[color=f49ac2][b]Mary T’ashar[/b][/color] 

Mary toyed frantically with her fingertips as the Dwarf spoke. His idea that this whole thing was somehow rehearsed did pull her gaze to him with a frown caught between puzzlement and surprise. The idea didn’t sit right with Mary, not wanting to think the Lady Gwynn she had known, even only distantly, had grown into someone who could get mixed up  in…whatever this was. There was also the fact that Mary was a washer woman and the Dwarf, following his finger to a tabled covered in tools she only vaguely recognised, was a sculptor, there was simply no reason to go through all this effort to trick them into anything.

And then, in a flash of light, Lady Gwynn vanished.

In a stunned stupor Mary frantically blinked away the spots from her vision where Lady Gwynn had been just a moment before, and found only empty air. Mother Dula, standing above them all, simply asked for the next.

[color=f49ac2]“Shes’ gone.”[/color] Mary whispered to the Dwarf. [color=f49ac2]“Where did she go? H-h-how, how did she do that? Lady Gwynn passed her test didn’t she, then where has she gone?”[/color] 

Herb lore. Scrying bones. Potions. Lights in the air and changing colours of flames, those were the magics Mary was familiar with; parlour tricks and subtle ways of reading the world. The closest she had come to any more powerful magics had been many, many years ago during her military service, and none she remembered could make someone disappear without the target being killed in a big ball of fire. 

Mary wanted to step forward, wanted to shout, wanted to demand to know where Lady Gwynn had vanished to. Her entire being seemed to buzz with a mix of trepidation and, almost just as alarmingly, excitement. She made to step forward but the clink of armour drew her eyes to a nearby guard who simply shook his head and pointedly lay a gloved hand upon the pommel of his sword. The message couldn’t have been clearer for her to not interfere. 

The second participant was another human and his test worryingly looked to be another fight. The number in her hand silently threatened her.

[color=f49ac2]“As much as I wish otherwise, I fear this is all too real. What number did you draw?”[/color] Mary’s voice came out as a strained squeak as she opened her hand and revealed the crumbled paper with the number 3 on it. [color=f49ac2]“That woman, Mother Dula, mentioned benefactors didn’t she. That we had been recommended for all this. Think any of them knew what they were getting us all into?” [/color] There was an edge of anger beneath the shaking fear.