As midmorning approached, Lestra lay asleep in bed, a smile on her face. For the first time in many days, her dreams were pleasant. A knock at the door woke her up.
She got up and opened the door to find Koth with a tray of food.
"Morning sleepy-head," he said, as he entered the room. As he set the tray down, he said, "Eat up, we're heading for the ship soon. So, did you enjoy the Flying Foursome last night?"
"Mata Nui! Did I ever!" she replied between mouthfuls of food, "I haven't laughed that hard in years."
"My favorite part," said Koth, "was when Hunjer began juggling the Matoran."
"Now that took some talent," said Lestra, as she finished off the last of her breakfast.
Onric appeared in the doorway. "If you two are finished here," he said, "we should get going. I don't want to get left behind."
"Sure," said Lestra, "let's pay and get going."
"You seem unusually eager today," said Koth, as the two of them followed Onric down the hall. "Any particular reason?"
"Well," Lestra began, "getting my mind off of what happened for awhile helped me put things in perspective. What's past is past," she sighed, "as much as I wish it hadn't, I need to accept that. I have to look at the bright side of things. I mean, I haven't seen you or Tedra Nui in almost fifty years."
Koth smiled, "I'm glad I could help, sister."
Zorkek yawned as the three companions walked down the streets of Zeriger.
"How much further?" he asked, trying to keep his eyelids open.
"There's an inn just up ahead," said Cedrak. "We can rest there."
As the three progressed through the city, many of those they passed gave Cedrak a suspicious glance. Though he knew he would not come to any trouble, it still bothered him.
"So where's this guy you want us to meet?" asked Trell.
"He's at the inn. Actually, he owns the place."
"Cool, think we could get a special room or something?" asked Zorkek.
Cedrak chuckled, "I seriously doubt that."
They rounded a corner and saw a wooden sign hanging from a tall, three story building. It was shaped like a Burnak and written across it were the words, "The Burrowing Burnak."
"Well, here we are," said Cedrak as they opened the door and went inside.
The main room of the inn was sparsely furnished and even more sparsely populated. A few Matoran sat at one table, talking in hushed tones. A Vortixx and an Aviena sat at another table, engrossed by a game of cards.
A deep green Aquaton backed through one of the doors into the room carrying two mugs. The gangly creature carried the mugs to the Vortixx and Aviena and looked up. Upon seeing the Skakdi, he smiled and shouted, "Cedrak!"
He rushed over to the Skakdi and embraced him in an ash bear hug. "Hey man, how's it going?" he asked.
Cedrak smiled and returned the hug as he replied, "Oh, not bad, could be better though."
"Well, it's great to see ya, pal." Tahlis jumped onto the Aquaton's shoulder and purred as he stroked his head. "Who are your friends here?"
"Trell, Zorkek, this is an old friend of mine, Redizic, the being with all the answers."
"Hey," the Aquaton whispered, "don't go advertising that. Ya know what they'd do to me if they found out."
"I'm just saying," said Cedrak, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
Redizic motioned to the other three to follow him.
"So," said Zorkek, "what's an Aquaton like yourself doing on land, and running an inn for that matter?"
"Ah, ya know," Redizic replied, "didn't get along with the clan leader, banished for 'disturbing the peace,' picked up by pirates, fought my way out, and ended up here."
Seeing the amazed look on the Matoran's face, he continued, "I figured I could make a decent living running this place. Just needed to pull a few strings to get in."
Trell turned to Cedrak and whispered, "Doesn't exactly have the best track record, does he?"
"He's a tough character," Cedrak replied, "but once he knows he can trust you, he's probably the best friend a being could ask for."
The four beings made their way down a hallway and entered a small room. When Redizic turned on the lightstone, the others could see it was his office. The gangly being sat down and set his feet on his desk. Cedrak set Tahlis on the floor as he and the others sat down.
"I know ya, Cedrak," Redizic began, "and I can tell. This ain't no social call. What's up?"
"I'm looking for a group of Toa that came through here. I'm not sure when though."
Redizic nodded as the Skakdi continued. "There's a Toa of Fire named Onric, a Toa of Stone named Koth, and a Lightning Toa named Lestra."
"And yer sure they came through here?" asked the Aquaton.
"Unless they jumped off the Eastern Road somewhere in the woods, then yes."
"A'right then." Redizic got up from his chair and locked the door. He moved to stand in front of the Skakdi.
"Ya know this'll hurt, right?" he asked.
Cedrak nodded, "I know, but I need to know where they are."
"Wait, what'll hurt?" asked Zorkek.
"I'll explain in a sec, kid," said Redizic.
Placing his hands on the sides of Cedrak's head, the green being's hands began to glow purple. As they grew brighter, tendrils of power began to snake across the Skakdi and Aquaton's bodies. As the energy increased, Cedrak began to grunt and moan as though he were being beaten by some unseen foe.
Within a few moments, the power began to die down. Redizic pulled his hands away from the Skakdi's head and said, "That's some heavy stuff you got in there, pal."
"Yeah," he wheezed, "yeah, I know."
"Can someone please tell me what just happened?" asked Trell.
"Well, you see, I tried one too many times to climb to the top of the beacon," said Redizic. "Turns out the place don't exactly like visitors. I got zapped by some kinda weird energy in the place, and when I came to, I got some of the beacon's power. I can find anything, as long as I know what I'm lookin' for. But to channel the power, I need someone else who knows what it is, and as you can see, it hurts like Karzahni."
The Aquaton knelt in front of his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope ya find her, Cedrak. She seems like a neat gal."
Still wincing, Cedrak nodded as he said, "She is. And thank you."
"Hey, anytime, and you as for you two," he turned to the Matoran, "don't go tellin' everybody about what I can do. I don't want people comin' to me like I'm some kinda fortune teller."
"Have no fear, oh great one, your secret is safe with us," said Zorkek, dramatically. "Now, how about a room for us weary travelers."
"We can't stay," said Cedrak, rising to his feet.
"What, why not?" asked Trell.
"Lestra and the others are -" Suddenly, Cedrak was interrupted by the office's door flying off its hinges.
The four beings turned to see four other beings standing in the doorway, a four armed Cuartan and three Matoran.
"Who in Karzhani are you?" cried Redizic.
The Po-Matoran in the group stepped forward and said, "We're here for Redizic, and I'd advise the rest of you to stay out of this."
Cedrak stepped over to the Matoran and stared down at him. "And what makes you think you can get away without a fight?" he asked.
"I'd advice staying out of this," said the Po-Matoran, even as his body began to change. Within moments, the Matoran had grown into an eight-foot tall Steltian bruiser. "Because you don't know who you're dealing with."