~ Chapter 6 ~

Owain found that their trek back to Drake's clipper was even more tiring than their initial hike up to the pillar had been. The winding trail hadn't miraculously grown any less treacherous, and with the clouds obscuring most of the light from the moon and stars above, the trail was difficult to follow. His waterlogged clothing clung to his skin uncomfortably, too. A quick glance at his companions told him that Anna and Drake were both probably feeling the same way.

Still, they had no choice but to be patient as they carefully made their way down the rocky slopes. Drake led the way, holding a lit torch aloft to shed some light on the precarious trail. It had been a chore just to light the torch – many of their belongings were now soaked, thanks to the copious amounts of water in Ocean's Abyss. Admittedly, the pillar had represented its element quite well, but Owain privately thought it had been a little excessive.

When they finally returned to Drake's clipper, by unspoken agreement, all three of the companions crawled below deck to their cots right away. By then, their clothes were mostly dry, and all three were too weary to change into clean clothing and instead went straight to sleep.

It was nearly noon before Owain awoke the next day. Groggily, he looked around the cabin and noticed that he was alone. The ship was moving, too, indicating that Drake had likely awoken early to start the voyage back to Dragonflame Isle. Owain's shoulder still ached, but he brushed the pain off without much thought. He began to head toward the staircase, when he noticed an unpleasant musty and briny scent permeating his clothing.

Changing to a clean outfit alleviated the odor somewhat, though not completely. "Hmm… maybe we'll have time for me to stop by the bathhouse when were back on Dragonflame Isle," Owain mumbled, as he checked his shoulder wound. The eidolon's claws hadn't cut as deep as he had feared, though his flesh had swelled around the wound, and his skin had turned a noxious yellow color. He knew an infection when he saw it. "Better ask Drake where he keeps the medical supplies," Owain decided, as he made for the staircase again, adjusting his tunic as he went.

"Good morning!" Drake hailed, turning as soon as he heard the cabin open.

"Sleep well?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," Owain said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. He hadn't meant to oversleep for so long. "You could've woken me up, though."

"There was no need," Drake said, waving dismissively. "The voyage has been quiet so far. How's your arm, Owain?"

Owain grimaced. "I think my shoulder might be infected. Do you have any salves in the cargo hold that might help?"

"I was afraid of that," Drake said solemnly. "There's a crate of salves and bandages on the floor, to your right as soon as you step into the hold. Would you like some help applying dressing your wound?"

"No, I think I'll manage," Owain declined politely.

"Drake, there's a ship coming our way," Anna said suddenly. Owain and Drake both turned in the direction Anna was looking. Sure enough, there was a small clipper, similar to theirs, sailing toward them.

Drake kept his expression impassive, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking as he eyed the ship.

"Do you think it could be other treasure hunters, looking for Ocean's Abyss?" Owain asked.

"Unlikely," Drake replied. "Unless they're after the scepter too. I feared as much; sooner or later, someone was going to notice what we were up to. I can only hope there won't be any trouble."

Anna didn't move from her relaxed posture on the bench, except to nudge her sheathed blade a little bit. Owain, on the other hand, reached for his own cutlass, frowning as he wondered what use the damaged weapon could be if this encounter were to come to blows.

But when the clipper came closer, their fears were dispelled. The solitary figure standing aboard the approaching clipper wore a familiar feathered light brown leather hat and matching jacket, and was waving at them eagerly.

"It's Agent!" Owain called out, surprised.

Drake nodded, for he recognized their companion at the same time. "Strange that he came out this far to meet us. It must be something important for him to rent a ship just to come track us down a few days early."

"Maybe he has news for us," Anna said without moving or opening her eyes.

Drake only shrugged.

"Hey, friends! Already on your way back? Tell me the news is good!" Agent called to them as he pulled his ship alongside theirs. Owain hastened to place a plank between the two ships, allowing Agent to board.

"The second seal is broken," Drake confirmed. "Agent, what are you doing out here?"

"You'll never believe this, Drake, but I found the third key! Some old treasure hunter had it sitting on his market stall in plain sight. Says he's had it for years but no one's ever seem interested!" Agent exclaimed.

