In the vast Archive chambers, Reath sat inside his old comfortable carrel with one of the texts he’d neglected in recent years—one that retold the fairy tales and legends of the Core Worlds. These figures were all familiar from songs and rhymes taught to children, even within the temples; some of them were even rooted in fact, like Good Princess Chaia of Alderaan or the Ithorian pirate Bluebrow.

Like the Amaxine warriors.

He scrolled through the images of the Amaxines’ armor, ships, and weapons, most of them artistic representations found in ancient art. But there were real artifacts pictured, too. As Reath studied the images, he saw patterns with endless circles—looped together, sequenced, enclosing each other—whether etched in metal or painted on vessels.

No wonder they built a spherical station with rings around it, he thought. Circles meant something to them. Maybe some of the legends will explain why.

Before he could scroll any further, however, another person edged into his carrel. “Hey,” Reath said. “This one’s taken—Master Cohmac?”

“Good afternoon, Reath.” Master Cohmac wore the hood of his gold cloak up, which wasn’t unusual for him but at the moment seemed somewhat…furtive. His voice was lowered, too, though that was the rule in the Archives. “I saw that you requested to return to the Amaxine station.”

“I, uh, yeah.” Reath sat up straight and brushed his brown hair back from his face. “For all the good it did. You saw about Nan and Hague, too, right?”

“Correct.” Master Cohmac didn’t seem nearly interested enough in the fact that they’d been bamboozled by the Nihil. “Also, we have discovered that the darkness we encountered on the Amaxine station was not bound within the idols at all. They served as suppressors, and as sentries. By removing the idols, we set that darkness free. This cannot be allowed to stand.”

It took Reath a moment to process that. “Wait. We weren’t supposed to move the idols?”

Master Cohmac winced, as though in pain. “So it would appear. It is important that the idols be returned to the station, and that the darkness is again suppressed.”

It was flattering to be asked for help with the binding ritual, which was surely what this was about, but Reath felt it only fair to explain that he had a completely different agenda. “I asked for permission to go back to the station to seize Hague and Nan. They refused and said they couldn’t spare anybody, even a Padawan. Did the Council reverse their decision because of the idols?”

“No. That decision is final. However, nobody has been forbidden to travel to the Amaxine station. You and I are both currently at liberty, as is Orla Jareni, who shares our concerns. My personal stipend would cover the hire of a ship—preferably the Vessel, as they can make an informed choice about the dangers inherent in traveling there.”