manifested. It appeared when I was nine—years before the normal age. At that point, my training began in earnest. I was sent to Sharn, to the towers of the Twelve, to Cannith enclaves across Khorvaire. I barely saw my parents again after that, and I didn’t give it much thought. At last I had my purpose! I performed much of the usual work of the day, building wands for the battlefield, helping with the warforged. Eventually I caught the eye of Hadran d’Cannith.”
Daine held up a hand. “If you don’t want to talk about him …”
“Why stop now? I never loved Hadran. Never. He was wealthy and powerful, and it was a good match. It was my duty. Really, I never thought twice about it, but then my father interfered. He said that he wouldn’t consent until I’d served four years serving on the battlefield as warforged support.”
“What?” Daine vaguely recalled Lei saying that she never wanted to be a soldier, but he never guessed that her parents would have ordered her into such danger.
“He never asked me. He never explained his reasons. He simply gave his orders, and like a good soldier, I followed them, so I ended up with you.”
“What does this have to do with Thaask?”
Lei looked away, and her voice tightened in her throat. “Just hearing him talk—knowing that there was a time when she wanted a daughter as much as she wanted that better warforged—it just hurts. Knowing that that love was there once—but somehow, I never received it, and now I’ll never see her again.”
Daine didn’t know what to say, so he just put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She clung to him, and soon tears began to flow. For a moment they just stood there, Pierce watching to the side. Then Lei broke away.
“I’ll be all right,” she said, sniffling and rubbing her nose. “It’s over now, and I need to start work on that stone.”
“All right. I’ll leave you to it, but if you need anything …”
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
Daine looked at Pierce. “Up for a little combat practice on the deck?”
“As you wish.”
Pierce picked up his flail and followed Daine out of the cabin leaving Lei alone with her thoughts. She took her tools out of her backpack and found a focus stone that would serve for the job, but the image of her parents hung in her mind. Not the memories of a lonely child, trapped in a world of war and steel, instead she was haunted by the memory of a dream, lying on a slab next to Pierce while her parents discussed her progress. Perhaps it was just a manifestation of her insecurities—a fear that she was nothing more than another experiment, a failure to be cast aside? Somehow she felt that there was more to it, and it frightened her.
She rubbed the back of her neck, passing her fingers across her dragonmark, and set to work.
D aine’s first vision of Xen’drik was Shargon’s Teeth—a chain of islands rising out of the water, surrounded by sharp peaks of black basalt.
“Teeth of the Devourer,” Thaask said, stepping up to the rail next to Daine. “When he hungers, the Teeth shatter the hulls and bring the ships down.”
“I thought you were here to keep that from happening,” Daine said.
“As he wills.” Thaask ran a claw across his teeth; to Daine it looked like a ritual gesture. “Should he call storms, my path would not save you.”
“Where would that leave you?”
“I and mine scavenge the ships that sink to the bottom. We are the children of the Devourer, and we claim what he leaves behind.”
“So you want us to sink? And we’re paying you to be our guide?”
Thaask gave a croaking rasp, which Daine had come to believe was a laugh. “What has this little ship to offer? If the elders wished it, sea and stone alike would rise to shatter this vessel. Nothing travels the waves save by our leave. There are those beneath the sea who take their pleasure in pulling down your vessels, but those of my school have no wish for war between the land
Daine held up a hand. “If you don’t want to talk about him …”
“Why stop now? I never loved Hadran. Never. He was wealthy and powerful, and it was a good match. It was my duty. Really, I never thought twice about it, but then my father interfered. He said that he wouldn’t consent until I’d served four years serving on the battlefield as warforged support.”
“What?” Daine vaguely recalled Lei saying that she never wanted to be a soldier, but he never guessed that her parents would have ordered her into such danger.
“He never asked me. He never explained his reasons. He simply gave his orders, and like a good soldier, I followed them, so I ended up with you.”
“What does this have to do with Thaask?”
Lei looked away, and her voice tightened in her throat. “Just hearing him talk—knowing that there was a time when she wanted a daughter as much as she wanted that better warforged—it just hurts. Knowing that that love was there once—but somehow, I never received it, and now I’ll never see her again.”
Daine didn’t know what to say, so he just put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She clung to him, and soon tears began to flow. For a moment they just stood there, Pierce watching to the side. Then Lei broke away.
“I’ll be all right,” she said, sniffling and rubbing her nose. “It’s over now, and I need to start work on that stone.”
“All right. I’ll leave you to it, but if you need anything …”
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
Daine looked at Pierce. “Up for a little combat practice on the deck?”
“As you wish.”
Pierce picked up his flail and followed Daine out of the cabin leaving Lei alone with her thoughts. She took her tools out of her backpack and found a focus stone that would serve for the job, but the image of her parents hung in her mind. Not the memories of a lonely child, trapped in a world of war and steel, instead she was haunted by the memory of a dream, lying on a slab next to Pierce while her parents discussed her progress. Perhaps it was just a manifestation of her insecurities—a fear that she was nothing more than another experiment, a failure to be cast aside? Somehow she felt that there was more to it, and it frightened her.
She rubbed the back of her neck, passing her fingers across her dragonmark, and set to work.
D aine’s first vision of Xen’drik was Shargon’s Teeth—a chain of islands rising out of the water, surrounded by sharp peaks of black basalt.
“Teeth of the Devourer,” Thaask said, stepping up to the rail next to Daine. “When he hungers, the Teeth shatter the hulls and bring the ships down.”
“I thought you were here to keep that from happening,” Daine said.
“As he wills.” Thaask ran a claw across his teeth; to Daine it looked like a ritual gesture. “Should he call storms, my path would not save you.”
“Where would that leave you?”
“I and mine scavenge the ships that sink to the bottom. We are the children of the Devourer, and we claim what he leaves behind.”
“So you want us to sink? And we’re paying you to be our guide?”
Thaask gave a croaking rasp, which Daine had come to believe was a laugh. “What has this little ship to offer? If the elders wished it, sea and stone alike would rise to shatter this vessel. Nothing travels the waves save by our leave. There are those beneath the sea who take their pleasure in pulling down your vessels, but those of my school have no wish for war between the land
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