Page 7 of Dark Hope (Dark Carpathians #38)

Chapter 7

Demon .

Silke didn’t so much as blink, her body relaxed, her smile one of welcome as the small group of men and women Gesina brought to the estate greeted her. Stepping off the stone steps to the walkway below the house, she willed Fenja to stay inside rather than come out to greet the tourists as she sometimes did. Not when one of the humans wasn’t really human. To make certain, she raised her hand to her hair, sweeping it back as she looked directly into one of the many cameras hidden on the property. Hopefully, Fenja was watching and would heed the warning.

This wasn’t a case of a demon finding a host body. She recognized the strength of the demon. This was one deliberately sent out in human form at Lilith’s command to infiltrate humankind and turn them to Lilith’s purpose. The demon was male, used to having his commands obeyed, and arrogant about his strength. Few opposed his will.

The leader of the group, then. Ares Castello was a man appearing to be in his late fifties. He looked physically fit, even tough. There were three other men in the tour group and two women. He must have been in human form for years because he was extremely comfortable in the body. It was possible that was his natural form. He moved with ease, even grace, for such a large man. He was entirely confident being the leader. He exuded a charismatic charm. Even Gesina had fallen under his spell. She laughed quite a bit with him and was even flirty, something Silke had never seen her do before.

The three men accompanying Castello appeared to be in their thirties. They were also physically fit. Two had dark brown hair and were brothers. They were introduced as Georgios and Callen Bakis. Silke didn’t think they were twins, but they looked quite a bit alike. Georgios had more muscle on his frame while Callen was leaner. Both had dark brown eyes. The third man, Herman Drakos, also appeared to be in his thirties. He had light chestnut hair and green eyes.

Silke paid attention to the eyes of the three younger men. At times, even if a demon could hide well, she might still detect a flicker of red flame smoldering low, like a tiny ember in their eyes. She saw nothing like that in the three men, but they were clearly under the influence of Castello. They hung on to every word he said. If he gave the slightest instruction, they instantly sprang to do his bidding. That worried Silke. If this demon had that kind of power over his followers, was it possible for him to recruit others from her village?

She kept her smile welcoming as Gesina introduced her to the two women. Melia Floros was older, somewhere between fifty-five and her late sixties. There was no taint of a demon in her, but she gave off a fanatical aura. She was short and slight, a bit bent, but she moved as if she could be a runner. Her hair was gray and cut severely around her face but off her neck and ears. She had several deep wrinkles around her mouth, as if at one time she may have been a smoker.

The second woman, Thea Gerou, was younger, somewhere in her late twenties or early thirties. She was good-looking with her shiny cap of dark hair and her very dark brown eyes. Silke was a tall woman, but Thea was taller by at least two inches. Silke thought Thea looked like a runway model. If she wasn’t one, she should be.

“You have a garden of mature medicinal plants,” Castello said, ignoring the others. He walked right up to her, crowding Silke’s personal space. The demon in him inhaled, taking her scent into his lungs.

Silke kept her energy low-key. She stepped to one side, indicating the very large ring of medicinal plants. The step allowed her to escape the close proximity of the demon. Her gesture served to give her a natural excuse for stepping away from him. “Most of the plants are fully mature. You must know your flora to know which ring of plants contains ones used for medicine.” She poured admiration into her tone.

“I’ve always been interested in plants and their various uses,” he said, his demeanor changing just slightly.

Where before he had appeared arrogant and commanding, his features softened minutely now that she seemed to acknowledge his expertise. Silke filed that fact away for the future. This particular demon was susceptible to flattery. He needed accolades and acknowledgment that he was the top dog. Had he always been that way? Had he been made the way the sea serpent had been? Had staying in human form for years changed him? If so, she had only a short period of time to figure him out. He wasn’t in her encyclopedia of demons. She would have to spend a little time with him to get a feel for him.

Deliberately Silke looked around her at the thick swaths of varied plants as if really seeing them for the first time. “Most of the plants are very mature.”

“Did you put them in?” He walked with her toward the first inner circle, where most of the florae needed for everyday medicines were growing.

Silke shook her head. “I did help with transplanting a few, but most were already here. I remember as a child watching my mother work in the various beds. I loved helping her.”

His eyes gleamed at her, tiny red embers glowing behind the dark color. “Your mother planted most of these, or were they already here when she moved in?”

