With slow movements, Meleng carefully traced the equation onto the candleholder, then whispered the command word to activate it. The candleholders had such shallow bowls, and Meleng had been going through so many candles. The wax kept building up and overflowing onto the books. Hopefully, this spell would hold the wax back.

Tracing spells with his offhand was not as difficult as he’d feared. Although he was effectively writing, he was doing it without having to manipulate a pen, and that made a huge difference. He had never before realised just how much writing with an instrument complicated things.

Taking notes on what he was reading, however, was another matter. Just glancing over them now, they were a mess. Many of his letters were little more than squiggles, barely legible. Some weren’t even legible at all. He had always prided himself on his legible handwriting. Even Sini had commented on how neat his writing was. Not any more.

Both Sini and Feviona had been assisting him, primarily with carrying books, and other tasks that needed more than one arm, but writing notes was something they couldn’t help him with, Feviona because she couldn’t read the languages most of the books were written in. As for Sini… She had tried a few times, but her reading and writing abilities were just not up to it. She was trying though, and he was grateful for that.

Things would be so much simpler if he had his arm back.

With a sigh, he silently scolded himself for thinking such a thing yet again. He had to scold himself for that a lot. Obviously, it wasn’t working. It had only been a little over two weeks, of course, and he knew he couldn’t expect to adjust in so short a time, but nevertheless, he needed to get used to it. There was no going back, and he had to accept that.

He closed his eyes, and kept them closed for several seconds. When he opened them again, nothing had changed. Not surprising.

With a shake of his head, he looked back to his latest acquisition. When he’d found this book in the stacks a little while ago, he’d been super excited. This was an amazing find. Technically a “forbidden text”, he couldn’t believe his luck. He’d thought they’d all been destroyed.

“Yes,” Pedrin had said, when Meleng had pointed it out, “we don’t advertise that we have that. They’d make us burn it otherwise.”

On the Summoning of Daemons by Stark Drago.

All the writings of the Dragon had been ordered burned by Martan the Conqueror, and according to the history books, every copy of everything he had ever written was found and destroyed. Meleng had always doubted that was completely true, but he’d never expected to stumble across a surviving copy. It was doubly fortuitous it was on the topic he was looking for, too. He should be super excited, and he had been.

Unfortunately, there was another problem he’d been having lately: mood swings. He’d been super excited, but now, as he looked at the cover of the book, all that went through his head was disgust. He didn’t want to read this. Something he didn’t like to think much about was that Stark Drago was his great great great...nine greats total...grandfather. He didn’t go out of his way to hide his name, but it could cause problems when people recognised it. Luckily, most people didn’t. They knew the name, “The Dragon”, but that was it. And the ban on the family practising magic had been for ten generations. Meleng was the eleventh. It was perfectly legal.

But he still didn’t like that the Dragon was his ancestor, and at the moment, he had no desire to read anything written by that vile killer.

Unfortunately, he’d had very little luck finding anything else helpful. Many texts mentioned demons, but few had any information beyond that they were servants of Night. A few mentioned there were different kinds of demons, and he had collected a small list of the types, but none of them seemed to fit what they were facing.

He couldn’t even be sure what they were facing were demons. They only had the one foretelling to go by, and it was still conceivably possible that was referring to something different.

So there was no choice but to read the book by his horrid ancestor.

He opened it and began to read.

The study room door swung open with such force, it caused the candles to flicker and several pages to flip over.

“Melly!”

After a moment of surprise, Meleng breathed a sigh of relief. Sini’s voice was like music.

He closed the book as she leaned on the desk. “Guess what!”

He stared into her eyes. “You look beautiful.”

Her face reddened slightly, and she smiled. “That wasn’t it, but thank you anyway. Guess again!”

“Um…” He looked over her, trying to see if there was anything notable about how she looked, but she changed her clothes and hairstyle almost daily, so he doubted it was anything like that. “I…”

“Go on, guess!”

“You completed a new painting?”

She shook her head, the smile on her face widening.

“I don’t know.”

With a squeal, she reached into a pocket in the folds of her dress, and pulled out a familiar-looking pouch, which she placed on top of the Dragon’s book.

“Is that…?”

She nodded. “I used it! It brought me here!”

Meleng picked up the small velvet pouch—the one Agernon kept the Pearl of Sestin in—and struggled to open it one-handed. With assistance from Sini, he got it open, and she shook the Pearl out into his hand.

“You used it?” he said. “As in, you made it work?”

She nodded multiple times. “It was weird. It kind of felt like a whoosh, and I was here!”

