Xenia was talking to Iskra when the window broke open.

Iskra made to guard her as Xenia let out a startled scream.

A wild-looking fox landed on the bar, hissing and chattering frantically.

“What the fuck?” Iskra asked, but Xenia passed by her, examining the fox.

“You. I know you. You found Katsurou.”

The fox yapped.

“What’s wrong—“ the fox was already heading out the window again.

Iskra was already vaulting the bar and running for the door, throwing it open. The two women dashed out the door, circling back to the broken window.

Xenia uttered a small cry at the crumpled figure on the hill leading up to the Forest in the distance. “Marley!” She hiked up her skirts and started to climb the steep hill. Iskra and Sasha were already ahead of her, rolling the girl on to her back and checking her pulse by the time Xenia made it to them.

“Pulse is weak,” Iskra said curtly, “too fast, too.”

“Any injuries?”

“A few cuts, nothing crazy.”

Xenia pressed a hand over the girl’s chest, right over her heart, and willed it to beat deeper and slower.

In a minute, Marley’s eyes fluttered open.

“Percy,” she rasped, “hurt.”

“What were you two doing out after curfew—“ Iskra started.

“Not important. Where is he?”

“I can lead you to him.” The women glanced up at the voice.

A pale and shaking Mary had just made it past the tree line, panting.

Xenia stood up quickly. “Iskra, take Marley.”

“No way I’m leaving you alone with an unknown threat—“

“It’s not unknown.” Mary took another shuddering breath. “It’s Rian and Katsurou.”

Chills ran down Xenia’s spine.

“They found out.” She whispered.

“You knew?” Mary asked incredulously.

“Not important. Lead me to them.”

The girl hesitated.

“Now.”

Mary took a step back.

“Xenia,” Iskra whispered, “your eyes…”

Xenia hissed. “I’ll find them myself.” The scent of blood was on the air.

Then she was gone.

----------------------------------------

When she arrived at the scene, Katsurou was half dead and there was a new clearing that wasn’t there three days ago when she had passed by.

Rian was on the ground, unconscious, pink and red blisters blooming on his skin. A boy she didn’t recognize was pinning Katsurou down, the ground roiling under them.

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“Darrogh, please, stop—“ Rian was saying.

“Enough!” She roared.

Rian and the boy’s head snapped towards her.

“Xenia, get back—“ Rian started, but was interrupted when Katsurou managed to wedge a leg under the boy pinning him, managing to kick him off.

The boy went flying.

Katsurou stood up slowly, clumps of dirt weighing him down as if they were trying to pull him back under.

“You…” Katsurou growled. His wings arched high behind him, and he was on Rian in a gust of wind.

Or he would’ve been, if Xenia hadn’t bolted in front of the albino, sending Magic into her muscles for strength, and grabbed Katsurou’s arm and swung him away. He went stumbling.

“Stand down,” she snarled.

“X-Xenia…” he stared at her in awe.

“Who are you, woman?” She turned to see the boy standing up, looking none the worse for wear considering he had just been launched by a powerful kick.

“Xenia of Hestia,” she seethed. “And all three of you have violated the Hestian charter with your violence, meaning you are all trespassing. Explain.”

Darrogh gave a mocking little bow. “Darrogh Sidhe.” He jerked his head towards Katsurou, who was slowly pushing himself up. “This is a Bloodline dispute.”

“Take it off my fucking town’s territory.” She snarled.

Darrogh tilted his head. “I’ve never heard of Hestia.”

“Good. It wants nothing with the likes of you.”

“Ouch. Who is your patron Bloodline?”

“Hestia has no patron Bloodline. It is independent.”

“Oho?” He grinned. “Are you aware you’ve been harboring an enemy of the Sidhe? That makes you our enemy.”

“I may have been harboring Akuma Katsurou, titled Warlord, but I have also been harboring Rian Sidhe, titled Ghost.”

Darrogh narrowed his eyes. “That isn’t possible. Rian here has been assigned to kill the Tengu.”

Her eye twitched. “They didn’t know each others’ identity.”

“And you did?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re a fool,” Darrogh snapped. “The Sidhe and Akuma have bad blood. Very bad blood.”

“I didn’t know that initially,” Xenia returned, “by the time I did, all three had become fast friends. It’s obvious that the two of them could live peacefully, and I was loathe to disturb that peace.”

“Yeah, well,” Darrogh gestured at the destroyed clearing around them, “that peace is over, obviously.” His hands fell. “But forget that. How did you know?”

“Know what?” She asked cautiously.

“Their identities.” He gestured to the two men watching the whole argument silently.

Katsurou she had known from the beginning. As for Rian, she had also known. He stank of blood and death.

In the end, perhaps she was a fool for inviting such a man into the borders of Hestia. However, he had seemed…

Troubled.

But that was no matter now. Now she had to do damage control because of her optimism.

Iskra had been right.

“I know a great deal of things.” She evaded the question.

“Oh?”

Make me bleed, you idiot child. She desperately tried to stamp out that violent voice that had awakened in the face of so much blood splattering the Forest floor.

“Yes. Like I know that should you not leave this place, you’ll meet a very painful demise. So I recommend leaving.” She glanced at Katsurou and Rian both. “I’ll heal the both of you, but after that you are no longer welcome to Hestia. I told the both of you, you leave your Bloodline feuds outside our borders.”

“Healing? Is that your Bloodline?” Darrogh asked.

“I have no Bloodline. I am simply Blood.”

“And this town has no patron.”

“No, good sir. May I ask—“

Pain erupted in her abdomen and she slowly looked down from Darrogh’s face suddenly in front of her.

A spear of earth jutted through her body.

She felt her body go cold.

No. No.

Someone was screaming the same as her thoughts. The boys probably.

She looked back up at her would be murderer.

“Your eyes,” he explained, a hint of mocking sympathy in his voice and gaze, “they know too much. No one will know Rian’s identity of the Ghost.”

“You declare war.” The words were wet, bubbling with her blood.

It would look black in this light.

Hopefully they wouldn’t see…

“I have no patron to declare war on, my lady.”

He just had to say that, didn’t he?

She could feel the control spiraling out of her grasp. Her body was quickly shutting down.

Still, her jaw worked enough for her to say “I am.”

“You?”

“I, Xenia of Hestia, am the matron of Hestia.” She hiccuped. Blood fell past her lips.

“Well, thankfully, you have two Heads to witness that statement.” Darrogh grinned. “They seem to be fond of you, I’m sure they’ll remember that. Or, Rian will. The Tengu won’t be here for much longer.”

You need to leave, she tried to say, but all that came out was a garbled “leave.”

“We will, we will.” Darrogh shrugged, stepping back, the spear of earth leaving her body. She collapsed to her knees, slumped over, any blood flow that had been staunched by the impalement bleeding freely now. “I’m sure Rian will treat the people here well once we claim it. Well, as long as there are no surprises like you.”

Almost every single person in Hestia was going to be a nasty ‘surprise’ for Darrogh. She smiled a bit, even as she could feel her vision narrowing.

“You will die,” she managed to get out, though it was barely audible.

“Of course I will. Everyone does.”