"Why- why, yes, I'm Tolan," the Councillor stammered. "Zakiyah? Dungeon Master's Lorekeeper?" The memories came quickly back to him, those happy times of his younger days adventuring as one of Dungeon Master's champions, and finally he placed her. "Of course! You...haven't aged a day," he added uneasily. Was this really the same girl? "But it's Lord Tolan now," he explained, wondering if the Lorekeeper, if indeed it was her, knew of the events that had led up to his call to the High Council. "My brother, Lord Devenor, died in an accident many years ago. The Council post was considered hereditary and had to go to either me, or my twelve-year old sister Kirriam." Tolan smiled at the thought of his little sister decorated in ribbons and flounces while bullying the elder Councillors, as was her temperament at the time. "I was sad to give up my days of adventuring, but I am still proud to call myself a pupil of Dungeon Master." He said that with an emphasis that he hoped conveyed a significance to the Lorekeeper and any of the other Outworlders who might be listening.
'Why haven't any of the guards noticed the escaped prisoners?' a paranoid voice in the back of his mind screamed at him, but the worry did not quite show in his eyes.
"But yes, I remember you from all those years ago," he added for the benefit of the guards. "You cannot possibly be an Outworlder. Here, you may have your book back." Resisting the urge to flip though pages until he found whatever she'd written about him, he handed the tome back to her. "However," and this he said to the guards, "she arrived in Yarfell with the other Outworlders two days ago?"
"Aye, m'lord, that she did," one answered.
Tolan nodded. "Then for your own safety," he explained to Zak, "I will need to put you in protective custody. I will not confiscate your book as it is clearly a history book and not a spell-book. Think of yourself not as a prisoner so much as someone who needs to be protected. And you say the cambion has your quill? It will be returned to you. After all, someone needs to record the noble deeds of these fine guards," he said with very faint, easily missed sarcasm. "On second thought," Tolan said suddenly, holding up a hand to stop the guards from escorting Zak away, as an idea occured to him. If there are more prisoners to come, we might run out of cell space. My dear, would you perhaps mind sharing a cell with the cambion?"
