Anna followed Broderick out of the courtroom. Neither of them said a word as they departed. Anna wondered if Broderick was just as ready to leave the courtroom as she was. Upon exiting the room, Anna looked around for the man whom had been in the hallway with her earlier, but he was nowhere in sight. She sincerely hoped that he was given the same lenience that she herself had been granted.

Broderick led her back up the set of stairs that led down to the court chambers. They ventured through several new hallways, and up several more flights of stairs. Along the way, a few people waved at and greeted Broderick. He seemed to be very well liked amongst the people they encountered. Almost all of them, however, acted as if Anna was not even there, and the only acknowledgement she seemed to get was a funny look here and there. This didn’t bother her though. Nothing was going to break the elated feeling that rang through her soul after the way she had just been saved.

“Broderick, I want to thank y-” Anna started but Broderick interrupted her.

“No need to thank me my dear. It was the right thing to do. And even if it wasn’t, it was worth it to see Rokus get all rustled up like that. I haven’t been lucky enough to see that old coot so frustrated in a long time,” Broderick said with a chuckle.

After a while, they ended up in a rather large and open area, with a curved ceiling decorated with more of the crystal chandeliers Anna had seen previously. There were a few different exits in this area, but by far the most eye catching one was an ornate set of double doors situated just past the entranceway Anna and Broderick had just walked through. Just before these doors there was a large wooden desk, at which sat a young looking man with dark hair, likely only a few years older than Anna. She followed Broderick as he led her towards the fancy doors, and just before they reached them, the young man spoke.

“Leaving for the day already Master Codswaller?” he asked.

“Yes, dear Hopsin, I have some business to attend to so I likely won’t be returning for the day,” Broderick replied.

“I understand. I’m glad to see you up on your feet after that nasty scare you gave us in the gateyard. Some people thought you were done for, but I knew better. Told ‘em, Broderick’s tough as an ox, he’ll be up and back at work in no time. Glad to see I was right.”

“I appreciate the kind words. It’ll take a lot more than a fireball to keep me down,” Broderick responded cheerfully.

He waved at the young man, who was now giving Broderick a rather quizzical look, and led Anna out of the double doors.

During their journey out of the courtroom and through the twisting and turning halls that led to it, Anna had been wondering what they would see once they got outside. She hadn’t the slightest clue what to expect from a so-called kingdom, having only ever seen her small midwestern town. She hadn’t really seen much of the kingdom upon her arrival, apart from the glade her and Broderick had appeared in. Almost immediately after being captured, a sack had been placed over her head as she was led away from Broderick. As he opened the door for her, Anna squinted instinctively. After the last few hours in that dim courtroom, she expected to be blinded by the sunlight that had shone through the window in her cell every day. It turned out, it wasn’t very bright outside at all. Nor was there a sun in the sky.

The heavens above Anna did not resemble the same sky Anna had seen every day and night for all of her life. Instead, the sky seemed to be an endless expanse of black that seemed to go on forever. There were no clouds in the sky, nor were there any stars or moon either. That wasn’t to say there wasn’t any light source at all, however. Hanging in the sky, seemingly only a few hundred yards up, was a massive orange crystal that glowed brightly, lighting up the world beneath it. The crystal emitted a warmth on Anna’s face very similar to how the sun would, but the light it cast was a slightly different color than the daylight Anna was accustomed to. It was slightly disorienting, but also breathtaking.

“It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Broderick, who had noticed her staring up at the strange orange crystal in awe.

“What is it?” Anna asked curiously.

“It is known as the Sol Regnum, the Star of the Kingdom,” Broderick said.

“I don’t understand, where’s the sun. Where are we?”

“I will explain everything and answer all of your questions as soon as we get home, I promise.” Broderick said.

