"What was that about?" Grace hissed in my ear as we stepped into the palace's grand vestibule. Another high staircase took us up to the main level, with two more staircases leading to wings on our left and right, which were closed off by strips of blue cloth hung across the doors. The doors to the ballroom ahead were high and so ornate that they could have been art objects in their own right, covered in tiny, simplistic reliefs of a hundred little scenes that I couldn't make out the details of before crowd gathered in front of them, anxiously waiting for the burgomaster to finish with the locks. The floors were tiled, with a glassy sheen that made me glad to be in a form that could wear shoes. Ridged pillars rose to hold up the vaulted ceiling, itself covered in coloured tiles in blue, gold, and white that made beautiful abstract patterns when viewed all at once.

"Yura has a history with Lady val Hosk," I whispered back, just loud enough for the whole flight to hear. "If he's right about her identity, she spread a disease or poisoned his village or something."

"Huh," said Grace, glancing at the couple a little more warily.

Emrys muttered something and traced a small X in the air in front of him. A dull red glow came into his eyes. He looked around the crowd before his eyes landed on the val Hosks too. "It seems," he said, "that her brother is also the one who sent that spirit you met with last week."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Doubtless," said Emrys. "Same signature. I wouldn't be surprised if the spirit is here as well, waiting to manifest. A personal servant, perhaps."

"And their bodyguard has green scales, I think," I added. "Those three clearly have a lot going on."

"Do you think that they're the fourth ersatz we heard about?" asked Arthur.

"We'll find out," I said. "We've got to talk to them tonight."

The burgomaster finally got the doors open, and they swung wide to reveal the expansive ballroom. It was a long rectangle, with a recessed floor in the centre where I assumed dances would take place, in full view of all the guests watching from the balconies. The dance floor appeared to be tiled as well, but they had been covered in a paint or glaze that made it look like one solid mass of polished gold, almost so smooth as to seem like a settled liquid. There were a few small dark wooden tables in the corners of the room, as well as doors leading off from the other end, with one leading straight onto a balcony overlooking the lake, and the others seeming to disappear into other wings of the palace.

"What're we doing from here?" I whispered to Rosalie as the guests filed into the hall and began milling about, finding spots to stand or walking with friends and acquaintances towards the halls at the back, evidently more familiar with the castle's layout than any of us.

"Split up," she answered. "Make small talk. Be sure to speak with the important guests at some point, but we're going to be here for hours."

"Fantastic," grumbled Ingo. He seemed to be in great discomfort, and quickly moved towards whichever area of the hall sounded the least populated, while the rest of us gradually peeled off of the group.

I very quickly felt lost. My ears twitched under my hair, feeding me all the deafening sounds of the party. The hall had large bundles of cloth hanging from far-too-elaborate chandeliers overhead, which I guessed were supposed to help smooth out the noise, but with my hearing it didn't seem to make much difference. Acting on instinct, I started following the same general path as Ingo, moving wherever it seemed quietest.

I caught a collection of different looks as I meandered towards the back. Most of them seemed wary at best, though it was frustratingly difficult to tell with half of everyone's faces hidden behind masks. I was by a wide margin the tallest person here, and I could feel how much I literally stood out from the crowd.

I clasped my hands in front of myself. Even with the masks and coverings, I was never going to fit in here, so I decided to try my best to be mysterious instead, hoping that the rumour mill around me would paint me as a stoic and calm knight of few words, rather than some kind of dangerous, unsociable brute.

The rear of the hall had four windows flanking the archway to the balcony, letting me see out over the lake. Even at night, the vast body of water was captivating, and I allowed myself to be led out onto that balcony. A couple of people were already out there, admiring the view of both water and sky, but the space was more than large enough for me to take a corner to myself.

The lake wasn't small, but it was just the right size for nearer shores to be visible from this vantage point. I could see that it was mostly lined with tall trees, clothed in a deep enough green to be mistaken for pure shadow at this hour. The Witchweald began at the northern gate of the city, and it encircled that side of the lake. I could see one structure standing out amongst it, a large brick hall sitting on a stone terrace that jutted just off shore, covered in a domed roof and surrounded by a pocket in the forest that perhaps led to other buildings. A dim bluish glow emanated from its glass dome, illuminating the area. I wished I had a map so I could know exactly what it was I was looking at.

Behind me, I heard footsteps transition from tile to stone, and felt the presence of someone approaching. Then I smelled a hint of…embalming fluid?

