Shaking off that gloomy thought, she mused over the fact that there was apparently a great deal more dissatisfaction in the Convocation than she’d realized. All this time, she’d thought it was only her who railed against convention—and she’d thought it was entirely because she was a familiar and not a wizard as she’d planned. From talking to Alise, however, and hearing the stories and conversations among the new arrivals, she was realizing that not many people in the Convocation were happy.

Food for thought, but she really needed food for people. And swamp monsters.

“Lady Phel?” Iliana eased in the library doors, which Nic had left ajar to facilitate the coming and going of her various messengers. “You wanted to see me?”

The pretty redhead came forward as Nic beckoned her, though trailing her feet reluctantly, as if being called before a thought-seeker for chastising. “Why did you stop calling me by my name?” Nic asked.

Iliana flushed lightly, the pink making her fawn freckles stand out. “I wasn’t sure why I was summoned, I suppose.”

“I wanted to ask about fish,” Nic said gently, restraining her smile at Iliana’s confused expression. “What kind the swamp monster likes. Some varieties are apparently easier to obtain than others. Cost is, unfortunately, a factor.”

“Ah.” Iliana studied the documents littering the desk. “I don’t know if I ever told you, but my family’s branch of House Ariel was impoverished. I’m quite good at budgeting, if you need help.”

“I do need help,” Nic confessed, feeling unreasonably emotional about it. She couldn’t possibly start weeping over piles of paperwork. Get a grip on yourself. “What I need is a copying gremlin, but the things are ridiculously pricey.” She waved the missive from House Xerograf.

“The copying gremlins are their only lucrative product.” Iliana grimaced. “You’re not the first to complain about the cost. But why buy a gremlin when you have people with idle hands?”

“You’re supposed to be communicating with the sea monster,” Nic reminded her. When she wasn’t being called on to supplement emergency healing incantations, that was. Quinn had offered to help, too, she remembered—and Nic hadn’t quite gotten around to setting her up to do the work.

Iliana shrugged. “It sleeps a lot, so I can only spend so much time on that. I’ll test out different fish—feed it one kind and try to sense how it likes it. Maybe we can find a sweet spot of abundant, cheap, and tasty. In the meanwhile, what can I copy for you?”

“The NDAs, for starters,” Nic said, unbearably grateful for the offer. “Though I’m out of blank ones.”

“I can use my own as a template.” Iliana accepted the paper and extra quill Nic offered her. “I’ll just sit here and—”

“Not there,” Nic corrected sharply when Iliana moved to Gabriel’s empty desk. Then caught herself. “I mean… Never mind. That’s fine.”

Iliana gave her a look of sympathy. “I can sit in a chair. I see now that this is Lord Phel’s desk. Of course you don’t want me to sit here.”