Silke paused on the stone walkway leading around the first circle. The others had gone silent waiting for her reply. Silke pretended not to notice.

“That’s a very good question, Mr. Castello. She adopted me when she was in her late forties. She’s never married or had any other children. I’m it. She’s amazing with plants.”

“I would very much like to meet her.”

Silke felt a slight pressure in her mind, as if the demon were politely seeking entrance, or subtly persuading her. She rubbed her forehead over the exact spot. “I’m sure she would love that, but I’m afraid it’s impossible. Fenja is unable to move around much these days. She doesn’t have many visitors.”

Deliberately she brightened, flashing him a vacuous smile. “Fortunately, she taught me about the various plants, and I can pass that information on to you.” Before he could answer her, she began to rattle off the practiced spiel, naming each plant and the uses it had in medicine.

She observed Castello giving a subtle signal to Melia Floros. She doubted if the others in their tour group or Gesina noticed. He kept his left hand down by his thigh as he followed her from plant to plant. The fingers lifted ever so slightly. While all the others were seemingly engrossed in learning about the native plants, Floros kept her attention centered on Castello. That told Silke the older woman had been with him the longest and was the most susceptible to his commands.

She kept her breathing even, never missing a beat with her monologue. She was careful to pour enthusiasm into her talk for the vast variety of plants she was showing off. She didn’t hesitate to answer any question the three younger men asked. Herman Drakos, in particular, asked the majority of questions and recorded her answers. He appeared to be genuinely interested in what she had to say about each plant. The other two men paid attention but only occasionally asked a question. Thea Gerou was silent. It was impossible to tell if she was the least bit interested or bored out of her mind.

Silke knew the demon had ordered her to be tested in some way. He had come to the house certain this was the demon slayer’s home. It had to be disconcerting to learn that Fenja was Silke’s adoptive mother. Slayers handed down their legacy from mother to daughter. Every demon would know that. If Fenja had been the demon slayer in the village, she should have married and had a daughter. If she didn’t, the legacy would end with her.

Castello needed to establish that Fenja was the demon slayer. She was the village midwife, and just by the abundance of medicinal plants at her home, she was the most likely candidate for being the village seer, a woman who could see into the future. She had been born in another time and after death would still walk among her people if not be reborn to aid them again. Still, it made no sense that Fenja wasn’t married and didn’t have a birth daughter.

Thea turned to Gesina with a bright smile that sent a small spike in Silke’s heartbeat.

“I just love every single estate we’ve been to today, Gesina. They’re all so unique and beautiful. This house looks like something out of a fairy tale,” she gushed. “Did Ms. Reinders have this house built? In all the travels I’ve done, I’ve never seen a stone house like this one.”

The tone was off. Completely off. To Silke, Thea sounded like a marionette, which she most likely was, following Castello’s orders to learn whatever she could from Gesina. Thea was a follower, beautiful but without direction. Castello and the others had given her the feeling of belonging. Castello gave orders, and it was easy for Thea to live with someone telling her what to do.

Silke couldn’t imagine having Thea’s passive personality. Silke had always questioned everything. She was incapable of following anyone blindly. She had to trust them one hundred percent. Few people fell into that category. Unfortunately, from childhood, she saw into people. She knew if they lied. She was aware of cheating. Stealing. There were few secrets others had that escaped her attention. She didn’t want to be that way, but she was born with gifts—or curses. She didn’t know how to categorize the talents she had.

Right now, while the four men engaged her in conversation, she was aware of the subtle flow of energy directed toward Gesina from Castello. He was influencing her to be open and chatty with Thea, to divulge any secrets the villagers, especially Fenja and Silke, had.

While she lectured on the plants, she kept every sense alert for the expected attack from the older woman. It was coming. They were going to test her reactions. Castello was hunting for the demon slayer. Fenja and Silke were the most likely candidates because of their knowledge of medicinal plants.

Thea’s fake laughter grated on Silke. She detested any woman being used. Gesina was open and friendly. That was her nature. She would tell Thea everything Silke and Tora allowed any of the villagers to tell outsiders. Most of those born and raised in the village had been born with barriers in their minds. Those protections allowed them to forget about Tora’s oddities and Silke’s origins until they needed to remember for battle. The barrier enabled Gesina to sound open and honest, not careful or shut down.

