On the rooftop, Sam took in the area, there was fighting, but she could not find where the increased numbers were coming from. Scanning the open space, she frowned, her eyes narrowing before looking over the side, and they widened with alarm.

"They're coming up the mountainside," she shouted to the rooftop area, "Jet ... Jasper check the other sides."

Narrowing her vision, Sam took in a ledge area several storeys down where helicopters were flying people in and dropping them off, leaving them to climb up the side of the mountain undetected. Pulling out her phone, she sent off a text to Carl, letting him know her discovery. Why were they still coming? The Tenderhooks were all dead; there was no one left to pay them; what could they possibly want from all of this?

Pulling out her gun, she sighed, something she hated doing; even though there were times when random killing was necessary, this was not one of those times ... something else needed to be done here. If saving Cherry and her people was going to happen, there may be nothing she could do about it but shoot them. Reasoning with them wouldn't matter ... she paused as a thought struck her; perhaps they didn't know the Tenderhooks were dead.

Leaning over and catching the attention of the front climbers, Sam smiled her gun in hand, projecting her voice so as many as possible could hear her shout down the mountain.

"Why are you still coming? All the Tenderhooks are dead, and you will not be getting paid today or any other day," she waited, the top few frowned, but it was the reaction from those further down that made her smile, "you all have three choices either climb back down and leave, climb up and surrender, or you can die hanging on the cliff face."

Straightening, she turned to find those on the rooftop either surrendering or dying; her eyebrows rose in surprise, "Didn't realise my voice was that loud."

"If only all endings to carnage were that easy," Jet said, aiming his weapon at those climbing over the edge.

"Yeah," Sam said, "a little too easy. I wonder why?"

Cherry strode into the buzzing operations centre with her sister on one side and her mother on the other. The sudden silence made Cherry uncomfortable, but she knew they would defer to her mother if she didn't take charge from the beginning, making everything done so far redundant.

"What do we have?" she asked, looking at the monitors before looking around the room at the surprised people, "Brethren," she called, catching some startled expressions, "your Queen has asked you a question ..."

Slowly a young woman came forward, her eyes darting toward her mother before meeting her own, "Your ,,, majesty ..." her hesitant whisper caught Cherry's full attention, "they are still coming up the mountain, but the destroyed bridge is keeping them on the other side, your guard ... Samantha and two other outside brethren have found they are coming up the mountain," she glanced at Carl who was looking at his phone, "we saw the text between the two of you," clearing her throat she continued, "but there is something I'm... we're... not understanding."

Nodding, Cherry smiled, "Thank you for the update .... uh ..." smiling and pausing while waiting for a name to address the young woman, not moving until she saw the realisation in the questioning gaze.

"Valentina, but everyone calls me Val," the young woman said, clearing her throat again, "would it please you to come this way, Sire?"

Cherry smiled, "If I remember correctly, your name means strength and vigour," nodding as the young woman smiled, Cherry sighed, "I want to see what you have and don't understand, but please, no formality at this point, we have our home and heritage to save," the young woman smiled broadly nodding, "that goes for everyone here ... am I clear?" Slowly smiles and nods followed her gaze around the room before Cherry looked at Valentina again, "Lead the way."

Cherry glanced over her shoulder at her mother and sister, indicating for them to follow as she moved slowly through the busy room after Valentina. The young woman stopped before a screen with scrolling information and gently touched the young man's shoulder.

"Ty, could you show ... Cherry ... what we have found," Valentina said, glancing between the young man and Cherry.

"Ah ... sure," the young man turned around quickly, freezing when he saw the twins and their mother; he nodded toward Rilea, who smiled but looked at Cherry, "Yes... over here, we have all the information we were able to get ... thanks to ... Carl," Ty's words drifted away as he spotted Carl joining the group, Carl nodded and indicated he continues, "... and his team. But we have something else here which they have been sending through ..." he pointed toward the screen, "it's another type of transmission which should have stopped with the Tenderhook men all being dead."

Cherry frowned as she and Carl leaned over the young man's shoulder and looked at the screen.

"What is this?" Cherry asked, pointing at a specific line coming through on the screen.

"That is not coming from any of the Tenderhook facilities," Carl said, frowning, "who is Neve?"

"No idea," Cherry said, looking at Valentina and her sister, who shrugged; her mother's arrested expression gave her pause, "Mom?"

Everyone turned to see the Queen's mother with a worried expression, "I haven't heard that name in many years."

"When was the last time you heard it?" Cherry asked softly.

"In my mother's time," Rilea whispered, "nothing good ever came from hearing that name."

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"Was it trouble?" Cherry asked.

"Yes," her sister said, giving their mother an exasperated look, "Neve used to be friends with Andriette," Sherry sighed, "that is how she ended up in the hands of the Tenderhooks in the first place."

"I'm not understanding," Cherry frowned, "enlighten me. Who exactly is Neve?"

No one would meet her gaze as she looked around the room; an uncomfortable feeling filled the air, and Cherry began to feel as though whoever this Neve was had infiltrated the ranks in the room.

"Oh heavens, she isn't really here, nor can she hear her name if it's spoken elsewhere. Neve is the Aunt of the current Tenderhook brothers," Sherry said, exasperation riding her words, "Mother never liked her and wasn't able to do anything about what happened to Andriette afterwards; Neve has the uncanny way of being able to be present somewhere even though she really isn't there."

