"Even though I was certain she was sleeping Masha comments, "Ben is fighting a guerilla war and wants to intimidate the Special Forces and send a mess...ge to Mike."Someone else in the tent asks, "Do you think he will come and release us?"I answer, "While I would like to believe that he would, my guess is that we're being used as bait and he won't fall for the trap unless he can distract most of the greenies."Linus looks around and says...Present – Linus – In prison at the cabin.I notice most of. Behind were the rolling hills and plains at the Northern reaches of the Hai Lei, and ahead was only rock and sky. All around were gigantic boulders covered in mosses and proud evergreens that jutted their boughs up to the heavens. Already, they had climbed higher than airships are able to fly; high enough that the frozen soil seemed always to be dusted with frost even in the beginnings of summer.The newly appointed senator and his family had been amused upon first entering the Hai Mahlner to. Talk to your old clueless dad who loves you."Then I waited. I'd learned over the years that Tina could never stand the silence.She just looked out the window, not moving, and suddenly I saw tears on her cheeks. Without turning her head she said, "daddy, mom's cheating on you." What?!" I was on the verge of yelling at her that it was ridiculous, it was insane, was she crazy? Instead I held back. I bit my tongue and I waited. And she told me the whole story. Coming home early, what she'd heard. Her breasts seemed like two ripe mangos. The only make up she seemed to have was her bundled up tresses that reached to her knees when she loosened her tresses, which she adorned with a flower. She had two earrings and both her hands were full of coloured class bangles. On her ankles were two silver anklets that jingled as she walked. On her forehead she always wore a large vermilion bindi. The evening shadows were growing long and the chill had intensified. Sulochana who till then was missing,.