Author's Notes: The third chapter of Oroborus. As promised, this chapter will mostly be April and Kian. Please notify me if you see any errors. I apologize for it taking so long. I had a touch of writer's block -NoodleNeko

III. FOR HONOR

1.

Her anxiety could be no greater. April had promised herself only a year ago that she was not going to get involved with what was going on in Stark. Even the guardian had indicated that her time to rescue the balance was through, that she could go on with her life; or what was left of it. And yet, even as the words had passed from the guardian's lips, something inside her told her that it was not the truth; that somehow, fate or the balance would drag her into its strange events again and set her on another path. Part of her had longed for it; to feel needed again was exhilarating. The other part… wanted to be free of the balance and the mess that came with it.

Her first inclination had been correct. She was to become consumed in this again, woven back into the fabric of this distressing and altogether unfortunate fate that seemed to reappear every so often of its own accord. No. Not of its own accord. Someone behind the scenes was playing a very twisted game. As much as she had hated to admit it, in the passing days while she waited, she began to realize she had been right to send Tatya to Stark. And yet…April knew there would be no good news. Things would only get worse before they got better. The fate of the twin worlds was nothing if not predictable.

Why am I always dragged into the middle of this? What part do I play? She asked herself over and over. McAllen was destroyed. The Vanguard and the Church of Voltec where gone… so who was trying to manipulate the worlds this time? And was this another crazy attempt to disrupt the balance by merging the worlds through dreams? And how… how in the world would they do it? What part did the prophet play? Who was he? April had her theories, but many of them were just guess work; another reason to send Tatya to Stark, and the more she learned, the more her proverbial house-of-cards theories came crashing down around her.

Her Second's mission was only part of what plagued her. The Apostle -Kian- was the other difficulty she had to overcome. Though he had confessed to her that he believed his people's actions to be wrong, he had insisted that he could not raise a sword against them, and therefore could not help lead the rebels. This unshakeable faith he had was not at all accommodating, and while he was dragging his feet, the Azadi were searching, investigating everything they could possibly find out about his disappearance, and no doubt building up theories and plotting a course of action. And as if his determination where not enough, April had begun to catch herself thinking of him in other capacities rather than a technically well treated prisoner. Even the slightest idea of friendship with the man was enough to send her into spells where all she wanted to do was scream and beat her head against a tree. She barely knew the man. And since he would not break his allegiance with his people; at least not entirely; he was an enemy. The words he had spoken kept repeating over and over in her head. He says he knows me from somewhere –that I'm familiar to him. How can this possibly be? We are from two different worlds…literally. What does he want from me?. Agitated with her mind's unwillingness to cooperate, she grumbled and shoved several maps aside to look at one that was below them.

"If you ask me, I think you're taking this whole thing way to seriously." Crow said, eyeing her from his temporary perch on the back of the chair which she had been ignoring because standing seemed to help her concentrate, and allowed her to pace. "You should be celebrating. This is no more difficult than what you went through before, and this time you have another shifter to help you. You should be doing a jig. Here, I could do one for you…"

April looked at him and sighed, shaking her head. "That's not the point, Crow. I would rather have gone myself than send her there. If I had just listened to Zoe, things might have gone differently."

"Yeah… well, you're not one of the Venar, April. You can't see the future before it happens, you know. I mean… come on… you did the best you could, right?"

April chewed her lip, and looked back at the maps in front of her. "I could have done better."

"Beating yourself up isn't going to help. You're doing something now, doesn't that count? I mean… you sent those two out there to rescue that Apostle guy even though he's partially responsible for having you stabbed through…"

April grumbled. "Don't remind me…"

"By the way… why exactly DID you save that guy anyway? Don't tell me he's your soul mate or something?"

She had opened her mouth to reply, but practically choked on her words when Crow let that fly. Immediately, her mind began shuffling around possible defensive comments or ways of changing the subject; but she forced herself from speaking any of them aloud. If she tried to defend herself or changed the subject, she'd only cause him to suspect that his guess had been correct, which she continually told herself wasn't true. She saw the best course of action would be to play his game the way he did.

"Why, Crow? Would you be jealous?" April grinned slightly, and leaned forward so her face wasn't far from his beak.

"What? What –No. No! Not at all! I mean… you aren't my type. Yeah, that's right. Not enough… err…feathers!"

April chuckled at this and went back to the maps. They would have to move the camp again soon, to be safe. It was one of the only ways they could use to keep from being discovered, at least until either Kian caved or Tatya returned. Being honest with herself, she felt that the later was more likely, but wished for them both.

Adding to her own mild frustration, she had just pushed the man out of her mind once again to get back to the important issues at hand when there was someone pulling back the flap of her tent. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw it was one of the many nameless men that had recently joined them. He had an unhappy look on his face, but she had seen that often since first meeting him, so she did not immediately think anything of it.

"What is it?"

"The assassin to see you." He muttered in a gruff voice, putting an ugly emphasis on the word 'assassin'.

April's spirits, which were already sinking, kept going straight through the floor. What did he want this time?

