"Catawampus," Kyrbast mutters to himself through gasps of air as we climb the winding staircase. Not only is it steep but the risers are uneven. It's because the house is meandering around its neighbors, but still this is not only catawampus, it's dangerous.

Trelix greets us with a happy smile when we safely reach the parlor. "Come in. So glad you came. I think you'll like what we're having for dinner." He leans over and whispers in my ear, "Please don't mention the devil thing to my wife."

I nod my head. I want to ask why, but it's probably because it would upset her. It's sweet that he wants to protect his wife's feelings.

He quickly rises to his full height and ushers us into the cheery room where we sit opposite each other on two overstuffed sofas. The furniture is huge and soft, which probably adequately suits its hefty owners. I'm nervous, so I focus on the oddly-placed and oddly-shaped windows that peer out on various views of the village. I try, unsuccessfully, to orient them to the exterior of the house.

"This is my wife, Nolain," he says when she hands me a fizzy drink that tastes like butterscotch, then sits next to her husband.

Nolain is almost an exact replica of Trelix, only her horns have ribbons and Trelix's have gold rings; some of the rings wrap completely around his horns and others pierce through.

"And these are my children," Trelix says proudly as two other hemots walk hesitantly into the room. "Felger and Gertra."

Felger looks to be about grown but not yet filled out. He's only slightly shorter than his father but considerably thinner and his horns only go down the back of his head. Gertra is about my size and acts quite young. Between her stubby horns is a black tuft of hair tied in a pink bow that matches her poofy dress.

I greet everybody and struggle to hide my discomfort while awkwardly placing my drink on the dainty coffee table that seems more out of place than I do. Trelix's family is friendly, but I'm not good at talking in groups and I've never been invited to someone's house for dinner before.

"Your English has improved greatly since the last time we spoke," Kyrbast says to Nolain. I wonder how well they know each other. He rarely leaves his lab so I assume not well.

"I have wanted to practice English for myself for a long time," she says with a smile. Both she and Trelix have an accent that sounds like Irish when it's spoken fast. I can almost make it out, but I struggle with some of the words.

"You speak good," I say slowly.

We chat awkwardly for a while, until I relax. Kyrbast carries most of the conversation by gossiping with Trelix about various castle intrigue that I can't follow. Once I become accustomed to the accent my conversation flows better. I find out that Gertra just lost a tooth and Felger plays a sport that loosely translates to smashing. They both speak English to some extent, and all of them want to practice with us.

"Dinner's ready," says a female elf as she exits the kitchen.

I don't know why I'm surprised to see a servant. This is one of the larger homes in the area and all of the furniture and accessories look new and expensive. I wonder if being my trainer pays well, and if Nolain has a job.

"Yes. I work at the embassy," she says after I ask.

Felger pulls out a chair for me. I take a seat just as the elf places a large pizza on the table. "Pizza!" I shout, forgetting my conversation with Nolain and my manners.

Trelix smiles. "I told you. I had to do a lot of studying. Food was one of the subjects." He gives me a wink. "One of my better subjects. This is one of our favorites, so I hope you like it."

We gather around the table. Trelix rips off a slice and hands it to me. It smells so familiar. It brings back happy memories, but I'm not sure why.

I don't feel like cooking tonight, Auntie would say. I always found that funny because she never cooked. I don't know if the stove worked, but the fridge didn't. I usually grabbed a bite at one of the two convenience stores I passed on my way home from school. There was a bodega I liked, but it wasn't on the way so I had to move quick in order to be home on time. The pizza place was out of the way, so I couldn't go and be back without being noticed.

Sometimes Auntie would have a kind moment, though, like on days when she didn't feel like cooking. No delivery people were ever allowed at the apartment, so I would have to walk to the pizza parlor. It didn't happen often, but when it did...

"I don't think I've ever had pizza," Kyrbast says.

"Really?" I say a little too loudly. "How could that be? They didn't have pizza in Toronto?"

Kyrbast laughs. "Not when I was there. I'm sure they do now."

I want to ask him how long he's been on Ashra, or how long Canada went without pizza, but Trelix joins the conversation. "Well then, you are in for a treat. I think you're going to like it."

I snap my head up as Trelix hands me a plate. He's looking at me like he's trying to read my mind. I smile to hide my discomfort and stare at the pizza. I take a big bite, and with my mouth still burning from hot cheese I say, "This has to be one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. It's even Brooklyn style, the way I like."

"You have to enjoy it," Nolain says, and I laugh. She's very funny, although she doesn't intend to be.

Trelix smiles and his pointy teeth lock together to form a gleaming white wall inside his mouth. "Thank you. This was not easy for me to learn."

"You made this?" I say around a bite of pizza. I have to stop talking with my mouth full. And I need to let the cheese cool. I'm burning the heck out of my mouth.

"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because I'm from where this is from and I can't make it."

He shakes his head. "Maybe I'll teach you, but I must warn you, it's not easy. I never cooked a day in my life until I started my human training."

"You had to learn to cook?"

"Yes. I prefer the human breads to the elf breads, but I never ate bread before I learned to cook."

"Bread's bread, isn't it?"

"No. Bread is a combination of plant and animal products. The elves use mostly plant- based ingredients and the eurynomon use mostly animal-based ingredients. The humans use a fairly balanced combination. The amount of sweetness added varies wildly, though."

My face falls and I hope I'm not showing all the grossed-outedness I feel. "So how many animals are in my pizza?"

"The appropriate amount, mainly in the cheese. The meat is not pepperoni—we don't have anything like that—so I improvised with giligata. Can you taste the difference?"

