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Description
Eric woke up to what sounded like thunder. He looked back to the tavern and saw what looked to be five-hundred Rayerkhan marching their way! He froze for a second. This couldn’t be real! He jumped down from his tree and used his extreme speed to make it over to where Lynne was resting in less than a minute. He immediately shook her.

“LYNNE! LYNNE THEY’RE COMING—THEY’RE---THEY’RE ALMOST---!!” Eric was hysterical. This was all his fault. If he hadn’t fought those Foxes they would have been able to leave earlier. Lynne rolled over onto her side.
“LYNNE, THEY’RE COMING!” Eric shook her all the more. Lynne’s eyes fluttered open, and Eric was suddenly all too keenly aware of something covering his hands.
Eric swallowed hard as he realized he was covered in blood. Lynne’s blood. Lynne coughed deeply and shuddered uncontrollably. Eric reached over to pull the dagger out of her side but an arrow grazing his head quickly caught his attention.
Haxxon stood nearby, grinning wickedly. Around him the Rayerkhan had already arrived, and the battle that was raging was bloody. Foxes and Wolves alike fell before the Rayerkhan. Eric grabbed his celestiam and charged at Haxxon, but he quickly side-stepped the attack. Eric spun around, ready, but the Rayerkhan was already there. Stretching their arms they reached to grab him. He swung his blade, trying desperately to fight them off, but only more swarmed around him. In the corner of his eye he spotted Kai and Dekin, who, too, were outnumbered. Slowly but surely the Rayerkhan overwhelmed them.

“NOOOOOO!” Eric screamed and swung the celestiam with all his might, but a Raykerhan quickly deflected it. The celestiam spun out of his hand and fell useless to the ground. Haxxon kicked him to his knees.

“It’s time to teach you a listen, brat!” He said, and Eric felt the touch of cold steel on his neck. “It’s time for you to die!”

Eric’s eyes snapped open. He was breathing heavy, and covered in a cold sweat. He sat up and looked around him. It was still dark, but the smell of morning dew told him that the sun was just getting ready to rise. Eric shivered. The images from the dream were still quite vivid before his slowly adjusting eyes. So it had just been a dream? But it had felt so real, so real that Eric could still feel the cruel touch of Haxxon’s blade.
Eric shakily jumped down from his tree. Well, since he was already up, he figured he should grab some breakfast before it was all claimed by the Foxes and Wolves. He walked over to where the food was stored. The images of the Rayerkhan coming flashed before his mind and he gasped and held his head for a second. He caught his breath and slowly shook his head. It was just a dream.
Eric grabbed a round of bread and bit into it, but wasn’t paying attention to the taste. He nervously waited for the sun to rise. He began to walk across the camp and came upon Lynne and, to his horror, there she was, covered in blood, a dagger in her side. Eric cried out and grabbed his head, stepping back slightly, the images flooding back to him. He yelled again. This couldn’t be real!
Lynne’s eyes fluttered open. Eric had turned pale and was trembling as he stared at her. Lynne sat up.

“Eric? What is it?”

Eric stared at her as she spoke, watched the blood coming from her head make a little rivulet down her cheek, going into her mouth. He almost gagged. Lynne…why Lynne!? Eric felt like his head was going to burst and quickly turned and tried to run off. He had to get away, had to get help. If he didn’t, Lynne might die! Eric tried to move to get help, but his legs felt like lead and he realized with despair he couldn’t even move.
Lynne stood up quickly. Something was wrong. Why did he stare at her so? She stepped toward him, but he quickly backed away in horror. What was going on?

“Eric,” Lynne murmured. “Eric, please, what is it?” Eric opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off.
“Commander!” Lynne looked up to see the Kajercten walking towards her. Lynne muttered something under her breath then turned to Eric.
“Eric, I’ll be right back. Don’t leave.”

Lynne looked at Eric with concern, waiting for a response. Apparently the voice of the Kajercten had brought him back to reality, for he was not looking at her with the same horrified look as before. Still trembling slightly, Eric noticed Lynne was waiting for him. He nodded his head vigorously, as if trying to shake off his dream. Satisfied, Lynne turned and walked over to the officer.

“What is it?” she snapped.
“Yesterday you told me to get out of your way so you could relocate your men on your own. Why are you still here? Perhaps a whole day isn’t sufficient for you to simply gather up your men?”
Lynne growled. “What I am still doing here is none of your concern. Have you managed to move the wounded?”
“Save for a few of the worst. We let them rest for tonight before the journey.”
“Good. My men will also be leaving today, within the hour. So do not worry yourself with things that have nothing to do with you.”
The Kajercten narrowed his eyes. “Be sure that you do,” he warned. “Siyavash sent word that your meeting with him is in two hours. And if I were you, I would not be late.”
“Get the wounded out of here. You seem to think that we are immune to a Rayerkhan attack right now, but I assure you that is not the case. Don’t let them catch you unawares. As much as Siyavash does not like people being late, he’s much more dissatisfied with a failed mission. But if you want the lost lives of the wounded and the responsibility of a fiasco on your shoulders, by all means, continue with the frivolity. I’m sure the Rayerkhan would just love to play that game with you.”

