Ed entered the dining hall of the king’s palace in awe. He was hurried to his seat by an anxious-looking member of the king’s staff.

“Please, sir, take your seat,” the small man urged. He was adorned in the king’s colors, deep royal blue with gold trimmings.

Ed felt dizzy as he craned his neck back to view the vaulted ceiling, covered in frescoes of gods and heroes he didn’t recognize. The waiter pulled back an oversized chair and waved for Ed to sit. The chair was made of some magnificent redwood, covered in ornate carvings. It was so exquisite, it made everything Ed had ever owned seem meager in comparison.

Ed hadn’t wanted to attend the dinner, but Lila insisted.

You need to make an appearance after the expedition’s success, Lila had told him. She thought Ed was an important man now, fit to dine with kings and royals. But she wasn’t out in the desert with him and the others; she didn’t really know what happened out there.

Ed shuddered and then realized with embarrassment that the waiter was still holding the chair for him. Ed quickly took his seat and smiled graciously at the waiter. The man hurried off without responding.

Ed didn’t know how to fit in with these people, no matter what Lila thought. As soon as he stepped inside the castle grounds, he was worried there was some unspoken etiquette he wasn’t aware of. Was he saying the wrong things? Speaking too plainly? Wearing the wrong shoes?

He sighed loudly and drummed his fingers on the table. The smell of food wafted from the serving table across the room. Servers fussed about bringing massive plates of food from the kitchen behind a pair of wooden doors. Ed could smell roasted meats and some kind of shellfish. He was only familiar with about a quarter of the food and drink presented on the table. .

“What is all of that stuff?” Ed said under his breath, turning his head to his wife seated beside him.

“What stuff?” Lila asked, switching her attention from two gaudily dressed men arguing a few seats down.

“All of the food on that table. If it wasn’t sitting next to the meat and bread, I don’t think I’d know it was food at all.”

“It’s just food, my love. Please enjoy yourself.” She smiled at him and raised her glass. “Drink some wine with me.”

Ed reciprocated her toast and took a sip of his wine. It burned going down, and he struggled not to make a face. He had no idea how people drank this shit. Lila had insisted he drink a glass to keep up appearances.

Guards stood at either end of the room, dressed in full armor aside from helmets. Spears at their side, watching for any signs of disruption. Ed imagined there was extra security today, with so many non-royals at the dinner such as the lowly proles and soldiers from the expedition. It was obvious some of the regular attendees found their presence distasteful.

Ed felt the urge to spit at them. He wasn’t included in this group. You had to be born into it or know the right people. Ed was an outsider. He spent most of his childhood as a nomad, traveling across the deserts with his parents. His skin was weathered at the age of twenty-eight from years spent in the desert sun. He didn’t have the light skin and soft eyes the nobles did. To top it off, he was bald. According to his mother, Ed had hair when he was a child. But at some point, it fell out and never grew back. He didn’t have any problem with it, and neither did Lila. But it was seen as the look of a commoner to the royals of Telmaris. He had been called a sandscalp twice since they arrived at the castle.

It was just another reason why he couldn’t give a shit about all this royal business.

He adjusted the red cloth headband he always wore, a nervous tick at times. Lila poked him; she disliked it when he fussed with it.

She placed her hand over his gently. “Eddarion, dear. You’re scowling and fidgeting like someone just kicked your lumie across the room.”

“I don’t have a lumie,” Ed remarked.

Lila chuckled. “No but imagine if you did. You’d be even more adorable than you already are.”

Ed couldn’t help but smile. Lila always managed to take the edge off him. It had always been that way, even since they met nine years ago when he first moved to Telmaris.

“I heard the king has a massive lumie that’s even fatter than he is,” Ed whispered.

“Ed! You’re going to get us in trouble.”

“I heard the only thing bigger than his lumie is his bodyguard.”

Lila’s interest piqued. “I hope Lady Renodet is here today. I’ve always wondered if she’s as tall as the stories say.”

Ed pointed to the guards stationed around the room. “Looks like heightened security today to keep riffraff like you in check. I’m sure the king will be extra protected.”

