The Gates of Night

CHAPTER 24

The great hall of Dusk was an imposing sight. Pillars of green marble rose up on each side, wrapped in delicate ivy strands formed from pure gold. Narrow streams flowed along both sides of the hallway, and the air resounded with the sounds of water and spectral music. Cricket fiddlers played in the shadows, and tiny men with butterfly wings played flutes and pipes from high in the air. The arched ceiling was painted with the image of the rosy sky of Dusk, and while it was static, it glowed with an inner light.

Pierce had rarely seen such spectacle. He had spent his life on the battlefield, with little time in the towers of lords or dragonmarked barons. Despite his best efforts, he still had trouble seeing the purpose in such things as golden ivy or painted walls. Many said that the warforged lacked the ability to appreciate art, but it wasn’t so simple. For Pierce, there was beauty in function. A well-made bow, a sturdy shield; these things inspired awe and respect in Pierce. The purpose of a building was to provide shelter and defense. The extravagant decorations were unnecessary.

They passed through a feasting hall with a table long enough to seat a hundred. It seemed their hostess intended a more personal experience, for the immense table was bare. They entered a far smaller chamber. An oval table dominated the center of the room, laid out with crystal goblets and large plates hidden beneath silver covers. A vast chandelier hung over the table, or so it seemed at first. As they approached the table, Pierce saw that it was a complex array of hundreds of points of light, suspended in the air with no visible means of support. The lights reflecting in the dark surface of the polished ebony table created the illusion of a starry sky.

“Please be seated!” Kin cried.

Xu’sasar sat next to Daine, while Lei chose the seat across from him. Pierce stood behind Lei and folded his arms.

“Master Pierce, do sit down!” Kin said. The fey courtier pointed to the place next to Lei, and Pierce realized that the chair was considerably larger than the others around the table-as if it had been specially prepared for someone of his height and mass.

“I do not eat or drink,” he said. “And my limbs do not tire.”

“Perhaps you’ve never eaten in the past,” Kin said, “but you would be wise to try our fare. And it would be an insult to her majesty if you were to stand at her table. Please indulge me.”

“Come, Pierce,” Lei said, pushing out the chair. “You don’t want to make a bad impression.”

“As you wish, my lady.” Pierce settled into the proffered seat. As he had thought, it seemed to be the perfect size. He found himself wondering about Kin’s words. Try our fare? Pierce didn’t have a stomach. He couldn’t consume food if he wanted to.

“Please, help yourselves to food and drink,” Kin said. “I give you my promise that neither will harm you in any way. My mistress only wishes to strengthen you for the journey that lies ahead.”

“Lei?” Daine said.

Pierce could sense discomfort in the interactions between these two. Lei had not met Daine’s eyes since they had emerged from the bathhouse. There was anger in her, but there were still many conflicting emotions, things she was holding in. For now she studied Kin, weighing his words. “I believe him,” she said at last. “Go ahead and eat.”

Daine uncovered his plate. “Is this gorgon?” he said in surprise. “I haven’t had this since I was nine years old! And this sauce-red wine and selas. This was my grandfather’s favorite dish.”

Lei filled her glass from the flagon by her plate, and blinked at the rising steam. “Blackroot tal,” she said. “With honey already mixed in.” She uncovered her plate and her eyes widened at the spread of meats and vegetables revealed beneath it.

None of this is what it seems, Shira informed Pierce. There is no danger, she added, before he could shape the question. This food and drink is formed of pure magical energy, and it will strengthen body and mind of the creature that consumes it. You should be able to eat such matter. It will be absorbed into the web of energy that gives you life.

Very well, Pierce thought. After years of watching others eat, he felt a certain level of excitement at the concept of eating his first meal. He removed the silver cover. The deep plate below was filled with a colorless paste. If there was an odor, it was too subtle for his senses.

Gruel.

His flagon proved to be filled with water. The others are eating the same thing, Shira observed. The magic responds to your memories, and you have no pleasant memories to draw upon.

