The Myth Seekers stood inside the Grand Dining Hall, awed by the magnitude of the decorations that had gone into the event. Streamers of gold and silver hung from the ceiling, and a banner along the wall directly across from the entrance spelled out in flags, “Welcome our new lords and ladies.” Beautiful tablecloths and place settings adorned each table, and a lovely flower arrangement of golden and silver blooms sat in the center of every setting, matching the ceiling streamers.
Raith had expected a long table like the one at the Hollow Earl’s castle, his only real experience of noble dining. This, clearly, was different. Over two dozen large circular tables were spaced evenly through the enormous room. Along the far wall beneath the banner was a bar where a handful of bartenders strode back and forth, cleaning glasses, bringing ice, and preparing for the coming revelry. To the right, on a raised dais, a long straight table several feet higher than the rest of the room, presumably awaited Lady Greendawn herself.
Thea looked around the hall, empty except for servants.
“Are we sure it starts at seven?”
“It said seven o’clock,” Raith replied, pulling out his pocket watch and double-checking. They were indeed on time.
Tolliver grimaced and stuck his nose in the air. “I told you. No one comes to these things until at least half an hour after the stated time.”
Raith shrugged.
“Well, that doesn’t make sense. If it’s supposed to start at seven thirty, why not say seven thirty?”
“Because if they said that, everyone would arrive at eight,” Tolliver said.
“I still don’t get it, but that’s fine. I can be patient,” Raith offered.
Thea’s eyebrows shot up. “What did you just say?”
Raith blinked. “What? I said I can be patient.”
Thea snorted with laughter.
“That is so untrue, it’s offensive. You are one of the least patient human beings I have ever met.”
Raith chose not to ignore that, unable to come up with a convincing defense. “Did everyone take their potions?” he asked instead.
They all nodded. Nyhm had brewed something he claimed would stave off the worst effects of alcohol so they could appear to be drinking socially without getting too intoxicated. Nyhm spoke up, cautious.
“Remember, I’m still learning. They should help keep you sober, but they’re not perfect. So don’t go crazy with the drinks tonight.”
“Has anyone seen Zinny?” Thea asked.
No one had, and Raith was secretly relieved. There was no telling what sort of trouble she would make in a place like this.
A servant stepped up to them, bowing with practiced grace.
“My lords, my ladies, may I show you to your seats?”
It turned out Raith and Thea had been seated at the table directly in front of the hostess’s dais, while Tolliver, Zinny, and Nyhm were placed halfway back in the room. Raith knew from Tolliver’s lessons that splitting up a new cohort was a deliberate social move to encourage nobles to circulate and gossip, but he still hated to be separated.
As they took their seats, Thea gave Raith a pointed look.
“If you walk around looking that scared all night, these people will eat you alive.”
Raith offered a wry grin.
“I guess the good news is at least these nobles don’t have weird rat-creatures they’ll feed us to.”
They both laughed. “True enough,” Thea said.
Their conversation was cut short when a serving girl appeared.
“My lord, my lady, may I get you a drink?”
“Yes.” Raith paused. “And what’s your name?”
It occurred to him belatedly that he should have gotten the first servant’s name, too, in pursuit of keeping his word to Embry.
“Gabriella,” she said with a small curtsey.
Raith’s mind clicked. This was one of the people Guildmaster Embry had suggested he speak to regarding the disappeared thief.
“A glass of red wine for me,” Raith told her.
“Myself as well,” Thea agreed.
Raith realized he hadn’t told his friends about the arrangement with Embry, at least not the part that concerned asking around this very house. He leaned toward Thea and explained the gist of the deal. She listened with narrowing eyes; when he finished, she hissed through clenched teeth, “I thought we agreed no more Thieves’ Guild [Quests] until the whole team votes.”
“It isn’t a [Quest],” Raith protested. “I haven’t been asked to do anything except ask a few discreet questions.”
Thea closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“If we weren’t at a dinner party, I would [Shield Bash] you right now.”
“It’s just asking a few questions. I don’t have to do anything.”
“Asking questions is doing something, you twit.”
“Fine, but we need the manor, and more importantly the mirror, protected. This was one of the conditions for getting that done.”
