Iah had been holding the charm when she'd watched Rassa's line flicker then disappear. She'd sat in shocked stillness for several minutes, just waiting for it to return. When it didn't, she'd felt the sob creep up her throat and come out without warning. He was dead. Rassa was actually dead. And just as she was processing that. Her sister's line had disappeared too.

She hadn't known what to do, so she'd thrown the charm across the room, horrified by what she'd seen. When she'd sobbed enough to question it, she crawled across the room and picked up the charm again, just to confirm she wasn't wrong.

She hadn't been. The lines were no longer there. Rassa and Sharli were both gone.

She sat there all night against the side of the bed, though she had no awareness of time passing until little Meg knocked on the the door.

"Iah?"

Iah had turned to her, rousing from her sorrow as she looked at Meg. Meg's eyes had widened at whatever she'd seen in Iah's eyes. After a moment, Iah had taken a breath before she'd spoken.

"Ask Jennie to look after the Ruin today, Meg, I'll be back later this evening," Iah said.

"Are you okay?" asked Meg.

Iah couldn't manage a smile, not even for Meg, "I don't know. Ask me again tomorrow".

Iah had dressed then gone to town and taken a cart to Port Cresh. Layn had frowned when he'd seen her, but let her into Falla's office without hesitation.

"Iah?" asked Falla. One look and Iah knew that Falla had yet to look at the Tracking Charm. She took out her own, and Falla took the hint.

Just a couple of moments later, the Falla sat down beside Iah on the couch in her office, "No appointments today, Layn".

Layn had nodded. He'd returned only once to give them some tea, but that was cold now as the two of them sat in silence.

"What do we do now?" asked Iah. She didn't want to think about the future. Not when it hurt so much. But she had twenty-five kids waiting for her in the Ruin. Some of them might have been old enough to fend for themselves but not all. Falla had a business too. A business that now rested on a deal with a...with a dead man.

Falla remained silent as Iah spoke again.

"What about Kit and Olly? Ebony and Aegin?"

"I don't know," Falla breathed, her voice hitching at the end. She swallowed, "I...I just don't know".

Iah turned to look at Falla, and she was sure she saw someone as broken as she was. They were exhausted and broken. How were they going to pick themselves up after this? What exactly were they working towards? Part of their family were already gone after all, how much longer until the remainder went too?

Just as they were wallowing in their despair, the door burst open with a strong gust of wind.

Iah looked up to see the Air Magician that Falla was acquainted with storming through the door.

"Alright Falla, I think I've been patient enough, it's been nearly a month and you have yet to..."

Her rage was snuffed out as she took in her friend who sat slumped on the couch with another. The very aura around the two of them was filled with hopelessness, and Jane immediately realised that maybe she should have listened to Layn's warning before she'd stormed in.

"Falla? Are you okay?"

That seemed to be the catalyst. Falla burst into tears, sobbing into her hands, "I'm sorry, Jane! I'm so sorry, I should have just told you".

Jane hurried around the couch and moved in to comfort Falla, "What are you going on about Falla, what's happened to make you so sad?"

Falla sniffed, attempting to gather enough air between sobs to explain, only to burst into more tears.

"He's...d-d-dead," she managed between them, "Rassa's d-dead!"

Jane's eyes widened, then narrowed in disbelief. She'd only just found out that Rassa was still alive, now he was dead again? She needed an explanation. She looked up at Layn, who stood still in the doorway, stunned after following Jane in and hearing his Mistress's confession.

"Explain," Jane demanded.

Layn hesitated, but after a quick glance from Falla, Layn closed the office door and complied.

He explained how he and Falla had encountered Rassa during the Trader's Festival. How Falla had discovered that he was the man behind the new protection charms in her bid to reconcile with him. How Rassa had agreed to a contract with Falla regarding the charms before he'd done the bare minimum in preparing for such a venture and then gone south. Layn then mentioned how Ishta had gotten involved, and how Rassa and his two companions Ebony and Aegin had met with his subordinate, the Inktress. Ebony and Aegin were apparently still alive, and until just the night before, Rassa had been holding on in some semi-alive state. When Jane asked how they knew all this, Iah explained the tracking charms to her, showing Jane the charm willingly.

"Why didn't you tell me all this before?" asked Jane, "I could have helped".

Falla, still sniffling, sighed, "Jane, he's not the boy you left behind. Rassa now is...I don't know, darker, colder. There are moments when I think I might see an inkling of the boy that was, but whatever he's been through the past few years, it can't have been any good. He never sought to explain it but I think he spent most of those years imprisoned. He's only been able to escape in the last six months or so".

"So you kept it from me because you thought I wouldn't be able to understand?" asked Jane.

"I kept it from you because you spent so long in that Academy seeking a way to protect him," Falla said, "The last thing he wanted was protection. He didn't want a cage, no matter how well-meaning or unintentional it might have been".

"I wouldn't have treated him that way," Jane insisted.

"I guess we'll never know now," Falla replied, then she gave a cruel chuckle, "And now we've got this entire business that he tried to start and never got the chance to see. I haven't been able to find a proper trade route from the mines in the past four months, how am I supposed to do it now? Is there even a point?"

Jane's eyes narrowed. The last time Falla had been like this was after her husband had died. She hadn't been able to stay by her side then. She wouldn't do the same this time.

"Let me help," Jane said.

Falla looked over at Jane, "I couldn't ask you to do that, you've got commitments to your mission and the guild you don't-"

"My duty as a Magician is to protect the people," said Jane, "At the very least, I can ensure your safety as you work".

"Ishta has a Hybrid Magician and gods know what else working under him," Falla said.

Jane gave a small smile, "I have one too, this Inktress may be able to stand up against one or two Magicians, but I doubt she'd be much use against five. She won't touch you...or the Ruin".

Iah looked at Jane in surprise, "Thank you".

Jane gave a small shrug, "You told me that place was Rassa's. Least I can do while he's gone is protect it, even if he doesn't want anything to do with me".

And so an agreement was forged between the three women. They would mourn. They would pick themselves back up. Then they would work for what they'd been working towards before. A better future for their family.