Raven's Nest

Ess began unwrapping the gift Jake pointed out was from Annie, falling silent for a moment as if she was trying to ignore the bit of tension that was coming off of Aiden and Jake. She took a deep breath. “It’s Jake’s birthday.” Ess replied simply, shooting a warning glare in Luckas’ direction before smiling. “..And I still manage to get presents.” She giggled, when a few of the children skipped over to greet Tala and smiled up at Luckas. They got halfway through their greeting before they were distracted by Kaya and her cute display of carrying a stuffed dragon in her mouth like it were her cub. “Aw, you brought something for the kids, Luckas? That’s sweet.” The children instantly turned their attention back towards Luckas when they heard Ess, their faces lighting up.

“This...wait…” Essence mumbled as the gift was revealed as a thick, black book with quite a bit of weight to it. Running her fingers appreciatively over the binding she flipped open it’s pages and fanned through to a random page in the middle and began reading. “It’s so organized..”

“What is? What the bloody hell is in there?” Darren asked impatiently, looking over Ess’ shoulder.

“Rutilas Radix..huh...she knows where to get the root I use for the active ingredient for the red vial. I didn’t think Sowthistle had any healing properties..ooh..it’s like the dictionary of poisons and antidotes!”

Darren chuckled. “She hasn’t even met you and she’s giving you the resources to kill people. That’s kind of scary.” He ducked below Ess’ assault, her hand missing his cheek once again.

“That’s not all that is in here, Darren.” Ess snorted, reading through another page, her eyes hungrily devouring each word. “This is great...Now I really need to meet her.”

Darren picked up Jake’s gift from the table and placed it in between the pages Ess was reading. “Alright, one more and then maybe you’ll come dance with me, Ma.”

It looked as if Darren was tapping his foot in impatience but it was to a distinctive drumbeat. It stood alone, echoing high over her head, beckoning the flute’s forlorn whisper to gain strength. Little by little more flutes joined in, picking up speed as if now to mock the drum. Some of the guard began dancing before the fire, almost tripping others who were carrying more food over to the tables. Ess herself, started bobbing her head to the beat, a pleasant, warm glow gracing her cheeks as the effects of the liquor began to show itself. She immediately, however, became still after opening Jake’s gift to her. A delightful, surprising squeal erupted past her lips as she held up a small, wooden pendant that had been crafted into a necklace with a detailed, oak tree design carved into it’s surface. Ess closed her eyes, letting her fingers trail over the image. Quietly she pulled the necklace over her head, peeking down to look at how it sat just over her heart. Ess took several deep breaths, turning to snatch back her bottle from Luckas, hoping a couple more swigs of the warm liquid would sooth an anxious, itching feeling that was stirring in the pit of her stomach.

“Great! You can wear that while you go and try on the dress I made you.” Deidra commanded with a nod. “I can tweak it if the dress isn’t snug enough for you..er or however you feel most comfortable.”

Luckas nodded simply retrieving one of the boxes he had left on the table after giving Stalker a bit of a nudge away from them as he was already showing signs of wanting to snatch them away. “Stalker... Come on... You already had some at the cake shop... You’re gonna get fat.” He muttered playfully at the wolf. “That box better be there when I come back or I’ll be really mad, you hear me?” He warned, seeming very unconvinced when Stalker obediently laid down at his feet. Carrying the box over to the children, Luckas sat on the ground, setting the box down on his lap and opening it to reveal a small batch of wolf-shaped gingerbread cookies and carefully passing them along to the kids so they each got two of the cookies, noting some were still left in the box. That’s when he felt someone poke him in the shoulder and turned his head to see that Lily was standing behind him, holding something behind her back. “Miss Lily... What did we discuss last time I was here? About you sneaking up on me?” He questioned.
“To never ever do it.” Lily answered.
“Becaaause...?” Luckas insisted.
“It’s unsafe.” The girl recited. “I forgot. I won’t do it anymore, I promise.”
“Good.” Luckas stated, offering the girl her two cookies and whispering to her. “What are you hiding there?”
Lily snickered, taking the cookies and placing a piece of paper in Luke’s hand. “Is for you to give Miss Ess...since you forgot to bring her a birthday present.” She answered in the same whispered tone Luckas had used.
“Oh?” Luckas mumbled, taking the extra cookies in the box and giving them out to Tala, Beo, and Stalker before jumping to his feet and examining the paper. It read ‘good for one hug’ in what was clearly a child’s handwriting, the letters surrounded by drawings of little pink hearts. Luckas shook his head, a thankful smile crossing his features at the girl’s gesture. “Why, thank you, Miss Lily... That’s very nice of you.”
“No problem. I can make another one for Mr. Jake too, if you want.” She offered.
Luckas chuckled. “No, no... I don’t think that’s necessary, thank you.”
“Okay. Thanks for the cookies, Mister Luckas.”
“Don’t mention it.” Luckas replied, smirking at the girl. “Really, don’t mention it... I have a reputation to keep.”
“Silly.” The girl giggled.
“See, you keep calling me things like that... and that’s not good for my reputation, kid.”
“Mister Luckas... When are we having story time again?” One of the boys asked.
“Well, I don’t know... I said it was just one story...”
“It was one story.” Lily argued. “And next time will be just one story too.”
“Hmmm... I’m pretty sure that’s not what...” Luckas mumbled.
“Pleeease Mister Luckas?”
“Well, uh... Fine... Tomorrow, if I’m still around by night time.” Luckas agreed. “Aren’t you kids up past your bedtime or something?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at them.
“Mister Jake said we could stay up late.” Lily said.
“Did he now?” Luckas snickered.
“Sort of... ” The girl shrugged.
“Okay, if he said so, sort of, then who am I to disagree?” Luke agreed. His attention was drawn from the children as he noticed the book Ess had opened and he wandered over to get a closer look at it with a curious expression. He’d obviously seen the book before, but that was a good few years ago. “I sort of stole that book once... It was just a terrible idea...” He mumbled.
Jake laughed. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re afraid of my little cousin...”
“Aren’t you?” Luckas questioned. “I may be crazy, but I’m not that crazy.”
Jake sighed. “No, yeah, I see what you mean.” He mumbled. “I guess it makes sense she’d pass it along though, not like she needs to look at it.”
“Aren’t you a bit upset she didn’t give it to you?” Luckas questioned.
“Why would she ever think I need it?” Jake retorted with a smirk. His smile faltered a bit however as he saw Ess opening his gift. He had been really unsure, since he retrieved the piece of wood from his house, what to make of it, eventually he settled for following his sister’s advice and making it into something meaningful. “Yeah, Ali made that, but I did sketch the tree from memory and we all know that’s the hard part.” He stated playfully.

“Let me see this thing…” Darren muttered, waving his hand in front of Ess’ eyes before reaching to hold the pendant in his hand which was still attached around Ess’ neck. Essence looked up at her son, quirking a brow, watching as his eyes lit up like hers would, staring almost through the oak design. His eyes flashed violet each time an image fluttered past his vision.

“It’s nice to have a reminder of what is now lost..” Essence whispered, looking back down at the pendant.

Darren finally let it fall from his fingers, his eyes fading back to their baby blues. “...That tree you told me about where you and Uncle Jake would play as kids...you said it’s not there anymore, right? I honestly never paid much attention, living there, but I remember the fire. At least a piece of it remains.” Darren smiled, turning to pat Jake on the back. “That was a smart idea, Guy.”

Ess turned her gaze back to Jake, lips parted as if to speak when she realized what the pendant was made from. She smiled, tears shimming but never falling. “Jake…”

“Alright, now time to go try this on…” Deidra tossed the dress over her shoulder and boldly snatched Ess’ bottle from her hands, her free arm linking around Ess’ as she began to drag her away from the crowd and towards Dee’s bunk. “We’ll be back!”

“Dee...wait...I don’t want to be the center of attention...I’ll be the only one wearing a dress…” Ess complained, putting up some resistance.

“You are so full of it.” Dee chuckled. “But don’t worry...all of us girls decided we will join you..”

As Ess was being pulled away from the group, each hand snapped outwards, one hand gripping Crys by the arm and the other catching Ali’s sleeve. “You two are coming too.”

Aiden snickered at the small spectacle as he removed the armor from Tala, immediately following after Ess once she was free. Sora and Beo followed as well, but Aiden whistled to Beo and commanded him to stay. The wolf didn’t look pleased. “Girl time, pup.” He stated, moving to stand next to Darren. “See, that didn’t go so bad.”

Darren quirked a brow, leaning towards Aiden and laughed right in his face. “All due respect...you need to open your eyes..”

Jake chuckled softly as Crys momentarily held on to his arm to try and keep Ess from dragging her away before giving in and following after the other women. Ali didn’t put up much of an argument, but Jake was pretty sure that if Dee was considering putting her in a dress she’d have a pretty hard time.
“So, this has got to be the most time you two spent together in at least a month, right?” Dastan asked, calmly fiddling with the bottle Ess had given him. “Getting hopeful, are we?”
“None of your business.” Jake retorted, not wanting to get into whatever subject Dastan was trying to approach with him.
“Hmmph...” Dastan sighed. “Listen, kid... When Crys invited me to come along she asked me to be nice, not matter what you said, but... I was thinking... She’s not here right now, so maybe you want to take the opportunity to say whatever you think you need to say to my face instead of muttering shit under you breath like a scolded infant.”
“I don’t see what I could possibly have to say to you, Shaykh.. You’re the one who seems to have something to say.”
“Quite honestly, Jake, I’d like to say a few things, if you’ll allow me... I think it’s important we set matters straight, don’t you?”
“Go on.” Jake agreed, drinking from his bottle and staring at Dastan with a serious look in his eyes.
“I don’t dislike you, I don’t... I just feel that... This is a rather sad situation, Jacob. Crys is an outstanding woman and she deserves a good man... You... Act like a little boy.”
“Do you consider yourself a good man, Dastan?” Jake questioned.
“Maybe not, but I’m a grown man, Jake. A man in your position wouldn’t feel so threatened. I mean, you’ve been wasting a lot of energy keeping an eye on me, but really... What do you think I can do? I understand where you’re coming from, don’t get me wrong, I get that you see how I look at her and I’m afraid sometimes you can’t control how you look at someone, but I’m not stupid. I’ve known Crys for a very long time, it’s very clear to me where I stand with her; it’s very clear to me and pretty much everyone what she wants. I could sit around waiting for her to finally get sick of waiting for you to man up, but I have too much respect for her and myself to be that guy... So for Twins sake, man... Grow up, yes? That girl has been through a lot, she deserves something good in her life... For some stupid reason she’s convinced you’re it; all you have to do is not act like a jackass... It’s not difficult; try it sometime. Okay?”
“Yeah... Okay...” Jake snorted.
“Are we good?” Dastan muttered, opening up the bottle of liquor.
“I guess so.” Jake sighed, scratching the back of his head.
“Good.” Dastan stated, taking a swig from the liquor. “Sooo... What’s the deal with that Dee woman, is she taken?”
Jake snorted a laugh at the question. “Not that I know of. You’re not seriously going to ask her to marry you or something, right?”
“Naah... That’s more of a third date kind of thing, don’t you think?” Dastan played. “Hey, Little Man, was that your cake?” He asked, pointing out the box Stalker had knocked over and was digging into.
“Stalker!” Luckas muttered out. “No, no, no... That was my cake. MY cake!” He scolded, not really hoping there’d be anything left in the box at this point. “Can wolves get drunk on rum cake?” He mumbled.

Darren reached across the table of food and swiped a roll off a plate to munch on while engaged in the exchange between Dastan and Jake. Almost choking on his roll when Stalker was discovered nose deep in cake, Darren collected himself before approaching Dastan with a smile. “Nice to see you again, Guy. I knew I liked you.” Darren extended his hand in greeting and chuckled, glancing between Aiden and Luckas for a moment. “Ever feel like the whole world is blind?” He half heartedly joked.

Aiden shook his head and sighed, motioning to a crate where a few bottles still remained. “Come on, Kid. Come have a drink.”

Darren nodded, happily receiving one of the bottles. “You think by getting me drunk Old Man, you’ll hold your title?”

Aiden laughed. “Kid, I recall we were both sober.” Playfully he patted Darren’s back, tapping his bottle against the kid’s before taking a swig. “Just say when and where if you want a rematch.”

“Fine. But leave the squirrels out of it this time.” Darren snickered, finding Aiden’s facial expression priceless. “Don’t act all innocent. I know they are your spies.” Both men just stared at one another before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

“Girls, I think you’re needed. Miss Ess is calling for you.” Jess whispered to a few of the children, smiling when Lily handed her one of the cookies Luckas gave her.

“Ok, Hold that for later.” Lily commanded before running off with the others, Sora greeting the children when they approached by circling them a few times and barking.

“What was that about?” Darren asked Aiden, honestly expecting some crazy answer and was slightly disappointed and yet still amused when the man just shrugged. “I will wait for the squirrel’s report.”

Darren was about to shoot a smart ass remark back when he saw some of the women coming back towards the group and took off to wait for Ess. “She almost done?” He asked Deidra who had decided to change so that Ess wasn’t the only one dressed up. She had thrown her hair up so it was off her neck, a necklace of tiny black feathers dangling past her collarbone. Dee wore a simple, hunter green gown that dragged along the ground behind her. “Yea, she’s decorating the kids.” When Deidra met back up with the group she looked around as if surprised things were pretty much the same as when she left. “I take it you boys are behaving?”

The kids were the next ones to appear; three little girls, their hair adorned with blue irises in matching blue dresses that flowed around them as they ran over towards the fire and began spinning in circles around the blaze. The music paused and when it started again the pace had picked up again considerably to match the kid’s enthusiasm. Essence kept to the shadows, avoiding her son except for the fact she had Tala, Sora, and Kaya with Drakey still in her mouth, trailing behind her. She stepped out to join the girls, a few other women from the Guard following behind the wolves, also in dresses. Eventually all of them found a place around the fire, hand in hand to lift and swing the kids as they circled, becoming still when the music paused again. The adults would start and the kids would mimic their movements, arms outstretched like birds, alternating in direction as they spun, kicking up dirt towards the flames.

Darren waited patiently for an opening and reached into the moving circle to steal Essence, drawing her close as he changed up the dance and lead her towards the band. “You should wear your hair down more often, Mom. It suits you.” Darren smiled, tugging lightly on one of her shorter curls that hung along her eyebrow.

Essence smiled, shaking her head as she leaned in to whisper to her son “You knew about this?” Darren nodded.

“I finished that other bottle...Dee helped...I think I’m going to need another.” She sighed.

“You’re doing fine. You didn’t run away.”

“I would have if the girls didn’t come with me.” She chuckled.

Dastan simply chuckled at Darren, watching with half interest as Luckas wiped a bit of frosting Stalker couldn’t get off his fur by himself. “And you, Little Man... What’s your story? I remember you at the ball all those months ago. You seemed to be having a better time then.”
“I’d stop calling me that, if I were you.” Luckas stated simply, dodging Stalker’s attempts at licking his face. “Anyone would tell you I’m childish enough to want to make you swallow your words.”
“Well, excuse me, but you are quite little, I mean... You’re almost as little as Irvin over there and... what’re you eighteen?”
“I’m twenty... I think...” Luckas muttered. “Just stop calling me that.”
“Twenty... So you’re not younger than her kid... You kind of look like you are.”
“The kid is... He’s... Seventeen... Eighteen at most... What are you trying to say, pal?”
“Nothing, just... Making conversation...” Dastan snickered.
“Stupid wolf, you better not get sick and puke everywhere like that other time.” Luckas mumbled, ruffling up Stalker’s fur a bit before turning to face Dastan. “You have a strange way of making conversation, pal.”
“I’m a strange guy, I’ve been told.” Dastan agreed.
Luckas nodded, going silent for a bit before speaking again. “I don’t get what she sees in him either... She’s a pretty nice person.”
Dastan laughed. “Jake is not a bad guy... He’s just not very smart either.”
“No, not a bad guy... Not Jakey.” Luckas muttered, rolling his eyes. “Definitely not smart though, if I knew there was going to be a party I would probably not have come... Well, or at least I would’ve waited until later... Crowds are not my thing.” He shrugged. “I’d rather not have to make nice with people... Or Beast Speakers.... On days like today.”
“Is that right?” Dastan asked, holding back a chuckle. Whatever else he was about to say next was completely lost when he noticed Deidra had returned, and he gave Luckas a small pat on the back. “Nice talking to you, little man.”
Luckas snorted in response, muttering under his breath and smirking slightly as Dastan tripped over himself at his next step and hit the ground quite comically. “What did I tell you, about calling me that, mate?” Luckas asked.
Dastan laughed as he slowly got on his feet, shaking his head at Luckas. “Fair enough, suppose I asked for that... So I’ll let you get away with it, this time.” He stated in a tone of warning that was only half playful, calmly brushing the bit of dirt that had stuck to his clothes. He walked over to Deidra and sighed. “So much for trying to be cool.” He stated, glancing at the bottle he was holding and smiling to see the contents hadn’t spilled. “You know, I don’t like admitting it, but you confused me Miss... When you said you know who I am, did you mean you already knew my name or did you mean you know who I am?” He questioned, taking a sip from the liquor. “If it’s the latter, well, whatever it is you heard... It’s probably true, but I can explain.”

Jake was half watching the exchange between Darren and Aiden, frowning slightly as he wondered if Darren was serious about the squirrels or if it was all a joke... He couldn’t really deny that if he could use squirrels as spies he probably would; who would suspect a squirrel? “I think I’ve already had a bit too much.” Jake snickered, emptying his bottle and shaking his head at his thoughts. That was silly.

When the dance started Jake walked a bit closer to watch, but he didn’t see Crys or Ali anywhere and he wondered where they had gone. He distracted himself watching the girls dance, some of the mercenaries starting to clap their hands to the beat of the song as they stopped to watch as well. That was when Jake spotted Ali walking back towards the group in the company of another woman, who wasn’t Crys.
“Hey look, Jake... Sheila’s here.” Ali greeted as she brought the woman into their circle her blue eyes glaring at Jake as if she was mentally shouting at him.
“I see... That...” Jake mumbled, a little confused as to why the woman was there when he hadn’t invited her. “Irvin... Were you and Ess at the Inn today?”
“Uh...” Irvin mumbled. “Was that not okay?” The kid asked.
“Jacob, don’t panic... I’m not staying. I just stopped by to wish you a happy birthday. I’m on my way to camp actually. Sean wants everyone back by tomorrow at sundown. I think it probably has to do with your girlfriend, but we weren’t told, at least not yet.”
“You don’t seem too happy about it, I thought you didn’t like Sean.” Jake replied, fetching another bottle of liquor. “What changed?”
“You don’t want to discuss this on your birthday, Jake, but I think you know what changed. It’s hard to stay on your side after what happened. Everyone loved Katie.” Sheila answered with a shrug. “Can I have one of those, please?”
Jake sighed, handing her his bottle. “We had nothing to do with it, and by ‘we’, I mean not me or Crys, or Evin, or any of their people. Sean himself caught the guys, for what I heard.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, hun.” She replied, opening the bottle and taking a sip. “Hmph... So much better than our stuff...” She noted, shaking her head.
Jake let out a bitter chuckle at Sheila’s comment. “Don’t talk to me about sleep right now, Sheila. I bet Sean slept like a baby after he executed that boy Ali trained.”
The woman shook her head, not losing her smile. “See, I told you... You don’t want to discuss this now...”
“Suppose not.” Jake agreed, looking past Sheila. “Where’s Crys, Ali?”
“She was with me, but... We ran into Sheila and she split up with us... She mumbled something about hearing a squirrel and wandered off...” Ali replied, shrugging at the questioning look Jake shot her. “I’m sure she’ll show up soon.”
“A squirrel?” Jake mumbled a bit confused. “Ah, wait, there she is.” He nodded, spotting Crys as she walked in their direction.
“Did I miss anything?” Crys asked, stopping beside Ali, seeming a bit too calm considering the circumstances.
“Not really, no.” Ali replied. “Just a small discussion about why Katie’s death is our fault and... Sheila said she’s just passing through.”
Crys sighed. “Sean is calling everyone back, is he?” She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“Tell me something about this whole thing that is necessary?” Sheila questioned.
“Give me a better solution.” Crys retorted. “Do you think this is what I want?”
“Hey.” Jake interrupted. “We’re not discussing this right now.”
“How did the hand heal up?” Crys asked in an interested tone, not withholding a satisfied smirk.
“It healed up just fine, thanks.” Sheila muttered. “I think... I should get going. Like I said, just wanted to stop by.” She started, handing the liquor bottle back to Jake and giving him a long hug before turning away and starting to leave the camp.
Jake winced slightly when Sheila hugged him, kind of sensing the reaction the gesture was provoking, but he didn’t say anything and just let the woman be on her way waiting to see if Crys would ask whether or not he invited her. She didn’t. Instead she turned to speak to Luckas.
“Hey, Just Luckas... Do you dance?” She asked.
“Not really.” Luke answered. “Why?
“I was just thinking that maybe you should... I doubt Darren would mind it too much.” She told him casually. “And how about you, Jakey, do you dance?”
“Depends on who’s asking.” Jake smiled.
“Well, you know... Technically, you should ask me, but... That’s one more thing I’ll let you get away with this time... because it’s your birthday.” She snickered, pulling him by the hand towards the music.

Deidra did her best not to laugh at Dastan when he so gracefully met the ground. The act had softened her gaze, an amused smile forming itself as she turned respectively towards the man as he addressed her. “To answer your question, a bit of both. I wonder though, exactly, what you feel you would need to explain about yourself? People are who they are and will act the way they will act, so unless you are not proud of your actions, one shouldn’t feel the need to explain.” Dee shrugged as if she didn’t expect the conversation to go much further, glancing around to retrieve a bottle from one of the crates and immediately opening it taking a deep draught. She laughed at herself when a bit of the contents trickled down her chin. “To be fair, I can’t honestly say that I know you. I’ve never met you before, so my knowledge would be naturally left with some holes.”

Darren and Ess continued their dance, both laughing when Ess’ eyes widened in surprise when her son would dip and then spin Ess with an unusual amount of speed. He was purposely working to make her laugh as much as possible, still aware of her tension by the way her fingers would occasionally dig into his arm. “You’re doing it again..” He whispered into her curls.

“I am not.” Ess turned her gaze away from her friends across the way and back up to Darren’s.

“Are to. You are staring at him.” Darren snickered. “..And don’t look now, but Aiden is staring at you again.”

Ess snorted, responding by leaning her head against Darren’s arm to look back over in Luckas’ direction. “...How much longer do you have to enjoy the party?” She muttered, changing the subject.

“Couple hours, then it’s the changing of the Guard. I’m probably going to visit Annie sometime in the next couple days too..if you want to tag along.”

Ess nodded. “Maybe. If I go out that way, if I have the availability..Ali said she’d take me out that way...to the Ruins..”

Darren sighed. “To what end? Do you expect to find something?”

“I don’t expect anything, Darren. Have you ever been out that way?”

“No. I am not sure if that would be a good idea for me.” He whispered, an uneasy look crossing his eyes. “I have been thinking of wearing gloves..It’s just not as predictable as it was before.”

“Oh? You feeling alright? You seem to be doing alright now.”

“Better than you are as of late. I found you sleep walking again last night.” Darren noted matter of factly, pulling back to look down at his mother. A concerned frown straining his face. “Essence...you’re bleeding..”

Ess released Darren, standing out in her statue like form as she wiped at her nose. Darren reached into his pocket for a handkerchief and held it above her lip, cleaning off the blood. “You sure this training thing you and Luckas…”

“It’s fine. If you are worried because of the side effects...I can tell you this is normal.” Ess began to argue, Darren interrupting her.

“You aren’t worried about the stress of it..and how it affects your enlightenment?”

“No.” Ess sighed. “I’m finding out there’s more to it than I originally thought..” Ess turned, taking the handkerchief from Darren and putting pressure to her nose, moving back towards the crates of alcohol. “I just need another drink..”

Dastan nodded, an amused smile crossing his features. “I’m not sure about you ladies, but I’m sure no man is proud of all his actions. Unless said man is a fool, that is.” He replied with a slight shrug. “I’m personally very aware of my reputation, and while it is very much accurate, it is not all there is... Still, I’m in a bit of a disadvantage here seeing as you haven’t even told me your name yet, Miss. And you know all these things about me too... That can make a guy feel a bit... vulnerable... know what I mean?” He asked playfully.

After Sheila had left and Crys had dragged Jake away to dance, Ali had gone get some food and water, as she returned to where their group had gathered she spotted Irvin in conversation with the quiet guy Ess had called Luckas. Ali hadn’t paid much attention to him until then, but then she remembered where she heard the name before. As she approached them Ali sighed as she realized Irvin was still going on about their bet, Luckas not seeming to agree with him either.
“It’s not an acceptable answer.” Luckas mumbled.
“It’s not a fair bet either though.” Irvin argued.
“Listen, kid; pick up a book sometime... If you did then you’d know the answer.” Luckas retorted, idly running his fingers through Stalker’s fur. “It’s not an impossible question, and it doesn’t matter if it is an unfair bet because you agreed to it.”
“Still, Irvin?” Ali asked the boy. “You really don’t like to lose, do you?”
“I couldn’t possibly know this, alright?”
Luckas snorted. “Rosefeld.”
“Oh, come on, you cheated!” Irvin mumbled.
Luckas glared at the kid, seeming insulted by his accusation. “I didn’t cheat. Like I said, pick up a book.”
Ali shook her head, patting Irvin in the head playfully. “There, there.” She chuckled. “Mind elaborating on that answer then? Luckas, is it?”
“It was the last village to burn and you don’t look much older than me. You were twitching at the fireworks, so you clearly remember the fire. It wasn’t too difficult really.”
“You know what... Screw you.” Irvin muttered, glaring at Luckas and wandering off.
“Pffft... Seriously... what the hell is Jake teaching that kid?” Luckas muttered.
“Oh, I don’t know... Are you sure you didn’t cheat a bit? Alistair told me a little about you, Luckas... All that time in the Shadows camp and Lena didn’t tell you about her village?”
“Alistair... Alistair... Hmmm... The name sounds a bit familiar... Tall, empath, a bit of a jerk, obvious mommy issues?” Luckas asked raising an eyebrow. “Whatever he told you, probably not good things, is likely true. I’m glad to say that Lena and I didn’t spend much time discussing her past... Who are you, exactly?”
“Call me Ali, Luckas... I’m with the assassins.” Ali replied with a small shrug. “So you read about the villages, then? Can you name them all?”
Luckas gave Ali a suspicious look. “What was the bet you had with the kid?”
“A kiss.”
“No wonder he was pissed... No thanks.”
Ali chuckled. “Does it have to be a bet?”
“I’m not giving it up for free.” Luke snickered. “How about the chess piece you have in your pocket?”
“How do you know what I have in my pocket?”
“I cheated.” Luckas stated simply. “Yes or no?”
“Okay.”
“Rosefeld, Ashdrift, Ironedge, Narrow Brook, Blissfalls, Oakstone, and Whirlwind.” Luckas listed casually.
“Very good.” Ali stated, fetching a small black pawn from her pocket and handing it over. “A pawn, huh?”
“Aren’t we all?” Luckas mumbled, taking the chess piece with a half smile, examining it for a few moments before putting it in his pocket. “Excuse me.” He said, moving past Ali as he spotted Ess moving towards the liquor boxes, catching up with her and raising an eyebrow at her bloody nose. “Since when has dancing become a violent sport?” He asked playfully. “Now, that’s a pretty dress Lady.” He pointed out, circling Ess a couple of times as if to see it from all sides. “I’d say you should wear it to our next date, but the way they tend to go it might end up torn... or scorched... and that’d be such a pity.”

“..And you know all these things about me too... That can make a guy feel a bit... vulnerable... know what I mean?”

Deidra tilted her head, a full smile spreading from ear to ear. “..It is at our most vulnerable...It is when we show a bit of humility, that we learn the most about ourselves, no? It is there, where those of us who pay attention, can see what is hidden beneath.” Nodding a bit at her words she raised her bottle before taking another sip. “I’m sorry, that is rude of me. Deidra...Reid...Deidra or Dee is fine. If I know apparently all these things about you...why not tell me something I don’t know? I’ll go first.” Dee took a moment to think, reflecting on the bit of conversation she had taken part with the man, before chuckling at herself. “I don’t believe in first impressions..”

Essence opening a smile when she heard Luckas beside her, her eyes darting between two kinds of liquor, unsure of which she’d rather try. “If I agreed dancing was a violent sport would that mean you’d dance with me?” Ess laughed, crinkling up the blood stained cloth in the palm of her hand. A noticeable pink hue heated her pale cheeks when Luckas commented on the dress. Finally she looked up at Luckas, after deciding on a bottle and winked at him. “Oh to think you’d be so heartbroken if my dress found itself in shambles. I shudder to think of how many eyes you’d poke out…” She trailed off still giggling. “So are we going on this date sometime soon? Suppose to be your party, your rules this time.”

Dastan smiled, nodding his agreement as he drank from his bottle. “I suppose you’re right, Dee, it’s just not something I’m used to, I guess; being vulnerable. I like to think I know exactly where I stand at all times.” Taking a few more swigs, the man took his time thinking on what to say to what seemed like such a simple question. “Well, it’s hard to think of something you’d definitely not know, and I’m not sure exactly what you do know... but...” He took another drink, pointing at the scar on his neck. “I have never told anyone, not even my sister, how I actually got this scar.”

“Well, Lady...” Luckas chuckled, taking one of the bottles for himself. “I’m not one to agree that people should be violent for sport... There are so many better uses for violence, don’t you think?” He opened the bottle and took a drink from it. “But maybe... On a less crowded occasion.” He answered, giving a small shrug and drinking some more, choking in a small fit of laughter at the mention of poking out eyes. “As much as I enjoy making you shudder, Lady, I’d honestly not want to see all of Deidra’s hard work go to waste, because... Honestly, she’s a little bit scary, but who knows... We could give it a little ‘scar’, maybe. Nothing fatal.” He played, smirking as he glanced down at his liquor bottle, going into a moment of thought. “Hmm... Well... Soon-ish... I suppose I should find us something special, no? I heard third dates are meant to be a big deal... We should save some of those fireworks.”

Deidra’s eyes scanned over where Dastan pointed along his neck, giving a respectful pause before she spoke. She was slightly caught off guard and honestly was not expecting his words. Dee was curious to know more, but was not the type of person to ask such a personal question. “We all have scars…” Dee whispered, smiling and pointing to the one on the left side of her face. “It’s no secret Essence and I share a similar history on how we acquired ours.” Dee took a sip from her bottle before motioning to Aiden and the others of the Guard who were meandering through the party. “My scar, as my brothers and sisters here will contest to, was caused by my...well some would call him my benefactor...others would say legally he was my husband...but yes was something I acquired from him. It’s the only reminder of him now. What I’ve never told anyone..is what the real story is around his...sudden disappearance.” Dee shrugged as if the truth of it didn’t matter. “Honestly, I tell people I refuse to explain what happened because it’s funnier to see the looks on people’s faces when it comes up. I just don’t usually talk about it because it’s intimidating to find out about someone...especially when…” Dee snickered shaking her head. “..But if one were to think on it...why do people keep secrets if not to protect someone. I really...had nothing to do with it..directly..but no one would believe that.” She nodded behind Dastan, speaking as forward as possible, “If you want to take this opportunity to walk away, there would be your opening without worry of offense.”

Essence was half watching Deidra while listening to Luckas. “I get the crowd thing...I am feeling a bit whelmed, but not so much now that you’re here.” Ess couldn’t help but giggle at Luckas’ words on Dee and not wanting to damage her dress. “Deidra? Scary? That’s a riot. She has to be the biggest sweetheart I have ever met, but I agree to not wanting to destroy her hard work.” Her gaze lifted from Luckas, swiftly veering back towards Deidra, listening in a bit on her conversation. Dee had to have been one of the most direct women that she had ever met; at times as if she were fearless.

“Luckas…” She whispered. “You know...I almost wish it was going to rain...then I’d be left to dance in it...while everyone else ran.” Ess released a shaky breath which sounded almost like a shiver as she recalled the memory. “Maybe there we could take that moment to dance in the storm..”

About A Week Ago..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH_PKQMUyiI

“Luckas...” Ess breathed, opening a solemn stare, her orbs focused intently upon the flames before her. Tilting her head she rested her chin upon her hand, propping herself up from where she laid upon the grass, her free hand absently sifting through the soft blades basking in their gentle touch.

“Luuuuckaaas....” She whispered softly, Tala lifting her head to glance at Ess curiously, the only other movement around her perimeter. A sudden chill crept up Ess’ spine, sending warm shivers along every inch of her skin. Her eyes flickered in their violet incandescence, catching the light from the fire before blinking as a drop of water fell from the sky and hit her lashes. A powerful silence fell upon the wind; she couldn’t even hear the panting of Tala or her pups anymore. All of it seemed...distant. Even the crickets.

Ess let her stare travel towards the dark clouds above, a sudden rumble of the heavens deafening her ears causing an excited smile to curl her lips. Slowly she sat up, leaning back against the log beside the fire, several more specks of rain gaining in speed to disperse sparingly across her bare arms. Running her fingers through her loose curls, the air grew cooler in the stickiness of humidity, the smell of wet soil filling her nostrils seconds before the sky opened up and cried down upon her in an unrelenting force.

Essence giggled, slightly startled by a loud crackling and snapping of thunder, the air lighting up in a white haze. Her eyes darted side to side, another clap of thunder and a collision of clouds came together in sheer blackness, and an invisible fog seemed to lift off the ground. All she could hear were the rumbles above and a river roaring in her ears; her body soaked in seconds.

Again came the shivers, her eyes slowly rolling up in her head as they closed and the biggest smile opened her lips. An unmistakable fit of laughter shook her shoulders, adding a weight to cause her to almost double over. A blink of an eye was all it took for her to be squinting through the downpour, sloppily pushing her sagging curls off her forehead. A surge of energy ached in her belly and into every vein, jumping to her feet and staring up into the sky. The darkness irradiated to a soft tone, the clouds swirling like wisps of smoke. Essence stretched out her fingers, twirling gradually in place and leaping left and right to kick and splash in the massive puddles; a flicker of innocence that commanded everything else to static. A moment of peace.

Then, just as quickly it came, the rain slowed to the clouds breaking and a hint of crimson light from the setting sun teased her eyes from beneath those shadows. For a moment, she forgot she was alone and when she looked around, the crickets crept their way back around her. Ess sighed contently, her focus on the fading thunder as it rolled west towards BlackPond. Her eyes found their way back to the fire, smoke trailing upwards from scorched coals drowning from nature’s tears. Tala had not budged herself, several layers of fur dripping water in slow motion to the ponds below. Life should be about dancing in the rain and not waiting for the storm to pass...” Ess whispered, the gentle breeze coming to a standstill as the rain drained off the leaves, which led her to notice a few patches of blue lilacs scattered beneath the Oak. Ess stepped before the massive tree, kneeling down in front of the spot Luckas usually occupied, fingers gently tracing the bark. Lost in thought she sighed, leaning against the Oak, hugging her knees to her chest as she let herself drift off into that place between dreams and reality.

Present

Darren was momentarily stolen by the children, a few of the girls dragging him into the circle around the fire. He indulged the kids in the dance, finding the opportune time to sneak away when Jess announced they would be heading to bed soon, thus beginning the chorus of complaints and objections once more. He watched as Aiden’s face contorted in pure annoyance as Luckas commented on Ess’ dress, walking to join a few of his buddies who were busy arm wrestling near the band. Darren felt bad for the guy and as any good friend would, he proposed a plan for distraction. It didn’t take much convincing.


“Come on, Old …MAN….” Darren teased, his adorable and innocent smile taunting Aiden as they circled one another. Casually he took off his hat and threw it like a saucer towards Jake to hold onto for him.

“I think this might be considered child abuse..” Aiden shot back, both men sharing in a chuckle before fists started swinging. The men were having too much fun, lazily blocking one another’s advances. It looked as if they were just horsing around; having a bit of fun as they shouted mocking yet harmless insults.

“I think you gave Sora fleas, Aiden.” Darren snickered, ducking beneath Aiden’s arm. “You keep giving me openings, Guy.” He muttered, finally letting his fist meet its target with a challenging force, knocking the wind out of Aiden. His free hand caught Darren’s when he alternated his punches, and for a moment the two stared at each other, veins bulging along their necks or foreheads as they fought to out muscle the other. Darren countered Aiden’s other fist, throwing him off balance, giving him the opening to headbutt him hard. Aiden stumbled backwards, his amusement gone, as Darren stretched his fingers and cracked his knuckles while awaiting Aiden to recover from the momentary disorientation.

“Ready to give up, Aiden?” Darren’s eyes strobed in unison each time he blinked, trading off shades of purples and blues.

“And spoil the fun? Thought we were just getting started, Kid.”

Essence didn’t like this. To be truthful, it was awkward to give a crap about both opponents, even though, naturally she wanted Darren to win. She was biased, but no one could question her point of view on this. Ess was quite entertained with watching Luckas, watch the fight; not to mention Irvin who was taking bets. After Darren hit Aiden twice with more than just friendly force, something changed in both of the men’s eyes and the competition got a bit serious.

Ess just kept sipping from her bottle until it was almost empty, her eyes dull, cold; emotionless and empty, a complete contradiction to the chaos that was going on inside her mind. The moment Aiden reciprocated Darren’s assault, his knuckles cutting open Darren’s lip as it connected with the left side of his jaw, Essence began to sweat. She took a couple steps towards Aiden, whose back was now to her, before she stopped herself and stepped back, not wanting to get in between whatever was going on with the men. Still, she wanted to grab Tala’s helmet and beat Aiden’s face to a bloody pulp for hitting her son.

Dastan listened quietly to what Deidra was saying, his expression had little trace of his usual playful nature as he drank from his bottle, his gaze fixed upon the woman’s eyes. Once she was done talking Dastan calmly looked over his shoulder as if weighing his options, the playful smile returning when he turned back to face Dee. “I see how that can be intimidating.” He agreed, with a nod of his head. “You know... A lot of city folk think that my clan is... uhm... They like to say old-fashioned instead of what we know they mean... in regards to how we treat our women. I see where they get that impression, we don’t have many women in our ranks, most of them are civilian. My little sister was the first female commander our clan has ever seen and she had a lot to prove before she was taken serious, and our guys are... quite rough around the edges... That to say the least. I think that’s a part of my reputation as well, and it’s not untrue in itself; we are very old-fashioned guys, we’re not polite by most standards, I get how that may lead people to draw conclusions, but... Where I’m from, a man who puts a mark on a woman like this, doesn’t suddenly disappear; he is very publicly punished regardless of what anyone would call him.” Dastan spoke softly. “I’m not sure if that counts as something you didn’t know, but considering the topic of conversation I thought it was fitting to mention.” He smirked. “And if that doesn’t count then I have plenty more scars we can discuss.” He offered, winking at the woman as he took another drink.

Luke snorted, a bit amused at Ess’ comment of Deidra being a sweetheart. “I don’t disagree with that. We just have different definitions of scary, Lady.” He stated simply. Luckas smiled softly at Ess’ mention of dancing in the rain, it wasn’t in the best moment that she had called for him on the day of the storm and it had caused him a little bit of trouble, if not a good share of mockery from Amber due to how much his mood had improved in the few days that followed, but it was worth it for the experience, for the moment. If he could make it rain right then, he probably would, if not for anything else; just to try and lose the crowd. As he was about to answer her though his eyes caught Darren and Aiden going into a fist fight, a frown momentarily crossing his features mixed with amusement. He very much wanted to see the Kid give the Beast Speaker a good beating, he was betting on it; internally, not literally like some of the other party guests. At the same time, he caught Ess’ reaction with the corner of his eye and she didn’t seem too pleased. “I can break it up if you want, Lady.” He offered, not taking his eyes off the two men. “Or preferably, I can help the Kid.” He grinned.

Deidra opened a warm smile, the amber tone of her eyes brightening from the firelight. Placing the bottle on the table, Dee slid along the top, her legs dangling off the edge as she leaned forward, her palms gripping the sides for support. “Tradition and respect..two things that many lack now a days. I don’t think I could keep my sanity if I didn’t contribute and fight...Not to say those who don’t take up arms can’t contribute in other ways..not to say they don’t carry any honor..” Dee paused, an awkward giggle drawing attention to the fact she was distracted for a second as the boys began rough housing. Her eyes quickly found Dastan’s again, a bit apologetic perhaps for more reasons than she was letting on in that moment. “I’m just set on actions speak louder than words and If I say I believe in something I..can’t be a hypocrite.” Dee glanced down at her feet, still swinging her legs much similar to a child. “No..I take that back...tradition is everywhere. The problem is when it’s twisted to put down a minority...either it be women, less fortunate..” She shrugged. “So I did learn something..you know besides the fact you are taller than I would have imagined.” Deidra leaned back, repositioning her palms behind her so she now appeared more relaxed. “I guess I can understand what they would see in you.” She smiled, letting her eyes wander as if she was still unsure of some of things she may or may not have heard about the man. It was clear by how her smile remained that she was teasing. “You want to show me your scars?” Dee tilted her head to the side, a few loose strands falling out of her loose braid. “I’m sure they are more interesting than most of mine..” She played, pulling her dress up to her knee to show a thick, white scar across her shin. “That was from jumping off the rocks into a swimming hole and missing the deep end.”

“No, Luckas. Don’t interfere..” Ess still managed to breathe, just as Darren was kicked in his side, his loss of balance working in his favor as he barely avoided a black eye. Even so Ess knew it would upset her son if she interfered. He needed to stand on his own two feet. Darren blocked Aiden. Aiden blocked darren. It went like that until Ess chuckled at the men’s speed, a few of the spectators whistling, a minor uproar of laughter when Darren smacked Aiden not once, not twice, but three times across the face as a counter each time Aiden tried to hit him. The next Ess knew, her eyes actually began trailing behind the men’s assault. She couldn’t keep up with how fluid they moved. It reminded her of the only time she remembered moving so gracefully and perfect was when she was fire wielding. Almost as hypnotizing.

Darren used Aiden’s weight against him, twisting his outstretched arm sideways, putting stress against the elbow, threatening it into an unnatural position, his other palm open, flat practically cutting into his tricep. There was no pause when he pushed himself towards the ground to dip and slide under Aiden’s extended arm, knocking on his stomach, Darren’s knees crushing his left shoulder down upon his left hand. Darren brought the man’s arm into a lock behind his own knee and sat on Aiden’s wrist.

Aiden didn’t even realize what had happened until he was on the ground, his attempts to break out of the hold futile but he still fought against the pain. A little more pressure would be all it took for Darren to break his wrist and the man’s arm in two places. Darren’s stare eased up, gently placing his left hand on the back of Aiden’s head in a belittling gesture of comfort.

“Ready to give up now?” He chuckled.

Aiden grunted and remembered this was suppose to be in good fun. When did it escalate? So finally, he conceded and Darren let him go, helping the man to his feet. It took a few moments for the feeling to come back into Aiden’s arm but once it did, they acted as if nothing had happened.

Ess grabbed Darren’s arm as he walked past and looked up at him curiously. “What was that about?” She asked, her brows narrowing in inspection as she waited for his answer.

Darren shook his head and laughed. “But Mom, what ever do you mean? Just a couple guys having a bit of fun..” He pulled away from Ess’ grasp as he went over to the mercenaries who were still playing instruments. Ess didn’t believe Darren for one second that display was all innocent fun. It actually kind of scared her how much in that moment, Darren reminded her of herself.

“I think people don’t understand tradition... Most people see it as something set in stone, never to be messed with, I think it should be about what you’d like your kids to learn, and their kids. If the world changes then these lessons need to change with it as well. Otherwise you’ll be holding back your own kind while everyone else moves forward.” Dastan stated, his eyes wandering from the conversation for a moment, a look of amusement crossing them as he watched some of his guys taking part on the bets. “And you’re right; tradition is everywhere, no wonder Valcrest has changed so little in four thousand years. In part, maybe I’ve been contributing to that... We could have gotten involved a lot sooner than we have, and for better reasons than we have... Some traditions are difficult to break, I suppose.” Dastan shook his head, his gaze falling back on the woman as he drank in silence for a moment, noting that his bottle was just about empty, his dark eyes seeming to register the change in Dee’s posture, an eyebrow arching at the woman’s teasing as if he was wondering what exactly she meant by it, but wasn’t going to ask. He casually let his gaze trail down to the scar on Deidra’s shin. “Well that is a lovely... Scar...” He spoke, his eyes lingering for a moment before meeting hers once again as he shrugged. “Most of my scars were acquired in training... You know... Miscalculated moves... arrogant mistakes... All reminders of what not to do.” He smiled, seeming to remember his training quite fondly for a moment before lifting up his shirt up to his shoulder and turning to show a scar that extended from his left shoulder blade down to his waist. “Shadow...Crys’... Jake’s... Horse. I don’t know, they have this weird ‘shared custody’ thing going with their animals...” Dastan started, lowering his shirt and turning to face Dee. “I stole him from a Blackpond officer... The man stopped to answer a call of nature and I rode off on his steed... The bloody thing knocked me over and dragged me for a good few miles before I managed to get him to stop. Along the way a nice sharp piece of stone sliced me up.” He snickered. “Suppose letting him go would have been the smartest thing to do, but I can be foolishly stubborn when I feel something is worth it.”

Aiden and Darren’s fighting had drawn Jake and Crys’ attention away from the the music and they joined the others who had stopped to watch them, Irvin wasting no time in taking bets from the boys of the guard and some of the Crimson Shadows. Crys snickered as the boy asked if she wanted in on the action. “That wouldn’t be fair.” She told the boy with a smirk.
“What does that mean?’ Irvin asked, raising an eyebrow, leaning forward and whispering excitedly. “Can you tell who’s going to win?”
Crys laughed softly. “No, of course not, Irv... Well, not exactly...”
“Well... If you were to take a guess...” Irvin insisted.
“She’s messing with you, Irvin.” Jake pointed out, shaking his head at the boy.
“Oh... Haha, very funny.” The boy mumbled. “You guys suck.”
“Oh, come on Irvin, don’t be so sensitive.” Crys chuckled, putting one arm around the boy’s shoulders. “I was just playing with you a bit. No, I can’t tell who’s going to win. I can’t even tell what is going on right now unless someone tells me. I’m good, but not that good.”
“Well... I think Darren’s winning... Yeah... Yeah... He’s got him.” Irvin confirmed. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some bets to collect.”

“Luckas is probably happy to see that.” Jake stated casually, giving Crys’ hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right back, I still have Darren’s hat.” He told her, watching Darren as he parted ways with his mother. Placing the hat on his head he walked after the boy. “Hey, is this my birthday present, kid? It does look better on me, doesn’t it?” He teased.

Crys nodded as Jake told her he was going to go return Darren’s hat, smiling as Kaya joined her, scratching behind the wolf’s ears. “You’re going to carry that thing everywhere, aren’t you?” She mumbled in amusement. “Jakey broke my wolf.” She chuckled, wandering off from where Jake had left her and approaching Aiden. “Hey, Aiden, right? I see you’re enjoying the party.” She greeted. “Now I feel kind of bad for telling Dastan’s guys not to pick fights. Although they do tend to hit pretty much everything but their targets with this amount of liquor in them.” She smiled, running her fingers along Kaya’s snout. “That armor you built for Tala, you were saying it’d have to be lighter still?”

The fight had ended, but Luckas was still somewhat glaring after Aiden with an annoyed expression. “The Kid won... Can I... Interfere now, Lady?” Luckas asked, glancing at Ess with a somewhat pleading look in his eyes. “Just a little bit?”

Deidra breathed an airy laugh, staring off at her knees before pushing herself to her feet and raising her hands palm up to examine. She looked up at Dastan, raised her hands up, palms out for him to see and then returned to them to their previous position. Dee approached Dastan, still staring at her open palms, to stand a few steps away. “So you have managed to not turn your mistakes into tradition?” She whispered, presenting her palms in front of Dastan and flexing her fingers so that one could notice mirrored scar tissue that extended across her palms just below her fingers. “Not all scars need to be a consequence of pain in order to grow. Not all are reminders of a regret or even a lesson learned. As you pointed out, it can be a reminder of..a more pleasant nature. These..” Dee’s eyes flickered between her hands and the man before her, a shy smile peeking past her lips. “..barely stopped the blade..one of many that were astray. I still don’t know how, but I did..and I can. It happened so fast, I was only aware of the aftermath of bloody palms and a six inch blade between them.” Deidra’s lips parted as she inhaled slowly, holding her breath a moment before releasing. “And then I had to do it again...and again...until it became an art. That was the day I realized what I wanted to do with my life.” Deidra cleared her throat, leaning backwards to stretch her fingers to retrieve her liquor, quickly swallowing down a few shots worth. Playfully, she tilted her head back as if to get a better look at Dastan when a particular question came to mind. “...What to you...deems something worthy? Are we talking, worthy to give your time? Worthy of the world’s? Or..” Dee winked, “..Worth dying for?”

“Hey, is this my birthday present, kid? It does look better on me, doesn’t it?”

“Ha! Don’t you wish..Uncle Jaaakey.” Darren snorted, a mischievous smile forming. “If I knew you wanted a hat, I would have bought you one...and not these little ol’ things..” A fake look of disappointment crossed his eyes as he reached towards his belt, untucking his shirt to reveal a thin wooden case, not longer than the length of his hand. “Maybe I should just give them away…” He played before smiling and handing Jake the small package. “Happy Birthday Jake.” He paused a moment, watching silently, choosing to speak again at the moment Jake snuck past the paper to his present. “Mom...told me about this little dagger she gave you long ago...so I thought to get something that matched..aaannnd Mom and I figured out her...poison that she gave you, reacts quicker when it interacts with other elements...in particular….Gold. I personally don’t get why, but she was rather excited by it.” Darren chuckled in amusement.

Essence couldn’t help but giggle when Luckas looked at her for permission to mess with Aiden. She glanced at her bottle, a brief thought of clocking Aiden over the head with it caused her to frown. “Alcohol abuse…” She snickered. Ess almost answered Luckas if it wasn’t for the fact that because she was feeling just a bit intoxicated and not paying attention to where she was going, causing her to trip and fall over some invisible inconvenience and start laughing until she rolled onto her back in hysterics, she may have agreed to be carefree to what Luckas would do to Aiden. Truth be told, she was feeling a bit of pity for the man and actually cared not to be cruel to him as entertaining as it would be. She couldn’t deny that part of her. “You’re not my pet to command, Luckas….I would prefer you hold off for another day..but I can’t tell you what to do.” Essence moved to stand but fell to her knees and just laughed again. “Ok ok..slower this time…” She muttered to herself as she was successful to stand on her feet once again. Her eyes lit up as they once again found the crate of fireworks, Essence shuffling over to it with a devious smirk.
Aiden quirked a brow at Crys when she approached, and shrugged. “It’s not a bad party at all, truthfully..especially considering the guest list.” He grinned. “I’ve seen you around before...Crystal right? Er..Crys...that’s what Jake calls you. His spirits are always up when you’re around...that is something I think we all notice.” Aiden felt something nudge his hand and looked down to see Ward who had sat beside him to stare at Kaya and what she had in her mouth: Drakey. Ward was cautiously sniffing in the stuffed dragon’s direction while still keeping out of reach. It looked almost like he wanted to steal his sister’s toy, but was scared to. “I think, since the wolves have become a part of so much and can be a weapon in itself, that it made sense for the armor, no? Lighter is better.. enables them to move at their natural speed..faster, and protect against the point of a sword. Plus…” He chuckled. “It makes them scarier...or cuter...depending whose opinion you favor. You have something in mind to use instead?”

“Funny.” Dastan stated. “I never realized, or decided, what I wanted to do with my life. My life sort of became what it is... That must be an interesting feeling.” He smiled going into a moment of thought, before seemingly changing the subject. “I stole Shadow for my sister, she loves horses and I saw him, standing there waiting for this guy to finish his business, and I thought... Such a waste. In the end it didn’t work exactly as I planned, because that horse just wouldn’t have any of it.” While he spoke he reached for Deidra’s hand, very slowly as if to give her plenty of time to stop him if the gesture was unwelcome. “You can’t quite see this one.” He explained, leaning forward a bit as he raised her hand to reach the back of his head, where it was possible to feel a small raised line just above the base of the skull. “This one... This one was by a woman.” He stated, releasing her hand and lowering his. “This... really great girl... I met her while she was traveling with her family and they crossed our encampment. We talked and we drank for a very long while, we were laughing loudly and I could very much tell she liked me and then... Amongst our laughing; and having had quite a few drinks... I call her by another woman’s name. So she was obviously quite insulted and chose to express her feelings by smashing a bottle on my head.” He chuckled, head still lowered as he stared at his feet. “That was a quite a while ago, it was when I realized how the loss of someone can sneak up on you without warning; in one moment you’re laughing and the next thing you know you’re saying their name as if they’re the one sitting beside you. Then you realize that they’re not, you just wish that they were.” Taking a deep breath, Dastan lifted his head and gave a small shrug. “As far as living beings go... You can tell they are worthy, special, when they humble you by simply being themselves, when they find a way to sneak up on you even when they’re not actually around, when you meet them and you immediately know that if you walk away you’ll never meet someone quite like that again in your lifetime. When someone like that comes into your life they are definitely worth the time it takes to know them, and it’s sure worth fighting to keep them, or dying to protect them... Like I would, for any of these drunken fools roaming your camp tonight.”

Jake laughed as he accepted Darren’s gift, opening it up and examining the small blades for a long moment. “Hmmm....” He mumbled under his breath in fake indecision. “Yeah, alright, these are pretty cool, you can have this back.” He played, taking off the hat and placing it on Darren’s head. “I’m pretty sure Crys wouldn’t let me keep it anyway.” He concluded with an amused chuckle. “She’d either tell me to get rid of it, or steal it from me.” He joked, glancing at where she was speaking to Aiden. “You know, this is my third birthday party since I was a kid... It’s going pretty well... In spite of malfunctioning explosives and uninvited guests.”

“You’re not my pet to command, Luckas…”

Luke had been laughing quite amused until he heard that very familiar word, his smile shut and he twitched slightly before forcing it back on, keeping close to Ess as she tried to steady herself in a manner comically similar to someone watching a child that was just learning to walk. “Another day it is, then, Lady.” He mumbled simply, relaxing as the woman finally got on her feet, but still keeping close enough that he could keep her from falling over again. “How much have you had already?” He asked her, raising a brow. “I’m just wondering if I’m at risk of being taken advantage of yet.” He teased, glancing at the box of fireworks and honestly wondering what would happen if he lit one of those and shoved it into someone’s pants.

“Crys is what most people call me, at least to my face.” Crys said, smiling at Aiden. “And that’s very nice of you to say that, Aiden. Although, I’ve been able to not worry so much about Jake this past year; he’s got some good people to knock sense into him when I’m not around.” She snickered. “And now Kaya too, of course.” She added, ruffling the wolf’s fur playfully. “And I think the armor is a great idea. I’m not exactly sure how to improve on it myself, but I do know a person... uhm... If I can get him to take interest. The guy is a bit of a... Well, he’s crazy, but he’s the best. He works with some metals that not many know too, so maybe he’ll know of some material that would work better for this. Something maybe lighter and more resistant. Do you guys have the armor sketched? Maybe I can go to him with the design, I know he won’t leave his shop, making him move to Blackpond was a hassle.”

“Interesting, hmm? I guess so. I look at it as I had a choice. I had the choice to continue as I was..with what I was given..knowing I’d die...or I could choose to live.” Dee smiled, watching Dastan carefully as he gently took her hand to place it behind his head. She wiggled her fingers beneath his hair, finding the scar and when he pulled his hand away, hers remained. As she listened to Dastan’s story, her smile disappeared. “What a waste of alcohol..” She joked through a sigh. “...I could understand someone being offended if the wrong name was called during a more..intimate moment...but besides that..” Dee trailed off in thought, moving her fingers in a soothing massage motion on the back of Dastan’s head as if the man’s head still hurt. After a moment her fingertips lifted, trailing out of Dastan’s hair slowly as if to grab his attention, placing her hand over where her heart would be. A sad smile formed as she tilted her head, moving closer to the man so that she was in his line of vision as he stared at his shoes. “I know what that is like...that wanting. Those scars that are here...people say they can’t be seen. I don’t think that is entirely true. I still think this woman went a bit overboard.”

“Deidra! Matthew wants to see you..” A voice yelled across the way, that person never approaching.

Dee turned and yelled back, a clear look of impatience crossing her eyes. “Tell him to give me five minutes, please!” She signed, turning her gaze back to meet Dastan’s. “Duty calls…” Dee shrugged. “If I knew I was going to meet you, I may not have volunteered for this job..but..” She paused, smiling softly at the man, her gaze trailing over towards Ess for a moment. Her eyes shifted, troubled thoughts barking at the back of her mind. Tonight she would leave for Blackpond and nobody knew what for, except the Captain and Matthew. The first thing Matt had said was, “...There’s a likely chance you won’t come back from this. You may encounter situations where you will not be allowed to act...for yourself or another. We will not be able to come for you if you run into trouble. Do you understand the importance and severity of your role?”

Dee didn’t hear Dastan when her mind faded from the present moment and when she remembered where she was, glossy eyes focused up towards the night sky. “..People worth dying for...and many of them I will never even know.”

Essence fell into a small hiccup fit and shrugged. “I imagine...I have had enough…” She smiled, leaning over the table comically to reach for Deidra’s bottle while she wasn’t looking, turning her back towards the woman while she casually sipped the bottle even though she still had a bit left of her own. “Hmm..” She muttered sipping one bottle to the next and alternating once more. “Are these suppose to taste different? I don’t get it.” Ess stared down at the bottles as if they were annoying her, her brows furrowing in puzzlement before she pushed the nearly empty one onto the table and leaned into Luckas to whisper. “I have a secret to tell you..” She paused to smile, turning away, and grabbing him by the arm to drag him away with her as she moved in the direction of her camp.

Darren laughed, adjusting the hat which Jake had returned to his head. “Crys would look good in a hat..I think better than you.” He played, politely tipping the brim of the hat towards Jake. “I’m glad you’re having fun. This was a good idea…” Darren paused, yelling a bit above the music. “It’s a wonder how you kept it from Mom..”

“I knew all along! What you talking about , boy?” Ess chimed in, her back towards her son.”
Darren shook his head. “Is it really smart to be giving that woman explosives? I mean, I could give her some pointers..but I doubt she really knows what she is doing...You do see the one she’s trying to hide right?” He said, nodding towards his mother who was trying to conceal a large firework beneath her arm.

“One more! Then we go to bed.” Clayton crossed his arms, Lily nodding in agreement through slitted eyes.

“What did we say about bedtime, kids? When it’s time it’s time..” Jess sighed, shooting a glare at Jake. “Hey Mister Jake..why don’t you go put the kids to bed?” She teased, the kids looking over at Jacob with a hopeful smile.

Aiden laughed at Jess and glanced over at Jake, while still talking to Crys. “He lets those kids walk all over him..that Lily has him wrapped around her finger. But right, Blackwell...I heard of him. I can get you a sketch before you leave camp and I’m sure we can pull together something to pay the man with. I’m happy to have caught your interest. Many here thought it was impractical and honestly, the way it is now..it’s just doable. They can get by but I can tell Tala wasn’t thrilled. The way it is now...also not very quiet. We don’t all need to be Ali to hear them coming.”

Dastan closed his eyes for a moment as Deidra massaged the back of his head as if the gesture automatically made him sleepy, opening them again as she pulled her hand away. “Well, that girl had had a lot to drink...” He elaborated. “She apologized the next day, but... I had made it clear to us both it was just too soon for me. We became good friends after that. I was at her wedding a few years later and everything.”

“Deidra! Matthew wants to see you..”

“Don’t you people know parties are sacred?” Dastan snorted slightly, playfully looking past Deidra as if trying to scold whoever was calling for her, but not really speaking loudly enough to be heard. “Kids these days...All about duty and responsibilities... They respect nothing...” He playfully mumbled, his expression shifting from amusement to slight concern at the look on Deidra’s eyes, as well as the tone of her words. “Sounds really serious this job you took...” He pointed out. “Which makes the thought of you turning it down on my behalf quite a flattering one, but I take it it also means I won’t be seeing you again so soon.” He spoke in a tone that was only half questioning. The idea seeming to bother him a bit more than he’d like to admit, he was really enjoying the company of this woman. Finally he smiled and leaned into her to whisper playfully. “I won’t forget your name, I promise.”

Jake laughed at Darren’s comment, nodding in agreement. “Crys would definitely look good in a hat.” He smiled softly. “Definitely.” He mumbled, shaking his head and laughing a bit more at Darren and Ess’ exchange, frowning a bit as he actually wondered if Ess should be trusted with a bunch of unstable fireworks. “I don’t know if it’s smart, but... You know... I’m not going to be the one to try and confiscate her toys.” He snickered. “With a bit of luck most of those won’t actually go off anyway.” Taking a look around the party, Jake nodded. “Yeah, I’m enjoying myself... And I think it wasn’t too much of a traumatic experience for Ess either. Guess we all needed this, right? Lighten the mood for a night at least. I’m just sorry Annie couldn’t make it... I think maybe if I had gone to the plains to pick her up I could have convinced her, but... I’m not sure, the kid is stubborn.” Jake sighed, looking genuinely concerned for a moment. “She could use some time with family and friends right now.”

When Jake was called to put the kids to bed he winced, sighing as the kids looked at him with hopeful smiles. “That’s so not fair, Jess.” He whined under his breath. “Come on now, kiddies off to bed you go.” He commanded, running over to the kids and carrying off Clayton and Lily under his arms, receiving a mix of giggles and protest in return. “Why can’t we stay just five more little minutes?” Lily whined.
“Becaaause, I told you it was Jess’ decision whether or not you could stay up and she said it’s bedtime.” He stated firmly, walking in the direction of the Captains cabin, the other children reluctantly following.
“But... but...” Lily protested. “Do we at least get a story?” She complained.
“Miss Ess already told you guys a story, didn’t she?” Jake asked. “Hmmm...” He mumbled, pretending to think about it.
“Okay, okay... Can you sing then instead?” Lily asked.
Jake halted in his step, putting the children down and lowering himself to Lily’s eye level. “If you all go to bed, this instant, without any more protesting, then okay. I get to pick the song though.”
“Deal.” The girl agreed with a smile, running off into the cabin.

