For the past half hour, Dana - in the body of Rodion Galkin - had sat in front of the Indigo Tower and stared at the graceless heavy circle of steel that covered the entrance to the elegant structure. Between stewardship and spywork, lu had had no time to research why the Tower’s builders had chosen to cut into it and install the artless slab of steel instead of building in a door in the first place, but the effect was rather like nailing a pot lid onto a statue of a beautiful school of fish.

All this rumination was possible because Mei was currently late. Dana wasn’t surprised at this. After her brother, her friend, and her employer had abandoned her at dinner, it would be hard for Mei to go on boring guard duty. Besides, with Dwayne having gone to the stables, Mei had time to take her time. As for her brother…

Tapping Rodion’s fingers against the breakfast basket lu had brought from Sanford, Dana didn’t envy Mei’s blood relationships. If the trade off for being raised by the Church of Phons and its Lunar Circle was an absence of siblings who hired themselves out to scum, then lu was grateful for the loss. Lu just had to find out who Huan was working for before Mei did.

That was a straightforward task compared to luz standing orders regarding Dwayne.

Luz orders from the Circle were as follows: encourage the Wesen boy’s magical development, aid him in his research into the nature of magic, and, if the Ri’s mdehoota - collectors - ever got wind of his true abilities, bring him in before they did. That last order had been underlined and repeated so many times that it was clear that only Dwayne’s ability to perform Qe magic had kept the Circle from ordering Dana to bring him in already. Although, because a male Ri outside of the Ri Kingdom was beyond rare, and one that mdehoota didn’t know about more so, Dana doubted that the hold would last much longer. As such, Dwayne had to keep making progress on his Ri magic and allow Dana to make the argument that he’d develop best outside of the Church’s care. Hopefully, Lady Gallus would allay Dwayne’s fears and get him back on track. She’d better; it was her drowned brain of a husband’s fault that he’d come back from dinner declaring that he was giving up his Ri studies.

The drive’s gravel crunched as Mei made her way up the Tower’s drive.

Dana settled into Rodion’s persona. “Good morning,” lu fought the urge to use Mei’s true family name, “Miss Ma.” The hunter looked a little worn despite clearly having slept in. “How are you?”

“Good morning. I’m fine.” Mei looked around and frowned. “Where is he?”

“My lord was summoned by Lady Gallus this morning.” Dana lifted the basket. “I’ve brought breakfast in his stead.”

“Good!” Mei bounced over to Rodion. “What did you bring?”

“Wraps with sausage, onion, eggs, and a local cheese inside.” As lu opened the basket, Dana hid a smile at Mei’s starved expression. “I made five.” Enough for Dwayne to have one. If he hurried. “It’s rare for you to be late.”

Mei grabbed a wrap, ripped open the paper packaging, and took a bite. She moaned. “Where did you find these herbs?” She chewed a bit. “Khill and… deysil?”

Dana touched Rodion’s throat. “That’s amazing.” Since they’d arrived in Bradford, lu had been testing Mei’s sense of taste as a demonstration of Rodion’s urbane origins. “Got it in one.”

“They are distinctive flavors.” After another bite of her wrap, Mei took a ring of keys off her belt, and used a large iron key to unlock the Tower’s awful door. Then she stuffed the wrap into her mouth and grabbed one of the door’s spokes.

“Help me?” she asked, her words muffled.

“Yes, ma’am.” Dana put down the breakfast basket, grabbed a spoke, and pushed down with all luz strength. It took so much effort that lu was no longer surprised that Dwayne’s arm strength had peaked recently. “You were later than I thought you’d be.”

Mei kept pushing up. “Ugh, I woke up late.” With a groan, the mechanism finally turned, and Mei and Dana spun it on its axis. “And there was a dead body.”

As the mechanism thumped to a stop, Dana let Rodion’s mouth fall open. “That’s alarming.”

Mei pulled open the door. “It happens.” She sat down and took the wrap out of her mouth.

Dana sank down next to her. “But here at the heart of the queendom?” The Circle wouldn’t risk it, would they? With all the Vanurians in the Plague District and Sen Jerome’s ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of unrest, it was too risky for such an open move. “Were they a noble? A merchant?”

Mei swallowed a bite of wrap. “Not a noble.” She took another bite, chewed, swallowed. “No ring. He was a windsong messenger, probably from the South.”

Thank Phons. The Circle generally avoided murdering couriers. “Thank Cueller.”

