Consider that Logan is to Hilam as Han Solo is to Jabba the Hutt. Logan is effective and honest enough with Hilam. Eliminating him, even for a hunk of pure tralaticon, would be bad for business and word would get around that Hilam was not the man to deal with concerning big scores. It pays to have a reputation as a businessman and not a pure gangster. Hilam is rational, if violent and self-serving. Plus, the larger his network of effective people, the safer and richer he is. Maybe. Logan also finds out that getting what he wants is not all it seems. Having the tralaticon is extremely dangerous and puts him in over his head when it comes to the players involved. Perhaps Logan can trust him a little because Hilam sees this as his chance to advance in the mafia. Maybe Logan and Hilam have a past- Hilam owes Logan for something. Getting him out of a jam.
In the Prove Yourself scene from Clarissa's book, she steals Hilam's reading glasses. When Logan meets with Hilam at some point, have him pat his jacket looking for his glasses. Or have this happen during some other meeting. The point is, he can't find his glasses and this will connect the two stories in space.
Compare and contrast Logan and Clarissa's initiation. Clarissa's is one dimensional (one elemental, so to speak) and in Logan's there is a stress on all elements being needed (aside from Fire, which the participants provide from within themselves). Interesting, what sacrifice is required to become a shaman? What to whom must they sacrifice in return for knowledge, power, and responsibility?
How do the Ergon know something is wrong, but do not know exactly what is going to happen? Their rituals start to be more deadly, element energy, which was always to be treated with respect, but was predictable in its flow, but now it is erratic. Some shamanic rituals that were sure now fail and others kill the shaman via element burnout. This is a recent phenmonena and they believe the Conduit Plants are causing this, giving the reason for their step up in attacks.
Have them mention the Servants of the Pool, not by name, but that they've had a couple scouts return with their element makeup absolutely wrecked by a mass infusion of water element- they have never seen anything like it. The shamans cleanse and rebalance them as best they can, but their minds are destroyed and they are invalids afterwards. The only thing the poor scouts have in common is they did recon under the mountain and not overland.
Spirit World: you can travel in the spirit world like the material world. There are ways to travel faster in both (Earthwalk, Windwalk, and Waterwalk in the Material World and Spirit Walk in the Spirit World), but they are advanced techniques that were lost.