My mouth is full again so I keep it shut this time and shake my head. I stare up at his severely angular face as he discusses the pizza ingredients and imagine him hosting a cooking show. I smile and almost laugh.

"Did I say something funny?"

I swallow the still very hot bite. "No. The pizza made me happy." If his eyebrows weren't so slanty he wouldn't look so mad. But then, the thick scowling lips don't help either.

"Good. I was hoping it would. I know what it's like to be homesick. Sometimes it's nice to have little reminders."

"Where's home?"

"On the other side of the world."

"Are you here just for me?"

He nods. I don't know what to say to that. He moved his family across the world to make me pizza and train me. We don't discuss it further because Nolain plops a banana split in front of me. I eat heartily and appreciate the reminders of Earth, even though I don't like bananas.

When we're through, Trelix says, "It was truly a pleasure having you here, Agatha, but I suggest you head back now. You have a busy day tomorrow. After your riding lesson, you're to meet with me. I'll pack some sandwiches."

Once we say our goodbyes and are alone in the street, I confide in Kyrbast, "I didn't realize the amount of work he and his family had to go through just to be ready, in case I came back and in case I spoke English. Wow. What happened to the ones who learned Chinese, or Russian, or something?"

"I guess they're disappointed?"

"I wonder how many disappointed curra are wandering around Ashra tonight?" Guilt for not being what they anticipated, and the enormity of what's expected of me makes my anxiety take hold. I push the thoughts down and try to focus on the quirky buildings around me.

Seeing Trelix with his family made me sad. I wasn't able to place it earlier, but now I can; I've missed something. Not having parents took something from me and I just got a glimpse of what it was. There's a lot more to family than having dinner and a clean house. "How were my parents murdered?" I ask out of nowhere.

To Kyrbast's credit he doesn't jump or shout What!, he just looks out across the village as he formulates an answer. After staring into space for a few minutes he gazes down at his hands and says, "Ziras' spies were following them, trying to see if they would lead them to the key. No one is sure if your parents jumped or if they were pushed, but they died together on the cliffs of Dunlaopi surrounded by the Grucht Leisck."

Kyrbast won't make eye contact with me, maybe he doesn't want to see my reaction. It's obvious he didn't want to relay that story, but I'm glad he did.

"Thank you," I say. "No one ever wants to talk about them. Jonah already told me that Stratagor Ziras killed them. I just didn't know how."

I feel the need to comfort him. I don't think he liked being the one who had to tell me that. I grab his hand and he smiles. I like it when Jonah holds mine so I'm glad he likes it too. We walk in silence while I reflect on my parents. I picture two vague images surrounded by an army in red armor, holding hands as they decide to jump to their deaths. I'm sad about my parents' forced suicide, but I'm even sadder that I know so little about them.

When we reach the door to my room I smile and say, "I'm glad we had some time together."

"Me too. It's nice having a friend who looks so much like me," he says and then winces as if realizing he might have just insulted me. "A younger, cuter version, of course."

I laugh, wish him a good night and enter my room. Lenox is waiting on the balcony, but before I let him in I knock on Albína's door.

"I'm going to let Lenox in, but I wanted to make sure you didn't need me to do anything before I do," I say when she answers.

"Well, I need to go over the box of things Kyrbast dropped off earlier, but I guess you can let him in. I have to get used to him sooner or later."

"Okay, if you're sure."

Albína motions for me to go open the door, so I do. Before he's even all the way through, he sniffs my hair. When he's finished, he walks over to a terrified Albína and sniffs her too. I laugh as she stands stone still, stifling a scream.

When Lenox is satisfied, he walks around the room smelling everything else. "Well, I guess you're a part of the family now," I laugh.

She groans but doesn't comment as she pulls my wand out of the box and places it on the dresser. My heart does a little leap. Kyrbast trusts me with the wand. Or he made a mistake. Either way, I'm happy it's here.

Albína pulls out a blue bottle. "You're to add this to your bath." Next, she holds up a small jar. "This is for sore muscles. What hurts?"

"Everything."

She flips the lid of the jar. "Do you want me to put this on you?"

"No, I'd rather do it myself."

She hands me the jar. "These other three are for Freja to use on you. They should help you feel better. Get ready for bed and I'll show you how to use this one," she says as she holds up a green bottle.

As ordered, I grab a nightgown and get in bed. Albína tucks me in. It makes me feel like a baby, which is embarrassing, but I like being cared for. She jumps when Lenox walks up behind her, peering over her shoulder.

"Just shoo him away. He won't hurt you."

She puts her hand on the front of his wing and gives him a push. Lenox doesn't move. "Get, you. I have work to do and then she's all yours."

He walks away to watch from the foot of the bed.

"Okay," she says, turning her attention to me and holding up the last bottle. "This will repair some of the muscle damage you've done. You probably only need a little splash now, but soon we'll have to change the dosage."

"I need a lot of it now. How bad is it going to get?"

"Pour a bit in your glass of water and drink it down. It tastes terrible, so I won't lie to you about that. But it will do you a world of good," she says as she pours a dash into a glass. The green liquid slithers down to the bottom of the glass and stays there. Albína doesn't stir it, she just hands it to me.

I take a sip and struggle to swallow. I've never tasted nail polish remover before, but I imagine it would taste a lot like whatever it was I just drank. She wishes me a good night and leaves, taking all the safety and warmth with her.

I lay back and stare at my birdless ceiling while I try unsuccessfully to push down the images of angry orange faces and all the other terrible things that are waiting for me outside the castle walls.