80

“Oh, I can’t reveal my wolf,” Halo said in a panic. “I’m not allowed. My siblings have always said not to.”

“She’s right,” I said to them as I walked up from the castle. “Wolf mages are not safe, especially around Polonius. Halo needs to keep her wolf hidden until she’s much stronger both in magic and in muscle.” I flashed Halo a sweet smile so she knew I appreciated her efforts to train.

Halo laughed. “Exactly.”

“This is why I’ve told the troops that Sire Vanoire is the only royal mage in the kingdom. That sounds solid,” Bindi said, and she continued to work with Halo as I joined Lex’s training.

Halo and I worked all morning before meeting citizens in the receiving room. The crowds were still coming in strong, but their numbers were dropping off a bit, which gave us some time to catch up and take a breather. We still saw about a hundred people a day, but I was happy that many of those who had joined our kingdom were building houses on their land and setting up farms, shops, and busin