Though it would be many hours before the banquet began, we decided to head back to the castle as a group. Prince Mito assured the others he would find more permanent housing for his colleagues within city limits even while advocating for the restoration of the theatre. He avoided any talk of his upcoming travels, most likely wanting to spend a little more time goofing off with his friends before heading to Chairo with us. Out of them all, it was clear that Andreas was his favorite, the two arguing about absolutely nothing important.

Vernie remained quiet during the journey, her gaze fixed on the surroundings. Brittany trailed closely behind, subtly mimicking her movements while trying not to get caught. Vernie must have noticed, but she chose not to acknowledge it.

Well… at least one actor won’t be shocked at tonight’s banquet.

My stomach, ever ready to audibly register its displeasure, sounded the alarm right after I caught an aroma of grilled meat with hints of a spicy fragrance entangled in it. “Where’s that coming from?” I asked curiously.

“The market’s not far from here,” Alaric advised, sniffing the air. “Cassia’s setting up her shish kebab stall for lunch.”

“Meat on a stick!” I demanded on behalf of my neglected digestive system. “Can we make a quick stop?”

Prince Mito gave me an insufferable look. However, I reminded him, “You didn’t even let me get breakfast!”

“You’re the one who chose to sleep in late,” he replied haughtily.

I delivered my closing argument as, “Food. Now.”

After the jury ruled in my favor, we meandered over to Cassia’s cart, where an array of kebabs were on display. They glistened on the grill with steam wafting upwards enticingly. I quickly passed by the vegetable options and instead focused on… the meats!

“Here, hold this,” I said, passing my staff to Vernie as I prepared to indulge. “I’m getting chicken and beef, and I’m going to need both hands!”

Cassia shook her head as I held out my handful of Umbra marks. “Afraid that’s not enough for both.”

But that’s all I have! I hung my shoulders dejectedly, staring at the coins.

“We have to get you some real money,” Vernie sighed, pulling out some coins to pay on my behalf. “Keep the change.”

“Thank you!” I dropped the marks back into my pocket before taking a kebab in each hand. “Anyone else getting anything?” I offered up Vernie’s coins, but no one else seemed to be hungry.

Prince Mito gestured towards a nearby courtyard with a flourish of irritation. “Let’s find a seat to observe the spectacle of you further delaying us.” Oh, he’s getting obnoxious again… I guess it’s my turn to teach him a lesson.

“Why bother? I can eat and walk at the same time, see?” As we walked down the main pathway, I demonstrated said skills like a champion, alternating my bites between the two skewers.

The look of absolute repugnance on his face was totally worth it.

“At least wipe your face and hands when you’re done!” he demanded, shoving a handkerchief at me. To be fair, the kebabs were a little juicier than I had expected them to be.

“Thanks!” I replied, cleaning up as best as I could. “It seems a true gentleman is always prepared.” I tried to hand him back the now-soiled cloth, but he recoiled as if I was trying to hand him a live snake.

“Just… keep it,” he muttered with distaste.

Despite his impatience, we returned to the castle grounds only shortly thereafter. As we approached the main gate, the sharp sound of our steps on the cobblestone walkway drew the attention of the guards stationed there. Upon recognizing us, they straightened their posture and hastened to open the gates. The heavy oak doors swung inward with a resonant groan, welcoming us back from our brief foray into town.

Prince Mito walked forward resolutely, leading the way. However, he slowed and stopped, standing directly before one of the guards. “I appreciate your service, Alvaro,” he said as if he were carefully testing out the words for the first time. “And convey my best wishes to your daughter regarding her recent wedding. I heard the ceremony was beautiful.”

Visibly taken aback by the prince’s acknowledgment, Alvaro stiffened up even more before bowing deeply. “Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll be sure to do so.”

The brief, unexpected exchange left the other guards visibly shaken, and their murmurs of disbelief followed us as we made our way into the castle’s Great Hall.

“See? What’d I tell ya,” Vernie practically purred in self-congratulation.

