Zia and Elaina stood by, waiting, as the rest of the group gathered their things. They had put off their good-byes long enough, but now was the time to give final farewells and good wishes.

"Bes' of luck to ye, Miss Zia," Archibald said as he embraced her in a hug. "I hope ye find what yer lookin' fer."

"Thank you, Archibald," Zia said warmly. "My best wishes to you and your family."

Archibald smiled at her, gave her one last hug, then went to wait for the others.

"Well, you've surprised me, girl," Percival told her. "You're not half bad with a sword, and your terrible plan actually worked, something I will never understand."

Zia smiled. "Perhaps if you work hard you'll be able to gain a sliver of knowledge that will allow you to get an inkling of what happened."

He huffed. "The same to you."

Zia laughed. Then, in a more serious tone she said, "Thank you for everything, Percival."

Percival raised his eyebrows. "I don't recall doing anything for you."

"Well, you put Ryker in his place more than once," she reminded him.

"Saved the world single-handedly doing that, didn't I?" he agreed. And with that he went to wait with Archibald.

Zia said good-bye to everyone else, giving thanks and good wishes and stood back, waiting for Elaina to finish her farewells. When Elaina finished, Zia was very surprised to see Jay walking with Elaina to meet her. When they reached her, Zia asked him, "You were serious about accompanying us?"

Jay nodded, but didn't speak, for Heath and Ike had just joined them.

"How much longer are we going to wait here?" Ike asked with his trademark goofy smile. "Time is a-wasting."

"I agree. The longer we stand here the longer the trip," Heath said.

"Why are you here, Ike?" Zia said, ignoring Heath.

"Well, we're coming with you, of course. We can't let Captain Pretty Boy have all the fun."

Zia shook her head. "No you're not. Arch will be angry enough that I've gone, but with you gone too he'll be so mad Cook could fry eggs on his head."

Heath huffed. "I think he would be even more angry if we let you go all alone."

Zia rolled her eyes. "I'm not alone. Jay is here."

Heath's smile disappeared. "I see how it is. Jay can insist you don't go alone, but heaven forbid a friend trying to do the same.

Zia's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"Let's get going," Ike said quickly, trying to keep the peace. "The sooner we get there the sooner we can go home."

"Yes," Jay agreed. "Let's move out."

Zia glared deeper at Heath before spinning on her heal and walking quickly down the Pass, grabbing her horse's reins as she went.

"I know you're upset with me," Heath said to Zia a few hours later.

Oh, really? she thought sarcastically. And what gave you that idea? 

She hadn't spoken to anyone since they had started on their journey, though Ike had tried many times to get her to talk, and she didn't speak now. She just held on to her horse's reins with white knuckles as she rode on. 

"I know you feel that I think you can't handle yourself," he continued. "Which is as far from the truth as you can get. You're the strongest person I know." He paused, looking for a reaction in Zia's face, but there was none. She didn't even look at him; she just kept staring angrily ahead, like the Pass had somehow offended her.

Heath sighed sadly. "Zia, will you please talk to me?"

Zia finally looked at him with a look that said, What do you think?

"Fine, don't talk to me," Heath said, "but please, please try to make your peace with Ike and me coming along. Just knowing that you're safe... it will make me feel better."

Zia didn't speak, but the death grip on her reins loosened a bit.

Zia rarely spoke over the next two days. When she did speak it was only to Elaina. She wasn't sure why she only spoke to the girl, but after sharing about Daxtor with her, Zia felt closer to the Skilaen girl than she had any other woman. Also, it brought a wicked happiness to see Heath's angry face every time Zia spoke to her.

Zia still wasn't sure what her feelings were about Ike and Heath coming along. Normally she would have been glad for their company, but she was hurt that they had come because they wanted to keep her safe, not because they believed in her hunch as Jay did.

"We should stop here for the night," Jay said after a few hours of riding.

Night? Zia thought. She looked up at the sky, and sure enough, it was streaked with hues of purple, red, and orange. She had been so deep in thought for the past two days that she had barely noticed any change in time. It was as if the whole world had stopped and she was frozen in her own thoughts. The only reason she knew it had been two days was because she recalled having made camp the night before. She had retreated back into her brain, focused completely on her own thoughts. It was like she had blinked and the sun had set.