Mei swallowed the last of her wrap. “Sure.” She grabbed another.

Dana wanted to know more, but not only did Mei obviously know little and care less about the subject, Rodion’s interest could only extend as far as Dwayne’s safety. Still, Rodion and Mei were coworkers. Some curiosity was to be expected. “Sounds like you got a good look.”

Mei paused mid-bite. “I met a scrytive at dinner last night. He asked me to take a look.”

Dana pushed Rodion’s eyebrows up. “Was that hard for you?”

Mei’s eyes slid away. “I’ve seen dead people before.”

Oh, there was a story there and Dana wanted it, but Rodion was a good steward and good stewards respected privacy. “I’m glad you were there to help. Who do you think-”

Mei’s head came up. “Dwayne’s here.” The rattle of Dwayne’s carriage coming up the drive grew louder.

Drowned saints. Dana stood up, basket in hand, and waited for Dwayne to alight.

Lu bowed. “My lord.” Dwayne’s face twitched like a rabbit’s nose. “How was your meeting with Lady Gallus?”

As he paid the driver, Dwayne tried to hide a grimace. “She apologized.”

What? “My lord?”

Dwayne slumped. “She said that she’d expected too much from me and that I needed help.”

That was true, but Dwayne looked as if he’d been chastised. “You’ll do better next time.”

“Maybe.” Dwayne rubbed the back of his neck. “So… someone got murdered last night?”

Dana managed to keep Rodion’s face blank, but it was a close run thing. How did he know about that?

“Yes,” Mei reached into the basket and grabbed her third wrap, “a windsong.”

Dwayne’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“I saw the body.”

“Surely,” Rodion handed Dwayne a wrap, “it’s of no consequence to you, my lord. Investigating such things is not the Royal Sorcerer’s purview.” It had better not be.

“Apparently, if a mage gets murdered, it is.” Dwayne scowled. “An Andreas Ziegler made that clear to me.”

Dana would find Andreas Ziegler and show them the back of Rodion’s hand.

Dwayne frowned. “Mei, you saw the murder?”

“I saw the body. A scrytive asked me to look at it.”

Dana went still. Surely, these two weren’t considering what lu thought they were?

“A scrytive...” Dwayne’s eyes turned inward. “That’s one of the Chambers’s investigators.” He blinked. “You know one?”

“Met him at dinner last night.”

“Ah. Good.” Dwayne let out a breath. “Good.” He tore open the paper around his wrap. “So we can say that the Royal Sorcerer’s Office is already involved.”

It took effort for Dana to get Rodion’s expression back under control. The Royal Sorcerer’s Office, which consisted of two people, wasn’t equipped to get involved.

“We just need to…” Dwayne glanced at Mei. “Do you want to look into this, Mei? You don’t have to.”

“Depends.” Mei took the last wrap. “Would I have to keep the same guard hours?”

Curse the diligence of these two.

Dana had Rodion cough. “Being Head Guard is an important role.” Knowing Mei, she’d find the murderer within the day, and Dwayne’s already sky high profile would skyrocket, making him a target of both the Ri and Sen Jerome’s, and the Circle would have to order Dana to pull him out. “Would continuing that duty not be paramount?”

Dwayne shrugged. “Probably, but this tower has sat unguarded for years, and no one has bothered to rob it in all that time.” He took a bite of his wrap. “Our dear Axesnapper is far more valuable out there helping, and, as a bonus,” he waggled his eyebrows at Mei, “you’ll get lots of writing practice in by doing the paperwork.”

“Paperwork.” Mei finished her last wrap. “Charlie mentioned that. Is it hard?”

Dwayne laughed. “No, just tedious.”

For Phon’s sake. “Will you order Mr. Ma to take her place?”

Dwayne winced. “Huan is…” His eyes flicked to Mei. “Best where he is right now.”

Huan was a thief, stealing magical tomes for Phons-knows-what purpose, and leaving him to guard Sanford was the very definition of putting a sparrow in charge of grain, but Dwayne didn’t know that, Rodion shouldn’t know that, and so Dana would have to keep quiet about it. “If you say so.”

Dwayne blinked at Rodion’s tone, and Dana could feel Mei’s eyes on luz neck. Oh Phons. Luz frustration had come out there.

Dwayne stepped close. “Rodion, are you-”

“Maggie’s here,” said Mei.

“Oh, uh, what?”

