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Two days passed after the fall of Crota and Wren had slept through most of it. When she did wake, it was because Kiran had called her attention to a note that had been slipped under her door.

She rolled over and grumbled, pulling the blankets tight around her shoulders.

"It might be important," he said.

"If it was they would have knocked," she muttered. Kiran floated over to the door, his shell clicking as he hovered over the note. She heaved a sigh and threw the blankets back.

"When was it left?"

"Only a few moments ago."

Wren peeked out into the empty, dimly lit hallway. The lights weren't even on yet.

"What time is it?" she asked, locking the door.

"A little after three. What does it say?"

"Kingstone Port. Meet me in the hanger at 8 am."

"Cayde."

"Yeah." She dropped the note on the bedside table and flopped down on the bed. "Wake me at 7, please."

Kiran nodded and settled onto the pillow beside her head. For a time, she stared out the wide window at the City below, only a few lights on here and there through the buildings, but the glow of the Traveler was ever present. Her mind wandered here and there until at last, she fell asleep once more, purple stone on the chain around her neck clutched tightly in her fist.

The corridor leading to the hanger was quieter than Wren expected it to be that early in the morning. A sweeper bot nearby idly went about his task, giving Wren a slight tilt of the head as she passed. When she rounded the corner, she jumped back after coming face to face with Eris Morn.

Wren began to apologize but Eris took a step forward, eyes wide and bright behind her bandages. The rock that floated between her hands emitted a chill Wren had felt near the Hive.

"Are you Wren?" she asked, eyes darting across Wren's face, as if she was searching for something.

"Yes?"

"And you struck the final blow against Crota?"

"Uh, I think so."

"With a sword?"

"Yes but—"

"Do you feel it?" Eris asked, pushing closer.

"Feel what?"

"Crota's power."

"I'm sorry, I don't und—"

"The Hive believe that killing with a sword gives the bearer the power of the slain."

"I don't feel any different. Maybe—"

"Perhaps Guardians don't—"

"Eris, I've been lookin' for you," Holliday said as she walked up to them. "Your ship's all fixed up and ready to go." Her gaze shifted between Eris and Wren.

Eris stared at Wren for another moment, then she thanked Holliday and walked away.

"She's… intense," Wren said when Eris was out of earshot.

Holliday laughed. "That's one way a' puttin' it. What are you doin' out this way so early?"

"I was told to—"

"Ah, meetin' Cayde?"

Wren's cheeks burned as she tried to scramble for an excuse, but Holliday didn't give her time to find one.

"C'mon. I'll show you where you can wait for him. Ya'll headin' off to find some loot, huh?" You Hunters. Always chasin' something' shiny. Well, as long as ya'll are spendin' Glimmer in my shop I'm happy as a clam," she winked.

Holliday led Wren through the hanger, past mechanics talking, laughing, singing, cussing, yelling, throwing some things and kicking others and Wren smiled. The energy of this place was different than anywhere else in the City. There was a life to it. A heartbeat. It took her back to when she first woke and almost feared coming here. A time when she was afraid to make bonds and yet the friendships she'd formed since then had come to easily it had snuck up on her. Now she wouldn't trade those bonds for anything.

Wren was captivated by the hanger, not just for its vitality but for what she could see there. Ships and Sparrows of every shape, size, and color sat in bays or were torn apart to bare bones or were being painted, decorated, repaired, showers of sparks falling into the floors below the catwalks.

"Here we are," Holliday said, motioning toward the cluttered workspace belonging to the Hunter Vanguard. "Make yourself at home. If he told ya to be here at a certain time, he lied. He'd be late to his own funeral," she smirked.

"Thanks." Wren moved a metal plate from a faux leather covered stool. The red material was torn and frayed, bits of cotton falling out as she sat down.

"Oh, if you find a wrench with a piece of red tape around it, that's mine an' I'd really like to have it back."

"Okay."

At first Wren didn't understand why Holliday would assume she would snoop through Cayde's things, but after a half an our of waiting with no sign of him, she was getting bored. It was just a toolbox anyway…

Wren glanced over and caught a glimpse of a book in among the junk. She pulled it free, but the cover was ripped off, the pages smudged with grease. She crinkled her nose at it but out of curiosity, she began to read starting where he'd left a bookmark. Afterall, it was the first book she'd attempted to read since her awakening. Maybe she'd like it.

