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That evening, after we’d been shown to our rooms in the palace and given a chance to rest, Lucinda invited us to dinner.
We were expecting an audience, like what we’d experienced earlier with her and her court, but when the guards brought us to Lucinda’s personal dining room, we were surprised to see that it was relatively small, and the table was only set for seven. Once the guards had shut the door behind people, the only people in the room besides Ariadne, myself, and the other elementals were Lucinda and another elf woman whom I didn’t recognize. There were no odious counselors or court people to be seen.
Lucinda, who had been sitting at the head of the table, stood up when she saw us. Opening her arms wide in greeting, she said, “Welcome, Elementals and Ariadne! Please, please t
