I read this yesterday but was unable to type anything. I really like the reaction from ray and pennie when they are volunteered for the mission. They have matured so much in the past few chapters it is amazing. Younger versions of them would have been chomping at the bit to go on a mission and now they are weary due to experience. Ray is getting a little closer to uncovering his past and information on how the magic works, especially elementals is slowly surfacing. So far, so good.
Ray and Pennie have grown quite a bit at this point. Well, i suppose you could say that Ray has started to grow as his memory returns. Pennie on the other hand has become more reluctant about her abilities. Whether this can be seen as moving forward or going backwards can depend on the situation.