Reza walked in and saw multiple heads turning to look towards him. Cassia and Tavia eyes were already on him, with disappointment evident in their eyes. Not even here for ten seconds, and they are already giving me grief.

Lord Sulli stood and shook Reza's hand as he joined the group. Reza kissed the cheek of both his sisters, ignoring their glances towards him. They were wearing lovely new dresses, likely paid for by his money. Cassia wore a royal blue dress with a white shawl covering her bare shoulders, and Tavia wore an emerald green dress matching her eyes. Reza sometimes regretted giving control over all his money to his sister, but he knew she could handle the family's money with much more skill than he could ever, and that was without taking her wraith into account. "Sorry for being late. Sabine Rewan helped me get here, and I wanted to walk her to her box."

He turned to an older woman, and she held her hand out. She was dressed in a black dress, and her hair was done up into a simple bun with jeweled clips holding it in place, like her husband, with subtle beauty and power. Reza gave it a quick kiss on the back of her hand. "Lady Sulli, I must presume."

"Yes, it is very nice to finally meet the man who saved my nephew, " she said, sitting back down.

"Well, it's wonderful to meet you also," Reza turned and took Marie's hand, kissing it similarly to Lady Sulli. Marie was in a stunning black gown with lace worked into the hem and around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous. "Marie, it’s a pleasure to see you again," Reza said.

She smiled. "Thank you for coming; we were getting worried. The play was just about to begin." She motioned to the seat next to Lord Sulli. She had already taken the front seat, with Tavia next to her. Cassia and Lukas had the final two front seats. He moved just behind Lukas, and the young man turned round, standing.

"Lord Reza, it's good to see you," Lukas said, holding out a hand.

Reza flinched. Even though it was proper, it felt weird when anyone called him that, let alone the heir to the Sulli family. It made him feel he was sixty years older with greying hair. “Remember, my friends can call me Reza or Marius. No need for such formal titles out of the ears of others.”

Lukas nodded, taking it in stride. "Sorry, Reza. Are you ready for the play? Everyone seems to enjoy it from the early reviews."

Reza shrugged. "I haven't been to one in years; plays aren't down out in the legion fortresses, and I have never had an ear for them. But Sabine told me a little about it; it seems interesting enough to have me intrigued to watch it." The wraiths taking over bodies seemed farfetched, yet a scary thought if it was possible. Reza tried imagining Elana taking over his body. What would it feel like? Would he see what she was doing and could do nothing to stop his body from moving, or would he be unaware, asleep even? The thought was creepy enough as it was and the reason he was more excited about the night than he had been previously.

"Agreed, it does sound interesting. What do you guys do for All Hallow Eve?" He looked around at the group. Tavia broke off her quiet conversation, with Marie turning to look at Lukas.

However, Cassia answered first. "We celebrate it mostly at home with us, the servants at the estate, and the wraiths that choose to go out into the countryside to join us. It's a small event but enjoyable nonetheless. I guess you won't be able to join us this year, Marius."

She looked back at him, sadness lined her face.

He nodded, unsure but believing it unlikely. "I doubt the contest will be done, and I have to stay in the city until it's finished. And I plan to make it to the end."

Lukas looked back. "My father and mother did something similar, but it was a bit bigger, with multiple estates coming to the town to celebrate together. It was the biggest event out there during the year. It will be the first time I miss it." He looked down at his hands, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Why don't all of you come to the city? There's the massive celebration on the island of echoes, and you can still celebrate the night with Reza?" Marie said. She touched Tavia's shoulder and looked at all the rest. “It

Reza looked to his sisters as this was not his decision, and since he was already in the city, he would not comment on it. However, he would prefer that they celebrate with him, as it had been years since he had been in the city to do so. However, there were others to consider beyond the Reza siblings. What would such a change do for the servants? Would they be mad that the family left them to their own devices, or maybe they would be happy? "It's up to them, of course. I have no choice but to be stuck in the city, but we must find your rooms. I know plenty of room at the Rewan's in the guest house. I can ask Sabine if it is fine."

Tavia seemed interested, though they did not say anything immediately, but Cassia beamed. "That would be marvelous. To see all the wraiths in the city is probably such a supernatural experience. How do you handle the night? There must be hundreds of thousands in the city."

“It is,” Marie agreed, smiling at Cassia. "We can figure out the arrangements for the rooms later. Uncle, can the Reza's join us on All Hallows Eve?" She turned to ask.

Stolen novel; please report.

Lord Sulli, grim as always, nodded. "Why not? It is a sight you should see once in your life, at least. I remember my first time. It was almost overwhelming seeing all the wraiths floating and walking the streets. It's an experience, wouldn't you say, darling?" He looked at his wife.

"Oh yes, it sure is. I would love the two of you to come earlier in the day, and we can have some tea before the celebrations." She said, looking between Reza's sisters.

"We would love that," Tavia answered softly, agreeing. Her eyes stopped on Reza’s, and with an excitement that had been emitting from them before, she turned back to Marie. They brought their heads close together, talking so low that Reza could not hear them.

