Given its omnipresence in life, you’d think spells to manipulate air would be more common. But rather, the majority of effects which appear to be based on air are created independent of the element itself. Wind is far easier to create than to control.

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"The king did what?"

"Decreed a reversal of the stockpile decree, my lord."

Lord Olrek wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or horrified. On the one hand, this would reimburse his conglomerate for a substantial amount of loss they had taken toward the start of the long chaos year.

On the other hand, he had divested heavily from the sandfish market, and shifted to other ventures to make up the loss. His rivals who'd stuck with it would be receiving a substantial windfall, perhaps enough to push him out of the market entirely.

"And you're sure this is real?"

"As certain as I can be, my lord." The business manager held up a sealed copy of the royal edict. "From what everyone has said, it has gone out to every merchant house with any interest in the affair. It is signed and sealed. If it’s an imposter’s work, they put a lot of effort into it. And I don't know what the purpose would be."

"To get me to reinvest in a failed business venture, clearly," Olrek said. He rubbed his chin and scowled at the edict. "No. I don't trust it. We will continue as planned. We've already set things in motion for the transition, there is no need to go back on our plan so soon. Reinvesting now would only make us desperate trend chasers. Let them have their day in the sun. We will build an empire whose foundations Dovak himself could not shake."

The messenger tapped his thumb against the back of his opposite hand three times uneasily, with a quick glance at the floor as if Dovak might come bursting up out of it at the slightest provocation.

"It's a figure of speech, man. Don't be a coward." Olrek waved away his business manager, and the man fled with impressive alacrity.

"Royal decrees, is it?" he mused. If the king was issuing decrees again, then he wanted to know why his contacts in the Advisory Council hadn't given him a warning in advance.

With a few minutes' pause to cancel his afternoon appointments with his household manager, and leave an away message for the business manager to convey to any visitors, he slid open the panel to his private transit line and tapped in a familiar code.

They would see about these new edicts. With any luck, he could even use this to springboard their company into an even better position for the coming year.

Olrek hummed happily to himself as he disembarked from the counselors’ arrival platform and rang for the man's personal attendant.

It took several minutes for the attendant to arrive, and when he did he looked flustered and unwell.

"I need to speak to Sir Nide."

"Yes, sir. You and everyone else. The king's latest set of edicts has caused quite a stir. I'm afraid Sir Nide is indisposed at the moment. He wishes it known that he has a meeting with the King this evening during which he will present the Merchant Board’s concerns, and after which he will be available to discuss future steps. Until then he must concentrate on recovering from his unexpected brush with the plague.”

"This plague again,” Olrek scoffed. “How many times can one man contract the same illness? He’s missed three meetings already since last month."

The attendant's face reddened angrily. "I'll have you know that there is no deception involved. Sir Nide has been deathly ill all day, and it is only because of his obsessive dedication to your cause that he's been up and about doing as much as he has. If I had my way, he’d have stayed in bed for the next month. So you can take your accusations and—"

"No need for that." Olrek raised his hands placatingly. "I’m sure his ailment is legitimate. I'm beginning to question the man’s fortitude, and the quality of his health supervision, but that’s not my business. Do be sure that my query regarding the edicts is conveyed. I want a personal rundown as soon as possible.”

"I'm sure you do sir. I'll be sure to add you to the end of the list."

Olrek sighed. He shouldn't have let his temper get away with him, but he supposed it was no better than he deserved. "I apologize for any implications or insinuations perceived against your master. I will appreciate whatever information he has to offer on whatever timeline he has available. Thank you for your time."

He turned and walked back onto the transit platform. He started to type in his own location code, then paused, cleared the reader, and input a different one instead.

Councilor Nide may be his best contact in the palace, but he wasn't the only one.

Olrek couldn't afford to go in fully blind, whatever this ended up being. It didn’t matter who he needed to bribe, he had to see those edicts.

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"So, your best friend from school is a prophet with a soul-eating sword that can kill with a touch, who threw a dragon matriarch into the ocean because she was harassing you?" Ajriol Serin sat across from his daughter at a small table of dark stone polished to a mirror shine. Behind him, the tea room’s broad windows looked out over the busy city.

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"Yes, basically. Though the sword doesn’t exactly kill with a touch."

Ajriol chuckled. “Carn said you terrified Miki appearing in a whirlwind of black fire like an evil phoenix. Took her almost an hour to accept you weren’t a ghost.”

“Jungle phoenix, not evil. The Venix’s power of rebirth is one of the strongest healing powers known to exist.” Raina smiled fondly. “As you’ve probably heard by now.”

“Yes, the ‘Phoenix Healer’. Quite the name for someone barely initiated. Seems like the sort of thing that could go to someone’s head.”

“Whatever got to his head, it was long before the phoenix healing thing.”