Home. The word sounded so foreign to Anna. She had lived at the orphanage all of her life, but she had never really thought of it as a home. For some reason, this thought made her a bit uncomfortable. As they walked forward a bit, Anna turned to look at the building they had just exited. She had assumed it was a rather large building, based on the flights of stairs she had traversed over the last few hours, but she would not have believed just how monumental it was if she hadn’t been staring at it with her own eyes. Her head tilted back and back even more, until it hurt her neck to look up any further. She lost track of the number of floors the building contained. Building wasn’t even an accurate moniker for the structure; it was more like a skyscraper… Or maybe a castle. As Anna surveyed the polished stone walls, she noticed something peculiar. Much like the bathtub in her cell, she could not discern where the walls of the castle began and the ground it rose from ended. Broderick seemed to know exactly what was on her mind.

“It is all one piece,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Anna asked.

“There is a reason this kingdom is called Monsadasia, my dear. You see that mountain off in the distance?” Broderick asked, pointing off in the distance to a greyish rocky peak that stood out against the black backdrop of the endless sky.

Anna nodded her head.

“Monsadasia means the land of the mountain,” Broderick explained, “Once upon a time, long ago, this kingdom resided in a mountainous region. Well, I say kingdom, but back then it was more akin to a tribe. At one point, the actual date being lost to the annals of history, some of our greatest architectural sorcerors carved one of the peaks into the castle you see before you.”

“So this castle was made from a mountain?” Anna asked in awe.

“Precisely,” Broderick responded.

Anna had so many questions swirling in her head that she couldn’t seem to focus enough to form a singular one. After a moment more, Broderick waved at her to follow, and she did so obligingly. They had only made it a few yards however, when Anna stopped again. Between the massive glowing crystal in the sky and the imposing figure of the castle, she hadn’t really paid it much attention at first, but located just outside of the castle entrance was a fantastical fountain. It seemed to depict a man, a woman, and a young girl. The man and woman figures had wands extended into the air which were erupting with jets of water, falling into a wide pool below the statue. The statue was carved with such loving and precise detail that if it weren’t for the monochrome copper color, she could have easily mistaken them for actual living people.

The man was tall and handsome. Even in this petrified state, his eyes seemed to reflect a wisdom and understanding far beyond his apparent age. An intricate crown sat atop his head, with what looked to be a large, smooth jewel carved into the front of it. He did not wear the robes Anna had seen most people in Monsadasia wearing, but rather was carved wearing a buttoned jacket, complete with a set of cut gemstone cufflinks. The woman had on a long, flowing dress that, even though it was made of solid metal, seemed to twist and swirl around her like some kind of majestic wave. The young girl was staring up at both of them with a warm smile and a look of adoration on her face. Anna had the impression that they were a family.

“Who are they?” She asked, slightly afraid that she was going to annoy Broderick with all of her questions.

“They are the Royal Family,” he responded. A slight look of sadness passed over his face and Anna had the feeling that it had nothing to do with her incessant inquiries.

“Do… Do they live in the castle?” Anna asked tentatively.

“They’re dead,” Broderick answered with a solemn face, “except for the lost princess of course.”

Anna wasn’t sure what to say. Part of her wanted to ask what happened to them but another part of her could tell that Broderick was upset by the subject. In the end, her curiosity ended up winning.

“How did they die?”

“They were murdered by a member of our own kingdom,” Broderick said sadly, looking up at the fountain with despair written all over his face, “they were two of the greatest rulers this kingdom has ever known. The king was wise and calm. He always considered all angles before making any diplomatic decisions and encouraged his advisors to tell him when they disagreed. It takes true power to admit when one is wrong, and he was always open to hearing others’ interpretations and thoughts on any subject.”

“The queen was just as wise and even more caring. She would walk through the streets each day, talking to the people of lesser status, asking about their problems and woes. She carried around a little notepad and made sure to take note of each and every issue that the citizens brought to her attention. She would then return to the castle and figure out a way to address them, one by one. They were a blessing upon this kingdom. And then they were taken from us.”