The archvicar walked up right next to me, entirely nonchalant as he stood behind the rail, keeping his back straight rather than leaning against it. He faced forward, as serene and inscrutable as ever. One of the deacons stood silently in the archway, seemingly the source of that odd smell.

"It is fortunate to meet you again, Sir Belfry," he said, his cold voice wrapped in an illusion of warmth.

"I'm surprised you could recognise me," I said. "Your Holiness," I added hastily.

"Mm. We have been granted revelations at the hands of the Great Ones. It is not so hard to see through a thin disguise, once you have obtained such enlightenment."

I narrowed my eyes behind my mask. I didn't like any of the possible interpretations of the phrase "thin disguise".

"Ordinarily, We would scoff at such deceit, but for these bemasked celebrations, We find it to be appropriate." He lifted his chin. I straightened up a little, maintaining my height advantage over him. "We should give you thanks for disposing of the butcher. They were a most troublesome thorn in this city's side, though We continue to assert that rendering the situation to the Guard would have been the most efficient solution."

"I appreciate the thanks," I said. I started imagining different paths this conversation could take, trying to figure out when would be best to bring up Latighern's last words.

The archvicar kept his eyes on the water. "How are you finding the city thus far?" he asked.

"It takes some getting used to," I admitted. "I'm not from a very urban shire."

"Indeed, there are few filled with as many souls as ours," said the archvicar. He briefly glanced up at my eyes, then back at the water. "I see you have taken an interest in Lake Amarclere."

"I don't know if it's this lake specifically," I said. "On our journeys before we came here, the ocean seemed to have the same sort of…allure. I never saw such a body of water until I left my home."

"An allure, you say?"

"Like there's something in there that wants to talk to me." Unconsciously, I leaned forward, staring deeper into the darkened water. "I'm not sure how to describe it. I doubt it's anything substantial."

"I should think so." A momentary lapse of concentration allowed anger to briefly flicker over his face. "The only bizarre mutterings I have heard about things in the water have come from the delusional heretics of Lynnmore College, and the rest of their…ilk."

"Lynnmore?" I repeated.

"That is their research hall," the archvicar said, pointing to the glowing building on the lakeshore. "A blight on the shores of this pristine lake. A tick that has become fat from feeding off this city and the waters we cherish. They sit in their den of hollow assurances and pontificate about outlandish theories on what eldritch magic they dream dwells in the depths of the sea and sky. I have half a mind to send the Guard to destroy them, and should the rumours that they are behind disappearances in the city be true, I will not hesitate to wipe them from memory. If you value your sanity and your life, dragon, I would advise that you stay away from those madmen.

"Yes, they may even have something to do with the curse that runs rampant within the bowels of our city," he continued. "Perhaps it is the result of an experiment of some kind, or some befouled manner of pleasing whatever dark force they believe commands them, perhaps…."

"I'm glad that you can acknowledge the Scourge is real, at least," I said when he trailed off. "Some of the nobles here don't even seem to believe it exists." He didn't respond. "Speaking of disappearances…we had to investigate in the Bellflower Quarter while we were searching for the butcher, and heard about a minister who disappeared there. Do you think the college had anything to do with that, or is it a coincidence?"

"You will have to be more specific," said the archvicar. "There are so dreadfully many ministers that tend to that district, and no shortage of misfortune to befall any of them."

So much for "revelations of enlightenment", I thought sardonically. It was a lie, too; there definitely weren't that many ministers in that quarter. He was stalling.

"She lived just off Cistern Square," I prompted.

Barbosa closed his eyes in thought for a few moments. "Ah, do you speak of Mother Latighern? A tragic story, but no, I do not believe the scholars were involved in her death. She perished in an uncontrolled fire, I believe, along with the rest of her family. A shame, her children had such bright futures ahead of them."

I gave him a subtle glance. He said it so confidently, if I didn't have direct evidence to the contrary, I would have found his lie convincing. The only part that didn't make sense was that if he had spoken with Latighern after her family was cursed and she disappeared, he would know she hadn't died in the funeral pyre under her house, and then he'd know we didn't know that, because we killed her. Maybe he was playing dumb? Or laying down enough deceptions that I couldn't possibly pursue all of them without outright accusing him of being a liar, and doing that in a place like this when he had so much influence and power would be foolish.

"Did you have any correspondence with her before she died?" I probed, pushing aside the lie about her death for now.

His eye noticeably twitched. "Of course," he said. "I am the archvicar of this shire, I tend to all the ministers who rely on me. But I did not have any direct conversations with her in the time before her death. I am sorry to say, whatever troubles she was having were not great enough to merit my direct attention, not at the time."

