I entered Zolona's room and sat on the red sofa by her fireplace. Zolona sat in a leather chair by a table. Two guards forced Echo to sit down-- not like he was struggling to get free. Sage followed in after.

"Leave us," Zolona told the guards. They obeyed, closing the door behind them.

Sage clapped her hands like a schoolgirl. "You're in for it now!"

"Silence, Sage," Zolona paused, "So... Echo, is it? I suggest you to take my offer."

"I won't be staying long," he said.

"Oh?" Zolona asked.

"Melinda will save us," Echo said.

Zolona raised an eyebrow. "Why risk her life on a lost cause?"

"I believe she will," he answered.

"You... believe?" Zolona laughed.

I kept my back straight against the head of the chair. "Heck, that'll get you far-- if you want to be killed! You're an optimist, right?"

Echo's smile widened. "It's taken years of practice to get right."

"He's dead serious," Sage said.

"They'll use your optimism against you. Why rely on a loveless world with broken people?" Zolona asked.

"It depends on what you love. I chose to love people." Echo sighed.

Sage smirked. "Says the twin who surrendered."

"Sounds like cowardice." Zolona clapped her hands and two guards came to get him.

"I only wanted to protect people who don't deserve to die. I traded myself in for Princess Melinda. She was able to save lives I couldn't because Sage was distracted. I wanted to protect others rather than myself. Sound like cowardice now?"

Zolona's directed her gaze to the guards. "Show me his wrists."

Echo stood perplexed as this was done. Zolona and Sage gasped. I leaned in to get a closer look. There, on the right wrist was a birthmark of sorts: a gray circle with a swirl design at its center.

"Ever notice this before?" Zolona asked.

Echo glanced at the birthmark and shook his head. "Not until an injury in a cave."

Zolona gestured for the guards to take him away.

When he left, Zolona sat back in her chair and twisted the bracelet on her arm-- a sign she was deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" I asked as Sage's mouth hung open enough for an apple to be stuffed in it.

Zolona raised an eyebrow. "I haven't told you about The Mark of Protection?"

"The Mark of what?" I asked.

"It was a rare birthmark in our community. My sister, her husband, and I and many others were blessed which such a gift," Zolona said.

"What does it do?" I asked.

Zolona sighed. "It's a sign of power, greatness, and protection. Those with it are known to do extraordinary things for good or evil. With it comes the responsibility to protect those who can't protect themselves, and power comes in many different forms-- whether it be through skills, magic, or power."

Sage informed, "But who wants responsibility when they can have fun?"

"Protection?" I asked.

Sage clenched her teeth, bugged by my interruption. "Monsters, evil spirits, creepy stuff."

"Considering Isla and I and her husband, Clyde, had The Mark of Protection, it isn't surprising if the twins have it too," Zolona said.

Zolona rolled up the sleeve on her left arm. Her mark's spiral travelled from the wrist to halfway to the elbow, a dark blue owl spreading its wings towards the center.

I always thought it was a badass tattoo. I even remember asking where I could get one a year prior! My sixteen-year-old self looked like a dumbass. Crap, I hated being wrong.

"It'll grow?" I asked.

"Yes, but all three of us had The Mark on our left arms. Having it on his right is strange," Zolona said.

"Think of it like the hand you write with. Left's rarer than right for dominance just like right is rare for protection. All the more reason I'm special." Sage crossed her arms.

Zolona sighed. "Sage, quit bragging about being left-handed, and get Ember."

Sage left the room.

"What are we doing with the twins?" I asked.

Zolona paused, wheels in her head conjuring a plan. "With The Mark, there's complications. The situation wouldn't benefit unless I kill them quickly. Except..."

My eyes widened. "What?"

Zolona lit up. "... I'll tell you we interrogate the girl. I have to be sure it'll work in our favor."

Sage returned to Zolona's room.

"Did you tell the guards to bring her?" I asked.

"Yes, but they mentioned Arvin and Dusk?" Sage let out a sigh, "They refuse to submit."

'Dumbasses. They'll never learn...'

"Know why?" I asked.

"Arvin isn't joining because of me. I don't blame him. Dusk's eyes say yes, but he acts like he shouldn't. Guess it's more fun this way." Sage's crooked smile widened.

"Eyes don't explain noncompliance," I said.

"He has a reason. We have to find and extinguish it." Zolona clenched her fist.

Sage giggled. "I told the guards to continue daily tortures. Oh what fun they'll have!"