“Yes, Blackwell...” Crys chuckled softly. “The man is an artist, but he has quite the temper, gladly he was quite fond of my father so he tends to tolerate me a bit more. I’m sure payment won’t be much of an issue if he thinks the project is worth his time. I’m going to be leaving tomorrow... I’d like to say morning, but I think it will depend on how long it will take a bunch of hungover mercenaries to move their asses, I agreed to stop by their encampment before tending to my own affairs so I will be riding with them.” Crys sighed softly, a sweet smile crossing her features for a moment as Kaya affectionately rubbed up against her hand before wandering off to follow Jake and the children. “You know, Aiden...” She started, turning her attention back to the man. “You’re a really nice guy, I can feel it, and as much as I don’t like to meddle in people’s affairs if I can help it, this is a rather difficult one for me, because Ess is a sister to Jake, which means she is in a way, family to me as well... So I’m going to share with you a piece of advice I also gave Jake, and I hope you don’t resent me for my intrusion: It’s unfair to expect someone to change what is in their heart. It’s like asking them to cut off a part of themselves and no matter how good your intentions or feelings may be; eventually they will resent you for it.”

Luckas was without a doubt a bit confused at what Ess was going on about and stumbled a little bit as she pulled him by the arm. “What kind of secret?” He asked curiously. “Okay, I’m starting to worry... Last time someone dragged me by the arm like this I ended up in a tea party.” He complained.

“I won’t forget your name, I promise.”

Deidra smiled, turning to catch Dastan’s gaze and nodded. “I believe you.” She whispered, motioning him to lean in closer, her voice getting softer. “I hope to see you again…” Dee breathed, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes which melted away with her smile. For a moment she wished she didn’t volunteer just so she could forget the world for a while; forget the pains and sorrows of others and just be selfish. She was afraid of failing and not coming back, but she refused to believe it would turn out that way. Deidra’s role was too important. The risk was there, but Dee believed she was strong enough. She had to be. After all, life in itself was a risk. At that thought, Deidra slid her fingers beneath a few locs of Dastan’s hair and wrapped them firmly to give a noticeable tug, pulling his face close to hers to let her lips brush his cheek. “In case I don’t see you.. for a while, there’s something for me to remember. I would have regretted otherwise…”Dee pulled away, turning to walk towards the other end of the Nest. “Be safe, Dastan..”

Darren chuckled, playfully hitting Jake in the arm. “Yea...if we want to keep our fingers..we don’t mess with Mom.” Darren sighed, thinking of Annie and agreeing it was a shame she couldn’t make it tonight. “I haven’t been by there for a few weeks..at least..she didn’t say much in her last message so I was planning on going tomorrow or maybe the next day. You want to tag along, Jake? I was thinking maybe to bring her something..but I’m not sure what. Wish I could give her the answers she is searching for..you know what I mean?”

Darren didn’t expect an answer to his last question, especially since the children had managed to use their puppy dog eyes to sway Jake, bending him to their will. Master manipulators, those kids were. They didn’t complain about not having their moms and dads around, even though he was sure they were missed. Every single member of this camp watched over and cared for those kids as if they were their own, thus never leaving the children wanting in most matters. Jason though, the eldest of the pack of children, had more to worry about than the smaller ones. He paid attention to the adults and their evasion on certain matters and with the Captain in Newhaven most of the time, many thought it was best to protect them at all costs. They weren’t being lied to, just some truths were held back, especially from the brutality of their contents. Jason, however, could see the holes in what he was being told. Darren found that he liked the kid, impressed with his understanding and problem solving smarts. He could be almost completely honest in his answers to whatever questions Jason threw at him. Jason, was the only one of the children that didn’t follow Jake to bed, instead he sat next to the bonfire, staring off in deep thought and didn’t even blink when Darren sat beside him in silence.

Aiden’s smile disappeared, a bit of surprise and resentment clouding his eyes when Crystal spoke to him about Ess, yet he remained silent until she was finished. A frustrated sigh mixed with a groan was his only answer at first and when he spoke, his tone carried a bit of sadness to it. “I feel like one day I have a chance and then the next I don’t...I feel confused and I’m not sure if she means what she says because...her actions speak differently. I honestly...was ok with how things were but then there was just something about the way she looked at me and ...all those...everything I thought was pushed aside...came flooding back.” Aiden ruffled up his hair, shaking his head. “You probably think I’m pretty pathetic…” He mumbled softly.

Essence scoffed in amusement at Luckas’ comment on being dragged to a tea party. “Well, if Miss Lily was throwing it, then those can’t be missed. Event of the year by all social and acceptable standards.” She giggled, pausing to look around inspecting her surroundings. As if she was satisfied she revealed the large explosive of sorts from her side and under her arm and stabbed a place for it, into the ground. Ess circled it a couple times before sprinting over to a tree where a lantern hung and returned with it in hand, offering it to Luckas. “Apparently this is my party but I think you should be the first to light our fireworks. Don’t worry, there’s plenty left over.” Essence swayed a bit from where stood behind Luckas, giggling at herself again when she hiccuped once again. Her brows furrowed when Beo approached to sniff at what Ess stuck into the ground, the woman whistling and snapping her fingers for the wolf to back away. “No no, it’s not a stick or something..you are not a doggie…” Ess sunk to her knees, smiling when she found that Tala had snuck up on her and was waiting by her side. She wrapped her arms around the wolf’s neck and buried her face in Tala’s soft fur, the act seeming to steady her.
“Luckas, I’ve always wanted to see the ocean” She whispered finally, her words not appearing to be very significant but it was clear by the look in her eye, it was quite important to her. “Have you ever been to the ocean?”

”Be safe, Dastan.”

Dastan smiled as he watched Deidra walk away, a slight frown marking his expression with concern. Dee seemed worried about what she was about to face and because of that, he was also worried for her. Dastan liked Dee, she was interesting and easy to talk to... A bit easier to talk to than he expected as he had told her things he didn’t usually tell women he had just met, it was an interesting change.

“Hey, Shaykh!”

Dastan turned to the small group of mercenaries that had been calling for him, the men looked as though they were plotting something and that immediately caused Dastan to laugh as he walked to join them.

“You’re not pathetic.” Crys smiled. “Well, maybe a little, but... Everyone is pathetic in moments like this. There’s no way around it.” She spoke, reaching for the man’s arm in a comforting gesture. “I just think you need to be careful for your own heart’s sake, Aiden. If she’s really confusing you she probably doesn’t know it. Ess is not cruel like that, she wouldn’t just toy with you, right? In my opinion though... When you love someone, you know. If she loved you the way you’d like her to, she would know.” Crys sighed softly. “I guess I’d just like you to keep in mind that you deserve someone who loves you and knows it, not someone who may or not give you a chance if her stalker goes away.”

Luckas mumbled something under his breath at Ess’ comment on the tea party. “At least I got to wear a cool cape... And not the princess hat.” He added with a snort watching with amusement as Ess set up the firework and handed him the lantern. “I have to say Lady, you do know what I like.” He said playfully, inspecting the explosive with a delighted look in his eyes. “I don’t get... why is this your party though? I mean... Lily said it’s your birthday... but you were born in the winter...” He mumbled, calmly lighting the explosive and standing back a few steps, watching with a confused frown as smoke escaped the device, but it didn’t go off. “Hmmm...” He mumbled, giving a light shrug and turning to face Ess. “No, I’ve never seen the ocean... Never been outside Valcrest... Never had a reason to go that far.”

Deidra walked off the main path, just stopping along the exit of camp where she found Matthew sitting on a boulder waiting for her, two other fairly large men standing impatiently with their arms crossed just beside the man. Kyle and Keith; brothers who had served with Mageria even before she became Captain. Both stood over six feet tall, black hair, blue eyed and could almost be mistaken for twins except that Kyle was older, bits of silver peeking out in his beard. Kyle was enlightened, a telepath of sorts while Keith was not.

“I don’t like this Dee. Even if it is my brother who is going to be keeping tabs on you..” Keith muttered. “I don’t think I can be apart of this.”

“No one is saying you have to.” Matthew stated firmly, pushing away from where he sat and approach Deidra, towering over her as he inspected her carefully. “Having second thoughts?”

“No sir.” She answered without thinking, even if it wasn’t completely truthful. “I am aware of what is asked of me...I am also aware...Keith...none of us would be forced into this kind of mission, especially with the odds..”

“Which is why you have me tagging along..” Kyle’s gruff voice interrupted Deidra. “How are you feeling?” He asked, a bit of concern crossing his eyes as he approached, fingers firmly lifting her chin so he could stare into her eyes, his own glowing momentarily, smiling when Dee’s mimicked the same flash of blue.

“That’s not going to happen every time…?” Matthew questioned, a certain doubting tone just beneath his words.

“No. It only happens when I activate the link. She’ll hear me without it. This is just so we can track her more easily.” Kyle shot Matt a slight glare, as if the man was insinuating he hadn’t thought of every angle.

Dee nodded towards Kyle, agreeing with his words as she untangled her braid, letting her hair fall messy around her face. She kneeled down to pick up a couple handfuls of dirt, rubbing the filth between her hands before running her fingers through her hair, leaving tiny bits of earth and rock. “Are we almost ready, then?” She asked curiously.

“..Everything Kyle needs is awaiting a few miles west of here...you both will have to travel on foot so not to draw attention back to camp.” Matthew sighed, “Are ’You’ ready, Deidra?”

“...Almost..” She smiled sadly, standing with her feet apart, arms hanging by her sides in a defenseless stance. “One of you is going to have to hit me. I can’t do it myself..”

Matthew nodded knowingly, remembering it was a necessary evil in order for her part in this to be believeable. Kyle turned away, clearly not the one who would comply to Dee’s request, the very idea of the act turning his stomach. Keith snarled at her words. “Has everyone gone mad? I won’t let you do this Dee...this is sick..and if you think I will just stand by..for one second...and watch you…”

“Reynalds! Enough. That is an order..” Matthew glared at the man, stepping between him and Deidra. “The only reason you know about any of this, is because Deidra requested it to not be kept from you. Back to your post...and you are not to speak a word of any of this to anyone…”

Keith spat at Matthew’s feet and snorted. “No. You will not touch her..”

“Keith…” Dee began but didn’t get to finish her words as Matthew whistled for another Guard, two actually dropping down from the trees just behind Keith, each placing a firm grip on the man’s shoulders to lead him away. Keith pulled free, his fist colliding into Matt’s jaw, the only hit the man would get as both men behind him restrained his outburst.

“Let him go..” Kyle whispered, his blue eyes glowing with a strange aura that seemed to lift from his sockets like vapor.

“Kyle...don’t..” Keith pleaded and then as the men released him to his knees, Keith hunched over when a sudden wave of pain caused him to grit his teeth, his hands covering both ears as if he could block out a sound that only he apparently could hear.

“Enough.” Matthew growled, kneeling beside Keith. “You attacked your superior...disobeyed a direct order. You would have never done that to the Captain...I will however...let you leave here unscathed..but for the next twenty eight days, it will be your sole purpose in life to make sure the latrines are spotless and clear. Are we understood?”

Deidra sighed, kneeling on the other side of Matthew and Keith, and wrapped her arms lightly around his neck in a gentle hug. “Yes..Sir..” Dee answered for him, the man wrapping his arms around his friend in response. “...I know you are just trying to keep your promise...Eric was your best friend...but don’t forget..he respected my decisions..as should you.”

Keith pulled away and looked into Dee’s eyes, “Eric would not have let you do this...if he was still alive..”

Dee stood up, turning her back on her friend. “...But he’s not alive...is he? No. I don’t need you to act on what you think is on his behalf.”

“Dee Dee..” Keith pleaded as he was helped to his feet, the other Guard members pushing him away from the others as he was lead back towards camp, away from the party. Deidra turned back to face both Kyle and Matthew and nodded. “Ok...now make it look convincing…” She whispered, “..but make sure I can still see.” Matthew nodded, regretful and apologetic eyes squeezing shut as if he couldn’t watch what he was about to do, his fist instantly cracking a rib when it met her side, dropping the woman back to her knees. When it was over, the woman was still conscious and able to stand on her own two feet, her gown spotted with bits of blood, dirt, and torn at the appropriate places. “Twins forgive us..” Matt whispered, nodding towards Kyle who locked a thin set of irons around the woman’s wrists before picking her up in his arms. “You rest now...I’ll carry you all the way to Blackpond if I have to.” Kyle whispered as he turned and left the camp.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“I guess I’d just like you to keep in mind that you deserve someone who loves you and knows it, not someone who may or not give you a chance if her stalker goes away.”

Aiden couldn’t help but smile at Crys, even though his chest weighed heavy with her words. “Not all of us are lucky enough to come across someone who actually knows what they want. It’s confusing..you know? But I understand your meaning, and yet I don’t know if I know how to turn it off. I don’t know if I want to.” Aiden quirked a brow, turning his attention off in the distance as if he heard something over the music, catching a couple of the Guard leading a fellow brother away from the party, hanging his head much like a scolded child. “I must say though, I do hold your words in high regard...Jake’s lucky to have someone like you in his life.” He smiled, finally turning his attention back towards Crys. “I worry about her though...all personal feelings aside. Ess…” He snorted. “I am sure you’ve heard plenty of the arguments from Jake, so I won’t bore you by repeating those fears or concerns. I do hope tonight opens her eyes that she has a new and ever growing family who cares about her. I hope she knows we all have her back..”

“I don’t get... why is this your party though? I mean... Lily said it’s your birthday... but you were born in the winter...”

Essence quirked a brow, staring curiously at the explosive that seemed to smoke and go out. She shook her head in disappointment, but kept her eyes upon it, unsure if it was a dud or not. “It’s Jake birthday..it’s his party too..but I guess he wanted to do something nice for me. Ever since we were kids, the little time we spent together, when it was his birthday, he would celebrate mine as well. I don’t remember what day I was born on…” She signed, sitting up and ruffling her fingers along Tala’s neck. “It didn’t matter to me for a long time so I guess I forgot. How do you know when I was born?” Ess asked casually, having an idea to the answer but was honestly curious all the same to hear it. “Hmm...I haven’t met anyone who has been to the ocean….well except…” Ess trailed off, leaning her forehead against her arms as she rested them on her knees and closed her eyes. “I use to imagine it would be a place of peace, with pleasant smells and a lulling sound of waves that could put me to sleep. I use to make believe I was there, to get away from everything...when I lived with Ebony. I always came up with a reason to not go...once I was on my own...but I think maybe one day I will. I heard the sky over the ocean has the most intense colors. I’m not sure if there really is a difference from here to there...but I like pretty things.” Lifting her head she opened her eyes and smiled up at Luckas. “Hasn’t there ever been anywhere in particular you’ve wanted to travel to? Or is there something you’ve always wanted to do?”

Crys snorted a bit of laughter at Aiden as he mentioned Jake’s concerns, knowing very well what he was referring to, but she managed to recompose and nodded at the man. “I think Ess knows, even if she finds it difficult to accept sometimes, that she is now a part of something. That she is cared for.” She stated, heaving a sigh and smiling a slightly amused smile at Aiden. “You’re right, I’ve heard plenty from Jake, and his concerns, and like I’ve told him; I don’t think they are fair. Jake is biased for his reasons, you are biased for your own, Aiden. I don’t think Ess is in any danger... Not in this case.” Crys chuckled. “Poor Ess, all these stubborn boys trying to protect her, that has to be exhausting... I think she needs more girl time, don’t you?” She played.

Luckas kept watching the the smoking firework with a suspicious look in his eyes as if he expected it to go off the moment he distracted from it. With his eyes still glancing at the device he sat by Ess, leaning against his knees, nodding along as she explained about the party, and shrugging as she questioned how he knew when she was born. “Squealer.” He mumbled. “I don’t know the exact day, but I’m sure it was winter.” Luckas spoke softly, ruffling up his own hair in an impatient motion as he kept one eye on the faulty explosive. “I never wanted to go anywhere, really. I never thought it would matter... Life wouldn’t change with the scenery.” He sighed, snickering as Stalker came by, the wolf lying down on his side and emitting a soft whine mixed with a growl. “You got a tummy ache, doofus?” Luckas questioned the wolf. “What’d I tell you about stealing all the cake?” He snorted, reaching out to rub Stalker’s belly. “Giant baby.” He muttered, carrying on with answering the question Ess had asked him. “As for something I wanted to do... I don’t know... I don’t think there’s anything I’ve always wanted to do... It’s all... Recent ideas in the back of my head.”

Aiden shifted off balance a bit, chuckling at Crys. “More girl time...I’m sure you’re right, but I can’t help but personally feel a little bit terrified.” He joked. “You women around here are all dangerous. Miss Lily gives Ess the most devious ideas and also Dee. There’s this...how should I say...ongoing battle which Ess has taken upon herself to join ranks with Deidra.” Aiden shook his head, attempting to control his laughter. “We play..jokes on each other. I’d like to think Kaya is in on it too the way she acts by always stealing Jake’s stuff. Tala is. The girls...raided our liquor for the sixth or seventh time in the past few months alone. We, leave random critters in their bunks or tents.” Aiden snorted, “I’m sure you get the idea. One day, the boys and I moved their camps to a completely different side of the Nest. They were not too happy. We are waiting for their retaliation. I’m sure Dee has something up her sleeve..”

“I never wanted to go anywhere, really. I never thought it would matter... Life wouldn’t change with the scenery.”

Essence smirked, gently reaching over towards Stalker to brush her fingers along his snout. “..Not everything may change with the scenery, but some things may. What if I never left Blackpond?” She whispered, clearing her throat and speaking louder this time. “You know...I’ve been experimenting with different roots and the wolves’ reaction to them. If Stalker ever eats something poisonous, Sweetness, ginger root..and milk..from a cow or a goat I’ve tried only...it will make them foam and vomit. I found that out with Tala when she was a pup. They will eat ANYTHING.” Ess’ smile broaden, pouting her lips as her tone was soft and sympathetic, causing the wolf’s tail to thump happily. “Yes..you love your cake...you probably won’t learn though” She teased, watching Tala shift in her spot and lay down so that her nose was almost touching Stalker’s.

“Luckas..” Ess sighed, her shoulders slouching some. “I want you to have fun at my party...so...as long as no one is hurt..I give you permission and my approval to royally mess with the guard. Here’s a catch. Just so you know, in doing so you may be on the girl’s team. Just saying.” She giggled. “Miss Lily comes up with some funny things...She asked me one day, out of the blue. “Miss Ess, what can I use to dye someone’s tea black?” So you can imagine my curiosity and after asking why she would dye someone’s tea black, I was lead to the women of the Guard.” Ess leaned over Tala, giggling a bit as she continued. “Lily caught Deidra putting something in the tea kettle over the fire and the women never touched it. Every man who drank from it...after about six of the men drank from the kettle, all their teeth were now a deep black. Which, by the way, did not fade for almost three days. Truthfully, she wasn’t suppose to catch Dee doing that.” Taking a deep breath she seemed to calm. “Or..you can be on the boy’s team. Just so you know..most of the wolves who are apart of it...are on our team..right Stalker?” Ess leaned farther over Tala to rub Stalker’s side. She was startled when something flopped down lazily next to her, knocking her a bit against Luckas. Ess glanced over to see Beo yawning some, resting his head sweetly in Ess’ lap and staring up at her. “Always so jealous...aren’t we?” She whispered down at the wolf.

Not everything may change with the scenery, but some things may.

“I don’t see myself feeling any better on the beach than I would anywhere else.” Luckas shrugged dismissively, idly running his fingers through Stalker’s fur. “Pretty things are best left for those who may enjoy them.” He whispered, raising his voice as he groaned, glaring at the explosive. “Come on! Come on, you stupid thing... Go off!”

Luckas sighed laying himself down so that his head was just beside Stalker’s, calmly nudging the wolf’s snout away as he tried licking his nose, staring up at the sky instead of watching the firework, as though expecting something to happen. “I thought I didn’t need your permission, Lady... I’m not your pet.” He mumbled, somewhat bitterly, closing his eyes for a second and opening them as he changed his tone. “The ‘as long as no one gets hurt’ part is a bit of a turn off, I gotta say, but I’ll think of something, maybe... And even though I’m pretty sure they’d need my help the most... I don’t see myself being welcomed into the boys team... Besides, you all scare me, so I’d rather be on your side... Especially miss Lily. Which reminds me.” Luckas sighed, squirming a bit to reach something in his pocket, pulling out the little note Lily had given him earlier and handing it to Ess. “She seemed worried I didn’t have a present, so yeah... Here... Use it wisely, Lady. I’ll make sure to think of something better next year.”

Crys smiled as she listened to Aiden’s description of the little game the boys and girls had been playing against one another in their camp. “That... Is surely interesting...” She chuckled. “I’ll be sure to share some ideas with the girls before I leave, it’s a pity I have places I need to go... I won’t be here to witness them being put into practice.” As she spoke she turned away from Aiden, to face the group of three Crimson Shadows that were coming up behind her. “So?” She asked them, as if continuing a previous conversation.
“We’re good to go.” One of them confirmed. “All we’re missing is the birthday boy.”
“Are you sure, lads? You need to be careful, you’ll only get one shot at this, if he gets away you won’t get to try again.”
“Don’t worry about it, Red... We’re good to go. Where is the guy?” The mercenary questioned.
“I think he’s still indoors with the kids.” Crys inform them. “Just make sure that Ess is around to see this too... I think she’ll appreciate seeing Jakey be surprised for once.”
“Right then, just give us the go ahead, yes?” The boys wandered off, laughing amongst themselves at what they were about to do.
“While we’re on the subject of people with something up their sleeve...” Crys started, turning back towards Aiden. “You might wanna keep a close watch on what’s going to happen in a bit.”

Essence turned her gaze from Luckas, a wounded look in her eyes, yet she wasn’t sure why his words carried such weight as they did. She felt like something was behind them. Ess could feel something was on his mind and she had not meant anything by her own words; at least in a sense to annoy her friend. “I didn’t mean…” Ess mumbled. “I only meant..” She trailed off, her words replaced by a soft sigh. “Why do I scare you, Luckas?” She whispered almost inaudibly. Essence didn’t get much time to think on that further, when Luckas handed her a piece of paper that clearly Lily herself had drawn; an I owe you for one hug. This somewhat confused Ess. Did he feel he had to give her something because some of the others did? Her lips parted in a delicate smile, carefully folding the paper and tucking it away beneath a ruffle in the neckline of her dress. The gesture was sweet, and the fact that Luckas had agreed to give her this gift Lily had thought of, still confused her a bit. It was quite clear to Ess from the beginning that that kind of gesture made Luckas uncomfortable, so she had restrained herself on several occasions, not wanting it to be unpleasant. She understood it came natural to her, where to him it was still foreign. “Next year? Thinking that far ahead, hmm?” Ess’ eyes glittered as they caught the light from the fire. “This is a powerful gift, Luckas. I just hope you know, you didn’t have to give me anything, but thank you. I’ll save this for when and if I believe you ever need it. We don’t always need a reason to give someone a gift now, do we?” She glanced down at Luckas’ arm, as if she could see beneath the sleeve, she felt the eye of his tattoo staring back at her. “I don’t know when your birthday is either, but that’s ok because I don’t need a day set in stone to appreciate those important to me.” Ess hiccuped, moving to stand on her feet, her brows furrowing in perplexion as she took a few steps towards the firework still smoking in the ground. “Damn thing..I’ll make it work..” Ess cursed a few times, picking up the lantern and readying to toss it at the explosive, while still remaining at an acceptable distance.

Aiden chuckled at Crys, keeping an eye on the group of mercenaries who obviously were up to something. All in all the night was turning out rather well. Good food, good liquor, good people; for the most part. He couldn’t really complain though as everyone was in good spirits. He looked around a moment, his dark browns searching for Ess only to widen when he caught her, what he felt, was too close to an explosive that was yet to go off. He excused himself, shaking his head in slight amusement as he wandered in her direction. “Talon, trying out the new toys?” That was when a loud crack sounded accompanied by a flash of light, the object shooting off at an angle towards the sky and right for Aiden. He barely ducked, the fiery projectile whistling just over his head, exploding in a cascade of colors that seemed to rain down over the Nest. Aiden looked up cautiously as if awaiting another ‘attack’ only to see Ess hunched over in a fit of laughter, stumbling backwards a bit. Aiden’s shock dissipated into a slight annoyance, until more laughter joined Ess and he couldn’t deny it was all rather amusing, smiling himself despite the fact he knew Luckas was hoping the firework had actually hit him.

Luckas half smiled when Ess said he didn’t have to give her anything. “I know I didn’t have to, but you give me stuff all the time... And it is your... non-birthday party, after all.” He spoke calmly. “The gift is... It’s yours, Lady... It’s for you. Just keep that in mind. If you somehow make it mine, that’s cheating.” He warned, following her gaze to where his sleeve was covering the tattoo on his forearm. He couldn’t help but flinch slightly as he remembered Sam’s reaction to it. If he didn’t know her he’d think she was hurt and that was just the issue with Sam... She had a way of always making Luckas feel he was wrong, even when he knew very well that he wasn’t. She could get him to do what she wanted one way or another and in a way, in some part of him, he believed that was fair. A part of him believed she had that right. He shook his head, pulling his sleeve up to his elbow to stare at the design drawn into his skin. It was upside down from his point of view, but he rather liked it that way.

About 4 months ago

Essence found Luckas in his usual spot beneath the Oak, at first acting like she didn’t notice him; which of course it was obvious to the contrary by the huge grin plastered across her face. As expected, Tala was by her side, along with a clumsy line of pups working hard to keep up. She didn’t say a word as she added to the fire and began to chop up fine hunks of raw meat for the pups from Tala’s hunt earlier. The wolves’ teeth were strong but still seemed to struggle with the hides so Ess would dissect the meat for them for the time being. Over a cast iron pan she threw in a few pieces and let them sizzle over the open flames. She remained silent, still not sure if Luckas was annoyed from their spar earlier. Her friend had taken off in a huff after she had pinned him down by the shoulders, practically sitting on him to stare quietly in a sweet yet mocking fashion.

“Maybe you should get angry...you know a reason to fight. Having a reason...a strength... would be enough to make all the difference..” Ess had whispered, still pinning her friend to the ground. With a sigh she leaned in close so that her curls could tickle Luckas’ lashes and placed a tiny kiss upon his nose before rolling off. “Would it help if I looked like someone else?...Again, Luckas...” She commanded, letting her features melt away to be replaced by a larger more defined figure of Aiden. “Attack me...”

Luke jumped to his feet the moment Ess rolled away from him, hands balled up into fists at his sides, his expression shut in a poor attempt to hide his annoyance; his eyes wide in a mix of an angry glare and stunned confusion as she changed into the image of Aiden. At the command to attack he simply twitched, taking a half step forward as if he wanted to attack, but something was physically holding him back. He stood there for a little while, twitching a couple of more times in place as if trying to force himself to move, but eventually letting out an angered growl and turning away. “Pointless... Just freaking pointless....Screw this...” He muttered out, storming off, stomping his feet like a fussy child.

Ess had done her best to not laugh when Luckas walked away, trying to keep quiet and understand his frustration but at the same time she wasn’t understanding why he was so reluctant on the offensive. In all honesty, his defense wasn’t too bad and she knew the only way to get better was trial and error. It was the best way to absorb those skills and learn from one’s mistakes. Tomorrow would be her turn to be aggravated and annoyed because the challenges she was promised to face were to prepare her for a whole new line of defense: Her mind.

When Ess was finished with preparing some sort of meal, she silently walked over to luckas with a plate and placed it next to him, leaning back against the Oak so she couldn’t see him and quietly began to eat her food. Instead of bringing up her questions or what had happened that day earlier in the field she decided on another tactic. “So...I was thinking about something you and I discussed a little while back...and I think I made a decision.”

Luckas had spent great part of his time in that very same spot ever since he walked out on training; one could say he was sulking, but that was not what he would call it, and not something he would really admit to. Truth be told, even though he had somewhat of an idea of why he had reacted that way, he wasn’t sure and he wasn’t sure how to deal with it. It didn’t seem like something he could fix, and that made him angry at himself. He glanced here and there as he heard movement and noticed Ess’ presence, but kept to himself as much as possible as if to discourage any questioning, not really wanting the added trouble of trying to convert his thoughts into something coherent. He didn’t look or as much as flinch when Ess walked over, only breaking out of his thinking as she spoke to him, still keeping silent for a couple of moments before moving so that he was somewhat facing her and picking up the plate of food he was being offered. “Huh... And what is that?” He asked curiously, starting to eat.

Ess opened a warm smile from ear to ear, swallowing a piece of her food before she went on. “You said a few times, all we have are our ‘moments’; either short term or eternal they can be. I’ve been thinking a lot about how even those short moments can be remembered and constitute becoming eternal. So, I was thinking about my gift to you and trying to think of a way to capture several different ‘moments’ we’ve shared into a symbol that can be remembered always.” Ess took a deep breath, letting her smile fade, quirking an eyebrow. “That is...if you still want the tattoo. It is rather permanent and unless you plan on cutting off your own arm, you’ll be stuck with it.” She played, her expression now curious, her voice taking on a serious tone.

Luckas’ eyes widened momentarily, lighting up in child-like excitement at Ess’ words. He lowered the plate he’d been holding up and let it rest on his lap, forgetting food completely; a cheerful smile spreading across his features. “Lovely!” He exclaimed, snickering softly. “Of course I still want it, although with this talk of amputating limbs I’m glad I decided for the arm and not where I originally thought of getting it... Oh, well...” He played, suddenly remembering food and taking a few moments to chew on some before speaking more. “I’m curious now though... About what it’s going to be... Hmm...” He mumbled, eating some more, a smirk plastered across his face. “Do I get to see it before you start poking me with needles or you’re going to torture me with this?” He asked, a playfully suspicious look in his eyes.

Essence was more than pleased with Luckas’ excitement at her offer, holding back the urge to immediately jump up and go for her kit of needles and dyes. Luckas would be the first for her to tattoo besides herself. Holding her smile she quirked a brow, finally glancing at Luckas with a playful look of disbelief at his words about his choice of location for his tattoo, a small fit of giggles causing her to almost choke on her food. Falling silent she waited until she had finished eating her meal, as if she were contemplating on showing Luckas or not what she had planned. “Well...my drawing is very detailed and I know the tattoo will be too, but not to the same extent; there are some restrictions with what I am able to duplicate here. You’ll see it when it’s done...I just don’t want to disappoint or give you any expectations.” Ess smiled at Luckas, giving a flirtatious wink. “ Also...it will most likely take more than one session because from what I read and experienced, even if pain is nothing to you, the body will automatically start rejecting the dye after so many hours...and the tattoo won’t take. Then there’s the fact it can take two to three weeks for it to heal, so there would be down time between sessions.” Once Ess was sure the pups were finished she made her rounds, picking up the area around the fire before retrieving her tools and coming back to Luckas beneath the Oak. “Right arm, correct?” She whispered, kneeling in front of him.

Luckas nodded his agreement to Ess’ explanation of why she wouldn’t show him the drawing, focusing on his meal quietly until it was finished, at which point he set his plate down on the ground beside him and smiled. “You could still just give me a general idea you know... Even if you’d rather not show me...” He said, acting casual although it was perfectly clear he was very curious to know. “Hm... Well... I think maybe I could... Cut that healing time down to a couple of days... Maybe less if I can borrow a horse.” He mumbled, going silent for a few moments as if calculating something in his head. “That sounds about right, yeah.” He finally declared, nodding at his own words. “I don’t mind doing it in parts, but I’d rather it not take weeks between sessions, I don’t know... I’d rather it’d be ready before I have to go back to Blackpond... For whatever reason.” He spoke, his voice fading to a whisper as he mentioned the city not really wanting to get into the subject of leaving. “Right arm is correct.” He stated, rolling up his sleeve to expose his forearm. “Hmm... Well... I guess this is the only way I’m ever gonna catch some color on my skin.” He played.

Ess kept a teasing smirk on her face as she nodded, reaching out for Luckas’ arm and running her fingers across his forearm. “Hmm...” She sighed, pulling out one of her tiny daggers, continuing to talk but not mention what she was doing as she began to lightly skim off the peach fuzz hairs from his skin. “..You plan on leaving soon? Or, we going to continue training?” She asked simply. Ess stood, moving in a slightly unorganized pacing, back and forth between Luckas and the fire, bringing hot water, rags, and anything she thought she may need. Again she took his arm in her hands, examining to make sure she was satisfied before she stuck a blanket underneath to prop it into a stable and comfortable position. “How do you plan on speeding up the healing process, Luckas? I mean, mine only took a week or so, not too bad. I still have things to add to mine as well.” Ess started by outlining her design with some of the dye and a raven feather, using the quill like pen to make sure she didn’t mess up. “Well...you’ll get the idea as I go along...but I can give you a hint. Let’s just say...it involves Fire...and if afterwards, when all is said and done, you don’t understand it...I’ll explain what I can.” Ess positioned herself cross-legged in front of Luckas, finding that more comfortable, her eyes momentarily glancing up to meet his before she continued sketching lightly in the ink from the base of his wrist and up to his elbow. “Tattoos....I feel, have a power and magic all their own. They don’t just decorate the body, but they...” Ess paused as if she were searching for the word to describe what she was feeling, but didn’t stop sketching on Luke’s arm. “...they...enhance the soul...a projection of sorts of the person it belongs to and perhaps those who have great meaning in the owner’s life.”

“I don’t plan on leaving soon.” Luckas replied simply, keeping constant watch on what Ess was doing with a look of curiosity as she paced back and forth. “Who knows though, things happen and I wouldn’t want to be walking around with half a Squishy until I manage to get back here again.” He stated, unable to contain a slight snicker at the word squishy, remembering the conversation where he had ‘named’ the tattoo. He grinned playfully at her question of how he planned on speeding the healing process. “Well, if I said it’s a secret, would that be an acceptable answer?” He asked, holding back a wince as the quill actually tickled slightly, but even so he made sure to keep his arm absolutely still. “It’s not exactly a secret though, so... To make it short... It would require a visit to the White Shadows. That’s about a day or so on foot, if I hurry. The healing in itself would take a matter of... Well... Seconds... Not counting the bit of convincing I’d have to do. Hmm.... I may have to do some pleading, or preferably some annoying.” He nodded, deciding to annoy first and plead as a last resort. “And fire huh? Great!” He exclaimed. “Fiery Squishy!” He added, laughing for a few moments, but falling to silence soon after as he listened to Ess speak. “So... you’re drawing on my soul?” He asked, a slightly amazed look momentarily crossing his eyes. “I did not see that coming. Huh...” He mumbled, going silent for a moment or so before breaking out of his thoughts. “What are you adding to your tattoo then? Do I get to see it when you’re done?”

The outline didn’t look like much at the moment, but to Ess it was everything she needed to begin. Next to her she unrolled a leather bundle that contained several sized bone needles for her task, choosing the smallest cluster she saw to dip in a black, oily dye. She took a moment to laugh at Luckas’ comment of a ‘fiery squishy’, making sure she was quite done with the giggles before she began piercing the flesh along his wrist first, darkening the outline. There was silence as she continued up his arm, pausing here and there to gather more dye and occasionally wiping at speckled blood with a damp rag. “I suppose a faster heal would be beneficial...” She whispered as if mulling over his words with a bit of a delay. “I didn’t say I was drawing on your soul...I am not covering or replacing anything that is already there..simply..” Ess stopped to look up at Luckas and winked. “To any who know where to look, and to those who may understand...essentially it’s like peeking into your soul. I get to expose that which is already there.”

Little by little the outline came together in the shape of a wrist and into a hand, fingers partially curled about halfway to Luke’s elbow as if it was going to be holding something. “Outline is the easy part...it’s when I get to the details and I go over the same spot twenty times that you will start to feel it...almost like a burn.” Ess explained, adding more details to the outline and began working within the confines of the fingers to show there were flames within and around the shapes while still leaving a void in the center of the palm.”Yes...you can see it when it’s done..” Ess smiled, answering only part of Luckas’ questions on what she planned for her own tattoo. “And before you even ask...yes it’s going to look upside down to you. For one, it would be quite interesting to tattoo the image upside down from my point of view. Not an easy thing...and two...you did say you wanted it where others could see, so I assume then it should be displayed so it can be understood. I’m sure you wouldn’t be comfortable with people looking over your shoulder at it. I personally would find that not only awkward but annoying.”

“Ah...” Luckas mumbled not quite seeming to understand the explanation on how the tattoo related to his soul. “... I have a feeling you will have to explain it to me later then.” He said, a slight look of confusion crossing his expression as he watched her work. “I’m pretty sure it’ll look great, but I still want to understand it.” He chuckled. “And yes, I understand why it’s upside down from my point of view... Not that I plan on showing the world, but yes... I’d rather people can see it without annoying me. I appreciate that.” He chuckled, lifting his gaze from his arm to give Ess a suspicious look. “I can see when it’s done, but you’re not going to tell me what it is, are you? Sneaky Lady... Fine though, I’ll just have to wait and see then.” He said, rolling his eyes in exaggerated annoyance for having to wait. Luke went silent after that for a few moments, his expression showing only that he was going through a long thought process, his eyes fixed once again on what Ess was doing, although it was unsure if he was watching or simply staring blankly. After a while, he sighed, his whole thinking breaking out in a question. “Lady... If you could, back when you discovered your enlightenment, if you could always look like someone else without any side effects... Would you have done that? If you could technically become anyone.”

Ess dabbed at the tattoo, smiling and nodding absently at her art before working on what the hand was holding within its grasp: An Eye. “I think...this will have many meanings; many reminders and the list could continue to grow for you through the years.” She sighed, falling silent at Luckas’ question on using her enlightenment permanently if she could; to become anyone else if it was without consequence. Ess didn’t answer for some time, matter of factly; not until the outline was complete in its entirety to show a hand enveloped around an eye engulfed in flames. It was when Ess took a moment to crack her knuckles and stretch out her fingers that she shrugged and answered her friend. “I don’t know what I would have done for sure back then, Luckas. I know now, the answer would be no. For the most part, the illusion was for survival and it wasn’t often I took on a mirrored image of another besides for that purpose or for kicks. Usually, I took bits and pieces to make someone new.” Ess began to clean her tool and switch it for a slightly larger set of needles as she began to shade and add more details to the hand. “There were times I didn’t want to be who I was, yes. I just never wanted someone else’s life. Maybe I wanted their circumstances in comparison to mine, but everything looks better on the other side.” She stopped speaking, not sure if she had anything else to say, quickly glancing between Luckas’ eyes and his arm. “What about you? Would you want to be someone else?”

“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled under his breath, scratching his head with his free hand, careful not to move around too much. “I don’t think I honestly gave any thought into being someone else, I never really liked other people, why would I want to be like them? I might have wished some things were different here and there, but no... I never looked at another person and thought ‘hey that’s someone I’d like to be’. Not in the sense of becoming someone, and not even in the sense of looking up to another person... At least not at a time when such a thing would have made a greater difference.” He stated, smiling appreciatively at how the tattoo was turning out. “How about you? You had someone you looked up to?” He asked absently, idly fiddling with the hem of his shirt as he kept on talking. “Anyway... I know this person... And she never, well rarely ever, looks the same... She says she’s not sure if she remembers her real face anymore... Must be odd to not be able to recognize your own face...” Falling silent for a second as he looked down to a small tear that had appeared where he pulled on a piece of thread, he nodded. “Doesn’t seem right, does it?”

Essence frowned when asked if there was anyone she had looked up to before in her life, several sad memories coming to mind. She stared at Luckas’ arm as if something was wrong with the task at hand, gently pressing the rag against his flesh as the bleeding increased some. “I...wouldn’t call it so much as I looked up to someone, but admired. There’s been a few...I would say...for the different strengths they all carried at one point that I maybe envied somewhat.” She whispered, staring at the fine wrinkles she designed in Luke’s flesh to look like knuckles upon the tattooed fingers. “My father, most definitely. Much of what I believe in came from him and what he would tell me of my mother. I ...use to admire my brother...but yea we know how that ended up.” Clearing her throat, she spoke up a bit. “When I first met Jake, I honestly envied his kindness and innocence, and then of course his sister...MY sister. I saw things in her i wanted for myself and in a way I achieved.” Ess shrugged, slowly shading over the same areas of skin. “Some things I’m sure I’m still lacking...eh...which is why I can understand this friend of yours..or whoever you are talking about.” Snickering she shook her head. “Hiding and being unknown is, I think, a very tempting road and I can understand how this girl could be addicted to the mirage and even forget her true face. Course, I believe if she simply [i]Let Go, it would come back to her. Like muscle memory. Subconsciously it would still be there. I don’t think it so much as wrong, but sad. But, if someone dislikes themselves that much, then they should change what it is they don’t like.” Mumbling a bit to herself she added, “Course, not everything is in our control..”

Ess took another mini break with Luckas’ tattoo, rinsing out the rag that was turning a pinkish red, carefully laying the warm compress across the design as she began mixing some of the dyes to create a lighter tone. “With all those faces I’ve taken on through the years, I still always wished I could look like anything I wanted. You know, like to change to look like Tala...like that Ari girl we met that time...but that’s more than a simple illusion. She acted like that was kind of painful and such.” Ess smiled, continuing around the hand, the artwork seeming to pop outwards as if it were going to tear through Luckas’ skin. “I’m rambling now, I think...but have you ever wondered Luckas..I mean through the years..how many times you could have seen me and never have known it?” Shaking her head at herself she fell silent, watching how Luckas’ bleeding was increasing in consistency. “You ok still? Do you need me to stop?”

“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled, a part of his mind quietly trying to figure out if he would consider Amber a friend, not quite reaching a conclusion. Perhaps friend was a strong word to define that particular relationship, but then, in some ways... He did trust Amber a lot more than any of the others. “Not sure I’d say ‘friend’, and maybe you’ve met her... It’s difficult to tell with that one, really. Never the same face... And a damn good deceiver... You’d probably like her.” He snickered, shaking his head at the thought and mumbling under his breath. “...Twins help me though...” Whatever thought crossed Luckas’ mind then caught his attention for a few moments through which he remained silent, his eyes examining the details of the image being drawn upon his skin, noticing but not minding the sting of the needles and the bleeding. He kept his silence until it had been a little while since Ess had finished talking to him; at first seeming as if he hadn’t heard a word, but when he spoke it was clear he had been paying attention. “That Ari girl... Is a shifter... that tends to be quite painful, yes. Not to mention there is danger of being trapped in an animal form, in some cases. The girl I know also shifts, but only within a human form, and that is less painful and less complicated. Although, she can’t just change parts of her appearance to anything she likes... She can only copy other people’s exact appearance. An identity thief, is what she is, I suppose.” He sighed softly thinking on the possibility that she and Ess had crossed paths before the castle. “Hmmm.... Well... Funny as it may be... Our first meeting was one of the last things I did in Newhaven before Lena ‘caught me’... And our second meeting was one of the first things to happen when I returned. I lingered around between Blackpond and the plains most of the time in between those two meetings. It’s possible, but unlikely... Not to mention I’d like to think I’d know, on some level, like I knew in the castle...” He gave a half shrug, careful not to move his right arm at all. “I feel fine. Up to you when to stop, really.”

Ess smiled, glancing up at Luckas thoughtfully. “This...person you think I may get along with...was she at the Ball? Anything is possible it seems.” Clearing her throat, her brows narrowed at a thought as she began to add some shadows to the flames, her needlework retracing the same areas over and over again so that she had to keep wiping the excess dye as well as blood from the area to make sure she was filling in the areas desired. “You know...I still don’t understand my enlightenment completely..I don’t feel physical pain when I use it except in the side effects but not during the process. I always thought it was just an illusion of sorts but the Captain helped me realize I can do little changes in my size...like wrists and such to slip out of holds..” She laughed at herself, pausing to lean back away from Luckas, her eyes glowing brightly in amusement. “I wonder...if my illusion affects the senses: Sight, hearing, touch...ooh no...” She exclaimed, covering her face in playful aggravation, falling silent as she mumbled, “Freakin’ Telepaths!” When she looked up her smile was gone and a genuine look of annoyance plague her face, not wanting to believe her own conclusions. “No...don’t you dare say it Luckas..”

“Hm... Yeah... She was there alright.” Luckas replied, unable to hold back an impatient sigh. “If you haven’t met her, trust me, you will.” He stated, his tone somewhat giving away the fact he wouldn’t be exactly pleased by that. His annoyance quickly cast aside as he listened to Ess talk about her enlightenment; a satisfied grin spreading across his features as he watched her reaction, barely able to contain an incoming fit of laughter; a strange choking sound escaping him instead as he masked his grin as an innocent smile “Say what? I didn’t say anything...” He spoke, averting his gaze as if that was the only thing that allowed to keep a straight face. “...I am surely thinking it though...” He added, chuckling softly. “I am thinking it quite loudly.” Finally he turned his eyes back to his friend’s face and inevitably started to giggle. “Aw, Lady... It’s not that bad, now is it? Some of the best people you know are telepaths!”

Essence glared at Luckas’ comment, holding the needles quietly in front of him with a mischievous smile. “I know what you’re thinking, hello...least you don’t tease the girl with the needles....you may receive something unpleasant permanently tattooed into your flesh...” She joked, letting her smile reappear as she went back to work with a sigh. “Darren....my father...Crys is a form..right...empathic counts?” Ess shrugged as if she was forgetting someone, giving a knowing wink at Luckas, not voicing what her mind was adding to the list. “Do you think my mother was too?” She asked with sincere curiosity in her tone. Ess paused once again, sitting back to admire her own work and reached for a small vile of a solvent to spread across Luckas’ fresh, shaded wounds. “All that’s left...is the eye....and color...and of course the signature...” She whispered softly, quietly wrapping up his arm in clean bandages. “If you leave tomorrow...does that mean I don’t get my turn to train? At least before you go....” Ess trailed off, keeping her eyes averted from Luckas’.

Luckas chuckled shaking his head. “Naw... You wouldn’t.... Tattoo a kitten on me... Or would you?” He asked, faking a look of concern over the possibility, however not losing his smile. “No, Lady... Empathy doesn’t count. Invisibility, however, is a form of illusion so it counts as a telepathic ability... So you left out Jakey... Aaaw, poor Jakey...” He played, a satisfied smirk crossing his features, as he went on speaking. “Did you know, Lady, the White Shadows, well... Originally the Blackhurst scholars, separated every known enlightenment into categories... The healers literally have books and books of that stuff... Empathic and Telepathic abilities are separate categories... Although, from what you tell me, your enlightenment is something in between a telepathic and a shifting ability, and that’s actually unusual... If I recall. Glad Lena didn’t live to know this or she would be sticking needles in you right now.” He mumbled, releasing a choked laughter. “Ironic.”

Not a even a full minute passed since Ess was done bandaging his arm and Luckas was already fiddling with the bandages as he thought on whether they’d have the time to train before he left or not. “Hmm... I think we could do it before I go... It will depend, and this is important... It will depend on how you sleep. Especially the first couple of times, it’s important that you are rested.”

Ess hid her amusement, putting on her best serious face as she looked Luckas dead in the eye. “No...not a KITTEN....” Turning away casually she quirked a brow, listening intently to Luckas’ point on Jake. She had never truly thought about him or herself as a telepath of sorts and the topic was bringing up all kinds of thoughts; new and buried. “I wouldn’t have let Lena poke at me...” Ess sighed, knowing she probably wouldn’t have much of a choice if the woman had wanted it. It wasn’t even the fact that she remembered the glimpses of Lena’s enlightenment but the fact she just seemed to have a way about her in getting what she wanted. “So, I’m unique? I kind of like that.” She stated with a smile, absently cleaning up the tools and standing on her feet to stretch. Noting how Luckas was starting to fiddle with his bandages she lightly kicked him in the leg. When he didn’t seem to notice or simply ignored her she glared down at him, unmoving. “If you want that finished you WILL NOT fuck that up, or so help me Luckas...” She hissed, her glowing gaze almost piercing like as she stared before letting her smile shine through again. Making her way towards the tent in compliance with the notion of getting rest if they were to train the following day, she didn’t mention or ask about what to expect, instead thinking more on her enlightenment. “Do you think it’s possible there’s more to my gifts than I even know? I mean...I don’t even know where I’d start or how to go about finding out. I only have ever practiced with what I discovered..I wonder what would be the point of having a bit of both...the shifting and telepathic...” Nestling down in her bed, she let out a long yawn, closing her eyes. “I mean it Luckas...you keep touching that bandage, you’ll ruin my gift.”

Luckas snickered softly. “I wouldn’t have let her either Lady.” He agreed, nodding along to Ess’ words on being poked by Lena. “Well Lady... Being unique is undeniably a characteristic of being human... At least I’ve been told as much.” He stated, wincing as she scolded him for messing with the bandages, immediately stopping himself and carefully pulling the sleeve of his shirt down over the bandage. “Okay. I’ll be good.” He mumbled, standing up to follow after her. “I think it’s possible that there is more to your gift... Link seems to indicate it. Who knows, once we’ve gone through some basics, training-wise, we can experiment.” He smiled, sitting by her bed and tugging at his sleeve in a slightly twitchy manner, but not touching the bandaged area. “Alright, I won’t play with the Squishy.” He sighed. “I hear you.”

Luckas interrupted his own thoughts at the sound of the firework finally going off. He tore his gaze from the tattoo just in time to watch as the firework flew past Aiden’s head, laughter exploding from everyone who had caught the scene, except Luckas. Luke pushed himself up and stood casually watching the colorful explosion resulting from the device as he paced towards Aiden, followed closely by Stalker. Stopping at a good distance from the man he glanced from him to Ess with a little smirk. “You missed, Lady.” He complained, faking a frown at her and then smiling at Aiden. “Great party, huh, Beast Boy? Good thing Stalker came to get me, or I would’ve missed all the excitement. Right, champ?” He snickered ruffling the wolf’s fur appreciatively. “I almost excuse him for stealing my cake. Almost.” He played, momentarily looking down at the wolf with a hint of severity in his eyes. “See, that sort of solves that little problem we had that one time... About me being away. That doesn’t happen anymore. Ain’t it great? Now you never, ever, have to worry again.” He spoke in an overly sweet and mockingly reassuring tone, knowing very well that Aiden really wanted nothing more than to see him gone. Calmly Luckas rose the sleeve on his left arm so it matched his right, and glanced around with a bit of amusement, noting the suspicious movement of some of the mercenaries around the camp. “Lady, do you know why the desert boys are trying to be all sneaky? They’re not very good at it, not at all...” He chuckled.

Jacob had spent a bit more time inside with the children than it was needed, he sat there for a little while even after they had already fallen asleep, Kaya asleep herself among the kids’ beds, snuggling her ‘new’ plushie. Jake had sat there calmly petting the wolf and enjoying the silence. The party had turned out great, and he was having fun, he was glad to see all his friends together in one place, but the moment of peace was also more than welcome. It was the kind of peace that only happened now and then, and shouldn’t be taken for granted. So Jake sat with the sleeping children, and wolf, and Puppy, for a few quiet moments. He almost wanted to close his eyes, but at the same time he didn’t and when the silence started to become more and more a reminder of how exhausted he really had been, he forced himself to leave.

The noise of the party invaded Jake’s ears the moment he left Mageria’s cabin the colorful flashes of the fireworks, the chatter, and the music... It was all less than peaceful, it was even a bit chaotic overall, but the chaos was worth the smiles on people’s faces. It didn’t take him long to find Crys, she wasn’t standing too far from where he’d left her and he walked straight to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “I wants kids.” He mumbled.
“You’re drunker than I anticipated, Jakey.” Crys stated with a snicker.
“No... Well, yes... probably... but I mean it. Not now, obviously, but... One day, in the future; when we buy that farm, with the pond and the apple orchard...” He sighed. “We could, you know. I want to... I want kids...”
Crys smiled softly leaning into Jake for a few moments before pushing him away a bit so that they were face to face. “Yes, we could, Jakey.... In the future.” She agreed, reaching out and brushing hair away from his eyes. “If you’ll just trim that mane a bit.” She teased.
“You know what, Crys... I promise I will cut my hair, and I will shave clean, and I’ll wear my cleanest, fanciest, clothes... And anything else you like... On our wedding day.”
“We agreed; no more promises, remember?” Crys scolded lightly, frowning at him for a moment. “But yes, if and when we have a wedding you’ll cut it, because if you don’t I will; and you don’t want to lose any more ear bits, do you?” She added with a smirk, poking him on the side of his head.
“Ha ha, funny, you are soo funny...” Jake snickered, pulling her close again and rubbing the scratchy stubble on his face against her cheek.
“Aaah, that’s... itchy...” She complained, pushing against his chest, but laughing softly as she did so. “Get your porcupine butt away from me, silly.”
Jake kept his hold on Crys, but stopped scratching her face with his beard. “I want kids... In the future...” he repeated. “Ten years ago, there was no future... Ten years ago I expected to be dead by now, and I was okay with that. There was no future.”
“You want kids.” Crys repeated with a tone of understanding in her voice. “I’m really proud of you, Jakey... And I’m also a little bit sorry for this.” She laughed, giving him a brief kiss on the cheek and stepping a few steps back.
“Sorry for what...?” Jake started, seeming a bit confused. That until he noticed he was surrounded. “Oh, no... No, no, no, no....” He muttered. “You didn’t... That’s not fair...” He complained, turning from her and running off to try and escape the Crimson Shadows who very quickly and efficiently had him cornered. Soon enough Jake was being lifted off his feet and carried towards the river. “Crap, no, stop it, put me down... DASTAN, I will kick your ass!”
“Yeah, good luck with that boy.” Dastan replied with a chuckle watching with amusement as his men tossed Jake into the river with a loud splash. Laughter and applause erupting from the mercenaries and the guard.

“The gift is... It’s yours, Lady... It’s for you. Just keep that in mind. If you somehow make it mine, that’s cheating.”

Essence was still laughing, holding her stomach as if she were in pain, calming herself simultaneously as the colors overhead began to fade away. Tiny bits of ash rained down over the camp while she kept a close eye on Luckas and Stalker approaching Aiden, her thoughts still on her friend’s gift. Ess understood the gesture behind the gift and she was appreciative of it; she was. Part of her, she couldn’t deny, still felt sick. She had been fighting her nerves since she returned to the Nest and her un-welcomed feelings were mocking those appreciative ones. Essence wondered if she would indeed ever use Luckas’ gift and it was because of a very logical morale that she would never betray. She would never expect or force an affectionate gesture from anyone, even more so than Luckas. That part of her, who remembered what that felt like, even if it was in a more extreme and unrelated example, knew that wasn’t who she was. Still, maybe it was something she would just keep close to her heart. Ess let out a long sigh, listening to bits and pieces of the exchange that was taking place between Luckas and Aiden, her gaze floating over towards Jacob when he returned to Crys side. Her stare sharpened to the movement around the Nest, a small snicker escaping her when she saw the mercenaries closing in behind Jake. He didn’t even seem to notice as he was snuck up on, Jake’s focus completely on Crystal as if no one else seemed to exist. At least for the moment. The devotion Ess caught passing between them both was simply beautiful to her. She was happy and envious all at the same time but more importantly she knew her little brother deserved it. As Jake came to realize what was occurring around him, it was already too late and he was hoisted above the men’s shoulders and carried towards the river. Essence decided she wanted to see the next few moments up close, her fingers clinging to her dress to lift the ruffles just around her knees as she sprinted after the crowd while still keeping a mindful distance from Darren in case he got any bright ideas like last time. She caught her son’s smiling gaze and shook her head and playfully glared at him distrustingly. Darren laughed, mouthing the words, Not in that dress, to Ess, causing her glare to fade into a mirrored smile of her son’s. It seemed, Deidra had indirectly saved Ess from a possibly similar fate to Jake’s which reminded herself that she hadn’t seen the woman for a bit of time now but she shrugged it off.

When Ess reached the riverbend, she waved happily over at Jake, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she giggled. “Happy Birthday Brother.” She paused, her eyes rolling upwards as if she were ponder over an idea. “You know, Jakey, If you could have floated away from the men carrying you, then you would still be dry. But no, you have that other really awesome thing you do, like disappearing.” She teased, sticking her tongue out at Jake playfully and backing away a bit from the riverbend, shooting him a mistrusting and amused glare.

“You missed, Lady.”

Aiden snorted, pushing himself back on his feet, casually dusting himself off. “Always keeping us on our toes, Talon..” He smiled, letting his gaze float between Essence and to where the majority of the guests were occupying. Aiden mentally tracked where everyone was in position to himself, his body facing away from Luckas, as if he were ignoring him, yet he could still see him out of the corner of his eye, half listening to the boy. “...A little squirrel told me you won’t want to miss this, Talon..” Aiden’s smile widened as he watched Ess run off after the spectacle of tossing Jacob into the river and he couldn’t help but chuckle, despite his current company. Calmly he turned his head in Luckas’ directly and shrugged. “All things aside, you know that’s not true. The part where you say I don’t have to worry. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that it takes more than you, Jake, the wolves or I to keep a concerned eye on Essence. Darren told me she’s been sleepwalking again...but I’m sure you already knew that, right?” Aiden scoffed, squeezing out a bitter sigh. He shook his head a bit in amusement at himself before moving to join up with the rest of the group, calmly walking away from Luckas. Aiden knew if he was going to behave and not cause any type of scene, he had to walk away. It wouldn’t be far to Essence, and he felt that was his limit for conversation with a vindictive child for one evening. He was trying to remember even though Ess trusted the kid, Aiden didn’t have to and it was probably good that Jake wasn’t alone in being suspicious.

Luckas snorted at Aiden as he replied, an amused smirk forming across his expression at the man’s choice of words. At first he didn’t answer, he let himself be distracted by the commotion, a chuckle escaping him as he watched Jake being thrown into the river. Casually he followed after Aiden and sighed at the man as though he was trying to explain something extremely simple to a very intellectually challenged individual. “I’m sure you are aware that I was being sarcastic, which makes it kind of funny that you’d even answer me and... You speak as though she needs constant supervision... Which is definitely funny, considering she already has more people ‘watching’ her than the children do on a regular basis. Let’s face it though Beast Boy; between Jake, the wolves, Darren, myself, and you... Your concerned eyes will not be the ones watching over her dreams at night... But I’m sure you already knew that, right?” He spoke, his voice calm and matter of fact like. “Stop acting as if she actually needs you, Beast Boy... It just makes you look desperate.” He advised, walking away from the man to get a better look of what was happening in the water, but keeping a good distance from the riverbed. Jake was already pulling himself out of the water, seeming quite amused and content despite being soaking wet; so much that no one else seemed to notice the change in his posture, not until he hurried past everyone and simply charged at Luckas, without giving him even a chance to think of a provocation.

Because Jake had had quite a bit to drink it wasn’t difficult for Luckas to avoid the first punch aimed at his head, or the second for that matter, but that wasn’t enough for Jake to stop and think about what he was doing and why, the man kept hitting blindly. Luckas turned away from Jake as he heard a low growl coming from Stalker, trying to keep the wolf calm so this; whatever the hell it was, didn’t escalate further than necessary. In his distraction he suffered his first blow, which was no help in keeping Stalker at bay; the wolf clearly ready to pounce on Jake and only backing away when Luckas managed to shout to him while trying to protect himself from Jake. “Stalker: Pride!” Stalker laid down on the ground and relaxed some at the command, dark eyes still glaring at Jake, consistent and loud growling still escaped the wolf, but he remained motionless even so. Luckas was covering his head with his arms and taking the assault, mostly because Jake had been barely making a serious attempt at hurting him, but when the man kicked him in the leg and knocked his balance he felt the last of his patience slip away and he retaliated by punching him hard in the gut, hard enough so that he stumbled back. “What the hell is your problem!?” He shouted at Jake, watching as he tried to advance at him again, but was held back by Crys, the woman whispering something to Jake that Luckas couldn’t hear, whatever it was managed to calm him and he backed away finally. Luckas realized he was fighting against someone’s hold as well and he stopped himself, shoving the Crimson Shadow who had been trying to contain him aside. “Don’t fucking touch me!! GET THE FUCK AWAY!”

“Luckas!” Crys called, one hand still pushing against Jake’s chest. “This is not about you. Walk away.”
Luckas snorted. “Next time, I won’t keep Stalker from biting his stupid head off, are we understood?” He muttered at Crys.
“Walk away, please.” She repeated calmly, trying to lead Jake away towards his camp and meeting a bit of resistance on his part.
“Pathetic.” Luckas muttered out, turning away and going to get a drink, Stalker following him closely.
After a few more moments Crys managed to get Jake to go with her, pulling him by the arm away from the commotion.

Aiden had plenty he wanted to say back at Luckas. What made this shit stain think he knew what Essence needed? Wasn’t it hypocritical for a ‘stalker’ to challenge that the woman didn’t need constant supervision? That was far from what Aiden had meant in the first place. The fact is she was apart of a family where if she felt she needed it or not, she would be cared for. Aiden wasn’t just annoyed because he did want to be more than just friends with Ess and Luckas was mocking his status, but for every attempt he had made to keep him away from her. The kid had no more of a right than Aiden to decide who could be apart of Ess’ life, in any position. Before Aiden could even fully turn to face Luckas to say any of what was on his mind, Jake was already on him. How ironic. He couldn’t help feeling a bit of satisfaction at the sight, however he was more concerned for the little freak’s reaction and Jake’s safety than his own sense of amusement.

Essence didn’t have much time to process what was going on. One moment she was laughing and joking around and the next Jake was at Luckas’ throat, practically. She may have managed to yell both of the men’s names in protest or snap at the foolish mercenary who was trying to restrain Luckas, but she didn’t have much of an opportunity for anything else; which she was internally grateful for. “Jaakey…?” She whispered, a deep concern furrowing her brows. Did she say something to set Jake off? Ess caught Crys’ words that this wasn’t about Luckas and that made her worry even more. It wasn’t that she didn’t expect some sort confrontational spectacle to occur, she just thought it would have happened a lot sooner and the fact that Jake lasted as long as he did, showed that he was trying. Ess took a few steps towards her brother but stopped when she looked at Crys and she knew he was in good hands. For a moment, she wasn’t needed and she didn’t want to add to any stress Jake was feeling at the moment, doubting her presence to be one of comfort. Lightly massaging her right temple she brushed off her onset headache as the result of having too much liquor even though she half expected the pain, finding that she had them almost daily as of late. Her thoughts were confusing and depressing as they unrealistically dwelled on the idea of Jake not needing her. It didn’t matter that it was wrong or unfair to think because it didn’t change the fact her mind was clinging to that thought. ‘You need him more than he needs you… She cursed at herself trying to remember how not too long ago she didn’t ‘need’ anyone. Which of course was not true, but now that her walls were down and she let herself rely on others for help and support, she was, at this moment, thinking of herself as a burden. How could she think this way, especially after everything everyone had done to show she was appreciated? Ess knew she was thinking stupid, especially when she began comparing herself to Aiden. As quickly as that thought entered her mind, it left, switching to a memory not completely unrelated but quite darker, in a place of her mind she had promised herself she would not go.

