"Not Elvina, you bits a' brain!" Jeremy hissed. "The other one… her friend!"

Jeremy slapped at him again, but only the cuff of his too-long sleeve connected. Elias fended it off.

"I don't know!" he whispered back.

His friend buckled over, hands on knees, trying to catch his breath. Jeremy finally straightened, his plain face slack in astonishment.

"You haven't even met her? Do you even know her name?"

"Of course I do," Elias returned.

The last thing he needed was for Master Teagan—or worse, Master a'Seatt—to catch them in some petty argument outside the scribe shop.

"It's… it's…" he began.

But the name of Elvina's friend escaped him—or had she even told him? Either way, he wasn't about to let Jeremy ruin his evening plans. Not after all the work it'd taken to avoid Elvina's father.

"You ass!" Jeremy whispered, about to swing again.

A sharp creak of old hinges rose behind Elias.

Warm light spilled around him, illuminating Jeremy's suddenly abashed features. Elias spun about and came face-to-face with old Master Teagan.

The elder scribe glared at him from the shop's open doorway, and Elias shrank back.

"What's this nonsense?" Teagan creaked. "And where's that timid cohort always following behind?"

"I… um…" Jeremy began.

"We're not doing anything," Elias answered. "Just here for the latest transcription folio… as instructed. And Nikolas wasn't assigned to come with us."

Fortunately, as far as Elias was concerned.

As much as Elias liked the shy young man—in a general way—Nikolas had barely achieved apprentice status. He was a bit old to have advanced so little. Besides, Elvina wasn't very fond of Nervous Nikolas.