As afternoon approached at the Skin & Chalice, the ladies were woken from their sleep by a loud banging on the door to the inn. Dal checked on her patient before leaving the room, and met Kaio and Dao in the hallway. "Wait in there with Mrs Straw, Dao" she said, before bringing Kaio along to greet the guest. If it could appease Mr Thatch, Kaio was not above sacrificing her ass in place of Seren's. Dal took a breath before unbolting the door. Rather than the magistrate, a tall man with a scar across his face looked her over; his glowing fiery eyes betraying his noble status. The women dropped to their knees in fear, as a second noble strode in behind him, "Innkeeper!" he shouted expectantly, "Guess who's back to visit?"

Jerel scanned the room but could see only the two commonfolk women. He stood before the older of the two, "Where is the master of this inn?" he asked Dal. The lies Dal had prepared for Thatch seemed inadequate in the face of these noble men, she scrambled to find an explanation and settled on the simplest choice, "Upstairs. Dead, sir." Count Ironac laughed when he heard her reply. "Serves him right!" he declared, "But it matters little. Where is his family?" Kaio gasped at the noble's line of questioning, and Dal reached out her hand to steady her composure. The Count came closer to the younger girl, "Where is the boy?" he asked again. "He's gone, sir..." admitted Kaio in a small voice. "Jerel, check the rooms" Ironac told his servant, "And you," he said, looming over the terrified girl, his eyes crackling with energy, "tell me quickly where he's gone."

Jerel climbed the stairs to the second floor and pushed open to door to the family's parlor. On the floor lay the dead innkeeper, exhibiting the telltale scorch-marks of a noble execution. The furniture was strewn about the room and the bedroom door was broken to pieces; signs everywhere of a violent struggle. Aside from the body, there was no one else in the upstairs rooms. As he turned to leave, Jerel caught sight of the tablecloth poking out from beneath the upturned sofa. A biathia lily was skillfully embroidered on the torn and trampled fabric, and he couldn't help stroking his finger over the fine and elegant stitches. What did that bastard do to you? He asked himself.

As Jerel returned to the lower floor, he found his master reclining in a chair as the two commonfolk women cowered at his feet. Ironac readied a spark on his fingertips and aimed toward the girl, forcing the older woman to speak, "The master sold his son to the magistrate" admitted Dal. The Count caught Jerel's eye and the servant shook his head, Ironac motioned for him to continue searching. "Sold his son?" he asked Dal, "Why? Is the son... 'special' somehow?" Dal was careful not to reveal too much. To have knowledge of a secret noble in the lands of the commonfolk, such intelligence could only lead to danger. Luckily, when it came to Mr Thatch's motives she could at least speak the truth. "His son is very beautiful, sir. Despite the eyepatch he wears... the magistrate wanted him" Dal played dumb, "as something like a wife, sir."

Jerel searched the kitchen, remembering the night he'd met Adalina and the way he thought she'd looked at him. How foolish he'd been, to presume the meaning in her gaze. He closed his eyes and took a breath, then made his way to the groundfloor parlor and guestrooms. Pushing open the nearest door, a frightened commonfolk woman was huddling over a patient on the bed. Dao froze under the noble's glare, but was intent on protecting Mrs Straw. "Move aside" Jerel whispered softly. Dao shifted to the side of the bed, but kept her hand in contact with Adalina's arm. The man's noble eyes blazed as he stared at the unconscious woman. That same pretty face was now swollen, her neck was bruised and her limbs had been bandaged. Jerel crouched down to Dao and asked her in a whisper, "What happened to her? Tell me quietly and don't alert my master. I promise I won't hurt you."

"And this Mr... Thatch, was it? He took the young master away?" Ironac confirmed with Dal, "But where did he take him to?!" The Count was losing patience, it didn't matter what state the boy was in as long as he was found. "I don't know if he took him sir," lied Dal, "but he lives in the Big Village to the west of here, and before he died, Mr Straw had sold his son to him." Jerel appeared again before his master, "There's no one else here" he told him, "it seems the boy has left already." Count Ironac groaned in frustration and and kicked his legs, as Dal and Kaio exchanged a look of confusion. Ironac rolled his eyes and stood, "We'll go west to this 'Big Village' and if the boy is not there as you say we'll come back to kill you." The Count turned to leave and Kaio's will broke; "Wait!" she called. Dal shot Kaio a frantic look but it was too late to silence her, "If, if Mr Thatch didn't take him, if Seren was running away from him instead... he would most likely have gone in the other direction..."

Count Ironac observed this funny looking girl with the dead eyes of the commonfolk and couldn't help but sneer. "Jerel" he said, "unhitch the horses. I'll ride east in search of our runaway... you find Mr Thatch at the 'Big Village'. If the boy isn't there then you follow me east immediately." "Yes, master" Jerel replied. "I will collect what I need from the carriage" added the Count, "And Jerel, kill the women before you leave." "Yes, master..." said Jerel. The Count left the inn dissatisfied, angrily throwing open the door of the carriage to retrieve what he'd need for the journey, and muttering under his breath over the womens' muffled screams. When Jerel eventually joined him outside he threw his belongings at his servant's feet. "Am I to pack these myself?!" he shouted, "How long must I endure this dirt-filled hellhole?" Jerel picked up his master's things, readied the horses, and filled the saddlebags without complaint. His duties completed, the two nobles rode away from the quiet inn in opposite directions.

