The moon hung full and bright above the power lines, and there were moths flitting around the fire pit now, as Abi took a drag. "Minnie pry coulda got let into Enodia," she said, "--she's got some magic that they'd find useful--but she stayed behind, since she wasn't really in much danger, y'know. Gave up her spot for someone else. She made a big show of it," she added with a shrug, "but I know she was pretty disappointed."

Hawk watched her blow a smoke ring, and then a plume through that. "Wull so why couldn't Teige stay?" he asked. "Ain't joinin' the Order a good reason to get let in?"

Abi offered the joint to Felix, who waved it off. "Order's full," he said. "There's a strict cap on its size. It's some Aetherian political thing. You can sign up for R.I.T. though, but you have to go live in Aetheri to do that."

Hawk looked at him, puzzled, as he picked up his glass.

"R.I.T. stands for..." Felix looked at Aram, who shrugged, as Abi leaned over to pass the joint to Kim. "...something in Aetherian. It'd be a kind of interworld version of the Order. Cynn Numair's trying to get other countries in on it. For some reason this'd get around the Order's cap of 500."

Hawk nearly inhaled a mouthful of beer. Wiping his chin, he managed, "Did you say five hundred?? That's it??"

"Yeah, dude," Abi told him. "That's why it's so crazy that you're here. You're one lucky son of a bitch."

"Christ," Hawk muttered. "I guess I am."