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“Harmattan gave it to me—it is the key that opened the gates of this vault.”

“Interesting,” she said, tucking it in a pouch. “Now … here it goes.”

She pressed the orb against his socket in his chest. As she watched, the node shifted shape; metal softened and flowed in to surround the sphere. After a few moments had passed, the orb had been almost fully absorbed into Pierce’s body—only a single red dragonshard could be seen from the outside.

“What do you feel?” she said.

“I … I do not know,” Pierce replied. There is a … presence, but it is distant. I cannot reach it.”

Lei frowned. “I felt the same thing. Stand still.” She placed a finger on the dragonshard. A moment later she could feel the presence once more, and the barrier between them. “I think that it’s—damaged, somehow. I’m going to try to repair it.”

“How?”

“I can’t explain it. I just … I think I know what to do.”

She closed her eyes again, and let her perception flow into the orb, spreading out along the many threads. Here and there she could feel where a connection had broken, where something had snapped, and she found she could weave new threads to bridge these gaps. It seemed to take hours, as her thoughts flowed along one brilliant path after another, but at long last it was done. The curtain was ripped away, and she felt the presence truly come to life.

And in that moment, the ground next to her exploded.

A wave of concussive force threw Lei to the side, and her face slammed against the soil. As her vision cleared, she saw a cloud of black smoke rising up from patch of burning grass.

“Do not move!”

The words were in Elvish; it had been some time since Lei had studied the language, and the speaker was talking quickly, flowing his words together. Turning toward the sound, Lei was amazed by the sight of the firesled. She knew they were in danger, and she had no idea what to make of these strange elves with their jet-black skin and orange and red tattoos, but looking at the sleigh with its ring of fire, her first thought was how can they keep something so small in the air?

Pierce had no intention of standing still; as far as Lei knew, he didn’t even speak Elvish. His bowstring sang, and a feathered shaft struck the shoulder of the elf standing in front of the burning wheel. She cried out but held on to her fixed staff; an instant later she responded with another burst of flame, forcing Lei to leap away from Pierce.

As she rolled to the side, Lei heard her staff whispering—a quiet song, warning of malevolent motion. “A little late,” she muttered. Now shapes were moving all around her, shadows slipping through the foliage. An instant later two elven warriors darted out of the jungle. They were armored in leather and bronze scales, and their short spears were leveled at her heart.

“Surrender!” one cried in fluid Elvish.

Not likely. Lei ran her fingers along her staff, whispering softly and weaving magic with her thoughts. She quickly planted a battle-bane in the staff: a furious hatred of elves that would guide Lei’s hands and amplify the force of her blows when fighting this vile foe.

As quick as she was, one of the elves saw her flickering fingers and must have guessed that magic was afoot. He lunged forward, but he was too late. Lei had completed her work. The staff seemed to move of its own accord, pulling her with it; she swept the spear aside, then smashed him in the face with the butt of the staff. The other soldier darted in as his companion staggered back, and Lei leapt out of his reach. For a moment they circled each other, trading tentative jabs, but Lei still had the enchantments she had prepared to fight Pierce woven into her boots and armor—and one of these was supernatural speed. It took only a thought to activate this power, and her foes seemed to slow to a crawl. Within seconds, both elves had fallen beneath her furious blows, and Lei permitted herself a smile.

The smile was a mistake. The battle on the ground had drawn her attention away from the threat in the air, and the next thing she knew she