Before the Kajercten could respond, Lynne had already walked back to Eric.

“Go find Kai,” she told him. “Tell him to gather his Foxes. We’re moving out within the hour. All stragglers will be left behind.”

Eric nodded and quickly ran off. Lynne turned to gather her own Wolves. Whatever happened, she would not be late to her meeting with Siyavash.

* * * * * * * *

Eric just kept running. He found Kai and quickly relayed Lynne’s message, saluted, and turned back. What was happening? Everything in his dream seemed to be taunting him through reality. He made his way back to Lynne who was snapping orders left and right, glad to see that the only bit of blood upon her was from a small scratch from weapons practice yesterday. Eric watched as those who had disappeared into the forest were being yelled at by Dekin for their actions. Eric looked back up at Lynne and – no it couldn’t be! But before he could deny it, he blinked and Lynne no longer looked like her normal, strict self, but apologetic as the blood poured off her body onto the ground. Eric shivered. He hated nightmares.

“Kai!” Lynne screamed. What was he doing? Kai looked up at her from where he was talking with a Fox.
“What?”
“Are you men here?”
“It seems so, but I feel like something’s missing…something’s not right.” He paused. “Well, never mind, it’s probably nothing.”
“It better be. I told the Kajercten that we’d be gone within the hour, and our meeting with Siyavash is soon after. I will not be late. You, too, will not be late. We are both to be there giving our report of what we found out from the emperor and his advisor.”
“You need not remind me, Lynne.” Kai sounded tired and not his normal aggravating self. “I know what we do. All my Foxes are here.” Kai shook his head as if to shake off a bad feeling. “Let’s go.”

Lynne turned on her heels, motioning her men to follow her. Glaring at the Kajercten as she passed, Lynne stepped quickly onto the forest path. Behind her Foxes and Wolves alike dragged their feet, many still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Lynne began to run, not quite sprinting, but a quick pace that brought many of them from their dreams with surprised looks. Lynne weaved in and out of the trees, off the trail, cutting through the woods towards town. Lynne glanced back and forth, watching, ready… The last thing she wanted right now was a Rayerkhan ambush.

* * * * * * * *

Kai ran alongside Dekin, neither breathing hard nor making a sound. Dekin was looking forward, but Kai kept his eyes to the ground, listening to the whispering voice of the earth. He knew something was wrong, but he could not place his finger upon it. He looked up and noticed Eric running with the same speed and silence as a Fox, but keeping his hand on the hilt of his celestiam. Kai winced as he listened to the noise the Wolves were making. They were so loud, Kai was not surprised they had not caused a land-slide or given away their position.
However, Kai was pleased to see that a few Wolves were running quietly – not silently, though – such as Lynne, Eitan, and Mingan. Dekin had told Kai all about Mingan and how he was very skilled at what he did as well as being quiet. Kai wondered if Mingan would mind giving him weapons practice in return for practice with speed and stealth; this impending doom was making him want to bring up his defenses even higher. Kai slowed down a bit, finding his pace that of Lynne. He ran next to her and looked over to her. He did not speak to her, but the look of doom in his eyes spoke clearly enough.

* * * * * * * *

“So, you want me to teach you to fight?”
“You or one of your skilled Wolves.”

They had reached the city with no trouble, and Lynne and Kai were walking through the alleys towards the abandoned house where they were to meet with Siyavash. Kai was fidgeting nervously. The feeling of doom was growing larger with every step he took. Had the Rayerkhan found their meeting place? Were they waiting there in ambush?

“KAI!”
“Huh?”
“I said you should come to me tomorrow for lessons; that is if Siyavash does not give us another mission.”
“Oh….right….”

They reached the meeting place and Kai itched with anticipation. They slowly entered into the darkness.

“I am glad to see that you have all arrived safely,” said a low voice from a dark corner. “But I must say that I am quite depressed at the numbers lost. Well, that is that and we cannot change it. Well? Report.”

Lynne stepped forward. Casting a side glance at Kai, she cleared her throat.

“Wait!” Kai spoke with urgency. Startled, Lynne stopped. Raising one eyebrow, she looked back at him.
“What?”
Kai deftly drew his angel-blade and pointed it towards the corner where the voice had come from. “Step forward.”
“Kai, what-”
“Shut-up, Lynne!”

Lynne growled angrily, but kept her mouth shut at his tone of voice. Suddenly, Lynne felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Something was very wrong. How had she not noticed it before?

“Step Forward!”

Slowly a Rayerkhan general stepped forward; the badge upon his chest gave away his rank as well as the stench of the most expensive perfumes. Kai hissed and lunged but the Rayerkhan easily dived out of the way. Lynne drew her own sword, ready to step in, but thundering footsteps in the hallway drew her attention from the battle in front of her.
Lynne turned towards the pounding on the door. In frustration she tossed her own sword to the side and drew Raul’s angel-blade from her bag. She was going to need it.
Lynne gave a silent prayer of thanks as the Rayerkhan tried to slide through the narrow doorway. Trying to squeeze two at a time through made them slow, especially with their broad-shouldered build, and Lynne easily slaughtered many at the beginning. But they quickly caught on. One Rayerkhan faced her, ready. Lynne slashed with her angel-blade, but he moved out of the way. A cut on his chest showed how close she had been to killing him. Lynne struck again, and this time he blocked it. Lynne spun and easily knocked the sword out of his hand. She finished him quickly and turned to the door in dismay. He had distracted her long enough to let many Rayerkhan through the doorway. Lynne clenched her teeth in anger as she fought off another Rayerkhan. From the corner of her eye she saw Kai flailing his angel-blade. The Rayerkhan was just toying with him now. No, she thought to herself. No, I need him. I need him to fight well. Lynne watched his poor form and groaned. Is that really asking too much?

