Ravyna sat deep in thought, she couldn't stop think about the stranger she had bumped into at the market.

He seemed so familiar but yet she couldn't place him. The front door slamming brought her back to the present. Pu'C entered the room.

"What's wrong?" He demanded, taking one look at her face.

"Nothing," she answered quickly. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" He snarled suspiciously.

"You and me," she replied, keeping her voice sincere. "It's been a while since you and I have had time to ourselves. Why don't we-"

"We have plenty of time," he stormed out of the room, leaving her.

Suddenly brazen with bravery, She got up and left the house.

…...

Asher looked up to see his father come through Tanya's front door. For the first time in his life, he was afraid of Duke's reaction, he sprung from his chair and attempted to put distance between him and his father.

Duke caught him with barely a strain and gripped his head, turning him so he could see the bruising.

"Dad-no-"

"Duke-" Mallory appeared. "Don't hurt him."

"I'm not," Duke snapped. "Who was it Asher?"

"I don't know-"

"Did they speak to you?"

"Yes, but they didn't say much."

"What did they say?"

Asher grew quiet, not wanting to relay the information.

Duke shook him a little, "Asher."

"That I looked like him...I think they meant you, and that I smelled like him. That's it."

Tanya walked out of a back room and pulled Duke's grip off Asher. "He'll heal, it wasn't a serious injury. Wildwing and I were talking, we think it might be best if we rotate Asher among us so the Brotherhood doesn't know where he is."

"That's a good idea," Mallory agreed quickly.

Duke hadn't taken his eyes off his son.

"Worry about Fledge...I have a feeling that he's in danger. Asher will be safe," Tanya continued. "We won't leave him alone."

Finally Duke nodded, slowly. "Sure."

…...

Later

Ravyna didn't notice how fast the night was settling until it was almost too dark to see. Turning down a side road, she noticed she was being followed by two ducks.

She quickened her pace, scolding herself for being an idiot, what moronic female walked around alone at night in Ducaine City? Her obviously.

"Hey babe," one called out to her.

She ignored them, tightening her hold on her purse strap. Someone grabbed her as she passed an alley. She let out a startled cry and swung her purse, hitting the duck squarely in the beak. He let go of her with a curse.

"Damn lady, you got bricks in there?"

She didn't get too far as the other two ducks caught up to her and one grabbed her, their hand snapping over her beak to keep her cries muffled.

"Gonna show you a good time, ain't we?" One breathed excitedly in her ear.

A sudden force yanked her to the ground, the duck who had ahold of her and had also fallen, was jerked away and thrown into a building wall. A golden something glowed close to her before it was swung up and poised at the one duck's throat.

"I think you owe this woman an apology, what do you say?" Her rescuer said calmly.

Ravyna skidded backwards, getting to her feet unsteadily, staring at her rescuer holding a golden saber.

"Fine...Sorry, there now lemme go."

The stranger tightened his hold on the duck, "let me add this up for you...your buddies have vanished. You're the only one to take the fall for your stupidity and I have no problem killing you."

"Okay, okay," the duck glanced at Ravyna, "I'm sorry." He returned a wilting gaze to his captor, "okay?"

The stranger let him go, keeping his saber at ready. "You have two seconds, if I still see you at the end of those two seconds, I'm coming after you."

The duck shot off, running faster than he could physically manage.

The stranger watched him go for a second before turning to face Ravyna. He took a half a step forward. The street light threw his features into sharp relief. The light made his hair seem like it was glowing, each strand of silver appeared like it melted in with his ivory feathers as one.

"Hello Ravyna."

She thought she died.

…...

Mallory felt like she was missing something as she and Duke returned without Asher to their home. She wanted Asher, but knew it was smart to rotate him among the Mighty Ducks, a family who could protect him. Everyday he'd spend a different night with one of them and end the week with Regla for two nights. She knew she didn't have to worry, but yet felt almost ashamed she couldn't be the one to protect him. She was after all the one who had given birth to him.

