The arena had been transformed in a matter of moments. Giant cooking fires littered the grounds. Colored lanterns cast a warm glow throughout the area. Tents were set up haphazardly with games or industrious vendors hawking their wares. The ever-present children rushed around carelessly while adults lovingly watched.

Impromptu duels cropped up among the older children that wanted to test their skills. A few of them tried to imitate Gerath and Tamiel’s duel for comedic relief. Cheering groups observed, joking and laughing.

Pretty young ladies congregated in huddles of three or four, giggling and flinging flirtatious eyes carelessly at the posturing young men. Some number of the girls glanced at Tamiel and blushed at the dashing boy, hoping to catch his interest.

Tamiel sat on the floor of the dais and tried to take everything in. He had met so many people that his head spun. Loads of uneaten food had piled up around him. Everyone who had cooked something gave him some of their food, and expectantly waited for him to try it.

He tried to ignore Maiya, who was nearby, recounting stories of their forest adventures to a crowd of sparkling eyed children. With exaggerated words and motions she kept them enthralled completely. Tamiel almost didn’t recognise his own parts in her tales. He couldn’t help but think that her audience had the same childish look in their eyes that she had when they were snowed in and he was telling her stories.

A pack of bitter looking young men skulked nearby and listened to Maiya’s fabrications. They cast furtive glances at Tamiel whenever Maiya was turned away from them. One of them pushed another while saying, “Go on, Sedris, I thought you had a thing for Maiya. Gonna let that Shadow-blooded pretty boy take her away from you?” Sedris was the name of the boy that had been glaring down on Tamiel at the conclusion of the duel.

“Shut up, Teake,” Sedris responded while pushing him back. “Look at how skinny he is, Gareth must have thrown the fight. No way Maiya would go for a punk like that.”

Despite his sour and scathing words, Sedris was a normally kind young man. His brown hair ran down to his neck in carefully manicured spikes. His thoughtful blue eyes had caught the attention of many pretty young girls. Testaments to his deeds were prominently painted in blue ink across his exposed skin. He was garbed in a long sleeveless tabard that was open in the front and had tight black pants on which were tucked into very well made boots. He was decently tall, and while not bulky, he did have clearly defined muscles.

One of the slightly more clear-headed boys scoffed. “That fight was honestly brutal, man. Being able to cast several complicated spells in succession like that, he’s definitely got some skills. And that finishing move? I couldn't have handled that.”

Another one chimed in, “Haven’t you been listening to Maiya’s stories? If even a quarter of that is true, I wouldn’t want to fight him. And I know Maiya is good enough that what she’s saying seems conceivable.”

The two’s attempts at placating him had the opposite effect on Sedris, who was deep in the throes of unrequited love. Mustering his courage, he stomped towards Tamiel, intent on putting the younger boy in his place. “Hey, it’s Tamiel, right? Don’t get full of yourself just because you beat Gerath. He may be big, but size isn’t everything,” berated Sedris.

Tamiel’s confusion at this hostile boy's posturing was evident. Everyone else Tamiel had met tonight had been congratulatory and kind when introducing themselves. Further, his pampered upbringing followed by his month-long journey as a starving thief and then living in the wilds with only Maiya for company had inhibited his understanding of the thought processes of other young men.

Before he could respond, Maiya had left the group of enthralled children and bounced towards them. She threw an arm around each of their necks. “Hey, looks like my two favorite boys are here! Tamiel, I see that you’ve met my pal, Sedris Nighthawk. Whatcha talking about?”

Sedris blushed at the physical contact from his crush. “I was welcoming him to our city. It’s been too long, Mai. You’ve been gone for months. Who knew you were babysitting some little kid.” He replied.

“Oh yeah? Good.” Maiya grinned at them, “Tammy’s kind of a project of mine, so it’s good you guys are becoming friends.” She completely ignored Sedris’ attempts to belittle the other boy. She lifted both of her arms and ruffled the boy’s hair. “We are gonna have so much fun together.”

When she wasn’t looking, Sedris glared at Tamiel again. His voice was at odds with his expression as he replied, “Oh, I can’t wait.”

Their passive-aggressive conversation was interrupted by bright flashes of multicolored lights. In front of one of the tents close by, a comfortable chair had been set out. Chief Mystia sat down gracefully and excited children rushed towards her. They jostled each other for the best seats and sat down on the ground. Some of them had brought blankets to sit on. A few adults also came forward to gather around the Ethereal older woman.

