“I can’t stand how he treats me like his property,” Yenni fumed.

Zui sighed. “Weysh is—his upbringing was difficult. I think he’s so eager because he thinks now that he’s found you he can erase the past. He can start a new, better family.”

“That’s no excuse,” Yenni said.

“No, it isn’t,” Zui agreed. “But it is an explanation. I know Weysh has a long way to go, but with time he could make you a wonderful Given, if he ever learns to get over himself.”

Yenni crossed her arms. “I doubt that,” she said.

Zui opened her mouth to speak again, but the bells of the tower pealed out.

“Oh!” she cried. “I’ll be late!” She turned and ran. “Take care, Yenni Ajani!” she said over her shoulder as she waved, then she switched to dragon and took off, disappearing into the sky like a glittering ribbon.

Yenni stood with her arms crossed, thoughtful. At least now she knew the reasoning behind Weysh’s obsessive behavior, but his issues were not her concern. Her most pressing task was to find help so that she could pass her classes. Carmenna had her own classes, and many other students to tutor, so she was available to Yenni only an hour or two a week. Zui was much the same, acting as assistant for too many classes to count. Was Weysh really her only option?

Feel free to stop by my office anytime, Professor Devon had said. She started for the professors’ offices, hoping to find him between classes.

When she arrived, Yenni wasn’t quite convinced that Professor Devon’s office wasn’t just a repurposed storage room of some kind. It had no windows and was just wide enough for his desk and the chair across from it. He sat behind that desk now, and for the life of her Yenni couldn’t figure out how he’d gotten there. Did he have to climb over it?

“Good evening, Professor,” Yenni said.

He looked up at her and beamed. “Yenni Ajani! I never dreamed I’d see you again so soon! Have a seat, have a—wait! What by Byen is that?!”

He jumped up, eyes wide, and he pointed at her stomach.

Yenni looked down at herself. “What? What is it?”

“That rune,” he breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.” He was referring to the Masters’ rune on her stomach. The shirt of the battle uniform covered only the top half of her midriff, and the rune was visible beneath it.

“Lift up your shirt,” he said, gesturing as he gazed greedily at her stomach.

Yenni jerked back. “Excuse me?”

He met her eyes, and his mouth opened in horror. “Oh blessed Byen, did I just ask a woman to lift her shirt?” His whole face went alarmingly red. “A thousand apologies! I don’t know what’s come over me! Please forgive me.”