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“Mine is quite good,” Asa noted almost idly. “On both counts.”
“As is mine,” Wolfgang said, joining them. “Debate team, Convocation Academy.”
“You were a legend, Wizard Ratisbon,” Asa said, giving a small salute in acknowledgment. “I was two years behind your championship win. My team also won,” he added with a smirk.
“Well met, Wizard Refoel,” Wolfgang replied, smiling broadly. “Perhaps we should start a club.”
“You should,” Sage declared as she and Quinn arrived. “Quinn here was a mock trial champion. No one knows trademark law like she does.”
“Oh, now that’s a fine idea,” Asa replied, his own smile going lethal. “I can think of several test cases for us to try. After, perhaps, we dispense with the current problem.”
“Oh, yes,” Wolfgang said with an affable wave of his hand. “Though that should be easily handled.”
“Exactly whatisthe current problem?” Jadren demanded, striding up and striking an insolent pose. He wrinkled his nose as if smelling something unsavory. “Ugh. One would think traveling to the swamps of Meresin would at least spare one the utter dreariness of dealing with Convocation lackeys.”
“Wizard El-Adrel.” The proctor burst out with Jadren’s title in astonishment that she barely turned into a greeting of sorts. “I didn’t expect—”
“No,” Jadren cut in. “You wouldn’t, would you?” His question was so pointed that the proctor flinched—and Gabriel wondered anew what nefarious plot Jadren represented.
“Of course, Wizard El-Adrel,” the proctor nearly stammered, lowering her tabernacle. “I didn’t mean to—”
She cut herself off abruptly, staring with goggle eyes past Nic and Gabriel. Then her expression sharpened, fury and triumph blending.
Before he even turned to look, Gabriel knew—by the prickling of incipient doom and Nic’s suppressed groan of dismay—what he’d see.
“Lord Phel!” One of the marsh dwellers, a clever tracker nicknamed Rat, called out, “I found yer wayward wildcat. Sorry about the ties, but put up a bit of a fight, she did.”
Selly.Rat had trussed her up in soft ropes that bound her arms to her sides. Selly thrashed and wriggled against them, though with little vigor, as she’d clearly been fighting them for some time. Rat tied a good knot, though. Both of them were drenched and mud-soaked.
She took one look at Nic, face contorted. “Youlied!” she howled. “You didn’t teach him how to break the spell. No one believes me. No one understands what I’m saying. I’m cursed forever and nowthis!” She squirmed against the ropes, then broke down, bursting into sobs. Gabriel’s heart broke with her.
Gabriel dashed up the steps to embrace her. “Cut the ropes,” he said, trying to comfort Selly even as she fought him, going from defeated to frenzied in a blink.
“Ye gotta hold ’er still.” Rat had his work knife ready but hesitated. “I don’ wanna cut ’er.”
“I knew you lot would be uncivilized,” Jadren drawled, “but this is beyond the pale. There are much more sophisticated methods for subduing rebellious familiars.”
“Familiar,” the proctor snarled. “This woman is an untapped familiar.”
“What is going on?” Daisy shrieked, pushing past Gabriel to throw her arms around Selly. “My poor girl, what are they doing to you?”
“Mommy,” Selly sobbed, collapsing into their mother’s arms. “I’m so sorry, Mommy,” she hiccupped. “I didn’t mean to run away.”
“Shh, my darling. You’re all right now.”
Taking the opportunity, Gabriel snagged the knife from Rat and swiftly cut the ropes while Selly was subdued.
“I can tell you what is going on here,” the proctor declared, grabbing a hank of Selly’s mud-tangled hair and yanking her head back so his sister squealed like a kicked puppy, the proctor studying Selly’s face. “House Phel has been harboring an untapped, undocumented familiar.”
“Take your hands off my daughter,” Daisy snapped, slapping the proctor’s grip away. “Whoever you are, coming to my home and spouting nonsense.”
“Here now,” GF called, taking the steps two at a time. “What do you want with my wife and daughter? Son, who is this woman?”
The proctor turned her steely, disapproving gaze back on Gabriel. “Your sister, I presume. Has she even been tested? It’s a grave crime to hide an untested magic worker.”
Jadren muttered something nasty that Gabriel couldn’t make out. Gabriel shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, though Nic’s words rang ominously through his head.A house might try to circumvent that, for one reason or another, but the Convocation would pull El-Adrel’s status as a house before they’d allow them to hide a wizard like Jadren.That probably went for familiars, too. “House Phel will pay the fine, then.” He waved that possibility as negligible, though internally he winced at how much that might be. Especially without the Elal money, they were going to be hurting.
The proctor almost smiled—except her face would probably crack apart if she did. “Oh, no, LordFell, this merits far more than a mere financial penalty. This familiar is clearly insane from neglect, which doubles the crimes, as you’ve jeopardized a valuable Convocation resource in addition to violating our sacred laws.”