"All this," she murmured softly.

Duke half turned to her.

"All this because the Brotherhood wants him recruited...I'm beginning to wonder if its worth the fight Duke," she finished tiredly.

"It's not about him being recruited anymore, it's about them showing me that they can manipulate me into what ever they want," Duke explained. "And I ain't budging Mal. I'll admit, I was slightly put off when you told me you never wanted him in the Brotherhood; but the older I get and the years you and I spent raising him, you're right. It isn't a life for a kid, look at Fledge."

Mallory drifted towards him and embraced him. Her thoughts went back to Ches Longtale and the peculiar feeling she got when being with him.

"Duke,"

"Mmm,"

She took a breath, "Have you noticed-" she hesitated, "Ches or whatever his name is, he looks a little like me."

Duke opened his eyes and had a moment of blankness as he tried to understand Mallory's statement.

"What are you talking about?" He held her away from him by the shoulders.

"I don't know," she muttered, annoyed. "I need a drink, you should have one too."

…...

Ravyna kept quiet as she and Ches Longtale walked. She remembered him now after having not seen him in close to thirty-seven years. In the long years of her marriage to Pu'C, she had mentally buried all memories of before then.

"How have you been?" He asked, breaking the silence.

She wanted to say the truth, but found the lie that came out of her beak quite easy to spin. "Well, I've been well." She couldn't find anything to say at his question. "H-how about you?"

A ghostly smile spread across his face before disappearing. "Busy...keeping wars to a minimal."

She didn't know whether to smile or remain neutral. She chose the latter.

"Mallory came to me today..." he continued, either ignoring the silence between them or not caring.

Ravyna felt her heart jump, "she did?"

Ches nodded. "She has your fiery personality."

Ravyna scoffed, "I'm not like her at all...I wish I could be."

"Thirty-seven years really changed you?"

Ravyna glanced at him and remained quiet. Ches noticed her uncomfortableness.

"I know you and I never worked out...and I understand why. You were born to privilege and I was some semi-homeless kid from a broken family, but I'm here now Vyna."

She felt herself tear up as he called her by her nickname, a name she hadn't heard in more than three decades.

She turned to him. "I've left that house for the last time Ches. I'm not returning tonight. I've been miserable and I'm tired of it."

"Have you talked to Pu'C about it?"

Something passed in her face that made Ches instantly attentive.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing happened."

He stopped her from walking away by grabbing her shoulder and cradling her face between his hands.

"What happened?" he repeated.

…...

"So a meal, followed by a movie and then-" Nosedive stuck a finger up to make his point, "-then it's stick Canard's hand in a warm bucket while he's sleeping."

Asher grinned, "you can do that. I want him to continue liking me."

"Ah, he'll love you as long as he and my big bro continue having their gay-infatuation with each other."

Asher gave him a weird look, "Wing and Can aren't gay."

"That's what they want people to think, but I know, Wing's my bro after-all. And I say hey, whatever floats his canoe."

"What's a canoe?"

Nosedive remembered Asher had never been on Earth. "It's a type of boat."

"Oh."

The front door to the apartment opened, granting Wildwing and Canard entrance. Canard was brushing dust out of his hair. "I think I could have written my name on every piece of furniture, there was so much dust," he was saying.

Wing laughed, "well you-" he spun Canard into the bathroom, "-might want to get a shower so you don't asphyxiate Tanya when she gets here."

"She still has the allergies?" Canard stopped the door that Wing was closing.

"Not since returning to Puckworld," Dive answered, "but I'm sure she won't be happy to be reminded of the misery she was in." He flashed Canard a smile.

"Huh," Canard let the door go so it could shut.

"What are you doing?" Wing leaned against the corner, observing Dive.

"I'm cooking, what it look like?"

"I don't know, what do you say Ash?"

"Attempting to cook," Asher replied.

"Right, you're attempting to cook," Wing echoed.