“Kai,” Lynne shouted, straining against the Rayerkhan. She felt his blood drip on her and struggled to push him off of her. His blood made things slick, and she nearly lost her grip on her angel-blade.

“Kai!” she shouted again. “Think of the earth! Think of what these bastards have done to it!”

Kai suddenly involuntarily twitched. His form relaxed and he stared at the dirt floor a moment. The Rayerkhans stilled. They realized something was very wrong. No one could see his eyes.

“It’s crying. The earth is crying. It’s in pain. It’s dying! Damn you all….damn you all to the deepest circle of fire of the after-life itself!” Kai raised his now red-rimmed eyes, making Lynne realize that he’d been pushed too far too many times and he needed time to rest from all this anger. However, this could not be helped, and she did not try to dissuade him from ripping limb from limb, destroying the Rayerkhan as a ravenous, wild animal would a baby left all alone.

When all was said and done, Kai turned to Lynne and raised his angel-blade, the warm blood dripping off its cold surface, making a pool about his feet. It was disgusting, seeing the blood in his hair, some even about his lips, and it made her want to gag. But she had no time for nausea. He was about to come after her, too.
Amazingly, Kai did no such thing. He dropped his weapon, fell to his knees in the pool of blood, and looked at his hands. He raised his now black eyes to look up at her.

“I’m tired. So very tired…”
“Kai-”
“Please…”

But Kai did not explain why he had said please. He merely drew a knife out of his boot and, making Lynne gasp, he cut off the braid of his long black hair, letting all the strands fall into the dark blood. Lynne was appalled. All Aerchan never, ever cut their hair in their long, long life-times. It was a symbol of helping the earth to keep growing.

“All fighters keep their hair short.”
“But Kai-”
“And while I wish to help the earth grow, I first and foremost want to keep it from falling into the hands of destruction; therefore, I choose to fight.”

Kai stood and, before Lynne could say anything, left, leaving Lynne all alone in the puddle of blood.

* * * * * * * *

Mingan let the water rinse over his wound on his arm, feeling very smug about himself. He and several other Wolves had just taken down a small company of nobles and he couldn’t wait until he met with Lynne that night to report. Mingan and his group had been going to grab whatever food they could when they stumbled upon a small group of nobles, all covered in silks and jewels, and Mingan had thought to get a little recompense for his many years as a slave. He and his small group had jumped the nobles and injured many of them. They had even managed to kill one of them, but when the Rayerkhan guards had shown up the Wolves had been forced to scatter. It had been disappointing not to be able to kill them all, but Mingan felt sure Lynne would be proud of what they’d done.
Mingan drew his arm out of the water. He quickly bandaged the cut. It was deep, but it would heal. The sharp shouts of Lynne’s voice broke through the training ground and he jumped up. He looked around and quickly spotted Lynne. Rushing over, he stopped short. The look on her face was not happy.

“Wolves! Line up!”

Mingan immediately found his place in line. Next to him, other Wolves shifted nervously. When Lynne was having a bad day, everybody was going to have to share it. Lynne paced before the line.

“There has been an emergency meeting called,” she announced. “You will split up into twenty groups, three men to a group. Each group will take a different route to the meeting room. Understood?”

The Wolves furrowed their brow in confusion but nodded at her instructions. An emergency meeting?

“If one person is not there in half an hour,” she said coldly. “I will hunt him down and personally make sure he will never have children. Disperse!”

The Wolves scattered so quickly many stumbled over themselves, three to a group, slipping into alleys and disappearing into the alleys. Lynne did not see the Foxes, but rather felt them moving amongst the shadows. She turned to make sure no one was watching her and almost tripped over Eric.

“What happened?” he asked quietly. Lynne shook her head.
“People are everywhere. What you are not told at the meeting, I will tell you afterwards. But I’ll tell you this: there is a traitor among us.”

* * * * * * * *

Siyavash clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the deep pain in his stomach. The cut was deep, and he knew how easy it would be for infection to set in. He shook his head and wrapped his cloak tight about him, careful to hide his face. As much pain as he was in, he had to get to the meeting.
Slipping into the tunnel, he leaned on the walls for support. In the thick air he heard Lynne’s muffled voice. He quickened his pace, and as soon as he got to the end he felt with his hands for the hidden door. There it is, he thought to himself. He opened it and silently stole inside.
In the back of the room in the shadows, Siyavash crept in unnoticed. He had a clear view of all the meeting room, full of Foxes and Wolves alike, with Lynne standing up at the front. Angry.

