“What’s so amusing?” he asked.

“Your brother is just so cute,” Aurelia said.

“Especially when he’s all wet and grumpy,” Delysia added. Qurrah remained outside as they left. He shook his head, honestly bewildered.

“Dezrel will rue the day those two met,” he said. Harruq showed up, his armor in his arms. He was completely dry.

“Have fun with the girls, I guess?” Qurrah asked.

“Shut up,” Harruq said. “And I’m never bathing again.”

Still clueless, Qurrah could only laugh at his brother’s anger as Harruq stomped upstairs in a huff.

H aern slipped inside Tarlak’s room, shutting the door silently. The wizard sat as his desk, pouring over maps of Dezrel.

“Thanks for coming, Haern,” Tarlak said without looking up.

“You’ve become more perceptive.”

Tarlak chuckled. “Nope. Aurelia cast a few spells on my room at my request. Clever girl, really. I’ll know when someone enters, or is listening, watching, or scrying. We’re safe here. You can take that hood off if you want.”

“Do you trust her?”

The wizard looked up from his notes. “Of course I do. Don’t you?”

Haern shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”

“Then don’t take your hood off yet,” was the wizard’s reply. “Not too complicated.” He gestured to the seat before his desk. “Sit down. We need to talk.”

The assassin crossed the room and sat. He glanced around, sighed, and then removed the hood. Long, curly gold hair danced with a shake of his head. Tarlak glanced at the face of his friend and sighed. He would die to have Haern’s looks, yet all the assassin did was keep his features hidden underneath his hood, all so he could go unnoticed whenever he wished.

“You really don’t have your priorities straight,” Tarlak muttered.

“How so?” Haern asked. His voice was clear and firm, the whisper vanishing along with the hood.