"No instructions, then?" I pressed.

"Not anymore than a general directive to continue ministering to the people she served," said Barbosa. He tilted his head back, looking at the white moon. "I apologise, I have taken up quite a portion of your time. Please, enjoy the celebration. I have other guests to meet." He turned and swept back inside, his long robe trailing behind him. The deacon stared for a moment longer before following him.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I stared back out over the railing for a minute while I gathered my thoughts on that conversation. He definitely knew that I knew now, but I couldn't call him on his lie. Maybe whatever he had said to Latighern had passed through a subordinate? Someone who would be more easily intimidated into giving up their information than Barbosa was. Something told me I wouldn't be able to intimidate him even if I had a knife pressed to his throat.

I stood, stretching my shoulders and giving polite but brief greetings to the other guests on the balcony before heading back inside, turning to the right towards one of the hallways that branched off from the ballroom. Passing through a door that had been propped open, the floor transitioned from tile to blue and gold carpet as the hall turned to the left, going past a wall of windows and a door leading out onto a small raised courtyard before terminating with two more doors, one at the very end of the hallway and flanked by guards, and another to the left that was also held open and led into a long room without any furnishings on the floor. The lamps that provided light were positioned to cast long, dramatic shadows over recesses in the wall, where I could see a collection of relics stacked in small shelves and larger statues taking up tall ones.

The room was much quieter than the hallways and ballroom, with a handful of people walking through and admiring the treasures, while Ingo and Arthur stood together in the corner, talking softly. I walked over and gave a small wave to get their attention.

"Hey," said Arthur, sounding almost out of breath.

"Grace?" Ingo guessed.

"Belfry," I said. "What are you two doing in here?"

"Hoping for a little more peace and quiet," said Ingo. "I won't lie. I don't think I'm getting anything productive done. It's too loud for me to focus, and too dark for me to see anything at all. And I'm not very good with people. So…I'm mostly just waiting for it to be over so we can go home."

Arthur's shoulders sagged. "I got caught up in a conversation with some earl of something or other and he was wearing so much jewellery, I had to excuse myself so I could get my mind off the smell." He sniffed, looking around at all the statuary. "Not that it's much better in here. This whole place reeks of…precious things."

"Sounds like you're getting better at handling that, then, if you haven't already tried to steal anything," I said, trying to find the silver lining here.

"Tch," Arthur scoffed. "Hardly. I feel like my head's going to explode."

"Why don't you go outside, then? There's courtyards that don't have nearly as many fancy metals in them," I pointed out.

"I will," said Arthur. "I think I'm going to need to." He bent over, resting his hands on his knees for a second while he took some deep breaths. "Anything interesting happen with you yet?"

"…Not really," I said. "The archvicar mentioned something about a college that might be snatching people, but he was way too cagey for it to be anything other than vague nonsense. I want to try and find one of his priests, but I don't think spending the whole ball marching around tracking people down is going to be a good look for us."

"If you don't want to be seen like that, I suggest you stay out of sight entirely," said Ingo. "This room has been quiet so far."

"Mhm," I agreed, stepping away to take a look at the statues. "Be careful, you two."

"Will do," said Arthur.

I walked away, staying next to the wall to get a good view of all the treasures held in the walls. The relics were a wide array of items, most of which didn't seem terribly valuable apart from some archaeological purpose, like heavily rusted swords, odd pieces of ordinary plate armour, or even simple quill pens. But based on the designs of the statues, I could guess that they were the belongings of whoever was depicted here. Plaques identified them with such titles as "Defender of Yorving", "the Silver Seneschal", and "Lord of the Weald". All were sculpted dressed in finery, with stoic looks on their faces.

As I got further away from the other people roaming the hall, I noticed a small door at the rear. It was different from the others, almost the same colour as the wall around it and much smaller. It would have been difficult to notice in the first place without close scrutiny if a cloth hadn't been draped over the front, blocking it off just like the off-limits wings around the vestibule.

More interestingly, though, I could hear voices on the other side, speaking in hushed whispers, too softly for ordinary human ears to pick up. But my draconic ears flicked forward, listening carefully as I nonchalantly stepped closer, still keeping my eyes on the displays.

"Do you know of…new hands?" was what I could make out.

"No?" the second voice responded.

"Strange…face I hadn't seen…asking about 'royal blood'."

"What is that?"

"No idea."

