Arasta began to come into sight over the horizon. Silhouetted in shadows as the sun rose beyond the city.

Kai stood at the ship’s bow, breath misting before him in the early hours. Steam rose from the warm drink held firmly in his hands. He stood alone, his mind lingering on the Weaver. Why has she forsaken me? Gingerly sipping from his drink, Kai took a glance at his bracers. Her emblem still embroidered upon them despite the fact he’d replaced the pair she’d branded. He was now hers and he was unsure what that would mean.

He hated keeping secrets from his companions. But this was something he couldn’t reveal to them. Not at that time. As he wanted to know the meaning of this marking before confronting them. She wants me for something, I can feel it.

“Morning to you.” Torrik walked up to Kai’s side. Shadows still consumed the sky and he was already enjoying a pint of ale. The dwarf leaned against the rail, facing toward the deck. “Once you deliver that letter, we’re done with the Syndicate. Right?”

“We are,” Kai replied. His gaze narrowed, “At least working with them. My sister and I still plan to find the ones who destroyed our home. Make them pay for what they’ve done.”

“As you should.” With a heavy hand, Torrik slapped Kai’s back. Causing the air to be knocked from the latter’s lungs. Prompting a laugh from the dwarf, “And I’ll be right there by your side as you seek revenge.”

“You will?” Kai asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. “That battle has nothing to do with you.”

“But I am part of this team, so your business is mine. Besides, that’s what friends do. We help one another.”

“Friends, you and I. Have we earned that?”

Torrik bellowed a hearty laugh. Chasing it down with the last of his ale. “Earned? What’s there to earn? The two of us have traveled together. Fought side by side, and have forged a bond. We did not earn a friendship, we forged it.”

Kai found comfort in what Torrik had said. Finding himself confused on why he hadn’t considered the dwarf would have called him friend by now. “We should wake the others soon. It won’t be long before we reach Arasta.”

Nodding, Torrik began to make his way below deck. Whistling a joyous tune as he did so.

Kai paused momentarily. In that brief pause, the Weaver appeared within his vision. Ignored by the few crew members preparing for their arrival. Again?

“Young Spark-touched,” the Weaver said. Her voice echoed all around. As though the open air had become cavernous. As if sliding across ice, she made her way over to Kai. Stopping before him. Icy stings ran up his face as she cupped him beneath his chin. Her eyes locked with his. Death reflected in her steely blue gaze.

Ice filled Kai’s lungs. Each breath a labor; his skin paled and fear overtook his heart. The whispers of lost souls filled his ears. Beckoning him to join them. Heat returned to his body as the Weaver released her grip. Cold sweat beaded across his brow. Heart slamming against his ribs. She had shown him true fear. Strength began to return to Kai, “What do you want? Answer me this time.”

“You and your sister to return,” answered the Weaver.

“Return? Return where?”

“To me.” With those words, the Weaver vanished.

Damn that infernal wench, Kai grit his teeth. What she said was nonsense. How could they return to her? Neither him or his sister had ever been part of her church. Spark-touched. The term danced in his mind. He’d been called that before, but still was clueless to what it meant.

Hours of pouring over the journal he’d been given had revealed no true answers. Whoever had written those words had never completed their quest it seemed. And the entries had suddenly stopped. Leaving the mystery of who wrote it and whether the phoenix truly lived unanswered.

It couldn’t be.

ΦΦΦ

Vermilion Wing landed in Arasta just before midday. Quickly making their way to the tavern where their adventure had begun. Percival was not there when they arrived, but the bartender informed them he would arrive soon. With nothing more to do, the group waited around and enjoyed a meal together.

During this downtime, Kai couldn’t help but notice Mira watching him carefully. After some time, he addressed this. “Is something wrong?”

“Your bracers,” the half-elf spoke. Pointing to the marking left by the Weaver, “Why do you bare the Painter’s crest?”

“Excuse me, brother?” Vivian slammed her tankard down. Thankfully, she had already emptied it of all its contents. “What is this about bearing the Weaver’s mark?”

“It’s nothing,” Kai said. Hiding his arms beneath the table now. “Just forget it. Let’s focus more on our task at hand. The dwarven city, it will take some time to arrive there. We should focus on gathering supplies.”

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“We should focus on the fact you wear the mark of a death god.” Vivian was not going to let him weasel his way out of her interrogations. “Speak, now.”

Kai looked at his three companions. All eyes on him. Anger filled his sister’s eyes, while Mira’s reflected worry. Torrik seemed to not care too much, but likely he was waiting for more to be known before making a choice. After a moment, Kai spoke, “Before we left Karo, she appeared to me. Branded me.” He then pulled out his other pair of bracers. Showing the mark had vanished from them. But the moment he traded one pair for the other, the mark reappeared on those he wore. The others left spotless.

“She calls me Spark-touched, though I don’t know what that means,” he continued. “And when I asked what she wanted from me, she only answered that she wants me to return. For me and Vivian to return. Return to her.”

“Return to her?” Vivian raised a brow. “And what are we supposed to return to?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Kai. “I was hoping to find answers before saying anything.” That was when he noticed Mira had turned pale as snow. “What’s wrong?”

“Spark-touched?” Mira spoke. Her voice shook and only just was above a whisper. “She called you Spark-touched?”

Kai nodded, “Not just the Weaver. The dragon who stole the Eye also called me that.”