Taking advantage of Dwayne’s floundering, Rodion turned the Wesen mage towards the road. “You’d best look presentable, my lord.”

Dwayne stared at the horse thundering up the drive, its rider’s hair bouncing free. “Wait, she’s early! Her father isn’t here yet.”

What did Lord Gallus have to do with- right, the tiresome chaperone routine. “I believe that my lord and young Gallus will work more efficiently this way. Maybe you’ll have time to share your progress on Ri magic with her.”

Dwayne turned to Rodion. “Rodion, I told you. I’m not doing Ri magic.”

Dana managed to dial down Rodion’s response to a stiff, “I assumed you’d slept on it.”

Dwayne shook his head. “My Ri studies are getting in the way of taking my role as Head Clerk seriously. I need to be Souran to be in Souran society.” He nodded, as if that statement made any sense.

Dana cataloged Dwayne’s features: tall, lean, male, thick lips, wide nose, dark brown skin, and tightly, tightly, curled black hair. As Wesen as he could be. A distraction was needed to keep the hysteria in. “Understood. My lord.”

Dwayne’s face twitched. “I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

Dana would stop when it stopped being such a good distraction from luz true emotional state. “You wanted to be more Souran, my lord.” There had to be something lu could do. Since no one else from the Circle monitored Dwayne as closely as Dana did, lu could cover up his lack of Ri study for a while, but it would be best if Dwayne kept making progress. How to make that happen?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Ah, right.” Dwayne sighed. “Carry on then.”

As Magdala dropped down from her horse, Mei finished her last wrap. “Morning, Maggie.”

“Morning, Mei, Rodion, and…” Magdala’s cheeks flushed. “Dwayne.” She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. “Has my father arrived yet?”

“No, not yet.” Dwayne clasped his hands behind his back. “You’re, uh, a little early.”

“Yes, I… well, Fran woke me up and I thought, ‘why not just go now?’ and so, well, here I am.”

Part of that was a lie. Dana had never seen Magdala do anything early.

Dwayne raised an eyebrow. “Fran woke you up early? Why?”

As Magdala’s ears turned red, Dana spotted luz opportunity. “My lord.” Lu put a hand on Dwayne’s shoulder. “I’ll prepare things in the lab while you two talk.”

Two things were necessary for Ri magic: the spell and the emotion. If Dwayne wasn’t practicing the former, then Dana would make sure that he experienced a wide range of the latter.

Which gave lu an idea.

Dwayne backed away. “No, that’s fine, I can-”

“My lord, a moment.” Dana plucked Dwayne’s half-eaten wrap from his fingers.

“Hey, I wasn’t done!”

After dropping the wrap in Mei’s empty hands, Dana pulled Rodion’s master aside. “My lord, if you’re going to be Souran you must practice courting.”

Dwayne’s eyes widened. “What? No, that’s the last thing on my mind. I don’t have the time.”

“Make time, my lord.” Dana patted Dwayne’s shoulder. “Ask Magdala to practice with you. All she can say is no.”

And if she said yes, Dana bet that practice would turn into reality.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Dwayne’s eyes slid over to Magdala, who was chatting with Mei. “She knows more about it than I do.”

“Exactly.” Dana put a smile on Rodion’s face. “Just think of it as a proposal.” Lu left Dwayne mulling it over and returned to Magdala and Mei. “My lady, I’ll go set things up for you and Dwayne in the lab.”

Then Dana bowed and entered the Tower, hoping that Dwayne didn’t think about the other meaning of the word “proposal.”

***

As she waited for Rodion to finish his work downstairs, Magdala leaned against the reception desk that sat shrouded in the Tower’s foyer. The desk was circular and wrapped around the winding iron staircase that led down to the laboratory and up to the library. To her right and left loomed the dusty portraits of Soura’s past Royal Sorcerers, which hung on the tall doak wood partitions that marked the path from the front door to the reception desk. Her lord uncle’s portrait, although the newest, was the roughest one. The artist had made his face too fat, his eyes too blue , and his hair too brown, although the carelessness of the brush-strokes did fit the man who’d failed to show up to work for months.

Clutching her satchel, Magdala peeked past the partitions to the rest of the room, where tables and shelves were arranged around the staircase like spokes in a wheel. She tried to imagine this place when it had been fully staffed with dozens of mages and clerks. It must have been amazing to see all those people working in concert for the betterment of the Queen. Now, it was a graveyard dressed in white shroud.

“You do that every time.”

