No one gave Nim any more trouble. They weren’t able to meet Jaidu, as she was away, But Kamlia assured them that she was young enough to have children since she was his youngest. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Nim told Jo through the mirror. “Something’s different,” Joanne said as soon as she saw him. “Where are you? Aren’t you home yet?” “I’m out on the third-floor balcony. There’s something I want to show you but we have to wait a little while.” “So you’re safe at home?” She asked. “My home is in Baj-tisk. But, I’m safely back in Sen-gan,” Nim told her. They had only been back a short time. Nim decided not to tell Joanne about them threatening to collar him. It would only upset her. “Have you heard anything from Ann and the others yet?” Jo asked. “Not yet.” Nim shook his head. “How long until we start worrying?” “I’m already worried. I’ve been worried since they were poisoned.” “I mean, how long till we worry about them getting back? I guess, when should we expect them?” “Oh, Mishtali says maybe another month.” “That long?” “It takes time to travel that far. Transporting between here and there is almost as bad as going across the desert.” “How did it go in Yarba?” “Okay, I guess. We got the treaty all but signed. We had to make a few concessions though. I’m not sure how good they were. We’ll know when Ann gets back in looks things over.” Ann was Menthanla’s ambassador. She was quite good at dealing with foreign affairs. Nim always was impressed when he watched her work. “What is it you have to show me?” Jo asked. “It hasn’t started yet. Just a few more moments.” Nim smiled. “I hope you like it.” “You seem pretty excited about it,” Jo observed. “It’s pretty amazing. I had hoped we’d get back in time for you to come and see it in person, but I think you’ll get a good view.” He was starting to squirm around in anticipation. She worried he’d fall. She knew that the balcony he was on had no rails. It was a landing area for dragons. He was sitting on the edge too. “Nim, can you turn to a dragon before you hit the ground if you fall?” Nim stopped squirming. “Sure, but probably not fast enough to not hit the ground anyhow.” Pt’this jumped from the balcony all the time but Nim was more cautious. It was something you needed to practice. “Oh, it’s starting, look.” He turned to mirror around and showed her the sky. Several colored lights had appeared in the sky and were dancing around as if they were alive. “That’s beautiful. What is it?” “The shades of night.” Nim sounded mesmerized. “You curse by that?” “Not these ones. The other shades.” “What other shades?” “The dangerous ones. They’re beyond the desert. I’ve never seen them, but supposedly, they look a lot like these but are dark. I don’t know much about them. These are just magical lights. I’ve flown among them. It’s beautiful that way too but flying while scrying can be a bit disorienting.” There was a flash of light. “What was that?” Joanne asked. Smiling, Nim turned the mirror around. In the middle of the balcony stood Ann, Andy, Sapphire, Pt’this, and Bre. Sapphire had covered Bre’s eyes and Andy wore his sunglasses. “Welcome back,” Nim said standing to greet them. “All better?” Jo asked. “Yep.” Ann grinned. “What is that?” Andy asked taking off his glasses and stepping towards the edge of the balcony. Ann’s eyes grew wide. “The shades of night. I didn’t realize that was today.” Looking around at the shades, she hugged Nim. “Good to see you. We’ll discuss the trip tomorrow. Hi, Jo.” Then, she took Andy’s hand. “I know a better place to see this,” she said and led him into the palace and to the stairs. Pt’this grinned. “I know the best place.” He transformed into a dragon and allowed Sapphire to climb on with Bre. He then flew off into the shades. Nim was grinning from ear to ear as he returned to the ledge with Joanne. The only way this night could get any better was if Jo could be there in person. It wouldn’t be long before he had enough magic energy to transport to Paosij to get her. “Do you have to work tomorrow?” He asked. He had trouble keeping track of the days. The only reason he knew it was Valentine’s Day was because it landed on the same day as the shades. Joanne nodded. “I do.” Nim nodded and shrugged. “At least we can be together like this,” he said. They watched the shades for a while. “Nim, how’s your energy level?” Jo asked, concerned. Nim smiled. “It’s quite high. I was limited in how much magic I used on the trip plus the shades are made out of magic. I can’t help but absorb energy from them.” “How long do the shades last?” Joanne asked. “All night. They’ll replenish my energy that long too.” Joanne smiled. “You haven’t needed the shades to last all night before,” The image flickered. “Joanne, don’t make me lose the spell.”