"Halt," commanded the first Crimson Guard, standing at the bridge entrance to Fort Givo alongside three others. His lips curled into a menacing grin, revealing yellowed teeth at the roots—a clear sign of rosethorn overuse. "State your business, woman."

Savere retrieved the forged warrant from Kazmere's cloak. She handed it over smoothly, keeping the blood daggers out of sight. "I have orders from Councilor Jormac to bring The Orange Blade and his comrades to justice."

At the mention of the moniker, the guards all tensed and fingered their weapons. All four pairs of eyes locked onto Kazmere. He did his best not to smile at their reactions.

"How did you manage to restrain him?" the lead guard whispered to Savere, just loud enough so Kazmere could hear.

Savere ignored his question. "Should I report to Councilor Jormac that we're late because of some curious guards? He's expecting me now."

The guard swallowed while studying her. His eyes moved to the warrant. Kazmere was surprised the man could read. After a short moment, he handed her back the warrant and moved aside so they could pass. He didn't even bother to check Savere for any weapons. Odd.

"Good man," Savere said. She turned back to them and tugged on the chain linked to all their shackles.

With every step closer to Fort Givo, Kazmere's tension grew. There was no room for error. One mistake, and they'd all be prisoners—or worse, sent to the Skyprison. The uncertainty surrounding Jormac's Viberium abilities only deepened his unease. Was he selfish for allowing Sera and Zavan to come? Their presence reassured him, but as they crossed the bridge, he wondered if his decisions were wise. Leadership always felt like that for him—acting confident, pushing forward, and hoping for the best—all while second-guessing every decision.

Kazmere glanced to his right, admiring the vast city of Dawnsguard. This side of the Fifth Division was a stark contrast to the Lord's Highway he had visited days earlier. The city rose in tiers to the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Divisions, connected by switchback roads and massive gates. No matter how often he looked at Dawnsguard, its beauty never ceased to amaze him.

To his left stretched the Forever Ocean and, beyond it, the New Lands. Was Ansel there? Thoughts of Ansel always stirred confusion. Kazmere's gut told him the young man didn't kill the queen. He wanted to believe Ansel's innocence, if only for Sera's sake—she loved Ansel like a brother. For her, Kazmere would uncover the truth.

The front doors of Fort Givo opened as they drew closer.

Two bald men in grey robes with staffs made of twisted metal walked out and stood on each side of the doors. At first, Kazmere assumed they were old men but upon closer inspection, realized they were quite young—around Ansel's age. Their faces showed no emotion. They stared at Kazmere and the others while they walked past, never breaking eye contact.

Kazmere watched the Acolytes as they passed. He'd encountered Acolytes of the Viberium Council before, but never this close. Typically, they remained within the Tower of Dawn, the Viberium Council's fortress in the Seventh Division. It was said they were lethal fighters, trained specifically to kill Viberium users. Ever since the first Harrowing, nearly a millennium ago, the Council had rounded up every suspected Viberium user each year. Those who were deemed useful but lacked the ability to manifest powers were trained to become Acolytes. Kazmere shuddered at the memory of his younger years, gripped by the fear of becoming one of them.

Savere was greeted by an older man with short black hair cut in military fashion. Greyish hair dusted his temples. A golden sun held his cloak to crimson armor. A Captain.

The man turned his attention to Kazmere and gave a knowing smile. "I'm surprised you were so easily captured. Your reputation must be exaggerated."

Kazmere narrowed his eyes. Something felt off about the man's demeanor, as if he were watching events unfold exactly as he'd expected them to.

"We all get cocky sometimes, don't we," he replied.

The smile slid from the captain's face. He reached over and grabbed Kazmere's shoulder roughly. "I'll be taking him to Councilor Jormac myself. Give those two over to the guards downstairs, they take care of the rest of the Foundlings."

Savere barely concealed the panic in her voice. "But I'm supposed to take him myself. How will I collect my reward?"

"You will get your reward, woman. Just do as you're told or you'll get nothing."

Kazmere met Savere's eye and gave the smallest nod he could. She did the same. We'll have to make it work. They both understood.

Sera was having a harder time concealing her panic. Her eyes were filled with worry for him. The sight made his heart swell with warmth and confidence. He would make sure he got out of this alive, for her at the very least. He mouthed "I'll be okay," to her as the captain pulled him away toward a staircase leading upward.

Sera watched the man she loved get pulled away, unsure of what his fate would be yet again. By the Divines, he couldn't stay out of trouble for two seconds. She knew it wasn't his fault this time but the prospect of losing him again was unbearable. Deep down, this was the source of the distance she kept between them. She loved him with all her heart but she couldn't bear to watch him be taken from her again and again. A small part of her wondered what the point of keeping the distance was if losing him still took such an emotional toll.