"Show him in."

The Apostle ducked under the tent flap, and the disgruntled rebel shut the flap and went on his way. April could tell by the look on the Apostle's face that he was also not pleased with something, but this instilled a sense of satisfaction in her that was almost unreasonable. Good. At least he's not getting too comfortable.

"You wanted something?" She kept her voice as free of emotion as possible, though her irritation was already boiling up inside. What was it about this man that the slightest glimpse of him or proximity brought up so much frustration and pent-up anger?

"Your men told me I am not allowed to leave. I was told before arriving here I would be allowed passage once we had spoken."

"Plans change." She tried not to look at him, instead focusing on the papers spread across the wood surface of the table.

He frowned. "You intend to keep me here against my will?"

"Until you've made a decision, yes." Trying to focus, as if the conversation was not bothering her, she picked up one if the parchments before her and squinted at it as if she had trouble making out the writing.

"I told you my decision…"

"Yeah yeah… you can't go against your people… I've heard all of that… twice, if I'm not mistaken. We can debate it all you like, but I have no intention of letting you go just now. Besides, if I let you go, the others would no doubt come after you anyway."

"So I'm no longer a prisoner of the Azadi, but a prisoner of the Rebellion."

These words made her whirl around to stare at him. April clenched her jaw shut and bit down on her tongue, the anger boiling up within her was nearly over-flowing. It obviously showed on her face, because the expressions on the Apostle's face shifted, and there was an underlying apologetic look in his eyes that made her only want to smack him more. Comparing us to your people? You pompous…

"If that's all you have to say, you can go." She muttered in clipped tones, turning her gaze to something else in the room, anything that would take her attentions off him.

"I don't intend to leave until we have resolved this."

"Considering the fact that you are unarmed, that's a bold statement, Azadi." There was a cold edge to her voice. "You are not being mistreated here. You were rescued from being assassinated; you have been fed, and provided lodging. I have made sure that the others have not bothered you, and your time is your own. You haven't even been asked to do any of the work. The only expectation I have is that you are not to leave the camp. Is that too much to ask of someone who is accustomed to following orders from murderers?"

"My people—"

"Massacred innocent women and children who were living in a camp that was supposed to protect them!" She allowed her voice to show the full volume of her anger. "They not only did this, they tried to kill the one who was about to stand up against them. Doesn't that tell you something? Why do you still defend them!"

"And why are you so unwilling to see that not everyone who follows our beliefs is evil?"

April pushed the chair in at the table to get it out of her way as she began pacing. The chair slammed into the table, rattling the things that lay on top of it and startling Crow.

"Hey hey!" he hollered. "Watch the temper..."

April did not reply to crow, but continued at the Azadi. "I have not once attacked your beliefs. I have only attacked those who use their beliefs as a weapon for doing harm against others. Open your eyes, Apostle! Or are you still too blinded by your own faith to see the truth?"

Kian's jaw clenched, and April sensed that she had struck some sort of blow, though she had no idea about what. They stood several feet apart from one another, unmoving, and in utter silence for several long minutes.

"Why are you so intent on keeping me here?" His voice was calm now, almost a whisper. April tried to read what lay behind the solemn expression on his face that had replaced the angry look he had worn moments ago.

"As long as there is a risk that you could be a spy… or that you might go back to your people and tell them what you know, we cannot let you go. Killing you would make us no better than your own people, and if we set you free and you don't go back to your own people… there is still the chance they would find you and kill you themselves." She paused. "And I am still holding out hope that you will change your mind."

"So you only keep me here because I am a danger to the Rebellion, a danger to myself, and a possible asset?"

"I'm sorry if that displeases you."

Kian's jaw tightened, and then he opened his mouth to speak; but merely shook his head and left the tent.

As he exited, she thought she saw him glance back. April couldn't help but think back, and realize that they had had a similar conversation the day before Tatya had left, only three days ago… and that he had left angry. What's changed? He seems more serious than angry now. Has something happened in the last three days that I have not noticed?

The plans and maps on the table were for now forgotten. Another puzzle had presented itself before her, and she found this one much more demanding. Something was up.

2.

"I'm guessing she told you the news." Kirin murmured, having gathered from the unhappy expression on the Azadi's face that there had been another disagreement. The Azadi had only been with them for three days, but neither April nor the Apostle had mellowed out at all. In fact, the longer they were together, the worse things seemed to get, and Kirin was beginning to wonder if bringing the man here had been a wise decision after all. If his leader was too angry with the Apostle to think straight, she might make a decision that would kill them all.

Taking a seat on a fallen log that had been placed near the fire, Kian regarded the rebel, not bothering to disguise his irritation any longer. "You knew she would keep me here?"

Kirin grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Would it have done me any good to tell you she intended to keep you here? I had orders to get you here in any way possible. I chose the easiest route." He poked at the fire with a stick, moving the logs around, all the while really watching Kian over the blaze. "She doesn't plan to kill you, if that's any consolation."

