A glance between them said that they would talk more about it when they returned to her home, and they kept that promise.
“I get going on your own,” Caenum remarked almost as soon as the door closed. “But I don’t think you should bring me with you. I feel like I’m barely passing as a noble compared to you—and that’s surrounded by people who, I’m guessing, are supposed to be below us. I don’t want to get you caught because I don’t know what I’m doing in front of someone more important…”
Oria shook her head. “To be honest, you acted a lot better out there than what I thought you were going to. I think you tricked them just enough—in general, and not just because they thought you were better than them. Besides, I think it’ll actually be less suspicious this way.”
“How is this going to be any less suspicious than you going alone, as the only one they sent an invitation to?”
“Remember your ‘history?’ You’re the son of a fairy who frequently trades with the Fleyw Bresh. To you, knowing what boats are going from one harbor to another is business as usual. If I were to be the only one there… a minor noblewoman has no reason to be asking those kinds of things. Eventually they might even begin to wonder if I want my family to join where Madam Magia’s resides now.”
He paused and, cautiously, asked, “Do I want to know what happened to ‘Madam Magia,’ then..?”
She chose to approach the subject carefully, knowing both too much and too little information would make him even more wary. “It wasn’t what happened to Madam Magia specifically—no, she was a rather prominent figure among the Fae Court, once. It was what happened to her descendants, the ones who damned themselves to their fate. Their first fault was what the church claims as adultery, more of a mark on a person than the family. But her daughter stood up and did something… unexpected, a far more dire sin.” She debated, for a moment, if she even wanted to say it out loud. “She stood up, speaking against the church’s decision in a definitive act of heresy. For this, she was exiled, and now resting under the waves of Daphni’s fury. As for her family… suffice to say, their ties to Madam Magia mean nothing anymore.”
He definitely didn’t like that, but he didn’t try to convince her from it any longer. They both knew that, ultimately, she was right; this was the safer of their options.
She took the opportunity over the next day and up until their preparations to remind him what to expect—and what was expected of him in turn. She showed him more of her brother’s old clothes, adjusting bits of them as she needed to, and talked to him of proper etiquette; she styled his hair, then her own, and discussed the topics best left avoided; finally, on the trip there, she told him of the people he’d likely do best to avoid.
When they arrived, they were greeted by many unfamiliar faces and only a handful of familiar ones. Oria, raised on such outings, could spot the more subtle differences between those she was uncertain of. Caenum followed her lead in almost every way; she was pleasantly surprised how well he mastered the art of nobility, the delicate mix of sincerity and apathy.
She chose to start the real search for information once things had officially begun—and, thankfully, she didn’t need to wait too long for that.
Their first indication was the quieting room. Next, the utterance of praises and a collective bow by everyone in sight. Finally, looking up to see Lord Scuris glaring down at them all from the balcony.
He wasn’t… exactly what someone would call imposing. His age was clear, and the tiredness that came with it even more so. But he addressed them all with a powerful voice, one that commanded their respect, reminding them why he still stood on above them.
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Or… part of the reason, if rumors were to be believed.
“I’ve called you all here because of a message!” he called over the crowd. “A sign has presented itself to me—one of good fortune, of the grace of the gods. Everyone here will be blessed by its touch. Wondrous things are upon us, opportunities that no mortal has experienced before! And tonight, we gather to commemorate the beginning of something unprecedented, of something that will forever change our lives. For that, I believe there’s only one response.”
Some raised their voices, others held up their glasses, and others still seemed resolved or comforted. “Let us praise Orestis, for His creation, and Danai, for her everlasting light.”
Oria couldn’t help but spare a glance at Caenum, who looked confused, but no one else seemed to question it.
That quickly proved to be the extent of Lord Scuris’s public presence, because he walked away again a moment later. If he went down to join the crowd, she didn’t notice any difference; after a few moments, everyone continued their chatter as if nothing had happened at all.
“Is… that it?” Caenum asked quietly. When Oria started wandering around, he followed close behind her. “Isn’t he the host? Was that really all he intended to say..?”
“He’s the overseer of Salini,” she responded, knowing it only half-answered the question. “Lord Scuris undoubtedly has many more important matters to attend to. It’s a miracle to be that close to him at all.”
Her words echoed those of the crowds around them, though there was a difference between hers and theirs: theirs was one only of praise, while hers hid a shred of suspicion.
“We’re just going to ask around now, right?”
“Mhm. You’re going to need to do a lot of the asking, though. I can do a little on my own—I might be in the market for gifts for my parents, after all. But you’re going to have to ask when new ships might be coming, or when they’d be setting off.”
He was quiet, for a moment, but eventually it seemed that his fear got the better of him. “What if I mess up?”
“You haven’t drawn any suspicion to yourself yet. As long as you continue to act like us, they won’t suspect that you’re different.”
“What if someone here is able to see through it..? Or try to ask something that I can’t answer?”
She shook her head. “No one here knows that much. I… hear Fleyw Bresh believes in community, in and outside of the church. But True Qizar has separated themselves from these ideals. The longer you stay here, you begin to realize something: our sense of community only exists within the church. For many, we are only strangers once we leave. Very few would have traveled far enough away from their comfortable lives in order to know the kinds of things you’re implying.”
She would be the first to admit that it was a rather long answer. But it was the best she could give, and that she could almost completely believe in herself.
Oria decided she could take the initiative first, walking up to a couple of nobles of her status. They all bowed to each other, those without drinks getting one from a nearby servant, then she asked her question.
“Do you know if anything foreign arrived at the ports recently?” She, surprisingly, sounded much more confident than she felt. “I’m going to be meeting with my family next month—I wanted to give them something special. Anything from Salini, after all, they could’ve easily bought themselves.”
The small group considered it. They might have all been strangers, but to speak here was a sign that they were all members of high society—and for the like-minded, a bit of small talk could be afforded.
“I remember hearing about jewels from Aspea,” the first offered. “They’re some of the finest you’re ever going to find—untainted by humans and whatever else they do to them.”
“Hmm, but I imagine even that might be too mundane,” the second remarked. “My son-in-law controls one of the trade routes, you know. He tells me all kinds of things imported by the Fleyw Bresh. They’ve got exquisite silks there, you know. Each and every one of them are handmade.”
The third shook their head. “We have fine silks as well, ones that were definitely crafted without the use of their damned alchemy. If you want something truly foreign… I saw that the Orestis-forsaken murderers had at least one redeeming quality. There seems to have been a recent shipment of all kinds of trinkets.”
Even Oria wasn’t quite sure if her response was out of reflex or an honest feeling. “That seems like a request for divine retribution…” She shook her head. “I’ll consider all of that, thank you. I’m sure I’ll find something they’ll adore.”
She smiled, and guided Caenum away before the group could’ve tried to ask any of their own questions.