Abelard looked up at Dancer, taking in his stubborn expression. She sighed. “All right. But step outside a moment, please. We need to speak to Alister in private.”

Dancer shook his head, his blue eyes fixed on the dean. “I’m not—”

“It’s all right,” Han said, waving him off. “I’ll be fine.” He was beginning to feel a little better. A trickle of heat in his middle said his magic was building up again.

Abelard waited until the door closed behind Dancer before she spoke.

“So, Alister,” she said softly, closing her fingers around his wrist. “Tell me all about it.” Power flowed into him. It was hard to resist, depleted as he was.

“Tell you about what?” Han asked. When she continued to stare down into his face, he said, “All I remember is, I felt dizzy, and then I must’ve passed out. I don’t think anything really happened. Magical, I mean.”

“Alister partnered with the copperhead that was just here,” Gryphon said. “His friend returned after a few minutes, but Alister stayed until I dragged him back by force. He was using power like mad. He’d drained his amulet almost completely.”

Abelard frowned. “How long was he gone?”

The master hesitated. “About fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes!” Abelard straightened and stared at Gryphon. “He’s a newling, Master Gryphon. A child, magically speaking. Why didn’t you put a stop to it sooner?”

Gryphon looked like he wished he could get out from under Abelard’s flinty gaze. “I had partnered with another student, since there was an odd number in the class.”

“You should know better than that,” Abelard exploded. “How can you supervise the students if you are attempting travel in Aediion yourself?”

Gryphon held the dean’s gaze. “It was irresponsible. A mistake on my part.” He paused. “It will not happen again, I assure you.”

Abelard turned to Han. “Did Master Gryphon warn you about the consequences of staying too long?” Abelard asked.

The way she said it, Han wasn’t sure who was on trial—him or Gryphon.

Han shifted on the hard floor. “He told us to come right back.”

“Did he tell you why it was so important to return quickly?” Abelard continued.

Han looked at Gryphon, whose gaze was fixed on the ceiling. “We talked about it. If you drain your amulet it’s hard to come back.”

“If you drain your amulet, you cannot come back,” Abelard said. “You remain in the dreamworld forever, while your body lies abandoned. You are dead.”

Well, that was news. Han felt a little queasy. “So you believe in what Kinley says about the dreamworld? I mean, it sounds like most people don’t even think it exists.”