“Well, glad to see you’re awake,” came a muffled but familiar voice. Balrus’s grinning face came into view, blocking her view of the stars. He looked the same as ever, though his ever-present armor looked uncharacteristically dirty and somewhat scorched.

“How did I survive that?” Zasia asked, not liking how slurred her words sounded.

“Technically, you didn’t. Or wouldn’t have. Not without losing some limbs. You’re welcome, by the way.” He gave her a concerned frown. “I know you have a reputation for overkill when you’re angry, but was an explosion like that really necessary?”

Frowning in annoyance and confusion, Zasia tilted her head just enough to give her a view of their surroundings. She spotted the courtyard immediately, since it was rather hard to miss.

Well, it was a courtyard, once. Now it was a crater, stretching for several hundred meters in every direction. The only things left of the garden were dust and ashes. The corpses of the assassins were nowhere to be seen. So much for gathering intelligence from them.

Zasia had a moment of realization about what would have happened to her if she’d been in the middle of all that. Then she quickly decided she didn’t want to think about it. She also wouldn’t think about how her dress barely covered her modesty at this point.

“It appears I once more owe you my life, Balrus,” Zasia said, the words still garbled to her own damaged ears. Hopefully Kedrin could fix that.

“Think nothing of it,” Balrus replied easily, grinning in delight. “I swore long ago I would protect all four of you. Even from yourselves.” He wiggled his shoulder back and forth, the pauldron that was supposed to be there dangling from a singed leather strap. “I might ask you for new armor, though.”

“Deal,” Zasia grunted as she slowly tried to rise. It was less her standing and more Balrus hauling her to her feet and balancing her there. “Is everyone else alright?”

“A team was sent after Kedrin as well, but that’s been handled already. He’s annoyed, but alive,” Balrus answered. “That is not the important part right now, however. My fears appear to have been realized.”

“The Demon’s Legacy,” Zasia answered, nodding weakly. “Take me to Kedrin. We need to get Aldric back to the academy. Immediately.”

Epilogue

Aldric, Kedrin, Zasia, and Balrus were all in Kedrin’s office several days later, with the door locked and the curtains drawn. Given what had happened a few nights ago, Kedrin had mandated a holiday for the students while the cleanup of the ruined courtyard proceeded. It was rather hard to hide what had happened, and the brief break was to keep the students from getting too worried or curious.