“I was thinking how most people would have knocked,” Dmitri commented drily without looking up from the pile of papers in front of him. He signed the bottom of one with a flourish, then set it aside before starting on the next.
“Knocking is for strangers, business partners, and annoying siblings. We’re friends.” Jax laced his fingers together over his chest.
“I wasn’t aware there were exceptions.”
“Either you have been severely lacking in friends, or they have been of a dismal quality.”
Dmitri paused and finally looked up, his expression thoughtful. “Perhaps both.”
Jax clicked his tongue. “Odessa doesn’t get enough hugs, you don’t have the right kind of friends—honestly, it may be a good thing that Drosselmeyer dropped me here.”
The prince leaned back in his chair. “You mentioned that name before. A wizard, I believe?”
Jax grinned. “You have excellent listening skills—a wonderful quality in a friend. That tells me it’s likely an issue with them, not you. But yes, Drosselmeyer is a wizard, and a rather frustrating one to boot.”
“Why is that?”
“Because he has a habit of imparting wisdom in vague and confusing ways, often dropping you right in the middle of a problem for the sake of character growth but without really giving you any clues as to how to achieve said betterment. Despite the fact that, as a wizard, he’s incredibly powerful, he seems to prefer to watch us all figure things out on our own.”
An amused smirk pulled at the corners of Dmitri’s mouth. “You mean like a mother bird kicking her young out of the nest to learn to fly?”
Jax narrowed his eyes. “Your bird metaphor is appreciated, but as my friend, you’re supposed to be on my side.”
The prince held up a hand. “Apologies. Please continue.”
“There’s really not much else to add. He’s dependable in that you can depend on him being unpredictable, though if it comes down to a matter of life or death, he’ll swoop in and offer help. But most of the time he just, as he says, ‘facilitates.’”
Dmitri was quiet for a moment. “If that’s the case, then do you believe he facilitated your arrival here?”
Jax pulled his fingers apart and drummed them on the arms of the chair. “I’m honestly not sure. He was helping me search for the dragon egg, but then it turned into a Find the Wizard Scavenger Hunt that led me to Eukarya. I find it hard to believe that he was planning for me to fall to my death, which means that the gateway that dropped me here may have been fashioned in the spur of the moment.”
“Your presence is accidental, then.”
He shrugged. “Could be. Either way, I have a feeling it may take Dross a while to get me back home. I might as well make the most of my time while I wait.”
“That’s a rather more optimistic outlook than I believe most would have in your shoes.”
“What can I say? Bird Catchers have to be adaptable. We can build a nest anywhere as long as we can find a tree. But all this talk of birds aside, I did have a reason for coming in here.”
The prince wrinkled his nose. “The party.”
“That’s a sour face for someone who came up with the idea,” Jax laughed.
“I just didn’t realize how much work it would involve.” He sighed. “And with every invitation that goes out, I am reminded that I will be expected to entertain andsocializewith all of them. In many ways, I envy Odessa. She gets to spend her days in the solitude of nature.”
Jax snorted. “I think her days might be a little more complicated than you realize. But speaking of Odessa, I wasthinking that it might be a good idea for you to come out to the lake before sunset.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “The best parties are all about atmosphere, and atmosphere is based a good deal on the kind of lighting. I think it would be extremely helpful to go out and get a feel for what the lake looks like at sunset. You might be surprised at what you discover.”
Dmitri was looking at him as if he had sprouted feathers from his ears. “I’ve seen a sunset before.”
“But have you seen it at the lake?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, paused, and spoke again, “Actually, no. But I’m certain that the general effect is the same. However, if you’re so worried about it, I’m going to use my princely powers to delegate the task to you.”
“What does that mean?”
