Daja frowned. "But there has always been magic," she said, perplexed by the very idea. "And before humans, there were the gods."

She looked at Howard, considering. In theory, Howard's attitude was entirely sensible. But form all her experience with Howard, Daja had the sinking feeling that the young man tended to take this attitude too far. "Having plans for basic contingencies is certainly a good idea. But there comes a point where planning becomes...well, too much."