He was alone in the darkness, but then he felt a little hand grasping his own. A small, curly-haired girl appeared just by his side. A coronet decorated her brown head - just like when he'd last seen her alive. She smiled at him and moved closer to lean against his shoulder.

"Maya?!"

But then a beam of light disturbed the blackness. It blinded him. The little hand grew big and strong, its skin became thick and rough, and then Jules saw the white walls of the infirmary.

His body ached. He groaned and closed his eyes shut, trying to go back to the darkness and his little sister. But then the big hand clenched around his one.

"Jules," Ravin's voice sounded gentle, yet firm. "Enough of sleeping. Wake up."

Somebody shook Jules' shoulder. The boy pushed the hand away.

"Leave me alone!" he pulled a blanket over his face, but somebody pulled it back down.

"Give him a few minutes," the voice belonged to Lara. "He's been asleep for three days, and the effect of my spells hasn't worn off yet."

Three days!? Jules' eyes snapped open. He looked around, shocked. He was in the infirmary - lying on the last of the row of beds, all of which were occupied. Ravin sat by his side, holding his hand. There was a bandage wrapped around the hunters' head. Below it, the man's face was gray with tiredness and worry– it seemed older as if he had grown in years since the fight in the cave.

Lara stood by the hunter's side, with her fiery hair unkempt and dark circles under her eyes. Now she leaned forward and placed a hand on Jules' forehead. It was cold against his skin.

"His aura is still weak," she turned to Ravin. " But he's young and strong, he'll be alright."

Ravin breathed out with relief, pressed his fingers to his temples and slowly shook his head.

"Thank you, Lara. Without your help... I don't know what I would do."

"He'll be alright," the woman repeated. "Now go and take some rest."

She patted the hunter's arm and left to take care of the other patients. Jules' eyes followed her, then wandered over the faces of the wounded men. They were the warriors who had fought against Melissa.

Memories of the fight flushed over his head.

"Sir Lenster, he destroyed the pears!" Jules' voice came out hoarse. His throat felt dry and sore.

"So I thought. He's been arrested and accused of treason. Thank gods he didn't hurt you," Ravin help Jules to sit up and readjusted the pillow so that the boy could lean against it. When the blanket slid down his chest, the boy noticed a web of runes covering his skin. They weren't black like hunters' runes, though, but gold.

"Lara put you into a healing trance," Ravin reached to the bedside table for a mug. He handed it to Jules - it was full of warm chicken soup - and steadied it while the boy drank.

"What about Michael? And Melissa?" the soup was like a balm for his dry throat. "And Lady Guinevere... is her baby alright? And Ravin!" his eyes widened as he remembered Rosalie and the Ackers' children. "I summoned the ghosts, I had no choice, I couldn't...

"Slow down, one question at a time," Ravin put the mug aside. "Michael is alright. The wraith is destroyed. Lady Guinevere gave birth to a healthy girl. And I know about the ghosts. I saw them."

Jules pressed his hands to his head. So he had fulfilled the promise he had given to Rosalie... His throat tightened when he realised that saving him from Melissa, she must have used the last bits of the energy that kept her existing in the world of the living. He hoped she had found peace - after all, her family was save now.

"When Melissa possessed me..." he started, not looking at Ravin. He feared to see the disappointment in his master's eyes. Jules couldn't take it. "You told me to fight her, and I tried, I really tried. I almost killed Michael. I'm sorry."

"It was not your fault, Jules. Everything has its price. You can see even the weakest ghosts, but this perceptivity makes you an easy target. I'll teach you how to guard your mind better." Ravin told firmly. "But why, for all the gods' sake, did you enter the Circle of Annihilation with her? It could have killed you. If you had spent there just a few more seconds... You'll surely give me a heart attack one day."

"I'll try not to," Jules gave him a weak smile.

The infirmary door opened and Captain Rogre entered the room. He had a few words with Lara, then walked down the aisle between two rows of beds, greeting his men.

"I see he's awake," he shook hands with Ravin. "That's good, man. I'm sorry to bother you, but Kedmon wants to see you."

"What does he want this time?" the hunter rubbed his eyes. He got up from the chair and gave Jules a tired look. "I'll see what's going on there, and will be back as soon as I can."

"Ravin, seriously, take some rest. If you've been here for the last three days..." Jules muffled a yawn. "I'll be fine. I think I'll take a nap too."

When Ravin left, the boy pulled the blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes. He may have been sleeping for three days, but gods, he was still tired. Quiet voices of talking people diffused into a gentle hum. Falling asleep, under his eyelids he saw Maya's cheerful face again...

He opened his eyes. It was dark around; only a few candles burnt in the far corner by the workshop's door. The air trembled with snores and grunts of many sleeping people.

Maya. Jules sat up and looked around. Was it another dream? Or had he really seen her for the first time since she'd died? She'd never appeared to him as a ghost. It meant she'd found peace and was in the other world. But maybe, after he'd stepped into the Circle of Annihilation with Melissa after it'd almost burnt his soul out... Maybe he had managed to catch a glimpse of her?

The dream had been short, but she'd looked happy. She'd taken his hand, and there hadn't been a hint of reproach in her eyes. Maybe - it came to his mind for the first time - maybe the fact he blamed himself on her death didn't mean she blamed him too?

That day, she'd wanted to go to the cliff with him. He'd refused. She'd been killed in the village. But he couldn't have known about the pirate attack. Ravin was right. It had been a coincidence. A tragic, all-too-believable coincidence.

Slowly, he slipped out of the bed. His legs felt weak, but he could stand. He needed to talk to somebody. Ravin must be in the room they shared, and if not, then somewhere at the castle...

Jules exchanged his hand to conjure the magical light, but when he tried to call for his magic, a sharp pain pierced his head. He fell to his knees with a yelp. His head throbbed. He pressed his hands to his temples and grounded his teeth, waiting for the pain to stop.

"Jules!"

Lara brushed his hands away and put her fingers to his head. They were warm and tickling - and the pain stopped. The boy took a deep, relieved breath, and blinked his eyes.

"I just tried to make some light," he whispered. The healer took his elbows and steered him back to the bed. He sat down, staring at his hand. There was nothing. No hint of magic. Not a sparkle of light. "What's wrong with me?"

"You've overexerted your Sixth Sense drawing the Circle, and then you entered it and almost got yourself killed," Lara explained slowly. "Your Sixth Sense is like a pulled muscle. Or maybe, more like a broken bone. I'm sorry, Jules, you won't do magic for some time..."

Jules gaped at her, slowly shaking his head. Why hadn't Ravin told him?

"How long is 'some time'"?

"Weeks, months maybe... You need time to heal. But Jules," she patted his hand with an encouraging smile. It was a studied smile, though. The one she gave her patients, Jules guessed. "You'll be alright. Go back to sleep."

Jules didn't sleep much this night. Dawn caught him lost in gloomy thoughts. What if Lara was wrong? What if he couldn't use magic ever again? Before he'd met Ravin and Rai, he'd often prayed for his Sixth Sense just to disappear. But now... If he couldn't be a hunter, what would he be?