Pierce tried a spoonful of the thick gruel. There was no noticeable taste, but Shira’s prediction was correct. The matter seemed to dissolve in his mouth. As he continued to eat, he felt a sense of strength and confidence. It was difficult to pinpoint, but he felt better than he had since they’d first set out to Xen’drik.

For a time, they dined in silence. They’d gone a long time without food, and Pierce’s companions were enraptured by the meal. As plates were finally cleared, a new figure entered the room. It seemed that all other light faded, and that she was the sole illumination in the room. The sparkling constellation above the table remained, but these tiny embers were eclipsed by the newcomer. There was no mistaking her. The Queen of Dusk had arrived.

The lady had the features of an elf, but she was taller than Pierce. Her dress was a marvel, a mirror of the sky. The gown was hemmed with pure gold, and the patterns woven into the thread burned with inner light. The skirt was the rosy hue of sunset clouds, while the colors shifted into the varied blues of a cloudy night above the waist. A net of gemstones gleamed in her long black hair, and she wore a circlet of silver with a crescent moon atop her brow. Beauty meant little to Pierce, as he had no biological response to such things. Yet Thelania transcended mere biology. There was a perfection to her form that made Pierce think of a perfectly balanced sword. Her beauty was an elemental force, and Pierce could feel the power of her presence, a thrill that ran through him when she looked his way. Pierce waited for Shira to identify the phenomenon, but his companion remained silent.

“Welcome.” The woman’s voice was pure music; while it had little impact on Pierce, he could gauge its sensuous power in Daine’s reaction. “We have much to discuss, and all too little time.”

“And what do we have to discuss?” Far from being awed by this otherworldly beauty, Lei sounded angry. “Do you even know who we are?”

Thelania showed no signs of anger, no signs of emotion whatsoever. Despite her beauty, there was something strangely inhuman about her; her calm features betrayed no hint of the thoughts below. “I know far more than you can imagine, Lei, once of House Cannith. I have been watching you throughout your life. I know the circumstances of your birth, and your true nature. And I know the disaster you have wrought in Xen’drik, however unwittingly.”

Blood rushed into Lei’s cheeks, but it was Daine who spoke first. “What are you talking about?”

“I speak of the Dreaming Dark, of the force that has used you since the day you arrived in Sharn. For tens of thousands of years they have been trapped in nightmare, awaiting their own destruction. Now you have given them the key to escape that prison and overrun your world.”

“We did this?” Daine said. “When?”

“The moon …” Lei breathed, her eyes distant.

The faerie queen smiled, but there was no warmth in it; this was the smile of an indulgent adult entertained by a child’s deduction. “Well done, Lei. It’s not quite so simple, but you have grasped the heart of it. In ages past, the giants of the land of Xen’drik found themselves at war with Dal Quor, the plane of dreams and nightmares. An ill-advised conflict, fueled by arrogance on one side and desperation on the other. When the mage-lords of Xen’drik realized that they could not win this war, they sought other ways to end it, heedless of long-term consequence.”

Xu’sasar spoke up. “When the host of horrors tore through the veil of the world, the mighty ones plucked a moon from the sky and used its power to force their foes into the darkness of the mind, where they were soon forgotten.”

“There is some truth to the legends of your people, night child,” Thelania said. She raised her hand, and the lights above the table moved; what had first appeared to be a chandelier was now a mass of living sparks, obeying the will of the queen. They formed into thirteen brilliant orbs, circling a larger central sphere. “There is a link between the moons and the planes of existence, though it is no simple thing to explain. In the planar arsenal of Karul’tash, the giants sacrificed the moon to break the orbit of Dal Quor, severing its bond to Eberron and preventing its inhabitants from setting foot on the world.” She snapped her hand, and one of the circling spheres exploded in a burst of light. “The orb that you restored serves as an anchor, a representation of moon and plane. Now it is intact once more, and in the clutches of the Dreaming Dark. An army is gathering in the heart of Dal Quor, a nightmare horde beyond anything your world has seen in this age-and your people do not have the power of the giants of old.”