Dive mouthed their response mockingly. "I'm doing a good job, don't judge me."

"I won't judge you, I might judge the food though," Wildwing disappeared upstairs with a smile.

Asher returned his attention to Dive.

…...

Later

Mallory woke up to pounding downstairs. Getting up she stumbled down the stairs to the door. Duke followed her, yanking on a black t-shirt. He pulled her away from the door and put himself in front of her, protectively. He opened the door to an irate Pu'C.

"Where is she!" He roared.

"Who?" Mallory was still partially asleep. She rubbed her face in an effort to wake up.

"Don't treat me like I'm two! You know who!" Spit flew from the enraged duck.

"Listen, it's in the middle of the night, the neighbors are gonna start complainin', " Duke began.

"Shut the hell up!" Pu'C tried to force his way in. "RAVYNA!"

"She's not here dad, go home."

Duke produced his saber like magic, it activated with a light whoosh. The sudden appearing tip made Pu'C jump back.

"Back off."

"You f***ing piece of garbage," Pu'C snarled, "I could hang you for this."

"But you won't," Duke baited. "Go home. Ravyna isn't here, if she comes, you'll be the first to know." He shut the door in his face.

He turned to face Mallory who was almost white-faced. "Mal-" He deactivated his sword.

"If my mother's not home...where is she?"

…...

Unlike most of the Blade members, Ches had a separate home to call his own, much like Duke. Ravyna studied her surroundings in curiosity. Everything was neat and had its place. She noted the most abundant objects were relics of Puckworld's many moons. Some of them glowed from their own energy, others laid quietly.

"Where are we?"

He glanced at her as he lit a few candles. "Underneath the Drake Ducaine Museum."

At her incredulous expression, he laughed, "I've never stolen from them."

"But you have others."

He grew serious, "yes, I have."

Ravyna found she didn't care.

…...

He made a bed for her on the couch.

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"I usually sleep here, I don't have a bed. I can drag out a cot I have.

Ravyna looked around the one room apartment and realized he was right. There wasn't a bed. Another realization hit, Ches Longtale was still as homeless as the day she left him, he was just older, wiser and more resourceful.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He paused. "your welcome."

…...

"It gets cold at night, so I'm giving you this," he laid a second blanket down for her. She pulled it over herself and settled down. He went across the room and laid down on his own bed.

Ravyna waited a beat before asking, "did Mallory ask? She doesn't suspect, does she?"

He glanced at her, "no she didn't ask...why?"

Ravyna shook her head, "I've just-" she blushed in the darkness. "I dreaded telling her for so many years...but now I want her to know that the duck she's been disappointed in is in no way related to her. I want her to know its you."

"Ravyna, I'm not her father...a father is there for their child. I haven't been."

She sat up in anger, "it wasn't your fault. Pu'C has never been there either for her, so there."

"And what of when she learns her father is the leader of the Brotherhood of the Blade? Huh? What then?" He had also sat up, staring at her through the dark.

She didn't have a response. "Pu'C is going to be angry," she changed the subject.

"Pu'C is no different than graduation day, a pompous ass," Ches snapped, not angry at her.

"You didn't graduate," she reminded him.

"True, but I still remember him in school. He's lucky I didn't know he hit you sooner, I would have killed him and don't think I don't have the means to do it."

"I know you do." She laid down again and fell silent, trying to sleep.

A few days later

Emilia noticed a few ducks dressed simply, standing near the entrance of the school the last five minutes of the academic day.

"Fledge," she grabbed him by his shirt front and towed him to a window. "Do you recognize them?"

He gave them all a hard look. "Yeah, I do. That's Fargo, Denzal and Hardin."

"Are they-?"

"They're loyal to my dad and Flyght if that's what you're asking. I've heard those two have paired up since this whole thing with Asher got serious."

"What should we do?" She asked. She glanced at him when he didn't answer. "Fledge?"