"Really?" Owain blinked. "That's great!"

"Isn't it? Here!" Agent said enthusiastically, and he tossed the key over to Drake, who caught it deftly.

Drake took a moment to examine the key. "It's covered in red markings. This is the key to the Infernal Crater, then?" Drake guessed.

"That's my guess," Agent confirmed. "The wind pillar is covered in green markings; I imagine the key would have green markings, too. Anyhow, I think I have a lead on the key for Heaven's Column, but I wanted to give you this key first."

"Thank you," Drake said, nodding appreciatively. "Are you sure you can handle searching for the last key alone?"

"No problem," Agent said, with a hearty laugh. "You guys just worry about Infernal Crater. The island is supposed to be quite inhospitable."

"I think we're still going to stop by Dragon's Island first," Drake said. "Ocean's Abyss was not as welcoming as we might have hoped, and we could use a short break. Besides, Owain's weapon is broken. We need to find him a new one before we can continue safely."

"Ouch. Tough luck, mate," Agent said, shooting Owain a sympathetic glance. "Well, take your time. I'll see you back at Dragonflame Island when you return, hopefully with the last key in hand."

"Alright. Thanks again," Drake said, nodding regally.

With one last cheerful wave, Agent set off back to his own ship, and waited for Owain to retrieve the boarding plank before setting off.

"Fortune smiles upon us, it seems," Drake said, though he seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

"Makes our quest a little easier, doesn't it?" Anna said, who still lying on the bench, eyes closed.

"It's nice not having to do everything alone," Owain agreed. "Even if two of our company are motivated purely by their pocketbooks," he couldn't resist adding. Anna ignored the pointed comment, as Drake laughed lightly.

Still, the mirth faded quickly, and Drake adopted a thoughtful expression once more, as Owain went below deck to tend to his shoulder wound.

The leaden overcast became a slow and steady drizzle. Thankfully, the weather didn't worsen, but it was enough to slow their pace somewhat. Drake's clipper didn't reach the docks of Dragonflame Isle until early afternoon the next day. They disembarked together after collecting their belongings, and began making their way up to the village once more.

"Is that ship new?" Anna asked, pointing at a schooner moored a few docks away. "I don't recognize the design."

Drake glanced at the ship. "Interesting. I think you're right, Anna. Perhaps the island has some visitors."

"Maybe they'll have some new weapons for sale," Anna said optimistically.

"Maybe," Drake said, sounding unconvinced. "The design doesn't look as light and swift as the clippers that merchants favor, though. Even treasure hunters usually prefer smaller ships. Ships of this size are designed for more passengers, or to carry more supplies for longer voyages."

"The Stormfall," Owain read aloud, noting the elegant gold lettering. "The ship's name sounds familiar."

Drake smiled. "Is it one of the fifteen names you came up with for my ship? If not, well, sailors usually aren't too creative with ship names. There's probably at least a few dozen other ships with the same name out there somewhere."

He glanced up at the road ahead, and paused. Anna and Owain continued down the road, but when they noticed their third companion had stopped, they both turned to him quizzically. "What's wrong, Drake?" Owain asked.

"Anna. Owain. I have a tremendous favor I must ask," Drake confessed. "I need the two of you to explore the Infernal Crater on my behalf."

"On your behalf? You're not coming with us?" Owain asked, concerned. "Is something wrong, Drake?"

Drake sighed. "I'm worried about Agent," he admitted. "You two can take my ship. I can charter or purchase another one easily enough."

Anna and Owain glanced at each other uneasily. "Are you sure, Drake? We have no idea what's lying in wait for us in the Infernal Crater," Anna said hesitantly.

"No," Drake admitted readily enough. "But we're getting closer to the end, and we can't afford to take any huge risks now. I'm confident that you two can manage the third pillar on your own, but Agent's been on his own since our quest began. I don't know his limits."

"Where are you going, then?" Anna asked. "Agent said he found a lead of some sort, but he didn't say what it was."

"The library," Drake answered immediately. "There's an old archive here where the old legends and records are kept. Agent must have found his answer there. Maybe I can retrace his steps and catch up to him."

"Alright. Leave the fire pillar to us," Owain said confidently.