“Lynne, would you stop fuming and tell them what’s going on?” Kai said impatiently. He was sitting towards the front, staring up at her with dark circles under his eyes.
Lynne almost exploded at him in a wave of fury, but something stopped her. She was looking at Dekin who shook his head.

Why is it that she submits to him so? I have never seen Lynne back down because Dekin simply wanted her to. Siyavash looked back at Kai who looked extremely tired. With a start, Siyavash realized that something was wrong: Kai’s hair was short! Siyavash looked harder. That was Kai, wasn’t it? He looks so tired…His eyes are so dark…What’s happened? Siyavash tapped into Dekin’s mind.
No, Lynne. Don’t anger him. He needs to be kept calm. If he is pushed much further I do not think even I will have the power to bring him back. He’s been pushed into that state too often. Calm down. Dekin’s voice reverberated through Siyavash’s mind.
So that was it. Kai had been pushed to the brink of insanity by the fury of the earth one too many times. If pushed much further, Kai would be beyond the help of mortals and would probably end up doing something so rash that he would get himself killed. This is why he had always toned his mind rather than his muscles. The weaker he was, the less likely he would be able to do much damage in that state, and the more tuned his mind was, the more likely he would be able to maintain some sort of control over himself when he was pushed too far.

“Alright, Kai.” Lynne paused to gain control of herself. “Well. There is a traitor among us. One who is passing information to the Rayerkhan.” There were many gasps and whispers at this.
“How do you know this?” asked a Fox in the back corner.
“We were ambushed. We received word that Siyavash wished to meet with us there. We came but only met Rayerkhan.” Lynne explained all that happened, interrupted only by gasps and hushed whispers.
“So.” Siyavash swept forward towards the front of the room. People gasped and moved out of the way, creating a path for him.

Kai stood as he noticed Siyavash. He went up to stand next to Lynne. He looked very pale. Siyavash stood before the two of them, looking from one very tired face to the other angry but respectful one.

“Who passed you this information?”
“The Kajercten told me.” Lynne said, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Which one?”
“I…I don’t know, I didn’t get his name.” Lynne silently cursed herself; that information was crucial. There were several Kajerctens in Siyavash’s army and sorting through all of them would take a long while, not to mention it would be close to impossible to finding the traitor.
“I see.” Siyavash silently contemplated this information. “Lynne, I would like to speak with you in private.” Siyavash’s eyes never left Kai’s pale, weak, and tired form. He looked dead on his feet.
Lynne looked at Kai. “Sir you don’t-”
“In private, Lynne.”
“Yessir.”

* * * * * * * *

Lynne and Siyavash stood in a dark alley, making it quite difficult for Lynne to see him as he was entirely clothed in black. She chewed her tongue impatiently but kept still, waiting for Siyavash to speak.

“Lynne, this is a tough and painful subject, so I’ll be short and frank. A person who is a traitor cannot be so without having some air of nervousness and exhaustion to them; you know of what I speak-”
“But sir-”
“Hear me out: If there is a traitor among us, they will be showing such signs. Kai is the weakest I have ever seen him. Now listen, it is not that I do not trust him, but that I cannot. In a situation such as this trust cannot be handed out freely.”
“Then what do you suggest we do? We cannot just tell the Foxes not to trust their leader.”
“No. We cannot do that. However, I want even more people guarding him than usual. Make up any excuse you can, just have him under close surveillance at all times. I don’t want him to even go to the bathroom without my knowing it.”
“Surely you are not talking about me. I am not going to babysit Kai.”
“You can send in men, Foxes and Wolves alike. You can gain control of some of the Foxes through Dekin. I will explain the situation to him. Do not use the Foxes too much, however, because that will draw the attention of Kai himself and he’ll grow suspicious.” Siyavash grimaced and from what Lynne could tell of his form, he seemed to touch his stomach momentarily. She opened her mouth to inquire about it, then changed her mind.

“Very well,” she said quietly.
“Now, what information do you have for me?”
Lynne scowled. “We actually gathered conflicting information. Kai took his Foxes to spy on the Emperor, and they apparently overheard a plan to attack the Ice Temple. But my Wolves and I were spying on Nero, the advisor. We heard him talking in hushed whispers of a proposed alliance with the outcasts, an alliance they would move to make against us.”
“I see.” Siyavash paused for a moment.
“Siyavash I know that Nero was telling the truth, by the way he tried to whisper and the way he acted so casually before. Kai was so certain that I was wrong, but all of my Wolves will back me up. An alliance with the outcasts is exactly what we were looking for, but if the Rayerkhan beat us to it we will lose hundreds of potential allies who, rather than fighting for us, will be fighting against us. We would lose resources and outside information, not only soldiers. If the Rayerkhan form an alliance first, it could mean the end of the Revolution.”
Siyavash took a deep breath and thought for a moment. What Lynne said was true, that he could not deny. He wondered, though, whether the damage would be much more than just the end of the Revolution.

“I understand. Thank you, Lynne. Now, please do not forget your promise: watch over Kai and report anything suspicious.”
Lynne nodded. “As you ordered.”

And with a grim smile, Siyavash disappeared into the darkness of the next alley, leaving Lynne alone to ponder his words.

