Onyx's legs were ready to give up as she neared the gate. The long walk from Aysein had numbed her legs and she was thirsty beyond comprehension.

Her fingers were covered in blood, her cloak smelling of Trojan wine. In her hand, she carried a few books she had picked up, her other hand holding her sword close to her.

After decapitating King Ferdin, she had managed to steal a few books from his collection in the dining hall and dispose of his head in a nearby sewer grate along with his soldiers.

Onyx had not opened the books yet, instead waiting to be in the privacy of her hut before she attempted to learn anything about her past.

King Ferdin's blood stuck to her skin, a foul stench following her. Onyx's throat felt slick and parched from dehydration. She had finished the last bottle of Trojan wine after the king's head was dangling from a sewer grate but now desperately prayed for a glass of water or bread to reward the hunger in her stomach.

Sighing, Onyx sheathed her sword in its strap and ran her fingers through her hair as the brass gate came into view over the large dune.

But as Onyx neared the gate, she could instantly sense something was wrong. It wasn't because of the sudden halt of magic that flowed through her body every time she neared the gate but rather the small splatter of blood near a boulder.

The realization hit her and panic set in her body. Running over to the boulder, Onyx reached up, her nails digging into the hard surface as she pushed herself up to peek over the boulder.

Laying there in a pool of blood was a dead civilian, their body drained of blood. There were no marks, no abrasions but she knew the signature kill.

But no Venix.

She was gone.

Inhaling a deep breath, Onyx let go of the body and ran through the open gate, a blast of magic ripping through her body.

The tribe grounds were only lingering with a dozen awake souls, all dragging their tired bodies to either the bathing rooms or the dining hall. Still, Onyx ran to her friend's hut, the door of her residence already broken and hanging off its hinges.

Halting to a stop at her door, Onyx pushed the door open to find Venix's hut completely bare. Her bedsheets were neatly folded and her books were placed carefully on her shelf, a far cry from her usually disorganized room.

"Venix please tell me you are playing some sort of joke" the assassin whispered to herself, placing the books in her hands underneath the bed as she searched around. "Come out right now, you wicked witch."

"That's not the case, sweetheart." A familiar voice taunted from behind her and Onyx turned around to face Rheynoak and Lucien.

The anger, the pain, the misery all surged through her at once and she marched to the leaders. Without any words, she slapped Rheynoak. The impact was loud and the tribe leader stumbled a bit.

Onyx slapped him again, this time with the back of her hand. "What did you do to her, you insufferable idiot?" she seethed, curling her hands into a fist. "Take me to her right now!"

"You never cease to amaze me with your horrendous stupidity, my love" Rheynoak whispered, holding his cheek. He closed the gap between them. The siphon glared at him, holding his gaze.

"One could say the same about you, darling" she shot back, stabbing him in the chest with her nail. The tribe leader slid his eyes down to the nail, an entertained look on his face.

"Any excuse to touch me, I see. If you want me again, just say the words" he teased. "Forget about Venix. I can bed you right now. Lucien can be a witness."

Onyx scoffed, pushing him away. "I would rather let a mortal whip me to high hell than step foot in a bed with you again. Now take me to my friend or I swear on everything and the ancestors, I will break you."

Rheynoak watched her cautiously but Lucien leaned in and whispered something inaudible to him, snapping the tribe leader out of his daze.

Finally, with a shrug, Rheynoak motioned Lucien over to the siphon.

Onyx watched as the tribe leader's right-hand man grabbed her wrist tightly as he pulled her out of the hut. Rheynoak grabbed her other wrist, and together they dragged her out towards the training grounds.

Rheynoak didn't say a word, his gaze concentrated on the western mountains.

She didn't bother to struggle.

When they neared the training grounds, she heard the piercing shot through the air and the sound of flesh scraping against metal. Confusion crossed her face but as the two men dragged her closer, a confined cell came into view.

In the center of the training ground, isolated in a cell wrapped in raw Hell Siphon magic was Venix, her arms covered in blood. Her screams were terrifying, her nails digging into her flesh as she threw her body around the cage, scratching at her skin until it bled.

The siphon watched in horror, her body growing limp and frozen as she watched her friend thrash around the cage in insanity. Venix's nails dug into her scalp, strays of hair in her hand as another blood-curdling scream broke through the air.

"Let her out! What are you doing?" Onyx rushed to the cage, letting her body fall in front of Venix's thrashing silhouette. She reached out to touch the bars but pain rush through her arm and she grew limp again, collapsing on the floor.

"A small punishment for going over the wall. Do you care to join her?" Rheynoak asked. "I've always been curious to see how my magic affects yours. Although I can presume, I've already seen the effects to some extent."

