“What in the world—” Iannis exclaimed, startled, and he missed one of the fireballs. It slammed into his chest, and he grunted as the force of the blow knocked him against the wall.

“Time!” Fenris called, and I lowered my shield. He rushed over to Iannis. “Are you all right?”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Iannis said, barely even looking at Fenris. His attention was firmly fixated on the parrot, who was now perched on his shoulder. “Although I would very much like an explanation for this creature.”

“Um, that’s kind of my fault,” I said sheepishly as I crossed the room. To my annoyance, the parrot turned his head up at my approach. “I was trying to create an ether pigeon, but I created this guy instead.”

“Did you really?” Iannis laughed. “I suppose you didn’t get the Word for ‘pigeon’ quite right.”

“That would be my guess,” Fenris said, who also looked highly amused. “Does it usually drop in on you at unexpected times?”

“I don’t know,” I groused, annoyed that my blunder had been found out after all. “This is the first time it’s happened. I created him about an hour ago, and he disappeared immediately afterward. I thought I’d seen the last of him, but I guess I was wrong.”

Iannis and Fenris both laughed this time, and I felt a smile tug at my lips even as my cheeks reddened. It was good to see them together like this again, without tension between them. Fenris must have laid his misgivings about staying at the Palace to rest for now, and hopefully for good. He belonged here with us—that much I was certain of.

“Well, I must say, he makes for an unusual pet.” Fenris passed a hand along the parrot’s ghostly foliage. His fingers went right through, of course, as the parrot wasn’t corporeal. “At least he shouldn’t produce droppings.”

“Yeah, that’ll make me feel a lot better when he wakes me up in the middle of the night yelling ‘Oh shit!’”

Iannis and Fenris burst into laughter again, but it was cut short by a knock on the door. “May I come in, Lord Iannis?” Director Chen called, and I stiffened. She had a bad habit of breaking up my lessons with Iannis early, and I was becoming less and less willing to tolerate it. I leveled a glare at Iannis, who nodded and mouthed that he understood.

“Yes, come in, but make it quick,” he called.

Director Chen stepped inside and closed the door behind her. “Thorgana’s convoy was attacked on its way in to Dara this evening.”

“What?” Iannis and I both shouted at the same time.

“Did she escape?” Iannis demanded. “And what of the guards? Are any still alive?”