Castello asked Silke a question, forcing her attention on him. Simultaneously, Melia Floros appeared to stumble on the stone path. She plowed into Silke with shocking force. Ordinarily, Silke would have not only sidestepped but balanced Floros, too. It wasn’t easy to ignore her body’s natural defenses and allow herself to stumble and fall off the stone path as she went down hard on the ground. Floros landed on top of her ankle where it was positioned still on the stone. Pain flashed through Silke as the ankle twisted under the older woman’s weight.

Silke managed a low cry of pain when everything in her told her to remain silent. She didn’t want Fenja to hear and rush out. Silke clapped a hand over her mouth and looked with horror at her swelling ankle.

The Bakis brothers helped Floros up and carefully inspected her as she repeatedly apologized for her clumsiness.

Gesina crouched beside Silke, distress written on her face. “I’m so sorry, Silke. Can you get up?”

“Not yet. Give me a minute.” Silke allowed her tone to be tinged with pain.

“Perhaps we should reschedule tonight’s meeting. Please call me when you are available.”

For a moment, Castello’s expression changed. The red embers glowed behind his dark eyes. Instead of appearing as a charming, rather handsome, mature gentleman, he looked like what he was—a demon. His face was a mask of fury. He had been certain Silke and Fenja were the demon slayers. Finding the slayer wasn’t going to be so easy, and he had booked himself and the others only a week’s stay in the village. He didn’t have a tremendous amount of time to fulfill his duty. He had been so certain he would be able to find the slayer immediately. The village was small, and there weren’t that many candidates.

Herman Drakos crouched down on the other side of Silke. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

Silke managed a painful smile as she waved his apology away. “Freak accident. I just hope Ms. Floros is okay.” She looked at her friend. “Are you certain nothing is broken? She didn’t hurt her back when she fell?”

“I’m fine,” Melia Floros assured. “Do you think her ankle is broken? Should we call the doctor?”

She sounded sweet. Solicitous. Her face didn’t have the soft lines she hoped would accompany her tone. She wore a sharp, cunning look and continued to smell of fanaticism.

“It isn’t broken,” Silke said.

“Silke, it’s swelling quite a bit,” Gesina confirmed. “Maybe I should call Doc.”

Silke shook her head. If the doctor said it was a bad sprain, she’d be pretending for much longer than necessary. As it was, Tora would heal it, and she would have to remember to fake the sprain for the time Castello and his people were in the village hunting the slayer.

Castello had come to find her and learn what he could about her. Instead, she was learning about him. He could use his mind to persuade others to do his bidding. It was fortunate Tora had provided a barrier in the minds of those in the village so he wouldn’t be able to access any knowledge that had to do with the slayer or the Carpathian woman. He wouldn’t find any information about the forest or the weapons the villagers had been trained to use should there be a battle.

She knew she had to draw out and defeat the demon in Raik that evening. She couldn’t take any chances that Castello might be drawn to the fisherman’s home by the serpent lurking inside Raik. Castello seemed to be able to communicate his wishes to others. He had a way of subtly persuading those around him to do his bidding. She would have to ensure that Tora surrounded the Bootsma home with protections that Castello wouldn’t be able to penetrate while they drew the demon from Raik.

“You need to see to your guests, Gesina. If Mr. Drakos would help me to my front door, I’ll be fine.” She sent a quick smile around to all of them. “Fortunately, I have plenty of plants to make poultices. I do know how to do that.”

“Ah, yes,” Castello said. “The woman who adopted you must be well-versed in making medicine from natural plants.”

“She’s very knowledgeable and she taught me.” Silke infused pride into her tone. She held out her arm to Herman Drakos to prod him into helping her. “I also had the advantage of learning from Ethel and Bart Terpstra. They have a vast knowledge of all the flora and fauna in our area.” She tilted her face up toward Gesina. “Didn’t you tell me they were going to give a lecture to this group at some point?”

Drakos reached for her, sliding his arm around her waist and another under her knees. That was unexpected. Silke thought he’d get her to her feet and help her hobble up the stone pathway and stairs to her house. It was impossible not to inhale his scent. There was no taint of the demon or even the hint of fanaticism. She was uncertain where he fit into Castello’s army. He didn’t seem to be a follower the way Georgios and Callen Bakis so clearly were. Nor was he like Thea, practically vacant of any thought of her own.

