We are the reckless, we are the wild youth.

Chasing visions of our futures, one day we'll reveal the truth.

That one will die before he gets there.

Jacob approached on deft feet, his blade out, every fiber of his being ready. Starrick was just ahead, mere feet from him. He'd gotten into whatever stupid chest Evie had been trying to beat him to, but it didn't matter. The silly yellow myth around Starrick's neck wouldn't save him from a well placed knife between the ribs.

He held his breath, and once he was within striking distance he could restrain himself no longer. He lunged forward, a victorious snarl already across his face when Starrick suddenly turned on him - as if warned. A hand at his wrist, cruel and high and yanking pulled him off balance. And then another hand, this one at his throat. Jacob gagged. With his free hand, Jacob grasped at it and tried to pry himself free, but the man's grip was strong; stronger than it should have been.

That was when the strangest feeling began to spread through Jacob's body; like a pulling, but in a way that he couldn't describe. All at once, he felt incredibly tired – as though he had been running for days on end instead of the quick sprint he had just taken across the property to reach the underground hall.

"What…" Jacob gasped, eyes closed, overwhelmed by these sudden weird sensations. He peeked at Starrick in quick, squinted glimpses and was shocked when the man was haloed in a yellow glow – Evie's fabled "Piece of Eden" suddenly alight around his shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Exploiting. I warned you, my boy, but you do not listen," Starrick said, and his hand clenched tighter.

Jacob cried out. He fell first to one knee – the stone beneath him harsh and biting – and then to the other. And Starrick only continued to glow all the brighter.

"You have been a pain in my side for far too long. A roach I can't rid myself of," Starrick said, and Jacob had the most peculiar feeling that Starrick was growing taller somehow. He shook the crazy thought from his head and tried to focus. "However, you could be quite useful. Roth and Pearl proved as much. All you need is training. Discipline. Order."

"I will never work for you," Jacob spat between gasps, teeth bared.

"Oh, I know. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, after all. But the Shroud doesn't just siphon away vitality, my boy. No, nothing as simple as that."

Starrick hefted Jacob up so that Jacob had to strain his back to keep his knees on the ground, his neck arched up to see the cruelty – and the excited expectation – on Starrick's face. Jacob's stomach dropped. The pulling grew.

"It lets me control the vitality of a man completely. Your health, your energy, your body," Starrick said, then paused to lean in, his smile exceptionally cutting as he whispered, "Your age."

"Wha—aah!" Jacob shouted as that strange pulling feeling increased. He could practically track its path – strength leaving his bones and traveling up, up, up to the two points where Starrick had him hostage. And then leaving his body altogether, making the Shroud glow brighter.

"Nn-No!"

Starrick was definitely growing now, looming over him, grinning. No, Jacob realized with a sick twist of horror. Starrick wasn't growing. Jacob was shrinking.

He struggled weakly, but every move he made caused his body to sing with exhaustion and agony. His eyelids fluttered. His world began to grow dark around the edges.

"Yes, that's it. It will all be over soon. Just let it happen."

Footsteps – fast and light, almost unnoticeable if not for their haste and then a shout, and suddenly the pressure at his neck, as well as the strange pulling from the Shroud, was gone. Jacob collapsed into a loose pool of his own clothing. It was not so loose yet that it might fall off, but it certainly didn't fit. Jacob struggled to raise himself onto his hands knees, cursing when his coat slid demurely off one shoulder and caught him up in a loose sleeve. He shoved it as high as it would go and turned to see his sister and Starrick dancing again – this time with blades drawn.

"Don't let him grab you, Evie!" Jacob shouted to her, only to cringe when he heard how young he sounded. Not a child, no – but his voice had distinctly cracked. And Evie noticed, too. She turned to him wide-eyed and gaped openly.

"Jacob?"

And then Starrick punched her in the face.

"Evie!"

"I'm fine, Jacob!" Evie said, up on her feet mere seconds after having struck the ground. She ducked around another blow, dipped beneath a deft knife swipe and lunged forward with her hidden blade ready. Jacob heard it the moment the knife found Starrick's lung. It slid between his ribs with a quiet snick and a soft but knowing thump. Starrick chocked, his mouth full of copper, and began to sag toward Evie as though dying; only for it to have been a ploy all along. He used the feint to grab Evie sternly by the throat and mere seconds later, Jacob heard her cry out from the influence of the Shroud.