"What makes you so sure? Did she tell you?"

Kirin chuckled and shook his head, motioning for the Azadi to move over and sit by him so they could talk without shouting. "No. I merely guessed. Not only are you of more use to us alive, but I don't think she could bring herself to give the order. Not where you are concerned, anyway. After all, it would be a waste of time to rescue you, and then kill you, wouldn't it? And such a waste of manpower too."

Having been beckoned, Kian hesitatingly moved to sit by this stranger. "You sound as if you are familiar with her. How long have you known one another?"

"A number of years, actually, though she did not come to rely on me so much until… well, until after you. I suppose I have you to thank for that." Kirin chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, which had become a nervous habit for him.

"How did she survive?"

Kirin immediately knew what the man was asking about, and images seemed to rise up from the deep corners of his mind as he thought back on what happened.

"Tatya rescued her."

If she hadn't shifted to that place when she had…and to think it had been an accident.

From that moment on, Kirin himself had been insisting that fate had taken a hand in preventing the demise of their leader by causing Tatya to shift to an area she had not intended to; which in fact did happen. Kirin could understand Tatya's unwillingness to believe it was fate. She tried to be the logical one, and left herself very little room in her life for religion and belief in 'fate'.

"That was the one…"

Kirin nodded. "She is April's Second; her most trusted. April tells her things that she tells no one else. Tatya's a good fighter, and a brilliant woman." Kirin watched the expressions on the Apostle's face and saw the look of doubt at his mentioning Tatya was a woman. "I know her abilities are strange, and frightening…but you have to know that she means no harm to anyone who does not mean harm to others. I've seen her go to great lengths to help others in the past… including April."

"Where has she gone?"

"I'm not sure. April probably sent her on another mission." Kirin had no choice but to lie to him. Explaining to him about Stark would have taken too long, and might even have been dangerous.

"It must be important for her to send her Second away and not someone else."

Kirin nodded, and turned his attentions to the fire, poking at it to preoccupy himself so he wouldn't have to look the man directly in the eye. Even now he could feel the Apostle's gaze on him, and had the feeling that he wasn't buying into the story that he was selling. "That's an adequate assumption."

"I get the feeling there is more to this story."

Kirin coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I honestly wouldn't know, Apos—"

"Call me Kian…please. That title does not belong to me any longer, as I have told you before. What do you know about…Tatya, was it?"

"Only what she's willing to let someone find out, unfortunately. I knew her before I entered the rebellion, it was honestly a surprise when she showed up and rescued April."

"What about her ability? I've never heard of anything like it."

"I don't know much. What I gather is someone was playing around with magic and cast a spell on her. I knew her before she had learned to control her anger better… she could be a powder keg if someone rubbed her the wrong way." Kirin ran a hand through his hair, chuckling. "She disappeared for a while, and when she came back, she was much calmer… and also a lot stronger."

"She just… disappeared?"

Kirin forced a shrug and an embarrassed smile. "As I said, she's secretive. She and April are a lot alike in that respect." He looked at Kian and then motioned with his head to April's tent. "I get the feeling there are some major unresolved issues between you two. Is it true you were just confessing your desire to change the path of the Azadi when she was nearly killed?"

Kian hung his head slightly and stared into the fire. It didn't take an idiot to notice that he didn't like being reminded of that.

"What part shames you, Kian? The part where you confessed a desire for change? Or the part where April was nearly killed?" It was a very direct question, but Kirin was tired of people beating about the bush. When April and he had first met, they had both agreed that people in Arcadia were far too good at telling stories and not very good at actually giving information.

"I took no pleasure in watching Vamon's men stab April, if that is what you are implying. And I do not regret bearing my soul to her."

There really is something between these two, he thought. There was no way that April would risk one of her best, not to mention her second in command, to rescue a man she merely thought was an asset to the rebels. There was some sort of emotional bond between them, and whatever it was, it was obvious Kian was feeling the weight of it too, though he might not understand it yet.

Part of him felt bad for them both. A time of war was not a good time for any kind of relationship, and if whatever they were feeling grew deeper… this entire situation could become messy, and with very painful results. Though Kirin did not know April extremely well, he felt that she deserved better than that the pain that would come from a fly-by-night sort of romance. He could tell she had already been through enough pain in her life already…being stuck in this world with no way to go home. Though Kirin had been able to adapt to living in Arcadia, and really didn't miss Stark that much; he knew that things were different for April. Though she had carved out a careful existence for herself here, he could only imagine the amount of heartbreak she could be suffering now knowing that, going home was almost imminent.

As he looked upon this man sitting before him, he saw two potential problems for April. One is that he might never decide to help the Rebels, and they would be in an uncomfortable situation for the entire time that he was held captive, or their relationship would change, and confuse the entire situation. Neither showed any merit.

"Do me a favor, Kian."

"Hmm?" He had been deep in his thoughts, and looked up from his pondering stare at the fire to look upon Kirin.

