The man looked at me and blinked. He stayed silent and didn't answer my question, and I stayed silent and waited for him to say something.

I bit back a sigh when I took a breath and cleared my throat. "Do you talk?" I asked, and he shrugged. "What about like this?" I asked and used the sign language that I was taught when I was younger, praying that this was something that this timeline knew.

Relief filled the man's eyes, and he nodded. He shifted and tried to say something to me, but he couldn't because his hands were tied behind his back.

"What did you do?" Caroline asked. Curiousness and confusion filled her voice, and I had a feeling that she didn't know what I did. "What was that?"

"It's called sign language," I said and looked at her. "It's another form of language and is mainly used for mute and deaf people. There's a few different types of it, but the one I used is basically American Sign Language."

Caroline slowly nodded, and there was a look of confusion on her face. "How do you know it?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"It's because I wanted to help someone when I was younger and learned how to do it. I normally talk to people like that if I can't use a mindlink or something," I said and shrugged again. "Are you comfortable with him being untied so that he can talk? I'll let you know what he has to say."

Caroline hesitated and looked at the shadow tendril that was Fernos. She didn't say a word while she looked at the shadow before she looked at me, silently debating it.

"If he tries anything, then I will save your ass and set his butt on fire." I cleared my throat and flashed the male a small smirk to let him know that I wouldn't do it.

The male slowly nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line. He looked at Caroline before he looked at me.

Caroline hesitated again but nodded. "Ok," she said, softly. "You can let him talk." She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Are you going to tell me what he said?"

"'Course," I replied and nodded while I walked over to him. "I will tell you what he says, and if you have questions for him, then I can give you his answers." I walked behind him and took the rope off his arms, and he instantly moved his hands in front of him and rubbed his wrists.

He didn't try to stand, and I didn't take off the rope from around his legs.

"Ok," I said and wrapped the rope around my hand while I walked in front of him. "Now, are you able to tell me your name?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, even though I had a feeling that he could and would.

He nodded. 'My name is Uris,' he said. 'You are..?' He raised an eyebrow, and I knew that he wanted us to introduce ourselves.

"I'm Kyler, and this is my friend, Caroline," I said and gestured to her when I made it back to her side. I looked at Caroline. "His name is Uris."

Caroline nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Why are you afraid of Cooper?" she asked softly, asking the question that I had asked him the first time. "Why did you not want him in the tent with us?"

Uris hesitated and looked down while he pressed his lips into a thin line. He didn't say a word while he rubbed his wrists again, thinking about why he didn't want him in the tent in the first place.

"Have you met him before?" I asked when he didn't answer off the bat.

Uris looked at me before he nodded, indicating that he had.

Still, he stayed silent and didn't say how he met Cooper, and I had a feeling that it wasn't a good memory for him. Pain filled his dark brown eyes while he stared at me, and I had a feeling that he didn't want to go down memory lane.

I pressed my lips into a thin line and stayed silent. 'I know that this is hard on you,' I said, not saying it out loud and ignoring Carolien's curious look because I didn't tell her like I said I would. 'However, I want to know so that I can help or at least make sure that you have a safe place somewhere away from him.'

Uris hesitated and looked down at his hands in his lap. 'There isn't a safe place for me,' he said and looked up at me with such an intense gaze that I would have believed him if I wasn't just as stubborn as him. 'Nowhere is safe because of everything going on.'

I shrugged and pursed my lips. 'There still has to be something,' I replied. 'Things in the future will look better than what they do now. You have my word on that.' I dipped my head closer to my chest, silently telling him that I was going to make sure about it.

Uris still looked doubtful, but he sighed and nodded. 'I met him a few years ago,' he said.

"Uris had met him a few years ago," I said, translating for Caroline.

'You were there too.'

"You were there too." I looked at her and saw that her brows were furrowed, and confusion was written all over her face.

"I'm sorry," she said and shook her head. "I don't know who you are."

Uris gave her a small smile and dipped his head closer to his chest. 'I know,' he said. 'You didn't see me, but I saw you.' He hesitated and tapped his finger against his leg, nervously. 'You were there after him.'

"He knows. You didn't see him, but he saw you. You were there after him." I looked at Caroline. "I am sure that the "him" is Cooper." I glanced at Uris to see if I was correct, and he nodded in confirmation.

'You bit my brother and took his blood.'

"You bit his brother and took his blood."

Caroline's eyes grew wide, and her face grew pale. She shook her head and took a step back, and the shadow that was Fernos grew thicker, but he didn't pull her away from us yet. "I-I didn't bite anyone," she said, her voice quivering. "I don't know what he is talking about. I-" She stopped talking when Uris shook his head.

'My brother was dying because he left him for dead, trying to "protect" a prisoner that my brother had, and we were trying to rescue him ourselves.'

"His brother was dying because Cooper left him for dead, trying to "protect" a prisoner that his brother had. They were trying to rescue that prisoner themselves, but it didn't work."

