Syryn woke up with wetness clinging to his lashes. Why was he crying?

Right. The dream.

It was still dark out. Syryn immediately noticed the empty spot next to him. Lucien was missing.

The teen leapt out of bed and attempted to rationalise the situation. Lucien could have gone to the washroom.

The teen pushed open the door that led to the washroom. It was empty. He was hit by a sense of deja vu.

Nausea swam in his gut as Syryn's legs carried him to Akida's door. As he knocked on it, he hoped he was just being paranoid, that Lucien had decided to disturb Akida do late at night for some reason.

"What's going on?" Despite the sleep mussed hair, the avian was already sharp and awake when he opened the door.

"I can't find Lucien."

Akida's expression changed. "I'll check the house."

Syryn had a feeling it was futile. Lucien had run away again. And it was for such a moment that Syryn had placed a beacon on the boy. Once burnt, twice shy - he had been ready for a repeat performance. He didnt believe that Red could be kidnapped silently when Syryn was sleeping right next to him. The boy had left of his own accord. Lucien could have left for an innocuous reason like a midnight walk but it was unlikely.

When the avian returned looking furious but also worried, it was the confirmation that Syryn was waiting for. "One of the downstairs windows is unlatched. It looks like he left of his own accord."

"Follow me, Akida."

Syryn had half an hour while the magical beacon burnt itself out. He had already triggered the sleeping spell and now it was time to hunt before their time ran out.

The avian carried Syryn and took flight. Following the directions that were given to him, Akida flew towards the southern edge of Helios where there was an abundance of sun trees.

"He's inside there."

Akida landed with surprising gentleness. Syryn immediately rushed into the sun tree plantation while making little noise. From the sun trees wafted out a scent that reminded Syryn of sweet fresh pears.

A crescent moon hung over the sky and it wasn't enough light but he was unwilling to create light.

And through the trees, Syryn could make out the figure of a young boy sitting on a rock. Lucien's back was turned to Syryn and he was gazing up at the sky. When the teen felt relief flood his body, he smelled blood in the air.

"Akida, I need you to go back," Syryn said to the avian.

The guard made a small movement of his head and stared at the teen. "Why?"

"Because I'm telling you to. It's okay, I can handle it from here." Syryn said in a placating tone.

"Are you sure?" Akida asked, eyes drifting back up to the figure of Red who was balanced at the edge of a precipice that was high enough to turn the boy into meat paste if he fell off.

"Wait close by so I can call you if something goes wrong," Syryn told him before turning away.

When Syryn reached Lucien's spot, it was a foregone conclusion that blood had been shed. But whose was it?

"Red," Syryn was careful when he called him. The redhead hadn't turned around despite hearing Syryn approach and that worried the teen.

"Syryn, you came for me." A dark chuckle. "I knew you'd find me."

"What's wrong, Red?" Syryn sat beside the child.

"I killed someone."

Syryn held his breath. It was as he had feared. Red had committed murder at Nua. Could Rowan break him out of jail?

Syryn laughed at the thought. He was willing to take the blame for Lucien if they were caught. When had he become so selfless?

"Why are you laughing?" Red asked his brother.

"No special reason," Syryn replied feeling the tension leave his shoulders. Even if he was imprisoned, Rowan would get him out. "Who did you kill then?"

"A human merchant, someone who I fondly remember from the past." Red's reply insinuated at something darker than what his words were telling Syryn.

"Someone who used you?" There was no easy way to phrase it.

"Used and sold me, yes."

"I'm glad he's dead, then."

Red turned to look at Syryn. "Even if this current iteration of him never harmed me in any way?"

"Yeah," Syryn answered easily. "Just because he hasn't done anything to you, it does not mean he isn't preying on other people. You've probably saved his future victims from the harm he could inflict if allowed to remain alive."

"Or maybe doomed them to a worse fate." The reply was gloomy.

"That too."

Syryn used his sleeve to wipe at a thin line of blood that had dried on Lucien's forehead.

"Where is the body?" Syryn could smell the blood that was splattered all across the grass.

"I pushed it off," Red looked past the edge of the cliff. "He's probably mincemeat at the foot of the plateau."

"How did you lure him out here?"

"Doesn't matter," Red replied. "Nobody saw me leave with him."

"You're really clever, Red. You could kill me in my sleep and none would be the wiser." Syryn believed in his heart that Red was capable of taking his life, not because of a difference in their strengths but because of how much the older boy had come to trust the redhead.

Red scoffed at Syryn. "If you still have time to say such dumb shit, help me clean up the blood."

Syryn took little time in scorching the grass. It left a bald patch that would confuse the avians that found it. At the very least, there wasn't any blood left to indicate that something nefarious had happened.

"They're going to look for him," Red told Syryn as they left the scorched area.

"Sure, but people go missing all the time."

"Nua will have to take responsibility for it since the human merchant has gone missing inside their borders, and right under their noses too."

"Poor crown prince," Syryn tutted. "This might cause tension between Nua and the human merchants."

"Syryn, I'm sorry. I've caused you trouble again."

The abrupt apology made the teen to falter in his steps.

"Are you sick?" He blurted out, not believing that Red would voluntarily say such a thing.

"I take back what I said," the redhead muttered. He was worried about the body that was lying at the bottom of the cliff. Nua was a vast region and it was unlikely that the remains would be found. Still, it bothered him.

"Syryn, let's go burn the body that I pushed off." And right then he saw the figure of an avian waiting not far from them. Akida. Red and Syryn exchanged a glance. When word got out about the missing merchant, would the avian put two and two together?