Zia dismounted her horse and gave him some food and water while she rubbed him down. She talked softly to him as she worked, telling him of the apples and sugar cubes he would be rewarded with once this quest was over and she got him back to the Thieves Headquarters.

Zia finished with her horse and looked around. Everyone else was busy with their own horses, except for Elaina, who had ridden with Ike as before. She had made herself busy by gathering stones and searching for dry logs for a fire.

Zia joined her, helping find any sticks they could. The plant life in the Pass was very limited as it was, and the thin layer of snow didn't help things. There were a few shrubs and plants, but there were no trees to drop large amounts of wood, so Zia and Elaina had to gather two armfuls of sticks each to make up for the lack of wood.

As they were gathering, Elaina tried to make small talk. "The weather's been lovely today, hasn't it? A bit chilly, but lovely nonetheless."

Zia shrugged. "I hadn't noticed." And she hadn't. She'd been so distracted with her own thoughts she really did not recall a single thing that had happened in the last two days.

Elaina sighed sadly, though she had a smile on her lips. "You are upset at Heath. Do not be angry with him for my sake. Please," she added. "I do not blame him for being wary. I think I would be too if our roles were reversed."

Zia looked at her. "How did you know that was why I am cross with him?"

Elaina smiled. "I didn't. I had my suspicions, and you just confirmed them." When Zia did not reply she continued. "Please, do not be angry with him on my behalf. I understand him being suspicious, and I don't hold that against him. You shouldn't either."

"I will admit, that is partly why my temper's been short with him lately."

"Partly? What else more is there?" 

Zia sighed. She couldn't explain it, even to herself. She knew she was mad at him for coming along because he thought she needed looking after, not because he thought she was right. Normally such a thing would only wound her pride slightly, and goodness knew she had a bit more pride than she needed. But her anger and hurt feelings seemed to run much deeper than that.

To Zia's surprise, Elaina grinned. "Ah. I see."

Zia reeled back. "See? See what?"

"You care for Heath, do you not?"

"Of course," she answered automatically. "He's my best friend. Even if he can be a muttonheaded imbecile."

"But you care for him much more than just a friend."

"Well," Zia considered, "I've known Heath just about as long as I have Ike, so I suppose Heath is as close a brother to me as Ike."

"More than that, I mean."

Realization of what Elaina was saying dawned on her and she almost dropped her stick bundle. "Wha- Oh, no, it's not like that. I mean, we're friends, but we're not... like that," she finished awkwardly. She could feel her face burning warm enough to melt the snow.

Elaina's wide smile told her that she knew otherwise. "I do not believe that, Zia, not for one second. I don't believe you do either. I believe you care very deeply about Heath, even when he is being, as you put it, a 'muttonheaded imbecile'."

Elaina gave her one last grin before she gathered her armful of sticks and made her way back to camp, leaving Zia confused and bewildered behind her.

Zia couldn't sleep that night. She kept tossing and turning, her brain refusing to rest. Was what Elaina said true? Did she really view Heath, her life-long friend, in that light? Her mind refused to let her push the matter aside.

Finally accepting that sleep was going to evade her for the rest of the night, Zia quietly rose, letting her blanket fall from her body onto her sleeping cot. She quietly tip-toed away from her sleeping friends, sitting down about a hundred yards from them on a large boulder.

She put her head in her hands, closing her eyes. Why had she come here? For the last twelve years she had lived a peaceful life- well, as peaceful as one can get when stealing from the local nobles and other rich snobs to feed starving men's families. And now she had volunteered to come along on this quest, and even extended the mission. She had come on this quest because she wanted some time away from the systematic, predictable life she had been living for a dozen years, and now, she wasn't sure if she was made for the complications (both quest-wise and emotional) that constantly popped up in a quest.