She crossed her arms and glared at him as Gabriella returned with their wine. Raith opened his mouth to ask the girl about the missing thief while the dining hall was empty, but was interrupted by a commotion from the entrance.
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They hadn’t had long to wait after all, as a score of elegantly dressed nobles sauntered to their tables in ones and twos. Raith’s stomach knotted as he saw Camillia’s parents among them, but unclenched very slightly when Camillia herself was not with them. The two did not even glance his way as they were shown to their table near the back of the hall. Indeed, he noticed that nearly all of the nobles to arrive first were seated towards the back.
Guests continued to trickle in after the initial rush, no one yet joining the two of them, much to Raith’s relief. He saw that Tolliver and Nyhm’s table was nearly full, the [Mage] clearly comfortable making small talk while his brother cast around in desperation looking for an escape. Gasps from around the hall drew his attention back towards the entrance.
Zinny had arrived. And she brought a guest.
The man standing next to her was an ethereally handsome sidhe, garbed in the height of rakish fashion from an age past. He smiled shyly and blew a wisp of golden hair out of his face that fell right back where it had been. Zinny waved cheerfully at Raith. He waved back as a servant hesitantly approached the two fae and bowed, gesturing towards the table where Nyhm and Tolliver sat.
“I’ll bet you ten gold that half the noblemen in this city will be wearing that outfit by the end of the week,” Thea said from beside him.
As the room filled, Raith nursed his wine, not out of any real concern for intoxication (he would have welcomed a little relaxation at that point), but because the anxiety of the impending social engagement had his stomach in knots. He realized that this might be every bit as delicate as navigating the Hollow Earl’s court. The unseelie’s aspects were out in the open for all to see. However cruel or manipulative the Earl and his court had been, they at least were exactly what they appeared to be. The mortals gathered here, however, were far more complex, no one entirely what they seemed. Indeed, people were generally several things at once, both good and bad.
The first couple to join their table drew his attention. The woman was small and mousy, wearing a pale blue dress that made her look like a doll despite her middle years. Her big, bright blue eyes and tiny mouth gave her a perpetual look of mild surprise, as though the world constantly confused her. Sitting beside her was a broad man in a sharply cut red tunic, reminiscent of a military uniform but crafted from finer cloth, trimmed in dark blue and gold. His face was broad, his mustache bushy, his nose bulbous and red as though from years of drink.
Thea stood quickly, elbowing Raith to follow her lead. They both offered polite bows.
“Lady Thea,” she said smoothly, gesturing to her companion. “And Lord Raith.”
The mousy woman giggled behind her hand. The man gave an overly formal bow that made Raith uncomfortable and introduced himself grandly. “Lord Darrell Veneth, and my lovely wife. But of course, you will have heard of us.”
Raith looked at him blankly, but Thea’s knowledge saved the moment.
“Yes, of course, sir. Your flower gardens are legendary. A dear friend of my mother’s is your head caretaker, I believe.”
“Ah yes, [Druid] Galeith!” he laughed. “Fine fellow, fine fellow. I dare say I owe much of Blackport’s prestige to his diligence!” He chuckled again, the kind of laugh that seemed to expect others to join in. His wife simply looked down and tittered softly, as though out of habit rather than humor.
“So,” Lord Veneth said jovially, “what does your estate produce?”
Raith blinked, unsure how to answer, and glanced at Thea. So far as he knew, their estate didn’t produce anything. Thea’s face betrayed no greater understanding.
“I’m afraid we haven’t yet had time to investigate,” Raith said carefully. “We’ve only just returned to the city, and rehabilitating our mansions has taken most of our energy.”
“Ah, yes! Quite an undertaking,” Lord Veneth replied. “I dare say the Duke got the better of you on that little gift.”
Raith frowned slightly. “Forgive my ignorance, but what do you mean by what our estate produces?”
“Well, your patent of nobility came with an estate, likely some miles outside the city. All nobles claim ownership of land, of course, as a means of income. I myself once held vast farmlands, but they proved too tiresome to manage, so I narrowed my interests to the flowers for which the Kingdom so adores me.”
