Oriel was expecting more soldiers to be inside the tower. To her surprise, it was empty. There wasn't a sign that anyone had lived inside the tower for years. Her heart sank as she looked up at Tassian. 

Tassian's eyes were desperately searching the room around them. There wasn't much on the first floor. A table with broken beakers sat on the right side against the wall. The only other furniture that was in the room was an extremely small table over on the left. 

"Who's there?" a voice shook from above them. Oriel tried to look around the stairs, but couldn't see at the top. 

Draya stood up straight and clasped her hands in front of her. "My name is Draya. I am here with my children, Borus and Oriel as well as her partner, Tassian." Oriel watched as Draya peered up the staircase. "We mean you no harm, your highness. My daughter is injured and needs a spot to heal."

"You do not need to call me that," the voice came from above them again, but closer. "That title was taken from me decades ago." 

Tassian held onto her tighter as they both saw feet coming down the stairs. Oriel held her breath as she watched the woman come down the stairs and stop halfway down. 

"She's alive," Tassian whispered in shock. 

Queen Vega stood before them dressed in a long, grey dress. Oriel's heart sunk as she noticed the number of stains on the dress. Her skin looked clean and healthy, free of any bruises or blemishes. Her salt and peppered hair were pulled up into a loose bun, curled strands of hair framing her face. Frown lines were around her mouth. Oriel stared into her sharp, blue eyes piercing back into hers. 

Queen Vega's eyes widened as she looked at Oriel and Tassian. Her hands were clasped in front of her and Oriel watched as she tightened them. "I thought I recognized your names."

Draya looked back at them with a concerned expression. She turned back quickly before Tassian could reply. "You know who they are?"

Queen Vega nodded. "Yes." She started to walk further down the stairs. "I've heard their names come out of the guard's mouths many times. They're afraid of you. The stories I've heard, I'm afraid." She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. 

Oriel shifted in Tassian's arms. She was starting to get annoyed that he wasn't going to let her go. She could stand, but she knew that he was just being overprotective. "We're not here to hurt you, Queen Vega."

Queen Vega sighed and dropped her head. "If you wanted to, I won't stop you. Please, don't call me by that name. I got it taken away from me decades ago. Please, just call me Vega."

Draya stepped forward slightly. "Please, my daughter needs to rest so she could heal. We will tell you everything you want to know. Every question you want to ask."

Vega looked between the four of them for a couple of minutes before she nodded. "Follow me." She turned and walked back up the stairs. Draya followed her with Borus and Tassian following close behind. She led them onto the second story and it was just as empty as the first floor. On the wall in front of them, books were stacked up covering the wall. On the right, there was a small bed.

Vega pointed to the bed. "You can place her there." She stood beside the bed and watched Tassian carefully as he placed Oriel on the bed. "What happened to her?"

Oriel started to sit up, but the pain still shot up her side. She grabbed Tassian's hand quickly, pulling him down to sit next to her. "One of the guards outside stabbed me," Oriel explained to her. 

Vega looked at all of them surprised. "All of the soldiers are gone?"

Tassian nodded. "Yes."

Vega slumped down on the floor, folding her legs underneath her. "Why are you here?" She looked up at Oriel and Tassian. "You both are Queen Krathys' favorite assassins. You are the ones who do her bidding. Killed whoever she needed you to kill." She took a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

Oriel pulled against Tassian as she sat up. She could slowly feel the skin around her wound pull together. She hated this feeling. It wasn't painful but is extremely uncomfortable. "We need your help." She clutched her side and gritted her teeth as pain shot through her side. Something was wrong inside of her. It was going to take longer for this wound to heal. 

"We want to be free of Queen Krathys' reign," Tassian continued for her. "She's ruining the kingdom."

Vega shook her head. "You don't know how much she has ruined it, boy. When I and my father were in power, the kingdom thrived. Queen Krathys is a thorn choking out the life of every person, animal, insect, and plant in her reign."

Oriel nodded. "She destroyed us."

Vega looked at them and her eyes softened. "My father is truly the one to blame for your suffering."

"What do you mean?" Tassian cocked his head to one side. He moved over to the bed and wrapped an arm around Oriel's waist. 

Vega placed her hands on her knees. "My father had a lot of secrets. One broke my heart. He had taken Krathys from her home when she was a child, just like she did you. He performed many different experiments on the children that he abducted. He wanted to create the perfect army." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Krathys was the only child who survived and with it came her powers." She opened her eyes and looked at them pointedly. "Krathys wanted to fix what he started. From the looks of you two, she succeeded."

"Not everyone survived," Tassian grumbled. Oriel leaned her head on his shoulder. Memories of sitting by their friend's bedside and watching them die ran through her head. 

Vega nodded slowly and dropped her head. "Did she pair you both together in hopes that you would create more of you?"

Oriel nodded. "She did. We both vowed to never have children while she's alive."

"We don't want to bring another child like us into her reign for her to use," Tassian explained further. 

Vega turned her head over to where Draya and Borus were sitting close to the bed. "What is your story?"