Jal sat with Inspector Ada for nearly two hours before Sage Elvan and the Zibran official returned. After another hour passed, an aide came in and offered each of them an electronic pad filled with magazines and books. Jal did a search for “Adamu Ada” and studied the biography. When it was finished, it searched for “Zibran” and began to read about the geography and various provinces. As it was reading about the political situation, Sage Elvan and Ambassador Patrides returned.

Sage Elvan addressed Inspector Ada, “We’d like you to tell us about your Tyrillian friend, Kiho Ndila.”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“What about Paki Okal? Rena Pangi?” Ada didn’t respond. “You’ve been identified as a member of the ‘Apart’ party that’s been demonstrating for a split within Zibran. The members of your party are allowed to voice their opinions about the governance of Zibran. However, you are a government employee, and you have been using your position to undermine the policies of this country. Bringing in outworlders to influence the political situation is something that is taken very seriously.”

“It wasn’t my idea!”

“But you acted on it,” Sage Elvan responded. “You assisted in the attempt to kill Ambassador Patrides. You will go with the Protectorate security guards.”

“This falls under Zibran jurisdiction!” Ada disagreed.

“No. This falls under Protectorate jurisdiction, since you included off-worlders in this incident.” Sage Elvan opened the door and two guards entered the office. In a moment, they were gone.

“Please join me for a cup of tea, Sage Elvan.”

“I would very much appreciate that, Elini.” It looked at Jal. “This is Jal Jomari, my ward.”

Jal rose to its feet. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador Patrides.”

“The pleasure is mine, Jal. Thank you for saving my life!” Jal wasn’t sure what to say when the ambassador embraced it. She patted its back. “I am forever in your debt.”

“You’re welcome, Ambassador. I, um, I’m glad to be of service. I hope I didn’t injure you.”

“I’m fine, thank goodness!”

As the ambassador went out of the room to organize tea, Sage Elvan filled Jal in on what had happened while he was gone. It had viewed tapes from the cameras at the docks and seen what Jal was talking about. At the same time, the ambassador listened to the security interrogation of the Tyrillian who had been caught as it left the docks. Two other Tyrillians were also questioned; one was released. “The Tyrillians admitted that Ada had hired them to come and help eliminate key opponents of the ‘Apart’ party.”

“They want to split the country at the river,” Jal said. “That would place the people with the highest incomes separate from the lower ones. They believe they can function without public funding.”

“Very good! You used the time you were waiting to learn some of the background.”

“Don’t all countries need public funding to provide public services?”

“I’ve never seen a country operate without some sort of a tax or required contribution.”

“It would pay for emergency services and roads?”

“Yes.” Jal turned the electronic tablet off. It sat looking out the window, blinking rapidly.

“You seem distracted, Jal. Is there something else that happened that you noticed? Here comes Ambassador Patrides. We’ll discuss this later okay?” Jal nodded.

After tea, Sage Elvan and Jal met Taryn at the entrance to the Bird Caves. There weren’t very many visitors, so they took their time as they walked through the historical site. The walls were covered with ancient drawings of birds. They went to the beach, but found it was too windy to enjoy a walk.

That night, after Taryn went to her room in the hotel apartment, Sage Elvan sat with Jal in the sitting room. Jal swallowed hard. “I’m sorry that I shoved you so hard today. Please forgive me.”

“You are forgiven. Thank you for doing that. I apologize for ignoring you.”

“You are forgiven.”

"Would you tell me what's bothering you?"

Jal looked at the floor. “What would I do if something happened to you?”

“Taryn would help you figure out what to do.”

“But Taryn wasn’t there!”

“Jal, you have a communicator,” it said gently.

“I do.” A wave of relief passed over Jal.

The next few weeks passed quickly as Sage Elvan met with various government officials and Protectorate representatives regarding other small conflicts. Jal learned how to help Sage Elvan with some of the small tasks that needed to be done. When Jal was finished with schoolwork and had sat for a few hours listening to the mediator work, it was unable to sit still.

Sage Elvan noticed and spoke to the director about Jal spending time in the garden. Director Watene immediately gave Jal permission to work in it. “Many of the plants were given by various people from around the planet. When the gardener who worked here went on to other things, we didn’t replace her.” She led Jal to where the garden tools and supplies were kept. She found an electronic tablet. “This contains a listing of the plants, their habits, and who donated them.”

During Jal's free time, it studied the list. Each day when it was no longer needed, it worked in the garden. It weeded, trimmed, polished the identifying markers and swept walks. When Jal dug through the supply shed, it found several benches, two small water fountains, and a bird bath. It brought them out, scrubbed them clean, filled the fountains and birdbaths with water and turned the fountains on. In the very back of the shed, Jal found a bird feeder and seed. When it was finished, it cleaned out the shed and organized the supplies. When Sage Elvan told Jal that it was ready to go home each day, it inspected Jal’s efforts. Word spread through the building that the garden was being restored.