Zia thought back to an old folk song she had learned many years ago. It was taught to her by an old Thief who had died during one of Zia's first winters under Arch's care. The words came back to her little by little, along with some of the tune:

A hero lives for the thrill of fight

But always knows that peace is right

A hero knows that war will rage

And will fight to break open peace's cage

Heroes come in different ways

And in different shapes and sizes

A hero is courageous, true and kind

A hero is merciful

And will live for all of time

For their souls may leave this life

To seek a better place

But their tales are told

Both meek and bold

Their stories will be told day by day

And they ne'er will fade away

Was Zia any of those things? Was she bold, yet meek? Did she seek peace, yet live in the moment of battle? She didn't think so. She was hot-headed and quick to anger, prideful and quick to the punch- literally.

Zia had wanted so badly to come on this quest, to prove that she could be something more than just another simple girl. She thought she was brave, tough, and hard to crack, but now, she wasn't sure if she was made for the complications (both physical and emotional) that constantly popped up. No, this quest was for a hero, and she was no hero.

She looked up at the sky just as the night-time clouds parted to reveal the full moon. It was bright tonight, and when the glow fell upon Zia's face she relaxed. All her muscles loosened and her breathing became deeper and more even. She felt more at peace than she could remember feeling since she started on this mission. 

When the moon disappeared back behind the cover of the clouds, Zia felt empty, as if someone had stolen the ground beneath her very feet.

Suddenly, a hand gripped Zia's mouth and clamped it shut. Her hand automatically went up to her covered mouth as she attempted to pry the fingers loose, but they stayed where they were. Her attacker's hands were big and her face small, so his hand not only covered her mouth but her nose also, closing off all her airways. She tried to call out, but the only thing that came out of her was a muffled squeal.

Another arm wrapped around Zia's waist, pinning her to the stomach of the man behind her. Zia writhed and wiggled and did everything she could to loosen the grip of her attacker, but he held firm. No matter how hard she shifted, elbowed, or scratched the man's grip never wavered. 

Zia's head began to spin. Her mind became foggy and she couldn't form any clear thoughts. Her lungs screamed at her for air, but try as she might she could not give her lungs what they wanted.

Desperate for air, Zia opened her mouth as far as she could and bit down as firmly as her jaws could manage, as if she were chewing rocks. The taste of blood filled her mouth, but she just bit harder.

Her attacker gave out a cry and pulled back his hand. Zia could have cried with relief at the sweet, chilly air that filled her lungs, but there was no time. Zia reached her hands behind her head and locked them around her attacker's neck. Using her legs, she launched herself around, moving her arms so that when Zia found herself on the man's back her arm was firmly around his neck. She squeezed as hard as she could, cutting off his air supply. How do you like it? Zia thought bitterly.

To Zia's immense surprise, the man leaped backward into the air, intending to smash Zia between him and the canyon floor. But Zia tucked and rolled and slipped out from underneath him just in the nick of time. He crashed to the ground with a groan.

She spun around to face the man, but before she could she was suddenly pinned to the ground. Her legs were spread wide and her shoulders were forced to the mountain pass floor. Her attacker loomed over her, a sword suddenly in his hand. He had it raised in the air posed to slit her throat.

Just then, the moon peaked out from behind the clouds again, bathing Zia's face in its nightly glow. 

Zia's eyes were wide and glued to the man's sword, knowing it would be the instrument of her demise. She looked to the man on top of her, wishing to at least see the face of the one to kill her, but his face was bathed in shadows.

Still Zia stared hard at him, a defiant fire in her gaze, as if baiting him to finish the job.

Her attacker hesitated. He leaned closer to her, looking intensely at her.

"Z-Zia?" The man's voice was gruff, yet held a tender, soft undertone. "Is it really you?" The man's grip on his sword loosened and it lost some of its height. Some of his weight disappeared as he sat back slightly, bringing his face into the light of the moon. His hair was dark, like charcoaled firewood, and his eyes were a beautiful bright blue, like two glowing ponds.

"Who are you?" Zia demanded.

If he heard her she would never know. He reached his hand slowly and gently towards her, as if to caress her face. Zia flinched away and he withdrew his hand. "But... I-I, you're dead."

Zia heard shouts from men she didn't recognize. She looked down the canyon where the sound was coming from and saw the glow of approaching torches.

When she looked back at her attacker, the look he gave her was the most painful and... longing look she had ever seen in her life.

"I am truly sorry," he said.

Zia was so confused she didn't see his sword coming at her until something cold, hard, and metal met her temple and the world went black.

