Nim shot a blast of magic at the trolls. “I thought you said this way would be safer.” “I said he would be expecting you the other way. For you, this probably is safer,” Pt’this said. He was using his sword rather than magic but had cast a spell shield for protection. “Would you two shut up and fight,” Shunati said, killing another troll. This time, he used his sword, although, he had killed several using his healing magic and stopping their hearts. “I’ve killed twice as many as either of you.” “Ti says Joanne’s okay,” Nim reported. “You couldn’t tell?” Pt’this asked. “The bond is still weak, and she’s working to keep calm, so I don’t worry,” Nim told him as he took down a troll. Using the same trick as when he showed Joanne just his dragon face, he had given himself dragon claws. He had no skills with a sword but was used to hunting with his claws. He would like to change entirely into a dragon, but there wasn’t room. “Are you two still talking?” Shunati asked. “Boys!” Tylan said sharply. She too was fighting with a sword, though she also had a knife. She was quite skilled with both. She hadn’t let herself get soft living in the palace. When the last troll was dead, they continued on. Nim led them, remembering the path Ann had shown while scrying. It was a little confusing where she had focused on Mishtali and then pulled backward using some odd variant of the scrying spell. He wasn’t used to thinking backward. Finally, they found him. He was in true form in an odd cage of some sort. He wore a copper collar around his throat. He snarled when he saw them. “I told her to leave,” he said. “Master, we’ve come to help you.” Pt’this started forward. Mishtali breathed fire at him. “Get away!” Pt’this stepped back. He knew the range of Mishtali’s fire breath. It wasn’t much different from anyone else’s. “Master, let us help.” “Tomin, you’ve never been anything but trouble. You never listen. Were you the one who trained my granddaughter?” “That was me, sir,” Nim said. “You? Why you? Can’t Tomin handle a spell shield anymore?” They glanced at each other. Perhaps Nor’than hadn’t guessed how strong she was. “I can’t let you help me,” Mishtali said. “I have orders to kill you if I see you. The cage is spelled. I have to obey.” “Then why haven’t you?” Shunati asked. He was keeping his distance. He was a sensitive. He could sense the presence of injuries from a short distance away, although he couldn’t distinguish them without touching. Mishtali stretched his neck to show a chain attaching the collar to the wall of the cage. “He’s using my magic, and you’re out of range of my fire and my claws.” “Listen, get your friend and get out of here. She’s in the basement. Go back to Torthoc. It’ll be years before he returns.” “We can’t do that,” Pt’this said. “As you said, I never listen.” He put his hand on Nim’s shoulder. Nim understood and started amplifying Pt’this’s magic, feeding it back to him and adding his own reserves. “Shun, think you can do to a dragon what Andy does to Drepal?” “Have sex with him?” Shunati asked with a grin. “He’s not my type.” “I said Drepal, not Ann. He doesn’t have sex with Drepal,” Pt’this growled. “I know what you meant. Let me do what Andy does, and I can get the same results.” Mishtali’s eyes grew wide. “What is she doing to him? Whatever you’re going to do, hurry, while he’s distracted.”