Savere yanked Zavan and her chains in the opposite direction toward a staircase leading downward. The walls were adorned with silk banners containing the sigils for Reven, the Viberium Council, and the royal family. Their footsteps echoed off the cold stone floor. Sounds of crying were behind every other door they passed.

Sera shuddered. If she had her way, they would raze this place to the ground.

Zavan turned his head toward her but she gave a slight no headshake. Not now, too many ears. Better to wait until they got to the other Foundlings. Then they could make a plan. She was worried about the mental well-being of the other Foundlings though. What was the purpose of keeping them here with Acolytes unless the Viberium Council was making an effort to make them Snap? She cut off that line of thinking. Better to worry about what she could control.

With Savere leading, the three of them walked down the staircase. Then another. Then another. The only lighting was the torches at the entrance of each floor. The air was cold and still.

The truth was, she always felt better in these high risk situations. The reality of the danger all around them made her mind focus with sharp accuracy. They turned left, walked past four prison doors, turned right, walked past two, then turned left again. She was surprised by the lack of Crimson Guards. She expected there to be scores of them walking around but they were usually dozing off in random areas, not paying much attention.

They emerged into a wide and deep stone room with a wall of heavy steel bars separating the four Crimson Guards from dozens of hunched-over prisoners. Each prisoner had spiraling black tattoos running the length of their arms. Sera couldn't help herself from smiling.

Savere hadn't been lying. There were dozens of Foundlings still alive.

A Crimson Guard reeking of booze breath walked over and gripped her arm. "What a beauty this one is. Why are you smiling? I think I'll make it my mission to wipe that smile off your face by the end of the night." His hot smelly breath made bile rise in her mouth.

He continued. "... when I'm done with you, you'll be screaming each name of the Di—"

His voice turned to a gurgling sound as Savere ripped one of Kaz's blood daggers from his throat. Blood poured down his neck in a waterfall. Sera took a step back, not wanting it to soak into her worn boots.

The other three guards fumbled with their swords, completely off guard. Savere opened the left side of Kazmere's cloak and threw three more daggers with lightning speed. Each one found its mark. The Crimson Guards clattered to the floor in an armored bloody mess.

Savere unlocked Zavan and her handcuffs. Sera ran over and leaned over each one, searching for the keys. "We don't have much time. If they haven't heard us already, they will know soon. Crimson Guards patrol between each Foundling station at each time interval. Here." She took off the cloak with Kaz's blood daggers and Relic and gave it to Sera. She put it on, savoring the smell of Kaz that surrounded her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zavan asked. He'd already grabbed one of the guard's swords and pointed it at Savere.

Savere didn't look at the sword. "I have to get my family before they hear of my betrayal. This is only one group of Foundlings. There are more on this level and the one above. Each group of guards will have a set of keys for their doors. As soon as I have my family, I'll come right back."

Sera and Zavan met eyes. They both didn't trust her but what could they do? There was a limited amount of time.

Sera reached out and grabbed Savere's forearm. "You better come back Savere. You haven't been released by Kaz yet. I won't be the one to tell him you got away again."

Savere's expression was unreadable. "I promise, I'll be back."

Sera didn't respond, just turned to the heavy steel door and put the key in the lock. The Foundlings were getting up off the ground and peering through the bars.

One of them, a young man around Ansel's age with a black eye and dark brown hair reached out to touch her arm. "Sera, is that really you?"

Tildren. He'd been one of the newer recruits right before the fall of the Foundlings.

She grabbed his hand in both and smiled at him. "We've come to rescue you all. Kaz is here too."

The Foundlings all looked at each other and cheered. They rushed out of the door and hugged Sera and Zavan. Some of them were crying tears of joy.

Sera collected the blood daggers from the corpses, put them away, and turned back toward them. The other Foundlings were already equipping any armor and weapons they could find. "The day isn't over yet." She had their attention now. "First, we release the rest of the Foundlings."

The Foundlings all cheered. A range of emotions filled their eyes. The most prominent was vengeance.

Zavan walked out in front of everyone with Sera and turned back. He raised his sword over his head, his eyes alight.

"Rule two of the Foundling Creed. If no escape is available—" He pumped his arm with the sword, "—fight to your last breath!"

Every man and woman released a war cry of savage delight and burst out into the main hallway, attacking every Crimson Guard in sight.

Councilor Jormac Sundry sat across from Kazmere behind his oak desk, fingers crossed, staring at him. Behind him, a glass window stretched from the floor, high up to the roof and right across the width of the room. The forever ocean spanned the view right out to the horizon On each side of the window was a silk banner of the Viberium Council. To Jormac's left stood the captain from before. Captain Zelidar. The man had a faraway look in his eyes as if he wasn't currently standing in the room with two of the most powerful Viberium users in Reven.

