Marrin watched his new, if temporary lord, departing with Branch.

"Let's go." Said Esra, and led the way. But while Branch and Lordling Talia seemed to be heading toward the better part of the Citadel, Esra seemed determined to take him the opposite direction. Perhaps it was even more simple than that. Branch was going to were the fancy people lived and partied. While Esra was taking him to where the work occurred. More warehouses, and even some werehouses, lurked.

This had been a very confusing time for him. It was late, and Marrin was long in the habit of an early bedtime. If he had to stay up late, it was due to the duty of being an Enforcer. Strolling through the Citadel with no clear goal was a strange experience for him.

"Healers are very expensive." Said Marrin. Normally, any injury was just a question of if he could ignore it long enough to go on campaign and have one of the healers there work on it.

"Not this one. She'll work in exchange of stories."

There were many healers who did such strange exchanges. They were open for as long as they wanted, and then when they finished, they returned to their academies or libraries.

Marrin followed Esra, confusion and exhaustion on his body.

He had an entire shift in his perspective and life-trajectory. Earlier that day, he would have complained that even with the power of a Middling, he had been defeated by a lowling servant. He had viewed it as shameful and a humiliation. He had taken solace in the fact that the Lowling had been a Lordling. And he had felt much better after watching Lord Fredar have to drink the mouse bedding concoction. But all in all, his thoughts about the fallen Lordling had been rather neutral. The servant Branch had posed a danger, but also the chances of Marrin being singled out by the noble were low.

Now he had a mission to help that Lowling Servant. Time and time again, in this last hour, Elswith's character had been revealed. Someone quick to help. Slow to betray. Cunning.

The day would end in all appearances very badly for Marrin. On the surface, it was worse to be an Enforcer Commander of a ruined Court than a sub-commander of the

had revealed more of Elswith's character than all the political parties and secret meetings. But he couldn't help. The Game wouldn't allow it.

But the Game wasn't perfect. He knew He felt exhausted, but he also felt energized. His family had once been important, powerful rulers and masters of a proper and fancy Court. I am looking forward to getting to know your family, but my primary purpose is spending time with you before you deploy

That the last several generations had been hunted out of existences or into very rural and uneducated farm life didn't besmudge the proud history. Once those generations directly above him had secret knowledge, understanding of far off laws. Marrin didn't have anything like that. Honestly, the last few years had been demoralizing and he had slacked on his self-improvement. But surely, if his ancestors could rise in rank and build a court to such finery as the Sky Court, so could he...

"What did you think of the Ash Court?" Asked Esra.

Branch had asked the great Mage to stay with Marrin for a few days. Now that the danger had passed, Marrin didn't mind the lanky mage nearly as much as when he discovered the famous Gravity bender had the mental planning of idiot. Or at least, it had seemed like he was an idiot.

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Marrin remembered his own experience wielding the Sword, and how hard it had been to separate the different elements. He wondered, if the Mage felt everything thing underfoot. How terrifying it may be to forget which way is down or up. How many pieces of information did the Mage have to balance in his mind during a battle? Perhaps his continued courage to run toward the danger was more a testament to his mental fortitude than Marrin could have imagined.

"It is a place of opportunity, but there is significant danger. I think that the Law of Fae is loose there."

Esra looked at him blanky.

"Don't you feel the Law of Fae at all?"

"No." he said.

"How did you grow to such an age without knowing the feeling of the very balance of all the Fae power? Did becoming a Mage blunt your ability to feel it?" Marrin shouldn't be one to judge. He had felt the Law of Fae before too. But now after becoming an Heirling, he saw it with more clarity and color than before. It almost made it feel alive.

"I just did." Esra shrugged. "Do you know why Spikes is trying to build power? He already has enough stuff to do. Do you know he sometimes goes to parties for like 30 seconds, says a speech, then leaves for another party?"

Marrin looked at him obliquely. Branch had charged him not to reveal the Game to Esra. Don't tell him about the Game. Don't tell him about the Servant Branch's ongoing struggle.

The Seelie Courts are made of houses of cards, of truths and almost truths. Elswith had said in a whispered conference. But Esra doesn't see them at all. And Esra could knock them all down.

Marrin wished he knew more about the Game. At least that way he would be able to help more. When he had been bound to the Sky Court, such information was locked from him. But now, as the Commander of the Enforcers of the Ash Court...perhaps he could find out what Branch was aiming for; and how to help him.

"You are either growing stronger or getting weaker." Marrin said at last. "I think he has some plans..."

Esra yawned at the mention of the word plans. "Fine, fine. I don't care. I don't like that he ditched us. How rude. He always avoids hanging with his boys in public."

They had to stop as a procession of attendants moved past, blocking the road as they hauled a massive sedan chair with a vieled figure within.

Marrin asked a question that was disturbing him. "Branch said..." Marrin paused as he registered that Esra looked at him blankly. "Branch is Elswith's name?" Esra continued looking at him stupidly. "Elswith is Spike's other name?"

"Why does he do that? Always throwing around new names. Spikes needs to simplify his life."

The Mage was clearly very temperamental. Marrin could adjust; he had survived first Lordling Fredar's ridiculous requests, then Lord Fredar's much more different to disregard's ridiculous requests. At least the Mage was not cruel. "Spikes said that I need to be extra extra careful on a Full Moon...do you know anything about that?"

"I don't know. Just think happy thoughts."

The Mage led them down a flight of stairs of a building Marrin recognized as a storage facility. It was a very mundane sort of place, and Marrin was not certain that they had permission to be there.

They entered a narrow passage way, into a dim room. Esra knocked on an old door, and after a minute entered. "If Spikes is building power, then it's time for me to become a wizard so I can help too!" the lanky mage said, and clapped Marrin on his back.

Marrin let out a grunt of pain.

Then a female voice called out quietly. "I told you to stop bringing all your wounded birds to me."

It was a very pleasant voice. It had an honesty to it, and a light bit of teasing.

The Law of Fae was present then. Marrin had no experience with seeing it in such vivid details, but he wondered if it normally glowed golden and honey in smooth eddies of power around the room. It was strange, because the Law of Fae didn't block him from seeing (or in this case, not seeing), it didn't provide any illumination. But it still filled the room with the sense of light that almost sparkled.

And something else seemed to scream so loud in displeasure Marrin almost fell down. Whatever that was, it was not pleased.

"There, there, baby bird. I will treat you. Never fear. I just must scold Esra for bringing yet another stranger to me in the middle of the night."

The Lanky Mage scoffed softly. "You said you wouldn't see any more of them. And it's dark, so you can't see. See, I can be clever too."

"Enough." And a candle was lit.

And revealed a human.