"Would you move for a minute, Tava? I'll help Thenio sit up so he can see you and Seyli better."

Tava obligingly moved down to the end of the bed while Eteon helped Thenio into a sitting position and arranged the pillows behind him.

"Here, sit down," Eteon told Seyli, patting the chair he'd been using. "Since he's awake, you might as well have a proper visit. I'll let the others know that you need a little more time."

"Oh. All right." Seyli looked a little hesitant, but she came closer and sat down next to the bed.

Thenio expected Eteon to leave the room after that, but he simply went over to sit on the sofa.

Didn't he just say he was going to tell the others...?

Oh. Wait. Ki'shiu could use telepathy, couldn't he? Then maybe Eteon could, too. Thenio made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"I didn't expect you to wake up," Seyli said. "Tava and I were just stopping in to see you and say hello to Eteon for a minute before we left. We need to get back to the dormitory before curfew. But we still have some time. And Tava obviously doesn't mind staying a little longer," she added with a smile and a nod at her dragon, who had come back over to Thenio and was in the process of settling down on his lap.

"When did you two get here?" Thenio asked, scratching Tava's ears.

"A few hours ago. About the same time your family left. We actually saw them out in the parking area. Your brothers seemed pretty excited to meet the famous Ice Queen. Though I think Kleyo was more excited to see her golem carriage," Seyli said with a laugh.

"Namyis came with you? Oh, I guess Tava's wearing her collar, isn't she?" Thenio had just noticed the blue leather band around the dragon's neck.

"Right. Namyis wanted to bring dinner over, and she gave us a ride at the same time. She said everyone deserved a treat after what you all went through last night. The rest of us already ate, but there are some leftovers in the stasis box in the kitchen if you want any. Well, you might not feel up to eating seafood right now.... But there's also a box of pastries. Uncle Bero told Namyis that you really like the berry pastries from the bakery near your house, so she got some especially for you."

"Huh? Bero told her that?" Thenio blinked in surprise. "How did he know?"

"I told him," Eteon said. "He told me that Namyis was coming and asked what your favorite food was so she would know what to bring you."

"Oh." Thenio scratched his cheek, feeling a little embarrassed. Was it childish that his favorite food was something like berry pastries? He felt like maybe it was.... He did really like them, though. He'd always found the taste oddly comforting. And it was very kind of Namyis to go out of her way to get him some. He'd have to be sure to thank her later.

"Oh, and I brought you something, too." Seyli opened her embroidered bag and started rummaging around inside it.

"That...you really didn't have to...." Thenio said awkwardly, feeling even more embarrassed.

"I know. But I wanted to." Seyli pulled out a small wrapped parcel. She held it in her hands for a moment, staring down at it and biting her lip. "I just.... I don't know exactly what happened last night. Uncle Bero and Namyis both said they weren't allowed to tell me all the details. But I know it was really dangerous. And Uncle Bero said you were under strong magic suppression today, so I wasn't sure if I'd have a chance to talk to you or not. So I just...wanted to do something to let you know that Tava and I are glad you're okay."

She shyly held the parcel out to him, her cheeks turning a little pink.

It was incredibly cute.

"I...thank you." Thenio took the gift, his own face growing a bit warm.

Tava was looking curiously at the little package. To help hide how awkward he felt, Thenio set it in front of her.

"Do you want to help me open it?" The brown wrapping paper was held on with a red ribbon tied in a bow. Thenio picked up one end of the ribbon and held it out to Tava. "Here. Pull on this."

Tava's ears pricked up a little with interest. She sniffed at the ribbon before taking the end of it in her teeth. Then she pulled backward, causing the bow to come undone.

"Good girl." Thenio patted the dragon's head, and she chirped and waved her tail a little, looking happy at the praise. Then he pulled off the loosened ribbon and unwrapped the paper.

Inside was a case made of dark brown leather that was a little smaller than Thenio's message book. He undid the strap holding it closed and opened it up to reveal a small sketchbook on one side of the case and pockets containing a set of half-size pencils with colored leads, a sharpener, and an eraser on the other side.