Zia's head ached and pounded when she woke up. She could feel the tattoo of her heart pulsing through her head, sending a shot of pain to the back of her eyes with each pump. She let out a groan of pain. She tried to open her eyes but was instantly blinded by the glaring sun. She tried to reach a hand up to her head, but something pulled her back.

"Zia! Are you okay?"

Zia would recognize that voice anywhere. "Heath?"

"Oh, thank goodness!"

Zia opened her eyes, blinking fast to get them used to the blinding light. When she had finally adjusted, Heath's face appeared over hers. Her vision was still a little blurry, so she couldn't be sure, but she thought his left eye was bruised and swollen.

"What's going on?" Her voice was gruff and her throat felt dry. "Where are we?"

"Just try to relax," Heath said in a soothing voice. "You took a nasty blow to the head." He touched her left temple gingerly. Even though his touch was soft it still sent shooting pain through Zia's head and she flinched away.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

"Where are we?" she repeated.

"We were captured." That was definitely Elaina. "They snuck up on us, surrounded us in our sleep. We had no choice but to surrender."

To Zia's surprise, Heath nodded in agreement. "We're in a Skilaen army camp. The first army must have been a ruse to throw us off track, make us think we were safe from any more attacks coming from the Pass."

"What happened to your eye?" she asked Heath. He was sporting a black bruise on his left eye and the side of his face was swollen.

He smiled remorsefully. "Let's just say the man who carried me off was a little rough."

Zia sat up and took in her surroundings. They were in a small portable holding cell made out of wood. There was a small barred window through which bright light was pouring in, but other than that there was no evidence of the outside world. In one corner there was an old pile of hay that was surely filled with bugs and mites.

Zia's head spun and she went to steady herself with her hands, but they were stopped halfway up to her face. She looked down to find her wrists wrapped in chains connected to the chains wrapped around her ankles. She noticed that Heath and Elaina were restrained as well. She felt her face pale. She reached for her sword at her hip- a habit she had developed that calmed her nerves- to find her belt empty. She paled even further.

"Are you alright?" Elaina asked.

"One of you be a dear and scratch my nose for me, will you?" she said as she lay back down to stop the spinning.

Heath smiled. "Yes, she's fine."

Zia suddenly sat up like she had been struck by lightning. "Where're Ike and Jay?" she asked, her voice panicked. Oh, goodness, they hadn't died had they?

"Whoa, whoa, there," Heath said as he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. "It's alright. They're in another cell across the camp. You can see them from the window. They're alright. Now lay down before I knock you out again."

Zia was so relieved to know that all of her friends were safe that she didn't even remember that she was mad at Heath.

She rolled her eyes. "You can certainly try."

Heath smiled and it was so warm that she almost completely forgot why she was mad at him in the first place.

Zia slowly sat up, trying to keep her head from spinning.

"What do you think you're doing?" Heath demanded. "You lie down or I will knock you out."

"Don't worry, mother, I'm not going anywhere," she said as she stood, ignoring the black that had started to cloud the edges of her vision. She took a step towards the barred window but stumbled as her vision went completely black. She hadn't passed out, but her head felt like it was swimming through murky waters. She tried once again to reach up and touch her head to stop the spinning, but once again her hands were stopped half way.

Heath held her arm to steady her. "You need to rest," he insisted. "You took some blow to the head."

Zia shook her head to clear her vision. "I'm fine. I need to see Ike." She pressed on to the window, Heath keeping a firm, supporting hand on her arm as she went.

The holding cell was small, so the window wasn't that far away, but Zia was still in a sweat by the time she had reached it. She peered out, taking her first look at the Skilaen army's camp.

There were campfires everywhere with men in uniform with the Skilaen's yellow coat-of-arms emblazoned on their chests- a bright, fiery phoenix. The men were drinking and laughing while they calmly ate their stew, as if completely unaffected by the fact that they were on their way to kill thousands of innocent people.

Across the camp was a wooden holding cell, much like their own. Ike and Jay must be in there, Zia thought. But she had to make sure- to be certain Ike was alright.

"Ike!" Zia yelled. She doubted he could hear her over all the loud laughing of the soldiers. "Ike!"