“And the princess?” Anna asked. Broderick had said she was still alive, but had referred to her as being ‘lost’ which greatly intrigued Anna.

“She disappeared. In the middle of the night, vanished without a trace,” Broderick said with a sigh, “The king and queen were murdered… A few days passed and then the coronation ceremony came. The princess was set to be crowned the de facto ruler of the kingdom in the wake of her parents’ deaths. The princess was just a girl, only fifteen at the time. And then, the night before the ceremony, she just… Disappeared.”

“She disappeared?” asked Anna in wonderment, all thoughts of bothering or offending Broderick gone from her mind.

“Yes, vanished without a trace,” Broderick replied, “but she is still alive, and as long as she still lives, there is hope,” he continued in a slightly happier tone.

Anna’s eyebrow raised in confusion. Broderick must have noticed the funny look because he laughed before continuing.

“It must sound crazy to you; the princess vanished without a trace, yet we are sure that she still lives.”

“Well, yeah, kinda. If no one knows what happened to her, how could anyone be sure that she is still alive?”

In response, Broderick pointed his finger up at the sky. Anna followed the trajectory that he was pointing at right to the brilliant floating crystal that hung over the kingdom.

“The Sol Regnum has burned brightly for centuries. It was raised and empowered by the royal family long ago and carries with it an immense and powerful kind of magic. Should the royal line ever end completely, the light that emits from it would begin to dim almost immediately and the kingdom would be plunged into darkness. The fact that it still shines just as luminous as ever before is proof positive that the royal line still survives.”

They continued walking, past the fountain and down the cobble stoned trail that led up to the castle. The castle grounds seemed to be surrounded by a large stone fence, with the trail leading right up to an old wrought iron gate held shut by a square shaped metal lock. As they approached it, Broderick pointed his staff at it. A clicking sound came from the lock and the gate slowly began to open outwards. As they exited the gate, two guards on either side nodded at Broderick. He waved at them before leading Anna into the streets of Monsadasia.

There did not seem to be many people wandering about. Even though there was no sun or moon in the sky to indicate time, Anna had the feeling that they were out and about quite early in the day. As they moved through the quiet streets, Anna took notice of the buildings that lined the walkways. They consisted of all different shapes and sizes. Some had red ceramic tiles for the roofs, while others just had wood shingles or straw thatching. Most of the windows that adorned the buildings seemed to be covered by a frosted glass that blocked the view of their insides. Light was emitting from several of the buildings’ windows and as Anna and Broderick passed, she could hear the muffled voices of the occupants inside, engaged in some conversation or activity that Anna could not see.

Anna found herself wondering what might be going on inside the buildings as she walked past them. Perhaps there was a witch inside that one, stirring her cauldron of glowing green potion with a large paddle. A crash from one building made her think that someone inside was making the objects in the room levitate and dance with their wand. A pink light coming from one window seemed to glow extremely brightly before dimming momentarily and then lighting up again, like some sort of strange strobe light. Maybe the person inside was summoning some sort of otherworldly entity, or perhaps enchanting a pair of shoes to give them magical properties. Anna’s imagination ran wild with the possibilities with each house they passed.

At one point, they walked by a side street. Anna looked down it and could see it led to a large, open area littered with different booths and stalls. From what Anna could see with her limited view, there seemed to be a various array of stores and shops that lined the edge of the open area. She wanted badly to go down the street and check the area out, and for a moment, she stopped walking and contemplated sneaking away from Broderick to satiate her curiosity.

“That is the town square,” Broderick said, apparently noticing Anna’s look of intrigue and moving to stand next to her.

“Can we go down there?” Anna asked.

“Don’t worry, you will see the square, and much more that the kingdom has to offer in due time. For now though, we must return to my home. My apprentice is likely worried sick about me and you need some food.”

