Indys opened her eyes, the liquor induced haze still clouding her vision. It was twilight, near as she could tell through a strained squint. Niko, lying next to her, rolled over, tipping the empty bottle, all of 'Poppers desert brew' was gone. Had she really drank that much?

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, it was obvious she hadn't had near enough sleep to shake off her night of excess. She propped herself up on a drunken elbow, her world began to spin.

"Ughh!" She groaned.

She laid back down, hoping the spinning would stop, it didn't, the world still spun, just like it did when Gililion would land an armored punch to her jaw.

"Ugggrrrrhhhhh!" She groaned, trying to roll to her side, this was when she noticed the dark figure slinking in the shadows.

She closed her eyes tightly and reopened them, but the figure was still there. He...she...it was still there, sneaking, no...stalking. But what?

The shadow jumped nimbly onto the ledge of the flat roof. Crouching and walking the ledge with the ease of a Naygron rope walker, each step silent, closing in on its prey. Who was the prey though?

Niko still snored softly beside her, the figure now quickened, closing in on the rackals? Josa was in ecstasy craning his neck beneath Rema's beek as she nibbled at his neck. Indys could see the message tube attached to Rema's leg.

The hunter, bearing down on Rema advanced slowly, neither rackal sensing the predator stalking them. They were too emblazoned with their reunion, it'd been almost two months since she'd last heard from Ezra, since the birds had seen each other.

Two blades appeared from nowhere, one in each of the stalkers hands, the would be bird killer twirled the blades nimbly, a silent death cadence in rhythm with each deadly step, the steel glistening in the the soft light and purplish hue of the desert morning's rising sun.

Her mind spun and swirled some more, not from the 'desert brew'. Her thoughts darkened as the figure on the ledge brought back the memories of that night in the aviary, when Vex had killed Roos, Ezra's bonded bird.

This hunter moved just like him, but Vex was at Queen's Lance.

Wasn't he?

A few more steps and the rackals were dead.

Her mouth was dry, scorched dry by the 'brew', her tongue pasted to the roof of her mouth. She paused a moment wondering if what she was seeing, were truly real?

Rema's killer took two more steps closer to her.

Rolling over she nudged Niko, her mouth unable to work. Niko slapped her hand away, grunting and rolling away from her, caught up in his own stupor.

The killer taking two more steps, his shadow only inches away from Rema.

Her head still feeling like a Gililion bell toll, trying to think or focus. Her mind swimming in mud. She needed to move, the world spinning, Vex's make up frowned face, laughing at her maddeningly in her head, she was going to blackout, the 'desert' brew rising to bite her again.

Consciousness waning she felt her hand close around the neck of the empty bottle. The faces of the dead from Pilute's Villa mocking her, cursing her, damning her.

Blackness began to swallow her, she felt her body moving, but couldn't remember telling it to. She rolled back over, throwing the bottle at the intended killer, as she slammed her back against the roof. Knocking the breath out of herself.

Her drunken throw was no where close, sailing high over her intended target's head.

Dammit!

She could see the killer crouching as they steadied both blades. Muscles tensing, ready to strike, but moments before....

"JOOOO--SA!" She shouted.

Josa jerked away from Rema's affections, sensing the urgency in her voice, the killer had already sprung for their surprise attack. Josa's wings extended momentarily before the right one wrapped around his still startled mate, in a protective fold, pulling both himself and his mate over the roofs ledge.

Josa's, quick response caught the assailant off guard as well, expecting to bury both blades into each rackal, the attacker flayed at only empty space. Josa's left-wing caught the attacker's legs on the backswing, tumbling them over the ledge as well.

She tried to fight the darkness as the good natured Josa, his bitchy mate, and there would be killer plummeted from the keep's rooftop. She reached for the draca!

Why hadn't she thought of that before?

NO!

She mustn't, the last time she'd used the draca she'd slaughtered so many.

Her tight throat tightened, wanting to sob!

No.

She wanted the darkness, the peace of the darkness, a place away from the memories, a place away from the faces of the dead children, a place away from whom she'd become.