"Whatever you decide to do…do the right thing. Make sure that this war ends peacefully, whatever you have to do to see it happen that way. Everyone's been through enough pain and suffering to last two lifetimes. Both sides have seen loss. When it's time to make a decision… just make sure you give it a lot of thought and make the right one. For April's sake…for everyone's."

"I can't…"

"I'm not asking you to side with the Rebellion or the Azadi. I'm just asking that before you really make a decision… before you give your final answer… give it a lot of thought. A lot is resting on this. Including the lives of two people I care very much about. If either April… or Tatya end up dead… You'll answer to me."

"Kirin!"

He looked up as another rebel approached, one of other surprisingly talented young female recruits that had joined after Benrime's arrest. He didn't even know her name, but every part of him was thankful for people like her. People who were willing to stand up for freedom; who were willing to recognize tyranny when it stared them in the face.

"Yes?"

"News has come from abroad." She handed him a piece of rolled parchment, tied off with a piece of red cord. "It's come from the east."

Kirin gently took the parchment, untied the cord, and rolled it out to read. He could see from the corner of his eye that Kian was eyeing the paper with considerable interest.

"Thank you."

The rebel woman nodded and turned, rushing off to notify that the message had been delivered.

"What is it?" Kian asked, anxious to know what was going on.

"I thought you didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the rebels?" There was a mocking sound to his voice, but it wasn't true mockery, only an attempt at teasing.

"I am allowed to ask, am I not?"

"It contains two items. If you want to hear them, come with me. April must hear this at once."

Kirin stood and headed back to April's tent, and Kian followed without any hesitation at all.

3.

After only moments of waffling, in which April was practically hanging on the edge of her seat, Kirin finally got down to the reason he and Kian had ventured to her tent in such a hurry. As she watched them, she noticed that Kirin looked directly at her and held himself straight as if in soldier's parade rest, while Kian did his best to keep his eyes away from hers and leaned against a tent post.

"News has arrived from the East. Elias was seen passing through a neighboring town with several Azadi soldier's in tow. And Benrime is to be transported to Sadir day after next to stand trial for treason."

April was un-surprised by the development that had taken place around Elias. Though she had not known how deep his treachery might go, she was certain when she had sent him off to Sadir that he would either die, or betray them in some way. She could have kept him behind and sent someone else, but it seemed that since she had possibly sniffed out a mole in their midst, it was better for them to get rid of him as soon as possible and deal with small risks, rather than continue to let him stay in their camp and add to the list of secrets he knew and information he could give away to the enemy. Because she had expected this, she already knew what to do. What concerned her now was the situation with Benrime. April felt she couldn't just let her get shipped off to Sadir.

She's done so much for me in the past; and for the rebellion. If it had not been for her, I might never have known what path I should take when I first came to Marcuria. Benrime has risked her life and her business to help the rebellion. She needs our help.

"As for Elias, until we find out his exact whereabouts, there is little we can do. We will relocate the camp," She pulled a map out from under a stack of papers, ignoring them as the papers slid to the floor, searched out a location on the map, and then tapped it with her index finger. "Here."

"But Tatya…"

"Tatya is resourceful, Kirin. She knows these forests better than some of us, and should have no trouble locating the new camp. You and I both know that she would not approve us risking what's left of this rebellion simply because it might cause her a little trouble if we move the camp."

Kirin hung his head, and then nodded. "And what of Benrime?"

April mulled this over in her mind. Sending people into Marcuria to retrieve Benrime would be almost as dangerous as when she sent Kirin, Elias, and Tatya to Sadir. They could have traps laying in wait for any of the leftover rebellion members, and considering how the townspeople felt about Benrime, they would be prepared for possible uprisings anyhow. She couldn't trust this to just anyone.

"I'd like you to go, Kirin."

"Me?" He blinked and looked up at her in surprise.

This expression reminded her that this would be Kirin's first mission alone. Was he nervous?

"Yes, you. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Yes… of course…" He stammered, trying to sort through what he was agreeing to.

It was then that April noticed Kian was now standing, and walked to stand beside Kirin, placing a hand hesitatingly on his shoulder.

"I want to help."

Immediately there was a tinge of suspicion in the back of her mind. What was he up to?

"You… why?" Kirin stammered, now turning his attention to the Apostle. "I thought you didn't want to fight against your people."

"I won't fight them, but this does not mean I cannot help. I don't want to stand by and watch as another innocent is shipped to Sadir for termination."

Kirin turned to look at April for advice, but she didn't notice this because she was too busy focusing on something far off in the distance, or at least it seemed that way by the blank stare on her face. Again, she mulled it over. If he was up to something, sending him out there would be dangerous. However, if his concerns were genuine, he might actually be beginning to change his mind, and to refuse him would be to pull the plug on any possible chance for getting his aid.

"Alright."

Kirin seemed to open his mouth to protest, but April shook her head, silently telling him that argument would get them no where at this point.

"You'll have to be in disguise. Both of you. If the Azadi learn who you are, they may detain and question, or they may kill you on sight. Since we have no idea what we're up against, take weapons, but take ones that are easily concealable. The less noticeable you are, the safer you and Benrime will be."