"Thanks," Drake said. With a smile, he passed a bag of gold over to Owain. "For your new sword," he explained. "You and Anna can split the extra between yourselves after."

Drake expected Anna's eyes to light up at the offer, but Anna only appeared nervous. With a wave, Drake set off toward the village first. As he left his companions behind, he wondered if he was making the right move here.

Drake wasn't fearing for Agent's safety. It was quite the opposite; Drake found it hard to believe that Agent had found the four keys for them, in the order prescribed by the tablet in the cove, except for the first key. And it seemed Agent was as fond of secrets as Drake himself was. It might have been a coincidence, but in his experience, the universe was rarely so lazy. Drake was beginning to wonder if Agent didn't have an ulterior motive here.

Thankfully, Drake knew he had other allies on the island already, and he wasn't about to be caught completely unprepared.

"Are you sure about this?" Severa asked, as she readied her lance. Passion's spearhead had been wrapped tightly in a thick layer of cloth padding. A sheathed sword hung from her belt, unused since the day she had pilfered it from the Redeemer's fortress. A few beads of sweat dotted her forehead, but it was clear her opponent was faring worse than she was.

"Yep," Symphony answered, as he steadied his two sickles. Like Severa's lance, both sickles had their blades covered in cloth padding. Symphony was trembling slightly from exhaustion, but wasn't quite ready to give in yet. Both of his sickles dipped down to the ground, the tip of their blades pointing away from him. "Ready when you are."

Severa grinned broadly. Symphony had tried this approach, and practically every other approach he could think of, and still had yet to land a hit on the skilled lancer during any of their training sessions. There had been a few close calls, though; Symphony was a reasonably skilled fighter, though he clearly lacked experience in battling against other similarly skilled warriors. Perhaps it was a consequence of his memory loss.

Severa held perfectly still for a moment, then exploded into motion, rushing forward and thrusting her lance straight ahead. Her long platinum-blond hair danced through the air, flowing gracefully behind her as she charged forward.

Symphony was ready for her attack, as Severa had expected him to be. He deftly flipped the sickle in his right hand and assembled the two weapons into a single, two-ended scythe with its blade facing opposite directions, then spun the lower end upward to catch and turn Passion's blade.

But Severa was too quick. The lance had already been withdrawn, and Severa quickly feigned a second thrust, aiming low. Symphony tried to correct his parry, but the panicked move only upset his balance further. Knowing he had to take control of the fight quickly, he followed the failed parry into a furious spin, releasing the weapon with his left hand and guiding it around his body with his right.

Unimpressed, Severa simply moved along with his spin, and the butt of her lance jabbed against Symphony's chest, before she danced away from his scythe, stepping out of range only just in time. "I was close that time," Symphony said weakly.

"I let you get that close," Severa retorted. "And my blow connected. Yours didn't."

"With the wrong end of your lance," Symphony argued.

"She flipped it around on purpose," Lucina, who was watching from the sidelines, pointed out.

Symphony groaned. When he initially began sparring with Severa, he assumed at first that Lucina would instinctively take her best friend's side. He quickly learned that Lucina was as fair a mediator as he could hope for. Besides, there wasn't any need for bias. Their training sessions were painfully one sided. "Again," he said, and he tried to steady himself again.

"You should take it easy, Symphony. You've been sparring for nearly half an hour without a break, now," Lucina said sympathetically. "And Sev, you should probably let up on him a little bit."

"He didn't want me to," Severa said defensively.

Symphony shook his head. "I won't learn anything if you're going easy on me," he said. "I don't understand, though. According to Harmony, I'm supposed to be one of the Redeemer's best warriors. But I can't stand my ground against either of you for more than a minute or two."

"Give yourself some credit," Lucina said encouragingly. "We've seen you fight against eidolons and common soldiers. You fight pretty well. You just need to be a little patient."

"Besides, after seeing how badly the Redeemers fight, I expect it wouldn't take too much to be one of their 'best warriors'," Severa said, smirking.

Lucina rolled her eyes. "Not helpful," she chided.

Symphony, on the other hand, only laughed. "I guess you're right, Severa. I'm just glad you and Lucina are on our side," he said, brightening.

