The damp soaked into Edwards' knee as he knelt on the ground glancing surreptitiously around the corner. Rhylan had gone before them, the small man able to slip in and out of the most airtight of fortresses without anyone noticing and the guards that were watching the home where Tharin stayed were not the most vigilant. It was boredom that made them complacent, Edward had seen it in many of his men between campaigns, their training falling to all but ruin in the time between fights, their enemies no longer something that they feared but almost craved the presence of.

Tharin had taken refuge in a rather large stone building at the centre of the village that had acted as the home of the Lord and Lady Vond that owned most of the surrounding land. The two of them having been turfed out to sleep in tents under the pretence of doing 'God's work', no doubt they had made their arguments but there was little anyone could say against such a strong argument. Edward had seen the Lord from time to time, pompously making his rounds throughout the small village to ensure all the citizens that he was still in fact in full control. The Lady had not stepped out of the tent, not even once, no doubt far too embarrassed and disgusted by her surroundings to so much as show her face.

"Place is a shit ole," Bearkiller grumbled behind him, shifting his large bulk uncomfortably in the mud. He passed his huge axe from one hand to the other admiring the glint of the blade in the moonlight and Edward shook his head, returning to his vigil.

"Doe know what this song 'n' dance is all bout, could've been in and out for tha' twat had managed to shake off his dick." Bearkiller pointed to up to a guard that had decided to relieve himself off the top of the wall, his urine splashing down to the cobbles below.

"We don't want to alert anyone, just have a look," Edward muttered.

"I'm a quiet fucker I'll 'av' you know, like a mouse."

"A rather talkative mouse," Edward commented before lifting his hand quickly, urging Bearkiller to be quiet. Luckily the large man did, tipping his head to one side as he listened. It sounded like an owl, a faint hoot on the air that would have been missed had they not been listening for it. Edward quickly moved round Bearkiller edging along the wall of the house they had taken refuge behind, till they reached the far corner of the wall.

The pair of them hunkered down and Edward cupped his hands around his mouth, attempting to hoot back at his sneaky friend.

"What in shite's name was tha?" Bearkiller questioned, biting back laughter as he cupped his hands around his own mouth and imitated an owl perfectly. Edward turned away from the bearded man's smug expression; Rhylan would have known it was him. His friend had never openly laughed at his attempts to mock an owl call but he had noticed the slight upturn of his lips and amusement flashing in his eyes to know that he found it just as funny as Bearkiller did.

Rhylan returned the call with a whistle and seconds later a thick rope fell between them, a knot tied in the one end. Edward nodded at Beakiller and the large man quickly climbed, showing surprising agility for someone of his stature.

Edward turned to the village, eyes darting over one quiet house to the next ensuring that no one was wandering about. He had noticed that ever since the regular hangings the nights had gotten quieter. Most of the villagers had little understanding for what was taking place in their small town, going about their every day as if is some sort of daze, steadfastly ignoring the pile of bodies accumulated from the morning's executions. Some, however, learnt quickly, setting off rumours about neighbours that were having suspiciously more luck with their wares than others. All too soon many of villagers were standing amidst the condemned and so at night the village became deathly silent, men no longer frequented the inn, women no longer stood in small gaggles and talked about their days, even children were shut inside and kept that way, for fear that their play might be mistaken for evil machinations.

With a sigh he gripped the rope, focusing on the burn of it across the skin of his palms as he quickly traversed the wall using the stones as footholds. Bear and Rhylan grasped his shoulders when he reached the top, hoisting him over the crenellated wall. He pressed himself into the shadows between the two of them, his hands falling to rest on the handles of his daggers.

Rhylan lifted two fingers, gesturing down the walkway to a small turret with an arched doorway. Edward nodded as he lifted his head slightly spotting two guards stood side by side, one leaning against the arch, his laughter echoing into the night.

