A red scorpion crawled across the floor. Each of its eight legs grated against the planks. It skittered forward and, like flint striking steel, tiny sparks flew. It left a blazing trail behind, setting furniture and curtains on fire.

Snapping its claws, the scorpion approached the crib where a small girl with vanilla hair slept. Screams and coughing rang through the house as the creature scaled the leg of the crib.

“Leera!”

The roaring fire in the room danced in the scorpion’s tiny black eyes. It moved closer, raising its stinger.

“Leera, wake up!”

Leera awoke to Bryne shaking her. Groggily, she looked around. The lantern in the ceiling swayed peacefully and shed a trembling light over Andromeda’s cabin.

“You were screaming,” Bryne said and took a step back.

The dream was one she’d had many times before, but Aelar had always been there, killing the scorpion and lifting her out of the crib. Now he was nowhere to be seen. It was the first time he hadn’t been there to save her.

“Sorry,” Leera said, and put her hand on her damp forehead. “Bad dream.”

Ever since they left Oceanpeak two nights ago, the red scorpion had been creeping through Leera’s mind. She kept seeing the candle room and the cloaked man with the same tattoo as Bryne and Maya.

“Can I see your arm?”

Bryne nodded with a smug smile on his face. He flexed his bicep. Leera rolled her eyes.

“I meant the tattoo – the scorpion!”

Bryne sat down and placed his arm in her lap. Leera ran her fingers over the red ink. “Who else has these?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maya told me it was the mark of the Re’dorai.”

“She did, did she?” Bryne grinned. “Well yeah, there were originally twelve of us. Now it’s only me and Maya left.”

“What happened to the others?”

“Ah, you know, what eventually always happens when you have a group of professional blades working together… greed, betrayal, and swift death.”

“The night when the crypt stalker came…” Leera said and propped herself up on the pillow. “I saw a man in a room full of candles… I think he was controlling it… he had the red scorpion on his arm. Was there anyone like that?”

Bryne’s grin seemed to melt off his face. He shook his head.

“Tell me!” Leera said.

“There’s nothing to tell; the man is dead.”

“So there was someone like that?”

“Yeah, Ryze… a mundane who turned to ancient arcana for power – he was a really bad apple – Maya killed him when he started going after children. That was our one rule.”

Leera had heard stories about the sorcerers of the old days who drew their power from symbols and idols, instead of the elements. Just like the dragons, Leera had always thought they were a myth.

“So, he’s dead. You’re certain?”

Bryne nodded and went back to his cot. “Get some sleep.”

Soon, Leera heard him snoring, but she didn’t feel tired anymore. She stared at the wooden ceiling for a while, then rolled out of bed and headed outside. The stars glittered like snowflakes against the night sky, and the wind blew softly over the deck.

“Quite the night,” Quick said and took a sip from his teacup. “They say that the stars above Ignis shine the brightest.”

“Ignis?”

“We’ll cross a lot of borders soon. The Skein is where all the nations meet – it is a four-way passage through the mountains, and as such, one of the most sought-after strategical points in all of Fawe. The Temple of Minah is a safe haven on that battlefield.”

“Why did we take Andromeda then – surely it would’ve been easier to sneak in without it?” Leera said.

“Oh, deary me, I almost forgot! There’s a gift for you in the cargo hold.”

Leera padded over to the hatch and pulled it open. Nine square-shaped haversacks filled the small compartment. Her eyes lit up.

“I went on a little trip while you were seeing your brother. Those are the ninety tablets."

Smiling, Leera eagerly opened the first one and pulled out a random tablet. It shone bright golden in the moonlight. She had longed to feel the material between her palms and in her mind. A complex pattern of tiny bright marbles winded around itself, twisting into an endless row of face-centered cubes. The surface was smooth with the exception of a few imprints, which were so small that she only noticed them because of the irregularity in the crystal-like structure.

“Minah,” she read out loud. “Uruna, Darius, Vadic…”

Leera continued down the long list of names. They felt familiar as they rolled over her tongue, almost as if they were distant relatives that she had forgotten about. When she came to the last name, she gasped and pulled her hand back. She glanced at the big man who was leaning against the rudder, gazing up at the stars.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was a long time ago,” he said and ran a hand through his beard.

She took a big breath and read the last name. “Quick.”

“A long, long time ago...” he muttered, “…in another life, entirely.”

“You’re an Iso-bender too!”

“Not anymore.” Quick shook his head and sipped his tea. “That’s why we’re taking the ship – the last of my powers are now yours. I hope they’ll serve you better than they did me.”

Carefully, Leera put the tablet back and hugged him. She could only imagine what it must be like, losing your powers.

“It's not a burden; it's a relief,” Quick whispered as if reading her mind. “My time is over now, and yours is beginning… the world needs your heart, Leera Eirey.”

Far below, battle cries and the clanking noise of steel meeting steel echoed through the night.