Kallen stared at Lena, stared at the book firmly wedged under her arm and he smiled. He clasped his hands under his chin and glanced at Iyrena.

"I have duties to attend to, I will see you both later," Iyrena stood up and left.

Iyrena nodded subtly at Lena on her way out.

Ari murmered in her sleep, turned over and Kallen looked at her softly.

"Do not deny you care about her," Lena sat in the space Iyrena vacated.

Kallen sighed. That was the problem.
"I think I care too much, Lena," he rested his head in his hand.

"That has never been a bad thing, do not beat yourself up over it," Lena leant over Ari and placed the book on the dark wood table.

Kallen waved a hand towards it.
"I am guessing you hunted down Seshat for answers?"

Lena nodded.
"She was where you left her. I had fun getting the answers we needed. She was surprisingly easy to break for a keeper," Lena inspected her nails.

Dried blood sat under her nails, and Kallen's eyes swept down the length of his sister. Nothing seemed out of place until he noticed her silk slippers were spattered with blood. The once clear glass beads had been painted rust red. Kallen looked at Lena and noticed a few stray tendrils of hair escaping her otherwise immaculate hair. To anyone else the stray hairs would have been perfectly acceptable, but to him they told him something else. They were indicative of a small struggle.

Seshat had fought back, to keep every scrap of knowledge from slipping from her traitorous lips. Kallen scanned Lena's hands and noticed a small trail of blood there with a few bruises.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, sister," Kallen chuckled.

"Remind me to always get on yours." Lena smiled.

"What did she tell you?"

"Almost next to nothing, until I threatened to burn every book, every scroll, every artifact."

"What then?" Kallen asked, sitting forward in his chair.

"Then, she broke like a dam, words spilling everywhere. They were almost incoherent," Lena replied.

"I trust you managed to get some useful information out of her?"

"I would not be here otherwise, brother."

"Then tell me and be quick about it," Kallen rolled his wrists and stretched out his fingers.

They itched to scratch, tear, claw and break anything and everything he could get his hands on. His rolled his head and the urges settled into a dull throb at the back of his neck.

"You know what I know," Lena's reply was almost a whisper.

"That was all she gave you?"

"No, but that was all she would tell me before she bloody wailed in that terrible language of hers," Lena brushed a hint of lint off of her magenta robe.

"The scribes were present?"

Lena nodded her head once.

"Good!" Kallen pushed off the arms of the chair and stood.

*********

Ariadne rolled over and her hand drifted over a soft cushion. Something wet fell from her forehead, and her hand explored it, cautiously, it had a slightly fluffy texture; a small towel. Hushed voices drifted to her and she called out to them.

"Orin? Is that you?"

The voices stopped, before bursting into fast, almost indecipherable whispers.

"Do not do this. Sort it out!"

"No, if she does not want me, I will leave."

Quick, hurried footsteps walked away. Ariadne rolled over properly, turning to face the voices. Her eyes opened slowly and light flooded them. She quickly closed them again, a hand over her eyes. Slowly, she opened them, and peered out through the gaps between her fingers.

Ariadne could just about make out a tall willowy figure shrouded in a vibrant magenta robe. The colour jarred against the warm light of early morning that came barreling through the windows. Ariadne slowly removed her fingers, and squinted against the light. When everything seemed to settle, become a little less brighter, she opened her eyes fully. She began crawling up the bed as fast as the cumbersome blankets would allow.

"Ow!" Ariadne clutched the back of her head when it hit the wood panelled headboard.

"Well, that is one way to greet the person that saved you," Lena drawled.

"Why are you here?" Ariadne fought with the blankets tangled with her limbs.

Cool air caressed her thighs and she looked down. A short, cream longish tunic covered most of her body, but stopped mid thigh. Her clothes were gone. She yanked the blankets aside, and swung her legs over the bed, preparing to stand.

"I would not do that, if I were you," Lena warned.

"I heard voices," Ariadne mumbled.

"Yes, Kallen was here."

Lena swept forward and took the seat beside the bed. Ariadne clutched the edge of the bedside table, and slowly sat back in the bed. The room spun around her and danced at the edges. Ariadne groaned.

"I warned you..."

"Yeah, yeah," Ariadne waved her hand dismissively.

Lena handed Ariadne a glass of water. Condensation dripped down the sides and Ariadne's eyes followed the droplets. She swallowed, and when she came up dry, she coughed. Lena shoved the glass at her, and Ariadne took it. Her lips touched the cool glass, as water slipped down her throat.

It was like rain after a long drought, and Ariadne smiled weakly at Lena.
"Thank you."

Lena shrugged.
"Do not say a word about this, literally. To anyone."

Ariadne thought nothing of it, and looked around her.