"So I see," Cherry said, looking around, "but does anyone know where she is?"

Everyone shook their heads except Carl, who was talking on his phone. Cherry waited until he disconnected before meeting his gaze.

"They're tracking the communication, and it seems to be coming from the town just below your cabin," Carl said, "it would seem she has been living in plain sight all these years ... perhaps under another name."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Rilea said, shaking her head.

"There is more," Carl said, "apparently she is the one now running the show as the last remaining Tenderhook."

"But she isn't a Tenderhook," Rilea said, "she has always tried to be one, but she doesn't hold the bloodline."

"What are you talking about?" Sherry asked, "She has been as mean as them ... no matter what her name means."

"Yes, but she was never born a Tenderhook." Rilea said, "... that's why I was never able to do anything about her after what happened to Andriette."

"Carl, find out where she is, who she is, what her family is and ..." Cherry paused, looking at the transmissions coming through, giving instructions to continue the assault on her home, "how hard would it be to intercept those transmissions and change them? "

Carl's expression became calculating and alert, "In what way?"

"We don't stop them coming or going through, but we delay it long enough to change the instruction," Cherry said, "is it difficult?"

Carl stared at the screen for a moment before looking at her, "I don't think it should be," he said, "the transmissions aren't coming through at regular intervals; a little time delay may not give the interruption away to those receiving it," he paused before meeting her gaze, "what do you want to replace the information with and to whom?"

Cherry wandered the floor, looking at the various monitors before stopping at one, frowning, "Are those helicopters bringing in their reinforcements?"

"That is correct," the young person manning that station said, "they bring new loads every fifteen minutes."

"We start with them and anyone else who needs to bring the forces in," Cherry said, "I want you to tell them that the Tenderhook line is ended, the bodies are on display on the rooftop should they be unbelieving and ..." Cherry hesitated, "tell them how Neve really is."

"What?" Rilea said, "You cannot."

"Why?" Cherry asked, "You said she wasn't a Tenderhook by birth ... what is it that you don't want to come out?"

Rilea stared at Cherry briefly before blinking, "You're right ... telling them the truth of her origins will stop all this."

Turning to the room, Cherry looked at each person; they waited for her final instructions, "Carl, find out everything about Neve, from her lineage, birth, true parents ... everything and tell those who are bringing in those damned forces," she acknowledged his nod before turning to the room at large, "who can get those bodies onto the roof for all to see?"

Two or three men glanced at each other before one stepped forward, "It's not normal to display our victories in that way."

"It may not be so ... usually," Cherry said, "but this is not normal or usual. If we are to save our way of life, our home and our heritage, we need to be a little ... unusual besides the restrictions were lifted by Garan."

"We heard rumours but were not certain," another of the cautious men said, "if that is so, we can take the bodies through the tunnels and up the back stone way to the roof and lay them out there."

"It is so," Rilea said, "do not doubt the word of your Queen."

"Lay them out with respect due to the dead," Cherry said, "because our dead would not be given respect doesn't mean we cannot give due where due is required."

Nodding, the three men moved off to see to the request. Looking around the room, Cherry's gaze met that of Valentina, and she smiled.

"Val, would you mind working with Carl?" Cherry asked, "I would like the outer and inner brethren on the same page and working together seamlessly.."

The shy smile and nod was all Cherry received before the young woman turned toward Carl and waited for instructions.

Turning to her mother and sister, Cherry looked at the pair, "Now, please, can the two of you tell me everything there is to know about Neve and where she came from?"

"Perhaps that should be discussed ... in private," her sister whispered before her mother could say anything.

Nodding, Cherry followed them out of the room toward a general area; the pair looked around before Rilea shook her head, "It will need to be discussed ...in much privacy."

"Cherry chamber," Sherry said, "this way."

Cherry shook her head, "What can be so important that you need to make sure no one hears ..." she frowned as she followed them down a stone passageway, "wait ... I have a chamber?"

"Of course," Rilea said, "every Queen does ... where do you think you're going to sleep?"

Cherry nodded as she followed her sister and mother through the maze of passageways until they entered a large, high-ceilinged room with sunshine flooding every corner from the hole in the roof.

Turning in a circle, she gasped at the beauty of everything around her; if this was her room, she would enjoy staying in it.

"Do you remember this now?" her mother asked, watching her as she took in the space.

"Not really, but I do love what I see," Cherry's gaze settled on her bed and blinked, "Is that bed made out of rock?"

"Yes, it was something done in every room, then we don't have to worry about decay or having to get anything up here or in here to make other beds," Rilea smiled, "it also means there are no questions asked about stuff happening in the mountain."

"Makes sense," Cherry said, nodding, "I'm going to enjoy sleeping here. Now, tell me about Neve."

"Sit down," Rilea said, "it's not a short story, and you need to hear it ... all."

Cherry sank into a nearby chair, looking between the two, "What has you two in such a taking?"

"If I tell you this," Rilea said, beginning to pace in front of Cherry, "you may have a different ... view of your family ... your lineage ... and ..." Rilea glanced at Sherry, who silently encouraged her to continue, "well ... you may question the honour of the brethren."