After Sage Elvan and Jal had returned to Ridali Tower, Taryn began to organize Jal’s time. She found an instructor to work with Jal on martial arts and combative skills. When she found out that Jal was cleaning up the garden at the Peace Foundation, she allowed Jal to work beside her in the solarium. Jal surprised Taryn with its knowledge of plants and their various uses. Over time, Sage Elvan began to allow Jal to wander past the boundaries of the farm. Taryn showed it the way to the nearby village.

One day, after a short conversation with the sage, Taryn took Jal to where the local wizard lived. When she knocked on the door, someone called to them to come in. As they entered, an odd animal stood at the far end of the room.

The mammal arched its back. A second later, Jal shouted in pain. Some of the thin spikes from the animals back had been caught in the cloak it wore, but several hit its leg. The animal was about two meters tall. The head was that of a reptile. Gold slitted eyes rose above the rough textured face. It lifted its head and roared. “I’m in trouble,” Jal thought. “It’s become bigger.” Jal backed out the door. Jal couldn’t figure out what to do. The animal chased Jal into a nearby copse of trees. Unsure of what to do, Jal took out its wand. Jal had studied a bit of the first level book of magic but wasn’t sure that it would work. “Optilen!” Slowly the animal rose into the air. “Draeen!” Jal rolled the wand in its hand. The spinning spell was ineffective. The target turned slowly toward him and was poised to attack. The eyes were now a fiery red, and its skin was mottled in brown and green.

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“I don’t know what to do!” Jal thought desperately. Jal saw vines lying on the ground only a few steps from the animal. It pointed the wand at the rope, “Strop das!” and then at the animal. In an instant the vines were wrapped around the animal.

Jal sighed in relief. With an ear-piercing screech, the animal broke free. It had grown even more and now had a long mouth with big teeth. The mouth opened and closed, and the animal roared ferociously. Jal wanted to run, but there was too much underbrush. There was nowhere to go but up. Jal jumped into the trees and stood watching the ground below. As Jal watched, the animal looked around and ran inside the wizard’s house.

Jal followed it and peeked through the door. It went toward the fireplace. “What?” Jal thought. “Animals don’t run toward fire! This is an odd creature.”

The front feet of the animal became human hands, which lifted the frying pan out of the fire. The food steamed. It bent its head to begin eating out of the pan.

“Optilen!” Jal pointed its wand at the animal. It rose into the air.

“Put me down!”

“I’ll put you down! Hou op! Nerzet!” Jal repeated the words several times and the animal was lifted and smashed against the ground repeatedly. After a bit of this, it appeared that the creature was dead, and with one final slam, Jal stopped. Jal cautiously approached the fireplace and looked the animal over. Now it had reptilian eyes, the front paws were human hands, and the back paws appeared to be those of a feline. Its back was now black with a white stripe down the center. It was still breathing. Taryn slowly came into the house.

“Taryn, there’s no animal like this on the entire planet. It must be a joke! It looks like a reptile crossed with a mammal and a human. You and I both know that’s not possible. It had spikes on its back, but now it has fur. Reptilian legs with human hands in front but paws like a feline? It changed form and took the frying pan out of the fire. Then it ate burnt fish,” Jal whistled a low tone as it laughed.

“I don’t think this is very funny,” Taryn said.

Jal tossed a rope on the floor. It aimed the wand at the rope. “Vlect!” Ja watched a braid form in the rope, then tied up the creature so it couldn’t escape. The unconscious form took the shape of a man with a long, white beard. “My guess is that this is the wizard.“

Tarryn dumped the burnt food into the fire and opened the windows so the smoke could escape. The wizard tried to rub his head. “I thought ya’ beat me to death. Now I’ve got a blasting headache. Why didn’cha put me out of me misery?”

“I can, if you’d like,” Jal offered. Jal lifted its wand.

“Nah, put that thing down.”

“I’ll not put it down until you tell me who you are.”

"Wyrran Sarlana, at your service!”

“Tell me. Why did you attack me?”

“I knew you were coming.”

“Now that you know that we’re here, you can settle down.” Jal checked Wyrran’s pockets. “You can tell us what these things in your pockets are for.”

“That’s the potion that I used to try and scare you.” He identified the three charms.

“Where’s your wand?”

“Over there on the fireplace,” he pointed.

“’ll just keep your wand for now. You can have it back when we leave.”

“You can’t do that! Those are mine!”

"I’ll return them when we leave.” Jal slid them and the wand into its pockets. Jal released Wyrran from the rope. The old man was grumpy and tired. He put logs on the fire.

“You’re not very trusting, are you?” Sarlana asked.

“Would you trust someone who changes form and tries to attack you as a welcome?”

“It was a test. I wanted to see what you knew.”

“You could have asked.” Jal looked at the wizard’s face. “I’m Jal Jomari. I’m living with Sage Elvan. As to what I know, I’ve read the first book that you wrote, and part of the second."

“Did you practice them?”

“No. This was the first time I’ve used them."

“You’ve learned lift and put down; spin; tie and braid. Five. A good place to start. Taryn should go on her way,” he said to her. As she left, Jal explained that it would like magic lessons. “What will you trade for the lessons?”

Jal had to think about this. “The only thing I have to trade are some very long hairs. I understand they will enhance the wearer’s abilities.”

