Joseph decided to focus on their surroundings, searching for any sign of an unusual presence. The impressions of Prince Tariq's...dalliances would fade more and more with every minute they failed to find the missing boy.

No more snow had fallen that night, which was a good thing for Joseph's injured foot. It was still cold, however, and the dry wind lashed at his cheekbones.

He caught himself worrying about Svoboda's condition, since he probably had left without proper winter clothing. A cold wave of anxiety ran down his spine.

"Do you think..." the prince started, swallowing. "Do you think he might have...gone beyond the limits of the school?"

"I really hope he didn't."

Since there was no sign of Filip in the adjoining areas of the classroom and dorm buildings, they decided to explore the detached ones.

Tariq even checked for footprints in the snow, but there were only the little marks from crow's feet. They made their way around with the help of the light from the sconces scattered throughout the university.

"Let's start with the library, Your Highness..."

They walked in silence through the outdoor corridor surrounded by Romanic arcs which would take them to the library. The library was detached from the main building. It was used not only by the students and professors, but also by the monks from the Dominican and Jesuit orders, some of whose higher-up members were part of the administration of the St. Legions School and University.

Its façade was made of terracotta-coloured bricks, with a double Romanic arc at the entrance, flanked by two towers with belfries. The wall linking the two towers had four rows of stained glass with seven windows each, all in ogival arcs, projecting outward in two sets of bay windows. Above them, a huge clock read 11:12 p.m.

The boys were around four metres away, squatting behind some bushes, their faces covered by dark hoods and thick scarfs in front of their mouths. They had agreed not to bring a lantern in order to avoid any attention from the watchers on the rooftops and on the tops of the walls.

"It looks like another church... Why am I not surprised?"

"Shush!" Joseph signaled for the prince to be quiet. He walked around the outside of the building, his makeshift cane lightly touching the marble ground to avoid making any noise. "There are even more guards here than in the dorms. If Svoboda came in this direction, they would have stopped him."

"Where else do you think he might have gone?"

"Honestly...if he isn't here...there's only the morgue left."

"The morgue?"

"Yes, it's where they store the corpses for us to study..."

Tariq frowned.

"But...if he isn't there, then...there is the old cemetery at the entrance, too..."

"Wouldn't the guards stop him there as well?"

Joseph pointed towards the refectory.

"Starting there, the walls begins to get short enough for someone to climb over from inside, but there is an iron fence. It ends at the west side of the cemetery." The doctor continued: "It's where we bury the corpses. Beyond that…there's only the regular graves, and the woods..."

"No walls?"

"No."

"So, if he is wandering around there, he's lost."

"Basically."

Tariq sighed.

"I'll go, then."

"WHAT?! WHY?!"

"Because he's there."

"H-How do you know?"

The prince nodded over at the wall.

Joseph went pale.

The iron gate was lying on the ground, all twisted and tangled as if it had been knocked down by an infernal beast.

***

BONG! BONG! BONG!

Both boys jumped when the sound of the library bells in the belfries filled the air.

The clock had struck midnight.

CAW! CAW!

A flock of crows and ravens that had been roosting under the rooftops flew in the direction of the cemetery, startled by the noise.

Tariq paled and looked at Joseph, his eyes wide.

"W-Why are they ringing the bell at this hour?"

"I...have no idea, Your Highness..."

The prince kneeled and covered his ears.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, it's just...too loud."

Once the bells had stopped, Joseph offered the prince the end of his cane to help him up.

"Thank you."

They faded into the shadows cast by the bushes and trees near the walls, walking until they reached the gap where the gate to the cemetery was. Since it was a new moon and they were now a ways away from the sconces, Joseph had a hard time seeing what was around him.

CAW! Caw! Caw...

The crows' voices were growing fainter, indicating they were flocking together in deeper areas of the graveyard.

Joseph swallowed, trembling.

Crows and ravens eat corpses... Someone just broke into the university... Svoboda is missing...

His blood froze in his veins. He shook his head, trying to brush away that logic.

Dammit... I don't like him at all, but...that would be too much.

"I'll take you back to the infirmary. And you'll stay there."

Joseph stared at the prince.

"What? No!"

Tariq held his arm tight, forcing Joseph to look at him.

"You're all fucked up! You're limping, one hand is all bruised and the other one is broken... If, God forbid, there really is some evil-doer around, how are you supposed to defend yourself, huh?"

Joseph pulled his arm from the prince's grasp, nearly shoving him away.

"What if Svoboda is hurt? Or...dead?" the prince continued.

"If he is hurt, I'll be there to administer first aid. And if he's dead, you have to call security so they can contact his family to claim the body!"

Tariq shook his head and grabbed Joseph's arm again.

"Stop! STOP!" The young doctor tried to stay where he was using his cane, but the prince effortlessly dragged him away.

"If you don't let me go, I'll NEVER SPEAK TO YOU AGAIN!" Joseph shouted.

The prince stopped, frowning at him in disbelief.

"How old are you? Seven?"

"I'M SERIOUS!"

The prince rolled his eyes, shaking his head and pulling Joseph along again.