Broderick continued walking but Anna hesitated to follow. The square had a few people moseying around and Anna dearly wanted to know what they were up to. From just out of the lines of her sight, flashes of light and shouts of joyous laughter rang out. On the opposite side of the square, Anna could see a large woman acting rather peculiarly. In one hand, she carried an oversized pickaxe, holding it over her shoulder like it weighed nothing. Her other hand was pulling on a leash that seemed to have some unruly creature pulling back just out of sight. Anna just got a glimpse of something large and scaly attached to the leash before Broderick yelled her name.

“Anna, come please. It would not do to have you getting lost on your first journey through the kingdom.”

Anna thought about what Rokus had said about coming for Broderick if she stepped out of line. Reluctantly, she turned away from the street and followed.

They continued on for another ten minutes, turning here and there until Anna had lost track of which ways they had gone. She only knew the general direction because she could still see the castle in the distance, towering majestically over the whole rest of the kingdom. Much like the castle, Anna noticed as they walked how most of the buildings seemed to be erected straight from the stone that made up the ground. She assumed that they had been carved from portions of the mountain as well, albeit with less care and professionalism than that of the castle. While the castle walls were almost as smooth as glass, the walls of the smaller buildings were rougher and the seams where they met the earth were quite a bit easier to spot.

“Ah, there it is,” said Broderick as they turned on a street that seemed to be a dead end.

At the end of the road was a decently sized two-story home. They made their way up the street to the home at the end. As they approached it, Anna began to be able to make out the details. The small patch of grass in front of the house seemed a bit overgrown. There were rose bushes lining the outer walls, meeting on either side of a small front porch, complete with a rickety looking porch swing. The walls of the home were carved from the same stone as the rest of the town, but the windows were not frosted like many of the buildings. Instead they seemed to be blocked by deep red curtains hanging in each of the windows. As they walked up the narrow stone pathway that led from the road up to the porch, Anna noticed white feathers littered here and there in the unmanicured grass. She had a decent idea of what, or who, the feathers might belong to.

The front door of the house was made from a very old looking wood that had a deep brownish-red color to it. There was a brass knocker fastened to the door in the shape of a lion's head, and as they approached the door Anna was sure that the lion’s eyes looked at her momentarily before darting away. Broderick reached for the handle of the door, but before he could reach it, something happened that made Anna jump in surprise.

“Welcome home Broderick,” the lion’s head knocker said in a deep growling voice.

The metal of the knocker bobbed up and down as the lion’s jaw moved, making a clinking sound as it did so.

“Good to see you Freyas,” Broderick said to the knocker, as if a talking door ornament was a perfectly normal thing.

Anna however, was staring at the lion in complete and utter shock. Now she was absolutely positive that it’s shining brass eyes were looking at her.

“I see you’ve brought a guest with you,” the lion clinked.

“This is Anna, she will be staying with us for a while. Is Nelson home?” Broderick asked.

“Probably so. I haven’t actually seen him for a few days, but I’ve heard bangs and the occasional curse word coming from inside so I assume he’s in there,” the knocker responded.

Anna was staring at the lion’s head with her mouth agape and her eyes bugging out of her head a bit. He seemed offended by this.

“Your mind silly or something child? You act like you’ve never seen a sentient door knocker before,” the lion said with a scoff.

Anna closed her mouth, but was still having trouble not looking at the lion a little crazily.

“She hasn’t,” Broderick told the lion, “could you unlock the door for me so I can show her to her room?”

“Sure thing,” the lion said, still eyeing Anna with a suspicious look about it’s brass features.

There was a click, followed by Broderick reaching for the brass door handle and turning it.

As the door swung open, Broderick said, “Welcome to your new home Anna.”

Broderick held his arm out, as if inviting Anna to go before him. A bit reluctantly, she stepped past him and poked her head into the now-open room. It was a bit dark, but the beam of light cascading from the open door was enough for her to make out some of the room’s features. The first thing she noticed was the dust. It floated through the air in a way that almost made the streaming light tangible. Anna briefly wondered if it was dusty because Broderick hadn’t been home in a while, or if he simply didn’t care to use a duster. The second thing she noticed was the books.

