Leif had waited for Eisa to be ready to speak to him. Now, though, he was tired of waiting. He had come to her room under a full head of steam, ready to yell at her for being selfish. It wasn’t until he reached the door that he realized there might be a better approach.

He took a steadying breath. As his anger and frustration dissolved, he knocked lightly on the wooden surface. He heard a voice from within, but he couldn’t make out the words. He tried the door. It opened easily and he stepped inside. Eisa was sitting on her window seat, her back to him.

“Eisa,” he said, stepping over to her. He reached out to set his hands on her shoulders, but stopped when she spoke.

“Is there something I can do for you, Captain Muller?” she asked, sounding tired and distant at the same time.

Leif scowled. “No,” he said, “I just… I was worried about you, Eisa.”

She turned to face him and gave him a forced smile. “I’m all right,” she said. “Everything’s fine.”

“No it’s not,” Leif snapped. Eisa flinched and he caught her hands in his. “Eisa, don’t push me away! I – I love you and I want to help you or – or at least be with you while you work through whatever it is that’s bothering you!”

He sat down beside her, still holding her hands in his. “Will you let me do that, Eisa?” he whispered.

For a moment, Eisa didn’t answer him. Then her forced smile fell away and her calm demeanor fled like snow on a warm day. A moment later, she was leaning against him, sobbing into his shoulder. Leif sighed softly and hugged her, but he didn’t say a word. He didn’t need to.

**

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Eisa stepped around the corner of the building and looked around. Her gaze fell on a crumpled form on the ground. She took a step forward and then froze. What she took for a crumpled form – someone in need of help – was a mair stooping to drink the blood of a small child.

For a moment, Eisa felt as small and helpless as the child. She was back in her own village, cringing in fear from the horrible monsters that threatened to kill herself – her sister! “No,” she screamed, summoning her staff.

Eisa slammed her staff into the ground. Tiny shards of metal flew upward and then into the unsuspecting mair’s back. It cried out in pain and released the child. Then it was on its feet, facing her.

It launched at her and everything seemed to slow down. Eisa sidestepped and swung her staff upwards, bringing more metal shards out of the earth with it. The mair let out a strangled cry and then dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.

For a moment, Eisa stood, panting and blinking. Then someone touched her sleeve and she spun, bringing up her staff again.

“Eisa!”

Eisa stared out at the snow that was drifting down from the sunny sky. It was a strange contrast. There were pale gray clouds of the sort she always associated with snow. However, there were breaks in those clouds, enough to let the sun shine amid the soft white flakes.

For a moment, she was reminded of her sister. She was so like this sunshower of snowflakes. She’d always been cheerful and exuberant, while at the same time managing to be serious and quiet. Like this snow, those serious moments didn’t amount to very much. Her warm nature, like the sun, dissolved those moments into nothing.

Eisa wondered what Dagny was doing at that moment. Was she well? Was she still cheerful and energetic or had she changed completely? Was she now someone completely different from the snowy sunshine? Eisa shook the thoughts away. There were no answers to them in any case. Dwelling on them did no good.

“Aren’t you afraid we’re making too much out of this?” Eisa said. Her brows furrowed as she looked the book. On the front, an elaborate script on the front spelled out the title. The image showed a dark, mysterious forest. Her picture took up a large portion of the back cover.

Leisl scowled and shrugged. “The whole point of this is to get the story out there, Eisa,” she said. Her tone was even and matter-of-fact. “You wrote the story, so you should get credit for it. It’s only right.”

“I suppose.”

A wide smile split Leisl’s features. “Great,” she said. “We’ll get these to print and, by the end of the week, everyone in the Borderlands will be reading it.” She snatched the book from Eisa’s hands and flounced out of the room. Watching her, Eisa wondered if she weren’t making a huge mistake.

**

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Loki was perched in the treetops, watching the people walking around beneath him. It astounded him how few of them looked up. Then again, few of them looked down at the ground they walked over either.

It seemed as though everyone looked straight ahead when they walked. His questing gaze fixed on Eisa. She’d been seeing his brother for some months now. She walked with her gaze locked on the grass. If the ground were to suddenly move underfoot, she’d be ready for it.

