Weysh smiled. “I have no doubt you will, which is one of the reasons why I like you so much.”

To her shock, Yenni felt her cheeks heat. What? Oh, what by all the Mothers and Fathers was this?

Weysh was nowhere near the first man to pursue her, and certainly not the most prestigious. She’d flirted with kings and princes cool as you please. So why, Oh wise Father Ri, was she reacting to the simpering flattery of Weysh, of all men? Was her affection for the dragon bleeding over to the man?

No time to worry about that. One disaster at a time.

She was a princess of the Yirba, and had years of practice at political bluffing. So though her heart fluttered in her chest, she simply nodded her head and said, “And please thank Carmenna for me as well.”

“En? Oh yes. That I will. Oho! I brought you something, to apologize for failing you and for scaring you.”

“That’s not necessary,” Yenni began, but he handed her a dark box lined in a soft, fernlike material, and the look in his eyes, the contrition there, strangely reminded her of Ofa when he brought her dead birds and rodents after she’d reprimanded him. Yenni smiled at the thought and opened the box. Then she gasped.

This was no dead rodent.

“What type of jewel is this?” she said wonderingly. A drop-shaped pendant fell suspended from a delicate silver chain. The stone was iridescent white with shimmering forks of green, like emerald lightning, running through it. It would make even her sisters jealous, and they had the most extensive jewelry collections on all the Islands.

“It’s ivystone,” Weysh said. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” Yenni breathed, “But this is too much! I cannot keep it.”

“You can and you will,” Weysh insisted. “Or I’ll take it as a grave personal insult.”

“Oh. All right,” Yenni conceded. It truly was beautiful, and she would hate to insult him when he was going to so much effort to make amends. “Thank you.” She stepped back. “I need to prepare for the demonstration now,” she said softly.

Weysh nodded. “Byen’s favor,” he said. “If anyone can pull this off, it’s you. I’ll be back in a hour or so, en? We can take a celebratory flight once you undoubtedly convince Mainard to keep you on.”

“All right,” Yenni said again.

“See you soon, Yenni Ajani,” he said, and winked. As she turned to head back into her residence, Yenni heard wings beating the air. She smiled to herself.

If anyone can pull this off, it’s you.

It was lunacy, but for some shadowy reason his praise made her feel stronger. Yenni breathed deeply and squared her shoulders.

She was ready to face Professor Mainard.

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