“It is appropriate for you to leave now, if you choose, lord Duke,” Star said in a quiet whisper, just as Kordas was debating whether or not to find out if anything available to drink on the table across the room was something other than intoxicating. The behavior of some of the people suggested this was unlikely. None of them were drunk—that would clearly be dangerous—but eyes were a little too bright, cheeks too flushed, laughter too loud, and behavior ventured on reckless. Duels were sparked at these damned things, and he didn’t want to find himself on the receiving end of a challenge just because some idiot stumbled into him and decided to take offense.

“Lead the way, Star,” he muttered, and followed the Doll as it threaded its way effortlessly along the wall, avoiding everything and everyone, in an intricate sort of dance that was surprisingly graceful. He wasn’t the only one leaving, as he soon found when he was brought to a hallway, which in turn led into either that enormous entry hall full of Gates, or a room just like it. There were quite a few people heading for those Gates, and presumably to their apartments.

“Step up to a Gate, hold up your bracelet to the Gate, and say ‘The Copper Apartment,’” Star murmured, stopping briefly to let him get ahead, so that the Doll could follow him as the other Dolls were following their masters. Right. Don’t look out of place, he reminded himself, and picked a Gate no one seemed to be heading to.

“The Copper Apartment,” he said, and stepped through, to find himself in that now-familiar antechamber. Beltran, who had been waiting for him there, sitting on one of those excruciatingly uncomfortable copper chairs, leapt to his feet, anxiety draining from his expression.

“How was it?” the Herald asked anxiously.

He wanted to say “appalling,” but smiled and said, “Too much to eat, too much to drink, and no one wanting to talk about anything interesting. At least not until someone asked me about our herds. And then they really didn’t seem interested.”

He beckoned to Beltran to follow him, and led the way into his chamber, with the Doll following. A moment later, Rose and Clover entered, presumably in case they needed something that required more than two “hands.”

The mage-lights were low, and the curtains to the sole window parted. Not yet ready to say anything, and not ready to fall on the bed just yet, he was drawn to the window.