Roxanne rolled her eyes as the woman sidled up beside Robert, clinging to his arm. Her cousin always seemed to have that effect on women, something that she'd never understood. What did they see in him? She saw the way the maidservants blushed when he smiled at them and heard the whispers of the peasant women when they walked through the villages. The man could be charming when he wanted to, but Roxanne often found his rakish ways to be tiresome. He'd have to get married eventually, and Roxanne already felt sorry for his future wife.
Robert beamed at his guest, taking her easily by the arm and leading her up towards the stairway towards the upper balcony. He knew that her casually flirtatious attitude was just part of the game of politics, but he still enjoyed the attention nonetheless. She was a sharp one, he could tell. It would be a great boon to have her on his side...or better yet, at his side. She certainly was pretty, and an alliance with the Correas could be greatly beneficial.
"It would be my pleasure," he said. "Come up here, you'll love the balcony. From up there, you can see all the villages of the eastern foothills. Lovely little towns, really. They're the real treasure of the family, my father always says."
Stepping out onto the balcony, he gestured with a sweep of the arm across the sprawling landscape before them. From their vantage point atop the tallest hill, the other rolling hills bubbled up from the earth, each a patchwork of farmlands and forests. The villages were visible from here, the buildings looking like dollhouses set up across a lawn. As he gazed over the lands, however, something didn't seem right. A heavy black smoke rose from the forests, rising into the sky in a dense pillar. He frowned, wondering what was going on.
"The villagers must be burning the forests," he said. "To make room for farmland, I'm sure. That's odd that they're doing it so late in the day, though. I wonder-"
He was cut off as the door to the balcony slammed open and a sweating messenger boy ran in. The young lad bowed hurriedly to Mariona before turning to Robert, his eyes wide with fright.
"A message for you, sir," he said. "Extremely urgent. From Captain Suurin of the Third Heavy Cavalry."
Robert frowned again, but nodded. He'd specifically instructed the staff not to bother him or the guests, but this was clearly something important.
"Excuse me a moment," he said, and stepped inside to hear what the boy had to say. A moment later, he stepped back outside, his face a ghostly white.
"Something happened," he said, trying to conceal the trembling in his voice. "Across the sea to the west. Do you remember the history lessons we were taught as children? About the artifacts? Do you recall one known as the Book of Night, containing all the evil magic in the land?"
He hesitated, glancing out at the smoking forest once more and shuddering.
"It's been opened," he said. "The news just arrived via messenger beetle. The book is open, and the pages are landing far and wide. I'm told that a few pages have landed within our own territories, and that horrible beasts are emerging. Please forgive me, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to be a very gracious host. The garrisons will have to be mobilized. Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe here at the estate."
Glancing back out over the balcony, he suddenly realized exactly how dry his mouth was. How could this have happened? He would have thought it a hoax if the messenger boy hadn't brought the captain's own personal signet ring. This was something that nobody could have envisioned, a catastrophe beyond even the wildest of imaginations. The Book of Night? He'd been told stories of the evils contained within since he was a child, but had never even considered the possibility of it being opened.