Royal blood? I didn't know what that was, either. There was no way to tell from what little context I had whether they meant blood from a royal person, or blood that was in some way itself "royal", whatever that meant. I heard footsteps from behind the door, as my one source of information about this walked off to whatever it was they had been doing. I cursed under my breath.

"Do you have some bad memory of this 'viceroy', or have I simply caught you at a bad moment?" a deep voice like wildfire smoke asked behind me.

I turned a little too fast, fearful I'd been caught eavesdropping. Kaspar val Hosk stood behind me, hands clasped behind his back as he casually approached, his sister and bodyguard nowhere to be seen. He stood next to me, giving off a surprisingly casual air, unlike the other nobles and the vicar who made even a passing greeting seem like a contest of wills.

"I'm from quite far to the south," he said, looking up at the statue of one "Viceroy Alexander" that stood in front of us. "So much of the history of this city was well beyond my knowledge before my arrival. But I do find it all fascinating. No matter the place, it always bears a myriad of stories all its own, a tale older than dust." He turned to face me. "It is good to meet you. I'm sure you've already heard, but my name is Kaspar val Hosk."

"Sir Belfry of Vandermaine," I said.

"I know, you've dealt with some of my…acquaintances already," he said. For a moment, I could swear I saw the image of that not-cat spirit walk behind his legs before it disappeared. "I'm pleased that they could be of aid to you in removing the butcher."

"Right," I said, suddenly wary. "How did you know about that to send…acquaintances…to help us in the first place? We'd only been in town for a day."

"We have connections," Kaspar said matter-of-factly. "And as a dignitary, I walk in the same circles as the archvicar. Not to be sacrilegious, but he is utterly incapable of discretion." A small smirk crossed his face.

"You can say that again," I muttered in agreement. "By the way…I happened to notice that the person who came with you and your sister had scales?"

"Ah, so you are aware." His smile vanished, and he moved to the side to casually lean against the wall. "Indeed, she does. Her name is Harper, Harper Thrane. We haven't known each other terribly long, but I have done as much research as I could into her condition. Unfortunately, most of that information came from rather…distasteful experiments done by the Kith once they got their hands on her, but as the prime patron of that assemblage, I thankfully had the power to forcibly remove her from their grasp."

"Kith?" I repeated.

"A local school of researchers," said Kaspar. "Particularly in the vein of vis and its functions, but also at the forefront of much technological development in recent years. Unfortunately, while their stronghold is a house of geniuses, their values place ends over means. Poor Harper was paid a pittance for all that was done to her, without much to even show for it." He let out some tension I hadn't realised he was holding. "But the details of that are her story to tell, not mine. What I am interested in is whether her situation is similar to yours."

"Which part?" I asked.

"The inception," said Kaspar. "If we can learn how her curse began, we may be able to determine how it ends. I can already tell that the symptoms are similar—" he pointedly glanced upward to note my height and obscured face "—but I would like to know how yours came about in the first place."

"I swallowed a stone," I said sincerely.

"One with strong colour, about this large?" Kaspar made a small circle with his fingers.

"About that big, yeah. Since you're looking into all this too, you don't…happen to have one on hand, do you?"

"Oh, no," said Kaspar. "If I did, many questions would already be answered. I understand your corps are looking for them as well, but I doubt that they will find them."

"Why's that?" I asked. "The corps has a lot of people working for it, plus any researchers like yourself willing to help. They can't be that rare if four have been found in rapid succession recently."

"Four that we know of, indeed. But I have a hunch on where they originate. How much do you know about archaeology, and the Vale's ancient history?"

"Not much," I admitted. "I know about the early city states, and when they were conquered by the empire, but…."

"You can easily be forgiven for that ignorance. This is not something that is useful to anyone outside of the halls of scholarship, though it may become more relevant soon." He stood up straight, readying his hands to speak more animatedly. "It has been known for many years now that the Vale was once home to another ascendant civilisation, which historians call 'Chnawara', after old words for 'knowledge'. These Chnawarians are very mysterious, and few of their ruins have survived, but what can be told from them is that they were both exceedingly powerful occultists, and worshippers of dragons.

"Now, it was actually Lynnmore College that uncovered this secret, which is part of the reason my sister and I came to Yorving in the first place. In an excavation beneath an ancient burial ground, they unearthed a system of tunnels. Catacombs, which seem enormous in scale, but have yet to be explored for the dangers present within. This discovery is recent, only a little more than half a year old. Interestingly, Harper first found that stone less than a month after the announcement of this discovery."