“What of the dragons?” Lei said. “Surely the dragons of Argonnessen wield more power than the giants ever did.”

“Indeed they do. And if they unleash that power in battle, it will shatter humanity in its wake, like insects scattered before a storm. It was the dragons who finally destroyed Xen’drik, and if Khorvaire becomes their battleground, you are just as doomed. And so it falls on you to go Dal Quor and shatter the lunar crystal before the Dreaming Dark opens its own Gates of Night.”

Daine pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. “You set a nice table, lady, but your stories don’t hold wine. None of this makes sense. If all these nightmares needed was to find someone to fix that orb, why didn’t they do it thousands of years ago?”

The fey queen remained impassive in the face of Daine’s outburst. “The crystal moon is a product of a forgotten age, of magic humanity has yet to master. Even the giants who forged the orb were meddling with powers beyond their understanding, and they could not have restored it. The sphere was made to be destroyed, not to be rebuilt. You might as well pour wine into the ocean and seek to reclaim it again. It was an impossible task-for anyone but Lei.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Lei said, rising to her feet. “I’m still learning the craft of artifice. I haven’t even mastered the arts of the fifth circle. There are a hundred heirs of the house more skilled than I-”

“Hush,” Thelania said, and it was a command.

Even as Shira warned him of the use of magic, Pierce felt a wave of calm settle over his thoughts, and he saw Daine and Lei relax.

“Sit,” the fey queen said, taking the seat at the head of the table. “And let us continue. Lei, you speak the truth. There are many in your house more skilled than you. But your nature allows you to touch magic in a way no human can.”

“Human?” Daine said. The calming effect kept his voice steady, but it couldn’t stop his interest.

Pierce was thinking the same thing. Memories flashed through his mind. I may even spare you and sister Lei, Harmattan had said. At the time, Pierce had thought it was a figure of speech, as they were all children of House Cannith. Then there was another memory, a vision he’d seen when he lay on the verge of death, a dream that might have been the moment of his creation. Protect my daughter, a woman had said. Lei. A child. A child who had been lying on the slab next to his.

“I’m … warforged?” Lei said.

“No,” Thelania said. “Yet neither are you human. You are a creature of magic and flesh, a woman of two worlds. But this is not the time to discuss your future or your past. I brought you here to guide you to the path that lies ahead, so you may undo the damage you have done.”

“Why us?” Daine said. “You said it yourself. We’re not even as strong as the giants. You know what’s going on. Why don’t you fix this, and we’ll handle the next one?”

“I cannot. My fellow lords and ladies wield great power in Thelanis, it is true. But there is a delicate balance between the planes. We are but one aspect of your reality. Dream and nightmare are another thread in the tapestry, one beyond our dominion. We cannot bring our power to bear against Dal Quor without catastrophic repercussions, even worse than what will happen if the Dreaming Dark takes your world. But you are children of the mortal world, and you have a place in every plane.”

“And yet there are only four of us,” Pierce said. “Would not an army have a greater chance of success?”

“You begin to try my patience,” the queen said. “An army could not enter Dal Quor undetected, nor match the full power of the Dreaming Dark in the region of dreams. There are other heroes in your world, but each has his own path to follow, his own destiny. Your journeys have prepared you for this task, in ways you have yet to realize. There is a web of fate, what the dragons call prophecy, and it falls to you to face this challenge.”

Daine slammed his fist on the table, drawing all eyes toward him. He pointed at the flagon in front of him. “Lady, if you want people to follow your stories, you shouldn’t serve goblin mead with the meal. Let me just get this straight. Lakashtai tricked us, and she used my weakness to get Lei to do what she wanted.”

“With the aid of others, yes. Lakashtai is an emissary of a host of malevolent spirits.”

“And now all those spirits are going to come to Eberron?”

