“Mags, I must congratulate you and Dallen. You succeeded in solving the ‘haunting,’ you caught the perpetrators red-handed, and you did it in a way that neither revealed your interest in our foreign visitors, nor compromised your connection to me.” Nikolas drank the last of the tea, and set the cup down on the table with a chuckle. “And as a consequence you have managed to allow me to recruit them to my own purposes.”

Mags blinked in sleepy satisfaction. “Gonna let ’em keep hauntin’?” he asked.

“I believe so. A bit more to the purpose, however, and with a great deal more art. We don’t want any more servants terrified. That is not fair to them.” Nikolas turned the cup around and around on the table. “With their Gifted fellow incapacitated, they are, we think, inclined to believe that there are spirits here leagued against them. We’d like to encourage that thinking, but more specifically than Barrett and his gang were originally managing to produce.”

Mags scratched his head. “Scuse me, sir, but . . . I thought they was here t’ make an alliance? How come now ye wanta scare ’em?”

“Because I do not believe they came here to make an alliance,” Nikolas replied firmly. “This was urged on the King by members of the Court whose lands border on Dosteland and Karse, and who would much prefer to see an alliance with these folk against Karse. I was . . . less than enthusiastic about this plan.”

Mags nodded. Now this was getting into realms he truly did not understand, and didn’t think he ever would.

“At some point, I will explain all of this,” Nikolas promised. “But the long and the short of it is that I’ve modified my stand on this. I think we can make a very useful, temporary alliance with them, if they think we command some very powerful abilities. So long as they are afraid of us, they will be honest with us. The King is inclined to give this approach a trial. So—” he spread his hands wide. “There you have it. Your friends and fellow Trainees are hereby given leave to prank them all you like.”

Mags laughed. “On’y prank I did on ’em was t’ use that slip-away stuff when they tried t’ get me alone t’ beat on.”

“Well, should they try again, use it again. Only this time, see if you can’t—make it more—showy?” Nikolas suggested. “Make it seem as if some spirit is assisting you.”

Mags’ brow creased. “Well . . . all right. Doubt they’ll mess with me again, though.”