"Marius, can you come here for a moment?" Lord Sulli stood, moving to the back of the box away from the others to a selection of drinks and foods set up.

What is this? Reza stood but looked back, noticing the excitement on Lukas's face. Reza tried to read the young man's face; it was apparent he knew what this was about, but Reza could not guess what it could be about to save his life.

Lukas nodded encouragingly, and Reza's apprehension lessened a fraction.

Joining Lord Sulli, the man handed Reza a dark red wine. It looked closer to blood, but he recognized it right away. He took a sip to confirm. "Terrick, our family is very fond of this winery."

"I know. Marie came to me and mentioned a lovely wine she had at your party. I sent word to your sister, who provided me with a case. It is a delicious wine; your sister knew what she was doing with the sample. She effortlessly convinced me tonight to purchase a stake in her company to import it to the city."

Reza smiled. Such a small suggestion Tavia had placed into Marie's mind, showing them such a superior vintage of wine at the party. A wine, his family held control of the importation into the city. Tavia knew when she had an opportunity and seemed to have gambled that Lord Sulli would not be upset discussing business before the play. Even Reza could recognize that the man took his business seriously and would not look down on an opportunity he recognized. And it was just another connection Tavia had formed that would see her little empire grow and, with it, the Reza family. The product was good, and Tavia now had the proper backing to ensure the venture succeeded. "She is the reason my family is doing so well. You'll have no finer partner in any deal you do."

Sulli took another sip. "I suspect you may well be correct. However, I did not bring you back here to discuss your sisters. I came to ask you a favor or, better yet, an opportunity."

Reza's heart began to beat very fast, trying to think of what opportunity Lord Sulli would have for him. "What can I help you with?"

"I believe you have seen Lukas's wraith. The original plan was to have him go to Marcellus’s Legion to be guided in controlling his pact and trained to fight. Of course, with the events of late and many of my family's most gifted pact holders out of the city for many months, I need to find someone to train the boy." Sulli took another sip. "I was impressed with your fight in the contest. If you are willing, I'd like to hire you to train Lukas."

Reza looked back at Lukas. He was talking to Cassia, but he saw his head twitch towards their direction, indicating he was listening in or at least trying to. "I've never done it before, and my fighting style isn't exactly standard. I worry I might not be the best fit."

Of course, he should just accept right away, but he was no fool to at least show forethought about not being the absolute right choice. This opportunity would be massive, but he also did not want it to fail and have someone such as Lord Sulli angered.

"Nonsense, I understand your hesitation. But Lukas already told me about your conversation. You have already started teaching the boy. He went to the library this morning to research the wraith's name based on your suggestion. Also, you won't be the only one training him to fight. I hired Desmond Vorcan to train Lukas in the sword." He looked back towards Lukas. "I want you for your other expertise, focusing on discovering the power of that wraith and forming their partnership. I saw your relationship with yours; it was second to none. I want that for Lukas."

Reza stood thinking through every possible outcome with this offer. Could he do this? He never thought of training someone else, but they did it all the time in the Legion. It wouldn't be that far from copying that, and having Desmond there would be a massive help. "I'll do it; I can start training him around my duties with the contest. But after the contest, I may be sent back to the legion immediately."

"Don't worry about that. I will become your patron and ensure your rise in the army is given the proper level of attention it deserves." He said with another sip of the wine. He held his hand out, and the servant poured more into his cup. "Agreed?"

Sulli held his hand out.

Reza took it. Even if he failed in the contest, his life had been completely changed by the events from the last weeks. A Patronship from the Sulli family would ensure a rise in power for himself and his sisters.

"Agreed, we will start tomorrow. If you could have him ready for the fourth hour of the day," Reza said. Their conversation cut off as the lights dimmed and music began to play. Both moved back to their seats, and Lukas turned around with a questioning look.

Reza nodded with a smile. "Be ready, Lukas. It will be a lot of work."

Lukas nodded. "Of course." He whispered and turned around as Cassia smacked him softly on the shoulder.

The play was good before the talking cat came onto the stage. A wraith of a victim of the three witches had inhabited a cat instead of a human body. It was ridiculous, and Reza could barely stop laughing whenever the actor pretended to be a cat.

Reza took leave of the others at the end after making sure his sisters had a carriage waiting to take them home before he walked to Sabine's box. "I wish I had been with you."

Sabine laughed. "It was the cat, right? I laughed every time the man spoke, but I think they were serious about that choice."

Reza held his arm out. "It was ridiculous. But it wasn't so bad beyond that part of it. The kid actors were excellent. I wasn't expecting that."

"Agreed." She momentarily laid her head on his shoulder, bringing her body close to his. "Let's go home. I'm tired, and we don’t have much time before our next fights."

Reza started down the hallway. He had an early day tomorrow, so he would not complain, but his mind was already reeling from thinking about what he wanted to start in the first session with Lukas. There were dozens of things he could do, and he would need to make a decision on how to start to ensure Lukas had the best possible training. "Yes. Let's go."

Leaving the venue, ready to fall into bed.