"Hey, shut up!" a man who Zia could not see yelled. His words were followed by a bang on the side of the cell.

Zia ignored him. "Ike!"

"I said shut up in there!" the man said again.

Zia's body began to shake, even with one of Heath's hands under her arm and the other around her waist. Her vision was almost completely black and sweat kept falling into her eyes. With one last effort, putting all of her fear, anger, and worry in her voice, she called, "IKE!"

Finally his handsome, impish face appeared in the small square window. He smiled confidently at her and gave her a wave.

Satisfied that Ike was safe and well, Zia's strength left her and she leaned heavily on Heath. She was panting heavily and sweat ran down her back. Her legs were shaking from the strain of holding up her body weight and they nearly collapsed from under her.

"You're lying down right now," Heath ordered. Zia didn't protest as he practically carried her back and helped her down onto her back. "Are you alright?" he asked once she was settled on the ground.

Zia nodded and closed her eyes. Such a small thing had taken such a toll on her body, and it scared her. She wouldn't always be this way, would she? The thought scared her more than she'd like to admit.

"Do you think we'll be executed?" asked Elaina in a small voice.

Heath shrugged as he sat back, satisfied that Zia was resting. "I can't really say. I mean, we practically brought them exactly what they want." He glanced over at Zia and her eyes widened.

"Me? Did they... see me?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"If you mean your eyes, then no, they haven't. At least I don't think they have." Heath smiled as Zia gave a sigh of relief. Then his smile slowly disappeared before he said, "Where did you go? When we woke up the Skilaens had surrounded us but your cot was empty. Then they chained us up and threw us in here where you were already passed out on the floor."

Zia explained the best she could about what had happened with the Skilaen soldier and how they had fought and how he had knocked her out. She had to pause a few times to stop the dizzy spells that came to her head, but it wasn't long before she finished.

"And..." she hesitated. "He knew who I was."

Heath raised his eyebrows in surprise and confusion. "What do you mean he knew who you were?"

"Exactly that. He saw my face in the moonlight and said my name. He said... He said that I had died." She added the last part a little hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to share it quite yet. It was so strange and she couldn't make sense of it, but she thought that maybe Heath could help.

Heath raised an eyebrow in surprise. "And you didn't recognize him?"

Zia shook her head slowly, trying not to upset her head. "No. I had never seen him before."

Heath's eyebrows scrunched together in the way they always did when he was thinking. "That's very odd," he said mostly to himself. He was silent for a while as he thought. Then his eyes got very big and round. "Zia, he saw you! Your eyes, I mean."

"How can you be sure?" Elaina asked.

"If you can't remember ever seeing him, yet he knows who you are, it must have been a long time ago when he last saw you," Heath explained.

"I don't see what this has to do with my eyes, Heath."

"I'm getting to that," he said. He stood and began to pace back and forth through the holding cell, his chains dragging across the floor. "If it really was so long ago that you can't remember ever meeting him, he must have seen your eyes because they're the most memorable of your features."

"Besides my charming wit and incredible fighting skills, you mean." What is wrong with me? she thought. She usually never joked in a situation as serious as this. Perhaps her head injury was more severe than she thought.

Heath smiled. "Yes, there is that of course." Then getting back on track he said, "Anyway, he probably saw your eyes and it triggered a memory of you. Fortunately for us, however, I don't think he poses a threat to us, whoever he was."

"How do you figure that?" Zia asked.

"Well, for one, he said he was sorry before he knocked you out, so he must care a lot about you, whoever he is. Also, he thought you were dead until now, so I don't think he'll say anything for fear of them executing you."

Zia sighed. "As lovely a thought as it is to have an ally on the outside, it won't matter. They'll find out sooner or later."

"Let us hope for the latter," Elaina said, and they all nodded in agreement. None of them wanted to think of what might happen to them if the Skilaens found out they had the Golden-Eyed one under lock and key before they could escape.

