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Dreadnought squads. I ain’t looking to go up against ‘em again.”
    “You don’t have to remind me, pal. Who’s the one who saved your ass?” asked Zarim.
    “Savin’ me from the fryin’ pan don’t give you no right to toss me in the goddamn fire!”  
    “Listen up, short round,” said Zarim. “Last time I checked, I was the captain of this ship, not you! So if you got a problem with the way I do things, why don’t you flitter off somewhere else?”
    “Why you self-righteous, rat-bastard—”
    “You forgot ‘roguishly handsome’.”
    “—roguishly han—hey!”
    Ekala moved towards the helm as Zarim and Swul continued the argument. She leaned against the wall, shaking her head with an amused disapproval. “You’re like damn kids when they get this way.” She knew the faerie had a point, though. Their take? Probably not worth risking Dreadnought attention. But on the other hand, their reputation made things run a bit more smoothly. And she did love going after the rich.
    She finally decided they’d been arguing long enough. “So what’s our travel plan look like?”
    Zarim looked away from Swul, and at console which had a map of the world showing their current position. “I’ve got a course plotted for Delfor. We can refuel and resupply there.”  
    Ekala huffed.
    Zarim glanced over at her. “I know Delfor’s not your favorite place, but—”
    “I just don’t trust Gax,” she said. “He’s a first-class creep.”
    “Yeah, but if not for him, we wouldn’t have the Excalibur. And he gives us quite a bit of work,” said Zarim.
    “I suppose,” said Ekala. “Still, he makes my skin crawl.”

    The city of Xanadar sat nestled in the mountainous regions of the Shanla continent. It had been virtually untouched by the expansion of the Imperials based in Serenity, the location providing natural defenses from invading hordes.
    Here was a place of spiritual enlightenment. A long and rough path led to Xanadar, but those who made the trek considered it a test of their fortitude. Many longed to learn from the guru known as Master Quand.  
    Quand was in the midst of a meditation seminar with several of his latest students, teaching them proper breathing techniques, when his eyelids snapped open. His head began to throb as an incredible force surged through his body.
    Quand collapsed, his body going into a seizure as the concerned students milled around him. None of them had been here very long and they had no idea if this were part of the class or if Quand was truly in some form of danger.  
    A monk standing near the door pushed through the crowd, falling to his knees alongside of Quand. He tried to hold the man down until the seizure subsided. When it finally had, Quand looked up at the students surrounding him, studying their quizzical expressions.
    “Master Quand?” asked the monk. “Are you okay?”
    “No, Fei,” said Quand.
    “What’s the matter?”
    “It’s the Soulstones,” said Quand. “One of them has awoken.”

C HAPTER 2

    The Excalibur lowered from the clouds, its hull skidding above the surface of the sea. As its speed decreased, more of the hull lowered until it was racing atop the water. The speed decreased even more as the airship approached the port city of Delfor, moving into an open dock large enough to accommodate the ship.  
    On the outskirts of the empire’s reach, Delfor was one of the few free ports left in the world. As such, it was a prized location for ships of the air and sea, both legitimate and otherwise, to resupply or rest without any questions asked.  
    Once the Excalibur had been secured, the crew disembarked. Wings whirring and cigar clenched between his teeth, Swul relished being out in the open air once again. Without worries of the Empire’s reach, he had nothing to fear from drawing attention to his strange appearance. Ekala, although she generally disliked their reasons for making port at Delfor, did enjoy the freedom the city possessed.