Then he made another, as if he was gathering something in from the loaves and tossing it up to the ceiling. “There,” he said. “They’re just cool enough to eat without burning yourselves. Shoo, little piggies!”

The little piggies each snatched up a loaf and raced for the door.

“The cheese bread is brilliant, as always, Master Sai,” Delia called around a mouth full of it. “You’re a genius!”

“I know,” said Sai, preening a little as he took his place on his cushion-chair, and Ceri rolled his eyes. “If I ever need to hide from the Emperor’s mage-hunters, look for me in a bakery.”

Dole, who was seated near her, tilted his head to one side at the bread, suggestively. Since she had eaten all she wanted from the loaf, she passed him the rest. “Why are you baking bread today, anyway?” she asked.

“It helps me think,” he said, astounding her by actually answering her question in a sensible fashion. “The more I need to think, the more bread I make. That’s not always the case, mind you. Sometimes I make bread because I very much need to hit someone, and pounding dough is a good substitute for punching a doughy little face, but mostly I bake because I need to think.”

She blinked a little at that statement. “What’s going on?” she asked, carefully. “Why do you need to think?”

“We wonder that all the time,” Ponu replied, snickering. “And when we need him to think? He becomes a baker. Bread or brains! But it is a tasty trade-off, so we have learned to live with it.”

Ceri said, “I mostly like his layered breads. What one layer knows, the second layer over on each side can’t learn,” and his brother Sai nodded sagely.

Sai sucked in his lower lip. “I don’t think I can tell you that, Delia,” the mage said, finally. “Ask your sister; she’ll tell you if she thinks it’s safe for you to know.”

Safe? What on earth is going on?

“Need to know,” Dole said sagely, telling her exactly nothing.

“I’m not a child,” she retorted, feeling irritated.

“You are also not in charge of this Duchy,” Dole reminded her sternly. “We owe you nothing. You are entitled to nothing from us!” he proclaimed, raising a finger for emphasis.

“Oh, don’t be so hard on her,” said Ponu. He might have said something more, but at that moment, the whole tower vibrated for a few moments. It wasn’t long, and it was barely detectable, but she knew she hadn’t imagined it when all of the mages suddenly looked wary. Dole looked at his finger suspiciously, then settled down.

“What was that?” Delia demanded.