Lila laughed and shoved his shoulder playfully. “I recognize Miss Yera from my mother’s shop. I’m going to introduce myself. Please behave while I’m gone.” She winked and stood up to leave.

Ed watched her go, her blue dress flowing behind her. She looked radiant. He had never seen her in that dress before; he guessed she borrowed it from her sister. Her chestnut hair was fashioned up in a fancy bun. Ed noticed a lot of the younger noblewomen had a similar style. Lila had done her homework.

Even her shoes were chosen for the occasion. They were stylish and leather, poking out from the hem of her dress. She had genuinely committed to looking the part.

Ed made a note to tell her how beautiful she looked when she returned. He didn’t tell her that enough.

More guests were seated, primarily members of the royal family. They all seemed to know each other like some prestigious club Ed had never received an invitation to. They greeted each other with empty platitudes and dramatic hand gestures. Ed found it horribly irritating.

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At the far end of the table, just to the side of the king’s massive chair, sat Ser Tristan Boulderdane. Ed knew this man, the king's right hand, more than he’d ever cared to. Ser Tristan led the expedition into the desert, which was the reason for this entire dinner. Ed would have preferred to never see him again.

Ser Tristan stood up, his massive blue cloak unfurling behind him. He tapped his glass loudly, hushing conversation in preparation for a speech. The room’s attention turned to him.

“Welcome, honored friends and esteemed guests! Tonight, we celebrate Vaalem’s ancient history. But more importantly, we celebrate our grand city-state of Telmaris as the steward of our world’s history!”

The room erupted in applause. Lila slid into her seat, hurrying back once the speech started.

“He seems even more pompous than you described him,” she whispered into Ed’s ear.

Ed laughed under his breath. “I bet he scolds his food when it doesn’t thank him for eating it.”

Lila giggled, slapping a hand to her mouth before anyone noticed. A few eyes turned towards them, and her face flushed red. She shot Ed a warning glare. Stop it!

Ser Tristan waited for every last bit of applause to die down before continuing.

“Last week, the king approved an expedition into the harsh desert. This arduous adventure aimed to retrieve an ancient artifact of immense historical significance. An artifact of the ancient goddess Somnia!” He paused for effect, eliciting oohs and ahhs from the crowd.

Lila gripped Ed’s hand at the mention of Somnia, squeezing it tightly. Painfully so.

“Lila, relax,” he said, touching her hand reassuringly.

“We are happy to report that our mission was successful,” Tristan continued. “Under my guidance, our small team was able to obtain this ancient piece of Vaalem’s history. We are happy to add another piece to our great king’s collection of antiquity.” Tristan made a dramatic gesture to his servants, who momentarily disappeared behind a side door before returning with a large object draped in royal blue cloth. They placed it carefully on a table beside Ser Tristan.

Ed’s eyes were drawn to the object underneath, even though he couldn’t see it. He felt his heart thump against his ribcage, and his hands grew clammy. Just as they had back in the cave when they first found this artifact.

When Ed had found it. A massive hourglass of swirling, purple sand.

Ed looked to Lila for comfort. She knew the expedition was harrowing for Ed, but he hadn’t shared all the details. But Lila offered no comfort. She was staring ahead intensely, transfixed, pupils dilated. Ed squeezed her hand.

“Lila?” he said quietly.

Lila turned her head quickly in response, meeting her husband’s eyes. “How strange…” she trailed off.

Ed pursed his lips, a feeling of dread seeping into him. He had hoped his wife was immune to whatever strange effect the hourglass had had on him. Looking around, it was clear they weren’t the only ones. Even Ser Tristan’s swagger seemed diminished in the presence of the hourglass.

“I told Tristan they shouldn’t have put it on display like this,” Ed said to Lila.

How stupid can the man be?

Tristan continued his speech, droning on about the great history of Telmaris and praising their king. As if on cue, the great doors at the end of the hall burst open in a flurry of sound and motion. A group of servants rushed and hurried in to roll out a grand rug. King Tobin and his entourage followed, strutting in with a confidence that only those deemed royal could muster..

