But he hadn’t brought up Cecily’s parents. Barclay wondered if they were famous too.

“Not to mention the way your actions reflect on us as mentors,” Cyril said. “We had to rally all the other Guardians to search for you. If not for one of their tracking Lore, I don’t think we’d ever have found you. I am shocked. And incredibly disappointed.”

“That being said,” added Runa, “the two of us understand how our own behavior may have contributed to your… competition.”

Looking sheepish, Cyril and Runa both took a step away from each other.

“Does that mean we won’t be punished?” asked Hasu hopefully.

Cyril laughed darkly. “Oh, no. You’ll each be punished. Hasu and Viola will be helping Orla with her paperwork. Shazi and Barclay, you’ll be assisting Ansley with her research. And Tadg, Cecily, and Yasha will be cleaning out Ulick’s ship.”

Barclay’s mood soared. Assisting Ansley with her research didn’t sound so terrible—even if Shazi was scowling over it.

“So you’re not…” Viola’s voice trembled like she might cry. “You’re not firing us?”

Cyril’s face bunched up into an expression Barclay didn’t recognize—annoyance, maybe, or nervousness. Runa’s, however, softened.

“Of course not,” Runa told her, and Viola let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Now wait just a moment,” Edwyn cut in, walking over with his breakfast toast clutched in his hand. “I never said you could punish my apprentice.”

“Do you permit your student to sneak off and throw himself in harm’s way?” demanded Cyril.

Edwyn gave Yasha a sideways smile. “I’m only disappointed he didn’t invite me. I’d like to see these underwater rivers myself.”

Cyril flushed scarlet. “You should not encourage such ill behavior—”

“I think it’s a fair punishment,” Yasha said, despite not wanting to join the competition in the first place. “And I owe Ulick for helping me when I…” He grimaced, clearly remembering his tumble off the Bewlah. “I don’t mind cleaning the ship.”

“I mind,” Tadg grumbled.

Runa cleared her throat. “Because Orla, Ansley, and Ulick all have important business to attend to, the punishments will be postponed until next week. So you can squabble about it some other time.”

“Yes,” Cyril said. “What’s more important is that—since you each betrayed our trust—we now feel obligated to keep an eye on you. So moving forward, the three of us have all agreed”—he looked pointedly at Edwyn, who didn’t object—“that one of us will stay behind each day as an instructor, while the others continue to study Lochmordra.”

“You mean we won’t be able to help you?” Barclay asked, downcast.

“I think you’ve helped quite enough,” Cyril said coolly.