“Mom? Mom…” Darren whispered, appearing at her side and trying to get Ess to look up at him, his thumbs brushing reddish tears from her porcelain cheeks. “Mom..look at me...what is going on in your head?” Essence didn’t seem to hear Darren or even realize that she had picked up some random bottle of liquor that clearly belonged to one of the mercenaries but she took a few swigs none the less before it was ‘stolen’ back. Darren half expected Ess to bite the man’s head off but instead she just stared, unblinking as if she wasn’t even aware of her surroundings. Finally she acknowledged her son, wrapping her arms firmly around his neck, clinging to him. Darren held Ess close, gently stroking her curls in a comforting manner. He could feel her fighting against sobs as he quietly encouraged her to concentrate on her breathing. “It’s ok, Mom. Remember where you are...you’re here with people who love you. Your friends...family…” He whispered into her curls, hugging her tighter when she heaved a sigh.

“I’m sorry your mother is such a disaster..” Ess finally muttered, trying to make it sound like she was joking.

Darren snorted. “..You’re thinking about Asher again...aren’t you?” He pulled back, his concerned stare slightly twisted into one of resentment towards the very act of having to mention his father’s name.

“I don’t want to talk about him..” Ess retorted.

“Then stop thinking about that asshole. Why not enjoy the rest of the night?” Darren smiled, turning Ess a bit so he could reach her braid and untwisted her hair so it fell loose past her shoulders. “You are so wound up...you just need to relax, ok?”

“Breathe, Jakey... Just, breathe.” Crys whispered to Jake as they stopped by his tent, she sat him down by his unlit fire pit, sitting down beside him in silence.
“He did this. He has to have done this... It can’t... I don’t...” Jake started to ramble, rocking back and forth where he sat, hiding his face in his hands. “This can’t be...” He cut himself off with a choked sob.
Crys sighed, calmly rubbing his back in a soothing manner for a few moments before getting up and starting to light the fire. “What did he do?” She asked. “Because he seemed to not know why you were trying to crack his skull open with your fists, Jacob.”
Jake shook his head, he didn’t want to say it, saying it would make it all real, somehow, but he didn’t know how to keep something like this from Crys so he answered. “I heard her voice... In my head... It had to have been in my head because she’s... She’s dead, but I heard it... I heard her voice.”
“Luckas can’t make you hear your sister’s voice.” Crys stated simply, sitting beside him again.
“He did it.” Jake muttered.
“Jacob...” Crys started.
“No! He did it!” Jake insisted. “Stop defending him, just... Stop... Taking his side.”
“I’m on your side.” Crys protested. “You’re acting like a maniac, but I’m on your side, so do whatever you have to do to get through this, Jakey, but don’t even think about lashing out at me. I will kick your ass, I swear. I am on your side.”
“He has to have done it. Because if he didn’t then... What... I’m going crazy? I’m never going to get over it? It’s all for nothing? If he didn’t do it... Then I’m doing it to myself and I can’t... Be this guy anymore... I don’t want to be... I’m so sick of him... I’m so... Tired.”
“Jakey...” Crys turned so that she was facing Jake, reaching out to run her fingers through his hair soothingly. “You are tired. You haven’t been sleeping and you had a pretty emotional evening. You miss your sister, you wanted her here. There’s nothing wrong with that.” She reassured him. “It doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to miss her, Jake... Moving on doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to miss her. You will always, always, miss her. And that’s okay.”
Jake nodded along to what Crys was saying. Everything made sense to him, and even though sense didn’t exactly matter to him now, he knew that soon enough it would. He rubbed his eyes and finally lifted his head, turning to look at Crys, staring at her for a long while in silence, the act itself seeming to soothe him more than any amount of conversation ever would. He leaned into her and heaved a very long sigh. “I beat up my sister’s stalker on her birthday party... I’m such an unbelievable ass right now.” He concluded.
“See, I bet ten years ago you weren’t expecting to ever say something like that, am I right?” Crys chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “You’re not that guy anymore, Jakey. I can see that. You just need to let your mind rest.”
Jake laughed softly at her teasing wrapping one arm around Crys’ waist and pulling her close to him. “I miss you.”
“That’s stupid of you... Because I’m right here, even when I’m not. You know that.” She retorted.
“That’s my line.” Jake snickered.
“It’s my favorite line.” She answered, resting her head on his shoulder. “Do you want to go back to the party? If you don’t, we can just go to bed. I bet I can get you to sleep some.”
“That sounds good, but... I want to talk to Ess first, can you... Can you bring her here? I don’t... I can’t run the risk of seeing Luckas again... I still want to snap his neck... I always want to snap his neck... Just this time I might actually try it.”
“Alright, Jakey. I’ll go and tell her to come find you here.” Crys agreed, giving him a kiss on the cheek and pulling away from the hug. “But you are going to sleep tonight, okay?”
“Okay.” Jake sighed. “I can’t promise anything, but... I’ll do my best for you.”

Luckas got himself a bottle, watching with the corner of his eye as Crys led Jake away from the crowd, drinking down the alcohol as if it were nothing more than water; one hand scratching behind Stalker’s ears appreciatively. He and Jake had gone into a silent understanding a little while back when both Stalker and Kaya had gotten involved in one of their altercations, the wolves snapping at each other in defense of their respective humans. Nothing too bad happened in that occasion, but ever since they had been careful to not show any aggression in front of the animals. It was strange to Luckas that the guy would just attack him in front of Stalker without any provocation on his part. Jake didn’t lose control like that for no reason, Luckas knew that; pissing him off usually took a bit of work. He didn’t like the guy, but he had to admit it wasn’t normal. “Did you do something to him?”
Luckas turned around to face the person who asked the question raising an eyebrow at the woman. “Allison, was it? No, I didn’t. Something’s probably wrong with your friend. I don’t know what and I don’t care, but whatever the problem, it’s his. Take it up with him and leave me alone.” He muttered at her, emptying the bottle and grabbing another one.
“Alright, okay. I was just wondering” Ali chuckled. “I know very well Jake’s messed up in the head, you don’t have to sell that notion to me. You should take it easy with that stuff, it’s pretty strong.”
“Not to me.” Luckas shrugged. “I just like the taste of the stuff, doesn’t ever even give me a buzz.”
“I don’t... Like the taste... I don’t drink much.” Ali retorted, glancing curiously at Luckas’ forearm, her blue eyes examining the image drawn upon his skin with interest. The tattoo was of a fist holding an eye engulfed in flames, the eye color a curious mix of violet and a dark smoky grey color. “Interesting.” She mumbled. “Very interesting.”
“What?” Luckas sighed following her gaze. “It’s my squishy.”
Ali snorted a laugh. “It’s your what?”
“You heard me.” He replied, with a completely serious expression on his face.
“Okay... That’s... A really nice looking squishy you got.” Ali replied, looking incredibly confused as if she couldn’t quite believe the words she had just uttered. “Did Ess tattoo this on you? It’s awesome.”
Luckas replied to her question by pointing out the signature on the tattoo. “Yes, it’s awesome.” He agreed. “I honestly didn’t care much about this arm before, but now it’s pretty much my favorite arm.” Luke nodded.
“Are you sure, you’re not drunk?” Ali asked, a bit amused at Luckas. “Not even a little?”
“Nope.” He answered.
“You’re a strange little man.” Ali snickered, shaking her head.
“Do you only make bows?” Luckas questioned. “I wanted a crossbow, I like them, but they’re a bit heavy and clumsy for me. I’d need something more... portable.”
“Pffft... Crossbows are terrible for combat. They’re for hunters.”
“I’m a hunter, I’m not a warrior.” Luckas argued. “I just... Hunt different stuff from time to time.”
“It’s a terrible choice for human targets.” Ali stated simply.
“No... It’s far more potent and more accurate than a regular bow.”
“More accurate than a regular bow if you’re a terrible shot; otherwise, that’s not true. Besides it’s ridiculously slow to reload.”
“Alright, it’s slow to reload, but it’s still more potent. The odds of making a fatal shot with a regular bow...”
“Are pretty damn good if you’re a decent shot and know your anatomy.” Ali interrupted. “What you’re saying basically is that you’re too lazy to try your hand at a real bow and you’re looking for an easy fix.”
“I’m not denying that. I’m just thinking that the design can be improved to be made more efficient, and was wondering if you’d be of any help with that. You did make some helpful statements, even if they were a bit unnecessarily unfair.”
“I make pretty things out of wood. What you need is someone who is skilled with mechanisms to help with a design like that. Some of the Crimson are good with things like that. And maybe you could ask Crys to pitch the idea to Blackwell when she goes see him. If he takes an interest I’m sure he can build whatever you want, but you’re not going to like dealing with the guy, I can tell you that much.”
“That helps.” Luckas agreed.
“Crossbows suck.” Ali muttered.
“Shut up, they’re awesome.” Luckas retorted, emptying his bottle once again and tossing it aside before walking over to Essence and Darren. “I’d like it to be noted that I... Lady and Kid... Was on my very best behavior through this whole thing. Because we all know I’ll probably never get to say this again.” He played, his expression turning a bit concerned as he looked over at Ess. “I controlled myself and Stalker was good.. No one was hurt really.” He pointed out. “He just needs sleep and next time he punches me it’ll be for a good reason.” He smiled playfully.

Ess ran her fingers through her curls to loosen those strands from their previous binds. She stared at her fingers as they sifted and wrapped around a few curls that cradled her waist. There was a momentary smile breaking her cold, statue like exterior, but her eyes were still wild, clear they were very deep into whatever thoughts she was trying to avoid. “It’s not about that….You don’t even have to explain anything Luckas. I’m not mad at either of you. I’m glad you both are ok...and I’m a bit worried about my brother..and curious...that you trained Stalker to respond to our...safe word.” Finally she looked up at Luckas, listening for an answer but at the same time her mind wasn’t all in the present moment. “When did you do that? That’s...well it’s impressive. I’m proud of how well you’ve cared for him.” She whispered, her eyes softening for a second as she leaned back into Darren, her sons hands rubbing up and down her arm, trying to soothe her. “I don’t..feel very good…” Ess mumbled, Darren lifting her head to examine her face with his eyes.

“You had too much to drink..” He smirked, trying to make Ess smile.

“Did not..my tolerance has grown..I could handle ..another.” She pouted sticking her tongue out at her son.

Darren snorted, shaking his head slowly. “Always have to prove how strong you are, hmm? You know you have nothing to prove to me..”

“I know that..” Ess muttered. “And I’m not trying to prove anything..was just a fact..”

“...Sometimes...asking for help, demonstrates someone’s strength..”

“I know that!” Ess snorted. “I have asked for help plenty...but..”

“But you won’t ask for it now, will you? Why not..just let me take care of this one thing for you?” Darren cleared his throat, twitching some when Ess stepped back from him, the look in her eyes clear she understood what he was talking about.

“My Da...told me plenty of how strong my mother was...and I was always told how much I was like her. Jake and Jessica..both would look at me as if I was this amazing woman that could get through anything..and I don’t plan on letting any of them down. I can handle this..myself.”

“You shouldn’t do this alone, Mom..” Darren started to protest.

“I’m not. I have the Captain for starters. This is way bigger than my personal revenge, Darren. You act like you know where to find him, when he’s bloody disappeared off the map completely.” She paused, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. After composing herself so that her tone remained calm, she opened her eyes and stared Darren down. “No. I don’t want this for you.”

“I have some ideas where to look..I should be the one to do it..not you..not Jake…” Darren protested.

“Absolutely NOT!!” Ess turned and spat in a growl, trying not to yell, but obviously this option wasn’t that much less intimidating. Her eyes darted from side to side, noticing how she was attracting attention from some of the others but she didn’t back down. “I forbid you to go!” Darren cringed slightly, but forced himself to take a step forward.

“Yes Mom. I am going. Be glad I told you. I’ve seen what happens when people keep things from you. So I am telling you.” Darren spoke gently, his tone a bit bitter as he tried to keep Essence calm. “I am going after Asher. After everything he’s done to just you alone. What about the rest of Valcrest? What if it’s disease has gone further? Would you rather I don’t confide in you?”

Ess’ eyes rolled up in her head, her fingers reaching to gently massage the bridge between her eyes. “Of course not. I always want you to be able to tell me things..” She whispered, hoping that by keeping her voice down it would force her emotion to soften as well. It only irritated her more.

“You can’t stop me, Mom.” Darren challenged her gently, casting his gaze towards his feet before finding the familiar violet glow again. His voice was so low, as if he almost regretted his own words, yet he stood by them. “You would have to have Luckas hold me and you know..I don’t think he would disagree with me for wanting to end Asher once and for all. The world would be a better place WITHOUT him.”

“I could stop you..” Ess’ voice cracked, her face contorted in a mild expression of pain from the sickening mix of emotion flooding into her. It made her want to sleep. She still looked angry, even when she casually wiped a couple stray tears that skimmed down her left cheek, lingering along her scar.

“So stop me…” Darren bit his lip, looking away from Essence before her anguish could make him crumble. He wasn’t trying to sound condescending, nor was he trying to escalate this any further. He was making a point. “I’m your child. Don’t you believe for one second I’m not just as stubborn or MORE than you.”

Ess flinched, taking a deep breath and standing a bit straighter. “Darren. I love you. You are my son. I ..just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again. Murder changes a person...I couldn’t protect my little brother but I will protect you. You don’t want this for yourself..please, you will let me handle it…”

“YOU CAN’T HANDLE HIM!” Darren snapped, his furiousity startling himself. He couldn’t even look at Essence as he stumbled a bit, awkwardly finding a tree stump to sit on. “You would hesitate..”

Ess was momentarily struck dumb. Speechless. She was at such a loss for words that instead of exploding in anger, she slowly turned, throwing her arms up in an expression of defeat as she walked away. “I’m not ..we are not having this conversation..” Ess whispered, making sure Darren heard her next words, speaking over her shoulder, “I just don’t want you to live the same life I chose…” She paused a moment to look at him once more. “Is that so wrong me to want for my son?”

Luckas stood in confusion watching an argument break out between Darren and Essence and while he knew what the discussion was about, he didn’t... Technically. He knew who Asher was and his role in the things being investigated by the guard; Captain had explained that to him. He’d learned that he was Darren’s father, and he knew what that meant, but the questions that had been brought forth by that fact hadn’t been asked. Ess had told him in one occasion that she would tell him anything if he asked, and that made him hesitate when it came down to voicing his questions. He was somewhat wary that she might tell him things she didn’t really want to talk about. So he stood there silently watching and listening until Ess ended the conversation. Despite the fact Darren had mentioned his name Luckas didn’t think he should say anything, or ask any questions just yet. He kept to himself for the time being, giving Stalker a small pat and moving away from the scene to sit in his spot under the oak. His expression thoughtful as he scratched behind Stalker’s ears, the wolf resting its head upon his legs. “Look at what you dragged me into...” He whispered. “Couldn’t have waited until tomorrow? Hm? Doofus.” He played, poking the wolf on the nose, causing Stalker to lift his head and snort at him. “Yeah, yeah... I know.” Luke chuckled. “Don’t give me that look.” Luckas sighed, leaning back against the tree and looking up at the branches. “Lady’s been redecorating it seems.” He mumbled to himself, raising an eyebrow as he noticed some differences in the tree branches above. “Not bad.”

Crys returned to the party in time to catch the last few words exchanged between Essence and her son, a concerned frown crossing the empath’s expression for a moment, but fading as she approached Ess. “Everything alright?” She asked, reaching for Ess’ arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Jakey doesn’t want to come back to the party... You know... I think he is a bit ashamed of himself and everything, but he wants to talk to you.”

As Ess moved further from the party, her attention was split between remembering which direction Luckas wandered off in and in observing Aiden, Ward, and Sora disappearing into the treeline to relieve a few Guards of their post. Darren wasn’t too far behind them, that same, stubborn expression furrowed within his brows that Ess would wear herself after any argument. It didn’t matter who was right or wrong because she knew he was going to try to do what he wanted anyways. He was her son and the fact of the matter was, she wasn’t willing to physically restrain him for any reason. Ess didn’t want to be that kind of parent but she wasn’t willing to sit by and watch him turn out just like her.

Ess rested her hand over Crys’ when the woman squeezed her arm, a half smile causing one dimple to peek out past her doll like features. “Jakey wants to talk to me?” Her smile opened a bit more. “Is he ok? I’m just glad no one was really hurt.” Ess nodded at what seemed like nothing in particular, except that Tala and Beo both darted off after Darren and the others and it was hard to honestly tell whether it was of their own decision or that of Ess’. “..I’ll be fine...think..we just had our first tiff, Darren and I. He was being honest with me and I with him.” She sighed. “Crys...I can assume you know some about Asher..Darren’s father, right? I’m sure Jake’s mentioned something at least besides the ‘official word’ on the man. He thinks...Darren thinks..that he can find him and take him out all by himself. Well..maybe he’s not as headstrong as his mother..I’m sure he’d find someone to go with him..but I can’t really be that mad at him for not listening. I am not the greatest influence on the kid..” She shook her head in slight amusement, a serious and almost nervous tone in her voice as she continued. “This isn’t like Jasper...or Joffrey...or any other vermin that has been taken care of on my behalf. I don’t want Jake to have more on his plate to worry about and I don’t want it to seem like I keep Luckas around to take care of what I couldn’t. This is all too personal and I know now I shouldn’t have had to be the one to take Ian out. Even if I don’t regret it. But that’s the problem.”

Ess paused to lean against a tree, crossing her arms lightly as if she were trying to get a bearing on her thoughts. “Darren is seventeen years old...and he still has never taken a life. That...in these times..is amazing. I was still a child when I first took a life..and I know I can’t protect him forever and that life happens….sooner or later it will probably happen for him. It just can’t be his own father. Does that make sense? So...I need to know how much it would cost to take a hit out on the man. Darren was right about one thing...I would hesitate. I would hesitate for reasons that are wild and unknown. I can’t face him even if I could find him. Maybe I’m a coward..”

“Jakey is... Hm, well, he will be okay.” Crys answered Ess, a bit of amusement crossing her smile. “And of course he wants to talk to you. You don’t think he’d just walk out like that and leave you to worry, do you? No, no... He’s only allowed to do that with me.” She concluded playfully.
As Ess went on to explain her argument with Darren, Crys listened silently, nodding along to the woman’s words and simply letting her speak until the end without interruptions. “I understand, Ess, and you’re not a coward, you’re just human. No one is unaffected by their past.” Crys sighed, going into a moment of thought. “You don’t actually think you need to pay me for a contract, do you? We’re practically family, so don’t worry about that. As your friend Ess I want to be able to guarantee that I’ll get this guy before it’s too late, but as a professional I have to be honest with you and say that the odds of finding a man like this, when he doesn’t want to be found, before his own son does are not the best. I know you don’t want this to happen to Darren, but, you know... Be prepared.” Crys advised, not wanting to make any promises to Essence in a situation like this. She would do her very best, but she knew well that finding someone who was hiding like this could be complicated and Darren had the advantage.
“When Jake told us about Asher he asked that if we located him we were to inform his whereabouts to Mageria or Matthew directly and not tell him anything, that it might be preferable to take him in alive for information, so he shouldn’t get involved. He said he wanted to stay out of it. For as long I’ve known him, Jake has never wanted to stay out of anything, but my guess is that he doesn’t want to make things harder for you. He knows that you worry.” Crys chuckled. “You know, the two of you are very much alike in one thing... Jake often complains that I’m always taking care of him, and he honestly doesn’t see how much he’s taken care of me. He doesn’t see the things he does and is willing to do for the people in his life as anything important. Right now he’s upset that he spoiled the party, that I had to take care of him again...” She trailed off, shaking her head. “And he’s being such an idiot.”

Ess unfolded her arms, pushing away from the tree, absently smoothing out her dress. “..I guess technically there was already a contract out on him, no? I do know for a fact that the Captain will not let me in on specifics until they are ready to move, which is understandable. I think things are going to get pretty chaotic, soon. Least that’s the impression Mageria gave me the last time we spoke. Just..Soon.” She snorted, her fingers popping and cracking along the knuckles as she stretched and flexed her hands. “I do appreciate the help, Crys and words can not...express…” Ess inhaled slowly, her tone hushed and almost inaudible. “It’s nice..to have a sister again. You...you would have loved Jessica. Some of my quirks...are definitely...they come from her. Little things too...you know, like how I always take honey in my tea or the fact there is almost nothing better in this world than listening to the pitter patter of rain. I use to hate thunderstorms and now you can’t keep me out of the puddles.” She chuckled. “Not to mention on several occasions I tried to out stubborn that girl. I think the only time I won..was when I left Blackpond. She was a proud young woman and that is something I always kind of envied from her. She always wanted the best for Jake and I know for me too and...I think of her almost every time I look at Darren. I want the best for him. I want to protect him even if I know I truly can’t.” Ess’ tone darkened as she continued as if her next words were final and written in stone. “I won’t...lost him again. I can’t. I wouldn’t survive, Crys. Children...are suppose to outlive their parents..right? He’s sick too, you know. Darren’s like me and Jake, we downplay everything so no one worries.” Ess groaned, shaking her head some only smiling when she hiccuped. “Sorry...I’m rambling..I’m drunk and rambling..Guess I should go talk to Mr Jake.”
As Essence moved in the direction of Jake’s camp she turned so that she was walking backwards, facing Crys. “He’s not allowed to do that to you either, you know. Leave without word...or you know...make you think he’s dead. I won’t let him. It’s simply not allowed.”

After another few moments of lingering, Ess paced in Jake’s direction, immediately going for the kettle and checking for water. “Jaaakey..I don’t know about you..but I think I’m done drinking for the night...Tea?” She smiled, distracting herself with searching for the fixings while the kettle hung over the fire. Ess mumbled something to herself about honey but quickly found a small jar of the desired sweetener and settled beside the fire. “Wanna know something silly? I thought you might be mad at me. I’m not even sure why exactly...my brain is kind of fuzzy right now.” She giggled, glancing over at Jacob, trying to keep her concern for her brother hidden behind her smile.

Jacob had his head lowered, his forehead almost touching his knees and he was so distracted that every sound around him was like a distant buzz in his ears. As if everything was just too far away from him to actually matter. Amongst the distant ringing in his ears came the sound of footsteps and soon enough Ess’ voice reached him, causing him to lift his head and look at her, squinting a bit as he readjusted his eye to the firelight. He watched silently as Ess started to make tea and smiled at her when she sat by the fire as well. “You know, I thought you’d be mad at me too. I know you’re always a bit mad when I hit the idiot, even if he deserves it... And he didn’t exactly deserve it this time... So yeah... I’m not apologizing to him though.” Jake sighed softly, scratching the side of his face for a while, mumbling under his breath about porcupines, staring at his feet for a few good moments before turning to Ess and speaking again. “I need to ask you a question and... I need you to be honest with me and I also need you to promise me we won’t ever talk about it again after tonight, okay? Never again.” He took a long pause, watching the fire, but not because he was expecting an answer, but because he was pushing himself forward. “Jess... Do you think she... Do you think it was better that she died? I mean, you know... You know what happened to her what they did... And... You know what she was like, right? You know... She believed the world was beautiful, she believed the world was good, she believed in Gods, and heroes, and magic; not the ‘I can turn invisible’ kind of magic, the ‘miracle’ kind of magic... So did I. And now I can’t anymore. I mean, there are people and moments, and they are special and beautiful, and they make me want to believe again, but I can’t. All of that died with her. And that’s fine, I guess... It took a long time, but I’ve accepted that. I just... I just wonder sometimes if she would have suffered more, if she had to live with what she went through... Maybe it’s better that she died.”

Essence let out a long, frustrated sigh. Her first reaction to Jacob’s question was resentment and anger. Twice she opened her mouth to speak but instead she scowled. For a moment she avoided her brother’s eyes. ‘Maybe it’s better that she died’. His words echoed in her mind but when she finally found his eyes again, the stress and fine lines on her face smoothed out. “I think...we are going to need another bottle for this...Where did you move your stash..” Ess stood, mumbling to herself as she looked around where Jake slept and then snorted as she went behind the tent and reached under a low berry bush to pull out a bottle. Settling back down at Jake’s side she took the first swig before passing it to him. “..Let me start out by saying...No. It’s not better that she died. Would I be better off dead, truthfully? Granted the things I went through are similar but yet they...I’m not saying she didn’t have terrible things happen to her...I just think her views on what she believed would not have changed. Even after both your parents were taken from her, she still believed. She would have had me there...she would have had you...you would still have her and to think of how different life may have been for you and yet the same. Jess would not have blamed the world for a few men’s actions. She would have been the one, even after going through what happened to her, to comfort you still.” Tears swelled up in her eyes as she choked a bit on her words. After a few shaky breaths she casually leaned against Jake and rested her head on his shoulder. “She would have taken it to a better place than I did. Jess would have been the better person still.” Ess tilted her head so she could look at Jake and sighed. “What happened Jacob? Why are you thinking this way? You don’t look so good. Are you feeling ok? Is there something I can do to help?” She muttered in one breath, unable to hold back a smirk as she wiped at a few tears. “..I don’t think it would be better if you were dead...I don’t think it’s better Jess is gone...and I don’t care if I sound like a drunken idiot..but you sir, are not allowed to die on me again. Ok? My poor little heart couldn’t handle it.” An awkward giggle escaped her as she sniffled and whispered. “I can’t handle losing any of you. I love you Jake. I would die for you in a heartbeat but I would also live for you too. And I have.”

Jake listened to Ess in silence, staring at the bottle she handed him, but not drinking from it. He waited until she was done speaking, quietly sniffling here and there as she talked about what she believed would have happened if Jess had survived. It all sounded very much like his sister, and he wanted to believe it all wouldn’t have changed her, but he wasn’t sure he did. He’d seen people break with less. A lot less. Finally he took a long swig from the bottle, passing it back to Ess as he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and leaned against her. “I love you too, sis. I do. And I think you underestimate how strong you are. I mean... Don’t compare yourself to me. I would’ve broken with a lot less. People break with a lot less than what Jess went through... Irvin’s mother killed herself... For a lot less. I don’t want to think of Jess as someone who would give up like that, but she was human. She was always strong for me but she cried when she thought I wasn’t looking. She cried for a long time after dad died...” Jake stopped talking and shook his head. “I’m sorry... I shouldn’t argue with you about this. I know I’m being an idiot. I’m drunk and I’m an idiot... None of that matters really, the past is what it is, I’m just... An idiot who can’t handle a little hallucination without throwing a fit.” He muttered, snorting a laugh. “I heard her voice, when I was in the water and... Crys left to go find you and I was sitting here trying not to think about it, but at the same time I wanted to hear her again. So I was telling myself how pathetic that is, that she’s dead, and that she’s fine... And... I don’t know, my mind just went places it shouldn’t go, I guess.”

Jake fell silent for a little while, heaving a long deep breath and changing the subject slightly. “Remember the day you left, that I was hiding? I had a fight with Jess so I sneaked out and went to sleep in the hideout... Do you remember? Jess and I had a fight the night before, because she told me that she had accepted to marry Nate’s son when he graduated from the military academy, and I was pissed as hell, because I had decided that you know... I was going to grow up and take care of her, and he was taking that away from me. She was going to have someone else to take care of her and she wasn’t going to need me. Stupid, childish thinking, I know, and I made my peace with it eventually. Artie was one month away from graduating when she died. He was killed last year when he deserted. I helped get his family out of Blackpond, his little boy and his pregnant wife. They got to him though and by the time I got back he was gone. I had to tell his wife and kid...” He sighed. “He tried to talk to me about her, but I wouldn’t let him. Maybe I should have. You’re the only person in my life who knew her now. It’s like she’s fading, in a way. I guess that’s normal though, right? It’s been fourteen years after all.”

“Jake...we did break. We were broken and now...I just think there will always be that something missing, but you never faded from memory. You know, when I thought you were dead. To be honest, there were times I was hurting so bad I wanted to give up; I wanted to die. I just knew it would be an insult to their memory..ya know? My father...my mother...Jess.” Ess paused, shifting slightly to tuck in a few curls behind her ear when a warm breeze tickled her skin. “When I found out about Ian...I almost gave up. I did. Me, Miss Stubborn. It hurts...so much to be betrayed like that; to find out someone you loved..never loved you and was responsible..” She cleared her throat and sighed. Her mind reverted, yet again, back to Asher and for a moment she froze. Ess’ frame became tense and rigid, holding her breath as she recalled the things she had read from the man’s journal. She had never asked for it directly, nor did Darren ever offer it to her. Instead, one night, before he left for one of his visits to the White Shadows’ Camp, Ess had stolen it. Of course she had returned it to him before he ever knew it was missing, but there she learned of things that even her son had been keeping from her. It was eating at her but she had refused to talk to anyone about it. What would it change now? Nothing. Slowly she exhaled, finally bringing her thoughts back to the present moment. “Jess may have broke, but she wouldn’t have stayed broken. I don’t just believe it...I know it. She was my support and I would have been hers. Jess was just...not an angry person. It wasn’t her way.”

Ess lifted the bottle of liquor to her lips but didn’t take a sip instead quirking a brow at Jake when he mentioned hallucinating. Instead of telling him he was stressed or overtired, Ess just hugged him tighter. “What did Jess say to you? That’s why you attacked Luckas?” Ess put the bottle down and sat up so that she was facing Jake, resting her arms across his knees and sweetly rested her head upon them. “Do you ever look back on a memory and now because you’re older and wiser, you see or understand something differently than you may have when the memory originated? It’s..been happening to me a lot lately. And I’m not sure if i’m going crazy or if it’s a result..indirectly..like a side effect from training with Luckas. Just like the story I told earlier. Before, I told the kids about the dragon egg, yes but this time I remembered the book my father was writing in and you know..I wonder if that was the journal my...er..Ian stole from my father. I remember pages torn from it too. Hmm..” Ess smiled, “Reason I bring it up..all of it, is because you mentioned the man Jess was going to marry, that he was a deserter? I think...so was my father. But I’m not sure, you know? Little things like strangers coming by the home but never more than once. My father always talking about protecting me and Ian and that he would never leave us, no matter what anyone tried. I...remember how scared he was when he couldn’t find me or any time there was a knock on the door. He said...He said he would always hear me if I called to him and was always able to find me, wherever I wandered.” Ess’ eyes darted in different directions as if she were contemplating several different ideas at once, straightening so that she was no longer leaning against Jake. “..I never got why someone should be punished for just wanting to defend their family, ya know? Like so what if this man deserted. It be different if maybe he was a traitor..I guess..It’s just not so easy to cast judgement on someone who only wanted to be there for their family, especially if there was no one else.” Ess shook her head a bit amused at herself. “My brain..is overworked I think...trying to think of too many things at once. I’m sorry. Probably why I don’t sleep well.” She shrugged as if her words were unimportant, purposely not expanding on them.

“What did Jess say to you?”

Jake sighed, opening his mouth as if he was going to speak, but stopping himself, instead turning around as he heard rustling in the bushes and spotted Kaya as she came around, the wolf calmly settling down at Jake’s feet with Drakey. “Hey, girlie...” Jake greeted, running his fingers through the wolf’s snow-white fur. “Did you have a good nap with the kiddies? Hm?” He whispered to Kaya gently, chuckling as Kaya let out a high pitched yawn in response. Jake kept his attention on the wolf as he listened to Ess talk about her memories and her father, but he caught every word of it. “That’s odd. What would your father desert from, I thought the villages had no army? I mean, Ali told me her village had an Archer’s Guild and they protected the people, but that wasn’t an official thing, they were civilians... What would your father desert from?” Jake scratched his head thinking on it for a bit, but shrugging off the question for the time being. “I think it’s possible that the training is helping you remember things, you were really young at the time and young children tend to process things differently than adults do... Twins help me, I sound like my aunt.” He muttered, snorting a bit of laughter as he moved to take the kettle out of the fire preparing two cups of tea and giving one to Ess. “When Luckas and I first met, Lena and I were having an argument and... the little bastard decided I was a little too rude to her, so he cornered me, got inside my head, found the memory of Jess’ death and made me listen to her last words over and over... Until Lena caught him and made him stop. I had nightmares for months. He never did it again, he never mentioned Jess again, and I’m sure it’s just because of how furious Lena was, but...” Jake groaned a bit under his breath. “For a moment I wanted to believe he was the one messing with my head, and I acted accordingly.” He sighed, taking a sip from his tea. “I’m proud, Jakey... That’s what Jess said.” He mumbled, going silent for a little bit. “Do you sleep better when he’s here? Luckas. Do you know where he goes? Do you know who was the woman he was with at the Castle Ball? I saw her and Annie talking, but when I questioned her she said she didn’t know the woman, that she had asked her about mythology. Which makes sense, except Annie was acting a bit... hostile towards her and Annie is not usually hostile with anyone. Made me wonder... Luckas does visit the plains quite often, I’ve been told, but you know... Healers can’t repeat anything they’re told. So I can’t ask her anything... and sure as hell not asking him... It’s just... She stared at me, like she knew who I was, but I’m sure I don’t know her.”

“Jake...I’m sorry...I can understand why you hate Luckas. I don’t blame you..not one bit.” She mumbled in a hushed whisper, almost as if she felt bad for being Luckas’ friend. Yet, Ess didn’t regret being Luke’s friend. In fact, that was something she felt she had little control over because to her, she was drawn to him and even when he angered her or hurt her like before when they fought, she couldn’t stop caring. Maybe that’s why Luckas felt he had no choice himself. For a few moments she fell deep into that idea because to her one always had a choice and that was the mind. The heart...doesn’t seem to have that freedom apparently. Essence smiled when Jake explained to her what ‘Jess’ had said to him. “ That sounds like her. Why do you have that look? You think it’s your mind mocking you? I wonder if it’s your mind subconsciously trying to heal or move on. Who is to say it wasn’t her voice you really heard? Whatever it is, I know what it’s like. I use to think I saw you, as you were when you were a child, running through the streets of Newhaven. It upset me at first and made me question my sanity, but now...I’d like to think it was my mind letting me know it was ok to miss you. Maybe deep down I couldn’t let go because I knew you were still around. Who knows, really..” Ess sighed, taking a sip of her tea, breathing in the steam through her nostrils in a calming manner, trying to keep her thoughts as together as possible.

“I do sleep better when Luckas is here but sometimes I still have...nightmares if he’s there or not. I always feel safer, I think, when I have someone I trust beside me and when it comes down to it...I know you don’t want to hear it Jake, but I do trust him with my life. Even if he doesn’t. Trust..which brings me to Samantha, the woman you speak of...Sam..I...don’t trust her...or like her..Tala doesn’t either. She reminds me of Asher.” Ess cleared her throat, trying to steer the conversation back away from the topic of the man and more so to Sam. “She was fake from the second I laid eyes on her. So when I had the ...opportunity..to speak to her...I played right back. She seemed to know things...and I don’t think all from Luckas directly. The woman spoke as if she had been searching for him..like she was stalking him. She went around saying she was his long lost sister of sorts..but she’s not. That woman is a pretty, pretty lie. For example..she acted like she didn’t know who I was..my name..but made snide comments about the nickname Luckas calls me or passive aggressive remarks as if she were testing me. Sam mentioned knowing when Luckas and I first met which honestly, no one should have known about. She was in our camp early on, the day Lena..passed. The Captain spoke with her and so did Aiden. From my understanding he really left..an...unpleasant impression.” Ess giggled, amused by that image. “She has some attachment to Luckas and apparently to his brother. I don’t know if I like how the Captain openly admitted she was the cause of Matt’s death but as I’m sure you’re starting to gather, she is someone from Luckas’ past. I know her game..acting sweet and polite with condescending remarks. It was as if she were being protective and possessive of him...but the feeling she gave me..The woman asked what my intentions were..basically with Luckas and what I See in him.” Essence snorted, mumbling something under her breath about how if the woman knew or cared for him like she claimed, she should already know. Shaking her head, Ess leaned back staring up at the night sky as the bits of coals would spark into the night and rain ash back down upon her hair. “I don’t know much but I do know Lena and Luckas had some sort of deal and I know because they argued a bit about it in front of me. Luckas says he still has promises to keep..he’s got his..own past he’s trying to sort out..” Ess sighed, purposely leaving out some details about Luckas because she didn’t feel it was her place to be telling all his business, but the one thing that still bothered her that she hadn’t really discussed with Luke was Sam’s mention of her distaste for Lena. “Jake, did you know what was going on with Luckas and Lena? Sam..acted like she knew...she said..’The one who used his faulty memories as an excuse to run experiments on him...’To which I responded with: ‘Fake memories.....and since you are here before me, does that happen to include the one of your death?’ And then she seemed to forget her own words and didn’t know how I knew of ‘fake memories’ when she was the one who told me in the first place. I think she did something to Luckas but he acts like she’s his friend..which leads us to where he goes when he’s not here. I. Don’t. Like. It. Guess that makes me jealous?”

Ess paused, a sly smile breaking her vacant stare. “Annie didn’t like her you say? I wonder what she said to get under her skin. Speaking of which..you know what got under my skin? The fact that...in the same place, meeting people all within an hour, some complete strangers, saying that I must be ‘special’ in some way...you know..to be worth the attention. I don’t know. I found it..unsettling even if not meant to be as such.”

Jake held back a bit of laughter, snorting softly and sipping his tea. “Jealous, you? Naaah.” He teased playfully. “I don’t know much about what Lena and Luckas actually did. She said she was working with him, that he could be helped, but I never asked what that meant. I just didn’t like that she kept him around. He’s not so much that way now, I guess, and I’ll admit that’s probably because of Lena, but Luckas was a bomb waiting to go off back then... Any little thing would do. He hurt a lot of people on a whim those first few months and Lena was ridiculously tolerant with him; so much it angered people, not just me. He was always calling her names, one way or another, and then acted out when he decided someone was being rude to her, like he was entitled to make that judgement... I just assumed she trained him, I know she taught him to read and she made him study and other things like that, but I don’t know about them having any deals or her running any experiments on him. You ever asked him about it? It’s far more likely he’d tell you.”

Jake sighed, drinking a bit more of his tea in silence as he thought on Ess’ words. He wasn’t going to lie, he didn’t like what he’d heard in one bit. The woman did seem strangely interested in him when he passed her, and that didn’t give him a very good impression. “In all seriousness, though, Essy... You say this woman reminds you of Asher... You think she’s done something to him... And he keeps going back to her... You think she’s done something to him, like what? I passed them too quickly at the Ball, couldn’t really take notice of how he was acting with her. I usually notice these things, but I... Was in the middle of something.” Jake smirked slightly. “Anyway... What I was saying is that if you believe all these things about her, and Luckas seems oblivious or in denial of all of that, then you’re legitimately concerned, you’re not just jealous. Luckas is jealous of Aiden, he’s not concerned, he just doesn’t want him around you... You... are concerned. For the little bit I’ve seen, I don’t think you’re wrong. I don’t particularly care for Luckas, as you know, but that woman seemed dangerous to me. I don’t usually get these things wrong either.”


“It’s far more likely he’d tell you.”

“ Perhaps.” Ess smiled, not elaborating on what more she did know. “...Some things I don’t think he’s ready to tell. Some things I don’t think he even sees yet. And then there are some things he can’t tell me yet. Maybe I’m not ready to hear them….I get it. I do. I just don’t have to like it. I know what it’s like trying to learn how to be apart of the world to a degree. To function. It gets frustrating when you don’t understand and want something so...bad, that when you fail you just get angry. You lash out. In a way, we all go through this..It’s called childhood.” Ess shook her head, chuckling at herself. “I’m getting off track...Hmm..was thinking though..you, telling me how ..unhinged Luckas was back then. Even so and even though he says he would have hurt me that night in the alley if he wasn’t so tired and worn...I don’t believe it for one second. He didn’t erase my memory completely and that was when the link was formed, ok but there are still things I can’t remember and I know...I saw..” Ess’ eyes sparkled like the stars above as she held back a wave of tears. “And then..there were times..” She trailed off, catching herself before she said something that she knew would have upset Jake. There were times she had wished Luckas had killed her. But that was then. She would have missed out on so much.

Blinking a few times she seemed to regain a bit of composure and sipped at her tea. “We are suppose to trust our gut feeling, right Jakey? I would never doubt yours. It’s good to know I’m not making things up in my head. I just don’t have all the answers yet. I don’t know..I can only guess or speculate. I agree, thank you, Sam does seem dangerous but I guess that’s why he is around her. I think she had something to do with his memory issue. I think she had something to do with..somehow...what happened to him before... Something must have, I mean, Jake things changed for you when your family died...things changed when my Da died...Everyone has a story.” Ess’ brows furrowed with a hint of concern as she stared at her tea. “You didn’t see his reaction when I told him Sam was looking for him. I had my back to him, but I could hear it in his voice. Even from a distance. You want it to be a lie but you want it to be true. Agony, anger and fear tainting a comforting feeling. I am worried. There was something in the way she said Luckas was impressionable and was so curious about me. Was ...something…..Asher did to any who talked to me. Little things...remind me...and make me wonder how strongly she has him wrapped around her finger. How strong..their bond is. Asher didn’t like anyone else’s influence around me..just his but he would beat around the bush about it. Information was key. There was a moment Ebony couldn’t lay a hand on me without feeling the repercussions. But that manipulation was on both their parts. Work to break me down and then build me back up within their rules only to tear me apart again. No matter what I know...in my mind...my heart still is unable to follow.”

Ess sighed, resting her chin in her hand, elbow propped against her knee. “Do you think I manipulate Luckas?” She asked suddenly. “I don’t think I do..I just think he cares what I think even when I don’t get why with some things.…” Ess looked up at Jake a hint of regret in her voice yet her gaze was filled with confidence which clouded the feeling Ess was experiencing behind her next words.. “I’ve hurt a lot of people too..not all deserving. It became habit to lie and pretend especially in my chosen line of work.” Ess perked up in a bit of excitement as if she just remembered where something lost was hidden. “And why does someone lie or pretend? Why do people forget?” Ess smiled, not expecting an answer to her questions. She bit into her bottom lip, as if coming to some sort of conclusion, her smile growing from ear to ear. “No...It was Luckas’ idea for me to tattoo my name on him. He says I’m closer than anyone and I honestly like that and I hope it’s true. I hope it means something because I sometimes, deep down, feel like this is all a game and I’m just so tired. I feel like I’m..still being manipulated..and it’s not by anyone here..I ...don’t know how else to explain it..this feeling.” Essence sighed, drinking more of her tea, her eyes scanning over Jake slowly, flickering with light as she looked into her brother’s eyes.

Jake sighed softly listening to Ess talk about Luckas and Sam as he drank his tea, a bit amused at her ramblings, but listening intently to what she was saying. “You don’t manipulate Luckas, you’re a wonderful friend, and he doesn’t deserve you.” He mumbled simply, emptying his cup of tea and setting it down. “You know, Luke drinks at the Inn, when he’s in Blackpond... And, the Innkeeper told me he once mentioned he goes there because it’s the only place in the city where he can be alone. So I take it he knows someone is watching him. He goes there every two or three days when he’s around those parts, sits there for ten to fifteen minutes and drinks. If Crys is there they talk, if not he just sits... and then he leaves.” He informed. “Don’t tell Crys I know this. She probably knows I keep tabs, but if she officially knows then she can tell me to knock it off, so don’t tell her, okay?” He smirked.

“Don’t tell who what, Jacob?” Crys’ voice sounded just behind Jake in a tone of curious amusement.
“Nothing...” Jake replied calmly. “Want some tea?”
“No thanks...” She replied. “... Seriously, what was that about?”
“Brother-Sister confidentiality.” Jake stated firmly.
Crys laughed softly. “Oh? Really? Okay, fair enough, Jakey... I’ll let you have this. Don’t get used to it.” She chuckled, crouching down to pet Kaya. “Am I interrupting, Ess, or can I steal your little brother for the night? We had agreed that he would give the whole sleep thing a try. Besides, people are starting to disperse, or pass out drunk, and there’s a homeless guy sleeping under your tree.”

Essence finished off her tea, laughing softly at Jake as Crys appeared. She smiled at how they interacted and just whispered to herself something about how cute they were as she stood. “Naw, never an interruption, hun. Sleep is a welcomed concept and I should probably try that as well.” Ess snickered, leaning over and hugging Jake tight, pausing to kiss the top of his head. “Brother-Sister confidentiality.” She agreed happily. “Thank you Jakey..for everything. You helped remind my heart to listen to my mind and thanks..for making today special. Despite what you may think, I had fun.” Pulling away she moved towards Crys to give her a hug goodnight as well, her next words purposely teasing towards Jake. “Sister confidentiality.” Ess giggled some more as she wandered off back towards a dying fire which was comically surrounded by three or four passed out mercenaries which she carefully stepped over and around so she could collect her gifts by the tables. It was awkward and not exactly easy, but Ess managed to stack and decorate herself with the mixed array of gifts she had received and carry them with her back to her tent. Luckas was in his usual spot by the Oak, which was where Ess playfully set down her gifts and the crate of explosives, making sure they were far enough away from her own fire. “You awake, Sweetness? There’s no food left...I looked and of course now I realized I’m kind of hungry.” Ess shrugged, kneeling down beside the crate as she unpacked it, quirking a brow when she found a bottle of liquor stuffed beneath one of the larger explosives. “Huh...eh..I think I’ll save this…” She concluded aloud, moving towards the Oak and leaning the bow Ali made for her, against it.

Luckas had been motionless sitting under the oak, head lowered, eyes closed, he could have been sound asleep; except he wasn’t. He could hear the sounds of the party starting to slowly fade to a comfortable silence, people starting to wander off, finally. Without looking at his surroundings Luckas could barely remember there was a party going on just moments ago.

“You awake, Sweetness?”

Both Luckas and Stalker lifted their heads at the same time at the sound of Ess’ voice, the wolf immediately starting to poke his nose around the gifts curiously. “I’m awake.” Luke replied, stretching his arms and legs with a small groan. “Yeah, I haven’t eaten anything myself... I would’ve shared my cake with you, but that’s no longer an option.”
“Hmm...I may still have some jerky and an apple from this morning..if the wolves didn’t find it...I should say..” Ess snickered, pushing herself to her feet, her arms reaching around her back to fiddle with the lace of her gown. As she walked inside her tent she appeared to pause, as if she were struggling with a knot and perhaps changing her mind, she slipped on a pair of black slacks beneath her dress and appeared back outside the tent. With her back towards Luckas, one hand holding a clump of curls so they exposed the knotted lace, Essence groaned. A coy smile was painted across her face when she quietly spoke. “My Dear Luckas, can you give a girl a hand here? Don’t want to get Dee’s dress dirty..” Glancing over her shoulder she stared at Luckas quietly. “Can I ask you, Luckas, have you been in Newhaven lately? I ask because I’m pretty sure I would know if you were around when I was there this past week, but was just wondering if you had heard anything mentioned about me as of late? I think I might have a few unwanted...stalkers..asking about me..which reminds me..damnit..I forgot to ask Jake..eh..” Ess shrugged as if that didn’t really matter at the moment. “Darren...I don’t want to ask him...the kid has enough to consume himself with these days...like apparently tracking down and murdering his father.” She snorted mumbling next words with bit of annoyance in her voice, “Thinks I don’t know where to look...thinks he can outsmart me. Pfft how did I surround myself with stubborn men?”

“I’m not particularly hungry, to be honest.” Luckas shrugged. “Had a big breakfast.” He remained silent while Ess was inside the tent, his mind nearly drifting off again until he heard her ask for help with the dress. He calmly stood up snickering softly as he examined the knot on the lace. “Then are you sure you’d like my filthy hands on it?” He asked playfully, a smirk crossing his features and slowly fading as he realized he was referencing a conversation that took place such a long time ago, now silently working to untie the knot of the dress, which took considerably longer than he expected, but then he couldn’t say he had that much experience getting women out of their clothing. Once he finally managed he quietly sat back at his spot and heaved a long sigh. “I haven’t been in Newhaven since we last been in Newhaven... Where are these people looking for you exactly? I can go have a look tomorrow... Unless you prefer I go murder Darren’s father for him. I don’t mind if he gets mad at me for it... I’d much welcome the opportunity to be face to face with the man himself. I’ve heard quite a bit about him.” Luckas muttered, trying to force the contempt away from his eyes as quickly as possible.

Ess’ gaze softened, playfully winking at Luckas when he commented on placing his filthy hands upon her dress. “They look clean to me...and I wouldn’t ask anyone else..” She whispered, shrugging the dress so the material began to sag past her shoulders as she went back into the tent to slip on an oversized shirt two sizes too big but it was more comfortable that way to her. When she appeared again, she had rolled up her sleeves so her hands were visible, free to rummage through her box of gifts until she found the rope like chain decorated at the ends with a couple of her daggers. She unraveled one chain and as if she were testing out an idea, carefully and gently began wrapping the chain around her neck but leaving it loose enough to pose no threat to herself. “Hmm...three times..good to know..wonder if I’m strong enough to choke someone out with this..” Ess chuckled to herself, slowly unraveling the chain from around her neck and sighing. “..Apparently the barkeep from the Inn, Sheila said whenever I come by she seems to see the same men either entering just before or just after me. She says they are the same guys who have occasionally asked about me..er maybe I should say Talena..so I think I have a pretty good idea who they are. I just wanted to rule out other possibilities so I’m asking around. If it’s who I think...I’m not worried, honestly and it wouldn’t be hard for them, if they had half a brain, to figure out I’m Talena.” She shrugged, her eyes narrowing a bit when Luckas offered to take care of Asher before Darren could. “What..exactly have you heard about Asher, Luckas? With his involvement...with the kids disappearing...and...just...his involvement goes back quite a bit...I was hoping he didn’t have any connection to what happened to you when you were young..and the reason it crossed my mind...well...I think it’s obvious..” Ess’ grip on the chain tightened, meticulously wrapping it around her fist and pulling on the metal as if she were testing it’s strength. “...Did you know...he planned it all? What happened to me...I mean...I read his journal..he actually believes...he was protecting me...he’d been watching me ..he scouted out my town before…” Ess’ tone darkened, her voice raspy and low like a whisper, as if she had needed a drink of water. “His plan was to keep me for himself...but something happened between him and Ebony..that..changed the deal..” Ess shivered slightly even though the night was warmer than it had been during the day, which struck her as odd. A heavy, weighted feeling clouded her senses and even though she was breathing normally, she felt like her breaths were burdened, the air thick and stale around her. “I do...like...a lot...how much you care, Luckas, I just don’t want you to think all my problems are your problems, ok? I know you have things to attend to on your end. You’re...always helping me..which is ...there’s nothing wrong with that...it’s just..I want to be able to help you too.”

“Hmmm.” Luckas mumbled as Ess explained about the Newhaven people, not insisting on the matter and simply trusting that if Ess wasn’t worried, he shouldn’t be, at least not yet. Luke snorted, silently listening to Ess’ questions on Asher, his dark eyes watching her intently as she spoke. Something in her voice sounded familiar to him in a way, but he couldn’t quite remember seeing her like this before. “I didn’t hear that much, Captain asked me some questions a while back, before I even knew about the Kid... She had his journal, showed it to me, but it was in code, at the time I wasn’t particularly interested in him, in him personally, things have changed though, haven’t they?” He sighed, not addressing the things Ess had told him about herself in regards to Asher just yet. He stood up, calmly scratching behind Stalker’s ears as he approached her, at first simply staring at Ess in silence as if suddenly forgetting what he was about to say, but then calmly taking her hand and leading it to his neck, pressing her thumb and index finger against his throat at a particular spot. “If you wrap the chain around this spot and pull it upwards, it doesn’t take too much pressure to cut a person’s air supply. I can do it with one hand.” He explained, releasing her hand. “It’s best done from behind though, as it takes a bit for the victim to fall unconscious and it’s likely they struggle, if you’re standing behind them, they can’t reach you easily. As long as the chain is strong enough to not break though, it should require minimal effort from you.”

Falling silent for a little while longer, Luckas turned his gaze down to his boots, observing a little dent on one of them where Amber had actually tried to stab him in the toes the other day for no reason at all, and he half smiled, looking back at Ess. “Do you remember when I said I don’t want to hurt you, even if I would enjoy it? I don’t want to help you because I believe that I have to. I just don’t like seeing you hurt. I don’t want to hurt you, and it’s not because hurting you would feel any different; it probably wouldn’t, it’s because if I did then you would be hurt. I don’t want that. I don’t like that. If someone hurts you I want them to suffer. That’s what I want.” Luckas shook his head and cut off his train of thought; wherever it was heading. “You help me.” He concluded simply.

“Hm...which is it, Luckas? You heard quite a bit or not that much?” Ess asked with a honest and nonthreatening tone of curiosity. She watched in silence as Luckas demonstrated the proper place to apply pressure along the neck in a debilitating manner. The glow in her eyes darkened, the light fading in and out almost like a firefly caught beneath the waters surface. If it weren’t for the woman’s tears threatening to fall; always threatening to fall, the light could escape never to return. Instead it spilled beneath flesh, cracking below her eyes with the utmost subtlety that could only be seen up close. When Luckas’ hand fell away, Ess cocked her head, eyes directed to her fingertips which she slowly retracted while stepping so close to her friend and circling, so that she was practically breathing down his neck. She let her curls brush his skin, slowly raising the chain between both hands to loosely bind the metal three times around Luckas’ neck, a teasing amount of pressure along the spot he had instructed her. “Here..and up?” Ess whispered into Luckas’ ear while remaining ever so still. For a moment she didn’t see Luckas as she focused on his words of not ‘wanting’ to hurt her and wanting to make anyone who did cause her to suffer, to experience pain themselves. Essence had heard those words before and although they were the same...they were different. Taking a deep breath through her nose she could smell the lavender scent upon her curls. Focusing on the scent, it relaxed her a bit so that she released the chain’s ‘hold’ around Luckas’ neck and tossed the weapon back into the box.

Ess stood with her back to Luckas, her voice faint and weak when she next spoke. “..I met...him..and it was as if he were going to save me. Save me from Ebony...from that life..and for a time, I was. To know now he was the reason I was there, makes sense why it was so hard to trust when it was so..appealing at the same time. To be cared for….to be loved...and just when I thought..maybe…Because...if I believed it enough, it was comforting...but it did matter if it was true or not..” Ess lost her voice, her lips moving a moment more before she stopped trying to speak. A heavy pressure was building along her chest and she felt like she couldn’t breath. She wrapped her arms around her own waist and began coaching herself internally to not break down...not now. Essence managed to fight through a sob and push aside any stray tears, but she still held on to her stomach, afraid she would split and spill upon the dirt. “He would tell me...he loved me...and didn’t want to hurt me..and then he’d beat me. He’d beat me until it all went dark and I’d wake up to HIM crying..saying how sorry he was. That’s when I knew, but my heart didn’t want to listen to my mind. Instead...like all abused children...we blame ourselves. What am I doing wrong? What should I have done better? I had thought he had saved me and when Darren was born and they told me..that he was...I-I knew I was alone.”

Ess finally looked up and turned to face Luckas, a tainted smile pressed upon her lips, spotted with reddish tears that cascaded past her chin. And then, it stopped. “I’m reminded again..of my father...I hear his voice inside my head..”

“...Her song was about me..and it brought me to her..”
“You saying Mommy’s song made you love her?”

Dirk chuckled, reaching down to lift his daughter’s chin to look directly into her eyes. “Your mother, only made me notice her. No one made me love her because that isn’t something that can be forced. It just...happens. We can’t control it but...we can control what we do with it.”

Instead of more tears, there again came that low, venomous, tone of her voice as she let the anger boil inside her. Ess’ mind was overflowing and she felt so overwhelmed that she couldn’t contain it. It didn’t matter if what she said was awkward or may not make a lot of sense, she just had to stop the sickening feeling inside her. “It can’t be forced...but what if it was a lie? What if they trick you? Does it still count? Can I still consider myself as someone who was in love? Or because it was a lie..because in forms of manipulations, it was forced..does that mean my feelings were a lie? And then lets not forget, do I hate myself for being tricked? Or do I hate myself for loving such a monster? Knowingly manipulating. That is my definition of a real monster...and you Luckas, are not one. I can spot them a mile away..male or female.” She paused, eyeing Luckas with a bit of purpose. Her eyes flashed a couple times as she wondered if he’d understand anything she was saying. “It was a twisted time for me and I know that psychological warfare leaves deeper scars than the physical ones. I understand what it’s like to be manipulated and I understand what it’s like to not know the signs...I even understand what it’s like to see the signs and ignore them because that part of you just… ‘Hopes’ it could be true. And after everything..and all that knowledge...I also get it...that it doesn’t make things any easier. It’s still shit. It hurts. It pisses us off. They say time heals all wounds but time doesn’t heal all wounds...it dulls them, maybe. The scars leave a very loud reminder of the pain that still lingers.”


Ess crossed her arms across her chest, the gesture tugging lightly against the neckline of her shirt exposing her oak tree burning at the base of her throat and disappearing beneath the material. “Everyone keeps telling me that I am strong. If I am it is not because I’ve gotten through my trials...but because I carry the burden of them. I carry it for family, for friends, for myself, and perhaps those I have yet to meet. I’ve had to learn to respect the burden and fear it. But above all never deny it. One more thing no one can ever take away from us. I convinced myself I was weak, despite what many told me and yet when I was chastised for being as such, I fought to prove them wrong. Funny how stubbornness works. No one can tell us who we are and no one can tell us how we are suppose to feel. Even though I knew this, I still denied what was right there in front of me when it came to looking in the mirror.”

“Hm...which is it, Luckas? You heard quite a bit or not that much?”

Luckas was silent, still, calm, as he felt the chain wrap around his neck. It didn’t bother him, but at the same time it did. He wasn’t worried, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he should be. The act, playful as it was; if it even was at this point, was something Sam would do. Although he knew Sam would’ve taken his air, just a bit, just for a moment, just to show him that she could and she knew he would let her. He wasn’t worried, but was it out of trust or just compliance? “Enough.” He mumbled. “I heard enough.” He added, answering the question on Asher, although it seemed irrelevant. Other than that he didn’t say anything, he didn’t turn to face Ess, he didn’t look; he closed his eyes and just listened, crossing his arms over his chest and lowering his head as though he was trying to concentrate on a logic problem... Just another hypothetical.

After Ess finished speaking Luckas remained silent for a few moments still before speaking, his tone was soft on the surface, but something underneath it was undeniably heavy. “The Kid is right, isn’t he? You can’t handle him. You’ll hesitate, you’ll choke, you’ll fail. It doesn’t matter what you want, it doesn’t matter what he deserves, it doesn’t matter how much you hate him, or yourself for it... It doesn’t matter that you thought about it, that you lost sleep over it... That it feels like the logical thing to do... Nothing matters. Nothing changes. It is what it is.” Luckas stopped for a moment and heaved a sigh. “That’s alright. I understand. You still don’t want me to go after the man though, if you did I would have heard about him sooner... And yet you’re telling me this...” He shook his head. “It’s okay, if that’s what you need; just tell me these things and I won’t hunt him down. Is that what you want? You want me to stay out of it? Do it on your terms, somehow... I can understand that.” Finally, he turned to face Ess, opening his eyes; a red flicker of light fading into the abyss, almost too fast to notice. “I have a question for you, though, Lady... And think about it before you answer... Think of all the things we’ve done these past few months... Are you sure I was never a monster to you? Not for a moment? Not even once?”

“I’m only...human…” Ess whispered, remembering her talk with Crystal. “..I don’t know if Darren is completely correct. There’s just...so much I would want to know...to understand. If I would to go after Asher alone...yes it is possible I’d hesitate, I’d choke, I’d fail.” Admitting those words aloud only made her feel even worse and the bitterness for admitting it, accented a dark meaning to her words. “..Let me make something very clear here. I never said you can’t go after him, IF you could find him. I am also not saying to go after him either. This is...like when you tried to advise me not to go after Ian, in a way. For me...he was always impossible to get close enough to; to locate. When I heard he was in some prison, the details unclear, I just hoped he’d fall at the hands of another prisoner. Either way...his life or death..to me...makes no difference. It will not change how I feel or make me feel better..even for a moment. With the revelation of who he was...who he is...is why I was comfortable with the Captain looking into it. Do you even understand how embarrassing this whole thing with Asher is...for me? For me to admit and tell you things and hope you don’t look at me in disgust..to lose a very..dear friend. So ok, fine, yes I need to talk about it even though I didn’t want to. I haven’t talked about any of it...to anyone..not that deep.”

Ess finally took a moment to just breathe, her fingers wrapping absently around several curls that hung off her arms like wild vines. “It’s not wise..for anyone to go after that man, alone. I can’t let Darren just murder him. He’s not that person but I get it. I do. He feels he has to take care of me and he thinks that will help end it. It won’t. That man is not allowed to die without exposing every little secret that sick fuck carries. It’s hard..for me..ok? Everything about that man and I was forced. I was a child for Twin’s sake! I guess it may just take longer for my heart to accept what my mind already knows.”

“Are you sure I was never a monster to you? Not for a moment? Not even once?”

Ess’ face contorted with immediate resentment and even a bit of pain for the simple fact of the matter that he asked her such a question. She almost reacted but understood why he did ask and she complied with silence as she stared back into those raven, black, orbs. Ess thought over exactly what he was pointing out in his words; their training. She had asked it of him and the experience was not at all pleasant. Most times, after their sessions, she would go to be alone. She couldn’t look at him because she always felt ashamed and resented herself. Ess was always left to question who she was and instead of trying to make sense out of most things, especially that which she couldn’t control or understand, she was trying to let it go. Trying, was the key word there. Finally she blinked, the dryness in her sockets a clue that she had been fixated the entire time to Luckas eyes, as if she were expecting to ‘Go under’. It was what she was calling it whenever she let Luckas inside her head, for whatever reason.

“No one can promise that they will never hurt you,” Ess began, her gaze softening as she searched Luckas’ eyes. “... because at one time or another they will. The real promise is, if the time you spent together will be worth the pain in the end. Worth. Nothing about that man was worth a damn...worth spit. With that said, I fully expected and understand our need to hurt each other in some ways in order for us to better ourselves in our training. When you talk about enjoying it, that becomes business. You think I don’t enjoy knocking you around? Yet I also recall, myself, not liking to see you hurt either, which is why I am attentive to the damage I can cause. I know things..” Essence sighed, nodding along to her words. “I know much of what you have done and what you are capable of. If you crossed certain lines...like Asher.then yes..it is possible to look at you as if you were a monster. But I don’t see you that way. If you didn’t care...if you were a lie.” She shook her head, a small smirk touching her face. “You are my friend..until I get bored of you or see you like everyone else does, right?” Ess stated with a gentle grace, playing on a conversation they had many months ago. “I never said I agree or like everything you’ve done or do. But then again, many things I do. Being a good or bad person obviously is tainted in life. It’s not as simple as those two categories, but I believe you can be a good man, contrary to the common belief of many. There are a few ways you show it, maybe without knowing it yourself. It’s your instinct to be by my side when I need you; to steady me when I’m shaky; to challenge me when I stutter. You’re a better friend than you think. It’s …” Ess took a step forward, her smile widening as she casually looked over Luckas as if she were examining him. “It’s the way you find comfort and solitude when you are with your Wolf. It’s the way you are gentle and kind to that creature and it’s brethren. Any person who could be outwardly cruel to an animal, is not a good person. You may be far from perfect in the eyes of Valcrest, but so am I.”

