"Sir! Sir!" A messenger burst into the library. "Sir! Uh...sir? Um, Lord Rei? Where is the Master?"
"Not here, obviously," Rei said. The eighteen-year old man was sitting in an armchair, about to crack open a book on djinni. He brushed aside some of his red-brown to red hair that had escaped his ponytail aside. "Why? What do you need?"
"Where is the Master, please, Lord Rei?"
Rei sighed. "My guardian is out. He won't be back for a day or two. You can see the steward, or me. Which will it be?" Rei hated to do anything... well, anything. Especially if it required responsibility. But the steward was an old man, and couldn't do anything physical. And Doryx... Doryx would want him to take charge.
"Well... sir! A home was attacked, set aflame! An arsonist! We have reason to believe that the attack may move onto other homes!"
"What, tonight?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good thing dawn is near. Have a horse saddled. Not our swiftest; our nimblest: Dancer. Dismissed."
Rei was out of the door before the messenger could even turn around. He sped down the hallway, clattered down a flight of stairs, huffed up another, sped down another corridor, went into his room, and pulled in his boots and metal gauntlets. Then, back down the corridor, down the sairs, down another flight, through the Great Hall, out thelarge doors and inot the stable, where he was quite breathless as he swung onto the saddled horse. Almost as soon as he was on, they left, not quite galloping all-out, but making good time nontheless. By the time they got there, it would be a red sunrise.