"Couldn't guard cow shit." Bear scoffed slightly amused by the spectacle, making Edward smirk. The man had a point, the two guards seemed far more enamoured with their conversation than anything that could possibly be taking place around them.

"There's another door." His voice was hardly a whisper, as quiet and shadowy as the man himself, but Edward heard it and gestured for Rhylan to lead to the way with a sweep of his arm.

The second turret was quite clearly meant to house the second guard, a rickety wooden chair and a sputtering lantern having been abandoned just inside.

"They dropped them off with the food stores below the manor," Rhylan whispered, only pausing for a second to make sure that both men were following him before tiptoeing down the spiral staircase.

There was very little room at the bottom of the stairs for all three of them to fit and Edwards was squashed unceremoniously against Bear as they gave Rhylan space to inspect the courtyard for other guards.

Rylan had been very generous when he had called Lord and Lady Vond's home a Manor. While nothing like the meagre holdings that were littered around it, it was nowhere near the grand pomposity of Lord Barnes' home. The stone arch looked out onto a rather humble courtyard. To their left were the stables, piles of hay littered outside of it that Rhyan quickly scooted behind and gestured that the others should do the same. Edward had been somewhat a regular at many of Lord and Lady Barnes' get-togethers and had come across the Vond's more times than he would have liked. From what he knew of the Lady herself he would have guessed that she would have been none too pleased with the ruin that had befallen her courtyard.

Tharin had quite obviously meant to use the small space to within an inch of its life, piling it with weapons and armour, horses that could no longer fit into the stables were tied up wherever they could fit, drinking from the stone pond which Lady Vond had always taken so much pride in. Mixed in amongst all of this were strange devices of various shapes and sizes that Edward had never before seen in his life. He knew all too well of torture, had witnessed several prisoners being subjected to such assaults but he had never seen such barbarity as that which lay in the courtyard of Tharins assumed home.

"What the…" Bear began seemingly unable to finish his sentence.

"It's his collection." Rhylan quicky breathed, "This is just what couldn't fit in the Manor." Edward noted how pale Rhylan seemed to turn at these words, dread coiling in his gut. He could only guess at what his friend had seen and even then he knew that it would be far too tame for anything that Tharin could have thought up.

Rhylan pointed to a door at the farthest end of the courtyard,

"That's where Tharin's been sending the deliveries." He whispered, glancing up at the wall and nodding when none of the guards walked into sight.

"One at a time, keep looking up," Rhylan whispered before moving along the shadow of the wall, coming to a standstill only a couple of times as a guard rather laxidasically walked the length of the wall, whistling melodically. Edward shook his head in disbelief when Rhylan knelt down near the door and had it open within a few seconds. Though the slight man had tried many times to teach Edward how to pick a lock, Edward had been a lousy student. None of it made any sense to him at all and the delicacy and slight of hand that was needed, Edward swore he simply didn't possess.

Bearkiller went next, his axe in hand as he followed the same path as Rhylan, his movements not quite as fluid and stealthy as the man that went before him, but still something to behold. Then suddenly he paused, reeling back to press himself flat against the ground behind the pond, half hidden by the body a horse.

"What's the matter?" A voice called far off as one of the guards inspected the courtyard, leaning down as much as he could, torch held aloft above his head.

"Thought I saw movement." He muttered curiously and laughter answered him.

"Course you saw movement, fuckin idiot, you know how many horses he's got down there." The guard looked none too impressed by his friend's ridicule, stepping away from the edge and turning to him in annoyance.

"Just doing my job, unlike some." Their conversation was lost as they moved back into the turret, only the sound of hooves on the ground and the odd whinnie of a horse disturbed the stillness of the night.

With a sigh Edward let out the breath he'd been holding and watched as Bearkiller made it to the door, turning back to him. Edward couldn't make out his face but he guessed that the large man was grinning at him, nearly being caught seemed like something that would appeal to him.