Cayde was a little over an hour late but Wren was engrossed in the book. He didn't notice at first, just started rummaging through his toolbox.

"Sorry I'm so late."

"Uh huh."

"You know how Big Blue gets." He threw some junk onto the floor, then found a wrench with red tape, whistled, and tucked in back into the drawer.

"Yeah."

"What'cha readin'?"

"I don't know. I found it in your stuff, but the cover is missing."

"Huh," he said, still digging for something. "Is it good?"

"Yes. Well, maybe? There are some things I don't understand."

"Like what?"

Wren flipped back a couple of pages. "Like this. It says, 'he pressed his fingers into her dripping heat'—"

Cayde sat up so fast he smacked his head on an open toolbox drawer, sending nuts, bolts, and screws soaring.

"Woah there!" he snatched the book from her hand the tossed it over his shoulder and off the catwalk where it tumbled to lower floors, mechanics below cursing up at him. "I think we should go now, yeah? Yeah, let's get out of here and never talk about this again, got it?"

"But I—"

"Shush!" he ushered her to her ship and forced her in despite her protests. She'd have to ask Sisre later…

Wren stared down into the water from the balcony they'd been on before. Her cloak and Better Devils lay on the floor behind her, with anything Cayde had on him he didn't want to get wet. The mangrove roots wound thick under the water's surface, delving deep until it was pitch black. She knew what was down there. The serpentine fish and kept so thick it felt as if it was dragging down anyone unlucky enough to get caught in it.

"We'll have to try to get in and out as fast as possible," Cayde said. "Got reports over the last few days of a spike in Fallen activity around here."

"Got it."

Cayde sat on the balcony railing beside her and handed her a rebreather, different than the last one. This new one covered her nose and mouth with an adjustable strap that went around her head.

"This is an older one, but it'll work," he said. "Try not to lose it."

"Are you sure you want to go down there with me?"

"I'm not gonna sit up here and wait for you to get eaten by a fish. Here," he said, handing her a weapon she'd never seen before. "It's a harpoon. Just aim and pull the trigger and it'll shoot this into the fish. If you miss, just push this and the rope will reel it back in. Got it?"

Wren nodded. "Won't you sink?"

"I'm not any more buoyant than I was last time. But there's a balcony below. I can just swing on in there and walk around. Even brought a weighted rope ladder this time so we can climb back up." He dropped the ladder into the water where the heavy ends immediately snatched it down to the balcony under them. "Do you remember where the loot is?"

"Yeah. How will your mobility be?"

"Quit worryin' about me kid, I'll be fine."

Wren fitted the rebreather, tightening it for a secure fit as Cayde climbed down the ladder, disappearing to the lower balcony. She took a deep breath and followed him, back into the office from before. It looked much the same as it had, except for damage from her scuffle with the fish. Chills covered her arms at the thought of that thing lurking.

Cayde walked, using his arms to make wide strokes and keep him moving though he was slowed. Wren swam around him, harpoon in hand. Her eyes darted between the open doors, darkness beyond able to conceal anything and she was convinced Cayde would have a hard time defended himself if that fish returned.

She led him to where the box lay, still locked. He hoisted it up onto his shoulder and turned to her with a thumbs up.

"That was easy," he said, his voice distorted. No sooner had the words left his mouth, the fish slammed into his back out of nowhere, it's whip-like tail slamming into the walls of the hallway as it barreled past them. Wren shot her harpoon at the fish, but she missed entirely and tried to right herself.

The fish spun around, charging Cayde once more, mouth open to reveal rows of sharp teeth. Cayde had risen to his knees and shot at the fish, the harpoon digging deep into the side of its body, right behind the gills. The hit diverted the monster's course and it flailed to the side and into Wren, pushing her against the wall and knocking the breath out of her.

Cayde began to reel the fish in, doing his best to plant his feet and pull on the rope, but he kept sliding. The fish tried to retreat and yanked Cayde to his belly. Blood clouded the water as the harpoon ripped free and fell to the floor with a dull clank. Cayde reeled it in and Wren prepped hers as well.

"Get that," he said, pointing to the box.

