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before he left? That was stupid of him…
    “Sir, you look ill. Are you alright? What’s happened?”
    It took most of Thomas’ attention just to focus on the guard speaking to him. “The countryside… is under attack. Brigands… dressed in black. Burning… they’re burning the villages and the farms…”
    “What?!” the guard replied, aghast. “You must speak to the Chancellor immediately. She must hear of this.
    The guard whistled, and two more guards down the street opened a gate for him. Thomas clicked again, and Lucille headed off in that direction. If Thomas was more awake, he would have marveled at the massive amount of people surrounding him, openly staring. There were so many shops and businesses. It was a busy place.
    Then Lucille and Thomas passed through the gate, and the commotion stopped immediately.
    This area was all green save for the few buildings and the path. At the end of the road was a building with a pointed tip that stretched into the sky. Thomas didn’t know what it was, but he liked the way the red brick building was made, as well as the windows made of stained glass.
    Lucille stopped just short of the building, and Thomas dismounted with a mix of gratitude and pain.
    “Stay here,” he told Lucille, as he couldn’t tether her to anything. The horse whinnied once to show she understood, and Thomas headed inside.
    “And who is this?” a female voice called as the door shut behind him. He couldn’t see where it was coming from , mostly because he really couldn’t see.
    “I… I need to warn you… people… danger…” Thomas fell to one knee, unable to keep going. Almost immediately, he felt hands on his back and something wet pressed against his face, and he felt a little better.
    “It’s okay, dear, just calm down,” the voice said, but now the voice had a face. It was a gorgeous one, with dark brown hair and eyes so blue they seemed to be translucent. Her eyes were full of concern, which really only made her prettier. Her mouth was small but her lips were full and she had a smile of encouragement that almost made him feel better than the water she was dabbing at his forehead.
    “Please, ma’am, I have to warn you. The countryside is under attack by brigands. They’ve been burning the villages, the farms… everything.”
    “Oh Gods…” the woman replied, helping him to his feet. “Not that I don’t believe you, but do you have any proof of this?”
    Thomas nodded, lifting his hand which had the emblem in it. She took it from him, studying it for only a second before nodding once.
    “Come with me, dear.”
    “Begging your pardon, ma’am, but who are you?”
    She helped him off of the floor with a sweet smile. He noticed she had a spare tooth on the left side of her mouth, and he couldn’t suppress a smile of his own.
    “I am Chancellor Valerium,” she replied. Thomas’ jaw immediately dropped, and he felt his face burn red. Dressed in a long black cloak that hid everything but her face, Thomas never would have guessed that it was the Chancellor.
    “I’m… terribly sorry, ma’am, I never saw you in person before…”
    “That’s fine, dear, just try to keep walking,” she said. Thomas belatedly realized that he had stopped, his shock forcing everything else from his mind. He started walking again, trying not to lean heavily on the Chancellor and failing miserably.
    She carried him to the front, passing rows of benches and candles. He briefly considered asking what this place was before deciding it could wait.
    Chancellor Valerium set him down beside a bowl of water, which she used to sponge off his face. He didn’t know what it was, but her touch made him feel better by the second. His vision was clearing, and he felt the sting from his many cuts and bruises start to fade.
    She briefly called to a guard, and had him take Thomas’ message, and proof, to the King. Once this was done, she returned her full attention to Thomas.
    “What was that thing? That