A flash of movement caught Loki’s attention. He smiled when he saw that it was Sindri waving to him. If Eisa’s gaze was constantly on the ground, Sindri’s was ever focused towards the sky. Loki chuckled softly. It was only proper, he supposed. After all, didn’t Yori always say Sindri’s head was in the clouds?

By delaying a decision about allowing E15 in our gasoline for at least another six months, the EPA has sealed its fate as a non issue in avoiding the blending wall, especially considering the conditions it is talking about, like allowing it only for cars made on or after 2001 and not allowing its use in the marine industry and small engines.  These kinds of special conditi0ns will severely limit the ability to deliver any significant amount of E15 in time to avoid the blending wall.

Clearly government bureaucrats don’t have a clue about gasoline distribution and delivery.  We have the same problem on the state level here in Oregon, a mandatory E10 state.  E10 is causing economic dislocation in the marine and aviation industry and poses a threat to the public safety industry.  We have exceptions in our law for all of those users, but it is permissive, i.e. they have to find the supply.  Suffice it to say not many outlets want to supply it because ethanol free gasoline cannot affect the delivery of any other grade of gasoline.  And there is the rub.

The vast majority of gasoline stations only have two tanks for gasoline, and maybe one for diesel.  The distributor supplies premium unleaded to one tank and regular unleaded to the other tank.  If the station supplies mid-grade it is blended in the modern three button pumps you see in most gas stations.  In Oregon, both grades must be E10.  Any station is “allowed” to sell ethanol free gasoline if they can find it, but if they choose to pump ethanol free premium, the mid-grade must still be E10.  Do you see the problem?  Two tank stations cannot pump any ethanol free gasoline in Oregon, even if they wanted to, and more than 90% of the gas stations in Oregon are two tank setups, plus branded stations wouldn’t be allowed to sell ethanol free premium, mid-grade E10 and regular E10 by their brander.  So practically nobody offers ethanol free gasoline unless the station is an oddball that had an additional tank and manifold for off road diesel or is an unbranded three tank station, both setups I have run into.  Out of more that 1600 stations, and the number is declining every year, less than 30 of them offer any ethanol free gasoline in Oregon, along with 43 marinas and 1 airport.

Lets see how this applies to the E15 waiver.  Remember, the vast majority of the gas stations in the country have only two gasoline storage tanks.  If the E15 waiver restricts E15 only to cars made on or after the 2001 model year, who will choose to pump the E15?  All of the two tank stations will have to choose, either E10 or E15.  They don’t have tanks to store both E10 regular and premium and E15 regular and premium.  Do you think any station outside a few major metropolitan areas that can reasonably target those chosen new car E15 customers will choose E15?  If they do they cut their clientele significantly while the station that chooses E10 can serve all comers, even though E10 causes property damage and is a threat to public safety.

There are a couple of other problems having to do with infrastructure compatibility and liability.  There is a knotty problem with U/L approval of pumps and there are problems with storage tanks.   So how many service stations in this economy are going to jump at the chance to pump E15 without U/L approval for their pumps and possibly damage their storage tanks?

And, so called, “Blender Pumps”, the darling of the ethanol industry right now because they can “dial a blend”, aren’t going to provide much relief either.  They have an even bigger problem with U/L because they can theoretically blend anything between E10 and E85 and they represent as big an infrastructure upgrade as E85 and in this economy how many stations can afford to replace all of their pumps with new more expensive blender pumps and hope one of their tanks can withstand E85?

There is one further small wrinkle in this scenario nobody addresses, and that is the refinery product used to make ethanol blended gasoline called BOB.  Somebody needs to do some serious research on whether one BOB can be used for multiple blending levels.  I hear conflicting reports about this problem but gasoline refining is an opaque business and I haven’t seen anybody with knowledge discuss it.  I brought it up with the only refinery representative I know and he said information about BOB was confidential.

