She woke up in the dark and instinctively looked out her window. The stars were sprinkled across the clear sky. She was amazed. It felt as though it had been ages since she had seen a sky so bright. For a moment everything fell into place. It was all mapped out in the stars, from the blinking city lights, to the howling party, and the silence of an unused room. She felt calm, and then a flicker of light and movement among the dark trees drew her gaze. As she followed the flashing of a single light behind the branches, her eyes adjusted and she became aware of two grey stallions trotting through the underbrush with the light seeming to follow their movement. Then she noticed that the horses were hitched and the light came from a lantern affixed to an unseen black carriage. She watched the horses' movement along an unseen path between the trees and across her field of vision until they were out of sight.

After blinking her tired eyes, she couldn’t be certain that she had seen anything there or if it was only part of a long dream. She lay back down fell back to sleep.

*

Selene had thought things would sink into a routine and that she would get to meet Tarin again, but it was different that day. There were important people coming to the manor house and she was left alone in the great hall to arrange oversized flowers into oversized pots. Looking at the size of the task Selene wondered if Ris had given her the job out of spite and she prayed that nobody would tell her to take it down.

An hour of work cleared her doubts. She had the best job. Here she was not scrubbing dishes, or washing clothes, but making something magical. She started to fall in love with every flower. The large purple blooms that appeared soft as velvet, the yellow balls so heavily petalled that the core was hidden at its centre, the cupped giant lily, the tiny flowers like molten gold, and long curling leaves that looked like ironwork. The fresh ferns packed around the edges made perfection.

Now Selene could see the effect the rows of decorative vases and looming blossoms had on the space. What had been a bare front hall looked sophisticated, royal, grand. The more she worked the more pride she felt in brining the hall to splendour. It reminded her of the vision in the dining room of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. This building had been meant to be something great.

Selene was working on the fifth arrangement when she heard soft steps approaching. Ris must have returned with lunch as promised. Selene turned, but Ris wasn’t there. Instead some boy with a flaky looking face was.

"We meet again," he said.

Selene considered him, but did not know him.

"Do we?" she curiously asked.

She tried to remember if she had seen him working around the manor house.

"I scared you yesterday while you were hanging the laundry. I came to apologize."

"Well, thank you," Selene said.

After an awkward pause where they simply stared at one another Selene bent down to pick up another flower and turned around to give it a place in the arrangement. Sensing that he was still there, she continued to avoid him through her work.

"Hey. If you’re a warlock, shouldn’t you be learning magic?" the boy asked suddenly.

Selene paused, but quickly started tugging a leaf to make it look like she was just arranging the flowers.

"I’m a little too busy for that," she said making excuses.

She wasn’t about to admit her problems to a stranger.

"Is that right. You know if you need to know something you could always ask your familiar."

"What—"

The knock on the front door echoed down the hall. Together they gazed towards the large carved doors that stood as the main entrance to the manor house.

"I wouldn’t get that," the boy said, seeming to now what waited on the other side. Then he turned towards the kitchen and with every step vanished more into the air until he was gone.

After a long moment of silence a louder knock sounded. Selene turned towards the large door. There was no other person in the hall. She didn’t know if she was allowed to answer it, and if she got to it, she didn’t know if she could open a door that big. The knock came again. She took a step forward.

"I’ll get it," Tarin said entering the hall. "Start looking busy."

Selene instinctively picked up a flower, but her eyes followed Tarin's move towards the door. He made a sweeping hand gesture that lifted the door lock and pulled the doors inwards and open. The guest at the door wore a black coat that had silver symbols scrawled around the collar, black pants to match, and a plain white shirt. Selene would have thought him handsome if she had not been too occupied with his dog. The grey beast stood as high as its mater's hip and had red eyes that seemed to be directed at her.

"Lord Naruze is expecting you," Tarin said.

It seemed as though he was trying to smooth a dangerous mood. The stranger’s actions confirmed this for he kept his reply simple.

"I expect so."

The man eyed the length of the hallway, taking in the decorations meant to please, and the lone servant girl standing frozen. He was not impressed at Lord Naruze’s attempt at a regal display. To show it he did not let the Lord’s man lead. Instead he made his own way to the chambers at the end of the hall, calling his dog behind him. Tarin bid the door to shut and followed after. Selene quickly went back to work and didn’t let herself turn around until they were gone. She couldn’t be sure, but Tarin had appeared a bit lost. The swallow tailed suit coat he wore made him look slightly comical and his silver necklace with the symbol of a swirl appeared an imitation of what was on the other man’s collar.

"Are you alright?" Ris asked making her entrance with the food she had promised.

"I’m fine," Selene said, but she felt a distant headache growing in the back of her skull.

"Important people. It’s better not to bother with them," Ris said before she left.

***