Inside the Skin & Chalice, Kaio was shaking in Dal's arms. "If you want to live, scream" the scarred noble had told them, "then don't make another sound until you know we're gone. Take good care of your mistress, I'll send a doctor to see her as soon as I can. Know that she's reason I won't kill you today." The women screamed as instructed as the light in the man's eyes flashed and dimmed. They waited in silence for a long time before a timid Dao came to find them, and rushed into their arms, "I heard you scream... but I was too afraid to come out, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cried. Dal tried to quiet her sobs, but thankfully the nobles had long since left. "It's okay," she told her, "what happened? Did the man with the scar speak to you?"

"He did..." said Dao, "He asked me about Mrs Straw. She's a noble ...isn't she?" Dal took her hand, "I think she must have been before Seren was born. The nobles were looking for Seren. Did you tell the man with the scar where he went?" Kaio's eyes blinked back tears as she swallowed her guilt to interrupt them, "I told the other one which way he ran..." she confessed to Dao. Dal tutted, "And who's to say they'll hurt him if they find him? Just because that man would kill commonfolk, it doesn't mean he'd hurt another noble. No more tears, Kaio! You wanted us to live, I'm sure Seren would forgive you for that. Dao, what about you? What did you tell the man with the scar?" Dao thought back to their strange conversation in the bedroom and tried to recall the details. "I told him that Mrs Straw got hurt because Mr Straw had caught them, they were running away after the young master got sold. I said that Seren didn't mean to hurt his father but he was trying to save the mistress... then he asked if Mrs Straw had been happy... but I didn't know. I said she loved Seren very much! And that when she got better... oh no... I said that when she got better she could join him in the north... I made a mistake didn't I?"

Dal thought it over, "The one with the scar seemed different... he let us live at least. And he didn't mention north to his master..." Suddenly there was a knock on the door, startling the three women on the spot. "It must be the doctor the noble promised to send" said Dal, opening the door and coming face-to-face with the vile Mr Thatch instead. Dao and Kaio hurried to greet him, "Uncle Thatch!" cried Kaio, clinging to his arm and breaking out into violent sobs. "Uncle Thatch!" echoed Dao, "Whatever will become of us?" Mr Thatch had grown impatient waiting for Seren's arrival in the Big Village, and had come to collect him personally on his hardiest stallion, imagining what fun it would be riding double behind him all the way home. But as Mr Thatch neared the inn he'd been concerned by the noble carriage sitting outside, and began to fear that his friend Mr Straw had met with trouble. Kaio fell to her knees and wept openly, "The nobles came, Uncle Thatch, they... they killed master and injured the mistress..." Magistrate Thatch beseeched the women to take him to the body of his fallen friend. Therobod's singed corpse and the abandoned carriage were all the proof needed that this was indeed the work of nobles.

 "And what of Seren?" he asked them. Dao stepped in this time, "We don't know Uncle Thatch!" she cried "He was so scared by them he, he left to find you in the donkey cart, thinking you could help him... but the nobles took their horses and chased him... we don't know if he got away!" Dao collapsed in anguish as she finished her sentence. At least the last part was somewhat true. Mr Thatch had never met a noble before, and certainly never thought to interfere with their business. As the only man present, he thought at least to put things in order, peeved as he was that his new plaything had gone missing. "I'll bring some men with me to take the body, close the inn for the time-being... we'll observe a period of mourning and see if Mrs Straw wakes up or... if Seren comes back. The carriage should be moved to the stables in case the nobles come to retrieve it. Be sure not to touch anything inside!" The women threw themselves at Mr Thatch in grief and gratitude, "Thank you!" they cried. "And Kaio" Mr Thatch continued, "I know today has been hard on you. Tomorrow, you may help me vent my loss..." Kaio nodded her understanding, and lamented in her heart for the suffering of her poor, tender ass.

When Thatch left, the women put away their crocodile tears. Shortly before nightfall a doctor arrived from Cinderton, the makeshift capital of the Cinder Vale's scattered towns and villages. Adalina had yet to wake up, but with a competent physician at her side, the women felt Seren would be satisfied with her care. As thoughts turned to the young master, Dal found herself outside, saying her prayers to Lunis to keep Seren safe on his journey. Turning back towards the inn, she saw Dao and Kaio were doing the same. "Whether Lunis or Solaris, one of the gods will surely take pity on our Seren" said Dal with a comforting smile. "Is it really possible?" asked Kaio, "Is our sweet, silly boy really half noble? Can there be such a thing?" Dao slung her arms around Dal and Kaio's shoulders, "Noble or not, as far as I'm concerned he's still the same perverted little boy who used to peep into our bedrooms... That reminds me, did you ever tell him in the end, Dal? About how you served your special customer?" Dal broke into a knowing grin as they walked back inside, "I think I showed him well enough" she said, "and I even sent him away with a memento..."