"My lord, we should come to a decision on the king's request," Dame Abbie interjected. Even after five years, it was still odd to hear herself address the paladin she had once knighted as her liege lord.
Constable Dreng nodded his agreement. "Aye, milord Donaghast, I agree." Just please don't send me to the capitol with the response, he thought to himself. If he were Hannsport's envoy, he would have to deliver the communication to his sister, N'Diaye, who now directly served the King of Viborg as his Chancellor. When she came to Viborg five years past to deliver Sigfrid IV's commendations to Donaghast and his fellows, he had not known what to make of her sudden reappearance. Fortunately, her stay had been brief.
Markus rolled his eyes. "Always with the politics!" he huffed in exasperation.
"And why did you even come, then, priest?" Dreng replied. "You didn't even bring a bow to hunt with!"
The group broke out with light laughter as the two friends verbally jousted with each other. The merriment was welcome on such a cool spring night.
As they enjoyed the evening, a meteor streaked brightly across the sky, before disappearing across the northern horizon. Was it a sign of good omen, or ill?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * *
"A falling star!" Mathilda Vyrlich exclaimed, looking up from the small brass telescope. She looked over to her mistress, who had been watching the night sky without the aid of an optical apparatus.
Mathilda Vyrlich
"Aye, my apprentice," Kendra Marrigan replied. The high tower of Gorum's Vale had always afforded an excellent vantage point to mark the passage of the celestial bodies, and a clear spring evening such as this was no exception.
Mathilda swung the telepscope in the direction of the crash site. It could not have een more than 8 or 10 miles away!
"We shall make preparation to examine the crater at first light."
