"Gone?" asked Koth. "What do you mean?"

"Would you excuse us, Captain?" asked Onric.

"Certainly, m'lad, don't want to see the lady with her armor in a knot," replied Devichon.

The Toa Tedra moved outside where Lestra told her story.

"He and I were going to check on the outposts this morning," replied Lestra, her voice hitching as tears ran down her face. "We were going to get up early and go, but when I woke up and saw daylight, I figured he'd let me rest. After a while, I went to see what was taking him so long, and when I got to his house, I saw his door had been knocked in. I ran in, and his place had been ransacked. I looked everywhere, but he's gone."

At that moment, Lestra burst into tears and leaned against Tivari's shoulder, who pulled her into a supportive hug.

Onric placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said. "We'll go over there and see if we can find anything, okay?"

Lestra nodded slowly and followed her brothers out the door of the inn.

Devichon sighed.

"Well, might as well wake the boys," he said. "No sense in sittin' around on our butts waitin' fer them."

The Aquaton turned and strode up the stairs, his long tail swishing behind him. Striding down the hall, he pounded on the doors his crew was sleeping behind. Minutes later, his crew was assembled in the common room. Tsonclad came down the stairs, stretching as he yawned.

"Anyone seen Taiyu?" he asked. "He went fer a walk last night, and Ah didna see him afterwards."

"Ah, he'll show up," said Nianga, a Naxan crew member. "He's not one to shirk work."

"Alright lads," called Devichon, "get yer breakfast and meet at the ship in an hour. We'll get to work fixin' that 'ole."

Tsonclad sat down with the crew and ordered some breakfast, looking up every so often for his brother, but the blind Toa never showed up.

"Strange," he thought.

As the hour limit approached and the crew made their way to the boat, Tsonclad grew increasingly worried.

"Where on earth would 'e be?"

As the Toa turned a corner, he stopped, dumbstruck by the sight before him. Ice coated the buildings around; columns of ice stuck out of the ground. Tsonclad rushed towards the scene, the other crew following close behind.

"Taiyu was here," he thought, "and he was fighting someone."

He noticed something on the ground, a dark blue liquid.

"Nianga!"

The Naxan came running.

"What happened, Tsonclad?" she asked.

"Wha' is this?" asked the Toa of Ice, pointing to the liquid.

Nianga bend down and sniffed the liquid. She instantly recoiled, her nostrils scrunched in disgust.

"Vorzhic venom," she said. "I'd know that smell anywhere."

"Taiyu was here," said Tsonclad. "Ah'd know his style anywhere. And…Vorzhic…hmm, why would –!"

"What is it?"

"Nianga, what does Vorzhic venom do?"

"It…it robs someone of their powers," The Naxan's eyes grew wide as realization dawned on her. "Do you think…?"

"Ah dinna ken, Nianga," replied Tsonclad. "Ah dinna ken."

* * *

Onric pushed the door open, as the others followed him into Cedrak's house, the door hanging from one hinge. As the Toa picked their way through the piles of wreckage, Lestra's breath hitched in her throat.

"Who could have done this?" asked the Lightning Toa.

"I don't know," said Onric, "but we're going to find out."

The Skakdi's possessions were scattered about, appearing like a tornado had ripped though his home. His bed was flipped over, his floorboards were pulled up, and his drawers were scattered over the floor.

As Koth opened Cedrak's closet, something leapt out with a shriek and latched onto his face. The others rushed over and tried to pry it off his face.

"Tahlis, it's okay," said Lestra, trying to calm down the terrified Brakas.

Finally, the monkey let go of Koth and clung to Lestra's neck, still shivering in fear.

"Any thoughts, guys?" asked Onric.

"It looks like someone was looking for something," said Tivari.

"They were."

The others turned to Lestra, her mask glowing. She moved out the back door and into Cedrak's yard. She moved back to his tool shed.

"What do you see, Lestra?" asked Onric.

"There's a small cavity under his shed," said Lestra.

"You don't want to look there!" said Tivari, rather quickly.

"Tiv," said Koth, "I think worrying about her Naming Day present is the last of our worries."

"What?" Lestra looked up, confused.

Tivari sighed and stretched out his hands. Calling on his elemental energy, he erased the gravity under the tool shed. The small building slowly rose into the air, revealing an indentation in the earth underneath. In the depression, lay a small chest. Lestra moved forward and picked up the chest. As Tivari set the shed back down, Lestra opened the box and gasped at what she saw. A fist-sized crystal that seemed to glow with its own energy lay in the bottom.

"What is it?" asked Lestra.

"Something Cedrak and I picked up while on the continent," said Onric. "We thought you'd like it."

"Do you think whoever took Cedrak was after that?" asked Koth.

"I can't imagine what else," said Onric, "unless they were after his bow or cloak."

"They left those," said Koth. "I saw them in his closet."

"Pardon meh," said a voice behind them.

The Toa turned to see Tsonclad standing by the side of Cedrak's house.

"Ah hate tae intrude," said the Ice Toa, "but Captain Devichon would like a word with ye. Mah brother's gone missing as well."

* * *