Edward crept along in the dark, his breathing even and heartbeat steady in his chest. This he knew, it was familiar and easy; just him and the shadows, his one hand resting against the reassuring roughness of the leather wrapped around the handle of one of his daggers, the other feeling along the grooves of the stone wall at his side, keeping him balanced. In no time at all Edward found himself in front of a grinning Bearkiller who's bulk was filling the doorway. Edward offered only a grimace in return, the sooner they found out what Tharin was hiding the sooner they could be far away from his home. He knew that he imagined it but he almost felt as if evil were seeping into his very being and poisoning his soul.

They descended the stairs into the gloom, the chill of the cellar biting at their skin with every step they took. Rhylan finally lit a small torch when they reached the bottom, the small corridor they stood at the end of flaring to life, light dancing along the walls giving the impression of people moving about just beyond their line of sight.

"It's a maze down here," Rhylan commented, more to himself than the rest of the party, but Edward found himself looking down each of the corridors that filtered off the one in which they stood and grimaced. It really was a maze, with more turnings and small tributaries of detours than he would ever hope to remember. Luckily Rhylan only had to walk somewhere once and he knew it, as sure-footed as if he had spent all his days walking the terrain. Many campaigns had been won simply because he had trusted the man's judgement.

"How in sweet fuckery do they find anythin' down ere'?" Bearkiller grumbled, hunching his shoulders so his head didn't skim the ceiling, the underbelly of the Manor was in no way built for a man of his stature.

"Many of the servants have spent their entire lives working for Lord and Lady Vond, know this place better than their own homes I'd wager." Bearkiller chuckled deeply shaking his head.

"Figures."

"They brought it just down here." Rhylan stopped at a small opening, uneven steps leading down into yet more darkness, a cool biting wind blowing up from the depths.

"Smell fresh," Edward commented, leaning forward to sniff the air as it ghosted against his face. It seemed as if the stairs did not lead underground but instead to the surface.

"There is a network of caves nearby, they built the Manor right on top of one, the air comes through from there." Rhylan shrugged as if the information was utterly pointless but he didn't mind explaining.

"Seems like a bad idea," Edward mused as he followed behind Rhylan, kicking stones off the steps, listening as they echoed strangely in the black, "building your home atop a cave system, would welcome surprise attack surely."

"From small rodents, yes. From humans? Not so much. Locals call it Coney Hill."

Edward knew of Coney Hill, he'd heard many old tales about them when he was younger, tales of giants trying to dig out the small animals that lived within its heart, their grasping fingers had left wide cave mouths that gaped open and spilt stones down to the ground below. The animals had burrowed away, deeper and deeper into the ground so even the long fingers of the giants could not reach them. It was why the cave systems were so treacherously narrow, thinning rapidly and becoming impossible to traverse. He had long since stopped believing in such tales, but when the stairs stopped and opened out into a large cave, smaller openings littering its walls, he could almost believe that small animals had made them in their desperate bid for freedom.

"I had no idea they came out this far," Edward commented. Rhylan nodded, placing his torch in the holder that had been fixed to the wall. The flames licked at the damp walls, and made them sparkle and glow, crystals that had grown naturally in the deep earth glittered prettily in the gloom.

"They keep it back here," Rhylan muttered ominously, pulling a large black leather covering from off a huge bulk. Edwards' eyes widened as the gloomy cave was filled with the light from thousands of small stones of varying colours, the light rebounding off their surfaces and painting both their skin and the cave walls.

"Well, I'll be…" Bear struggled to finish his sentence as his mouth opened and closed at the sight.

"He's been sending men to mine the earth, this," Rhylan gestured to the glowing pile, "is what they've been bringing back."

Edward glanced around the large cave and noticed that there were several more piles covered with the same black leather. Whatever he had planned to use them for, Tharin appeared to need a lot of them.

"Unless he wants to make himself look pretty, what the fuck are they for?" Rhylan grimaced slightly as if the very question set his teeth on edge.

