"Derry is not going to become another Malefactos!" vowed Lirenna with determination. "He isn't going to become an evil, tyrannical wizard King! I won't let him!"

     They were back in the dwelling tree, sitting in the small and cramped sitting room. Thomas was in his new armchair, but was not relaxing in it. They were both sitting forward, staring anxiously at each other. Above them, a sun stone lit the room with a soft yellow light. Outside the window behind Thomas’s head, Lirenna could see the colourful lights of lanterns and candles through the trees where the shae folk were having one of their frequent midnight festivals. The sound of music carried easily on the still night air, but the demi shae was blind and deaf to everything except the worried conversation she was having with her husband.

     "No-one's saying he will," said Thomas. "It just means he's got great potential, that's all. Whether it means he becomes a good great wizard or an evil great wizard is a matter of upbringing, and we'll make sure we bring him up to be good. The best!"

     The demi shae nodded but still looked unhappy. "It means he'll stand out," she said. "The teaching wizards and the other apprentices will be paying special attention to him. That can't help but have an effect on him."

     "He’d have stood out anyway, just for being the smallest student in the valley, and back home he stood out for being the fairest, brightest, most graceful pupil in a school of humans. He's used to standing out. He can handle it."

     "I hope so," replied Lirenna reluctantly. She stood up, wanting to pace up and down, but the room wasn't big enough for it so she ended up looking out through the window where Thomas joined her, one arm around her shoulders. "The shae folk will never let him become a full member of their community," she said, "and he'll never really fit in among humans. What's to become of him, Tom? What's going to become of our son?"

     "You did all right," pointed out Thomas. "You're perfectly happy whether you're among shae folk or humans. He'll be the same, you'll see." He squeezed her against him and she relaxed, letting her body mould itself against his. He nuzzled his face in her hair. "We've got to let him solve his own problems," he said, resting his chin on top of her head. "Don't underestimate him. He has qualities and resources even we don't suspect."

     She nodded. "You're right, I know. I just wish there was more we could do to help him, but all we can do is watch over him and be there when he needs us." She gave a sad little smile. "In a way, I'm glad we can't teleport any more. If we could, we'd be back in Haven, thousands of miles away, but instead we're here, where he can call upon our help any time he needs us, and in a way that won't embarrass him with his classmates."

     The thought seemed to cheer her up and she returned to her chair, snuggling down into it. Thomas went to stand behind her and began massaging her shoulders, and after a moment the demi shae began to sigh with pleasure.

     "I got a job earlier today," she said a few moments later. "On the farm, looking after the animals."

     "Did you?" said Thomas in surprise. "You didn't say."

     "I was too busy thinking about the testing, worrying about how he'd do. You know?"

     "Yeah." Normally, she would have gushed about something like that until her throat was sore from talking. For something significant to happen in her life and her not to tell him immediately meant that she was even more bothered by the test than he'd thought. Thomas decided to try to lighten the mood. "So, you're going to be a milk maid, are you? Milking the cows, feeding the hens. Mucking out the pigs... I hope you clean the muck off your face before you come home."

     She tried to smile but said nothing. Thomas just held her tighter, therefore, and Lirenna relaxed against him, letting herself be held. “He's going to be alright,” he repeated. “He's going to be just fine.”

     “But what if he’s not?” she replied. “I just keep worrying. I can’t seem to think of anything else.”

     “That's parenthood I’m afraid. We've been worrying for sixteen years and we'll probably never stop worrying, not even when he's married with kids of his own. Assuming I live long enough to see that.”

     “Of course you will! Some humans live to be eighty years old.”

     “The lucky few. And not wizards. Not unless someone rediscovers the secret of immortality.”

     “Don't joke about that,” said the demi shae quietly.

     Thomas nodded his head, knowing his wife could feel it. He felt an urgent need to get away from difficult subjects and get back to normal life, so he let go of her and plumped back down into his armchair. “So, what's for dinner?” he asked.

     “Stew,” his wife replied. “I'll take the carrots if you take the potatoes?”

     “Deal,” said Thomas, and he climbed back out of the chair to follow her to the kitchen.

☆☆☆

     "Half the valley's talking about you, you know," said Tassley the next morning as she and Thomas ground up a seemingly endless number of tark seeds in polished marble bowls. Thomas was beginning to understand what she'd said about his being nothing but a floor sweeper and a bottle washer. Was this what he wanted to spend the next seven years doing?

     "You and your son," continued Tassley when Thomas failed to respond. "Everybody's heard what he did in the testing chair."

     Thomas grimaced unhappily. Tassley was about the twentieth person to mention it this morning. Amazing how fast news traveled in this place! "He's just a child," he said, grinding the nuts with new energy. "He just needs to be treated the same as any other child."

     "Fat chance of that," said Tassley. "Not the new Malefactos."

     "My son is not going to be the new Malefactos!" cried Thomas angrily, making the woman pull back in alarm. "He's just a kid. Okay?"