“I’m just taking it all in.” Magdala turned to Dwayne and leaned against the reception desk, hoping the casual move would hide how her heart had skipped a little at his voice. “You and my lord uncle have a lot of work to do to get this place back into shape.”

“Yes, we do.” As he did every time he looked at it, Dwayne wrinkled his nose at his master’s portrait. “And when he finally arrives, we’ll start in earnest. First thing we’ll do is hire more guards and clerks so that Mei and I actually have people to be Heads of.”

The Wesen mage looked comfortable in that pink suit of his, even while standing in the dust and shadows of his predecessors. Magdala had talked with Francesca about who they’d each take to the Harvest Ball, and Dwayne would look good dancing with…

No. Focus.

Magdala forced her gaze back to the portraits. “Yes, he’d better hurry up with whatever he’s doing down in Walton.” She brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. “Once he’s here, we’ll have more time together.”

Dwayne blinked. “We will?”

“Of course. He’d be our chaperone; he doesn’t have anything else to do.” She gestured to the tables. “We could even get first and second years to work on that interminable list of plant and animal parts you made. Then we could actually work on something interesting for once.”

“Oh?” Dwayne’s eyes were on hers. “Like what?”

Magdala’s heartbeat filled her ears. “L-like how the ancients used magic, and, and about the future.”

“The future.” Dwayne’s eyes tightened. “Our future?”

Oh, cups, how’d he get to that? “No, I mean the future of magic, and how we can apply these techniques to military practice or construction or agriculture, and we could figure out Qe-Ri joint magic.” Magdala stopped. Cups, what was she saying? “You, know if… if you want to.”

“Yeah.” Dwayne’s voice softened. “We could do that.”

“My lord.” With a metallic tap, tap, tap, Rodion emerged from the lower level. “I’m afraid you should consider hiring some staff to clean that place regularly.” He patted dust off his trousers. “It was filthy down there.”

Dwayne sucked in a breath. “Did you move anything?”

“No, I did not touch your precious experiment space.” Rodion adjusted his collar. “I must be off. Sanford’s own mess needs attending to. My lord, my lady.” He bowed and left.

Dwayne shot a glance at the closing door. “Did he seem… amused to you?”

Magdala tilted her head. “No, just professional, like always.”

“Yes, like always.” Dwayne turned back to her. “Do you want to wait until your lord father arrives?”

“Why?”

“Because…” Dwayne’s hands clutched and unclutched. “Propriety?”

“Cups, no.” Magdala laughed. “Father’ll only get in the way.”

This way it would be just like it was before, without her mother asking annoying questions and without her father glowering at Dwayne.

“In that case,” the corners of Dwayne’s lips twitched, “let’s get started.”

“Lead the way.” Magdala followed Dwayne downstairs, blinking at the darkness in the stairwell. “I thought Rodion said he’d prepared the room. Oof!” She bumped into Dwayne’s back.

“Sorry.” Dwayne took her hand in his. “Looks like ‘prepare’ means something different today. I’ll lead you down.”

“It’s not far, I- nevermind.” Magdala let him lead her down the stairs, relishing the warmth of his hand. “Um, why aren’t you casting Ri’a’tha?”

“I’m not using Ri magic at the moment.” Dwayne kept going down the stairs.

When it was clear that he wasn’t going to explain himself, Magdala asked, “Why?”

“Here we are.” Dwayne guided her to the foot of the stairs and released her hand, leaving her alone in the dark. “Give me a moment.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“It was distracting me from my other studies.” Things shifted in the darkness. “I need to focus on Qe magic.”

“They’re not mutually exclusive you know.” Magdala heard more things shift. “Are you looking for something?”

“The candles.” Something fell over. “Found one. Ah…”

“What?”

“I don’t have any matches. Or flint.”

“Dwayne, you’re a fire mage.”

“It’s better if I don’t.”

“Correction, it’s silly if you don’t.” Magdala took a breath. “Come here.” She started to rummage around in her satchel.

“What? Why?”

“Because I’m not a fire mage and I have matches.” She found one and lit it.

Dwayne’s face, his eyes, his lips, were suddenly less than a handspan away, and they were alone in the dark, and no one would know if she just leaned forward and-

“Here,” he said.

“What?”

“The candle.” Dwayne held up a broken one.

“Ah, right.” She put the match to the wick.

Dwayne chuckled.

Magdala glared at him. “This is your fault.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just funny.” He was smiling wide. “A fire mage getting his candle lit by an alchemist.”