"Nothing...I don't want to go back to the Brotherhood and if they see me, they'll drag me back, I can't risk it. I like being with Asher's parents."

Emilia listened his words. He sounded sheepish at mentioning Asher's parents, but she understood. Fledge had never had a real family setting before and now that he had seen what it was supposed to be like, he didn't want to let it go.

"We'll leave through the back of the school then."

…...

That proved to be a problem however, when two more Blade members were stationed at the rear exit of the school. Lyght was first to leave the doorway and quickly backpedalled into Rosco, upon seeing the two menacing ducks.

"Get in you slowpoke!" he hissed, shoving Rosco and Asher back. "We're trapped."

Fledge was staring at Rosco.

"What?"

"No we're not."

…...

"Come on guys," Rosco whined, "I'm blind without them."

Fledge set Rosco's glasses on Asher's nose, who squeezed his eyes shut after only a second of looking through the lens. "Man Rosc, you are blind."

"See they do look alike," Fledg stepped back to observe the two who had switched clothes and hair style. It took a while for Emilia to mess up Rosco's hair as much as Asher's was constantly and it took equal time to tame Asher's.

"I hate this," Asher tried to run his fingers through his hair only to have Emilia hit his hand away. "Stop it, you're messing it up."

"So here's the deal, Rosco, Emmy, you two are gonna walk out, hand in hand." Fledge pointed to them.

Rosco whimpered.

"And while the Blade members are attracted to you, we'll go out the other way."

"Okay, let's go Asher." Emilia pulled him away.

"On a scale of one to ten Fledge-," Lyght began.

"Zero," Fledge murmured.

Asher felt his stomach flip at his friend's answer.

"Let's go."

…...

Mallory walked to the vehicle that the government forced her to rent. She rather walk, but the PSF insisted she have some form of transport; so they supplied her with a dinky Geodonal, a car that was meant for the the warmer climate of Puckworld, approximately 3,300 human miles away from her location at that exact point in time.

"Morons," she snapped to herself as she fit the key into the door.

She got a pricking feeling that someone was sneaking up on her and didn't have time to move out of the way.

That someone grabbed her, holding her immobile against the car. Instinct kicked in as she snapped her head back, whacking her attacker in the face. Turning she spun a kick into their chest knocking them back.

The duck gasped and then tackled her, throwing her off balance and landing her on her back on the cement ground. Her head hit the hard ground and stars dancing in her eyes.

"You little bitch!" The duck snarled in her face, a cloud of rot hitting her, she wanted to gag. "You think you're so clever...so smart to 'remove' your kid from your house...but we know where he is and who he's with. He's ours."

"Who are you people?" Mallory recovered enough to spat. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

She kicked him in the crotch hard. He let go of her with a yell of pain and rolled off her, holding himself.

She sprang to her feet and didn't bother with the car. Instead she took off running, knowing the duck behind her would be too incapacitated to give it his best effort to chase her.

…...

Denzal lit a joint and inhaled the content of his illegal drug with a happy sigh. "Yo, when's this kid appearin'? I ain't got all day."

Hardin threw him a look, "you do got all day until the boss says you don'"

"Fargo also lit his own joint. "Well, Flyght isn't boss yet...Longtale is still boss."

"Longtale is past his prime, 's time the old man was replaced," Hardin snapped. Once Longtale's outta the way, it won't be long before L'orange and Drebeer follow. The Brotherhood has grown up-" He froze, "-there's the L'orange kid."

He pointed across the way to two lone figures in the school yard. "Let's go."

They closed in.

…...

"I don't know about this," Asher admitted as Fledge waited for the two members to budge.

"Oh quit bein' a baby," Lyght snapped.

Fledge whacked him, "he isn't a baby...you've never had to deal with the Brotherhood Lyghter, so don't pass judgement."

Lyght made a face that Fledge didn't catch.

"They're moving, let's go."

Quietly, the three tiptoed out of the school and outside, keeping a look on their surroundings while they made a beeline for the back gate. They made it much to Fledge's surprise. This is too easy for the Brotherhood.