Councilor Jormac leaned forward squinting, the shadow from the torches pulling back to show his jagged scar that ran along his forehead to his blue-grey eye. His golden hair was cut short, barely touching the top of his jagged scar. From his clothing, Kazmere could gauge this man thought highly of himself and was spoiled in clothing that sported all the latest fashions. A white cloth tied around his neck into a little white bowtie right above his blood-red silk collar. Each finger was equipped with a ring that was worth most people's whole home in Reven. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds—all encased in gold. Being a member of the Viberium Council clearly paid well.

"You know, your family and mine used to be close friends back in the day," Jormac said. He leaned back in his chair and bit into an apple. The juice sprayed all over his shirt but he didn't seem to notice or care.

"I don't remember you at all," he replied.

"Really? I visited your family's estates outside of Dawnsguard a few times myself. What was that town called that your father loved to retreat to after his Crimson Guard duties? Oh—" Jormac pointed his index finger in the air. "— I remember now, it was called Stoneheart."

Kazmere focused on controlling his facial features. What was this man talking about? He had to admit, his memory of his earlier life was hazy but he couldn't remember seeing this man before.

Jormac stood, walked over to the window, and peered out over the Forever Ocean with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Do you ever think about your father? I think about mine all the time. All the good he did for me. All the hardships he put me through. It seems one of the hardest trials in life is earning your father's love."

"Your father and mine were very different people."

Jormac turned around, a small smile playing on his lips. "Do you think so? Why is that?"

"I've heard of your father before. Councilor Jinland Sundry, the man who stole a thousand children. That's what the citizens of Dawnsguard call him. His fondness for children..." Kazmere let the implication drag on. "... was quite well known."

Jormac's lip curled in disgust and turned back toward the window. "Gross exaggerations. My father did his duty as all Councilors do. Most, anyway. He was tasked with finding a new batch of Viberium users every year. It's not surprising that rumors popped up every now and again." His voice didn't sound sure.

"Those rumors might have been why I never met you or your father growing up."

The Councilor chuckled to himself. "A good guess but far off still. The truth is, they were more alike than you realize. By the Divines, I was there that day."

Kazmere narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, the man did seem to look familiar. Where had he seen him before?

His heart started to beat faster. His mouth went dry. Cold realization sunk into his bones. Deeper even. Into the dark recesses of his mind that he never dared to venture into.

Jormac had been there the day his sister Sherie was killed.

Sera blocked the Crimson Guard's downward slash with two daggers crossed. The blow sent a vibration throughout her whole upper body but she gritted her teeth and pushed upward, throwing the man off balance. Clearly, he wasn't used to fighting a woman who knew how to fight. She used his moment of unbalance to kick his groin with all her strength. She could barely see his face because of his helmet but she heard a pained groan as he keeled over. The dagger hilts were covered in her hand sweat but she kept her grip firm and rammed it into an open slit between the armored shoulder and arm of the man. The feeling of metal ripping through flesh was a good one when it was your enemies. She ripped the dagger downward along the slit, severing the man's whole shoulder from his arm. Blood seeped from the wound. The guard didn't get up.

Behind him, dozens of Crimson Guards emerged from different doorways and the staircase. Unheard orders bounced off the walls as everyone tried to gain a semblance of order in the chaos. The Foundlings were severely under-geared but when your only option was to return to being a tortured prisoner, you fought with all you had.

She looked back and saw Zavan finish off a guard with a swift cleave to the head. He had a few small cuts on his arms but nothing fatal. He nodded at her and moved to help another Foundling that was fending off a guard. Where was Savere? Had the woman slipped away?

Sera clenched her teeth together in a savage growl as another Crimson Guard ran up to meet her. Behind him, she saw one guard carefully strapping a gauntlet to another one. The guard equipping the glove held no weapon, his eyes trained on her.

She dodged right as the guard she was facing stabbed at her fiercely. His heel was wide open. She slashed his achilles, Kaz's blood dagger cutting through the metal like butter. The man fell on one knee and she used her other dagger to ram it into the back of his neck where the plating was weakest. The man fell forward. A pool of blood soaked the stone ground.

"Come at me you crimson bastards!" she yelled. The Foundlings behind her yelled their agreement.

The guard with the gauntlet launched at her, gauntlet outstretched. It missed her by a hair. Another guard used the opening to slash her arm and she felt hot liquid seep from the wound. It started to burn. She took a blood dagger and swiped at him but he jumped back before it connected. Cold metal gripped around her right leg.

She looked down. The guard with the gauntlet was grinning up at her, gauntlet around her leg.