On top of that we are months away from any decision and the clock is ticking.  Next year more than 12 billion gallons of ethanol must be blended with gasoline, enough to take at least 120 billion gallons of gasoline E10.  That would take 88% of all of the gasoline consumed this year E10, but gasoline consumption is declining so that number may actually be closer to 100%.  Whenever the E15 decision is made it is going to take months if not years to figure out the logistics of which stations are going to take the risk to pump E15, and actually get product delivered.  By that time the ethanol industry will be up against the blending wall again.  Time is of the essence and time is running out.

Of course the whole scenario is absurd.  Anyone who has actually ever read the federal RFS mandate in EISA 2007 knows that it has nothing to do with E10 or E15 or even E20 or E30.  They are never mentioned in the act.  The only ethanol blending level that is mentioned is E85 and copious amounts of your tax dollars are offered to any taker that will invest in E85 infrastructure, supply and delivery or make flex-fuel vehicles and sell them.  It is a giant corporate welfare act for E85.  You get nothing more than the blenders credit for any other level.

So explain to me again how E15 is going delay the blending wall and save the ethanol industry.  The only thing that might save the ethanol industry is to invest in E85 delivery infrastructure and design and build E85 only engines, ones that use ethanol efficiently.  Flex-fuel vehicles are dinosaurs already.  They are neither efficient gasoline powered cars, nor efficient E85 cars.  They are nothing more than a computer controlled Rube Goldberg contraption.

Eisa had taken her sister’s betrayal hard. Almost, Leif worried, harder than anyone else among them. Since it had happened, she hadn’t come to see him. He’d waited at first. He felt that, if she needed space, then he should give it to her.

He was tired of waiting in silent, though. He didn’t want to just give her space anymore. He needed to see her. Perhaps, she needed to know he still stood by her. He peered into her little work area.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she concentrated on her work. There weren’t very many computers in the Borderlands. However, as their chronicler, she had access to one of the few that existed in Larisa.

“Eisa,” Leif called. She glanced back at him and then returned to her work. His brows furrowed. He stepped over to her and set a hand lightly on her shoulder. She tensed. “Don’t push me away,” he whispered.

He hesitated, but she didn’t say anything. She exhaled softly and then went back to her work. He sighed. “I’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to talk,” he said. In a softer voice, he added, “You’re not her, Eisa. Everyone knows that.” Without another word, he turned around and headed back outside.

**

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ISA:

Os barramentos ISA são encontrados em placas antigas. Foi criada pela IBM, sua velocidade em media chega 2.5/s. O nome ISA vem de Industry Standard Architecture ou Arquitetura Industrial Padrão. O slots de expansão ISA tem ainda a vantagem de aceitar as conecção adaptadoras mais antigas 8 bits.O barramento ISA continua sendo usado nas placas mães mais avançadas, so que ao lado de varios barramentos poderosos.

MCA:

MCA é a abreviação dada à definição Micro Chanel Architecture, o barramentos de dados criado pela IBM em 1987.  Com o surgimento dos processadores 386, que trabalhavam usando palavras binárias de 32 bits, precisou se de um novo barramento mais rápido que a ISA, ela trabalhava em 10 MHz, o que resultava em uma taxa de transferência de 32MB/s.

EISA:

O EISA trabalha em 8,33 MHz, com 32 bits. Na teoria, o barramento deveria chegar a uma taxa de 33MB/s. O termo EISA vem de Extended Industry Standard Architecture ou Arquitetura Industrial Padrão Estendida. O objetivo padrão era manter a compatibilidade com PCs antigos.

VLB:

O VBL (VESA Local Bus) é um barramento de expansão muito mais rápido do que os barramentos ISA, MCA e EISA. Inicialmente surgiu como barramento de placa de vídeo. Graças a sua velocidade, virou como barramento padrão em 1993 entre as placas mães.

AGP-PRO:

Foram direcionadas principalmente para placas de vídeos e consomem uma grande quantidade de energia.

“You have lovely hair, Captain Floros,” I murmured, as I began twisting it into a complex coif that was reminiscent of the hairstyles in Sylvanias Patris.

Floros sighed. “Phoebe always liked my hair,” she whispered. She gave me a sidelong glance. “We were… like your captain and Wolff: a couple.”