“Yes, they said they would be available. We knew we would be late today, so they’ll speak at the hall tomorrow night.”

Drakos carried her up the pathway away from the group.

Castello followed, trying to look concerned. “You said this couple taught you about plants.” He put a hand on Drakos’ shoulder to stop him as the man went up the three long stone stairs leading to the wraparound verandah. “Are they young?”

“Keep going.” Silke pushed pain into her voice. “It’s really throbbing. I hate to be a baby, but I really need to tend to it.”

“You could have injured a tendon,” Drakos said. “I think you should call your doctor.”

Castello glared at Drakos, the red embers flickering in his eyes. He didn’t try to hide his displeasure that one of his followers wasn’t following orders.

Why wasn’t Herman Drakos the same fanatical follower as the others? He traveled with them. He was exposed to Castello’s influence. Silke’s mind raced with possible answers, none of which made sense. She decided to answer Castello to keep him from getting angry with Drakos. Demons were predictable when things didn’t go their way, especially ones with huge egos.

“Ethel and Bart Terpstra are in their seventies but believe me, they will be able to answer any of your questions on native plants and trees.”

Drakos carefully put her down right at the front door. She stood on one foot and held on to his arm for support. The man had carried her quite a distance without breaking a sweat. He’d gone up stairs and even held her while Castello had questioned her. He was strong. He might appear lean, but he was strong.

“Do they have children?” Castello asked.

“I’m so sorry, I wish I could stay and chat, but I really need to see to this injury. I’m sure Gesina will be able to answer your questions while she drives you back to your lodgings.”

“Let me take you inside,” Drakos insisted. “There’s no need to hop around on one foot and risk falling again. The others won’t mind waiting for me.”

Alarm bells shrieked at her. Was she missing the fact that Drakos was an expert actor? That he was doing Castello’s bidding after all?

She gave Drakos a small smile and shake of her head, her hand on the doorknob. “Thank you, I appreciate the offer, but my mother’s health is very fragile. I can’t take chances on exposing her to outsiders. She rarely leaves the house anymore because her immune system is compromised.”

With a little wave, she opened the door and hopped in on her one decent leg, hastily closing the door on her guests. She heard Castello mutter something ugly before she heard the footsteps stomping across the porch to the stairs.

“Come sit down,” Fenja greeted. “I’ve already prepared a poultice.”

“You were watching?”

“Of course. I got the signal you sent me to stay inside. The hand to your hair.”

“I wasn’t certain you were watching.” The relief was tremendous. She felt as if she’d been holding her breath until she saw with her own eyes that Fenja was safe.

“I’m always watching,” Fenja replied with her usual calm. “If there is a possibility that you’re in danger, I am always ready to aid you.” She took the small backpack from Silke and set it beside the chair closest to the fireplace. On the floor was a deep basin filled with water, leaves and flower petals.

Silke sank gratefully into the chair. “The leader of that little group is a demon in human form. It was clear to me he’s been in that form for a very long time.” She lowered her foot into the hot, soothing water.

“Did you recognize the type of demon he is?” Fenja asked.

“He’s one of the offspring made from human and demon and very high up in the hierarchy of demons. Lilith favors them because they’re strong, with many talents rather than just one. They’re also intelligent. She can place them aboveground because they’re able to integrate into human society. They have great charisma. Many cult leaders are hybrids sent by Lilith to infiltrate and wreak havoc.”

The water was so soothing on her ankle that she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “I want to observe him more before I try to take him down. The sea serpent was bred to fight against the crystal lights that normally would have killed it. Even when I changed the spectrum, the serpent quickly adapted.”

“Do you think this demon will also be somewhat immune to the crystal sword?”

Silke rubbed her temple. She had the beginnings of a headache. Castello had pushed at her brain continuously to get to the information he sought. He probably rarely ran into humans who could resist his mental manipulation, but she believed Herman Drakos was just such a person. Castello had to have run into others. It may have made him suspicious that he couldn’t read Silke or influence her, but in the end, she had failed the tests of a true slayer.

“I would be surprised,” Silke responded. “He’s been in our world a long time. He wouldn’t have been made the same way as the serpent. Someone gave birth to him years ago. Who knows how old he is?”

Fenja made one of her rare gestures of affection by smoothing back Silke’s hair. “Have you reached out to Tora to let her know she should come straight here when she wakes?”

