A heavy pounding on the exterior door disturbed Dyson and dragged him from that twilight place between sleep and being awake. He slipped from the bed, barely disturbing Kenzi as she snuggled deeper into the warmth and softness of the bed, snagging his jeans along the way. He closed the door to his bedchamber and stalked across the floor zipping his jeans up.

"Ok! Ok! I'm coming...keep it down though" he threw the door open "Kenzi's asleep." A very concerned looking Trick stood at the doors edge. "What is it? What's happened?"

Trick motioned for Dyson to step out into the hallway. As Dyson did, he pulled the door closed behind him. He didn't want Kenzi walking out sans clothing and being caught by Trick. Kenzi considered Trick to be like a grandfather to her just as she considered Bo to be a sister.

"I'll get straight to it Dyson," Trick started, wringing his hands slightly "we've had a message from the Ash."

"What did he want?" Dyson snarled out. Trick flinched in response, even though none of the animosity in Dyson's voice was directed at him. He made placating motions with his hands, which didn't placate Dyson in the slightest. "What. Did. He. Want?" With every passing word Dyson's voice grew a bit louder and fiercer.

Trick sighed, he could tell that Dyson was in full protection of Kenzi mode which was why he was reacting the way he was. But this could also lead to major problems if this continued, especially during the meeting with the Ash. Nobody needed the problems or the fall out that would come from Dyson having a full out confrontation with the Ash in front of the community. It was going to be hard to keep Dyson under control but perhaps, thought Trick, that the little human that they had all come to love as one of their own would be able to manage it without to many hassles.

"Dyson, the meeting is set for this evening, just after sunset so that gives us just a bit more time to be prepared." Trick could see Dyson's brain ticking over, running over all the possibilities of how to best use the time. Trick saw the precise moment that Dyson made a decision, so it was probably the wrong one and the one that Trick knew that Dyson would come too. "Dyson...no!"

Dyson looked at Trick feigning innocence "What?"

"You know very well what!" You can't!"

"We can't..what?"

Trick raised an eyebrow at the 'we' part of the statement but kept his counsel on that. "You can't run Dyson...you've left that too late. If you were going to do that you should have gone before the trial. The Ash's guards are at every entrance and exit of the Dal. There's no way out."

Dyson had dropped his head when Trick had pinpointed his very idea in a mere second. He lifted his eyes slyly to Trick's "Every exit?" Dyson knew that Trick had a secret exit somewhere in the Dal but he didn't know the location.

Trick looked mildly uncomfortable. Dyson wouldn't use the exit even if he knew where it was. If he and Kenzi used it while claiming sanctuary in the Dal, Trick would suffer the consequences of them running despite the fact he was the Blood King, even in hiding there were those who knew his true identity. And as Dyson was one of his longest and most loyal friend/alley/soldier so he would never betray Trick. And Dyson knew that Kenzi would never place Trick in such a position, she loved him far too much to ever do that.

Trick shook his head "Every exit my friend. It would have been yours to use if my exit had been an option."

Dyson sighed "So where is the meeting to take place?"

"The old glass factory."

Dyson was a little relieved at that. If the meeting was to be held in the Ash's compound in all likelihood they could have been made to disappear, no questions asked. At least this was in public, well as public as the Fae liked to get.

"We have a few hours to prepare. I'm going to continue going through my library to see if I can find anything..anything that may help us. But this is an uncharted area I'm afraid, no human has ever been such a part of our world that they have had to undergo the trials. Let alone actually passing them. They've been slaves, food, at best held at a safe distance for centuries. It would only be our Kenzi who would manage such a thing." Trick finished with a small smile on his face, one of admiration, incredulity and a small amount of pride.

Dyson smiled as he heard the pride in Trick's voice as he talked of Kenzi. Dyson never would have guessed that Trick, after all these centuries, would be so taken with a human, especially one that drank all his booze and had made his life rather uncomfortable on more than one occasion. As Trick turned to leave and go back to his library, Dyson reached out and gently grabbed his arm. "Thank you Trick...for everything. We've placed you in awkward position...yet again I'm afraid."

Trick shook his head, smiling. "Dyson we have been friends for far too long to let a little disagreement with the Ash come between us. Besides you know I love Kenzi as if she was my own flesh and blood. As if I wouldn't take her side in any arguement regardless of who the opposition is."

"Well that's good to know" Kenzi quiet voice crept between the two men as they both turned to look at her. "But what about if the opposition is actually your flesh and blood? What if it's Bo?"