Leisl nodded understanding. “We all grieve with you and for you, Captain Floros,” she said. “No one among us doesn’t know what it is to lose someone they love.”

I nodded silently. That loss was why I’d joined the Snow Lions in the first place. “What will become of Mikal?” I asked, as I wrapped her hair in silken cords, binding it in place on top of her head.

“He’ll fall to me now,” she said. Floros sighed. “He’s a good servant – a hard worker and a skilled healer. If he couldn’t save Phoebe… I don’t blame him for her death. I blame the beast that killed her.” Her brows furrowed and she added, “I must thank your captain for avenging her on my behalf.”

I nodded silently. I’d seen Captain Hummel come to her aid, but I had missed the results. It was good to know my captain had acquitted himself well before being captured.

**

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I heard a soft moan and looked over. Captain Hummel’s eyes squeezed shut briefly. Then they opened. He glanced around at us and then his gaze locked on Wolff. “I didn’t miss the wedding, did I?” he whispered.

“Bellissima mia,” Wolff said, hugging Captain Hummel gently. “No, you didn’t miss the wedding.”

Captain Hummel smiled. “Good,” he said. His eyes closed and he rubbed his head against Wolff’s chest. “Let’s get back to the gardens. We’ve got a wedding to prepare for, haven’t we?”

“We do, Captain,” I said, grinning brightly. “We absolutely do!”

**

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“Master!” Mikal screamed. He dropped to his knees beside Captain Colonomos. As he reached for her hands, Captain Hummel blocked another attack from the same oni-like beast that had attacked her.

Floros growled in exasperation. She took up a position on Mikal’s other side. “Can you help her?” she shouted.

Mikal was already looking her over, but I didn’t have time to spare to see what exactly he was doing or to guess if he would be successful. I blocked an attack from a spider, striking its abdomen with the blunt end of my staff.

At the same moment that the spider let out a shriek of pain, I heard a cry of anguish. I spun around, just in time to see Colonomos’s body dissolve in a shower of light. Mikal clutched her empty, bloody gown to his chest. I froze for a moment.

“Eisa!”

Someone shoved me to one side and I stumbled and spun back to face the attackers. Muller shot me a grimace. “We’ll protect the women and Mikal. Get after Lady Astraea!”

I nodded once. “Be careful,” I said. I hesitated just long enough to see Muller’s nod of assent. Then I ran towards the place where Lady Astraea’s kidnappers had disappeared. I leapt over the head of Captain Hummel, as he knelt beside Mikal.

Mikal was sobbing and tears of sympathy welled in my eyes. I blinked them away and pushed myself harder. Dimitriou and Colonomos had died trying to protect Lady Astraea. I’d be fated to come back as a slug if I would let their deaths be in vain!

**

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She rested her arm on the table and turned her gaze back towards Wolff. Her brows furrowed. “He seems… different. Quieter, somehow.”

I nodded. “We were attacked on the way back to Vidheim,” I said, my voice low. “We all escaped and the beasts that attacked us were forced to retreat, but… we lost some good people and Captain Wolff lost one of his tails.”

With a small gasp, Iona turned back to me. “Do you know which one it was?” she asked.

“Joran?” I said. I frowned and added, “Clara said… he was mischievous and something of a flirt?”

Iona nodded. “Joran was an outgoing one,” she said.

**

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The Best Days of this World

The Virtues of the first 10 days of Dhul Hijja:

1. Ahadith of the Prophet (s):

قال النبي –صلى الله عليه وسلم-( مامن أيام العمل الصالح فيها أحب إلى الله من هذه الأيام قالوا يا رسول الله : ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله قال ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله إلا رجل خرج بنفسه وماله فلم يرجع من ذلك بشئ) رواه البخاري

The Prophet (s) said: “There are no days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than during these days. The Sahaba said: Oh Rasul Allah, not even jihad in the path of Allah? He (s) said: Not even jihad in the path of Allah except for the man who goes out in the path of Allah with his life and his wealth and returns with neither of them.”

