-Then-

  Ami knocked on Iolites door lightly before entering, the hour now late in the night. Serra was brushing Ios hair as she sat at her nightstand, dressed in a deep purple nightgown. Her glossy black hair had a shine to it as Serra worked the brush through, Io not moving a muscle. She opened one eye as Ami walked in and looked at her in the mirror. "Is it done?"

  "Yes Mistress. Nix is in one of the holding cells on the bottom level."

  "And the preparations?"

  "All set. We await your order to move on the city."

  "Splendid. Thank you Ami, that will be all."

  The girl nodded and exited the room, leaving Serra and Io alone. Io could see that Serra was bothered by something but was remaining silent, her lips pressed together in a line as she thought things over. "What's on your mind Serra?" Iolite asked in a soft voice.

  The girl remained silent for a moment. "...Is he going to die?"

  Iolite sighed sadly, hoping that she could keep that off her mind. But it was as she told her brother, they had come to far to stop now. "As much as it pains me to say..yes."

  Serra remained silent, simply nodding. Io could see that this troubled the girl immensely, and in all honesty it bothered her just as much. Nix was her own flesh and blood, her family. But so were the people here. Serra, the Defenders, every last one of her citizens. They were all family to her. And if one person had to be sacrificed in order to keep her family safe, then it was something that had to be done. Io held her hand up to signal for Serra to stop and stood to face her, taking both of her hands. Serra had been there from the beginning, one of the first people she had taken into Haven. Io thought of her as her own sister, the two of them close from the start. "Serra, I love my brother very much. But as a leader I owe it to all of you to keep you safe. I want nothing more than to bring you into the new world, and with Nix in the way I don't see that as possible. As much as it hurts, he will have to die. Please understand, Serra. I'm only doing this to keep our family together."

  Serra looked down and Io touched a gentle hand to her cheek. "It will all be OK Serra. There will be time to feel sad after all of this is over." The handmaiden looked up at Io with a sad smile and nodded. "As you say Mistress Io."

  Iolite smiled and gave the girl a hug. "Thank you Serra. I believe it's time for us to rest now." She let the girl go and she went to the door, closing it behind her with a soft click. Io lay back in her bed and stare at the ceiling, her emotions getting the better of her at last. She could feel tears start to form again as she thought about her brother, the sadness of the situation finally hitting her. She turned on her side and shut off the light, making a silent plea for forgiveness as she drifted off to sleep.

  -------------------------------------------

"Nix...Nix, wake up!"

Nix stirred in his sleep and looked at the darkened room. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Serra." She whispered. "Are you hurt?"

"Physicly, no. Emotionally..." He moved over to the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to warn you. They plan on having you executed!"

Nix felt his heart drop as his fears were realized. He had to get out to warn the others before it was to late, but if he died here than no one would be safe. He looked at Serra through the darkness. "I hoped it wouldn't come to that. I need to get out of here!"

"Can't you use you're powers or whatever it's called?"

"No good. Whatever they drugged me with is preventing me from using it. Keeps me weak. You got to help me Serra. Don't let my sister do this!"

The girl fell silent for a moment, torn between her feelings. She loved Io and her cause dearly, this life being much happier than the one she used to have. But at the same time she knew it was wrong to let Io go through with this. The girl had to make a choice.

"I...I...I have to go." The girl quickly stood from where she knelt and walked back down the hall, leaving Nix in his cell as he called after her. "Serra! Serra!" Nix sat back against the wall in defeat. "Blast it.." He knew trying to convince her would be a long shot, seeing how close she was to his sister. But it was that, or die. And now it seemed that the odds weren't in his favor. About an hour passed before he heard the door swing open and a pair of hands quickly grabbed him. Nix prepared himself for a fight and tensed up. "Let go of me you-"

A soft hand clamped itself over his mouth to silence him. "Shh! It's me!"

The hand removed itself and Nix pulled himself up. "Serra?"

The girl nodded and led him out of the cell, pushing a bag of supplies into his hands. "I managed to distract the guards but I don't know for how long. You need to go, now!"