“I… suppose it wasn’t too much trouble,” he conceded before addressing a nearby attendant. “Please see to accommodations for our additional guests. Oh, and ask Reginald to—”

“Captain Lightbringer!” Father Irijah’s high-pitched cry reverberated through the hall. “Holy Sage Relias has ordered your immediate presence in the Royal Sanctuary!”

We turned in unison, watching the frantic priest stumble multiple times as he ran across the hall toward us. He finally came to a stop a few feet away, doubling over as he tried to catch his breath.

“Please tell me he’s not serious,” Tim muttered.

Allen replied quietly, “Maybe it’s an inside joke.”

A heavy feeling of unease settled on my shoulders as I tried to fight off a paralyzing sense of foreboding. “I should go and see what he wants…”

“I’ll join you,” Vernie offered, already taking the lead. I ended up walking slightly behind, subconsciously using her as a proverbial shield.

“Ah! Wait... wait for me!” Father Irijah half-walked, half-crept behind us, still struggling to catch his breath.

Relias paced before the Royal Sanctuary, his sandals clacking against the stone floor. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back, and his long blond hair had fallen in unruly strands over his tense face. Nora stood nearby, her back pressed against the ornate wall next to the closed doors, wearing a perplexed expression as she watched him with furrowed brows.

“Uh.. You wanted to see me right away?” I asked hesitantly, the surrounding tension causing a prickle to run up and down my arms.

“You two…” He paused, drawing a deep breath before exhaling sharply. “...ventured beyond the bounds of this castle without so much as a whisper of your intentions! Can you even fathom the depths of my anxiety, the sheer worry that has gripped me in your absence?” His eyes, usually calm and serene, flashed intensely. “It was only by the grace of an overheard whisper from a chambermaid that my fears were not compounded into a frantic search for you!”

Am I in trouble again? “I was just—”

“Give him a chance to calm down before explaining, “ Vernie quietly advised. “There’s no reasoning with him when he gets like this.”

“You promised you wouldn’t yell,” Nora pointed out, still frowning. “And she wasn’t gone all that long.”

Relias flinched and ceased his pacing. “I was most certainly not yelling,” he clarified in a quieter yet still tense tone. “I was merely expressing my heartfelt concern.”

Vernie blinked, giving me a startled look after seeing Nora’s ability to tame him.

“Uh huh,” Nora sighed as she lifted herself off the wall and walked over to us. “He’s just upset that the Sanctuary was ‘desecrated,’” she explained, using finger quotes. “And he thought it was somehow related to your temporary disappearance.”

Relias coughed, his expression slightly ashamed. “The Sanctuary can be dealt with at a later time. But the possibility of losing you again...” His voice faltered, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe I’m overreacting to all of this...”

I think I can keep myself out of trouble for a few hours without a nanny; thank you!

Suppressing an overwhelming urge to say something obnoxious, I quickly approached the Sanctuary doors and pushed them open to survey the damage. The inside was somewhat shrouded in darkness, making it difficult to see beyond a few feet from the entrance with any absolute clarity. There were, however, a few tall, narrow windows on either side that let in small, latticed moats of dust. “What do you mean by desecrated?” I asked, not noting anything different.

“Isn’t it obvious?!” Father Irijah wheezed from behind. “The candlelight vigil for His Majesty has been snuffed out! And you were the last one to see them lit!”

“Well, yeah… But I don’t see the big deal. I put them out last night before I left,” I shrugged.

Father Irijah took a stance that screamed righteous indignation. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done!? It will take weeks to re-sanctify this holy space!”

Re-sanctify? What the hell… This time, I was convinced I hadn’t made a mistake, so I wasn’t going to take it, especially from some little weasel trying to stir up trouble.

“We can’t just relight the candles?” I proposed with unprecedented annoyance stacked behind those tersely delivered words.

“Makes sense to me!” Vernie agreed.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Irijah snapped. “Prayers and offerings across the next lunar month must abound before such blessings can be restored!”

“Well, why were they left unattended in the first place, then!” I yelled angrily. “Only a fool would leave open flames in this…” I stopped, finally pinpointing what bothered me about the castle’s interiors. With a loud gasp, I shouted, “Tinderbox! This whole palace is a tinderbox waiting to burn down again!”