وقال ( أفضل أيام الدنيا أيام العشر) رواه البزار وصححه الالبانى.

And he (s) said: “The best days of this world are these ten.”

2. Allah swears by these 10 days in the Qur’an:

قول الله تعالى: ((وَالْفَجْرِ، وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ)) سورة الفجر (1-2)، قال ابن كثير رحمه الله: المراد بها عشر ذي الحجة

Allah says: “By the dawn, and by the 10 nights” [Qur'an, 89:1-2]. Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Ibn Katheer said: “This is the correct opinion.”

قال تعالى: ((وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَاتٍ)) سورة الحج(28)، قال ابن عباس: أيام العشر

Allah says: “…and mention the name of Allah on appointed days…” [Qur'an, 22:28] Ibn ‘Abbas said these are the ten days.

3. These ten days are better than Ramadan:

قال المحققون من أهل العلم: أيام عشر ذي الحجة أفضل الأيام، وليالي العشر الأواخر من رمضان أفضل الليالي.

Most scholars adopt the opinion that these days are better than the last ten days of Ramadan. However, what holds the last ten days of Ramadan at a higher status is the Night of Power (Laylat ul-Qadr) which is equivalent to one thousand months (83.33 years).

تضاعف فيها الحسنات قال ابن عباس”: العمل فيهن بسبعمائة ضعف”

The rewards are multiplied in these days. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “(The reward for good) deeds are multiplied seven hundred times in these days.”

قال الاوزاعى: “بلغني أن العمل في أيام العشر كقدر غزوة في سبيل الله يصام نهارها ويحرس ليلها إلا أن يختص امرء بشهادة”

Al Awzaa’i said: I was informed that good deeds during the ten days are the equivalent (in reward) to a battle in the path of Allah, in which the day is spent in fasting and the night in safeguarding, except if one is bestowed with martyrdom.”

In Ramadan doing good deeds and struggling in worship, especially during the last ten nights, is easier than during these days for a few reasons. Firstly, the atmosphere of the month of Ramadan, whether culturally, spiritually, or traditionally, makes it easier to focus and strive. Secondly, the shayateen are chained. So, to get that drive and direction we had in Ramadan, is much harder when we have most likely fallen out of “Ramadan mode.” However, since the `ibada is more difficult, the reward is greater. So let’s keep this in mind and get ready to really work hard.

The Plan of Action for these 10 days:

1. Really feel this blessing and realize that it is an opportunity of a lifetime, because none of us know if we will witness these 10 days again.

كان خالد بن معدان يقول( إذا فتح لأحدكم باب للخير فليسرع فاءنه لا يدرى متى يغلق عنه

Khalid bin Mi’dan used to say: “If the door for good is opened for one of you, then rush (to take advantage) because you don’t know when it will close.”

2. Have high aspirations in your worship and use the examples of the ijtihad of the saliheen as motivation.

3. Take advantage of the opportunities to get the reward of hajj while being elsewhere.

قال-صلى الله عليه وسلم-( من صلى الفجر في جماعة ثم قعد يذكر الله حتى تطلع الشمس ثم صلى ركعتين كانت له كأجر حجة وعمرة تامة تامة تامة

The Prophet (s) said: “Whoever prays fajr in congregation and then sits in remembrance of Allah until the sun rises, then prays two rak’aat, he has the full reward of hajj and `umrah.”

4. Perfecting the fara`idh (obligatory actions):

Often times we become busy trying to do extra deeds, but neglect the fact that perhaps maybe what is obligatory upon us is not at the level it should be. There is no way for a person to become close to Allah other than through the obligatory actions, as is apparent in the famous hadith qudsi in which Allah says: “My servant does not become closer to me by anything more beloved to me than what I have obligated upon him.”

Reasonable Goals:

1. Khatm of Qur’an: equivalent to more than half a million hasanaat during these days. Let’s try to complete the recitation of the Qur’an during these days, ending by ‘Asr time on the day of ‘Arafah and spending from ‘Asr to Magrhib in du’aa.