My mind went back to those tunnels filled with shelves of bones that I wandered through back at the monastery. I recalled the strange appearance of the skulls, how they were distinctly inhuman. Was…was that what the monks were there for? A dig?

"Between the timing, the Chnawarians' proficiency in occultism, and their fixation with dragons, I don't believe that these things are coincidences," Kaspar continued. "These peculiar gems may have in fact come from the catacombs, or perhaps whatever lies below them."

"How would they have gotten out?" I asked.

"Simple. There may be groups performing clandestine excavations in an attempt to find riches or power, and they have uncovered these stones without reporting it to scholars. Or, and this is merely a theory, there has yet to be a proper entrance or exit to these catacombs, or even a connection to any other ancient ruins. There are some who believe that entry was intended to be gained through the performance of some sort of occult ritual. If someone or some group learned these rituals, they could be plumbing the depths of the catacombs without anyone knowing of their passage."

It was my turn to lean against the wall, resting my weight on it and tapping my claw anxiously against the stonework as I processed all of that. "…I think you might be right," I said eventually.

Kaspar nodded before reaching into the inside of his coat and retrieving a small card, little more than a white rectangle with a scribbled signature on one side, too flowing and complex for me to actually read, but which I assumed was their family name. "Why don't you take this?" he said as he held the card out towards me. "We are staying at Riverstone Manor, in the Meadows to the south of town. If you show this card at the gate, the guards will allow you in whenever you choose to visit. I would love to have your company, and perhaps your assistance in understanding this issue of 'dragon stones', and I'm sure that Harper would like someone to share her experience with."

I gingerly took the card, looking it over for a moment before slipping it in my pocket. There was a thin thread of doubt in my mind. It could be a trap. Not even necessarily a violent one, just some kind of plot to get leverage over us like Rosalie had warned about. But despite his outward appearance, I wasn't getting the sense that this Kaspar was anything other than helpful. Yet Yura was so confident his sister was a poisoner…. Maybe we could find out more if we met them again.

I nodded. "Thanks for the offer. I'll have to talk to the team about it."

"That's all I ask," said Kaspar. "Once again, wonderful to meet you, Sir Belfry. Good luck on your journeys."

I watched him go, spending a while pondering whether that was a lead or not. I wandered around the hall for a while longer, idly taking in the statues before I left so as not to seem like I was following Kaspar. I saw Ingo still standing in the corner, but Arthur had disappeared, and I didn't see him even as I walked out into the hallways again, headed for the door to the courtyard. The small plot of grass resting on the roof of one of the lower levels was enclosed on all sides, giving in a much cosier atmosphere than the rest of the grand and wide open spaces of the palace. Flowers were planted in pots, kept away from the grassy ground that was seeing decent traffic. A few metal tables were sat beneath the shadow of an upper level that hung out over the yard. A couple were seated at one, while the others had set out small dishes with tiny servings of odd-looking hors d'oeuvres.

I had expected that a celebration would have food, so I hadn't eaten before we came. That was clearly a terrible mistake, and even though I knew a small stack of vegetable slices and the thinnest strips of unfamiliar meats I had ever seen wouldn't sate my hunger, I took one anyway, and stepped out to breathe deeply of the outside air and watch the garden.

The other two walls that weren't taken up by the door to the hall and the overhanging room had a flight of stairs leading up to the ramparts for a view of the lake and a huge wooden trellis from which dense ivy hung, blossoming in all sorts of colours I wouldn't expect to see this late in the season. There was a balcony above the trellis that led who-knows-where deeper into the palace, but since no one was up there, I assumed it was off-limits. A sort of embalming fluid smell hung in the air, like the deacon from earlier, even though there wasn't one anywhere around.

A few other guests stood around, idly chatting. I heard talk of monsters in the Witchweald, and some rumours of wyverns disrupting vineyards in the east that were beginning to settle in for the year's chill. From their tone and the general lack of information among the nobles I had seen here about any serious goings-on outside the Lake Ward, it was impossible to tell whether those rumours had any serious standing, or if they were just gossip. I figured we'd find out soon, if we were contracted to deal with wyverns in the fields.

A couple walked up the stairs to the wall, excitedly whispering to each other about the beauty of the full moon on the water. A man in a plain outfit walked purposefully out into the garden, looking around at the walls and then up at the ivy trellises before stepping into a corner behind a pillar. I glanced away when a man near the door yelped, but soon realised he was merely excited over a necklace he was being presented with.

Then I looked back at the pillar, and that plainly-dressed man was gone, vanished into thin air.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.