"Me?" Fendros' previous confidence waned from his face. "No, I passed this off to Sabine so that I wouldn't be considered. I can do many things, but I cannot defend myself from the kind of magic that challenges Meesei. That is a skill that Sabine has."

Sabine squeezed one of her hands in her lap. "I do not know if I even want to be the champion. I like researching alchemy and helping the clans from the side. The decisions are too important, I would make mistakes."

The impasse made Fendros close his eyes and shake his head. He opened them towards the two who had not given their input to the reluctant candidates, besides Lorag. "Kaleeth, Janius? What do you think?" He craned his head optimistically. "Do either of you want to volunteer?"

Janius sucked in a breath between his teeth. "No, thank you. Look, Ahnasha is right, either of you are capable." He scanned his eyes at the others and raised a hand. "I think we can all agree, though, that none of us can completely replace Lorag and Meesei. Whoever steps up will have to just work on their shortcomings." He turned to Kaleeth. "What do you think, darling?"

[hr]
Even if the guards questioned why two youths were wandering out of the castle, Rhazii drew their eyes the most. He had passed for an adult before, especially since he started growing a mane half a year ago.

"Uh, yeah, I heard it from my father, not yours, but I know," Rhazii mumbled. The city was quieter than he expected at this time of night. "He got caught in a giant spider nest or something. The pack dug him out, right?" Rhazii itched at his shoulder. "Maybe...um, he just got out on his own and ran away after that? Or maybe some bandits abducted him? No, that's too far-fetched."