There was little light shining through the window as the trees outside almost entirely blocked out the sun. A quiet stillness had settled over the small room, the only noise that could be heard was the rhythmic ticking of a clock on the wall. The lack of noise, however, had ceased as a dazed groan could be heard from one of the two beds.
Aridean slowly opened her eyes to the sight of a small room. There was a single, large window just beside the bed she found herself laying in. There were two separate beds and two separate, wooden dressers lined up against the wall opposite the beds. A large and gray-colored rug was spread across the polished floor, but most of it had been hidden beneath the two beds. Also furnishing the room was a nightstand with a single lamp located between the two beds.
Aridean could feel a dizziness in her head; not painful, but she still wished the discomfort would subside. Her right hand was brought to head and she began to rub her temples with her large, furred fingers. With a deep breath, the minotaur began to slowly sit up in the bed, “Ough, w-where am I?”
“There you are! You had me so worried!” came a familiar voice with obvious distress in their tone. Aridean, still cradling her troubled head, turned to see Vidor sitting on a wooden stool beside her bed. It was now clear in his expression that he was relieved to see Aridean waking up.
“Vidor? What happened? Where are we?” Aridean groggily asked as she took her hand from her head. She was not feeling perfect but the lightheadedness she woke up with was beginning to fade. Vidor grabbed a glass of cool water from the nightstand and offered the drink to Aridean.
“Don’t worry, just relax. We’re at the inn. But I was hoping you’d tell us what happened though: Rana and I were just getting in bed when Maggie started banging on the door to our room. She said that you were found outside behind the inn, unconscious,” Vidor answered, his worried tone returning. Aridean, having accepted the water she had been offered, had preoccupied herself with her beverage. It was not until the cool liquid hit her tongue that she realized just how thirsty she was. Her glass was emptied within seconds and she found herself gasping for air after drinking.
Why did I pass out last night? All I remember is seeing… that thing again. After it left, I slowly started to feel sick and then lost consciousness. Somebody found me, though, just as everything went black. Who was that though? Aridean thought to herself. Her thirst quenched, Aridean returned the empty glass to Vidor who put it back on the nightstand. Aridean took a deep breath as the door to the guest room began to open. Both Aridean and Vidor turned to the door to see Rana enter with Magdalene right behind her, each of them carried a plate with some sausage and bread on them.
“Oh good, you’re awake. You gave us all quite a scare last night, Aridean. Even Maggie was whispering prayers for you,” Rana spoke with her usual kind and gentle voice. Vidor and Aridean looked to Magdalene as the girl offered the plate she held to Aridean.
“I-I-I wasn’t praying for… s-so what if I did? I can’t repay a debt to her if she were dead or something,” a flustered Magdalene returned. Rana laughed as the girl turned her back to the three minotaurs, her cheeks turning a light red color. Vidor rolled his eyes at the girl who was no longer looking in his direction and began eating the breakfast that Rana had brought for him. Aridean paused for a moment before smiling at Magdalene and joining Vidor and eating the food that she was given.
Rana and Magdalene remained quiet as Vidor and Aridean slowly ate their breakfasts. While it was clear that Vidor enjoyed the meal, Aridean was thinking to herself that the sausages were a little dry. After finishing their food, the two set their plates on the nightstand alongside the empty glass. Aridean pushed the blanket she had off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“Now that you’re up and fed, what happened to you last night, Ari? You said you were just going to make sure the horses had some food but the clerk told me that you were found behind the inn,” Magdalene asked curiously. Rana and Vidor looked to Aridean with concerned expressions in their faces. A growing sense of embarrassment was eating at Aridean’s nerves and her entire body began to warm up with everyone’s eyes on her.
“I… I don’t really know. After I fed the horses I heard something coming from behind the inn… next thing I knew, I was waking up here,” answered an anxious Aridean.
Would they believe me about that thing I keep seeing? I already tried to get Maggie to see it and it vanished before I could show her… Ugh! What was that thing and why is it following me? Aridean thought to herself. She felt incredibly nervous about mentioning the creature that was following her. It would be a rather difficult to explain situation, not to mention how difficult it would be to believe without any proof.
“You don’t think that those rumors about people disappearing are real… right? Maggie said this place is cursed; was the curse trying to take Aridean?!” Vidor asked incredulously and with bulging eyes. Both Magdalene and Rana looked to him with frustrated and disappointed expressions, respectively. Clearly, neither of them took Vidor’s theory seriously. Aridean, however, considered Vidor’s words for a moment.
