I… I dreamed strange things, Devin said as he walked. I dreamed that I wasnt who I had always thought I was.

Master Grey didnt answer, just kept walking to a set of stairs heading down into the bowels of the castle. There were torches flickering there, casting shadows on stones that seemed older than the rest of the castle, smooth edged, with a hint of the mortar that held them crumbling through time.

Were heading down, Devin said. Where are we going?

Again, he got no answer from the magus. Devin could feel frustration building within him. He stepped in front of Master Grey, determined to get some kind of reaction from him. The sorcerer stopped, looking at him until the uncomfortable weight of his gaze made Devin step aside.

I just want some answers! Devin insisted.

Answers are often valuable, Master Grey said. But they are rarely just given to us.

I just want to make sense of the things that I saw, Devin said. I know I was born on the dragon moon. I know my parents arent my parents.

Dangerous things to say, Master Grey said. Maybe even dangerous things to know.

And youre not going to explain any of it, Devin guessed. Why did you even meet me at the gate if youre not going to explain things?

Because you have a task to perform, Master Grey said. One that may prove important in the days to come.

What task? Devin said.

They reached a door of dark oak, bound with iron, and Master Grey pushed it open, revealing a cavernous space with a vaulted roof, a window above letting in a shaft of light that spread into a bright circle on a floor of black and white tiles. The room had been equipped with a forge, a smelter, an anvil, and what seemed to Devin like every tool anyone could ever need to work with metal, arranged on racks of blackened iron.

That part was strange enough, but there were symbols worked into every surface, symbols that reminded Devin of those on Master Greys robes.

Youve put magic into all this? he asked.

To his surprise, Master Grey shook his head. This is not to bring magic into this, but to contain it when you use it.

And how do I do that? Devin said.

Even Master Greys smile was enigmatic, impossible to decipher fully. You already know what summoning magic feels like. You just need to guide it into the metal as you work.

And how do I do that? Devin repeated.

You will learn, Master Grey assured him. He gestured to the forge. You will need to, because star metal will not respond just to heat or the hammer.

Devin looked over to where the star metal ore sat waiting by the smelter. He walked over to it, touching it, feeling the sensation of something running from him to it; something he couldnt place, still didnt fully understand.