"Nice call," I said.

The guards brought Ember. She bit the finger of the guard pushing her down, and he winced.

"Why you little..." the guard moaned.

"I'm sorry, was that your favorite finger?" Ember kicked the guard's stomach.

I forced her to sit down, tying her with ropes. Zolona started the conversation with her similar to the one with Echo. She even checked Ember's wrists, much to her confusion. I doubted either of the twins knew what The Mark was or its purpose, but either way, Ember's wrists were blank.

"Now, Ember. Are you the one who sees things clearly?" Zolona asked.

"I'd say so. I look for the consequences of my actions while he looks for the silver lining," Ember said.

"How can he say all of that about love then?" I asked.

"He doesn't know what it is," Ember said.

"Could you tell us..." Zolona started.

Ember interrupted. "I know warm up questions when I see them. I'm not spilling."

"Blah, blah, blah. Don't like submitting to authority, Ms. Greer?" Zolona asked.

"Authority? You're nothing but something to hate on!" Ember raised her voice.

"Get hurt when you were younger?" Zolona asked.

Ember turned her head. "I'm not saying anything."

"If that's the case," Zolona clapped her hands. The guards looked at us intently, "Put her back in her cell. Don't let the prisoners eat tonight either."

Ember's eyes widened in horror. "Just kill us now!"

"That's no fun," Sage giggled.

"It's more satisfying to kill you slowly. Wouldn't want you to not have a hell of a bad time here, would we?" I asked.

Guards restrained Ember as she was taken back to her cell.

I raised an eyebrow. "Have you made up your mind about that plan?"

"Plan? Why wasn't I invited to talk about this?" Sage stomped her right foot.

Zolona nodded. "It's a wonderful idea."

"Ooh! What is it?" Sage asked. The twelve year old's voice sounded like she found a present with her name on it-- wanting to know what was in it. Sage brought a certain charm to my life-- psychotic, yet dynamic.

"It's best I keep the ultimate goal a secret. I'll explain what I want for the time being," Zolona saidd.

"Well?" Sage twiddled her fingers, expecting her immediate answer.

"I want to break the twins. You're the proper interrogators to do it." Zolona smiled.

"Score!" Sage jumped into the air.

"Us?" I asked.

Zolona nodded. "You and Sage will take one of the twins and one of their friends. Each need special treatment."

"Who'll take what job?" Sage's expression lit up.

"You'll take Arvin and Ember, and 635202 will take Dusk and Echo," Zolona said.

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"Ember needs to break physically. However, Echo's optimistic spirit needs a different approach. Perhaps, your approach? Arvin will eventually give into Sage, and Dusk evens everything out," Zolona said.

"Sounds like a plan... even if I wanted Echo..." Sage groaned.

I scrunched my facial features. "What's the goal?"

"To get them to see their beliefs are wrong," Zolona said.

"Brainwashing... " I said.

"That's why I put you and Sage in charge of making sure this gets done. We don't want to strengthen them," Zolona said.

"Of course, Zolona," I said.

"Just brainwashing? Are you kidding me?" Sage pouted.

"My word's final, Sage. Don't forget I have authority over you," Zolona said.

Sage clenched her jaw. "Grr... fine."

"Your first interrogation is in an hour. I'd like to know more about the twins' friends," Zolona said.

I nodded. "We'll get ready after we eat."

"You'll need any strength you can get," Zolona said.

Sage and I turned to leave.

My ally, 4758, ran after me as I left Zolona's room. His face was similar to Dusk's, but his brown eyes and sandy blonde hair were hard to miss. He was taller than me-- shocking considering my tall height.

He was Sage's best student. Everyone knew that. He was reliable in a fight-- despite his unusual and irritating mimic of Sage-- because his skills were exceptional. Heck, without magic, he might've been better than me. It was a pill I couldn't swallow.

A charismatic smile etched across his face. "Where are you going?"

"I'm preparing for a new assignment," I said.

4758 chuckled. "Oh, really?"

"See the rebels this afternoon?" I asked.

"Zolona's niece and nephew and their two friends?" he asked.

"I have to interrogate two of those assholes," I said.

"Let me guess, you have to get them to accept the truth: darkness is stronger." 4758 laughed.

I clenched my teeth. "The two I'm interrogating won't accept so quickly."

4758 raised an eyebrow. "You got the boy didn't you?"