She put the harpoon over her shoulder and lifted the box while he slowly half walked, half swam, to where the fish had gone. Wren followed, wrestling with the heavy box, cursing internally and hoping the loot was worth it. She lugged the box toward the exit, rounding the last corner to see Cayde wresting with the fist, legs around it's body with his ankles locked, hands jammed into the gills. Still the fish fought and thrashed, doing its best to take a bite out of Cayde though it wasn't flexible enough to reach him.

"Move it!" he demanded, and Wren sidestepped around the tail and to the ladder where she struggled to pull herself up with the box over her back. The ladder moved and swayed, and the rebreather couldn't process fast enough. Her breathing became strained and her head began to swim until at last her head was out of the water and she could push the rebreather up onto her forehead.

She shoved the box under the bottom railing of the balcony before stopping to catch her breath, still chest deep in water. Her heart raced against her ribs and she pulled herself up the rest of the way to watch for Cayde. There was no sign of him.

Kiran hovered beside her, shell clicking nervously. "Do you think he's okay?"

"I don't know. I should go back down there after him."

She straddled the railing and the fish rushed by, fleeing toward the deep kelp as Cayde scrambled up the ladder and over the railing. He collapsed to the floor, laughing.

"Wow, that was bad," he said. "That thing was more dragon than fish."

"Do you want to open the crate now?" Wren asked, swinging her leg back over the rail. She knelt beside the box and waited.

"Yeah." He sat up and inspected the box. "See this symbol? That's Emelie's den's cache. Talk about just desserts."

"You found their map?"

"Looks like it." He laid out a lock picking kit and set to work, explaining some of the simpler points to Wren before the lock finally clicked open. "Bingo."

The lid to the box opened and the inside was stuffed with fabric. Cayde pulled it aside, revealing a cloak with Emelie's den symbol on it, which Cayde tossed over his shoulder into the water where it dropped like a fallen banner to sink into the murky depths.

The rest was typical of a Hunter cache. Some canisters of Ether to bribe the more cooperative Fallen, weapons, parts of weapons, ammo, a rocket, tons of Glimmer, and some pieces of mechanical things that had been torn apart. Nothing that could explain why the cache was so well hidden in the first place. Wren tilted her head and glanced up at Cayde who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"All that trouble and a treasure map and everything just to lead to this? I mean, the Glimmer can make up for what I said it would, but…" he shook his head.

"Maybe Emelie was just playing a joke. Have someone come all this way to be let down by rusty sniper rifle parts."

"No, not with this amount of Glimmer. If it was full of chicken feathers, syrup, and rusty sniper rifle parts I'd agree." He dug a little deeper and found a smaller box in the bottom with a strange lock Wren hadn't seen before.

"What's that?"

"Hopefully, what made this cache so hard to get to. Damn, I haven't seen a lock like this in a while." He tinkered and toyed with it, slammed it onto the balcony a few times before the lock snapped and something fell out. Cayde picked it up, flipped it over in his palm. "Uh oh."

"What uh oh?"

"This is a Fallen Elder Cipher," he shoved it back in the box and secured it as best as he could before dropping it into one of the drawstring bags he'd brought to collect the loot. "We gotta get out of here. This is what those Fallen are looking for. Grab that Glimmer and let's go."

Wren caught the second bag and started shoveling Glimmer in. There were a few pieces left in the bottom of the cache, tangled with random bits and pieces of junk but she didn't bother with them. She tied the bag to her belt, dropped the Better Devils into its holster, and fastened her cloak into place.

A Fallen ship soared overhead, coming in so low it shook the branches of the mangrove trees. Leaves rained down onto the water's surface and the pair of Hunters ran.

"We'll escape through the Darkness Zone," Cayde said, leading Wren over tangles of mangrove roots.

She struggled to keep up but said nothing, gritting her teeth a few times when she twisted her ankle or got stuck between roots. Every time she looked up he was a little farther away and she started boosting to keep up. The mangroves began to thin and soon thereafter she had solid ground under her boots but the Fallen were catching up. Their extra limbs no doubt aided in their quickened pace over the roots.

Cayde stopped and offered her a hand to help her down a steep embankment which she took without thought. She jumped and tucked the bag of Glimmer close before continuing to run.

"We're almost in the Darkness Zone. Get your Sparrow," Cayde said, summoning his own as he ran past her and mounted it without breaking pace.