I… I do remember there was that red light just before I passed out… and I heard a voice. That voice must have belonged to the person who helped me back to the inn, but what could the red light have been? Aridean pondered as Rana let out a sigh. Standing from the bed she was sitting on, Rana looked over her team before smiling.
“Well, now that Aridean is awake again, we need to start planning our investigation. Maggie and I were talking things over while waiting on your breakfasts and we agreed that we should start by talking with the clerk at the reception desk. Hopefully she can tell us about any Empire soldier squads that have come through Cortonne recently,” Rana announced. As both Aridean and Magdalene stood from their respective seats, Vidor let out a quiet groan.
“Rana… you really think that’s the best plan? If we just ask the lady at the desk, don’t you think she might think it odd that WE are asking about Empire soldiers? Even if Maggie were the one to ask, that lady might think something’s off given the company she’s surrounded by,” Vidor inquired with concern in his voice. Rana turned to face her brother and let out a sigh.
“I know, Vidor. Obviously, I don’t think this is the safest strategy for us, but we need to start somewhere. We can’t afford to wait around for another group of soldiers to come along and asking the people who live here is our fastest bet at figuring out what has been going on here,” replied Rana. While Rana was speaking, Magdalene had pointed out Aridean’s gear that had been stashed at the foot of her bed by Vidor. Aridean took only a moment to fit her harness over her shoulders, the large and decorated axe secured fast in its holster on her back.
“Mngh… I just don’t like this. Something about this town has just been giving me a bad vibe since we got here,” Vidor spoke as he rose from his stool.
Together, the team exited out of the guest room. Magdalene locked the door behind them and the group made for the front desk. Hooves clopped on the well-polished, wooden flooring; the minotaurs’ footsteps nearly drowned out the clicking of Magdalene’s shoes. The hallway was quiet and there did not seem to be any other awake guests in the inn at the time. Aridean took a quick glance out of a window that the four passed to see that the fog from yesterday still lingered.
As the three minotaurs and half elf reached the end of the hallway, they could hear voices from the lobby. Aridean could make out a man and a woman’s voice; she assumed the woman was the clerk from yesterday. As she entered the lobby with her friends, Aridean found that the clerk was speaking with a man in very fine clothing.
Without doubt, the gentleman speaking with the clerk must have held considerable status just by the clothes he wore and dignified atmosphere he exuded. He wore a blue coat over a fine, white shirt and white pants with large, blue boots. The man had particularly long hair, most of which was tied back into a long ponytail that reached below his shoulders. He did have a large amount of hair cast over his left eye, entirely obscuring that part of his face. It appeared that he had a scar running down his left cheek, most of it hidden by the hair covering his face and eye. Despite the silver and white hair atop his head, the visible features on the man’s face showed that he might have been about as young as Rana. One last, peculiar observation Aridean noticed was that the man had a purple ribbon tied around his right arm.
The group’s arrival in the lobby did not go unnoticed by the receptionist at the desk. The woman pointed out the four guests and spoke cordially to the man before her, “Oh, here they are, sir.”
Being the subject of the receptionist’s statement, everyone looked at the woman with surprise. The man she was speaking to turned to face the group with a kind smile on his face. Without hesitation, the man began to approach. Aridean felt a bit anxious; why was that someone seemed to be looking for them? Behind the desk, the clerk began writing in a notebook as the man stood before the team.
“Good morning, travelers. It is my pleasure to meet all of you,” the man greeted the four with an elegant bow. Confusion was readily apparent on the faces of the three minotaurs and Magdalene. After a few seconds of silence, Vidor nudged Magdalene gently. The girl looked up at the minotaur who was facing the man before the team, her eyes slightly widening in surprise when she realized that she was meant to do the talking.
“H-hello. Did you have business with me or my servants?” Magdalene anxiously spoke. Aridean watched as the man rose from his bow and noticed that his visible eye slightly widened. Still smiling, the man let out a quiet and short laugh.
“Oh, forgive my manners, young lady. I wished to come and check up on your servant that I found passed out last night,” the man continued, giving Aridean a quick glance.
