Stride Emberlas shivered in the early light of dawn. Dew clung to the trees, glinting in the light from the sun as it rose over the country of Riverquois. The land skipper rested on a low platform, gleaming from the recent polish it had been given.

Stride glanced at the others. Ferras Lixem, no, Ferras Irek, stood nearby with his trainer, Skyanni, shooting guarded looks at Kena Cheyin, who stood off by herself, deep in thought. Sprinter and Lucks glanced around, determined expressions on their faces. Faloth Arar spoke quietly in Elfish with Lerolis Kanien. Cisco Hokun stood with Agris, a Tanishe Etchao Triguar, talking in Triese. Gillan Avelas, king of Riverquois, talked with his daughter, Renée.

A team of beings was preparing to journey to the other countries on the planet Halan, to get them to ally with Riverquois against Roquar, a hostile country that bordered Riverquois. Stride, Faloth, Cisco, Agris, and Renée made up the team.

Gillan moved toward the rest of the group. "All of you pay attention," he said. "At Haland, you must convince Ruler Rich Olnick to join with us in alliance. At Kadaco, you must meet with all the tribes of Triguars, which are the Irodians, the Alquoi, the Hurquians, and the Indrons. Then, at Riko, King Emeric Meten you must sway to our side. And at Senol, talk Duke Sach Selo, Commander Pravca Kon, and Instructor Anskar Bori into fighting against Roquar. I have already contacted Ruler Olnick and Duke Selo. They are prepared to meet you. The others you will have to speak to about an audience."

Everyone nodded. Skyanni stepped forward. "Agris, Lerolis has given me data that you might need. There has been communication between Angara, Roquar, and Rikem, as well as with the Aro Kwaik. Zana's mysterious enforcer, Zander, has carried messages to and from those two countries."

Agris' eyes widened. "That is important for the Triguars to know."

Gillan gestured to the skipper. "Go. You are free; remain so." Agris, Cisco, and Renée repeated the farewell in Triese. Gillan embraced Renée quickly.

"Agris!" Skyanni called suddenly. "You don't have an ID card!"

Agris turned. "I do not need one," she growled.

Gillan was already shaking his head. "You will need one, Agris. I'm sorry, but it is necessary. Renée, forge and hack one in for her. You can do it going to Haland. Faloth will need one, too."

Renée nodded. "All right, Dad. I'll hack them in."

Cisco, Agris, Faloth, Stride, and Renée entered the land skipper. But Gillan called Stride back. "Stride, come here."

Stride hurried up to Gillan. "What is it, sir?"

Gillan handed him a small Triese leather pouch. It was made from the famous Triese patch fabric that shifted colors to blend in with its surroundings. "This holds your new ID card. Do not use it until you absolutely have to. Do not even look at it until you need to use it."

"Shouldn't I know who I am required to be?" Stride asked him, surprised.

Gillan shook his head. "This should come as second nature."

Stride looked at him strangely. "Any reason why I shouldn't look at it?"

Gillan glared at him. "You'll see. And Stride, don't question the name that I have assigned to you. Not ever. Not in front of everyone else. And you are to act human whenever you meet with the rulers. Play the part I have given you as your new ID. Don't ever question it."

Stride nodded at the strange request. "Yes, sir." He turned and entered the skipper, wondering if he even would have to use the ID.

The plan was for Renée and Cisco to be the ambassadors. No mention would be made of Ferras unless absolutely necessary. Even though their worst enemy, Zana, knew about him, Gillan and Skyanni thought it best before they spread the word about Ferras being alive. Stride, Agris, and Faloth were the guards. All five of them would work together to accomplish the task Gillan had given them.

The land skipper they would use for the trip was sleek, fully ready for the journey. It was an express skipper, meaning it was faster than regular ones, stocked with supplies. And Cisco was piloting it.

Cisco lifted the skipper up off of the platform, shooting into the sky. Stride gazed out of the dark tinted panel window that ringed the main space of the skipper, watching Rivar, the capital city, drop away beneath them as Cisco expertly guided the vessel through the sky.

Stride watched the land pass away beneath him, and noticed Renée Avelas doing the same.

Stride looked at Renée. She surely was beautiful, her long wavy black hair braided up into a bun on top of her head. Her light blue eyes sparkled. Renée smiled slightly, and Stride knew that his feelings for her had grown. Despite not knowing her well, he knew he had feelings for her.

He stepped over to her. "Renée," he called softly.

Renee turned toward him with a smile. "Oh," she said. "Yes, Stride?"

Stride hesitated. As he struggled for something to say he seized on the first thing that came to mind. "You are an Irodian?"