Only Evie wasn't growing younger, he realized. With a horrified pang he watched as the healthy pink of his sister's skin was leached from her, and the wound that oozed at Starrick's ribs sewed shut by invisible hands, as if by magic.

"No!" Jacob shouted and lunged to his feet. He had to hold his trousers up in order to keep himself from tripping, but he managed to quickly clear the space between them and use his remaining weight to tackle Starrick to the ground and away from Evie. The moment she was free, Evie let loose a loud gasp – as one might after holding their breath underwater for too long.

Starrick and Jacob hit the ground violently, and Jacob thanked his lucky star when he ended up on top. He lifted his hand to activate his hidden blade while Starrick lay stunned beneath him – only for the damn thing to slip around loosely on his wrist. He went to use his other hand to steady it and activate the blade, cursing all the while, when a familiar hand took advantage of the distraction and struck for his throat.

The moment Starrick had a grip on him again, he felt the Shroud start working. And Jacob didn't know what he feared more: the idea that it might sap his health to save his enemy or that it might suck even more age from him.

"Ev-Evie!" He cried out, eyes rolling back as the strange pulling from the Shroud became even more overwhelming than before. Jacob felt it when Starrick suddenly rolled them, but could do nothing to prevent it. Instead, he found himself beneath the man – writhing against the cold stone. He kicked out with his heels, trying to find some sort of purchase with which to wriggle free, but his shoes just kept growing looser until finally he lost one completely. He felt white hot frustration wet the edges of his eyes and if anything, that just made him feel more helpless.

"I'd say you're about eleven now, wouldn't you? I wonder how young you'll need to be in order to become receptive to the appropriate conditioning. Seven? Six? Let's find out," Starrick said, his grin manic as he stared down at him.

"Get off my brother!" Evie shouted and then Starrick's weight was gone from him. Jacob sucked in a large, relieved breath and lurched onto his elbows to check on Evie – only for his coat and shirt to practically pool into his lap. He raised his hands to see them disappear into their sleeves. He looked foolish; like a young boy stealing his father's clothes. His cheeks heated at the thought, but his mind was quickly drawn to more pressing things when he heard a familiar cry and the sound of a knife penetrating skin.

Evie.

He looked up to see her at Starrick's feet – a knife sticking out from deep within the space where her collar and shoulder met. She reached for it with shaking hands, but the Shroud had drained her and without any chance to catch her breath, she was too exhausted to pull it free. Even from here he could see the dark shadows that had crawled beneath her eyes from just one session. The gauntness of her cheeks, the thinness of her skin. She wouldn't survive another round.

And sure enough, Starrick was leaning down to finish what he started.

"No!"

A knife whizzed through the air and landed in Starrick's shoulder with a solid smack. The Templar fell back with a shout, just as Jacob caught sight of Henry running toward them.

"Greenie!" Jacob sighed with relief, and yet again he only found himself as a source of distraction as Henry's gaze fell upon him and he stumbled to a halt.

"Ja…Jacob?!"

"Get to Evie!" Jacob urged, and as if reminded, Henry rushed to her side.

"Miss Frye, can you move?" Henry asked, hands at Evie's shoulders, helping her up. "Evie?"

"I can move," Evie said, but Jacob could see the false bravado in her eye as she tried not to sag against Henry. "I can fight."

That was when the laughing started. Low, dark, manic. Starrick.

He was crouched over, as though holding his stomach, but when he looked up at them from beneath the messy fringe of his usually impeccable hair, Jacob could see he was in anything but pain. The man reached up for Henry's blade and pulled it from his shoulder as if it were a toothpick. And between the health the Shroud had sapped from Evie and the age it had stolen from Jacob, Starrick's wound healed instantaneously. Jacob watched the wound sew shut and couldn't help but feel as though they were fighting a losing battle.

"That's quite brave of you, Miss Frye. But unlike me, you won't be healing from that shoulder wound any time soon."

"What have you done to my brother?"

"I think it's pretty obvious, don't you?" Starrick said, "But enough of this. I'm done playing these trivial games. The night is done, the game is over – you have lost, Miss Frye," and before Evie could say a word against him, the Shroud began to glow again.

