Once awe of lighting the room had passed, the dark weight of Thadden’s sins, still unbanished by a night’s sleep nor the shock of Magdala’s outfit, took its place in Dwayne’s mind. That meant he wasn’t paying any attention to anything that Lady Pol and Magdala were saying until, “and Dwayne has my permission to use Ri magic.”

  “What?”

  Lady Pol sighed. “Magdala, please explain things to our soon-to-be Qe master what we’re doing here? Mei and I have to go set things up.”

  “Are you okay?” Magdala asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” She didn’t need his problems. Instead, he gave her an apologetic look. “What are we doing?”

  “Running a Guardian scenario.”

  “A what?”

  “Let’s take this one,” said Lady Pol, patted a wood and wood dummy.

  “It’s a training exercise,” explained Magdala. “Every round, one of us will take a turn guarding and another attacking. The attacker casts three spells. If she hits the target…” She paused to wait for the noise of Lady Pol and Mei dragging a dummy into the nearest ring to die down. “She wins. We’ll go for three rounds. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes,” Dwayne looked away, “and I can use Ri magic?”

  “Correct.” Lady Pol rejoined the two of them, wiping sweat off her brow. “Cups, I forgot how heavy those things are. Mei, please go pull that lever over there.”

  “Okay.”

  “Is it safe down here?” Dwayne asked. “If anyone saw me cast Ri…”

  “Only three other people - Magdala’s esteemed mother, her idiot uncle, and Odette - know about this place. You’re safe.”

  Mei pulled the lever near the staircase, and water poured down from the ceiling, filling the grooves in the floor and transforming the rings into islands.

  Magdala crinkled her nose. “This is pond water?”

  “The same one you’ll be returning it to when we’re done,” said Lady Pol. “Dwayne, you’ll start on Guard. Magdala, attack.”

  “Okay,” said Magdala.

  Dwayne only nodded, feeling ambivalent as he went to stand in front of the dummy at the far end of the ring. Dueling just seemed so trivial in the face of Akunna’s suffering.

  “Duelists, when I call out ‘Raise arms,’ you’ll both raise Qe cores. When I call, ‘Esses’, you start. Understand?”

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  That made sense. Esses meant ‘go’ in Vanurian. “Yes,” said Dwayne.

  “Yes,” said Magdala.

  “Raise arms!”

  Dwayne and Magdala raised their Qe cores. Hers was also set in a bracer, one that was silver embossed and more elegant than his.

  “Esses!”

  “Qechinututem!”

  Dwayne parsed Magdala’s spell then traced her eyeline to a spot just behind the dummy. He dashed forward and punched the stream of water targeting the dummy. “Ri’mwe’ut!”

  The fireball fizzled out and Magdala’s spell hit the dummy square in the back.

  “Point to Magdala,” said Lady Pol. “Switch places.”

  That happened so fast. As they passed each other in the center of the ring, Dwayne started to offer congratulations to Magdala, but Magdala was hiding a wince, like she was disappointed. Why?

  Pondering this, Dwayne reached to the other end of the ring, then turned to face Magdala.

  “Raise arms!”

  As Dwayne put his hand up, Magdala shook off her disappointment and concentrated. He’d have to try harder.

  “Esses!”

  “Ri’mwe’ut!”

  “Qeulkusnutut!”

  Dwayne’s fireball hit Magdala’s wall of water and fizzled, but he wasn’t done. “Ri’mwe’ut! Ri’mwe’ut!”

  Looking bored, Magdala gestured. “Qeulkusnutut.” Dwayne’s attacks fizzled against her watery defense.

  “Point to Magdala,” called out Lady Pol from her seat next to Mei on the stairs. “Switch sides.”

  “I thought you were training us,” Magdala called out as she started to cross the ring. “You’re not going to give him any tips?”

  “You’re in training, not him,” answered Lady Pol. “Hey, Dwayne, do you think Thadden’s backing Huan?”

  “I don’t know.” Dwayne’s fists clenched as he passed Magdala. “I only know he’s read Lord Kalan’s correspondence.”

  “What?” Magdala reached back and grabbed his arm. “Thadden was the sponsor?”

  Dwayne’s expression darkened. “Yes.”

  “Well, Huan’s saying Thadden’s his back,” said Lady Pol. “We’ll verify later. For now, get in position.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Dwayne would deal with Thadden soon, but he wasn’t here for that. He was here to challenge Magdala. It was time for Dwayne to use her Harvest Ball gift.

  “Raise arms!”

  Dwayne raised his arm. Magdala did the same.

  “Esses!”

  “Qechinututem!”

  “Qesueke!”

  Magdala’s spell splashed against the stone walls that Dwayne’s had raised around him and the dummy. Despite the pain in his head, he peeked over them to grin at Magdala.

  “Qeulkusnutut!”

  Magdala’s response rushed up and over Dwayne’s walls, flooding the inside. Dwayne shoved his arms into the water, thinking to evaporate the water, hoping to avoid drowning, but too much heat and he’d boil, and besides-

  “Point to Magdala,” called out Lady Pol. “Reset field.”

  Beside, the dummy had been “hit”. Forcing down his panic, the water had only reached his knees, Dwayne placed a hand on the walls. “Qereuke.”

  The walls crumbled away, releasing the pond water back into the grooves around the ring. He’d smell like a duck for the rest of the day, but at least he’d forced Magdala to cast a second spell.

  “Mei, can you take my coat please?”

  Mei got up, calling back to Lady Pol. “Break into his office.”

  “Break into whose office?” Dwayne asked.

  “Thadden’s,” answered Lady Pol. “You two, switch places.”

  “Mei, we can’t break into everywhere,” said Dwayne as he complied. “You’ll get caught.”

  “She hasn’t been yet.” Magdala shrugged as she passed him. “What’s one more time?”

  “Didn’t Huan catch her last night?” Dwayne reached the attacker’s side.

  “Or did she almost catch him?” Magdala reached the dummy. “It’s all about perspective.”

  “Save the debate for after the duel,” said Lady Pol. “Raise arms!”

  Dwayne considered his next move. Perspective. From Magdala’s, he’d blundered every turn, but maybe he could see it as lulling her into complacency.

  He raised his arm. He had just the thing.