Alastair begrudgingly completed his chores. It felt different without her by his side. Lonely. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to internalize. He wandered through the shops but didn’t buy anything.

As he approached the Manor gate, the guards pulled forward. “Back off. No entry.”

Alastair fumbled for his access coin. “I have this.”

The guard took it and examined it. Alastair thought that he might not even give it back. And where would Alastair be then? But a moment later, the guard said, “No idea where you got this, but it appears genuine. Don’t make me regret letting you in.” The gate opened, but just enough for Alastair to slip through.

A beautiful garden extended on either side of the carriage path. Large trees that shouldn’t exist in such a small space filled a canopy above, even as smaller plants and flowers adorned the side of the path. Alastair wandered along until he came to a bridge of red lacquered wood. As he crossed the bridge, the manor walls stood solid on either side. Alastair noticed a parade field, multiple barracks, and another gate beyond. The doors to that gate were open wide, and Alastair didn’t want to consider who practiced on that field, so he hustled himself along. The manor rose large in front of him. Flor sat on a porch swing, drinking some iced beverage.

“Glad you made it. Take a moment. Helena should be along shortly.”

Alastair sat in the swing. His legs were noticeably shorter than hers. “Why do you think I keep getting shoved into small characters?” he said.

Flor took another sip and swung. “You remember Mal, I bet?”

“How could I forget?”

“How could we forget, you mean? Well, she said this is a playtest. So I’m sure there are implications with that.”

“I didn’t hear her say that.”

Flor gave a flat look, then took a breath. “You’ve got to start accepting that I might know something you don’t.”

Alastair sat, dumbfounded. “I…I didn’t mean anything by that. Just that I didn’t hear her say it.”

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“Your comment added nothing to our conversation. You could have said nothing and it would have been as useful.”

A small realization came upon him, then. That’s her rage…at me!

He sat quietly, then, wondering what she would say next. But Helena came and gathered them before she spoke.

Helena led them into a large chamber, then to a smaller side room and down a set of stairs. A small, oddly advanced keypad was embedded in the wall. “This is the vault. I’d prefer you didn’t watch me enter my code.”

Alastair and Flor looked away while Helena punched numbers in.

The door beeped and then unlocked and popped open. Helena held it aside and gestured them in. “The Lord Mayor and Lady should be joining us shortly. Please, be patient and wait over there.” She indicated a blank space on the wall. Alastair used the moment to take in the surroundings. The large table in front of them was dark wood, surrounded by benches and a chair on either side. Maps and paintings filled the walls.

Alastair looked at the painting behind him. It filled the wall, set in a gilded frame, depicting a large-scale battle painted in frightful detail. Alastair tried to take it all in but was so close that he could only appreciate the close details. The painting demanded to be appreciated both close and far; for its specifics and simultaneous grandeur and uniqueness. Alastair had just begun to look beyond the single maid hauling stones to a trebuchet when a guard entered and said, “The Lord Mayor!”

Alastair turned to see a man enter the chamber; the same man he had beaten to death, and been beaten to death by, the day prior. Rage filled his eyes, but the Mayor didn’t even consider him. Instead, Alastair realized that several other people had filled the spaces around the table, including a couple of names he recognized. The mayor walked to the table, leaned down, and entered a key. The black table went translucent and then glowed blue.

“Bear with me. Whose got a joke?” said Oliver.

Alastair was confused by the placated voice. Maybe I’m wrong about him.

“No one? Fine. Why was six afraid of seven?”

The audience groaned.

“You wouldn’t have to withstand my terrible jokes if you were prepared to tell one yourself. It’s not like this is the first time we’ve gathered in my war room.”

Alastair thought This guy is a much more terrible dad than an awful warlord.

The table flashed from blue to gray, then came into focus showing an overview of the city of West Shilgrave divided into a grid. Alastair immediately noticed a couple of sections that seemed damaged.

Mayor Oliver said, “We’re still experiencing problems in several sectors.” He pointed to four different squared-off sectors on the map. “The Lady has convinced me to delay taking these problems to the Lord Necromancer. But we still don’t have a solution to the problem, and without his guidance, or your inspiration, we don’t have a means of fixing this city. So, once again, I’m asking you to confirm that I must make the terrible trade and travel to his keep.”