Hello, Everyone!
Last time, while everyone was dining in the Lavore Residence, Mary slinked off to try and sneak into Reina’s room. She didn’t trust that woman, and she was going to prove that she was hiding a dark secret!
But just as Mary opened Reina’s diary to read her most evil ot thoughts, someone unlocked the door and turned the knob.
Before the door could fully open, Mary jumped down and rolled under the bed. She held her breath and saw Reina’s slippers step over the doorway and onto the soft carpet of her room.
“She’s under the bed,” an unfamiliar voice called out.
Mary’s heart skipped a beat. Had she been spied on by someone this whole time?
She didn’t have time to think. While Reina was walking towards the bed, Mary ran the blade of her dagger over her finger, injuring herself and activating her Misty Escape. She poofed in the corridor and dashed, invisible, towards the guest room.
She shut the door and threw herself on her bed. Her heart was racing. She’d done it! She’d escaped!
A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Mary composed herself, trying to look casual and not-at-all-guilty-of-breaking-and-entering.
Reina stood in the entrance, her eyes cold and spiteful.
“Oh, hey, Reina!” Mary said, a bit too casually. “What’s going on?”
“You’re not the only special one,” Reina said.
“What?”
“You’re not the only well-read, nor are you the only one who knows and sees things.”
“I don’t understand…”
Reina gave her a piercing look. “I suggest we both stay in our own lane. Aurum is mine.”
Then, she turned around and slammed the door between them. Mary stayed stunned for a few moments. Then, she opened the door and shouted after Reina.
“Aurum is nobody’s! What makes you think that I…”
But the woman was nowhere to be found. She’d disappeared.
Back inside the guestroom, Mary sat on the bed once again, and let out a long sigh of relief. Her snooping around didn’t seem to have had any bad concequences for the group. She’d just made more of an enemy out of Reina. Which she could manage.
She felt a new tinge at her scalp. Gillean was trying to attract her attention again. She sighed and opened her Book.
was written on the page.
“Haven’t you been watching?”
I’ve missed some stuff.
Obviously.”
Mary rolled her eyes. Why was Gillean pretending to be offended when she had every right to be so instead?
“Is there a task that you want me to do here?”
Of course it would, Mary thought to herself. Why would she have a break? The whole world was lying on her and her party’s shoulders!
suddenly feeling the weight of it all.
“But I might have to.”
before you… were busy?”
It turned out that it was Mary and the others saving Nymphadora from Nurvureem. Mary tried to rely everything that had happened after that. It hurt to tell Gillean about Tesaya’s appearance in Dynatos Perres’ office and how everybody had believed her instantly. It hurt to tell him about her eventual betrayal and transformation into a Draconite. But, most of all, it hurt to remember all the coffee-and-tea-filled mornings when Mary had thought that Tesaya was her friend.
“She did turn out to be untrustworthy,
just like you said.”
She sat on the bed, her arms crossed and her lips pursed. Was he going to say he was sorry now?
Gillean wrote instead. “But, really, I was busy.
When Oberon calls, you have to answer.”
so I had to disappear.”
finishing touches to do out here.”
Mary felt a lump in her throat. Was Gillean in danger? Why would he keep her out of the loop?
she wrote finally.
Later that night, after Bruno and Agatha had joined Mary into the guest room, Aurum came to wish everybody a ‘good night’. He was going to sleep in Reina’s room.
Mary waited for him to go out the door so that she didn't have to face him directly, and sent a Message inside of his head.
”Are you sure you can trust her?”
”She hasn’t given me a reason not to,” came the answer.
”So did Tesaya.”
It was a moment until she got a reply.
”Do you have a reason not to trust her?”
”She’s hiding things from us.”
”Like what?”
”There is an illusion on the top shelf of her bookcase. And her diary is modified with magic to look like there’s nothing there.”
”I’ll check them out.”
”Yeah, if you have time for that.”
During the night, Mary suddenly jolted from her sleep. She’d had an idea. She ran to Bruno’s bed and shook him awake.
“Bruno!” she whispered.
“Mmm?” the dwarf mumbled, barely opening an eye.
“Can you ask Ord for that spell of yours? The one that makes people tell the truth?”
“Whu-?”
“You used it in Myth Adofhaer. With Maquiel. Please, Bruno, it’s important!”
“Uh– okay,” Bruno sighed. “But couldn’t it have waited until morning?”
Sooo, Gillean is fine... -ish. And next time, we’re going to have a Zone of Truth session. Do you think we’re going to uncover something cool or dangerous? I hope we do!
See you then!
Take care and be well!
(Also, here's a link to the Chapter Guide, the Glossaries (Part 1 and Part 2)
and the Map for the series. You're welcome!)
An important disclaimer: Mary Windfiddle's story is my notes from a D&D game turned into a narrative. All the worldbuilding and NPC encounters belong to our DM, and all the actions of the other main characters (Aurum, Bruno and Agatha) belong to my co-players. My contribution to the story is only everything Mary-related (actions, reactions, inner thoughts), as well as the writing itself.