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“I believe that was the name you called her, yes. What’s her story? Is she a soul working because she feels her life was cut short or a mortal living here?”

“A mortal. She’s very rude and nosy. She’s applied for multiple jobs within the estate and I prohibited her attempt at employment.”

Now this seems like an interesting story. Kind Alyvia barring someone from working with the esteemed Lord Rowan? “Because she’s rude and nosy?” I ask.

She wastes no time launching into a rant, including hands waving in the air in agitation. “Because she’s arrogant and would not obey the rules the estate has. Helena believes herself to be of importance because she comes from an important family. The issue is, if she were to work for the estate at a job meant for her level of ability, she would be answering to many others. It would cause strife because of her beliefs in how she should be the one administering orders, but she would have no prior knowledge of how to do so.” Alyvia exhales deeply, her hands falling limp at her sides.

“Seems like you made the right call then.”

Alyvia pitches her voice low, slowing down as she meanders beside me. “Helena is currently trying to gain favor with Lady Cirilla.”

I try to keep the inflection out of my voice as I ponder, “In what way?”

“Lady Cirilla is going to accompany Lord Rowan to the Haze. It’ll require multiple people working around the clock as it’s a difficult time. They’ll essentially be camping.” Alyvia rolls her eyes. “Well, Lord Rowan most likely will be but Lady Cirilla will require an entire orchestra of people to help her for the few days they’ll be there.”

I nod along, tucking the information away for later. Though one part sticks out to me. Even though several people have brought it up before, no one has given any details regarding what the Haze encompasses. “What’s the Haze?”

“It’s held in the Wraithlands.”

A nonanswer if I’ve ever heard one. “And Lord Rowan needs to be there for the duration of it?”

Alyvia nods. “It’s very important. It lasts for several days, sometimes weeks depending on the participation of those that live there.”

Did she just tell me Lord Rowan will be gone potentially for a few weeks? Surely not. “What’s the longest he’s been gone for before?”

“Two months.”

Definitely not the answer I’m expecting. “He’s gone for that long? What about the estate?”

She shrugs like she didn’t just inform me of a massive situation roadblocking my objective. I can’t show Lord Rowan I’m serious without him actually being here to witness it. And since Lady Cirilla is going to the Wraithlands with him, it’s going to be a damn hard time trying to attempt to murder someone when they’re not here to be murdered.

“Is the Haze some all inclusive thing everyone is going to?” Please tell me it is. Make the risk I’m taking easier. But even as the hopeful words whisper in my mind, a piece of lead drops in my stomach.

“No. It’s only delegated to Lords and Ladies advising over the Haze and those who live within the Wraithlands.”

The monsters of this realm. The creatures who rule Aïdes alongside Lord Rowan it would seem. Maybe they pay tithe in terms of servitude to him because of who his brother, the Lord of Monsters, was. A way to honor the dead twin slain in the Province Wars.

Is this the reason Lord Rowan stays out in the Wraithlands instead of living in his estate? To feel closer to the brother he lost? To become a version of Shadows and Monsters tied together so that his brother’s memory will live on? Is the Haze the honoring of his missing half?

Suddenly the lead in my stomach feels denser. “I see.”

“I’ve never been, but the women in the arena may have better insight since a few of them go to guard the perimeter.”

My eyes narrow as I look at Alyvia but she’s not paying attention to me. She inadvertently just gave me an opening to follow Lady Cirilla, but her words don’t correlate to what I’m understanding the Haze to be. “Isn’t the Haze a time for mourning?” What is there to guard?

She abruptly stops, turning my way in surprise. “Mourning? Why would you think they’re in mourning? Over who?”

The urge to throttle her appears as I glare. “You’ve not explained well what the Haze is. I took it to mean that Lord Rowan dwells with the monsters in remembrance of his fallen brother.”

Alyvia’s eyes widen dramatically. “Oh! No, no, I’m so sorry. The Haze is a mating ritual.”

A…what?

Confusion becomes prevalent on my face as I try to understand what the fuck a mating ritual needs guards for. Alyvia quickly hurries to explain. “I don’t know much about how it works, but the basics consist of several creatures gathering together to mate or reproduce. I do not know why Lord Rowan oversees them to ensure their safety and that no one kills one another, but that is why he goes. Maybe he does it because it was his brother’s job? All he’s doing is making sure the creatures do not fight over the same person, and if they do then it's not to the death.”

Anger simmers inside of me at her explanation. Here I am, feeling sorry for Lord Rowan for a brief moment in time, and it’s all for nothing. A wasted emotion. Where has the numb warrior of Cinnabar gone? The fact I stopped feeling was a trait Lady Gwenyth raved about; making me her protégé of a warrior. Something she wanted the Royal Guards to mimic.

“I’m not often required to have to explain things such as these. This is something that is so widely known, I forget outsiders are unaware of the parameters,” Alyvia prattles. “Please forgive me, Keres. I didn’t mean to make it seem morose.”