“Now my children, let me tell you the story of how our tribes came to be.” she said. As she spoke, she raised her arms and the shining lights above her were woven into a floating tapestry. The colors shifted mesmerically as she gathered her thoughts.

Mystia continued, “Our world has always been a harsh place. The peoples of the earth were ill equipped to deal with the fierce tendencies of our mother’s nature. Wild beasts hunted us as the unstable weather tore us apart.”

The tapestry showed a vast swath of grasslands, where little people ran from charging creatures imbued with sharp claws and teeth. The ground was sundered under them and rain pounded down on them from above.

“We know of the peoples who built the sky kingdoms. They prayed to Spirits that lived out among the stars. And they were answered by these beings, but they were not of our Mother Enoch. So instead, we prayed to our world. And Enoch answered us.”

Tamiel was enthralled by the tale. Though it started similarly to his own understanding of history, it started to vary, leading his thoughts towards a deeper wonderment of the magical nature of the planet.

Mystia continued, “From the earth issued forth our own Guardians. They gave their spirits to our tribes, disappearing into our bloodlines and granting us some of their immortal strength.”

The Tapestry shifted to show each of these great spirits, manifesting from the ground and then fluidly sinking into the kneeling tribes.

“Frecki and his brother Gerri, the giant wolves. Their tribes were bound with close ties of brotherhood. They value unity above all.” Frecki and Geri loped out of the earth as wolves the size of trees. Both of them had bony protrusions along their legs and spines. Frecki was thin and streamlined and his movements were lighting fast. His Brother Gerri was more like a mobile siege engine. His giant bone plates granted him an almost perfect defense. Continuing their charge, the brothers leapt over a group of prostrated worshippers and sank down into their flesh. The affected people’s teeth sharpened and their ears transformed into those of wolves. Some of their feet grew at an extra joint as fur covered their bodies. Bone plates formed along shoulders or forearms. Some of them gained the characteristics of Frecki and their arms and legs lengthened and became springlike. Others bulked up and became immovable bulwarks like Gerri.

“Babu the great monkey is a thinker. His tribe is moved by the desire for knowledge, constantly observing the world around them.” Flowing out of the trees, Babu was a white furred monkey. He pounded the ground powerfully, then strode purposefully into another group of kneelers. Their limbs distended and they grew more muscular. Some of them sprouted Babu’s white fur or a long prehensile tail. Their faces grew deeper and wisdom twinkled in their eyes.

“Epona, fastest of all horses. She believes that the tribes’ salvation lies in progress. Her tribe never gives up on their hopes for the future. ” Epona came galloping out of a fissure in the ground while whinnying mightily and raced towards a third grouping. These people gained her cloven hooves and mainlike tail, a small few grew an additional set of legs, becoming true horses from the waist down.

“The chimera Leonidas. A mutable Guardian, they know that change is inevitable and they taught that acceptance to those in their tribe.” Rocky spikes tore from the ground, fracturing and mixing with various roots and grasses. The form of a multi headed beast slowly rose from the chaotic mixing. They had the heads of a snarling lion and a bleating goat, sharing their shoulders between them. Their rippling body was that of the boar with a tangled mane and powerful front claws. Their back legs were cloven like a goat’s. The black wings of a bat grew from their back and a hissing snake came out of thier backside like a tail. Those Leonidas blended had gained their chaotic nature. Some of the tribespeople grew the whiplike tail of a snake, while others sprouted horns and cloven hooves. Some gained batlike wings, and others still had their countenance become more catlike complete with whiskers, a thick pelt and retractable claws.

“Whursauk, the oldest of the bears, He was the first being formed on Enoch, and he will be the last to return to Enoch. He embraces patience, and reminds us to live for the now.” A great black bear faded out of the trees and slowly plodded forward. He wore armor made of bones and his eyes seemed to contain the entire world. The tribe that he chose became ponderous and larger than life.

“Harmon the armadillo. In any journey, it is the individual that decides how that journey goes. Her tribes understand that value is inherently different for each person, and each of them gained a fierce independence.” The last to lumber forth, Harmon had impressive protective plates that granted her a vigorous defense against attack. Those she touched gained a portion of her bulk and defensive physiology. They also learned to burrow through the ground at great speeds with shovel-like claws.

