Rain was almost vibrating with excitement as the hand cart stopped in front of the Crown Theater. Not even being stuck with the Estoms could ruin her excitement at seeing a new play. Lucus, sitting on the other side of her, looked just as restless but in a nervous sort of way. 

 

“Ah, we’re here, come children,” Lord Estom said in that friendly way of his that felt so fake.

 

And with that, Lord Estom left the carriage and offered Lady Estom his hand. 

 

Rain leaned over to whisper to Lucus the moment the two were gone.

 

“You don’t need to be so nervous; just spend some time with them.”

 

Lucus stiffly nodded before getting out of the cart and offering his hand to help Rain. Rain took his help even if it was a little awkward because she insisted on using her right hand - despite it forcing her to reach across her body. Still, it was better than reminding him about her bad hand. 

 

“This is quite the fantastic play I hear. The Tragedy of Pardeth, you have good taste, my girl!”

 

“Thank you, but it was Lucus who chose the play.” Rain said, trying to push Lucus forward. After all, getting him some time with his parents was the point of bringing them along to sour Rain’s enjoyment of a new play. 

 

The conversation continued, with Lord Estom lying about how much he cared about his children while Lady Estom remained cold and silent. The group was well dressed, wearing their nicest furs, yet they still blended into the crowd of other theatergoers as they entered the massive thirteen-spired Crown Theater.

 

“Lady Rain, your box is ready for you,” Dent informed her with a bow as they entered.

 

Dent was one of the attendants at the theater. He was also on the lower side of importance, which was why he got landed with taking care of the creepy child of the Estoms. Still, despite being forced to help Rain and cringing when she drew near, Rain didn’t hold it against him because he did his job well. 

 

“Thank you, Dent, lead the way.”

 

Dent led them past the wide pillared admissions area - where most others were offering their tickets to be let into the general seating - to a set of stairs lined with paintings of actors and actresses. 

 

Every time Rain came here, she imagined her face on that wall. Not that it could ever happen. Actresses were supposed to be pretty, and as Rain was constantly reminded, she was creepy and had a twisted hand. Still, it was fun to dream. 

 

Before long, the small group entered the door to Rain's private box. It wasn’t the biggest or the nicest box, but it had a good view of the stage, and when Rain was up here she didn’t usually have her experience tainted by the mutterings about creepy little girls from the people next to her.

 

Although tonight would have its own set of annoyances. Rain scowled as Lord and Lady Estom took the two best seats in the box, the ones that usually belonged to Rain and Sunrise. Still, Rain pushed down her annoyance as she nudged Lucus towards a seat next to his parents. The whole point of letting the Estoms ruin her night was so Lucus could get some time with them.

 

“Wonderful Rain, my girl! We shall have to use your box more often!”

 

No. No, they shouldn’t. This place was Rain’s! But she couldn’t say that right now and ruin the mood. So, instead, she kept silent. 

 

“You’re right, dear. This will be a fine place to entertain guests during the gathering.”

 

Rain didn’t like where this conversation was heading, but seeing Lucus sitting meekly next to Lord Estom forced her to hold her tongue. 

 

Rain moved a seat closer to the edge so she could see over the low rails and settled in to watch the play. The Estoms made polite small talk with her, and she answered them cordially as long as they didn’t mention stealing her seats.

 

Before long, two men walked down the sides of the room and extinguished the lamps, casting the seats below into darkness. The crowd grew quiet, leaving the room to the dull hum of whispered conversation and muffled footsteps as stragglers walked on the luxuriously carpeted floor.

 

Rain sat on the edge of her seat, eyes fixed on the stage, as the curtain pulled back and the stage was revealed. Rain smiled at the beautiful costumes of the three men standing before an elaborate backdrop of a cityscape.

 

Wondering what Lucus thought about the backdrop, Rain threw a look at him. He wasn’t even looking at the stage; instead, he was staring at Lord Estom from the corner of his eye and fidgeting. That, combined with the slightly scrunched-up look on his face, made it look like he was holding in a poop. 

 

Rain giggled before returning to the show. She’d given Lucus the opportunity to get what he was looking for from the Estoms; it was up to him to seize it. 

 

“Ah, Deth my brother, welcome home!” said one of the men onstage, sweeping another into a massive hug. 

 

“Brother, it's been too long! It’s wonderful to see a familiar face. War can change a man, and I feel like I've been losing track of who I am.”

 

Already Rain approved; hugs were definitely the best way to communicate. 

 

“Don’t worry. Your little brother will always be there for you.” 

 

“Thank you, Agradawn; it’s good to know I’ll always have someone to watch my back.”

 

“Young Lords, your family is waiting. Shall we head in to see them?” the third acter inserted into the conversation. And like that, the play began.

 

Rain found herself wondering about the names Pardeth and Agradawn; they weren’t Crown Ring names, and they definitely weren’t solid islander names, so did they come from somewhere on the mainland, or were they just made-up jibberish? Had these brothers been real, or were they simply figments of some imagination?

 

Regardless, Rain completely forgot about Lucus’s plight as she was drawn into the play. At first, everything went well for Pardeth. His family welcomed him in and helped him recover after years at war left him desolate. But as the play went on, Pardeth started to notice small things were wrong around the palace. Servants were disappearing, and a strange man in a dark cloak kept meeting with Pardeth’s father. 

 

When Pardeth started seeing glowing runes at night, he had enough and confronted his father.

 

“Father, what is happening around the palace? Ever since I returned, things have been off. The people are more stressed, and you and the family have been speaking in whispers and sneaking around, as is unbefitting of lords.”

 

“Calm down, son. We have found something wonderful; it is nothing for you to worry about. We simply haven’t told you about it since you expressed a desire to rest now that you’ve left the front lines.”

 

“How can I rest when everyone around me isn’t acting like themselves?”

 

The father let out a booming laugh at that. Rain had to admit that the depth of the laugh the actor was capable of was impressive. Could she do that? She wanted to try.

 

“Very well, if it will help you relax, then I will show you the beautiful work we have begun.”

 

Both men stood and started walking while stage boys rushed out to swap the props. By the time the two men had reached the other side of the stage, the scenery was of an underground chamber with a bloody altar in the middle. 

 

“Father, what is this!”

 

“Pardeth, while you were gone, we were visited by a Prince of Darkness. He promised us immortality if we sacrificed lives to him.”

 

“And you accepted! Father, you always taught me to rule with honor. How could you resort to this!”

 

“I do this for those I rule. By making an unpleasant sacrifice, I can ensure that a wise lord always leads our people and that instability never takes our homes.”

 

“How can you help others by killing them?”

 

“We can not help them if we are no longer here to rule.”

 

“No, Father, this is wrong!” 

 

Pardeth drew his sword and pointed it at his father as the lights in the theater were relit, signaling an intermission. 

 

“Wonderful, truly a gripping story!” Lord Estom said, pulling Rain out of the play.

 

“It was. We should spend more time here as a family, shouldn’t we, dear?” Lady Estom answered in a way that almost seemed rehearsed to Rain.

 

“That would be wonderful, but my duties keep me far too busy. As things stand, I won’t be able to make the time. A shame, don’t you two agree?” Lord Estom said with a nod at Lucus and Rain.

 

“Ya,” Lucus muttered.

 

Rain didn’t agree, but she knew it would be rude to say that right now, so she gave her assent, too.

 

“Well, there's nothing to be done about it… Unless… Rain, might I ask for your help? It might allow me to spend more time with my wonderful children?”

 

There it was. The Estoms were finally going to ask her for whatever they had been cuddling up to her for.