Ess smile faded and that feeling of shame crept back up her spine and her eyes fell, casted downward at her feet. “Are you still confused, why I favor you? I get it. I don’t really understand why you favor me, especially after everything you’ve Seen. How could you not be disgusted with me? I’m...ruined..and maybe that’s why…” Ess choked on her own voice, afraid to say aloud what she was thinking and instead finally fell silent.

“Oh, I can find him. I can find anyone if I really put in an effort.” Luckas stated a bit coldly, his tone softening considerably as he continued. “That’s not an issue... I’m not asking if I have your permission. I’m asking what you need from me as a friend, because it’s not clear to me. I don’t understand. How many stupid questions do I still have to ask before you understand that about me, Lady? I ask because I don’t understand.” He snorted an amused laugh and shook his head. “I’d like it if I didn’t have to ask, but trust me, it’s better if I do. It’s better for the both of us, if you just tell me what you want sometimes, even if you think it doesn’t matter, even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Because I always want to know, and I’m just terrible at figuring it out. Seriously... It hurts my brain a little.”

Heaving a long sigh, Luckas walked past Ess and sat down again under the oak, staring at the branches above in silence for a moment as if entrance by them, not turning his eyes from the leaves as he spoke again. “What do you mean by ruined?” He questioned. “Yes, I’m still confused. I’m always confused, Lady. You’ve done nothing to warrant my disgust, and I can’t say the same of myself... So, yes... That confuses me. I’ve lived in the plains remember, I saw ruins everyday, I use to walk with Lena and ask her what the buildings used to be... She couldn’t remember some of them anymore, but it didn’t matter... They are beautiful now. You look at them and they tell you stories... They have souls... They’re alive... They’re perfect. You may be flawed, Lady, and you may be broken, but you have a soul, you are alive... You are more human than I would ever hope to be... That’s what I’ve seen. It’s what I see. I know you don’t, and that’s okay, but... By now I thought you knew enough about the things that disgust me to know you stand no chance of making that list.” He frowned slightly, looking from the tree back to Essence with a questioning expression. “Have you been cutting the tree, Lady?”

Essence groaned, letting her legs give way so that she was now sitting crosslegged where she had stood, elbows propped on her knees. Literally she began pulling and tugging at her curls as if she were going to yank her hair out. Her head started pounding causing Luckas’ words to sound louder than they actually were. “Stop...yelling at me..” She whined, releasing her curls and massaging her forehead. “Now..who is asking the same questions when I have given you answers already. I’ve told you what I want, but right now, right THIS second, you are already doing what is needed. Sometimes that is enough. I honestly don’t know how else to answer you. You are listening to me, you care, you want to help, and you want to protect me. What else can I possibly ask from a friend? I’m sorry if I feel that Asher’s death will not make ME feel any better either way. I don’t want my son to go on this quest of his but I don’t want anyone to force him to do anything that isn’t...HIM. Just have to get to the fucker before my Kid does and I’m already working on that. I asked for help and I am getting it. If you want to help too, then fine, but I won’t ask it of you because I ask so much of you as it is already!” Ess sighed, taking a moment to breathe, the pain in her head causing her eyes to squeeze shut as if she was trying to hide from it.. “Ugh...I want there to not be pain after I drink too much liquor. I want my kid to be happy and be a better person than I am. I want Jake to sleep. I want Irvin to find his sister and I’d like to make some sort of damn, bloody difference in this mess that is the world. I want my father back if only so I can ask him questions. I want to find this journal of my mother’s. I want to know things that you still can’t tell me, which you have explained to me already why you can’t. I get it, but I don’t like it. Twins help me..I want the wisdom to know what must be done and the courage to do it. I want to not cry anymore. I want to leave Valcrest..I want more moments of peace..and maybe even a good distraction..” Ess looked up, opening her bloodshot eyes. “Is that a good enough start? We already know we can’t always have what we want, right?”

Ess started giggling at herself, whimpering some when her amusement agitated her headache. She startled some when she felt two cold noses breaking through her curls to sniff and lick at her face in concern. Without looking both her arms reached out; one gripping Tala’s fur and the other Beo’s, just behind their necks and pulled them in close to bury her face against them. Tala turned a couple times before laying her head comfortably on Ess’ lap, Beo remaining in Ess’ face to absorb as much attention as he could before she shooed him away. “It’s shitty to feel helpless, isn’t it Sweetness? Wanting to help but there’s nothing to really be done to help. At least in the moment, as my friend.” She glanced over at the Oak, playfully glaring at the tree when Luckas asked if she had been cutting it. “Well that one branch died and fell off months ago, you know that, but yes. I’m making a tree fort.” Ess snickered. “Did you know that Darren has a treehouse? Unbelievable. I want one, so I’m going to build myself one.” She nodded, a proud smile appearing. “Maybe Ali will help me..but I’m not asking any boys. Pfft. Jake would just break something probably, Darren’s a show off and Twins forbid I ask Aiden.”


Looking back over at Luckas she sighed, moving to change the subject somewhat. Her tone was gentle and sweet but by the way her words rushed out, it was obvious she was nervous to speak them. “Alright ..Luckas, you said..before I ...er…. we went after the ‘Squealer’, that you remembered everything? So does that mean you remember the truth of your past or just the fake memories surrounding Sam’s death?” Casually she looked away as if the sudden question was no big deal, and leaned back against the dirt to stare up at the night sky. “She didn’t seem too happy about the idea of Lena poking around in your head...which I assume is what she meant when Sam mentioned to me..Lena experimented on you? Was Lena trying to help you remember? Was that what it was? Why...would someone put a fake memory in your head that Sam was dead when she clearly isn’t? Was it by those people who had you in the basement? Was she even really there? You know I could have assumed the memory was lacking especially if apparently what you remembered was her dying and then, if you were separated from the body, then anything could have happened at that point. You didn’t tell me the memories were fake, but Sam did...I think without realizing it until I called her out on it.”

Luckas sighed softly, standing and wandering off without word, returning a few moments later with a canteen of water, dropping it by Ess and then sitting down. “Water, Lady.” He mumbled simply. “Stop apologizing for your feelings all the time; I’m pretty much the only person who has absolutely no reason to judge you on them. Stop overreacting to my questions as if they mean something beyond what they are, because every time you do it just makes me think three or four times more next time I need to ask another question. THAT, is what I want.” He mumbled, making sure to keep his voice just loud enough to be heard without effort. “There’s nothing more I can do... For you... That’s all I needed to know. It may be a bit mean of me to say this, Lady, but I’m not interested in helping your Kid. He’s your Kid. And honestly, if he kills the fucker it might mess him up a bit at first, but he’ll recover... He’s not like you and me... He’s not alone... It won’t change him as much as you think it might. It’s not the same.”

Luckas seemed amused by the tree house idea, staring up at the tree branches curiously. “You’d need an elevator of sorts... For the wolves... Right?” He asked, patting Stalker’s side as the wolf settled beside him. “And you need to cut back on the cake mister...” He scolded playfully. Luke’s amusement faded quickly however as Ess started to question him on Sam, on what he remembered, on Lena. He sighed heavily, leaning forwards and resting his elbows over his knees. “I don’t remember everything. That was a stupid thing to say. Because the more I remember the more I find things I can’t remember... I don’t remember my father, the house I was born in, I don’t remember my mother, and I don’t remember my brother before he became... What he was... I don’t remember my real name, Luckas is not my real name... It doesn’t matter though, because I like; it suits me doesn’t it?” He shrugged. “Of course I was very young when I was taken so... It may never come back to me, but after the basement.... Yeah, I remember everything. It happened more or less like what you saw, only Sam didn’t die. She was still punished a bit further for her transgressions, but left very much alive. The man beating her was her father, I don’t remember his face, because I never had the courage to look up at him, he was responsible for me and Matthew being in that basement, he couldn’t handle us though and decided we weren’t worth the risk... We were to be killed but Sam intervened somehow. I didn’t tell you the memory was fake because I don’t like to talk about it. She knows I don’t like to talk about it, and she probably wanted to know if I had talked to you.” Luckas shook his head impatiently. “She said, she didn’t want me to look for her once I was in the orphanage, because he’d be looking for us. That it was safer that way. That’s what she told me, and we haven’t talked about it since. Lena did experiment on me... Originally our deal was that I help her find a cure for Matt’s victims, and she’d help me remember... Then it turned out none of that seemed possible. She said she’d find a way to help, and then she left for three years, promised she’d keep trying. Our new deal was that I stay out of trouble. That failed, as you know... We made a new deal right before she died. She kept her end... I promised I’d keep trying. Sam doesn’t like healers. She has her reasons. I don’t think she and Lena ever met though.”

Essence rolled over onto her side when receiving the canteen of water from Luckas, taking a couple deep swigs. “Butterflies…” Ess said simply, her eyes brightening with a bit of delayed understanding. Nodding a bit more at herself she smiled. “Butterflies don’t know the color of their wings... but human eyes know how beautiful it is. Likewise, you don’t know how good you are, but others can see that you are special…Course your explanation was more poetic...think I like the comparison with the ruins better. But, if you ask me again if I think you’re a monster after tonight I’m only going to answer with ‘Butterflies.’ ” She capped the canteen and propped her head with her hand, giving a slight nod to Luckas’ words on her not overreacting and to stop apologizing so much. She didn’t realize how much she was overthinking things but then again the alcohol probably wasn’t helping matters either. “Ok. Ok, I can do that...I’m sor-..um..ok.” Ess snickered, somewhat amused with herself. “Darren...I’m just trying to figure out the Mother thing..I have no clue except what I think I should be doing...it’s not easy...being a Mom. It makes me more of an emotional nut case.I just want to make sure I don’t screw up my kid. You do have a point, with him...but I’m still going to try to save him from that. It’s what I need to do to cope and for Darren.”

“You’d need an elevator of sorts... For the wolves... Right?”

Ess sat up a bit too quickly, instantly grabbing her head in pain but she still couldn’t help but laugh. “Ow...ha...no that’s good..some kind of pulley system or maybe a removable ramp. I want it to blend and not be super obvious..but I guess in Winter I won’t have much of a choice there. I was thinking...like a fireplace chimney style inside and it would be a hell of alot warmer than the tent. Who knows though if I’ll still be in the woods come Winter though. Maybe I’ll go back to my house eventually..especially since all that money I saved for a better house is mostly gone now.” Ess tapped her chin thoughtfully for a minute, contemplating her depleted funds. “Maybe..could find some place in the wilderness...isolated and hard to find but..pretty..like in the mountains or on like a mini island or even by a waterfall. The city kind of depresses me. I’ve always liked the rustics better anyhow.”

Essence took a few moments to try to sort through her thoughts which were still scattered and cloudy somewhat as she tried to make sense out of what Luckas was telling her about the man responsible for his time in the basement. “I like your name too..I can’t see you as ‘someone else’.” Her smile came and went with the comment, disappearing completely as she pieced some of the things Luckas had told her right then and over the past six months. “You said the man that was responsible for everything was dead...so you are saying that was Sam’s dad? So she was protecting you? From what exactly? I mean...if...the woman who gave birth to you sold you in exchange for the man’s life who killed your father..who was her father? What could he possibly want with you and your brother?” Ess’ eyes went dark and cold as she recalled the memory she witnessed of Luckas as a child. It didn’t matter if part of it was false, he was still held captive in some dark basement and abused in some manner. The way the voice screamed at him and how he was thrown across the room was still so vivid in her mind. “Stay behind the line..” She whispered, shaking her head. “What did they do to you….I mean..why hold you there only to try to kill you? How does someone think of trading their children for anything…? Her Father...her Father…” Ess kept muttering to herself and thinking of Irvin’s sister. “Irvin’s brother used their sister to pay off a debt he owed. I had told Jake to look at that place we went to in Blackpond and about the ledger..since you had said anyone who gambles..their life would be in that book. Their habits and debt...now just wondering if…” Ess trailed off trying to figure out if any of it was connected, the woman genuinely confused as her mind wandered again.

“My focus is off lately and yet I’m remembering stuff...details..and Jake seems to agree with me that it could be an actual good side effect from our..sessions...so it got me thinking, since the first time we did the memory thing, it seemed to trigger something in your mind. Even though it wasn’t all..true...I mean...is it because of our link that it happened? I could try to help you..you know when I’m not suffering from a hangover, and somewhat still inebriated; I could try...I could help..Maybe if we did more of that, something would give? If you want to still remember, that is.”

“Butterflies?” Luckas repeated, raising an eyebrow. “I’m fine if you don’t think I’m a monster Lady, but are you sure you need to express that with the mention of colorful flower-loving insects? If I combine that with being on the girl’s team, I might actually need that princess hat.” He mused, shaking his head. Luckas nodded in agreement at Ess’ explanation about Darren and how she was trying to be a good mom. “You’re a good mom, Lady. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Luckas sighed, thinking over some of the questions Ess was asking him about his past. He had pushed a few of those things aside, trying not to think too much about them, but he couldn’t quite ignore them now that she was bringing them up. “You know, I don’t think my mother actually gave us up in exchange for anything. I think she gave us up because she needed to get rid of us and start over. I do... Remember one thing... Sort of... It’s a nightmare I have sometimes of my father getting killed... I don’t really see anything, my eyes were closed, and I was covering my ears, but... I could still hear it...” Luckas snorted softly. “Do you know what sound you expect to hear from a woman who comes home to find her husband dead? The only plausible sound for a moment like that? She didn’t as much as flinch, even less scream at what she saw... She dragged us from the house in such a hurry like she was seeing the open door of a jail cell... Ironic, to say the least. It’s bits and pieces only; the memory, and maybe my mind is filling in blanks to make things easier. Demonizing her sure makes everything easier, I’ll admit that much.” Luckas paused for a very long moment and he shook his head. “I don’t know... I don’t know if I should have... She’ll be mad if she finds out I told you this. Sam hates her father, I think she killed him, or had him killed, in some way... She told me when I first saw her again that she had someone else kill him, but in other occasions she hinted otherwise. She doesn’t like to talk about him really... She avoids the subject of him if she can help it... It takes... It takes one split second, one thought of him, and it’s like all light fades from her eyes. Even the ghost of him terrifies her. So I try not to bring him up anymore...” Luckas ruffled up his hair a bit as he went into thinking. “He wanted to sell us to Newhaven, as weapons of sorts, train us to follow orders blindly... With what we could do, you know...” He shrugged dismissively. “It didn’t work out, the city people involved thought we were too dangerous and called off the deal. So we were left... Without use... That’s why he wanted to kill us, I suppose...” He mumbled, absent--mindedly petting Stalker, trying to distract himself from his own thoughts by focusing on the wolf. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Lady... It’s not just the fact that I was very young; a part of me doesn’t want to remember... My mind put walls around some of those memories. Maybe it’s best to just wait and see if some of them will come back on their own over time.” He concluded, with a half smile. “I appreciate you wanting to help though Lady. The ledgers, only keep records of the people who owe money, if the guy in question paid off his debt his name wouldn’t be on it. What’s the girl’s name? The one that’s missing?”

Ess fidgeted beneath Tala’s weight, mumbling a complaint on how her leg was falling asleep and quietly pushed the half dreaming wolf from her lap, sitting up to fully face Luckas. “...If Sam was worried about her father finding you..she could have made sure you were somewhere less obvious so not to end up at the orphanage...don’t you think? If I want to find a child with no parents..that’s the first place I’d look. Common sense. Why not come find you after his death? Why stalk you through the years? Why wait til after your brother’s death..wait til a half a year ago to find you?…..I saw the look in her eyes when she mentioned the Captain admitting to her about his death. That father of hers...tried to make children..a weapon...HOW? What is her role then? I’m confused...was it some sort of conditioning, the abuse, before your awakening? Wait...how old were you again, Luckas? It doesn’t make sense. You said you think your mother just wanted to get rid of you? Why give you and your brother to these people unless she..knew something..somehow? Why not just leave? Why not bring you to the orphanage instead? Why make innocent children..suffer? It doesn’t make sense.. if this happened to you...would be safe to say it may have happened to others, no?” Ess covered her face, trying to ignore the pain in her head when a small dizzy spell passed over her. While her face was hidden behind thick curls, she reached for the canteen of water again and drank deeply until she had drained that resource. “I am thinking way too much and I’m still intoxicated… I think..I just want to take care of you..”

Ess closed her eyes, her head sagging some so that her chin was almost touching her tattoo upon her chest. “...If someone were in the ledger then there’s a history even if they don’t owe anything anymore..would be safe to say...like even crossed out..but it was just an idea.” She snorted, turning her head to stare quietly at Luckas for what felt like a long time. Ess starred with a comforting concern so when he finally looked at her, she hoped her smile would become contagious. Even if her mind was far from quiet or peaceful, her eyes gave off a tranquil appearance, hiding her discontent. It was almost as if she were studying Luckas. Carefully she stood, swaying some before moving to lay inside her tent, Beo and Tala following to lay on either side of the tent opening like wolf gargoyles. “You met Irvin I’m sure more than once.” She muttered as she got comfortable on top of her blankets, happy it was warm enough to sleep without them. “His sister’s name is Emily. She can’t be more than..eleven or twelve I think and she’s blonde and blue eyed like Irv..maybe...I think... Why do you ask?”

“Sam didn’t leave me at the orphanage... The City Guard found the basement; they sent us to the orphanage, the memory manipulation was done in the hospital at some point. She didn’t decide to put us there... It wasn’t her fault, okay? She did the best she could.” Luckas muttered. “I didn’t actually want to be found after we left the orphanage and she didn’t want to contact me while I was under Lena’s watch... I told you she doesn’t like healers. It wasn’t her fault.” He repeated defensively. “Jake didn’t look for you once in thirteen years, did he? At least she bothered to keep track of me somehow. She bothered to know I was alive somewhere even if she didn’t...” He shook his head, cutting himself off and turning away from Ess and the wolves for a few moments. “I don’t know... About any of that... I’ll question her asshole father when I meet him in hell... And my bitch of a mother before I send her there. Right now, I just don’t know.”

Luckas sat with his back to where Essence had been for a few moments still after he heard her move into the tent, eventually heaving a sigh and following her in. “Emily...” Luke mumbled, a bit under his breath. “Okay...I’ll see if I can help somehow.” He sighed, settling down at his spot. “Lady, when you say you want to leave Valcrest... You mean like on a trip... To see the ocean... Or do you mean... Leave?” He asked, glancing towards Ess with just the corner of his eye.

Ess kept her voice calm, knowing if she didn’t the conversation could turn into another fight and she was just so tired. It felt like she was causing problems when she didn’t mean to at all. All she was trying to do was understand. There were too many holes and Luckas wasn’t understanding or maybe she wasn’t explaining it right. All she could focus on was how much her head hurt. “Luckas...just to be clear, Sweetness, I never said she left you at the orphanage..my point was if she was trying to protect you then that was a stupid place to let you be if apparently her father would be looking for you from what you told me she told you and yet..he didn’t find you. I think that’s odd. I think there are holes in what was explained to me and I think there are still things I remember you saying you can’t tell me...at least not yet. So ok then. I was asking questions because my head is swimming and for you to lash out as if I’m attacking you and throwing Jake in my face is uncalled for and I don’t deserve that. I’m not trying to corner you. I’ll drop it. This is exactly why I keep things to myself and didn’t ask what has been on my mind for a while now.” She sighed, her last words coming out a bit bitter beneath her sweet demeanor. “I won’t bring her up ever again.”

To be truthful, Ess wanted to do nothing more than punch Luckas in the face; shout at him and make him leave. He angered her but she was trying not to only communicate with her irrational emotions. To be truthful it was terribly difficult for her but it wouldn’t be fair of her to act that way to him. He was still there, wasn’t he? If he was really angry he could have left but instead he followed her inside the tent. When he asked her about whether or not she wanted to just visit the ocean or if she wanted to leave as if possibly not to return, Ess just draped her arm across her face and snorted. “I don’t know, honestly. I’d like to at least visit the ocean before I die. I can’t just leave Valcrest...it seems I don’t have that option really, anymore. There are too many obligations and responsibilities to keep in order. Luckas..” She breathed, peeking out from under her arm to look over at her friend. “..When I die...if you’re around...can you make sure Jake or Darren don’t bury me in the dirt? The idea of being trapped in a box like space, isn’t very appealing...I think you’d agree, right? When I die...I want the biggest and brightest fire to carry me to the afterlife. Would you make sure?”

Luckas sighed softly, feeling a little bit of guilt strike him for his behavior, he did lash out and he had been unfair. Ess was trying to make sense of things. She wanted to take care of him... He knew that... It was just a bit more than he could take after everything else that had happened in the day, it was a bit too much to try and make sense of his mother’s motives at this point, or draw attention to all the little inconsistencies. Honestly he couldn’t really be sure that the story he was telling was the same Sam had told him; he was in a bad state of mind the night he discovered she was still alive and they never discussed it again since. He couldn’t trust himself with this and it was just frustrating.

Luke remained silent, lost in thought, Ess’ words reaching his ears and lingering in the back of his mind, as if waiting to be focused on. After a very long silence he answered her. “Lady, when you die I’ll either be around or I’ll be waiting.” He mumbled. “You better let them know what you want... I have a feeling I’ll be in a really bad mood that day... Last thing anyone needs is me having to deal with Jake in a bad mood.” He replied, trying to sound playful, but failing for the most part, his tone somewhat dry and his eyes fixed upon the ceiling. “It’s not about the questions... It’s not about her... Lady... It’s my past. All of it.” He stated simply. “There’s only so much I can look into at a time before everything starts to... I didn’t mean to...” He snorted. “I don’t want you to not bring things up, okay? I’m not angry at you. I’m just... Angry. I know you want to help. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. It’s just not... That simple.”

Essence turned on her side so that she was facing Luckas, tucking her arm beneath her head to use as a pillow. Again, she just stared at him, a sad smile parting her lips. “.Just seems like you tend to be in a mood or angry when you visit...least at first..wherever it is you travel from. You seemed...less angry when you were here all those weeks..just saying..It’s never a good time to discuss anything..it’s either you don’t want to talk about it..or you’re pissed off..so I don’t get to ask..so it builds...and I can’t control my mouth when i’ve been drinking. I revert to a childlike curiosity and the questions pour out of me. You just make it seem like something is wrong and you don’t talk about her or you get upset or uncomfortable when she comes up and it makes me wonder if you..are safe...and I think i’m actually worried...seriously worried about you. I can’t help it. It’s ok though, we don’t have to talk about any of it anymore..right now... I know it’s not simple. Sometimes I wish it was. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have this terrible gut feeling all the time.”

Ess closed her eyes again, and for a moment she looked peaceful. Her skin was smooth, free of any dark circles or worry lines and her breathing was quiet almost as if she were asleep. Maybe she was but then she spoke, her voice soft and sweet, clearly fading some as sleep clouded over her like a warm blanket. “I remember Lukey I had a terrible tummy ache, the night my father died. I think..it started then..that gut feeling. I’ve had it since I got back into camp and…” Ess yawned, cutting herself off for a second. “...and I thought it was the uneasiness of the party..but..it’s still there…”

It was early morning and the first warm rays of sun were starting to sneak past the tree branches aboves and cast light onto the earth. Atop one the sturdier tall branches along the encampment’s trails, a subtle groan escaped past a teenage girl’s lips as she awoke lying on her stomach, arms and legs dangling at either side of the wooden branch, one blue eye still shut as she lifted her head to see a grey squirrel watching her with curiosity. “What’re you staring at, Fluffy?” She muttered, pushing herself to sit. “Piss off before I decide to make a furry hat out of you,” Casually, Amber kicked the squirrel down from the branch, watching with amusement as the animal recovered from the fall and scattered away. Scratching the back of her head, the girl slowly examined her hands, and body, trying to recall what appearance she’d taken before falling asleep, momentarily confirming that she had breasts and pulling a strand of light brown hair before her eyes. “Girl... Check... Brown, long hair, straight... Okay...” She mumbled, retrieving her belongings that were tied to another branch, snorting in annoyance as she noticed a hole through her leather bag where she kept her traveling rations. “Son of a... That’s it, I’m getting a new hat.”

Beo’s incessant snoring was what alerted Essence of morning’s arrival. Slowly she opened one eye to sleepily glare at her furry companion that was carefully and purposely wedged between herself and Stalker, Luckas on the other side. It was a wonder they all fit and she wasn’t smothered beneath the wolf’s fur, again. Tala, gladly was waiting patiently for Essence to wake up, laying outside the tent with her head resting just on the inside of the tent.

“Move over you big, fluffy, pain in my ass..” Ess snorted, groaning in annoyance when she sat up to realize she was going to have a lovely day recovering from her hangover, her head throbbing from a migraine. She glanced over to see Luckas stir some but remain asleep. It was surprising that he was still there, Ess half expecting him to be gone before she awoke. Smiling softly she reached for her journal and wrote out a messy note, laying the small paper on Luckas’ face. It read simply: ‘Off squirrel hunting..’ Moments later Ess managed to crawl over the wolves, slipping on her boots and stumbling out of the tent. She didn’t even blink and Beo was behind her.

“Thought you were sleeping, Bud?” She whispered in amusement, almost tripping over something that was leaning against her tent. Ess snorted when she realized it was a quiver of arrows and her bow. Ali must have left it there for her sometime during the night or early morning. It struck her funny that her bow was moved but then winced some as she recalled that she should not have left it against the Oak. What if it had rained? That’s all she needed was to ruin Ali’s hard work. Essence stretched a bit, reaching for a canteen to rehydrate, staring up at the open container she was now holding over her head in annoyance as only a drop of water fell onto her lips. “Flipping perfect..just...good morning to me..” She muttered as she draped the canteen over her shoulder, stuck a few daggers inside her boots, and proceeded to string her bow. Ess struggled for a bit but soon had it under control, also draping the bow around herself and loaded the quiver along her back. Finally she began her normal routine down the trail except this morning she was in no shape for running, instead she went about her business in a casual jog, Tala and Beo taking off into the woods ahead of her.

Amber was checking her bag a little bit bothered with ‘Fluffy’s’ intrusion, but nothing of much importance had been taken or spoiled, she’d just probably have to make a stop on her way to her next destination. Not too much of a problem. Her eyes still casually searching for the fleeing squirrel here and there, the girl recovered an unstrung recurve bow that was propped up on the branch, propped up against the trunk of the tree and quickly stringing it, examining the string and the wood for any signs of wear and tear, seeming satisfied with it. Amber turned around so that both her legs were dangling from the same side of the branch, the bow resting carefully over her lap as she watched the trail below, a smirk forming across her expression as she spotted an approaching figure. She immediately looked around as if expecting Luckas to be somewhere nearby, but it didn’t seem like he was. It had been a bit of an argument, but the girl had managed to make Sam reconsider her orders to bring him back, it was probably better that he didn’t know what they were planning for the next few days. Her presence in the camp was simply out of curiosity; just a small stop before going on with the actual plan. Playfully, she whistled down at the jogging woman as she passed her tree. “Oy... A squirrel stole my breakfast... Have you seen the bugger?”

Essence was startled to a sudden halt by a voice coming from behind her, her hand raised to protect her eyes from the sun’s rays glaring down through the treetops above as she turned in search for the one talking about squirrels. Ess didn’t see anyone behind her so when she caught a figure up in a tree, she wasn’t the least bit surprised since most of the people in camp kept watch from the trees on a normal basis as it was. Still, Ess couldn’t see who was speaking to her. She took a few seconds to catch her breath, her eyes squinting in the morning light. “Stole your breakfast you say?” Ess snorted, motioning back the way she came. “...You might want to check with Aiden...maybe he’s responsible?” She joked, smiling devilishly in amusement. Casually, Ess unhooked her bow from over her torso, holding it in one hand at her side while kneeling over a small babbling brook, her free hand cupping a handful of water and swishing it in her mouth as if to test it before moving to fill her canteen. She took a swig of her water before capping the container and tucking it back at her side, violet eyes scanning tree trunks in her direct proximity. “It’s probably still around though, if it thinks it can get more food off of ya...it’s hard to tell..they do all look alike.”

“Hmmm...” Amber snickered, dropping her bag and bow before hanging from the branch and dropping down to the ground herself. “Doesn’t everything... Kind of look alike... hmmm? At least squirrels don’t pretend to hang around because they enjoy the company, they take what they need and move on... And if you smash their little heads and skin them no one will make much of a fuss over it. They’re a lot better than people for that alone, if you think about it.” She pondered, retrieving her belongings from the ground. “Doesn’t mean I won’t find little Fluffy and make her into a little hat... you know... sooner or later... Are you any good with that thing?” She asked, pointing out Ess’ bow. “I could take your advice and go pay Aiden a visit... That’d surely take my mind off breakfast... or maybe we could play, you and I... I do enjoy a challenge.”

“I don’t enjoy skinning squirrels alive..as tasty as they are, I have a limited more amount of respect for them than most…” Ess smiled, standing and tilting her head curiously at the girl who dropped down before her. Quietly she examined her unexpected companion, unsure exactly if she had indeed seen her before; if she knew her. She sighed, nodding towards her bow and shrugged. “I’m not terrible...six months of practice tends to do that at least..but I don’t usually play with women..” Essence snickered, gripping her bow while her fingers absently brushed the fletching of one of her arrows. Her gaze darted from the woman’s eyes back up to the branch she had lept out of, leaves rustling in an obvious hint of life. Slowly Ess took a few paces backwards, nocking an arrow and only aiming for a moment into a bushel of leaves before releasing. Essence giggled at a small squeal of pain, a fuzzy creature squirming and falling hastily out of the tree, plummeting towards the brunette’s head.

“I didn’t say alive, but I like the way you think...” Amber smirked, calmly watching as Essence took aim at something in the tree just above her head, casually taking a step aside so that the frightened little creature landed on the ground beside her instead of hitting the top of her head, the girl quickly pinning down the squirrel’s tail with her foot and crouching to take a closer look. “You’re not Fluffy...” She mumbled. “You’re smaller than Fluffy. Hmmm....” She glanced up at Ess, curiously. “Were you trying to hit it? Because if you were, that was a lousy shot, but if you weren’t, it was actually quite impressive.” Amber lifted her foot, allowing the little rodent to escape. “Like I said, animals don’t pretend, I respect that... Maybe I envy them in a way... Hmm...” She mumbled, pulling an arrow from her back and quickly firing at the fleeing squirrel; the creature having managed to run a considerable distance before the arrow found its little skull. “I’m not going to ask you to play with me, but... I think it’s important to be open to new opportunities... when they so willingly fall on you head. Don’t you agree?”

Ess bit into her bottom lip a fake look of disappointment crossing her eyes. “Not Fluffy?” She asked sweetly, not answering the girl’s question on if she was trying to hit it or not and simply shrugged, walking over to the now dead squirrel and retrieved the arrow from it’s furry prison. “Kind of scrawny this one is..not even enough for soup…” Ess fell silent, listening while staring back up into the treetops, the woman’s arrow rested against the notch in her bow but she didn’t pull back to take aim just yet. She nodded a bit to herself, as if deciding on something unspoken before looking back at the woman and approaching her, pointedly aiming the weapon at her face a few seconds before leaning back and shooting the arrow straight up into the sky. Ess almost looked bored, stifling a yawn as she remained where she stood, waiting for the arrow to eventually return once gravity took over, not intimidated in the slightest that it could pierce into her when it returned. Instead she winked at the woman and in the approximate ten seconds it took for the arrow to descend back down to the earth, she had shot two more arrows total. One, clumsily and hastily fired to her left, her feet remaining firmly planted on the ground as the arrow embedded into the trunk of a nearby tree only startling another squirrel. The second arrow she had taken the extra few seconds to lead the destination of the arrowhead into that same squirrel’s tail, impaling it into the ground. A woosh of air and a dull thud alerted her to the return of Amber’s arrow which had landed just beside Ess’ foot, an annoyed snort escaping her. “Now..I honestly couldn’t tell you for sure if I was aiming for you or me with that one.” She joked. “Is that your Fluffy?” Ess giggled, not really caring if it was the same squirrel that had stolen the girl’s breakfast, finding it all amusing just the same.

“You think?” Amber asked, seeming to draw quite a bit of amusement from Ess’ assessment of the squirrel she killed. “Some would actually argue that the scrawny ones are tastier... Lately I’ve been wondering why that is... Personally I like my meals to have a little more... Substance...” She chuckled, shrugging slightly at herself. “Can’t argue with one’s tastes though, right?” Amber stood calmly, with a slightly curious expression on her face as Ess pointed her own arrow at her face, and then fired it into the the air above their heads. She didn’t look up or or flinch at the idea of the arrow coming down on her, or watch where Ess’ next arrows had gone, she kept her eyes curiously upon the woman right up until the arrow dropped. “Not Fluffy.” She answered, not actually looking at the squirrel Ess had shot, it didn’t matter either way; she just wanted to keep the game going. “Six month’s practice, you said? It shows. Either you were aiming at yourself, or at me, you still missed.” She smiled, stepping closer to Ess, her eyes not leaving the woman as she crouched to retrieve her arrow from the earth. “I’ll be having that, if you don’t mind. I’m going to need it where I’m going.” She smirked.

“A squirrel is..just a squirrel...it knows nothing else and expects nothing else, therefore it doesn’t find a need to pretend..” Ess muttered a bit offhandedly, going back on a previous point of the conversation, moving towards the pinned creature while keeping the woman in her line of vision. “Simplicity...ignorance as a kindness...they don’t have to suffer it as a prison..” Essence kneeled down beside the squirrel, the creature thrashing violently and shivering in terror, a look of pity and excitement in her eyes created a misty, fog like glow to emanate from her stare before all expression faded, her fingers snapping outwards to twist and break the creatures neck. Quietly she retrieved her arrow, keeping it at the ready, her step light, silent as the grave while she continued her hunt for her breakfast and the apparent notorious ‘Fluffy’. “To be truthful..” Ess began once again, her voice soft but still loud enough to be heard as she commented on the topic of missing the woman and herself with the arrow. “..I like to know the names of my human targets otherwise I can’t possibly ‘mean it’...and it’s always more..interesting if I mean it. So maybe I left chance to it instead of the skill of my arrow. I am ever so clumsy with these things.” Ess smiled, glancing at the girl and once again shooting another arrow into the air but this time slightly angled so it was unclear where it would land. “Should I just call you Fluffy?”

“Knowledge can be a prison, more so than ignorance, if you’re careless.” Amber stated simply. “That’s why I never ask questions unless I’m sure I’m prepared for what the answer may be. I know, some doors once opened can never be closed again.” The girl’s expression was thoughtful for a moment, but only for a moment as she proceeded to playfully dance around in circles as Ess’ arrow was in the air, stopping abruptly as it landed right in front of her, missing the tip of her left boot by less than an inch. “Names are... Pointless... Whatever name I give you could be my name, or just a random name I make up in my head... You can call me Fluffy, if you like, but then... I’ll be left to wonder if you really mean it.” She snickered. “If you want to ask my name, ask it, but then maybe you should wonder if you’re ready for that answer now. I’m not sure I’m quite ready to ask for yours.”

Essence grunted, shaking her head. “...It’s more like if one wants to deal with the responsibility that can come with the knowledge presented or if we continue to be selfish. But maybe…” Ess paused in step, staring down at the oak design on her bow in momentary thought before finishing. “Maybe..it goes both ways..I can see that…” She nodded. “Names...shouldn’t be pointless...each has a meaning behind them for being chosen even if the meaning is small. Sometimes..it’s the little things. If one doesn’t find a meaning in something that small, then perhaps the object behind the name holds little value to the owner? A lack of respect?” Ess shrugged, finding herself at the tree where her arrow was imbedded into the trunk, absently yanking it out and returning it to her quiver. “To be honest, I’ll stick with Fluffy because I’d like to forget the world for a little while longer and be selfish and not deal with responsibility..because one thing I do know..is I don’t know you and my brother’s and sisters who know me...don’t ask me to play.” Ess turned her attention towards a rustle in the bushes a little ways back down the path which caused her to lower her bow before putting her back now towards that same path. “Now...I can speculate..you either don’t want responsibility either for the moment and that is why you don’t ask my name...maybe you just don’t care...or maybe..you already know. It may not be my business to know, but If you would rather I know you as Fluffy, that’s fine. If you decide to tell me your name, that’s fine too.”

“You think... So much... You know that? I’m getting a headache just listening to you.” Amber shook her head, sighing playfully. “Names are pointless in this situation. However, pointless doesn’t necessarily mean... meaningless. It’s pointless because what someone calls you has absolutely no influence in who or what you really are. Telling someone your name and trying to convince yourself you’ve actually told them something significant about yourself is kind of pointless... So I could tell you my name, or I could let you call me Fluffy and instead let you know that I think names are pointless. That’s a much better use of my time the way I see it.” She stopped to take a long deep breath before continuing. “Also, do you know the definition of faith? I mean, yours, because I think everyone has their own, right? My definition of faith is that I believe everything happens at a right time for the right reason. And I think that certain truths about ourselves and people in our lives are meant to be unknown sometimes until the time is right. Some truths are not meant to be revealed until we’re ready for them. It’s like allowing a child to believe in fairies or dragons until they’re ready to look at the world. The world is... So... not magical. Which is pretty ironic considering the fact so many people can actually perform magic, but it’s not... You know, magic. Faith is like magic.... To me.”

“I..give you a headache?” Ess giggled, lightly massaging her temple. “Oh..sometimes I give myself one...it can be exhausting..the incessant curiosity for all things. But sometimes if we want to or not, some truths are thrown into our faces and it doesn’t matter if it is the right time or if someone is ready. It is..what it is. Perhaps the world was not meant to be magical for everyone but I think it can have it’s...moments. I’d like like to think of those times as when life takes your breath away, in an outcome besides death that is.” Ess’ tone took on a brief, dark and almost annoyed accent as she muttered something about dragons, purposely taking aim on another passing squirrel and releasing a steady hand to immediately retrieve her arrow from the neck of the poor creature. “How many of these things would it take to make a proper scarf do you think?” Ess straightened her back once again towards the trail in an almost defensive manner, the sound of rustling approaching with a mix of heavy panting and whines from her wolf companions. For a few seconds more she pondered the woman’s words on faith but besides that she really hadn’t much more to elaborate herself. Never before had she generally described such an idea unless narrowed down to a more specific subject. A few matters did come to mind but she didn’t feel it was appropriate to broach the subject further, especially if it wasn’t hers to discuss. It didn’t matter that her stomach was growling from hunger and that her head was throbbing, her thoughts were still very much dwelling now on last night, sifting back and forth between Jake and Luckas. Ess closed her eyes, inhaling slowly as she tried to calm her mind. There was just absolutely too much going on to make sense out of at the moment and her attempts at distraction were starting to fail.

“Hm... A scarf, eh? That’d look nice with my new hat.” Amber nodded at her own words, not really answering Ess’ question on the amount of squirrels needed to craft the item. “I’ve been told that certain level of oxygen deprivation can actually be quite pleasant... Never tried it myself, but hey... I’ll try anything once.” She said, smiling innocently as though she didn’t quite understand what Ess had actually meant by ‘take your breath away’. “Is that why you want a scarf? Hmm... Interesting....You’re an interesting lady, I’ll give you that.” Amber looked up briefly, checking the sun’s position in the sky as to make sure she wasn’t lingering for too long. “I don’t trust anyone. Not even the people closest to me. Especially not the people closest to me. I’m close enough to them to know they lie, at every possible chance they lie... I don’t blame them... I don’t judge... I’m just careful. It would be a lot easier to not have them in my life, but easy is not my thing... Some people are always going to be harmful whether they like it or not, I’m probably one of those people too, so who am I to judge, right? So, I accept. And that’s faith too.”

“Oh..I don’t want the scarf for myself...I find…” Ess felt Tala rub her face up along her leg to reveal her presence, the wolf’s head keeping low, ears bent back in clear dissatisfaction for being left out of the current conversation, yet she was silent even when the remnants of flesh from her recent breakfast could be seen between her teeth in her muted snarl. “It’s...more exciting for me...to be the one doing the choking..” Essence nocked another arrow when she didn’t feel or hear Beo join Tala, an awkward cold and empty space on her side where he should have been. She hadn’t even heard the massive beast circle round but now she saw him slowly approaching the woman in front of her, from behind. Sheer size alone would be enough to intimidate anyone, if he was snarling or not. Ess knew he was dangerous and still a creature of the wild, but he was still young. Like any child, Beo was curious and like any mother, Tala was not amused. Ess raised the bow, ready to cover her furry friend in case he did didn’t get a very friendly reaction from the woman as he stretched out to sniff in her direction. It made her wonder if the woman even knew herself what was approaching from behind or if she was just being smart.

“That’s a sad story..as far as making an observation goes that is, you not trusting anyone..does that mean you don’t trust yourself? Understandable...but I can tell you something...magic is that right there…” Ess nodded down towards Tala and smiled, although the look in her eye was losing it’s amusement and fast. She felt like she should know this person but then again..she didn’t and the obvious reaction from Tala was a clear sign that Ess shouldn’t be careless especially, now that Ess was thinking on it, since they were still technically in the borders of her camp. But she seemed like she acted like she belonged in a way..but not. That itching feeling was making Ess uncomfortable the more she listened to the girl. “This one here..has my unlimited trust and vice a versa. Trust is not given but earned, no? Acceptance or a lack of trust don’t have to be the same thing..not everyone is the same.”

“Heh... Yeah, well... It’s easier to be the one in control of a situation... Not so much to be the one who’s vulnerable. Guess that’s why so many people feel relief right before Death takes them; the one time they get to let go. Ain’t that just sad?” Amber merely glanced at the wolf approaching her as to show she wasn’t completely clueless to the fact there was a massive wolf sneaking up on her from behind, but she continued to speak as though it made no difference.”It’s foolish to compare people to animals in any way when it comes to trust... They don’t know how to lie; wolves or squirrels... They’re the same in that, no? No, I probably don’t trust myself any more than I trust others... I know myself a lot less than I do others to be honest. I said I don’t trust the people in my life, I didn’t mean I expect them to betray me... I just don’t trust them to keep control of their instincts... With that I trust myself even less, but unlike most I don’t lie about it. Can’t expect everyone else to be as strong though, can I? I owe them a little bit of acceptance.” Heaving a long weary sigh, Amber glanced around again and snickered. “Between arrows and predators... Any smart squirrel will be away from here... And one has to be at least above average to steal from me... So maybe I should be on my way; losing my provisions will cause a delay.”

“I don’t feel the need to worry about another’s instincts. Some...instincts just outweigh others. They take priority.” Ess muttered, pulling back on the arrow, her eyes locking on Beo and narrowing in a bit of disapproval when he looked over at her. “...Sometimes loyalty can be confused with instinct...I won’t argue either way with that one, though..” Ess motioned with the bow as if to agree with the option Amber had given to move along, thinking more on how her instincts were at their best when she was not alone. If someone were to ask her if she thought that ten years ago she would have answered much differently. That one...proclivity though that outweighed the predatorial need...it was not a lie to give in to it now and again. That concept she simply kept to herself, her thoughts drifting back towards Luckas and how he was protective over her. Was it just a choice?

Beo started panting, appearing to smile which made it all the more eerie when a deep snarl vibrated into the oncoming, morning humidity. Was it even coming from him? Ess swore she heard another growl, unsure if it was from Tala who was still shadowed at her side. She smiled. “Reconditioned...preservation of...Fluffy…” Essence snickered when she realized half of a thought was spoken aloud and yet to her...it still made sense.

“You should worry a bit more. There are moments... You know those hypotheticals everyone thinks up to themselves sometimes? If I was in a situation like so, this is what I’d do. And they’re oh so sure of what the right thing is... None of what they think matters, because in those moments you only have time to act on your very first instinct. It’s important to know other people’s first instincts... A lot more than knowing their names.” The girl smiled simply and changed the subject slightly. “You ever ask yourself... If you could be anything, anyone, what would you be? If someone offered you that chance what would you tell them? I like to think that if most people had the choice of anything in the world they’d definitely choose something they’d regret in ten or fifteen years.” She chuckled to herself and turned away from Ess, not seeming to care for the possibility of being shot in the back, and started to wander off. “Send Fluffy my regards if you see her.”

Ess’ eyes narrowed, “Different instincts..for different scenarios..defensive vs offensive...whatever is more important to the individual…” She snorted, nodding towards Tala who shot off like the arrow Ess was threatening to release, disappearing into the trees, Beo distantly pacing and circling Ess and the woman as she moved to leave. Essence didn’t move to stop her, in fact, if she was honest with herself, the idea of the woman departing was causing her to relax her grip. Too many things the woman had said just seemed uncanny, as if she had had those types of conversations with her before when she knew full well she hadn’t. What was holding fast in her mind in particular were her parting words: “ If you could be anything, anyone, what would you be?” Wasn’t this something similar Luckas had asked her some months ago except not in the exact same words..? He had asked her if she could become anyone..and stay that way..would she have chosen to do so. The conversation had led to a brief discussion on whether or not either would choose to be someone else and how someone Luckas knew did choose to take on such a choice each day. Essence stared off in deep thought for a few moments before moving to kneel down before Beo and firmly grab his snout so that he was looking dead in her eyes. She leaned into him and muttered a single word: “Evito..” Ess whispered it several times, her eyes lightening up dangerously so that the wolf twitched, trying to pull his gaze aside and could have easily but yet remained where he stood, golden eyes widening back in understanding. It wasn’t clear exactly what the word meant nor what the purpose of that small interaction was, except it wasn’t the first time Beo had heard the use of it over the past few months and it probably wouldn’t be the last. A few seconds later, Ess had gathered the few fallen squirrel carcasses and followed the path back towards the center of camp, making sure to find Matthew first before cooking herself breakfast.

~~~~
Essence hadn’t spent too much time talking to Matthew and would have spent even less if he hadn’t requested Aiden’s involvement in their current conversation. It was simple and yet complicated but that was where the Beast Speaker would come in, Ess figured.

“I just feel we need to double the watch. I propose no one goes in or out of the Nest unless accompanied by or cleared by a wolf. They would know us by scent, yes? Just...feel we need to focus more on our other senses more when our eyes fail us.” Essence snorted at Beo who was incessantly nuzzling her small collection of squirrels tied along a rope at her side. Absently she pushed his snout away glancing over at Aiden who was eyeing her curiously, his gaze trailing down to the grey tufts of fur at her hip.

“You have something against my little minions?” Aiden played, a charming, half smile breaking past his serious expression.

Ess scoffed, her gaze somewhat amused yet she didn’t return his smile. “There are too many….Fluffies...running around here...freely roaming in broad daylight..”

Aiden’s smile shut, seeing past Ess’ words and catching her meaning from the cold glimmer in her eyes. “You...think we should be expecting new visitors or returning...acquaintances?”

Ess shrugged. “I think..we are getting too comfortable…”

Matthew nodded, his unattended locs of hair that had grown longer over the past few months were conveniently camouflaging the fresh bruise that was darkening along his temple. “We are spread a bit...thin the past few months, but some of us that have been keeping an eye on things in the city are due in..for a visit soon enough. I don’t know about doubling the watch more so than it is now, but Aiden..Ess’ idea, run with it. Let me know how it works out. I want to know how your progress is by sundown.”

Aiden straightened his posture, nodding along with Matthew. “Yes Sir.” He turned towards Ess quirking a brow as he called Beo over. “Where’s...Tala? I will need the pack and Puppy rounded up..so...if your pair of stalkers are still in camp, make sure you send the furrier one my way. Sora left with Darren this morning..”

Ess kicked up a stubborn rock in the dirt, a small dust cloud taking off in a warm breeze, her violet gaze fixated on the rock at her heel. “Tala’s off chasing..a Squirrel...I’m sure she’ll be back soon. Did you talk to Crys yet? She is leaving with the Crimson this morning if she hasn’t already, yes?”

“Yea, I’m going to drop off a sketch of the armour idea for the wolves so she can toss the idea around with Blackwell.” Aiden whistled a high pitched noise that seemed to echo for several seconds before falling deaf to the wind. As he waited a few moments, he glanced over at Matthew curiously and snickered. “What the hell happened to you?” He inquired, pointing to Matt’s shiner.

Matthew just laughed, brushing it off. “Oh it’s nothing..it was stupid..had a few too many last night.” He lied.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed, searching the man’s face for a hint of truth in his words, not believing them for one second. “You don’t drink Matt….”

Matthew shook his head and shrugged, “See this is why! I should not give in to peer pressure. That will teach me..” He played, nodding down at Ward, Puppy, and Tala that seemed to appear out of nowhere. “Well there you go Aiden. You have most of the lot with you now..minus...the Captain’s companion..Sora...and um...Kaya...you better catch her before you leave..”

“I’ll go get Stalker…” Ess muttered, turning away from Aiden and walking with Matthew back towards the center of camp. “Sir...um...have you seen Deidra this morning? I can’t find her anywhere…”

Matthew flinched, his thoughts freezing for a moment before he turned to face Essence, crossing his arms casually. “She left this morning...she requested some time to...take care of a few things..as a favor to someone...so I granted her requisition.” He waved her next oncoming question aside as Ess opened her mouth to speak again. “I can’t tell you more because she asked me not to.” He partially lied. “If all goes well..she should be back in a couple weeks…”

Ess snorted and looked up into the man’s eyes in silence, inspecting every flec of color in his irises, noticing how his pupils dilated suddenly before retracting back to their normal size. “You..nervous about something, Sir?” She asked with a bit of mixed concern and skepticism, unsure of what to make from the man’s body language except that something seemed..off.

Matthew leaned in close to Ess, so that he was whispering into her ear, a genuine smile crossing his features as he patted her on the shoulder. “..Soon...Talon...Soon...I promise…”

That was all it took to distract Ess, at least somewhat and she let her concern drop, returning the man’s smile with a bit of hope and excitement at what his words did indeed promise. She was hoping it would have something to do with Asher and maybe even lead to the man’s whereabouts so that the Guard could take care of him before Darren got close enough to do it himself. Darren...he had already left camp before Ess had a chance to even speak with him. She wasn’t sure she liked how things had been left since the night before and she hoped he indeed was off to visit Annie like she heard and not sneak off after Asher just yet. Part of her wanted to leave camp and follow him, just to make sure, but at the same time she felt she couldn’t leave. There again came that sinking and sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, reminding her that it wasn’t just hunger that was plaguing her. Last night’s conversations between Darren, Jake, and Luckas had not helped that painful feeling in her gut. She had hoped that talking some of what was on her mind would have helped but instead she felt like it had made things worse for herself. Ess was overwhelmed by her thoughts still, even though now they made a bit more sense since she was sober. She understood Luckas’ frustration with his past and her nagging wasn’t going to make matters better, but at the same time it really appeared to her like he wasn’t seeing how odd some things in Sam’s words were. The woman’s story of why she gave Luke fake memories in order to send him off and protect him from her father who was trying to kill him because he was trying to dispose of what he felt was a dangerous mistake, just didn’t make sense. Luckas talked about being used as a weapon but he was only a child; his brother and himself. He was too young for his awakening, wasn’t he? The entire thing was confusing, especially with the bits about missing children. She had asked Luckas some time ago if they were connected in some way and he had simply answered with it being possible, besides the fact that they were already connected in another manner, referring to the link.

That link. It was imbedded into her mind for over five years now and to now understand it and not be ignorant of that connecting was important to her. Ess didn’t feel as insane as she did before when she was lost in the dark. She didn’t feel so pathetic or desperate for a connection with someone, especially when it seemed to be strengthened by distance. In a poetic sense in the very least. How could she share such a comforting bond with a ‘monster’? Luckas’ words lingered in her mind, she couldn’t deny. She had meant every word she had said to him the night before in regards to not seeing him as a monster. Ess didn’t even bring up the aspect of the link and she began to think maybe she should have. What was he going to say? That it was a fluke? A mistake? If he was a monster then honestly she could be one too. Maybe that just didn’t matter to her, but she just didn’t see him that way. His own words fueled her own argument to why she didn’t see him that way.

“Do you remember when I said I don’t want to hurt you, even if I would enjoy it? I don’t want to help you because I believe that I have to. I just don’t like seeing you hurt. I don’t want to hurt you, and it’s not because hurting you would feel any different; it probably wouldn’t, it’s because if I did then you would be hurt. I don’t want that. I don’t like that. If someone hurts you I want them to suffer. That’s what I want.”

Essence’s mind drifted back on that day they first began her training to defend her mind. It wasn’t pretty by any means. It was painful, degrading, shameful, embarrassing, and even somewhat pathetic on her part. She had been angry at him, but she had expected that much at least. Ess had expected his instincts, but she did not expect what she would show him. That was what disgusted her the most.

~~~~
About Four Months Ago..

Luckas had spent his night in and out of sleep, between the urge to fiddle with the bandages and wanting to make sure Ess was actually sleeping as much as needed, he was awake every other hour, sitting up to stare at the sleeping woman and tugging on his sleeve as a substitute for the scratchy bandages he wasn’t allowed to touch. Once or twice he thought he had seen her peek at him with one eye and then return to her sleep, but he wasn’t entirely sure. Adding up his naps Luke had slept more than enough for what they had agreed on doing in the morning, and a little bit before the sun was up he decided to stay awake for good and maybe go for a quick hunt, so he quietly made his way out of the tent and went around camp until he found an unattended crossbow he could borrow. By the time he found himself deep in the woods where it was good to hunt he heard a faint sneeze behind him and turned to see Stalker at his heels. “Hmph... You’re getting better at this.” Luke mumbled. “Come... Let’s find us some bunnies.” He whispered grinning widely, the wolf responding with a low bark and beginning to sniff around the earth excitedly.

When Essence had opened her eyes, she found herself alone except for her wolves congregating outside the tent. She almost didn’t catch the black fluffball running across her field of vision, only to disappear into the trees. Rubbing her eyes she laughed quietly, her smile subtle and surprisingly sad. She sat idle for a few moments, her thoughts void and in an empty fog. Ess didn’t really decide to move, she just found herself already in routine and halfway down the beaten path on her morning jog before something concrete actually appeared in her mind. A dream still lingered in her thoughts; a simple memory that came from nowhere.

“Ian! Where is your sister!?” Dirked scolded, mild panic breaking through his tone. “What do you mean... ‘You don’t know?!’”

Essence listened outside her window, afraid to go back inside, knowing she would be punished for sneaking off on her brother. She didn’t want to be left alone with Ian, instead had wanted to accompany her father into the market but had been left at home. It was childish and foolish, but she took the opportunity to sneak away when her brother was distracted by a teenage crush who was visiting from next door.

“You need to start giving a shit about others and not just yourself, son. I swear...if anything has happened to Essence...” Dirk growled, tossing a chair aside in his fury and slamming the front door behind him as he stormed out of the house in search of his little girl.

Ess squeaked in her fright, never had she heard her father sounding so angry before. Not that she was afraid of him directly but instead she felt a sense of guilt at disobeying his words at staying put. Dirk must have heard her somehow because the next thing she knew he was peeking around the side of the house, a look of relief in his eyes as he let out an exasperated breath. “Essy...bless the Twins...” Ess cowered still but melted into her father’s arms when he picked her up and hugged her so tight she almost was short of breath. “Have you been here the whole time?”

“No...I followed you into town..” She whispered through tears, only looking up at her father when he forced her chin up with his hand.

“Did you now?” Dirk groaned, an amused smile curling his lips. “You can’t do that, Essy. You know, not listen to me. It’s for your safety. Daddy loves you and knows when something is wrong.” Quietly he wiped at her tears and kissed her forehead.

“How..? How did you know I wasn’t home?” She asked curiously.

“I thought I heard you call for me but I didn’t see you, so I left all the groceries and came back to see you.” Dirk pressed his forehead against his daughters’, lightening the tone of his voice as he continued. “I’ll always hear you if you call for me...Sweetness..”

Ess’ brows furrowed in confusion. “But...hoow Da?”

“A father...always knows, Baby Girl.....and I’ll always come for you.”
~~
Panting heavily, she came to a stop at the end of her run, standing over her fire pit. Ess wasn’t sure if she felt like eating much of anything at the moment so decided to put the kettle over the embers to boil herself some tea. She had a feeling Luckas was somewhere nearby so decided to wait til he showed back up before working on any other projects she had started to pass the time. Quietly she sipped her tea, making a strange face from the bitterness when she realized she forgot the honey. Rolling her eyes she groaned, reaching towards a collection of small jars beside the log; most of them empty, but happy to find she still had some honey left over. It was enough to sweeten her drink just the way she liked it. “Almost wish it was raining...” She whispered to herself.

Hunting with Stalker took much longer and was considerably more messy than Luckas was used to on his own; the pup had improved from the last time they hunted together, and had gone from running aimlessly after the rabbits to actually skilfull tracking and chasing. In some moments when the wolf would hide amongst the bushes Luckas would completely lose track of him until he bursted out chasing after a rabbit. Even so, the rabbits seemed to escape the young wolf for being much faster. Luckas waited until he thought Stalker had gotten a good exercise before finally starting to aim for the fleeing rabbits with the crossbow.

By the time Luckas returned to the oak he was carrying two large dead rabbits over his shoulder, each bound to one end of a piece of rope, dangling by their hind legs. Stalker was trotting happily after him, green spots of grass clinging to his black fur making it obvious he had been running around tall grass and rolling in the dirt in the process of chasing the rabbits around. Luckas himself had bits of grass clinging to his pant legs and a reddish smudge on his chin as if he’d scratched it with bloody hands. Luke casually dropped the crossbow halfway towards the fire pit and found his usual spot, taking a seat and dropping the dead animals at his feet, beginning to pull the bits of grass off his clothing one by one in a procedure that would surely take a month. “You’re awake.” He stated, glancing at Ess momentarily before turning his focus back to his pants. “I wasn’t as quick as I expected... Maybe if next time Stalker doesn’t run off with my kill as soon as I shoot it... I should work on the whole ‘fetching’ thing with him some time.” He sighed. “Can’t complain about the hiding thing, he’s gotten considerably good at that... Think he buried my rabbit someplace, because I sure as hell never found it.” After a few more moments of picking green bits of plant from his pants Luckas huffed in annoyance and gave up, suddenly realizing he would probably never be done in his lifetime. “So... You still want to train before I go?”

It wasn’t like Ess didn’t hear Luckas when he approached or his words that followed, but she simply didn’t have much to say. Her thoughts were not focused on the present, yet she found herself absently petting a couple of the wolf pups that had made it a point to crawl all over her and snuggle either in her lap or beside her. The little brown fluffball that resembled what she saw as a baby bear, had claimed her lap while the one who’s fur looked splattered in dirt was guarding her side. A mix of greys, browns, and blacks it had; it’s face giving the appearance it wore a mask just around the eyes. “Yea...I’m up...” Ess finally muttered with a shrug, glancing sideways up at Luckas and quirking a brow. “Too hungry to wait to cook your kill?” She played, her fingers touching her chin mirroring the spot where Luckas had a smear of blood upon his face. “You brought breakfast? We can eat something before...or....” Ess trailed off and simply nodded. “Before you go, yes.” Ess gently pushed the pup off her lap and stood, picking up one of the rabbits Luckas had dropped on the ground. She paused to pat Stalker on the head, brushing a few twigs and prickers from his fur. “I suggest...when we begin though, that we go somewhere away from Tala. It would just be wise...for your safety I think. You know how protective she gets...”

“Hm...” Luckas mumbled, picking more green bits from his clothes as he went into a few moments of thinking, stopping only to rub the cuff of his shirt against his chin, not much caring if it actually managed to wipe off the bloody smudge. “Somewhere more secluded would be better, I can’t say for sure whether or not... Well, let’s say that, should there be any screaming, I’d rather not have Beast Boy, Jake, or whoever else may hear jump at me with sharp objects. As you know my combat abilities are rather... Poor...” He grimaced playfully, grunting when Stalker suddenly took it upon himself to clean the blood on his face by licking it off. “Uuuugh... No slobbering, we’ve been over this... Get off, I’m clean...” Luke protested, gently pushing the wolf away until he settled. “Bad wolf.” Luke stated once Stalker was calm and seated, in a contradicting tone of praise accompanied by a series of friendly scratches behind the ears as he turned his focus back to Ess, a questioning look in his eyes. “You seem as you have something on your mind, Lady... If that’s the case, I suggest you get rid of it. And we could eat first if you want, I do have some... Terms and conditions... I want to go over before we think about getting started, so we might as well eat while we discuss them.” He spoke, absently brushing off some grass and bits of twig from Stalker’s fur, frowning slightly and beginning to examine the pup’s fur a bit more intently as if to check for bugs.

Ess had already begun skinning one of the hares, absently thinking of what she could make out of it’s fur. Her eyes widening slightly when Luckas mentioned screaming, the idea of what was to come still lost to her exactly. Ess wasn’t sure what she would be faced with and liked the idea of going over terms and conditions while they ate. “I’m listening, Luckas...” Essence gasped and groaned, trying to shoo Stalker away from her as she gutted the rabbit to skewer it over the fire. “No...bad Stalker...wait...oh for crying out loud...” She complained, a smile painted upon her face even through her annoyance as the young wolf took off with one of the innards; perhaps the heart, she wasn’t sure. “Fine...keep it...I don’t want it anyways..” Ess laughed, noting how the brown furball took chase, wanting some of the food for himself.

Luckas nodded quietly rolling up his shirt to see that the bandages were still in place in his forearm and idly scratching around them. “I want you to choose a word, anything really, like a password, and if at any point you feel you can’t continue I want you to use that word. I’m not absolutely sure how this will work, can’t say I’ve actually tried it before, so I can’t guarantee I’ll know when to stop, and some amount of pleading is to be expected so I don’t intend to respond to it. If at some point the password is needed, and you don’t use it, and something happens... No matter how little... I won’t try this again. That is my main condition for doing this.” He paused for a moment, both to let his words sink and to watch Stalker running off with one of the rabbit’s organs, closely chased by one of the other wolves, shaking his head a bit in amusement, he went on talking. “Like I said, I haven’t tried this before, because I’m not one to play with people if I don’t intend to kill them, not like this, so... I’m going to try to make this as invasive and intense as possible without making it lethal... I will see everything you see, and it will be personal and unpleasant for the most part, so... I shouldn’t need to say this, but I will anyway, just to make it clear... Whatever happens, whatever is seen, said, or done during this training stays between you and me. Afterwards you may feel ill, you’ll probably feel sleepy, but I would advise you not to sleep until a couple of hours later. Headaches may last for about a day or so. You have any questions?”

