Soren ignored the worried calls of Mist and Rolf. He didn't answer to his name even when Kaethe was shouting it. Leaping over a huge clump of leaves, Soren fell into a lower area hidden by a tree root. He fell to his knees and scraped his palms. Soren grumbled and wiped the spotting areas of his palms on his robes. Blood oozed from the small wounds no matter how many times he wiped it away.

A hiss rang through the forest and Soren looked in that direction. He touched his tome lightly. He was prepared for the Branded boy. The first thing that moved would be ripped apart by a violent vacuum of wind. Soren stayed very still and looked in a different direction every few seconds for this reason.

In the corner of Soren's eye, he saw the glimmer of a steel arrow. He slowly walked away from it. When it whizzed through the air, Soren stepped away to the side and the arrow pierced the thick bark of a tree. Soren watched as the Branded boy charged straight toward him with his fists up. "That's a reckless tactic if your opponent can attack from a distance."

Soren flipped to a part of his tome tabbed with a red piece of paper. The boy halted and shouted, "Shut up!" He hissed like a cat and went on all fours. Soren stared at him bemused and raised his hand prepared to attack.

The arrogant magic-wielder warned, "This is your last chance. I have the ability roast you like a suckling pig. Don't throw your life away senselessly." The boy seemed to stop. Soren dropped his arm and a fist came in contact with his stomach. "That was dirty…" Picking himself up, Soren unsheathed a dagger and held it out in front of him.

The two glared at each other challengingly. First the boy leapt forward into the air. Soren slid under him and delivered a cut to each leg. The boy landed on his knees and elbows. He rubbed his eyes more than his wounds. "She's dead. My little sister is dead. It's all your fault-!"

Soren kneeled beside the boy and grabbed a bag of vulneraries from the pouch he carried. He handed them to the boy and showed him once more the symbol on his forehead. Soren picked up his dagger and cut his palm. The raw skin parted by the blade was bleeding profusely. Soren used his other hand to gently cut the boy's palm in the same fashion – a diagonal line through the center.

"See the silver flecks of our blood? It's the corruption of useless antibodies. They attack each other, laguz to beorc. Because of this, we Branded are hard to kill be infection. We have twice the white blood cells as any normal being to make up for the useless ones. It's how we survive." Soren pressed his palm against the boy's. "My companions and I will not hurt you if you cast aside any and all hostility."

The boy stared at his bloody hand and winced. Soren dabbed at the wound with another vulnerary. Soren scoffed, "I try to help and it's no use. Without a name I can do nothing. My own kind hate me."

The boy hesitantly said, "Call me Zyan. You know, like the color?" Soren chuckled and Zyan demanded, "What's so funny?"

Soren murmured, "Cyan is blue. Should I be called Scarlet after my symbol?" Zyan blinked in surprise and started howling with laughter. Soren plugged his ears, and waited till one of the mercenaries would hear and find them. By the name of Ashera, what have I gotten myself into?

Soren watched Zyan scratch at his ears. The boy couldn't have been more than a year or two younger than him. Soren stared at his self-inflicted wound. The silvery flecks of Branded blood dried away faster than the rest. If anyone became suspicious, Soren would just say he had tripped on a root. It would wound his reputation a little, but the lie was plausible.

The humid air of the forest was proving to be too much for Soren. He felt drowsy and found himself closing his eyes slowly. Shaking his head vigorously, Soren demanded that his body stay awake. They literally weren't out of the woods yet. The Ebon Arrow might have been watching them.

Soren quietly asked, "What did the murderer look like?"

Zyan glanced at the ground and then at his palm. He flipped it over and stared with disgust at his symbol. "He had red-hair in a ponytail, wore a yellow cloak around his neck, obviously used a bow… That man who shot me!"

Soren asked incredulously, "You mean Shinon? That man hates laguz as much as the next untrusting beorc, but he would never go out killing the Branded. Are you positive, Zyan? Shinon is even friends with a hawk laguz." Zyan nodded indignantly and scowled at the scar left by Shinon's arrow. It was faint, but the line of raw skin was visible.

Soren grabbed Zyan by the arm and touched his wound. He stared at it suspiciously and tried to recall what happened a few moments ago. Zyan's bow was aimed at Soren. Shinon had done the first thing that came to mind – shoot. There had to be more than that to this misunderstanding.

Putting a tired hand to his forehead, Soren racked his mind for an answer. There were plenty of renowned archers in Tellius. One haunting comment stuck in Soren's mind: "Oh… I'm sorry. Your parents are…? Sorry. What's that? My parents? Mother's a fire mage like me, but my father is an archer. I get my hair from my mother. Hehe!"

Soren snapped his fingers and narrowed his eyes. "Kaethe's father."

"Kaethe?"

