Not wanting to cause a commotion in the middle of the street, Ryn pulled the young paladin over to one side.
"What are you doing here?!"
"I could say the same thing about you, Young Master?!"
Ryn winced.
"Please—don't call me that. Especially not here."
Sera clamped her mouth shut, nodding quickly. Then she squared her shoulders, slipping back into her formal posture.
"If you must know," she whispered, glancing around,
"I'm here on orders. All five churches have begun cracking down on suspicious activity before the Hero Ceremony."
Ryn felt something tighten in his chest.
"…Crackdown?"
Sera nodded.
"Yes. With the ceremony coming soon, both the Churches of Rhea and Rokhan issued a directive to all affiliated paladins and clerics."
Ryn's mind raced.
She lowered her voice even further. "Lumen is… a hotspot. For all things suspicious…"
It all lined up too perfectly with what he'd learned from the handler and Gemini's orders.
