"Excuse me, Sir and Lady Ashton," the guard bowed. He then turned to face Devon. "By order of his Majesty, King Mulren Reztrassus, I am to convey his warm regards to the arrival of the Grimms into the city. Unfortunately, his Majesty will be busy for several hours and would like to inform you that the meeting will be held later this afternoon. If there are any problems or questions, I am here to answer."

I swallowed the bits of ham and egg and glanced at Devon, who set his silverware down.

"What is keeping the king busy?" he asked casually.

The guard dipped his head lower. "I am not at liberty to say, sir. Only that an emergency meeting was called."

"Emergency about what?"

"I apologize, sir. I do not know."

Devon grunted and bit down on some toast.

"Rise. What is your name?" Krenlow asked once it was clear Devon was finished.

The guard raised his head and placed one hand behind his back. “I am Marcus Vesler, sir.”

"Vesler? Are you part of the Vestron house?"

Marcus nodded. "I am part of the branch family. My father works with Lady Vestron as her aide."

Krenlow smiled. "Then you are related to Byron. I thought I recognized those features. I am glad to see his son a fine member of the royal guard."

"Thank you, sir. My father has spoken of you; he holds you in high regard. I am glad you and your family have safely made it to the capital."

"Only thanks to the Grimms and their protection have we made it. There is much to discuss with his Majesty. I'm afraid troubling news has befallen our kingdom."

Marcus turned toward us and bowed once more. "Thank you, Grimms."

I smiled politely while Alice nodded. Devon continued eating, so I did the same and finished the last of my toast.

"Hopefully, the trouble will be dealt with soon," Marcus said as he exited the bow and returned to facing Krenlow. "There has been trouble stirring, and the guards are on constant high alert."

"Should you be revealing that?" Alice asked.

"You will learn it well before I escort you to his Majesty. I have been given permission to answer any questions regarding the city and its affairs. There is little to hide if we are to help you on your hunt."

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Alice fell silent and left Marcus staring. Eventually, he dipped his head in acknowledgment and returned to standing straight. He kept his expression neutral as he gazed at nowhere in particular.

Looks uncomfortable. And again, those two went into introvert mode.

I cleared my throat. "What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

Marcus sighed.

"There are rumors of a cult floating around, and there has been some evidence to support it. A few abandoned buildings in the lower district were raided. We discovered ritual lines drawn in blood, as well as other things." He paused and glanced at Haldeena, who just finished her plate. His eyes took on a calculating look, and he continued. "A rogue mana user is our primary suspect. The remnants of human food suggest a mortal rather than a monster."

"Anything else?"

His eyes grew hard. "A string of murders and disappearances along with a disturbing number of reports from villages about trouble of some sort."

My mood dropped.

Sounds like our target. I wonder if they know about the village.

I nearly turned to Alice but stopped when she noticed me hesitating. Instead, I looked to Devon, who stopped eating. Part of me wanted to avoid talking, especially to the older Grimm.

Right. Traitor implications later.

"Did you and Garret discuss what we discovered on our way here?"

Devon's eyes looked stormy, and he held a long pause before answering.

"No. And such information is best left for the king."

Official news should be handled by officials. But I should ask some questions anyway. Buuut, Garret and Devon can handle that when we meet the king.

"Cain?" Alice asked.

"Hmm?"

"You were spacing out."

"I… right. Sorry." I ignored the scrutiny sent my way and sighed. I needed to get out and clear my head. "Excuse me. Krenlow, is there a place to take a bath? And do you know a place to get some clothes made or redone?"

Krenlow's gaze flickered between the three of us before nodding. "Yes. The second hallway before your bedroom is the bathing room. It's singular and runs off enchantments that I don't understand. But if you tap the blue tile, you'll get cold water. And red for hot."

"I can have a tailor meet you in your room in an hour if that's acceptable?" Neyenna added.

Need time to think.

"How about two?"

"That is fine. I will have a maid escort them to your door when they are here."

"Thank you," I smiled.

"You as well, Alice?"

"Yes," she answered.

I piled the rest of the ham and eggs between two large slices of bread and smooshed it into a sandwich before standing. "Thank you for the breakfast."

Before anyone could say anything, I left the dining room and escaped. My hunger protested at ending the meal, but I chomped on the sandwich. It sated my appetite, but I'd be hungry soon enough.

As I made sure not to spill crumbs on the bed, my thoughts churned. Garret worried me.

Devon.

He and Alice were headache-inducing. And Marcus' confirmation about trouble from the villages made me think back to the fountain. The memory of the children on strings soured my tastebuds. I finished the sandwich but barely tasted it before swallowing the last bite.

I wanted to sleep. Rest. Do something other than worry about saving people and fighting some horror of the night.

At least a bath sounds nice.

***

The hot water felt heavenly as I sank deeper into the tub. I eyed the floral soaps and liquids to the side but rubbed my nose. Even contained, it nearly overwhelmed my senses.

Nah, just need non-scented soap and some time to enjoy myself.

I sank below the water up to my neck and adjusted, letting the surprisingly comfortable basin support my back.

A real bath, one that involved the creature comforts of civilization. For a moment, I could forget about everything. And so I did. I cleared my mind and closed my eyes.

But the stinging started, and I clutched my hand. Emerald lines of molten mana flared to life, and I drowned my scream beneath the water.