[color=goldenrod][i][h2][center]Gerard Segremors[/center][/h2][/i][/color]

[color=goldenrod]"Of course it's a shard."[/color] Gerard breathed, feeling a knot grow somewhere on the side of his temple between the revelation that they were dealing with yet another rogue fragment of the voidblade and Gertrude's indiscretion. [color=goldenrod]"What else would it be, out by Brennan?"[/color]

Well, at the very least blowing the lid off of their benefactor's anonymity hadn't resulted in total disaster, so with the Moonlit Queen's recognizance that her sister wasn't likely to be the culprit in this new twist, there was no real reason left to stay quiet about the details— with a Shard of Angoron in play, all the more reason to speed through their ever-growing list of tasks where they could.

He cleared his throat.

[color=goldenrod]"You have the right of it, your highness. As recompense for her aid in helping us gain this audience with you, so we might win back Duke Thedric's sanity, your sister tasked us with winning her a token of your power as part of that same wager. All fairly, all as you have seen here."[/color]

Don't press it too much. Already, you've been reprimanded for overstepping. Don't go home with a glowing head because you convince her you're trying to strongarm.

[color=goldenrod]"We've promises that bear keeping, and wouldn't rightly be able to turn a Shard over to her, for fear of how it would despoil the forest."[/color] He explained. [color=goldenrod]"Best these matters be settled one at a time, and making liars of nobody."[/color]