The leader of this colony's people was loud through the gag. Gnov ignored him and kept her eyes on the crimson vessel that was landing at the edge of the city. Half of her visor showed the visual of the officer leading the primary team toward the landing site. As the Retribution touched down, she whispered, "Hold your position, Ovrek." She said over her shoulder, "How long before they take off?"

Haerth yanked the gag down. The official cursed, "Imperial blistock! Lestering hroth-"

Haerth backhanded the man and said, "Answer the arbiter's question."

"Arbiter? So the empress has stooped to new levels. I won't betray my liege even if you live up to that title." The official spat at her.

"Arbiter, what are your orders?"

Gnov watched the crew of the Retribution disembark. Two stood near the ship as guards, four went to the natives who brought over carts of produce. Then a child ran from the ship and the crew watched her carefully. Through Ovrek's com, Gnov heard a woman say, "Don't wander too far, sweetheart."

"I won't, mama!"

Gnov watched Acxa step lightly to the ground and follow the child. She wore a dress, something Gnov had never seen her do before. Her bare feet crossed the ground fleetingly as she ran after the child, catching her around the middle and kissing her cheeks. The child giggled, oblivious of the danger lurking nearby.

"What are you doing? Leave them alone!"

Gnov spared a glance at the official they held hostage and said into her coms, "Place the tracker and retreat to the rendezvous. You have three dobosches." To Haerth she said, "Take him to the ship. I have many questions for the journey."

"Don't you lay a hand on them!"

He grunted as Haerth gagged him again and started pulling him from the room. Gnov followed to where their ship was camouflaged and they boarded. Ovrek finished her mission and the team entered the bridge behind her. She watched the Retribution and instructed, "Get us in the air. I don't want to lose them before we confirm the tracker is active."

"Vrepit sa."

Gnov pulled up the audio Ovrek had caught from tapping the Retribution's communications and listened again. "Mama, can we go to the market?"

Acxa set the girl on her feet and knelt beside her. "No, Rhea. Your father is waiting for us. Uncle Frenik promised he'd be awake when we returned home."

Gnov frowned. She knew that name had been familiar. Frenik. The doctor who had trained beneath Talias. Had he been kidnapped? His disappearance had turned up no clues and the investigation had closed without resolution. She was worried the answer was more sinister than they'd originally thought.

"Milady, we're loaded and secure for take off."

Acxa stood and took Rhea's hand. "Come along, sweet child. Keith is waiting for us."

Gnov's attention jumped to the monitors as the Retribution lifted into the air. She watched, waiting for something to go wrong. Someone to notice them. This whole operation had gone so fluidly, her instincts screamed that there was something she was missing. Then the tracker confirmed the Retribution's position. Perhaps their enemy really did believe their position undetected.

Gnov closed the audio file. "Stay with that ship. If they discover the tracker, line of sight is all we have."

"Vrepit sa, Arbiter."

Keith blocked an incoming strike and held the sentry at bay with his dagger. Movement to his right caused him to throw up a quintessence shield. A pulsing pain shot through his head when the sentry attacked repeatedly with unnatural strength and Keith screamed when his shield failed. With an inward explosion, he was launched backward. He grunted when he hit the wall and crumpled to his knees. For a second, his vision swam and faded to black.

Grimacing, he forced himself forward, blinking to clear his head. He stumbled. His feet went out from beneath him and he fell in a dazed heap. "End... end simu..." He gazed across the room with a blank expression, but keeping his eyes open was becoming impossible. He passed out as purple beams of energy shot past him.

"Keiteran? Brother? It is time to wake up."

Keith groaned and winced when he opened his eyes. He covered his face with a hand and Frenik said, "Ah, there you are, my prince. You had us worried for a moment. Let me see." He gently pulled Keith's hand down and the lights weren't so bright. Then a pen light was flashed in his eyes and Keith winced again. Frenik mumbled, "How long were you sparring?"

Keith groaned and shook his head. Apothica volunteered, "I saw him enter. Acxa came to me when he hadn't returned to their suite. I found him collapsed two quintants after he disappeared."

