Upon stepping outside, Pyris found Alera waiting, her expression betraying that she had witnessed every moment of the tense exchange within. Lizzie remained blissfully unaware, her innocence intact like that of a sheltered child. The young servant offered a respectful bow to her master while Alera slipped her arm through his, and together they departed the chamber.
"Lizzie," Pyris commanded softly, "fetch Esmeralda for me."
As the girl hurried away, Pyris turned toward a shadowed alcove. "Song," he called into the darkness.
The second-in-command of the Phantoms materialized from the thick shadows as if conjured from the very air itself. His form seemed to drink in the light around him.
"By the banquet's end," Pyris instructed, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority, "I want every member of the Eclipse Syndicate captured. Their involvement in the attack matters not—bring them all."