“That is the least of my fears. Dal Quor has shifted from its orbit. I believe that the Dreaming Dark seeks to merge with Eberron-to make your world a living nightmare.”

“Fine,” Daine said. “I don’t care how you know all of this. If I follow your path, will we find Lakashtai at the end of it?”

“Dal Quor is beyond my sight, Daine. But I suspect that if you find the crystal moon, you will find Lakashtai at its side.”

“Then tell me how to get there,” Daine said. “Because that woman is going to pay for what she’s done.”

“Every time you dream, you touch Dal Quor,” Thelania said. “But in this instance you face many challenges. The bridge of dreams brings you only to the edge of the realm and leaves your thoughts distant and scattered. Thus you can rarely remember your dreams or even fully control your actions. Furthermore, in this fractured state you would be unable to inflict any lasting harm upon the inhabitants of the realm. You must dream to reach Dal Quor, but you must dream in a place where the walls between the worlds are as thin as possible.”

Though Shira was not sharing her thoughts with Pierce, he could feel her rapt attention. He phrased a query in his mind but received no response.

“You’re talking about manifest zones,” Lei said. “Places where the planes merge. The very thing I was hoping we could use to get us back to Eberron. But there aren’t any manifest zones bound to Dal Quor.”

“Not now,” Thelania replied. “The work of the giants broke all bonds, save those formed in sleep. But the spirits of Dal Quor have been working to restore this connection for centuries. In the realm you know as Riedra, servants of the quori have built monoliths of crystal and steel. These monuments are themselves anchors, pulling the planes back together.”

“So now you want us to go to war with Riedra?” Daine said. He poured another glass of murky mead, downing half of it in a gulp.

“Not at all. Stabilizing the planes in this manner is the work of centuries, and not all of those who build the pillars even seek to harm your world. It is a challenge for heroes of another age. The crystal moon makes all of this irrelevant and gives the aggressive powers of the moment a chance to strike.”

Daine finished his drink. “Then why are we even talking about this?”

“Because if you are to reach Dal Quor, you must sleep within one of these monoliths. Only there will you be close enough to reach the plane.”

Lei shook her head. “You want us to go to Riedra?”

“Yes. My domain touches your world in many places, and there are many gates you can use when the light of Dusk strikes the ground. When we have concluded our business, Kin will show you the path. When next you sleep, it shall be in a Riedran monolith-assuming you survive the journey, of course.”

Something had bothered Pierce throughout this conversation, and now it rose to the surface of his mind. “You say the journey requires sleep. Neither Xu’sasar nor I sleep.”

Thelania smiled again. “I said there were many difficulties. More than you know, for Lei does not dream either.”

“What?” Lei cried. It seemed the calming magic was fading. “What are you talking about? I dream every night.”

“No, child, you do not. You only believe that you dream. Your visions are not the result of a spiritual journey. They are manufactured from within, assembled from memories and seeds long carried.”

“You’re lying! I don’t-”

“In Karul’tash, you came upon a room filled with a thousand spheres. Did you not hear the voices in those spheres, whispering to you?”

“Yes,” Lei said, her fury faltering.

“In dreams, the giants were most vulnerable to their foes. And so they sought to create artificial dreams, a sanctuary for the spirit at night. So it is with you, and so it is that you could touch those false dreams. Your visions have the appearance of dreams, but they are no more than a mask. You have never seen Dal Quor.”

“But …” Lei looked away. Tears glittered in her eyes, and Pierce’s mind filled with questions. What did this mean? What was she?

“So you’re saying I have to do this alone?” Daine said.

“No,” Thelania replied. “I told you, Daine, your journey has prepared you for the destiny that awaits. You have the bridge you need for your companions.” She turned to face Pierce, and her smile was chilling. “She calls herself Shira.”

“Explain,” Pierce said. It was both word and thought, but the queen responded before Shira.