“You know what it means, don’t you?” Vivian asked.

“I do,” the half-elf lowered her gaze. “It’s a rare trait. I don’t know how I never noticed before. Your eyes, they’re orange.”

“What about our eyes?” the twins asked simultaneously.

“Orange, like embers,” Mira went on. “You’ve been revived. You’ve been blessed by the immortal bird.” Silence filled the space between Vermilion Wing.

Kai let out a sigh. “At the bookshop, the couple running it said something similar. I just didn’t want to believe them.”

“That can’t be right,” Vivian interjected. “I would remember dying. They have to be wrong, there has to be another meaning to Spark-touched. There just has to be.”

“Viv,” Kai turned to her. Tears welled in his eyes. “Sister, what if, what if it’s true? What if we’ve died before?”

“We can’t have—”

“How is it only we survived the assault? Why is our entire village dead but us?”

“Our father sent us away with a teleportation spell!” Vivian slammed her fist upon the table, resulting in a loud crunch. While the table still stood, there was now a crack running down the support of the table.

Kai also remembered their father teleporting them away. But he couldn’t shake the feeling Mira was right. The way the Weaver appeared to him, the things she said.

Torrik cleared his throat. “Whether you two are walking corpses, or this is all a big misunderstanding doesn’t matter. You’re here now.” For the time being, they would just have to leave it at that.

“We never died,” Vivian whispered before making her way over to the bar to order more drinks.

“I wish I knew what to believe myself,” Kai said. Mira’s hand cupped his own, prompting him to turn toward her. When he saw her faint smile, it lightened his heart. “Torrik’s right. Whether or not I’ve died doesn’t matter. We have a dragon to stop.”

Doors slammed open. Percival and his crew entered the tavern. They took their place in the back of the tavern. Seemingly ignoring the other patrons, though Kai could feel the elder watching him.

“I should get this over with,” Kai said with a huff to his voice. He wasn’t even halfway over to Percival when the elder signaled for him to stop. Kai produced the letter, “I have a delivery from Jorn. For your eyes only.” Given the alright to approach, Kai finished closing the distance. “With this, we have no more reason to ever speak.”

“Please, sit.” Percival pat the seat next to him.

Kai knew he had no choice but to accept. Once he was sat beside the elder, he made sure to keep his eyes on his friends. Watching to be sure no one tried to approach them. “Your people killed my father. And Jorn told us of your plan to get the Primordials’ power.”

“Did he now?” laughed Percival. “Well, no worries there.” Without reading the message, the elder ripped the letter to shreds. “We can’t truly achieve our goals without the Eye, now can we?”

“Unless you have the other treasures,” Kai pointed out. “Unless, you have yet to find the arch.”

“Perceptive. But the arch and the items don’t concern you or your group. Only that we don’t get them. However, there is another problem. The dragon.” Kai’s shock prompted Percival to laugh. “You must wonder how I know of the dragon. Well, let’s just say not all those who act loyal to Jorn truly are. And he will be punished for his failure to keep the orb. And for making promises to help you do harm to our group.”

Kai’s skin crawled. They knew. Was it possible the shadows that had nearly killed him and his friends had been sent by Percival. “Do you plan to kill us now?”

“I can’t afford to kill you,” Percival said. A hand placed on Kai’s shoulder. “No, not when we need your team to deal with the dragon. Now, off you go. Your friends are waiting. Plus, it’s a long way to the dwarven city.”

Kai asked no further questions. Too afraid to continue speaking with that man. Somehow, Percival knew every step in their plan so far. Knew of the events that transpired. And There was no way to know if there was even more than the elder knew. For the time being, it was best to avoid contact with anyone from the Arane.

By the time he returned to Vermilion Wing, Vivian had rejoined. His sister quiet. There was no reason to bring up how Percival had known everything, or even to continue their conversation about their possible death. Sitting back down, Kai leaned back in his chair. “I hope the dwarves have some answer for us. At this point, I would take anything.”

Torrik wore a prideful smile. “Even if we don’t, I’m sure my people will have something of interest for us. Never doubt the dwarves.”

“You must be excited to be returning home,” Mira said. “How long has it been since you left the dwarven city?”

“About a decade,” answered Torrik. “Though it was not on the best terms that I left. But we dwarves aren’t the kind to hold grudges. By now, I’m sure all has been forgiven or forgotten.”

Vivian seemed to perk up, “What exactly did you do?”

“Nothing worth talking about,” Torrik retorted. “It’s all in the past anyways, no need dwelling on it.”

“No, there’s reason,” Vivian slid closer to the dwarf. She wrapped an arm around his neck. “You don’t strike me as the type to ever cause trouble. At least not purposefully. So, what did you do? It can’t be that bad.”

“He doesn’t want to talk about it, Viv,” Kai pinched the corners of his eyes. “Just leave it at that. We all have a history, and unlike you we don’t all like sharing it.”

“Oh, come on brother, even you must be curious.”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Then you’re not fun.” Vivian’s attention then turned to Mira. “And what about you?”

“I don’t want him to talk about it if he doesn’t wish to,” Mira said.

Vivian pulled away with a huff. “Oh, fine.”

Kai was glad to see his sister in good spirits again. Even if it meant she was being a bit on the pushy side. But it was better than her being angry. He would have to enjoy what he could get. As there was no telling how much longer her pleasant mood would last. Or how long it would remain tamed.