He chuckled again, continuing, “You likely have a small plot of farmland that provides modest income, enough that you don’t embarrass the Crown with poverty. Still, I suggest you find out what your land produces, who’s managing it, and whether you might be getting stolen from. Expand your holdings if you can, it’s always wise to diversify! I also maintain a stake in the Rippon River Transport Company, ho ho ho!”
His wife giggled again. Raith had no idea what they found amusing.
Before he could puzzle it out, four more people joined the table, two couples. One pair was ancient and frail, introducing themselves as Lord and Lady Barada. The other was a handsome couple in their mid-thirties, the Landours. The man’s smile seemed overly practiced, and the woman’s eyes were far too clever for Raith’s comfort.
The serving girl, Gabriella, came and went among the tables, but with so many guests arriving, there was no chance to speak privately. Raith watched the door she used and silently planned how he’d slip out at the first opportunity to steal a quiet word with her away from prying ears.
After some time of awkward small talk, during which the couples peppered Raith and Thea with questions far too personal for first acquaintances, a sharp blare of a bugle silenced the hall.
Everyone rose as the herald’s voice rang out, announcing the arrival of Lady Greendawn and her entourage.
The lady herself swept into the room and took her place at the dais. She was a large woman with long brown curls and a warm, genuine smile that instantly set the room at ease. At her side stood her husband, a bookish man less than half her size, his eyes darting nervously around the hall in stark contrast to her calm authority. Four others took seats to either side of her, either family or favored noble houses, Raith wasn't sure.
Lady Greendawn raised her glass and spoke, her voice carrying easily over the crowd.
“I would like to welcome you all to my humble little party,” she said, gesturing lightly at the room’s extravagant finery. Laughter rippled through the guests. “And I would especially like to welcome our newest nobles. The curers of the Grins, the heroic adventuring team known as the Myth Seekers! Long life and prosperity to you all!”
She lifted her glass high, and the gathered guests echoed her toast.
Then, with a bright smile, she clapped twice.
“Now, let the feast begin!”
A group of musicians in the far corner, whom Raith hadn’t noticed enter, struck up a pleasant tune as a small army of servants began carrying trays of food into the hall. Dinner passed in a blur of apparent small talk with some unseen current roaring beneath that Raith couldn’t quite identify. All he knew was that he didn’t especially care for these people, and tried to extract himself at the first opportunity.
There was evidently a long break between the entree and when dessert was served, giving the guests an opportunity to mingle and digest.
“Can you please tell me where the restroom is?”
Thea gave him a look that could curdle milk, knowing full well what he was doing. Lord Landour directed him towards a doorway that was decidedly not the one he needed to use to find Gabriella.
I’ll just follow her out anyways and claim ignorance.
Several people tried to intercept him en route, but he feigned an urgent bladder and slipped past them, hopefully without causing offense. Catching the serving girl just after she passed through the door, he tapped her shoulder and she startled, nearly dropping the tray of dirty plates. She looked back at him with a flush and look of barely disguised irritation.
“Forgive me, my lord, but I am a married woman. If you seek additional attention, I pray you ask the Lady to provide those who have volunteered for the task. It would not be the first time she honored such a request for her guests.”
Raith blushed furiously and held both palms up in protest.
“Woah, that is not at all what I wanted. Guildmaster Embry said I could talk to you about what happened to the [Thief] who disappeared here last week.”
She relaxed at this, and cast around to ensure no one else was nearby.
“I don’t know anything for certain, but I’ve heard rumors. I be sure he didn’t get the emerald necklace he was after. You should talk to Darren in the kitchen. Tall skinny man with long red hair. If anyone has the answers you’re looking for, it’s him.”
“Thank you for continuing to be a friend to the guild,” Raith said, placing a gold coin on her tray. She flashed a smile and made the coin disappear into a pocket just as two more servants passed them with looks that were much too curious for Raith’s comfort.
Just as he was about to head into the kitchen, Lady Greendawn stepped from the dining hall with slightly narrowed eyes contrasting against her calm smile. Panic rose in Raith's chest, and the thought that he was about to disappear just like the thief he'd been sent to investigate surged unbidden into his mind.
I am so screwed.