This is the guy that found me last night? What was he doing out there exactly? Wait a second… wasn’t this the guy I saw in that giant cemetery on our way into town? He’s dressed exactly the same, Aridean thought as she began to examine the man again. While the man was acting friendly and presented himself in a dignified manner, there was something strange about him.
“Oh, you were the one who found her? Well, I appreciate you looking out for my servant. I’ll make sure they behave themselves,” replied Magdalene with a bit more confidence than before. She sounded a little more sure of herself but Vidor still rolled his eyes at her bluff. The man gave another laugh.
“You needn’t worry too much, I’m sure they know how to conduct themselves,” the man responded. He cleared his throat, “Oh, where are my manners today? I am Count Vladimir Impalivik of Cortonne. It is my pleasure to welcome each of you to our modest home. If you have need of anything during your stay, you need only ask.”
“My name is Magdalene Yorre. My servants and I have come from the far east,” Magdalene responded with as dignified a voice as she could muster. While it was clear she was starting to get into the bluff, Vidor rolled his eyes again. Having noticed his annoyed gesture, Rana lightly punched her brother in his side.
The count of Cortonne… why does it feel like I’m forgetting something about that? Something about his name is strangely familiar but I know I’ve never met him… Wait, why is the count of this place talking to us?! Aridean slowly began to internally panic. The uneasiness that she felt must have been clear upon her face as Vladimir returned his attention to her. His kind smile almost immediately vanished, however, after the man had taken a more thorough survey of Aridean. Vladimir’s mouth had fallen agape and stunned surprise filled his visible eye.
“Is that… it couldn’t be, but…” Vladimir spoke quietly and incredulously, his gaze still focused on Aridean. Magdalene glanced up at Aridean, confused by the man’s odd rambling. Vladimir turned back to Magdalene, his astonishment still clear upon his face, “Lady Yorre, might I ask to have a word with your servant?”
“Huh? I-I guess so, but why?” Magdalene replied, having lost a little bit of the confidence she had built up. Vladimir shook his head, as though trying to wake himself up, before taking a step closer to Aridean. The man seemed to entirely disregard Magdalene’s question as he was focused solely on Aridean.
“Young lady, you were the one that I found just last evening, yes? Might I ask your name?” inquired Vladimir. A bit confused and starting to feel a little uncomfortable, Aridean glanced at Rana, Vidor, and Magdalene. Each of her companions appeared to be almost as confused as she was. Looking back to Vladimir, the noble’s visible eye was firmly set upon Aridean. Was it okay for her to give this man her name?
“M-my name is… A-Aridean Gray, s-sir,” answered Aridean hesitantly as she nervously took a step back from Vladimir. There was not much space in the small inn lobby to begin with and Aridean was feeling a bit claustrophobic as the man approached. The nobleman either did not notice Aridean’s discomfort or did not care as he took a step closer, curiosity shining in his eye.
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“Gray? Hmm… Mrs. Gray, I must know: where did you acquire that blade you carry on your back?” Vladimir asked as his hand moved to his clean-shaven chin. It was as if the peculiar man did not register anything but Aridean and her great axe at the time.
“U-uhm… i-it’s a… f-family heirloom, sir,” Aridean anxiously answered. Her legs were beginning to feel a bit weak under her.
That’s not… technically a lie, right? Aridean thought to herself with uncertainty. She took another step back from the inquisitive man before her and was desperately hoping the encounter was nearing its conclusion. The deep thought and curiosity shone in Vladimir’s eye as it shifted from side to side in a rather exaggerated fashion. Aridean was slowly growing more and more disturbed by the unusual individual who seemed oddly interested in her. It was not until Vladimir began mumbling to himself that the receptionist behind the desk took notice.
“Count Impalivik, sir? Is everything alright?” asked the inn’s clerk, having put her pen down. She looked concerned for the noble who took a few seconds to recompose himself. He turned to the woman behind the desk with a smile on his face.
“Forgive me, Mrs. Walker; I was just a bit lost in thought is all,” Vladimir replied with his confident and dignified tone. Vladimir gave a courteous bow to the woman, who in turn smiled and half-bowed as well before returning to her deskwork. Having collected himself, the nobleman turned back to Magdalene with his kind, if tired looking, smile still present, “Lady Yorre, I must insist that you and your servants join me at my manor for the evening. It would be an honor to have you. There is much I wish to discuss with someone such as yourself; it has been some time since I’ve engaged in conversation with a fellow elite.”
