The Palace gardens were not extravagant, but they were spacious and beautiful. The types and varieties of flowers that liked the mountain climate were on full display, as were many non-native flowers. Seth didn't know the names of most of them, but he did recognize lilies, roses, and orchids. He didn't know the names of the daisyish-looking flowers or the puffball things.

Flowering evergreens and hedge rows bordered the walls and divided some sections of the gardens into separate conversation spaces. Two large statues of epicyons, a canine discovered in the Below, guarded the entrance. Unlike normal epicyons, these ones had curling ram horns.

It was early afternoon and the first party guests were arriving. As Seth expected, security was both tighter and looser at the same time. More guards patrolled the gardens, but with so many guests and servants moving about Seth and the others easily blended in.

A pavilion had been set up for the Crown Prince to receive guests, although he wasn't at it.

The gardens were scattered with tables and chairs, little shade tents and benches. Strategically positioned braziers took the autumn chill off for seated guests. There were also the occasional roped off areas, each about four paces square. These had stone pillars in each of the corners that reminded Seth of the pillars around school that could be used to dispel magic.

There was a mixed feel to this event. Seth wasn't sure of the occasion for this gathering, but it did not have the pomp of a formal event. One of the cooks had mentioned that this was a 'meet and greet' for the Prince, whatever that meant.

Many in attendance were minor nobility and wealthy locals. These were dressed somewhat casually for a Palace event. There were groups of guests in uniforms, too. Seth recognized members of the Water Guard, Fire Brigade, and Stone Defenders.

Seth just finished dropping off a basket of apples to the kitchens and now carried a crate of bottles to a staging area for the waitstaff. This section of his route had a covered walkway with an excellent view of the arriving guests, so Seth dawdled.

Most of those arriving were people he didn't know or recognize. However, a few were such standouts that even though he'd never seen them before, he knew who they were.

The first was a middle aged woman in a sandy colored tunic and her entourage. The remarkable thing about her was the pair of hyenas flanking her. That meant she was a Stonehold, the rival family to Blaise's Firesands. The two families were competing for rulership and title of a town on the desert border to the north.

Neither hyena was leashed or muzzled, yet both stayed glued to the woman's side. Shortly after arriving the woman snapped her fingers at one of the hyenas and pointed to a young man with her. The hyena moved from her side to the young man's and stayed with him wherever he went.

They were really well-trained and well-behaved animals. Seth didn't think they were familiars because the woman had two of them. He wondered why the hyena they'd seen before had been caged. The person who'd sicked the hyena on them should have just been able to command it to stay or attack.

Seth idly wondered what happened to that hyena. It hadn't been at the Menagerie. He watched the group split up and mingle with the growing crowd.

At one end of the garden a woman with a white and gray rabbit familiar was pulling water out of a decorative pool and shaping it into an ice sculpture. Prince Aster stood beside her and gestured broadly as she worked, clearly invested in the outcome. The glass in his hand sloshed liquid everywhere.

Princess Lily was not far away, her attention on the familiar of an old man. The familiar was a tall stick with arms and legs that the old man was using as a cane. Every now and again she'd look over at the rabbit or the hyenas.

Seth delivered the bottles and slipped away before he got a new assignment. He wanted to pass through the garden and get a closer look at the guests. He had fingers to check.

Seth walked with purpose to an outside table where a waitress was trying to set up trays. "Hey, let me give you a hand with this."

"Oh wow, thank you." The waitress put down the pitcher she was holding and ran her hands through her hair. "The Steward's been giving me the stink eye 'cause I ain't got this done already. I'm Amy. I wuz just brought up from kitchen staff, and not used to this yet. You?"

"Seth. I'm temporary help." Seth started arranging glassware on the trays.

"Oh, no, we don't need them empty, you gots to fill them! See? I'll show ya. We do half this one and then half that one. One of these is supposed to be the smaller half." She picked up a bottle and added liquid to the glass she had partially filled before setting it on the tray. "There. Like that." She put down the bottle and picked up the pitcher and started to fill another glass.

Seth watched for a moment and then continued arranging glasses. When he finished he grabbed the bottle and filled them all half way. "Okay, now can I have that pitcher?"

Amy was amazed. "Oh, that's so smart. I was doing it one at a time!" The waitress sighed. "Now I feel stupid."

"Don't feel stupid. You've never done this before. And I bet you know other things." Seth dropped his voice. "Like I bet you know all the people here, right?"

"Oh, I do!" The waitress started whispering too. "I've been listening. There's so much gossip." The waitress carefully arranged empty glasses on her tray and rattled off the names of a dozen nobles. As she indicated each one she went on about who was dating, who was related, and who was hated. She had numerous little stories about almost everyone. Seth filled the glasses slowly.

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"And look there," Amy said, indicating a young man in his mid-twenties, "that's a Lord Thurstan." Lost his bride he did, and less than a year ago. The lord's already shoppin' for a new one. For decency's sake, let the grave get cold. That poor girl looks foreign. I bet she don't know about the first wife." Amy eyed Seth.

Seth knew what she wanted and played along. He was interested in anything about Thurstan he didn't already know, and anything on the woman with him. "How did he lose his first wife?"

Amy glanced around and dramatically whispered, "Murder."