"Wallick, the Blacksmith, he's been working on something for Tharin, mighty secretive about it, I'm guessing they are something to do with the weapon."

"Hah, an how the fuck you figure tha' then?" Bearkiller scoffed, coughing so as not to laugh too loudly, his voice already echoing dangerously as it was. Edward met Rhylans gaze letting the man know that he wished for an answer to Bearkillers poorly worded question, he couldn't see much point in using them in any weapons apart from managing to make his entire army look like rich little lordlings rather than war-torn warriors.

"Its something to do with the witches and wizards, something that can be used against them." Bearkiller seemed to still at these words, kneeling down before the stones, picking on up and weighing it in his large palm.

"Ar I've 'erd talk, not much mind. Me Ma used to settle stones on wounds would heal em right up. Youngens sufferin through terrors when dark fell, they'd sleep as if someone at hit em over the 'ed. Not all stones, just some. She'd spend ages pickin em out, said they glowed…" Bearkiller glanced up at Edward, "if he is usin 'em could be tha'. Doe know much bout it all though like I said, but them's as sure as glowin" The large man chucked the stone back on to the pile hoisting himself to his feet.

Edward stared down at the pile of stones thoughtfully, there was a faint glow to them as if the stones were producing their own light and the more he stared, the more certain he became that the light was dimming and brightening as if it were pulsing within the stones.

"We need to find out what Tharin is doing, everything." Rhylan nodded at his commander as if the information were already gathered.

"You know anything else?" Bear shook his head regretfully, spinning his axe between his fingers.

"All I know's what I've seen an tha' were long back but…" The man's eyes seemed to brighten suddenly, a grin spreading across his face, "Ay me Ma might help, after all, widdlin her fingers an blessin us wherever she is. She left me sommat, might come useful." Edward nodded taking a single stone from the pile and gesturing for Rhylan to cover the stones, he had a feeling that they would be back there before long, but for now, there was nothing more they could do.

Rhylan stopped suddenly, hand reaching for his blade, the other pressing his fingers against his lips quickly, before taking out a dampened rag and wrapping it around the torch to smother it. Bearkiller palmed his axe, moving swiftly to the bottom of the stairs, pressing his back against the wall and Edward followed him, pulling one dagger slowly from its sheath.

The scuffing of feet could be heard even louder in the darkness of the cave, echoing down the steps along with quick breaths. Edward grabbed the stranger quickly pulling them into the darkness. He pressed them against the wall, holding his dagger against the column of their throat. The answering squeak made his shoulders sag in realisation, he knew he should have been more careful when having such conversations in places where anyone could listen.

"Ppppp...please don't hurt me." Rhylan quickly relit his torch, the flames revealing what Edward had already grown to suspect, the young man that had spoken to them earlier had taken it upon himself to follow them.

"What the fuck are you doing ere?" Bear growled in his face, stepping forward and snarling right in the boys face. "You speak, or I take your ed from your shoulders and carry it on me belt."

"I'd answer his question," Edward commented, adjusting his grip on his knife, drawing the young man attention back to it. He watched the young man gulp, taking several deep breaths before any sound left his mouth.

"I…I...I followed you."

"And what made you do that?" Edward asked cautiously.

"I...I want to help, do something."

"I can help you die if you'd like?" Bearkiller threatened and the young man whimpered in reply.

"This is no place for a boy," Edward mumbled, shaking his head slightly and stepping away from him, letting him crumple to the floor. He re-sheathed his knife with a heavy sigh.

"I'm not a boy, this is my sixteenth winter coming."

"Be your fust winta without a tongue you keep spittin words like tha," Bear warned and the boy instantly shut his mouth, bottom lip quivering.

"How did you make it here?" Edward crossed his arms head tipping to the side as he took in the young man's slight physique, lack of shoes, and clothes that looked as though they had seen far better days. His hair was brown and matted terribly on his head, lice quite clearly moving about in it.

