Slate seemed happy—ecstatic, even—to answer any questions Andromeda and Sorren had as he led them down a staircase at the back of the inn. He explained that the lamps that lined the wood-paneled walls and filled the narrow space with a warm yellow light were not filled with flame but with something called electricity. Electricity was as mysterious to Andromeda as she was sure magic was to the residents of Icekeep. Slate explained it as best as he could, but it made no sense to her; there was just too much talk about "electrons" and "wiring" and "circuits."

They reached the bottom of the stairs, where a large wooden door blocked the way to the next room. The whole feel of the place reminded Andromeda of the hideout where she had heard Belladonna and Dragon, but it was at least nowhere near as worn out.

Slate rapped on the door, and a hidden slat opened at about eye level. The eyes peering out were a dull gray, and once they took in the trio, the person on the other side opened the door. He was a tall, burly man wearing a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves. A stubble traced his chin, and a scowl furrowed his face.

"Who are these?" he grunted.

Slate hesitated and glanced at Andromeda and Sorren before answering. "They're from the Order of the Dandelion. In Leoral."

The man looked them up and down for a long moment before nodding. "Come on in, then. Slate, go back to work."

Slate's face fell. "But--"

"No buts. I'll let you know when your shift is finished, but until then, you can't leave the inn unattended."

Slate sighed. "Of course, Blizzard."

After the boy went back upstairs, Blizzard beckoned Andromeda and Sorren inside. The room beyond the door was just big enough to fit its contents: a long table stretching along one wall, with two maps above it—one of the world, and one of just Icekeep. Three bunkbeds were pushed into a corner and two dressers were beside them. A large bookshelf also accompanied a wall, although the amount of books was quite disappointing. A few chairs were placed about, and the whole room was filled with light coming from the ceiling.

Blizzard shut the door behind them and turned to face them. "So. How can I be sure you two are who you say you are?"

Andromeda blanked for a moment. She hadn't expected the question—it hadn't even occurred to her that that might be a problem.

Sorren, on the other hand, nodded in agreement. "You know, that's very smart. We could just be two strange Icekeep residents."

Blizzard snorted. "Yeah, right. No member of Icekeep would ever be caught out with hair like that." He nodded toward Andromeda. "It just doesn't work like that around here."

Andromeda frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that everything is kept orderly around here. Everything is mandated, including appearances. Nobody wears any color." Blizzard looked the Leorans up and down. "I suppose it's possible you're from the Order of the Dandelion. Don't know why anyone would pretend they're from there, after all. Why did you come here?"

"We need help!" Andromeda blurted out suddenly. "The leader of the Order—she might be killed—but she's somewhere in Icekeep and I don't know what to do--"

"Woah there, hold up." Blizzard patted her shoulder somewhat awkwardly. "It'll uh—It'll be okay. Why don't you explain everything from the beginning?"

Andromeda walked him through the best she could, starting with when Chamomile had told her she was leaving. When she finished, she was shaking just a little. She hadn't realized until now what was at stake.

"We'll do what we can, I promise," Blizzard said. He was clearly trying to soften his gruff voice. "I'll send a message to our leader, Cliff, as soon as possible. While we wait, why don't I show you around? It might help take your mind off it."

The headquarters were small, but the tour seemed to drag on forever. Despite what Blizzard had said, she couldn't stop thinking about Chamomile and what it might be like if she was gone forever.

"Where is everyone?" Sorren asked. It hit Andromeda then that the room was devoid of others, nor was it large enough to house more than six people.

"Elsewhere," Blizzard said. "We have multiple bases and station a few people at each. That way if we ever get discovered, it won't be all of us."

"You know, that's pretty smart," said Sorren. "The Dandelion has only one place, and it's been moved what—twice already?"

Andromeda nodded. "The first was after my da—I mean, Vallant, betrayed Chamomile and killed Dandelion. I guess she couldn't bear being there anymore. The second was when the Queen found our hideout. Her Guard came to burn everything down and--" She tried to hold back tears. Stars above. What was she thinking, bringing up the scariest day of her life in a moment already charged with emotion?

Blizzard shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Ah... Yes... well, I think this will suffice for a tour. I'll let Slate know he is relieved from his duty for tonight."

Sorren and Andromeda sat in silence as the man slipped an apron over his outfit and headed upstairs. It stretched between them until the door banged open and Slate entered.

"Hi," he said, out of breath. "So, you really are from Leoral? And the Order of the Dandelion?"

Andromeda nodded wearily. "That's us."

"Wow. I mean, I've heard about Leoral and everything, but there isn't much information, and I've always wanted to learn more about your country and people and, well... now there's two Magicals right here!"

"One Magical," Sorren corrected. "I can't do anything like that."

"Oh. I thought every Leoran could use magic..."

Sorren shrugged. "Nah. I mean, most of us can, but some can't. It just works like that."

Slate pulled out a notebook and wrote something down. "Interesting."

"What's that for?" Andromeda said.

"Oh... I just want to write a book about Leoral, so there can be more reliable information. So I was thinking I could ask you some questions, i-if that's okay."

Sorren glanced at Andromeda. "Maybe tomorrow. It's been a long day." 

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Thanks so much for reading! Don't forget to vote, it really does help :)

I know this was a bit of a shorter chapter, but I had to rush to get it done. I hope you still enjoyed it!