He was proven right when he found himself staring at Denisa. "Oh shit."

She turned, a wide smile on her beak. "Fledger," she cooed. "How nice of you to drop by."

"Denisa," he backed away as she advanced. "I was just leaving with my friends."

"Your friends," she echoed, her gaze sliding to Lyght and then to Asher who had a baseball like hat on, the brim hiding his face.

Asher found himself hating his appearance again. No one else had feathers like him and no one else was easily recognizable with a grey patch circling one eye. He might as well have Tanya engineer a billboard, saying, 'I'm Here.'

Denisa sighed, "too bad I can't simply let you go. Your father is worried sick about you Fledger."

"He isn't my father. I don't have a father," Fledge snarled.

Denisa eyes bore into Asher as she studied him. "You look oddly familiar. Almost like Mallory McMallard's boy..."

Fledge's beak opened before he could stop it. "M-Mallory? You know her?"

Denisa smiled again, "I work with her."

They were interrupted to someone yelling her name across the court yard. "DENISA! IT'S NOT HIM!"

"Time to go," Fledge grabbed Asher and began to run with Lyght along side him. Denisa stood, startled for a moment before realizing everything.

"FLEDGER!" She began to chase them.

…...

The three kids shot down an alleyway that was blocked by a wooden gate. "Come on Ash, you're L'orange's kid, don't make him disappointed," Fledge panted heavily as they continued full speed towards the gate.

Asher understood what he meant, so he jumped as they reached it and damn near cleared it before Fledge who had had training in scaling obstacles like that. Asher landed on his feet on the other side and waited as Fledge dropped over and then Lyght.

"Go!" Fledge pushed Asher, taking off to the end of alley. "A gate isn't gonna stop her."

Sure enough, she dropped behind them, "L'orange!"

"Don't look at her," Fledge still had ahold of him, as he surveyed the busy traffic in front of them.

"How we gonna cross this?" Lyght looked uncertain for the first time.

"We are, you go home...now."

"What?"

"L'orange! Stay right where you are!" Denisa screamed behind them.

"Go Lyght!"

Lyght ran off.

Asher yanked at Fledge, "Look the Precinct."

"What about it?"

"Regla's there."

Fledge took a breath, "let's go."

Asher felt himself on edge as the traffic zoomed around them. Incessant beeping as the two constantly came close to being roadkill deafened him. Denisa had followed them into the traffic and were getting closer to them then they were getting to their safety zone. Finally Fledge took a chance and shot with Asher in tow across two of the last lanes. A car appeared, barreling down on them, Asher froze staring into the lights, knowing it would be the last thing he ever saw.

Fledge threw him out of the way and got clipped on the exterior mirror of the car. The impact sent him spinning away from Asher.

"Fledge!"

His friend crawled to his knees, dazed. "Go."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

Denisa had been cut off for the moment, stuck between two lanes of traffic.

"Get up!" Asher yelled at him, trying to pull him up. "Get up Fledge!"

Slowly Fledge got to his feet and followed Asher as they made it to the steps of the Precinct. Denisa just on the steps as they burst in through the doors.

A female cop glanced at them, "can I help you?"

Asher found he didn't have enough air to even attempt to talk, his head was spinning and he felt like he was ready to pass out. Fledge looked no better.

"We-" Asher's world went black.

…...

"He's just had a little too much excitement it seems," a voice belonging to someone old was talking. Asher caught every other word.

Shapeless figures loomed above him as his eyes adjusted.

"What happened?" He asked foggily.

"You fainted," the lilting voice continued.

Asher didn't know what to make of that. Since when did he faint?

The same female cop appeared. "Regla's on his way..."

Everything suddenly sharpened to Asher. "Regla-he's not here?" He tried to sit up but the lilting toned duck pushed him down.

