Jeenare tend to age slower and live longer than we do, though they would stand no taller than the hips of an average upright human, and all their machinations would seem to be toys a third scale. If you were to suddenly become a person in their world and walk their streets, it would not be peculiar to come across an old lady who looks 70 in your eyes but who is, in fact, a chrone of over 200 years — with incessant wisdom to boot.

In this entry, Sonia is 12 years, but that is still not more than a third adolescent on Kaian.

Meanwhile, Aop’s birth ship encounters the danger of the Iyoiith’s powers and Ilon’s parents encounter the evil of bureaucracy. Who is in a worse position remains to be seen in next week’s entry …