A flight without stops all the way from Tiaesun to Danalee was a lot to expect from Rocs, but both Mage Saburo and Mage Alber insisted that their birds could do it. Neither one would have admitted to basing their assessment on their pride in their birds, because pride was an emotion they would not admit to, but Alain had reassured Mari that if the Rocs faltered the Mages would admit to error and bring them to ground short of Danalee.

Looking over to the side, Mari saw the other Roc with Alain lying on its back. Alain looked back at her and raised one arm, waving in a pattern she recognized. The unseen drone of the Urth people was still following them, pacing the Rocs somewhere behind. Mari bit down a curse of disappointment. She had been hoping that the Rocs would be something the Urth people couldn't match, a means to counter the Urth ship without directly confronting them.

She lay there, suspended between the world below and the stars above, but her thoughts kept going to somewhere ahead of her, to wherever Kira was now. The daughter was the most powerful person in the world, but even the daughter could do nothing but hope that her own daughter was all right, was using every skill and trick taught her, and above all was trusting in herself enough to make the right decisions. It had been painful seeing how little Kira thought of herself, a problem that had gotten worse in recent years, but no matter what Mari and Alain tried Kira continued to measure herself against some impossible standard that she thought represented her mother's abilities.

And her mother, all too human and all too aware of her own failings, had found the words that might explain remained locked inside of her. Unable to do more, she could only hope that Kira would finally believe in her own competence and inner strength. If that inner strength really was there, if Kira didn't bear some internal flaw that would cause her to crack under pressure. .Mari believed in her daughter, but she knew that no one could be sure of the strength of their own inner self until tested. She had hoped that Kira would never have to face such a test, but fate had had other plans.

After an all-night flight, the morning was well along by the time Danalee came into view. The two Rocs winged their way over the city before beginning a spiraling descent toward an open square inside Danalee, not far from where Alli and Calu lived and worked

As Hunter came to a halt and settled down, Mari slid off the Roc, feeling gratitude that her feet were resting on solid ground again.

"Elder," Mage Saburo said, "this one has learned."

Mages volunteering information was unusual, even Mages as familiar to Mari as Saburo. "What is it?"