"Let me go, please. You're hurting me."

"It's dangerous, Doctor! You have to-"

"Please."

Tariq let out a sharp sigh, slowly releasing his grip on the doctor's arm.

His jaw dropped when Joseph tried to run, almost jumping as he supported himself on the pitiful oak branch he was using as a cane.

"Hey! HEY!"

The prince rushed to reach him, but Doctor Selden had already passed through the gateway as fast as he could, heading towards the cemetery.

***

CAW! CAW! CAW!

More and more flocks of crows flew above them, heading north.

Joseph kept limping in the dark, now taking extra care to not slip on the ice or stumble on the graves, crosses, and fragments of tombstones sticking up from the ground, dangerously disguised under the snow.

The cane the prince had given him was a big help, for the only things he could distinguish in the dark were the shapes of the bushes, the uncut grass, and the taller crosses and angel wings stretching up into the sky.

"I wonder why they're flocking together like that... Do you think they're going after...something dead?"

Tariq swallowed.

"Yes and no."

"W-What do you mean?"

They reached a wide clearing. The light wasn't much better there, but the grass was shorter, and the tombstones were more level and in better condition.

The prince stopped suddenly, looking behind him. Then he looked up at the sky.

"Is there something wrong?" Joseph asked, since the other boy just stood there.

"We are directly under Polaris. That means we're far enough away from the influence of the college's energy field..." Tariq kept murmuring to himself, still staring at the sky.

"W-What are you t-talking about?"

Prince Tariq looked over at Joseph. The doctor noticed his eyes looked hollow and his forehead was tense.

"Doctor, I... " He swallowed. "I have to ask you again...to keep quiet about this. Please."

Joseph kept staring at him.

I know we haven't known each other for long, but...I can't remember him ever saying 'please'...

"Very well. You have my word, Your Highness."

The prince was still staring at him. Now he had a worried expression on his face, almost looking as if he were about to cry.

"Are you alright?"

"Look, Doctor. If you don't want to have any contact with me after this, I promise I'll respect your decision. But...please, since you were so adamant about coming with me... Please, keep this a secret."

Joseph trembled, not so much because he was curious about what the hell the prince was talking about...but because the only other time he'd seen the prince so troubled was when he was being chased by those guards.

"I'll say it again: you have my word. What is said here will stay here."

The prince nodded, forcing a smile to his face.

"Give me Svoboda's tablets."

"Oh..."

Joseph fumbled in his pockets, handing him the little paper bundle.

The prince then started to whistle.

The sound was low and regular at first, but it gradually saturated the atmosphere around them, filling the silent night with a warbling vibrato.

The fucking hell is that?

CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!

Doctor Selden saw a quick black figure coming at them, looking almost like a cannonball. The prince stretched out his hand, and the one-eyed crow that had invaded Joseph's home on New Year's Eve landed, biting the prince's nose and chirping docilely.

Joseph smiled.

Oh! So it is his crow! I should have known!

The prince caressed the crow's head, murmuring something to it. Then, the not so-little fellow silently took flight again, save for its flapping wings.

"So... Is this your big secret? Actually, I find it quite adorable."

Prince Tariq blushed.

Joseph stopped suddenly, that cold feeling of embarrassment rising up in his stomach.

"I m-mean...with all due r-respect, Your Highness."

The prince smiled and lowered his head, grabbing his sword.

"No... Munin is not my big secret, Doctor..." As he spoke, he drew a large circle on the ground and a smaller one inside it, with a triangle and a dot inside that one. Between the larger circle and the smaller one, he drew several symbols which were unknown to Joseph.

Now this is strange...

Tariq motioned for the doctor to enter the circle.

Well...let's see what he's up to with all these scribbles...

Joseph walked forward, positioning himself right behind the prince.

"Stay inside the circle, no matter what!"

"Al...right?"

Tariq held his sword with both hands, the blade pointing to the ground. He raised the sword, hitting the ground in a symbol with three perpendicular marks.

"Mabel..."

Mabel?

Another hit.

"Mabel..."

This is quite an absurd way to call your girlfriend...

Another hit.

"Mabel..."

Everything was silent. Even the crows grew a little quieter now. The doctor looked around, waiting for this Mabel girl to appear.

She must be rather bold to come to a place like this at this hour, all by herself...

They were still surrounded by silence, but Joseph noticed with shock that there was light coming from the ground. And not a mere glow, but a blinding blue-white flash.

He covered his eyes, overwhelmed by the sudden explosion of light. Once he had grown accustomed to it, he opened his eyes, and saw the circle and symbols that the prince had drawn were shining brighter than a full moon.

His eyes went wide and his legs trembled like they were made of gelatine. He wanted to scream, but his voice had left him.

Now he could see who Mabel was...

Or, rather...what Mabel was...

Floating above the smaller circle, there was a creature the size of a three-year-old child. It was wearing a pink dress with a ruffled collar, a huge bow on the top of its horned head. The being’s face was a gaunt skull with very thin ochre skin, and instead of eyeballs inside its hollow sockets, the doctor could distinguish only two points of red light.

"Good evening...Lord Tariq..."