"I think Lucy's right about taking a break, though. It's getting late and Iris should be waking up soon. Why don't we head back to the inn and grab breakfast… dinner… whatever we're calling it?" Severa suggested. Upon landing on Dragonflame Isle a couple days ago, they began sleeping through the day again. Lucina, Severa, and Symphony often woke a bit earlier than Iris and Harmony for some training – there was no shortage of quiet, empty meadows on Dragonflame Isle.

"I wonder how much longer it'll be until we find a lead," Lucina said. Truthfully, Lucina and Severa were both growing a little bit bored. Iris seemed content with a moment of peace, and Symphony was too preoccupied with his training to notice, but most of their research and planning now fell squarely upon Harmony, who was searching for any sign of the Redeemers or of the Dominion Scepter.

Severa and Symphony removed the protective coverings from their weapons. Lucina had already sparred with both of them earlier, and had long since returned Falchion to her scabbard. "I'm going to go drop my armor off on the ship. I'll see you two when I get back," Severa said. Her silver-trimmed darksteel armor was surprisingly comfortable, and Severa had grown comfortable fighting in it after only a few training sessions, but it was still a little bit odd walking around a peaceful village in full armor.

"Alright. We'll head over to the inn first, then. Would you like me to order for you?" Lucina offered.

"Sure. They only ever have one meal on the menu at once, anyways," Severa said, rolling her eyes, before setting off for the docks.

Drake's request had been pretty surprising, but Anna seemed to have recovered remarkably quickly from the surprise, and if she wasn't going to complain, Owain wasn't about to. "Why don't we head back to Hunter's Chance and get some dinner, first?" Owain suggested.

"Sure," Anna agreed. They started down the path together, in the same direction as Drake, but Drake must have marched off rather swiftly for he was already out of sight. Anna and Owain didn't have much to talk about, for they were both silently sorting through their own thoughts.

Because Dragonflame Isle was so sparsely populated, they rarely encountered people on the road. So when a solitary, armored woman made her way down the road, heading in the opposite direction, she immediately caught their attention.

Owain couldn't help but stare, for the young woman seemed strikingly familiar. Noticing his stare, the woman glared back at him.

At the sight of the endearingly familiar and slightly threatening look, Owain recognized Severa immediately, despite the unusual armor and change in hair style. "S-Severa? Is that you?" Owain stammered.

Severa's glare was replaced by a look of confusion. And then by one of recognition. "Owain!?" Severa exclaimed.

Both of them stared at each other in stunned silence for several seconds.

"You… what… how?" Owain stuttered at last, finding his voice at last. "Severa! What are you doing here!?" he finally managed to gasp.

Severa's eyes flashed dangerously. "What do you think, you idiot!? You just went and disappeared! For an entire year!" she cried angrily.

"You came here looking for me?" Owain asked in a hushed tone. Given Severa's normal attitude toward him, her sudden concern was quite surprising, not to mention a bit touching. He could feel his eyes beginning to water.

"Gods, of course not! Morgan did, and ran off all by herself, too!" Severa raged. "And if you're going to start crying, you can stay right here when we leave for home!"

That made more sense. But at her very Severa-like outburst, Owain couldn't help it anymore. He burst into tears and rushed forward, throwing his arms around her, laughing and crying at the same time.

Startled, Severa didn't resist at first, her mind still trying to comprehend Owain's erratic behavior. "W-What the hell are you doing!?" she managed at last, as she shoved Owain away to arm's length. "You'll mess up my new armor!" she fumed. To her embarrassment, tears were beginning to form in her own eyes, and she turned away furiously.

"S-Sorry," Owain stammered, still feeling overcome by the sudden wave of emotion. "I'm sorry, Severa… I just… I…" he trailed off, falling silent when he was unable to string his thoughts together into a coherent sentence. The two friends fell into an awkward silence.

When neither of them looked ready to speak, Anna finally interrupted, speaking rather hesitantly. "Umm… is she a friend of yours, Owain?" Anna asked.

"Yeah. Anna, this is Severa," Owain introduced.