The door opened and Regla appeared. His gaze swept from Asher to Fledge who was sitting in a chair holding his arm stiffly and back to Asher. "What happened?"

"The Brotherhood is stepping up their aggression," Fledge muttered.

Regla got a chill.

"I'm going to take them," he said to the two ducks. They nodded.

…...

"Mallory, when you get this message, call me," Regla tossed his communicator into his passenger seat.

"You can't get ahold of my mom?" Asher asked in the backseat.

"She's probably tied up at work."

"It's after five, she never stays this late," Asher replied pointedly.

Regla didn't answer as he turned down Asher's home street. A light was on in the house, showing someone was home. He got out and stopped Fledge and Asher.

"Stay behind me," he unholstered his gun and made his way towards the house.

As they got closer they could hear an alarm going off.

Regla paused by the door and then kicked it open, his gun out and ready. His hand came back, behind him, to take ahold of Asher.

Someone's footsteps came towards them, quiet. A moment of silence except for the alarm ensued and then Regla darted forward just as the other person jumped out of the shadows.

Regla found himself staring at the end of a gun, held by Mallory, her expression severe.

"Relga?"

He lowered his gun as she did the same.

"Why is the alarm going off?" He asked as she passed him to the security box on the wall. She shut it off and turned to him.

"I had to break in, I left my keys at the base."

He took in her appearance better and saw she had an abrasion on her arm.

"What happened?"

Her eyes flickered to Asher and Fledge, her attention pausing on Fledge's arm being held close to his stomach. "Fledge, what's wrong with your arm?"

The kid swallowed. "I was hit by a car."

"You said you fell," Regla accused.

"I did," Fledge responded.

Regla rolled his eyes, annoyed. "You know what I was asking when I asked it." He pulled Fledge's arm out of his coat sleeve and observed the injury.

The mirror had skinned his arm, taking a significant amount of skin and feathers off. "You're lucky that's all that happened to you. What hit you?"

"The mirror."

"Wait, a car? What were you doing for a car to hit you?" Mallory came forward.

Asher glanced at Fledge uneasy.

"We crossed the Skuogal," Fledge admitted.

"The Skuogal? You could have been killed!"

"Well, we did and we had your co-worker after us," Fledge added, his own tone slightly accusing.

"What co-worker?"

"Denisa, she knows me, more personally than I'd like."

Denisa, Mallory thought. She remembered their little chat from a few days ago. "Regla..."

The male duck snapped to attention.

"Is there anything direly important at home for you do to?"

…...

The Brotherhood of the Blade

Ceberus Patterrn smashed a bottle against the wall. "What do you mean, you couldn't catch him!"

Denisa took a breath, "what do you expect Ceberus? I march into the Ducaine 495 Precinct and drag the brat you can't keep ahold of out?"

"YES!" The enraged duck snarled. "And that scrawny freak of nature out with him."

Denisa had enough, "then you do it."

"No Denisa, that's what you're for..." Boron Flyght came out of the shadows. "We," he pointed to himself and Patterrn, "-are the brains of the operation to take down Ches Longtale."

"Is that really going to work?" She asked skeptically. "Ches has been the leader for close to twenty something years...he has many loyal members."

"Oh, it'll work...especially since I got this." Boron slapped a stack of papers down on the table.

"Wha'z this'th?" Patterrn slurred.

"Duke L'orange's girl's birth certificate...I wasn't even lookin' for it and happen to stumble upon it at the library in the information computers. Guess whose not her daddy."

Denisa tilted her head, confused. "What?"

"That's right," Flyght said with a grin that was missing teeth. "Retired Commander Pu'C McMallard ain't any more her daddy than he is mine...Ches Longtale is her daddy."

…...

"That's impossible," Denisa yanked the copy of the certificate off the top of the stack. But sure enough, Ches's name was under the father's line. "Does she even know?"

Boron scoffed loudly, "how'd I know? You work with the bitch."

"How are you going through with this?" Denisa forced herself to ask. She couldn't acknowledge the death of their leader.