Frenik took Keith's wrist and he felt the sting of a needle. The flash of IV fluids entered his veins and Keith looked to Apothica. "Is Lotor still in the north wing?"

Frenik glanced at Keith's eyes, then away and deflected, "You've been resting in my ward for nearly three quintants, but you should take it easy. You were severely dehydrated when Apothica rushed you to me, my prince."

Keith sat up and gripped the blanket in his fists. "Don't ignore me, Frenik. Where is Lotor?"

Apothica put a hand on Frenik's arm and nodded. Frenik finished with the IV and left the room. Keith closed his eyes against a pulsating headache behind his eyes. "Brother, what is wrong?"

Keith rubbed his temples. "It's just this headache."

"No," Apothica denied. "We've all seen how you are around him, brother. You're different and it's worrying us, our mistress most of all. Keith, what is it about him? Is it jealousy?"

"You rarely call me by that name, sister," Keith murmured. She said nothing, but slid closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. Keith sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Frowning at the floor, he said, "I'm not... jealous. Not of him... or his relationship with Honerva. But I'm afraid." Keith covered her hand with his and admitted, "I don't know how to help either of them."

"Your mother is fine. Her attacks have been less frequent than I can remember in decapheobs. Keith, you help her so much more than I ever could and now Lotor is here and she is determined. She has a purpose again." Apothica squeezed his hand. "She really does love him, in her own way. If only he could see how much she is trying."

"Love wouldn't lock him away. Love shouldn't hurt." He'd gone to the training deck because he'd felt worthless after talking to Honerva. Now he knew that wasn't correct. Keith pulled out of Apothica's grip and reached for his shirt. "I don't care what Honerva says, I'm getting him out of there."

"Keith? Keiteran, stop. We can't- Brother, she will be furious. Don't do this! Please!"

He ignored Apothica's begging. The pounding in his temples increased with every step while he walked to the north wing of the manor. The druids watched him, some clearly surprised to see him, others reaching out to stop him. They all withdrew as his quintessence drove everyone away.

He paused at the locked door that led to the north wing. A hand brushed his shoulder and he hissed, "Don't touch me."

"My lord, it is not safe-"

"I said don't touch me." His power flared and the druid was thrown off. He didn't care. All that mattered was getting through this door. Keith put a hand flat on the wood and concentrated. It cracked and splintered as the very integrity of its make up threatened to shatter and it did. Thousands of shards flew inward and he walked down the hall and up a grand staircase.

The windows here were also shattered. When the sun died, the last flares had been too much, burning the house. The windows had liquefied then instantly refroze, cracking in their frames. And without the sun, there was no protection from the radiation that poisoned this solar system.

He could already feel the prickling pain sting his exposed skin. Haggar had been right, of course. This wouldn't be lethal for a short duration, but she had decided and it was not short. Keith stopped and closed his eyes, arms wide spread in the hallway. His senses honed in on Lotor's quintessence and it pulled him through the abandoned section of the manor.

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. From nerves or the aforementioned dehydration he didn't care. He focused on the energy. It was harder than he expected and he was forced to sort through weird patterns. He didn't see where he was going and ran into a closed door.

Taking a step back, he rubbed his forehead and calmed his breathing. He reached out and touched the doorknob. It turned easily. Keith entered the room. A lamp rested on a bedside table, fuel long spent. A small bed was tucked into the corner and a toy chest lay tipped on its side. Keith searched for the source of Lotor's quintessence and sighed in relief when he saw his shape curled up on the bed. Keith approached and called, "Lotor, wake up."

Keith heard muttering before Lotor jolted and twisted yelling, "Yelmors!"

Keith froze, his outstretched hand became defensive in surprise. "Hey, you awake?"

Lotor looked around, distant eyes finding Keith's face. Sitting upright, he rubbed his eyes with the heel of a palm and asked, "Keith? Has that crone finally summoned me?"

"No," Keith answered. He couldn't tell the extent of radiation damage in the dark. "She's going to have to accept my judgement on this. Follow me. You've been exposed too long already."