My heart sank in my chest, and I had a feeling I knew what he was talking about. I had a feeling that Caroline felt the pull of an innocent being killed and had gone over to them.

She had taken his blood to fill a triangle on her back on her way to become the next Red Wolf. She wasn't in control of herself then, but it didn't look like Uris blamed her at all.

Caroline looked between me and Uris. Her face was pale, and she covered her mouth with her hands. She still didn't say a word, and I had no idea if she could come up with the conclusion that I came up with.

"He knows," I said softly and dipped my head closer to my chest. "He was there when his brother sacrificed the remainder of his innocence for you."

Again, Caroline shook her head no, and I had a feeling that she was slowly realizing what I meant. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice quivering, praying that I wasn't saying what she thought I was saying. "Please tell me that you aren't saying what I think you mean."

"I can't lie to you, Caroline," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet. "Unfortunately, I am saying what you are thinking. He knows who you are and why you had taken his brother's blood. He's not afraid of you, by the way, you can see that for yourself." I gestured to Uris, and he nodded in confirmation.

Caroline looked at Uris before she looked at me. "But I thought I was alone," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked at Uris. "Do you know about what time two years ago this happened?" she asked.

Uris smiled sadly and shook his head no. 'I don't.'

"He doesn't."

Caroline looked at me, her brown eyes filled with worry. "What i-"

Uris waved and did something else to catch her attention before she could say another word. 'No one found out that you might be her from me,' he said.

"No one found out that you might be her from him."

'I swore that I would keep your secret for the sake of the world and to keep my brother's legacy alive while you become the next one. I stopped talking and the next day, my vocal cords were cut out.'

"He swore that he would keep your secret for the sake of the world and to keep his brother's legacy alive while you become the next one," I said. I cleared my throat, my heart breaking for this man that had been through so much. "He stopped talking, and the next day, his vocal cords were cut out."

Caroline's face grew pale, and guilt flickered through her eyes. "Because of me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Guilt filled her voice, and she looked down, not able to meet our gazes.

Uris's eyes grew wide, and he shook his head no. 'It was my idea.' He grimaced and shrugged. 'Sort of.'

"It was sort of his idea," I said.

'The Admiral somehow figured out I knew something that dealt with you but didn't know what. He suggested it to the king, and the king agreed.'

"The Admiral somehow figured out he knew something that dealt with you but didn't know what. He suggested it to the king, and the king agreed."

I looked at Caroline to see that she was staring at him with wide eyes before looking at Uris, who looked guilty.

She knew who he was talking about.

"Which king?" I asked because I had no idea.

"Vulcan's brother," Caroline said, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. "Vulcan is the Admiral that he is talking about."

My whole body grew tense, and my heart ached.

My heart skipped a beat before it started to pound like a runaway train, my mouth going dry while fear settled on me like a thick blanket. "So..."

Did that mean that Vulcan wasn't on our side?

"Vulcan's a spy for us," Caroline said, soothing a bit of my fears. "He normally tells Cooper and them about the prisoners and helps them collect the prisoners."

"Sometimes killing innocents?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, and Caroline shrugged and wrinkled her nose while she pursed her lips.

"On accident, I think," she said honestly. "I don't know. I don't have the feeling that you have."

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "You do," I said. "You just have to work on it a bit, and you will know. Cooper, on the other hand, should know. He has been around Mom to know and have his sensory shit attuned to the people around him."

Caroline hesitated but nodded. "Is that how you know?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded in confirmation. "I have also grown up with it, so I had a lot of practice. Mom made sure to take me to some places and see if I would know what she knew or something like that."

'Is that why you stopped them from killing me?' Uris asked. Respect and hope filled his eyes, and I could tell that he was relieved.

"'Course," I said and nodded. "If not, then it would have slowly gotten them closer to the side where they themselves become an uninnocent."

"Have you ever killed an innocent before?" Caroline asked, and I shrugged and grimaced.

"I have badly injured one on accident, but I haven't killed an innocent yet. I hope that I don't have to because I'd probably ugly cry."

Caroline hesitated but nodded before she looked at Uris. "Why didn't Vulcan tell Cooper about you?" she asked. "They could have stopped them from cutting out your vocal chords."

Uris smiled sadly and shook his head. 'I didn't want him to know,' he said.

"He didn't want him to know."

'I was afraid that Cooper would kill me too like he killed my brother.' He paused and sighed while he shook his head. 'I am still afraid.'

"He was afraid that Cooper would kill him like he killed his brother," I said, anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach. "He still is."

"Then why are you here now?"

'I was ordered to come.'

"He was ordered to come." I cocked my head and studied him, the familiar voice flickering through my mind. "By who?" I asked, wondering if it was the vaguely familiar person or someone else.

Uris grimaced and shrugged. 'I can't say,' he said. 'There is something wrong and something dark. Even if I want to, I can't say it.'

I nodded. "Let me do a little digging on what I have on me, and I will see if I don't have something to stop the feeling. Do you think it's a dark spell?"

