Madness. Madness haunt the fae.

  Madness and the death of their divine purpose.

  More and more it was clear.

  They could not see beauty.

  Richness was mistaken for ornamentation and inflated. The grandeur heaped so endless upon itself, again and again, that it lost its virtue and of a fundamental truth and instead became grotesque and ugly.

  This entire palace was such an example. The boast of power needed to hold a thunderstorm as a hallway was to be revered, but there was no beauty in it. There was no artistry beyond what was already endowed inside such a force of nature. A force of power with no purpose was wasteful.

  And the bladed master hated that the most.

  Another example is taking a natural power and chaining it. Twisting it to its will.

  The veiled figure almost smiled as the first attack struck true. The shadowy tie trembled and skattered.

  The fool in the way had managed to dodge, which was just as well.

  The clouds rolled out and mist and the rumble of thunder and taste of lightning filled the grand corridor.

  It mattered little.

  One did not need much to continue onward.

  Daniel hid in the storm clouds, heart thumping. Cold mist was almost getting him wet. His mind raced, realizing that the stability of the hallway was still more corridor than storm.

  Was this the attack? Impossible. That was the bladed master. An ambassador from far away.

  The sound of rolling thunder shook the ground. There was little in the present moment that Daniel could do except breath, feeling his body jitter and yearn for that power which was no longer his. Lightning was not his to command; no longer shall he feel its waves.

  Another attack came, and the movement in the misty storm was the only warning Daniel had as the fog parted cleanly as the attack came.

  Daniel scrambled away, as the section of corridor was quickly eroding into a thunderstorm as the next cut landed and sliced the wall.

  The near rent in the reality unsettled the corridor and Daniel almost tumbled backward into the open cut of the thunderstorm.

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  That would be a terrible fate. If it became more thunderstorm than corridor, it would be very bad for him, and he may fall through the building clouds.

  Fall to where, he did not know. But he did know that he best avoid it.

  The gentle jingle of the bells cut through the distant rumblings and Daniel realized he didn't know where the attacker was. In fact...where was the rest of the corridor that lead away from here?

  A flash of lightning exploded the world in painful illumination. It was nearly blinding, and Daniel could sudden see that the bladed master was much closer to him than he thought.

  Then the thunder roared, and it was so loud Daniel cried out, covering his ears.

  "Interesting." said the gentle, almost bored voice of the bladed master..

  As someone who had ridden a griffin many times, Daniel knew he didn't have a proper fear of falling. Especially from great heights, some corner of his mind was fully convinced Cinnamon Girl would be there to catch him. The lack of a natural reaction was deeply unsettling.

  Because it was both a corridor and a thunderstorm, it was important that one was not swallowed up.

  Get a plan Elswith. Get a plan. What is the next thing you can do?

  No sword. He had left the crowbar with the Ash Court. A servant didn't need a visible weapon, and the strange crowbar was clearly a tool and not even a proper weapon. He had taken very little from the Ash Court, mostly not to incur a debt, but also because there was very little he could even take; they were very very poor.

  No magical focus, not unless goose feathers could be used to draw the power of creation. That would just be silly. Geese where notoriously silly creatures when it came to magic.

  No authority. The Bladed Master was not even part of the Seelie. Wyldfae, or visiting from a nearby realm. The Law of Fae would protect Daniel against other Fae, especially against Fae trying to hurt the Game or abuse their power. But the Bladed Master was no such creature. Especially since the attacks seemed almost...pointless?

  Get a plan.

  Honor was an important aspect of the ambassador. Could that be an inroad?

  "Why are you attacking a defenseless person!" Daniel yelled, feeling the first break of reality of corridor as the other reality of thunderstorm grew stronger.

  Mistake.

  The next attack was focused directly at Daniel.

  And he couldn't dodge it in time.

  Foolish.

  So foolish.

  Arrogant.

  So arrogant.

  The youth was struck and thrown against the wall. Whatever power held it in place was greatly reduced, and the fool nearly shattered it.

  He took the hit well, though it was clear he was in pain.

  Had the bladed master been aiming for the boy, he would be dead.

  The shadowy monster that had been hiding in the boy's shadow cried out.

  "I don't attack you. You do not matter. But for whatever reason, there is something I hunt upon you, reaching for you."

  "You don't even know who I am. You don't even see the Game, do you? Why are you attacking me then?"

  "I see red upon you. Therefore, you are not innocent. Therefore, whether you live or die does not concern me."

  "Can you attack me...later?" the youth said, with deep exhaustion.

  The guide took a step back, surprised by the audacity. "Never allow the enemy to escape once it appears. That is the oath I made to my mentor as he lay dying."

  The shocked look upon the youth's face was startling.

  Arrogant fae. Always assume the world revolved around them.

  There was another blinding moment of lightning, and even the veil did not stop it.

  The foolish fae had hidden himself into the mist.

  The bladed master tapped the handle of his sword, contemplating the duality of the world.