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Pierce studied the soldiers. He couldn’t see himself among them, but that was hardly surprising. Surely he was in hiding, and at this distance, Pierce’s talent for stealth was enough to conceal him from his own keen eyes. He felt the faint tug of curiosity—What had happened that night?—but concern for his friends was by far the stronger emotion. What dangers lay within the hidden complex?

Pierce.

It was Shira’s thought. It was unusual for her to address him by name. Typically her thoughts simply flowed into his mind as if they were his own.

I have withheld tactical data from you, and for that I apologize.

A few warforged scouts emerged from the tunnel. Each one was slightly different; some were lopsided, some covered with spikes. One seemed terribly familiar—it was one of the bodies of Hydra, the warforged he’d met in the service of Harmattan!

Pierce raised his bow, but Daine held him back with a gesture and snapped, “No! This is is just the beginning. We’ve got to wait for the rest to emerge. Don’t do anything without my orders.”

Pierce reluctantly lowered his bow. What have you concealed? he thought.

My ability to maintain the link to this world is of limited duration. In time, you and Lei will be forced back to Eberron.

What are the parameters? Pierce thought. When will we be able to return to this place?

You will not. When this is over, I will no longer exist.

“What?” Pierce said. Surprise and concern caused him to speak aloud, and the others turned to look at him.

“Pierce?” Lei said.

The fey spirit you dealt with told you the truth. My people learned that our world was going to change into something unknown—and, we feared, something horrible. We could find no way to stop this turning of the age, and we acted with desperation. The sphere you found was built to be an anchor for my spirit, a shield from whatever changes occurred on Dal Quor. We made the first of your kind to serve as our soldiers, and in time, our bodies. But our knowledge came too late, and the balance of the planes was broken before more of my kind could make the transition. And I was locked away.

“But what does this have to do with your death?”

You do not understand. I exist only because I severed all ties with Dal Quor. To bring you here, I had to reestablish that connection. I am a spirit of Dal Quor, bound to the plane, but I do not belong in this age. I can feel the power at the heart—this Dreaming Dark you have spoken of—pulling at me, changing what I am. I can resist, but not forever. Soon it will pull me away, and recreate me in its own image.

Pierce was at a loss for words. He’d only possessed Shira for a few days, and she had always been a passive presence in his mind. Only now did he realize just how comforting that presence was, how much he enjoyed the companionship, and the knowledge she shared with him.

What if you leave now?

No. It is too late. It was too late the moment I touched this world again. I knew what would happen, Pierce. And more than any other creature, I can assure you that this fight is worthwhile. I can feel what my beautiful world has become, and it is a horror. Hold this line. Keep this Dreaming Dark from breaking its chains. And in time, the age of light will return again.

“Now!” Daine said. A squad of motley warforged soldiers was making its way across the valley, toward the Cyran camp. Daine started down the hill, Lei and Jode behind him.

Pierce was not made for tears. His eyes were solid crystal. As he raised his bow and followed his comrades, his sorrow seemed to be trapped within him, like steam seeking release.

Feel no pain, Shira thought, for I do not. I fought this fate for thirty thousand years, and now it is time to accept it. I am blessed, for you have given me one final chance to see the light before my journey into darkness. Cherish your companions and the time you have, and I thank you for what you have given me.

Pierce had no response. He fought back the sorrow as they approached the tunnel