"Exposed?" Lotor stood slowly, reaching out to catch his balance on the table. "That explains why I feel so unwell." He took two steps and stumbled. Keith lurched forward and caught him against his chest. Lotor's breath huffed against Keith's neck as he reassured, "I'm fine. Sorry."

Keith made a doubtful noise and moved until he could lift one of Lotor's arms over his shoulders. "Just try to warn me if you're about to pass out."

Lotor chuckled weakly and Keith took the lead. When he reached an intersection he paused. After a minute, Lotor said, "It's right, beloved." Keith groaned and turned. A few minutes later, Lotor mentioned, "This brings back memories."

"Good or bad?"

"Both?"

Keith furrowed his brows at the weakened tone. "How so?"

Lotor grunted and sucked a breath through his teeth before answering. "I remember meeting you on Faive. You were so striking and beautiful. Then I was afraid. You were bleeding out in my arms."

"Sounds like it was all bad to me," Keith commented.

Lotor laughed again, weaker still. "Yes... but they are memories of you, and lately I'll take any reprieve I can get."

More of his weight leaned into Keith and they came to a stop. "Whoa, Lotor, easy. We're almost there."

Lotor fell, turning more into Keith. "A favor, if I may, my heart. Don't step between Haggar and myself. I won't be able to bear another dagger in your back."

Keith resisted the urge to nuzzle into Lotor's neck with a kiss, but teased, "What kind of blade would I be if I couldn't protect the royal bloodline?"

"Keith," Lotor said in complete seriousness.

Keith stepped back and lifted his chin. "I can handle myself, Lotor, and I will protect you and Acxa and everyone from Honerva. That is my mission, has been my mission, since the kidnapping. And my mission comes before everything. Trust me, love. Trust my capabilities."

"Ha! Your capabilities? I know how adamant you can be, so why am I surprised?" Lotor resumed walking. "We're almost there. Take the next left."

Keith finally realized they were nowhere near the south wing. "Where are you taking me?"

Lotor grunted from exertion, but pushed forward. "When the druids hid me away, I wandered. There are only two doors that were locked, the main door to the rest of the house and this one... and I can tell by your surprise that you were unaware."

This door was different than any other in the manor. Manufactured. Someone had made it recently and that was a heavy security lock. Keith clenched a shaking fist. "Why would she hide this from me?"

"Care to find out?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. Lotor wasn't usually so... intrusive. He walked to the door-pad. "I don't have access, but who's to say you don't."

Keith approached the door uneasily. Whatever Honerva had locked away must surely be dangerous, either to them or the empire. He needed to know if only to warn Kolivan and his mother of the threat they faced. He reached out and rested a hand on the door pad. No response. She didn't trust him with this? Caution bells going crazy in his head, he put his hands on the door and closed his eyes.

He sent tendrils of energy out, each hesitant, and he half expected to be attacked at any moment. He flinched when he sensed movement. It was alive, but something was blocking him. He couldn't get any closer. It was familiar, though. In a terrifying way. Keith retracted back to himself. "We need to open this."

He crouched by the console and pulled out his dagger. Picking at the hilt, he loosened a thread of wire and unwound enough to connect to the locking mechanism. Lotor leaned closer and asked, "What are you doing?"

Geometric shapes and numbers flashed across the door-pad as Keith answered, "Katie gave me an upgrade. I can hack almost anything with this little device and there's a chip reader in the base of the hilt. In an emergency, it will broadcast whatever I find to the blades, but it'll blow my cover. This is the first time I've needed to use it. Hopefully I won't have to engage its secondary procedure. There. It's open." Keith stood as the doors slid apart. The lights began to glow and Keith entered with his dagger drawn. "Stay behind me."

The air here was stale. Stagnant. If Honerva was performing experiments here, it had been a while since her last visit. Lotor went to the counter. Dust stirred beneath his fingers. He spread out some pages. "What is this?"

Keith kept his eye on the room and sidestepped toward Lotor. "This whole room feels wrong. I don't like it here." The lights kept flickering, sputtering while they struggled to power on. Like something else required the energy necessary.

"Keith, this is about transferring quintessence. The process. And suppression." He frantically flipped through the data. "Beloved, she's holding something very strong in tenuous check. I think we should leave. We were never meant to find this."