"I wish I had Ember! My powers could bring her past to haunt her... but I trust Zolona's judgment. I also got Dusk."

"Ahh... him. I asked questions during his lashes," he said.

"Anything I need to know?"

"He's from Goldcrest. That city's filled with actors. He's a good liar too."

"But you found out."

"His ears turn red."

"Shit, that's a dead giveaway."

4758 had wide smile. "See you around after his interrogation."

"You too." I shook his hand.

I headed down a spiral staircase with only a single torch to guide me. The stairs creaked with every step I look, and my breathing echoed in the darkness around me. I opened the door to the dungeon, breathed the dark air, and pushed the breath out.

The dungeon was the most disgusting room in the castle. Even if Zolona was a bit of a neat freak, anyone spending a night in that odor hotel had another opinion. Blood stains coated the musty floor, and the cold, iron cell bars rotted away like the prisoners they held. The door squeaked as I opened it, but I kept myself hidden. Maybe I could find more information before interrogation started.

"So our chances of survival have dropped five percent. What will happen next?" Arvin's nasally voice asked.

"She'll kill us," Ember said.

"Don't sweat it Ember, if they lay a finger on you, I swear..." Dusk said.

"Why did they check our wrists?" Ember turned to Echo.

They had no idea, just as I suspected.

Echo half-shrugged. "They just asked to check them, and Zolona found something. They probably wanted to see if you had it."

Ember grabbed Echo's shirt collar. "What did they find on your wrist?"

"Sage did drag you from the portal harshly," Dusk remarked, remembering how Sage had handled him when he first got there.

"Only this," Echo rolled up his right sleeve to reveal The Mark.

Arvin's eyes widened. "My grandfather confirmed the extinction of that mark in a serious study. How do you have it?"

I revealed myself from the shadows. Dusk's shirt was torn like cat scratches dug into a curtain, blood seeping from his wounds. The four of them were tired, bags under their eyes signalling a lack of sleep, and small cuts covered their faces-- not to mention dirt.

All eyes glanced at me-- a blank, wide-eyed expression filled with thoughts of fear. Dusk got in front of Ember, and she turned her face from me. Echo's gaze was perplexed for a few moments before he slumped into a ball. Arvin shook like a small dog. They had every right to be afraid.

I took the keys off a hook on the wall and unlocked the door. "I've come for Dusk."

Ember intervened. "Haven't you had enough?"

"I thought I was defending you," Dusk said.

"She's more than capable of saving herself with Echo and me here," Arvin suggested.

"Don't test your luck! Sage has you in fifteen minutes." I kept a blank stare.

I grabbed Dusk and forced his hands together with ropes-- one arm holding a knife to his throat and my other tightly grasping his bonds. After his stunt, I was prepared for any badass escape plans thrown at me. I was prepared for anything.

Echo smiled. "Good luck, Dusk."

Anything but that.

"Who tells someone getting interrogated 'Good luck'?" Ember asked.

I led Dusk to a room with a table and two chairs. After we situated, I locked the door with my keys.

I brought injections that'd cause massive amounts of pain to course through a body within thirty seconds. The higher the potion concentration, the greater the pain. Zolona hated liars. Vials were even used on soldiers and trainees if necessary.

"Wow, aren't you ticked off? Go on. Shoot," Dusk said.

"What's holding you back?" I asked.

"Just stubborn." Dusk's ears turned a red color.

I raised an eyebrow. "One more shot: What's holding you back?"

No reply-- damn I hated him already.

I was about to inject him, but was it the right approach? He took fifty lashes with ease and served in a hostile environment. I didn't know how well giving him an injection would fair with his background.

I had that one ability-- which I could remember despite my amnesia-- letting me see memories. It was all bite and no bark. Best yet, it would take me down interesting routes and cause pain for lying— especially since he wasn't expecting it. They didn't know much about magic, judging by their lack of knowledge on The Mark. I'll admit I was more smartass about it than they were, but I knew about my ability. They didn't.

I concentrated hard before I smiled. He screeched.

Images passed by too quickly for me glimpse, others passed slow enough to see. Images of beating, hitting, kicking, and negative wording filled my vision-- he'd been abused, and judging by the respect Dusk held for this man, he was not only a superior-- but a parental figure.

"You were abused by your father. Why?" I asked.

Dusk gave no response.

"Tell me, and I'll stop looking," I said.

"He said it'd make me tough enough to fulfill his goals, whatever those were," Dusk winced.