“The realm of Dal Quor, the world of dreams, goes through cycles of change and rebirth,” Thelania said. “These cycles can last tens of thousands of your years, and even I do not know what causes them. When the giants of Xen’drik breached the planar barriers, the beings of Dal Quor knew that their age was at an end, and they sought some way to preserve their spirits. Their war with Xen’drik was a desperate act, an attempt to flee a ship before it sank. But they believed that those who crossed the barrier physically would still be bound to the plane of dreams and would suffer its doom. So they experimented with ways to sever the ties between dream and reality, to give a spirit an anchor in this world. You carry one of those few survivors with you: the spirit Shira, a refugee from a world forever lost.”

Is this truth? Pierce’s thought was a demand. Tell me, or I will rip you from my chest.

Yes. The knowledge flowed to the surface. Like all Shira’s communications, it seemed as if he’d known it all along. She speaks the truth. I am of Dal Quor.

Why? Pierce thought. Why did you not tell me what you were? Why did you let Lakashtai betray us?

I did not know her intent. I did not know you were in danger. Understand this: Dal Quor was my home. I knew that this Lakashtai was a spirit of my homeland, and I recognized the purpose of the orb your Lei repaired. But in my memories, Dal Quor is a world of light, a place of beauty. This Dreaming Dark they speak of means nothing to me. I have been trapped in shadows for millennia, Pierce. I should have known that my world would be no more. But I did not want to know what had taken its place. I do not want to be the last of my kind.

So you …you are a spirit of Dal Quor? A creature like Lakashtai?

We share a common origin, perhaps. But I am nothing like her, any more than you are like Harmattan.

Pierce didn’t know what to say, or to think. So I am a host body for you-just as Lakashtai wore a body of flesh.

No. I told you. We were made to be together. To be one.

Pierce pushed the thoughts away, forcing himself to listen to the spoken conversation. Lei was speaking, her eyes lost in thought. For her, the intellectual challenge was shelter from fear and doubt.

“… she has a natural bond to Dal Quor, being from that plane herself,” Lei said.

“Correct,” Thelania replied. “It is one she has broken, but it can be reforged.”

“And she has been designed to connect to warforged … to Pierce. So you’re saying that she can allow Pierce to dream through her own spirit.”

Is this true? Pierce thought.

There was hesitation. Yes.

Why not tell me?

There seemed to be no need.

“But where does that leave me?” Lei said

“You have only begun to reach your true potential, child. Remember your bond with Darkheart, with your wands. Remember what you felt when you first touched that sphere in Pierce’s chest, when you repaired the damage. When the time comes, you must touch the sphere again and let it guide you both.”

“How do you know all this?” Lei demanded. “How can you know what I’ve done, what I’ve felt?”

“Because that is my nature,” Thelania said. “That is my domain. You know of the thirteen planes, child. Realms of order and chaos, life and death, dreams and madness. But what is Thelanis?”

“The faerie court,” Lei replied.

“The domain of the fey. But now you speak of the inhabitants of the realm, not the primal nature of the plane itself. What are the fey?”

“I … don’t know,” Lei admitted.

“We are magic, and we are mystery. We are the lure of the unknown, the promise of a mother’s tale. I see the stories unfold, and I know the secrets that shape the lives of heroes, and the paths your lives will take. This is not the first time we have spoken, and should you live, it will not be the last.”

“Flamewind,” Daine said.

“What of her?”

“Daine with no family name. That’s what she called me. When Kin brought us here, he used the same words. Was that you?”

Thelania smiled, and now it was a sign of pride, an artist taking satisfaction in her work. “I have many eyes in the world, Daine, and many voices to speak on my behalf. An oracle is a channel for knowledge, but that knowledge must come from somewhere. Yes, Flamewind carried my message, as did the weird on the water.”

“And what do you gain from this?” Lei said.

“I am no friend of Dal Quor. And should nightmares overrun your world, I fear the impact it would have on Thelanis. I told you, Lei, we are the stuff of stories. What happens when no stories remain to be told?”