     "Yes, of course," said Tassley, pulling her robes closer around her shoulders. Beneath the robes she wore a daringly low cut dress, her latest attempt to entice the wizard into her arms, but suddenly she no longer felt in a seductive mood. "I didn't mean to imply..."

     Thomas felt suddenly guilty for his outburst and put a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have a go at you about it. Forgive me?"

     "Of course," said Tassley, her seductive smile returning as she put her hand on his. "It must be hard on you. I only wish there was something I could do to help you bear this burden."

     Thomas smiled as he gently withdrew his hand, thinking that, once, the soft touch of a beautiful woman would have sent an electric thrill up his whole arm. Now, though, he could only compare it with Lirenna's touch. There was no doubt about it, he thought ruefully. The demi shae had spoiled him for any other woman. Tassley had about as much chance of seducing him as a goblin.

     He was just about to explain this to her, as carefully and tactfully as possible, when there came the sound of breaking glass from the next room. They both stared at the door in surprise. "Pondar's still in the foundry with the others, isn't he?" said Thomas in confusion.

     "Yes, and he's not due back for ages yet." There came the sound of more glass breaking. They stared at each other, and then ran for the door side by side. Thomas was through first, and he bolted down the corridor to the next door, Tassley close behind him. The door was open, and the first thing they saw as they paused in the doorway was a strange man wearing one of the protective white robes which the University's rules required everyone to wear in the research buildings. He had bare feet, though, peeping out under the low hem, which was made even more surprising by the fact that the floor was littered with broken glass. The air was thick with vapour from puddles of spilled liquids, some of which were highly corrosive and had already taken the pattern from some of the floor tiles. The man didn't seem at all worried as he strode from one end of the room to the other, though, swinging a heavy wooden club at an apparatus of glass bottles and tubing, smashing it to pieces and then sweeping it off the bench and onto the floor.

     Thomas was so astonished by what he was seeing that for a moment he could only stare, wide eyed and slack jawed. Either he or Tassley must have made some sound, though, because the man spun around and threw the club at them with all his strength. Thomas ducked back, and the club bounced off the wall beside his head, but Tassley was standing just beside him and he tripped over her, falling over and taking her down with him. He landed heavily on top of her and felt a rush of hot breath on the back of his neck as all the air was knocked out of her lungs. Then the man jumped over them and ran off down the corridor, heading for the building's exit.

     Thomas jumped to his feet and aimed a finger at him, but Tassley reached up and grabbed his arm. "No spellcasting," she gasped. fighting for breath. "Not in here."

     Thomas nodded reluctantly and ran after the fleeing intruder. The man had a twenty yard start and he didn't expect to catch him, but suddenly the man skidded to a halt, spun around on his heel and ran back the way he'd come as a group of half a dozen young wizards appeared ahead of him, on their way to their own laboratories on the other side of the building.

     "Hold it!" commanded Thomas, resolutely blocking the corridor, but the intruder was easily twice his size and, without using magic, there was really no way that Thomas could expect to stop him. He dodged to the side as the intruder reached him, therefore, reaching out and grabbing his arm. He was trying to bring him down so he could pin him to the ground until the other wizards could come to his assistance, but the man simply swung his fist and Thomas’s head exploded with stars.

     He must have only been unconscious for a matter of moments because the building was a riot of frantic activity, with wizards and proctors dashing all over the place, as Tassley gently lifted his head and placed it in her lap. The feel of her soft hands stroking his hair was quite pleasant as he drifted through semi-consciousness, but then he remembered the intruder and climbed unsteadily to his feet. "Have they caught him?" he demanded.

     "He ran down there," she replied, pointing down a side corridor as she also stood. Thomas ran after him, staggering a little, and Tassley took his arm, steadying him. He resisted a little at first, thinking she was taking advantage of his condition to cop a quick feel, but then he realised she was genuinely trying to help him, all other motives forgotten for the moment. He leaned on her, therefore, letting her take some of his weight until his head cleared, and together they made their way down the corridor after the intruder and his pursuers.

     They found a crowd gathered around a doorway about fifty yards further on, with a burly pair of proctors holding them back. A man at the back told them that the intruder had gone in there. "It's a storeroom," he explained. "Full of cupboards and walls of shelving. Loads of places for him to hide, but no other way out. They've got him trapped."

     "What did he do, anyway?" asked another man.

     Thomas explained as the proctors went in, two of them remaining by the door in case the intruder tried to escape. Time passed, and the people in the small crowd began gossiping among themselves as they grew bored. From time to time other people would turn up, curious to know what was going on, and one or two people drifted away, impatient with the lack of action or called by duties that wouldn't wait. It was half an hour before the proctors emerged again, baffled and confused by their failure to find the miscreant.

     "Who was it who found him?" called the most senior of the proctors present, and Tassley held up her hand, moving forward and pulling Thomas with her. "And who saw him go in here?"

     The wizards who'd blocked the intruder's escape all turned their heads to look at one of their number, a mousy haired chap who also raised his hand nervously.