Ess let out a long, heavy sigh as she slowly turned the rabbit over the flames. A couple of times she opened her mouth to say something but held her tongue, waiting for Luckas to finish the basics she was about to face. The aftermath she was still concerned with, but not for the simple side effects of feeling ill or wanting to sleep, instead more on her mentality. It gradually dawned on her that neither of them knew exactly what to expect which sent a flurry of questions through her mind. She turned to look at Luckas, a silent response that she had heard everything he had just said. “Painful and unpleasant...check. That was kind of a given, I guess. You said unpleasant for the ‘most part.’ I don’t see this as being pleasant at all, so I’m assuming...” Clearing her throat her tone went flat as she continued, void of any emotion. “I’m assuming you mean, by nature, some of this you may enjoy.” It may have sounded somewhat like a question but she turned away, not expecting an answer. “Will it just be in my head or will I flail and move around physically? Should I be tied down so I don’t punch you? I’m not sure...I get...”

Ess unsheathed her dagger to check the meat over the fire, slicing off a gristly piece to try. “Define....what could happen that would prevent us from having another go at it.” She stated, a slightly darker tone touching her eyes as any hint of a glow was drained from them. “My..other major question....What am I suppose to do? I don’t know exactly how I’m suppose to fight you off? Will it maybe be subconscious or do we not know?”

“I said unpleasant for the most part because the level of unpleasantness will depend on your ability to resist, the deeper I go into your mind the more unpleasant it’ll get. I wasn’t quite thinking of whether or not I would enjoy myself, and I am in fact trying not to, but yes, I probably will on some level, at some point.” He sighed softly, falling into a moment of silence before addressing the next question on the list. “It will just be in your head, you probably won’t see or feel anything on the outside, involuntarily there may be physical responses, but I can hold you without any rope, when eventually comes a time when you can ‘fight me off’, you should be able to also resist a command to hold still.” He made another pause, a slight frown crossing his features as he went into thinking, as if going over mental notes of some sort. “Are you asking what may happen if you push your limits, or what reasons would lead me to refuse to try this again? Let me put it this way; pushing yourself doing this is not the same as busting your hands on a punching bag. Damage suffered doing something of this sort is impossible to predict, and many possible scenarios involve permanent ‘injuries’. Even if you were to push yourself and nothing too serious or permanent happened, I would not want to try again on the grounds that I need to be able to trust you not to push yourself for it to work. My focus needs to be on myself and what I’m doing, I can’t be looking out for you as well.” Luckas stopped talking to once again try and pick all the bits of plant from his pants, seeming a little bit too focused on the task for a moment before speaking again. “As for what you’ll do... You are going to focus on a memory; a pleasant memory, and your task is simply to hold on to that memory. There are two ways to keep intruders from going through your mind; the most difficult way is to put up barriers, that is somewhat like pushing back against someone trying to break down a door. It takes force, and it wears you out quickly. It’s the fastest and most effective way to keep someone out if the telepath in question is not very skilled. Better telepaths will crush your barriers, or not even give you enough time to put up a barrier; they’ll probably be too dangerously close by the time you notice them. What I’m going to try and train you in, is similar to creating a maze inside your mind, so you wear out any attackers by making them run around in circles or hit dead ends repeatedly. To do that though, first you need to learn control, and doing that is a bit like growing resistance to poison, only about a hundred times more painful. Today, you are going to try and stick to this one memory of your choice and not be dragged into what I want you to see. It’ll probably take a while to feel like you’re making any progress though, because every time I feel you’re getting closer to actually stopping me I will push harder. I mean, it would be far less cruel to let you ‘get a hit’ per se, before raising the bar, and I can do that if you rather, but the cruel way gets you to the point of actually being able to control what others see in your mind a lot faster, so that’s what I suggest going for.” He looked up from his pants seeming a bit apprehensive, as he wasn’t actually sure this was going to work, or how it would really go, as he wasn’t taking the whole ‘mental link’ situation into account in his planning. “Does that answer your questions, Lady?”

“Ok...I need to know my limits and not push as in..a life or death situation or you won’t try this again. I need to not let pride get in the way. I understand this is dangerous and unpredictable.” Ess turned away again as she thought over his explanation, understanding more of what she was suppose to do but actually ‘doing it’ was something she wouldn’t grasp until it was right there in front of her. Slicing off some meat she handed Luckas a plate and sat next to him, nibbling on some food before she began repeating some things back to him to show she heard and understood him. “We don’t want anything permanent and I’m not to cross my limits, but I think I need to push a little. If I don’t challenge myself, then how can I get past it? I think there have been plenty of times I’ve crossed my limits and I’m still here...but I get what you’re saying. I need to develop...muscles in my brain, so to speak, in order to maintain control and push you back. This helps..to know what I need to do even if i can’t right off. Thinking of a pleasant memory will be tricky. It’s not even finding one, but not letting something lead me back to the unpleasant. Everything is connected in some way.”

Pausing she swallowed some of her food, tossing a piece or two to Tala who was drooling like a fool at her feet. “In theory...is this something anyone can learn or do I have an advantage? You know, because I’m apparently some sort of freak show of sorts...unique, same difference.” Ess winked, letting out a short laugh. “If I can get to this maze creating faze...do you think in theory...that it’s possible to trap someone in my head? Or maybe like light reflecting off a mirror, it would backlash onto the attacker and they’d get stuck in their head? There’s just so much to all this telepathy stuff, I’m not even sure of all the possibilities. Of course, can’t say I haven’t thought a lot about it before.”

Ess had finished her food, leaving the remnants for the pups upon the ground, motioning for Luckas to follow her through camp and past it’s borders along the tree line. She was quiet for the walk, occasionally checking behind her to make sure Tala stayed as she commanded, not wanting any outside distractions to the ‘lesson’. Finally she stopped in the furthest corner of the camp borders, on the opposite side of the river north of the heart of the Nest. There before her stood a cluster of Weeping Willow trees that appeared to have grown into one another, their roots actually twisting and penetrating through the neighboring trees to form a tight knit circle of sorts. “Should help with the noise....what do you think?” Ess asked softly, still glancing around as if expecting someone to pop out from behind the brush. After a moment she appeared satisfied and turned to lead Luckas through a narrow slit between two tree trunks, ducking beneath their foliage that almost touched the ground. Essence nestled herself comfortably against a couple of trees before she spoke again. “Ok...so don’t go easy on me. I think..I thought of a safe word so you’ll know when to let me go.” Ess quirked a brow, looking at Luke a bit unsure of herself; maybe a bit unsure of him as well. “You sure it won’t be a problem to stop? What if you get carried away? You...promise this stays between you and me, no matter what?”

Essence was focusing on Luckas approaching her, nodding preemptively to his words as she let out a deep breath. “Pride...is my word.”

Luckas was silent as he ate his food, nodding quietly as Ess spoke, to show he was listening, but not answering to her words as if he was lost in thought and only half present. He remained in that state as he finished his food and as he followed after her, not talking and breathing slowly as he walked, trying to keep his mind as calm as possible in preparation for what he was about to try. He hoped this would work as he assumed it should, and that his ability didn’t behave oddly because of the link. Luke only seemed to snap out of his small trance as they finished the walk, and he took a few moments to take in their surroundings as if he hadn’t noticed they had moved from the fire pit in the first place. Giving a slight nod in approval of the spot, he found it secluded enough so that any sounds should not reach the encampment.

Following Ess’ lead, Luckas made himself comfortable, settling down across from her so that they were face to face, and after one more long deep breath he broke his silence, addressing some questions he had left unanswered at the start of their walk. “This is in theory something that anyone can learn, yes. Lena trained her kid, and she has no telepathic ability of her own, but there are levels to something like this. Someone without any sort of telepathic ability would have a much lower level of resistance, and attempting to control the actions of an attacking telepath, depending on the attacker’s level of skill, can be dangerous. Something as elaborate as what we are trying to achieve here could get a... uhm... ‘normal’ person killed quite easily, or have them stuck in their own mind. Which can also happen to either one of us if we’re not cautious, but not quite as easily. So yes, you do have an advantage, or two if you count me as one.” He snickered softly. “Not to brag or anything, but there are few telepaths out there that have reached my level of skill, and I am still fairly new at this, in the sense that I can work my abilities to higher levels if I choose. Bottom line is, if you can get past me you’ll probably not have a problem dealing with almost anyone out there. As for the telepathy thing in general, I can tell you that you can’t quite know all about it. Lena told me that there are thousands of telepaths out there and no two telepathic abilities are exactly the same, she studied this stuff for over twenty years and barely scratched the surface, so she told me. It’ll seem less complicated with practice, most of it has to do with sensations, that’s why you have to tell me when to stop, I can tell whether you’re being successful in pushing me away, but I won’t feel it if you’re getting tired or start to lose control until it’s a bit too late. At least... I think I won’t.” He stopped to consider that possibility with a frown as if the thought was somewhat disturbing to him. Sighing as if he had forced the thought out of his mind, Luckas repeated the safe word to show he understood. “Pride... Okay... I promise that I will stop when I hear this, and I promise that this stays between you and me no matter what happens. Alright? We are going to do this the same way we share memories, so... I want you to close your eyes and focus on your ‘good’ memory until it’s the one and only thing on your mind, once that memory is clear enough that you can feel yourself there, open your eyes, and we’ll begin. Take your time with the memory, don’t rush things, it’s important that it feels as real as possible to you.”

Listening to Luckas’ answers created a series of emotions inside her. At first she was amused and somewhat impressed; maybe even a bit relaxed when she was given the explanation of her advantages and that Luckas was a very good candidate to try what they were about to do. Ess didn’t show how that little reassurance suddenly dwindled the more she thought about it and listened. Did she really have a shot at fighting against her friend’s mind? If he really was as strong as he let on, was she setting herself up for failure? ’Thousands of telepaths??’ Internally Ess cringed, while on the outside she nodded and gave a weak smile.

“...Until it’s too late...you think? You mean..you aren’t sure because of the...our...” Ess’ tone was soft like a whisper, her words trailing off as she gestured through the space between Luckas and herself. “You know...for someone who is trying to get me to focus, you are giving me a lot to think about here..” She snickered. “But ok ok...let’s see...a happy memory...” Slowly she let her eyes close, her shoulders slumping in unison through cleansing breaths. Eyebrows suddenly bunch together as she let one eye open to look at Luckas in amusement for watching her before closing it again. Ess was searching through her thoughts, trying to find something that wasn’t just a happy memory, but that wouldn’t lead back to something awfully distracting. If she was honest with herself, she couldn’t find a single one in that moment; so she decided to settle. “Here goes nothing then...” Ess muttered to herself, opening up her eyes to stare through Luckas as her gaze connected with his. “I’m ready.”

Luckas fell back to his silence, aside from an amused chuckle at Ess’ complaint of being given too much to think about. He honestly hadn’t thought about it that way, but then... His part in this wasn’t to make it easier on her. While Ess had her eyes closed, Luckas was doing his best to clear his mind of anything but the task at hand, and preparing himself for what he was really about to do. Normally, he would have to search her mind for what he wanted, but this time he knew exactly what it was... He’d seen the memory before, not when he’d been in her mind, but in someone else’s, and it took a level on concentration Luckas wasn’t even sure he had to actually bring that scene to life in his mind without bringing up his personal feelings for the man who he had taken it from. Disassociating himself from an illusion had honestly never been a problem, but the nature of what he was supposed to detail and project made him uneasy to a point where he needed to take the time to bury his sick feelings and find a part of himself that was still able to look at this as nothing more than a simple exercise.

When Ess opened her eyes and he was able to see into her mind he waited a few moments, slowly, and gradually fiddling with memory, attempting at first to simple fade the scene to black instead of immediately dragging her from one memory to another, deciding it would be probably wiser to start out slowly, if anything so he could make sure that there would be no unforeseen reactions to the simple act of fading out the memory.

As if Essence had blinked, the scenery changed; the memory coming to full form in her mind as she concentrated. Off in the distance she could hear the whines of an animal carried to her, intertwined within the confines of a warm breeze. She could smell the sap oozing from the Maple nearby as she turned a corner to the path and halted, spotting a greyish blur, wiggling and stretching in a panic to escape. Cautiously she approached, letting her gaze linger around the perimeter, occasionally turning to look over her shoulder for anyone lurking. Everything was dangerous to her; that was something burned into her flesh as a painful reminder, yet no visible scar was left to mark each obstacle she had to face in the past.

The yips and howls of the tiny creature became clearer, making her expectantly assuming it was a dog of some sort. It was an eyeopener of a surprise to discover the wolf cub at her feet, tangled in some sort of snare and frantically trying to pull away. It was now trying to chew through the confines of its restraints by the time Ess had decided to kneel down beside the creature. At first it simply barked, giving defensive and doubtful growls in her direction. Essence only smiled, slowly laying down upon her stomach and stretching her fingers outwards for the wolf to smell. “It’s ok girl...” Ess could remember how the wolf’s pelt was so soft that she felt an odd compulsion to gently squeeze her fingers through the tufts of fur over and over again in a massage along the back of the wolf’s neck. The cub paused, tiny blue orbs staring intently up at Ess as she freed the poor creature from it’s prison, a sudden lick on her nose was Ess’ reward for her kindness. That was the moment she felt the vision fade, as if it was being led further and further away from her, visually growing dark. Ess tried to focus as she was instructed, the wolf’s bright blues the only thing she was able to hold onto a bit longer before the entire scene disappeared from view.

Luckas waited patiently for the scene to fully disappear, darkness engulfing everything. Slowly he started to focus on what he wanted the darkness to become, the shadows flickering into flashes of a room, flashes of sensations, whispers of vaguely familiar voices fading in and out as if they came from the end of a very long tunnel... As if the memory as a whole was slowly creeping its way from his mind to Ess’, lurking in the corners as if wait for a moment of weakness. “You’re not concentrating enough, Essence... You need to find your way back now.” Luke’s voice echoed as well, as something distant, or apart, from anything else; the darkness, the silence, the flashes, the whispers... His tone in itself was distant as if even though he was watching, he wasn’t truly there in any significant way.

“Now...be a good little Birdie…”

“Don’t Hurt her!”

“You...Bastard!!!”

“Ess....”

The voices pierced through the darkness, the echos mocking like high pitched screams that made one want to cover their ears to block them out. It didn’t matter how soft they began for it didn’t take long for Ess’ ears to ring with Jasper’s laughter, the smell of his vile breath beating her down as she caught flashes of two girls tied to chairs.

“No...no no...think of Tala....” Ess tried to command herself, her mind reaching for the feeling of her plush fur sifting through her fingers but instead they were numb, burning from the rope that bound Essence to her own chair. As if she had control of the memory, she foolishly tried to close her eyes but they only widened to stare up at a ghastly grin whose lips parted to reveal black holes along his gums where teeth should have been. Leaning in, he forced Ess’ head back, clinging to her hair so she could see the other girls better.

“You see? This is your fault..”

“No! You’re dead...you sick...” Ess cursed at the figure before her, cringing in pain as her hair was yanked backwards.

“I doubt that Birdie…”

Luckas wasn’t pleased in one bit with how things were going, he hadn’t really started pushing yet, but the amount of strength put into fighting him off was not enough to really do anything to change the images being projected. For a split second he questioned whether or not he should have started out a bit slower, but he pushed the thought aside, convincing himself that it wasn’t in one bit excessive; she had told him not to go easy. And if going easy was off the table, he would have to push harder... Push for a reaction... Push until something snapped.

“Why are you wasting my time with this bullshit, Essence?” He let his voice break through the sounds of the memory, and still somehow not disrupting the scene. “You’re letting your mind accept this. You’re going to let this happen, when you could just take control. Maybe you’re weak. Are you weak? Hm? Or maybe you’re having fun... Is that the case? You want to see what happens to them? Yeah, I think that’s the only logical explanation why you won’t just get out of this. Fine then... I’m happy to oblige.”

He let the words linger for a moment, and then brought more intensity to the memory, enough to actually feel as if he was there himself, even though he continued to see it from the outside as if separated by an invisible wall his mind created. He couldn’t deny that a part of him didn’t want to be there, but that part of him was bound and gagged for as long as it was necessary to get this done.

Part of Ess slipped and what she was trying to cling onto finally gave way completely and all she could think about was the feeling of Jasper against her skin. Her body felt like it was convulsing in disgust and all she kept wishing for was his death. His death. It was one of the most vivid memories she had, even if it wasn’t her own perspective. It wasn’t easy to ignore Luckas’ mocking tone or the annoyance that was building into irrefutable anger and yet she pushed. Essence didn’t know if she was trying to deny those feelings or simply bury them below, but where could she truly store them when she was so exposed like this.

“Daaa....Daaa....” She felt herself cry out, wishing there was a way to block out the noise and go deaf. The memory was playing out almost exactly as the original; her same cries and pitiful attempts to escape. All she wanted was to hear that bastard cry out instead. She didn’t want to see herself go through the despair of calling out to a ghost.

“...I’ll always...come for you...” Another voice rang out, distracting her attempted focus once again. ‘You can’t save me if you’re already dead, Daa...’ She thought sadly, the self pity fading again as she felt another wave of spiteful anger pound in her veins.

“You’re dead...” Ess muttered, straining to see the image of Luckas impaling nails through Jasper’s toes. She could taste her blood as she spat in the man’s face, but the expected sting of his fist against her jaw didn’t seem to hurt as bad as she thought she remembered.

She wasn’t doing it very well, but she was fighting. Luckas felt himself wince as flashes of what he had done to Jasper passed before his eyes, for split seconds, and vanished. Still her focus was mostly on the ghost of Jasper, and not where it should be. Thinking of the man in any way wouldn’t be helpful in pushing away the memory of the things he’d done. Luckas pushed a little bit further, his focus on the projected scene, on all the little details, things seen, heard, and spoken beginning to seem a bit more real. Had Luckas wanted to, if this was anything more than a training exercise, he could have easily used the memory of Jasper’s death, his torture, to his advantage, and while the thought did cross him... It would be borderline cheating to alter a memory at this point. He almost felt his focus slip away at the brief thought of some of the wicked things he could do; things he knew he wanted to do, but he managed to hold it together quickly, the passing distraction not affecting his concentration in any significant level. If it had affected him in any other way, now wasn’t the time to feel it, so he made sure not to and simply pressed on. “He’s not dead... You can’t kill him here... He’ll never truly be dead in your mind, Essence. The past simply cannot die. Right now you’re just a foolish little bird thrashing against the walls of your cage instead of finding the door. Wallow in rage and self pity if you like, but that will get you nothing other than a pair of broken wings. You’ll get stuck here, Birdie... I suggest you do something fast.”

‘...The past is over and done with and it can’t be altered..it can’t be changed. I can wish for it..but it won’t play out any different...’ Ess repeated in her mind; not in a self pity display but more herself clinging to whatever sanity she had left in her, trying not to be sucked into the wretched visions before her. But they weren’t just visions and they felt and smelled just as real as the day she lived them. ‘Take control?...I don’t know...I...’ Essence wasn’t fully grasping Luckas’ words even if the answer was right in front of her. ‘I can’t change it...but I won’t let it happen again...’ In truth, after she had escaped BlackPond, she hadn’t let any unwanted hands linger unless she willed it, but now wasn’t she letting it happen again in a sense? Her temples started to pulse in a piercing pain accompanied by a dull ache rolling up her neck and into the base of her skull. She felt sick. Curiously, the memory before her started to spin; perhaps a result from the intensity of her anger growing at the sound of Luckas addressing her in the same manner her captors once did. It wasn’t the dizziness that was making her sick, but the pain. To her surprise the dizziness gained in speed, the mocking fits of laughter also spinning and muffling as she pushed to not feel those clammy fingers along her neck. And then, she was numb. Ess could still see and hear the memory, her focus on refusing to allow Jasper’s touch. Her mind receded back into the memory of Tala’s fur; satin like if she brushed her fingers with the hairs or velvety if she pushed against the layers of the wolf’s pelt. As if her fingers were outstretched towards her whiskered friend, her thoughts stretched to cling to that memory but still all she could see was Jasper, even if she no longer could feel him.

Luckas could feel it, faintly in the back of his mind, some small amount of progress, but he knew that it wouldn’t be too long now. It wasn’t expected of her to succeed, and in a way it was his role in this to watch her squirm, part of him did enjoy the thought, but his enjoyment wasn’t the purpose of this, or even an acceptable consequence as it posed a distraction. He wasn’t meant to, so he would do his best to not allow himself to feel. He pushed further, deeper into the memory, the act was followed by an unfamiliar sick feeling in the pit of his stomach; so much for not feeling. It passed before he had the time to wonder what it was, but it was something that he knew shouldn’t normally happen. He was expecting unusual reactions, but he wasn’t exactly prepared and that momentary sickness seemed to have caused a small dent in his protective shield. A flinch. This time Luckas remained silent, as he regained his composure all his focus went into the memory, to make it as real as possible, real enough that he could feel it himself; in his own skin. His voice would only disrupt the illusion, and there was nothing more to say. All he could do now was watch and wait for her to end this. It was out of his hands now.

...“You said you’d leave her alone….you said she’d be spared! I did all that you said! You’ve won!”

Essence found herself screaming out the same words from before in vain, knowing what was to come. She couldn’t move, as much as she wanted to; as much as she pushed to reach for Jemma. Even when Jasper came for Jemma, she still cursed him for what he had done to Ess; what she was forced to witness, just as helpless as Ess was now as the blade slit through bruised flesh. Not just once. Not just twice, but on a repetitive motion in a tormenting slow sweep across her neck over and over again. As if living through it once and then again now, wasn’t enough, she had to watch the blood pour onto the floor in slick pools as she finally reached her friend. She didn’t remember clinging to Jemma as hard as she was now, that sickening feeling of guilt and failure overwhelming her and outweighing the pain she knew her body was experiencing from the brutal acts, yet she was still numb to that. That aching in her chest made it hard to breath; the affliction almost comparable to someone or something slicing and squeezing her heart as if it were going to burst. It was one thing to suffer, for she thought she was saving Jemma. It was another to realize one’s own inadequacy, that which she still couldn’t accept. Gradually the room steadied, no longer spinning; instead the lifeless form soaked in blood was still. Everything was still, so silent, even through her muffled sobs.

Essence didn’t realize she was already being dragged away, her body exhausted from the fight, from the submission. She could have drowned in her tears if any were left to escape. Now, she just felt dried up, used and almost like an empty shell. Ess remembered how desolate she was inside, even when the dogs came and tore through flesh and bone. This time though, Ess wasn’t numb to watching her friend, even in death, be devoured before her eyes. She felt everything she had buried and everything she protected herself from originally. A burning fire spread through every inch of her skin, penetrating every corner of her soul.

..“It’s your fault! You will get us ALL killed….he’s right you know…doesn’t pay to have friends in here..” A voice called out. Against massive hands she refused to go along quietly. It was almost like watching herself even if she saw things to every last detail to how it had all gone down. Ess wanted to flail and fight back but instead she screamed. There wasn’t fear in her pleas; there wasn’t selfishness behind her sobs. No. For a moment, she even forgot where she was, feeling herself caught up in the illusion when she cursed at the people within her mind. Snapping and snarling echoed in her ears, the sound of bone cracking and splitting as the dogs fought over limbs and muscle.

“What are you doing...Ess?” She asked herself, trying to catch her breath. “You’re better off alone...see what happens?” Ess groaned, a switch triggering the stubborn side of herself as she argued against her own words. “No...No! Just stop. Stop!...” Another long breath dragged out, a garbled noise cracking through as she spoke. “..Fine... PRIDE.. You hear me!?” She muttered, fighting off the compulsion to gag as the pain spread across her forehead and behind her eyes.

Pride. Luckas caught the word, but barely. It was weak enough in his mind that he could easily ignore it. He could let it slip away. He could play it off as a momentary lapse if he chose to just not listen and press on... It was a rather interesting thought, but Luckas knew he had promised to stop immediately, and he had already hesitated too long to say he would properly keep that promise. It took a small effort on his part, to break eye contact and sever the connection and by the time his senses started to slowly return to him, he felt himself turning away from Ess completely, and hiding his face in his hands. A muffled groan escaped him as he felt a momentary sharp pain in his temples, rubbing them slowly and pressing his eyes shut in response to the daylight. “Lady...?” He called, a bit disoriented still, he couldn’t remember ever getting side effects like this before from simple memory manipulation. Slowly he opened his eyes, feeling his sight a bit blurred, but slowly returning to normal. “Everything alright?” He mumbled, although he knew that was a dumb question in a way, it was doubtful EVERYTHING would be alright all things considered, but what else was there to ask anyway? A soft whine caused Luke to suddenly snap to attention and look around to see Stalker sitting at short distance from him simply staring as if wondering what was happening in this strange scene, he blinked a bit confused staring at the wolf for a few moments and wondering if he had been there all along, not exactly sure of how long it had been since they started the exercise.

Essence didn’t answer Luckas at first, her fingers slinking along the ground to find her bearings. The light trickled back into view, and yet she still couldn’t see past a reddish blur. Wiping at her eyes, her gaze focused on her hands that were streaked with bloody tears. Ess’ stomach twisted in anguish, enough so that she lurched forward to fight against a series of dry heaves. The compulsion was stronger than she had ever felt before as she stumbled to her feet, leaning into a tree to catch her breath. Whatever was trying to come up she managed to swallow back down. At least for the moment. Maybe they shouldn’t have eaten before the exercise but it was a bit late to think of such things now. Ess was more concerned about keeping it together, not wanting another bleedout episode.

Keeping her face hidden she stumbled forward, ducking down to avoid the foliage. Refusing to let herself be seen in what she only saw as shame and embarrassment, she in turn did not want to see Luckas if there was even the slightest chance she’d catch a bit of satisfaction behind those dark orbs. Ess was afraid of that just as much as she was afraid of any looks of doubt or pity. The amount of weakness she pushed aside and mistook for strength was now catching up to her. She didn’t want to think about the hesitation she felt from Luckas when she caved, letting go of her stubbornness for once and thinking maybe she’d never come out of the illusion. Slowly she inhaled, pausing to hold her breath before releasing in an even slower motion. Still, she was quiet in her daze, the vision of Jemma still fresh in her mind so that whenever she blinked she still saw her being torn limb from limb and Ess felt just as helpless as before.

Luckas quietly reached out to give Stalker a small pat as he followed Ess’ movements with his eyes, she hadn’t answered him or even looked his way, which he figured it was an understandable reaction, but still caused him to worry. As he felt he was a bit more steady and less likely to simply fall over if he tried to move, he paced a few steps forward in her direction as if meaning to support her, but still keeping himself at a distance. “Lady...” He repeated, his voice just loud enough to be audible. “...I need you to answer me please.” He knew they needed to talk about this at some point, to make sense of the whole experience, but now was not the time. Right now he just needed her to say something so he’d know nothing had gone wrong. By the amount of light around them, Luke could guess the whole thing had gone on for at least an hour, an hour and a half... That was a bit longer than he expected, and he would probably have to leave soon if he wanted to get the healing done in time, but he couldn’t until he was sure nothing bad had happened as a result of the exercise.

Ess paused, her head slumping forward when Luckas’ voice reached her this time. Heaving a sigh, she held back a wince, still refusing to turn around. She did move as if she meant to turn, as if she was thinking about it when all she was actually doing was pushing against her gag reflex. When she finally spoke, she half expected her voice to crack through a sob she felt bubbling in her gut, yet her tone was flat and lacking emotion as she answered him. “...I know I know...don’t go to sleep...you don’t have to worry about that. Just..” A sudden twitch from the pain in her head caused her to release a soft groan. “...Just...want to be alone...Please, Luckas..” A few more steps forward and she spun randomly, her form bending in half practically as she fell to her knees to vomit in the bushes. So much for keeping food down. Once she began, she didn’t stop until there was nothing left to expel; not even saliva. If she were to let her friend see her face, he may indeed not accommodate her request for solitude. Her eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by red splotches from her tears and burst capillaries in her pale skin. All along her cheeks and forehead were the faint appearances of blue veins webbed just below the surface, giving an eerie dullness of a day old corpse. Still, she wasn’t hemorrhaging so she figured this was just some of the side effects Luckas had mentioned prior; it would pass.

Luckas frowned, a doubtful and concerned expression on his face at Ess’ words. It didn’t seem to him that leaving was the best thing to do, even if they had agreed he would leave and even if she didn’t want him around at the moment. He just wasn’t quite sure how much he trusted her to take care of herself. He could admit that was very hypocritical coming from a guy who had slept in the snow without a jacket and nearly frozen over one winter, but it was still a fact. He kept his distance, somewhat resisting an impulse to move closer as she knelt down to vomit in the bushes. “I understand if you want to be alone, but maybe... Maybe I shouldn’t be going as far as the plains, I mean... Will you be alright?” He sighed softly, shaking his head, but stopping with an annoyed groan. It ached a bit. “Don’t forget to drink... Water...” He mumbled. “Alcohol may help with the aches somewhat, but it dehydrates. So yeah, water.”

Essence spat, wiping at her jaw before standing back on her feet. A hoarse laugh escaped her as she continued forward. “...Not so easy to walk away when asked....is it?” She half heartedly teased, her tone darkening slightly. “I mean it...just go...I can’t right now..just go..” Ess repeated, shivering as it sunk in deeper how much Luckas had re-lived with her just moments ago. The disappointment at herself and the embarrassment were so overwhelming, it felt like something in her was dying. She just wanted to hide away somewhere, to be left alone so she couldn’t be found. Maybe after some time passed she could talk about it with Luckas, but the idea, deep down, gave her a feeling of loneliness and guilt all at the same time. How could he understand and yet he had witnessed it through her eyes. It wasn’t just him living her shame, in a sense, her violations, but going through it himself, in a way. Again came the relentless curse of failure hanging like a fog around her, her breaths shorter now as if the air was thicker so it was difficult to breathe.

*temporarily broke the site...my apologies*

All that Spring rain the past few weeks had darkened the greenery, sprouting colors of all shades, speckled and stretching up the low cliffs that overlooked the river. It’s cool waters were several feet higher than Ess remembered during the Winter, even with the added snow and ice that felt now like a distant memory. East of where Essence stood, several hundred yards out of sight, she knew those beams of wood that she spent long hours and many days hopping about on in order to avoid those rushing waters below; very few would be seen for some time, blanketed by cool camouflage and reflecting light. Trying to balance on those while the river’s strong waters were trying to knock you over, was definitely a good way to wake someone up. She could thank the Captain for that.

Ess’ eyes were closed now, in thin, tight slits from the blinding sunlight that shimmered and stung her eyes. Strands of wispy hairs tickled her face as a warm breeze caressed her skin so that she tilted her head back and inhaled deeply through her nose, her pale skin rosy from exposure. Gracefully, in one fluid motion, the woman squatted while undraping her bow from across her body and placed it safely behind some rocks, keeping the quiver and squirrel bodies company besides the river’s high shores. As she stood, she was already halfway through memorized steps to the hidden ladder within the rocks, her eyes finally opening as she began to climb up into the hollowed out stone, now hidden by the foliage, and carefully stretched herself across the damp ledge. The ceiling was high enough to sit comfortably crosslegged without hitting one’s head and the area wide enough to fit three of herself laying down from head to toe. This was where she found herself hiding when she needed a quiet place to clear her mind and she most definitely needed her thoughts to dissipate at least for an hour out of her day. She was going to find Luckas and suggest Stalker go find Aiden for a lesson of sorts, but was distracted by the serenity and facade of peace that had surrounded her. It was like music to her ears, the waters below and the swooshing of leaves dancing in the wind above her. All sound was heightened from her perch and anything or anyone approaching her, would echo just as softly as the rain dripping down off the roots dangling at her fingertips. Just as incoming sound was heightened and carried to her, any noise she created would echo and bounce off the stones. The clamor and buzz were never carried too far, as the waters below stole the air’s secrets for it’s very own. All of it was a distraction. It was where she would sing when she wanted to not be heard and it was where she meditated when the world was too noisy.

The woman didn’t know how long she had been there, just that it was long enough for her mind to fade in and out of a light sleep. Ess was relaxed enough to feel at rest and yet was aware of everything that was going on in her proximity. As much as she believed some time here would distract her from the nauseating pain in her belly, it was indifferent and if anything, became more acute as time passed. It was bearable but intolerable at the same time, for different reasons. She was simply tired of it and honestly wasn’t in the mood to sway her mind to accommodate it on a constant basis and as another tactic, instead of distraction, she simply tried to release that plaguing feeling on her through song. Screaming felt good, but it felt empty. So, she spent the next hour trying to remember every song she ever heard, humming most of them to herself until Ess’ voice began to trail off in a direction most unexpected, her mind barely even following what she was harmonizing with her own echos.

‘In the pines…. in the pines...
Where the sun never shines….
We shiver the whole night through’

It felt like she was being choked, the way her throat tensed and her voice was smothered from existence. The disquiet from the camp stilled her lips, her form freezing as her ears strained to listen. At first she thought she was hearing things when she caught the faint scream of a child. When she heard it again she dismissed it as the kids playing, until the light behind her eyelids was no longer and the wolves began to howl a distressed call. Ess’ eyes snapped open, their dull glow giving her eyes an added boost as they somewhat adjusted to the darkness. She knew the quickest way down from the ledge was to jump, so she rolled twice and let her body fall into the refreshing cold below, taking only seconds for her to swim to shore from the deep. The squishing of water being pushed out of her boots as she ran, drowned out the river’s roar while all other voices of nature were silenced as they searched for their beloved sun. Where had all the light gone and how so suddenly? It was too early for the sun to set, wasn’t it?

The Nest was noisy with heavy footsteps as everyone and anyone who could bear arms, took to a post and created a perimeter around the camp. There was not a soul who wasn’t alert and ready, shaking and murmuring their disbelief and concern. Again Essence heard the terrified screams of a child who had been caught alone in the darkness, disorientated on where to take cover as the others were instructed. Nobody knew what to expect, so they prepared for the worse.

“It’s the end of days…” Uneasy voices whispered.

“...Are we under attack?”

“Mercy of the Twins, get the wolves to the treeline!”

“What in bloody hell is going on?”

“Are all the children accounted for?”

Again came the howls and as Ess reached the center of camp she saw a burst of light erupt from out of nowhere, a silhouette of a body engulfed in fire snuffed out by a sudden wind. It was like a beacon, calling to her, but as she neared she realized it was Jason. He was clearly unharmed by his emotional outburst and quickly reined in his enlightenment, lighting a few torches and spreading them out to some of the Guard.

“I can’t find Clayton or Lily!” Jess whimpered, holding her baby tight to her chest, attempting to sooth him into silence with no success. The woman was shaking so much that it looked as if she would drop her child.
“They were down in the fields feeding the horses, last I saw them...I’ll go find them.” Jason muttered, running off into the darkness before Jess could protest, a mortified look of disbelief crossing her face.

Ess was already running after Jason, yelling over her shoulder to Jess. “Get the kids underground! I’ll find the others...”

Mere seconds was all it took for Ess to catch up to Jason as they sprinted through the sheer blackness, the torches behind them like starlight except few and far in between. Ess knew the grounds of the Nest like the back of her hand and didn’t need to see to reach the field, but she did to navigate through disarrayed horses, whinnying and bucking as they ran circles around one another. Ess’ mind was racing, thinking how she didn’t see Jacob or Luckas amidst the chaos and her mind instinctively reached out, stretching the bounds of her link only to the limits of the Nest before she felt the familiar presence of her friend. “Luckaaas…” She barely whispered before turning to Jason. “Hey kid...shed some light so we can get around these unsettled horses.”

Jason began calling out to Lily and Clayton, his only response were distant and muffled cries. Raising his hands above his head, the boy pushed microbursts of flames past his fingertips, temporarily lighting up the night around them similar to how the fireworks did the night before. Again and again the bursts came and went, but it was enough for Essence to catch sight of Puppy circling protectively around a distant tree. Thankfully, the children were unharmed, just pretty shook up, only too glad to see Jason and Ess and ran full speed into them, wrapping their small arms around Ess and Jason’s waists. Directing the group against the large Cedar tree, they huddled together, Puppy on watch, Ess soaking wet with an arrow nocked and ready while they waited to see what would happen next; if it would pass or if the unthinkable would befall them.

Lily was full of questions as always, and it seemed that kept her quite a bit calmer than waiting in silence. Jason kept shushing her to be still as Ess loosened her grip on the arrow, just clutching it between her fingers as the same arm reached around Clayton, attempting to sooth the child’s sobs in some form of reassurance.

“Shouldn’t we pray?” Lily asked, scooting closer to Jason. “Jess always prays when she’s scared.”

“Pray to what?” Jason asked, his tone shaky and high pitched. “By the Twins wrath…”

Essence lightly smacked the back of Jason’s head and glared at him, not caring if he could see her look or not. “I don’t know if I know any prayers...Lily…”

“Ow...what’s the point?” Jason complained, but honestly curious for the answer.

“The point!” Lily argued. “Is maybe the Twins will hear us..and feel sorry for us..”

Ess scowled. “If it makes someone feel better...there’s nothing wrong with believing it makes a difference...maybe it will if you give it a chance.” She sighed, her mind racing to think if she indeed had ever heard any prayers or bits of inspiration to recite, only getting bits and pieces as she pressed to remember her father. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and reached out to partially hold Clayton and Lily’s hand, the bow and arrow still in her hands so she was only able to grip a finger or two.

“Mother and Father...watch over your children and all things dark and beautiful. Give us the strength to endure through your challenges and despair and please not forsake us into the abyss.” Ess paused, thinking to add a bit of her own words and as she continued, she didn’t even realize how the rest followed.

“Bless us and keep us so we may in turn protect all that you have bestowed upon the land, reflecting that humbling inner light. Return your first born: Sun, to us so that we may bask in his warm glow. We can not live without his blinding light, where all life is connected. Do not condemn the many for the mistakes and ill begotten ways of the few. Blessed be, my blood is the life, given willingly to free their souls.“

“Blessed be…” Lily copied as if to close the prayer. Slowly, Ess opened her eyes to catch the curious glimmer of a pair of eyes floating closer to them, somewhat low to the ground. Surrounded by a darker gloom and a faint sound of painting, she realized it was Stalker. Turning her head she covered her mouth, releasing a series of wet and clouded coughs, the familiar taste of blood accenting her lips. ‘..Blood...is the life...’ She muttered to herself distastefully. When she lifted her head once again she saw another nebulous figure step out behind the wolf. Essence knew who it was because she would feel it deep within her bones, but for a moment...a millisecond of time, her vision flashed a distant memory before her eyes, reminding herself of that night her Da told her a story and she awoke to nightmares, convinced she was haunted by a menacing figure all in black. ‘Oh the irony..’ She thought to herself, except this time she wasn’t afraid.

Before Ess could say a word, the night lifted and the sun returned to it’s pillar within the sky, causing Ess to squint and yet still stare in awe. Cheers went up from the southern end of the Nest, distant curses and praises from the center lodges, to scoldings by Matthew for some crazy folks to put their trousers back on. Apparently, some were preparing to live out the next moments as if they were their last. As understandable as it was, Ess was more concerned about her gut feeling that was now only just beginning to disappear. Standing on her feet she could hear commands and reports shouted from every corner of the Nest, confirming no injuries but instructing every Raven to be sent to every ally in Valcrest. They needed to know what happened and if anyone else even had a clue. Was it over?

“Blessed be…” Jason whispered under his breath.

“Where’s..Jake?” Ess muttered aloud, releasing the kid’s fingers to find a cold, wet nose at her side, automatically sifting through Tala’s thick fur. She blinked, squinting some as she glanced over at Luckas curiously.

[Raven's Nest]

Luckas wasn’t sure what had happened, but he knew that, whatever the cause, when all light vanishes from the world that can’t possibly be a good sign. The darkness spread quickly, bringing forth a moment of stunned silence followed by noise and confusion. Luke himself was standing very still in the same spot, not wanting to get in the way of anything or anyone in the pitch black encampment. After a few moments though he simply started to move, seemingly without direction until he spotted sudden flashes of light and began to follow. He could hear Stalker walking a few steps ahead of him and continued to calmly walk after the wolf, stopping only when he heard the voices of Jason and Lily discussing prayer. He stood quietly listening to their whispers until suddenly the Sun came back to life once again. Luckas closed his eyes initially as if the light stung them a sudden memory whispering in the back of his mind causing and his eyes to snap open as if he forgot for a second where he was. “ If you spend enough time in the dark, it doesn’t matter whether or not you find the light, because in the end all the light will do is blind you.” When he seemed sure enough that he was in fact still in the Nest and not elsewhere Luckas mumbled a response to Ess’ questioning on Jake’s whereabouts. “J-Bear went out early in the morning with the Whiny Kid. He stopped by while you were out running, but he didn’t stick around.” He half smiled scratching behind Stalker’s ears. “Good job with the whole praying thing by the way. Looks like it worked.”

-------------------------

[Healer's Camp]

Minutes had gone by since the sun returned to Valcrest, however its appearance had done nothing to ease people’s fears. Throughout the White Shadows encampment frightened whispers and hushed prayers were still being uttered from patients and healers alike, but on the surface at least there was still some form of order. Annie didn’t quite believe the wrath of the Gods was causing all the problems, but something wasn’t right; that much she knew for sure. Lena had taught Annie to respect the myths for what they represented and not dwell unnecessarily on any notion of truths or lies. It was unhealthy and foolish, she would say, to claim yourself certain of things that were uncertain by nature. So Annie didn’t fear uncertainty, nor did she fear the Gods; or even nature, which left her with considerably little to fear in Life. What she did fear in that particular moment was something that felt as certain as it felt unnatural: Something was killing otherwise perfectly healthy people. That was infinitely more frightening to her than all the land falling into a dark abyss for a few minutes. This was her reality. So she didn’t care what God they prayed to, she needed the Healers to at least hold themselves together while this happened.

She had somewhat commanded Darren to go check on the younger patients while Alistair calmed their parents, something she kind of felt bad for; the guy was not one of her people and she shouldn’t be bossing him around, but she knew she had little time if she wanted to stop any form of panic before it even started, so she made sure to seek out the more impressionable of her healers and calm them down the best she could and they in turn helped in calming the apprentices and the majority of the patients. Anyone watching her handle the situation would be impressed at her leadership skills, but Annie knew well that it was pride that kept most of those healers; great majority of which were at least five years older than her, from falling apart when Annie herself seemed so collected. She didn’t mind; their pride served her purpose.

When things seemed finally quiet again Annie took a long deep breath, finding Alistair still conversing with some upset parents who wanted access to their children right away. It would be way too much people in the sick ward if all the youngsters were allowed their parents, so Alistair was trying. as a compromise, to make arrangements to move the minors someplace more isolated where the parents wouldn’t be a disruption to other patients, but that would take some time to accomplish and that caused some level of unrest. As she waited for her friend to finish trying to appease the angered men and women, Annie was suddenly approached by a Crimson Shadow who had somehow made his way into camp in a hurry and barely noticed, making his way straight to her and stopping to catch his breath so that he could speak. “Miss Annie... I need you to come with me to the desert... There’s a... Situation...” He managed to blurt out.
“A situation?” Annie questioned, finding a flask of water and offering it to the distressed mercenary. “What sort of situation would require my presence this urgently?”
“Dastan.” The man stated, accepting the water and taking a long drink.
“What about Dastan?” Annie asked, seeming a bit confused. “Is he injured?”

The Crimson Shadow didn’t speak his answer, he simply averted his gaze to the sky above their heads and then back down to meet the girl’s eyes, the expression on his face was mournful and pained and it told a story more tragic than any words would ever express. Annie sighed heavily, grasping the man’s shoulder in a gesture of support. “How many injured?” She asked.
“There are... A few... Some gravely injured, Indrani was stabbed clean through the abdomen, Ali was tending to her the best she could, but she won’t survive much longer without further care. I was asked to bring you specifically, though, because of him.”
“I see.” Annie mumbled. “I don’t know what I can do for Dastan, but I’ll go.”
“Good, that’s good...” The man replied. “I’ll run ahead and let them know you’re coming, that should calm people down some.” The mercenary half smiled, returning the empty water flask to Annie. “Much appreciated, Miss.”

As the Crimson Shadow wandered off a healer approached Annie, the woman taking a moment of pause to glance at the mercenary as he walked away before addressing Annie. “Someone’s asking for you, he says he has urgent news from the Wolves for you, regarding their Alpha. The man doesn’t look very well, perhaps something bad happened there.”
Annie frowned slightly, she didn’t know why someone would come bring her news regarding the Wolfpack. She looked questioningly at the healer and the woman pointed out the person in question. Annie recognized Evin and was a bit more confused at why the man would be coming to her with this. “Do me a favor, Elora. Go fetch my medicine pack in my tent and bring it to Darren, tell him to please meet me in the southern exit of camp. I’ll be there in a minute.” Annie didn’t wait around for the woman to respond and began walking towards Evin where he stood waiting, waving at the man in a silent greeting as she approached as if to skip the conversational pleasantries. “You’ve chosen a terrible moment to stop by for a chat, Evin.” She stated, gesturing for the man to walk with her as she paced towards the exit. “Something has happened in the Crimson camp that requires my immediate attention, so... If this is something that might take us more than a few minutes I suggest you travel with me. If not then I ask that you speak quickly. Now, what urgent news do you have to give me?”

Evin stood around for a few minutes while waiting for Annie to arrive. He hadn't been to the White Shadows' camp in a long time and judging by the number of people there, things were worse than he expected. Besides the several people who were still panicking over the momentary loss of light, there were several people who looked severely ill all around him. Every single one of them looked similar to what Lena had looked like the last time her and Evin had ever spoken.
Evin was completely caught off guard when Annie spoke to him. He'd been looking away and spun around to meet her gaze. It might have been stress, but even she had seen better days.
“Yes. The urgent news.” Evin stopped. He hadn't actually said it aloud yet. He'd thought about it the entire trip but it hadn't quite sunk in until that moment. “Sean is dead. Drowned in the lake.” He paused again. Let the moment sink in for both of them. “I may have hated the man, but if there are any respects you've to pay, I thought you might want to know... sorry for the timing.”
Evin looked around again. He saw all the death around him. People suffering far worse than he was. “That isn't the real reason I came here though. Your mother knew things. The last time I spoke to her, I knew that she knew more than she would ever tell me. She might not have been an assassin anymore, but she told me through her evasiveness that there was far more to Valcrest than there is to be seen. I just need some answers. Let's walk and talk.”

Annie faltered in her step once, stopping for a split second at news of Sean’s death and then continuing to walk. She flinched once again at Evin’s questioning of what her mother had been doing; at least she wasn’t the only one wondering about that. She walked in silence for a few seconds after that before finally responding. “If the Wolves wish me to give the Alpha a blessing before the burial I’m sure they’ll send for me.” She stated simply, not making any further comments on the matter of Sean. “As for answers, my mother left me with none. I mean, she left me with something, but it has yet to answer any questions. It’s a journal, but it is encrypted and I have been trying to figure it out, but I haven’t had much success with it. The fact the she left this for me leads me to think that the key is in something personal of hers, but I can’t figure out what. I thought it might be a book, but I’m starting to doubt that assumption.” The girl shrugged slightly. “Other than that, I don’t know how I could help you. She didn’t even tell me where she was going when she left and she evaded any questions asked about her time away. Alistair spoke with her a few months before she came back, she sought him out in the farm where he’d been living just outside of Valcrest borders. She told him nothing then either, just encouraged him to come back.”

The world was casted into darkness, interrupting with a creepy sense of poetic timing, on the conversation Darren and Annie were having on the topic of murdering his father and what that would mean for him. He just couldn’t relate Asher to that title of ‘Father’ any longer; it was more like a worn out analogy that created a numbing feeling in his gut. The ominous stripping of light was, strangely, a pleasant distraction to his thoughts, and while others seemed frightened by the sudden turn of event, Darren was intrigued and only somewhat uneasy. It was different, unlike the others who were cursing the Gods or fearful for the end of all things; Darren didn’t even wonder or doubt that the light wouldn’t return. What made him uneasy about the whole thing was the possibility that this wasn’t some twisted cycle in nature. Over the course of the past few months, he had met more incredible individuals than he could have possibly ever imagined; as if the stories from those pages he sucked in like a sponge were now coming to life. It would be a marvel if indeed there were those out there cable of such powerful gifts, when combined, could shatter the reality they all thought they knew.


Darren had subconsciously reached out and squeezed Annie’s hand before leaving her side. “Whatever You need, Annie...of course.” Was Darren’s only response when he was advised where he would be best made of some use. He would have rather stayed by her side, but there was no time to dwell or argue, as the state of unrest among the Shadows needed to be kept under control.

Remembering where the baby fox was lying, Darren scooped down, enveloping his arms around the kit before calling Sora to his side. Those two would come in handy, he knew, especially with the children. He proved himself correct, when some of the younger children couldn’t or wouldn’t focus on a story or song Darren was attempting to use in distraction, so he would take turns with the baby fox, placing him sweetly on their laps to pet as it slept.

Even in the torchlight, Sora was hard to spot, but she remained ever so watchful at the entrance as if to block any admittance without her approval. When the light had returned, a few of the children sat up in bed in delight, calling out to the wolf, who happily complied by nuzzling and licking the faces of the weaker ones and curling up in the cots of some of the older kids. Before long Darren and Sora had made their rounds, Sora the ever so popular one as always; watchful and nurturing like those kids were her own pups. Darren’s masked companion; the children’s vengeful protector.

Darren smiled leaving both Sora and the kit fox with the kids, happy that not a single one of them feared the wild animal. He remembered how some of the parents were rather uncomfortable at first with the presence of such a wild beast, not believing it could be so tamed. In many ways there were right, but they only saw what was upon the surface until Sora alerted some of the healers one night. She just wouldn’t stop barking and howling, dancing circles around the men and women until they followed, only to find one of the children was having a seizure. It was then they discovered, not only did Sora understand the kids were sick, but she somehow could sense when they would have a fit. That in itself, because of Darren’s history with seizures, made him feel even safer around his furry friend.

Darren quietly went to exit, leaving Sora to lull the rest of the children to sleep, accidentally bumping into one of the healers. “Pardon..” He whispered, flashing a familiar charming smile at the woman he remembered as Elora.

Elora smiled, holding out a rather large medicine bag which Darren recognized as Annie’s, receiving it with a quirk of an eyebrow. “What is it, Elora?”

“Annie says you are to meet her at the southern exit, now. Take this to her.” The woman whispered back, draping the leather strap along his shoulder. “Don’t keep her waiting.” She sighed, letting Darren pass by her only to replace his presence with her own. Darren didn’t even think to question why he was requested, only too happy to help, but he knew if they were leaving the camp, he would need to gather some supplies for wherever they were heading.

After acquiring some rations and water flasks, he waited patiently by the exit, fidgeting with his hat. “No Sora, you are suppose to stay.” He muttered under his breath when the wolf came trotting after him to lay at his feet. “Stubborn wolf..”

Evin knew it already. Annie wasn't going to be an enormous amount of help, but any piece of information that she could provide was more useful than none. What was useful information was determined by how much a single person knew. All Evin wanted to do is be the person who knew the most. “Okay. Is there anything else? Small details of any sorts that could be useful? Did Lena ever mention anything that may be useful?”

Annie rubbed her temples as she walked, taking the time to think carefully on a possible answer she might have to give. "Well, I don't know what you might consider useful, Evin. Are you looking for something specific? The last week or so my mother was alive she spent in the archives, I saw her maybe once or twice then. The month prior to that she was away from camp. She met with a few people, but I'm not sure I know them all. The Captain of the White Knights was one, Mageria... She was going to Blackpond, but she turned around for some reason, that drew my attention. She never got along with any Blackpond officials, even less with their old King, but she never avoided the city before. More than that, I really can't say."

As they drew closer to the exit Annie fastened her pace just a bit until they reached Darren, not wanting to keep him waiting longer than needed and greeting him with an apologetic smile. “I take it the children weren’t too much of a challenge for the two of you.” She played, leaning down to pet Sora briefly before taking her pack off Darrens hands and continuing to walk towards the desert with visible urgency in her step, trusting that the two men would follow. “Darren, if you don’t mind me bossing you just a bit more, the Crimson have asked for my help and I might need some assistance. I didn’t want to bring another healer with me because... Of what just happened here.” She paused for a moment before elaborating a bit more. “Things are tense enough as it is and I don’t want any rumors before I see for myself what happened. I’m not sure what the two of you know about Dastan and his enlightenment, so I don’t know what I’m allowed to say... For what I understand though, he lost control of it and there was a considerable number of casualties.” She informed, now addressing Evin as well. “The man who came to call me didn’t say it, but I know that they called for me directly because they want me to examine Dastan and tell them whether he’s still dangerous before they... Decide his fate.” She mumbled the last words with a bit of annoyance at being asked to determine whether or not a friend should be put down like a wounded animal, it wasn’t alright with her, but as a healer she was forced to give an honest answer and not interfere with the Crimson and their laws. She shook her head after a few moments of silent contemplation, and chuckled. “I’m sorry, I have terrible manners... Evin, Darren... Darren, Evin... Have you two met already? I mean, you have plenty of common acquaintances after all.”

Darren gave Annie a playful wink. “Oh, you flatter. You know full well those kids could care less if I’m there. It’s always, ‘Where’s Sora?’..or ‘When’s Sora coming back?’..or ‘..Mr. Darren..can I have Sora? I promise to take good care of her.’.” Darren chuckled. “I’m happy she brings them some sort of comfort. Kind of like a drug, but without the loopy and disconnected feeling.”

Darren fell into step just behind Annie and their traveling companion, nodding along to the woman's words on coming along. “Whatever you need, Annie.” His smile fell, listening to the bits Annie explained in their destination and burning purpose he felt when he had to take longer strides to keep in even pace with her. Tipping his hat, he politely nodded towards Evin. “Yea...I believe we sorta met back in Blackpond at that Ball...brief as that was.” Darren quirked a brow, squinting in the sunlight as his eyes examined the man curiously, noting how worn Evin appeared, thinking that he looked like Darren sometimes felt. “Guy...you don’t look too good..no offense. You need anything?” He asked, unhooking a flask from his side and offering the water to Evin.

“So..this might be a really stupid question...but I need to ask it. Do we know what happened? I understand we don’t want wild rumors running rampant and superstition taking hold if there is a rational explanation to all of this..but..” Darren cleared his throat, tilting his hat back so that he could look between his company clearly, without obstruction. “...Are we under attack? I mean...is it possible someone or someones are responsible? I’m not one to believe the Gods had anything to do with it..”

It was interesting. What deterred a tough as nails woman like Lena from visiting Blackpond. It was something that was worth keeping close to the forefront of his mind. Another thing worth keeping in his mind was the fact that Lena had been going through the archives in the last few weeks of her life. In terms of the wealth of knowledge, the White Shadows archives held so much, that forgotten gems still hadn't been found. Even Lena herself wouldn't have been able to read through the entirety of the archives. However, whatever she needed to know were in those archives. Lena wouldn't have wasted so much time otherwise.
As they reached the exit, a familiar face. He didn't remember the face or even where they had met, but Evin knew they'd seen each other before. Annie continued to talk, not to him this time, so he didn't really pay attention. When she mentioned Dastan, Evin perked up. A skip in his step that he didn't have before. He hadn't seen the man in such a long time. Not since the Ball, but it had been even longer since they'd had a proper conversation. Annie's way of speech was much like her mothers, very evasive. Evin understood what must have happened and the Sun going out added up to something disastrous.
When Annie looked at Evin and expressed how the Crimsons wanted to know what to do with him, it felt like he had been hit. He'd missed a step and stumbled. When he caught himself he wondered: was Annie giving him an invitation to do what she knew she couldn't do? The thought hurt Evin. Dastan had taken him and the other abandoned Wolves.
Then reality sunk in. It wasn't her place to ask of that of someone who wasn't a member of the Crimsons. If Annie was asking for anything, it would have been protection.
Then finally, a name. Darren tipped his hat to him and then went on. Speaking of the illness, but what Evin held onto was the offer of help that was directed at him.
“I need answers... kid” he said in a jabbing tone as to notate the fact that the young guy could not even take the time to use the name that he had just been told by Annie. “Unless you have any of them, I'm afraid there's nothing you can give me. What we have here is not normal. Lena was the first one to get it and it didn't spread on until long after her death. It isn't being spread like any other illness like your everyday cold. In fact, I'd almost say that it doesn't spread at all, but that it is attacking us all at once.” He turned to Annie. “I'm going to say that it is safe to assume that you don't know what it was that kept Lena away from Blackpond. The books that she liked to read, however, I imagine you could give me a general idea of what those were. More importantly, the stuff she read just before leaving for the South and the books she read right before her death.”

Annie was silent through most of the talking, but she had listened to Darren and Evin and was carefully considering both lines of questioning. “You knew my mother Evin.” She spoke up finally. “She had the infuriating habit of never giving straight answers. She believed, I think, that she did us a disservice by giving us answers when we wanted them instead of letting us discover them when we truly needed them... She never left people with nothing, however. I don’t see why death would change that about her. I’m convinced that in some way she told everyone what she was thinking, and that it’s simple. If you want access to the archives, you have it. She had been reading everything and anything regarding the Myths, the Twins, and enlightenment and so have I in the past six months. As for Blackpond...” Annie paused, stopping for a split second and resuming her walk. “I could speculate, but I don’t know. The King and his assassins didn’t scare her, however, it was around that time that Jake discovered that the Shadow’s dagger was in the city, it might have had to do with that... Or maybe something else entirely. There’s plenty happening in Blackpond. Jake would know some of it. Have you two not spoken at all since he left the desert?” She questioned curiously.

Falling into a second moment of silence the girl walked with her head down, as if awaiting the moment when the grassy soil of the plains would begin to change into the bare wasteland of Valcrest desert, she eventually shook her head and spoke up rather abruptly, addressing Darren’s questioning. “A powerful enough enlightened could cause an eclipse, if that’s what you mean, either someone with the gift of Illusion or... Someone with the gift of shadow manipulation.” She fell silent again, finally heaving a sigh. “I think the Crimson Shadows suspect Dastan of doing this, but I’m not sure if he could have. If this wasn’t a natural phenomenon, and Dastan wasn’t the cause, I would consider the possibility that this was in some way an attack directed at the Crimson Shadows. It would be something clever, no? To wipe out a clan and successfully frame their own leader.” She shrugged calmly. “I won’t know until I see the damage.”

“Hmm..” Darren pondered how Evin described how the illness was spreading like wildfire but it wasn’t as if it were contagious. The plaguing questions of how and why the sickness was affecting enlightened seemed as if they would never be answered. “..Would be so much easier if we knew the source...the trigger..” Darren muttered to himself, thinking out loud and not paying attention to the fact his thoughts were now in the open as he rambled a bit incoherently All those times he watched Annie reread the same myths over and over again, trying to sort out some kind of clue, he was in awe that there seemed to be no real lead to what could be causing it all. “..It’s like there’s something in the food..” He snorted at himself. “..So much easier to understand if I had something tangible to put my hands on…” Darren sighed, kicking a stray rock from his path, glancing over to Annie once again.

“Do..you think there’s a way for me..to help? To see? Or does that cross some boundaries? I know it’s risky...it takes a lot out of me...but maybe something of your Mom’s?” Darren removed his hat to ruffle up his hair before placing it back on his head. He was beginning to frustrate himself, grasping for straws, so to speak, with no real direction. “I did decide...that when Mom goes to the ruins...to whatever is left of her town..I’m going with her. Maybe it will be like..” Darren grunted and shrugged, thinking of Ess’ dagger and the array of images that flooded his mind that seemed to stretch back across centuries. It still didn’t make a lot of sense to him.

“I don’t get it. Why would Dastan’s own people blame him for causing the eclipse? Why would Dastan…” Darren fell silent shaking his head, knowing not to finish that sentence. If Dastan was even responsible, it was something he wouldn’t do on purpose. He was a leader and Darren had seen bits here and there in his brief encounters, how important his friends and Crimson alike, appeared to him. “..If there is the possibility that a person could be strong enough to manipulate the eclipse and cause that amount of damage...who is to say someone..in theory..couldn’t be responsible for the sickness? I dunno...seems like something of that magnitude...would kill someone. Nevermind...that doesn’t make sense…” Darren brushed off his own thoughts feeling a bit silly for voicing his mind so freely.

Evin didn't care too much about how the eclipse happened. He kept out of the conversation regarding that. What Darren had said—how he could help—did make Evin perk up, however. Although Darren didn't make much sense as his mind was jumbled it seemed. What he seemed to grasp was that he had some sort of enlightenment that might be useful for Evin, but he was afraid that it may be against the rules to do so. It seemed that Darren might be able to invade the privacy of the dead somehow.
“Darren, Annie; you two are young so I don't expect you to understand this just yet, but I've learned something in my time. There comes a point in your life where you are given a choice to give up something worth a million times more than an order or rule. I did it for a woman. You could do it for the lives of tens of thousands.” He let that sit in Darren's mind and he walked a little faster to walk at level with Annie. He spoke in a hushed tone. “Now Lena's Journal, really think about it. Is there anything special that she ever said to you or maybe even Jake while you were around? Did she maybe leave the key with Alistair or possibly leave some secret on her old ring? Is it some sort of reference to a myth or medical term?” And then, he said aloud. “And being a White Shadow, what do you know about this illness that I may not know?”

Once again Annie was silent for quite a while, giving a pause long enough to lead one to believe she had nothing left to say, her eyes already searching the path ahead for the red flags that marked the entrance of the Crimson Shadows’ camp. She didn’t know if it was worse to think of what may lie ahead or to keep her mind in the topic of conversation. Nothing was particularly pleasant. “Tens of thousands, ourselves, and pretty much everyone we care about.” She stated simply, not turning to face Evin, but clearly addressing the man with a tone of annoyance in her voice. “Everyone here is old enough to understand that much, so I’d consider any reminders to be... Unnecessary, don’t you think? Regardless, how my mother’s belongings or memories are handled, and by whom, is not something I’m willing to allow you to have any say in.” She glanced at the man briefly, her annoyance turning into a discreet tone of warning.

