The halls were still dark as if the Sun hadn't grown strong enough to chase the shadows away yet. Leading her through a maze of corridors, Shana stayed uncharacteristically quiet.

Megan didn't recognize the route they were taking. "So, where are we meeting Ramon?"

Shana stared straight ahead. "In the catacombs beneath the castle."

"Why there?" Megan tried not to cringe at the thought of a dead audience.

"He wanted to talk somewhere secure – a place where he knew no one could eavesdrop." Shana stopped at an aged wooden door and retrieved a torch from a sconce that was attached to the wall.  She pushed it open and it creaked ominously. "This way, hurry. He doesn't want the others to know about this."

"Why not?" Megan followed hesitantly.

"Despite the fact that we defeated Thranus, the truth remains that we have a traitor among us." Shana sounded a little out of breath from the brisk walk. "He believes he knows who it is, but he can't risk telling the wrong people. He doesn't know how deep the corruption goes. "

They exited the staircase into a cold dark tunnel. The floor was damp and the air was stuffy. Several feet down the tunnel the walls gave way to long rectangular recesses. Each indentation housed a skeleton, some armored, some in rags, and some still clutching their weapons.

A shiver shook Megan's body as they walked deeper into the darkness. Shana's torch cast eerie shadows across the walls as they passed the ever increasing number of skeletons. The stench of decay greeted them as the shadows became complete. The floor soon rested beneath a thin layer of freezing water.

Megan's vision blurred and her chest tightened threateningly. She reasoned that it was because she was tired – the long walk and her fitful night. She took heaving breaths as Shana lead her on an endless journey through the maze of the dead.

Finally, a silhouette appeared before them leaning nonchalantly against a dead end. The figure didn't seem bothered by the fact that he was waiting in the dark among thousands of skeletal remains.

Once they were close enough to identify the man, Megan stopped cold. It wasn't Ramon. The man standing before her was tall and lanky with black hair, pale skin, and nearly black eyes.

He smirked as he recognized Megan. "Miss me?"

Megan took a step back. It couldn't be. She had watched him fall to his death. But there he was right in front of her. This man – Clayton Drake – was a well known and dangerous member of the Society of the Evening Star. He had singlehandedly overthrown almost a dozen preserves. He infiltrated preserves with no clue as to how and vanished without a trace when the job was done, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. Megan had once saved a preserve from collapsing at his hand and he had the scars to prove it.

Suddenly, Megan couldn't breath. Shadows crept into her vision and her chest felt like a trash compactor. The world spun, bile rose in her throat, and strange whispers flooded into her mind, a garbled mixture of pleas and curses. Sucking down air, Megan attempted to compose herself.

As her breathing normalized, her vision returned and she glared at Clayton's smug face. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was frighteningly hoarse.

His smirk stretched wider. "I would think you could guess."

She knew. "But why this preserve? Why now?"

"Why now?" Clayton placed a hand on her shoulder. "Because you're here. You make an incredible distraction."

Megan stumbled back as realization struck. "What did you do?"

Clayton nodded at Shana and she disappeared into the shadows. A moment later she returned dragging a corpse. Megan heaved as Dallen's mangled body came into view. Blood smeared  almost his whole face. A huge ugly gash gouged through his torso. He had nearly been cut in half. Shiny crimson guts dragged along side of him.

Megan dropped to her knees and vomited. The black sludge stuck to the inside of her mouth stinging her cheeks. She turned her gaze to Shana, who seemed to be restraining her emotions. Her eyes glimmered in the torch light and her lips quivered.

Megan refused to look at Dallen's maimed carcass. "Why, Shana?"

"He was too curious." Her voice shook ever so slightly. "We couldn't have him telling Ramon. It would ruin everything."

"Then why tell me?" Megan asked.

Clayton laughed. "You think you'll have the chance?"

Megan fingered the knife in her pocket. "So, What now? Are you gonna kill me?"

Clayton unsheathed a dagger and crouched in front of Megan. "Nothing would make me happier."

Megan took a deep breath and slipped the weapon from her pocket. "Me neither." Flipping out the blade, she stabbed the Swiss Army knife into Clayton's chest. He gasped, grabbing her hand. Coughing, blood spurted from his mouth.

Megan glared down at his bowed head and twisted the blade in his flesh. He screamed and blood gushed from the wound. Yanking her knife free, she stood and kicked him to the floor. As he started breathing water, Clayton hacked and coughed. Blood dispersed through the murky liquid.

Megan glanced from her blood-stained hand to Clayton's body. "You should've stayed dead." She turned her attention to Shana, who had dropped Dallen's body and stared in disbelief at Clayton's lifeless corpse. Megan pointed the knife threateningly. "You gave Thranus his medallion. You let Clayton in. You killed Dallen." She inched towards Shana, who backed up against the wall. "You betrayed Ramon, your own father, for him." She gestured to Clayton's still bleeding body. Shana was within reach. Megan tightened her grip on her knife. Shana's eyes widened as she stared at the blade. Megan thrust the knife into Shana's stomach.

She screamed and collapsed as Megan removed the weapon. Gasping for breath, Shana looked up at Megan and tried to beg for mercy, but her plea was cut off by a fit of choking coughs.

Megan picked up a block of rotting wood and bludgeoned Shana over the head. Then she grabbed Shana by the arms and dragged her to the dungeon.