Kirin nodded grudgingly. He knew there was no arguing with her. "Since we have you here, we should discuss a strategy and possible options for escape. Though we don't have much information, we should try and do what we can to plan this ahead, so there's little room for failure."

"I couldn't agree more." April motioned for the two of them to have a seat on the bench on the other side of the small table and sat down in the only chair.

As they took a seat, April started in, not giving Kirin the chance to speak first.

"With Benrime in Friar's Keep, the Journeyman will be left untended, and you should be able to conceal yourselves there. Benrime told me once of an extra key kept at the back under a watering pail concealed by a stack of hay bails. You will have to arrive there at nightfall if you are to go unnoticed. Trying to enter the Journeyman with people about during the day is far too risky. If for any reason you cannot gain entry to the inn, keep yourself hidden in one of the small booths towards the back of one of the taverns at South Gate. With the amount of traffic in those places, you're not as likely to come under scrutiny."

"Should we obtain supplies while we're there?"

"No. It's too risky. One of the other merchants in the marketplace might recognize Kian from his time in Marcuria, and that would cause trouble."

"I agree." Kian murmured. "I made no attempt to hide the fact that I was Azadi, and did not bother to hide my face. There is no doubt my passing through the marketplace so many times during my time there has left its mark on the people."

"So when do we get more supplies?"

"For now, we will have to rely on the sources we established in the city to send the goods to the normal location for pickup. We have to keep a low profile to avoid alarming the Azadi much more than we already have. Keep in mind, they have Elias, so they may also be aware of what you look like. Disguises will be important."

"But disguise as what? Normal cloaks will not help us." Kirin countered. "And neither will dressing as magicals. We would immediately be tossed into the ghetto, and would get no where near Friar's Keep. What can we possibly dress as that will help us get close to that building?"

She had to think. It was a good question. Though normally dressing as magicals would not have been dangerous in Marcuria ten years ago, with the Azadi here… it made things even more complicated.

Glancing up at them to see what they might be thinking, if they were at all, she caught a smile on Kian's face. "You have an idea?"

"A foolish one; but one that might work."

"Let's have it."

"We dress as soldiers."

"Are you crazy?" Kirin's mouth had dropped open as if he were shocked the Azadi had mentioned it. "An idea like that could never work twice."

"It fooled them into believing you were the guards assisting my execution, and allowed you to steal me away from Sadir. How could it fail now?"

"There is no way that they would fall for the same trick twice. Their bound to expect we'll try it again, especially if Elias has given them what he has on us."

"Which isn't much –he was intentionally kept out of many of our meetings, Kirin, and for good reason."

"They will expect us not to try it again because we would expect them to know we would. It will confuse them." Kian's side of the argument was becoming more heated to counter-act the passion with which Kirin was using.

"It's not a fool-proof plan. We need a fool-proof plan if we are going to succeed at this. If we base our attacks and countermeasures on guesses it will get what little bit is left of this rebellion crushed into the ground." Kirin argued back.

April shook her head. "Arguing about this is going to get us no-where. The truth is there is no fool-proof plan for this mission, Kirin. There are too many variables, and all of it relies on the educated guesses we can make out. If that bothers you, you shouldn't be here."

Kirin opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it, and nodded grudgingly. "Forgive me."

April sighed and ran a hand through her hair, using her non-existent nails to scratch gently at her scalp. She could remember a time when a full manicure would have been a normal routine in her life. Now, it would have been nice just to have a nail brush.

"You'll have to improvise on a lot of it. Kian may be able to help you, if he's willing. He should know a great deal about the Azadi's military tactics, and also probably knows the grounds around Friar's Keep fairly well. And he's had experience in their army, so he will know how you should act so as not to attract far too much unwanted attention. That is all we can do. Try to follow what we have planned out to the letter, where possible, and bring me a full report when you get back."

"When do we leave?" Kian murmured; standing and preparing to follow Kirin out of the tent.

"Tomorrow morning. Early."

Kian and Kirin both nodded in agreement, and moved to leave, Kirin bringing up the end instead of leading, allowing Kian to exit first.

"Oh, and Kirin…"

Kirin turned back to look at April. Kian had already left the tent.

"If you find Elias while you're there… you know what to do with him."

He didn't even bother to reply, but simply nodded his head as he exited.

Now all we can do is hope for the best… Benrime, I hope you're okay. The Balance and the Rebellion both will have those Azadi heads on a platter if they've done you any harm.

If it were not for you…

4.

He knew she would be disappointed in him. He knew that she would curse him for what he planned to do. But to be held in captivity by his own only to be kidnapped on the day of his execution to be held captive by the rebellion… was too much. A part of him yearned to help her, to give up his ties to the Azadi completely, trust only in the goddess' decisions to put them together, and stand by her side. But his teachings repeatedly got in his way. It was wrong to raise a sword against those who had raised him, protected him, and brought him up to be who he was.

A monster…they made me into a monster and I thank them for it. What have I turned myself into?

