The beginning

"You'll remember soon enough," Aelius said, then walked passed the two and looked up at Five. "Tell your brother I'm coming for him, Zeph. His time is over." Aelius flicked a coin to Five before disappearing into the rubble of the city.

"Jeez Luis," Anna mumbled while skittering over to Asterianna and pulling on her sleeve. She pulled the prophet down to ear level and whispered to her. "Hey, tell me what's going on and I'll find this Zeph and bring him here."

Tira grinned and flexed her other claw. "Good boy. Now...I am in need of your services. I need to make a little money, and that means growing some vegetation." She spotted the trowel jutting from William's pocket. "You, my dear, have such a talent. What do you say, eh? Want to help the Miser Queen out a little?"

Just as Cala opened her mouth to speak, a terrible pain shattered through her skull, filling her body with pain. She gasped, sliding forward against Soren and to her knees. A familiar, but malicious voice filled her head and a memory flooded over her. You will not make a fool of me again! the voice hissed, a wretched looking smile from the passed surfacing from her memories. Then there was blood and darkness. She pushed free of Soren's arms and grasped her head, finding her sanity before looking at him and speaking weakly. "I... may have remembered something..." she whispered weakly.
She struggled to standing on her trembling legs. "It was that man that made me remember... but I don't know why... Soren- Sir, there was a voice and blood. A man with a wicked smile that told me... 'you will not make a fool of me again'...then blood... So much I still tremble thinking about it..."

"I... won't help you..." William whimpered. "I'm not one of you!"

Tira tutted, the smile never leaving her face. She methodically straightened the wrinkles on William's shirt, flicking away dust with her sharp claws carelessly. "You know what will happen to you if you deny me what I want, right, William? What I will do to you?" She offered, smirking too-sweetly at him.

Soren frowned and nodded. "Was there anything else?" He asked, holding Cala steady.

"No," Cala whispered. "That's all."

Soren supported Cala and looked at Five. "You need to tell me everything you know of Aelius and the Dark Lord and anyone they are affiliated with," he said, quiet but firm. "I cannot work on stray memories and vague quota. I need any and all information." He placed a glowing hand to Cala's head to ease her pain and sighed wearily.

"There are laws, Magic Man," Five said while looking down at the poker chip in his hand. "You know that. I can't tell you anything. Kallias is the ambassador."

Athen's head snapped to attention as he sniffed the air and scowled. "Tira," he snarled, abandoning his fight and running through the city.

"I..." William swallowed hard. "You're not going to listen to me anyway!"

Moa crawled towards Bion's remains and started picking at the entrails. He chewed on one while watching Rose from the corner of his eye. He took a handful and started sneaking away slowly.

Tira giggled and shrugged. "Not really, little Miser," she replied. "You don't really have a choice either way. Though, if you chose to help me out a teeny little bit," she squeezed the index finger and thumb of a clawed hand together, "then you live. Simple as that."
Her ears twitched and she grimaced. "Athen..." She hissed. Her grip tightened on the boy. "Allow me to choose for you," she said in a soft, low voice. Her left eye widened and began to glow a bloodred color as she began to hypnotize William.

Soren sighed. "We need answers, Five. we cannot continue to walk for eternity in the dark."

Five suddenly got a smug look on his face. He threw his arms into the air. "What does someone like me know, Soren? You're one of the lost, aren't ya? You'll figure out it. Just ask your little white-haired friends." He shook his head and leaped towards the safe camp, landing with a cloud of dry dirt around him. "I've got to get back to the city soon. If you don't mind." He sprinted back to the camp, looking over his shoulder once towards Aileus' escape route. Damn it. Going around yelling my name like a fool... A cold sweat ran down his arms and neck.
He hurried into the center of the camp, taking a deep breath. He glanced towards the smell of Tira and shuddered inside, but remained calm. She's not stupid enough to attack the camp alone. Especially knowing Athen and I are both here and there's an exorcist right outside. He walked a few steps with his head craned towards he location when he sensed someone in his path and stopped abruptly. "Sharp?" he said before smirking. "Just wondering the markets today?"

Leon grunted, turning a broken vanity mirror around in his hands. "Just came by to see the new wares," he replied quietly. He looked at Five's reflection. "You look a little anxious."

"Demon's spawns have been pretty active lately," Five mumbled while looking over his shoulder. "Seth's got a weird eye infection or something. Freaking people out."

"Is that what that is outside the barricades?" He set the mirror down and picked up a dented radio. "I thought something smelled bad."
He looked up from the radio. "Eye infection?"

William slouched and tipped his head, feeling sleepy and unable to focus.

Asterianna shook her head slowly, her hands wringing each other. "Find Zeph. Tell him his brother is changing. Tell him the Dark is coming. Tira will raise Terror. The rich son will hunt with the Light and the Shadow. The Terror will fall to the Light, the Dark will spare the Shadow, but the halflings will suffer if Zeph doesn't claim his place."

Tira smiled. She dug deeper into William's mind, taking over his willpower. "You're going to come with me," her voice echoed softly through his mind. "You're going to help me. You're going to grow for me."

Aelius stopped outside an old tavern and looked through the dusty windows. "You see her?" he yelled in through the doors.

"I did." From behind the bar, Hayes emerged with magazine. "So now what?"

William answered with a nod and slumped his head to the side.