“We were granted one last boon from Enoch for our worship. The Forest of Giants grew profoundly. With its deep roots, it holds the earth together and prevents the quakes that plagued our ancestors. The rise of its branches and expansion of its canopy pushed away the deadly winds and overwhelming floods that still threaten the rest of the world.”

The hovering tapestry showed this growth. Twisting roots drilled deep into the dark soil and joined together until every tree was connected to all of the others. Their branches lifted further off the ground and bifurcated repeatedly, intertwining until they became a wall against the foul wind’s force.

“Our Guardians’ gifts have allowed us to carve out our own home and go tooth against tooth and claw against claw to fight the horrible beasts we share our world with. May you always walk in the grace of Enoch, children.”

As the Tapestry faded away, Mystia stood up with the help of her long staff. The crowd around her was somber, as each person considered her words and reflected on their own resolve. Around them, the lively party continued and eventually drew even the most pensive of them back into its warm embrace.

…………………..

Tamiel and Sedris were currently engaged in a mock battle, while Maiya and some of her friends watched and provided colored commentary. The boys were pretty evenly matched and since neither could use their deadlier skills, the match was dragging on a bit.

Maiya regularly forced Tamiel to spar against her friends. Since Sedris was constantly underfoot, because of his crush’s continued interest in the mysterious boy, Tamiel also fought against the older boy often. In spite of Sedris’ failed attempts at social subterfuge, he was pretty capable in a fight. His weapon of choice was a hook-bladed knife attached to a magically formed cord with its other end terminating in a metal ring. Sedris could use this strange weapon in close quarters, long range, and to swing around masterfully, using the environment to sneak attack his foes.

“Come on Sedris, spank that little kid!” one of the onlookers yelled. After the encouragement, Sedris’ attacks became flashier and came faster as he tried to overwhelm the younger boy.

Despite the quicker pace, Tamiel appeared distracted. While he fought, he reminisced about the last few weeks. Overall, he felt that his new life in the city of the tribes was good. He had been forced to endure a pseudo-celebrity status for a while. He realised that just the fact that he was the newest distraction meant that throngs of curious teenagers were constantly nosing into his affairs. With his poetically sculpted looks and martial skill added into the equation, the boy was overwhelmed with invitations to parties, challenges to duel, and romantically inclined overtures.

Maiya, herself, was quite the flirtatious butterfly and she coerced him into conforming to her lively social scene. Since she considered Tamiel to be an amalgam of favorite protege and second favorite pet, she gloated to her friends while dragging him along begrudgingly behind her. “Look at how well behaved he is. And so strong, I definitely recommend that you find one for yourself, Serla.”

“I’m still not a pet,” Tamiel complained softly, mostly to himself. He knew that neither Maiya, nor her friends believed him in the slightest. He decided that it was easier to try and ignore their air-headed antics and focus on his fight.

Sedris had unconsciously backed up a step at Tamiel’s distracted glower. When the jealous boy realized this, he tried to cover it by berating his new rival. “Hey, city kid, my eyes are up here.”

Tamiel used that opening to go on the offensive. He slowly beat back his retreating opponent while staring into Sedris’s eyes acerbically. His princely upbringing and social isolation from children his own age exacerbated his feelings of awkwardness among them. He had been emotionally wrecked by the first few confessions and he was taking it out on his current opponent. He had valiantly tried to explain his relationship with Nahira to the other teenagers. Despite knowing that there was no room for anyone else in his heart romantically, many beautiful youths continued to amorously throw themselves at him. But when none of his admirers were terribly hurt by his rejections, he started to gain an understanding of the dating scene that pervaded his new home. They were much more socially open to casual encounters than he was used to. Still, the mental picture of an angry and disappointed Nahira made Tamiel involuntarily cringe.

Sedris took the opportunity to whip his cord around a branch and launch himself at the preoccupied boy. “I feel like I’m picking on you. Get your head in the game.”

Tamiel sidestepped his rapidly approaching foe and slashed down with his sword. “Worry about yourself, Sedris. You haven't beaten me yet.”

Sedris spun around in the air and blocked the blow with his curved knife. Using his momentum, Sedris flipped behind Tamiel and launched his cord at another branch. He disappeared around a tree, and came around behind Tamiel. “That’s it, Sedris, get behind him!” someone hollered. His sneak attack accidentally ruined, he was disappointed when Tamiel calmly turned and blocked with his dagger, and counterattacked with his longer sword at the same time.

