"That sounds like him," Tahiri said, her brow furrowing in affectionate resignation. "I wish I had a more definite answer, but right now that's the best I can do."

She glanced out toward the waves and dug her toes into the sand, then looked back at Ender. "I wish I could point to an exact moment where everything took that one turn if it's happened yet, or guess at when exactly it will, but I'm afraid there are Jedi far more skilled than I who couldn't pinpoint it either."

She couldn't help wondering, too, how things might have changed if Anakin had survived . . . but the thought was brief, and she could actually file it away without lingering over it. "It would be easier for him if we could just draw a line somewhere, and say 'this is when it all went wrong.' I wish it was that easy."