Two days after Pettic had returned from Aeris he went as usual to eat his midday meal with the royal children and their nurse in the nursery. Although they were now grown up, Torren, Pettic and Lucenra liked to return to the nursery, much as other grown up children liked to return home from time to time.
During the meal, Pettic received a message from the king. The young man opened it and found a letter asking him to go to see Torren at the monastery where he had been sent as a punishment for his treatment of two young girls.
Pettic replied he would go the very next day as it would take almost a day to get there. He would have to stay overnight, of course, but since it was still three weeks until the next possible passage to another of the elemental worlds, it would be no problem.
The n