Scoffing, Sedris dodged and shouted, “Can’t beat me without help, huh? Try this!” He launched a furious flurry of strikes with both his curved knife and his bladed ring.

“Maybe you should tell that to your friend over there.” Tamiel fluidly parried and countered each stroke. Sedris stepped back and flung his ring out, which Tamiel promptly struck off to the side.

The girl sitting next to the hollerer elbowed him. “Yeah, dummy. Way to ruin the fight.”

Sedris pulled the cord and tried to wrap the ring around Tamiel’s leg. Tamiel leapt into the air to avoid it. Smirking, Sedris snapped the cord like a whip up into their air and snagged Tamiel’s leg. “Rough. It’s over.” one of Maiya’s friends said regretfully.

“I wouldn’t call it yet, Tammy is quite the scrappy little wench.” Maiya replied. Instead of allowing himself to be thrown onto his back, Tamiel used the pull to launch him forward and aimed a kick at Sedris’ chin.

The onlookers gasped. Cursing, Sedris blocked Tamiel’s boot with his forearm and grunted at the heavy blow. He used the contact to wrap Tamiel’s other leg in his cord and bind the two legs together. He tensed to throw the smaller boy, “Looks like your fans are going to be dissapointed, kiddo,” he said condescendingly.

Both fighters tried not to be distracted at the wild shouting all around them. Tamiel dropped his short sword and latched onto Sedris’ arm as the smaller boy started to fall. His weight threw Sedris off balance and they both hit the ground and their weapons were knocked from their grasps by the impact.

Tamiel’s legs were still wrapped up in the cord, so he whipped both of his legs around in a vicious kick at Sedris’ temple.

Sedris was able to move mostly out of the way, but was still struck by a glancing blow to his cheek. He growled again as he spun himself around and lunged onto Tamiel’s chest. He cocked back his fist and drove it into Tamiels eye. But as he pulled his arm back for another blow, he was stopped by the frigid feeling of a sharp point pressed against his stomach. Looking down, Sedris grimaced as he saw his own blade in Tamiel’s grip. His voice was strained as he said, “You got lucky, Tamiel. Don’t think this is over.”

“That’s enough, boys!” Maiya called from the sidelines. Fanning her face with a hand in an exaggerated manner, she sauntered over. “Oh my, you two look quite handsome with those matching black eyes. It’s so manly, I may faint.” Her friends giggled.

Snorting, Tamiel pushed Sedris off of him, stood up, and kicked the cord away. “More like, you’d get so excited that you’d join in and stomp on both of us. Not exactly my version of a good time.”

Maiya pretended to pout, “Hey I’ve learned self control. I haven’t jumped in for at least three days!”

Sedris joined in with his hands on his hips, “I still have bruises from then. You came in out of nowhere and sucker punched both of us. You shouldn’t interrupt a duel between men, Maiyael.”

“I’d say you sound like my mom, but she’s actually the one who taught me how to fight, Se-dris!” Maiya replied with a shake of her head. She turned her back on the two boys with her nose in the air.

Spinning back around, she stepped towards Tamiel and batted her eyes. “You understand me, don’t you Tammy? I just wanna join in on the fun.”

Sedris glowered at the attention Maiya was giving to the handsome young man.

Tamiel cracked his back and replied, “Even your father doesn’t like sparing with you, Maiya. And he’s a battle freak. You need to learn to hold back.”

Despite his feelings for the other boy, Sedris nodded his head in complete agreement. “I’m forced to concur with my rival, Maiya. You’re one of the chief’s daughters, you should act with more decorum.”

Maiya and Tamiel responded at the exact same time.

“Decorum? Excuse me?”

“Your rival?”

They turned to each other with similar dumbfounded looks on their faces.

“Did you know I had a rival, Maiya?”

“Seriously, what kid says stuff like that. Decorum?”

Sedris stomped his foot. “Maiyael, that’s a completely reasonable word, and you are the daughter of a chief. I’m just looking out for your future. And you, of course we’re rivals, you little runt. You should be sweating excitement at the honor of being considered a rival of the Great Sedris, even if just barely so.”

Maiya laughed so hard she snorted. “I think you might have hit him too hard, Tammy.” She continued to laugh as she pulled a dread in front of her nose like a mustache and struck a pose. “Me, I’m like the poster-child for decorum.”