He had to escape. It was far too difficult to make decisions when there was pressure from all sides to cave in the rebellion's favor. There was also how he was feeling to consider. Her resurrection from the dead had taken place too fast for his mind to comprehend. Just days earlier, while awaiting execution, he had thought back on how he had wronged her; only to find out she had been living in hiding for a year. A part of him was angry. He had been lied to over and over again the entire journey to Marcuria's woods. Tatya and Kirin had told him he would speak to the leader, and then he would be free. And not once had they mentioned their leader's name. They had danced around the subject, or changed it altogether. There had been so much secrecy. It made Kian almost angry to think about it.

And yet, he was overjoyed that she was alive, that she had been able to escape death. It gave him faith in the goddess to know that his entire reason for questioning his teachings was still alive, and there was still a chance to learn why they had been so abruptly brought together and so quickly torn apart.

He had to know where he knew her from, but he needed to be free; to think for himself and be safe from the pressures of the every roving eyes of her comrades.

The journey from Marcuria's forest to the city was a quiet one. Periodically, Kian glanced at his 'partner' to notice him obviously mulling things over in his mind. He seemed preoccupied with something, whether the mission or otherwise. It should have bothered him more that he was following this man into a mission that was very ill-informed. He should have been furious with the man for lying to him. And yet… he wasn't. For some reason, Kian found himself empathizing with Kirin. It was obvious he had feelings for Tatya; which explained his loyalty to April even in times where he seemed to want to argue with her continuously. Somehow, Kian wondered if Kirin's feelings towards Tatya were not unlike his own feelings towards April. He wouldn't dare call it love, he had never experienced such an emotion for anyone so far, his faith and the goddess had preoccupied his mind during his time with the Azadi, and now his escape had preoccupied his mind during his imprisonment under the rebels. Not love in the terms he knew of, but a deep fondness, a concern for her well-being. He had noticed himself thinking about her at times he should have been focused on a plan of escape. Kian had caught himself staring at her from across tables; hanging on her words. Her passion in what she believed was not unlike his own passion for his faith. He admired her, but it was more than that. This thought alarmed him, and re-affirmed the idea that it was better if he left them before anything else happened between them.

It has to be this way. There's no other choice.

"Kian –we're here."

Kirin's voice seemed to bring him back into full conscious-ness of where he was, and he looked up at the large stone wall that the Azadi had restored when the occupation of Marcuria had first begun, after they had chased out the Tyren and restored order. It had originally been meant to keep people out, but now the stone wall was only a representation of the prison that these people were suffering within. He had seen that suffering on his walk through Marcuria to question the strange girl at Friar's Keep, and again when he and the men the emissary had loaned him broke into the Journeyman sought out the rebels that the six where calling traitors.

"It won't be difficult to get inside. Getting out's another matter. Man this armor is too tight, what Azadi did Zeren steal this armor from… a midget?" Kirin grumbled, dismounting and leading his elgwan to a grassy patch.

This complaint forced a chuckle from Kian. "I said the uniforms would get us into Friar's Keep. I did not claim they would be comfortable."

"I'm going to need a special spell just to get myself out of this thing. Call the wizard's guild, I need a miracle!" Kirin chuckled, adjusting the helmet on his head. "The armor's too small, helmet's too big. If this crazy scheme works…"

"It will work." Kian assured him, putting on his own helmet. It had been forever since he had been in one of these uniforms. If anything, it will work all too well…

Kirin looked up at the sky. "Mid-day. Too early to go to Friar's Keep. Even after we obtain the documents, they're still far less likely to pay attention to us when they're sleepy. Might be better if we scout out the Journeyman and wait until later. If we move too soon, we'll regret it."

"I agree." Kian didn't bother to nod. With the helmet, it was near impossible to move your head in that direction.

Kirin's reaction to the looks of the Journeyman were well justified. The place had been closed for nearly a year. Though Benrime had left someone to tend to it when she was arrested, they could not do what Benrime had done, and had given up and closed up shop. The place was boarded up with dusty windows, and the sign out front hung by one hinge. Even Kian's heart fell to see this, having seen it at its former glory. What had they done to the place?

"By the Balance what have they done…"

Kian wished he could have found the words to apologize to him for what the Azadi had done to his home. But there was nothing he could do, and he knew that words could not help them now. To think of his own involvement in these atrocities only made him feel ill to his stomach.

What have I done? What have I allowed my people to do? Why didn't I try to stop them sooner? Why didn't I listen to Gorman?

He kept these thoughts of self-loathing to himself. If he had voiced them to Kirin, the rebel would no doubt suspect Kian of trying to ply for sympathy. There was no possible way he could ever believe that Kian's feelings about what his people were doing were genuine.

"Kian…I found a way in. The back door was unlocked."

