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“You aren’t removing Little Bob merely based on your niece’s unfounded accusation, Lady Ethel,” said the prince of the House of Chaos.

“Leave it be, Prince Killian,” Mistress Ethel sighed exasperatedly. “The servant boy doesn’t concern you. It’s an academy matter and I’m taking care of it.”

“Oh, he concerns me,” Killian said. “There’re proper procedures when convicting any supernatural. Any supernatural, even a servant boy, has certain rights. And I’m not done with this interview. In fact, I haven’t started yet. I want to get to the bottom of this and sort it out if our Little Bob indeed associates with the creatures that got into the realm and killed two of our own.”

“Back off, Killian,” Silas snapped. “The boy belongs to my house. Only I have the right to interrogate him before I hand him over to Lady Ethel.”

“How many times must I say that he isn’t a damn shifter?!” Louis sneered. “We’re still trying to determine which house little Bob truly belongs to. And since he was taken from my house illegally, I still hold authority over him, and thus I decide his fate.”

“All right, princes. Let’s all interrogate him here for the sake of transparency,” Killian said. “Why don’t you start, Silas, since you insist that he’s your subject.”

Silas glared at Killian before clearing this throat and shooting daggers at me. “Little Bob, listen very carefully. Here’s your alpha asking you, and you must answer truthfully.”

I used my middle finger to rub the tip of my nose as if it were itching, and Cade laughed.

“What’s your true name?” Silas boomed, his voice carrying across the ice.

“Bobbi,” I said. “But everyone here calls me Little Bob. I have no idea why, sir. I’m not exactly little. I’ll be twenty in four months. I don’t celebrate my birthday, though. I—”

“Which region did you come from?” Silas cut in in a curt tone.

I made a show of cupping my ear to show my confusion at his question. “Pardon? What do you mean, sir? Could you specify, kindly?”

“There’re five kingdoms and one neutral zone in Mist of Cinder!” he barked, his angry face turning purple. “Everyone knows it!”

All the shifters around nodded their agreement and glared at me.

Each house had a kingdom, and the sixth region was called CrimsonTide, unclaimed by any house. They’d expect me to be from there, but I decided to surprise them a little with my honesty.

“I come from the mountains in the mortal realm, far from here,” I said.

The supernaturals traded surprised, dark looks.

“Then how did you find our realm?” Mistress Ethel demanded sternly.

“By luck, My Lady Headmistress,” I said. “I passed by and saw it in front of my eyes.”

“Impossible,” the druid chimed in. “I was one of the founders who glamoured the Veil.”

“This little squire can see through any magic, spells, and glamours,” Cade said.

“Even so, no outsiders could get in,” Rowan said. “How did he get in?”

“You’re asking me, high sir?” I asked.

He nodded, more intrigued than upset.

“One foot after the other,” I offered, “and then I stepped in.”

A faint smile ghosted Killian’s lips.

“In fact, Little Bob came to me first and informed me about the weakening and corruption of the Veil,” Cade said. “When I led a team to the Veil to deal with the issue, we confronted three creatures that were a blend of giant scorpions and machines that tried to get into the academy.”

That was one of the upgraded versions of the Shriekers. My father had been busy. It also spelled that he was stronger than when I escaped him. But I couldn’t tell any of them this. The supernaturals rounding me up might just be a sign that I had to go on the run again.

“We killed the abominations,” Cade continued. “Little Bob here finished off the first one, so he couldn’t be their associate. It proves he’s a mage. It’s my right to take him back to my house and investigate further, as it’s obviously a house affair.”

“No way will you take him!”