Poiniard and Mheren cautiously stepped out into the hallway.

Mheren ruffled the skirts of her borrowed dress. "I wish we had our armor and adventuring gear, instead of this useless finery."

"I wish I had those things, too," Poiniard said. "And my bag of gold."

"At least we have our swords." Mheren drew Monarchal from its sheath, and the slender blade glittered. "The hallway's clear. Let's get out of here. Which way do we go?"

"Honestly, I don't have any better idea than you do about the layout of this place. We're on the second floor of the mansion. The Guild Halls are all in the cellars, and we were never allowed up here."

"Well, come on, then," Mheren said. "Let's find our own way out."

They made their way down a flight of stairs to the main floor, where everything seemed to be in chaos. From the direction of the Great Hall, Mheren and Poiniard could hear screams, and the clash of swords.

"It smells like smoke," Poiniard said. "Whoever is attacking the mansion has entered the Great Hall. The front gate must be blocked."

Servants and guests alike ran past them, all in a mad rush to find another exit- a door, a window, any way to escape the melee in the ballroom and the courtyard. Most of those who forced their way past Mheren and Poiniard seemed quite flustered, even terrified. Some bore wounds or signs of fighting.

A man bumped into Mheren. His face was pale. His formal leggings were ripped, and his expensive silk tunic was in tatters, and splashed with blood. He held a ceremonial rapier in front of him, but the man couldn't hold it steady, his hands were shaking so badly.

Mheren grabbed the man by his collar. "What's happening back there?"

"The Great Hall," he stammered. "They're attacking!"

"Who's attacking?"

The man blinked, and shook his head. "Demons! It's a slaughterhouse- you've got to get out- I've got to get out!" He pulled himself from Mheren's grasp and ran off down the hallway.

"Demons?" Poiniard asked.

"My guess is trolls," Mheren said. "I'd like to find out what really is going on here, but if they've set fire to the place, we don't want to be here."

"This will be the second time tonight we've fled a building on fire."

Mheren nodded grimly. "Come on, let's see if we can find our way down to your Guild Halls. Maybe we can still find those tunnels you mentioned."

"All right," Poiniard said. "I think I know where we are now." He took a last look down the hallway, where he thought he caught a glimpse of the Great Hall. It was black with smoke, and lit with an orange glow. Poiniard did not share Mheren's curiosity to see who was attacking, but it still took all his willpower to turn away from the horrific scene. It was almost as if Wyrding was calling out to him, urging him to go towards the fight. He turned and led Mheren to the hidden door which led to the Guild Halls.