He was making the choice too easy. Henry couldn’t help but feel as if he were walking into a trap. “Yes,” he finally admitted.

“Good! I would hate to be traveling with companions who had no common sense.” Coralis reached into his robe and took out a packet of M&M’s, offering some to Henry and his sister. “It’s good to be afraid. Fear will sharpen our senses, but we cannot allow it to cloud our judgment.”

“Is that some kind of riddle?” Brianna asked, annoyed.

“No, not a riddle. I only mean that fear can be a good thing in situations like this, but only if we use it to focus on the task at hand. If we allow fear to overwhelm us, it will give the advantage to our enemy because our decisions will become irrational. If we understand our fear, we can control it.” He hesitated for a moment. “I have never entered a battle without being afraid. And I almost always won.”

“What?!” Brianna squeaked loudly. “Almost always? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Shush!” Henry warned.

“No! No shushing. He’s saying we could lose this battle. He’s saying we could die!”

“What I’m saying is that if we all keep our wits about us, we have a much better chance of winning. Have you ever played sports, Henry?”

The two moaned as if in pain. “Please don’t tell us we need Henry’s baseball skills to win.” Brianna buried her face in her paws.

“Hmmm … perhaps that’s a bad example.” Coralis thought for a minute. “Have you ever been bullied?”

Brianna groaned again. “Just kill me now.”

Henry glared at Coralis. If he was trying to make him feel bad, he was doing a good job of it. “Of course I’ve been bullied! Look at me. I’m a nerd, Coralis! It’s not cool to be a nerd!”

“Nerd?” Coralis said calmly. “Because you apply your brain over brawn? Because you choose to seek education and information over athletics and video games? Nonsense. Do you think the star quarterback can save the world by pitching a no-hitter?” Henry started to correct him but saw the old man smile. “I was never very good at sports trivia. But I am very good at spotting character, potential, and intelligence. These are the things that make a winner. These are the things that have helped mankind to survive. And these,” he said directly to Henry, “are the things that you possess in abundance. Be afraid, Henry. But always be in control.”

The train began braking as it approached the Winslow station. They all turned their attention to the window, each immersed in their own private thoughts about what awaited them.

“We will win this battle, children.”

Henry thought of a phrase he had heard somewhere. They won the battle but lost the war. What was Coralis not telling them?