Nix slung the bag over his shoulder. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because..." The words caught in her throat. "Because I love your sister.." She quickly grabbed Nix's face and planted a firm kiss on his lips, holding it for a second before letting go. "But I love you too. Now go. The main gate is open for only a short time. You need to leave now!"

Nix looked the girl over once more and hugged her. "Thank you. Be safe." And with that, he took off running, climbing out a nearby window and hitting the darkened village streets. Serra watched him go from the window as a small tear fell down her face. Behind her she could here hurried footsteps as the guards realized they had been tricked. Voices called for a search as they discovered Nix missing and two guards ran over to Serra at the window. "What have you done?" One of them asked, hand on his weapon.

Serra turned slowly, a sad smile on her lips. "What I felt was right."

--------------------------------------------

  Io stood in her room looking out the window, staff in hand. She watched the guards below search the streets, looking for her brother. There was only one way he could have escaped, and that meant that he had to have had help. And Io had no plans to show mercy to whoever gave it to him.

  The door opened behind her and two guards stepped in, hauling Serra between them. "We found the one who let him out Mistress."

  Io gripped her staff tighter and turned. "So, you're the- Serra?"

  The girl looked at her feet in shame. "Yes Mistress. It was me."

  Iolite felt as if she had been slapped. Her best and most trusted friend had betrayed her. How could she have done this? Iolite couldn't believe it. "How could you...?"

  Serra said nothing, not looking at her. Io motioned for the guards to let her go and they went to the door, standing at either side of the closed entry. Ami remained silent as well, standing with folded arms at her desk. Io walked over to her table and leaned on it, her back turned to Serra in sadness. It took all of her strength not to cry. "Why?"

  "B..because..." Serras words caught in her throat, her fear and shame weighing down on her like a bucket of stone.

  "...because you love him, don't you."

  Serra stood for a moment before nodding. "I couldn't let him die." The girl fiddled with her hands, mentally preparing herself for some form of punishment. She suddenly felt arms wrap around her and gasped lightly, only to realize that it was Io. And that she was...hugging her. Serra was shocked, not understanding why she was doing this. Io put her head on her shoulder. "You did all of this because you care for my brother. You've shown him nothing but kindness, and for that, I am thankful."

  Serra felt a wave or relief wash over her. "Oh Io, I-"

  Her words never made it past that as she felt an immense pain in her stomach, her breath coming out as a large gasp. She tried to break Ios hold but it only made the pain worse, the wound starting to feel wet.

  "However;" Io continued. "You allowed a prisoner with vital information to escape, and that makes you a traitor. And you know what happens to traitors, don't you?"

  "Mistress, plea-aaaa.." Serra tried to plead with her, but Io only shoved the knife deeper, Serras voice turning into a squeak. "Shhh..." Iolite cooed into the dying girls ear. "Don't fight it. You did your part, now just let it end."

  Serra gasped once more as her strength failed her, her body going limp  against Ios shoulder. Her eyes fluttered and she felt herself fall, the ground rushing up to meet her. She fell on her back, no energy to move herself as blood began to pool under her. Serra looked up at her friend one last time as she gasped, her head finally rolling to one side as she breathed her last.

  Iolite looked down at Serras body coldly, not letting her true emotions show. She wiped the blood off of her knife and set it back on the table gently, her nightgown now stained. She looked to the guards. "You. Take her body and feed it to the Beowolves. You, get me a new handmaiden." The guards nodded and quickly went to work, lifting Serras lifeless body out of the room. Iolite turned to Ami as the door shut. "Do we have a party searching for Nix?"

  "Beast Master is already on his trail."

  "Excellent." Iolite fluffed her hair, shaking it out a bit. "This is no longer about taking him alive." She looked at Ami with hurt eyes. He was the cause of all this. "When you find him, kill him."

"Yes Mistress."

The door opened again and on of the guards entered, a small girl of sixteen in front of him. Io turned to her and smiled. "Ah. There you are. Today is a big day for you girl, I am in need of a new handmaiden. What do you say?"

The girl glanced at the blood on Io an in the floor before nodding. "I..I would be honored Mistress."

"Thank you. Now come, I need to get cleaned up. We have much to do, and I need my rest in order to do it."