He nodded and looked confused about what I was going to do, but he didn't ask as if he knew that I wouldn't say a word.

I took a deep breath, and the world started to spin a little, the exhaustion that I had been putting off creeping up faster than I liked.

I grabbed my head and stumbled a bit forward with a small groan, not falling because Caroline quickly grabbed me with Fernos's help.

"Ky?" Caroline asked, her voice quivering. Worry filled her body while she looked at me, her eyes wide. She helped me stand and kept a hand on my arm. "Are you ok?"

"Ya," I said, and my voice was smaller than before. I cleared my throat and blinked before I stood, not shaking Caroline's hand off my arm. "I think I might have overdone it. It might be time for bed no matter how much I want to get shit done."

Caroline frowned but nodded. "You have had a lot of stuff happen to you," she said softly. "I think it might be for the best." She paused and cleared her throat while she shifted on her feet. "Do you have enough energy to tie him back up?"

I slowly nodded and cleared my throat.

I took a deep breath before I let it out with a small whoosh. I nodded again, even though I had no idea if I would be able to make it there on my own. "I do," I said, "but I'm not sure that I have enough strength to walk over there."

"Then I-"

Fernos materialized out of the shadows, and Uris flinched back in shock. "I will lead her then," he said, and I held back an eye roll while I scowled. "You are not to go near him."

"Bu-"

"For this time, leave it be," I said, interrupting her, my eyes closing on their own accord. "You can fight all you want after tonight, but I need to go back to the tent before I pass out. I don't have the energy to stand around while you two fight."

Caroline hesitated but nodded. She helped slide me over to Fernos, and I grabbed Fernos's arm to keep me steady. She stayed silent while she watched the two of us walk over to Uris, and I could tell that she was feeling guilty and useless.

"Relax," I said and looked at her with a small smirk. "There is a lot more trouble we can get into later. We have a lot of information to find and then people to meet. We also need to get you ready for your training, which is going to start as soon as I wake up."

Caroline nodded again, and a look of nervousness and excitement flashed through her eyes. She was ready to learn how to use her powers, even if I wasn't the best teacher for her.

Fernos stopped behind Uris and helped me kneel. He stayed silent while he watched me tie Uris's hands to the post again.

"How does that feel?" I asked after I finished tying his hands up. "Tight enough for you not to escape but loose enough so that you have feeling in your hands?"

Uris gave me a thumbs up as best he could.

"Hmph." I nodded. "I'll make sure that Cooper doesn't come in the tent without me," I said and held up my hand so that Fernos could help me stand. "You have my word."

Uris nodded.

Fernos helped me stand, and I leaned against him while I breathed a sigh of relief. He walked me in front of him again, and I pulled at his arm to stop him and have him turn to Uris so that I was facing him too.

"I'll be back when I wake up," I said, and he nodded. "I still have some questions for you, especially about your vocal chords, if you are fine answering them."

Uris pressed his lips into a thin line before he nodded again. He looked at Caroline before he looked at me, silently asking me if she would be coming into the tent with me, too.

"She will if you want her to," I said. I flicked my hand when I could feel Caroline open her mouth to protest, and she stopped and closed her mouth and pursed her lips in annoyance.

Uris nodded. 'She can,' he mouthed, and I nodded, feeling relieved.

"Good, then we will see you after that. I'll make sure that you have food and water beforehand and will send Giselle with them. I trust her, and I know that she will do no wrong."

Uris nodded again and looked fine that Giselle would be coming. He gestured to the flap and smirked, telling me to go get some rest, and I flashed him a small smile and nodded.

"Let's go," I said and looked at Fernos, and Fernos nodded before he led me out of the tent with Caroline behind us.

Cooper was near the entrance with Giselle and opened his mouth to yell at me.

"I am not in the mood, Copper," I said, interrupting him, and the older male scowled and narrowed his eyes. "I am drained and need sleep. We can talk later."

He set his jaw and stayed silent, much to my relief.

I silenced the anger in my body and pressed my lips into a thin line. "You are not allowed in this tent without me. If I do find out that you have been in here, then so help me Goddess, I do not care if you are an innocent or not, your ass will be mine."

Cooper growled and fritted his teeth. He narrowed his eyes further, daring me to repeat myself.

"You should know if who you are dealing with is an innocent or not. Mom made sure that you knew. You better be glad you were helping another innocent because you are teetering to the side of an uninnocent."

"What do you mean?" Cooper asked, something in his voice changing, but I couldn't put a finger on it. His voice was dark and cold while he looked at me, but that wasn't what caught my attention, and I couldn't help but be annoyed.

I shook my head and pursed my lips in annoyance. "I will let you know what he said later. Just know that Mom would have been so disappointed in you if she found out about this." I looked at Giselle. "Can you make sure that they have food and water?"

She nodded and looked at the tent, curiously before she looked at me again, giving me a small smile. "I will," she promised with a nod.

I nodded, relieved, and looked at Fernos. "Let's go."

Fernos pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded.

And with that, we left, leaving Cooper behind speechless.