Magdala felt a wave of heat. It had to be the candle. “Well, if it’s too embarrassing for you.”

“Not if it’s you doing the lighting.” Dwayne pulled away from her and used the lit candle to light others. “Oh, I, uh, have a proposal for you.”

Magdala caught the table. “What?” Proposal? Now?

“Magdala Stefanie Gallus.” Magdala’s father stomped down the stairs with his satchel over his shoulder. “What are you two doing down here in the dark?”

Magdala straightened up. “Nothing, Father. Just lighting candles.”

“Right.” Lord Gallus’s voice was flat. “Well, get to it. I don’t have all day.” He snatched a lit candle off the table and marched over to a sunken pedestal next to the only chair in the room. “I have paperwork to complete.”

Sighing, Magdala moved to light the remaining candles. “What’s next on your list?”

She’d ask about Dwayne’s proposal later.

“Qebutorkot. Rodion found a rodent that uses it to twist juice out of ghalinanas.”

“That’s… inventive.”

“Right?”

***

Under the watchful eye of Lord Gallus, Dwayne and Magdala made significant progress and created two new spell shunts in record time. Now, Dwayne watched as Magdala carefully placed a thin glass cap on top of the third shunt, which was filled to the brim with a suspension of wolf’s tooth and azade.

When she was done, Magdala pressed a finger on top, said “nQesiumut,” and the two pieces of glass snapped together, completing the shunt.

“Wow.” Dwayne reached up and stretched. “Three shunts in one hour. We’re getting faster.”

“Yeah, we are.” Magdala pushed the shunt away and leaned on the table. “You mentioned a proposal earlier.”

Dwayne’s stomach clenched. “Right.” It was just practice. “My proposal was…” Just practice. “I-”

“Time’s up,” announced Lord Gallus.

Magdala glared at her father as he stuffed his papers into his satchel. “We were talking.”

“Which means that you’re done for the day.” Lord Gallus marched up to their table and peered at their latest work. “Those are tiny.”

“Magic isn’t like swordplay or horses, Father.” Magdala pulled at her cuffs. “Bigger doesn’t mean better.”

Thank heavens, a change of subject.

Dwayne tapped the new shunt. “Still, I’ve noticed some resistance using these that I didn’t with the vials.”

“Really?” Magdala pulled closer, her wood and flower perfume filling Dwayne’s nose. “Do you think I’d notice if we made some for me?” She frowned. “Wait, are you…”

Dwayne didn’t let her finish. “We should be creating shunts for you soon.” He reached for a crate of odds and ends that sat on the table. “I think I have something that we can use to-”

“No.” Lord Gallus stepped between Dwayne and his daughter. “I said ‘Time’s up’. Autumn Session is in two days, and I don’t have any more time to chaperone you two. Besides,” he sniffed, “you two should be studying, not playing around.”

Magdala got to her feet. “We’re researching, not playing.”

Her father put his hands on his hips. “Are you sure about that?”

“I understand that your time is valuable,” said Dwayne, standing up. “We’ll continue later, Magdala.”

For a moment, her fury turned on him. Then she winced. “Fine. Later. We’ll talk about that... what you were talking about.” She turned on her heel, stomped to the stairs, then looked back. “Are you two coming?”

“Yes, I-

“Mag, go on up for me.” Lord Gallus’s hand landed on Dwayne’s shoulder. “I have to have a talk with your lab partner.”

Magdala narrowed her eyes. “What about?”

Her father gave her a half-smile. “Your mother has had a word with me about last night.”

“Good, you deserved it.” Magdala curtsied. “Until later, Dwayne.” She disappeared up the stairs.

When his daughter was out of sight, Lord Gallus released Dwayne’s shoulder and stepped back. “So.” He took a deep breath. “Has Iona spoken with you?”

Dwayne tried to keep tension out of his voice. “Yes, she has.”

“Last night, I…” Lord Gallus looked gut-punched. “I acted badly and set a bad example, not just for you, but for my own children. I saw her and you together and then we were talking about how mages with the same master stick together and…” He coughed. “Anyway, I’m sorry.” He came to attention. “Do you accept my apology?”

That was exactly as awkward as Dwayne thought it would be. “Yes, I do.” As the man relaxed, Dwayne’s gaze drifted away. “You were right though. About thinking about the future.”