They were everywhere. Piles upon piles of books, stacked haphazardly in every direction that she could see. Some of them were leaning so precariously that Anna was amazed that they hadn’t toppled over into a pile on the floor already. Indeed, there was a vast array of books strewn across the floor as well. Some were flipped open, with their pages bent and their spines face down. Anna’s eyes were moving over the scene, when suddenly, a stack of books started to wobble before crashing loudly to the floor.

“Gosh darnit,” the pile of books seemed to say.

Only moments before, Anna would not have believed the air could possibly hold any more dust, but the falling stack of books sent an even thicker cloud into the air which obscured her view of the talking stack of books.

“Go ahead,” Broderick urged her.

Anna took another few steps tentatively into the room, being careful to not step on any of the exposed pages of the books. After a moment, the worst of the dust began to settle. Anna kept her gaze on where the pile had come crashing down, keen to see what a talking book looked like. As the hazy particles dispersed, she began to realize that the voice had not come from the books at all. It had come from a boy sitting behind where the stack had been only moments before.

“Oh, hello,” he said in a nasally voice.

He reached his hand up to his nose and pushed his glasses up to sit more comfortably on his face. Anna immediately noticed that the boy was dressed rather awkwardly. Where everyone else she had seen so far in the kingdom wore robes, apart from the guards and their armor, this boy was wearing only a white shirt and a pair of white underwear. He was a heavyset boy, with dark, curly hair that hung past his ears and two rather large front teeth. The boy pushed a few books that seemed to have fallen on his legs when the tower collapsed onto the floor, before standing up and dusting himself off.

“Anna, I’d like you to meet my apprentice: Nelson Porter,” Broderick said, as he moved into the room.

Broderick closed the door behind him, shutting off the beam of light that the door had provided.

“Nelson, why are you working in the dark?” Broderick asked.

Broderick clapped his hands together and said, ”Ignis.”

Instantly, several sconces on the wall ignited in a bright orange flame and the room was flooded with light. As Anna glanced around at the newly lit torches, she was briefly amazed at how the flames acted. They did not dance and sway the way that normal flames would. Instead, they seemed to be motionless; suspended in place as if frozen in time.

“I’m trying out a new enchantment on my spectacles,” Nelson answered.

Anna looked at him and noticed that his metal framed glasses seemed to have a slight glow or aura about them.

“Well not all of us have apparel with a night sight enchantment on them,” Broderick said testily.

“Sorry, master,” Nelson said quickly, “were you out all night?”

He looked at Anna curiously before returning his gaze to Broderick.

“All night?” Broderick asked.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen you for a bit. I figured you were on some business for the council yesterday and just ended up sleeping at the castle.” Nelson responded.

“Nelson, I haven’t been home for over a week,” Broderick said, sounding slightly exasperated.

“Huh, has it been that long?” Nelson responded.

His stare moved to Anna again for a moment, who was beginning to feel uncomfortable, before jumping back to Broderick. Broderick was looking at him a bit dumbfounded. After another few seconds of this, Nelson shrugged before bending over to pick up a book from the floor.

“That’s not it either,” he muttered in an annoyed tone before tossing the book aside.

It slid past Anna and landed at Broderick’s feet.

“Nelson, have you cleaned up at all since I’ve been gone?” Broderick asked, eyeing the book now laying before him.

“Nah,” Nelson responded nonchalantly, “been busy with research on the magical properties of pearls.”

“Well, you’re pearl plumbs work, a little too well actually. Just ask Anna, here,” Broderick said.

That got Nelson’s attention in a way that nothing else Broderick had said had managed to so far. He immediately perked up, standing at attention and tossing aside another book. He began working his way closer to Anna, not bothering to move the tomes in his way and nearly tripping and falling on his face in the effort to do so.