"Same way you did." He seemed to lift his chin with pride and Edward had to admit that he was impressed.

"You could have got us caught." Rhylan admonished, his words only making the boy quiver when they were coupled with a deep growl from Bearkiller.

"I wasn't, I promise, I was quiet." The young man seemed to contemplate his next words carefully, brown eyes flitting between the men before he gulped and opened his mouth. "Could hear all of you though, you were making a lot of noise."

Edward turned to Rhylan amused and the slight man shook his head.

"Alright Bear, leave him be." Edward gestured for the large man to move away from the quaking wreck on the floor and was quite surprised when the large man spun his axe in one hand and did exactly as he was bid.

"Sixteenth winta," Bear scoffed, "what they feed you on, air?" He spat on the ground in distaste before moving to Rhylans side, only casting the one-eyed man a slight look before crossing his arms and nodding towards the rather pale looking boy.

"What'll you do with 'im?"

Edward didn't answer, he had no real idea what he would do with him. By all means, they couldn't afford to have anyone jeopardize their plans, they also couldn't afford another enemy, there were far too many of those everywhere they turned.

"Who are you?"

"Taigen." The young man looked up at him hopefully and Edward realised that he did indeed look significantly older than he'd first imagined, not many years younger than himself. The innocence in his eyes, however, suggested that he had not seen a battle in all his sixteen years.

"Why would you help us?"

"Morax." Taigen spat the name with so much venom that Edward found himself leaning back. "I followed him here in order to kill him." Bearkiller laughed and Taigen bristled.

"I will kill him, my face will be the last he sees." Edward shook his head, there was fire in his eyes no doubt, a fire he recognised as having burnt within him long ago, but he knew that it wasn't helpful. Burning that brightly got you killed faster and lead to stupid decisions.

"How do you know that we aren't working for Tharin?" Rhylan asked casually, peeping up towards the top of the step cautiously before looking at the rather pathetic rumpled pile Taigen made on the floor. Taigen laughed bitterly.

"You hate him, you all hate him. I've seen the way you look at him," he looked at each of them in turn, "Like you're killing him a thousand different ways in your mind."

"I'm killin you a thousan different ways in my mind, can you see tha'?" Bearkiller asked, grinning evilly as he leaned down to Taigen. The brown-haired lad pulled away slightly, fear flashing in his eyes for only a second only to be replaced by a steely resolve that almost took Edward by surprise.

"Well kill me then, I know that you've been down here and I won't leave you alone, not now. Not now I know that I can do something." Taigen sounded almost breathless as if it was all he had thought about in his relatively short life.

"With pleasure." Bear replied happily grabbing the boy by the scruff of the neck and lifting him up. Taigen let out a small whimper before managing to school his features, meeting Bears gaze with almost no trace of terror.

"Kiri's gonna sing through your bones." Bear said, glancing at his axe affectionately and drawing it back to deal the blow, the boy shook visibly in Bears grip.

"Hold on." Edward finally said, once again surprised that his words were enough to still Bearkillers actions. The large man turned to him lifting on eyebrow curiously.

"You wanna keep him?" He shook the boy a little in the air, the relief at not dying was clearly shown in the wet stain in the front of his worn trousers and the limpness of his limbs. Edward nodded and Bear lowered him the ground watching with mild amusement when Taigen seemed to puddle helplessly, folding in on himself.

"You're brave." Edward admitted nodding his head, "Brave and stupid." Edward realised that they were not the best qualities to have in an ally but it was something.

"You do exactly as commanded, you do not deviate, do not question." Edward knelt before him, "One mistake, I kill you myself." He stood quickly, hoisting the boy up and almost shaking his head at how light he was.

"Understand?" Taigen nodded quickly his whole body moving with the enthusiastic action.

"You follow Bearkiller."

Taigen did not seem to happy about this order, but he managed to school his features and nod cautiously shuffling however reluctantly to stand behind him.