“I wasn’t quite.” Lord Gallus took Magdala’s seat. “You’re still young and you shouldn’t rush these things and, as Iona pointed out to me, you have a lot on your plate. Just take your time and it’ll all sort itself out.”

“Will it?” Dwayne’s eyes met Lord Gallus’s. “Will it really just ‘sort itself out’? Down in Walcrest, I learned what it meant to be a noble’s heir, and it’s my duty to represent the Kalan family in society, and last night, I failed by being emotional and foolish.” He met Lord Gallus’s eyes. “A Souran mage is neither.”

“Last night, we both did damage to our families’ reputations.” Lord Gallus chuckled. “And I’ve done far worse than you in my day. This is hardly a strategic failure, merely a tactical setback.”

“Maybe not, but I’ve heard enough of your daughter’s lectures on military history to know that if you have enough tactical setbacks, that is a strategic failure. I know how to prevent them.” Dwayne straightened up. “I’ve sworn off Ri magic.”

He’d even put Na’cch down in Sanford’s basement to hide away the temptation.

“Sworn off? That’s dedication.” Lord Gallus grinned. “I like it. It’s like the personal oaths the old knights used to take.”

Dwayne blinked. “You approve?”

“A good oath reminds you of your commitment to what needs to be done, but,” Lord Gallus leaned in, “you’ll also have to show others how seriously you’re taking this. Let’s start with your clothes.” He gestured at the pink suit. “What you wore last night was better because it showed pride in your family. Do you have another like it?”

“No, I, uh,” Dwayne felt as if the wall he’d been pushing against had evaporated, “I just have the one.”

“Then I’ll have another sent your way. Now, let’s get a look at you.” Lord Gallus stood up, grabbed Dwayne’s shoulders and began to turn him around. “Not much meat on you overall, but you have the arms of a spearman. Does your steward have your measurements?”

“Why?” Dwayne stepped back from Lord Gallus. “Wait, are you ordering me a suit?”

“Yes.”

“For the Autumn Session?”

“Yes.”

“The one in two days?”

“I have an excellent tailor.” Lord Gallus clapped Dwayne on the shoulder. “With a personal oath and new clothes and a good wig, you’ll be well on your way to being a true and honorable Souran. Oh, you’ll also need to think of some great feat to do.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ll think of something. You’re smart.” Lord Gallus shook his head. “It’s impressive. You’re already rallying your strength and preparing a new assault. I wish you deep draughts of Cueller’s blessing. Now,” he stood up, “I must get to my meeting before Koenig convinces the others to allow Sen Jerome’s to handle Session security.” He strode over to the staircase. “Remember to be at the Privy Chamber early on the day of. You don’t want to give Her Highness any reason to gripe about you.” He left.

Disquieted, Dwayne turned back to the table. Lord Gallus thought his plan would work. He thought Dwayne could do it. Sure, the wig and suit sounded horrid, but if it would get people on Dwayne’s side, it would be more than worth it.

That only left his great feat. He still had to prove that Emittance Theory was wrong, and the best way to do that was to create Ri spell vials so that Qe mages could feel the difference. That would do.

He pulled the crate of odds and ends towards him and pulled out a shimmering red feather, which had been collected from the wildfire-starting Huo-niao bird. He hadn’t asked how Huan had gotten this for him, not for so cheap at least.

A short loud buzz echoed in the room.

Dropping the feather on the table, Dwayne looked for the source of the sound. The room, which had been used mainly as storage before he had arrived, currently contained two wooden tables, two matching stools, the padded chair Lord Gallus had sat in, and the limestone pedestal he’d used as a desk. It was dark even with the five candles Dwayne and Magdala had lit, which he hadn’t noticed because he’d been so focused on her. Still, even without the dozen mage flames he usually cast, Dwayne felt like something in the room had changed.

Maybe the pedestal had moved.

Maybe.

When the buzz didn’t return, Dwayne rubbed his eyes and held in a yawn. He probably spent too much time down here, and he should go and practice with the new shunts. That would do him some good. Besides, Magdala would want to know how well they worked before next time.

She’ll probably want to talk about Dwayne’s proposal.

He winced. At least that would be after the Autumn Session. He had time to practice asking her to practice courtship.

After dropping the feather back into the box, Dwayne said, “Ri’t.”

The candles stayed lit.

Right, they weren’t magical.

He could probably use Ri'u'po to- No, no Ri magic. He’d snuff out the candles by hand. And he’d ask Mei to go get some matches.