******************************

A peaceful night's sleep within Queens Lance was consumed by the rackal's panicked squawk, and the pain as the dagger penetrated its toughened fur hide. Ezra's peaceful dreams of flight turning into a fight for his life...not his, but Josa's.

Unconsciously Ezra was open to all of the rackals thoughts, all of his senses, all of his pains. The predatory bird in the fight of his life, reaching beyond distance to somehow, miraculously connect with its human, its friend, its familiar.

Ezra sat bolt upright, his eyes large purple orbs of glowing draca, He pulled on the draca trying to strengthen the 'knot' he now had with Josa, while he could control the flow of the draca, it did little to strengthen the 'knot'. Josa's thoughts were too animal, too instinctive, too terror filled for him to make their connection stronger.

He could now hear the whistling winds, and feel Josa's body as he was pummeled towards the ground. Someone had him, someone strong pulling him down. Josa's body relaxed, a wave of panic coursed through Ezra.

Had Josa died?

Two glorious tan wings exploded into view, causing Josa and his assailant to spin and tumble even more. Rema squawked in rage as she broke out of Josa's protective grasp, her wings cutting the air and lifting here into the air.

Ezra tensed, someone was trying to kill Rema, someone didn't want Indys reading his letter. Indys was in danger!

He could sense the relief in Josa as the bird watched his mate fly free of their attacker.

"You fucking nutsack!" A voice hissed, grabbing Josa by the neck. The birds anguished thoughts of despair washing over him, Ezra recognized the voice.

Josa's eyes searched for a panic filled escape, but the grip of the attacker was too strong to break free of. Ezra could only see twirling skies and and a few dark glimpses of the attacker.

Josa now fought, with the might of the Known's predators but his foe's was overpowering.

"NOOOOOO!" Screamed Ezra, his wail piecing the Alabastar night.

Ezra pushed the draca as hard as he could, every bit of love he had for Roos, Josa, Rema, all the rackals he'd bonded with was sent with that draca. He hoped beyond all the Known that the draca would seek out and somehow find Josa and save him...

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Ezra screamed.

He fell from his cot, the blunt force of Josa's impact with the ground, the sudden loss of a bonded friend sending convulsive waves, showering him with grief, dread, fear of the coming days.

He laid there, crying, his once glowing eyes of purple were now void of the draca, the tears flowing forth with a darkened glow of their own.

He sobbed in fury, his eyes squinting, fighting the tears, the rage. He'd not caught even a panicked glimpse of the assailant, Josa had been surprised, ambushed in a place he thought safe.

Ezra snarled, his hatred pushed to a boil once more, this had all the smells of what had befallen Roos. He'd not seen him but he knew who killed Josa!

"Vex!" Ezra hissed in vile contempt.

But how?

He'd just seen the jester walking with General Gililion in the training yards, this had happened in the Scorch? Josa had formed a 'knot' with him from the desert, from a distance so great driven by shear terror!

After a long while he rolled to his back, his ribs hurt from the crying, the old memories of Roos, the loss, the bitterness tearing at him, the guilt assaulting him.

Josa's last sight of seeing Rema soar to freedom, was the only thing he had to fight this despair. Josa's last thought of saving his mate, his love.

He wanted to roar his frustration, Vex was still killing!

He pushed these thoughts aside, they'd have to be dealt with later. His insides knotted, Vex had killed Josa trying to intercept his letter to Indys. How did he know that he'd been writing Indys? How did he know, did the queen know? What he was doing was treason!

What did the queen know?

His mouth was suddenly dry.

How much did they know? Did they know about his visits with Avery? Was Avery alright?

He nervously rose to his feet, getting dressed in fearful haste. He needed to check on the imprisoned vampire, and somehow get warning to Indys as fast as possible.

He was free of the voices in his head for the most part, Grimore would reach out to him, that was it. He remembered when the voices were his torment, and seriously wondered it they were not better than the thoughts that now plagued him?

**************************

Indys woke with a start, peeling her face from Niko's bare muscled chest. The sun was not yet at its high point, but the heat was already warning of the day ahead. She squinted, the sun's light a burning sand to the eyes.

