Chapter 25

Once out in the hall, the three of them walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The corridors they passed through bustled with people, all moving toward the dining hall that had just opened. Ariel felt anything but hungry. As they reached the doors and squeezed through with the crowd, she saw that the dining hall was already half full, the hum of conversation and clatter of dishes filling the air.

"Geez, it's a zoo in here," Taylor grumbled, sending a sharp look at a man who almost stepped on her foot.

"I'll say," Ariel muttered, attempting to forge a path through the throng of people, chairs, and tables.

"Mr. Warner said it would be like this after the start of the festival. This is the only inn for miles," Mandy commented, dodging chairs and people with grace and ease.

Ariel glared back at her and opened her mouth to retort about Mr. Warner, but just then someone scooted their chair onto her toe. Limping away, she finally caught sight of Leroy standing and looking around the room.

"It's about time," the monk greeted, taking his seat once again as the three approached.

Rubbing her side where someone had recently jabbed her, Ariel gave Leroy a look before plopping down beside him. "Well, sorry to keep you waiting."

Looking flustered, Taylor sat on the other side of Ariel. "This is crazy, all that just to get to our table!"

"We didn't have a problem," Jasper said, taking a thoughtful sip of his coffee.

The priestess glared at him. "You can just lead the way back then."

"Actually, it wasn't so easy for me," Leroy said quietly, leaning over to Ariel and pointing at his temple, which looked like it was starting to bruise. "A purse to the head—some lady thought I was stealing from her."

Ariel tried to look sympathetic, mindful of her own toe that someone had run over, but couldn't help laughing at the thought of some little old lady hitting the tall monk with her handbag.

"Ha, ha," Leroy said, seeing her lips twitch.

"How was your meeting?" John asked, smiling over at Ariel.

Ariel's teasing smile at Leroy faltered, and she looked over at the priest, a self-conscious blush tinting her cheeks. "Fine, I guess... how was yours?"

John's expression mirrored her own as he smiled awkwardly. "Um..."

"It was interesting, to say the least," Leroy spoke up, rescuing the uncomfortable priest.

Ariel glanced at Leroy out of the corner of her eye, disliking the way he said "interesting."

"Interesting or not, I bet you didn't get a wake-up call from Mrs. Williams this morning," Taylor grumbled, keeping a sharp lookout for the woman. Leroy leaned forward, raising his eyebrows at Taylor.

"Mrs. Williams came and woke you up?"

"Yes," Taylor answered curtly, reaching for a coffee cup that wasn't there. "When are we going to get any help around here?"

"Why did she do that?" John asked curiously, oblivious to the hints to drop the subject.

"How am I supposed to know?" the priestess snapped, drumming her fingers impatiently on the table.

A sudden hush fell over the room. Taylor paused her drumming. As the door creaked open, Ariel shrank in her seat. Mr. Warner and Noah entered, their faces bright with smiles. Ariel stole a glance at Mandy and saw that she looked no better than she felt. Both men made them equally uncomfortable.

Hesitantly, Ariel glanced at Jasper and nearly gave herself whiplash when she saw he wasn't looking at the new arrivals. Instead, he was staring at her.

"You looked beautiful tonight."

The words echoed in Ariel's mind before she could stop them. A steady blush rose to her cheeks. In her rush this morning, she had forgotten about last night. Had she imagined him saying that?

"Well, well, well!" a voice suddenly boomed in Ariel's ear. Startled out of her thoughts, she was jolted back to the present. The room buzzed with noise again, and standing very near her were Mr. Warner and Noah. "I don't believe I could lay my eyes on three more beautiful and inspiring women!" the playwright exclaimed, his gaze lingering affectionately on Mandy.

The medium pretended not to notice and stared straight ahead. Here was an opening, a moment in which Ariel could strike, but for some strange reason, her heart wasn't in it. She knew the look on Mandy's face all too well these days.

"I agree," Noah added, his eyes finding Ariel. "They're sure to have some of the biggest bouquets of the night."

Ariel, who happened to like Noah as a person, couldn't give him the cold shoulder like Mandy did to Mr. Warner. She acknowledged the compliment with a half-smile.

"Let's see here," Mr. Warner said, drawing up a chair from a nearby table and seating himself next to Mandy. "Have we ordered yet?"

Taylor looked pointedly at Noah. "No. No one has come to help us at all, and we've been here at least fifteen minutes now."