A warm blanket of darkness coated her mind. Suddenly, her limbs felt like they weighed hundreds of pounds. She tried to pull her leg free of his grip but couldn't muster the required strength. The warm darkness spread throughout her body. She wanted to do nothing but lay down. So tired.

She fell backward. The pain of hitting the stone floor wasn't that bad, not when she felt so warm and numb. Was this what dying felt like? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was telling herself how one sword cut on her arm wouldn't kill her but the logical voice was hidden behind a wall of warm fuzziness.

The warm darkness covered her eyes and she felt herself drift away.

The wind rushed through her hair.

A child laughed with delight behind her.

Sera opened her eyes and remembered where she was. Rug racing down the Fourth Division staircase.

She let out a howl of enjoyment as the wind ripped past them. She and Lily were going faster than she ever had before. Wait until Jorde hears about this! She pulled back on the front of the rug to try and block some of the impact as they flew from one staircase to the next over a group of merchants. The men yelled at her but she didn't care. What were they going to do? Catch her? She laughed at the thought.

"Go faster!" Lily yelled from behind.

"Lean forward," she replied, already doing so.

With both of them leaning forward, everything they passed flew by in a blur. She looked back to see the unfiltered joy on Lily's face and giggled. Rug racing was when she felt most alive.

Sera looked forward and her breath caught in her throat. A cart was stuck and couldn't move. The merchants were pointing at her and yelling to stop.

"Hold on tight!" she yelled to Lily.

They smashed through into the cart, destroying the right side completely. The world around her tossed and turned. I hope Lily is okay, she thought absentmindedly.

She finally landed on some straw that had been thrown from the wagon. What a lucky landing, she thought. The rug was still somehow under her too she realized as she stood up. She checked every body part, making sure nothing was broken. Where was Lily?

An older man with a young boy walked up to her. The man went down on one knee, compassion filled his eyes. "Are you okay, young lady?" He had tan skin and dark black hair. It was pulled back in a ponytail. The little boy—she didn't know why she thought of him that way, he was her age—appeared worried about her as well.

"I'm fine. That wasn't my first fall," she sighed. Hopefully her rug wasn't destroyed. She had a race tomorrow. "Have you seen my friend Lily?"

The young boy sat down next to her and pointed in a direction behind them. Lily was being helped to her feet by a group of people. Her arm was bent the wrong way and she was crying.

A hand shot in front of her face. The young boy's. He smiled at her and said "My name is Kaz. Can you show me how to rug race sometime?"

Before she could answer, a warm darkness spread through her senses. The image in front of her cracked and broke into a thousand pieces and she felt herself fall backward into empty darkness. The sounds of the rug racing rushed through her eardrums but... backward? Every sound she'd heard was playing in reverse at rapid speed.

Cold water splashed into her face. Sera shot up, gasping for air. Zavan was peering down at her, his face filled with worry. Dead Crimson Guards and Foundlings littered the hallway. At least a hundred Foundlings filled the hallway.

Zavan stood and offered a hand. "Welcome back."

Sera realized she'd just had a taste of Jormac Sundry's Viberium powers.

Jormac walked closer to Kazmere and sat on the edge of his desk.

"Ah, are you starting to remember me now? How delightful. I've been looking forward to having this conversation with you. I meant to visit you in the Skyprison but the Council needs me here with your Foundlings. It takes a certain level of persuasion to get them to Snap and join us. Not every Councilor has the stomach for it."

Kazmere's whole body tensed. The memories of this man and his father were on the tip of his tongue, like when you are trying to think of a word but it just stands out of mental reach.

"What do you want with me, Jormac?" asked Kazmere through clenched teeth. His pulse was pounding in his ears.

Jormac stood with a malicious sneer. "You'll see in due time. Lucky for you, I built an illusion to give you a little memory refresher so to speak. Captain Zalidar, please show Kazmere his father's armor."

Filled with confusion, Kazmere looked around the room. He'd been so focused on Jormac that he hadn't studied his surroundings at all. His eyes found what he was looking for. In the right corner of the room, a glass display case held a suit of crimson armor. The outer lines of each individual piece were tinted with gold. Chips of red were missing from certain pieces where the set had met with a sword's edge in battle. A suit of armor he had seen many times.

His father's armor.

Rough hands gripped him from behind and savagely shoved him against the glass casing—pressing his face against the glass. His hot breath fogged up his view but he could see it still. Memories rushed back to him. Soft darkness started to spread from the back of his mind and envelop his brain. Heavy, deep drowsiness set over him. His eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. He was muttering to himself but he couldn't tell what he was saying.

Kazmere fell forward into the darkness, losing himself in its warm embrace.