replied. 'But that's not what's worrying us. Somebody was in here last night. They stole some rings that Balkar gave us. He said they'd protect us.'

'Protect you? So you're really in danger?'

'We don't know,' Rodrigo sighed. 'Donegan might still be inside the fortress, although it could just be the imp who stole the rings. Could you look in his attic to see if the rings are there? They're made of gold and they each have a shiny black stone.'

'Of course,' said Aisha. 'You can count on us. With Vega's power, it will be easy to find them.'

With that, Aisha turned and crossed the buttress again. When she finally reached the library tower, their friends waved goodbye and disappeared from view.

'There's just one thing I don't understand,' Oliver said. 'Even if Donegan's still inside the fortress, how would he know we had the rings? We didn't mention it to anyone.'

'You're right,' said Rodrigo. 'The imp probably stole them and it's all a false alarm. I'm sure Vega will find them.'

'But how did the imp get in here last night?'

'I don't know,' Rodrigo replied. 'I have no idea how he does it, but if he can enter the dining hall without anyone seeing him I guess getting in here will be a piece of cake to him.'

Oliver nodded and climbed into bed. Rodrigo gazed at the window again and watched as the seer's funeral got underway in the fields to the south. It didn't serve to raise his spirits so he got back into bed and pulled the blankets around him. Once again, he was shivering.

'Aren't you cold?' he asked Oliver.

'Yeah. I'm freezing. I'm going to look for another blanket.'

'Lady Mirena said we have to be cold for a bit if we want our fevers to go down,' Rodrigo advised him.

'I'd prefer to die of a fever than the cold,' Oliver replied, trembling as he walked towards one of the cupboards.

'She also told us not to go near her things,' Rodrigo reminded him. 'I don't think you're going to find a blanket in there anyway.'

'Mirena said, Mirena said,' Oliver teased. 'Sometimes you need to make some decisions for yourself, Rodri.'

Without giving it another moment's thought, Oliver approached a wooden cupboard that was covered by two mirrors and which had the key placed in its lock. As soon as Oliver's fingers brushed the key, he disappeared.

'Oliver! Oliver!' Rodrigo shouted, looking all around without knowing what to do. Then he heard a few knocks. They sounded as though they were coming from inside the cupboard, like someone was inside it, but then he realised the knocks were coming from a large, bronze trunk on the floor.

'Rodri, get me out of here!'

Oliver's voice was rather muffled, like he was extremely far away. Rodrigo attempted to open the trunk but it was locked and he didn't have the key. He ran to the door and began to bang on it, calling for help.

'What's going on?' Mirena asked, almost hitting Rodrigo in the face with the door.

'It's Oliver,' Rodrigo replied. 'He's... he's locked inside that trunk.'

'And that's where I should leave him for a couple of days so he learns to pay attention to me. Didn't I tell you not to touch any of my cupboards?'

Mirena appeared more furious than ever.

'Oliver was only looking for a blanket,' said Rodrigo, trying to calm the nurse.

'A blanket? Why would he think blankets are kept in here? This is where medicines are kept. Anyway, I told you to put up with the cold,' Mirena added as she opened the trunk with the key she had hidden inside a vase. Oliver climbed out, his face as pale as a corpse while he tried to avoid the nurse's gaze.

'Come on, dimwit. Get back into bed and don't go near my things again.'

Mirena locked the trunk and placed the key inside its vase.

'I warned you I have many tricks,' she said, 'so if you're thinking about using gloves, I advise you that not everything works like that cupboard. If you touch anything else again, you'll probably end up with burns, rashes or something worse.'

Oliver got into bed without saying a word. He still hadn't recovered from the fright he'd received from his ordeal.

'That's the second time I've had to deal with you today,' Mirena added just as she was about to leave the room. 'If you disobey me once more, I'll give you a potion that paralyses your whole body. I'm serious.'

When she was on the point of passing over the threshold of the room, she turned and removed an envelope from inside her tunic.

'By the way, Balkar has returned. He asked me to give you this,' she said, giving Rodrigo the envelope. Then, without another word, she left and locked the door.

'What is she like?' Oliver complained. 'All because I got out of bed to look for a blanket. I didn't commit a crime.'

'Don't say I didn't warn you,' said Rodrigo.

'Shut up and open the letter,' Oliver said. 'Let's see what it says.'

Rodrigo opened the letter and went over to Oliver so they could both read it.

Dear friends,

I know your rings have disappeared. The imp has stolen them from you but I have already recovered them. At the moment, I am unable to return them to you but do not worry. You are safer in the infirmary than anywhere else. Lady Mirena will ensure no one enters the room. Not even myself.

Obey everything she says. Although it is difficult for you, this is all for your own good.

Get well soon.

Forever at your service,

Balkar

'This guy doesn't make sense,' said Oliver. 'Yesterday he was saying we needed to have the rings and now he thinks we're sufficiently protected with this mad woman watching over us.'

