Mariel ran up the long stairs to the owlery at the top of the tower. She stopped to catch her breath and spotted Jenn. "Oh, hey," she said, waving. "I just needed to send a letter to my father."

Mariel looked up at the hundreds of owls all sitting on their perches before she noticed a familiar black owl. "Pandora!" Mariel called in a commanding voice and her owl flew to her arm. She tied the parchment to the owl's leg, then watched her fly out the window.