Only then did Severa realize just how bizarre it was for Owain to be with Anna of all people. She had grown accustomed to running into Anna or her sisters and cousins everywhere, but they were thousands of miles away on a distant continent. "Anna?" Severa asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Drake hired me," Anna replied innocently.

"Different Anna," Owain explained quickly. "We both sort of got lost here," he admitted.

Severa groaned. "Of course you did. I guess that explains why you smell like you've spent the last year living at sea. Who's Drake?"

"Our employer," Anna offered helpfully.

Seeing that Severa was on the verge of exploding, Owain hastened to interrupt. "We don't know that much about him, other than the fact he's searching for something he calls the Dominion Scepter," Owain said.

That got Severa's attention. "Wait a moment. You're searching for the Dominion Scepter?" she asked, temporarily forgetting about Anna entirely.

"You've heard of it?" Owain asked, surprised.

"It's the reason we're here on this backwater island," Severa said. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You said you don't know much about this Drake person, right?"

Her question didn't register to Owain, who was too busy thinking about Severa's earlier mention of Morgan, and now her implication that she wasn't alone. "Severa, did you say Morgan was here, too? Is she with you?" Owain asked, unable to mask his excitement.

Severa's face fell slightly. "No. We haven't found her yet," she admitted. "Lucy's here, though." Only then did she remember that Lucina and Symphony were still waiting for her back at the inn, probably along with Harmony and Iris, too.

"Lucina's here too?" Owain asked. He was beginning to think this was all too good to be true.

"Yep," Severa said with a sly smile. "I'm pretty sure she has a few choice prepared for you, too."

Owain cringed. He loved his cousin dearly, but sometimes, Lucina could be even scarier than Severa.

Severa laughed, seeing Owain's rather fearful look. "I'll be right back," she said, as she slipped past them, heading toward the Stormfall.

"I'm sure Severa's fine," Symphony assured, as he stepped out of the inn after Lucina, Harmony and Iris following close behind him.

"It never takes her this long just to change," Lucina said worriedly, as she started heading toward the docks.

They had only gone a few steps when they spotted Severa climbing the uphill road along with Owain and Anna. "See? I told you she's fine," Symphony said, though he fell silent a moment later when he spotted her two companions.

"Anna?" Lucina whispered, surprised to see their merchant friend, or one of her countless sisters so far from home. She turned to the young man, who Severa seemed to be arguing with. Something about their mannerisms, and the man's messy brown hair seemed vaguely familiar.

"Lucina!" Owain cried, as she spotted her and sprinted toward them.

"Owain!?" Lucina exclaimed, recognizing her cousin at last. The past year had certainly taken its toll on Owain, but there was no mistaking his voice, or the enthusiastic sparkle in his eyes. Before she could say anything else, Owain wrapped her into a tight hug, too. "What were you thinking?" Lucina muttered, as she returned his embrace.

"Him or me?" Severa asked, grinning.

"You, obviously. I know he wasn't thinking," Lucina replied, returning her grin. "But leaving him in one piece? I'm disappointed in you, Sev."

"Hey!" Owain protested, though he, too, was smiling.

Severa ignored him. "I was going to kill him, but I changed my mind. It would be a shame to let the lecture you prepared for him go to waste," she said with a laugh.

Knowing their banter would probably continue for some time, Lucina instead turned her attention to Anna, having many unanswered questions still.

When Owain first approached Lucina, everyone else focused on the two of them right away. But Anna's gaze soon wandered to the rest of Lucina's party. She only barely managed to suppress a small gasp of recognition, and quickly tried to hide any sign of her surprise.

She was too slow, though and Harmony had noted her curious reaction. The former Lodestar and assassin, ever-alert, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Cloak cursed himself, realizing that in that single moment of surprise, his masquerade had come undone. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his former instructor and her wayward brother. He reached for the warp powder on his belt, hoping to make his escape before realization set in. But his movement was too impulsive, too obvious, and too slow.

"Wait, stop!" Lucina cried out. Her words weren't aimed at him, still disguised as the red-haired merchant, but at Harmony. And she was too late, anyways.

Harmony's darksteel scimitar flashed through the air. Cloak spun away instinctively, but the skilled woman paced his movements, weaving her scimitar around to slash at his cloak before biting through his tunic and into his belly. As the blade tore through his magical garment, the illusion fell away. Cloak let out a pained moan.

