The wise always had backup proficiencies.

“You didn’t take any other electives?” Nic asked, aghast.

“Papa wouldn’t let me,” Alise hissed in agitation. “Not after you wasted—” She bit down on the words, but not before Nic caught her meaning. Not after Nic wasted all that time and tuition money on wizardry classes she’d never use.

“Try the Ariel-infused spirit,” Gabriel told Alise with gentle compassion that surprised Nic. He smiled reassuringly at her sister. “We encourage innovation here at House Phel.”

“And violation of trademark licenses, too,” Jadren called from nearby.

Gabriel cast the El-Adrel wizard a slight smile. “Consider this effort an amateur training exercise. No one is profiting, and the result won’t leave the grounds.”

He was learning. Catching her approving smile, Gabriel winked. “Go ahead, Wizard Alise. Take your time and see what you can do.”

Nic rearranged her thoughts as she watched the mesmerizing dance of the tentacles in the water. Gabriel was mentoring her sister. It shouldn’t come as such a shock—Nic had been the one to tell Gabriel he needed to train the younger wizards to win their loyalty—she just somehow hadn’t expected him to take the assignment so seriously, and to begin with her own sister. She’d meant for him to teach water and moon magic, but she could see now that Gabriel, in his inimitable, iconoclastic way, was instructing the Convocation-trained students in taking on his perspective.

They’d end up with a raft of rogue wizards and unbonded familiars choosing who to give magic to at this rate, all according to Gabriel’s diabolical plan. She rubbed the ache at her temple. She should’ve predicted this.

Alise, standing on Gabriel’s other side, was frowning in concentration. At Gabriel’s suggestion, she’d summoned a water elemental and was giving it simple instructions laced with Iliana’s Ariel magic.

“That looks right to me,” Gabriel said to Alise, seeing something there with his wizard senses that Nic couldn’t.

“Do you think so?” Alise asked, uncertainty and shy hope in her expression as she gazed up at Gabriel.

Nic ruthlessly suppressed the stab of jealousy. She really needed to get past this, but she didn’t know how to not feel it at all. Gabriel was hers, a fierce part of herself snarled. Perhaps it wasn’t only in the nature of wizards to be possessive.

“I do think so,” Gabriel said with a nod. “And it won’t hurt to try. Go ahead and send the elemental into the water column.”

The elemental cruised to the column eagerly, drawn by such a large volume of its native element. It bounced off.

“I can’t penetrate your water magic,” Alise said in considerable surprise.

“Hmm.” Gabriel considered the problem. “How big of an opening do you need?”

“A pinprick,” she assured him. “Make one, and the elemental will find it.”

“Done.”

The elemental disappeared, and Nic wrestled the invidious and ugly feeling of being left out of their easy wizardly camaraderie.

“Anything?” Gabriel asked Alise as they all studied the thrashing tentacles. Did they seem less agitated?