Time goes on. The capital moves to Russia, and this time teleportation is involved instead of the historical piling onto airplanes. Kerron gets bigger, noticeably, daily. Various babysitters babysit, and the Joker and Nathan acquire a reputation as insatiable new-mates, one of whom will happily solve any problems that present themselves with magic much more casually than the Empress will. Nathan's newly mated leave ends, and he is obliged to report to work as needed, though as promised Bella does restrict her questions to batches when Kerron and the Joker are both asleep whenever she can.

Kerron manages to go without meeting Addy until he is two weeks old, walking and uttering simple sentences.

The instant he sees her, he runs up to her and hugs her leg, beaming up at her.

"Oh, wow," exclaims Addy. "Aren't you a tasty little combo platter?"

"...Excuse me?" says Nathan.