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For me, he was just the little brother I’d alanted

"Speaking of someone up past their bedtime," I said I looked fro I should know?"

Piaras looked to Garadin, and Garadin didn’t answer immediately He looked at the empty plate on the table There were a few cruh you see the kind of night you el’s house crawling with goblins and Siround e by now, but not the fact that I was involved Or maybe Garadin just assuood or very flattering

"Bad news must travel fast," was all I said

"Tarsilia sent Piaras over to the Mad Piper to tell ht be in trouble"

I stepped a little farther into the light Garadin and Piaras took in odfather said "Any of that yours?"

"No Why did she think I was in trouble?"

Piaras spoke "Ocnus Rancil and two other goblins tried to break into your roooblins showed up That’s when Grand the hour and circumstances, I didn’t want to send Piaras home once he found aveto protectsoht to watchTarsilia’s?" I asked Garadin

"Parry and Alix ith me over at the Piper They went to Tarsilia’s, and I ca deep, I knew you’d come here first"

Sometimes it’s nice to be predictable I relaxed a little Alixine Toril was ners in the Sorcerers District Parry Arne was her sometime lover, a Conclave eical retaliation, he had prettyMyloran ood hands Ocnus and the other goblins were not

"Going directly hoh I never oblins on Tarsilia’s doorstep Were Ocnus’s friends shamans or warriors?"

"Shaain

He made himself comfortable in his favorite chair in the far corner, which oddly enough was always paper free, and lit a pipe "And they seeet into your rooms Apparently it was all over rather quickly Alix just met us down the block to let us know Tarsilia had the situation well in hand by the ti to get in your rooms, and Alix and Parry will see to it they don’t feel welcohborhood Alix said she and Parry will stay the night to e a repeat perforoblin sorcerer of ravation He hadn’t crossed al, inant act coerprints on it soether over the years The results had yet to be fatal, though I had been sorely tempted on athering at Stocken’s this evening and just hadn’this presence at , that was a possibility I’d have to look into

The se, brown eyes It was open, welcouile "Ocnus wasn’t all that much trouble Grandma let me practice on hirin of my own Like myself, Tarsilia believed in the importance of practice And if Piaras had needed help, she was more than able to back him up "What did you use?" I asked

The tips of Piaras’s pointed ears were visible through his curls They blushed pink "An illusion song Garadin taught ht it’d be fun toyour door"

"And?"

Piaras’s sht they were so real he conjured a swah his cat, but other than that, it wasn’t half-bad"

"What did you have the hounds do?"

"What comes naturally They ate the cat That’s when Ocnus ran"

"I hate that I missed it"

Garadin nodded in satisfaction "You just can’t beat the classics"

My godfather sported a tiny s Piaras had used was one of theas complex as werehounds took a level of talent that only ca Piaras could do it now Easily His singing voice was surprisingly deep, vibrant, filled with quiet power and iift And after years of hard work and training with the right voice e of the Conclave Guardian instantly sprang to hts away from that path That wasn’t the kind of power I ever wanted to see Piaras wield

"After Grand behind Maira’s bakery, she sent"I wanted to stay and help, but she insisted"