"I noticed that you don't bring a sketchbook with you when we go out places, even though you have one with you most of the time at Ariom's house," Seyli said, still looking a bit shy. "So I wondered if it was because you only had bigger ones that are hard to carry around. And I happened to see those little drawing kits at the academy store not long ago, so...well...I thought you might like one."

"That's...." Thenio swallowed. His throat was suddenly feeling a little tight. "You're right. I've always used those bigger sketchbooks. There's a shop not far from my family's house that sells them for pretty cheap, and I was always trying to make my allowance stretch as far as I could, so.... This looks really nice. Thank you."

He'd also seen these drawing kits at the academy store, actually. And he'd thought about how nice it would be to have a sketchbook and pencils small enough to take everywhere he went. But they were a little pricey, and he'd been trying hard not to spend more money on school supplies than was absolutely necessary, so he'd never bought one.

Wanting to show Seyli that he appreciated the gift, Thenio pulled out one of the pencils and opened the little book. He started sketching lightly on a blank page, using a little dream magic to help him remember the details of what he wanted to draw.

Wait...was it all right for him to use magic right now? No one had told him he couldn't, and he wasn't using very much. Eteon didn't say anything about it, so it ought to be fine, right? Probably?

Thenio pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the drawing, occasionally switching to a different color pencil. He was still sleepy from the magic suppression, but working with new art supplies was interesting, especially since they were higher quality than the paper and pencils he usually used. So he was able to concentrate reasonably well.

A few minutes later, he finished the sketch and slid the pencil he was using back into its pocket. Then he held the book up for Seyli to see.

"It works," he said with a smile. "I like these pencils. They have a nice feel to them."

Seyli and Tava had both been watching quietly while he drew. Now Seyli stared at the picture, looking a little perplexed. "Sheep?"

Thenio had drawn a small group of sheep with white fleece and red faces and legs, grazing in a green pasture. Two drakes were sitting in the foreground, watching them. One was a muted shade of blue with fluffy fur and feathered wings. The other had leathery wings and yellowish-green scales.

"Right. Sheep." Thenio gave a small laugh. "That's what I was dreaming about right before Tava woke me up. I dreamt I was on a farm, watching sheep get sheared. Weird, huh? Those two drakes were in the dream, too. Their names were Cloud and Pickles."

Seyli blinked. "I thought you said it was a bad dream?"

"Yeah...well." Thenio lowered the sketchbook and looked down at his drawing. "It got strange toward the end. It was like everything started distorting and looking unfamiliar. So nothing really bad happened. I just felt upset that I couldn't figure out what was going on."

"Oh, I get it." Seyli nodded in understanding. "I have dreams like that sometimes, too, where nothing acts like I expect it to, and I feel really confused and out of control."

"Right. Like that."

There was a brief pause.

Then Seyli smiled and said, "Well, at least you got to see some cute sheep and livestock drakes before things went strange. Those are Zantian Reds, aren't they? They mostly raise that breed in Lenios, so it's funny you would be dreaming about them. Oh, but there's a picture of them in the encyclopedia of land-based magic beasts that we got for Iggy, isn't there? Maybe you saw that recently."

"Uh...yeah, that might be it. I've been reading those encyclopedias with Iggy a lot lately. He really likes them."

They'd mostly been reading about gryphons and storm hounds, though. Apart from the entry on tauas, Thenio hadn't actually read any of the volume on land-based magic beasts yet. And he was fairly sure he hadn't seen the picture of Zantian Red sheep either....

But he didn't think it was a good idea to mention that to Seyli.

"Ah...talking about reading to Iggy reminds me of something I needed to ask you about." Seyli fidgeted a little with her bag, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well...really Ariom was going to ask you, since I didn't think I'd get a chance to talk to you for a few more days. But since you're awake now, I guess I should do it myself.... Anyways, it's about school exams."

Thenio blinked. "Exams? What about them?"

Did she want help studying or something? He didn't know that much about magic zoology or healing magic, though....

"Um...has Ariom told you that I lived at his house during my first year at the academy?"

"Yeah, he did. He said you wanted to live with your brother while you were getting used to living in the capital."

What Ariom had actually said was that Seyli was extremely nervous about leaving home and attending such a large school by herself, so her parents had asked him to help take care of her for a while. Toflyn had graduated from the academy and started his apprenticeship with Ariom a few months before that, and Seyli was much more comfortable with the idea of living with her older brother and cousin than she was with staying in a dormitory surrounded by strangers.