“You saw them?! How well did they work? What was the explosion radius? Were they used on organic or inorganic material?” Nelson spat out, almost falling into Anna as he slipped on another book on the floor.

Anna had absolutely no idea what he was talking about and felt the urge to back away from this underwear clad boy quickly. She did not want Broderick to think she was a scaredy cat however, so she held her ground.

“Nelson is referring to the small white balls you witnessed me throwing at our pursuer at the orphanage a few nights ago,” Broderick explained.

Anna quickly recalled what Broderick and Nelson were referring to. She vividly remembered Broderick’s hand flying from his robes, the flash of small pearlescent orbs colliding with the flaming man and the vast explosion that occurred as a result.

“Oh, yeah, the little bombs,” Anna began.

“Pearl plumbs,” Nelson said insistently, “a Nelson Porter original invention,” he continued proudly, putting his fists on his half naked waist in a very proud expression.

“Um, they blew up really well,” Anna said hesitantly.

Nelson looked at her expectantly.

“And they really messed up the guy chasing us,” Anna continued.

Nelson threw his arms up and groaned.

“Ugh, you’re just as imprecise as Broderick,” he complained before turning around and bending over to begin sorting through more volumes in another pile.

“As I said Nelson, the pearl plumbs worked just as intended,” Broderick said, sounding slightly annoyed, “They could even do with having a little less destructive magic fed into them. They are rather dangerous at close range. And for the Source’s sake, go put on some pants already! We have a lady in the house.”

“Well, excuse me,” came a sing-song voice from the hallway located behind the stack where Nelson was now searching.

There was a flapping sound, a flash of white, and another loud crash as a second stack of books toppled over. A renewed cloud of dust was sent flurrying into the air causing Anna to start coughing.

“Am I not a lady?” said the feathered white thing that had just erupted into the room.

“Ah, Misaada,” Broderick said lovingly, “you are the fairest lady of them all.”

Misaada made an angry croak that sounded more like floorboards creaking than any birdsong Anna had ever heard before, but she did not respond. Instead, she started pecking around at the mess on the floor, using her long elegant claws to begin restacking some of the fallen books. Anna noticed that some of her feathers seemed to be standing on end in an angry sort of manner.

“I am so glad that my house fellows are filled with joy and relief to see me alive and well,” Broderick said with just the slightest tone of sarcasm.

Misaada stopped picking up the books and a few of her feathers seemed to flatten out some. She looked at Broderick with a worried expression. Anna was finding Misaada’s human-like expressions slightly uncanny, but she figured if she could get over the fact that the bird talked, she could get used to her mannerisms as well.

“Oh Broderick, I was terribly worried about you. First you sent me home, despite all my protests, so you could collect this child. And then you don’t return for days on end. Of course I was worried about you,” Misaada said in a much more sympathetic tone than Anna had heard her use before.

“Well, I wasn’t. You can handle yourself,” Nelson said with a grin, followed by a loud yell of pain, “Ouch! Whad’ya do that for?”

Misaada had nipped at Nelson’s bare leg hard enough to draw blood. He was giving her a look that clearly said he felt like stuffing her and roasting her for dinner.

“You didn’t even notice Master Broderick was gone, you imbecile,” Misaada said scathingly, “You are always so worried about your experiments that you miss the world around you.”

“Now, you two get along. I’m here, I’m fine, and you all are going to make Anna think you don’t like each other,” Broderick told them.

“Nelson knows I love him,” Misaada said dismissively, “he’s just a tad moronic at times.”

Anna had finally managed to get over her coughing fit from the dust she had inhaled, and she began to laugh at Misaada’s words. The bird had spunk and Anna quite liked it. She watched through slightly tear filled eyes as Broderick stepped forward towards Nelson.

“Allow me,” he said, before pointing his staff at Nelson’s leg.

The staff began to glow, and Anna watched in amazement as the blood seemed to evaporate and the torn skin began to stitch itself back together. After a moment, Nelson’s leg looked good as new.

