“Cyrus!” Mari Ahlai shouted. She exited the other side of the carriage, a ball of happiness bouncing toward him. Face blushing slightly, he bent down to accept her excited hug.

“It’s good to see you, too,” he said.

“Gods, Rayan is right, you are taller. Stop aging this instant. You’re starting to make me feel old.”

Cyrus laughed, and in response he squeezed her harder. Mari Ahlai visited the mansion every few months, and her arrival always brightened everyone’s mood. Sadly her duties in Vallessau as Endarius’s voice and presence kept her from staying long. Cyrus still struggled to believe the short, chubby woman with a mile-wide smile was the Lioness who had torn through dozens of soldiers during Lycaena’s execution. He’d watched for signs of falsehood in her laugh, or a potential hard edge in her voice when describing life in Vallessau. He never saw or heard any such sign. Despite the daunting trials she faced alongside the rebellion, and the murderous role she played as the Lioness, her optimism and joy appeared genuine.

For some reason, that made Cyrus the tiniest bit frightened of her.

“Need me to carry anything?” he asked the pair after separating from Mari’s embrace.

Rayan gestured toward the top of the carriage.

“If you’ll spare an old man the labor, you may carry my armor to wherever it is we will duel.”

Cyrus’s heart leaped at the word. Their duel. The deciding factor on whether or not Cyrus was ready to return to Vallessau and set into motion everything Thorda planned. His master had spent the passing year building Thanet’s insurgence from scratch, with Rayan and Mari doing their best to keep faith alive in their respective deities during the absence. All of it was mere preparation, laying down a framework for a resurgent rebellion. Kindling, for the spark that would be Cyrus and his Vagrant persona.

“I’d be happy to,” he said. The many pieces of well-oiled and padded plate and chain were stored in two large sacks and tied to the carriage roof. It took two trips, but Cyrus hefted them both to the dueling circle on the far side of the mansion.