“Hey!” said Trey and “Ow!” exclaimed Niko, both of them rubbing their sides, and the ice was broken all at once—which was probably exactly what the royal siblings had intended all along.

Abi’s friends introduced themselves, although Brice still had stars in his eyes and a look about him that suggested he was smitten with Kat. “Well, here’s the thing,” Niko said, looking plaintive. “We’ve got an ulterior motive. We asked Abi to introduce us so we could ask you for help.”

“Us?” squeaked Brice. “Help you?”

“Math,” all three of them said at once, then Trey and Niko looked at Kat.

“We’re in three different math classes, and there’s only one Abi,” Kat explained. “She can’t help all of us at once.”

“We left our books and things at Abi’s rooms,” Trey said helpfully.

Well, at that point there was nothing for it but for all seven of them to traipse down to the suite and take up slate and chalk. Fortunately no one else was there—and the siblings had, indeed, left books and supplies there. Abi had been more than halfway convinced this was a ruse, but a quarter candlemark later and she was convinced otherwise. Kat didn’t need that much help—and after all, Abi had been working with her ever since she had been enrolled in the Artificers—but Trey was definitely in need of some assistance, and Niko needed both Brice and Emmit’s help.

“I thought you said you were the smart one,” Brice said, when Niko had finally gotten his head wrapped around the concept of calculating square acreage—and then conversions. Converting furlongs to lengths to arms’-lengths to thumb’s-lengths and back again. Clearly Brice was now comfortable enough with his new friends to tease.

“I am, just not in math,” Niko replied, rubbing his head. “You’re my hero. I might be able to do the same problem and get the same answer twice in a row now.”

Brice must have suddenly remembered who he was talking to, because he blushed a furious crimson, tongue-tied.

“Want to come with us and help us groom our Companions?” Trey asked. “It’s about that time.”

Brice was on his feet so fast he scattered the pages of their schoolwork and they had to pick them up and sort them out before they could go down.

Normally, Abi would have helped Kat with Dylia, but she waited to see if Kat would invite Brice to help before she offered. Which was exactly what Kat did, before Trey or Niko could say anything.