Description
Eric woke up to what sounded like thunder. He looked back to the tavern and saw what looked to be five-hundred Rayerkhan marching their way! He froze for a second. This couldn’t be real! He jumped down from his tree and used his extreme speed to make it over to where Lynne was resting in less than a minute. He immediately shook her.

“LYNNE! LYNNE THEY’RE COMING—THEY’RE---THEY’RE ALMOST---!!” Eric was hysterical. This was all his fault. If he hadn’t fought those Foxes they would have been able to leave earlier. Lynne rolled over onto her side.
“LYNNE, THEY’RE COMING!” Eric shook her all the more. Lynne’s eyes fluttered open, and Eric was suddenly all too keenly aware of something covering his hands.
Eric swallowed hard as he realized he was covered in blood. Lynne’s blood. Lynne coughed deeply and shuddered uncontrollably. Eric reached over to pull the dagger out of her side but an arrow grazing his head quickly caught his attention.
Haxxon stood nearby, grinning wickedly. Around him the Rayerkhan had already arrived, and the battle that was raging was bloody. Foxes and Wolves alike fell before the Rayerkhan. Eric grabbed his celestiam and charged at Haxxon, but he quickly side-stepped the attack. Eric spun around, ready, but the Rayerkhan was already there. Stretching their arms they reached to grab him. He swung his blade, trying desperately to fight them off, but only more swarmed around him. In the corner of his eye he spotted Kai and Dekin, who, too, were outnumbered. Slowly but surely the Rayerkhan overwhelmed them.

“NOOOOOO!” Eric screamed and swung the celestiam with all his might, but a Raykerhan quickly deflected it. The celestiam spun out of his hand and fell useless to the ground. Haxxon kicked him to his knees.

“It’s time to teach you a listen, brat!” He said, and Eric felt the touch of cold steel on his neck. “It’s time for you to die!”

Eric’s eyes snapped open. He was breathing heavy, and covered in a cold sweat. He sat up and looked around him. It was still dark, but the smell of morning dew told him that the sun was just getting ready to rise. Eric shivered. The images from the dream were still quite vivid before his slowly adjusting eyes. So it had just been a dream? But it had felt so real, so real that Eric could still feel the cruel touch of Haxxon’s blade.
Eric shakily jumped down from his tree. Well, since he was already up, he figured he should grab some breakfast before it was all claimed by the Foxes and Wolves. He walked over to where the food was stored. The images of the Rayerkhan coming flashed before his mind and he gasped and held his head for a second. He caught his breath and slowly shook his head. It was just a dream.
Eric grabbed a round of bread and bit into it, but wasn’t paying attention to the taste. He nervously waited for the sun to rise. He began to walk across the camp and came upon Lynne and, to his horror, there she was, covered in blood, a dagger in her side. Eric cried out and grabbed his head, stepping back slightly, the images flooding back to him. He yelled again. This couldn’t be real!
Lynne’s eyes fluttered open. Eric had turned pale and was trembling as he stared at her. Lynne sat up.

“Eric? What is it?”

Eric stared at her as she spoke, watched the blood coming from her head make a little rivulet down her cheek, going into her mouth. He almost gagged. Lynne…why Lynne!? Eric felt like his head was going to burst and quickly turned and tried to run off. He had to get away, had to get help. If he didn’t, Lynne might die! Eric tried to move to get help, but his legs felt like lead and he realized with despair he couldn’t even move.
Lynne stood up quickly. Something was wrong. Why did he stare at her so? She stepped toward him, but he quickly backed away in horror. What was going on?

“Eric,” Lynne murmured. “Eric, please, what is it?” Eric opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off.
“Commander!” Lynne looked up to see the Kajercten walking towards her. Lynne muttered something under her breath then turned to Eric.
“Eric, I’ll be right back. Don’t leave.”

Lynne looked at Eric with concern, waiting for a response. Apparently the voice of the Kajercten had brought him back to reality, for he was not looking at her with the same horrified look as before. Still trembling slightly, Eric noticed Lynne was waiting for him. He nodded his head vigorously, as if trying to shake off his dream. Satisfied, Lynne turned and walked over to the officer.

“What is it?” she snapped.
“Yesterday you told me to get out of your way so you could relocate your men on your own. Why are you still here? Perhaps a whole day isn’t sufficient for you to simply gather up your men?”
Lynne growled. “What I am still doing here is none of your concern. Have you managed to move the wounded?”
“Save for a few of the worst. We let them rest for tonight before the journey.”
“Good. My men will also be leaving today, within the hour. So do not worry yourself with things that have nothing to do with you.”
The Kajercten narrowed his eyes. “Be sure that you do,” he warned. “Siyavash sent word that your meeting with him is in two hours. And if I were you, I would not be late.”
“Get the wounded out of here. You seem to think that we are immune to a Rayerkhan attack right now, but I assure you that is not the case. Don’t let them catch you unawares. As much as Siyavash does not like people being late, he’s much more dissatisfied with a failed mission. But if you want the lost lives of the wounded and the responsibility of a fiasco on your shoulders, by all means, continue with the frivolity. I’m sure the Rayerkhan would just love to play that game with you.”