Tamiel had a blank pitying look in his eyes as he nodded. “Yeah, sorry, Sedris. I’ll go easier on you next time.”

“It’s all right, buddy. Better luck next time.” Sedris’ friends tried to console him. He threw his hands up disgustedly and sulked away, grumbling to his friends.

……………………………………………………..

Tamiel’s teachers were delighted with their new pupil’s diligence and drive. Chief Mystia was especially pleased when Tamiel showed an affinity for her spiritual magic. “Good, child. You’re a surprisingly fast learner.” she murmured dreamily. They were inside of Mystia’s house, a three room home built high in the branches of a tree. The furniture was bolted down to prevent it from shifting whenever the tree swayed in the wind. Herbs were hung from the rafters and the various tools of an herbalist were strewn around the room’s many surfaces. Though cluttered, it was clear that everything was placed meticulously for easy access. Tamiel and Mystia were sitting cross-legged on the floor, facing each other.

“Because of my bloodlines, I’ve always had an easier time learning different affinities.” Tamiel responded sincerely. With his royal upbringing, he sometimes forgot that not everyone got the kinds of training and curriculum that he had access to.

“That certainly helps, but I’m more charmed by your ability to sit still. My teachings aren’t something that most of the children here are interested in.” She sighed dejectedly. Training in spiritual magic involved meditation, self-reflection, and fostering a calm and focused demeanor. “It’s such a shame because spiritual magic is both quite beautiful and very powerful. Most of the children seem incapable of staying calm. Especially since there isn’t any instant gratification to it. Bunch of Boneheads.” The lack of stimulation was an especially high hurdle for most of them. This was a stillness different from tracking and observing your prey for the perfect moment to strike, so most of the tribespeople had zero interest in it.

During these sessions Tamiel slowly opened up to Mystia about his transformation. “Last year, my fiance and I accidentally discovered a hidden seal binding a portion of my aura. We were trying to create a spell to quicken the magical power in the blood of a mage. We were also hoping that doing so would manifest further traits from the Patrons. While trying to enhance the connections in my blood, we broke that binding and it ignited the blood of the Shadow Dragon clan hidden within me. That event granted me these wings, my horns, and hardened my scales.” His wings curled involuntarily as he started to remember what had happened after.

“I see,” Mystia cut in before he could plunge into his painful past. “Yes, I felt the reverberations of that event, even here. You must carry a very pure source of the Shadow’s blood, child. That seal must have been connected to the other scattered survivors. When you broke your seal, it broke open the seals on anyone who also carried that bloodline. There were even a few here whose blood was ignited. It was because of them that we could be so easily accepting of you, Tamiel. Though we don’t carry the same extreme phobias of the sky nations, we probably would have been more suspicious of you. It turned out that there were more survivors than we had previously thought. Either that, or the survivors were highly prolific.” She winked beguilingly at the slightly embarrassed boy.

After Tamiel stopped coughing, she continued.“Your awakening reverberated across the spirit realms. Since then, I’ve made a small study into those affected tribespeople. While there is no unified understanding of our magic, we do know that those with different bloods may have similar abilities with only minor differences in how they operate. I’ve also gotten in touch with a school beyond the forest that has been attempting to categorize our magical natures and define how they function.”

Tamiel interjected, “Yeah, was it the White Wind School? My mother had a friend in their organization, so I know a little bit about them.”

Mystia was enthused that the boy knew of the school and her planned lecture devolved into an airy chat. “Oh, how alluring. What do you know about the theories of the White Wind?”

A bit of a magic enthusiast himself, Tamiel dove into the topic. “The base of their research shows that our ability as mages to manipulate mana is tied into the manifestations of our Patron’s traits.” Mystia nodded as he continued. “Now that’s not to say that those with stronger physical traits are inherently better. How you are able to use your power is more important than how much you have. Now my own theories and research dovetailed into theirs on these next points. So it’s a fact that there is magic that can improve physical abilities. Muscle mass, reflexes, and the like. Well, I believe that since blood is a physical component, you should be able to strengthen it too. But while I have indeed grown wings, it doesn’t prove my theory. I broke a seal before we could actually try my experiment.”

Mystia’s eyes grew sharp as she responded forcefully. “What exactly was this experiment? Tell me everything. Better yet, let's recreate it, who do you think would be a good test subject, I mean, candidate for this?”