2. Qiyam al-Layl:

Rasulallah (s) said: “Whoever stands in prayer, reciting 1,000 verses is written among the muqantareen.” A qintar is equal to 70,000 dinar. The recitation of the last two ajzaa` of the Qur’an is equivalent to 1,000 verses.

3. Extra Salah during the day: The Prophet (s) said: “There is not a Muslim who prays twelve raka’at per day, other than the obligatory prayers, except that a palace is built for him in paradise.”

4. Dhikr: The best form of worship to do in these ten days as apparent in the hadith:

Ibn `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “There is no day more honorable in Allah ’s sight and no acts more beloved therein to Allah than those in these ten days. So say tahlil (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah: La ilaha illAllah), takbir (Allah is the greatest: Allahu akbar) and tahmid (All praise is due to Allah: alhumdulillah) a lot.” [Ahmad, 7/224]

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The best du`a’ is du`a’ on the day of `Arafah, and the best thing that I or the Prophets before me have said is ‘There is no god but Allah, alone, without any partner’ (La ilaha illa’llah, wahdahu la sharika lah)” [Muwatta, Malik].

7. Reviving the Sunnah of Takbir:

Ibn `Umar and Abu Hurairah (ra) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, reciting takbeer, and the people would recite takbeer when they heard them.

8. Fasting:

The reward of fasting is great, so imagine how much that reward would be multiplied in these days. If one can’t fast all of the 9 days, then at least on the day of `Arafah as it is the greatest day.

Abu Qatadah reported that the Messenger of Allah (s) said, “Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah is an expiation for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. Fasting the day of `Ashura is an expiation for the year preceding it.” [This is related by "the group," except for al-Bukhari and at-Tirmidhi]

The Prophet (s) said “There is no day that Allah will free people more than the day of `Arafah.”

`Ali (ra) used to advise people to say “Oh Allah free my neck from the fire” on the day of `Arafah.

9. Du`a’:

Especially on the day of `Arafah, but also at anytime. Keep in mind the times where du’aa is more likely to be accepted and ask during those times.

* The last third of the night
* Between the adhaan and iqaamah
* During the rain
* In sujood
* Friday
* While fasting

10. Sadaqa (charity):

Give sadaqa during these days, since the reward is multiplied tremendously.

11. Tawba (asking for forgiveness):

Continually renew repentance.

12. Establish ikhlas in `ibada.

13. Check and renew intentions at all times

The Day of `Eid

On the greatest day, remained focused as it is still part of the first 10 days which are the best days of the year! Try not to get too caught up in celebrating that you stop doing the worship that you were doing the first 9 days.

The day of ‘Eid: a day for visiting family and performing the sacrifice for one who is able.

By Zahra

I am pleased to announce the recent release of a new Emotional Intelligence measure: The Emotional Intelligence Skills Assessment (EISA™).

MHS has partnered with corporate publisher Pfeiffer to develop this new tool, which is authored by Dr. Derek Mann, Dr. Peter Papadogiannis, Ms. Wendy Gordon, and me, Dr. Steven Stein. This first release of the EISA includes the workshop components and the self-report paper version of the instrument, which MHS will be distributing. An online version which will include a 360 component will be released next spring.

EISA serves as an excellent introduction to EI as it is short, easy to administer, and easy to interpret. Due to its brevity and straightforward output, it is ideal for large group training and for use in shorter workshop modules. EISA can provide an effective primer for companies that are unfamiliar with the construct of Emotional Intelligence, and it can be used for screening large groups to identify the individuals for whom a more robust instrument and a more thorough assessment of EI is warranted. EISA feedback reports offer a means of orienting an individual to the concept of EI and provide the opportunity for self-directed learning. To learn more about this assessment, please visit the EISA product page at MHS.com.

Rowan shrugged and fished in his pocket for a moment. Then he drew out a small stub of a candle. He glanced at Captain Hummel. “Captain?” he said, tilting his head to one side.

Captain Hummel nodded. “I always applaud curiosity in someone from my division, Rowan,” he said. “You know that.”

A faint smile touched Rowan’s lips. He leaned off the trail and dropped the candle into the blackness far below. I watched, also curious, as it vanished from view. I had just drawn my head back when Rowan let out a cry of pain and something clattered onto the glowing path.