Renée laughed. "You might say that, seeing as my father's one. Anyway, I speak the language and practice their reasonable customs." She laughed again. "My mother was human, however. So I'm both, I guess."

"How old were you when your mother died?" Stride asked.

Renée was silent for a moment. "Four," she said softly. "I don't remember much about her, and it hurts my father to speak about it, so he doesn't. We are estranged from my mother's family, so nobody else talks about her, either."

"I'm sorry," Stride sympathized. He didn't remember anything about his own mother because all of his childhood memories had been wiped away by a deadly fever he had had as a kid. Quinon, his father, never talked about her. The one time Stride had asked, Quinon had just looked at him with a neutral expression.

"Steyon, there's nothing about her that you need to know. If there was, trust me, I'd tell you."

The only thing close to information was the small portrait of a beautiful, Elfish woman Stride had found in a desk drawer. The woman had long, elegantly braided blonde hair, haughty features, and confident green eyes. The one time Quinon had seen Stride looking at the portrait, he had ordered him never to view it again.

"Is that Mother?" Stride had asked.

Quinon had frowned, a faraway look in his eyes. "I wish she was, Steyon. I wish she was."

Renée closed her eyes. "I don't know why he can't tell me just a little."

"Why don't you ask?"

"I have been," Renée snapped. "All he says is that they fell in love, got married, and had me. Then she died. The same story, over and over again. I remember her dying. It was because of Zana, and the bombing that she died. She got injured in the bombing and died several days later."

There was silence for a moment as Stride looked for something to change the subject. "Does your father practice all the customs?" Stride asked curiously.

Renée inclined her head. "Most of them. The agreeable customs. Some, like killing all trespassers, is not a good custom, so of course he doesn't practice that. But he respects loyalty and courage, same as his people, and he is very stern. Very...impatient, even. He definitely doesn't put things off."

"Do you like being Irodian?"

"Yes, but I think I'd prefer to be human. Irodians shun emotions, like all Triguars, which makes it very hard to relate to them. You know, like Agris."

Stride recalled Agris' regular facial expression. Hers was either expressionless, or fierce. Same with Gillan's. Cisco could be gentle, but he was usually suspicious or angry. "They seem – angry."

Renée nodded. "Yes, anger, or fierceness, is an emotion they like. Also determination is allowed. Satisfaction is permitted, as long as you show it by a slight smile or a twinkle of your eye, not by jumping up and down and bragging. That is undignified."

Stride smiled. "Iroso Kunoi of the Irodians said something like that to a Triguar when we were at their village. Is your father like Agris?"

Renée thought for a moment. "He can be. Of course, he's still human, but –"

"– when you live that way for a long time, habits become traits," Stride finished softly. "Like Cisco."

Renée frowned. "Like Cisco?"

"Cisco is very suspicious," Stride recalled. "Angry, even."

Renée looked at Stride darkly. "Cisco has had...a hard life."

"What's the story?" Stride asked. "How'd he end up with the Triguars?"

Renée hesitated before apparently deciding to tell him the story. "There are, or were, three heirs. The children of Saurec. Cisco is one of them, the eldest of the three. While in Haland with his family, he escaped from Inu with his little brother, Celac. Their light lupis was shot close to the border of Haland and Kadaco, and Celac was thrown off. Cisco couldn't stop the lupis, which ran until it was completely shot down in Kadaco."

The name Celac seemed to ring a bell deep within Stride's memories, but he couldn't place it. "How old was he?"

"Seven, I think." Renée shrugged. "Anyway, Cisco never saw Celac again. Cisco was found by a shadowy figure who led him to the Irodians, and he was adopted by Rol Siva, a healer. Cisco learned their language and customs, training with the other Irodian cubs. He has a Triguar sister, Matil, and Agris is his cousin."

Stride nodded. "I knew that part. But didn't you say there were three heirs? What happened to the third?"

Renée winced. "The youngest of the three, the Princess Lucksemeya, was killed by Saurec shortly after Cisco and Celac had run away. Saurec had found out that his wife, Ella, had given Lucksemeya to another family residing in the Rivakiam, to hide her from him. King Saurec is often known as the Insane, mostly because he was, and that is why Ella sent Cisco and Celac away. Well, Saurec murdered Ella, and then murdered the Lumin family, who had taken Lucksemeya in. Their house was lit on fire one night, and the couple perished in the flames with Lucksemeya and their two children, Miken and Jeuli. The entire village was burned to the ground. The princess is dead, no doubt about that. But Celac might still be alive." Renee sighed. "Cisco has had a hard life, and he had the chance to claim the throne until Ferras was revealed to be the true heir."