Feeling a little worried, Tamiel tried to slow down his teachers enthusiasm. “It would be difficult to recreate. I was working with my fiance. She also uses a sort of spiritual magic, but I couldn’t tell you if there are any important differences between your powers. And besides, all of my notes were left behind, and probably destroyed now.”

The elderly lady was appalled. “Who would dare to destroy such research? The very idea is abhorrent.”

“In the sky kingdoms, anything touched by the remnants of the Shadow clan is tainted. That would include me, I guess.” Tamiel started to fiddle with a seam on the knee of his pants.

Mystia’s exuberance was doused. “You know that’s not true, child. Your blood doesn’t define your personality.”

Tamiel tried to smile, “I know, Mystia. Thanks. Anyways, my fiance could see the flow of magic inside a body. We found that most buffs increased muscle function and blood flow. So we concluded that if we could focus it more on the blood, we could increase its ability to absorb and distribute mana from the atmosphere. Over time, or with enough mana, we believed that the body's natural capability would grow and awaken the dormant traits in the bloodline.”

Standing up, Mystia paced back and forth in the tree hollow as she considered his ideas.

……………………………….

“Tamiel! Wait up!” A nine year old boy yelled as he ran towards Tamiel. He was one of the other orphans that had been adopted into the clans. He had patches of black scales that marked him as another shadowchild.

The older boy stifled his irked sigh. “Oh, hey Mikah. How’s it been?”

Mikah mimed throwing a series of punches into the empty air. “Awesome, bro. I caught your last match against Sedris. You’re always so cool when you fight. How’d you get so good? I bet it was your blood, right? I’ll be that powerful when I grow up, huh? Think I’ll get wings like yours? I bet I will.”

As the beginnings of a headache blossomed behind his left eye, Tamiel held up his hand in an attempt to stop the bubbly prattle of the little kid. “Mikah. It’s because I work hard that I can fight like that. I keep telling you that you can’t just rely on your blood to become stronger. Didn’t Chief Mystia explain that to you, too?” Mikah’s constant attention made him almost feel bad for the victims of his own youthful pranks.

“Aw, Tamiel. They just treat me like a little kid. I’ve already learned all that stuff. See?” Mikah tried to leap into the air and perform a flashy roundhouse kick, but he landed wrong and ended up hitting his butt against the hard ground.

“The basics are super important, Mikah,” he said as he helped the teary-eyed kid back onto his feet and dusted him off. “You need to strengthen your foundation more, or else you won’t be able to keep up later. The best hunters cultivate patience. You know that.”

“Ugh. Come on, big bro Tamiel. I want to be stronger now. How did you do it?” the kid continued to plead.

Tamiel rubbed his neck and looked daggers at the boy. “I’ve already told you, practice. You’ve got to train if you want real strength, Mikah. Power gained through shortcuts is always hollow. It’ll end up hurting you in the end. Now run along. I know you haven’t finished your lessons today.” Tamiel had been forced into a role of false authority, when the kids who had awakened to their shadowed heritage found out that he was the one who reignited their bloodline. Much to his consternation, Mikah and the others practically worshipped him and tried to follow him everywhere.

“But big bro, me and to others in your black dragon tribe were thinking that we should have a secret meeting tonight. You’re coming right?” Mikah hopefully pulled on Tamiel’s shirt.

“Ah, no, sorry. I probably won’t be able to make it. I’m pretty tired from today’s training, so I was planning on heading to bed early. You know, you’d be too tired to party if you took your lessons seriously, Mikah. Just saying.” Tamiel tried to poke him a bit.

“It’s not like that, bro. It’s not a party, I promise. It’s an important secret meeting where we’ll discuss our plans to officially start our own black dragon tribe. With you at the top, of course. Come on, please?” Mikah was filled with childish persistence and ignored anything that anyone said that didn’t agree with him.

“Hard pass. I keep telling you that I’m not interested. Wait.” Tamiel paused for a moment. “Are there going to be snacks?”

“Absolutely! Yeah. And we’ll make sure to get those berry wisps that you like so much!” The boy wiggled with excitement, thinking that he had finally reeled Tamiel in.

“Well, if there are snacks, it's a party. So, no. Not when we all have more lessons tomorrow.” Tamiel turned decisively and walked away.

Mikah stomped his foot. “Dang it.”