Niko smirked; the fact that he and Trey had brought their archery skills up from abysmal to top of their group in half a year was a point of pride for both of them. They hadn’t cared enough to bother about it, pointing out that it wasn’t as if the Heir and the Spare were ever going to be allowed out of Haven where they’d need archery, until Kat had shamed them both by being good enough to be made an instructor.

“But is it what you want to do?” asked Tory, simply.

She thought about the question a moment, then shrugged. “Don’t know yet, because I haven’t tried it. I guess I’m going to find out!”

Her mother nodded. “Meanwhile, being in classes is going to keep people from wanting to trot you around the kingdom like a living flaw-detector,” she pointed out. “And that includes Heralds, because every one of them in the field is going to want your help. Perry had enough adventure at a young age for the entire family, and I’d much rather you didn’t emulate him, at least until you are much older.”

She nodded, although she had mixed feelings about that statement. On the one hand—Perry’d had an amazing time, and he’d seen and experienced things that likely no one else would, ever. Including real magic. On the other hand, he’d almost died. She was not sure even the most amazing adventure was worth that kind of risk. Today she had come much too close to death to ever want to feel that terror again.

Her mother was watching her closely, as if she could read Abi’s mind—which she couldn’t, since her Gift, like Perry’s, was Animal Mindspeech. But she was awfully good at reading faces, and what she saw in Abi’s made her lips relax and curve up again.

“Well, on that note, who’s going to volunteer to run down and get the pocket pies from the Heralds’ Collegium kitchen?” she asked, and looked at the four Royals. “Your mother’s given permission for you to have supper with us.”

“She can’t even look at anything but fruit and vegetables and bread and jelly,” Kat said wisely. “Father will have dinner with the Court, and he’s not mean enough to make us do that with him on pocket pie night. I’ll go. Trey, Niko, Perry, you can go with me.”

“You can use Larral as a backrest,” Perry said generously to Abi, as the kyree got to his feet, padded around to Abi, and flopped down behind her. She relaxed into the curve of his body. He was lovely and warm and didn’t smell at all “doggy,” more like a bed of pine needles and ferns. “We’ll be back as fast as lightning!”

All things considered, Abi thought contentedly, life is awfully good.

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