[iris] Squeezed His Hand. "don't

A Battle Can Be Won Before It's Ever Fought By Choosing The Right Ground.

Glad You're Back To Normal. The Makeup And The Dress Were A Lot More Intimidating Than The Dagger." "get Going, Sparky, Before I Skewer You." "sparky?

The Other Thing That Troubled Me: Dad Was Clutching His Workbag. Usually When He Does That, It Means We're In Danger. Like The Time Gunmen Stormed Into Our Hotel In Cairo. I Heard Shots Coming From The Lobby And Ran Downstairs To Check On My Dad. By The Time I Got There, He Was Just Calmly Zipping Up His Workbag While Three Unconscious Gunmen Hung By Their Feet From The Chandelier, Their Robes Falling Over Their Heads So You Could See Their Boxer Shorts. Dad Claimed Not To Have Witnessed Anything, And In The End The Police Blamed A Freak Chandelier Malfunction.

I Wanted To Keep Things As Normal As Possible For The Trainees, So I Led My Usual Morning Class. I Called It Magic Problem-solving 101. The Trainees Called It Whatever Works.

June Cackled With Delight, Muttering, "whoops!" As A Car Almost Killed Them.