Before the Kajercten could respond, Lynne had already walked back to Eric.

“Go find Kai,” she told him. “Tell him to gather his Foxes. We’re moving out within the hour. All stragglers will be left behind.”

Eric nodded and quickly ran off. Lynne turned to gather her own Wolves. Whatever happened, she would not be late to her meeting with Siyavash.

* * * * * * * *

Eric just kept running. He found Kai and quickly relayed Lynne’s message, saluted, and turned back. What was happening? Everything in his dream seemed to be taunting him through reality. He made his way back to Lynne who was snapping orders left and right, glad to see that the only bit of blood upon her was from a small scratch from weapons practice yesterday. Eric watched as those who had disappeared into the forest were being yelled at by Dekin for their actions. Eric looked back up at Lynne and – no it couldn’t be! But before he could deny it, he blinked and Lynne no longer looked like her normal, strict self, but apologetic as the blood poured off her body onto the ground. Eric shivered. He hated nightmares.

“Kai!” Lynne screamed. What was he doing? Kai looked up at her from where he was talking with a Fox.
“What?”
“Are you men here?”
“It seems so, but I feel like something’s missing…something’s not right.” He paused. “Well, never mind, it’s probably nothing.”
“It better be. I told the Kajercten that we’d be gone within the hour, and our meeting with Siyavash is soon after. I will not be late. You, too, will not be late. We are both to be there giving our report of what we found out from the emperor and his advisor.”
“You need not remind me, Lynne.” Kai sounded tired and not his normal aggravating self. “I know what we do. All my Foxes are here.” Kai shook his head as if to shake off a bad feeling. “Let’s go.”

Lynne turned on her heels, motioning her men to follow her. Glaring at the Kajercten as she passed, Lynne stepped quickly onto the forest path. Behind her Foxes and Wolves alike dragged their feet, many still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Lynne began to run, not quite sprinting, but a quick pace that brought many of them from their dreams with surprised looks. Lynne weaved in and out of the trees, off the trail, cutting through the woods towards town. Lynne glanced back and forth, watching, ready… The last thing she wanted right now was a Rayerkhan ambush.

* * * * * * * *

Kai ran alongside Dekin, neither breathing hard nor making a sound. Dekin was looking forward, but Kai kept his eyes to the ground, listening to the whispering voice of the earth. He knew something was wrong, but he could not place his finger upon it. He looked up and noticed Eric running with the same speed and silence as a Fox, but keeping his hand on the hilt of his celestiam. Kai winced as he listened to the noise the Wolves were making. They were so loud, Kai was not surprised they had not caused a land-slide or given away their position.
However, Kai was pleased to see that a few Wolves were running quietly – not silently, though – such as Lynne, Eitan, and Mingan. Dekin had told Kai all about Mingan and how he was very skilled at what he did as well as being quiet. Kai wondered if Mingan would mind giving him weapons practice in return for practice with speed and stealth; this impending doom was making him want to bring up his defenses even higher. Kai slowed down a bit, finding his pace that of Lynne. He ran next to her and looked over to her. He did not speak to her, but the look of doom in his eyes spoke clearly enough.

* * * * * * * *

“So, you want me to teach you to fight?”
“You or one of your skilled Wolves.”

They had reached the city with no trouble, and Lynne and Kai were walking through the alleys towards the abandoned house where they were to meet with Siyavash. Kai was fidgeting nervously. The feeling of doom was growing larger with every step he took. Had the Rayerkhan found their meeting place? Were they waiting there in ambush?

“KAI!”
“Huh?”
“I said you should come to me tomorrow for lessons; that is if Siyavash does not give us another mission.”
“Oh….right….”

They reached the meeting place and Kai itched with anticipation. They slowly entered into the darkness.

“I am glad to see that you have all arrived safely,” said a low voice from a dark corner. “But I must say that I am quite depressed at the numbers lost. Well, that is that and we cannot change it. Well? Report.”

Lynne stepped forward. Casting a side glance at Kai, she cleared her throat.

“Wait!” Kai spoke with urgency. Startled, Lynne stopped. Raising one eyebrow, she looked back at him.
“What?”
Kai deftly drew his angel-blade and pointed it towards the corner where the voice had come from. “Step forward.”
“Kai, what-”
“Shut-up, Lynne!”

Lynne growled angrily, but kept her mouth shut at his tone of voice. Suddenly, Lynne felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Something was very wrong. How had she not noticed it before?

“Step Forward!”

Slowly a Rayerkhan general stepped forward; the badge upon his chest gave away his rank as well as the stench of the most expensive perfumes. Kai hissed and lunged but the Rayerkhan easily dived out of the way. Lynne drew her own sword, ready to step in, but thundering footsteps in the hallway drew her attention from the battle in front of her.
Lynne turned towards the pounding on the door. In frustration she tossed her own sword to the side and drew Raul’s angel-blade from her bag. She was going to need it.
Lynne gave a silent prayer of thanks as the Rayerkhan tried to slide through the narrow doorway. Trying to squeeze two at a time through made them slow, especially with their broad-shouldered build, and Lynne easily slaughtered many at the beginning. But they quickly caught on. One Rayerkhan faced her, ready. Lynne slashed with her angel-blade, but he moved out of the way. A cut on his chest showed how close she had been to killing him. Lynne struck again, and this time he blocked it. Lynne spun and easily knocked the sword out of his hand. She finished him quickly and turned to the door in dismay. He had distracted her long enough to let many Rayerkhan through the doorway. Lynne clenched her teeth in anger as she fought off another Rayerkhan. From the corner of her eye she saw Kai flailing his angel-blade. The Rayerkhan was just toying with him now. No, she thought to herself. No, I need him. I need him to fight well. Lynne watched his poor form and groaned. Is that really asking too much?

