This time, Maelor went with them—he wanted to reunite with his sister in the palace.
That left Damian, his friends, and the Northern Dawnstar lords alone in the lake city, alongside the pugilist third-ranker Duke of the region. The remaining Dawnstar soldiers under Vidalia's command would be the last to leave.
Damian could have left immediately late that night to return to Vidalia's place, but the pugilist Duke had respectfully asked for a small chat, so he stayed.
It had been a hectic day, and they had barely eaten anything. The Duke had prepared snacks and alcohol, though only a few of them drank. The snacks, however, were eagerly welcomed by all.
Lucian and Evrin, surprisingly, enjoyed drinking occasionally and took up the offered glasses. Only the seven of them were in the Duke's private meeting room in the palace he had just regained. He had sent Lumi and Elias to rest in their rooms.
"Are you sure Lady Spellmaster is not going to march further east?" the Duke asked again.