She glanced the ledge of the roof, triggering a fogged mind of drunken memories? The rackals? Where were they?

She scouted the air and ledge of the roof, nothing.

"Josa!" She shouted.

Niko now stirred, "Indys...Indys?" A questioned panic as he realized he was waking up with her. Moments later he relaxed, realizing they'd only gotten drunk and nothing more? Indys wondered?

"I can't find Josa!" She said, giving him a nervous good morning smile.

"Sure he's just out getting breakfast," Niko replied as he grunted, getting to his feet, "come on, we can grab something to eat as well. That brew took a layer or two off the tongue." He worked his mouth trying to rid the taste of the stuff.

She smiled again nervously, "Yeah, you're probably right." She went to turn and follow him but stopped, "Hey Niko!"

"Yeah?"

"Where's the bottle?"

He gave her a puzzled look.

"The bottle you brought with you?"

"Ohh, right, s'pose Popper would want that back, for the next batch." Niko winked and began to look around, joining her search, the bottle wasn't there.

Another foggy memory swept across her mind, her throwing a bottle at someone trying to kill the rackals. She grabbed Niko by the arm and walked to the ledge, afraid of what she was going to see.

Niko, being taller seen over the ledge first, "Oh there it is." he said pointing.

The bottle caught the sun, the dark glass sparkling like a black pearl in the sands, Indys rushed forward, leaving Niko confused.

She peered over the ledge, the sun almost at its highest point, just a slight shadow on this side of the keep. In this slight shadow is where she spotted Josa's broken body, someone had dragged him there and left him in a crumpled heap.

Indys jumped.

Niko shouted something but she wasn't listening to him anymore. She landed on a knee, a cloud of dust and sands. She raced to Josa, hearing Niko's own landing behind her.

Her mind slid back to the Aviary the day Vex had killed Roos, the scene before her was almost exactly as that day. Instead of a broken neck, Josa had been stabbed repeatedly, his blood drank in by the sands forever thirst.

"What hap...?" The Captain never finished the question, darting and kneeling down next beside her.

Indys swallowed hard, blinking away any signs of tears.

"This is the rackal Ezra gave you isn't it?"

She only nodded.

He ran his hands along the birds dead body, studying the wounds. A confused look now on his face.

"I don't understand? The wounds are from..."

"Numerous dagger thrust." She finished for him.

He gave her another of his handsome, strong jawed, puzzled looks.

"The killer was on the roof Niko," she clenched her jaw fighting back the anger she was feeling towards herself, "I was too drunk to help Niko, he died as I laid passed out on the roof. I...

"You done nothing wrong!" Insisted Niko.

His jet black eyes met hers, at one time she'd thought his eyes a vibrant black. That was before Neena had broken him, now his eyes were just black.

"I am to blame as much as you then," anger in his voice, "whether we like it or not, this keep is our home. We were at home, having a drink! Indys whoever did this was skilled. Yeah, did he take advantage of us being out cold, he surely did. I feel your loss for for the beast..."

"Josa," she corrected, "his name is Josa."

Niko nodded, "I am sorry you lost Josa, Indys." His tone softening, he remained silent, gently rubbing her shoulder.

Rema!

She'd forgotten about Rema!

"Rema! Niko, we have to find Rema!"

Alabastar bolts of lightning snapped one after another as first she changed to her dracgon form, Niko followed her lead. Their mind's 'knot' tightening, strengthened by the change.

'You don't have to help me Captain. Probably best if you don't.'

'Brutes shit, Indys. We're a Braid, the Queens Braid, we are bound together. Even more than that, we're friends so I'll hear no more of it.' His thoughts more a command.

She nodded, trying to remain calm.

Now his black eyes seemed to shine, ebony orbs penetrating, powerful, sensing, seeing through her. Her red eyes locked on his as they soared higher into the skies. She was grateful for the company, at the same time a wreck. Whatever news Rema carried was important, Ezra three prior letters were leading up to this...

Treason!