Jaenor remained on the balcony a moment longer, breathing in the last of the quiet morning. He could already hear footsteps gathering in the halls below. Murmurs. The stirring of a house awakening to something long awaited.
And then he stepped away from the balcony, ready to face whatever awaited in the great hall.
-
By evening, representatives from the three major houses had arrived at Arkwright House.
Word of Jaenor's return had spread through the duchy with remarkable speed—helped considerably by the fact that a two-hundred-foot divine beast was seen in the estate grounds and visible to most of the townspeople.
People were talking about nothing else.
The meeting was held in the estate's council chamber—a large room on the second floor with a round table that could seat twenty. The walls were covered with tapestries showing Arkwright history, and weapons from previous generations hung in places of honor.