Wren clumsily tried to do as he did, sending the Sparrow's tail sharply to the right but she was able to take control and catch up. Cayde's Sparrow was larger than most Wren had seen and faster by far. Again she struggled to keep up, especially swerving between trees in the dense forest but this time he noticed and slowed down.

An energy shot flew past her and into the tail of Cayde's Sparrow, knocking it off course. He managed to right himself before hitting a tree but the bag with the Cipher fell out of his grasp and rolled across the ground. The Fallen were hot on Wren's tail when she leaned over to scoop it up but another energy round slammed into the back of her Sparrow, hitting the fuel tank. The explosion launched Wren away, tumbling end over end with the Cipher clutched tight. Hot metal pieces of her Sparrow fell around her, scorching what skin it managed to touch.

"Cayde!"

Pieces of Wren's Sparrow flew past Cayde, the bright light of the explosion flashing yellow on the trees. He whipped his Sparrow around and sped between her and the hoard of Fallen that were closer than he thought. He fires the Ace into the trees, dropping a few Dregs.

"Hop on kid!" he yelled but she was already scrambling onto the back, the bag with the Cipher tight between them. She was hardly on the back before he took off, her free arm wrapping around his waist as he gunned it.

Cayde dodged through trees, over rock and the mossy forest floor but the Fallen seemed to be everywhere. Their multiple arms propelled them through the treetops and underbrush, every shadow seeming to bulge and spew them forth and some Dregs even followed on Pikes. The less mobile vehicles unable to keep too close to Cayde's much faster Sparrow.

A shot, louder than the rest, echoed in his ears and he felt the jolt of impact before Wren's arm slipped from around his waist. He looked back to see her rolling across the ground, the Fallen descending on her as a Captain emerged from the trees, raising his weapon triumphantly.

The distraction was a split second, but it was enough for a Vandal to drop from overhead and send Cayde sprawling to the earth. His Sparrow careened away, bouncing off trees before coming to a stop.

The Vandal held a dagger to Cayde's throat, then its face twisted in rage when it realized Cayde wasn't human. It raised the blade high to plunge in into Cayde's head when a scream made Cayde's blood run cold. He flipped a dagger from his belt and jammed it into the Vandal's gut, yanking upward before the Vandal could stab him.

"Cayde!" Wren cried out as the Vandal dropped dead beside him.

He rolled away from another Vandal's rifle round that struck the ground near his chest. The Captain had knocked Wren's Better Devils away and was clasping her right wrist tightly in one of its hands. A heavy foot was firmly planted in the middle of Wren's chest and her cries were stifled as she struggled to breath.

"I'm coming!" Cayde said, racing back to her through Dregs who were trying to keep the Guardians separated.

The Captain laughed as it twisted Wren's arm. She clawed at his hand, unable to reach her throwing knives or being too panicked to try. Her boots scrambled to gain purchase, but the Captain was too heavy. He pressed down on her chest and with a quick, wrenching motion, ripped Wren's arm from her body.

Muscle and sinew clung to what was left but one more violent jerk and the arm was completely dismembered. The Captain held it high and the sound that came from Wren, Cayde swore should never come from a living thing.

Rage filled him ad solar energy pulsated around him, so intense it scorched nearby Fallen. One shot was it that was needed to kill the Captain, but Cayde let all the Golden Gun's rounds tear the monster apart.

He stood over Wren, whose remaining hand found the edge of his clock and held it with whatever strength she had left as he protected her, picking off enemies in a barrage of bullets, knives, and grenades until they retreated into the trees. A part of him wanted to pursue them, kill them all, but Wren needed him.

She wasn't crying or screaming anymore, just whimpering quietly. Blood soaked the soil around her shoulder, the wound laid bare over the leaves. Her skin had gone pale, her bright blue eyes dull under half closed lids.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, and she looked up at him. "There she is."

"Cayde?" her voice was barely a whisper.

"You're going to be okay," he assured her as he removed her cloak and tried it tight around her shoulders to slow the bleeding.

"Cayde…"

"I'm here. Hold on. I'm going to get you to where Kiran can heal you. Just a little longer. Damn," he hissed at the shaking of his own hands. He reminded himself that this was temporary. She'd be just fine once they were out of the Darkness Zone. Still, that reassurance didn't stop his heart from racing a mile a minute.

"I wanna go home," she choked.