Keith gripped the knife harder. "Agreed. Grab the files and let's go." Everything in his body warned him that this place was dangerous. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, the red lion was reaching out to him directly. Despite Lotor's warning, he showed no signs of actually leaving. Keith insisted, "Lotor, I'm scared. We need to go!"

"Just a moment. Beloved, he's here."

"Who? Lotor, please. Please." Keith was practically in tears, shaking head to toe. His pleading finally made Lotor look up from the research he'd engrossed himself in.

"This is where she took him."

As if by magic, the lights finally kicked on after Lotor's dramatic revelation. Keith jumped and Lotor reached for his hand. The room was empty apart from an altean healing pod. At least, that's the purpose it had originally served. There were half a dozen cables hooked up to it. The tang of metal in the air made Keith's teeth hurt and he seemed to vibrate from the amount of energy in the room.

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth for different reasons now. He could hardly think over the heartbeat in his temples. Struggling not to hyperventilate, he approached the pod one slow step at a time.

"No, Keith, my heart," Lotor protested. His hand shook where he clutched Keith's arm. "We know where he is now, you don't have to look." Keith barely heard him. He licked his lips and touched the front of the pod. The frosted glass took a moment to clear. It wasn't enough warning. He was asleep. It didn't look like a day had passed since he'd vanished. Somehow the pod had induced stasis. It was too much to process.

When Keith saw Shiro's face, he fell to his knees dry heaving. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. There was just this sickness inside of him. "He was here. He was here the whole time. Oh god, I was so close. Oh god." Lotor's hands squeezed his shoulders. Keith hugged his chest, bent over his knees. "He was here, my brother was here and I didn't know. Lotor, I didn't know!"

"Look at me. Look at me!" Lotor yanked Keith upright and forced him to make eye contact. "Of course you didn't know because that witch didn't want you to. This isn't your fault. This isn't your fault." He pulled Keith to his chest. "This isn't your fault." Lotor's mantra finally got through Keith's panic. He gulped for air, choking on sobs. Then a lion roared.

Like lightning, he felt her. Pain sharp as a hot knife drove its way through his skull into his brain and he screamed. Lotor held him when he collapsed again. He ran his hand over Keith's hair, his cheeks, his lips. He whispered desperately, "Don't do this to me, Keith. Tell me what's happening. I can't watch you suffer."

The pain receded, though the message was clear. Keith whimpered into Lotor's lap. "She knows I'm here. Lotor, she knows and she's furious. Honerva's summoned me. I need to return to her. She'll only hurt me more if I resist." He shivered and Lotor was warm. Keith managed a half smile. "Heh, guess this does bring back memories." Then Honerva returned to his mind and he screamed again.

Allura woke up screaming. Lance jolted a moment later struggling with the blankets. When he finally disentangled himself, Allura had fallen out of bed. She was curled up in the corner against the wall with her head in her hands. Lance jumped out of bed and knelt beside her. "Babe, what's wrong? Allura, talk to me."

"He found something. Lance, he's so scared. He's terrified. Lance, something's happened. Red... Red is beyond distraught. I can't understand her."

Lance shook his head. She had to be talking about Keith, but what did it mean? Then Black roared. His vision swam and wavered before clearing. He was seeing through Keith's eyes. The room was bright with surgical white light. He was on the ground, gently rocking. The blur returned and Lance realized Keith was crying.

"We have to go back to her. We have to, Lotor."

"Yes, beloved, we will, but we know where he is. We won't abandon him."

"She'll take him away. I'll lose him again."

Lotor loomed into view. "No, because you are her chosen son and I will submit. Keith, this is the chance we've waited for. We won't fail him again."

Lance struggled to take in everything that was happening. It was too fast. Too sudden. Then Keith looked up and Lance understood. He was sucked back to himself eons away across the galaxy and he saw he was clutching Allura's arm. His lungs weren't cooperating and then he was coughing. When the attack faded, he heard Allura repeat, "Lance? What did you see?"

"It's Shiro. They found him. Keith found him."

How's that for ramping up the tension?