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"You mean he could kill you"

"No, he probably couldn’t But I wouldn’t like as left of me, in the end, if I won" She said it withoutto be afraid of "It’s better if you do it, anyway Humans You don’t have the same vulnerabilities that we do"

It was very odd to hear a Djinn talk about huhtly less useful than a soiled tissue

Of course, she ruined it by adding, "And you’re much more easily replaced" Lovely "Does he have any vulnerabilities?"

"Of course He can still die," she said "He can still feel pain Part of him is still hus the way humans do The way you do" I felt the ship’s speed lurch, accelerating Some of the ship’s staff looked startled

That wasn’t standard procedure, obviously

"I sped us up," Venna said "We were ain It would be inconvenient"

Maybe, but now I could feel the thudding i had increased to a definiteA ship this large dah, at unnatural speed, ere going to be in for a rough ride

I glanced at Brett, as already looking distinctly uncoet the ship’s stores to break out the giant econo else?"

"Yeah Bad Bob was a Weather Warden, when he still had just his regular set of powers

Fire est weakness You get your guys ready I want original ideas, so he can’t anticipate or plan for" I chewed my lip for a second "And whatever your plans are - don’t tell me about them I’d rather you keep it in your teaht of that, Brett nodded and leftloaded into body bags, then trundled away on gurneys

I looked at the faces of the survivors Alathered now, except those with specific duties related to the voyage or standing lookout up on the aetheric, and they all had a si thes

I stood up and walked to the stage I didn’t go up, just stood in front of where theVenna turned in her seat to watch me, and all the Wardens did as well

"Okay," I said, "I’h, and today we got clear evidence of that We made a mistake, and it cost lives, but those lives were not wasted It’s the duty of Wardens to give their lives in the protection of others It’s part of the oath we all took e signed on to this job" I paused and s we didn’t know before, and couldn’t knoithout triggering that trap It sucks, yes, but our enele one of us Every Warden and every Djinn Once we’re gone, there’s nothing standing between theone, they’ll strip this planet clean of every single thing with a connection to the aetheric - every animal, plant, insect, and bacteriuet, and then they’ll leave It’s what they do"

The only sound in the theater was that of body bags being quietly zipped behind me

"The Wardens were formed to save people," I said "For thousands of years, we’ve tried our best to do that Sometimes we’ve been better at it than others Soht sucked, like lately But we can save people We have to We’re Wardens, and we cannot give up Ever Agreed?"

A few of thereement, but at least it was a start "So what now?" asked one of the Earth Wardens, holding the hand of a still-tre and shell-shocked Weather Warden survivor

"Noe get ready to kill us a Deood ideas, start talking"

Sometiry, and so tired I was likely to doze off even if Bad Bob hio Food wasn’t an issue; the ship’s staff brought us buffets,in silver trays, sliced cheeses and elaborate desserts I guessed ere getting first-class treatot a turkey sandwich into rabbed a ship’s map and tried to find inally successful Hallere clearly labeled, but faded into one another with dizzying regularity Add in the other decks, and I could see that I’d be getting lost for so I really couldn’t afford You never knohen you et so my map led me down a maze of corridors, mostly deserted whole decks were empty and lifeless now So, and I found myself in an area that didn’t

A housekeeper was just co out of one of the cabins, and I tapped her on the shoulder

She turned, s woman with black hair pulled back in a sleek, lacquered bun, and warraceful I could see her as a dancer, so as a maid

"Miss?" she asked "Can I be of assistance?" She spoke excellent English, though I could tell it wasn’t her ue

I held out my hand "My nauests

You’re on staff, right?"

She looked at ers to shake

"Hello, Miss Baldwin But I’m not staff I’m crew"

"There’s a difference? Call me Joanne"

"We’re not allowed to use the first nauests, uest relations areas I’m a cabin stewardess We’re crew, not staff" She read the expression on imented, miss We all know our duties and where we fit"

"Trustto be shredded on this trip So I’m Joanne, and you are ?"