Though both Owain and Severa had moved to stop Harmony as well, they both froze when they saw the red-haired woman become a taller man with neatly trimmed brown hair and a nondescript face.

Before the Redeemer could recover from the shock, Harmony brushed his ruined cape aside and seized the small pouch of warp powder on his belt. Holding her sword steady, Harmony quickly patted him down, casting his possessions aside: four darksteel throwing knives, Anna's sword, a small, half-empty vial of some sort of translucent, violet liquid, a brass key, and a small white capsule.

"Harmony, who is this?" Lucina asked, sounding hesitant.

"This is Cloak. One of my former apprentices," Harmony answered brusquely. "Tell me, Cloak. Where is Dagger? And where is Relic?"

"And what have you done with the woman you were impersonating?" Owain demanded, finally understanding Anna's rather strange behavior ever since the morning they set off for Faux Lemuria. Between her markedly improved swordplay, sudden disinterest in money, and surprisingly adventurous spirit, Owain was surprised that neither he nor Drake caught on sooner.

"There was no woman, in all likelihood," Harmony said. "Cloak and Dagger both often prefer fabricating their identities completely."

"No," Severa corrected immediately. "He was impersonating Anna, one of our friends from Ylisse."

Harmony turned, surprised. "Are you sure that was her?" she asked doubtfully.

"I'm sure it wasn't," Lucina said. "But she has countless sisters and cousins that look just like her, though I didn't know any of them made it this far from home."

"Countless sisters and cousins that look just like her?" Iris echoed.

"It's complicated," Severa said quickly.

"I'm pretty sure it was a real Anna who signed on to help us," Owain said. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Now that I think about it, she started acting kind of strangely about five days ago," he added, after trying to estimate how long it had been since they last left Dragonflame Isle.

Harmony turned to him with a questioning glance, then turned to Lucina, as if wondering if she could trust Owain's judgment.

Cloak saw his opportunity. Without a word, his hand snapped up for Harmony's wrist. She instinctively pulled her blade back, extracting it from the wound. Having expected that, Cloak instead grabbed for his warp powder, hoping that her hesitation to kill him would offer him all the time he needed to escape. Just as his hand closed upon the small leather pouch, the curved darksteel blade tore into him once more and found his heart. He let out a soft gasp before collapsing lifelessly a moment later.

"I'm sorry," Harmony apologized tersely, getting to her feet. "Without knowing how much the Redeemers already know, we couldn't risk letting Cloak get away."

"I thought you said they wouldn't come after us," Symphony said wryly.

"They were here already, remember? Or at least Relic was. It doesn't surprise me that he called for some backup," Harmony said. She turned to Lucina, Severa, and Owain. "Your friend is probably still alive. Cloak would have kept her alive in case he needed answers from her." She held up the small half-full vial. "This toxin puts its victims into a coma. It also suspends the body's normal processes, so that the victim doesn't die of thirst or starvation. A full dose lasts a week."

"There's a little less than half a dose left," Severa observed.

Harmony nodded. "The poison should have worn off over a day ago. We'd better find her quickly – the toxin mitigates, but doesn't completely prevent dehydration."

"Where did you last see her? The real her?" Severa demanded, turning to Owain.

Owain racked his mind frantically. He and Drake had been with Anna pretty much all day, both the day before and after they had made the switch. "I think he must have gotten to Anna while she was sleeping," Owain guessed nervously.

"He would've had to hide her somewhere where no one would stumble upon her," Lucina said.

"On the ship?" Symphony asked. "Maybe in the back of the cargo hold, somewhere, so he could keep an eye on her?"

"No way. Drake's clipper is too small. We would've noticed her right away," Owain said.

"Maybe he left her in the woods somewhere," Iris suggested. "There's plenty of good hiding spots out there."

"The woods aren't that dense, though," Harmony pointed out. "And there are too many islanders who wander around aimlessly during the day; it would be risky to try to hide her where anyone could stumble across her on accident."

"Maybe one of the shopkeepers is was working with Cloak," Lucina suggested. "Or maybe Cloak hid her in one of the abandoned buildings."