Wyrran’s eyes gleamed. “I would take a cord of them to wear around my neck. Do you know which attributes they have?”

Jal considered which ones it would give up. “I’ll give you green to enhance your agility, and blue for precognition in exchange for three lessons.”

“That’s not very interesting! What else do you have?”

Jal tried again. “I would add some red to improve your hearing for four lessons.”

“Yes! You bring them to your next lesson, and I’ll show you what to do with them.” Wyrran opened a book. “Let’s begin. 'Laren,'” he pointed his wand at the open book, then at his forehead. Letters seemed to come off the page and fly into his forehead. He handed Jal the book and began to recite what he had just acquired.

“Cool! I can use this for schoolwork!”

“If you use this too much in one day, you’ll get a headache. This next one can be used to obtain something another person has. Take the book and walk across the room.” Jal walked to the door, then towards the window. "Brrviden!” The book shot out of Jal’s hand to Wyrran’s.

“Can a person prevent that from happening?”

“If the person casting the spell has more power than the person carrying the item. You try it.” Wyrran picked up his cup of tea to take a swallow.

“Bviden.”

“Not quite right. Try ‘brr vee dan.’ Accent is on the last syllable.”

“Brrivden!” Tea went everywhere as Wyrran’s cup flew across the room. Jal missed the catch! The cup fell to the floor and broke.

“Jal!” Wyrran scowled.

“I’m sorry! I’ll clean it up.” Jal asked for a cloth. It wiped up the tea and gathered the pieces of the cup.

“Don’t put that in the garbage. It’s still good,” Wyrran stopped Jal. “Put the pieces on the table. Erboon!" The cup was restored completely.

Jal picked it up and looked it over. “Wow, no cracks.”

“That one is to restore or rebuild something.” The wizard went through several more spells that Jal knew but had never practiced. He set Jal home with instructions to practice the spells in book one.

“You were there a long time,” Taryn spoke when Jal came into the eating room. “Are you tired?”

“Yes. I feel like I need to sleep.”

“You wore yourself out practicing. Your energy will return slowly throughout the day. You have time to do some of your schoolwork before the midday meal.” Jal leaped from one landing up to the next to its room. It sat at the desk for the next few hours, studying. When it was nearly finished with the day’s lessons, Taryn spoke over the communicator that a meal was ready. Jal and Sage Elvan jumped down the tower to the kitchen.

Jal was surprised to see a miniature greenhouse in the center of the table. Jal could see flies, mosquitoes, several bees, and crickets in it. Its mouth watered, wishing it could eat mosquitoes like it had in previous summers. “I see the gleam in your eyes,” Sage Elvan said to Jal. “Focus on the meal and tell us what you’ve learned today.”

Jal told him what Wyrran had done when they met and how scared Tarryn and it had been. “I was not scared!” she said loudly.

“That’s funny,” Jal countered. “You backed away, and I led Wizard Wyrran in the chase.”

“That’s not true!”

“It is! You’re the one who knows magic! And you didn’t use it!” Jal’s low-pitched chirps of laughter echoed off the eating room walls. Jal explained the deal it had made for four lessons, and Sage Elvan nodded that this was a good arrangement.

“What are you doing this afternoon?” the sage asked.

“With your permission, I would like to call my uncle. Is it possible for me to visit him for several days? I would also like to go for a long walk.”

“Let me think for a moment.” It was quiet as they finished salad and fresh fruit. After Tarryn took the dishes from the table, Sage Elvan leaned forward. It tugged a small knob on the greenhouse and a door swung open. Leaning forward, its tongue snapped forward, and Jal watched as it caught a mosquito. The sage caught and ate several flies. “What are you waiting for?” the sage asked. “I eat these at the end of the meal.”

“Like dessert?” Jal’s eyebrows went up and it leaned forward. It ate several mosquitoes in quick succession, then turned its attention to the flies.

“Try a bee. They tickle your mouth before you crunch and swallow them.”

Jal tried one. “Delicious! I always tried to leave the bees alone. They are part of our world’s nature balance.”

“Yes, they are. But if you eat them only occasionally, it’s a treat.” Sage Elvan looked at Jal and sighed.

“Is something wrong?” Taryn asked worriedly. “There aren’t enough?”

“There’s plenty. I had hoped by now that Jal would have identified a craft.”

“Jal has plenty of things to do. I’ll have it look in the storage room and see what catches its eye. We could walk down Masters’ Street in Nik,” she suggested. “That’s where a lot of craftsmen’s shops are.”

“Good idea! Let’s do that next week,” Sage Elvan agreed. “Jal, you may contact your uncle and go to his home for several days. Taryn, would you please teach Jal how to fly the small hovercraft?”

“No way! I’m not doing it! You’re the parent here!”

“I can run home,” Jal offered. “I have a compass.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if it storms?”

“I could go the following day, Sage Elvan.”

“Yes, let’s do that. Finish your schoolwork first. Then go for a walk. Taryn, would you please show Jal the storage room?”

“Yes.”

“Jal, please stop calling me Sage Elvan all the time! In public, you’ve referred to me as Master, which is appropriate. When we’re alone, please use my first name. It’s Jan.”