Sam stared down at her sneakers, comparing the left to the right. Look how dirty they were. No one would guess they were only two weeks old. The thick laces, once white, were now gray and limp. Grass stains, dirt, and sticky patches of sap covered the faded black leather. A bike tire print showed clearly across the top of the right shoe.
    Sam looked up at Miss Aluvere and smiled.
    “Why no, I didn’t have anything...

Prologue
    Rain fell lightly that evening, the crystals shattering on the earth. Raffin stood beneath the downpour, watching the foggy horizon - or rather, where the horizon would be if there was no fog. The drops occasionally broke on his head, his shoulders, and the tiny shards slipped from his cloak to shatter again on the hard stone of the mountain pass. More cold, wet fog rose up from the broken rain as the crystals vaporized and returned to...