“Not yet. I will just before the sun sets. If I did it now, she may be so worried that she tries to rise early. We both need to be strong to free Raik. I have the feeling it won’t be easy. It will be up to Tora to protect the house, keep Imka and Julia away, protected and unaware of what is transpiring, as well as make certain the demon hiding in Raik doesn’t kill him.”

Fenja’s breath caught in her throat. “You sound like that is a real possibility.”

Silke nodded. “Unfortunately, I believe this demon is programmed to destroy the host should it be found before it is ready to strike.”

“Would it help if I was there? With three healers available, we may be able to save him should he be attacked.”

Silke’s heart jumped and began to pound. The thought of Fenja anywhere near a battle with a demon was terrifying. She was the slayer’s most beloved. The demon would sense the relationship and launch a full-on attack on Fenja. “Absolutely not. My attention would be divided. I have to know you’re safe in order to perform my duties.”

Fenja’s eyes softened. “You do realize that in the coming war, no one will be safe.”

Silke lifted her chin. “Tora and I will find a way to ensure your safety. We’ve discussed it already.”

Fenja’s smile was gentle, even understanding, but she shook her head. “I’m a healer, Silke. In a battle, all healers are needed. I couldn’t shirk my duties to be safe. Not even for my very loved daughter.”

Silke’s heart sank. All along she knew that would be Fenja’s response. Fenja had the true calling of a healer. She would never be able to sit quietly somewhere safe while her people were wounded or dying. The compulsion to heal them would be far too strong for her to resist.

“I want to have children and see you holding them. How would I survive this stranger coming to claim me without your support?” She rubbed at her temple again. “I know I sound like a selfish whiny child, but I’ve accepted that my life is one of duty. I have you and Tora. You both are everything to me. You’re what makes giving up a normal life worthwhile.”

Fenja stroked more caresses in her hair and then knelt on the floor to remove Silke’s ankle from the water. She wrapped a wet poultice around the swollen area.

“We all have duties to perform in our lives. Some seem much more difficult than others. I know my family and friends wanted me to marry and have children. It was expected of me. At first, I thought I would comply just to make my life easier. To please my family. To keep my friends. I could not. I had to be true to myself, even if that was the much more difficult path. You are like me. You will always choose to be true to yourself.”

Silke smiled up at her. “You always find the right words to encourage me.”

The sun was beginning to sink, turning the sky glorious colors. The windows in their sitting room were large, giving them a good view of the meadow and forest as well as the ever-changing colors in the sky. Tonight, blues and purples played across the sky in a shimmering display. Few clouds were drifting above the meadow, so the various tints looked more like streaks of colored light sweeping across the landscape and settling in the branches of trees.

It was going to be a beautiful night. No storm coming in meant no spies trying to pierce the shroud of fog covering the forest. There would be no unexpected attack on the villagers unless Castello decided to try to recruit or force a betrayal. She should be relaxing, working out how she was going to call the demon out of Raik without allowing that serpent to harm him.

Silke’s heart rate spiked and then settled. Her gut somersaulted and then settled. Her breath felt hot and raw in her lungs as if air didn’t quite make it in, yet she’d taken a deep breath. Her warning system was shrieking at her. Not just shrieking, raging. There was nothing subtle about the way chills crept down her spine or goose bumps rose on her skin.

Fenja didn’t seem to be aware of anything wrong. She stared out the window, transfixed by the astonishing and unusual colors of the setting sun. “It’s truly beautiful tonight.”

Silke took a deep breath and let it out, cleansing her mind before she reached out, allowing her mind to seek the enemy. He was out there. She was certain it was a male. No, more than one. The energy was low, but she felt it pulsing in four different locations around the outside of her home.

Tora, be extremely careful when you rise. Not only are Castello and his fanatical friends here, and Castello is a demon hybrid, but something else is lurking around my home. It feels like at least four watchers.

There was a small silence. Silke was certain Tora was reaching with all her senses, the immense gifts she had been born with, to find the hidden spies.

Let me feel what you’re feeling.