'You can't deny her tricks are effective,' Rodrigo laughed. 'How was it inside that trunk?'

'It was horrible! It didn't even have a crack in it. I reckon if she'd taken five more minutes to get me out of there, I'd have suffocated.'

'I'm sure there's an air hole somewhere. I don't think Mirena wants to kill anyone.'

'Well, I'm not so sure. When I was in there I could feel some sort of poles beneath me but when Mirena opened the trunk I could see them out of the corner of my eye. They were bones.'

'Bones?' Rodrigo asked, alarmed. 'Are you sure?'

'Got you!' Oliver laughed at him. 'You're so gullible sometimes.'

His laughter lasted for almost a minute until Mirena entered the room once more.

'Well,' she said, 'I'm glad you're in such a good mood. It's time for more medicine so you both continue improving.'

'No, please, Lady Mirena,' Oliver begged, pleading with his hands and an overly theatrical voice. 'We would prefer to die an agonising death before we drink that devil's drink again.'

'Don't make jokes like that, child,' she replied while she added the ingredients to the pot. 'It seems you do not realise just how serious your illness is. If it weren't for my potion, you probably wouldn't live to see another spring.'

'I'm sorry,' Oliver apologised. 'It's just... Couldn't you do something to it so it doesn't taste so horrible? I don't know... Maybe add a bit of sugar?'

'No way,' she said. 'Sugar will remove the effects of this medicine. Anyway, what kind of knights are you two going to be if you can't drink some medicine because it tastes bad?'

'Bad? Horrible, more like,' Oliver corrected her.

'That's enough complaining. I'm going to get your dinner and when return, I hope to see empty cups. And don't think about throwing it away because I'll find out and then I'll make you double the amount.'

The nurse disappeared again and Rodrigo and Oliver were left to examine their cups and look at their contents in disgust.

'Come on. Let's count to three and drink it all in one go,' said Rodrigo. 'The sooner we get it over and done with, the better.'

'Fine,' Oliver sighed. 'One, two, three!'

The two boys raised their cups to their mouths and moments later they pushed them aside in disgust.

'That's awful!' said Oliver. 'I think that was even worse than yesterday's.'

Just then, they heard a knock at the window. It was Aisha.

'Hi, boys!' she said as soon as they opened the window. 'I'm sorry but we couldn't find the rings. Why are you looking at me like that?'

'It's that disgusting potion Mirena prepares for us every night,' Oliver explained, showing Aisha his cup. 'I think she makes it using slug juice and troll's nails.'

'Don't talk rubbish!' Aisha said, snatching his cup and moving her nose towards it. 'It doesn't smell that bad.'

'Why don't you try it?' Oliver suggested. 'Maybe you'll like it.'

'Wait!' Rodrigo shouted but it was already too late. Aisha had tried the potion and her expression had turned to one of revulsion, just like them. 'You shouldn't have drunk from that cup!'

'You're right,' said Aisha, scrunching up her nose and eyes. 'That's foul!'

'No, that's not why,' said Rodrigo. 'Oliver already drank from it. You might catch what we have.'

'Well, I hope not,' she said, 'because I wouldn't be able to drink that every night.'

'You should go,' said Rodrigo and Aisha began to head back across the buttress. 'Lady Mirena will be back with our dinner at any moment. By the way, you don't need to keep looking for the rings. Balkar found them.'

'You'll have to explain those rings to me another day,' she said as she disappeared.

Rodrigo and Oliver were left alone once again with no other option but to drink the rest of Mirena's revolting potion, although they would have enthusiastically thrown it out of the window if it weren't for the nurse's warning before leaving the room. When Mirena finally returned with their dinner, the two of them leapt upon their meals as though they hadn't eaten for a month; really, they only wanted to rid their mouths of the bad taste the potion had left behind.

After dinner, Rodrigo began to feel dizzy and shiver again so he clambered into bed. Oliver was also trembling but neither of them dared to ask for a blanket. They knew very well it wasn't worth the effort. Mirena prepared a potion to disinfect the wounds of the wolf, which had not moved at all throughout the day. After extinguishing the flames beneath her mixing pot, Mirena began to soak the bandages with her mixture before she suddenly stopped. She appeared worried.

'Someone needs me. I have to go.'

With that, the nurse touched her pendant and disappeared.

'I'd love to have a teleporter!' Oliver breathed.

Barely two minutes had passed before Mirena appeared again in the infirmary, but this time she wasn't alone. Aisha had also appeared by her side, looking ill.

'Come on, get into bed,' Mirena said to her. 'Can you explain how your friends have infected you with their illness?'

'I didn't do anything,' Aisha lied, her voice shaky. 'It must have been yesterday, before they came to the infirmary.'

'I really doubt that, young lady,' Mirena replied, challenging the girl with a look. 'The symptoms of this virus appear in less than thirty minutes.'

'I don't know then,' Aisha stammered.

