Brighter! Yes! Laigle runs for the source of the light, hoping fervently that it's something other than a mirror. No--no--it's a row of low lanterns on the ground, lanterns or candles, little spots of light that remind him of something he can't quite place, not until the ground underfoot turns abruptly into wooden boards.

He skids to a stop at the end of the stage, staring wild-eyed into the faces of a very puzzled audience. To the left of him (or is that stage right?) there's a woman on the ground, clutching her belly, with a showy goblet in her hand. To the right, a man with an unconvincing white beard is gasping and staggering.

The man in the beard glares angrily at the newcomers and says with determination, "Oh, yet defend me, friends; I am but hurt."