The ex-Apostle had been so lost in thought, he had not seen Kirin go around back, and only regained consciousness of what was going on around him when Kirin called his name. Kirin stood at the far side of the building, having crossed the small stream that ran just outside the journeyman and ran under the steps that lead to the inn. He was beckoning to Kian, and so he followed, unsure of where the rebel could be leading him. There wasn't a great deal to take note of around the back side of the inn. No doubt most of the goods that the innkeeper had stored had been either confiscated by the Azadi, or pilfered after the closing of the inn.

Kirin led him to a section of the cellar that was partially above ground, with small, slit windows, just barely big enough for a man to get through.

"I couldn't find Benrime's key. She must have taken it with her… or maybe someone else found it. We'll have to go in through one of the windows."

Kian grimaced, but nodded and watched Kirin get down into a prone position and begin squeezing his way into the aperture of the one open window. It took some work, but Kirin and Kian both managed to get through the small window, though Kian had quite a bit more trouble because of the bulky armor.

The inside of the place was covered with the dust and grime that gives evidence to long disuse.

"We'll stay in one of the rooms upstairs." Kirin grasped a torch and prepared to light it, because the daylight did not pass well through the cellar's dirty windows, but Kirin grasped the torch and stopped him.

"Better that we navigate in the dark rather than risk the soldier's seeing a stray light in a room that's supposed to be abandoned."

Kirin seemed to think about this, and then nodded. "You're probably right. I hope you can find your way here…I shouldn't have any trouble. I spent quite a bit of time here before…" He stopped himself.

Kian knew what he meant to say… he meant before the capture of Benrime, and the destruction of the rebel camp. It was yet another reminder of his shortcomings; where he had gone wrong, but he could not let it bother him. After all… it was true, wasn't it?

"I will be fine. Let's move further inside before anyone notices." Kian told him, brushing aside his thoughts. He reached up to the window and grasping, pulled something in front of the window to hide the fact that it had been used.

Kirin nodded and pushed the door of the cellar open, and began to climb the stairs; Kian following close behind. Even in the darkness of the building it was not too difficult to get around.

Once they had chosen where they would rest and had set up camp there, Kirin and Kian again went over the plans of what would take place this evening.

Too soon...we are going in too soon, Kian thought. We are bound to be caught. Then I will be prisoner again… and Kirin with me.

The thought of being caught and returned to Sadir to stand trial again was far worse than any other death that Kian could think of.

5.

Nightfall. The trek through the back alleys of the ghetto felt like they had taken so long that Kian looked to the sky twice to see if the sun was beginning to ascend from the horizon; but it had not. Standing outside Friar's Keep, there was a sudden change in Kirin. Up until that point he had been nervous, looking over his shoulder periodically to check and make sure no one had followed them. Now, he held himself with confidence, and walked as if he was proud to wear the uniform; though Kian could still see that it the uniform bothered him slightly. Aside from the stiffness of his movements caused by the discomfort he felt; if it had not been for the fact that Kian knew who he was, he might have easily mistaken him for an Azadi soldier.

"I'll do all the talking. Some of the men might recognize your voice." Kirin murmured as they approached the door.

Kian nodded, stood up straight, and said nothing; watching Kirin as he spoke, through a tube, to the man inside. He could not hide a grin when he heard Kirin was altering his voice, making himself sound gruff, and slightly inebriated. To avoid attracting suspicion, he had to force a frown on his face as the doors of Friar's Keep were opened and they were allowed inside. Kian stood at attention as the little man at the desk, whom he recognized, stood and spoke directly to Kirin. He couldn't help but be relieved that it seemed the little man was ignoring him.

"Papers, please."

Kirin pulled the forged documents from a pouch attached to his belt. It had been difficult to obtain those papers. Roper Klacks, a wizard who worked in the ghetto, had been unwilling to cooperate with two men dressed in Azadi uniforms, and it wasn't until Kirin showed the mysterious burn pattern on his wrist that the obnoxious old man would do anything to help. Kian could only suppose that the burn mark on Kirin's arm had something to do with the rebellion, but did not feel comfortable asking him about it. On one hand, Kian could not blame the man for not wishing to cooperate…but after almost thirty minutes of arguing with him in hushed tones, Kian had become increasingly frustrated and Kirin had had to step in and use his powers of persuasion. Now… all Kian could do was hope that the wizard's papers were genuine looking enough to pass the test.

The little man glanced over every line of text before turning his snobbish nose up and waving them onward. The guard watching the door into the main part of Friar's Keep gave a gruff grunt of greeting before pushing the door open and letting them past. Once they were through, the door was shut behind them.

"That was almost too easy…" Kirin muttered. "I shall have to see that Klacks gets paid."

"Indeed. I would double what you might normally pay him."

"If this works…"

"It will work."

They spoke in hushed tones as they made their way up the stairs, showing the papers to the second guard at the half-way point and the other at the top. When they reached her cell, the guard unlocked the door and allowed them to enter.

"Get a move on." Kirin said to Saliman, and shoved her towards the door roughly.

Kirin had insisted that in order for it to succeed, they needed to treat Benrime as a prisoner until they were outside the Keep's walls. And so they were gruff with her, and hassled her as they made their way down the stairs. Kian was the only one who remained quiet; while Kirin continued his verbal assaults and Benrime snapped back. When they reached the main floor, she was put in irons to keep her from running away.

