My smile was hurting my face. I grabbed Jean's hand, shouting, "Let's go. We must tell father!" Then I made her run back to the carriage with me. I could hear Mother quickly apologizing to the Mages and telling us to slow down, but neither of us listened.

When we returned to father's area on the parade grounds, we saw him with his back toward us, talking to another man near the carriage. Jean and I both knew it was against the rules to interrupt father when he was speaking to someone who might be a customer. So, we stopped and waited. From behind Jean, I was trying to hold still but was jumping up and down on my toes impatiently. Mother caught up with us and was now smiling as we waited for father.

When father saw the customer looking past him and laughing a little at us, he looked back to see what was going on. Father talked a bit more and then shook hands with the man saying goodbye. Then he turned toward us finally.

I wanted to tell father now, but I said to Jean, "You go first. Hurry. Please." That last part might have been a little whinny as Mother told me to be patient.

"What going on, Mother?" Father asked, ignoring Jean trying to tell him something.

Then Mother went crazy, "Why nothing, dear. How are you doing? Is everything going well?"

"Father!" I shouted.

"Are you interrupting a conversation Hartson?" he asked as he looked at me with a frown.

I pushed Jean forward a bit, saying, "Tell him, please!"

Father finally gave us a bit of a smile and kneeled in front of Jean. "So, you have something to tell me?"

Then Jean started going crazy too and started telling Father about all the things we had seen and done in the mage tent.

"Jean, tell him!" I shouted again.

Jean turned around and was laughing at me, so were Mother and Father.

"Father, make her tell you already," I blurted out.

Jean shook her head no and moved over by mother.

Father then asks me, "So you have something you want to tell me? Did you cause a problem for your mother?"

"I'm a Mage. Father, look, I have a mage’s sash now." I said, showing him the narrow pale purple ribbon.

Father said, "That is wonderful, Hartson!" Then he grabbed me, saying, "Bear Hug!"

I struggled to get away as he crushed me, and I finally said, "I can't breathe."

He put me down and picked up Jean, "So now, what is your news, young lady?"

Jean kissed him on the cheek and said, "I passed the mage test too. But I'm going to stay with Mother and be a midwife like she is. I made the ball glow, but Hartson made it bright like the sun. Then we ran back here, and we teased him so. That was fun. We should do more of that."

She looked around, "Where is Callie? We should tell her too."

Father simply said, "Callie is with your Aunt Harker, where she is going to stay for quite some time working in your aunt's kitchens."

The mage from before then interrupted us. "Hello, are you Hartson's parents then?"

Father put Jean down and offered his hand. "Yes, we are, Hubert and Audrey Perrin, at your service, sir."

"Wonderful.” Then turning to me, the mage said sternly, “Now before this matter gets too far out of hand, Hartson, you are not a Mage yet, you are a Student Mage. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," I nervously replied.

He chuckled a bit, "Sorry, Mr. Hartson, I had to get in on the teasing too."

I beamed back at him, not caring one bit.

The old mage spoke again, "Sir, I just wanted to reassure you and your wife, that your son and other children less than six summers have separate classes and dorms away from the older children to keep problems at a minimum. When they reach six summers, they will join their classmates. That means they may be a year ahead if they have done very well. Hartson actually could be two years ahead by his sixth summer, but it will be incredibly challenging to do that."

"Thank you, sir," my mother said with a kind smile and a small curtsey.

Jean spoke up, "Mother, we have to go tell Callie and Aunt Harker too."

Mother looked at father and the mage.

The mage nodded to mother, "Please, do not let me keep you from your family."

Father said, "Go on, and come back through the merchant's quarter to do your shopping."

That made Jean cheer, but I hesitated. "Father, may I have my coins. I might find another magic book today."

Father fished two pouches out of his coat and handed the larger one to mother. He shook the smaller one looking at me. "It sounds a bit empty, Hartson, but you have made your family very proud today, I will add a coin if you promise me you will spend it wisely."

"Yes, I most certainly will," I said happily.

He opened my coin pouch and dropped in a coin that I did not see. Hanging it about my neck, he instructed me, "Keep that under your shirt to keep it safe."

"I will, Father." I turned to follow Mother, thinking maybe we could get some food from Aunt Harker.