“But...how? We’ve been trying and…”

“I can confirm she appeared out of nowhere by the entrance a few minutes ago.” Pedrin was now standing in the doorway. “I barely had time to react before she rushed down here to you.”

“Out of my way.” Agernon pushed past Pedrin and up to the desk.

“I also took the liberty of informing Agernon,” Pedrin said.

Agernon snatched the Pearl from Meleng’s hand, and turned on Sini, holding it in front of her face. “You used this?”

Sini nodded.

“This that I’ve been slaving over for months with no results and you used it, what, first try?”

Sini continued nodding, not having stopped from the first time he’d asked.

“What the hell did you do?”

Sini stopped nodding and shrugged. “Just what Felitïa told me to do.”

“Which was?”

“She said to imagine a place I wanted to go to, and she said it should be a place I know well and is safe, so I thought I’d come here. I’ve been here lots now and I know—well, the entrance, which is why I went there, and I also wanted to see—”

“That was all?” Agernon said.

“Oh, no. She also said to think of a word, any word I wanted. I don’t think she thought it would work, and I didn’t really think it would work either, but I wanted to try. Everybody else has gotten to try.”

Agernon prodded her shoulder with the Pearl. “What was the word?”

“Oh. Periwinkle.”

Agernon lowered his hand and scowled, glaring at Sini. “Periwinkle?”

She nodded.

“The command word is periwinkle?”

“It’s my favourite colour! I was really surprised when it worked because most people have never even heard of periwinkle, but I guess that makes it a good word for a secret command word.”

Agernon turned aside, muttering, “The blasted command word is periwinkle.”

Sini grinned at Meleng. “I did good, didn’t I?”

“You did amazing,” Meleng said, and her smile somehow grew even more. Gods, he loved her smile.

“Shush, both of you.” Agernon turned back to face them again, holding the Pearl out in the palm of his hand. “Right, let’s give this a go then. Periwinkle. Of all the possible command words…” He sighed and stared intently at the Pearl.

“I held it up right in front of my face,” Sini said, starting to mimic what she’d done.

“I said shush!”

“Sorry.” Sini clamped her mouth shut, and shot an annoyed glance at Meleng.

He gave her a commiserating look.

Agernon stared at the Pearl for a while, then traced an equation too small for Meleng to read on it, and then stared at it some more. “It’s not working. Are you sure that’s everything you did?”

“Well, I did try to tell you I held it up higher so it was right in front of my face. I also held it between my thumb and forefinger.”

Agernon raised the Pearl higher and held it between his thumb and forefinger. “Anything else?”

Sini shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Right, shush then.” After staring at the Pearl again for a while, Agernon shook his head. “Still not working.” He traced more equations on it.

“Maybe there’s a recharge period,” Meleng suggested.

Agernon grunted and traced more equations on the Pearl.

Sini leaned over closer to Meleng. “What’s a recharge period?” she whispered.

“It means you have to wait some amount of time between using it.”

“I said shush!”

As Agernon went back to staring at the Pearl, Sini stuck her tongue out at him. Luckily, he didn’t see.

After another few moments, Agernon groaned and lowered the Pearl, closing his hand around it. “I’m not getting anything from it. You might be right about the recharge period, lad.” He grabbed the pouch from the desk and stuffed the Pearl back in it. “We’ll try again in a couple hours.” He turned and headed for the door.

“Oh,” Sini said, “Felitïa wanted me to tell you that she wants to put the Pearl in the Staff.”

“What a stupid idea,” Agernon said. “And she knows it.”

“Well, that was before I got it to work, so she might not want it anymore.”

“It was still a dumb idea. She’s just impatient. Always has been.” He pushed past Pedrin. “Two hours!”

Sini stuck her tongue out at him again as he left.

Pedrin bowed to Sini. “I’ll send word to the palace that you’re here, your Highness.”

“Okay,” Sini said, “but I did tell her I was going to try to come here, so she’s probably guessed already. She’s really smart and doesn’t have dumb ideas.”

Pedrin bowed his head. “Of course, your Highness. I’ll just send it as a courtesy.”

“Okay.”

Pedrin bowed again, and left, closing the door behind him.

“He’s always so mean,” Sini said, coming around the desk.

“Pedrin?” Meleng joked.

Sini stuck her tongue out at him. “No, silly! You know who I mean.”

Meleng nodded. “Yes, I do, and that’s Agernon. He’s a good person overall, just grumpy. Old men get grumpy.”

“Are you going to be like that when you’re old?”

Meleng grimaced. “I don’t know. Maybe? Hopefully not.”