"You don't know?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I found it reason enough not to join you." His ears turned red.

I slammed my hand on the table, losing concentration, and I stopped looking at his memories. "You're lying."

My fingers twitched on the table. My pulse rapidly increased, and lines stuck out my forehead. I clenched my jaw slightly, and took a few breaths to calm myself.

"I'm loyal to the twins." Dusk smiled.

"Why? You can take care of yourself."

Dusk's face flustered from embarrassment. "I'm not telling you. You'll go in my head anyways."

"I can, and I will." I concentrated again. I looked for the memories of the twins within his head. Memories passed by slowly, but my struggled showed he was trying to resist me. I found nothing.

I clenched my teeth. "What are you holding back?"

Dusk sighed. "Something I'm willing to carry to my grave with."

"I'll crack your skull open and find out why you resist," I said.

"You'll never find it," Dusk said.

I moaned, losing my concentration. Beads of sweat ran down my face, and I knew I wouldn't be able to use my ability in a while after that struggle. He had a strong will.

I turned to Dusk and smiled. If I couldn't find out by asking questions or searching through his memories, I'd break him. I stabbed him with one of the injections, unlocked the door, and handed him to two guards.

I gave an emotionless stare, feeling no remorse for what I was about to say. "Fifty more lashes. Make them worse."

I went back to the jail cell, to find Arvin gone.

"If Arvin and Dusk are being interrogated now, we're next," Ember said.

Echo smiled. "We can hold on until Melinda comes."

I chuckled quietly. He really was an idiot.

"Well, Dusk's fried by now. It's strange, he's acting weird around me..." Ember sighed.

"What do you classify as weird?"

"Getting my attention. Whatever he wants to get out of me, it's not working," Ember crossed her arms, "It's kinda cute. In a tough guy way..."

"But he's trying to get your attention. It's working," Echo said.

Ember rolled her eyes. "I don't fall for everything."

Arvin was thrown into the cage, hitting the stone floor with a loud thud. He backed to the wall like an animal who suffered a horrible ordeal. "C-Can they not learn to restrain someone gently? Maybe the Chinese water torture method, or perhaps isolation, but to dangle in the affairs of a slashing expedition? I- I've never seen such..."

Echo interrupted. "You're bleeding..."

"Of course I'm bleeding. She cut an artery," Arvin let tears stream down his face. His breath quickened like hyperventilating.

Ember raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Sage interrogated me and cut my wrist with an excision knife-- threatening dissection next." Arvin shivered.

"Did she say anything else?" Echo asked.

"She's interrogating Ember. She and the girl with the long number get two of us each," Arvin said.

"You're getting that other girl, Echo. I won't let that monster hurt you," Ember said.

I chuckled some, noting the accuracy of her words.

"You can never judge a book by its cover," Echo said.

"She works for Zolona," Ember said, "Isn't that bad news enough?"

"We can find out more through Dusk," Arvin said.

Echo smiled. "Arvin's right, Ember."

Arvin told the twins what Zolona told me about The Mark of Protection. Echo noticed it while he and a friend were in a haunted cave. Voices compelled Echo's friend to try to murder him. Echo didn't hear a thing. Fascinating.

I had to report everything to Zolona. She'd be pleased with the conclusions from Dusk's interrogation. Crap, I hoped she knew what she was doing. I trusted Zolona and her judgement. She was never wrong with her plans, so it was trustworthy to rely on her, but something made me feel different about the twins.

I entered Zolona's bedroom.

"Already done?" Zolona asked.

"I sent Dusk to be lashed again." I brushed a piece of dark hair behind my ear.

Zolona watched the fire. "Shame. His back may scar by the time all of this is over. Still, he might be a little presentable to look at."

"The twins didn't know about The Mark," I said.

Zolona sighed. "The Mark faded into legend when its bearers were killed."

I bowed my head. "Of course, Mistress."

"You'll be interrogating my nephew next. Be careful," Zolona said, "Start early, and don't end until it hits breakpoint."

I nodded and closed the door.

'Busy day tomorrow...'

I entered my bedroom, the floor looking like a black-and-white chess board against the stone walls. The sheets on my queen-sized bed were silver with black swirls and felt like sleeping on a cloud. The frame of the bed was black wood. I enjoyed how dark my room was. It made it easier for me to sleep, especially compared to Sage's pink and red room.

I had a long day ahead of me. I tucked myself into bed and eased into the darkness, fast asleep.