“You cannot be certain that they are out of phase in the same way the Academia’s occupants were—you reached for that explanation because you’ve experienced it. I am willing to allow your friends to enter the High Halls—if I am aware of them at all. But I would ask that you take Terrano with you if you intend to make the attempt.

“It is clear that what was done to the children in Mrs. Erickson’s home was not what was done with Amaldi and Darreno. Perhaps it is what would have occurred, had she retained access to the Berranin suite; perhaps later iterations were forced on her because she did not have the same access to...material and power.”

“So Amaldi and Darreno would have been the intended and perfect execution of...whatever it was she was attempting. When she lost this gallery, this studio, she had to attempt to repeat that spell?”

“That would make sense—but the living often make very little sense. And you have not answered the question.”

“I know.” Kaylin turned to Teela. “We need to find Amaldi and Darreno. They won’t enter Mrs. Erickson’s house—I’m not sure why. But...I only got involved in all of this because they recognized Severn’s weapon, and they told Mrs. Erickson about it.”

Silence.

“They weren’t trying to take the weapon; they were afraid of it—but they were very aware that Severn was not Barrani, and it was a Barrani-only weapon.” More silence, and not the comfortable kind.

“Wow. When you stick your foot in things, you really choose the worst possible place to try to stand, you know?”

Kaylin glared at Terrano, but otherwise held her peace. “Come on, Spike, let’s go. Could you manage not to be seen?”

Spike whirred and clicked.

The familiar snorted a small cloud of silvery steam, and Spike returned to Kaylin’s hand. This time, when the spikes for which she’d haphazardly named him—or her, or them—bit flesh and drew blood, the familiar made no noise.

Kaylin turned to Terrano. “Let’s head home.”

Teela took a day off work on Kaylin’s behalf, which is to say, she appeared at Helen’s front door just as breakfast was starting. Helen let her in—of course she did—and Teela marched into the dining room, glancing at breakfast, and at the people who were, and were not, eating it.

Mandoran, Terrano, and Serralyn were at the breakfast table, alongside Kaylin, who felt slightly hungover, which was annoying because she’d reached that state without any drinking whatsoever. Spike sat somewhere above her shoulder, on the opposite side Hope occupied.

“We’re off the normal duty roster today,” Teela announced, without bothering to take the chair that Helen helpfully materialized for her use. “Tain is not pleased.”

“He’s not joining us?”

“No.”