Sini put her arms around him and kissed his forehead. “I’ll still love you if you’re grumpy, but I’ll be grumpy right back.”

Meleng chuckled. “Deal.” He put his arms around her and...damn. He put his one arm around her, and the stump of his other one just sort of moved in the right direction.

They kissed, and he felt that thrill run through him again. It hadn’t always happened since he’d lost his arm, but he was glad it was there now. He was so proud of her! She’d figured out the Pearl when nobody else could. It was a bit weird that the command word happened to be periwinkle, but she was right that it made for a good secret word. He couldn’t imagine anyone else considering the word, even if they’d heard of it. He certainly hadn’t.

When they parted, he sat back down at the desk. “Want to help me read this new book?”

“Okay!” She sat in his lap and put her arms around his shoulders.

He smiled at her. “I can ask Pedrin to bring another chair.”

“No, I want to sit here.”

He chuckled. “Okay.” This was going to be a bit awkward, as she was on his left side, meaning he had to reach around her to get his pen and notes. He could ask her to switch sides, but then she’d end up against the stump of his right arm, which would still be painful. It was better she stay where she was, awkward or not. “You can turn pages for me while I take notes.”

She nodded eagerly.

“And I’ll need you to dip the pen in the ink for me because I can’t reach the pot with you in the way.”

She nodded again, then kissed him.

Meleng put his pen down and leaned into it. Reading was clearly going to go slowly, but he didn’t care. He was looking forward to reading this book again. Gods, she was amazing!

* * * * *

“Guess what!” Clutching the book to her chest, Sini rushed across the room as Felitïa entered the Council Chamber, followed by Akna, Zandrue, Mikranasta, and Pedrin.

“What?” Felitïa said.

“You have to guess! Something really exciting.”

“You used the Pearl. Yes, I know. I was there when you vanished, remember?”

Sini shook her head. “No, something else.”

Agernon pushed between Sini and Felitïa. “You can tell her about that later. So, you’re actually still capable of leaving that palace you’ve taken up in.”

“You know I can,” Felitïa said. “There’s just so much to do.”

“Ha! Always dragging me out there.”

While Felitïa and Agernon had a warm-hearted altercation, Sini wandered back over to Meleng. “He’s always so mean.”

Meleng gave he a commiserating smile. “We’ll get to tell her soon.” He had to admit, he was excited to tell Felitïa what they’d found out, but obviously, the Pearl was the big news for the moment. They still had two days to act on what else he and Sini had learned.

“Periwinkle?”

Sini nodded excitedly at Felitïa’s question.

“Well, I guess I’m not surprised,” Felitïa said.

“You’re not?” Sini looked disappointed.

“I mean, I’m not surprised you chose the word. I am surprised it actually worked.”

“What’s periwinkle?” Akna asked.

“A colour,” Felitïa replied. “A kind of purple.”

“You know what periwinkle is?” Sini said. “No one ever knows what periwinkle is. Even Melly didn’t know what it was until I told him.”

“I didn’t until you told me either.” Felitïa walked down the centre aisle towards the front of the chamber.

Sini fell in beside her. “I did? I don’t remember that. When?”

Felitïa stopped at the front row of seats before the seats for the council members. “It was…” She looked away from Sini. “While you were unconscious under the cathedral.”

“But I was unconscious.”

“I know. I...saw it in your head. I didn’t have the shield around me, and…” Felitïa looked back to Sini, grimacing. “I couldn’t help myself. Sorry.”

Sini scrunched her nose in thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Oh. You should have just said.” She held out the book. “Guess what me and Melly found out?”

Taking the book, Felitïa looked down at the cover, her eyes widening. “You figured something out?”

“One thing at a time!” Agernon said, his cane clacking as he crossed the room to join Felitïa and Sini.

Felitïa handed the book back. “We’ll go over it soon, okay? I want to know what you learned, but Agernon’s right. Let’s concentrate on one thing at a time.”

“Ezmelda and the Council members will be here soon,” Pedrin said.

“The Council? Bah!” Agernon pounded the floor with his cane. “We don’t need the Council for this.” He pulled out the pouch holding the Pearl, shook it out into his palm, and then handed the Pearl to Felitïa. “I’ve tried to make it work a couple times, and it hasn’t, but the lad here”—he nodded towards Meleng—“suggested there might be a recharge period, which is reasonable. But give it a try. It’s been a couple hours. If it doesn’t work now, I’m inclined to believe there’s something else up.”

Felitïa held the Pearl out in front of her, and glanced at Sini. “Periwinkle, right?”