Silke heard the speculation in Tora’s voice as it moved through her mind. If Tora couldn’t find the spies, that meant demon for certain. No vampire would be able to escape her detection. Demon was probably better than vampire, but Silke had to draw the demon from Raik that very evening. She had another powerful demon in the village she had to consider how best to rid the world of. If there were four more and they were watching her home, she was still a suspect. She had hoped to divert Castello’s interest in another direction to give her time to recover from the fight with the serpent. Now, if there were others…

She opened her mind to Tora, and the Carpathian woman merged without hesitation. Silke had learned her decisiveness from Tora. She had always admired that quality in Tora. Like Silke, her mind worked fast, going through options to find the best one. Once she determined what to do, she didn’t hesitate or speculate further. She acted.

I do not feel them on my own. The taint is so faint it is nearly nonexistent, Tora said. You have grown so sensitive. That’s a good thing. I doubt a demon would be able to escape your attention as they can mine.

Please be careful when you approach the house, Tora. They are close. Too close. I feel as if they can see what I am doing.

Are you safe?

You wove protections around the house. When you come, please do so again. I’m worried for Fenja. She doesn’t want us to worry about her, but her health is declining and she insists on helping as many of the villagers as possible. I’ve been doing my best to take her place so she doesn’t feel as if she has to travel to the various homes when she doesn’t feel up to it.

Don’t forget that moving around is good for her, Tora warned.

Tora was closer. Somewhere in the village, most likely feeding. Silke tried not to worry about her. Castello would love to get his hands on her. Lilith had been unable to penetrate the safeguards surrounding the forest. She didn’t know who the guardian of the gate was, but from experience testing the other gates, she knew the guardian would be a Carpathian female.

Lilith’s spies had been unable to uncover the identity of the slayer. She couldn’t afford to go to war without knowing who the slayer was, and it appeared she was sending as many spies as she could to the village. Silke wasn’t as concerned for herself as she was for Fenja and Tora or even those residing in the village. Everyone was at risk unless she could eradicate the threat. That was on her. She was the demon slayer.

You’ve got this, Silke. Tora affirmed her belief in Silke. And don’t worry so much about Fenja. I had already planned to heal her tonight.

You can’t wear yourself out. I have hurt my ankle and need it healed or I won’t be able to fight any demons. They’re crazy fast. At least that slippery little serpent was.

I’m well rested, Tora assured. I’m very close to your house. Moving around outside of it and examining the roof as well. Is there any change in the way the demons feel to you?

Silke had known Tora was very close. She became tuned to Tora’s presence over their years of growing up together. She felt she could find her should anything ever go wrong and Tora needed help.

With Tora right outside her home but concealing herself from demon spies, Silke allowed her slayer senses to take over, searching for any changes in the demons. Shockingly, the energy was even lower than before, as if they knew they were hunted and had gone as quiet as possible. How could they know Tora was close?

What form did you take? Could you have done something to give yourself away?

Silke forced herself to stand, catching up the backpack containing her tools for fighting demons. If nothing else, she would provide a distraction to allow Tora to get into the house unseen.

“Fenja, stay out of sight. I’m going to open the door so Tora can come in. Anything out there will be concentrating on me and, hopefully, fail to notice her coming inside.”

At the moment, I’m in the form of a bird. When you are going to open the door, I’ll shift to molecules and drift in, unless any of the demons try to get inside. Then I won’t care if they see me because we’ll have to destroy them.

Silke made her way to the door and stood with her hand on the knob . She could barely feel the presence of the four demons. Their energy had been low even before Tora had approached the house. Somehow, although she was in the form of a bird, they must have sensed her presence. In all the years they had trained and battled together, no demon had ever sensed Tora close when she didn’t want to be seen. Again, this was something new and worrisome.

Silke had to figure out what was happening and how the demons were evolving, and she had to do so quickly. Tonight. She had ideas, but they were still forming in the back of her brain.

Ready when you are, she told Tora.

At door now.

Silke opened the door and stepped into the doorframe, deliberately taking her time looking around the front yard. As she did so, Tora slipped inside, brushing against Silke to let her know she had safely made it into the house. Silke unhurriedly closed the door and leaned against it. “Did you feel them at all?”

Tora materialized, crouching down beside Silke’s ankle. “No, not unless I was merged with you. Then I could get a sense that something not right was out there watching the house.” She let out a low whistle. “You’re lucky this isn’t broken.”

“Hurts like it is,” Silke admitted. Can you fix it and still have enough energy to help Fenja?

Yes, of course. And I’ll be fine when we get to Raik. I fed well tonight.