The sigil-light of the large gold chandeliers of the hall of Herst Castle had long since been snuffed by the time Eue-Lysae and three of her priestesses had arrived for the ritual. The sources of light came from the soft flickering of the large stone hearth and the faint glow of the kitchen shining through the pass-through window.

  A section of the long wooden table is set for eight—?nnywella, Ede, Enlynn, and Floryana on one side and Eue-Lysae, Faey, Enngel, and Gilg on the other.

  The scent of the meals requested by the women drifts out of the kitchen pass-through window and blends with the aroma of the resinous wood Eue-Lysae had requested be burned.

  The kitchen doors swing open, and the chattering women quickly go quiet.

  Ladech Spiswyr (the twelfth-generation head chef of the Herst family) rolls a cart into the main hall, its wooden wheels clicking off the uneven floor. At the table, he placed the plates of food before the women—all but Gekaryna vela'Herst.

  ?nnywella rests her elbows on the cream-colored silk tablecloth, and she places her head in her palms, glaring jealously at the late-night meals of the others.

  “It’s been more than twelve hours since lunch; are you sure I cannot have anything, even a slice of bread?” Her stomach rumbles.

  Gilg chuckles at the sound, but quickly goes silent after a side-eye from g?ri'Seliani. She had brought the comedic sense of her four older brothers with her to college.

  “No, you may not, because of the time constraints regarding the eclipsing of The Great Moon by the Pale Maiden; you need to be fasted so the potion—despite its already fast onset because of its extreme potency as a hallucinogen—affects your system nearly immediately. Being fasted will also cause the effects to be more intense, perhaps allowing for the visions to be clearer, more vivid. Due to not knowing how you will react to the potion, fasting will decrease nausea, significantly reducing the chance that you vomit while under the influence. Though, I advise you to stay hydrated—which I hope you have been.” Floryana pauses, adjusting her glasses. “Wine—or any other alcoholic beverage for that matter—is not considered hydration, as it can work to the opposite effect—dehydrating you."

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  She turns to Ladech. "Mer’Spiswyr, can you please bring Gekaryna vela’Herst a large jug of water and a glass?”

  Ladech nods, disappearing back into the kitchen.

  “Is this really necessary, Fran?” asks Enlynn.

  “Yes, I just explained why the fasting was necessary. You should listen better next time.”

  “No, the lecture.”

  “Yes, that was necessary as well,” Floryana takes a bite of her chicken, egg, and cheese sandwich, the sourdough roll fresh and warm and thoroughly buttered, the chicken tender, the white of the egg fully cooked while the yolk remains gloriously gooey, the cheese strong without overpowering the rest of the ingredients—phenomenal, just phenomenal—and she moves the sandwich away, drawing after it a long, elastic strand of cheese stretching from her mouth to the roll, for she usually leaves the choice of cheese to the cook, though she is already considering requesting whatever this one might be, pausing to watch the molten cheese drip down the side of the chicken and mingle with the yolk—by the Gods, she is turning into a turophile, just like ?denora.

  “You should work on your listening skills, Konst?nze. It will work wonders on the dowry you are so concerned about.” Ede teases, getting a laugh from everyone except Enlynn and Floryana.

  Chewing languidly, Floryana looks blankly at Myna, not understanding why the lady-in-waiting's joke is considered funny; it was simply a statement.

  Ladech returns from the kitchen with a silver jug in one hand and a glass in the other. He places the down next to Gekaryna vela'Herst.

  "Thank you," ?nnywella says. She pours herself a glass and takes a sip, after setting the glass down, she look across the table at Gyrshke, “Is there anything I should specifically be looking for that can help with your—” ?nnywella pauses, squinting, trying to remember the word. “Oneiromancy, High Priestess Seliani?”

  “Yes." Eue-Lysae responds. "I want you to look out for things that are out of place. Your vision should be in this hall, at this table, with the other rulers around you—remember who is present. Our records show that your ancestors all had visions set in this hall. I would like to know how the other rulers are interacting with each other; body language works best if you cannot hear what they are saying. Remembering these is the most important; recite everything immediately upon waking.”

  She turns to Floryana. “I expect you to write everything down.”

  ?nnywella and Floryana nod in understanding, and the chatter resumes, filling the hall with lively discussion.

  A few minutes later, Eue-Lysae’s silver pocket watch clicks shut. “25:45, we must go prepare.” She stands, taking a light-blue silk sash from the table, and walks to the right side of the double stairs; the priestesses quickly follow.

  The women ascend the steps of the double staircase, which wraps around the fireplace. Eue-Lysae pushes the large doors to the balcony-courtyard open.

  The night wind blows through, wafting into the hall, rippling the white robes of Eue-Lysae and her coven.