He receives his cloak and sigil, a golden raven on black, and as he leaves the ceremony, his three small children run up to him, hugging him. Two boys and a girl. He's finally reunited with his family after many years of bloody war.
The stage goes dark and the crowd rises to their feet in cheers and applause. My heart pounds in my chest, the whole experience so very visceral. I can't help but join in the enthusiastic applause.
Corinne stands next to me, clapping politely. "Not entirely historically accurate," she says. "But it is a great show."
The actors all take their bows to more applause, and a woman comes on stage holding genetically modified roses that glow in the dim theater.
"She's the director," Corinne says.
"Thank you for attending our show," the director says. "Next week, for our fifth anniversary, King Varian himself will be amongst the audience. We are honored and privileged to have him as our guest and hope you all will join us for another rousing night of theater. Have a good night."
As we begin to file out of the auditorium, a man ahead of us scoffs. His hair is long and blond, and a red cloak drapes his shoulders. "We all know he's coming for Nightfall, not this stupid show."
My heart skips a beat as I lean into Corinne. "You know anything about this?"
"About what?" she asks, not looking at the man, who has now disappeared in the crowd.
I tell her what I heard, and she shrugs and shakes her head.
I tap my eGlass. "Evie, is King Varian arriving in New York City?"
"Yes. He'll be arriving in a week from Sapientia. Rumors say he's been dispatched by the Pope to apprehend Nightfall."
Corinne keeps walking, but I stop, stunned, as people knock into me on their way out. Corinne turns and frowns. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." I force myself to walk forward and catch up with her.
"Good. I think we should go." She gestures at the nearly empty theatre, as Inquisition Guards begin searching the seats to make sure everyone has left.
Evie speaks into my ear, "There's more—"
"Later," I whisper. This will have to wait. I need to act normal and get out of here.
"I loved Tony de Rez," Corinne says as we leave the auditorium and make our way through the lobby.
"Who?" I ask, still distracted by thoughts of King Varian. The man who matched Nyx in combat and defeated him in strategy.
"Tony de Rez? He played Nyx," she explains. "I love the power in his voice."
"Yeah… me too." I need to find out as much as possible about King Varian. There should be a lot of information online. Maybe Zorin knows something as well.
As we leave the building, the night air assaults us with its cool freshness. Corinne touches her neck and frowns. "Oh, I forgot my scarf…" She turns to head back toward the door we just left. "I'll be just a minute."
I wait outside as a crowd forms for the next show. As they are allowed into the lobby, an Inquisition Officer grabs the arm of a tall dark-haired woman with a tag in her ear—a Zenith. "Excuse me, Miss, no Zeniths allowed in the theatre."
She scowls at him and holds up the small piece of paper in her hand. "But I have a ticket…"
He doesn't release her arm. "I'm sorry, but it's against our policy."
"Policy?" She gestures to the theater. "There are Zeniths in the play."
"Trained performers."
I can tell she's near her breaking point, and I don't blame her. She points to a man exiting the theatre, a man with a tag on his ear as well. "What about him? He's a Zenith."
"Special exemptions are sometimes made," the Officer says.
"Look, I may not come from the right family, or have the right amount of money, but I'm a citizen. I've paid for a ticket. Now let me in." She tries to pull her arm out of his hand, but he clings more tightly. Red marks form on her skin.
"Sorry, Miss."
"Fine. I'm going in anyway." When she yanks her arm a second time, he releases her and stumbles back. She pushes past him, trying to get through the crowds to enter the lobby.
The Officer looks stunned and confused, and I can't help but grin at her spunk.
"Stop her," says a familiar voice. It's the man with the long blond hair who sneered after the show. Now that I see him from the front, I realize his red cloak is the robe of an Inquisitor. He outranks all the guards here. I study his face, long and thin, like the rest of him. He'd be considered handsome by some, but he reminds me of a spider. A very pale spider. "Disobeying an Inquisition Officer is against the law," he tells the befuddled guard.
"Of course, sir," the Officer says, grabbing the woman and pulling her back.
She struggles against the restraint, but with the Inquisitor present, the Officer isn't about to release her again. "Let go of me," she screams. "I'm within my rights."
"Shut her up," says the Inquisitor.
"Miss, be quiet," the Officer says.
"I will not be—"
The Inquisitor growls. "Shut. Her. Up."
The Officer, who can't be much older than me, looks at the Inquisitor with widened eyes. I can see the struggle on his face, but in the end, he chooses his job over basic humanity. He backhands the woman.
She gapes at him, red lines forming across her face.
The others waiting in line ignore the whole scene, pretending nothing is happening.