Sini nodded.

“Okay, here goes.” Felitïa stared intently at the Pearl for several seconds. “Nothing’s happening.”

“Where are you trying to go?” Sini asked.

“Just the entranceway. Same place you went.”

“It worked for me.”

“I know.” Felitïa stared at the Pearl a little longer, but then shook her head, lowering her hand and closing her fist around the Pearl. She looked to Agernon. “Thoughts?”

“Hmm.” Agernon clacked his cane a couple times, his face twisted in thought. “Give it to your sister again. I want to see her do it.”

Felitïa held out the Pearl to Sini, who took it, handing the book to Felitïa in its place.

“Now, girl, do exactly what you did last time,” Agernon said. “Go to the same place. Do everything the same.”

Sini nodded and held the Pearl in front of her face between her thumb and forefinger. A moment later, she vanished.

Meleng’s heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t that he hadn’t believed her, but actually seeing it happen was still startling.

“Gods damn,” Agernon said. “I was almost starting to think it hadn’t happened, and those of you who saw it were hallucinating. The question now is, why isn’t it working for anyone else?”

“Have you considered the possibility it’s not because of the command word, but something else the young princess is doing?” It was Angelida, who was standing by the doorway with Ezmelda and two other Council members.

Agernon slammed his cane down. “Of course I have! Why else do you think I wanted to see her do it?”

Angelida smiled. “My apologies. I only arrived just in time to see Princess Sinitïa vanish. Did you notice anything?”

“Several things. No idea if any of them are the explanation though.”

Felitïa edged her way over to Meleng. She tapped the book and said quietly, “I take it you learned something about the demons?”

Meleng nodded. “Specifically, I think we have a name for the Tall Man: Kranian. He...or, I guess, it… That’s how Stark Drago refers to Kranian. Um...the description of Kranian fits what we’ve seen, and it can disintegrate things with a touch, like...um…” He glanced where his missing arm should be.

“Like your arm,” Felitïa said.

“Yeah, and Feviona’s sword. Stark Drago says that Kranian is rumoured to be able to completely erase people and things from existence. It becomes like they never existed and everyone forgets them.”

Felitïa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “But if no one remembers…”

Meleng nodded. “Stark Drago brings that up. He says it’s a ridiculous rumour because, even if it’s true, no one could ever prove it because no one would remember what had changed.”

“What about the other demons?”

“They don’t technically have names, but they’re usually called elementals. Sini’s going to be really angry I told you all this without her here. She helped me.”

“Sorry. I just thought, since we have a few minutes while she makes her way back here, that—”

Sini reappeared in the room, right where she had been standing before, causing several people to gasp.

“Or she could get back quicker that way,” Felitïa said, turning to face Sini.

Beaming, Sini clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “I started coming back down here, but then I thought, why don’t I just use the Pearl to come back, and it worked too!”

Meleng sighed. So much for his recharge period idea. He was still happy for Sini though.

“So much for the recharge period,” Agernon echoed.

Zandrue hurried to Felitïa’s side and touched her arm. “Felitïa, you realise what this means, right?”

“It means a lot of things,” Felitïa said, “but yes, I know what you’re referring to, but we still have to figure out how to make it work for other people. I’m not sending Sinitïa to Arnor City, especially not on her own.”

“But Dyle could take others with him. Maybe she can too.”

“We’ll figure it out, Zandrue, I promise.”

Zandrue nodded, and backed off. “I get it. I’m just…”

Felitïa flashed Zandrue a smile. “I understand.”

“I think we need to see her do it again.” Angelida had come up beside Agernon, and was now leaning on her cane.

“Of course we do!” Agernon snapped. “I’m just contemplating a few things first.”

“Well, get on with it then.”

“This is not something to be rushed. We have to do this methodically, take note of everything.”

“I don’t see you writing anything down.”

Agernon tapped the side of his head. “I’m writing it all in here. I still have a perfectly working brain, you know! Now, Sinitïa, I want to you stand the way you stood before, but don’t do anything else until I tell you to.” He started to circle Sini slowly, tapping his cane lightly on the floor.

“Oh, for gods’ sakes,” Angelida said. “Your Highness, please do what you did last time, except don’t use the command word.”

“Okay.” Sini held up the Pearl again, and vanished.

“Gods damn it!” Agernon waved his cane in Pedrin’s direction. “This is why I didn’t want the Council here.”

“Now, we know it’s not command-word activated,” Angelida said. “It has to be something else she’s doing.”