Iggy had also hatched around that same time, which meant that Ariom had ended up being very glad he'd agreed to let Seyli and Tava stay with him. He said they'd probably helped him more than he'd helped them.

"Right. Well, we've also been staying at Ariom's house during exam weeks the past couple of years. Mostly for Tava, since it's hard for me to spend enough time with her when I'm busy studying and finishing up assignments and things." Seyli's fidgeting intensified. "And...um...exams are coming up in a couple of weeks, so...."

"So...you two are going to come stay with us?"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Thenio wasn't sure how to feel about that. He liked having Seyli and Tava around, but he'd only been seeing them once a week so far. Actually living in the same house was kind of different, wasn't it? He'd never lived with a girl before, apart from his mother.

And Butterfly. But a cat probably didn't count.

"Only if you're all right with it. I asked Ariom about it earlier, and he said it's still fine as long as you agree to it. The bedroom I normally use is up on the third floor, and I'll be at school or studying in my room a lot of the time, so I don't think I'll bother you that much. The main issue is that you'll have an extra dragon to look after for about a week."

"Oh." Thenio looked down at Tava, who was still sitting on his lap. She looked back at him questioningly, her head tilted a little to one side. "That's not really a problem, is it? She's not any harder to take care of than Iggy is. Or does she not behave as well when you're not with her?"

Seyli shook her head. "No, that's not it. She's usually well-behaved for people she likes. And Ariom and Iggy will be there, so it's not like you'll have to take care of her all by yourself. But I mean...you just got kidnapped by criminals and almost died! Uncle Bero said it wasn't having much of an effect on you so far because of being under magic suppression, but you might have a delayed reaction. And your magic control gets worse when you're under stress, right? So it's probably not a good time to ask you for a favor like this. Especially since...." She bit her lip and averted her gaze. "Well...I know you weren't happy about having to drop out of the academy. So asking you to go out of your way to help me with exams...."

She had a point. Thenio wasn't sure about delayed reactions or whatever, but it was true that he often envied Seyli. He knew she had her own struggles, but she was still a talented life mage who was able to attend the Royal Academy of Magic and already had her very own dragon. She was related to high-ranking wizards like Ariom and Bero. And she had parents who worried about her and did their best to help her instead of just pushing her to work hard and do well in school.

She really did seem to have more than her fair share of luck in life....

But.

Thenio looked down at the little drawing kit that Seyli had given him. "But we're friends...right? Aren't friends supposed to help each other, even if it's a little hard? So I'm okay with helping you out for a few days."

Right. The friends he'd had before now either weren't human or were there because they'd been assigned to watch over him. So didn't that make Seyli his first normal friend? The kind of friend he'd always wished he could have?

That was much more important than feeling jealous.

----------------------------------------

"Eteon says that Thenio just woke up, so Seyli and Tava are going to stay and visit with him a little longer," Brel told Namyis, his furry ears twitching.

"That's fine. I'm not in a hurry. I have the next few days off work, so I wouldn't mind just staying here and admiring how cute those two are."

Namyis smiled happily at Ariom, who was sitting on the sofa cradling a sleeping Iggy against his chest. After a few hours of playing and exploring in Brel's garden, the worn-out little dragon had climbed into Ariom's arms and fallen asleep.

It was seriously adorable.

And Ariom was pretty cute himself, devotedly holding his dragon even though he also looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep.

He was still alert enough to scowl at Namyis' words, though. "I'm not here for your entertainment. I'm just staying awake until Seyli leaves. Then Iggy and I are going to bed."

"Right. That's why I don't mind if Seyli wants to stay a little longer. Because it means you and Iggy will stay out here for me to admire a little longer, too," Namyis said, smiling sweetly at him.

Ariom continued to glare at her, but he was apparently too tired to argue any further.

"And I'm glad Seyli ended up getting a chance to talk to Thenio directly and give him the present she brought. She was worrying earlier about whether he would like it or not. That was pretty cute, too." Namyis turned to Bero and lowered her voice a little. "Hey, Seyli's parents know about Thenio, don't they?"