Aridean could feel her entire body tense up and her eyes went wide in astonishment. Magdalene appeared to have a similar reaction to Vladimir’s invitation. The young girl took a moment to process the man’s request. She looked to the three minotaurs that accompanied her. Both Aridean and Vidor were entirely shocked by Vladimir and did not in anyway communicate their thoughts to Magdalene. Rana, however, gave a gentle smile to the girl before nodding. Having noticed Rana’s apparent complacency with the request, Vidor and Aridean looked to the older minotaur uneasily. Similarly, Magdalene had paused in thought, if for only a moment.
Magdalene hesitantly returned her attention to Vladimir. The girl took a deep breath and put on as confident a face as she could muster, “Count Impalivik, you honor me. I shall humbly accept your invitation. My servants just need time to collect our things from our rooms here at the inn.”
“Splendid! I shall return to the estate to make necessary preparations,” Vladimir responded, through his professional and formal tone, the man sounded somewhat excited. Vladimir turned and began to make for the door. As he opened the door, he spoke, “I eagerly await your arrival. My manor is the large estate next to the cemetery that you likely passed upon entering Cortonne.”
As the door shut gently behind Vladimir, a peculiar and awkward stillness seemed to fill the room. The group remained so quiet that the only sounds heard throughout the inn’s front room was the clock behind the desk ticking and the scribbling of the receptionist’s moving pen on paper. Having noticed the strange pause the group was exhibiting, the woman behind the desk put down her pen again.
“Lady Yorre, yes? Are you alright?” the receptionist that Vladimir had addressed as Mrs. Walker asked. Hearing her name spoken seemed to bring Magdalene back to reality. The girl shook her head before turning to the woman.
“I-I’m sorry, I… hadn’t expected that is all. Thank you for your hospitality the previous evening but it would seem that we shall be staying the night at Count Impalivik’s manor,” Magdalene replied with slight hesitation. The woman gave a polite bow and smile before yet again returning to her notebook on the desk. Aridean noticed Rana give Magdalene a gentle nudge before leaning in.
“Could I get you to ask her about the count? She seems to know him relatively well,” Rana whispered to Magdalene. Hesitantly, Magdalene let out a long sigh before approaching the desk with Rana in tow. Vidor, however, gently grabbed Aridean’s arm and led her back into the inn’s hallway. He silently motioned back toward their rooms as Magdalene could be heard asking the woman behind the desk about the count.
I guess we’re on cleanup duty while Rana and Magdalene gather information on that Vladimir guy, Aridean thought to herself as she followed Vidor back through the hallway. Just as Aridean and Vidor reached the doors to their guest rooms, Aridean immediately groaned in frustration. Vidor turned to her with a curious look on his face.
“Maggie has the key to our room… I’ll be back,” Aridean said, slightly annoyed by the inconvenience. Vidor laughed as Aridean turned to walk back to the front room. Aridean stopped, slightly surprised, when Vidor grabbed her hand.
“Don’t worry, Rana’s supposed to have the key to our room too. Buuut, I’ve got the key to both of the rooms,” spoke Vidor, a smug grin drawn across his face. Aridean was left feeling confused.
“Wait, what? Did… did you pickpocket the keys off Maggie and Rana?” Aridean asked curiously and somewhat surprised. Vidor, still grinning, silently revealed to Aridean that he possessed a small piece of metal with a crooked end. Aridean felt a bit relieved to see Vidor’s ‘key’ as she breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh, lockpicks… If Maggie thought you had stolen from her, she’d probably go ballistic.”
“Eh, she’d get over it if I had,” Vidor responded as he began attempting to unlock the door to Aridean and Magdalene’s guest room. The quiet clap of metal against metal rang out as Vidor focused on unlocking the door. Aridean, a bit worried about what someone might think if they saw the two, stood by Vidor to block anyone’s view should they be looking in their direction.
“I’m a little curious: do you know what Rana was thinking accepting that Vladimir guy’s invitation to stay at his manor? I was a bit surprised that she seemed so willing… doesn’t it sound like a big risk, especially after the poor attempt to sell the illusion that we are Maggie’s servants and she’s a noble,” Aridean asked as Vidor continued to work on the lock. A clicking sound was heard and Vidor retrieved his lockpick before turning the doorknob and pushing the door open. He let out a short and quiet laugh after his success.
