Sia was drawn to the pendant by an instinct older than language. When she reached out, the pendant leapt into her palm as if it had been waiting. A jolt ran through her, and visions flooded her: hidden caverns, a throne of coiled bronze, her mother standing with a crown of scales. She remembered, in a rush, that she was descended from the last true Naagin guardian. Her destiny unfurled like a banner in wind.