“Obviously, and if you’d waited a bit longer, I could have observed more of what she was doing. I’m certain it has something to do with how she was standing or holding the Pearl.”

Sini reappeared, laughing. “This is so fun!”

Agernon glared at her, tapping his chest and pointing at Angelida in time with his words. “From now on, girl, you do what I say, not her.”

Sini frowned. “You could be nicer about it.”

“Fine. From now on, please do what I say and not what she says.”

“Okay.” As Agernon turned briefly away from her, Sini stuck her tongue out at him and mouthed something, though Meleng couldn’t make out what.

Agernon poked her skirts with his cane. “Are your legs and feet exactly like they were before?”

“Um…” Sini glanced down and shifted positions slightly. “Now they are, I think.”

“You think? I need more precision than that.”

“I don’t know,” Sini said. “I don’t remember exactly. I’m pretty sure.”

“Then pay attention this time. This thing obviously needs absolute precision. Now, raise the Pearl the way—”

“What if that’s not it?” Meleng said.

Scowling, Agernon said, “Then what?”

Meleng moved over beside Sini, and took her hand. He looked her in the eyes for a moment until she smiled. Then he turned to Agernon. “You’ve been trying ways of holding it and ways of standing. It hasn’t worked that way. Not for you. Not for Felitïa. Not for me. We’ve tried every way to stand or sit. Every way to hold it.”

“That’s why I think precision is important.”

“But Dyle didn’t really have the time for precision,” Zandrue said. “We were fighting, and yet he managed to activate the Pearl.”

“And it went wrong,” Agernon said.

“Yes, but it still activated. Everything you’ve tried has resulted in it doing nothing at all.”

Agernon grumbled, but nodded.

“What do you think it is, Meleng?” Felitïa said.

He smiled at Sini again. “What if it’s the way she thinks?”

Sini beamed and squealed a little. “Melly says I don’t think like other people.” She squeezed his hand.

“Everyone thinks differently,” Agernon said.

“Yes,” Meleng said. “That’s kind of my point. Maybe it’s not a physical stance, but a mental one.”

“But Felitïa’s been trying different mental stances.” He looked at Felitïa. “You have, haven’t you?”

Felitïa nodded. “But maybe they haven’t been varied enough.” She approached Sini and Meleng. “I think I know what Meleng’s getting at. You’re right that we all think differently, Agernon, but Sinitïa is a different case altogether. I’ve seen inside her head. Everyone’s mind is different, but hers…” With a smile, she placed her hands on Sini’s shoulders. “Sinitïa, would it be okay if I watched you do it again, but this time, I watch what happens in your head?”

Sini smiled and looked to Meleng. When he nodded, she said, “Sure!”

Felitïa patted Sini’s shoulders, and turned around. “Mikranasta?”

The Isyar came slowly forward. “This is not a wise idea, Will-Breaker.”

“Why not?” Felitïa said. “I’m getting better at it. You said I can practise on a single person, and you would only be letting Sinitïa inside the shield.”

“You are already practising on Zandromeda Armida.”

“Not right this moment. You said I could practise on a single person, not specifically Zandrue.”

“Princess Sinitïa Alessia Deanna Folith does not have a full understanding of what you are proposing. She cannot give informed consent.”

“Yes, I can! I can…” She frowned, and leaned over to whisper in Meleng’s ear. “What did she say I couldn’t do?”

“Give informed consent,” Meleng said.

“What’s that?”

“See?” Mikranasta said. “We cannot proceed this way.”

Sini stormed forward, bearing down on Mikranasta. “Yes, we can. I know I don’t understand every fancy word people use, but I understand what Felitïa is asking. She wants to look inside my head while I use the Pearl. I know she might see other things, but that’s okay. She’s my sister, and Melly’s friend, and I trust her. Is that enough...whatchamacallit for you?”

Mikranasta took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

“Mikranasta, I know you’re just trying to protect me, and I love you for that. You know that. But I want to do this. I want to help Felitïa. Please?”

With a smile, Mikranasta reached out and touched Sini’s cheek. “Jorvanultumn chose his fomazee well. Very well. I will allow it, Will-Breaker.”

Sini squealed again, and spun around, clapping her hands. “What do I have to do?”

“Nothing for the moment,” Felitïa said, standing in front of Sini again. She glanced at Mikranasta, who nodded. She then looked Sini in the eyes. “Just do what you did last time.”

Sini nodded and vanished once more.

Felitïa’s eyes widened. “Holy shit. I don’t believe it.”

“What?” Agernon said. “What is it?”

“We’re still connected.”