"Oh, I ain't touchin Ches, Spaulding's gonna take care of that...he don't know yet..."

"Spaulding?" Denisa repeated horrified. "You're going to make Spaulding kill Ches?"

"It's the way to becoming a full-fledged member, no pun intended Ceberus."

"No, the way is by pulling off a heist..."

Boron wagged a finger, "no, that's Ches's way, not ours." He looked at her hard. "Should I be worried Denisa?" He took a step toward her, forcing her into the wall with no escape.

"Of course not," she made her voice cold. "I have to go..." She put the birth certificate back and left.

…...

Outside, Denisa pulled the birth certificate out to look at it. Denisa wasn't a killer, she never had been and in the scheme of things, she liked Ches Longtale. He had made many changes in the Brotherhood, one being the children of the members didn't have to be automatic members. Her own daughter had grown up, and at eight years old, she was ignorant of life's cruelties as she was safe from the Brotherhood. And staring at the certificate in her hands, Denisa saw Ches Longtale had wanted nothing more than the same for his own child-daughter, Denisa thought.

She thought back to attempting to apprehend Fledge and Asher. The way the L'orange kid had scaled the gate faster than his own friend who had been in the Brotherhood all his life told her that Asher was a born member, even though he may never become one.

She folded the paper, making her decision. Ches wasn't going to die and she was no longer a participant in the Flyght/Patterrn take over. She headed out of the Brotherhood.

…...

It was a half hour after the last of the Mighty Ducks showed up at Mallory's house, that the doorbell rang. Mallory opened the door to see Denisa.

"You f***ing bitch," she snarled, slamming Denisa back into a support on the porch. The female duck didn't fight her. "Get off my f***ing property before I kill you."

"Ma-"

Mallory tightened her hold on Denisa's throat, cutting her air supply almost off completely.

"Mal-" Duke appeared and pulled the two away from each other. Mallory tried to get around Duke at the female and ended up in a bear hug by Grin.

"Let go of me Grin!"

"You need to calm down," he replied calmly.

"No, she almost got my kid and Fledge killed! Do you know that? Did you see the f***ing car hit Fledge!"

"I thought it missed him," Denisa didn't look assured that Mallory was restrained enough. "When I saw him get thrown, I was only worried about whether he was injured."

"Bull Shit!" Mallory exploded.

"I'm here to tell you something, you need to hear it...it involves all of you." Denisa pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. She stretched it out to the Mallory. "Let her take it," she said to Grin.

Slowly, Grin released her except his hand, which he kept on her shoulder as a way to yank her back if she decided to try and attack Denisa again.

Glaring at her, Mallory swiped it out of her hand and found herself staring at her own birth certificate. "So? Is this a confession for going through my private information?"

Denisa was undeterred, "look at the patriarch name."

"This is ridiculous," Mallory scoffed. "It's Pu'C McMallard-I don't need some paper to tel-" Her gaze landed on the name.

Unconsciously, she paced away from Grin, staring at the name.

"What is it?" Duke asked. He moved with her, but remained a distance away.

"Pu'C McMallard isn't related to Mallory...he's not her father." Denisa took a breath, "Chester Longtale is."

"Who?" Nosedive asked at the same time Duke uttered a shocked, 'what?' Everyone watched him as he went to Mallory's shoulder to stare at the name.

"There has to be-this is a mistake-" Mallory pulled off sounding so sure of herself.

"No, it's not a mistake and this is spreading through the Brotherhood...Duke," Denisa took a step forward. "Flyght and Patterrn are going to kill Ches. I don't know when...I made them suspicious by displaying my true emotions for the idea, so they didn't tell me much."

"I don't know where he is-" Duke ran his hand through his hair, clearly aggravated. "No one's seen him in the last couple of days."

A thought hit Mallory, "how many days?"

"I don't know, at least two or so." Duke glanced at her. "Why?"

"My mother's been missing the same number of days."