"I was jumped," Cedric starts, obediently taking his seat. One of his hands holds the other wrist---it's bruised, but nothing worse. The gashes are further up. "I guess I look too friendly. I tried to fight them off, but it didn't go too well. I only escaped when I got desperate, and that was when..."

He dropped the bag of broken wood on the table between them. If he looks closely, Howard might see the shiny unicorn hair that had been the core of Cedric's power.