"Shh, it's okay. I'll take you home. Promise." He stooped to pick her up, grabbing the Better Devils as he did. The bag holding the Cipher was gone, likely swiped by the Fallen before they ran. Her dismembered arm lay in the leaves nearby. There was no point to taking it.

Cayde mounted the Sparrow and tucked her close in front of him. There wasn't much room and he had to lean over he most of the way, but it helped to keep her secured. He kept one arm around her while the other guided the Sparrow through the forest, toward the edge of the Darkness Zone.

She was so small. So fragile.

Her soft whimpers stopped after a while, and she became heavy, still he assured her that they were almost out. It was almost over.

Pain began to radiate form his side and he glanced down to see a hole in his side. Metal shards ripped through his leather and armor and into Wren's leg, fluid from within mixing with Wren's blood. One of the Fallen must have gotten a shot off on him while he was protecting her.

Sundance was floating beside him before he was out of the Darkness Zone and healed him as soon as they got to safety. Kiran was more cautious. He didn't come out until they were safely inside an old, abandoned Hunter hideout.

Late afternoon sun shifted through holes in the ceiling and dust motes swirled around Cayde and Sundance as he brought Wren in, pushing aside a curtain of vines with tiny white flowers. Inside was a broken bed, left to rot in the corner while the mildewed mattress had been moved closer to the fireplace. From the looks of it, several months had passed since the last Hunters were here.

Cayde put Wren down on the mattress and undid her cloak while Kiran appeared and floated overhead.

"Be ready," Kiran said. "This was the first death she's had that wasn't quick."

He revived Wren, making her body whole again, but her mind was still stuck in that place where the Captain had wrenched her arm from her shoulder, and she woke up fighting.

"Cayde!" she yelled as she sat up, swinging her fists only to be caught by Cayde. He put his arms around her shoulders and held on tight until she realized it was him and stopped trying to hit him. She panted and gasped for breath, then hugged him as she calmed down.

"You okay now?" he asked, pulling away to get a good look at her. She was still shaking, and her eyes were closed but she nodded yes and let her arms drop into her lap. "Good. Look, we lost the Cipher, but we have to get back to the Tower and tell them about the Fallen."

"I'm sorry I lost it."

"Nah, it's no big deal. I mean, we got your Glimmer right?"

"I think we should rest here for a bit," Kiran said.

Cayde considered it, then sat against the wall. "Sure. I'll send word to the Tower and we'll hang out here for a while."

Wren fell back onto the mattress, her knees curled up by his leg. She kept moving the arm that had been ripped off, clenching and unclenching her fist, rotating and bending it before letting it drop. That death would mess with her. At least until a worse one took its place. For some reason, that bothered Cayde.

"Feelin' okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." She sat up and scoot over beside him. "You sure?"

"You bet."

"Your shaking is all."

"Ah, yeah." Cayde stretched his arms high over his head. "Adrenaline ya know?"

Wren cocked an eyebrow at him, but let it slide. She leaned her head back on the wall and closed her eyes.

"Cayde," Sundance said, hovering beside him. "Zavala says he's sending a ship for you and it'll be here in a couple hours."

"Great. We'll be back home in no time." Cayde's smile faded, the memory of Wren asking him to take her home replaying in a flash. He wondered if she remembered too but didn't have the nerve to ask. "Why don't you get some rest.

"I am."

He twiddled his thumbs in his lap. "So… I overheard what Flak said to you?"

She stiffened and he saw the bridge of her nose wrinkle slightly. "About what?"

"The dagger. What happened with that?"

Her hesitation lasted only a moment, but it was enough to put doubt in his mind.

"He was just showing me a new dagger is all."

Kiran flickered and settled on Wren's knee, staring up at her but he seemed annoyed. When she went to rest her hand on his shell, he vanished, and her hand dropped to her knee instead. She sighed and opened her eyes.

"You know if something's going on, I can help you."

"It's fine. If I have a problem, I'd rather handle it myself."

"I know I just—"

"I'm doing to get some sleep." She shuffled down to lay beside him, her face a few inches from his hip. His hand hovered over her shoulder and the temptation to touch her almost got the best of him. Instead, he fought it, clenched his fist, and put his hand back in his lap.

"I'll wake you up when they get here. You just sleep it off."

Wren was already asleep, her index finger hooked in a hole on his cloak he hadn't noticed before. He sighed and relaxed some, content to watch over her.

"I'll take you home."