Lei shook her head. “No, Queen of Dusk. What do you gain from this?” Her hand dipped below the table, and she pulled out the darkwood staff. The carved face was a mask of sorrow. “I’ve met someone else who accepted your help, and you can see how well that worked for her.”

“And will you believe anything I told you, Lei? What if I told you that all that I’ve done for Darkheart, I did for you? If the staff hadn’t fallen into your hands, you would have died beneath Sharn.”

“So you just want to help us? Then free her.” Lei slammed the staff down on the table.

Thelania smiled again, and there was danger in her eyes. “Do not presume to issue orders in the seat of my power, child,” she said. “Darkheart still has a role to play.”

“Then I won’t help you,” Lei said. “We’re not going to be pawns in your game.”

The queen laughed. The sound echoed throughout the hall, and it was the sound of the last moment of light as the sun slips below the horizon. “It’s far too late for that, Lei. I am not asking this as a favor. I am not bargaining with you. I am offering you the chance to save your world from a horror you unleashed. You are wiser than I thought, but you are no queen.”

A chill had fallen over the room, and the light had faded. Thelania’s skin was paler, almost luminescent, and the gems in her hair glittered like stars. Now her beauty held a darkness that had been hidden before: they’d seen the sun, but dusk also held the shadows.

“You may be surprised,” Lei said, picking up the staff. “Sometimes a pawn can win the game.”

“Enough,” Daine said. “She’s right, Lei. You said it before-Lakashtai is our responsibility. Let’s clean up our mistakes. But let me say this, your majesty …” Daine stood up, placing a hand on his sword. “For all I know, you may be all-powerful in this place. You may know everything we’ve done or will do. If so, you know what I’m thinking. When this is done, I don’t want to see one of your eyes or your agents again.”

Thelania inclined her head. “I give you my word, Daine. You never shall.”

“Then let’s be done with this. You said you’d show us the way.”

“Yes. Kin knows many paths into your world, and he will take you into Riedra. From your point of entry, you must secure one of the dreambinder monoliths. You, Lei, and Pierce can sleep. Xu’sasar and Kin will remain awake to guard your bodies.”

“And once we enter Dal Quor?”

“There your path grows dark,” Thelania said.

“What?” Lei asked. “You mean you don’t know absolutely everything?”

“No one is all-knowing,” the fey queen said. “There is no weakness in this. I know of the danger that arises. I know that you have the potential to bring it to an end. And should you fail, I know of the horrors that will follow.”

“So we just go to sleep and hope for the best?” Daine said. “That’s a great plan.”

“I cannot guide you through the nightmare realm, and I do not know what will be needed to destroy the orb again. But there are powers within Dal Quor that can aid you.”

“Shira,” Pierce said.

No, the thought came. I have told you. It is not the world I left behind. I know nothing of what remains.

“No,” Thelania said. “A guide awaits you in dreams, but you need knowledge far greater than he has to offer. What do you know of death?”

“Enough,” Daine said. “What do you know?”

A smile played across Thelania’s lips. “When most creatures of Eberron die, their spirits go to the plane of Dolurrh, where memories are washed away, and the spirit is cleansed of its burdens.”

Lei shot a smug look at Xu’sasar.

“Yet there are those who follow other paths,” Thelania continued, “creatures who seek to preserve their knowledge and wisdom beyond the grave. As you have said, Lei, the dragons of Argonnessen are the oldest and most powerful civilization of your world. Dragons live for thousands of years, and scaled sages have devoted lifetimes to the study of the planes and the mysteries of death.”

“Fascinating,” Daine said. “Really. And the point?”

“There is a sect among the dragons that has formed a sanctuary in Dal Quor. An eidolon, a force comprised of the essence of hundreds of fallen dragons. Its power is but a fraction of what these dragons wielded in life, but it may be the one safe haven you will find in Dal Quor. And if there is movement-if armies are massing on the fields of darkness-the eidolon will know.”