“I’m a bit more curious about why he seemed so interested in your axe but that’s beside the point. Knowing Rana, it has to be one of two things: she probably thinks he could be a great source of information about the disappearances we’re investigating. It’s either that or she’s hoping to get her hands on some noble sweets… Eh, I guess it could be both, really,” Vidor nonchalantly answered as he moved to start working on the door to his and Rana’s guest room. As he inserted his lockpick into the doorknob, he continued, “I’ll only be a minute here and I’ll get our stuff. You should go ahead and grab everything from in there and meet up with Rana and Maggie.”
The fact that he invited four strangers to stay at his mansion shocked me so much that I must have lost track of that. He did seem weirdly intrigued by Simon’s axe… He’s not at all what I expected in an elite, Aridean internally commented as she entered the guest room.
There was not much in the guest room that she needed to collect, just a spare backpack containing some supplies and Maggie’s pack which held a spare set of clothes and a large, weathered book. Aridean decided she would take a moment to make the beds before moving back into the hall.
Just as Aridean lifted the sheets to the bed that she woke up in, she heard something tapping on the only window in the room. She had chosen to ignore the noise and finish straightening the beds until she heard the sound again and then again. The tapping became almost rhythmic and it was clear that something must be causing it, as though something was trying to get her attention. Both curious and slightly annoyed, Aridean dropped the sheets in her hands and moved closer to the window.
It's… probably just a tree branch or something, Aridean thought to herself, yet was not entirely convinced. Outside, the fog was still thick and little sunlight made it to the forest ground. Droplets of water were running down the glass and a single squirrel was seen bouncing around some trees some meters away from the inn. Aridean was left entirely confused; nothing in sight could have been causing the tapping. In fact, the tapping had stopped the instant Aridean moved in front of the window. Shaking her head, the minotaur turned to go back to making the bed.
“Remember what I said; guard yourself and be wary of who you trust in this cursed place,” came the deep voice. Instantaneously, Aridean whipped back around to see that the view outside had changed entirely. Pitch black darkness had filled the entire window. The only thing visible was the mutilated head of the white-furred creature, the rest of its body consumed in the void.
“Ahh!” Aridean screamed as she stumbled backwards. She had failed to catch herself and fell over onto her side. Just as Aridean hit the ground, she heard the door to the guest room fly open.
“Are you okay?!” Vidor asked in a panic. His eyes were focused on Aridean, still on the floor.
“V-Vidor, o-outside—,” stuttered Aridean as she started taking deep breaths. Vidor quickly moved past her to look out the window. He took only a moment to survey the scene before turning back to Aridean.
“Was there something out there that scared you? I’m not seeing anything out of the ordinary,” Vidor spoke as he offered his hand to Aridean.
“W-what? O-oh, I must have thought I saw something is all…” replied Aridean as she took Vidor’s hand.
Is that thing… messing with me? What does it want… is it even real? Am I just going crazy? No one else gets the chance to see it… but why? Aridean thought to herself. As Vidor helped her to her hooves, Aridean glanced out the window. The scene that she had initially observed had returned; even the same squirrel was still searching for nuts in the open space. She took a few more deep breaths before hastily making the beds as she had planned on doing.
“Aridean, are you okay? You’re not sick or something are you? We can abort this mission if we need to,” a concerned Vidor asked as the two moved back into the hallway. Aridean shook her head as she gently closed the door to the guest room behind her.
“N-no, I’m fine, honest. I-I must just still be a bit tired from last night and I thought I just saw something out the window is all. Besides, if we leave now, the count will be suspicious of us,” Aridean reasoned with as much confidence as she could muster. Vidor let out moan of disbelief as Rana and Magdalene arrived.
“Ari? How’d you get my bag if I have the key to our room?” Magdalene asked curiously.
“I picked the lock,” Vidor answered triumphantly. The pride over his accomplishment seemed to fade the instant he noticed Rana’s stern and upset glare in his direction. It was clear to Aridean that Rana did not approve of Vidor’s use of lockpicking on the guest room door to the inn they were staying in. Magdalene, however, had a rather impressed look on her face.
“You can pick locks? How long did it take you?” inquired Magdalene, her surprise readily apparent. Vidor, ignoring Rana’s disappointed-older-sister-stare, smirked at the young girl.
