Dear Meri,
Oh! I get to be a POV character this time! Cool! I hope Gilly doesn't mind that you moved her plot into a later book, but... umm... this series is really supposed to be mine and you kind of had it planned so I wasn't a POV character in book two or three. I guess me and Blade can play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who gets the third POV slot in book three since you only ever have three POV characters per book and the other two are already assigned. I think I might throw the game so she gets it- you have big plans for her in that book and I'm a pushover for someone I love. Besides, she always plays Scissors. It's not like throwing it in her favor will be hard. Just don't let on that I did it, okay? She'd cross her arms and glare at me and I hate when she does that.

I have a big question for you. How are you planning on having me develop as a person when you keep making me the damsel in distress? I spend more time unconscious, kidnapped, injured, and targeted than everyone else combined (excepting maybe Sol) and this is only book two in a series of more! I spent all of book one in some amount of pain or disorientation from my map, then spent the final battle with a sprained ankle. If it wasn't for Etch- and Sol's weird vacuum thing- the others would have had to rescue me at the end. (As it is, Etri technically did, but we worked together so that's okay.) I snuck a peek at your outline for this draft of book two and things aren't looking better. My first chapter starts with a flashback where Feren saves me from a rockfall. Then I'll get poisoned. Then Etri has to rescue me in a dashing feat of courage and gallantry. (Umm... I'm actually really flattered by that. It sounds romantic! Too bad I'm going to be unconscious for most of it.) Then Blythe has to de-poison me. Then I'm too oblivious to see that my ex-would-be-Sentinel is trying to get back with me and then back at me. Then my disguise gets blown and it ends up being everyone else who has a hand in bringing the bad guy to justice. Ick.

As Blade says: newsflash. (Wait, does that expression even work in our culture?) Just because I'm an artist doesn't mean I can't sometimes take care of myself. I know I don't have the smarts or the intuition of a Sentinel, but that doesn't mean I can't have good ideas, too. I mean, look at how well Etch and I did in solving book one's problem! Let me contribute something this time around. I'm the only artist who ends up with two Sentinels. Please make this be for reasons outside my control instead of because I'm so weak that the test goes against centuries of tradition to throw me a bone. Drop me into trouble where I need Blade and Etch- but keep me active rather than passive in solving the trouble. Don't get me wrong, I can still swoon over their protective traits. But... I'm a master artist, I have my own surname, and I found my two muses. These things mark me as a full, respected adult in my culture. I can do illusions that other Colorweavers have long forgotten, if only you'll let me practice more. I even have an imp's ability to steal the power of other Weavers. Not that I ever wanted this one, but I will work out how to control it so it doesn't control me. If I need help to figure it out, that's okay. I just don't want to be passive anymore. Let me be strong for Etch and Blade. For myself.

-Adair Travellarri

PS: Umm... you really need to update my name banner thing since at the end of book one I get my new surname. While you're at it, you should update Etri's. Blade hasn't decide what name she's going to go by yet. And for the Creators' sakes, can you figure out if Sentinel gets capitalized or not? It really shouldn't, unless it's being used as their title before their names. Other words with the same problem: master, docent, journeyman, and curator. Just thought I'd help by giving a list.