374 Challenge

Arran had hoped he would get a chance to talk to Kaleesh before the banquet, but it appeared that Lady Raina had other plans.

Just moments after they'd stepped into the keep, she summoned several stewards. And barely a minute later, Arran and Kaleesh were separated, each of them sent off with a small group of attendants to prepare for the feast — or so the Lady said.

To Arrans's surprise, several of these attendants were Darians. And although they were clothed like servants, even the outsiders among them carried swords at their sides. Moreover, from the way they moved, he could tell that they were Body Refiners.

As he thought about it, he realized the same had been true for the townsfolk they'd passed earlier. There hadn't been a single one among them who wasn't armed, and that held true for Darians and outsiders both.