Well, I could sure see Dad's point. If I'd never tried to clear my name of murder, I might not have even heard of the Ring of Everlasting Night. I might not have been forced to make a trade between the ring and my beloved, studly familiar. Of course, I might not have tried to make nice with the Black family, done magic again, or applied to college either. Coulda, woulda, shoulda was often a slippery slope that might just put me someplace I didn't want to be.

Did I want to be in this ...