The trial was held in the only large area in the vicinity large enough to house the crowd that had begun to gather the night before to ensure themselves a seat.Ellis had been feeling awful since waking up and finding out people had come to see rebels being punished. The thought made her stomach churn with disgust.“You look like shit,” Laurel whispered.“Thanks,” Ellis responded sourly, pulling on the most formal clothes she could find. Ellis’s tunic was too big, but at least they were warm and clean. She could ask for nothing else at that point.The tunic Ellis donned was dark brown, made out of a soft, velvety material. It was beautiful, but the dark color accentuated Ellis's pallor. She should have worn the pink, but it had seemed too lighthearted a color for attending a potentially deadly trial.Before they left, Logan tried to coax Ellis to eat. He brought her a light soup from the kitchens to sip and Ellis manag

As they were leaving, they had been approached by a small contingent of Koln groups, carrying a small stone block between them. It had been carved, they explained, by a Koln who had once belonged to a stonemason, and on it, he had inscribed the names of the soldiers who had been killed in the attack. He had left a blank space in the center for more names to be added in the future, and from the tone in which they explained this, they seemed to expect that the names it would bear would be their own, but they seemed oddly proud of that fact.“I have an idea for what should go in the center,” Ellis said.If Mitch had thought that attacking the Koln shelter and training camp would deter any others from joining, he had been grossly wrong. Kolns from all over the galaxy were pouring in and there were a few protests from Zothean citizens, but their help was sorely needed. Zothea got a close-up look at what the Kolns were capable of and it shattered the stereotype t

Ellis was seated at the office desk, grinding her way through the tedious paperwork that had backed up since the attack. Logan came in, his tail swaying playfully behind his head.“Family time!” he said. He beckoned her to rise and swept her up into his arms. He ticked her nose with the tip of his tail just to hear her giggle and then started down the hall.This was part of Logan's continuing efforts at "family time". He insisted they take frequent breaks throughout the day to play with the babies or just spend a little while cuddling together in their nest. She knew what he was doing. Part of it was that she needed the rest but wouldn't stop working simply for herself; if he posed it in terms of her family needing her presence, she couldn't say no. And the other part was that he was building memories ... just in case.The subject lingered in the back of their minds, shadowing every conversation, lending a desperate edge to every embrace. But they ne

“Ellis!” Logan shouted. “Come quickly!”Ellis was in the bathroom. She hurriedly finished and rushed out into the nest. “What is it? What’s wrong?”“Nothing. I don’t want you to miss this.” He stood and walked a few feet away from where Little Isabella was sitting on the floor.“Come to Daddy,” he said, crouching down and opening his arms. Lil Izzy pushed herself to her feet, using her tail for balance, and took a few wobbly steps forward before losing her balance and falling back onto her behind.Athena watched this turn of events with interest.Lil Izzy hauled herself upright and this time reached Logan, who swooped her up and planted kisses on her plump little cheeks.Ellis joined Logan and Izzy in their hug. Athena apparently felt left out and nonchalantly hauled herself to her feet and trotted over to them. Ellis squealed and picked them up, smothering her with kiss

“What happened?” he demanded.“A bomb. Likely a delivery this morning. Repeat what you told me,” Dorian ordered.“A package. A man brought it to the door right after breakfast. I didn’t think anything of it and left it on the table by the front door. I am so sorry!” He was terrified that the blame would fall on him.Logan placed his hand on the Koln’s shoulder. “To whom was it addressed? Don’t be scared and tell me.”The Koln’s voice was small. “The Empress.”If Ellis had opened it…“Describe the man who brought it.”“Scarred. Badly scared like he had been burned. Dark hair and average height. I don’t remember anything else.”- - - - -A few hours later, Logan returned to the temple's secret basement room and found Nin demonstrating to Ellis how to operate her staff, where to twist it in order to make