“Kai,” Lynne shouted, straining against the Rayerkhan. She felt his blood drip on her and struggled to push him off of her. His blood made things slick, and she nearly lost her grip on her angel-blade.

“Kai!” she shouted again. “Think of the earth! Think of what these bastards have done to it!”

Kai suddenly involuntarily twitched. His form relaxed and he stared at the dirt floor a moment. The Rayerkhans stilled. They realized something was very wrong. No one could see his eyes.

“It’s crying. The earth is crying. It’s in pain. It’s dying! Damn you all….damn you all to the deepest circle of fire of the after-life itself!” Kai raised his now red-rimmed eyes, making Lynne realize that he’d been pushed too far too many times and he needed time to rest from all this anger. However, this could not be helped, and she did not try to dissuade him from ripping limb from limb, destroying the Rayerkhan as a ravenous, wild animal would a baby left all alone.

When all was said and done, Kai turned to Lynne and raised his angel-blade, the warm blood dripping off its cold surface, making a pool about his feet. It was disgusting, seeing the blood in his hair, some even about his lips, and it made her want to gag. But she had no time for nausea. He was about to come after her, too.
Amazingly, Kai did no such thing. He dropped his weapon, fell to his knees in the pool of blood, and looked at his hands. He raised his now black eyes to look up at her.

“I’m tired. So very tired…”
“Kai-”
“Please…”

But Kai did not explain why he had said please. He merely drew a knife out of his boot and, making Lynne gasp, he cut off the braid of his long black hair, letting all the strands fall into the dark blood. Lynne was appalled. All Aerchan never, ever cut their hair in their long, long life-times. It was a symbol of helping the earth to keep growing.

“All fighters keep their hair short.”
“But Kai-”
“And while I wish to help the earth grow, I first and foremost want to keep it from falling into the hands of destruction; therefore, I choose to fight.”

Kai stood and, before Lynne could say anything, left, leaving Lynne all alone in the puddle of blood.

* * * * * * * *

Mingan let the water rinse over his wound on his arm, feeling very smug about himself. He and several other Wolves had just taken down a small company of nobles and he couldn’t wait until he met with Lynne that night to report. Mingan and his group had been going to grab whatever food they could when they stumbled upon a small group of nobles, all covered in silks and jewels, and Mingan had thought to get a little recompense for his many years as a slave. He and his small group had jumped the nobles and injured many of them. They had even managed to kill one of them, but when the Rayerkhan guards had shown up the Wolves had been forced to scatter. It had been disappointing not to be able to kill them all, but Mingan felt sure Lynne would be proud of what they’d done.
Mingan drew his arm out of the water. He quickly bandaged the cut. It was deep, but it would heal. The sharp shouts of Lynne’s voice broke through the training ground and he jumped up. He looked around and quickly spotted Lynne. Rushing over, he stopped short. The look on her face was not happy.

“Wolves! Line up!”

Mingan immediately found his place in line. Next to him, other Wolves shifted nervously. When Lynne was having a bad day, everybody was going to have to share it. Lynne paced before the line.

“There has been an emergency meeting called,” she announced. “You will split up into twenty groups, three men to a group. Each group will take a different route to the meeting room. Understood?”

The Wolves furrowed their brow in confusion but nodded at her instructions. An emergency meeting?

“If one person is not there in half an hour,” she said coldly. “I will hunt him down and personally make sure he will never have children. Disperse!”

The Wolves scattered so quickly many stumbled over themselves, three to a group, slipping into alleys and disappearing into the alleys. Lynne did not see the Foxes, but rather felt them moving amongst the shadows. She turned to make sure no one was watching her and almost tripped over Eric.

“What happened?” he asked quietly. Lynne shook her head.
“People are everywhere. What you are not told at the meeting, I will tell you afterwards. But I’ll tell you this: there is a traitor among us.”

* * * * * * * *

Siyavash clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the deep pain in his stomach. The cut was deep, and he knew how easy it would be for infection to set in. He shook his head and wrapped his cloak tight about him, careful to hide his face. As much pain as he was in, he had to get to the meeting.
Slipping into the tunnel, he leaned on the walls for support. In the thick air he heard Lynne’s muffled voice. He quickened his pace, and as soon as he got to the end he felt with his hands for the hidden door. There it is, he thought to himself. He opened it and silently stole inside.
In the back of the room in the shadows, Siyavash crept in unnoticed. He had a clear view of all the meeting room, full of Foxes and Wolves alike, with Lynne standing up at the front. Angry.