"Evie, run!" Jacob shouted, but too late. He could scarcely believe his eyes as a blast of light launched from Starrick's outstretched hand and slammed into Henry and Evie – throwing them back toward the entrance of the chamber and far away from Starrick. "Evie!"

Jacob attempted to run after them, but suddenly the light returned and Jacob found the way blocked by a huge barrier of energy, spanning from floor to ceiling. He stared it for a moment, then past it to where Henry was helping Evie up.

"Shit!" Jacob snarled, then whirled around, desperate for an escape – but the only door was back at the entrance - on the other side of the barrier. Only Starrick lay ahead, grinning.

"Nowhere to run, my boy."

"Evie, are you alright?" Henry asked, his hands a firm and steady weight that kept her anchored as they slowly rose. Her eyes fluttered and all around the edges of her vision, darkness waited for her. Whatever Starrick had done, he had taken much from her. She felt as though she had not slept in months, nor ate, nor drank. Her bones felt brittle, and just standing felt taxing, but she couldn't rest.

Starrick had her brother.

"Hurry, Mr. Green," she said, and took a step forward only to stumble. Henry caught her, thankfully, but she couldn't appreciate the attractiveness of his gesture while she loathed her weakness so. She needed to be strong now. For Jacob.

But instead, she swallowed her pride and allowed Henry to wind one of her arms over his shoulders and help her toward the other end of the chamber where a wall of light had suddenly appeared – shutting them out. Within, she could see Starrick stalking Jacob, tailing him around the small bubble he had locked them into as Jacob struggled with his clothing.

"I must help him," she said and tried to ignore the fact that it sounded far more like a plea for permission rather than a demand. But Henry merely nodded, adjusted his grip on her and gently – but quickly – helped her toward her twin.

When they were halfway across the hall she saw Jacob pull his kukri free from his loose belt, only to drop it heavily to the floor, unable to hold its weight. She heard him cry out first in frustration, then in fright when Starrick's slow stalking suddenly turned into a viper's lunge. Her brother managed to dodge him, but only just, and not a moment sooner Starrick grabbed hold of the back of his entirely too large coat.

If there was one benefit to her brother's sudden new size, it was that he was able to slip from his coat easily and once more put some space between them.

Evie and Henry reached the barrier just as Jacob crossed Starrick's makeshift arena and ended up in front of them. Looking down at her twin was… well, strange in a way she never imagined she would have to explain. Seeing him so young again, his face round with youth and his throat so slender and bruised – she growled and started to look around the barrier for a way in.

"It's no use, Miss Frye," Starrick said, drawing her attention as he slowly approached, making Jacob shift away as he tried to keep his distance. "With the energy I sapped from your life's essence, I will be able to hold this barrier strong for hours if need be. You will not be getting in here any time soon."

"Last I checked there were no exits over there, Mr. Starrick. Hold your barriers for as long as you'd like – they will not keep you from me or my blade forever."

"Ah yes, because your blade helped you so much the first time. But that is where you're wrong, actually. There is another door. One I fully intend to use once I'm finished preparing young Jacob here for his new life."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ah," Starrick grinned, "Tsk, tsk. That is no way for a lady to speak."

She was just going to open her mouth to show him how a lady speaks when a flicker of movement caught her eye. It was Jacob. He was sneaking up behind Starrick with extended hands, no doubt preparing to remove the Shroud from the man's shoulders while he wasn't looking. 'Brilliant,' she thought. If he were to simply stab or shoot him while his back were turned, the Shroud would heal him and the moment of surprise would be lost. But Evie had a good hunch that if the Shroud were to be removed, the barrier would more than likely fall without Starrick's will to form it. Between Henry and herself, they could handle Starrick and with the Shroud in their hands, they could find a way to fix Jacob.

She darted her gaze from him quickly, hoping she hadn't given him away.

"Apologies. I forget myself, sometimes," she sassed, "Go on. You were saying."

Starrick's grin turned into a cruel, disgusted sneer.

"You know, I had considered grabbing you as well – but something tells me you're not quite as malleable as your brother. It's too bad you two are so unalike. I do admire your intellectuality and your drive, Miss Frye, but those assets that I admire about you also make you unfit for my plans. Jacob, however… he is a storm, all energy and chaos, but like all forces of nature he can be channeled into something greater. And I intend to do just that."