"Not likely," Severa corrected. During their short stay on Dragonflame Isle, it became quickly apparent that the island was populated mostly by drifters. "I don't think Cloak could have trusted any of the locals not to sell him out right away. And there's a lot of squatters moving between the abandoned buildings."

"Maybe not a local then, but another Redeemer? His brother, maybe?" Symphony said.

"Then why go to the bother of putting her to sleep for three to four days?" Severa asked. "No, if there are more Redeemers in the area, they must be busy searching for the scepter, too. Cloak must have Anna tucked away somewhere secluded."

"But where?" Owain asked helplessly.

"This island isn't large enough for good, yet accessible hiding spots," Severa said thoughtfully. "So he couldn't have hidden her somewhere that no one could find. He would have hidden her where no one has a reason to visit, instead." Then the answer struck her. "Owain, are you, Anna, and this Drake person staying at the Hunter's Chance, too?"

"Yes. Why?" Owain asked.

"Come on, I think I know where she is," Severa announced decisively, turning and running toward the inn.

"Shouldn't we do something about him?" Iris asked, pointing at Cloak nervously.

"Later," Severa said dismissively. In truth, she found the sight of the dead Redeemer a tad discomforting. She and Lucina had both gotten to know Harmony quite well over the past few days, and had grown quite fond of their new companion. She had almost forgotten Harmony's calling as an assassin, and the brutally efficient manner in which Harmony had dealt with Cloak had caught her completely off guard.

"The inn has way more rooms than guests," Severa explained as she led the way up the stairs. "And since the innkeeper runs this place all by herself, she doesn't have time to clean out every room every night. From what I've seen, she only cleans up the room when she expects a new guest to be staying in it."

"You're saying she's still in her room?" Lucina asked, catching on. "Owain, which one was Anna's room?"

"On the right, at the end of the hall," Owain replied, pointing toward it.

Only when Severa reached the door did she realize they had forgotten to collect the key from Cloak's body. "It's locked," Severa groaned, as she tried the handle anyways.

"Let me," Harmony offered. Severa stepped aside after shooting her a questioning look.

Harmony removed her hair pin, allowing her dark hair to fall loosely around her shoulders, and inserted the narrow end into the lock. She fiddled with the pin for a moment, and the door slid open with an audible clicking sound, revealing an empty room.

Undaunted, Harmony stepped up to the wardrobe. She gestured for the others to stand clear before sliding it open, careful to stand clear in case her apprentice had left any traps for them.

Inside the wardrobe was Anna, bound and gagged, and tucked into the corner. Her eyes fluttered open when she heard the wardrobe door open. In her dazed and weary state, it took her a moment to understand that she was being rescued. When Harmony quickly snipped the ropes binding her, and reached up to undo the gag around her mouth, Anna flashed her rescuer a weak smile.

"Here, drink this," Harmony said kindly, as she offered the merchant her water skin.

"Thanks," Anna croaked. It was all she could manage with her throat as parched as it was. The cool water stung, and she winced painfully.

Lucina turned to Severa. "Good thinking," she said in a low voice.

Severa shrugged. "It was just a guess, like the ones you all came up with."

"Oh? You seemed pretty sure of it," Lucina reminded. "You almost sounded like Morgan back there."

"Well, I am her sister," Severa said, grinning.

"Now you're worrying me," Lucina teased. "Hunting down Owain was bad enough, and we still don't know where Morgan went. You're not about to go missing too, are you?"

Severa groaned softly. "It's alright, Lucy. I promise I won't go completely mad."

"Good. I think Owain has that part covered for us," Lucina said, smiling.

But Severa only frowned, eyeing Owain and wondering what had happened to her friend over the past year. It was unmistakably him, but he seemed strangely quiet and reserved now. Owain had always been so impossibly upbeat and cheerful that it was hard to imagine something actually dampening his mood.

The worst of it was, Severa had wished for a quieter Owain on many occasions before. Now that her wish had apparently been granted, she only found it strangely disquieting.

