Even as I removed his daggers from the unfortunate executioner's back, I knew that I could never regain the trust of my clan. No, it was worse than that. No one in Cantha would accept my service after this action.

But I couldn't let the dervish child fall victim to the axe, just for stealing a Luxon glove.

The blood speckled my green guise and leggings. It was the same with my boots. It dribbled down my daggers and onto my yellow gloves. The jade floor sparkled with the crimson shine forming a rather large puddle. It taunted me. It knew that my life amongst these people was over. But it made me ponder the situation. What would really happen to me? Being a direct descendant from the clans founder, Nesius the Great, my actions could be seen as an attempt to re-establish power to my bloodline. Soon after my grandfather, Nesius the Short-sighted, had died, his brother-in-law, Arcane, felt that my father was much too young to take control. And my father, Nesius the Meek, was a passive man who never tried to reclaim his throne. He was afraid to make decisions, and because of that, the clan is ours only in name.

I found the silence of the hall unnerving. I felt the urge to vomit, relieving my guilt onto the jade surface. But I couldn't; it would have been a sign of regret and the punishment would be far more severe. I would fight the convulsions.

"Nesius Ry, 8th in the Direct Line, what is the meaning of your actions?" Arcane asked in a lordly voice. "Why did your daggers find merriment in slaying our executioner? Are you trying to assert your lost authority upon this judgement?"

"The blood of this innocent has fouled our hall!" screamed a member of the crowd. An uproar erupted from the crowd. Requests of punishments and insults were issued intermittently.

"SILENCE!" bellowed the usurper. "I want to hear the assassin's reason for murder!" Returning to his aristocratic voice he inquired once again, "What is the meaning of your actions?"

"To prevent the death of a defenseless soul," I muttered. I looked down at my Aureate Daggers, now glistening the true blood color instead of the blood-colored dying I had done when my grandfather's will entitled them to me.

It was odd, but ever since I wrapped my hands around the blades, I felt their yearning. The yearning for what? They wanted something. They wouldn't tell me what it was that they wanted directly, but left a hint with their inscription, "The Order is to be Restored!" What was the meaning for grandfather's daggers? Their slight satisfaction from saving the child bewildered me ever so much more.

"And the murder of a clan official is justifiable by this rationality?" Arcane requested. The yearning grew. "Unfortunately, the Clan's name protects you from death, but I feel I can make an adequate substitute for your punishment:

"Henceforth, you are banished from the clan. You will relinquish all relations with the clan and will no longer be known as Nesius Ry, but as Nesius the Treasonist. You will forgo all of your personal belongings save the vile daggers used in this abhorrent act and an emblem to symbolize your evil. These will be the constant reminders of your hideous behavior. Do you have any objections?" I hesitated.

"No? Just as well. I didn't want to involve the Luxon or Canthan governments in such a private matter. But you are our enemy now, and if discovered by us or our allies you will be shown no mercy. Remove your cape, and leave quickly."

The uproar was doubly powerful. "Grenth finds those who walk alone quickly!" and "The blood may leave the jade, but your soul will forever be stained!" were the frequent, but their cruelty was merely salt in the wound. I had lost everything. I saved a child's life to lose everything I valued in my own. The only thing I gained from this horrible incident is the slight satisfaction of my grandfather's daggers and doing something right. Was it worth it?

The child was sitting on the end of the docks outside of the hall when I was kicked into the dirt. The hooded child looked up. I didn't realize that it was a young girl who had tried steal one of my gloves. She looked away trying to hide her guilt she was to late.

"It's my fault," she apologized remorsefully. "I just thought that I could sell it for food"

I pulled down my yellow mask and smiled. "You sure came out of your way to get a bartering tool. I can't believe you managed to find a charter that actually comes to the Isle of Solitude."

"I was a stowaway."

"Ah, so I see that you are my responsibility. I make few trips, but they're all done by boat." She sniffled. "It's okay. I must thank you for your neediness. If you hadn't tried to steal the glove I'd have no reason to kill someone. I'm surprised I'm the only one who has killed anyone within the clan while Arcane has been in power." She giggled, which made me feel better. I pulled the glove out of my bag. "Take it. It doesn't really match my Canthan armor anyways."

"Thank you," she replied meagerly. "I wish there was a way to make all of this up to you. I'm really sorry for all of this trouble."

"Well, I guess you could explain to me what a dervish is doing in Cantha. That's really the only way you could have snuck aboard my ship."

"Zaishen trainee. I was born in the Great Temple of Balthazar. About four years ago, pirates attacked. I was training and, in the confusion, kidnapped me." Her sentences were staccato and abrupt. I could tell that it wasn't a memory she really enjoyed.

"Crimson Skull?" I interjected. I started to rig up one of the boats.

"I think so," she continued. "She wasn't really cruel. Miki, I think. She was the captain. We were captured off the coast near Kaineng. The emperor dismissed those of us who were captured. The people in Kaineng were so terrible. Not a single soul there would seemed to care unless you had something to sell."

"Finished," I said after tying down the mast. "I think Shing Jea Island would be the best place to figure things out." I lifted her into the boat. She was like a feather from the lack of food. The new master would take care of her. Especially if it was a request from someone like me.