I blinked and stooped to pick up the object as it rolled to a stop at my feet. It was a small stub of a candle, just like the one Rowan had dropped off the path. “No,” I said. My brows furrowed and I scratched my initials into the wax. Then I held out my hand and released it.

This time, rather than watching it fall, I held my hand in place and turned it upright. My eyes widened as something dropped into my palm a moment later. I drew my hand back and giggled. “It is bottomless,” I said, holding up the stub of candle, so that they could see my initials.

“After a manner,” Captain Hummel said. He looked down and then up and then shook his head. “I think that’s enough curiosity for one day, though.”

“Yeah, we don’t need to see what happens when people drop down,” Rowan agreed. He gave me an impish grin when I handed the small candle back to him. Then he chuckled softly. “That was pretty interesting, though.”

“Oh, yes,” Muller said, rolling his eyes. “Well worth the delay it caused.” He sighed and started forward, tugging me along with him. I could only chuckle softly at his annoyance. There was a reason he was captain of the Violet Division, after all. In the division charged with internal investigations, his no-nonsense, briskly business-like attitude served him quite well.

He gave me a wan smile and sighed again. “You’re laughing at me,” he said.

A wide smile split my features. “What if I am?” I asked, my tone light and teasing. “What do you mean to do about it, Captain Muller?”

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, as he whispered, “Keep it up, Guardsman Anderson, and you’ll find out.” He chuckled softly as my cheeks warmed.

I chewed my lip as we moved through the forest. My gaze was not on the path in front of me; rather it was on the treetops. I didn’t want to be caught off guard if any of the spiders decided to attack us.

A startled cry brought my attention downward. “Rowan,” Clara gasped, as I spun in my saddle.

One of the mygales had, as I’d feared, launched an attack. It had leapt down on Rowan, knocking him from his saddle. Another spider was already binding his ostrich in thick webbing. Rowan struggled against the spider that was attempting to do the same to him.

I summoned my staff, as the others did the same. The crystal at the end of Loki’s staff flared as he summoned light into it. He swept his arm outward and a blade of light cut through the spider that was attacking Rowan.

“Look out,” Muller shouted. I heard a muffled cry and then the sound of a body hitting the ground. When I turned, I found a third spider had attacked Loki, while a fourth made a meal of his ostrich.

Captain Hummel embraced Wolff immediately upon seeing him.

Wolff, for his part, seemed to welcome the show of affection. He rested his head on Captain Hummel’s shoulder for a moment. Then, he sighed deeply and pulled away. “We’re better, bellissima,” he murmured.

He was speaking of himself and his remaining tail. Even knowing that, it was strange to hear him speak of himself in the plural form. It occurred to me for the first time that I only knew of one of his tails: the youngest one; the one whose face he showed the world. What had Joran been like? How would Wolff’s personality change without the influence of his third tail?

As I shook the thought away, Wolff stepped back and took Captain Hummel’s hand. Then he moved into the maze. I followed behind them, falling into step with Clara. “Which tail was Joran?” I whispered.

“Second one,” Clara replied. She shook her head slightly. “Can’t say as most of us will miss him terrible,” she said, keeping her voice very low. “A strange one, Joran were, always into mischief and chasing skirts. Drank a fair amount too. Captain’s better off without that bad’un to twist his personality, if you ask me.” She shrugged and added, “Didn’t no one ask me, though.”

**

Comment, so I know you exist…

I stood beside Muller while we watched the small group of ships sail towards the sunrise. One of those ships, I knew, was for Wolff’s lost tail. In the minds of many foxes their tails were like favored siblings. He grieved for the lost tail every bit as keenly as any of the others gathered there grieved their fallen comrades.

As the sun rose from the ocean, to light the sky, the little boats disappeared over the horizon. I blinked as a small hand slipped into mine. In spite of the solemnity of the ceremony, I couldn’t help the faint smile that touched my lips. Muller was holding my hand.

I gave him a sidelong glance. He was watching me out of the corner of his eyes as well. “It was a nice ceremony,” I murmured.