"And you want to travel the world with this man?"

Raina nodded solemnly. "I can think of no one else I'd trust so far. I know I'd be safe with him."

Ajriol gave her a long, penetrating stare as he considered her words, then nodded. "I don't normally say this about people with the ability to eat souls, but I think you have chosen well. How long do you anticipate this Reforging Quest taking?"

"They're normally about a year, give or take a couple seasons?"

Ajriol nodded.

"Then we'd better double that. Three years sounds about right."

"You understand what this means, for you to undertake a three-year absence?"

Raina nodded once. "You'll need to be training one of my cousins, in case I don't return. But I will. No need to worry about that."

"It's not about worry, it's about guaranteeing our family legacy can continue."

"And I understand completely. You're not disowning me, or kicking me out, you're just taking ordinary precautions in my absence."

Ajriol rose to his feet and Raina did the same. "Once you begin this, you will not be allowed to return to your position as heir apparent until you have completed the time span you designated or return with a Reforged weapon and upgraded class."

"I understand."

"And knowing the risks, obligations, and surrender of privileges for the interim, you are fully convinced this is what you want to do?"

"It is."

"Then you are released, Raina Serin, from all political and familial obligations for the next three years, or until you return to us reforged and reborn. May your path be one of discovery and triumph." Formalities concluded, he stepped forward to kiss his daughter on the forehead. "You are very brave, my little Raina," he said more softly. "Remember to be cautious too."

“I will.” She gave her father one more hug, then stepped back. “And I will return. But before I go, I do have one more question.”

Ajriol nodded for her to continue.

She didn’t answer at first, struggling with old habits of silently avoiding the topic.

“What do you want to know?”

“What did Mother do to infuriate Ryenzo so?” Raina asked abruptly. “She was very insistent that this was vengeance against Mother.”

Ajriol’s body stilled. He stared at Raina, a whole gamut of emotions playing across his face in that moment. “Tamma.”

“Yes. What did she do?”

Ajriol shook his head. “She never told me. She said only that she had to leave, that there would be endless danger for us all if she stayed. I tried to argue with her, but I’ve never seen her so determined. Or so sad.” His own voice turned regretful as he spoke, reminiscent. “She didn’t even take her shields.”

“Right, Mother was a warden?” She’d forgotten that. They talked about Tamma so infrequently, so many of her memories lay faded and eroded.

“She was. Right on the brink of advancement when she left.” Ajriol sighed. “What could she have done to draw the ire of a poison dragon? She spent years going in and out of that place, wouldn’t say anything about it, just that it was a major contract, something that would help her advancement dramatically. Then… something went wrong, and she was frantic to get away.”

“Do you think she stole something?” Raina asked. “It could be she was staking out the place, searching for treasure.”

“Does that sound like something your mother would have done?” Ajriol asked.

“No…” Raina drained her glass and reached for the pitcher to refill it. “But what, then?”

He shook his head slowly. “I wish I’d been more insistent. At the time, I assumed she’d be back. By the time I realized she was gone for good, it was far too late to do anything about it. I can think of a thousand things I could have done differently. Should I have gotten more involved in her personal advancement? Should I have insisted she tell me what she was doing? But she was so insistent, and I was young."

"It's not your fault. Whatever happened, there was nothing we could have done. Between Mother and Ryenzo, you think either of us could have talked either of them out of doing whatever they wanted?"

Ajriol laughed faintly. "No, you're right, there's nothing we could have done. But I can't stop wondering if I should have at least tried harder. Maybe we could have all fled together."

"If Ryenzo waited this long to come after me, then it's probably for the best that we were apart. At least with her focus on finding Mother she only kidnapped me, and there's still a chance she's alive out there somewhere. If Ryenzo had found us all together..."

She vividly remembered those jaws that could bite the top off a house snapping shut just above her, the snarls and shrieks as the dragon demonstrated just how easily she could have killed Raina if she'd wanted to. A fingersbreadth closer with that claw and Raina would have been sliced open effortlessly. Everything about that day had been a terrifying show of exactly how much power Ryenzo had over her, and how utterly helpless Raina—or any human—would be against her.

Raina swallowed, her voice coming out faint. "I never wanted her to go, but now that I've seen Ryenzo... I can understand why it was necessary."

Ajriol hugged her again. "I wish you never needed to understand."

"It's alright. I'm okay. And perhaps now she'll hear that Ryenzo is gone and come back now that it's safe."

"Assuming she's anywhere news can reach so easily."

"I'll tell everyone wherever we go," Raina said, raising her chin. "I'll send gossip spreading across the moons and every continent we visit. If Tamma Serin is still alive, I'll see to it that she hears about Ryenzo’s defeat. That she knows it's safe to come home."

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