“What curse are you placing on these royal grounds?!” Father Irijah cried. “How can you even mention the recurrence of such a terrible doom?”

My lip curling into a sneer, I looked at the agonized priest and gestured at the walls. “Take a look all around you. Straw, leather… and the same wood used to build the theatre all burn easily! And you dare to cram a wooden altar full of candles without wax catchers? Leave them to burn for hours in an empty, enclosed room? Install a giant door that disrupts the air current every time it’s opened? It’s a wonder this place hasn’t burned down a dozen times already!”

“You…” Relias moaned loudly, covering his face in his hands. “Are absolutely right! King Amantia and his entire royal line, all wiped out because of a preventable accident…”

Father Irijah stared incredulously at Relias. “Aren’t you the one who declared it was the work of de—”

“Even I, in my divine servitude, am not without flaw!” Relias thundered, cutting him off abruptly. “Will you dare stand before me and claim purity, free from the stains of your own transgressions?”

Father Irijah drew himself up. “I absolve myself from any blame regarding this travesty! You’re the one who implemented candlelight vigils for those souls who are soon to pass!” He made a series of strangled noises that increased in pitch as he stormed down the hallway and out of sight.

“Are priests allowed to absolve themselves?” Nora asked, turning to Vernie and me with a sly grin. “Seems kind of suspicious to me.”

“They do it all the time,” Vernie confirmed, waving her hand dismissively.

“Uh… Should we just let him go like that?” I wondered aloud, unsure what to do if we caught up with him. Personally, I thought he needed a time-out, but I wasn’t volunteering to babysit him.

“It’s not worth the energy,” Relias huffed, straightening his robes with a sharp flick of his wrists before pushing back strands of hair that had fallen out of place. “He has a knack for provoking the worst in me, I swear. Let’s focus on restoring blessings and honor to the Royal Sanctuary.”

“Um… If what he said is true, you know, about candlelight vigils…” I hesitated. “Can’t you just… You know, introduce a safer alternative here instead?” Other than Father Irijah, who else would argue with him about the church's authority?

“What do you have in mind?” he inquired.

“Maybe… flowers?” They seemed innocuous enough. “King Saulus seems to enjoy them out in his conservatory.”

“How’d you know about that?” Nora asked curiously.

Crud!

“Oh! Uh, Prince Mito… was telling me he likes to go out in the garden when he can.”

Nora nodded. “Makes sense. And there’s precedent for using them as decorations in churches, at least where I’m from. Some people are allergic to them, but that might not be a problem since they’re already on-premises. The biggest problem I see is… sunlight. There’s probably not enough in there for most flowers to thrive.”

“Worry not about that, but it will have to look divinely inspired…” Relias frowned. “Anything appearing as less than a miracle right now would be questioned, and we can’t delay our mission.”

“Could you make them bloom on command?” I inquired. “That would impress me well enough!”

“Slowly at first,” Nora added. “Then faster, like they’re popping up everywhere! I bet that would be quite the show!”

“Right as I seek blessings for our journey and to King Saulus for his support… yes…” Relias murmured practically to himself before turning to Nora. “Which flower do you think would be best for this occasion?”

Wasn’t it… my idea? Why did he ask— oh…

Nora grinned. “If sunlight isn’t a problem, then I’d go with Irises! They’re symbols of hope, wisdom, and bravery. All things a king is supposed to have, anyway. And there were beautiful purple ones in the garden, so finding bulbs should be easy.”

“Will you lead the way to their whereabouts?” Relias asked Nora.

“No problem!” Nora turned to me. “Wanna come too?”

No way! Absolutely not!

“Actually, I was thinking about looking for Aleph and Tetora. It would be nice for them to meet the rest of the acting troupe.”

Vernie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, they should get to know each other before the banquet.”

Nora smiled. “Oh, so that’s what you two were up to. Well, catch you later then!”

I watched as the two of them headed off to the inner courtyard, silently fighting a twinge of nervousness in my stomach.

“You alright?” Vernie asked, taking a step away. “You look… gassy.”

Gassy?!

“Post-meat fatigue,” I muttered, hoping it was just wind and that it, too, would pass.