**

Comment, so I know you exist…

“Go,” he rasped, as he struggled to regain his feet. He stumbled back a few steps and then took off running once more.

It was my turn to protect him, now. I kept an eye out for more of the oni-like beasts, as we hurried towards place where Clara had already disappeared. “Are they all right?” I called to Captain Hummel. “Wolff, Leif, Loki and Rowan… do you think they’re all right?”

“They’ll watch after each other,” he called back. He sounded far more confident than he should have felt. He certainly sounded more confident than I felt, but I dearly hoped he was correct.

**

Comment, so I know you exist…

My brows furrowed and I tugged off my glasses to rub at my eyes. “This – this isn’t fair,” I said. “I don’t want you to die.”

“This was my test from the start, Eisa,” he murmured. “I couldn’t have made it this far without you, but this part… I cannot allow you to do for me.” Then, before I could even dream of lodging another protest, he drained the goblet.

He lowered the goblet, now empty, and set it on the table. His gaze drifted from me to someone behind me. I turned to see Wolff staring at us. He seemed like he was in a state of shock. His eyes were as wide as saucers and glistening with unshed tears.

“Captain Wolff?” I said, my voice cracking just a bit.

That seemed to break the spell. Wolff darted forward with a sob and caught Captain Hummel in his arms. As I turned to watch, my captain’s eyes drifted shut and he relaxed into Wolff’s embrace.

Wolff began sobbing, then, and rocking Captain Hummel’s limp body. He was murmuring too, although I couldn’t really understand what he was saying.

**

Comment, so I know you exist…

He inhaled deeply and made a sweeping motion with his staff. Wind swirled around, pushing the sand back and away from us. He exhaled and looked at me. “I’ll keep the sand back, you find a way to get rid of it or to get us out of here. Sound like a plan?”

“Yes, sir,” I said. I was worried though. Anyone who’d been a member of the Lily Division for very long knew that Captain Hummel had serious breathing problems that were aggravated by his use of magic. There was only so long he could keep up what he was doing. That meant, by extension, I had only so long to perform my half of the equation.

I could try raising one of the doors. My brows furrowed. They were made of solid stone. It would take more strength than either of us had. Lifting them would require some kind of leverage and there was nothing to use. The answer had to be something else.

After all, who knew what the Trial of Truth would entail? My brows furrowed. It wasn’t fair that they believed me simply because I was a woman or that they didn’t believe Captain Hummel simply because he was a man. I finished dressing and hurried, along with Clara, down to where we were all gathering.

Iona was there, speaking with Wolff, when we arrived. I didn’t stop to think about it. I was too afraid I would change my mind. I marched up to her and touched her shoulder. “I want to do the trial too,” I said, looking at her intently. She gaped at me and I nodded. “It’s not fair for you to force Captain Hummel to do this and take me at my word. If he has to do this, I will as well.”

Captain Hummel gave me a weak smile. “I can tell there’s no talking you out of it,” he said.

**

Comment, so I know you exist…

“Can you see what’s become of them?”

I took a steadying breath and closed my eyes. The other times I’d had a vision, something had brought them on. Now, though, I needed to have one to prove to her that I was telling the truth. I relaxed, and tried to remember how it felt to have a vision. Slowly, as if I were watching it through fog, a scene began to form in my mind.

Freja and Rowan were running through a forest. He had her by the arm, guiding her. “We’re in Olympia,” he said, panting. “We’re not far from Vidheim. We’ll be safe there. Please, trust me on that.”

“What other choice have I got than to trust you?” Freja asked.

He seemed to see something ahead of them. He gasped and swung Freja around, propelling her ahead of him and through a set of iron gates, as they closed. “Go,” he said, his voice faint. “Just continue on the path.”

“I’m not going to leave you!” Freja countered, tugging at the gate, trying to force it open. “We wouldn’t have escaped if not for you!”

“You’ve got to get help,” Rowan said, shaking his head vigorously. “Please, just hurry!”

Freja hesitated a moment longer; then she spun on her heel and hurried away down the path.

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