Noah's bright look fell, anxiety clouding his face. "Oh, really? Um..."

Irritated and embarrassed by Taylor's attitude, Ariel glared at the priestess before quickly looking to Noah. "It can't have been that long. Really, it's fine, Noah," she reassured him, offering a genuine smile.

"Actually, it has," Jasper interjected.

Surprised, Ariel looked from Noah to Jasper, who had just spoken. She fixed him with a cold stare to match his own. An awkward silence filled the air, the din of the dining hall seeming to grow louder around them.

"Well, let me see if I can flag someone down," Mr. Warner suggested pleasantly, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

"No, no, allow me," Noah suddenly urged, standing up so quickly he nearly stumbled over his chair.

"Easy now!" Mr. Warner exclaimed, steadying the chair with a concerned look at the young man.

"I'll be right back. I'll get someone from the kitchens," Noah persisted, his words rushing out in a torrent. He turned to Ariel, his eyes earnest. "Did you like what you had before? What I made you last night? I can have it made again."

Ariel blinked, stunned by his intensity. She opened and closed her mouth, struggling to keep up with his rapid speech. "Um..."

"Oh, of course not! Of course you wouldn't. That was dinner. How dumb of me. I didn't think, I—"

"Noah," Ariel interrupted, standing from her seat and fixing him with a gentle but firm look. "I would love it. Thank you very much."

Noah stopped rambling, and at Ariel's encouraging smile, he relaxed a bit and nodded. "Oh, okay, great. I'll be right back then."

With that, he hurried off through the packed dining room. A fresh blush on her cheeks, Ariel slowly sat down.

"I know he means well, but wow..." Leroy murmured to Ariel, raising his eyebrows.

Ariel chose to ignore his comment, wishing she had coffee to drink to distract herself. The dining hall, with its grand arched windows letting in the morning sunlight, felt oppressively bright. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling breakfast foods mingled in the air, but it did little to ease the palpable discomfort at their table.

"Nice guy that Noah is. A bit odd that he's representing Mr. Marlowe, but his play was inspired," Mr. Warner said, breaking the silence with a shrug.

"Quite inspired," Mandy agreed with a light smile, one that Ariel did not miss. She narrowed her eyes at the medium.

"Ah! I see your taste in theater is becoming quite refined," Mr. Warner replied, beaming proudly. "A few more days with me, and you'll be a knowledgeable judge of the arts."

Mandy returned his compliment with a stiff smile. Ariel grinned broadly—payback.

"So, speaking of Noah," Mr. Warner said in a lowered voice, still carrying the conversation as no one else seemed to want to speak, "how about that meeting this morning?" He gave Ariel a meaningful look and a wink.

Leroy straightened in his chair, clearing his throat loudly. Ariel glanced at him, catching him urgently drawing a finger across his throat in a kill sign aimed at Mr. Warner. Suspicion flared in Ariel's mind as her eyes darted to John, who suddenly found the grains of wood in the table fascinating. Thinking Ariel wasn't still watching, John sent Mr. Warner a stricken look.

Sensing that something was being concealed, Ariel chanced a glance at Max and Jasper. As expected, Max's face was an impassive mask, making it impossible to tell whether he knew anything. Jasper, however, was not as composed. He sipped his coffee darkly, his eyes fixed on Mr. Warner. The playwright appeared the most nervous of them all, and Ariel could practically see his brain struggling to come up with something to change the subject.

"What about this meeting? Do tell..." Taylor prompted, watching the exchange with keen interest.

Mr. Warner pursed his lips, clearly reluctant to say anything. "It's noth—"

"Please, Daniel, do enlighten us," Mandy cut in, using his first name and flashing a winning smile.

Mr. Warner might have fallen to Mandy's charms had Noah not arrived just then with breakfast. "Breakfast is served," he announced brightly, placing Ariel's meal in front of her. "Well, sort of, anyway..."

Ariel tore her attention away from Mr. Warner—no small feat, considering she had been eager to hear what he was about to spill—to send an equally bright smile to Noah in thanks.

"Tommie will take your orders now," Noah continued, gesturing to the young man beside him before reclaiming his seat next to Mr. Warner.

Orders were given in a matter of moments, and with a small wave, their waiter was off. The dining hall, with its high ceilings and grand chandeliers, was a hive of activity, the murmur of conversations and clinking of cutlery creating a constant hum. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries filled the air, but the palpable tension at their table overshadowed the inviting atmosphere.