Jo strode into the kitchen and plopped down on the barstool next to Serena; her long blonde hair had been pulled back into a tight ponytail, giving Serena full view of the frown etched onto her face.

“You sure you didn’t hear him leave?” Jo asked, turning towards Pavel on her other side.

Slumped over his plate of toast, Pavel grumbled something that sounded like a no.

“Hmm.” She glanced over Serena.

“I didn’t see him either.” She signed, after setting down her knife and fork. “And I was up early too…saw Werond off to work but not Cruck’aa.”

“Well, where in the Nine Hells did that bird go then?” Jo asked; Graham placed her usual cup of coffee in front of her, which she accepted with a nod. “We said we’d be leaving first thing, and he just disappears? Not like him to be so flakey.”

“Maybe he went early.” Pavel said with his mouth full.

“Maybe…”

Jo dropped the topic and sipped at her coffee, a hint of a smile spreading across her face as she did. Serena couldn’t understand why she liked its foul taste – even Jo admitted that it was awful at times – but something about Graham’s coffee always seemed to put Jo in a pleasant mood. Evidently, it was just that good.

That was true for almost everything he prepared though, especially this morning. Knowing that they had wanted to leave early, Graham had whipped up a light breakfast, with promise of a larger lunch later in the day. Pavel had gotten his usual two scrambled eggs and three slices of toast, two plain, one buttered; Jo had gotten her coffee and nothing else, as she wasn’t always a breakfast person; and Serena had received a stack of pancakes covered in sweet slices of fruit and doused in a thick syrup.

Serena had grumbled when she’d received her plate, which looked more like a child’s meal than a proper breakfast. Graham had whispered to her as he handed it over, though, that it was his way of thanking her for taking care of Werond, and that he thought she’d enjoy it. With that in mind, Serena had no choice but to accept the meal.

She ignored Jo’s amused look as she demolished the pancakes, syrup dripping onto her chin. Serena had to hide her mouth with a napkin, so full did she stuff it. Her tongue tingled with each bite, forcing her to shovel in more before she’d finished chewing the last.

Just as Serena was finishing, her plate almost licked clean, Pavel straightened up and pushed away his own empty plate, wiping the crumbs from his fingers with a napkin.

“Do we want to just go without him?” He asked, only half awake. “I hate to leave him behind, but we already talked about this. If he forgot, well, that’s his fault.”

“Normally I’d say we should wait but…with something like this, we probably can’t.” Jo said. “Gods know what they’re going to do once they find out about our little excursion.”

“Is this something I should leave the room for?” Graham asked, looking over his shoulder from the wash basin.

“No, we’ll keep it vague. Don’t want to interrupt you anyways. Just don’t say anything.” Jo said; she placed her mug back down – half empty – and scratched her chin. “What all do we want to ask our friend though? Just about everything he knows?”

“At least what he knows about the tunnel, right?” Serena waited to sign until Graham turned away.

“That, and how our old friends use it.” Jo shrugged. “Any information there is going to help.”

“We’d do well to report the place too.” Pavel said, leaning one arm against the island. “I imagine keeping something like that a secret wouldn’t be in our best interests.”

“That too. I suppose we could –”

The front door slammed opened, much louder than it should have. Serena jumped, knocking the plate in front of her, while Jo and Pavel flipped around and leapt out of their seats. Their hands drifted towards their belts, despite neither being armed.

“Sounds as though Mr. Cruck’aa is back.” Graham said without turning around.

Hurried footsteps sounded in the foyer before traveling into the living room; Cruck’aa burst into view from around the corner, breathing heavily, feathers a mess, a crazed look in his beady eyes. He took a step forward, only to fall and catch himself against the side of the archway, still trying to catch his breath.

“Cruck’aa?!” Jo exclaimed as Serena leapt from her seat. “Where have you been?! And what the Hells is the matter with you?!”

Jo rushed over towards him, Serena and Pavel on her heels. Before any of them could speak, however, Cruck’aa shot up and took a step back.