They were kept prisoners for three days, in which time Zia slowly regained her strength and avoided having her face in view of the guards that constantly stood by the door. She could now sit up and eat the meals that were delivered to them through a small slot that opened on the door three times a day, and she even started to run around the cell to get her body accustomed to her hard-working lifestyle once more. There was one breath-quenching moment when a guard stuck his head in to deliver their food and Zia forgot to look away. The guard's eyes widened when he saw her, but she quickly looked away. She stayed on edge the rest of the day, expecting the door to open any moment and men to drag her away from her friends forever. But nothing happened except the evening meal coming through the small door.

Meanwhile, Heath tried to get any information he could out of the guards. He would question them about where they were and how far they had left to go and what was to become of him and the other prisoners. Most of his questions were met with either silence or a shout telling him to shut up, but there was one guard to go so fed up with Heath's constant questions that he said, "Look, kid, I don't know what's to become of you. That's for the General to decide."

"Who's the General? When will we see him?"

"That's none of you're business, kid," the guard told him. "Now shut up and stop asking questions or you'll get us both in trouble."

That was the last time Heath questioned the guards.

One night Zia was awakened by the jangling of keys. Heath and Elaina were already awake as she sat up from the hard wood floor and blinked the sleep out of her eyes just as the cell door opened. The dark silhouette of a man stood framed in the doorway. He was large and his shadow loomed over Zia. "Get up." His voice was gruff and angry, as if she were the reason for all the problems in his life.

Zia stood slowly, standing close to Heath and Elaina. Trying to hide her face from the guard she asked, "Where are we going?"

"Shut up and just do what you're told," the man growled. He reached forward and yanked on her chains, forcing her to move toward him. He did the same to Elaina and Heath.

The guard held an awl-pike close to the group as he guided them across the camp. Zia wasn't sure where they were going, but she found herself not caring when they stopped in front of Ike and Jay's holding cell. There was one guard in front of the door and when he saw them approaching he turned around and unlocked the cell. Jay and Ike stumbled out, hands and feet chained much like Zia's own.

Zia threw herself into Ike and enveloped him in a hug- well, the best hug she could with her arms so restrained. "Are you alright?" she asked as she pulled back to look at him.

Ike smiled. "I've got a bruised arm, but I'm fine."

"I'm fine too," Jay added with a smile. "Thank you for asking."

"Come on," the guard yelled, prodding Zia in the back with his awl-pike. She moved forward, not sure where she was going. The others followed slowly.

"Where are you taking us?" Jay demanded of the guard.

The guard laughed. "Nowhere pleasant, I can tell you that."

So Zia just walked forward until the guard yelled at her to turn. Before she knew it she found herself in front of a large yellow tent fit for a king. The flaps were decoratively embroidered and it was large enough to hold at least fifteen men. Zia could see smoke drifting up from a flap cut into the top of the tent where no doubt a warm fire was roaring below.

"Keep moving!" the guard told them, for they had stopped to gaze at the large yellow tent. He pushed them inside when they hesitated.

The inside was more posh than the exterior. It was decorated with the most extravagant furnishings: chairs with oak carvings, tapestries with the most colorful threads, and rugs woven in the most intricate and complicated designs. There was a large central fire set in a raised grate where a seasoned turkey was roasting. It smelled amazing, grease popping and dripping into the fire below. There were two other flaps that led off to two other rooms. Zia guessed that whoever they were supposed to see was in one of those rooms, because the room they were in now was empty apart from them.

"The General will be with you soon," the guard told them, as if they were there for an appointment. And he left them alone in the main area of the tent while he ducked behind the door into one of the other rooms. As soon as he disappeared Zia considered grabbing her friends and making a run for it. But they'd never make, chained as they were.

A few moments later the flap opened again and the guard came out. He pointed his weapon at them and then at the door. The message was clear: Get in here or I will impale you.

Zia took a nervous step forward, careful not to look the guard in the eye as she ducked behind the curtain.

Zia looked up at the figure behind the large oak desk in the center of the room and froze. Her blood turned to ice and her limbs refused to move. Every instinct told her to run as far as her legs could carry her and keep going. She wanted to scream and hide, to run as far from the nightmare that stood before her as she could.

"Y-you're supposed to be dead." Every syllable she spoke dripped with terror so pure it sent chills down her own back.

"Why, my dear girl," Daxtor Myrna said with an unpleasant smile. "Is that anyway to speak to your dear father?"