The small room she was in was divided by pale blue fabric screens, shadows of furniture sat behind them. Some Ariadne knew to be beds, the other shapes were less familiar. Various small wooden tables were littered with bowls and stacks of towels.

The tall arched windows were bare of any lead patterns, but the glass panes themselves were the most beautiful pale shade of lilac. It made the room have a slight purple cast. Ariadne sighed.

"What was Kallen doing here," she ran her fingers through her hair.

Lena didn't look at her as she replied, instead she inspected her nails.
"Looking after you," her voice was haunted by the ghost of jealousy.

Ariadne ignored it, and began to fold the blankets back away from her, trying to make them resemble some form of neat pile.

"I passed out?" Ariadne mumbled.

"No, you collasped and gained a fever. Kallen commanded I bring you to the infirmary, and Kendra did the rest," Lena shrugged.

"Kendra was here too?"

"Yes."

"What about Orin?" Ariadne asked.

"Who?" Lena tilted her head, confused.

"You know, tall, fairly handsome Fae, dark mahogany curly hair to his shoulders, powerful thighs..." Ariadne breathed.

"Powerful thighs?" Lena raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean," Ariadne blushed.

Lena sat back in the chair and chuckled.
"Oh I do know what you mean, but this is interesting. I wonder if Kallen knows," Lena taunted.

Ariadne glared daggers at Lena.

"Fine I will not tell him. But why Lord Redwood?"

"He cares. More than Kallen ever could," Ariadne stood up slowly.

"Do not underestimate what my brother is capable of," Lena warned.

"He's your half brother," Ariadne corrected.

Lena frowned.
"Fae are lucky to have children at all, it is the curse we carry. Yes, we are allowed take more than one spouse, but children born of parents sharing either the mother or father are considered as brother or sister," Lena explained.

Ariadne nodded. Things were finally beginning to make sense, sort of. When she thought about it some more, she realised it didn't, and gave up. Everything was twisted here, different. She had become firmly stuck in the middle, of everything.

"Why didn't Orin- Lord Redwood come?" Ariadne asked.

"Kallen's orders," Lena stood up finally and picked up the book from the table.

Ariadne watched as Lena passed it to her. Ariadne shook her head.
"No. That book will be the death of me."

"I will not let it. It has the only answers, answers we all need . As long as I touch and turn the pages, you read them."

"Teach me to safely travel through the mirror realm, and we'll call it a deal," Ariadne was aware this was another Fae bargain. The price would be high.

Lena almost dropped the book, but she caught herself at the last minute, and in a blur the book was back on the table, safe.
"What makes you think I have travelled there?" Lena's voice shook.

"Your tattoos," Ariadne pointed to them.

"What about them?"

"They're only given to travellers that can successfully travel between all realms," Ariadne stated.

"How do you know about this? Not even Kallen knows," Lena's eyes filled with worry.

Ariadne paused. She ran back through the maze of her memories, trying to find the exact path that this golden nugget of knowledge belonged to. Ariadne needn't have bothered, it wasn't there. She ran through her mind faster, and there; right at the back in the darkest corner, sat a small glimmer of light. She reached out a tendril of thought and the memories wrapped themselves around her.

Pain, tremendous pain lanced through her chest. Ariadne lurched forward, and Lena caught her. Her head clanged with the sound of a hammer on an anvil. Ariadne clutched her head.

"What in the seven hells is wrong with you?" Lena growled.

"My f-father told me. At least I think he did. A long, long, time ago. When I was a child..." Ariadne trailed off.

"I need you to be sure about this, try to fight past the pain," Lena coaxed.

"I-I. No. I can't do it, it's too much," Ariadne gasped when she tried to reach for the door to that particular memory again.

"Alright, do not push it, you will do more harm then good, if you carry on," Lena sighed.

"What do you mean?"

Lena was quiet for a moment, before she replied haltingly.
"Someone, I do not know who, has placed a block on your memories. Do not ask me who, I do not know. It was either for your protection or theirs," Lena patted Ariadne's arm awkwardly.

"You need them though, right?" Ariadne asked.

Lena nodded.

Ariadne steeled herself for what was to come.
"Teach me to travel the realms, safely, and I'll get you them. I'll read the book for you. I'll do both tasks, this I swear."

Lena let go of Ariadne, and Ariadne braced herself against the wall beside her bed.

"Do not make promises lightly in the Fae realm Ari, it is dangerous," Lena warned.

Ariadne nodded.
"If it's all the same to you and Kallen, I think I'm the only one who can save Altoria and stop Lorelei. Let me do it. Let me prove to you that humanity has a place in this world."

Lena nodded.
"Fine! Let us get to work, this is going to take some time."

Ariadne hated the words as they settled around them. Then the tingling around her palm and wrist started. A small trail of white ink sat there in the shape of a moon. The bargain had been struck, and the proof of it lay upon Ariadne's skin.