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it into the front of her blouse, right over her heart, for safe keeping. She told herself she wanted to keep the stones close at hand in case Candice needed them for some reason, but that was just a lie she chose to believe. The truth was, she felt that, at best, these stones may have been the last thing Edison had touched in this world, and at least, they were the last gift he wanted her to have. Either way, it made them special to her.
    She smoothed the front of her blouse and returned to the foyer. Daniel and Alme were already waiting beside the open front door. Daniel dashed down the elegant steps to open the car door for his mistress.
    “Where to, ma’am?” he asked.
    “The heart of Coal City, Daniel. I'll need to see Edison's attorney and then visit the bank. After that I have an appointment at the University.”
    Daniel made a quick, acknowledging nod and then closed the door.
    Chenda settled into her seat as the car steadily moved toward town. She worried about being swept up in a crush of onlookers as she had been the day before, but, she made all of her errands quickly and, to her relief, unnoticed.
    When she arrived at the campus of Kite's Republic University, she felt more at ease with her surroundings. Chenda was eager to hear any new developments the professor had made for their plan to go abroad. She quickly climbed the steps of the university science building, only to find Candice standing in the hallway, staring at her closed office door.
    “What are you doing out here?” asked Chenda. Without answering, Candice leaned forward and pushed open her office door. Chenda stepped as if to enter the room, but the professor caught her arm.
    “Smell that?” she asked. Chenda sniffed the air. It was subtle, like the smell of a bakery from across the street. There was just a hint of sticky sweetness in the air. Candice pulled the door closed.
    “Someone has been in my office, and they weren't snooping for a mid-term. That's the smell of Orellanine. It's a concentrated toxin, one that absorbs though the skin. A powerful poison, but a slow one. It takes about three weeks to kill you. I'm thinking there's nothing I need in my office today, not badly enough to die for it, anyhow. Shall we go?”
    Chenda turned her stunned eyes to her companion, “Why would someone poison your office?”
    Candice locked her door from the outside. “I think someone is trying to kill me, or maybe you. I'm not sure, but most likely it has something to do with your stones.” Candice snorted, “I mean, most of the faculty just leave nasty notes under the door when they have a problem, and the students generally don't go through all the effort to boil up an exotic toxin if you flunk 'em.”
    Chenda looked at her companion with wide eyes and said, “Someone tries to kill you and you tell jokes?”
    “They could be trying to kill you , don't forget. It's either laugh or cry about it, and I just don't have any tears in me today. We've got too much to do.” She turned and walked down the corridor waving for Chenda to follow.
    “Speaking of, we've got a meeting in a few minutes with the captain of the airship Brofman , Henrietta has found us our ship.”
     
    Daniel's eyes widened with surprise when the ladies directed him to their next destination, the seedy area known as Elly's Quay. Quickly remembering himself, and his position, he rearranged his features into dutiful neutrality. With his usual quickness and care, he drove Candice and Chenda to a grimy bar where proper ladies, in his opinion, ought not be.
    As he opened Chenda's door, he spoke to her in hushed tones. “With your permission, ma’am, I'd like to linger inside the door, rather that out here by the car.” It was more of a demand than a request. “It's a rough kind of place that your new friend is bringing you to, and I have my doubts...” his voice trailed off.
    Chenda made a tiny nod of her head. As she followed Candice through the door held open by Daniel, she