"Sign here, please."

Kirin leaned down to read the document that Kian already knew was a release form saying that the Keep was no longer responsible for Benrime Saliman, and confirming that she was released to their custody. He leaned over the papers and quickly scrawled what Kian could only guess would be a false name.

The little man smiled, his beady eyes glinting in the low light of the room.

"Have a good evening, gentleman."

With that, they exited the Keep. Kian's heart was pounding in his ears, and no doubt Kirin's was doing the same. So far, there mission had been a success. They had just stepped beyond the doors of the Keep when Kian's spirits fell. Encircling the entrance to Friar's Keep were four soldiers and Kirin's ex-patriot, Elias.

"Well well… look what we have here."

Instinctively, Kirin and Kian both pushed Benrime behind them. Although three of the soldiers would have to get close to hurt her because they carried swords, one of the men standing there was an archer, which was far more dangerous.

"Elias…" Kirin's voice was full of barely contained rage. Kian could not blame him…they were being betrayed by one of their own.

"Hello Kirin." Elias grinned. "The helmets… take them off."

Kirin and Kian both complied, tossing their helmets aside.

"You…bastard," Kirin muttered. "Tatya will see you hung for this."

"Difficult for her to do when she is not in Arcadia… isn't it, Kirin?"

Arcadia? What did he mean by not in Arcadia? Kian wondered, and looked to Kirin for an explanation. But Kirin was not noticing anything else around him at the moment; he continued to glare at Elias with a hate that would no doubt have killed him more than once if it could have.

"That's no business of yours, Elias. You're a traitor to your land and your people." Kirin pulled his sword.

Elias looked at the soldiers, who seemed to be hesitating. "What are you waiting for? Kill them!"

Spurred into action, the three men with swords came running at them. Only the archer held back, arrow already out of the quiver and knocked, ready to fire once he had a clear shot of the enemy.

"Kian, you and Benrime! That way!" He motioned quickly with his head to the outcropping of large stones that had obviously been left there from a re-build that had been done to the Keep.

Kian nodded, and grabbing Benrime by the arm, pulled her with him. Once he had her safely behind the rocks, Kian continued to fight off two of the swordsmen, while Kirin tried to handle the other. Not wanting to kill his own, he had tried hard to incapacitate them without killing them, but the fight with the two was dragging on, and having suffered a few minor wounds, he began to realize the necessity. Gritting his teeth and saying a prayer for them, he killed them both. He would have to pray to the goddess for forgiveness later. Kirin had easily overtaken his attacker, and was now in a heated dance of blades with Elias. The archer had already tried a number of times to hit Kirin as the two clashed swords, but they had been misses.

Kian was making his way to the archer, darting arrows as he moved, when Elias spun Kirin so that his back was facing the archer. The man with the bow turned at the notice of this, took aim, and fired.

"Kirin!" Kian shouted.

Kirin gave a cry of surprise and pain when the arrow hit him in the shoulder, and he clutched at his shoulder in shock. Elias grinned and plunged his short sword through Kirin's abdomen.

"KIRIN NO!" Benrime shouted in surprise and despair.

The archer was just turning his arrows back on his other target as Kian threw a punch, which connected with the man's jaw and sent his head snapping back. The archer fell onto the ground and lay still.

Kian turned as Elias was coming at him, and pulled his sword. During several minutes of dodging and hacking, Kian realized that there was no way that Elias could have won against Kirin without treachery. The knowledge of what this man had done and was doing fueled the anger inside of him, and Kian fought harder and harder. Elias began to lose ground quickly, already tired from the previous fight, and it wasn't long before Elias was doing most of the blocking.

"Did you hear him squeal, Apostle? His blood will be on your hands too! As well as that innkeeper's, once I am done with you."

Kian let out a snarl of hatred, and as Elias moved to make an attack, turned his body slightly to miss the blade of his sword and then plunged his on sword upward into Elias's chest. Elias looked up at him in shock.

"You…"

Kian's expression was hard, and he twisted the sword once to the right with all his might. Elias let out something that sounded like a gurgle, and fell to his knees. The Apostle jerked the sword free from the man's body, and Elias fell face forward on the ground, dead.

As he turned to look to where Kirin fell, he could see Benrime leaning over him, murmuring something to him. He could run now. No one could stop him from escaping the imprisonment he had been facing with the rebels. Yet something stopped him, held him back. Instead of moving away from them, he walked to them, putting his sword away as he moved.

"How is he?"

"It's bad… I've wrapped it with some cloth I had with me…but we need to get him out of here….who…who are you?"

"That can wait. Come." Kian knelt and lifted Kirin up over his shoulder as gently as he could. Quickly, before any reinforcements could arrive, he and Benrime used cover of night and the back ways that Kirin had shown him to return to the Journeyman for their things, and then used the Elgwans to escape into the forests of Marcuria.