Owain, Symphony, and Iris stayed with Anna, as Lucina, Severa, and Harmony returned to where they had left Cloak's body. Several shocked onlookers had gathered, but given the formidable appearance of the three women, Dragonflame Isle's residents were more than ready to accept their explanation of the events. After collecting anything that might be of value, they buried Cloak in a small graveyard nearby before returning to the inn.

Once they returned, after a few quick introductions, Harmony and Lucina both insisted that Owain explain everything that had happened. But Anna spoke first.

"You said your name was Lucina?" Anna asked curiously. Lucina nodded, and Anna frowned. "That name sounds familiar for some reason…"

Lucina and Severa exchanged worried looks. "I was one of the Shepherds. Maybe the Anna who joined the Shepherds told you about me," Lucina offered, hoping that would satisfy Anna.

"Maybe," Anna said, though she didn't sound convinced. "My cousin didn't tell us that much about the Shepherds, though…"

"Maybe that's why you don't remember for sure," Severa suggested quickly. "Anyways, Owain, why don't you tell us your story, first?"

"Sure," Owain said agreeably. He began his story from just over a year ago, when he first set out from Ylisse, but most of his journey had been uneventful, and it didn't take long to get to the part where he met Drake, Agent, and Anna.

The only one to interrupt all the way throughout his story was Anna. "I did what now?" she said in disbelief. "I mean… he beat you in a sparring match, Owain? And you weren't immediately suspicious that it wasn't me?"

"I had a lot on my mind," Owain confessed before continuing on with his story. When he finished, everyone glanced at Harmony, waiting for her to speak first.

When Harmony remained thoughtfully silent, Lucina finally decided to prod her a little. "Harmony… do you think Drake is Relic?" Lucina prompted.

Harmony shook her head. "Maybe. I can't be sure, since the Redeemers have one more illusionary cape like the one Cloak was using. But Relic is pretty… distinctive. Then again, Relic is quite clever, too. Besides, even if Drake isn't Relic, he could just as easily be Dagger, or another Redeemer working for Relic," Harmony said.

"But Drake didn't seem to be a big fan of the Redeemers. He told me he thinks Maelstrom was brought into our world by the Redeemers," Owain pointed out. "And didn't you say you and your brother were Redeemers?"

"We were," Harmony corrected. "And Maelstrom was indeed brought back into the world by us," Harmony admitted, her voice laden with guilt.

"So you're trying to find the Dominion Scepter to stop it, too?" Anna asked.

"No," Harmony replied, shaking her head. "Another one of the Redeemers, Tantalus, struck out on his own too. He's trying to resurrect another dire eidolon."

"Another one?" Owain asked, horrorstruck.

Harmony nodded. "Relic's searching for the Dominion Scepter for the same reason we are. The Redeemers are afraid Tantalus may turn Extinction against them," she explained.

"So, what do we do now?" Lucina asked. "Maybe we should try to stop the last two seals from being broken until we know where the Redeemers are."

"We still need the scepter. Just keeping it out of Relic's hands isn't enough," Symphony reminded. "As bad as it would be to let the Redeemers have the scepter, if a second dire eidolon is awakened, it might be even worse if the scepter was still buried here."

"I think we should help Anna and Owain," Severa said. "The Stormfall is way faster than the clipper Drake left them. Judging from the maps, we can probably reach the pillar in about six hours. If we set out tomorrow afternoon, we can probably climb it and destroy the seal, and be back the following day."

"It means we'll be back here long before Drake even expects us to have reached the pillar," Harmony agreed. "Then we can wait and see what Drake has planned next."

"That sounds like a good plan. But why leave tomorrow afternoon, and not tomorrow morning?" Owain asked.

"Because after everything she's been through, Anna should probably get some rest first," Severa said. Anna nodded gratefully. "Also, Iris is nocturnal," she added casually.

"Nocturnal?" Owain asked, looking at Iris blankly. Ever since they set foot on Dragonflame Isle, Iris had been wearing her oversized cloak, and neither Anna nor Owain seemed to have realized that she was a Laguz.

Lucina quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "We have quite a story to tell, too," she finally said, when she was convinced they wouldn't be overheard. "Severa and I set out as soon as we could after Morgan left. About three weeks ago, landed along the northern coast of Tellius, in the Snowflake Forest…"