“I – I’m fine! I’m fine!” Cruck’aa snapped; he tried to straighten out his feathers to no avail. “I’m fine I – I need to talk to all of you. Now.” He glared past Serena. “Excluding you.”

“I figured as much.” Graham said from behind.

“You want to explain where you’ve been first?” Pavel asked. “Left without saying anything and now you barge in here looking like hell –”

“I will explain if you come with me!” Cruck’aa’s voice cracked.

Serena’s heart jumped. Cruck’aa was coarse, she knew that, but never had she seen him so panicked before. His eyes remained wide, and he still hadn’t caught his breath, acting as though he’d flown around the entire city before coming back. What could have him so worried?

Jo sighed and shooed Cruck’aa towards the living room.

“Alright, fine, let’s talk in the foyer then. Let Graham clean up in peace.”

Cruck’aa immediately turned on his heel and marched back the way he came. Jo exchanged a look with Pavel and Serena before they all followed him through the living room.

Early morning sunlight lit the foyer despite the room containing no windows. Evidently, the magical light above them was able to imitate the lighting outside, so well that, until it was pointed out to her, Serena was none the wiser.

Cruck’aa halted now under that light, back towards the front door, squinting slightly. They stopped a few paces away, Serena in front of him, with Pavel and Jo fanning out to his sides – close enough that they could whisper, if they needed to.

“Before you say anything,” Jo began, crossing her arms. “why don’t you explain why you look like shit. Because that –”

“Those damned Griffon Riders tried to catch me. I didn’t let them.” Cruck’aa said flatly.

Jo sighed.

“Yup…that’s more pressing that whatever you have to say right now.”

“Are…are they looking for you?” Pavel asked. “Are you wanted?”

“No, it’s not, and yes, I suppose, but they couldn’t keep up. They don’t know where I went.” Cruck’aa said.

“I hope to the gods you’re right.”

“Of course I am. A griffon can in no way keep up with –”

“Please don’t start.” Serena signed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. “Just tell us what you need to say. We still need to go to the guardhouse, remember?”

“Not anymore.”

“Uhm…why not?”

Cruck’aa opened his beak, only to snap it back shut; for the first time since Serena had known him, hesitance seemed to stop him from speaking his mind. That quickly changed, however, as he shook his head, a steely resolve filling his eyes.

“Werond is a Masked Lord.” He said, voice firm, staring right at Serena. “She’s been lying to us.”

Serena jerked violently, unable to hide her shock; an icy knife plunged through her heart, thin fingers of horror racing through her body.

“What?” Pavel exclaimed. “She’s a…really?!” He threw up his hands “That doesn’t make any sense! What in the Nine Hells are you trying to –”

“I woke up before all of you,” Cruck’aa cut him off, lowering his voice. “and flew to the guardhouse. I changed into a fly and snuck in, on a whim. Our captive was in that interrogation room they brought us to. Simon was in there, along with some other Drow.” The knife in Serena’s heart twisted. “From what I gathered, not only are Simon and the Drow deeply unhappy about our findings, but it would also be in their best interests to remove us entirely. This was supposed to happen with an arrest warrant from their Masked Lord, but it was shot down. Simon got confused, then let slip that that Lord is Werond, who also, apparently, benefits from their tunnel! If it belongs to the Thief’s Guild then, which is all but confirmed at this point, then Simon, the head of the City Guard works for their leader – who is apparently a Drow! – and they’ve boughten out a Masked Lord, which just so happens to be Werond. Which means she’s been keeping the truth from us this entire time, and no one has been the wiser.”

Cruck’aa glared at Serena.

“Some of us haven’t been the wiser. How much of this did you already know?”

Serena flinched as if she’d been struck; she pulled her hands to her chest as Jo and Pavel regarded her with stunned, questioning looks.

“No point in trying to hide things anymore.” Cruck’aa said.

“I…” Serena’s heart hammered in her chest, a cold dread filling her body with each beat.