     "All right, you three in here," said the proctor, and the three of them followed him into the storeroom while the other proctors dispersed the crowd.

     The room was similar in size and shape to the laboratory in which he'd found the intruder, consisting of six prison cells that had been knocked together. Once, of course, each cell would have had its own door out into the corridor, but all but one had been bricked up, leaving only one way in and out. Not only that, but the small, barred windows had been left unchanged by the building's new occupants, making it impossible for any human to have gotten out that way. The room was so cluttered with furniture and free standing shelving that it was impossible to see from one end to the other, and there were plenty of cupboards and cabinets large enough for a man to hide inside. It was no wonder that the proctors had spent half an hour searching for him.

     The senior proctor motioned them to a line of chairs beneath a line of coat hooks from which laboratory robes and other items of clothing were hanging, and told them to sit down. "You're absolutely certain you saw him come in here?" he said to the mousy haired wizard.

     He nodded emphatically. "He was looking through one door after another as he ran past them. When he came to this door, he paused for a moment and then ducked in."

     "And you're sure it was this door? Not one of the others?"

     "He came in here!" declared the young wizard. "I swear it!"

     "It doesn't really matter," pointed out the other proctor. "This building used to be a prison, so there's only one way in and out, which we're covering. He must still be somewhere in the building, therefore, even if he never came in here."

     "He may have used magic to escape," suggested Thomas. "He could have teleported, assumed gaseous form, turned himself into a small animal..."

     "My master's laboratory is on the other side of that wall," said the mousy haired wizard, pointing. "If he'd used any kind of wizard magic to escape, the magic would have ruined his experiments."

     The senior proctor nodded thoughtfully. "Check it out," he told his colleague, and the other proctor nodded and left the room. "And while we're waiting," he continued, turning to Thomas and Tassley, "why don't you tell us what he was doing that made you raise the alarm in the first place?"

     They told him about the damage they'd found him doing in Pondar's laboratory, the wanton destruction of fragile and delicate glassware within which strange alchemies had been brewing and bubbling for the past few weeks. The proctor nodded and asked them for a description of the saboteur.

     "He was a big man," said Thomas. "Beefy and muscular. Thick neck and tiny eyes sunk deep in his face. That's the thing that sticks best in my memory."

     "He was blonde," added Tassley. "His hair cut very short. Very small ears, I think."

     "That sounds pretty distinctive," said the proctor. "Shouldn't be hard to find someone looking like that, assuming he's still in the valley. What was he wearing?"

     "Lab robes," said Thomas. "So either he was a research wizard or he was posing as one..."

     "Please leave the theories to us," said the proctor impatiently. "I just want the facts. Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"

     "He had bare feet," said Thomas. "All that broken glass and corrosive liquid on the floor, and he was walking around with bare feet!"

     "Bare feet?" said the proctor in surprise. "That is a surprise. Could be an important clue. Why would he have bare feet?"

     "I don't think he had his robes buttoned up," added Tassley thoughtfully. "Just belted at the waist. When he hit Tom, it came apart a little at the top and I caught a glimpse of his bare chest."

     "He was bare from the waist up beneath the robes?" said the proctor in disbelief. "This intruder keeps getting stranger and stranger. You sure none of those chemicals got loose and made you see things?"

     "You think I imagined this?" said Thomas, fingering his jaw where a large bruise was beginning to appear. "He hit me! Knocked me out for a moment, I think."

     "A whole crowd of people saw him," added Tassley. "Were they all seeing things?"

     The other proctor came back before the senior proctor could answer. "Tarm Arnold is still hard at work in there," he said with a puzzled frown. "He had a quick look at his experiments and said they were fine. Not disturbed by anything in the slightest, so however the intruder got away, it wasn't by magic."

     "Maybe he was a priest or a cleric," suggested the mousy haired man. "A clerical ability. The channeled power of a God..."

     “No clerical ability I’ve ever heard of would allow a man to escape from this room,” said the senior proctor impatiently. "That means there's no way he could have gotten out, which means he never came in. Your report must be inaccurate."

     "He came in here! I swear it!"

     "Available evidence suggests otherwise. It doesn't matter, he must still be in the building somewhere. We'll get him. You three are dismissed, but you'll have to stay in the building for a while. No-one leaves until we've caught him."

     The three younger wizards left, the mousy haired man still protesting. "He did go in there! I saw him, I swear it!"

     "In the heat of the moment it's easy to get confused," pointed out Tassley sympathetically.

     "I wasn't confused! I definitely saw him go in there! I swear it by the Gods! I did!"

     Tassley and Thomas glanced at each other in surprise. One didn't swear in the name of the Gods lightly. The Gods tended to get annoyed by mortals who swore falsely in their name, so you didn't do it unless you were absolutely sure of yourself.

     "Okay, we believe you," said Thomas. "So where did he go?"

     "I don't know," the mousy haired man said unhappily. "All I know is that he went in there. I know that for an absolute, certain fact!"