Lord Vine kept pacing.
The hall was empty except for the sound of his own footsteps, and he moved through it with the restless energy of something unresolved pressing at the back of his mind.
There was something. He was certain of it. A thread he had been holding that he could no longer locate, a name or a task or a piece of the larger design that had simply ceased to present itself when he reached for it in his memories.
He stopped and stood still, trying to find it. Nothing came.
The door opened and one of his servants crossed the threshold at speed, dropping to both knees before he had finished entering, the urgency of the motion announcing the content before the words did.
"Lord Vine."
He sat on his throne. "Speak."
The servant spoke quickly. "News just came from our sources in the palace! High Magus Edric engaged with Noah Webb and was severely wounded."
