Miranda moved through the palace. It was around two hours after sunset. She should have been asleep, but she was too anxious. There wasn't any specific reason for her anxiousness. She just was. She tried to lay it aside and go to sleep, but it was impossible for her to even get to sleep a little bit. She was thinking about what her sisters had said to her earlier that morning. Only when they asked did she realize that she missed her friends a lot, and because of that, she couldn't stop thinking about them. She just kept thinking about one thing unique for each person, such as Rose's attitude, Dart's angst, and many other things that were individual qualities. Miranda needed a private place to think, so she went to one of her favorite garden, one that was completely filled with sunflowers. The flowers were tall enough to offer privacy and beautiful enough to create a sense of serenity. She sat quietly and just thought of her friends. She tried to figure out how she could see her friends. Maybe the first day of the week she would go to Seles and the other cities that she knew that her friends had once lived in. There she'd ask if her friends had moved, or if they still lived there, she'd go see them. Yes, that was what she'd do, and she'd find them all.
No sooner than Miranda had decided that than a person in a Faeroes Cloak came into her private sanctuary. She didn't know how it came though, because the sunflowers hadn't even moved. She jumped when the person came in because she had no warning.
"Sorry," she said. "You frightened me a bit. May I help you, or are you just here to see the palace gardens?"
"Actually, I was looking for you, Miranda," it replied in the unidentifiable voice typical of the Faeroes Cloak. Miranda jumped and stepped back from the person. She wasn't startled by the fact that the person knew her name. After all, since she worked at the palace and was a sacred sister as well, she knew that many people knew her name. And she really wasn't surprised that it was looking for her, because often people looked for her to ask questions about the palace. What surprised her was what the person did when it said that. It pulled out a small rose. (Now you dragoon players know why she moved back, but for every one else, she never liked roses because they reminded her of her mother when she left her.)
"I have an item here that means more than you could know. It has a part in your past, and it has a part in your present. I need you to come to the meadows the first day of the week."
"I…I can't. I'm busy that day, I can't go then."
"You don't know how important it is that you come that day. This is the difference between life and death. You have to come that day."
"I can't, I have to do something else that is more important than whatever you have, not that that isn't important, but I just can't." The person pulled out a sword and advanced on Miranda.
"If you don't come on your own, I can make you come."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Yes, I am. I told you that you coming would be the difference between life and death. It's your choice, either come alive, or stay here dead. You can't report me because you don't know who I am. This is your choice, so what do you want?" Miranda normally wasn't afraid of treats, but this time she didn't even have her arrows to defend herself. The person was right that she couldn't report it, so she only saw it one way. She'd have to post pone her original plans and go to meet this person at the meadow. She gulped and tried not to sound afraid.
"I'll come, but put your sword away."
"Good, but be warned, if you do not come to the meeting, I will come and kill you in your sleep. So you have to come; you can't trick me. I know where you live Miranda, and I will find you even if you leave." It turned to leave, but turned around and picked up the rose he dropped when pulling out the sword. "And let me leave you a token of my meaning…" he gave her the rose, "…bring it to the meeting." The shadow person left just as it came, no notice. Miranda knew she had no choice now but to come. The shadow had a sense around him of 'I never lie about my treats.' Miranda composed herself and walked back to the palace. Her breath was short and ragged, and she had a hard time controlling her breathing. The threat had gotten to her, even if she didn't want to admit it to herself.
The Shadow knew that it had made a big gamble on the threat to Miranda, but it had to have all of the friends there, and it truly had expected her to come just on the 'rose's promise', as it had called the plan to get her to the meadow. Four down now, only three were left, three that were curious and easy to get out of their homes.