Arvid followed those directions, and soon he and the boy were resting on benches and watching the colors change as the light moved. “It’s beautiful,” the boy whispered once, leaning close.

“Yes,” Arvid said, his throat tight. “It is.” He had no idea how long they sat there. The soft colors crept from stone to stone on the floor as the voices of those who came and went echoed around them in a confusing murmur. It was still light when someone sat down near them.

“There you are,” said the Marshal-General. “Have you been here since you arrived?”

“No,” Arvid said, shaking himself back to awareness. “No, Marshal-General, thank you. I found us a room at an inn not far away; we ate there.”

“You were supposed to have refreshment here,” she said.

“You are full, I heard, and you are busy. I thought we should take care of ourselves until you had more leisure.”

“Leisure is sadly lacking in my life right now,” the Marshal-General said. Arvid glanced at her; the corner of her mouth quirked. “That is my own fault, you understand. I agreed to this job. You will probably be more comfortable in that inn, anyway. We are crowded right now but, I hope, not for much longer. Tell me, who is this lad?” She looked past Arvid to grin at the boy.

“My son,” Arvid said. “I found him in Aarenis.”

Her brows rose, but she did not ask the details. “And your name, lad?” she asked the boy.

“Arvid, Marshal-General.” After the briefest pause, he asked, “Who built this place? It’s so … so different.”

“It’s very old,” the Marshal-General said. “We think it was built by those who came north long ago, but we are not sure. Are there buildings in the south that look like this?”

“No,” Arvid said. “At least, not in Valdaire or the Foss Council cities. But it’s clear some buildings were built on the ruins of older ones.”

“You’re wearing Gird’s token,” the Marshal-General said. “That’s new: did you actually take the oath?”

Arvid nodded. “In Aarenis … things happened.” He gathered his courage. “Marshal-General, when Gird talks to you, when Gird first talked to you, did you think you were crazy?”

This time her brows rose higher; he could hear the tension in her voice. “You think—you say—Gird talks to you?”

Arvid nodded.

“And what does he say?”

Arvid began with the first time, there on the cold ground, keeping his voice low with an effort. The words poured out in a torrent he could not stop even as the light faded and the great hall grew dim. He had not even reached the moment in Valdaire when the relic’s light flared as he entered when the Marshal-General put a hand on his arm.