"Yes. I haven't had a chance to explain his chaos affinity in detail to them, but they know that Ariom is taking care of a military charge with unstable magic and that Seyli and Tava have been spending time with him."

"So they understand that their daughter is developing an attachment to a boy who could die at any time?"

Bero frowned. "Well...yes. We've lost several family members to magic instability, after all. And Seyli grew up at a dragon hatchery. Besides losing the occasional dragon, they also raise livestock to help with the feeding expenses. We do the same on my farm. So it's not like death is a foreign concept to her. She's old enough to understand Thenio's situation and to decide for herself whether she wants to accept the risk of being friends with him."

"Oh, I'm not trying to say she shouldn't be friends with him," Namyis said, waving her hand as though to brush the idea away. "I'm a battlemage, remember? Most of my friends are people who could die any time. I don't think that's a reason not to get close to someone. But it was pretty rough the first time one of them didn't come home from a mission and I had to figure out how to go on with life when someone I'd been training and eating meals and laughing with just a few days before suddenly wasn't there anymore. That kind of experience is normal in the Magic Corps. They warn us about it during training, and there are things like counseling centers and more experienced colleagues to help you through it when it happens for real. I'm just asking if Seyli's family is prepared to help her cope if things don't turn out well with Thenio."

"Ah. I see what you're getting at. It was like that at the Stability Center, too. They did their best to prepare and support us, but losing patients was still hard...especially the long-term ones...." Bero sighed. "Seyli's parents probably understand the general idea. But you're right—I should talk to them about it when I see them during Autumn Festival." He glanced over at Ariom and Iggy. "Though she's actually not the one I'm most worried about...."

Ariom snorted and looked away. "Of course Iggy will be upset if something happens to Thenio. But he's a surprisingly tough little guy, and he knows we're doing the best we can to solve the problem. If it turns out that's still not enough...well, he'll understand and be able to work through it eventually."

Namyis raised an eyebrow at him. Who did that silly guy think he was fooling? Nobody there thought Bero was talking about Iggy....

But she decided not to call Ariom out on his intentional misunderstanding. Instead, she turned to Brel. "It's kind of funny to be having this conversation in front of someone who's lived for more than a thousand years, isn't it? Your perspective on things is probably completely different from ours."

"Well, it is. But not quite in the way you're thinking." Brel smiled wryly. "Rather than my age...hanging around mythic beasts all the time will give anyone a different perspective on things. They don't see life and death the same way humans do at all."

"Really?" Bero looked intrigued. "How do they see them, then?"

"Hmm...it's hard to explain it in words." Brel tilted his head thoughtfully. "But if you ever happen to meet Ki'shiu in a dream, ask him to show you the River of Spirits. Then you'll understand."

----------------------------------------

Eteon sat next to Thenio's bed, alternating between watching the boy sleep and staring down at the little sketchbook lying open on his lap.

After talking to Seyli for about twenty minutes and eating one of the pastries that Namyis had brought for him, Thenio had fallen asleep again. Seyli and Tava had left with Namyis. And the suite was now mostly quiet.

It had been a long day....

Eteon was tired. He might not have been doing much physically, but he'd been monitoring Thenio's condition, gradually lowering his suppression rate, and soothing him whenever he became unstable.

Plus fighting off the corruption that was still trying to eat away at him, making him feel weak and sick. His arms felt like they were burning.

That much was fine, though.

He could have lost Thenio last night. If his magic circuit hadn't been sealed in time...if Focilo hadn't been there to protect him...if the raid hadn't gone well....

Or, worst of all, if that psychopath Vehnkir had actually noticed what a precious treasure he'd gotten his hands on....

What was a little corruption pain compared to those kinds of frightening possibilities?

Of course, it wasn't completely over yet. Eteon looked down at the sketchbook again, at the picture of sheep and drakes that Thenio had drawn.

What should he do about this?

Given the choice, he obviously wanted to let Thenio remember everything. And it would probably be impossible for him to completely bring his magic under control if he didn't. But it was dangerous, especially if it happened too quickly.

The last time he broke through the memory seal....

Eteon raised his head, distracted from his brooding thoughts. He turned toward the doorway just as Brel appeared in it.

