Neil stood there for a moment longer, watching the spot where Cynthia had disappeared into the crowd, then turned back to face the stage.
Mantis had already climbed up and was standing at the center with the natural authority of someone who had run events like this many times before. The hall settled quickly, conversations dropping to murmurs and then to silence as people shifted their attention forward.
"Welcome everyone, we are now entering the main part of this great event!" Mantis announced, his voice carrying cleanly across the entire hall without effort.
The crowd responded with immediate enthusiasm.
Whatever conversations had been happening across the hall died completely, replaced by that particular energy that only appeared when people sensed they were about to watch something worth watching.
Lords, wardens, traders, heirs, all of them turning toward the stage with varying degrees of interest.