The girl heaved a sigh and her tone softened as she answered his question of what she could tell of the illness. “What we know is that whatever this is it only affects enlightened, we’ve ruled out any form of poisoning and we don’t believe it is contagious, or even spreading; as you said so yourself. We believe every enlightened in Valcrest is already afflicted and it’s a matter of time until symptoms start to manifest in those not experiencing them yet. We have no clue why some people develop symptoms sooner than others, the casualties were... diverse...” Annie shook her head. “You know, my mother always made sure I studied, made sure I knew as much if not more than the other healers did; even though most of the senior healers thought it unnecessary due to my enlightenment. She’d say that there is no way to properly fix something that’s broken if you have no understanding of how it works. If this afflicts enlightened and it is connected to the magic itself, as most already assume it does, no medicine will fix it... Because in thousands of years of study, dating back to the first scholars of Blackhurst, we still have no clue how enlightenment works. The myths offer so many inconsistencies that they probably outnumber the stars in the sky. I believe that my mother’s incessant digging at the mythology books has to do with that. I believe she did not find an answer herself, but there may be something incredibly valuable in her research... In that bloody journal... And I’m certain that she believed someone is, if not responsible; if that would even be possible, at least attempting to insure that this will kill us all. I see no reason why she would encrypt something that would, in theory, never be seen by anyone else other than myself unless she was worried someone would succeed in taking it from me. That is everything I know and some of my assumptions... And as you can see it’s not much.”

Walking a few more steps in silence Annie allowed herself to consider Darren’s offer of help, it was valid, but at this moment it was indeed risky to try it. She turned her head to watch him as if trying to visually assess his well-being before addressing it. “I’d rather you not take any risks, wouldn’t want to lose my favorite helper after all, but... If you want to, I will find something I know my mother had with her in her time away from Valcrest and maybe you can see some of what she was doing then. I think that might be helpful.”

Darren quirked a brow at Evin, slightly confused at his words, but not responding. Evin, like many, was trying to get a grip on what was happening, Darren sense a bit of a cocky attitude he both admired and disliked at the same time. To be fair, the man didn’t know all the facts and Darren wasn’t sure he even made much sense to him, but that hadn’t been the point. He wasn’t completely wrong either. Turning his attention back to listen to Annie, he was a bit surprised to catch some annoyance in her voice but couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t for the fact she was upset, but the idea of the woman being severely pissed off, stole his thoughts as he wondered if he could actually picture such a thing. Could be interesting or frightening, depending.

Darren hadn’t heard all that Evin was saying, but he caught most of what Annie responded with, unsure why the man thought it best to whisper some things around him. It was clear by Annie’s response, she didn’t feel her words were something to hide from Darren. The particular topic at hand was already something Darren was aware of, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he was suppose to hang back.

“... I see no reason why she would encrypt something that would, in theory, never be seen by anyone else other than myself unless she was worried someone would succeed in taking it from me”

“...Just like my Grandmother’s Journal...stolen when her town was burned to ashes..” Darren muttered, nodding to himself, agreeing that one couldn’t be too careful; after all he did steal his own father’s journal, encrypted but that wasn’t exactly the same thing.

Darren smiled slightly at Annie when she considered his offer to help. “..Whatever..you need...I promise to be careful..” He suddenly signaled to Sora to scout ahead, sweeping his hands in a clapping motion forward, the wolf taking off until she was out of sight.

Annie seemed bitter towards Evin. No matter. He didn't need Annie to like him. All he needed was for her to cooperate with him. If the leverage Evin had wasn't so big, he'd might have been worried, but in the end, Annie and Evin wanted the same thing and that was what made the whole thing worth it.

[The Desert]

They began to approach the Crimson's camp. There was no greeting. Instead, there was blank stares and shaking citizens about. People crying and people consoling those who could not be consoled. Evin looked at one group of people. They surrounded a dead man. Some of the Crimson Shadows tried to get the citizens to move away from the bod so that they could move it, but the citizens refused.
Evin only noticed that he was holding his breath when he felt faint. He swallowed a large quantity of air and composed his tattered body. “These are people who party when they're hungover. I can't believe it. Annie, tell me what you need and I'll get it for you. It's the least I could do after annoying you for the past few hours.”

Annie didn’t seem as affected by the desolate state of the desert inhabitants as one should be, she had seen enough of hopeless stares in the past months and she had expected to see it all again now. The girl took a long deep breath, her brown eyes scanning the encampment as if trying to decide where help was needed most. She heard Evin’s comment and nodded as though she acknowledged the fact he had addressed her, but wasn’t paying attention to his words. As they walked further into the encampment, she took notice that several dead were still scattered around the encampment, most surrounded by distraught loved ones, and as Annie walked past a group of such civilians, she gently grasped the wrist of a mercenary who was trying, as gently as possible, to physically remove a woman who was knelt down and clinging to a deceased man’s arm. The gesture causing the man to immediately stop what he was doing. “Don’t force this.” She whispered. “Just start building the funeral pyre and they will come to you when they are ready.” The man seemed reluctant, but silently agreed and moved away, calling his few remaining brethren to start the pyre. Annie counted, by the red sashes or capes she could spot amongst the people, less than ten Crimson Shadows in the encampment. Even assuming a few of them were in the temple or inside some of the tents that remained intact, that was in no way a good sign.

The sudden change in the mercenaries’ attitude from aimless and confused to somewhat organized caught the man’s attention and Jackson eventually appeared to greet the new arrivals, even if only with simple nod of head. “The injure are all inside the temple.” He informed Annie. “So is Dastan; we locked him up in his room for the time being. Not that he seems to care about leaving.”
“How great are your losses?” Annie questioned.
“There are about twelve Crimson Shadows left alive, counting Dastan, Indrani and myself; so that number may decrease soon. Not to mention that three of those twelve are merely pups barely fit to swing a sword properly. Indrani had only recently assigned them trainers... Which... Are now all dead, so...” The man fell into a devastated silence, unable to find anything else to say.
Annie heaved a long sigh, sadness spreading across her dark eyes as she reached for Jackson’s arm in a sympathetic gesture. “I’m so sorry, Jackson. I have no words.”
“Dastan made me promise, right when he started to feel the sickness, that if something of this sort were to happen I would make sure he wouldn’t live long enough to see it. I already broke my promise and he may not... Forgive me, but... I don’t want to do this. I just need you to tell me that this is not what it seems, and that I don’t need to do this. Do you understand?”
Annie nodded that she understood, but she made Jackson no promises. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see Indrani first, I was told she was gravely injured?”
“Yes, that’s true. Ali is tending to her, but she’s no healer and Indrani lost a considerable amount of blood. There are other injured of course, but nothing else nearly as life threatening.” he informed, starting to lead the small group towards the temple.
Once again Annie nodded her understanding as she followed Jackson. “If it’s not to much to ask, Jackson, could you tell me what exactly happened?”

Jackson shook his head as though he refused to answer, but he eventually did. “The Sun died, the skies darkened, shadows rose from the ground and just began to tear people apart. There was a lot of crying and a lot of screaming, we were rushing to get people into the temple hoping it would protect them, but not knowing even that much for sure. I wasn’t near Dastan when it happened, I didn’t see it happen, but Ali said he started to act strangely, slurring his words; and I know what you’re thinking, but he had been perfectly fine during the trip from forest... He walked about halfway towards the temple and his knees gave out... Last anyone saw him before it all started he was kneeling in the sand clutching his head as though it hurt. He was out cold when the shadows faded, pale as though life had been drained from him, but he was still breathing. I carried him into the temple by myself and eventually one of Crys’ assassins helped me, none of our own would go near him, even if he was helpless.” Jackson stopped as they reached the door of the temple, running his fingers through his dirty blonde hair and trying to hide a guilty expression. “I should go... Help prepare the funerals... It will take time to burn all those bodies.” He snorted. “I can’t see that kid like this...” He muttered a bit under his breath.

Annie suppressed a frustrated groan as Jackson walked away. The Crimson Shadows were nice folk, they had taken in her people when the Blackpond army forced them out of the desert, they had taken Crys and the other exiled Wolves into their camp... They were simple, friendly, people, and still for some reason this had to happen to them. “I have brought everything I need.” She answered Evin as though time hadn’t passed since his offer of help. “Assuming that you can handle stitches and bandages though, an extra set of hands would be more than welcome. It sounds like Indrani will need my full attention.”

Blood -spatter soaked into the dirt and sand, clumping in many areas, few pools remaining. Luck would have it that Darren, distracted with the despair and wails drowning all of his attention, stepped in one of the puddles, momentarily losing balance as his foot slid out from him, but quickly recovered. Two men pass not far from him, carrying a fallen Crimson, the face Darren barely recognizing as one of the men he shared a drink with only just last night. His heart sank at the sight while he reached down to his wrists, tightening the fit of his gloves to make sure they were in no danger from slipping off as his palms began to sweat. The man’s eyes glistened, momentarily losing focus on what he should be doing, never actually seeing the aftermath of a battlefield, except in his visions or his dreams.

A flash of fur, blurring past his left peripheral and a shout of protest, alerted Darren to Sora’s presence. The wolf was trying to get past a woman who was blocking her path to the temple, shouting and flailing her arms trying to scare the beast back. “Scavenger! Back! Smell of blood draws them near..You can not have them!”

Darren groaned, muttering under his breath to Annie that he would catch up in a minute as he carefully approached, noticing how Sora was dodging the woman’s attempts at striking her, the wolf’s teeth baring in defense. “Miss? My apologies..the wolf means no harm...she’s only following..”

“The scent! Well she can’t have our wounded or dead.” The woman spat in annoyance.

Darren held up his hands to show there was nothing in them as he approached, moving between the wolf and the woman. “..She’s with me. I promise..she is well fed and is not here for any of you…” Darren half smiled. “I tried to leave her behind..but you see..she’s not a pet I can't make her do anything she doesn’t wish to. She’s quite the free spirit. Please..we are only here to help. Look, she’s friendly.” Darren knelt down beside Sora, gently petting her side, the wolf sitting on her haunches, wagging her tail slowly. He heard a voice from behind him, another familiar face from the night before. He turned to see it had been one of the musicians, although now he was missing most of his left arm. Makeshift bandages were tightly binding his wounds but they were dripping with blood. Darren was in awe the man wasn’t in shock, still managing to stand on his feet. “Whoa now, Buddie. Sit down...we need to cauterize that wound now. You, Miss.What is your name?” He asked the woman who was still eyeing Sora distrustingly.

“Kenya..” She muttered,

“Perfect. I’m Darren..and the wolf is Sora. Now Kenya...I’m going to need your help for a second…”

Sora moved to Darren’s side as they eased the one armed man to the ground, put a hunk of kindling in his mouth to bite down on while Darren prepared the wound. He had handed one of his weapons: an Ax, to Kenya who held the metal in a near by fire for a few moments until it was hot and ready. Sora laid on top of the wounded man while Darren pinned back his shoulders, Kenya pushing the hot metal against flesh for what seemed like forever, the man screaming between gritted teeth and wood. After the seared flesh was cleaned and properly dressed, Sora took off after the others into the temple, Darren following close after and reaching Annie not long after she arrived to Indrani. Opening his pack, he began ripping and tearing strips of cloth to create more bandages.

“I'll be glad to help.” Evin said as Darren wandered off.
Evin looked for a way to take his mind off of what was around him. Death, despite being his job, was the Twin that made the least sense to Evin. Why he had to kill and why exactly Death was considered a gift to us when even the Twins themselves, when facing their own finality, rebelled. It was an odd thing to imagine, that the Twins couldn't even live to face mortality.
But that was enough thought of death. There had been too much of it too close to home in his life lately. It was time to put his mind at ease for just a moment. “So you and Darren are good friends it seems? You care a lot for him, I can tell and you seem very trusting of him. How long have you known him.”

Annie entered the temple and immediately spotted Indrani, the woman was unconscious and sweating profusely due to what Annie could identify as dangerously high fever. Ali was sitting by Indrani, holding a wet washcloth to the woman’s forehead in a somewhat feeble attempt to lower her temperature. She looked at up at Annie with a bit of annoyance in her eyes that was not exactly directed at her. “Took you long enough.” She mumbled.
“Oh, well, you know... Distractions along the way. My apologies.” Annie half smiled as she knelt by Indrani. “How long has she been feverish?”
“Hours, I think. She was in and out of consciousness, but she hasn't opened her eyes for a while now.” Ali informed. “I assume that’s not good.”
“None of this is good, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing either. If her temperature comes down again she should eventually wake up, unless it’s too late.” She explained, taking a thorough look at Allison as she spoke and frowning slightly; she looked pale and shaky herself. “You’re in pain again, aren't you? Go rest, I got this.”
“Rest won’t make the pain go away, Annie; you know this. I’m not going anywhere.” Ali argued.
“It might not make the pain go away, but you still need it.” Annie stated severely. “When was the last time you even had a drink of water?”
“I’m fine.” Ali muttered, not very convincingly, but moving away to sit closer to the walls, leaning against the stone and closing her eyes for a bit.
Annie shook her head, but didn’t argue any more knowing it was probably no use, turning her attention to Indrani, checking the woman’s wound and pulling supplies out of her kit as she answered Evin’s questions on Darren, giving the boy an amused glance before casually answering the questions as though he wasn’t standing right there. “I met Darren for the first time during the ball, briefly. So I suppose it’s been, what, six months or so. I trust him quite a bit, yes. He’s not yet tried to murder me, nor asked me any questions I wasn’t willing to answer, and he’s been a dear friend. Sora too.” She smiled, calmly changing Indrani’s bandages for ones that seemed to have been soaked in some herbal extract. The medicine would hopefully be enough to keep any infection under control.

Darren was accumulating new rags for bandages, draping them along his shoulder, only half listening as Annie spoke. His eyes were fluctuating between Indrani, Annie, Ali, Evin, and the other wounded scattered within the temple, taking in every detail he would in a matter of a few moments. The place needed more light, one of the first things he noticed, and after giving a sly wink in Annie’s direction he gathered a couple torches and several candles.

“..Should I start the tea? I’m sure while I make my rounds, I may find others fevering..” Darren asked Annie gently. “..Strip the root and seep before adding the honey and cinnamon.” He recited to himself, remembering that those ingredients were not just to take away the bitter taste, but also aided in healing headaches.

Darren relieved himself of his hat and rested it on the back of a nearby chair, along with some of the fresh bandages he’d torn, in case more were needed. He also positioned a clean basin of water beside Annie’s medicine bag before excusing himself once again to quickly assess the other wounded. Some were very lucky, alive with a few broken bones and minor cuts and abrasions; many were missing limbs, appendages and had lost a lot of blood but it did appear they would live, with the Twins' blessing. Darren had paused beside a young man, just old enough to carry a sword, the swelling around his neck and shoulder catching his eye.

“Brave, young man...how you feeling? I want you to squeeze my hand as hard as you can...good...now the other..” Darren kept a friendly smile, as the boy advised him that his name was Andrew and that his head was throbbing because he was tossed like a rag doll into stone. There was little blood, the area tender and also with the strange swelling along the kid’s shoulder, Darren had a feeling it was something inside of Andrew that was hurt or damaged that he could not see. Raising a candle before the boy’s eye, just as he had seen Annie do many times before, he instructed Andrew to look into the light and follow it. Both the boy’s eyes were bloodshot, his left pupil blown out to indicate internal trauma.

Darren kept his smile, giving Andrew some water before wandering back over to Annie to whisper the status of the other injured; importantly the young boy, awaiting instructions. Meanwhile, Sora had wandered off somewhere out of sight but from her occasional whines and frustrated barks it wasn’t hard to tell she waiting at the base of the wall that lead to where Dastan was currently being kept. If only the wolf had thumbs, maybe she would climb the wall. Or maybe not.

Annie snickered while she watched Evin drag Ali away. The young woman didn’t fight the man’s hold and simply allowed him to drag her away with annoyed expression on her face. Her smiled faltered slightly as she turned her attention to the boy Darren had informed her of, knowing that his condition was more serious than she would like. “That sounds serious.” She muttered, taking a few moments to organize her thoughts before making a decision. “Indrani shouldn’t need anymore care unless she wakes up; which probably won't be so soon, so I’m going upstairs to take a look at Dastan. I’d like you to keep monitoring that boy, keep him calm and talking, and warn me if his situation changes while I’m up there; if his pain worsens or he starts to show signs of confusion, or lose consciousness, I need to know right away.”

Raven's Nest


“J-Bear went out early in the morning with the Whiny Kid. He stopped by while you were out running, but he didn’t stick around. Good job with the whole praying thing by the way. Looks like it worked.”

Ess didn’t move from her spot where she knelt, motioning for the kids to stand as she nodded some to Luckas’ words.

“Seeee!” Lily teased Jason, giving a playful punch on his arm.

“Alright, alright...maybe…” Jason grumbled under his breath.

Ess snorted. “Maybe, Indeed.” She whispered.

Lily turned to tug lightly on one of Ess’ curls to get the woman’s attention and smile adorably over at her. “Miss Ess? What happened? Why did it happen? Is it bad or are people just scared...like a bad dream? If it’s bad, why would the Mother and Father do that? Don’t they just want us to be happy?”

“Whoa whoa..Miss Lily..slow down.” Ess sighed, shaking her head in slight amusement. “What happened? The sun disappeared for a few minutes. I know as much as you right now. Why? No idea. Yes, people are scared and yes it COULD be bad, but we don’t know yet for certain.” She paused to reach out and brush Lily’s bangs from her eyes, a serious expression taking over her features. “Happiness...is a...tricky thing, Miss LIly…”

“But why?” Lily interrupted.

“...Because...what makes you happy, may make another person miserable. It’s not possible to make everyone happy, unfortunately. Just like the war, hun. The winner may be happy to win, but all the people that lose their family or friends will not be happy. Or..even simpler...you want to play with a toy the same time Clayton does, but he’s not done with it yet. You aren’t happy you have to wait and if you steal it from him, it may make you happy, but what happens?”

“...I’d get in trouble..” Lily mumbled.

“Why?” Ess pressed, poking her side.

“..Because it’s bad to steal what is not mine..and he’d cry…”

“Just because something..may make someone happy, doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to do, then, right? Different things make people happy as well..good or bad. Happiness is selfish, unless you do something only to make someone else happy, not caring if you are sad or not.”

“..Is that like sharing?” Clayton asked, his face scrunching up in distaste at the idea, causing Ess to laugh.

“..Sure..sometimes you don’t want to share but you do it to be nice, right?” Ess paused, glancing at Luckas a moment before continuing, her eyes keeping tabs on the tree line defensively. “If Mother and Father even still had a care or play in the lives of humans anymore, I believe they wouldn’t want us to be ‘Happy;’ they’d want us to be ‘Strong.’ ”

Jason was the one who spoke this time, clearing his throat so that Clayton and LIly looked up at him. “Strong...Brave...to get past what scares us and help us not forget who we are so we don’t turn into what scares us.”

Ess was startled out of thought as she looked over at Jason curiously and nodded slowly. “..My thoughts..exactly..” She trailed off, gracefully standing on her feet, an uneasy look crossing her eyes contradicting her smile as she moved to change the subject. “Ok, you three, go back to Jess and calm her nerves before she sends half the Guard out to retrieve you.” She partially joked. “Tala...Follow.” Ess quickly added, smiling when the wolf hopped up on all fours and began circling the kids as if to herd them along like cattle, back towards the center of camp, Puppy in the lead. Essence was already making her way back towards the river to retrieve her breakfast, her eyes still searching the woods she passed as she mumbled under her breath. “Bloody..squirrels..”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somewhere In Blackpond..

Sheer darkness, without a spec of light. Were her eyes even open? The ground was cold, not of stone but of musty, earth that reeked of something rotten. There was hardly a dry spot, but somehow she felt along the rock walls to a semi comfortable corner away from the others. Deidra could hear them breathing through muffled sobs, but otherwise silent.

It was unclear how long she had been there, especially since she couldn’t remember how she arrived. Dee simply now existed in this place that felt like a giant grave. Still, she didn’t feel despair or alone as she mentally took in every noise, feeling and smell around her. No windows. Was there even a door? She looked up, concerned maybe she was dropped into a hole, only understanding that she was underground, but she could not hear anything from above so she assumed they were far below. After a time, she closed her eyes and simply waited. That was when she heard his voice. It was like a distant whisper, but she knew it could only be heard by herself.

“Dee Dee…” The familiar, deep rumble of Kyle’s voice echoed inside her mind. “You’re somewhere in the city...but I can’t track you...can you see where you are?”

Deidra only answered by thoughts alone, keeping silent, making sure to not even move or bat an eyelash, paranoid of drawing any attention. ”..It’s Dark...cold...I think I’m underground...If I'm in the city..perhaps below the streets? I’m not alone Kyle..”

“ You alright, Dee? How many are with you?”

“ ..I’m...intact. I’m holding it together alright. Um...I know at least five people..maybe more. I don’t know any specifics. I don’t...even know how I got here..”


Earlier That Day Before Dawn, Somewhere Outside BlackPond


“...She’s got too much fight in her for my liking...I’ll give her to you for a good price..” Kyle shrugged.

“I can see that..” The man muttered, pulling back his hood, green eyes studying Dee curiously. He reached out to firmly grip her shoulder. “...Seems pretty strong for a Servant..” He stated with a hint of doubt.

“..Life of hard labor will do that to you, no? If you’re not interested then fine..no skin off my back, David….”

“...Hm...Honestly not sure if we have any need for her...any specific...talents?” Gently the man lifted Dee’s chin to look into her eyes, addressing her. “You may speak...What makes you useful?”

That was Dee’s que to tremble and stutter as she answered the man. “I…c-can sew, sir...cook…” Quickly she casted down her gaze.

“Hm...is that all? We don’t need farmers in the city..so no back breaking labor involved where I am going..” He smiled when Dee whimpered softly and ran his fingers through her hair, attempting to comfort her. “Shh..if you don’t give me a problem then I can make sure you don’t end up somewhere..less enjoyable.”

“That’s a yes then?” Kyle looked over David, receiving a pouch of coin as his answer and lifted Dee into the back of the wagon, David closely following. David pulled the flap down over the opening, swaying Kyle’s eyes from the crates behind him. “Nice doing business with you then…”

Kyle waited until the wagon was out of sight before he got back in his wagon and continued towards the city to dump off the furs and trinkets at the market. By mid afternoon, he wanted to be free of any burdens while getting a fresh sense of the city before moving to camp back in the wilderness. All that was left..was to wait.

“No more stops, understood?” David mumbled to the driver before turning to sit across from Deidra on one of the crates. Reaching for his canteen, he offered the woman some water which Dee took happily, a bit surprised when the man wetted a cloth and proceeded to clean off her face. “So...what is your name?”

“Deidra.” She muttered, keeping her gaze adverted towards the ground.

“Deidra.” David nodded. “Ok..Deidra...I’m a fair man...I have a client who has their fingers in...pretty much everything and anything you could think of. My employer and I have a knack for finding a demand even if there wasn’t one seconds ago. Do you understand? So, in a way...I have a hand in deciding what to do with you.” David leaned in close, brushing hair from Dee’s eyes, dragging the cloth over them carefully. “...That means...you can have a choice. You do me a favor...and I grant you one in return...I am a businessman after all and I take what I can in trade. Or I can send you off to the first pleasure house we come across. Your choice.” He paused, tossing down the rag and leaning in to whisper. “You’re not enlightened, right? I can tell...I can also tell that that man you were with, was. He have something against normal people?”

Dee didn’t answer at first, her expression of one of surprise. “Oh, you didn’t know?” David asked in amusement. “Probably why you have so many scars?”

Dee nodded, playing on the man’s assumption. “..Makes sense why he…favored me then.” She cringed, trying to pull away when David wrapped his hands around hers a few moments before tinkering with her restraints so that there was more leeway for the woman to move her arms. “What do I have to do?” She whispered, knowing full well it was going to be something unpleasant, an honest chill creeping down her spine when the man’s smile widened, a darkness fogging over his green eyes.


A couple hours later..

“Why are we stopping? Hey, I told you no more stops..we can’t afford to be late.” David snorted , peeking up front, the man freezing where he stood and mumbling for the man to stay with the wagon. David hated these kind of jobs more so because of who he had to deal with. The dark skinned man creeped him out not to mention the two large men clad in red upon horses he noticed approaching from the sides.

“Don’t be afraid Deidra. I’m not like my employer...I don’t throw away those I favorite...I keep my business deals...Just be silent unless addressed directly, understood? I plan on keeping you..close.”

Deidra quickly moved to the end of the wagon when David hopped out, holding her breath to try to listen as the man addressed someone else but she could only hear David’s words.

“Just like you ordered..with a few other things Asher threw in on good faith. No charge….He would have come himself, but he had to be elsewhere. He sends his apologies and regards and any messages are welcomed.” David cleared his throat, his tone changing some as if he was becoming defensive, his words flowing more quickly and less calculated now.

“Wait a minute..we had a deal...we are even sweetening it for the delay…We covered our tracks...unfortunate circumstances induced the destruction of the last shipment, bu-” He grunted, the sounds of spitting and something heavy falling onto the ground accompanied by a series of groans. The flap at the end of the wagon was whipped aside, a figure clad in deep red adorning a short blond ponytail, peeked inside, his cloudy blue eyes sparkling over the contents of the wagon in approval. The man’s left arm was tightly wrapped around David’s neck and even still he attempted to sway the men; whatever it would take to appease them. The moment his eyes fell upon Dee, she gasped, cowering more behind some of the crates. The man paused, tilting his head slightly, raising his other hand which gripped a stiletto that he casually brought to his lips in a hushing gesture. “Shh..” He whispered, turning his attention abruptly to where Dee would not see, and nodded. Silent instruction was met with a single nod, the carmine, draped figure sneaking the blade up along David’s back towards his side as he quickly slipped the sharp point between David’s ribs and discarded him to the ground like trash.

“..Should we send Asher...the pieces...as a message?” The man muttered to another figure that approached, one Dee could not make out except that is was dressed all in black. Her eyes caught the back of the hands, giving her the impression it was male, and she was surprised to see his skin was almost the same shade as the material that clothed him. Dee didn’t hear the answer, but assumed by the man’s cold snicker, that he had found the answer he was looking for. Glancing over back towards Dee he gestured for her to come forward. “We have a breather..” He relayed, climbing into the wagon when Deidra didn’t approach when beckoned. The moment he grabbed her, she began to flail and scream, falling quiet only after she was smacked twice across the face. Dee squeezed her eyes shut, making it a point to not look at the figure in black. Part of her wanted to, because it would prove useful to see the face of who was giving commands, but at the same time, she wanted to play into the fear she was expected to have and to her, it made sense to let one live the less they heard or saw.

“Everything else that was promised, appears to be inside...but..what do you want to do with the breather? I mean we could ju-”

“Gaaah! No no..don’t...please...I just deliver the-” The high pitched pleas of the man who had driven the wagon. were skillfully cut short as another man in red sliced out the victim’s tongue before tearing open his throat to bleed out in seconds.

“...Or...we could put her with the others..to be decided…” The blond snickered, slithering his fingers around a tuff of Dee’s hair and yanked her head back, causing her to react by opening her eyes. “...What do you think...can I keep her?”

~~~~

Present Moment

“Ok ok..What’s the last thing you remember?” Kyle prodded gently.

“..Men in red..Kyle...and another with dark skin, all in black...who was commanding them...I didn’t hear his voice...can’t remember his face... Also...something about a test...I don’t know what that means...I think to decide if I’m useful enough to keep around..maybe..”

“ Alright Dee, don’t worry, you won’t be alone and I’ll do what I can, ok? Do you trust me?” Kyle asked, a bit of uneasiness apparent as he spoke into her mind.

“Of course Kyle, you know you don’t need to ask me that….Is something wrong?”

“..No...yes...well..something crazy happened not too long ago...the sun disappeared for a bit..everything was dark and people were freaking out. The sun came back, but I am still waiting to hear what this could all mean...You didn’t see it?”

Deidra was quiet, thoughtful for a few moments, forgetting momentarily that what she was thinking was the same as speaking to Kyle and he could hear every idea that crossed her mind.

“ Dee..don’t worry yourself until there is something to worry about. Just keep your ears open...no matter what you see and hear, I’ll check in, Even if..-”

“Even if it doesn’t seem important...report it..I know the drill, Kyle. I’ll be ok...you should conserve your strength..don’t want you weak when I need you.”

“ Who you calling weak? You know I’m not leaving my best friend. You need me...you know what to do. Stay Strong Deidra. See you soon.”

“..See you soon…” There was never a goodbye with them, only ‘See you soon.’ Even in death, there were no goodbyes. That philosophy was truly the only thing that made healing possible with the passing of Dee’s late husband, Eric.

A subtle, warm breeze tickled a few strands of Dee’s hair, breaking her out of thought. She opened her eyes; although a lot of good that did her since there was still no light in the room. She hadn’t heard a door..if there even was one, and as she leaned forward she had the distinct feeling someone was standing in front of her. Perhaps it was the faint scent of perfume that could be detected beneath the filth that tainted what air she could reach. There was no escaping it. The sounds of quiet sobs were suddenly silenced and then there was nothing. The scent of perfume, the sobbing individual, and the phantom figure in the darkness were all gone. If there was no door...where did they go? Deidra inhaled sharply and held her breath, listening intently for any noise, but she could only hear the thumping of her heart pounding in her ears.

The second she exhaled, a cool hand gripped her shoulder and Dee couldn’t help the surprised scream that left her lips, which was cut short as if the wind was knocked right out of her. She couldn’t catch her breath and suddenly she was extremely cold. She didn’t even realize her eyes were closed until a sudden light illuminated the back of her eyelids. Dee peeked her eyes open to see a room with a table and chairs, a few candles and two figures clad in blue; their faces hidden by hoods. There wasn’t even time to think before she felt the invading forces piercing her mind, as if they were jabbing icepicks into her temples. She couldn’t move...she couldn’t speak, and in the pain all thought left her, all noise was deafened, and her sight was blinded by a bright, white light. The only thing she remembered was the smell of perfume.

[Otium 14th, morning]

“Oy, Fiery-Kid... What’s your name again?” Luckas called, approaching Jason as he sat with a book by the river.
“Fiery-kid?” The boy repeated, not seeming very amused and not taking his attention away from the book. “It’s Jason.”
“Well, my apologies, sir.. I so happen to be terrible with names. I’m not too good in the head, you know?” Luckas snickered. “Have you seen Stalker? I haven’t seen him yet this morning.”
“Aiden had most of the wolves with him, but that was a while ago. Can’t remember if Stalker was with them either. Usually he wouldn’t be.” Jason responded, shrugging slightly.

“No, not usually.” Luckas agreed, sitting by a rock a bit away from Jason and peeking at the cover of the book the boy had. “Sun and Moon, huh? Interesting?”
“Very much.” Jason mumbled.
“I admit I don’t know much about them.”
“Moon is my favorite Twin, she was the protector of thieves, the Black Knights were created as her champions. She’s underrated in Newhaven, I believe.” Jason explained. “Sun is always more popular.”
“As are the White Knights, no?” Luckas pointed out with a nod. “That’s why they’re better together though, right? One side takes up all the attention so that the other can act more freely.”
“I suppose, but must not be easy to live in someone’s shadow. The songs and poems in this book, talk much about loneliness. For instance here... ‘Lady of the Shadows, high up in the sky...Lighting up her darkness with the silver tears she cried.’ It’s a myth that there is a star in the sky for every tear shed in the world since the beginning of times."
“I doubt there are that many stars up there kid.” Luckas retorted with a snicker. “That’s very poetic though, I have to say. Can I borrow that book sometime?”
“I’d rather not. Captain Krander gave me this book before he left Newhaven. I don’t want to lose it, but... I can make you a copy if you want.”
“I’d appreciate that, if you can take the time.” Luckas smiled, standing up from the rock and taking a couple of steps away before halting as the boy called to him.
“Hey, Luckas... Uhm...” Jason started, closing the book and letting it rest on his lap as he stared up at Luckas. “Is it true you snapped and killed some people in Newhaven... and Captain had to go get you?”
Luke twitched slightly, but calmly returned to his rock and sat down. “That’s true, yes. Was not a good day.”
“Are you sorry?” Jason questioned.
“I regret it... In some ways... but if I ‘feel’ sorry for it? No, I don’t. I don’t remember it. Only what I was told afterwards. It’s like a dream you know was very life like, but you have no memory of.” Luke shrugged, watching the boy’s expression. “Why are you asking me this?”
“I heard a firestarter died in the White Shadows camp a while back... And that more and more enlightened people are getting sick.” Jason sighed. “Jess said we shouldn’t worry, that the Guard won’t let anything bad happen to us, but...”
“You should worry, Kid.” Luckas stated simply. “Not panic, because panicking is bad for you, but it would be a lie to say you shouldn’t worry.” Luckas silently stared at the boy for a few moments and then chuckled, shaking his head. “Kid... You and I are nothing alike. Me losing control and you losing control are two very different things. I’m not the one you should take advice from on this.”
“Captain’s not here.” The boy muttered. “No one else knows what to say, they don’t want to upset me... They just say it’ll be okay.”
“Are you afraid to die?” Luckas asked simply.
“I’m afraid to hurt people.” Jason answered.
“That’s not what I asked, Jason.” Luckas insisted.
“Yes, I am. Of course I am, but... Not as much as I’m afraid of hurting someone here.”
“Okay... What if I promise you something?” Luckas asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, staring the boy in the eyes. “If it comes to that... I will kill you before you hurt anyone in this camp. Does that make you feel any better?”
Jason held Luckas’ gaze in silence for a few seconds before raising his book once again and hiding behind it. “A little bit.”

-------------------------------------

[A few hours later]

Luckas was just coming back into camp after wandering off into the woods for a quiet walk when someone called his attention.
“Hey, you!”
Luke turned to look at the woman holding the baby, but then proceeded to look around as though he expected that to be meant for someone else. It wasn’t.
“Yes, you. Get over here.”
Luckas frowned, seeming a bit concerned with the woman’s tone. He didn’t have a habit of chatting people up and aside from Ess and some of the kids, no one really ever called to him; even less in that tone of scolding that woman was using on him now. He wasn’t sure whether to be worried he might be in trouble or to be angry at her treatment. Regardless, he answered her call and entered the Captain's cabin after her. “Jess, is it? Can I help you with something?” He muttered.
“Did you tell Jason that...” Jess lowered her voice, and glanced around to make sure none of the children were nearby at the moment. “...That you would kill him if he ever became a danger to the rest of us?”
Luckas sighed, now he understood her tone with him. “I didn’t tell him, I promised.”
“You plan on keeping that promise then, I reckon?” The woman questioned.
“I don’t make empty promises.” Luckas shrugged.
“I see... Hmm...” She mumbled. “...Hold Daniel for me a moment?” She didn’t wait for an answer and calmly pushed the baby into Luckas’ arms, using her free hands to sort through and fold a batch of clean clothes, not seeming to mind or notice how incredibly awkward Luckas was, holding the kid at arms’ length as though he was about to explode. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Someone had to.” Luke replied matter of factly, still looking a bit panicked for having to hold a baby, not wanting to hold Daniel close to himself, and yet seemingly afraid he would drop him somehow. “He’s a really smart kid, he knows what is happening, what happened to other fire starters because of this sickness. He knows what kind of damage he could inflict if he lost control... As thoughtful as that may be, saying things will be okay doesn’t take the worry away.”
“And a death sentence does?” Jess questioned. “I’m not sure I follow your logic, Mr. Luckas.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Mine is the logic of a dangerous man. Do you think I would spend as much time here as I do if I didn’t know there are about twenty people in this camp ready to strike me down if I ever posed a real threat? One or two of which could actually do it if needed. It doesn’t feel like a death sentence for the kid, it feels like a safety net. It’s something we don’t want to need, but it’s nice to know it’s there.” He snorted, watching as Daniel giggled, seeming quite content in being held out in the air as he was. “Could you please take your baby back now?”
Jess chuckled. “Just hang in there until I’m done with this , will you? You’re doing fine.”
Luckas muttered under his breath, but complied. “Who else knows about this? Should I expect any more conversations like this in the future?”
“No, he only told me. I don’t see a reason why anyone else needs to know, at least for the time being. I’m sure Aiden for once wouldn’t take this as calmly as me. Neither would Jake and Matthew.”
“Of course.... Beast Boy would very much enjoy an excuse to get rid of me.” Luckas muttered, rolling his eyes. “None of his business anyway.”
“It is a little his business if you make a death pact with one of the children, Luckas.”
“That wasn’t a death pact... A death pact is something entirely different, I’ll have you know.” Luke protested. “Are you done yet? My arms are getting tired.”
Jess chuckled. “If you held him properly, they wouldn’t be. If you want to keep holding him like he’s a powder keg then just deal with it.”
“You know, you’re very persistent that I hold your child even though you called me in here to discuss why I promised to kill a kid. Isn’t that a bit irresponsible?”
“Not at all. You’re great with the children, Luckas. In fact, you’re being a better babysitter than Jake, I might hire you permanently.” She played. “Daniel seems to like you.”
“I’m not doing this again.” Luckas stated firmly.
Jess snorted a laugh. “You’ve been saying that lot lately and yet, the children are expecting you tell them a story tonight.”
“Stories can hardly hurt anyone.” Luckas replied.
Jess smiled, pausing her work as if to consider Luke’s words, then walking to him and adjusting Daniel correctly in his arms. “Excuses can,” she told him. “You’ve spent a lot of time here and I am yet to see you harm anyone. These kids are fond of you, Miss Lily seems to think you’re something really special. I’ve learned to trust their judgment. Maybe you should try to do the same.”
Luckas snorted, his entire body tense as the little boy rested against his chest without a care in the world. “You... You’re not telling Lady about this, are you?” He mumbled.
“We’ll see,” Jess smiled, continuing with her chores.

~Otium 15 -Morning~

Essence couldn’t sleep. It could have been she was not looking forward to the possibility of nightmares, unable to keep them at bay even with Luckas at her side. Or, perhaps it was the small amount of dread she was feeling at the thought of Luckas leaving again to go do whatever it is he does. It was a normal feeling to have him around and she had gotten use to it, probably more than she should have. He was always there, wasn’t he? This wouldn’t make much of a difference but even so, she still had to keep reminding herself.

When she heard him stir, her eyes slowly opened to stare back at him. Luckas seemed perhaps slightly surprised to see her awake or maybe just at the fact her stare was somewhat intense but without much meaning. Without a word she quietly sat up and reached beneath her pillow to retrieve her journal, tearing out two drawings she had managed to complete when Luckas was not around and handed them to him. One was of the Redhead that Darren had seen during his trials with Ess’ curious dagger. Her son had actually helped her get the eyes just right so that she wouldn’t wear through the paper with all her constant corrections. The eyes, the lips, and the hair she colored all red even though she honestly wasn’t sure what colored eyes the woman had. She found it fitting however, especially with how much blood was apparently shed in reference to the mysterious woman.

’Wouldn’t it be ironic...’ Ess’ internal voice shut as she was distracted with Luckas’ fixation on the second drawing she had created. He had said, the night Ess found out Darren was her son, that if she were to draw him something he would carry it around with him everywhere. If he meant it or not at the time, she had a feeling there was truth to it and decided after the night she had finished his tattoo, she would bestow another small gift. The black and white drawing was purposely smudged along the border, cascading shadows all around a dense forest that surrounded a faded path. Further forward, at the beginning of the path was a silhouette of a woman with curly red hair but her face was hidden; her posture slanted downwards giving a bit of a lonely or sad hint to her form. Behind her, the ground was stained red which encased a darker figure all in black; the face also hidden. It was entirely different to her normal style, where she would put so much emphasis on the faces, where now it was all in the figure’s surroundings. The path behind the woman was strewn with dead bodies that which trailed off the page, descending back down that path both figures traveled.

Ess released a bottled sigh, a small smile tracing her lips as she stared up at her friend. Still she was silent as a grave once again before laying back down, waiting for Luckas to leave before she went off on her morning run.

~~~~~~
Blackpond

It had been painful for Olivia, which was easy to see by the resentful glare in her eyes, to allow Deidra into the shop that morning. Several of the regulars that visited to pick up their orders early on that morning, had commented on the tiny doll that was sitting with the others on a display by the window. Olivia of course took full credit for it, which really didn’t bother Deidra until she ordered her to make larger versions of the model in five different sizes and all to be completed in two days time. At least this time she was given the blessing of scissors and didn’t have to tear, fold and double seam the dress in order to hide the ragged material. She had to look on the bright side, which was her slight amusement. Her mark and who she really was, was right there in the open for all to see but not one person noticed the black feathers in the design. Who was to say many would make that kind of connection even if they did.

Marcus had made it a point to stop by that afternoon to collect any daily earnings and was quite pleased with the day’s coin. Olivia of course was rewarded by some of her own, and a gentler embrace than the one Deidra had witnessed from yesterday. That was the only time she let her eyes wander from her work. Usually she listened to her surroundings and payed close attention to when the men in red would show themselves. Guards in standard armor were posted outside the doors, keeping watch to who went in and out any entrance. Twice that day, the shifts rotated always leaving a two minute window of distraction as their attentions were lured elsewhere. Usually, it was Olivia and Dee that occupied the shop except when customers visited. No one in particular seemed to catch her interest and no one attempted to talk to her. Still, after about an hour of quiet, when the door opened and the bell chimed, her attention was stolen away from the twisted displays of affection Marcus and Olivia were partaking in. Dee accidentally stabbed the tip of her thumb with a needle, as she noticed how Marcus pulled away from Olivia to leave but paused, his eyes lingering over Deidra.

Luckas really didn’t have it in him to put up with much crap. He only stopped by Blackpond to get something to drink, but he hadn’t even managed that much. Amber had found him within minutes of stepping foot in the city and she seemed dangerously excited about a surprise she said she had for him. Amber’s surprises were never anything pleasant, but there was usually no way to avoid or escape them. “It was a very long walk, Amber, can’t this wait?” he muttered as the over-excited psychopath dragged him across the near deserted streets.
“It cannot wait; absolutely not. Trust me, Lukey, you’ll thank me.” She smiled.
“Think back a moment to all the times you said I’d thank you, Amber... Have I ever?”
“No. You’re quite an ungrateful douchebag, but I forgive you.”
“You tried to set my ears on fire and I’m a douchebag?” Luckas muttered, growling as Amber only giggled and quickened her step.

Amber released Luke a few steps away from one of the brotherhood’s establishments and that didn’t do Luke’s temper much good. He had not visited that part of town since he and Ess had taken care of her Squealer brother. “Why are you dragging me here?”
“You’ll seee...” Amber sang happily. “Just go into the basement of that building over there and I’ll meet you in a couple of minutes. I need to pick up a package.”
Luckas would love to just say no and wander off, but saying no to Amber was a dangerous thing to do, even for him. So he nodded his compliance and lazily strolled in the direction of the building she had indicated. “Why is it that nine out of ten times I step foot in this city I end up in a goddamn basement?” He complained under his breath.

Amber snickered at Luckas’ grumpy protesting and made her way towards the tailor shop, barging in through the doors quite audibly. “Hello, my lovelies!” She greeted, looking from Marcus to Olivia with a wicked grin, and then winking not at all discreetly at Deidra as she playfully circled Marcus as if he was cornered prey. “Marcus, sweetie, how ‘bout those lessons I said I’d give you, hmm? If my mood improves just a bit more I might free up some time for you later tonight.” She smirked. “If you’re sure that’s what you really want of course, at your own risk. Don’t come crying to me later if it ends up being too much for you. I don’t take kindly to whiners.” She playfully, if not a bit roughly, smacked the man’s behind before turning her attention from him, her eyes lingering on Dee, her expression changing to a childish amusement. “I can see that you lot are not particularly busy at the moment, so if you kids don’t mind... I’m going to borrow the new girl for a few minutes... We kind of bonded a little bit the other day and I promised her a little present.”

Marcus chuckled at Amber’s entrance, shrugging at her comment of freeing up some time for him possibly later on. The words alone were enough to intrigue and frighten anyone who halfway knew what kind of strange individual Amber was, but Marcus found it amusing. He knew it was a risk but it would be worse to not indulge her, especially as a superior.

“What, no hat today?” He snickered. “You have my attention. Although that would depend if I have any chores. Mustn’t disappoint or ignore the others.” Marcus smiled so the tips of his teeth were showing. “Perhaps if I ask nicely.”

Olivia’s face went expressionless at Amber’s arrival and her antics with Marcus. It was obvious she was bottling up some sort of emotion by the way her skin paled and went clammy. Her fingers were constantly closing into a fist and straightening, a habit she couldn’t hide if she tried as it was something she did without her notice most times.

“Why does she get to take a break?” Olivia muttered to herself, snorting in annoyance at the word ‘present.’ Marcus reached out to Olivia and firmly gripped her shoulder, applying pressure along certain points that made the woman cringe and groan, forcing her to sit in a chair at her desk.

“Liv...no one is speaking to you..” Marcus grunted, folding his arms across his chest in a disbelieving pout. “Amber..you said you weren’t going to steal this one. Was that just the other day? I know what ‘borrow’ can mean to you when you say such things..”

“No hat yet, but the day is young; I might still find myself one. And Marcus, love, what’d I just say about whining?” Amber scolded playfully, leaning against Olivia’s desk with her back turned to the woman. “Don’t fret... I’ll bring her back in a bit...Although I absolutely could, I have no intention of permanently moving your girl. It’s not my place to decide where work is needed after all.” The girl smiled sweetly. “I just need help surprising a friend and he’s, uh... nitpicky... with his companies. And I promised him a surprise, I’d hate it for him to be disappointed.”

Amber’s blue eyes once again fixated on Deidra for a few moments, slowly trailing to the display with the tiny dolls. A snort escaped the girl, containing traces of laughter as she shook her head, not speaking whatever was on her mind. “Of course, I’m being polite,” she added, “I could just order you all around and be a total bitch, but I prefer to leave such unpleasant behaviors to the likes of Zeke.”

Casually, Amber pulled a long black handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to Deidra. “I assume these knuckle heads allowed you to see where you were going when they brought you in, but I’m not that trusty, so if you don’t mind wearing this over your eyes, hun... I don’t want to keep my friend waiting.”

Deidra tried to keep her eyes to her needlework, yet they kept straying to Amber and Marcus. She swore she saw the man flinch when the woman entered; not to mention his fists clenching some when she smacked his backside. Dee wondered if he wanted to reciprocate the gesture with his own but it was clear he was holding back. Still, she found it somewhat entertaining to see Marcus act like he was walking on eggshells. The two were casual about it, but it was obvious to Dee, now especially, who outranked who.

A hint of a smirk passed over Deidra’s lips, trying to mask her enjoyment when Olivia was put in her place. The woman remained silent, slowly placing the sleeve of her dress she was embroidering, onto a small table. She was compliant to her instructions and as she reached for the handkerchief, her hands began to shake. Dee knew she had to expect whatever degrading surprises Marcus may have in store for her, but for a split second she actually believed he was her biggest worry. Between Olivia’s unexpected visit last night and Amber’s eerie invitation, Dee wondered how much she would put up with, resisting the urge to fight back.

Taking a deep breath she frowned, tying the handkerchief into a blindfold over her eyes. Even though she could no longer see, she swore she could feel Olivia’s piercing eyes burning holes through the black material. Dee rubbed her fingers together, massaging the muscles and working to steady her tremors while internally preparing herself to keep her reactions to a minimum. Whatever they did to her, she would make sure to not give them the satisfaction of a struggle.

Amber smiled in silent approval as Dee made use of her improvised blindfold. “Alright, let’s get going!” She exclaimed cheerfully, slowly placing one hand on Dee’s shoulder to guide her into the underground of the shop, waving at Marcus and Olivia over her shoulder. “Later, my pretties.”

Amber slowly led Deidra through the tunnels underneath the city, her steps never faltering as if she had the path completely memorized; and she did. “So, Dee Dee... Having fun already? Is Liv being a resentful bitch?” She chuckled as if reviewing nostalgic memories in her mind. “I won’t say that you can trust me, because, well... You can’t and I sure as hell don’t trust you either, but... You don’t need to worry. I’m almost positive you’ll enjoy this.” She stopped Dee suddenly, if the woman wasn’t blindfolded she still wouldn’t be able to see anything in the pitch black passage they had taken. “Now, you remember what I said, right? This is for you to enjoy alone. If anyone else is able to see or hear what happens next, well, my friend there... don’t think he won’t be able to tell; it’s not a risk you’ll want to take, believe me. So if there’s someone hiding, no matter how well, inside that clever little head of yours, it’d be in everyone’s best interest that they make themselves gone for half an hour. Now, you wait here a minute and don’t wander off, you might bump into something unpleasant if you do.”

Luckas had taken a seat in one of two rusted metal chairs in the basement he was directed to. There was no light and he hadn’t bothered to light a torch just for himself. The absolute darkness seemed to whisper things into the back of his mind; echoes of memories he’d rather keep completely buried. He didn’t want to be there alone and as the minutes passed he wondered if that was exactly Amber’s intent. Of course that was foolish on his part; making him sit in a dark room was too simple for Amber. Her mind was almost incapable of simple thoughts. After a while Luckas heard movement. He thought he heard Amber whisper to someone who didn’t reply; not that he could hear them at least. When the girl entered, she entered alone at first, snickering in the dark. “Ugh, so depressing in here. Why wouldn’t you light a torch?”
“I’m tired Amber... What is it you wanted to show me?” Luckas mumbled, ignoring her questions and glaring as she lit a couple of torches.
“Hang on, I’ll show you.” She laughed. “So eager, gee.”

Before Luckas could verbally express his annoyance Amber pulled someone into the room. At first all Luckas could tell was that it was a blindfolded woman. It was only when she stepped into the faint circle of torchlight that Luckas recognized Dee. He glared at Amber with an intensity that was almost terrifying even to someone like her. “What the fuck is this?” He mouthed at her, not wanting the blindfolded Deidra to hear his voice.
Amber shrugged, playfully. “What? It’s your surprise. I thought you’d like it.” She snickered at the look of hatred Luke gave her in return. “It’s my gift to you, sweetie. Do with it as you please; nothing is an option too. You have thirty minutes. Could use them to your benefit or just... stand there in silence. That’s up to you.” That said, she exited the room, almost skipping her way out the door. Luckas heard it slam and lock behind her. The only way out was through the tunnels, but; he didn’t know his way down there as well as Amber. Luke felt his stomach twist into knots as he paced around the room like a trapped animal; which quite frankly he was in that particular moment, trying to make a decision.

Deidra’s neck and shoulders tensed considerably when Amber rested her hand on her to lead her downstairs. They descended the steps two at a time, but Dee didn’t realize this except to notice they reached the bottom quicker than she expected. ’Ten steps from the stairs and right,’ Dee began to recite in her head as they continued through several corridors. Extending her fingers outwards, without moving her arm, Deidra let the air pass through her fingers to feel if there were any temperature changes or shifts in the air to indicate an exit. For the most part, it was cool and dank like a basement, quite similar to when she first awoke in that dark room.

‘Twenty five from right and one, two...’ Dee’s thoughts were temporarily interrupted at Amber striking up a conversation. It was as if they were old friends, the way she gossiped a bit, mentioning Olivia. Deidra only responded with a sarcastic snort. ‘Resentful bitch’, was quite the understatement. That woman had it out for her.

The woman led Dee left, the air seeming to warm a few degrees as she tried to keep her internal count and memorize their path traveled. Tiny beads of sweat spotted the handkerchief, her heart skipping a beat when Amber reminded her that this surprise of hers was for Dee only. She may have screamed it she hadn’t suddenly become so nauseous, Deidra actually swallowing and biting back the bile that touched her tongue. Was this a game? It almost sounded like Amber was joking but at the same time there was an underlining warning in her words that made Deidra want to flee. Did she mean the telepath that interrogated her in the beginning? How could she know otherwise? Amber did address Deidra by her nickname that she never voiced aloud but who is to say she didn’t find that out from the one who had visited her thoughts. Not knowing if she had been discovered or if she was just overthinking it all, either way, made her fearful for who she was meeting so secretly. Just in case, Dee concentrated to create a weak, mental block in her mind. It was strong enough to know it was there, but weak enough to be knocked down by any who tried. A simple message to Kyle if he decided to check on her unexpectedly.

Deidra didn’t chance peeking from behind the blindfold when Amber left her alone a minute, but she did reach out towards the walls to steady herself, mentally cursing herself for losing track of the last turn so she was only partially aware of how far she had gone. After she was led inside and left alone with her ‘surprise’, she waited for him to speak, but instead she was met with silence and pacing. This not knowing and awkward waiting was eating at Deidra to the point where she didn’t know if she would rather find out or not what was to befall her. Finally, unable to stand it, she cleared her throat, whispering out towards her company. “Is..there something I can help you with? Hello?”

Luckas was very, very, unsure of what to do just then. The smartest would probably be to do nothing, but he could tell that he wasn’t the only one who was growing more and more anxious with the silence. Half an hour of this would be too much for both of them. He didn’t understand what Amber was planning with this, if it was all just another way to torment him or if she wanted to see if he knew Deidra was there. He didn’t, obviously. He stopped behind Dee and reached as if to remove the blindfold, but stopped himself, walking away to one of the chairs and dragging it across the room in the woman’s direction, placing it behind her and lightly nudging her with it as an indication for her to sit down. He walked away from her and sat on the other chair, keeping a good distance in between them. He had no idea how the woman would react or what assumptions she would make at the sight of him. He could of course alter her memory if absolutely needed, but Luckas would rather not put himself in a position to hurt Dee. The woman had never been anything less than kind and he knew very well how much Ess liked her. “Take that off.” he whispered the words, not trying to disguise his voice exactly, but hoping that she hadn’t immediately recognized it either. To be honest he wasn’t sure how often he’d spoken to or in front of her, but it was possibly not enough for her to identify him by a whisper.

Dee was slightly startled by the nudge but got the hint, running her fingers over the back of the chair to find the seat before sitting down. Fidgeting the the hem of her sleeve she began reciting, once again, what she remembered of her blinded directions, using that focus to keep herself calm. When the silence was broken she seemed to straighten, her hands hesitating between the blindfold and her sleeve. Dee was honestly unsure what the man meant and assuming the worst she responded by shrugging her arm out of her sleeve.

If someone else was there they’d be able to see that Luckas was even more pale than it ever seemed possible when he noticed Dee’s response to his request. He wondered what the hell Amber had told her this was about. “No. The blindfold.” He corrected quickly, still somehow keeping his tone at a mere whisper. He really wanted to know whose dumb idea this was. even though he suggested to Mageria she infiltrate one of her people, this was nowhere near what he’d call a smart way to go about it. If he could act purely on instinct he’d be yelling at the woman and everyone who might possibly be involved in this for how unbelievably reckless it was.

Deidra froze, several seconds passing before the words registered in her brain and she slowly pulled her sleeve back over her arm. Her eyes were still shut when she slid the material down past her nose and off her chin. She deliberately turned her head in the direction she felt the warmth of the torch from and opened her eyes to squint in the firelight. Dee pinched herself, making it appear that she were holding back tears but really she was trying to make herself cry.

“Why am I here then?” She whispered back, letting her gaze trail to the floor and towards the man. The second she saw his face, her demeanor glitched. Deidra’s expression spasmed between several emotions before shifting to a blank stare. ‘Holy...I’m probably going to die now, right?’ She thought, staring as if she were waiting to answer herself. A frustrated sigh escaped her and although she still spoke in a whisper, one could catch a hint of bitterness that lingered in the silence that followed. “Why am...I here?” Of all the thoughts flooding her mind, that question still seemed the most legitimate thing to say, part of her hoping there was still something to salvage here. Nothing she prepared herself for was even remotely close to the surprise she had been given. ‘Still not sure if I’m enjoying this or not...yet...’ She snorted, silently admitting to herself that the thought was at least amusing. That woman sure did have a strange sense of humor, which brought Dee back to her first conversation with Amber and what price she paid to be where she is now. Realizing she had been staring, she squirmed a bit in her seat, absently massaging her jaw as the subtle ache was enough to remind her of the bruise that had almost disappeared. Dee knew if she did, by some miracle, ever make it back to the Nest, she would never hear the end of it from Keith and what she put others through; especially Matthew.

Luckas leaned forward running both hands through his hair in frustration, a cold laugh escaping him at Dee’s question. “You’re asking me, Deidra? I should be asking you why you’re here. What do you expect to accomplish here, like this? Whose stupid idea was this?” Luke sat up straight to look at Dee, his expression twisted as if something bitter had been shoved down his throat. “The only reason you’re not dead right now is that apparently Amber is more interested in making me squirm than keeping this place spy-free. She knows who you are, where you’ve come from... I wouldn’t doubt she knows what you had for breakfast ten fucking years ago. One word out of her mouth about who you are and there’d be nothing left to bury.” Luckas silenced, shaking his head and laughing once more. “I thought this day couldn’t get more stressful.” He muttered.

Dee opened a sarcastic smile and shrugged. “What am I expecting? I am expecting to die, honestly. I don’t expect to walk away from this. If you’re smart you’ll be thinking the same. The truth, they already know, which is they found me with Asher’s lacky and Marcus took a fancy for me, so here I am.” Deidra’s eyes narrowed as she leaned back in her chair. “Tala...freaking knew…” She muttered just under her breath, slowly shaking her head in disappointment wondering if Ess knew about Luckas. “What’s your game here, huh?” Dee inquired, crossing her legs casually.

Luckas leaned back in his seat, his eyes narrowing as he caught Deidra’s words on Tala, but he made no comment. “I’m not that smart apparently.” Luke smiled, but his eyes were cold as black ice. “And Lady laughed at me when I said you were scary...” Luke fidgeted a bit, his eyes fixating on the ground, the tip of his boot tapping against a symbol carved roughly onto the floor amongst specks of blood as though someone had clawed at the stone for hours on end to put it there. “I’m curious... You ever think about having kids, Dee? Back when you were married? In a point of your life where sitting in a place like this with a guy like me wasn’t a part of your foreseeable future? You seem like you’d be a good mom...” Luke’s expression softened a bit and the bitter smile disappeared from his features. “Take a look around you. This was the world as I knew it for the first years of my life. Or did you honestly think this just started happening now? I’m not here playing a game, Deidra. I’m here with a very particular intent. I have plans that don’t involve my life ending where it began. So I’m going to ask you nicely that, should you manage to not get yourself killed, that you not tell anyone about this. And I mean no one. If you can’t sincerely promise that, then I’m afraid I’ll have to make some tough decisions. ”

Deidra’s attention gradually followed the sound of Luckas’ boot tapping against the floor. She couldn’t make it out, but there appeared to be some crude design scratched into the surface. Dee wasn’t expecting Luckas’ next question, clear surprise painted upon her face before her expression twisted as though she had eaten something sour. The comment that she would be a good mother, honestly confused her. She shifted once again in her chair, staring back up at Luckas, eyebrows raised. The man’s words stirred up memories of what she had done before Eric in order to survive. At the time, the concept of kids frightened her because that only meant a prison for them as well. With Eric, they had discussed it but put it off because Deidra wanted to give back to the guard and take arms with the others. When Eric had died, she felt her chance had been stolen from her.

“I was never in a position to really settle down. If I couldn’t properly care and give my full attention to an offspring, then I felt it was cruel to be that selfish in trying to raise a child; especially in this world.” Dee let out another sigh. “I don’t understand. Why ask me to keep quiet when you can just kill me? If you are with them, why not expose me?” She chewed on the inside of her cheek in frustration, unsure still if this was really all some game or trick of sorts. “You..should really be the one to tell ‘Lady’, no? Assuming no one knows about you, except for our excitable friend there. If we do somewhat share similar intents, then I can keep quiet just as you will of my identity. Together we can share the risks of discovery as we make decisions that will blacken our souls in order to reach our...individual goals. What price are you willing to pay? Will Lady be paying it for you?”

“Sure I could kill you, Dee. I could have done it without showing you my face. Alternatively I could simply wipe any memory of this encounter from your mind... Or replace it with whatever unpleasantness you were expecting this to be. I don’t want to. It’s not often I get the chance to not do something I don’t want to do around here, sooo... I took a chance on you.”Luke snorted in a bit of annoyance. “A good mom puts the children first, even if hypothetical children. It sounds like the logical course of action, doesn’t it; to protect one’s offspring? I mean even wild beasts have that instinct. My mom, on the other hand, did not. She put me and my brother here, well, not here; but a place much like here, and walked away without a second thought. These people made me what I am, Deidra. I’m not opposed to destroying them, but I’m here for something else first. So I’d say we’re not on opposing sides, but our short term goals may be conflicting, which is why I’ve kept my activities to myself with very rare exceptions. Lady knows most of what happened to me, she knows what I’m after, but she doesn’t know where I go and who I associate with exactly while I’m away and it’s not a good idea that she finds out just yet. That’s how I protect her... It’s the best way I can. There’s only one living person who knows exactly what I’m doing, who I’ve confided in because she couldn’t tell anyone if she wants to. Not unless something... Permanent happens to me.” Luckas ran his fingers through his hair and heaved a long sigh. “Who have you met so far aside from Amber and that boot-licker Marcus? Maybe I can tell you a few things.”

Deidra stood rather abruptly as if she had an epiphany but was more out of a kind of excitement from Luckas’ story. It was confirmation, even if she was not completely trusting of her company, she continued to listen. “See...your experience is essentially why I am here, Luckas.” Dee whispered, a kind smile touching her eyes. “That and Asher.” She crossed her arms, hunching over the back of the metal chair. “Lady doesn’t know I’m here either. She’d feel responsible but really, I can’t lie and say a huge part of why I am isn’t because of her. In a way. What can you tell me? Indeed...what can I ask? How much can really be said without spoiling our personal agendas, hm? I am starting to understand who answers to who here. I’ve met three men in red, a few guards, Marcus, Olivia, Amber...and..someone named Amara. I’ve heard names whispered too.”

Dee relaxed her neck, letting her head hang forward so her hair covered her eyes. “We are underground, yes? How far under the city does this thing go? Other people are locked away down here but where? Lets not forget the question worth its weight in gold. Were you aware that these people are arms deep in Asher’s trade? Do you know what kinds of supplies besides people, were split into three caravans? One was intercepted for Newhaven, another left Valcrest all together, and the third I caught a ride on to here. Obviously I know, but I guess I am curious how far your knowledge stretches here.”

