Out in the courtyard, things were still loud, songs, shouting, laughter, the clank of mugs, and the creak of armor.
The Bloodbane knights had let the tension roll off their backs like water. Some were seated on overturned barrels, others leaned against stone walls, swapping stories or trying to see who could belch the loudest.
Two guards up on the watch platform were mid-conversation, squinting out toward the road.
"I swear, if I have to carry one more crate of dusty noble forks, I'm gonna start throwing 'em at pigeons."
"Pfft. I found a whole drawer of silk underwear upstairs. Soft as a dove's neck, swear on my blade."
"You try one on?"
"Don't change the subject."
Just then, one of them leaned forward, blinking.
"Wait, what's that? Is that… robes?"
Below, the other guard shaded his eyes. A slow procession was making its way up the hill toward the manor. White and violet robes, golden staves, lanterns swinging gently, the air around them seeming to shimmer faintly.
