I was about to encourage her to speak, since I was interested to hear what she was about to say, but at that moment, our attention was pulled away by a sudden loud banging that reverberated through the entire house. It felt as if we were inside an oil drum and someone was banging on the outside with a hammer.

“What the hell…?” I brought my hands up to cover my ears. “Kyrine?”

The dungeon core’s voice boomed through the house, louder and more spread out than it had been a moment ago. “Who dares to seek entry to the mansion??” she thundered. “One seeks entry, but they must gain the approval of… The Keeper!!”

“For fuck’s sake, Kyrine!” I shouted in exasperation, my hands over my ears. “If you’re trying to tell us there’s someone at the door, can’t you just say so?”

There was an embarrassed-sounding cough from behind me, and Kyrine’s disembodied voice spoke close to my ear. She sounded a little chastened, but also mischievous. “I was practicing, you see—we’ll need a bit of drama when the adventurers come.”

“Ok, that’s fine, but let’s dispense with the 100 decibel door-knocker, can we do that? And all the shouting? At least until we actually need it? Honestly, I nearly had to ask you to craft me a new set of underwear.”

“Your wish is my command, Keeper.” She didn’t sound entirely truthful.

“So who is it at the door anyway?” I asked, taking my hands from my ears.

“Belinda.”

“Let her in?”

“ENTER!!!” The dungeon’s voice sounded like a clap of thunder and I instinctively covered my ears again.

“Sorry, sorry… force of habit,” said Kyrine close to my ear, her voice full of mischief and suppressed laughter.

“Sure, I believe you,” I replied, rolling my eyes at the dungeon’s over-the-top histrionics. Astrid was doubled over in a fit of silent laughter at our bickering, and after a moment I had to chuckle as well. Life at Kyrine’s mansion was going to be pretty funny, as well as pretty fun.

“Come on then,” I said to Astrid, “let’s go and see Belinda. She’ll have sent her report to your superiors at the EDI, and maybe she’ll have made contact with Selena again too. We’ll go and find out what she’s got to say.”

I was shaking my head and grinning as Astrid wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and began to make her way back to the edge of the fighting arena. With a gesture of my hand, I dispersed all three Dragonlings and headed for the edge of the arena too. Over at the far side of the training hall, there was a doorway out into the main entrance foyer. From that direction, I could hear Belinda calling out our names.