Luckas actually startled when Deidra stood up, unconsciously pushing his chair back as if he suddenly expected a heavy metal chair to be flying towards his face for some reason. He actually laughed at himself for the thought before his expression changed into silent contemplation. “Well then, you better not die Deidra... Because if you do Lady will have all these new guilty feelings I’ll eventually have to deal with and honestly... There are only so much of those I can take.” The words could have been taken as a jest, but Luckas was dead serious. It was more than enough that Ess had to feel responsible for all the horrible crap that had already happened so far. Not to mention the horrible crap he knew would inevitably happen. “As for what I can tell you... I’m not sure. I’m not actually stationed in Blackpond and I take little part in the business conducted in the city. I can’t even find my way through the underground to save myself if needed. I do know the tunnels are way deep, they were magically constructed and are magically secured; how exactly I’m not sure. I do know that teleporting is used on a regular basis so there are rooms with no other way in or out which makes them basically unreachable seeing as even a teleporter would not be able to invade without knowing their exact location. I know this because Amber has told me what happens if there are miscalculations in the teleportation process. If I had something or someone I wouldn’t want discovered I’d keep them there.” Luke stared down at his feet for a moment, frowning at his own shoes and promptly taking them off, pulling a different pair of boots from his bag in order to change. “I wasn’t officially informed about any shipment, nor would I, but Amber was blabbing about ‘splodies’ on the way here which, I admit, made me all the more wary when she said she had a surprise for me.”

Luke snorted, a spiteful expression crossing his face. “Don’t worry too much about Marcus and Olivia, you may have noticed they are small. Amara on the other hand, she was a woman in blue, no? Watch yourself around those women. They have passive magic; mind reading, healing, minor illusions, but what is said and done in their presence goes straight to the leader. They’re the personification of pure evil, and coming from me that ought to tell you something. If you slip for a split second and it catches their eye, you’re done. Amber is the only one who isn’t afraid of them and that should tell you something as well. That said, it’s very likely she’ll protect you. She’s the last person who would ever betray the organization, I’m not sure why yet, but she plays by her own rules so as long as there’s some fun to be had at your expense or mine with this she’s a possible asset. I mean, if she had reported half the things she’s seen me do...” Luckas snorted in half amusement. “There’s a dark skinned man, he’s Marcus’ superior, have you seen him? His name is Ezekiel. He was Amber’s handler when she wore Grey. I’m not sure what that entails exactly, but she hates him with a fury. As long as Marcus is under his command whatever his interests are it’s Amber’s interest to frustrate him. If his interest right now is you, trust that she’ll get in his way as much as she can. That said, if you are ever in a room with Ezekiel, make yourself as invisible as you can, he’s not someone whose attentions you want in any way. Trust me, I’ve had the man breathing down my neck for months now, it’s not pleasant.”

Luckas stopped talking and for a few moments he watched Dee as if attempting to make a decision, his expression was something between doubtful and wary. “What I’m here to find out is not how they operate, Dee, but... What their goal is. I’ve been doing this for months, I’ve gotten close to some very important people but I can’t figure that out. Why they’re suddenly acting so openly when they have been acting in the background for.. I’d guess centuries but possibly more? It’s not about the money. It’s not just raising an army. There’s something they want. Are you aware of the eclipse that occurred some time ago? Before I left the Nest I heard news that it might have been caused to cover an attack on the Crimson Shadows. Decimated was the word Jake used. It was meant to make it seem like their leader caused the anomaly, but the White Shadows ruled out the possibility that he could have done it. I haven’t seen anyone capable of that, but there’s a lot I haven’t seen... I know the attack came from here. I don’t know why though. I don’t know what it accomplishes. None of it makes sense.”

Deidra growled low, kicking at some random debris at her feet. “I won’t have nearly enough time to find out just how deep these tunnels go..Curse the Twins.” Turning her back to Luckas, Dee was at a loss at the mention of magically constructed tunnels, but she smiled when Luckas talked about ‘miscalculations in teleporting’. Did she even know of anyone with such a talent before? How would they be able to get through the walls otherwise? If they did bring them down, who is to say the tunnels wouldn’t collapse. More problems were arising than solutions, a painful swell of doubt aching in her chest. Still, she wouldn’t give up just yet.

Dee spun back around, grabbed the metal chair and hiked up her dress so that she could sit backwards, her arms hanging limp over the back as she leaned forward. “Olivia and Marcus are dangerous enough. They are just as much a part of the game as the women in blue.” Cocking her head inquisitively, Dee smiled at Luckas. “Ezekiel? Is that the same as Zeke? I’ve heard his name mentioned by many, not just here. Is he...your superior as well? Hmm, good to know what will keep Amber entertained..in case it comes to that. I think there’s going to be an issue with keeping out of Olivia’s way. Would there be serious punishment for stealing from superiors or harming someone within the same rank?”

Deidra rubbed at her eyes, “Power...money and numbers, make it easier for that goal..whatever it is..wait..” She froze, slowly her deep brown eyes widened, remembering that Kyle only told her that there was an Eclipse but when she had talked to him, there wasn’t any other news. “D..Dastan? He’s alive then?” She asked meekly, taking several breaths before she continued. “You...know it was them who did this? Do you know for sure? Who else do you know for sure they have attacked? You said for centuries they’ve been..working to stay unnoticed but now you call them reckless. Maybe even the best kept secrets just have a way of surfacing. Do you know anything about war strategies, Luckas? If you want little to no resistance then you take out whomever is a threat, no? You wait patiently for a weak moment to take out an enemy and it seems like that is what happened to ..Dastan and his people. Perhaps they were trying to destroy them in numbers and credibility, but again it is speculation. There has to be something that connects all this destruction…”

Luckas shook his head while listening to Dee, head low as he put her words into consideration. “Marcus and Olivia are small, Deidra; trust me. It’s not just the tunnel’s depth that you won’t have the time to see, but I’ve been here a while. As far as the game goes they have no clue they are even playing it. Marcus is arrogant, greedy, that makes him easy to manipulate. Olivia... I’ve not met her, but I do know she ranks way too low for her life to matter should it come to that. Not unless someone has a genuine fondness for her, enough to want to protect her; as it was the case with Amber. I wouldn’t count on that from Marcus. You’re new and frightened; that’s how she sees you, so she would want to have you believe otherwise, but she knows very well she’s disposable. No one cares if a Grey worker dies as long as the work is still done. As much as crossing anyone in any other position, as they are all above yours, could get you killed if caught. They don’t even need a reason to kill you either though. Amber does it for kicks, so could Marcus, or me...” Luke grimaced at his own words. That was not the kind of game he liked to play at all.

Luke snorted, listening in for any movement outside, a disdainful smile crossing his expression at the mention of Zeke. “Ah, yes, dear old Zeke. No, he’s not really my superior. As far as ranks go, we’re equals. So is Amber. Ranks are not everything though. The nature of Zeke’s duties makes him almost vital to the operation. If I were to harm him I’d need a much better reason than ‘he keeps insisting I’m a traitor’.” Luckas smirked, seeming amused. After all, he was exactly that. “Even Amber can’t touch him and there’s very little Amber can’t or won’t do.”

Luckas silenced for a moment when the subject changed to the Crimson Shadows, maybe it was not the smartest thing to reveal that much to Dee now, but it was already done. No point in trying to take it back. “The leader of the Crimson is alive. Although I’d assume, considering the situation, that he’s not very thrilled with that fact.” Luke stood and stretched with a weary groan. “I have no confirmation this originated here, but let me tell you; they could do it and make it look easy. Besides, the Crimson were driven away from the desert once. The Wolfpack took them in at the time, but they wouldn’t do so now. Not after...” He snorted, once again hesitating. “Their Alpha was found dead. It is said that he drowned in the lake in their encampment... There were no signs of a struggle, they are... Considering the possibility of a suicide, but there are those less willing to believe that. This one, I’m not sure of. It could be a coincidence, or it could be related.”

Deidra nodded along to Luckas’ words, quietly contemplating every angle she could think of in that moment. Of course Olivia knew she is disposable; that was why she felt the need to threaten Dee last night. Dee had the potential to replace Olivia for work and for Marcus’ own comforts. Olivia seemed to enjoy the attention she received from the man, no matter how harsh, because attention was better than none at all to her. It meant there was still a reason to keep her around. Dee could use this to her advantage but had to be cautious something this simple didn’t take her life before the end game. How much would she really be able to find out?Even Luckas, whose position was higher than herself in access to the ongoings around them, was still in the dark to their ultimate goal it seemed; but that wasn’t why Dee was there. Truth be told, that would be an added bonus, but Matt didn’t send Dee here expecting her to discover that.

Dee cringed at the all too familiar notion of others taking lives for granted and treating people as meaningless except for their own amusement. The way Luckas talked about ‘killing for kicks’ was something Dee had witnessed before, so it was no surprise that people thought and acted that way. What made Dee so sick to her stomach was how widespread and out of control such actions had become. That was why she felt she was here, because on so many levels, this kind of thinking needed to stop; or at least maybe interrupt that flow of power these people were abusing. “Arrogance is weakness because it makes people comfortable.” Dee muttered half to herself as she continued to ponder over her situation. Arrogance was something she could definitely exploit. “So we make sure they remain comfortable...for now..”

Deidra had prepared herself for the most unpleasant of things she may encounter, to the best of her ability, but she still couldn’t deny the twinge of pain in her gut at the mention of Dastan. She hadn’t been lying when she had said to him that she may have not jumped to volunteer for this if she had met him first. The idea made her feel selfish and weak, but she knew she couldn’t beat herself up for feeling she may not have to sacrifice herself. Wasn’t it only human to want to survive? Deidra thought she had accepted she would die here, but now that she was hearing about the attack on the Crimsons and how thankfully Dastan was still alive, she wanted to escape. Dee wanted to be at too many places at once, and the distraction would become a problem if she couldn’t bring her thoughts in line. Perhaps she could make some changes to her plans but then again, would it botch her quest and get more than just herself killed in the long run?

“I’ll keep your secret, Luckas.” Deidra turned, rightly nervous when she went to look Luckas in the eye. She managed to hold his gaze, to affirm that she was being truthful in her word. Besides, what would she really gain from telling such a secret? Nothing useful to her at least.



~~~~~~~
~Otium 16-Early Afternoon~

Essence had made the journey in silence to the Crimson Shadows camp with a few of her Raven companions and a wagon of supplies. Matthew had been generous in sending all that they could, including a letter with Mageria’s seal that Ess carried in her satchel meant for Dastan’s eyes only. She had no idea what it said but she knew it was important and probably the expected sympathies and reassurances of the Ravens if the Crimson needed anything. A few of the men and women that traveled with her, were asked to stay on in the Crimson camp as needed with any and all assistance, while Keith was there as a messenger, hoping to take back any news pertinent to Matthew before the end of the day. Some things just couldn’t be trusted to a bird messenger.

When they arrived, Ess slid down off of Shockwave, Tala and Beo bolting what appeared to be out of nowhere and flanking either side of Essence as she pulled down her hood. All of the Raven’s were cloaked in black, each one adorned with ebony feathers, where even some of the horses complimented their riders. Ess had traveled in disguise, but once one of the Crimson approached, who the others addressed as ‘Jackson’, the woman let her wrinkled features and greying hair fade back to her normal porcelain doll-like features.

“Sorry we’re late..” Keith grunted, extending his hand to meet Jackson’s in a firm handshake, “..Matt kept adding more to the wagon. I thought it might buckle at the rate he was going.” The man forced a smile, motioning for the other men to continue onwards with the supplies.

“Late? We didn’t even know you were coming.”Jackson quirked a brow.

Ess shook her head, “Another example of our raven’s not getting through. I’m telling you Keith, we are missing some. Makes you wonder what is happening to them.”

Keith nodded, “Probably why Matt is asking us to carry most messages ourselves.”

“How is Dastan? Will he see us?”

Jackson’s eyes were red, dark bags swollen beneath his sad gaze as he smiled, “I didn’t catch your name…”

“This is Jake’s sis, Jackson. Essence.”

Jackson nodded, “Of course...Darren’s your son, right? You just missed him. He left with Annie this morning.”
“Darren was here?” Ess asked quite intrigued by the information.

“Great help that kid was. Good guy...Can’t really believe he’s your kid though. You don’t look old enough..”

Ess let her eyes fall, the comment saddening her as a clear reminder of her past and how old she was when she had given birth to Darren, but she shrugged. “I’ll take that as a compliment…”

“More wolves?” Someone called from behind Jackson, causing Ess to giggle and yell back, pointing to Tala proudly. “She’s the mamma...and the others are her pups.”

“...Pups? What, did she breed with a bear?” The blond haired man trotted up beside Jackson, pausing and stepping back a few paces as if unsure if they were as friendly as Sora and Kaya.

“Beo? He does look like a mini bear, doesn’t he?” She laughed.

“Yes, yes, they are adorable and scary..man eating squishes.” Keith joked, his amusement touching his eyes but his expression was serious. “We really do need to see Dastan..if he’s..up to visitors. Please..”

“...Whatever it is, you may just have to tell me Keith. Indrani is bedridden and Dastan..I’m not sure if he’s up for visitors..”

“I can’t do this.” Indrani protested, trying to sit up on the makeshift cot.

Dastan snorted. “Jackson can be a Commander. He can be just as good at it as you if not better; but he... can’t... lead. I need you to do this.”

“I can’t even get out of this bed right now.” She scoffed. “We have a leader, you’re our leader.”

“Not anymore. Not now. I can’t be. Not for this.” He objected.

“If we have to fight this, then we’ll fight it. All of us.”

“It doesn’t work that way, Indrani. We’re reduced to nothing. All that is left are civilians... Men women and children unfit to wield a weapon... We are NOT an army. We came together to preserve something of our past, of our homes. Going into war preserves nothing. The Crimson’s place is here, with them, for them. And I can’t...” He took a deep breath, looking away from his sister. “You and Jackson won’t be affected by this. Whatever happens, you’ll make it through it, as for me...”

“You’re not going to die!” Indrani shouted, glaring at her brother as if he was misbehaving.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t... That’s not the point. The point is that right now I’m dying, just like every other enlightened in Valcrest. And I can’t be sitting here, waiting for the healers to find an answer or the Ravens to find a culprit... I can’t tell myself it’s not personal or that it’s not my business, not anymore. At the same time, I can’t involve the clan in this. Someone has to look out for them, and it can’t be me. Not now.”

“And it can be me?” Indrani laughed.

“You’ve taken care of me, you can handle them. I mean, they don’t drink as much for starters.”

Indrani laughed, poorly disguising a whimper at the pain it caused her. “At least your sense of humor is back.” She snorted.

“Yeah, well... I’m going to need it the way things are going.” He sighed, kissing her forehead before taking his leave from the temple. “Take good care of yourself, sis.”

Dastan exited the temple, squinting at the sunlight. He hadn’t gone outside since the pyre had gone out the night before and he hadn’t seen the light of day since this whole mess started. He didn’t seem to notice or care that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, or shoes. His hands and face were caked with sand and ash... He was sober and angry. He didn’t want to be either, but there was no helping that. Nothing was going to help that. Not any time soon. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but it didn’t matter. Dastan spotted the visitors at a distance and flinched. He could easily walk away, not deal with any of it, hide; again... He sighed, wiping his hands on his trousers and running them through his hair as he started to walk in their direction.

“Jack, I thought I told you to get some sleep.” He muttered, stopping beside the man.

Jackson snorted. “Find me someone to run this camp and I will.” He smiled at Keith. “Well, there you have him.”

“Y’know, if someone’s gonna ‘have me’, no offense pal, but you wouldn’t be my first choice.” Dastan told Keith, playfully winking at Ess and forcing a half-smile at her. “Long time no see, birthday girl.” He glanced at the wagon of supplies and his smile shut, a sigh escaping his lips. “I see news travel... It’s, what, the second time Newhaven boys have sent us aid.” He snickered. “The second time they send me a pretty redhead too. Although you are yet to kick my ass, Miss Talon.” He smirked. “We ought to remedy that someday.”

Ess opened a generously, sweet smile when Dastan approached, her eyes lingering briefly over his bare chest. “Hey, handsome…” She let her eyes drift over the man, finally finding his gaze and her smile faded. There was no pity in her gaze, only the curious desire to know what the man was thinking. “It seems like you’re the one in need of a cloak now, no?” Her tone was lighthearted, gentle but firm as she stepped forward and placed a hand on the man’s arm. “I thought we were friends Dastan. You know there is no need for formalities..or do I indeed need to kick your ass in order for you to call me Ess?”

Keith quirked a brow, “Are you surprised we came, Shaykh?”

“Friends help each other,” Ess insisted, “especially when they don’t ask for it.” Ess shook her head. “The idea of sparring with you though is a bit... intimidating, I will admit...I hear you are an admirable opponent.”

Wrapping her arm through Dastan’s, she began to walk with Keith, leading the dirty mercenary along as they spoke. “How is your sister? I am sorry I wasn’t here sooner with the rest of my family. I..hear she likes horses? Maybe when she’s feeling better she can meet Shockwave.”

Once they had walked a little ways, Ess turned towards Keith and eyed him intently, “I don’t know how long you plan on staying before reporting back to Matt, but shouldn’t you make your rounds?” Ess’ brows furrowed and she glanced back towards the others in a hinting fashion, Keith gathering her meaning rather quickly.

“I’ll stop back before I make my leave, Shaykh.”

Ess sighed, reaching into her satchel, half noticing Tala and Beo wandering off after Keith to explore as she retrieved the sealed letter and handed it to Dastan. “I don’t know what is in there..above my head and all..but I do know it was meant for your eyes only...and Matt said to burn it afterwards. He said it was important that only you read it..that it had to do with you.” Ess shrugged, giving the man’s arm a squeeze, still clinging to him as she looked over the area, thinking how she had never been to the desert before. “Perhaps it has to do with the argument Keith and Matthew were having before we left. They don’t know I heard, but still it wasn’t enough to know exactly what they were talking about, except..”

A bit of sand stirred within a breeze, Ess squinting to protect her eyes, turning her back to the wind so that she was now facing Dastan and released his arm. “Do...do you believe sometimes the few need to be sacrificed in order to save the many? That’s what they were arguing over; about if it’s a personal choice to self sacrifice that it’s ok but if others choose for them..it’s not right.”

Dastan seemed confused when Ess mentioned he needed a cloak, staring down at himself and then looking back at her with a shrug. “There was blood on my shirt... I had to get rid of it.” He smirked. “And apparently I threw my shoes at Jackson when he was trying to... ‘convince’ me to leave the temple yesterday. I have no idea where they ended up really. Out the window, maybe.” The man shook his head, half smiling at her again. “It’s not as much a formality to call someone by surname here as it is a... Show of respect, so to speak.” He smirked. “But if you kick my ass hard enough I’ll call you anything you like.”

Dastan snorted at Keith’s question. “I’m not surprised you’ve come, just at how quickly you’ve come. Jake is not back from Newhaven yet, or he wouldn’t be by the time you left your camp, so... I assume one of Crys’ boys brought you the news then.”

The mercenary allowed himself to be dragged along, seeming a bit unsteady in his steps, at first just nodding along to Ess’ words until she handed him the letter. Dastan stared at it for a few moments and decided to open it later, looking up at her and speaking with yet another shrug. “Indrani is... Well... She’ll recover. I think she’s just frustrated for having to stay in bed. Not like she has a choice.” He scratched the back of his head, looking around as if not wanting to be overheard. “The horses got spooked during the... Commotion... The boys haven’t found them all yet, but... There’s not really many places to go. I just haven’t told her about it. And I haven’t told her about the Alpha’s death. I’m assuming you heard about that too? With everything that happened, everything he’s done...” He shook his head. “I don’t care how or why the man died, but I doubt Indrani would see it the same way.” He looked over the sealed letter with a frown, thinking over her question to him. “Choice is relative. Think of what or how many you’d be willing to sacrifice for, say, your son, or your brother. You’d do that for them, without a second thought, but if it was up to them, would that be their choice? Are you choosing for them in that situation? And at times if we’re standing too close to something, we’re not able to make the best choices; even for ourselves. Yesterday I would’ve gladly sacrificed just to not be a living reminder of what happened here. And if it was entirely up to me... Well, I’m not the best to making decisions right now. I had that pointed out to me a few times.” He paused for a few moments, before continuing. “I think in the end sacrifice can never be right or wrong, only necessary or... not.”

Essence laughed, playfully winking at her friend, “..You are tempting..however I am a Lady, and a Lady resists temptation.” She quirked a brow, glancing away from Dastan and eying her wolves in the distance, “You have always been respectful, handsome. Even beneath our ‘colorful’ comments to one another, it was there. Something rare from my experience..” Ess brought her full attention to the mercenary, letting her violet gaze focus on his deep browns, “You..know..Tala is an excellent tracker. Beo is still learning but he follows his mamma’s lead and I’m sure if there are saddles with the horse’s scent or something around that has their smell...Tala could find them. If It helps. I want to help..”

Any trace of a smile or amusement fell when Dastan talked about sacrifice and what Ess would do for her son or brother in order for them to survive. She felt slightly insulted at the insinuation of what she would do for them and at the same time, was it not true? “You do have a point on choice being relative..like if I was told that in order for Darren to live, I had to murder an entire village of women and children...I wouldn’t; I couldn’t. I would not sacrifice your life for mine. But if someone told me today, that there was a way for me to sacrifice my own life for my village that was burned down when I was a child, and they would live...I would do it in a second. The few...for the many. I understand that.” She bit down on her bottom lip, her fingers finding a few loose curls and wrapping the strands tightly around her knuckles as she pondered the idea.

“Keith was upset because he doesn’t believe in leaving any one of us at the Nest behind, especially if it can be helped. I’m not sure who or what exactly he was talking about but he brought up the fact that the Captain would at least exhaust all options before even considering leaving one of her people behind. I think...I think what I love the most about my ‘brothers and sisters’ is that even with all the darkness we all have suffered through in our own personal trials, together we hold onto that spark of hope that no one should be sacrificed and that all can be saved.” Essence sighed, turning her gaze away from her friend, her voice falling to a whisper, “Even if it’s not always true...I believe if more people tried...if more people didn’t just stand by...that we would have a chance at change.” Looking back up at the mercenary she was reminded of a conversation she had had long ago with Jacob, her eyes squinting once again from the dust and watering when some specs accumulated along her lashes. “Sometimes, those who have the power to create change, stand by and do nothing. Sometimes by doing nothing, they are just as detrimental to others as those who commit the atrocities…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qMUOPK65sY


“Allison was telling me just yesterday, how she hated the fact her brother had to die so that she could live. That she resented that sacrifice, but at one point she had to choose to accept it and live. It reminded me of my mother. My mother, she died when I was born. So, obviously, I never knew her. Indrani’s parents were the only parents I knew, but my brothers knew our mother and they suffered her loss. One day I asked one of them if he would rather I hadn’t been born so that she could still be alive. He slapped me across the face, on her behalf; he said, and told me she would never forgive either one of us for thinking such a thing. She would be alive, but she would have lost a piece of her heart. ‘Would you bring her back to life only to suffer, brother?’, he asked me. I was a boy still, the concept of something being worse than Death itself was lost on me until then... I didn’t understand how giving up my life for someone could possibly be hurting them... It’s a tough lesson for a child to learn.”

Dastan began to walk towards the place the horses were kept. “If your friends can help us track down our strays, I won’t refuse them. “ He stretched his arms over his head and groaned, laughing under his breath. “Sleeping on rocks... I do not recommend.” Dastan ran his left hand over his hair once again, mumbling that he needed a bath... his fingers trailed the scar on the back of his head and he frowned, stopping in his tracks to look at Essence. “Deidra.... Have you... Have you heard from her since the party?” He asked, resuming his walk in a slower pace, half distracted by his thought. “I remember... She had me quite worried about whatever she was about to go do. She sounded a bit... Scared.” Dastan frowned for a moment as if remembering something that happened mere days ago took him effort. “Your boy, Matthew, called her away, for a job; she said, and... I don’t know...” He shook his head. “She gave me one of those ‘in case I don’t come back’ goodbyes... Didn’t give me a good feeling at all.”

Dastan stopped walking when they reached the makeshift stables, the few horses that had returned or been retrieved were loose within the confines of a large circular pen. Dastan approached the fence and leaned against it. One of the remaining Crimson was inside with the animals and ran over to them. “Shaykh.” He greeted, bowing his head slightly. “We’re still missing Rocky and Buttons and...” The man sighed. “Mirage, she... Still refuses to eat.”

Dastan sighed softly. “Bring the saddles and harnesses that belong to the missing horses, please, Lance. I’ll have a look at her as soon as I can.”

The mercenary nodded his agreement and wandered off to fetch the equipment.

Essence watched Dastan as he spoke, absently walking with him when he moved and mirroring his stance as he leaned against the fence at the stables. It was almost like a dance, her eyes never leaving his face as she studied the slightest mannerisms in his expression as he talked of personal matters, to the slight change when one of his people approached. Internally she was taking notes. It was a habit how she memorized him but it was not for the same reasons she normally studied people, even though that was part of it. Ess wanted to remember him and the many faces she had already seen in her few encounters with the man. As she mulled over his words, letting them sink in, Ess thought she saw something familiar in her friend’s eyes that reminded her of herself.

“I’m sorry…” she paused, “..I feel like sometimes tragedy and loss is what connects me to others; what draws me in, but I guess that isn’t such a bad thing. My mother...she died when I was born too. My father...he died trying to protect me when my village was burned to the ground and I was sold into a brothel at seven years old. The blood I was covered in at the ball...was from my ‘Mistress’.” Ess sighed, folding her arms across her chest, a devilish smile touching her eyes. “The Squealer...er…” she laughed, “..my blood brother, apparently harbored a grudge against me for things I had no control over. He blamed me for my mother’s death and felt I was favored above him because I looked like her. Ian believed I should have died and our mother live. He was partially responsible for my time in the brothel and he ended up working for the people behind the sword and eye symbol, who worked with Darren’s father as well. There’s evidence those people were responsible for my village and possibly others. I thought Ian..was dead...but I found him...and burned him alive so he could feel a fraction of what the people of my village felt.” Ess was nonchalant about how she tortured Ian, so much it was kind of sad. “I peeled flesh off his face so he would know how betrayal felt..having pieces of one’s self stripped away, layer by layer….”

Unfolding her arms she gripped the rails of the fence, propping herself so she could cross her ankles when she leaned, moving the conversation away from Ian. “Loss hurts, no matter the circumstance, but I do know my father loved me so much that he was willing to die in order for me to live. I can’t begrudge him for that when I understand that every time I look at Jake or Darren..well anyone I’ve come to care for. I know they wouldn’t want me to die for them and I wouldn’t choose to if there was another option, but sometimes I am a bit...eh reckless.”

Ess’ smile softened at the mention of Deidra, “Oh, you think the reason she gave you a kiss was because she might not come back? That was probably just an excuse.” A thoughtful and slightly worried demeanor took hold of her, causing her to slouch in her posture. “..What did she say to you? All I know is Matt said she was off doing a favor for someone and asked him not to tell anyone about it..and that she should be back in a couple weeks if...all goes well. I haven’t seen her since the party. I’m a bit worried too.”

Placing two fingers between her lips, Ess released a high pitched whistle that made her own ears ring, distant barks her response as the wolves made their way towards her and Dastan. “Mirage...I like that name. You know..if you don’t have any luck with that one eating, can always ask Aiden. Beast Speakers come in handy sometimes, I tell ya.” She snickered, “Rocky and..um..Buttons...ha..is it? That is actually quite adorable. Is there a Tulip?”

“Why Tulip?” Dastan asked, chuckling at Ess’ comment on the horse’s name. “Buttons... I think one of the kids named her. After Rocky and Sandy, I retired from naming horses, on my sister’s request.” Dastan heaved a weary sigh, shaking his head and jumping over the fence. He nodded towards the gate and opened it for Ess to pass. “See the pale grey one over there? That’s Mirage. Indrani rescued her from a merchant about three years ago, ugliest thing we’d ever seen... skin and bone, she was. Jackson wanted to put her down, but my sister is stubborn and she wouldn’t have it. Indrani nursed her back to health and beyond. She’s the fastest horse we have. Could beat Shadow in a race easily. Unfortunately, she is also terribly spoiled and I think she’s just feeling Indrani’s absence.”

He walked along the fence, approaching the grey mare. “Isn’t that right, you big stubborn baby? Hm?” He taunted. Mirage reacted to Dastan’s call, shaking her head and slowly approaching the man. “There she is.” He smiled, running his palm along the horse’s neck, slowly leading her towards the feeders as he answered Ess about Deidra. “It’s not because she gave me a kiss. I know I was perfectly charming. It was very much deserved.” He snorted, faking annoyance for a moment before his tone turned serious. “No, she was worried. She mentioned having volunteered for something and I don’t know, she got all serious after Matt called her up. Plus she literally said ‘in case I don’t see you’ and ‘I would have regretted otherwise’.” Dastan frowned, noting that Mirage persistently ignored the oats that were placed right before her.”Come on now, baby girl, eat your food...” He whispered. “I’m going to be in so much trouble if you get sick.” He shrugged. “Either way, I was just wondering if you’d heard anything. She did say she wanted to see me again... I’m not one to disappoint a lady.”

Ess smiled down at Beo and Tala as they approached, muttering commands for them to stay behind the fence, not wanting to upset Mirage and stress her out more than she already was. Ess went to turn to see where Shockwave was, about ready to head out on their search when she heard a whinny, a flurry of white trailing out of the corner of her eyes and by the time she found the stallion, Ess had spun around in almost a full circle, just to catch the horse leaping over the fence and prancing around happily. It seemed like he was dancing around in circles as a display before the other horses.

“Pfft...Show off…” Ess snorted, “Well Dastan...let us just hope Deidra knows what she is doing and is safe..whatever she is up to. Twins have mercy on her enemies if she is not otherwise..”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early Next Day: Otium 17th, Blackpond


Deidra groaned, turning a bit too quickly and banging her head against the stone wall. “Damnation by all that is unholy…” When she tried to sit she fell off her pathetic excuse for a bed, cursing some more.

’Dee? Sorry to wake you..’

’Shut up Kyle. This was the first moments peace I’ve had in two days.’

’You knew this was going to be far from easy, Deidra..’

’ Yea? You try staying up for over a day just to finish sewing dresses for an unreasonable quota made by an envious, psychotic bitch who wakes up early just to torment the few moments of sleep I get. And don’t tell me to not worry about Oliva, like others have because obviously I need to figure out how to dissolve the issue that is crazy so I can live long enough to find out what is down those stupid tunnels!’

There was an uncomfortable silence that passed for several minutes, Dee gently rubbing the side of her head to dull the throbbing ache. As things became clearer and her crankiness subsided, Dee’s heart sank, twanged by a hint of guilt. ‘I’m sorry Kyle...’

‘No, Dee Dee, I should have let you be, but I was very worried about you. You shut me out and it was driving me nuts. I should know better than to talk to you like I know better..especially because I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through.’

Dee shook her head, crawling to her knees to stand and quickly glance around her room to ensure she was alone. Pulling her bed away from the wall, she settled in the dirt and lit a candle. The wax was almost spent, but it emitted just enough light to shadow the outline of the maze she had started and the map of the area above ground.

’Alright Kyle, can you see this? Each x I marked is where I’ve found the symbol so far. They aren’t in obvious places. Mostly in the arcs in the doorway, hidden behind the torches. Those were felt engraved into the wood, which is similar in the establishments that keep a lot of foot traffic. Other locations, the marks are faded and in places people wouldn’t normally look.

Kyle was silent, listening intently to Deidra as she talked, explaining more and more the little details she thought weren’t important but could somehow become of great value later on. He took the time to sketch down what Dee had drawn in the dirt, indicating to her it was ok to smear what she had of a map so far, the woman pushing her bed back into position. Kyle started to list off the names Dee provided with the assumed chain of command those names held.

’But..wait Deidra, if you technically haven’t had face to face contact with this Zeke fellow, how do you know..’
’Trust me Kyle..just trust me.’

’Dee. You know you can’t trust anybo-’

’ You’re doing it again, Kyle. Telling me what I already know. But it makes sense, based on what I’ve encountered and what Ess told Matt, remember?’[i] Dee sighed. [i]’Listen, I need to get a bit of sleep before the grind begins in a couple hours. I need to be on my toes. I’ll talk to you later, ok?’

Kyle didn’t even have time to protest and his friend was already gone. If he left the outskirts of Blackpond now, he would be able to make it back around this time the next night. He had barely enough leeway to see Matthew, give his report and return back. He dreaded being gone long in case Dee needed him and the distance made it impossible to protect her, the little that he could.

~That Morning~

Deidra was seconds from opening the door to her room to be escorted upstairs to the shop when she was surprised to hear a gentle rapping. When she didn’t respond to the knock, the door opened, Marcus slipping inside, closing it most of the way behind him. Stretching, he leaned casually against the wall, purposely blocking the exit. Marcus smiled down at Dee in such a manner to make her skin crawl and cause her to step back, bumping into her cot. She didn’t hear anything the man said when she recoiled from him as he drew near. Deidra’s ears started to ring, her skin prickling as she broke out into a cold sweat from his hot breath upon her neck and she couldn’t help her reaction when she shoved him back, attempting to escape out the door.

Marcus had pinned her face down against the wall, the partially opened door to her left. The man probably interpreted Dee’s hesitation as submission and that is what it ended up turning into, but her initial thought was of how easily she could take the man down and escape. Instead, she focused on her purpose there, resisting her instincts to break the man’s pelvic bone and crush his throat.

Deidra complied when he told her not to scream, turning her cries inward when it seemed to go on forever. She prayed to the Twins Kyle couldn’t hear her, hoping he was too far, but she knew that was only a delusion. Again her hearing faded as if she went deaf, her body going numb defensively blocking out the attack. The moment she thought it was over, Marcus turned her to face him whispering in what the man believed to be in an act of affection, “We aren’t leaving here until we’ve both been satisfied.”

Dee closed her eyes, trails of tears staining her cheeks and when she opened them again in the direction of the door she so wanted to smack Marcus’ head against, she found herself staring into the familiar, cold eyes of Oliva. The woman had been watching, a cruel sneer curling her lips. For a moment, Dee was afraid, but more than anything she was outraged. She hated the way the woman watched and resented Dee for an act that was clearly against her will. She hated the way her body betrayed her soul in that moment and she despised how much she wanted to fight back but couldn’t. The only thing she had to look forward to was getting rid of Olivia before she could do the same to Deidra. At least now she no longer pitied the woman. There would be no guilt, no sympathy for whatever end lay in wait for her special friend.


~~~~~~~
~Later That Night~

“What are you doing!? Stop!” Deidra pleaded when Seth grabbed a fistfull of hair and begain dragging her down the stairs from the shop into an unfamiliar room below. He shoved her inside, closing the door behind him, nodding to the figures behind Dee. It took the woman a second to focus on the others around her; Olivia bruised and bleeding on the floor, still managing a glare outwardly towards Deidra and Marcus towering over the women firmly gripping a switch in both hands.

“You don’t believe me? Get someone to read my mind! I’m telling the tr-” Olivia was cut off when Marcus brought the switch down across the woman’s face, cutting open her right cheek.

“The evidence is clear and we don’t need to bother the others for such a trivial matter, right? I can take care of this.” Marcus turned his attention towards Deidra, kneeling down in front of her as Seth spoke.

“Her room is clear. We didn’t find anything on her.” Seth grunted, his eyes flickering between Olivia and Deidra, a subtle uneasiness fleeting beneath his expression.

“Deidra..” Marcus began, “..did you see Olivia stealing any coin?” He tilted his head to the side, reaching out and gently caressing Dee’s cheek.

Deidra cringed, avoiding the man’s eyes at first, and shrugged. “I dunno. Not exactly.” She stiffened, Marcus gripping the woman’s shoulder, lifting her chin with the switch to look into her eyes.

“The truth now. If I find out you’re lying..or you helped her..” Marcus dug his fingers into Dee’s arm, tapping the sides of her face with the switch. “Huh? Did you see her stealing from us?”

Dee was grateful for the pinching, her eyes swelling with tears just at the right moment and she began to shake. “I saw that first day, you treated her with some of her own...but…” Deidra’s eyes danced from Marcus to Olivia, the woman glaring daggers into her. Dee began to sob, an empathetic look of worry and concern for the woman as she continued. “Olivia..I’m so sorry…” Dee turned back towards Marcus and nodded. “..She said she would kill me if I told. I was only trying to stay alive.”

“No! No, she’s lying! She must have taken it! Why would I betray you Marcus?”

“When, Olivia?” He turned and stood, moving back away from Dee. “When has she ever been left alone above surface?”

Olivia began to sob, her pleading never ceasing as Marcus extended the switch across the woman’s back over and over again. The more the woman pleaded, the harder he thrashed her, kicking her when she tried to roll away. Marcus paused to catch his breath, keeping his back to Deidra and Seth, “Deidra, you can go back upstairs to watch the shop now. Seth, you can take her.”

Seth mumbled a compliant response to the command and yanked Deidra to her feet. Dee appeared startled by the display, a disgusted expression filling her eyes as she stared at Marcus. When he continued the beating on Olivia, her stare trailed down, a spiteful smile spreading across her lips as she made eye contact with the woman and winked before turning to leave.

When Seth and Dee reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned towards the guard, quirking a brow. “Now..don’t you forget what I did for you back there.” The man’s normally annoyed demeanor towards Dee was now one of relief, a brief smile passing from his eyes as he reached into his pouch to retrieve an apple, handing it to her. “You better hide that. Save it for later.”

Dee went upstairs, going through the motions of picking up the mess from the commotion and closing up shop. She tucked the apple away in the back of a desk drawer while she cleaned a few spots of blood off the floor. Deidra had been scrubbing the spot for about a half an hour when the door opened and Marcus passed through the shop, not even stopping as he exited the building. Dee thought she caught him mumbling a complaint of sorts and the mention of Zeke before he disappeared for the night. Dee never saw what happened to Olivia’s body, but she assumed she wouldn’t be a bother anymore.

As before, she knew she couldn’t trust anyone in there, but now she had something over the guard, Seth. Dee had caught him stealing from the desk earlier that day and approached him later on with a proposition. In truth, the man could have taken care of Dee and denied any accusations, but he was amused at the idea of getting rid of Olivia. It was the perfect opportunity, as Dee had convinced the guard that Olivia was planting suspicion in Marcus’ ear against Seth. Even though it wasn’t exactly true, they successfully were able to plant the blame of the theft on the woman, mutually benefitting them both. At least for a little while.

Several Days Later


Deidra first heard the cries in her sleep. When she tried to wake, she only fell deeper from consciousness, unable to rise from her slumber. Morning came, and there was only silence, except that it was the most deafening sound in her mind.

Dee had been moved to Olivia’s old room which was attached to the tailor shop. Accomodations in her new dwelling came with both pros and cons. Physically, it was quite a distance from the tunnels but at the same time security was easier to get around; it was just riskier. Each day she would travel further and further in the direction Deidra was convinced she heard the whimpers, but all she was met with was that eerie silence.

She waited for the guard shift changeover before sprinting down a new corridor she had yet to explore. The walls felt different there; warmer and yet softer than the normal cold stone she was becoming accustomed to. Dee knew she had to get back before she was missed but then her hand seemed to fall away from the wall, the woman losing balance and tripping into the space she couldn’t see but felt. No sooner than she had regained her footing, the woman came to another wall, only this one was made of wood. She felt around as if testing to see if it were a door but she couldn’t find an edge or door handle. That was when she caught faint sobs coming from the other side of the wall. Dee leaned in, pressing her ear firmly against the solid wood and the sound stopped. It didn’t matter that it was pitch black down there and she couldn’t see a damn thing, but the woman still turned and stared at the spot her ear had resided at. “I can hear you..” She whispered, not wanting her voice to carry down the halls but hoping she could still be heard.

“I caan heear yooou..”

Dee startled, stepping back a few steps before rushing the wall and clinging to its smooth surface. The voice was distant and yet it sent chill down her spine. She thought it sounded similar to a young girl but it was hard to tell. “...Are you alright?”

There was a pause and when the disembodied voice echoed again, it carried a tune, a hint of amusement hidden behind the playful mockery. ”Are..YOU...alright?” The voice continued to sing, the words unknown to Deidra but meaningless as her arms went limp and she stared in a lifeless daze at the wall, slightly swaying to the song.

Deidra! What is going on? Don’t listen...Dee...Deidra!? Kyle’s voice was frantic in her mind and yet it seemed so far away in it’s incessant warning. And then, his voice was cut out completely and Dee was knocked back into coherent thought by a blinding light followed by shouting as she was knocked to the floor and dragged down the corridors by powerful hands.

“How the hell did this happen, Grace!? Where were you?”

“I told you, she’s willful and getting stronger. You didn’t want to believe me when I tried to tell you her voice carries.”

“Impossible..we reinforced the walls…”

“Obviously that didn’t hold. All due respect, perhaps we should have just let her have her fun and see what she would do.”

“She’s not ready…”

“Right, right...only when Mistress says..”

Deidra groaned, trying to open her eyes and only catching glimpses of blue and black before she was pushed up the stairs and tossed on top of a desk. She was disorientated, her head was pounding and Deidra wasn’t sure who was yelling louder at the moment as the voices melded together. It felt like an icepick jabbing at the base of her neck and along her temples.

“What happened…” Dee whispered, immediately pretending to remember less than she did. The switch was her answer, snapping like a whip across the right side of her face. A young brunette with blonde highlights dressed in all black, lowered herself to eye level with Dee. The look was terrifying, dark and cold. Deidra assumed it was the one addressed as Grace but before she could think anything more, the woman stepped aside for the Lady in blue.

“I will ask the questions here..” Amara’s face came into focus and a fit of panic gripped Dee, a tight squeeze crushing her heart making it hard to breathe. She wasn’t even allowed to answer, the woman in blue already pulling at her mind for the answers she seeked. Dee’s thoughts were in fragments, Kyle having already worked her cognizance to match her apparent disorientation and memory loss. Hopefully his handiwork would go unnoticed. For a moment after Deidra was released, Amara’s eyes were fixated for so long on her that she thought the woman was going to kill her. Instead Amara cursed, turning away from Dee as she moved to descend back down the stairs below.

