Spoiler space Vlad said Zerika has golden hair "and if I'd meant blonde, I would have said blonde". Paarfi says "Zithra" has blonde hair. This seemingly small detail has already led to a big argument this morning (hey, it still beats arguing over money or housework!) So I thought it might provoke some discussion here. Here's my thought (before he has a chance to get his opinion out): In the army, you can have brown, blonde, red, or black hair. Most hair is brown. People who claim to have blonde hair will often be listed as brown. Similarly, eyes are either blue or brown. Green eyes are blue, hazel eyes are brown. In other words, the army is not interested in nuances. And neither is Paarfi. Or, Paarfi said "blonde" in an attempt to disguise the fact that Zithra is Zerika, an attempt that did not fool me at all (although it fooled my husband, which is why this led to an argument, although if he'd just admit that I'm much smarter than he is, it wouldn't have :). Or possibly, Phoenix use sorcery to color their hair golden, and without sorcery they are merely blonde, which is a rare color anyway for Dragaeran hair except for those of the House of Phoenix. Rachel