“Serena?” Pavel asked, sounding genuinely concerned. Cruck’aa opened his beak to speak again, only for Jo to shush him.

Serena sucked in a breath, trying to steady her heart. What use was there in lying to them? Her reaction to Cruck’aa had given her away as it was.

“She…told me she was a Masked Lord already.” Serena signed; Pavel’s eyes went wide, though Jo and Cruck’aa didn’t react. “But she never said anything about the guild, so I don’t –”

“Why did you hide that from us?” Cruck’aa demanded. “We needed to have known the moment she told you, why –”

“Because she told me in confidence!” Serena exploded. “And only because of what happened between us, and she made me swear not to tell anyone! And why would I?!” Serena met each of their stares. “None of you needed to know! It – it was private! We’ve…we’d been having issues and Werond came clean to patch things up and we’ve been good since, but it wasn’t anything for you all to know, I swear! Please, please don’t say anything, it’s –”

“Don’t say anything?!” Cruck’aa yelled. “She’s corrupt Serena! Her, Simon, and gods know who else in this city! She needs to be exposed!”

“No!” Serena lurched towards Cruck’aa, as though he was about to leave at that very moment. “No! Please, you can’t say anything! She’ll – she’ll get in trouble if you do! Please don’t!”

“Of course she will, that’s the whole point! Why are you trying to defend her?!”

“Because you don’t have any proof!” Serena shot back. “All you heard was one thing! How can you take that as proof that she’s corrupt, you’re reaching! We all know how much you hate Werond already, you…” Serena stammered, hands shaking. “You could be making this all up in the first place!”

Cruck’aa laughed.

“Yes, I’m the one who’s reaching.” He shook his head. “Accept the truth Serena, it’ll be easier for you.”

Serena curled her hands into fists, trying in vain to stop their shaking.

Cruck’aa was wrong. He had to be. She couldn’t accept it if he wasn’t. She couldn’t. If she did, that would mean that Werond had lied to her again, even after everything they’d gone through. And that wasn’t –

Sweat began to bead on her forehead. There had to be something else, something that –

“I think Cruck’aa is right.” Jo whispered, ripping Serena from her thoughts. “Werond was the one who told me about the tunnel. Not directly though, she made it seem like a guess. But it all adds up too well to be a coincidence. She knew exactly where the tunnel would be but didn’t want to tell me directly. If Werond truly wasn’t benefiting from it, she’d have it sealed by now…but…”

Jo offered her a sympathetic look.

The tremor in Serena’s hands grew.

She turned towards Pavel, looking for even a crumb of support. But from the way he stared at the floor, eyes narrowed, face scrunched up in thought, Serena knew that she was well and truly alone.

“Werond’s not working for them.” Serena whispered. “She’s not. She –”

“She is.” Cruck’aa said bluntly. “Werond lied to you. She’s corrupt, and you know it.”

The wound in Serena’s heart tore open, and with it came a fresh, searing pain. She squeezed her eyes shut and ran her hands through her hair, willing away the tears that threatened to spill. She barely heard Jo as she spoke up.

“Hold up,” Jo said. “I don’t think it’s that cut and dry. She’s working for them, sure, but why would she risk giving us the location of the tunnel if she knew we’d call attention to it? What does she gain from something like that?”

“That should be obvious.”

“Well, it’s not.” Pavel finally said, looking up.

“Well, it should be.” Cruck’aa sneered. “She did so to keep up her ruse of helping us. She’s going to need help in getting rid of us, so giving us the location of the tunnel bought her, and them, more time to figure something out.”

“I…that doesn’t make sense.” Jo shook her head. “Why wouldn’t she get rid of us the moment we stepped into the city Cruck’aa? I don’t think her hospitality is fake.”

“Then you’ve been blinded by her lies.”

“Are you just going to ignore that completely?”

“I’m not ignoring anything. I just understand the truth of the matter.”

