Keman took a bite of his breakfast while he tried to decide how to answer Valyn. Logically, he was right--neither of them had very much magic and it was going to be used up anyway, so why not have Valyn use it in a way that Keman couldn't? But... "You're still a lot more powerful than I am, Valyn. Even as limited as we both are. The shield should be an absolute last resort."

The dragon ducked his head. What had he gotten himself into? Valyn's expression was just making his embarrassment worse, if that was possible. "Ah...the night he broke his conditioning. I was alone in the room with him when it happened...and he was so, er, relieved that he...kissed me. But then he started doing a lot more than just kissing..."