"Ariom and Iggy just went to bed," the Forest Man said, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. "And I talked Bero into taking Humerus home for the night. Tenacious little guy, putting up with that demon magic all day. He seems to be quite devoted to his family. Well, revenants are like that, aren't they? The good ones, anyway. The bad ones...well, I guess we're lucky we have Renish here to deal with those." Brel's expression turned a little awkward. "How is Thenio doing? I'm sorry I kind of abandoned you for a while...even though I came here to help...."

Eteon shook his head. "It's fine. He's still doing all right. And I wanted you to spend a little time with Ariom and the others. I'd like to know what you think about them."

"Hmm. Well, that girl seems quite special, for a start."

"You mean Seyli?"

"Yes. Though Namyis is rather special in her own way...." Brel gave a weak laugh. "But Seyli is one of the most pronounced phoenix children I've ever seen. To think she can actually sense mythic beasts' magic, at such a young age. There's a good chance she could develop into a Seed someday if we encourage her a bit."

Eteon turned back to look at Thenio again. "Taeri said she was willing to give her a bestowal."

"Are you serious?" Brel's eyes went wide. "She likes Seyli that much?"

"It's more a matter of desperation than of liking," Eteon said bitterly. "She'd give the Princess herself a bestowal if she thought it would actually help."

"That's a scary thought." Brel made a face. "I'm sure the Princess would be thrilled, but I doubt it would be enough to persuade her to let Thenio go."

Eteon's expression darkened. "Of course not. She's a power-hungry fool, but she's not stupid. She'd never give up a resource like that."

Neither of them spoke for a minute.

"I'm sorry," Eteon said quietly.

"Sorry? For what?"

"I heard you telling the others about your old world. When you came here, we promised you a safe, peaceful home. And instead you got...this."

"It's only been like this for a few hundred years. We had plenty of peace and safety before that, so I'd say the promise was fulfilled well enough. And why should you apologize, anyway? Bad luck and greedy humans got us into this. It's not your fault."

"I know. But if I'd been a little more careful...if I'd paid a little more attention...then maybe...." Eteon sighed. "You might have ascended by now if you hadn't gotten distracted by helping us deal with this mess."

"Maybe. But does it really matter if it's delayed a few centuries? It's not like my life will change that much if I become a Squire. I'd just keep living with Peqeran and Ciresi, the same as I am now. I'm not the sort of rebellious child who leaves home as soon as he gets a chance."

"Brel, has anyone ever told you that you're too easygoing?"

"Only a few hundred times." Brel grinned. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?"

"Probably a few thousand times. But it's not like I don't have enough things to worry about." Eteon sighed again and looked down at Thenio's drawing.

"That picture...." Brel noticed the little sketchbook and stepped closer to look at it.

"Thenio said he was dreaming about the sheep farm just before he woke up this last time." Eteon held the drawing up so that the Forest Man could see it. "He drew this to show Seyli. He even told her what the drakes' names were."

"Ah. No wonder you're worried." Brel frowned. "So what are you planning to do? Reapply the memory seal?"

"Well, not yet. It's too risky in my current condition. It's difficult to seal selective memories, even at the best of times. If I tried to do it now, there's a good chance I'd accidentally make him forget his own name or think he's five years old again." Eteon shook his head. "We'll just have to wait a little and hope it doesn't get any worse. Dreaming about sheep probably isn't too serious, though. It wasn't that long ago."

"Right. And he did like that place a lot. Doesn't that make the memories surface more easily? It's too bad he couldn't stay there very long...."

"Yes. It is." Eteon lowered the sketchbook and stared at the picture again. "I should have gotten more involved that time."

"Don't start blaming yourself again. You've done the best you could. And you know you were a mess after Number Ten. Being more involved with Eleven would have just made him destabilize even faster."

Eteon scowled at those words. Brel was probably right, but he hated to admit it.

Number Ten.... That one had hurt. Well, they'd all hurt, of course.

But that one....

Eteon leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Hey, once we get Thenio back on his feet, can I ask you for another favor? I'm not going to be able to go to the North for a few weeks. So would you mind going there to check on the other boys for me?"

"Sure thing. It's been a long time since I had a chance to play in the snow," Brel said with a chuckle.