Seth blinked at her. He'd already known that, but he wasn't really able to pretend this was just gossip to him. Yet Amy seemed to think Thurstan was the murderer instead of Gavin. Amy took his silence for shock and launched into the story.

"These are full," Seth interrupted before she got too far. He indicated the tray of glasses. "Who's that woman with him? She has her hair all wrapped up. Do you know where she might be from?"

Amy turned to look at the woman beside Lord Thurstan. "I dunno. I ain't seen her afore."

The woman in question was young, barely out of her teens, and was wearing odd clothing. The dress and mantle she wore draped over her body and there was a dark cloth tightly wrapped around her hair. The clothing almost hid the fact that the woman was damp. Almost.

She was definitely just damp and not dripping. It looked like she was sweating a lot, and not like she'd just gone swimming fully clothed the way Blaise used to. As Booth said, powers weren't unique. Her situation could just be similar to Blaise's. There was no proof she had Blaise's power.

But she was in the company of Thurstan, who was on their suspect list. And Seth had a way to prove if the power she had was Blaise's. He just needed to figure out the details. He also needed to know more about her. If he couldn't manage to test her power here at the Palace, he would need to track her down later and test her.

He also needed to stay focused on the task at hand. He was here to help Booth. Finding the ring had to be the top priority. Booth's family had immediate need, and Blaise wasn't in any danger. Still, it was okay for Seth to multitask a little bit.

The waitress scooped up her tray and indicated the other one. "Could you deliver that over there? That's Sally, she'll take it from you."

"Sure thing. If you find out that woman's name, could you let me know? I'm a bit worried about her."

Amy shook her head. "Don't. I'm tellin' ya. Don't talk to the nobles. Nuthin' good will come of it."

Seth pretended to be walking more carefully than necessary as he passed the woman and Lord Thurstan. Seth kept his back to the Lord, but Thurstan paused his conversation when Seth was near and then spoke in tones too low for Seth to make out afterward. Damn, he was hoping to at least get the woman's name.

A sudden shout caught Seth's and Lord Thurstan's attention. The woman took a step back.

"Maude! You dare show your face here after what you've done to my daughter!"

A tall, black-haired man of about middle age pointed at the Stonehold woman with the hyenas. He wore a perfectly tailored cotehardie in crimson, and the black buttons gleamed. Beside him stood Blaise, wearing a similar tunic in scarlet. She had her face in her hand.

"I've done nothing!" Maude yelled back. "Your incompetence and inability to safeguard your wife's bastard is not my problem!"

Blaise looked at her father in surprise. His face went red and burning motes materialized in the air around him.

"How dare you hurl such crass insults in the Palace!" Blaise's father yelled. "A gutter-born dog-whore like you doesn't belong here. Especially not with your filthy consort!" He pointed to the hyena.

Seth gauged the distance between himself and the arguing adults. Crossfire was unlikely where he was, but he also was too far away to be of any use to Blaise.

What should he do? Leaving Blaise to deal with this on her own felt wrong. On the other hand, this wasn't any of his business. He had no authority here, and doing anything would only cause him trouble and prevent him from finishing the real mission. He considered the pros and cons of dumping the tray of drinks he was holding on one of them anyway.

"Jesse here is female! Not that I'd expect you to recognize what a male looks like. When was the last time you'd even seen your–"

A translucent bubble snapped into existence around Maude and her hyena, and another around Blaise and her father.

Guards were trotting towards the two, one of them looked to be a captain.

Seth glanced around looking for the source of the bubble spell. He spotted two Palace Wizards dressed in dark purple on a balcony overlooking the garden. Standing with them was Professor Laur in his blue professor robes.

Seth immediately looked down and turned his back. He hoped Professor Laur hadn't noticed him.

Lord Thurstan turned to the woman beside him and said loudly, "Disgraceful. Respectable people should not have to tolerate such trash."

Instead of dumping his tray on Maude, Seth instead thought about dumping it on Lord Thurstan. He headed over to Sally before he acted on that impulse.

"Stonehold. Firesand. I'd like to remind you both that you are guests here," the Captain said.

Seth could see Blaise's father speaking and gesturing sharply. Maude folded her arms and smirked. Blaise was upset but her father looked to be ignoring her, pointing his finger at Maude instead.

"Aw, don't be that way Captain!" Prince Aster said as he wandered up. "And take those down," the Prince commanded and gestured broadly with his now empty glass before handing it to the Captain. "I want to see what these two can do!"

The Captain frowned at the empty glass before tossing it at a table. "Your Highness. I must insist on the proper use of the sparring rings. There are too–"

"Pshaw. Come on, then!" the Prince called up to the Palace Wizards. "Let them out!"

"My apologies, Your Highness, that spell takes several minutes before it can be taken down," one of the wizards called down from the balcony.

"Well, that's no fun." The Prince scowled at the bubbles.

It was like a pause descended on the people around Seth as they waited to see what the Prince would do.

"Meh, waiting is boring," said the Prince. He looked at the people watching him. "Come on! This is a party. Everyone have a drink!" He snagged a fresh drink and raised it as he sauntered off.

"Hey, kid," whispered Sally as soon as Seth put the trays down. "Do you wanna take a bet on who starts the first fight? I'm putting ten bur on the Prince."

Seth looked at the collection of empty bottles on the table and shook his head. "No bet."