Onyx watched the unbearable sight. How Venix shook her head over and over, throwing her body at the cage only to get thrown back and crack her head against the cold bars.

She passed a cold look to Lucien and Rheynoak, lunging at them. They stepped back and watched as she hit the floor in defeat. "Let her go! She hasn't done anything wrong!" she pleaded.

Venix's screams pierced the air again. "Let her go!"

"She broke the rules by crossing the gate with you. If anything, you should be in the cage as well. Unfortunately, Venix arrived earlier than you and even left a gift by the gate" Rheynoak casually explained.

His amber eyes met hers as he crouched to her level. "She's now paying the price."

"I'll say this once more" Onyx pleaded, pulling herself up. She reached out and grabbed the tribe leader by his throat. His ragged breaths hit her face, a hum escaping his lips as they locked eyes. "Let her go."

The leader stared down at the siphon, a smile tugging on his lips. "Perhaps we can make a deal" Rheynoak uttered, pulling himself back up. He pulled the siphon up with him by her hair, ignoring her cries and pleas. "Tell me where you went for what reason and who you killed and we will simply undo the cage" he offered. "Venix will be free, I'll get what I need. Everyone lives happily ever after."

Onyx stared at him, darting her eyes between the tribe leader and his right-hand man. It was tempting and it would free Venix. Her trip to the kingdom of Aysein had been her idea, her secret, and the information she had uncovered was for her ears only.

There was so much that she didn't know, so much more that she had to find out and she knew one word of her adventures would end any future missions she could venture on.

Venix's sobs captured her attention and she turned her attention to her friend who was now by the bars, eyes wide and scratched and blood dripping from her lips. She looked rabid and starved and she was still scratching her skin.

She couldn't speak, couldn't plea, only cry, but in her eyes, Onyx saw it. A silent plea.

Don't say a single word.

She wanted to say something, anything to stop her pain but Venix's eyes remained unchanged. They didn't waver and her request was stagnant.

Don't say a single word.

With a sigh, she shook her head as she turned around to meet his curious gaze. She would be damned if she gave him any insight into what she was doing.

"Over my dead body," Onyx hissed, shaking her head. 'I'll never tell you."

"If you wish" the tribe leader replied, turning to Lucien. "Do as I have commanded."

"As you wish" the right-hand man whispered, taking the tribe leader's place. Onyx fought against his grip, even as his large hands palmed her face and his magic sunk into her skin and infiltrated her thoughts.

The feeling was hot, burning like lava rushing through her body and her body buckled. Her bones broke and red flashed before her eyes.

She was paralyzed.

And before Onyx could even attempt to blink for help, Lucien grasped her neck and cracked it and the siphon watched as he let her go.

Her body fell to the floor and she went numb as her vision blurred until it was nothing but stars.

And then, complete darkness. 

Venix woke up with a sick feeling in her stomach. She could feel her head spin and the vague metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

Groaning, she moved her arms to get up but a pain rushed up her back and it pulled her back down until she hit the soft surface of the bed again.

Hissing underneath the pain, Venix opened her eyes as she attempted to pull herself up again. For a moment she saw nothing but rings of grey and gold until her vision became clear once again.

Yet once again, she failed, this time falling to her side. She bent over in pain, shaking as she tried to steady her body. A whimper came from her lips as she fought back tears.

"Here let me help."

A soothing voice broke through her thoughts and warm hands settled around her back as it positioned her body upright. The warm fingers trailed down to the middle of her back as it continued to hold her steady.

She flinched and pulled away at the touch, swatting the hand away. Her headache was still persistent and pieces of memories were beginning to linger back in her mind but if she pondered on it for too long, a flash of pain rattled her skull.

"Where am I?" she asked, scratching her arm.

"Drink this," the soothing voice said once more. A cold metal cup pressed against her lips and without questioning, Venix tilted the cup to her lips and welcomed the warm, spicy liquid that slid down her throat

The aftertaste was rather unpleasant but it eased the pain and slowly but surely, the pain faded away until she was limber enough to move her back.

"Is that better?"

Remembering she wasn't alone, Venix turned around to see a tall man sitting on a gold chair. His winter-white hair hung loosely over his shoulders, his blue eyes staring curiously at her.

"You" she snarled at Lucien, setting the cup down on a nearby table. "You did this to me."

Growling, Venix reached out and grabbed the cup once more, breaking the edge against the corner of the table. It was a jagged cut, one edge sticking out in his direction.

Lucien raised his brows but sheepishly reached out and lowered her hand, taking the cup out of her hand and setting it back down on her table. He tucked her arms into her lap before he pulled away.

The witch looked down at her nails to see they were coated in blood and bits of flesh. Her arms were littered with fresh scars on her lightly-tanned skin and bits of dried blood were crusted on top.