Jacob was right behind him now, right within striking range. Beside her, she felt Henry stiffen – ready to launch himself forward. She was felt a stab of shame for their arguments - for having told Henry he was only useful on the train. She had a lot to apologize for, but for now she allowed herself to gather strength from the fact that he had decided to come for her regardless of her cruel words.

"I've been trying to "channel" Jacob for years," Evie said with a coy smirk, "Good luck with that."

And then Jacob went for the robe. But Evie saw it the moment their plan was ruined. Somehow, perhaps due to the Shroud, Starrick was suddenly alerted to Jacob's presence. At the last second, he whirled – and the Shroud was torn away, just out of reach of Jacob's small, grasping fingers. The man lurched down and caught Jacob by the throat, then cruelly lifted him off his feet. Jacob's trousers fell to the ground in a soft hush of fabric, leaving him with just his vest and undershirt – both of which hung down on him so long they nearly could pass as a dress.

Jacob tried to pry off the hand that held him, but he was too small, too weak. Evie could see the frustration burning in his eyes as Starrick walked them toward the alter the Shroud had come from. She could also see the fear.

"No!" She cried out and pulled herself from Henry. She slammed her hands against the barrier, only to be met with a harsh and burning sting.

"Evie, no!" Henry said. He rushed forward to grab her arms and hold her back. Tired as she was, her struggles did nothing to free her. "You'll only hurt yourself! You can't help Jacob if you kill yourself trying to get through that wall!"

"But –"

Jacob screamed and her struggles renewed.

She couldn't get a good look at him now. Starrick's back blocked most of her view and all she could see of Jacob was his flailing kicks. Henry's hold on her prevented her from getting a better look. Instead she had to wait as those small feet grew smaller, and then fell still and out of sight completely.

Starrick stilled as well, and the room fell silent.

"Jacob?" Evie called out, and when she was met with nothing but silence, "Jacob?!"

But Jacob didn't answer.

Instead, Starrick shifted around a bit before finally speaking.

"There we are. Perfect."

And when he turned to finally face them he was cradling a small sleeping boy in his arms, swaddled in an overly large shirt. The boy – Jacob, she reminded herself – was young. Likely no more than five or six years of age. She couldn't believe how small he was, dwarfed in Starrick's arms as he was. How had Jacob, her larger than life brother, ever fit into a body so small? Youth had brought back the freckles that they had once shared, a stark contrast against the pale skin across his nose. She had forgotten he once had them, too.

Whatever process had been taken to turn back the clock on Jacob's body must have been taxing though, because her twin was fast asleep – one hand loose on his stomach, the other clutching the soft fabric of Starrick's expensive suit. He had his face ducked into the crook of the man's arm, and Evie was struck by how vulnerable Jacob looked.

"What have you done?!" She snarled. "Is he –?"

"He's fine, Miss Frye. Merely exhausted," Starrick said, looking down at her brother as if he were some sort of miracle. He grinned. "I do believe that without your brother to raise a blaze of fire throughout London, many of my operations will begin to run far more smoothly, don't you?"

"If you think for one second I will not come for you, you are gravely mistaken," Evie said, her voice low with the wrath building in her chest. She thought of the words she and her brother had exchanged up unto this point. Poisonous, venomous conversations. And she thought of all the things she had planned to say to him after Starrick was dead. Apologies. The chance to rebuild what they had lost… She wondered if he had planned the same. "I will burn each and every building that claims the name "Starrick" to the ground, and in their ashes I will choke you with your Shroud."

Starrick scoffed.

"What a lovely image you paint, Miss Frye. Quite ambitious. But if you think I will be allowing you to leave these chambers alive, it is you who are mistaken. I'll be sure to take care of your brother, Miss Frye," Starrick said, suddenly somber as a crescendo of footsteps began to usher in from the entryway behind them. Evie turned to see Blighters en masse approaching. She snarled a curse just as Starrick finished. "You can rest in peace knowing that he is in good hands."

Starrick turned from her then, and Evie's heart plummeted the moment Jacob was torn from her view. She lunged for the barrier again, but Henry was pulling her back, urging her to see reason.

"Blighters are coming. Evie, please. We cannot help your brother if we are dead!"

"Jacob!"

Starrick touched some hidden stone admist a thousand and a doorway suddenly appeared as if by magic, allowing him to disappear without giving them a second glance. And just like that, he was gone – and Jacob with him.

"Jacob!" Evie screamed, but Jacob did not answer.