Mister Colbert, a teacher who had dedicated twenty years to Tristain Magic Academy, was by now a mainstay figure. His Runic name was "Colbert the Flame Snake," and, naturally, he was a mage specializing in fire magic. Since the Springtime Familiar Summoning a few days ago, he'd been concerned about the commoner boy that Louise had summoned. Or more precisely, he'd been concerned with nothing but the runes that had appeared on that boy's left hand. They were rare runes indeed, so for the last few nights, he'd confined himself to the library and had been researching various texts. * * *