Kelsie ached everywhere. She could feel the oozing wounds on her back, yet she knew innocent lives were at stake. She pulled off her leather, fingerless glove and took the roses from Zander, smiling at him.

"Careful, you'll prick yourself," Zander murmured.

"My hands were pricked when I opened the door," Kelsie replied, "you know the Guard is coming. They should be witnessing this but will not. How do you think they will take the break in tradition?"

"I do know they are coming," Zander nodded, "but your concern is for when they arrive."

Nodding, Kelsie moved toward the steps, slowly taking them and moving toward the front door, "Zander."

"I'm here," he said, standing beside her.

Kelsie smiled, looking down at Aunt Jezebel's table and placing the roses in front of the single chair, "For you, Aunt Jez."

Placing her hand on the handle, she murmured, "I, Kelsie Anne Jezebel Conrad, return and open the Order of Royal Assassins house."

Zander spread his palm above her hand on the panel, "I, Zander Calvin George Argall, the Guard of Kelsie Anne Jezebel Conrad, return and open the Order of Royal Assassins house."

Kelsie gasped as the shine on the handle spread to the frame continuing to the rest of the house.

"Oh my," she gasped, "do I turn the handle?"

"It would be a waste to come all this way not to," Zander grinned, "turn the handle."

Kelsie twisted the handle, opened the door, and stepped inside.

"The fireplace is still here," she whispered, "there is the large chair where you pulled my hair while I sat on my Dad's lap."

"It will need a little cleaning," Zander said, moving to a spot near the fireplace, "this is where you accepted my pledge."

"I did," Kelsie said, "I'm glad I did."

"You didn't have to," Zander said, "why did you?"

Kelsie blushed, "I overheard some of your conversation with your Dad," she whispered, "you felt as I did. I wasn't sure you would be allowed to pledge, but you did, and I accepted."

"You loved me then?" Zander asked, walking toward her, smiling.

"I did," Kelsie sighed, "and ... I ..." she cleared her throat, swallowing the lump forming, "I do now."

"You know how I feel," Zander said, trailing his fingers down her unharmed cheek.

"I knew since you realised who I was in that field," Kelsie said, "it's been in your eyes."

Zander chuckled, "I thought I was covering it well."

Kelsie cupped his cheek, "Maybe with those who do not see what I do."

"We're inside," Zander said, covering her hand on his cheek and wrapping his hand around hers, "where do we find the equipment to get the details out."

"That's just it," Kelsie shook her hand, "I don't know where it is."

"What is behind this door?" Zander asked, moving toward the mystery door. The one that was kept closed when they were children.

Opening it and stepping through, Zander could not believe what he saw. Banks of computer equipment hugged the walls. Turning in a circle, he looked at the state of the art technology. On the other side of the room, he found a large archway moving into the mountain behind the house.

"The House has a memory and knows what you need," Kelsie whispered, looking at the screens, "these are the programs I need. How much time do we have?" Kelsie asked.

Zander looked at the timer, "A little under two hours."

"Okay, we may make it," Kelsie said, typing hurriedly on a keyboard, "yes, that is where it needs to go."

Looking over her shoulder, Zander read the opening documents, "That is incriminating."

"It's damning," Kelsie whispered, her fingers flying over the keys, "he is targeting everyone. Young, old, healthy and sick. To him, it makes no difference."

"What triggered the start of this journey of ours?" Zander asked.

"This," Kelsie pointed to a document on the screen.

Zander read silently, "The extractions and coercion of Zander Argall and Keslie Conrad. Yeah, that would do it for me as well."

"I need to encrypt all of this and send it out before the time is up," Kelsie said, "I'm worried we will be attacked before I get it out."

"Kels, I've got this," Zander whispered, "you get this out, and I shall be on Guard while you do what you need to," Zander said, pulling his sword and bow from his back, moving to the door.

"Zander," Kelsie called, smiling at him, "thank you."

Bowing, he returned the smile, "My honour."

Leaving Kelsie to send the information, Zander moved to the front porch. Looking out over the meadow, he noticed a sea of black moving toward the house. He pulled up his binoculars and watched them approach; his fellow Guards were arriving. It had taken Kelsie and himself over an hour to run across the field. It would be some time before they all arrived. Zander frowned as he watched the sea of black still coming over the rise and into the meadow. Where had all these people come from?

Striding to the edge of the porch, he dropped to the bottom of the stairs as he had when he was a child, memories rising to the surface. The heart-wrenching moment when Connie had told him Kelsie was no longer permitted to see him. The pain at the loss of their friendship, not knowing where she was, not hearing anything about her. Scanning the area, Zander moved to the side of the house, looking through his binoculars, checking the mountains and valleys around them. Everything seemed to be quiet and calm ... for now. He felt impending doom coming toward him. Yes, he had gotten Kelsie to the house, but that was child's play compared to what was heading their way.

"Treacherous and evil to the core," Zander sighed, wandering the house's boundary line, pledging himself to protect that which Kelsie held dear to the Order and her heart.

Returning to the porch, he watched the Guard move closer. There were many, and Zander hoped all were true to the Old way. The sun was high in the sky when he heard Kelsie moving around inside the house.

"Here you are," she said, sitting next to him, giving him an apple, "found these on the counter in the kitchen."

"Looks like we have a place that provides and holds secrets," Zander grinned, taking the apple and taking a bite.

"We have company," Kelsie looked out at the sea of approaching people, "you know who they are?"

"The old and new Guard," Zander said, "they will be here in the next fifteen minutes."

"Then what?" Kelsie asked, looking at him.

"Then the Commander of the Old Guard hands me the reigns as your Guard. A second in command is appointed," Zander sighed, "it's a pity I could not track Alyx after he helped with an extraction of our protection detail."

"Who's Alyx?" Kelsie asked.

"I trained with him," Zander said. "We stayed on at the school as protection detail for some teachers who trained and taught the old ways. There was an attack on the school, and I assigned some high profile teachers to his care. That was the last time we saw each other."

"I'm sorry, Zander," Kelsie whispered, holding his hand, "perhaps he will find his way back to you. Who knows, he may be in this sea of people. Why are they all here?"

"The house is revealed," Zander said, "which means its location is revealed."

"He will be able to find it," Kelsie groaned, "you know he will attack."

"Yes, he will," Zander said, "we will be here to defend our world and way of life."

"Definitely," Kelsie smiled, "looks like a few are arriving."

"Ready?" Zander asked.

"Stay with me," Kelsie asked, lacing her fingers with his, "please."

"Always," Zander lifted her hand to his lips, brushing it with a kiss, "we have arrived, yet there is still a way to go."

Standing side by side, the pair waited for the arrival of their brethren.