"Oh. She's like an older sister or mother. Picky as a sister yet as overprotective as a mother. It's a horrible combination." Zyan laughed at Soren's comment. Soren glanced around from the direction he came in. There was still no sign of his companions. Soren looked back and Zyan was gone. Birds shot from the trees without warning. A clump of leaves near the trees that used to hide birds began to rustle. Zyan leaped out of them with his quiver on his back and bow in hand.

Soren watched as Zyan took an arrow and shot down a piece of fruit from the branch of a mango tree. Zyan picked it up, dusted it, and handed it to Soren excitedly. Quite a change in personality. First he wanted to kill me and now he's sharing fruit with me. I'll never understand it. Soren peeled the mango with his knife and cut it in half gingerly. He handed the bigger piece to Zyan and chewed, savoring the fruit's unique taste.

Soren glanced beyond the foliage and saw a brown cloak. It had the same Celtic patterns as Kaethe's. The figure turned around and Soren recognized Kaethe's eyes among all the shadows of the forest. "I found Soren! Everyone, come over here."

Soren gave Zyan his hand and rose up. The two walked closer to the denser area of forest. Everyone stood ready and accounted for. "Zyan, this is Kaethe. Mist, Rolf, Stefan, Jill, Ranulf, Volke, and Shinon…"

Zyan stepped forth and dropped his bow. He held out his hands and muttered, "I'm unarmed. I won't resist. What do you want from me?" Everyone stared at Zyan curiously. Soren noticed how easily unnerved his new friend was.

Soren caught Volke staring at both him and Zyan. He glowered at the assassin and received a cold laugh. Volke spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "We don't need to search for The Ebon Arrow. He'll come for us. So long as the sage stays near us that is." Soren looked away too quickly, making his movement seem suspicious. Everyone who didn't know of his blood was now letting this new information slowly sink in.

Soren flinched when Kaethe put her hand on his shoulder. She hummed gently and Soren eased the slightest bit. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore his group. Soren used to ask Kaethe for this song, just for something he could focus on besides the cruel world against him. The soft melody was reminiscent of the heron galdr.

Soren opened his eyes and looked for Zyan. He was currently showing Rolf some techniques with the bow. At least they were getting along. After meeting the laguz, I guess forgiving has become easy for everyone. How reckless… Did I just call myself reckless? Soren smirked faintly and dusted his robes.

Kaethe stopped humming and stared at Soren, "Well now, shall we get going?"

Soren eyed Kaethe curiously and finally asked, "What was your father's name?" Kaethe's eyes widened and her expression was one of fear. She began to tremble under Soren's stare. Without warning, Kaethe suddenly fell back and landed on the ground.

"It's finally taken its toll. Kaethe, you liar. You said you had stopped. Should have told me you were this frail," Volke muttered.

Soren held his tome underneath the assassin's throat and demanded, "What do you know about The Ebon Arrow?" Volke, for once, was taken aback by a question. That instantly put him under Soren's suspicions. Finally he was getting somewhere with this.

Volke stared at Zyan and then back at Soren. Soren cocked an eyebrow and Volke shook his head. "My lips are sealed until the contract is broken." Soren jerked his head as a gesture for Volke to continue. Volke sighed and retorted, "Unless the contract holder dies, the contract still remains valid. I'm hired as a bodyguard for life. Well… more like an advisor."

"By who?"

"Kaethe's father."

Soren blinked his eyes in surprise, but pursued in his interrogation. Ranulf for one was listening intently for the rest of his people. The others seemed utterly lost. "Who is The Ebon Arrow? You and Kaethe act as if you both know."

Volke stared at the ground with his eyes closed. In an emotionless tone he replied, "The Ebon Arrow murdered your parents first. Then he went on to murder Branded after the war had ended. Think of it as a delayed reaction to insanity." Soren stared at Volke disbelievingly. "Strange isn't it? One day he was friends with your parents, the next he lost his wife and decided to kill in a blind fury. Poor Kaethe didn't want you getting hurt."

Soren stared at his unconscious teacher. He placed his palms over his eyes and took a deep breath. "Why would a man suddenly start to kill?"

"After losing a loved one and having not been able to do anything… wouldn't it drive you mad as well?"

Soren shook his head and ordered, "That's enough talking. We should keep moving. Zyan, do you have any sort of shelter around here?"

Zyan's ears perked up in response to Soren's question. The boy answered, "If you mean a village, there's one several miles west. Follow me." Soren nodded and reached for a vulnerary in Kaethe's pouch. The herbs had a gentle aroma besides being able to heal wounds. They cured headaches quite nicely. He dabbed at her forehead and she slowly rose up. Kaethe, however, didn't say a thank you and started walking.

Soren kept note of that.