“Oh for –”

“She’s got a point, Cruck’aa.” Pavel chimed in. “She’s been nothing but helpful to us this entire time.”

“I see you’re consumed by the lies as well.”

Jo threw up her hands as Pavel sputtered, before the three of them fell into a maelstrom of argument, their words blending together, none of them listening to each other. Serena heard none of it as she backed away, body shaking, heart bleeding, sweat beading, as what felt like her entire world slowly came crashing down.

None of it made sense, yet, at the same time, it did. How many times had Werond told her everything, only to reveal something else? There was always something else. Serena had believed everything to have finally come to light when Werond had called her in during the tournament, yet something else had reared its ugly head.

And now this…

Serena hugged herself, trying in vain to stop her trembling; tears began to leak out of the corners of her eyes.

Cruck’aa was wrong. He had to be. Werond may be working for the Thief’s Guild, but she wasn’t against any of them. She wouldn’t be. She couldn’t be. There was no reason for it. Her kindness, her hospitality, her affection…all of it had to be real. It had to be. It needed to be. There was no reason for Werond to lie to Serena like that, no reason to keep her around if she truly –

Serena jerked violently, a lone thought plunging a knife into her gut.

No. No, no, no, that wasn’t it. Werond wasn’t lying. None of it was fake. It was real, it –

The knife twisted.

Heart pounding, vision blurry, Serena dropped her arms.

She had to find Werond. She had to know, she needed to know now.

“…plan on doing then?” Jo asked, throwing her hands up. “She’s a Masked Lord Cruck’aa, what you’re planning is impossible!”

“No, it’s not.” Cruck’aa stared back. “It would be difficult, yes, but the three of us together would have no issue.”

“Not really.” Pavel said. “Plus, that’s assuming Jo and I even agree to it, because right now –”

“Why would neither of you agree?!” Cruck’aa demanded, head swiveling between the two. “It’s our only option!”

Serena froze, despite every fiber of her being demanding that she shove past them.

“No, it’s not.” Jo shot back. “What you’re calling for is too drastic.”

“I agree.” Pavel said. “Not to mention that it’s nothing but a knee-jerk reaction. I think we need to wait and –”

“Wait?!” Cruck’aa spat. “You’d want to wait?! The longer we sit on this information, the worse everything will get. We need to remove her now – anything else is suicide.”

Serena felt her heart stop.

The cold dread that consumed her body bled away, slowly replaced by a fire she’d felt only once before.

“No.”

Jo jerked and swung her head towards Serena, blue eyes wide. Pavel looked at her, a single eyebrow cocked, while Cruck’aa met Serena’s gaze with narrowed eyes.

His gaze only fueled the fire that burned within her.

“You’ve been blinded by her, Serena.” Cruck’aa said evenly. “She’s wrapped you around her finger and refuses to let go. You need to see the truth.” He stepped forward, hands spread in front of him, as though he were pleading. “Accept the facts in front of you. You’ve been tricked. It’s okay to admit that. We’re going to do something about this and remove her from our lives. We –”

“You. Will. Not!”

Pavel jerked this time, hands flying up to his ears; Cruck’aa’s own eyes went wide, and he stepped back into Jo.

That brilliant, burning tempo began to beat in her ears.

“None of you will go anywhere near her, so help me Bahamut!” The three of them flinched. “You don’t just get to decide to remove her after everything – everything! – she’s done for us, and me!” Serena stepped forward, blood boiling in her veins. “I know where Werond is, I’ll figure this mess out, and if any of you try anything stupid, I will stop you myself. Please don’t make me do that. Now, move.”

“Serena?!” Jo stammered. “What –”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Pavel jammed his fingers into his ears, cringing. “Move!”

Serena marched towards the door; Jo, Pavel, and Cruck’aa immediately leapt out of the way, slamming themselves against the walls, looks of horror etched across their faces.

Silence clung to the air as Serena, utterly consumed by the inferno within, ripped open the door, stepped through, and pulled it shut behind her.