“Only about thirty seconds,” Vidor replied enthusiastically. Rana sighed and shook her head when she realized that Vidor was enjoying himself a bit too much. Magdalene, however, muffled a short laugh.
“Pfft! Thirty full seconds? Well, I was impressed,” Magdalene chided, now with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, shut it. Rana, what did you two find out about that Vladimir guy?” Vidor asked, somewhat annoyed by Magdalene’s backhandedness. Rana gestured the group back up the hallway toward the front room. Hooves clopped on the wooden flooring and Magdalene’s shoes’ clicking was drowned out just as it had been the first time the group walked through the hall.
“We weren’t able to learn as much as I would have liked. Count Impalivik is well known throughout Cortonne, not just because he owns the hamlet, but because he is an active member in the community. He seems to take his responsibility to his citizens very seriously. Beyond that, however, his personal life is a bit of a mystery. One weird thing I noted was that the receptionist mentioned this isn’t the first time he’s invited guests to his manor from the inn,” Rana spoke as the group neared the lobby. Before anyone could say anything, Rana turned to the group and put a finger over her lips as she motioned toward the front room. Without a word, the group proceeded into the lobby, stopping only long enough for Magdalene to return their room keys. Their business at the inn concluded, the team moved outside and began walking toward the stables to get their horses and wagon.
“You said this wasn’t the first time this Vladimir person has had strangers at his manor, right? Do you have any idea why that might be?” Aridean asked. Rana sighed and shrugged and shook her head. Aridean did not truly expect Rana to know the answer to something so bizarre.
“It could be any number of things. Nevertheless, we will be Count Impalivik’s guests this evening and I’m hoping we might be able to learn something about the disappearances from him. I want everyone on their best behavior, understood?” Rana responded with her usual kind and gentle tone of voice. Both Vidor and Aridean nodded to the older minotaur as Magdalene folded her arms over her chest.
“Isn’t that supposed to be my line, you servants?” joked Magdalene with a sarcastic tone. Rana, unsurprisingly, quietly laughed as Vidor, also unsurprisingly, rolled his eyes and grunted his annoyance.
It did not take the team long to put everything back together in the wagon and get the horses in place. Once everyone was seated in the wagon, Rana whipped the horses into motion. Old wood from the wagon creaked quietly beneath the group and the horses snorted as they began pulling. Rana directed the horses back onto the main road, which was more mud than dirt today. There was considerably less clopping of horse hooves and more of a plopping sound as they moved through the soft and squishy mud road.
Cortonne was swallowed by a relatively thick fog. Aridean could not see much beyond the buildings that sat just on the sides of the road. Just like yesterday, there did not appear to be many citizens out walking through the small town. Apart from the songs of a few birds and the usual horse-drawn wagon sounds, there were no other noises to be heard as the team made their way up the road. Aridean looked up the road to see the silhouette of the manor that the group would be staying at. As they approached, the image became slightly clearer as sunlight was beaming down upon the large building.
It was a short ride to Vladimir’s manor’s front gate. At the gate stood two well-dressed attendants. Strangely, however, the two figures were wearing face covering masks. There was no design on the masks, they were simply blank. As the wagon approached, the attendants pulled the gates open to allow the group entry. Each attendant bowed courteously as the wagon passed them by. Aridean watched as the wagon rolled toward the manor as the two strange attendants closed the gate behind them.
Turning ahead, Aridean let out a quiet but surprised gasp at the size of the building. Vladimir’s manor was enormous, probably larger than even the barracks building back in Stonehaven. Walls were made of chiseled stone and large, if dark, glass windows were evenly spread along the structure. As Rana pulled the wagon up to the front door, Aridean noticed that there were more of the white flowers that were all around the town decorating Vladimir’s front door. Vladimir himself was standing in front of the opulent building with a kind, if tired looking, smile on his face.
“Welcome to my humble manor,” Vladimir greeted with a bow. Aridean thought to herself that the estate was anything but humble as she reexamined the grand design again. She was curious to see what Vladimir thought was grandiose in terms of architecture. Still bowing, the man lifted his head. Aridean felt a chill run down her spine as the man’s one visible eye surveyed the group. The chill in her spine was replaced with utter shock as the man’s lips moved, “It is my honor to have you joining me this evening… rebel soldiers.”