Zack barely held back a groan as he came back from oblivion to find himself being carried. His eye from before had swollen completely shut, and he was having trouble breathing, among other things. Several of his teeth were loose, and the taste of blood clung heavily to his tongue.

“What happened?” He asked after swallowing the taste down. There was fog covering his thoughts, slowing everything down. It was also preventing him from following the mental trail back to whatever had happened to him.

“What happened, is you just got your bacon saved.” Despite the muffling effect the masks they wore caused, Zack could tell that the speaker was a woman this time. “That noble brat was thinking of finishing the job this time.”

Zack tried to focus and push past the fog. His brain felt as though it was rocking on the deck of an ocean-born ship, as everything slipped and flip-flopped away from him.

He swallowed and licked his cracked and bloody lips. “Why? I didn’t think he was that far gone in the head.”

“You pushed him too far, or rather, I guess it was the reverse. He pushed you too far, and what he saw scared him.” One of the others answered from near his feet.

“Enough, we’re here. One of you hurry up and open the door. And then let’s leave. I don’t want to be hanging around if the Second comes looking for him.”

Zack blearily saw a familiar door opening before he was carried inside and deposited carefully on the floor. The click of the door, and the subtle sound of deadbolts sliding into place, all that marked the four’s departure.

Looking around the room, he spotted Tessa first. One of her cheeks was swelling and her gaze was fixed pityingly on the corner opposite her. There Zara had her head buried against her knees and was rocking slowly back and forth. Quietly, he heard her saying his name, over and over again.

Clenching his teeth, he rolled towards his little sister. “It’s alright. I’m back. I’m right here.” Gently, being careful of his injured side, he pulled her over and held her against his chest. “What happened?” He asked, directing the question to Tessa.

Zara remained unresponsive to his words and continued to mumble his name while trembling. It took a few more seconds before she began to relax into his familiar embrace and touch.

“She woke and then freaked out when she saw that you were no longer in here with us.”

He nodded. “I figured something like that might happen. It’s why I told you to watch out for when she did wake up.” A finger traced his cheek. So she would know specifically what he was referring to.

“What about you? What happened?”

“Dorn happened,” Zara gradually began to relax and unclench against his side. “They brought me to the same room as him, and then we fought, I think. Honestly, most of what happened is all burry at the moment.” Just speaking that much had made his head begin to pound anew. The cool floor against the back of his sweat-soaked body was helping tremendously.

From outside the room came the knocking sound of a cane hitting the flooring as someone walked towards their room. There was the whisper of metal being moved as the door was unlocked and then swung open.

Standing in the opening was an older man leaning heavily against his walking cane. Beads of sweat ringed the space beneath his snowy white hair. Behind him were two people, a large man, and an equally muscular woman. They were wearing the same dark outfits as the rest; except they had forgone the masks.

“Help them up,” The older man ordered the two. “My apologies for the way you three have been treated.”

Zara whimpered and clung even tighter to him. With an enduring smile, he wrapped his arms around her as the large man worked around the extra body to lift him up.

Tessa hesitantly took the woman’s hand. “Who are you?”

“My name is unimportant for the moment. What is important, however, is that I am the second-in-command of Faluers' Fist. Our leader found himself in debt to the Albright’s and was forced to make this rather costly mistake.” He leaned against the doorframe, the beaded sweat beginning to roll down the side of his head. “My apologies, but would it be possible for us to continue this conversation somewhere with chairs? My leg is about to give out.”

The two teens nodded after a moment and followed him from the room.

Zack held his sister as they walked down the hall. His sides and chest hurt, not to mention the aching fog inside his head. With every breath pushing against his injured ribs, still, he refused to let her go and carried her without a complaint.

They reached the same intersection he had seen before. This time, instead of turning down the purple-painted corridor, they continued straight with the walls transitioning into a light blue. It led to a more central part of wherever they were being held. Soon enough, they began to see people, both masked and unmasked, going about their work.

Zack was sweating and struggling to get enough air when they arrived. The old man had been leaning progressively harder on his cane. His limp growing worse over the short few minutes the walk took.

They were taken to an office with comfortable chairs and a couch in front of a desk piled with papers.

Zack made a beeline for the couch while the old man sank into the first chair he came across.

“Send in Beth, would you?” The second-in-command asked the two who had accompanied them.

They nodded and left the room, leaving the four alone.

Tessa was the only one who remained standing, unsure of where to sit. Did she want to crowd onto the couch with the siblings, or sit across from the man in control of the situation? One was a show of solidarity, while the other could be seen in a variety of different ways. Not all of them, good.

She knew which one her mother would tell her to take. Despite that, she found herself moving towards the couch, under the approving gaze of their host.

The door opened and a woman approaching middle age, with dyed forest-green hair, poked her head inside. “Snacks, drinks, and first-aid items?” She asked after quickly taking everything in.

“And a heat pack for my leg if you would?” The man asked, shifting uncomfortably on the chair.

“I told you to stop walking on it so much!” She tsked, withdrawing her head and closing the door.

“Now then, where were we?” He thought for a moment. “For now, I suppose you can just call me Second. It is what I am referred to inside the Fist. That will serve to give you something to call me by.” He gazed at the three under the bright light of his office and sighed. “I apologize again for the way you have been treated by this organization.”

Beth bustled back in her arms laden with different items. A platter with a steaming pot of fragrant liquid, with four cups and some small sandwiches, was set down first. After that, she passed a mana crystal-powered heat pad to Second, before turning to the three on the couch.

She clicked her tongue and scowled. “Who did this to you two?” Referring to the very visible injuries Zack and Zara had.

Zack gratefully accepted the first-aid bag from her and used the alcohol pads inside to clean Zara’s hands and face. “It wasn’t anyone that works here, or is a part of the organization?” He shook his head, unsure of how to refer to the people. “They were caused by Dorn Albright.”

She straightened, her gaze going blank. “The Albright’s?”

“Don’t worry, Beth,” Second consoled her, the pad strapped securely to his injured leg. “It is already being taken care of by someone else. Their family is about to lose much, if not all, of the influence they hold within the kingdom.”

Beth relaxed and nodded. “Good. Do you need anything else, or shall I continue with what we discussed earlier?”

“Continue, I am expecting our guests to arrive soon.” Second informed, with a ghost of a smile.

Zara finally opened her eyes as Zack used the alcohol pad to clean the blood from her face. “You left.” Her voice was a sad whisper. The stinging smell of the alcohol finishing the process of bringing her back from the fugue-induced state her mind had entered to protect her.

“I didn’t have a choice,” He whispered back.