“Thanks master,” Nelson said.

“Can you do that with any injury?” Anna asked in wonder.

“Oh heavens no, I’m far from a healer myself,” Broderick said with a chuckle, “but small scrapes, cuts and burns are something I can manage well enough. Fixing broken bones or major injuries is not in my repertoire unfortunately. It takes a special kind of sorcerer to be a healer, and I never quite had the touch for it. Now, for the love of the kingdom, please go put some pants on Nelson.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” Nelson responded.

He stumbled over the mess on the floor, past where Anna and Broderick stood, and up a flight of stairs that ran up the left hand wall. As he crested the top, he disappeared out of sight. Anna could still hear his footsteps padding against the hardwood floor above them, followed shortly by the creaking of a clearly old door being opened.

“Both mine and Nelson’s rooms are located upstairs. The room you will be living in is up there as well,” Broderick said, turning to look at Anna, “This room is… Or is supposed to be the study, or the first library as Nelson likes to call it.”

“First library?” Anna asked, recognizing the implications of this name.

“Yes, this room is where we keep certain tomes and encyclopedias of magical knowledge and a few books I just enjoy for fun. The research library proper is located downstairs in the workshop. That is where I keep most of my books on sorcery, the elements, rituals, and other sorts of things.”

Anna was amazed. This dust filled room already seemed to contain just as many books as the Darjeary town library. She was having trouble imagining a room with even more.

“Anyways,” Broderick continued, “down the hall is the washroom, the dining room, and the kitchen. As well as the stairway leading to the aforementioned workshop. That is where Misaada’s tree and nest are located as well as the location where we will perform most of your training. Once Nelson gets some more appropriate attire on, we can have some breakfast and I will show you to your room. I’m sure that after your ordeal you would probably like to relax for a day before we start your vigorous magical exercises.”

Anna had almost missed the last part of what Broderick had said; she was still trying to work out that he had casually mentioned having a tree in his basement. Based on Misaada’s size, it would have to be a rather large tree if she lived in it. But then she realized he had said something about her training.

“You are going to start giving me lessons tomorrow?” she asked.

“Yes dear, you possess magic now and you must be taught to control it. A wild flame will burn all it touches and in order to keep that from happening, you must learn to control your new powers.”

“But what about Nelson? Don’t you have to train him too?”

“Nelson can manage on his own. He is rather learned in most forms of magic. Or, at least, he is well-versed in the theories of magic. If he needs help with anything, I will still be here to help him.” Broderick replied.

“I see she’s had a bath finally, and brushed that nappy head,” Misaada cut in.

Anna should have felt offended by the comment, but she had to admit she had been pretty filthy the last time she had seen the bird.

“Ah yes, you also have a washroom in your living quarters. It is admittedly smaller than the bathroom downstairs, but it will afford you more privacy,” Broderick said.

“Wait a second. You’re telling me that I have my own room and my own bath?” Anna asked in amazement.

She was beginning to wonder if she hadn’t died the night the fiery man had attacked her after all. This was clearly all too good to be true.

“Well of course, you deserve to be accomodated,” Broderick said, looking at her with a mix of pity and amusement, “it is no mansion of course, but this is your home now, Anna. It is not all fun and games however. You are woefully behind others your age in the mystical arts and will have to work twice as hard to catch up. But for today, we eat and we rest. One more day won’t hurt anything.”

At that moment, Anna heard a door shut upstairs, followed by the pitter-patter of feet on hardwood. Nelson emerged from the top of the stairs and came bounding down them two at a time.

“Did I hear you say eat? Thank goodness, I’m starving,” he said.

He was still wearing the same dirty, white shirt, but he now also thankfully had on a pair of gray sweat pants.

“Good, then you can go and start cooking,” Broderick said with a wink.

Nelson groaned, dropping his head, and he, Broderick, Misaada, and Anna made their way down the hallway deeper into Anna’s new home.