The crowd whooped and hollered in celebration.

Ed found it hard not to laugh at the fat king strolling into the room like he was acting in a play. He shot Lila an amused glance, hoping to cut through some of the tension. She smiled back but looked uneasy.

King Tobin was an immense man. His royal blue tunic struggled to hold his belly, and his stubby legs disappeared under layers of grand fabric. An enormous cloak trailed behind him, making Tristan’s cloak look comically small in comparison.

His pet lumie sat on his shoulder. It was no larger than lumies Ed had seen in the past, which he found disappointing. Apparently, the rumors weren’t true. Its blobby skin glowed faint blue, eyes darting around the room with excitement. Ed always thought lumies looked like fuzzy jellyfish with eyes and a mouth. Lila loved them, even though she was allergic. He remembered his mother having a lumie when he was very young.

Immediately following the king was Lady Renodet, his esteemed bodyguard. She had to duck as she entered the room to avoid hitting her head.

“Oh my,” Lila stuttered.

“That’s the largest human I have ever seen in my life,” Ed replied.

Lady Ren was clad in simple leather armor over nondescript black clothes. She wore none of the king’s colors. Her black hair was messy and unkempt. She looked like she just returned from a battle… or woken up from a nap. One hand rested on a massive axe holstered at her belt. Her eyes scanned the room so intensely that Ed straightened up and stared at his table setting when she looked his way.

“She’s incredible,” Lila said.

She looked like she could cut down half the room before they had a chance to react. Ed resolved not to get on her bad side. Better yet, he’d stay as far away from her as possible.

The king settled in his massive chair, requiring assistance from multiple servants to hoist him up into it. He welcomed his quests, repeating some of Ser Tristan’s pleasantries before thanking the man for retrieving yet another artifact for his collection. Tristan beamed with pride.

Then, with a quick wave, he signaled Ren to unveil the treasure.

Ren yanked the blue cloth off in one smooth motion, revealing the magnificent hourglass underneath. Lila flinched, letting out a small gasp.

“Behold, the hourglass of Somnia the Dreamkeeper!” the king shouted, voice reverberating through the dinner hall.

Ed clutched Lila’s hand under the table, feeling her pulse race. Her hands were clammy, and her breathing was shallow, mimicking his own.

The voices and sounds of the great hall faded away as Lila stared at the hourglass, transfixed. Ed shook her arm gently. “Lila, look at me.”

The king continued to speak, though Ed wasn’t listening. Some of the people sitting near them started to notice the odd behavior.

Lila didn’t respond. The voices around them became murmurs, distant echoes. Ed’s throat tightened as he tried to get his wife’s attention.

Lila gripped the table as if in a trance, slowly rising to her feet. Her breath quickened into short gasps.

“Lila, stop!” he said, loud enough to draw the attention of the room. He held her hand tightly, but she jerked it away as if possessed.

Lila drifted towards the hourglass, sauntering towards the front of the room where the king sat.

Time seemed to slow down. All eyes turned towards his wife, though she was oblivious to it. Except for Ser Tristan, who glared at Ed. They shared a knowing look.

Memories from the desert cave rushed through Ed’s mind, unwelcome and uncaring. He felt helpless again, his body and mind at the will of some other being. Something outside of himself. He watched as his wife was subjected to the same unnatural forces, that same irresistible pull.

Ed saw the guards share glances before moving towards Lila, hands on weapons. Lady Ren’s intense gaze was fixed on Lila. Her axe glinted in the candlelight as her grip tightened around its shaft.

Ed watched helplessly as the guards restrained his wife, pinning her to the floor as she fought back against them. Ed knew he should act. He should help his wife, get her out of here, and take her home. But he couldn’t move. No matter how badly he wanted to.

Lila didn’t cry out, and her eyes stayed locked on the hourglass. She kicked and thrashed against the guards, nails clawing at the tile on the floor. Ed watched with utter shock as three fully armored guards failed to restrain his frail wife. She lurched forward with unnatural strength, dragging the guards with her, eyes wide and wild.