“Tythonian Mastery Tokens,” Stellan replied, happy to be teaching again. “A common practice back in the early days of the Order. They were awarded when a Jedi Knight was elevated to the rank of Jedi Master, both to the Jedi Knight themselves and to the Master who had trained them.”

“Fascinating.” Bell was looking down at the display case, but Stellan wasn’t convinced he was actually looking at the coins.

“How is your meditation?” The directness of the question broke Bell’s trance. He looked up, a flicker of panic on his face, the sharp emotion mirrored by a sudden growl from the charhound. Bell covered his embarrassment by scolding the dog.

“Ember. Sit.”

The hound hesitated before complying, the red patches in her coat smoldering in the low lighting.

“I’m sorry, she …”

Stellan raised a palm. “Please don’t apologize. Animals don’t like me.”

Bell flushed. “I’m sure it’s not that.”

“Maybe not, but it’s true nonetheless. Back when I was a youngling, I had trouble bonding with animals. I think Master Gidameen was about to give up on me before my final Padawan trials.”

“What happened?”

“I scraped through … just.” The truth of the situation was more complex, of course. Stellan had been asked to influence the flight of a bora-finch but had been failing terribly until Elzar had prodded the finch with the Force, putting the little yellow-and-blue bird back on track. It wasn’t exactly cheating, as Jedi were expected to help one another, but neither did it quite meet Gidameen’s strict requirements. Fortunately, the old Master hadn’t noticed.

Bell started to wander through the exhibit, not really paying attention to the treasures from a thousand generations of Jedi. Instead, he seemed preoccupied with Stellan’s question, as Stellan had assumed he would be.

“You asked about my meditation … It has been difficult.”

“Since the battle?”

“Since before then. Ever since Master Loden disappeared.”

“You are struggling to clear your mind, to touch the Force.”

Bell looked as though he wasn’t sure how or even if he should respond. Stellan could understand that. He was talking to a Council member after all. The hesitation was the only answer he needed.

“When Master Kant passed, I also struggled …”

Bell looked shocked. “You?”