“Lynne, would you stop fuming and tell them what’s going on?” Kai said impatiently. He was sitting towards the front, staring up at her with dark circles under his eyes.
Lynne almost exploded at him in a wave of fury, but something stopped her. She was looking at Dekin who shook his head.

Why is it that she submits to him so? I have never seen Lynne back down because Dekin simply wanted her to. Siyavash looked back at Kai who looked extremely tired. With a start, Siyavash realized that something was wrong: Kai’s hair was short! Siyavash looked harder. That was Kai, wasn’t it? He looks so tired…His eyes are so dark…What’s happened? Siyavash tapped into Dekin’s mind.
No, Lynne. Don’t anger him. He needs to be kept calm. If he is pushed much further I do not think even I will have the power to bring him back. He’s been pushed into that state too often. Calm down. Dekin’s voice reverberated through Siyavash’s mind.
So that was it. Kai had been pushed to the brink of insanity by the fury of the earth one too many times. If pushed much further, Kai would be beyond the help of mortals and would probably end up doing something so rash that he would get himself killed. This is why he had always toned his mind rather than his muscles. The weaker he was, the less likely he would be able to do much damage in that state, and the more tuned his mind was, the more likely he would be able to maintain some sort of control over himself when he was pushed too far.

“Alright, Kai.” Lynne paused to gain control of herself. “Well. There is a traitor among us. One who is passing information to the Rayerkhan.” There were many gasps and whispers at this.
“How do you know this?” asked a Fox in the back corner.
“We were ambushed. We received word that Siyavash wished to meet with us there. We came but only met Rayerkhan.” Lynne explained all that happened, interrupted only by gasps and hushed whispers.
“So.” Siyavash swept forward towards the front of the room. People gasped and moved out of the way, creating a path for him.

Kai stood as he noticed Siyavash. He went up to stand next to Lynne. He looked very pale. Siyavash stood before the two of them, looking from one very tired face to the other angry but respectful one.

“Who passed you this information?”
“The Kajercten told me.” Lynne said, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Which one?”
“I…I don’t know, I didn’t get his name.” Lynne silently cursed herself; that information was crucial. There were several Kajerctens in Siyavash’s army and sorting through all of them would take a long while, not to mention it would be close to impossible to finding the traitor.
“I see.” Siyavash silently contemplated this information. “Lynne, I would like to speak with you in private.” Siyavash’s eyes never left Kai’s pale, weak, and tired form. He looked dead on his feet.
Lynne looked at Kai. “Sir you don’t-”
“In private, Lynne.”
“Yessir.”

* * * * * * * *

Lynne and Siyavash stood in a dark alley, making it quite difficult for Lynne to see him as he was entirely clothed in black. She chewed her tongue impatiently but kept still, waiting for Siyavash to speak.

“Lynne, this is a tough and painful subject, so I’ll be short and frank. A person who is a traitor cannot be so without having some air of nervousness and exhaustion to them; you know of what I speak-”
“But sir-”
“Hear me out: If there is a traitor among us, they will be showing such signs. Kai is the weakest I have ever seen him. Now listen, it is not that I do not trust him, but that I cannot. In a situation such as this trust cannot be handed out freely.”
“Then what do you suggest we do? We cannot just tell the Foxes not to trust their leader.”
“No. We cannot do that. However, I want even more people guarding him than usual. Make up any excuse you can, just have him under close surveillance at all times. I don’t want him to even go to the bathroom without my knowing it.”
“Surely you are not talking about me. I am not going to babysit Kai.”
“You can send in men, Foxes and Wolves alike. You can gain control of some of the Foxes through Dekin. I will explain the situation to him. Do not use the Foxes too much, however, because that will draw the attention of Kai himself and he’ll grow suspicious.” Siyavash grimaced and from what Lynne could tell of his form, he seemed to touch his stomach momentarily. She opened her mouth to inquire about it, then changed her mind.

“Very well,” she said quietly.
“Now, what information do you have for me?”
Lynne scowled. “We actually gathered conflicting information. Kai took his Foxes to spy on the Emperor, and they apparently overheard a plan to attack the Ice Temple. But my Wolves and I were spying on Nero, the advisor. We heard him talking in hushed whispers of a proposed alliance with the outcasts, an alliance they would move to make against us.”
“I see.” Siyavash paused for a moment.
“Siyavash I know that Nero was telling the truth, by the way he tried to whisper and the way he acted so casually before. Kai was so certain that I was wrong, but all of my Wolves will back me up. An alliance with the outcasts is exactly what we were looking for, but if the Rayerkhan beat us to it we will lose hundreds of potential allies who, rather than fighting for us, will be fighting against us. We would lose resources and outside information, not only soldiers. If the Rayerkhan form an alliance first, it could mean the end of the Revolution.”
Siyavash took a deep breath and thought for a moment. What Lynne said was true, that he could not deny. He wondered, though, whether the damage would be much more than just the end of the Revolution.

“I understand. Thank you, Lynne. Now, please do not forget your promise: watch over Kai and report anything suspicious.”
Lynne nodded. “As you ordered.”

And with a grim smile, Siyavash disappeared into the darkness of the next alley, leaving Lynne alone to ponder his words.