I hope the Dividian see this, too. I don’t know if what I have planned will actually change anything, but it’s a message at the very least. It is a bold cry to our rulers that not all Dividian will be made to bow and serve their purposes. We will not continue pretending. We are not small. We are not to be swept aside. Amaya was right. It’s time to outdance a few more Ashlords.

Sunlight streaks across the upper sections of the canyons back to the west. I wait to start my alchemy until the sun’s leaking across the lower plains. Instead of reaching for the cubes on the front of my utility belt, I unclip the set hidden behind my right hip. Anyone watching will know something’s wrong. Fans will flock to the Chats and shout about infractions. I just have to hope the judges won’t disqualify me before I can disqualify myself.

I glance up at the faces. Some of the eyes are focused on me now, watching curiously. I smile up at them like Farian’s filming me behind the camera. I think of him, and my family, as my rebellion begins.

“Good morning. My name’s Imelda Beru, also known as the Alchemist. I wanted to thank you for watching my recent videos, but I’ve saved the best one for last. You’ve probably seen this trick by now, but today it’s got a new name. Today it’s called the Shattering.”

I kneel down and take a healthy pinch of locust dust. I let the powder feed between my fingers and highlight the border of the ashes with a deep, tan color. Next, I take the gypsum and limestone. They pile up fine and high before I use both fingers to mix them together. Any fan of mine will know this is the Trust Fall mixture. I smile up again once I’ve added the unborn ashes.

“Now we need sunlight.”

It creeps over the ashes just thirty seconds later. I step back and admire the magic as it summons my phoenix into being. She staggers free, proud and beautiful, snorting like the world is hers to conquer. We’re of a mind today, so it doesn’t take me long to saddle her and get the straps tied right. Once I’ve got her done up, I look back at the admiring fans. More and more of them are watching me, drawn to whatever stunt I’m about to pull. It’s exactly what I wanted. I needed them to see this. I need them all to know what the Dividian are capable of doing.

“If you’re going to shatter something,” I say with a smile, “it helps to have a Hammer.”