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“That’s right,” Herald said “We had so for the artifact for a while The Chalice of Plenty” He nudged his glasses up again, his cheeks a little reddish now from the heat and his drink “They were supposed to send in a Hound or two, but soht All we know is that the relic triggered some sort of reaction, and that caused those people to – well, you know”

I held my breath The Chalice’s horrible enchanth toit down to noticeas the Lorica didn’t know I had absconded with the artifact –

“Here’s your sangria,” our waitress said, grinning I took it in both hands gratefully, tossing back half in the first gulp

“Going to be a real proble to the masquerade that the Lorica ic from the human world “I wonder if the normals will even buy a story like that”

“It happens,” Prudence said “Bath salts A whole lot of alcohol So mentally Or all of the above”

It sounded callous, but Prudence was right Sometimes there were casualties as a result of the arcane world’s ie orth keeping hues did, and do But twelve dead, and a thirteenth who ed more of my drink

Prudence did the sa the rest of her beer, and Herald tucked into as either a frozenpull, then wiped at the spot of shaved ice stuck to his nose

“Still hot,” he said “Cripes I’rab a paper napkin, but knocked over the salt shaker in the process “Daer across the tablecloth

To an onlooker, itaway the salt, but Prudence and I knew better Spilling the salt was just an excuse We watched as each h to beby, say, our waitress, or the dozen or so other tables of day drinkers ere far too busy eating to pay attention to the Japanese guy in the stripey tank top as casting an actual ical spell

Herald closed his fist, and the pale light dissipated Cool air blew out of nowhere, gentle enough that it hardly lifted Prudence’s hair, but with just the right a heat of the day Who knehere Herald pulled this very specific cantrip out of, but considering he spent a huge percentage of his day perusing and cataloguing spell books, I couldn’t really be all that surprised

“Way to uphold the Veil, Herald,” Prudence said, but her sigh of contentrateful for the coolness as ere

“I wish I could do that” I couldn’t keep the sulk and small resent Anything”

Herald puffed his chest out, sly

Prudence tilted her head “Why would you need to learn how to cast anything? I get that you want to diversify, but shadowstepping’s pretty cool on its own And

useful”