"We go for now." They all nodded at him, Rhylan disappearing up the stone steps first, followed by Bear and Taigen. Edward allowed himself one last look at the dimly glowing room. In spite of their beauty the rocks had filled him with a certain amount of dread, it had settled in his stomach and now simmered their uncomfortably. Tharin was no a good man, not a kind bone lingered in the entirety of his body. Whatever he planned Edward knew it would be disastrous for everyone. With a heavy heart, he turned to the doorway, making his way up the steps as if his very limbs were weighted with all that was to come.

The memory faded quickly and Draco found himself before the Sensieve, catching the last sight of it as it disappeared into the floor. He gulped when he teetered slightly on the edge of a dark abyss that appeared to have no bottom, but quickly the floor slid back into place and everything was solid again. He breathed a sigh of relief, turning quickly when he heard the sound of retching.

"Granger?" She was knelt on the floor, her hands splayed before her holding her up as she emptied her stomach, tears dripping from her chin. Without thinking much about his actions he rushed forward, pulling her hair out of her face and holding it back, hesitating only momentarily before placing his hand on her back, rubbing it gently. He tutted slightly when small little ringlets of hair kept springing for freedom, shaking his head and smiling in amusement. It was typically Granger.

"How in Merlin's name do you cope with all this hair?" The smile died on his face when Hermione heaved again, his hand moving in larger circles on her back, allowing the tips of his fingers to dig in slightly, hoping to make her feel better.

"It sucks doesn't it." He muttered solemnly, thinking of all that the Sensieve had made him see and experience. Hermione shook slightly as she tried to sit back, flopping almost helplessly against him. His hands grasped the tops of her arms as she began to sob, the sound of it making Draco's chest ache uncomfortably.

"They were all…" Hermione blubbed, sucking in gasping breaths to try and finish the sentence but only succeeded in crying more, her hands shaking and giving way beneath her.

Draco caught hold of her, grasping her upper arms and pulling her back into him, his own legs giving way under the weight. He'd expected her to fight him tooth and nail, to claw at his face and tell him to let her go, but she didn't. Hermione Granger slumped into him, her tears painting his white shirt. He slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him, his chin resting on top of her head as he whispered all the soothing words he could muster, mumbling them the way Edward had mumbled his love for Mina as if they were a precious secret.

"Why can't you always be like this." It was just a breath, a barely there utterance but he heard it and it made his chest feel tight, leaving him breathless.

As if realising what she had said, Hermione quickly ripped herself away from him, scooting along the floor as if his very touch had burnt her. Draco let his arms fall to his sides, his back falling against the wall. She would scream and shout at him, tell him that he was an arsehole and then they'd probably go back to ignoring each other again. He almost shrugged with resignation, this was his lot, to be hopelessly in love with a girl that couldn't stand the sight of him, didn't want to touch him.

"It was terrible." Hermione's words dragged him out of his own little world and made his eyes widen, she was talking to him, she was actually talking to him. Not screaming and telling him to go and shove whatever olive branch he'd been shakily trying to hold out to her, up his arse. Draco didn't trust himself to speak so instead leant forward a little, following her progress along the floor till he sat just a little in front of her, his legs crossed between them. Hermione seemed to be eyeing him warily but hadn't moved, so he took it as a good sign.

"What happened?" He could see tears shimmering in her eyes once again and he gently brushed them away with the pad of his thumb, shocked when Hermione threw herself against him, her hands gripping his shirt as she buried her head in his shoulder. He almost thanked the Sensieve at that moment for keeping them together and shoving them into memories that they had absolutely no control over. He was slightly suspicious that it was what the Sensieve wanted, for whatever reason it wanted them to know the truth and wanted them to find it out together. He knew he should be mad, should be incensed by the lack of control he seemed to have over his own life, but as he cradled Hermione in his arms he thought that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all.