“Fine,” Daine said. “Kin shows us the way, we take a nap, talk to some dragons, and they tell us where we can find Lakashtai. Is that all? Because I think I’m ready to go now.”

“Are you so certain?” Thelania smiled. “Time is of the essence. Yet with the danger that awaits you, my realm holds many pleasures. Do you not wish to linger for one evening? You may never have the chance again.”

“I hope that I don’t,” Daine said. “But thanks for the dinner.”

Thelania stood and stepped back from the table. “There was more to the meal than you know,” she said. “The food will give you strength enough to travel through the days ahead and to return to your world without suffering any ill effects. And the drink has strengthened your mind. Fear is one of the greatest weapons of the quori, and my mead will shield you in the battle ahead.”

The effects that she describes will last for approximately one day, Shira thought. Pierce kept his thoughts intentionally blank, but he was still troubled. Only a day ago, he’d found Shira’s presence comforting. Now each alien thought brought a cold chill.

I mean you no harm, Shira thought. Try as he might, it was impossible for Pierce to hide his thoughts from her, which only increased his fears. Pierce, I have been alone for for more than thirty-five thousand years. My home no longer exists. I am not like Lakashtai. I am the last of my kind. If I said nothing, it was because of my own fears. Please. Do not leave me alone again.

When Pierce had first acquired Shira, she had been cold and impersonal. It had taken some time for Pierce to be certain that there was a personality within the sphere, that it was more than just a tool. She’d kept distance between them. Now he felt her emotions-her sorrow, her fear.

He just didn’t know if he believed them.

The companions stood, and as they moved away from the table, Thelania approached Pierce. “So, child of war, are you ready for the battles that lie ahead?”

“Why do you ask?” Pierce said.

“You walk into danger with no weapon in your hand. I have given each of your companions a gift. Did you think yourself forgotten?”

“I need nothing from you,” Pierce said. Her cold laughter still rang in his mind. She might not be an enemy, but he could not find it within himself to consider her a friend.

“And I offer you nothing of mine,” she replied. “I wish to help you find what lies within.”

“Leave him alone,” Daine said. “And summon your servant. We’re leaving.”

“Kin will be here soon, Daine.”

Thelania walked around Pierce. A few of the sparks from the floating chandelier followed her. She placed her hand on Pierce’s quiver, and Pierce found himself nearly recoiling from her touch. The quiver was a part of Pierce, embedded into his back, and the exterior shell had all of the sensation of his armored skin.

“Only one arrow, Pierce? What is a warrior without a weapon?”

“I am more than just a warrior,” Pierce replied.

“You are more than you know,” Thelania said. “And you are warrior and weapon. Reach within, Pierce.” She took his hand and slowly guided it to the quiver. “Reach within yourself.”

“Pierce?” Lei said. “Are you hurt?”

As his hand touched his quiver, Pierce realized that there was something to what they said. He had felt a void ever since Indigo had destroyed his flail. He’d dismissed it as shame and the loss of a familiar sensation, the comforting weight of the weapon in his hand. Now he realized that void was within him, not his hand. Reaching back into his quiver, he reached into that void …

And found a weapon.

It should have been impossible. The quiver wasn’t deep enough to hold anything but arrows. Yet as he closed his hand, he drew forth a long flail. The weapon was similar in design to the one he’d lost, but lighter, the balance as perfect as any weapon he’d ever held. Though the ball and chain appeared to be made from gold, a touch proved that they were far too strong to be soft gold. Steel banded the haft, and the foot of the weapon was the steel head of a black lion. Shira was analyzing the magical properties of the flail-the ability of the ball to produce radiant light and heat, supernatural strength of the metal and remarkable accuracy-but Pierce didn’t need her to tell him. The weapon was a part of him. It had been there all along. He reached into the void a second time, and he felt the quiver fill with arrows.

“Captain,” he said, testing the weight of the flail. “I am ready.”