“I’ll reinforce the barrier..just...make it clear to our new arrival how it is in her best interest to stay away from there completely.”

~~~~
Several Days Later

‘Dee Dee, you’re insane. Why must you push yourself; push your luck? This is your life we are talking about here..’ Kyle pleaded to Dee to stay in her room but the woman was far too stubborn to listen to him as she descended the stairs.

‘It’s been a few days since all that..things have calmed down, Kyle. Why don’t you tell me what happened, since you took away some of my memories..’

‘I could just given them back, Dee. I didn’t take them, they are just blocked.’

‘You know that’s too risky, Kyle...’

‘..Right, right...Well...we call it the Siren’s Call. It’s a form of telepathy, the source mainly in the form of song. It’s dangerous because the Siren doesn’t need to use a direct command to hypnotize its target, enslaving their mind to their own. I’ve only heard of a couple people having this gift and all from books. You had absolutely no control over yourself Dee. Almost like a dream where you understand what’s going on but powerless to prevent it and yet you want to do whatever it is they make you do. It stems from the myth of Mind and Heart’s first child.l’

‘The one that went batshit crazy and was sent to hell?’ Dee snorted, purposely avoiding the same dark hallway and taking another turn to explore, her nose scrunching up at a faint odor of decay and waste. It reminded her of the room she first woke up in. ‘ You were able to interrupt it though, Kyle, right? Or was that because of Grace?’

‘ Probably both, actually...besides a firm smack to the face, it can take a lot more to break someone of their haze; or so I read. In the myth...the sobs or cries of the child were the first indications of her gift, a subtle tactic in drawing in her targets.’

‘Aw, shit..’

‘..when the girl got older, for reasons I’m unsure of, she tried to control humans. Everything from their thoughts to their actions and it drove her mad. You can imagine what a huge threat that would be to Valcrest..’

‘..You think she went insane because maybe she had..that..oh what is it called…;

“Affinity. Yea...quite possible, course hard to tell. I honestly haven’t read that story since I was a kid. I don’t even know where one can find that except maybe the White Shadows.’

‘ She sounded really young though Kyle...Kyle?’

The man was silent for a while before allowing his thoughts to reach Deidra. ‘ Dee, how are you doing?’

‘No, Kyle. We aren’t doing this. Not now.’

‘..I shouldn’t have let you go, Deidra. I can’t stop thinking about it...’

‘Stop it Kyle. I don’t want to talk about Marcus. I’m still alive, aren’t I?’

Kyle held back his thoughts from Deidra, trying to tear his mind away from the constant memory of Dee’s whimpers and wails and how powerless he was. He was only good enough to sit by and witness it and if he left her because he couldn’t handle it it would be like abandoning her, but witnessing it and her knowing he did wasn’t too much better. Every day Marcus came for Dee and every day she let it happen, when all either of them wanted was for Dee to fight back. Keith wasn’t talking to Kyle as of late and he couldn’t honestly blame him. Maybe something like this was uncalled for; maybe there was another way.

‘...You won’t be in here much longer, Dee. We will be coming to get you out soon.’

‘ Already? But, there’s so much still to...’

’ ENOUGH, DEE. This is insanity! Self destructive and for what!?’

Silence lingered, Kyle beginning to feel poorly for his outburst. ‘ Dee Dee?’

‘ For them...’

‘ What? Who Dee?’

‘ Kyle..they’re here. I can hear them. The others...captives..’ Dee was pressing her ear against the stone wall, just like when she encountered the strange voice, only this time she could hear multiple voices. She felt a breeze at her feet, squatting down towards a space between the floor and the wall which allowed airflow. From there she could hear others pleading for help..to be let out. She had no way of knowing how long they had been there or if this were the exact room she had been held herself. All Deidra knew is that she had no idea how to get them out. There were no doors, no windows and from her experience the only way in and out was by some sort of teleportation. If only it wasn’t so dark and she could see, but she was no better than a mole rat.

‘ I don’t even know where to begin...’

‘Begin by surviving, Dee. Get back upstairs before Marcus or someone else comes looking for you..’

Dee was suddenly blinded by a bright light, as if several doors had opened, sunlight beaming down into the tunnels and flooding them. It burned her eyes, Deidra cowering in an attempt to shield herself and when the light faded she found herself in a room with one of the women in blue and a tall, dark skinned man she presumed to be Zeke. He stared at her as if he was seeing right through Deidra, the man’s voice lost to her as if she had suddenly become deaf. her eyes widened in a frantic panic when she realized she couldn’t hear anything, not even Kyle. He was gone; she couldn’t even feel him in the back of her mind as she crumpled into a heap upon the dirt floor. When the man’s eyes focused and met hers, Dee dropped the fearful act, a defiant smile pursing her lips as she was struck hard across the face, one of her teeth coming loose. Dee wiped at the bit of blood at her chin and spat the tooth at the man and shrugged.
A loud buzzing sound filled her ears as the man smiled back, kneeling down in front of Deidra, his lips moving but the woman still unable to hear what he said. Finally the buzzing faded, a chilling and smug voice echoed against the walls. “So..you think you’re strong, hmm? Let’s see just how strong..”

“...You don’t want us to kill her, Zeke?”

“No...I want whomever was listening to hear her scream...find out what she knows/ who is listening and then get rid of her. No more fuck ups, Marcus...make sure this gets done right.”

(somehow i broke the site)

[Raven's Nest - Otium 18, late afternoon]

Luckas sighed, holding back a laugh. They had been doing this for a while now; Lily had found him the moment he arrived in the Nest and been following him around ever since, chasing him for a bit then standing in front of him, staring for a few seconds, then yawning vigorously. After some time of making the girl chase him down for this; with no explanation as to why whatsoever, Luckas finally stopped trying to get away and just sat down by the oak, compliant, watching as she stared at him for long periods of time and then let out another exaggerated yawn, Stalker joining the girl in her yawning and eventually just curling up beside Luckas and taking a nap. Finally, Lily threw her arms up in the air in clear frustration and stormed off. Luckas was intrigued, so he jumped to his feet and went off after her.

Lily hadn’t gone far, she was standing beside an amused looking Jason, arms crossed and a severe expression that was a clear imitation of the one Jess would give the children at bedtime. “It doesn’t work!”

“There’s nothing wrong with the test, Lily.” The boy responded as if not wanting to explain anything more than that.

“Nuh-uh!” Lily protested. “I did just like you said and it didn’t work at all.”

“Okay...” Luckas snorted a laugh. “What is going here? What was that all about with the yawning and why are you two arguing?”

“It’s an empathy test,” Jason explained.

“An empathy tes-...” Luckas cut himself off, a look of understanding spreading across his features slowly. “I see.” Luke sighed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with the test, Miss Lily... It just means I didn’t pass.”

The girl shook her head stubbornly. “That’s not right. Because you’re not mean so you should pass!” She argued.

Luke arched an eyebrow at the girl. “Is this an empathy test or a meanness test, hm?” He questioned playfully. “Listen, kid, it doesn’t mean I don’t have any empathy. I just have... a lot less of it than most people. So your test wouldn’t work on me because tests are made for regular people. You understand? Either way, not having empathy doesn’t necessarily mean a person is bad. It means it’s easier for them to do bad things because they wouldn’t feel bad about them.”

“But I think you have lots of empathy! You do nice things all the time.” Lily argued. “You tell us stories, and you help Jess with Danny even if you don’t really have to... And you make Miss Ess smile all the time... and stuff...”

Luckas snickered. “Do I? Huuh...” He mumbled, scratching his head playfully as though he hadn’t actually noticed these things before. “Weeeird.” Noting the girl’s confused expression Luckas sighed crouching down to her level. “Listen, Little Miss, I’m nice to you because I like you, yes? I like Miss Ess... and Jess is just very, very, bossy, you know? It’s easy being good to people you like. Good people are good even when it’s not easy. That’s something I can’t do.”

Lily frowned a bit as she thought about Luke’s words, making a face as if she had tasted something bitter. “Are you saying that to be good you have to be nice to people even if you don’t like them?”

Luckas laughed at the girl’s expression. “Nah, Miss Lily, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that good people don’t do bad things to people just because they don’t like them, or because they can. They would feel bad if they did.” He asked, standing up straight and waiting for her to nod in response before starting to walk back the way he came, purposely keeping his pace relaxed, knowing that the questioning wasn’t quite over yet.

“So you’ve done bad things to people just ‘cause you didn’t like them?” Lily asked, following after Luckas.

“Sometimes. More often than that because I could.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” Luckas retorted, his tone almost bitter, yet he halted and glanced at the girl with the corner of his eye, softening his next words. “That’s what empathy’s for, Miss Lily. It tells you why not.”

“Mister Luckas... Why do some people don’t have empathy then?” The girl asked.

Luckas shrugged casually and resumed walking. “I don’t think anyone knows, Miss Lily. Some people say that you are either born with empathy or not. Others think that people learn empathy from their parents when they’re still babies and that if something really bad happens then, or if they have no one to teach them, they never learn. Nobody knows which is true, though.”

“My Mommy and my Da taught me then!” Lily stated proudly. “You didn’t have a mommy to teach you?”

Luckas snorted slightly. “Not really.”

“Is she in Heaven like my mommy?”

“No,” Luckas mumbled. “No, she’s... She’s alive, but... She wasn’t a very good mommy. See, she didn’t want to take care of me or my brother; so she gave us away to some bad people.”

“Like the bad people taking children away now?”

Luckas frowned deeply but kept his tone relaxed. “You heard about that, huh?”

“We hear lots of things. Jess says we’re not supposed to, but...”

“I see,” Luckas smirked, a little bit amused. He stopped walking as he reached his spot by the oak and was greeted by Stalker lazily getting up from his nap to lick his hand. Luke scratched behind the wolf’s ears and sighed, unable to lie to the girl; even about this. “Yes, those people were something like that.”

“How could she do that?” Lily asked, clinging to Stalker as if he was a giant teddy bear and peeking at Luckas from behind a cover of black fluff.

“She had no empathy; not for us anyway.” Luke shrugged, sitting down by the tree and forcing a smile that was rather unconvincing. “You shouldn’t worry about that, it was a very long time ago.”

“Well, you know what? You have lots more empathy than she did.” Lily stated firmly. “So you didn’t need her to teach you anyways.”

Luckas shook his head but agreed with the girl, not wanting to extend that conversation any more than necessary. “I suppose you’re right Miss Lily.” Luke went silent for a little while before smiling wickedly at the girl. “You know what, I could really use some tea right now. Should we have some tea, Miss Lily?”

Lily’s eyes lit up in excitement as she vigorously nodded. “Okay! Wait here, I’ll be right back!” She exclaimed, running off towards the Captain’s cabin.

Luckas watched the girl wander off, his expression darkening considerably now that she couldn’t see him anymore; a reddish hue lingering underneath the dark of his eyes.

------------

[Raven's Nest - Otium 18, early evening]

Luckas’ spirits had lifted considerably while having ‘tea’ with miss Lily. For the most part, he had let the girl talk his ears off about all the new people gracing the Nest with their presence and how she had tried to sneak a look at the Queen but was caught by Jess before she could manage a peek. Luckas’ interest in Ella or Jake’s prisoners was barely existent and his only addition to the conversation at this point was to stress the fact Lily should absolutely not go near any prisoners under any circumstance. The girl rolled her eyes at him but agreed. After a while, Jess came by to break up their play date and Lily gathered her things in a hurry to join the other kids for supper, telling Luckas he could keep the shiny paper crown she’d given him to wear. It was a nice looking piece of sparkly paper, and Luke held on to it, even though he didn’t quite see himself as a crown-wearing kind of guy.

It didn’t strike him as odd that he hadn’t seen Ess since he arrived in the Nest, or the amount of drills the Ravens had been running lately. He knew better than anyone that all hell was going to break loose soon enough. It only made sense that the camp be this busy. While usually Luckas would have made it a point to find her, even if just to see what she was doing, this time, he decided to just wait by the oak and enjoy a quiet moment. Those plans were almost immediately thwarted by a loud sneeze and an annoyed whine.

“Hey, Tala...” Luckas sighed. “I know, I forgot to change, I smell wrong. Just deal with it, alright? I had a rough couple of days, I just want some quiet.”

Tala let out a short bark, and continued sniffing and prodding Luckas, whining in protest to his scent and when it became clear to the wolf that the man wasn’t going to anything about his ‘condition’, she took action herself, persistently rubbing her fur against the man’s clothes face and hair.

“Ugh, Tala, no, stop it,” Luckas complained, shoving the wolf aside and getting up on his feet. “Fine, for fuck's sake, I’ll go wash up.” He muttered, retrieving a clean set of clothes and the boots Ess had given him from his travel bag and starting towards the river. “I’m not one of your pups, you know? Just because you stopped trying to bite my face off doesn’t mean I have to listen to you.”

Tala barked in response, following after Luckas and still sniffing at his heels.

“Knock it off,” Luckas mumbled, glaring at the wolf. “You couldn’t just cut me a little slack for once, could ya? Noooo... ” He continued to mutter at the wolf under his breath as they reached a more secluded area in the outskirts of the camp. He nudged Stalker, the wolf tracking ahead to make sure there was no one currently at the water pool. It was unlikely, but seeing as some of the women in the camp often bathed there he’d rather not risk it. The wolf’s short howl told Luckas that the area was clear and the man continued on, annoyance still clear in his voice as he mumbled to himself. “As if I didn’t have enough to worry about... No one would even notice if you didn’t make such a big deal every time... bloody wolf...”

Luckas was quick to strip naked and get in the pool, feeling a bit of shock from the cold water as he sunk in and exhaling sharply as it subsided. The idea of bathing in the Nest was unappealing to him for several reasons, but most of all because if anyone so much as glimpsed the mark on the back of his shoulder he would be done for. “Do you have any idea, the risk you’re making me take? Hm? Maybe you are still trying to kill me.” He muttered at Tala, resting both arms on the edge of the pool and glaring at the wolf. Tala responded with a snort, inching closer and taking a whiff of Luke’s hair before licking his nose, seeming satisfied that he was clean. “Yeah, yeah, I’m watching you.” He chuckled as the wolf wandered off, most likely to find Ess.

When Luckas returned to the Nest, once again thinking of just going back to the Oak and relaxing. Once again, his plan was immediately thwarted when he spotted Clayton stalking this man along the camp, the boy looking very determined and scared out of his mind at the same time. It took Luckas half a glance to know that man was far from the innocent victim he was making himself out to be. Luckas gestured for Stalker to hide and the wolf immediately disappeared in the woods. Luke then walked straight to Clayton and grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt. “What, if I may ask, do you think you’re doing?” He snapped.

Clayton winced, eyes widening at being caught. “Uh, I...”

Luckas pulled the boy further away so that he was now standing between him and the stranger. “You don’t go around shoving your hands into people’s pockets like that! Who’s been teaching you this stuff?”

“Irvin did, but...”

“Irvin is an idiot. Which is not surprising considering the idiot in charge of his training.” Luckas snorted, softening his tone a bit when he realized Clayton was just about to start crying on him. “Listen to me, Clay; you do not prey on people blindly like this. Just because they look distracted it doesn’t mean they are. And if they’re pretending to be, you have to ask yourself...” He glanced at the man. “...Why?” He let go of Clayton’s shirt. “If you want to practice, practice on the guard. You’re not ready for this, do you understand?”

Clayton nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Okay. Now go find Jess, go on. You should be going to bed by now.”

“Okay, I will. Thank you, Mister Luckas.” Clayton smiled, peeking at the stranger for a bit and waving. “Bye Mister Creepy Man!”

Luckas snorted a chuckle as the boy ran off. “So... Mister Creepy Man...” Luke muttered, now taking a good look at the stranger and immediately recognizing his face. “Mind telling me what your plan was with the kid? Because there're only two kinds of people I know who would willingly lead a child to reach into their pockets, but seeing as you’re Captain’s friend I’ll be kind enough to assume you are neither.”

Evin hadn't left his commandeered hut since he'd arrived. Keeping his eye on Ella was his top priority. However, in the Nest, he keep know that there was a certain level of safety. He could leave the cabin for a short while and while most of the previous Black Guards didn't know him, Evin knew them all too well. He'd tasked some of the better guards to protect the hut before leaving the cabin's sight. It would give him a chance to take a look around the camp and to keep up with the goings on around camp.
He'd only just left when he heard soft shuffles scuttling behind him. Evin didn't indicate at all that he knew he was being followed but continued on with a little more caution. He slowly circled around himself, taking note of his tracks on the ground as he walked by them. It was a kid. A younger one, at that. Evin relaxed. He led the kid on a wild chase through the camp until eventually finding a rather secluded place to stop. Rather irritated, he took his shoe off, shaking it as if there was a rock inside. When he felt rummaging through his pocket, he gently chucked his shoe over his head.
“Ouch!” The kid yelped.
“I don't know what you look like. Make sure you keep it that way, kid. Drop the string behind me. You can keep the copper pieces.” Evin said with a stern tone.
The kid scuttled off again, but not before he heard him shout, back a farewell to Evin. Am I really that old?
Then a younger man walked up to him. He looked no older than twenty with deep-set black eyes and black hair which seemed to partly cover his face.
“I have a hard time presuming that you walk around this camp and don't at least know my name. I'm Evin. Now that you know my name, you can use it.”

Luckas crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Evin with an eyebrow raised. “I know your name, sir. Mister Bana. Mister Evin. Mister Ev... J-Bear has some other names for you, I could use one of those as well.” He shrugged lightly. “So, yes, I can use your name. There’s a great many deal of things I can do, in fact. Just because I can, though, doesn’t mean I will.”

Luke unfolded his arms and ran his fingers through his hair, noting it was still damp from his impromptu bath. His smoothed his locks and picked the shiny paper crown miss Lily had let him keep earlier from his pocket. Unfolding the hat and placing it over his head. “There was one person I sometimes... Sometimes... Called by name,” he said, casually. “Sometimes I called her Lena. Most times I just called her Evil Bitch. We had a complicated relationship, but in my defense, she didn’t seem to mind that. She did mind what you called her, though. She didn’t say it but she minded, and you knew that she minded... Yet you did it anyway.” Luke’s eyes narrowed at Evin and sparkled red for a moment before his posture relaxed. Once again he shrugged at the man. “You did it because you knew that she minded and I think, hey far from me to judge, but you know... At the same time, you’re one to talk when it comes to how people address you. Mister Assassin Man.” Luckas’ face scrunched up for a moment as he thought over the name. “Nah... Mister Frowny Man? Mister Frowny Assassin Man? Mister Crankypants? Hmmm... I’m a bit off my game today, but no worries... I’ll find one that suits you soon enough.”

Eyes glossed over as Evin listened to this man drone on. He wasn’t even sure what the black-haired little brat was saying, but Evin indulged him the opportunity to continue talking. Evin wouldn’t have liked to say it, but he felt above this sort of condescending conversation from total strangers. He replied with the only thing that seemed dignified the conversation, “okay”and he moved on his way, towards what seemed to be the smell of some freshly cooked rabbit.

“I’m glad you agree,” Luckas said as he continued wandering off after Evin, eyeing him as though trying to make out what kind of person he was. After a few steps he whispered under his breath, it was a soft command, simple, one that might go unnoticed to someone naturally prone to tripping over their own feet, which was what Evin ended up doing. He caught himself, but Luke didn’t mean to cause a fall, only slow him down. He used the man’s misstep to run ahead of him and get in his face, looking into his eyes and catching a glimpse of the freshest memories on his mind. “You seem preoccupied, Mister Grumpy Man... You worried about Little Ella? Is she still not done playing puppet to that idiot? I told her I could help her, but she said ‘no’. No. ‘Cause of the kid I guess.” Luke smiled. “Always took her for a wimp, but even I have to admit that’s commendable. I don’t think anyone would fault her for wanting an easy way out in this case.”

Evin jumped to life at the mention of Ella. He grabbed Luckas by his shirt and pushed him backward. Luckas’ breath escaped him as he was violently backed into a tree. A dagger pressed against his throat with another one flashing from a hidden pocket in Evin’s coat to hold what seemed to be Luckas’ dominant hand against the tree. Any struggle would likely end with either Luckas’ throat cut or his hand pinned to the tree behind him, or both. “What’s your game with Ella? Who are you? What do you want from her?” He said through a stiff jaw. “And it’s Evin.”

Luke didn’t seem to care much for being roughed up. That was really a daily occurrence, or almost, at this point. He let out a small chuckle at the man’s response. “What could I possibly want from her? I did her a favor. Someone needed to explain what this was. She thought she was still alive. Understanding takes away the fear, or so I hoped.” Luke gave a half shrug, careful not to move too much. “I was just curious, if you don’t want to tell me how she’s doing, that’s fine by me.”

Evin let up his death grip on Luckas. He backed away a few steps and allowed him to compose himself in whatever way comforted him. Evin still felt in control and with a dagger in his hand, he could rest assured that should this strange fellow try to attack, that he wouldn’t have the jump on Evin. Luckas hadn’t revealed anything about himself, yet. Evin could respect that on a certain level. It took one man to fear someone who had a dagger to his throat and didn’t flinch but Evin wasn’t that man. Someone who could look at Death--or the perceived threat of Death--and not for a moment worry of what may come of it deserved respect. In fact, someone of that composure almost demanded it. Sean may have decided to address it and Perry, he knew, must have feared it. Evin was even thinking about it right now but this stranger in front of him seemed to be familiar enough with it to hold it with little regard.
“I wouldn’t know how Ella’s doing. It’s rather difficult to speak with someone who can’t speak with you. How you managed to speak to her would be a mystery. I’m a smart man. I have my suspicions.”
Evin put away one of his daggers, pivoting it through his fingers without a thought before tucking it away through a seem that almost seemed to disappear when his hand came back in view. “You still haven’t told me who you are.”

“Eh, my name is Luckas. Just Luckas.” Luke gave a long moment of thought to the question he was just asked and then shrugged yet again. “That doesn’t quite answer your question, but... Who I am is an awfully convoluted mess I’m sure you have no time or patience to figure out, sir.” He calmly stretched, trying to work some stiffness out of his body, his eyes not leaving Evin though he really wasn’t worried. “And I’m a telepath. I talked to her that way, but I doubt he’ll let me do it again. He’s really annoying for a dead man. I mean, I could enter their mind, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’ll let her talk. He’s in control for the most part.” Luke grinned, mostly at himself, not voicing what thought prompted the shift in his expression just yet. “You know, Jakey-Bear doesn’t seem to like you much; what I’ve seen of his thoughts before I got bored with it at least, but... You are a smart man. A crankypants, but smart. I’m sure if you look, you could find a way to talk to her. I’d be rather bored if I was stuck with that idiot and waiting for death. Little Ella should definitely appreciate the visit.”

Evin didn’t like riddles. He didn’t like the idea that people would beat around the bush when they knew the answer to his problems. Evin wasn’t even sure what the problem was. Luckas did. He knew the problem, the answer, and likely the means to by which to accomplish every task that would be faced in looking for the answers. Did Luckas want to tell Evin any of this? No. Not by any direct means, that is. He looked down into the dirt and shuffled his feet. “You must’ve been telling the truth when you said you know Lena,” Evin muttered mostly to himself. Looking back towards Luckas, he said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Luckas blinked, seeming momentarily confused at Evin’s statement. “Okay, maybe you’re not as smart as I thought. I’ll draw you a little picture then.” He snorted, gesturing with his right hand to a point right behind Evin. “Easy, champ,” he mumbled, carrying on speaking as though there’d been no interruption and not giving another thought to the large black wolf that was now sniffing at Evin’s boots. “The necromancer responsible for Little Ella’s state is in control of her... well... their... consciousness. It’s a bit of a collective mind type thing, I guess. So even if a telepath can enter her, their, mind... There’s no guarantee to speak with her. That’s one issue there. The second issue would be that even if I could talk to her I couldn’t form a link between her mind and yours so that the two of you could speak. That said, there is someone I know who can and for what I heard he’s somewhere in this camp. The man’s name is Simon. I don’t know what interest he’d have in helping you communicate, but he could.” Luckas shrugged. “Like I said, though, you’ll have to look around. I don’t know where he is.” Luke snorted a chuckle as he watched Stalker poking his nose at the assassin for a few more seconds before coming to his side and sitting, he scratched behind the wolf’s ears in silent praise. “I think, maybe you’ll find him easier if you look for the giant white wolf Jakey Bear had following their asses around camp. I guess the purpose of that would be keeping the mad king from... I don’t know... Drooling on someone. The man is pretty much a potato at this point, I figure. If you find him, tell him I said hello.”

A telepath that could link communications. Evin had never heard of a telepath that could do that. He knew Lena couldn’t do that. She never revealed it to Evin if she did. But what would Evin gain from linking his mind to Ella’s? Was there a purpose to it all? Could he do anything to free her from her death grip? Probably not. Evin’s eyelids stiffened slightly. He retracted his lips into his mouth and looked away from Luckas for a moment. Letting out a heavy sigh, Evin looked back at Luckas and the wolf. “A potato and a white wolf. Sounds like it will be easy enough to find. Thanks.” Evin turned around to walk away. Despite not looking at Luckas, he made sure to be hyper aware of his surroundings as he wandered off. As he was about to pass behind a tree, he turned around. Luckas wasn’t there anymore. He wasn’t far. “You may have been helpful to me, but I swear: Some memories aren’t meant to be explored. If you cross me, I won’t be kind.”

Luckas snorted a laugh at Evin’s threat, poking his head from behind a tree just long enough to issue a reply. “Buddy, I have better things to do with my life, but... if you think that little threat would stop me doing anything, you clearly don’t know who you’re dealing with. Besides; don’t thank me, I’m not doing this for you.”

That said, Luke ‘disappeared’ behind the trees once again, glancing at Stalker as he started to finally head back to the oak. “Hate to agree with Lena on anything, but he is a bit of a self-entitled brat, isn’t he?”

================================

[White Shadows Camp - Otium 16, late night]

It took Annie a good while and some considerable effort to calm down Emily. She had to administer a tranquilizer to get the girl to settle down and after a few moments of uncontrollable sobbing she’d fallen asleep. Once the girl had calmed and was asleep, Alistair peered into the room to check on what was happening. Finding an uncharacteristically agitated Annie pacing around the tent like a beast in a cage. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I don’t know what to tell that kid, Alistair. What can I tell him, really?" Annie blurted out, ignoring his question entirely.

“You’re not allowed to repeat anything you’re told, but what you’ve seen...” Alistair trailed off, watching Annie closely as the younger healer paced back and forth in front of him. “I know she might not want her brother to know the details, but it might be easier to make him understand the situation if you’re a little blunt.”

Annie stopped walking and turned to face Alistair. “We’ve dealt with cases like this before, but Emily is complicated. I can’t know what she would want, I can’t just ask her what she wants without...” She snorted a laugh. “Mom would know how to handle this better, I’m no telepath, I don’t know how mental damage like this actually works. As if Luckas wasn’t bad enough,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes. “Telling Irvin about things she doesn’t remember seems... Wrong.”

“From an ethical standpoint, maybe, but it’ll be easier on them both if he’s prepared for what will happen when she does begin to remember everything. Because it will eventually come back.”

Annie heaved a lengthy sigh, her eyes trailing from Alistair to the sleeping girl. “I suppose you’re right. Her memory is coming back faster than I expected and she’s not taking well to the idea of remembering.”

“I could talk to him if you want. I know this won’t be easy to say.” Alistair offered.

“No, Al, she’s my apprentice, I’m responsible for her. Besides...” Annie trailed off, her voice fading into a pained silence.

“You’re the only one who’s seen the state she was in.” Alistair finished her sentence with a nod. “I know.”

“Keep an eye on her for me, have someone come get me the moment she wakes up. Do not leave her alone, not for a second, Al.”

“Yes, Your Worshipness.”

Annie laughed at the man’s teasing. “Shut up.”

“Ah, see? Pretty boy over there is not the only one who knows how to make you smile.” Alistair chuckled.

“Aaaw, Al... Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Darren, now? You’ll always be my favorite big brother.”

“Normally I’d argue I’m your only brother, but that’s not quite true anymore is it?” Alistair quipped.

Annie laughed again, this time more softly, her expression more contemplative than amused as she wrapped her arms around Alistair. “You know, I’m happy you came back. You didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did.”

“Eh, anything for you shorty.” Alistair smiled, patting the top of Annie’s head.

“I’ve told you to never to call me that, Al,” Annie complained, breaking the hug and give him a forceful shove. “Way to ruin the moment, jerkface.”

“Heh, sorry, kiddo.” Alistair shrugged. “You know me, I can’t handle all this emotional stuff.”

“Mhm,” Annie mumbled, giving her brother a playful look of disbelief. “Just keep an eye on the kid for me,” she instructed. “I kept Irvin waiting long enough and I’m sure he’s worried sick.”

-------

Annie traced her steps back to where she left Irvin. The boy hadn’t moved a muscle from where he was standing, his eyes empty and focused at some random patch of grass at his feet. This was already shaping up to be a difficult conversation, but he looked so utterly lost it was actually painful. She sighed softly, walking towards him and placing her hand on his shoulder to draw his attention. “Irvin? Can you come with me please?”

Irvin nodded in agreement and Annie led him to her tent. Once inside, she sat him down and made some tea, giving the both some time to gather their thoughts. She pushed a full cup into the boy’s hands and sat across from him. “Emily is going to be okay, Irvin. She was just a little bit rattled. I gave her something to calm her nerves, she’s sleeping now.”

“This is my fault. It’s all my fault. I’ve been so focused on... Worthless shit... I didn’t even look for her. I just left her with him. Stupid of me to think he’d be able to care for anyone.”

“Your brother?”

“Did she talk about him?”

“Not really, Irvin. Emily’s memory is... Not the most reliable right now. When she first got here, she couldn’t even tell me her name. She still has no recollection of where she’s been in the past months or how she got here.”

“Jake and I ran into Alan; my brother, at the Blackpond Ball. He said he sold Emily off to pay a gambling debt. That he hadn’t seen her in months. I never should have left her with him. Even if she ended up in the dungeons with me she would have been safer.”

“You don’t know that,” Annie reassured. “You couldn’t have known any of this. It’s not your fault.”

“How long has she been here?” Irvin asked, staring at his cup of tea and wincing at the realization his tea was now frozen solid.

“Emily arrived here while I was in Blackpond for the Ball. When I came back, I was informed of her situation by the healers I left in charge in my absence. She was confused and terrified. I had to drug her in order to conduct just a simple physical examination and it took days to get her to speak to anyone. In hindsight, she’s made incredible progress in the weeks she’s been with us.”

“Was she hurt? How did she lose her memory?”

Annie’s head lowered and she stared at her untouched tea for a few moment before answering. “Her memory was tempered with. I’m not sure how exactly, but her memories were blocked, locked away. She wasn’t hurt when she got here, but... All signs indicate that she had been hurt, a lot, wherever she was.” She took a sip from her tea and heaved a deep breath. “Emily had bruises in several stages of healing, scarred lashes, healed fractures... She showed signs of severe abuse.”

Irvin grimaced, taking a long deep breath as he concentrated in reheating his frozen tea for few seconds, taking a short sip of the, now warm, liquid. “Abuse?” He questioned. “What kind of... Was she...” He shook his head, trying to find words that didn’t seem as horrible. “Did they?”

“Yes.”

Irvin dropped his cup of tea, a choked sound escaping his throat as he stared at his hands. The confirmation sending a stabbing, agonizing, pain through his heart. He never asked Jake what had happened to Alan, but if he was still alive; he wouldn’t be for much longer. “She doesn’t remember any of it?”

“Not yet. She will.” Annie sighed. “Like I said, her memories are blocked. It’s possible that the trauma is what’s keeping them from coming back fully. Emily herself says she’s afraid to remember and that fear is hindering her recovery, but... The mind heals, Irvin. Those memories; those events, they won’t be locked away forever. They will come back eventually.”

Irvin hid his face in his hands for a few moments, his voice coming out muffled. “Is that why she reacted that way? She said... She said I was dead...”

“She was probably told that you were. Sometimes where there are gaps in a memory the mind will try to fill in the blanks; treat statements as fact.” Annie reached for Irvin’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort the boy. “I know this is difficult to hear. All of it. But Emily is healing, she’s been adjusting well here and, once she wakes up and the fog starts to lift from her mind, she’ll be happy to see you.”

Irvin sighed. “You think so? I don’t want... I don’t want to makes things worse for her. If me being here, if seeing me, is hurtful in any way I can just...”

“You’re her family. She needs you. You being here is not going to make anything worse, I promise.”

“I abandoned her. I let this happen. What if she hates me? I can’t...” Irvin shook his head, unable to properly finish his thought.

“You’re alive. You’re here now. She’s not going to hate you.” Annie smiled at Irvin. “Who knows, maybe you’ll both heal a lot faster together.”

As if on cue, a healer called out to Annie and entered the tent. “I’m sorry to intrude Annie, but Alistair asked me to warn you.”

“Emily woke up?”

“She’s on her way over, I don’t think he’ll be able to stop her.”

Annie chuckled. “If she’s well enough to get past Alistair, that’s a good sign in my opinion. Thank you, Elora.”

The woman was barely out of the tent when Emily stormed in, she still looked shaky, but a lot more lucid than she had been in quite a while. Irvin jumped to his feet at the sight of his sister and the girl stood for a long moment staring at him before rushing in his direction and wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. “You’re real,” she spoke, choked laughter escaping amidst her words. “You’re real... You’re really here...”

Irvin was momentarily at a loss for words, returning his sister’s embrace and watching the girl sob against him for nearly a full minute before he managed a word. “You remember me?”

Emily nodded. “Mhm... I... I’m still a little confused, but... I remember when you left and Alan said the guard had caught up with you. He said...” She shook her head. “I should have known he was lying. I’m so sorry.”

“No. No, no, no... Ems, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have left you. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Irvin, I don’t care that you left.” Emily broke their hug and looked up at her brother with a wide smile. “I’m just happy you’re alive.” The girl then frowned as she finally stopped to get a good look at his face. “What happened? Did someone hit you?”

“What? Oh...” Irvin reached for his bruised cheek and snorted a laugh. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Emily’s eyes narrowed for a moment in a severe glare, but she continued to smile at her older brother, pulling Irvin by the hand. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat, I want to know where you’ve been the past year.”

Irvin shot Annie a slightly panicked look at Emily’s sudden excitement, but let himself be dragged along anyway, seeming as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

--------------------------------

[White Shadows Camp - Otium 19, early morning]

“I still think it’s funny... You’ve been with the Ravens all this time, Annie’s cousin was training you, you’re pals with Darren and no one realized your missing sister was right here all this time.” Emily sighed, giving Irvin an amused smirk as he helped her change a patient’s bandages; noticing that he was looking quite queasy from the process. “I can’t help but think that me telling everyone my brother was dead might have gotten in the way a bit.”

“That’s not your fault, Ems.”

“I know.” She shrugged. “There, all done, sir.” She smiled at the injured mercenary and led Irvin out of the examination tent.

“Any more gruesome head injuries before breakfast?” Irvin asked, frowning at his sister. “I swear that guy’s brain was showing.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Emily laughed. “It was a nasty wound, but if his brain was exposed he would be a potato right now. Not to mention it’d be smelling a lot worse.”

“You know what? Forget breakfast.” Irvin shuddered.

“Wuss,” Emily teased, bumping against her brother as they walked towards the center of the camp. “Well, I’m hungry and it’s gonna be a busy day. They’re all busy days.”

“You really like it here, huh?”

“I do. It’s good... Helping people. And I’m good at it. Annie said I can be a fantastic healer if I want to.”

The pair walked up to one of the tents were some healers were having tea and picking at an assortment of bread, fruit, and cheese. Emily smiled and greeted them by name before helping herself to some fresh fruit.

“I’m glad,” Irvin said, helping himself to a roll and biting into it.

“Oh?”

“Mhm. You seem at home here. That’s good. That’s... The closest any one of us has gotten to one.”

“What about you?” Emily asked, looking at Irvin with concern. “You’re clearly not cut out to be a healer.”

Irvin laughed. “No... No... We know what I’m good at, though, don’t we?” He smirked.

“Iiiirv...” Emily scolded.

Irvin snickered. “I don’t know, sis. The Ravens were good to me, but I don’t think I can go back now. Not... Anymore... So I guess for now I hang around here? At least I get to spend time with you. Even if that means dealing with exposed brains now and again.”

“Aaaw, you’d do that for me? That’s so sweet.” Emily smiled. “Just don’t slow me down. And don’t puke anywhere, I’m not cleaning it up.”

“Love you too, Ems.” Irvin rolled his eyes at her, finishing his breakfast roll and shrugging. “And I won’t make any promises on the puking thing.”

=====================================

[The Desert - Otium 19, midday]

Indrani’s eyes followed the horse’s every move with an intensity reserved for a lioness guarding her cubs. She could remember as though it was only yesterday, the day she took Mirage from her previous owner; a scrawny, mistreated, ugly thing. One look at that poor excuse for what should have been a majestic animal and no one thought she’d ever amount to anything. “It’d be kinder to put the poor thing to rest,” that had been Jackson’s say in the matter. Indrani wasn’t having it. It wasn’t something she would’ve argued with normally; prolonging an animal’s suffering for your own selfish pride was wrong and she knew that, but she could tell Mirage was different. There was something in the mare’s eyes that told Indrani she wasn’t ready to give up just yet and she was more than determined to see her through.

It worked out in the end. Not without a lot of time and effort from the both of them, but it worked out. The horse’s faded sickly coat was no less gray, but it had grown shiny and speckled in white, her mane long and silky, her body had filled up with muscle and fat. Mirage wasn’t what one would consider a prized specimen by usual standards, but she was healthy, strong, and the fastest mare in all of Valcrest without question. Indrani’s pride and joy.

A soft, near-inaudible, whistle blew past the woman’s lips, causing the horse’s ears to twitch ever so slightly. Mirage turned and trotted towards the fence to Indrani, the woman smiling softly as she stared into the animal’s dark eyes. “There she is...” Indrani whispered, chuckles escaping her as Mirage nuzzled her hair and neck. “Someone’s been a stubborn girl, I hear. Hmm?” she smiled, calmly waiting for the mare to finish her ‘greeting’ before pressing her forehead to the the animal’s and letting out a soft sigh. “Things got a bit too frightening for you, I reckon. I don’t blame you, girly, I was pretty scared too...”

“What are you doing up and about? You’re supposed to be on bed rest; Annie’s going to kill you if she finds out.”

“I’m fine. It barely hurts as long as I’m careful.” Indrani snorted, turning to face Allison as the assassin calmly leaned against the fence beside her. “How come you’re still here?”

“Well, you still have injured people who need helping and I’m in no hurry to go back to Newhaven.” Ali shrugged. “I honestly don’t think I’m very useful there anyway. Crys just wants me away from Blackpond.”

“That may be her way of protecting you, but I doubt she’d place you where you’re not needed,” Indrani spoke, calmly petting Mirage between the ears.

“Eh, it doesn’t matter.” Ali shrugged.

“No? I’d think you’d want to be more involved with your clan’s activities. It’s not like you to be this... Apathetic... Are you alright?”

Ali snorted a laugh as Mirage started to sniff and prod her hair with her nose. “I’m alright, I’m just... Really tired, I guess.”

Indrani calmly caught Ali’s hand midway to petting the horse and forced it down. “Wait,” she told her, smiling at the questioning look the archer shot her. “Horses are very sensitive animals, you know. They enjoy giving and receiving affection, but... They can’t do both simultaneously. If Mirage is being affectionate with you, if she’s giving, the way to show affection in return is to be still and receive.” She released Ali’s hand and smiled. “I think this is one of my favorite things about horses. They experience every moment, however small, with all of their focus; the whole of their beings. It’s a lesson for humanity, really... To honor the one you’re with by simply allowing them to love you.”

Ali stood there silent at Indrani’s words. They made sense, in a way. Everyone she knew, at one point or another, pushed their loved ones away out of love itself. For protection, out of guilt, fear of the future, or the past, she wasn’t sure. What sounded like such a simple thing the way Indrani said it, really wasn’t. To just allow yourself to be loved for the duration of a single moment. “We make such a great team, you and me...” Ali smiled. “I’m apathetic, you’re melancholic... Neither of us is quite like they should be right now. Which, begs the question; how are you doing?” She asked, calmly waiting for Mirage to turn her muzzle away from her ear and petting the horse’s neck. “Jackson was a bit worried yesterday.”

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Indrani muttered.

“Listen, I’m not going to pretend I’m sad Sean died. I can’t. And I honestly don’t think he’s even worth your grief, but... You’re my friend. And if you need to talk, I’m here to listen. At least, I’m here right now.”

“I was stupid. I can’t stop thinking about how stupid I was. I can’t stop thinking that if I’d seen things for what they were right from the start, none of this had to happen.” Indrani sighed, slouching into the fence and letting out a groan. “I know that’s not true. Or at least the truth is not as simple as that, but... He was my friend. I still wanted to save him even after all the little ways he managed to hurt me. Even now that he’s gone. A part of me still thinks that if I could reach out to him... I could fix this. And I can’t. I couldn’t help Sean, I can’t help Dastan... I can barely stand even less help my clan now... I’m...”

“You’re not useless, Indi, you’re just broken. Trust me, because I’ve been; a lot, this doesn’t last forever. Right now, though, maybe it’s time for you to just be still. To just live the moment and allow yourself to feel this. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Indrani shook her head. “I just... I’m so tired of failing the people who need me.”

“You’re the only one who thinks you’ve failed, Indrani.”

Indrani let out a bitter laugh. “No, no I’m not.” She tugged on the pendant hanging from her neck, the sigil of Effort. “My people believed in honor, in loyalty, you die if you must, but you never betray your duties. Not once. Not for any reason, but I...”

Ali shook her head, utter amusement in her expression. “You can’t change the things you’ve done and punishing yourself for them now helps no one; not yourself or your clan.”

“Dastan shouldn’t have put their lives in my hands after everything.”

“Your brother is a lot of things. A lot of them. But he’s not stupid, Indrani. If he left the Crimson under your leadership is because he trusts you more than he trusts himself right now. If you want to honor anything, honor that trust.”

“You do realize I acted against your people while you were with us, right?”

“That doesn’t matter. Even if you hadn’t, we weren’t going to just sit here and move on with our lives. Things were going to turn ugly one way or another, sooner or later, and if anything; I understand you wanting to shield your people from it.” She sighed. “Just don’t ever bring this up with Evin, okay? You might invoke his wrath and then who knows what’ll happen.”

Indrani laughed. “Oh no, we wouldn’t want that. We have enough explosions around here as is.”

“I hear Annie almost lost her patience with Dastan and his firework experiments before Jake’s birthday.”

“I wasn’t exactly happy about them myself, but he was excited about something for a change. He hasn’t quite been himself since...” She silenced for a moment. “I don’t think he’ll ever be the same again now, but... You know...”

“I know. I don’t think any of us will, though. The past three years have been...” Ali cut herself off, a pained groan escaping her as she doubled over, leaning into the fence and clinging to the wood with both hands.

“Ali, are you alright? What...?”

“I’m fine,” Ali mumbled, letting out a sharp breath. “It’s alright, it... It already passed.”

Indrani was unconvinced, staring at her friend with concern in her eyes. “How long have you been having symptoms like this?”

“Indi, I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about it. We’re all sick, it’s nothing new at this point.” She slowly steadied herself, forcing a few deeper breaths.

Indrani shook her head. “This was not ‘nothing’, Ali. Wh-...” She stopped talking, the realization suddenly hitting her. “This is why you stayed behind, isn’t it? This is why you just let Crys push you to Newhaven... There’s no way you would just accept sitting on the sidelines five months ago, but now...”

“Indrani, let it go,” Ali warned, glaring at the commander. “Just... Let it go.”

“When do you plan on telling them?”

“Telling them what?” Ali muttered. “What do you suggest I tell them exactly? ‘Oh, hey, my nervous system is slowly going to shit and injecting me with unbearable, excruciating, pain to a point where soon enough I’ll be complete and utterly useless until I finally drop dead’; is that what I should tell them? Because I don’t know... It doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. I don’t want to waste what’s left of my time trying to endure everyone’s pity or, Twins forbid, guilt over the fact they can’t help me. They can’t help me, Indi. What could I possibly say to make that any easier?”

“Maybe they can’t save you, Allison, but they are your friends; your family, these are the people who love you. If you’re in pain, if you’re afraid, they’re the only ones who can help you.”

Ali snorted softly, pushing away from the fence. “I don’t want that kind of help.” Her eyes softened for a moment as she watched the horses running about inside the fence. “I just want to feel like myself for as long as I still can. I know it’s selfish, but right now I feel like I have that right. So, please, just... Let it go.”

==================

[Newhaven - Otium 19, early afternoon]

Ryan had argued against Donovan’s decision. He didn’t see a point in reclaiming the Inn considering the state Newhaven was currently in. They would need to start recruiting as soon as possible; sure, but the way things were in the city, prioritizing this now felt to him like a waste of energy. The Alpha felt differently, however, and in this case, the Alpha had spoken. And so Ryan entered the establishment, alone, hauling a bag of sand over his shoulder. The commotion that had taken place at the bar had ended by now, but about a dozen rebels remained, some of them still suffering the effects of their celebrations.

“Huh. I might not even need this,” Ryan mused, dropping the bag of sand, the fabric splitting open and spreading its contents to the floor at his feet. He walked to one of the men who was sprawled on the ground amongst empty bottles and broken chairs, crouching to the man’s level and slapping him hard across the face. The man groaned in pain and looked up at Ryan in confusion, muttering at him to ‘piss off’. Ryan slapped him again; harder, and the man seemed to wake up fully this time.

“WHAT is your issue, mate!?”

“Your sorry ass on my floor is my issue. So why don’t you and your pals drag yourselves out before I decide to take matters into my own hands?”

“Your floor? Pffft... Haven’t you heard buddy? We own this city now.”

“I was hoping I’d get some kind of smartass response like that,” Ryan smirked. “Gives me a good excuse to do this...” He grabbed the intoxicated man by the collar and landed a punch to his jaw so forceful his head was knocked back into the floorboards with the impact. Ryan then proceeded to drag the unconscious man out the door of the bar.

Once he stepped back into the Inn, all of the other; far less intoxicated, rebels were standing at attention with weapons in hand. “Oh, fellows, that’s not a good idea,” he smirked. “Do you know where you are right now? This is a neutral zone for my clan, you’re disrespecting that.”

The only one of the men who seemed to be actually fully sober took a step towards Ryan, scoffing at his words. “Listen here, little pup, we took over this city; all of it. The Wolfpack doesn’t hold the same amount of influence it once did and you’re outnumbered, so I suggest you walk out of here with your tail between your legs.”

Ryan sighed softly. “No blades, Ryan... We shouldn’t be killing off civilians, Ryan... That’s not the impression we want to make right now, Ryan...” He mumbled, pulling two fighting sticks sheathed at his back. “I’d advise against what you’re about to do, pal,” he warned. When the rebel ignored the warning and charged at him, Ryan very calmly dodged his attacks as if they were nothing, striking at his hands to make him drop his blades. Once the first of the men was unarmed, the others, in a moment of sheer stupidity, decided to charge Ryan as a group. There were only ten of them, and out of those ten, only two were fully sober. The Wolf could easily handle them on his own, but he wasn’t going to waste any more time than necessary.

Ryan’s eyes irradiated a golden light as the sand he had previously spilled on the floor started to move and split into eight identical piles, each pile rising from the ground and forming into an exact clone of Ryan; from the tip of his boots to the fighting sticks in his hands. With the clones weighing in heavily in his favor, the ensuing confrontation took no more than a couple of minutes to be resolved and ended in a pile of groaning wounded rebels who Ryan’s clones proceeded to drag outside the Inn without the least bit of care.

Ryan sheathed his weapons and took a quick look around the upper floors, the basement and the tunnels underneath the bar to make sure there were no unwanted guests left. Once certain that the place was cleared he walked outside, finding Sheila standing in front of establishment watching with an amused expression as the clones dragged the semi-conscious men out of the bar.

“Heh, wonder how much those White Knights would be willing to pay us to clean up the castle for them,” she mused.

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Ryan answered. “Donovan says, and I agree, that we’ve let ourselves get roped into their problems one too many times. We’re here to deliver a message and leave; nothing more.”

“Yes, well, with how often we need to keep rebuilding this place, we could use the extra income.”

Ryan chuckled. “Oh, relax, if it’s not on fire we can manage it. I’ll come by later and give you a hand cleaning up.”

“Oh, come on now, I’m sure the Alpha’s Second has better things to do than help me clean. I can handle it by myself.”

“Eh, I just have to haul this trash back to its source. Shouldn’t take too long,” Ryan said with a shrug. “I’ll help while Donovan is tending to his side of things.”

“Eh... Shouldn’t you back him up on this?”

Ryan snorted a laugh, idly poking one of the unconscious men with his foot. “I was ordered not to.”

“And I thought Sean was an idiot... That boy’s not going to survive a full year at this rate.”

“Who knows, maybe the kid’s on to something.” Ryan shrugged. “All I can say is the kid’s being really intense about asserting ourselves in this situation.”

“Don’t get me wrong, sweetie, it’s not a bad idea, I just feel his execution is a bit risky,” Sheila responded with a shrug. “The way things have been, we lose another Alpha and that’s it for the Pack.”

“You don’t need to tell me that, and trust me; I’ve made that point repeatedly, but the kid’s stubborn. Says he shouldn’t need a bodyguard just go in for a chat.”

“The only reason Sean survived a chat with that woman in the first place is that they were both too banged up from their own stupidity to have a go at each other.” Sheila pointed out.

“Well, we had no time to break her legs beforehand, so I guess Doni will have to be a little more tactful and a little less... Fletcher...” Ryan snickered. “Regardless, I know what I have to do.”

------------------------------

The doors of the throne room slammed open with the thundering sound of cracking wood. A thin layer of smoke permeating the air and temporarily concealing the figures crossing the threshold. Ryan and his clones walked through the fog and dropped the unconscious rebels in front of the throne, much to the dismay of a group of twenty heavily armed dumbfounded men. “Which of you nimrods is responsible for this trash littering our Inn?” he questioned.

“Your Inn?” A man responded from his position on the throne. That enough would be grounds for execution, Ryan figured, but at this point, it didn’t matter. The man wasn’t that tall and didn’t seem that much older than their new Alpha. He stood from the throne, his chest puffed out in a ridiculous display of cockiness. Ryan had to at least acknowledge the fact these people weren’t stupid. They were competent enough to take over the city up to and including the castle. Still, if that was their leader; they wouldn’t hold it for long. “I was under the impression the Pack had abandoned their bar. Again. You people aren’t quite what you used to be.”

“What do you think you know, you pipsqueak, of what we are or used to be?” Ryan questioned, amused at the man’s words. “I’m here to deliver a message; stay out. We allow you to exist and fight your little rebellion because we don’t care. Give us reason enough to care and we’ll shut it down. Simple as that.”

“Shut us down? You and what army?” The man opened his arms wide and looked around. “There used to be one here, but they didn’t manage to shut us down.” He sighed, shaking his head in amusement. “I see that you mean well, though, mate. You’re carrying fighting sticks, bringing our men back alive... In your position, I see that you had no obligation to do that. I can appreciate that. So don’t worry, we’re not going to give you any more trouble. You have my word.”

Ryan sighed. “That’s good enough, kid, but for the record; you defeated half of an army that was already stretched too thin and poorly managed due to their Captains trying to run this dump of a town, which; good luck with that by the way. The fact that you’re considering yourself victorious right now is a great indicator that you didn’t really think this all the way through. I give you a month to hold this place and I’m being generous.” He smirked at the rebel leader, his eyes glowing as his sand golems collapsed back into useless piles. “At least the moron who usurped our leadership managed to hold it for three and a half years.”

“Come back in five. We’ll be sitting right here.”

Ryan snorted a laugh on his way out of the room. “Sure buddy. Sorry about the mess, by the way. Let’s just call it even.”

-----------------------------------

Newhaven Castle was nothing but a shadow of its former self. One could be fooled into believing the place was struck by a tornado if not for the sounds of fighting still echoing some of the empty halls. All but one section of the castle had been secured by the rebels, but they hadn’t done the best job of setting up security as of yet. Their successful assault looked like one hell of a stroke of luck to Donovan and one that was bound to be short-lived unless they managed to put someone in charge who understood the art of war a lot better than this. Sneaking his way past the intruders had been easy, even in the sections where there was a higher concentration of them. Anyone not in Guards uniform was assumed to be on their side and Donovan was able to simply stroll past their defenses unscathed.

Once the young Alpha reached the upper floors, however, things changed rather abruptly. The third floor of the Castle was silent compared to the rest, pieces of furniture and doors pulled from their hinges were piled in order to barricade the halls, leaving only one narrow path available. “Clever,” he whispered, “very, clever.”

“Isn’t it?”

Donovan didn’t have the time to turn around and check the source of the sudden voice in his ear, the split second he had available was used to dodge an expertly aimed blow to the side of his head, the sound of the wooden baton connecting with the stone wall beside him rang painfully in his ears. If it had actually hit him, he would have been out cold instantly.

The boy spun around, grabbing his bow and using it to block the next flurry of blows aimed at his body. He could now barely make out the form of a woman clad in black leather armor as his attacker and assumed she was part of Mageria’s Guard. “Hey... Hi... Excuse... Me...” he started, barely dodging a blow aimed right at his face. “Can you... Not... Please...” He sighed, dropping the bow at his feet and raising his hands, eyes closed as he braced for an impact that never came.

“Oy, boy, are you dumb? Did I get your head at some point there?” She taunted.

Doni opened his eyes to the sight of one the batons held still less than an inch from his face. “My sister made this bow for me before she died, I’d rather damage my face than use it for a fighting staff any longer.” He muttered.

“You’re a bit too quick on your feet for a rebel.” She pointed out, lightly poking him between the eyes with the baton.

Before he knew it, something coiled around Donovan’s neck restraining his movements as another woman spoke behind him. “Don’t fight like no rebel either.”

Donovan briefly attempted to glance at this new person restraining him from behind but felt the pressure tighten around his neck at his movement, so he kept his eyes on his first opponent instead. “You don’t fight like some prissy Knight either...” He retorted, tilting his head to the side so he could look past the weapon blocking his vision. “Although I have the feeling you held back a little. Not sure if I’m grateful or offended,” he added with a playful smile. “So, Miss...? Is your captain around? I’d like a word with her if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Oh? So you’re dropping in for a bit of chatter, are you? Suuure... The middle of a rebellion sounds like the best time to be doin’ that.”

“This isn’t the middle of a rebellion, technically speaking. As superior as you are in skill, the rebellion outnumbers you greatly and for what I hear of your Captain I don’t see her going all out on those idiots considering that in the end of the day they’re still civilians. What is the point of vowing to protect the people and then putting them down for daring to dethrone a dead Queen? I’m assuming the reason you took so easy on me is that you planned to restrain me without using lethal force, but since doing so with every rebel currently roaming the castle is a foolish endeavor at best, your Captain will be forced to either make peace with the fact you can’t hold this place, or... Well... Make an even bloodier mess of this whole thing and then make peace with the fact you can’t hold this place.”

Donovan felt the pressure tighten around his neck just a bit. “You’re too much of a talker for someone’s who’s here uninvited.”

“Sophie; that’s your name right?” Donovan questioned, still unable to see the woman standing behind him. “I’m Donovan Fletcher.”

“Suppose you’re not going to explain how you know my name, Donovan Fletcher?”

“Not unless you make me, but... We’d both be wasting our times and we both have better things we need to be doing. I just want a word with your Captain, and I’ll leave.”

Sophie seemed to be looking to her companion for direction now as the baton-wielding blonde give a small shrug and she responded by pushing Donovan forward towards the end of the hall. After a few steps, he halted. “My bow...”

“I’ve got it.”

Doni relaxed at that and allowed himself to be dragged along.

“Fletcher?” Sophie questioned. “As in...?”

“Sean was my brother,” Donovan answered.

“Was?”

Donovan shrugged in response.

“Ah. My sentiments.”

Donovan chuckled. “It’s commendable that you’d say that considering the shit he pulled on your squad, miss...?” He snickered when she still refused to give her name. “Come on, you know my name now. And I’m going to keep asking.”

“It’d be a bit hard to ask questions with a broken jaw, pretty boy; just a fair warning,” she said, pausing for a moment. “And it’s Sham; not ‘miss’. I really ain’t no prissy knight.”

“Noted.”

Sham walked ahead of the other two as they turned a corner, Sophie held Donovan back as she entered a room at the end of the hall. After a couple of minutes, she poked her head out and gestured for them to follow her inside. Sophie unraveled the object from around Donovan’s neck and he saw that it was a whip. “Little early in our relationship to be bringing out the whips, don’t you think?”

Sophie snickered. “Precious. I definitely never heard that one before.”

“I try.” Doni shrugged.

The room they entered was completely void of any furniture save for a table and two chairs. On the table was a map of the castle and a half bottle of rum, a weak flame flickering in the fireplace was the only source of light, casting odd shadows on the bare walls. Sitting in one of the chairs was a blonde man Donovan immediately recognized as Captain Thomas and across from him a woman with graying red hair he concluded to be Mageria Talsheir.

Sham briefly whispered to Mageria, placing Donovan’s bow in her hands. The captain shot the young Alpha a long inspecting gaze, her expression stern for a moment before letting slip a small trace of amusement. “When I told Crystal Rivers I was sorry she lost her mother, I actually meant it. I don’t know what to say to you.”

Donovan smiled at the woman. “That’s alright, Captain. I’m not exactly here to exchange pleasantries.”

“Why are you, here?” Thomas spoke up. “Not to be rude or anything, kid, but in case you haven’t noticed, we have a bit of a situation. Not the best time for a diplomatic chat, if that is in fact what you’re after.”

“Yes and no.” Donovan shrugged. “I’ll be quick; we have just cleared our Inn of your rebellion. I’m assuming that whichever way this goes it’ll be over soon, so we are taking the extra care to warn both sides that regardless of who wins, Newhaven would do well to continue respecting our boundaries.”

“You’ve come all the way here, infiltrated the castle, so you could stand face to face with both Knight Captains and tell them to wipe their feet before standing on your threshold?” Mageria asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Pretty much.”

Mageria tilted her head to the side, her eyes piercing through Donovan like daggers for a split second, despite the amused smirk playing on her lips. “Add a couple of innocent hostages and I can see the resemblance.”

Donovan chuckled at the woman’s response. “I guess that’s a fair assessment,” he agreed. “The case is, and I think we can both agree at least on that, if both our people knew their boundaries a little bit better, neither my clan or your city would be in the state they are in right now,”

“I don’t exactly see how we could have ignored an explosion in our throne room, any more than you could have ignored the bounty on your heads.”

“Maybe not, but we could both have acted smarter and maybe, just maybe, my clan ridding your city of a psychopathic killer posing as a royal might have turned out to be a good thing.”

“Hold on, what?” Thomas interrupted, glaring at Mageria with an expression mixed between shock and outrage.

“It’s a very long story, Tom.” The woman answered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “To cut it short, the King was being impersonated by a killer and that was the man the Wolfpack killed. Of course, none of it could ever be officially proved, so we just allowed the public to assume the Wolves responsible had been executed.”

“And we don’t know what actually happened to King Stephen?”

“The only man who could answer that question was buried under his name, so unfortunately no one will ever know.”

“Why was I never informed of this?” Thomas demanded, heaving an exasperated sigh and seeming to lack the energy to be properly enraged by being kept in the dark.

“Honestly? Krander had just gone off Twins know where, you hadn’t been appointed Captain yet at the time this all happened, and after it was dealt with no one wanted to ever bring it up again.”

Thomas looked from Mageria to Sham and Sophie; neither seeming surprised in the slightest with the information. Sham gave a slight shrug as her eyes met Thomas’. “Jake was there,” she told him. “That boy gets a bit too chatty with a few drinks in ‘im. Most of the Blacks know the story by now.”

Donovan shrugged at the two Knight’s exchange. “Nonetheless, I’m not here to bring up history. Well, at least not after this.” Slowly, the boy reached into his coat, very aware of the fact Sham had her eyes on him all the while they’d been talking. He pulled out a small leather bound book. “Something like this has never left our camp, Captain, I expect you to appreciate that,” he said, offering the book to Mageria. “As you know, Evin Bana set fire to the clan records before the exile, but, Sean got his hands on a few files and hid them elsewhere before that happened. I’m still uncovering all his hiding places, but I found this in one of them. It concerns you.”

Mageria placed Donovan’s bow on the table, leaning against it and placing herself between the young assassin and the weapon as she took the file from his hands. “Concerns me how?”

“Just consider it a show of good faith,” Donovan told her, not answering the question. “I said all I’ve come here to say and you have more pressing matters to attend so if I may have that back,” he nodded at his bow, “I’ll be out of your way.”

Mageria stored the little bound book safely in her pocket and pushed herself away from the table, taking the bow and offering it to Donovan, still keeping a firm hold on the object when the Wolf tried to take it from her hands. The Captain’s eyes lingering on the two rings on his left-hand finger. “You know, I was wondering why your new Alpha would send a teenager to meet two Knight Captains in the middle of a rebellion.”

Donovan smiled, holding the woman’s gaze. “He didn’t.”

“Your brother must have been desperate to appoint you as Second.”

“Oh, Sean? He would never do that. In fact, my brother never appointed a Second-in-Command before he died. And see, where there is no Alpha, and there is no Second... The clan votes.” He smirked. “I’m not the first teenager appointed Alpha in our history, Captain, it shouldn’t seem like such a shock. Trust, I’m far more prepared for the job than your Queen was when she left our camp.”

Donovan stumbled back a step when Mageria abruptly released her hold on the bow. He snorted as he noticed the woman’s expression. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. I actually liked Ella quite a bit. It saddens me that she felt my brother’s life was worth risking her own.” He calmly inspected the bow in his hands, checking if there had been any damage during his short fight with the baton-wielding knight earlier. The wood seemed unscathed, and Donovan let relief wash over him for a brief moment.

“How old was she? Kate.” Mageria asked.

Donovan flinched at the mention of his sister’s name. “Seventeen. We were twins, Katie was four minutes older than me.” His gaze seemed to darken as he looked at Mageria, sheathing the bow at his back. “If you’d like to know how she died, you can ask your friend Evin when you next see him. I’m sure he’ll be able to tell you the story better than I could.” Donovan paused as an explosion was heard on the lower floor. He snickered under his breath and continued speaking as though it never happened. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Captain, I think I’ve already overstayed my welcome.” He unceremoniously turned his back on the Captain of the Black Knights and waved over his shoulder. “No need to show me the way out, I can manage.”

---------------------------------

When Donovan reached the courtyard Ryan was waiting, the man holding a handkerchief to his nose and seeming quite exhausted. “You overworked yourself, I told you to be more careful,” Doni scolded.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Ryan mumbled starting them on their way into the city. “I told Sheila I’d stop by and help with the clean up, is that alright?”

“I’ll help her. You’re going to get some rest. This clan has seen enough dead Seconds to last us a century.”

“We shouldn’t both be away from camp this long,” Ryan argued. “You should head back.”

“No. We’re both resting here and you can head back tomorrow. I’m going to stop by Blackpond.”

Ryan stopped walking and turned to Donovan “Blackpond? But...” His eyes widened for a moment. “By yourself? Are you insane?”

“Are you really going to keep asking that every time I do something reckless? Because it’s going to get exhausting really fast.”

“Doni, you’re pushing your luck. Not a lot of people know who you are yet, but that’ll change soon.”

“You worry way too much, buddy.” Donovan smiled, pushing Ryan to continue walking. “Let’s face it; if Crystal Rivers wanted me dead we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”

============================

[Blackpond Inn - Otium 19 early evening]

“No... No, no, no... You guys aren’t listening, are you? STOP. NOW.”

The sound of metal clashing gradually fell into silence at Crys’ words. The recruits falling still like statues under the assassin’s blind stare. It had literally been the first time they had heard the woman raise her voice and, considering how these sessions had been when she was calm, they were understandably wary of what was about to take place.

“You’re training to use real blades and not play swords.” Crys spoke, her tone softer now that room was silent. “Hugo, Marc; front and center,” she commanded.

The two recruits shuffled forward side by side, looks of utter fright plastered on their faces. The tallest and strongest of the two wincing slightly when Crys unsheathed her sword and pointed it at his face.

“Do you see this, Hugo?” She questioned. “Does it look like a toy?”

“Yes... I mean, no... It’s not a toy.” The man answered.

“If you were fighting someone wielding a blade, the way you were fighting just now, you would have lost a limb or worse.” She scolded, resheathing the blade and taking a pair of training swords from the rack. “I’m going to tell you all one last time, this...” She struck at his left-hand blade. “...Is your sword and this...” She struck at his right-hand blade. “...Is your shield. And vice-versa. You attack and defend. At the same time. All of the time. Not one or the other; both. One slip, one opening, one missed opportunity, and it’s OVER. Are we clear or do I have to personally instill the fear of death into each and every one of you!?”

Marc opened his mouth to answer and was immediately cut off by a strike across the face. The man nearly spun in place with the force of the blow and stood swaying in place. Crys sighed. “That was a rhetorical question, smartass. Now tell me, did that hurt?”

“Yes,” Marc answered doubling over and spitting a few drops of blood onto the ground.

“Good. You should be glad. Because you know what? Death doesn’t hurt. Death is slowly fading into nothing until nothing is all you feel, nothing is all you are and nothing is all there is. And if that thought is in any way pleasant to any of you, be so kind as to pack up and leave. I’m not wasting my time on anyone with a fucking death wish.”

Silence lingered for little over a minute, the group of recruits careful to not as much as shuffle in place for as long as it lasted. “Good. Now get back to it. And get it right this time!”

“Whoa, Red, any more of that you’ll be instilling the fear of Death on the Lady herself.”

Crys let a smirk briefly cross her features at the voice calling from the top of the stairs, her eyes remained stern however as she addressed her recruits. “Continue the exercise until I get back and if I as much as suspect any of you to be slacking I’ll break your damn ribs.”

Once satisfied that her people were committed enough to their task, Crys left them to it and climbed the stairs up to the back of the Inn, finding Dastan seated at the kitchen table. “What are you doing here?” She asked, smiling at her friend. “And who let you in?”

“Your little Guard Ginger let me in. He warned me not to disturb your training, but I had to take a little peek. Hope that’s alright.”

Crys chuckled, finding the chair across from Dastan and taking a seat herself. “That’s fine, I... Eh... They’re making progress, and I wish I could praise them for it, but they’re just not ready for what’s out there.” She sighed, standing up again and beginning to rummage the stove in order to make herself some tea. “And I say that like I even know for sure what it means, but I don’t. I don’t know what we’re up against. How am I supposed to...”

“Breathe, Red,” Dastan spoke up. The noise coming from the bar almost drowning out the sound of his voice. The place was packed with people and filled with cheerful conversation. No one coming in would suspect there was a very miserable group of assassin recruits working tirelessly in the basement below.

“I am.” Crys muttered. “I do.” She left the tea kettle on the stove to heat and sat back down. “You didn’t answer my question, though; why are you here?”

“Eh... I thought I could hang around here for a few days if that’s alright with you.” Dastan answered. “I had to leave. I just... I had to. And suppose I should go offer my assistance to the Ravens soon, but...” He trailed off in a sigh. “I think I need more time.”

Crys reached for Dastan’s arm and gave him a reassuring pat. “Of course. You can stay as long as you like. Just don’t get into our stock, I’m running a business here.”

Dastan chuckled. “Don’t you worry about that, Red. I wouldn’t want to ruin your fine establishment,” the mercenary assured her, taking out his flask and taking a long swig from it.

Crys snorted a laugh at her friend, getting up to fetch the warm water from the stove and fixing herself a cup of tea. “In all seriousness, Dastan; how are you?”

“That’s a complicated question to be asking right now, Red. I’m.. Better, but that doesn’t change much. It doesn’t bring back the dead. Doesn’t change the facts. Certainly doesn’t give me any answers.” He took another swig and put the flask away, resting his arms on the table laying his head down. “I can’t let this go unpunished, so I had to leave. Even if I could ask the clan to fight my battles with me, they’re in no condition to do it. Indi and Jackson will take care of them while I’m gone. However long that turns out to be.”

“You do plan on going back, though, don’t you?” Crys questioned, sipping her tea.

“Sure. One way or another, everyone should go home one day, Red.”

“That sounds far from reassuring, I hope you know.”

Dastan chuckled. “Just trying to be realistic, Red. We don’t know what the future holds and all of that.”

Crys sighed. “Yeah, all of that.” She agreed, sipping her tea in silence until the cup was empty. “Well, you ask Nicky for a key to a vacant room when you feel like getting settled. It’s late and I’m tired, so I’m going to try and get some sleep.” She stood up and put the tea cup away before heading for the door.

“Alright.” Dastan agreed. “Oh, wait, Red...” He called after her. “Aren’tcha gonna relieve your recruits downstairs?”

Crys snickered. “I told them to repeat the exercise until I get back. If they’re still at it in the morning I’ll know I scared them enough.”

“I dread to think of how you could possibly scare them any further.” Dastan teased.

“Hopefully for them, we’ll never have to find out,” she answered, waving over her shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen.

==============================

[Raven's Nest - Otium 20, mid afternoon]

“Keith...I just got word from Kyle...It's time.” Matthew pronounced his last words with a certain kind of ferocity that seemed to grab Keith’s attention. The man looked at his superior with a mix of relief and contempt, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

“What about the Captain…?” Keith asked, standing a bit taller now, Matthew having his complete attention, fully aware of what the man was talking about.

“We are to carry on as if she can not be there. I do need you to go to the city and personally retrieve Sophie and Bran. No ravens, no discussing what this is about. Everyone will be briefed before we leave and not a moment sooner. Everyone is now on strict routine exercises and curfew for the next few days, until further notice. If anyone complains or is insubordinate, they are given latrine duties and will be cut from any consideration for the mission. Am I making myself clear?”

“Yes, Sir. Crystal clear.”

“Oh, before you leave..send Jacob my way will you?” Matthew firmly patted Keith on the shoulder as he nodded and trotted off to find Jake.

Jake was sitting by his campfire, shirtless and barefoot, a metal pot hanging over the flames emitting some nauseating fumes. The man seemed completely unaffected by the smoke, as toxic as it might have seemed, and was occupied with stitching a tear through one of the leather sheaths that usually held his needles; a wooden box containing several of said metal needles open on the floor between his feet and a series of vials were scattered across the ground surrounding him, some empty and others already sealed and filled with poisonous substances, and he was half-humming half-mumbling words to a song under his breath as he worked. Once finished stitching up the tear on the leather, Jake strapped the empty sheath to his left forearm as tightly as possible, examining yet again to make sure it was right, before removing it and starting to carefully pick needles from the pot with the aid of a pair of tweezers, placing them on the sheath one by one.

It was during this process that a loud cough alerted Jake to another person’s presence and he lifted his head to see Keith approaching him in a bit of a hurried pace. “Need anything?” He questioned, pulling the pot from the fire, which caused the smoke to slowly dissipate, clearing the air just a bit.

“What the hell are you doing Jacob?” Keith asked, seeming to forget why he was even there for just a split second before shaking his head and regaining focus. “Matthew wants to see you.”

“Well, you didn’t think I just bought these at a smithy did you?” Jake retorted, nodding along to the information that Matthew wanted to see him while finishing his task, quickly attaching the sheath to his arm once more. “Where are you off to?”

“I’m going to stop by the city,” Keith answered simply. “You go and talk to Matthew as soon as you can, it’s important.”

“Hm.” Jake mumbled to himself watching Keith wander off again in a hurry. It didn’t take much to notice something was up and so he hurried to finish replenishing his other sheaths, and fixing up the hidden blades in his boots that had been taken out for a new coat of poison as well. He hurriedly cleaned up the area to make sure nothing possibly
harmful had been left where someone could stumble upon it and went off to find Matthew, finding him in the training area. “Matt! You need me for something?”

Matthew had his back to Jacob when he approached, momentarily distracted barking orders at a group of men and women who were sparring. Rubbing his head in frustration he growled. “No! No, no no. Again. Do it again, until you all get it right. Not one of you, ALL OF YOU. You’ve been lazy and we can’t afford laziness. Zane, that goes double for you. There’s no time to rest, GET BACK TO IT!” Matt sighed, muttering about letting Jason set some of the Guard on fire to get them properly motivated and turned to face Jake. He coughed, his face scrunching up as he detected an awkward odor coming from the man.

“Jake..what the hell did you bathe in today? That won’t last, will it? I’m putting you in charge of something..and discretion and stealth are going to be a necessity. You up for leading about a dozen of us?” Matt reached into his pocket, not really elaborating much more, and handed Jake a small scroll that would normally be fitting a raven and closed the man’s fingers around it tight.
“Do not give this to anyone and read it once you reach Blackpond, specifically to Crystal Rivers. We are going to need all the help we can get on this one. Captain’s orders. Afterwards..burn it and do not discuss anything with anyone, understood? No one is to be trusted except a select few. When you get back, I’m going to call a meeting..maybe in a day or so and I’ll explain more. Until then..” Matt lifted his head, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot, most of his company occupied with relentless drills behind him, clearly unhappy with the physical stress.

“Until then...you talk to no one, especially Essence. I know she’s like a sister to you, but I need you to wait, ok? If you want to be the one..just wait..” He trailed off turning his back towards Jacob to watch the men.

Jake was confused, but only for a moment, nodding along to Matthew’s words and hurrying back to clear his camp and wash up before the trip. Whatever was in that letter sounded urgent.

==============================

[Blackpond Inn - Otium 20, early evening]

Donovan smiled as he reached the door of the Inn. It was early in the evening, but the place already had a small group of patrons chatting away and drinking at one of the tables. As he stepped inside he was approached by a tall man in his early forties who barred his entrance. “I’m sorry, but I must ask that you surrender your weapons. House rules.”

“Seriously?” Donovan chuckled, looking towards the redheaded man behind the bar. “Seriously, Nicholas?”

“Boss’ orders, Little Fletcher; no tough guys with weapons,” Nick replied.

“I’m not giving you my bow,” Donovan warned.

“Just the quiver will suffice,” the man replied, watching Donovan carefully as he rid himself of his daggers and handed over his quiver. “Thank you, sir, enjoy your evening.”

Donovan snorted a laugh. “Seriously, Crystal...” He mumbled under his breath. “So, where is your boss, Nicky? Is she in?”

“She’s in the office. Second floor, take a right, last door at the end of the hall. Knock before you enter.”

Donovan followed Nicholas’ direction and climbed up the stairs to the second floor, walked to the last door on the right of the stairs and knocked.

“Come in.” Crys answered from within the room.

Doni opened the door and walked in, closing the door after himself and looking around the office. “Nice place you got here,” he stated. The inside of the office was simple. Just Crys’ desk, her chair a couple of more chair across from hers and a mostly empty bookshelf. The rest of the room was empty space, filled with random bits of gear. It was clearly in the process of being fixed up to the assassin’s liking, but it already seemed comfortable enough. “Mind if I sit?”

Crys smiled at the young Alpha and motioned to the chair right across from her. “Please. And what do I owe a visit this soon, Alpha?”

Donovan placed a book on the desk. “You left this when we last saw each other. Your father’s journal? I thought you’d really want it, but you left without taking it.”

Crys reached out, her hand freezing as it touched the leather cover of the book, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “I did.” She snorted, and took the book from the desk, safe keeping it in one of the drawers. “I’ll have to find someone to read this with me at some point.” She smiled and leaned back in her seat, her focus now entirely on Donovan. “That’s not the only reason you’re here, though, is it?”

Donovan smiled. “No, no it isn’t. I think it’s time we have a little discussion about this place.”

“Oh?” Crys smirked. “What about this place?”

“You know what I’m talking about, Crys. You appropriated this establishment, but it still belongs to the Wolfpack.”

“I don’t think so.” Crys stated. “Your brother made a deal with Blackpond to have this Inn rebuilt. My death was part of that deal. To my understanding, if anyone holds any rights over something paid for with my blood, that someone is me. I was very sincere in my offer for cooperation, Doni, but there won’t be a negotiation here. I’m not leaving.”

Donovan sighed. “I was expecting you’d say that.” The boy ran his fingers through his hair. It was one thing to stand in front of the Knights of Newhaven and keep his cool, but the possibility of this turning into an argument was something else entirely. “I know you understand my reservations regarding your people occupying this building. Jake, Evin... Allison... I don’t want to see them step a foot near the Pack’s territory in any way under any circumstance. And Twins know; as loyal as they are to you, you can’t keep them under control.”

“Their problem was with Sean, Doni. I don’t see a reason why they would want anything to do with the Wolfpack now, but... If it makes you feel better, I can restrict access to the tunnels. It’ll take some time, but it can be done.”

“I would appreciate it if you could do that.” Donovan agreed. “It may be paranoia on my part, but I just honestly don’t want any more catastrophes where they can be avoided and the company you keep, Crys... They’re walking catastrophes. Every single one of them.”

Crys snorted a laugh. “That’s why I like them so much. What is life without a dozen weekly catastrophes?”

Donovan leaned back in his seat for a moment and stretched, letting out a tired groan. “I don’t know, but I’d very much like to find out.”

===============================

[Blackpond Inn - Otium 21, early morning]

Jake arrived in Blackpond early in the morning. The city streets were still mostly void of life awaiting the first rays of sunlight. By the time he reached the door of the Inn those rays were already reflecting on the glass windows of the establishment, pushing through the cracks on the wood, announcing the start of a new day. Just as Jake reached for the door it unexpectedly flung open and a glossy eyed mercenary stared at him for almost a full minute as though trying to see him through a deep fog.

“Jake!” Dastan exclaimed, opening a wide smile, pulling him inside by the shirt. “How’s it going buddy!?”

“I’m... Okay... What are you doing here, Dastan?” Jake questioned, a bit confused to see the Crimson leader there and concluding he must have gotten into the stock at some point last night to be swaying in place like that. “Is Crys around?”

“I’m just... Hanging ‘round for a bit. I was helping the little ginger run the bar last night... This burly fella thought he could drink me under the table, but I show...ed... him...” Dastan hiccuped the end of his sentence and laughed at himself before pretty much falling over onto a chair. “I think I need to sit.” He muttered under his breath. “Uh... I think Red was still sleeping. Least I didn’t see ‘er yet today. Pretty sure she wouldn’t mind you going up, so... Go on up... I’m... gonna wait for the room to stop spinning and... Then I’mmagotobed.” He announced, plopping his head down against the table top.

Jake snickered, closing and bolting the front door before making his way upstairs. He walked over to Crys’ room and gave a soft knock before pushing the door open. He took a quick glance into the room and saw that it was empty. “Hm,” he mumbled, shutting the door and heading for the office door instead. Once again he knocked and cracked the door open, seeing Crys sitting behind her desk, fast asleep with head resting on a small pile of papers. Jake entered the room and approached the desk, looking at the documents spread out around the sleeping assassin and seeing just series of marks indented into the parchment, like codes. He reached out and touched the surface of one of the sheets of paper and smiled, feeling the markings on his fingertips. It was a similar code to the ones Pack used, but adapted. “Clever girl.”

Jake sat in the chair across from Crys and slowly ran his fingers through her hair. “Heeey,” he whispered. “Wake up, sleepy head.”

Crys stirred at the sound of Jake’s voice, a lazy smile crossing her features as she reached out and caught his hand. “What’re you doing here, stupid?” She mumbled, heaving a sigh and pushing herself upright in her seat. “This is not a comfortable sleeping position.”

“No it isn’t,” Jake agreed, gently squeezing her hand. “I’d love to say I’m just visiting, but actually Matthew sent me.”

“Oh?” Crys asked, seeming a bit more awake now. “Is everything alright?”

“I’m not sure. I have a letter I’m supposed to read to you, it’s... All I know at this point.”

“Alright then,” Crys yawned, letting go of Jake’s hand and lifting her arms over her head in a lazy stretch. “I need some tea and something to eat, so if you can read it to me in the kitchen I’d appreciate it.” She smiled, standing up and walking past Jake out of the room.

Jake chuckled, following her outside and down the stairs. “So, how long has Dastan been staying here?”

“A couple of days. I think he’s just... I don’t know what he’s doing, but I’m just letting him. He’s been a help to Nicky and he actually managed to make people buy him drinks so he’s earning us money.”

“Whatever helps the guy heal, I guess.” Jake shook his head and they walked past the bar to the kitchen and he saw Dastan past out where he’d left him.

Once in the kitchen, Jake sat down at the table and watched as Crys started to heat up water for tea and rummage through the pantry. “So? What does your letter say?” She asked, placing a loaf of bread, some cheese and jerky on the table.

“Oh, let’s see...” Jake pulled the letter from his bag and read it aloud:

Miss. Rivers,

We have located potential hostiles within the city of Blackpond and what we believe to be a secret holding ground for captives; specifically children. We have gathered confirmation per an inside source and need to act soon if we are to retrieve that person alive as well as the other’s being held against their will. This is connected to Asher as we found he is a major supplier of ‘cattle’ to this group, however he will not be found in the city as far as we know. We may have stumbled onto more than a brushfire. We believe the reason why no one has reported seeing something this large is because it is mostly held underground, beneath the city and we have only just discovered access points. Sightings of the symbol have been reported in numerous locations, specifically at access points to these tunnels, although it is unclear how to get to them. We believe there are powerful enlightened who are protecting these locations so you are to expect the worst and prepare for the unexpected. This should be voluntary only because of the danger it involves. There is little time to waste and an immediate response is needed only in reinforcements. Do not travel together. Paranoia is not overrated here as we believe we could be being watched. We must assume these lives have little time and request the utmost haste.

Mr Turner will be leading this Raid, Captain’s recommendation. We are trusting you to assist and in selecting the best team possible to make this a success.

Be safe.

-M-

Crys froze while pouring herself a cup of tea and cursed loudly when the liquid overflowed and spilled onto her hand. “Fuck... Damn it!”

Jake jumped to his feet and took the kettle from her hands. “Careful, love.”

“I’m okay,” she sighed. “This is just... Shit...”

“Apparently, I’m leading a raid.” Jake snorted. “That is... Shit...”

Crys laughed at his response, shaking her head. “I can’t go. I mean, if you’re leading this thing, it’s... Not a good idea.”

“Definitely not. I mean, I won’t be able to keep Ess from getting involved and if you’re there too... I just can’t.”

“Okay. So, other than myself, who would I trust with your life?” She questioned, going back to table and taking a seat.

“Are we going by those standards? Because that immediately rules out Evin.”

Crys snorted. “I could send Nicky and I could offer you five more. Let’s see... Irena, Randall, Stuart, Michelle and... Peter, he’s not as experienced as the others, but his enlightenment could be very useful.”

“You heard Matty, though; they need to volunteer. It’s a risky mission.”

“He also said ‘children’. Trust me, they’ll jump at the opportunity to nail these bastards.” Crys sighed, parting the bread and offering Jake a piece. “You need to eat better.” She scolded, taking a piece for herself and biting into it.

“I eat.” Jake argued, biting his piece of bread and chewing on it slowly as he mulled over his thoughts. “Hmmph... how soon can you bring your people over?”

“Don’t travel together, he said. Four days to get everyone ready, we’ll take different routes and meet you there. You... Take Dastan with you when you go back. Once he’s lucid enough he’ll want to take part in this.”

“Uh... I... Are you sure? He looks pretty out of it right now and I don’t mean the fact that he’s wasted.”

“Trust me.”

Jake sighed, pouring himself some tea. “I always do.”