Scars that Lucien and Rheynoak were responsible for.

Lucien remained silent, casting his gaze somewhere else.

"You can speak. I'm not robbing you of our freedom like Rheynoak" she uttered, curling her feet underneath the blanket.

"He's not robbing me of my freedom to speak" Lucien argued, crossing his legs over. He leaned forward, his blue eyes bright in the sunlight of the room. "I just choose not to speak as much as he does."

Scoffing in frustration, Venix proceeded to remove the blanket from her legs, discovering fresh scars and dried blood on her skin. The tension in her legs increased, her body stiffening with each movement.

"Why does he treat us like this? He understands that just because we are special does not mean we don't have a heart" she whispered.

"His justification is that he treats all the rare, beautiful species like that. He doesn't want them to lose their strength or forget what they represent. At least according to him and his philosophy" Lucien simply replied, earning a suspicious eyebrow raise from Venix.

A scoff escaped the witch's mouth. "And you believe that?" she asked, keeping her hard gaze locked on his eyes.

A simple hum escaped his lips. "Not quite but I'm staring at you right now so it's hard to disagree."

Despite all her efforts, Venix could feel her cheeks warm underneath the thick curtain of hair that covered half her face. Clearing her throat, she ignored the way her body relaxed around Lucien's presence.

"And do you share that ideology as well?" she asked.

He held her gaze. "No."

"He can't keep us like animals. We are not animals" she growled, looking over to Rheynoak's right-hand man. "You have just as much power as he has over us. Why don't you stop him?"

A sigh escaped Lucien, his body leaning back against the church. "Sadly that's not the case, witch" he informed, crossing his arms over his chest. Venix raised her brows, confusion flickering in her violet eyes.

"He's the leader. I'm simply a follower. The only difference between my position and yours is that he chose me to follow him on his heel every day for twenty-four hours" he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"That didn't answer my question" Venix snarled, folding her legs over one another. She turned her body so she was fully facing Lucien, her eyes straying over to a long lock of white hair that fell in front of his eyes.

"I can't stop him. Even if I wanted to" Lucien responded to her. Venix watched him with curious eyes, no longer angry but rather intrigued with the kind of power Rheynoak held over Lucien.

A rather peaceful silence resided between them. She noticed how Lucien's eyes raked over her face and body but not with the absurd hunger in his eyes most men viewed her with but with curiosity and intriguiment, his gaze stopping at the crescent moon imprint on her ankles.

Shrugging off the chill crawling up her spine, Venix pulled the blanket over her legs, removing her gaze from the man who sat in front of her. "Where's Onyx?" she asked, looking to her left and right to find it empty.

"Behind you."

Hearing his words, she turned around to see her friend still and unconscious, a stream of blood running down her arm. She was still dressed in her black cloak, her sword resting beside her.

Venix could tell she was still alive from the thundering heartbeat she heard but Onyx would not be waking up anytime soon.

"What did you do?" she asked, turning her gaze back to Lucien who still sat perfectly composed in the chair. His eyes shifted over to Onyx's unconscious body back to Venix.

"Hell Siphon magic when I cracked her neck. It's keeping her bound in an unconscious state" he explained, letting a sigh slip from his lips. "It will wear off when Rheynoak permits it to."

Lucien got up to retrieve something and Venix didn't pay much attention as he shuffled around the room and sat back down, a book in his hand.

The book landed in her lap with a thud, a flicker of pain shooting up her body. Glaring at him, Venix casted her gaze down to the book.

"What is this?" she demanded, curling her fingers around the heavy book.

"Onyx hid it in your room sometime around this morning. I grabbed the book before Rheynoak could find it" Lucien explained, his gaze also concentrating on the hardcover of the book.

Venix' s eyes grazed over the cover, her nails tracing the gold prints on the cover. There was no title but rather a picture of a dark sky over a grey lake.

"This book is from the Kingdom of Aysein" Lucien explained, his gaze moving up to meet Venix's. "Whatever your friend is looking for, tell her to stop. She is marching into dangerous territory" he continued, his tone turning deadly.

Venix listened to his words, the book feeling heavier and heavier the longer it stayed in her lap. She caressed the leather-bound cover and spine, opening the first page to feel fresh paper and ink under her fingers.

"Get out." Her words were harsh and she looked up to meet Lucien's calm gaze. He didn't seem surprised or hurt, his expression cold and stiff.

But deep within his winter eyes reside secrets. Secrets he kept to himself.

"I won't say it again" she warned, her grip tightening around the sides of the book.

Silently, she watched as Lucien got up from his chair and pushed it back. His cloak whispered against the floor as he turned around to meet her eyes again.

"Get well Venix" he uttered, bowing his head before walking away.