It had taken her nearly thirty minutes to restore the power. Fortunately, that had meant that the region had only suffered a blackout for twenty-three minutes. Rebinding the primordial storm spirit to its spire had been simple enough, as it had only been partially released.

She reveled in the fact that Karkortus had doomed himself by interrupting the connection. Korsha had only been able to activate a partial containment breach when he had yanked her away. If he'd waited just thirty more seconds, the primordial would have been free and most likely had run off, leaving her defenseless.

Korsha leaned against the wall, exhaustion covering her like a cloak. She gazed up at the transport with an anticipation she hadn't known she could feel. Thoughts of a warm bed and sleep filled her, but all she could do in that moment was let out a weary breath.

The transport circled overhead, kicking up snow and ash in a flurry as it landed. Snow pelted her skin, causing her to wince. The old familiar hatred of the cold and winter sidled up next to her like an old, forgotten friend. How many places could be as cold as the academy had been?

A hot gust of air billowed around her. The ship was bulky with hard angles. She savored the smell of burnt ozone as the transport's landing gear touched down. She stumbled forward, her armor doing most of the work to keep her upright. Work crews poured out of the ship, racing out in all directions as they set to work getting the plant back in order.

She saw several of them stop and stare down into the pit. Even from here, she could see the faint glow of the fire.

“Burn the bodies,” her master had ordered, “it’s the only way to cleanse them of Karkortus's corruption.”

She faithfully obeyed, offering prayers over the bodies as she set about the grisly work of pouring chemicals down on them. She'd found another lab on the other side of the complex. It had filled her with both rage and relief as she saw the unbroken vials and containers. If they'd just given me a map with actual details, then this wouldn't have been such a nightmare.

Even after all these years, they still didn't trust her. They probably never would, but her master did and to her, that's all that mattered. Yet she couldn't help but feel that not knowing was going to be her downfall one day. That fear settled in at the pit of her stomach, promising to rear its ugly head later. For now, she needed rest.

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She hoped into the transport and gave the pilot a thumbs up. He nodded, and the doors slid shut. She plopped down into one of the cushioned seats. She leaned back against the headrest and let her head loll to the side.

The transport turned and she could see the raging inferno below. Her skin had crawled as shadows danced like demons along the edge of the pit. The view was cut off by one of the spires. The academy had never taught her what a spirit experienced while being contained, and as far as she was concerned; she planned to keep it that way.

“Where are we headed?”

The ship's pilot, a full-bodied acrena, shifted, its head swiveling all the way around so that it could see her.

“I am to return you to Lord Anadrov, but I have been tasked with taking recon of the area before I can leave.”

Korsha nodded as she fell back once more into the blessedly soft seat. Her master would expect a report on her efforts. Afterwards, she could lose herself in sleep.

She leaned over and rested her head against the window. The cold seeped in, numbing her forehead. She stared out, watching the snow raining down streak past like hyperspace stars.

As the ship banked, she caught a glimpse of the outer perimeter. She could just make out where she thought she'd first approached the wall. Had it really been only hours?

Then she saw something. Something that made her sit in her chair. Her arm swatted the air, desperate to get the pilot's attention.

“Circle the perimeter of the power plant.”

“My orders are-”

“Cirlce,” she said, in a low threatening tone, “the perimeter.”

Whether the acrena had been programed to still feel fear or not, he complied. Korsha muttered a prayer to the goddess as her eyes scanned the area. She hoped the ancestors were watching.

Several transports had landed on the outside of the barrier. Their engines having cleared the area. Korsha's body ran numb as dread flooded back into her. She now knew how Karkortus had escaped. Yet this revelation manifested a series of far darker implications.

Down below, the transports that had landed had kicked up the snow, exposing the raw ground beneath. There on the ground she saw a section of a ritual circle. The purple lines were thick with smaller circles coming off of it. Those would be the qualifiers for the spell's formation. Korsha's mouth was dry, her heart pounding in her chest.

Out there, hidden amongst the citizens of the Drominion, were forces that not only understood the intricate practices of the sincraft but they also knew how to wreak havoc upon the Dominion's infrastructure. The one who had committed this act had clearly done so with a purpose in mind, whether it was to make a statement or perhaps…

A declaration of war.