'I'm going to prepare you some medicine,' said Mirena. 'I warn you that it tastes rather unpleasant. I hope it teaches you a lesson not to go meddling where you shouldn't.'

'Maybe you should prepare her twice the amount, Lady Mirena,' said Oliver, glancing at Aisha and grinning mischievously. 'She looks really ill.'

'Don't you get too clever or I'll make you drink some more,' Mirena answered. 'I'm sure you two have something to do with this as well.'

The following day, they woke up late again, when the sun was already high above the fortress walls. Rodrigo was still as cold as he had been the previous day.

'Ahh,' Oliver grunted, mouth wide open like a bear after winter. 'I don't know what's in that potion Mirena gives us. It makes me sleep like a log.'

'I'm the same,' Rodrigo agreed. 'I slept all through the night. What about you, Aisha?'

'Me too,' she said. 'But I'm freezing now.'

'If you want, there are some blankets inside that cupboard,' Oliver said.

'Don't pay any attention to him,' said Rodrigo. 'That cupboard is full of tricks. Yesterday, Oliver tried to open it but as soon as he touched the key he ended up trapped inside that trunk over there.'

'Really?' Aisha asked with surprise.

'No way!' said Oliver. 'Rodrigo's the one who's pulling your leg. We were really cold yesterday so we each took two extra blankets.'

'I don't know,' she said. 'I think I trust Rodrigo more. I can't imagine why.'

'How rude!' Oliver said, feigning indignation. 'And to think I was generous enough to share my medicine with you.'

They all laughed. Oliver couldn't be serious for even a moment.

'The worst thing about being here is having to drink– Oh!'

Aisha jumped as Mirena suddenly appeared at her side.

'Here's your breakfast,' said Mirena, sharing out toast onto three plates and pouring them cups of milk.

'Can't we have sugar in our milk either?' Oliver complained after his first sip.

'I already told you,' the nurse replied. 'While you're having medication, you are not allowed sugar. Not for breakfast, not for lunch and not for dinner.'

Oliver nodded and continued drinking his glass of milk resignedly.

'By the way,' Mirena added, 'I've brought you another message from Balkar. He's very worried about you.'

On the tray, next to their cups and toast, there was another envelope identical to the one Balkar had sent them the previous day. When Mirena left the room, Oliver opened the envelope and pulled out the letter from inside.

Dear friends,

I hope you are improving and that you get better soon.

I forgot to tell you that should you need to inform me of anything, you may do so by sending me a letter through Lady Mirena. I trust her implicitly.

Forever at your service.

Balkar

'You've still not explained to me what's up with those rings,' Aisha said. 'Why did Balkar give them to you?'

'He said they were to protect us,' Rodrigo replied.

'But why you two? Are you in danger?'

Rodrigo was about to answer her but something caught the eye of all three of them.

'The wolf!' Oliver exclaimed. 'She stood up!'

'Adara, is that you?' Rodrigo asked, feeling strange speaking to an animal. 'Mirena said you need to keep your wolf form and stay still. You can't transform into a human right now. You could die.'

The wolf stared at him. It seemed to understand what he was saying as it began to look nervously around itself. Then it approached some of the shelves packed with jars and studied them in great detail. Suddenly, the wolf stood on its hind legs and motioned with its nose to a jar filled with a violet liquid.

'I think she wants us to give her that,' said Aisha.

'I'm not touching it,' said Oliver. 'What happened with the trunk is more than enough for me.'

'I'll get it,' said Aisha, walking over to the shelf. She read the jar's label. 'Irinacea. Now what do I do? Should I put it into a cup?'

She had no time to do so as the wolf began signalling to another jar with its nose. Aisha grasped it and then the wolf indicated another, and another. She placed them on the table as the wolf continued motioning towards new jars before its strength gave out and it fell to the floor, unconscious. That's when Mirena appeared.

'What's going on in here?' she asked.

'It's Adara!' said Rodrigo. 'She woke up!'

'Heavens!' cried the nurse, crouching down beside the wolf and placing her hand on its neck. 'You should have told her not to move!'

'I did, but she didn't pay any attention to me,' Rodrigo answered. He motioned to the row of jars Aisha had placed on the table. 'She stood up and asked for those jars. I think she wanted to prepare us a potion.'

'She asked you for those jars? What nonsense is this? I told you not to touch my medicines!' Mirena cried, picking up the first of the jars on the table and placing it back on its shelf. 'This liquid could kill you if it is not mixed with yarrow! This one here wouldn't kill you, but you would have no strength for an entire day. And this one... This one would make you sleep with just one sniff. I should give you each an entire cup to get you to stay still for once!'

Mirena continued to place jars back in their places. She was so angry, she looked as though she was about to explode.

'But, Mirena. The wolf–'

'That'senough of your stories! I've had enough. I swear, if you touch anything elseagain, I'll make you sleep for weeks. You're on your last warning.'