"All together at last." Broc welcomed, as Luca came in joining our circle. Ari sat by the fire, his eyes fixed on the flames. A serious tension in the air as we stood around silently.

"So how do you aim on killing old Birdbrain anyway?" Emery shrugged, leaning her back against the wall. "Destiny or not, you need a real plan."

I frowned at her, "So you're ignoring your ‘I don't do plans’ rule?" I raised my eyebrows. She narrowed her eyes, "I don't do plans but you're going to need one."

Emery moved her eyes to Luca.

Luca gave a nervous grin. "Um ...I don't have a plan per say." He hesitated. Broc sighed, throwing his hand over his face. "Course you don't." He muttered. Diggery shifted uncomfortably. "Well that's sort of the point of this right? To come up with one." He offered.

"Yes but we shouldn't be reckless about it." Broc hissed in return, eyeing Luca with a glare. Emery took a sigh tapping her finger,"Well to state the obvious we need this to be a surprise attack. If Merle gets a whiff of it, Phyn will be dead before anyone can lift a finger." Emery started.

Luca nodded, "We also will have to lure out Merle somehow, or at least figure out a spot where he'll be."He straightened his posture.

Emery gave a clap, "Here we go, now we're getting somewhere Dreamer. How do you suppose the best way of finding Birdbrain without alerting him of Phyn's presence?" She locked eyes with Luca waiting for a response.

"Me." He said decidedly. "I'll probably be able to figure out where he will be with my gifting." Luca thought aloud. Emery nodded with pride.

Diggery scratched his head, "How does that work exactly?"

"Oh um, well I get dreams sometimes visions. Merle is central to this whole plot, he's in a lot of them. I should be able to pinpoint his movements by them. At least I hope so." Luca shrugged.

"He was just in South Gate, if that helps." I offered. Luca whipped his head around, his eyes wide in shock.

"Relax he wasn't looking for Phyn, just some lower level sap of Augustine's." Emery asserted. Diggery wavered his expression, "He did see us though."

Emery rolled her eyes, "Yes but he won't track us here. Anyway, we want to find him now." She echoed in frustration.

Luca loosened his panic taking a breath, "Well he's probably far from South Gate by now, with the whole time bending thing."

Broc frowned, "How effective is that? Will we even be able to get close to him?"

"I think Merle can only hold his ability in short bursts. He doesn't often use it's full extent. Even when he’s coming after Phyn." Luca looked in my direction. I bit back a shiver, running down my spine. That wasn't less frightening.

I turned , catching that tune Ari was humming earlier. His eyes glazed over, humming the song bird’s tune. Something about it was unsettling, I worried about what might have happened to him. Something about his mannerisms that showed trauma.

"The real question is how are you going to do the deed." Emery’s assertion pulled back my attention. She frowned, staring at me. "You're not exactly a trained assassin. Whatever you use, blade, bow, or what have you, it needs to be quick. You got one shot before you lose the upper hand."

I nodded nervously, "In the mural you showed me I had a sword but I've never really used one."

"The prophecies aren't necessarily literal. I don't think you have to use a sword." Luca leaned his head in.

"How about a crossbow?" Broc spoke up, "Good range, control. You won't have to get close to him and it won't require a lot of strength." He elaborated.

I nodded, "That sounds good. The farther I can be the better." I muttered.

Diggery looked bothered, I bit my lip. I had no idea what was going on in his mind. We were talking about an assassination, that I would carry out. It didn't feel real. Would I even be able to pull the trigger? I was surprised Emery didn’t voice any concerns about me being too squeamish.

Diggery looked up with a glare at all of us, "Okay so maybe this is a dumb question but how will Merle's death even stop this catastrophe that's supposed to happen?"

"We don't really know." Luca confessed, his eyes falling for a second.

Diggery frowned, "So we're risking Phyn's life for something vague in a dusty old prophecy." He questioned. Luca looked defensive stepping forward to reply. I bit my tongue, not knowing what to say.

"THE CATASTROPHE?" Ari's voice perked up. "I CAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THAT." He boomed his voice suddenly dropping volume. I turned my head, walking closer.

"THEY Came to me. The jackal and the black bird. They came to me... with the song bird. She sang beautifully about horrible things. I didn't want to listen, but something pulled me in. I sent them away. WAR. There was lots of war. I tried to stop it but they wanted it. They said we needed to spill blood to build the kingdom. I couldn't understand why." Ari rambled puzzled, sounding strangely different.

"What's coming ...they want it and they don't. I don't understand why. Why? They set me up to fail. They set us all up to fall. The black bird will betray the jackal, he's told me as much. The black bird will betray the jackal, he's set on it. He said it would stop something worse. He said it is to atone." Ari's eyes were fervent. We all stared at him in shock, looking to one another to try and understand. Even Emery looked confused.

Ari blinked up at us, his voice slowing,"The song bird taught me to forget though. The sun, the sun is who you must recall. I...need...to...recall. How could I forget?" He hit his head repeatedly as if punishing himself for forgetting.

I approached him slowly, keeping my voice calm, "What are you talking about Ari?" I asked him, looking deep in his eyes. His eyes flickered with a dull expression, "Ari?" He muttered back, in a voice that sounded very different than his.

I stepped back, nearly tripping. His expression quickly switched back, a frown building on his face, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN." He shouted in his normal volume.

"You were telling us about the catastrophe." I repeated, trying to keep his attention. Ari looked at me confused, "WHAT CATASTROPHE?" He questioned. I stared in horror, he didn't remember.

I turned my head to Emery, hoping she had something more to share. She looked just as confused as the rest of us. "I don't understand...I couldn't read anything from when he switched till now." She concluded disturbed.

"Whatever has been done to him…. It's more complex than I thought. It’s like nothing I've ever seen." She mumbled, her hands were shaking.

Broc looked severely uncomfortable. "What should we do?" He asked, getting no answer. Luca's expression grave, he stood stiffly. The fact both him and Emery were lost was frightening. Emery studied these prophecies extensively and she was dumbstruck about his words.

The black bird had to be Merle and the jackal? Probably Augustine. How Ari was mixed up in all this was unclear. What was clear was that something else besides four cities falling was on the line.

"What is the Remedy trying to accomplish with the alliances?" I turned, addressing my question to Emery. She should know better than any of us.

She crossed her arms avoiding my eyes."You expect me to know that?"

I glared at her, I didn't believe her ignorance. She locked her eyes on mine, her frown growing. "They're anticipating the fallout, I imagine. They want to create a world in their image, based on their principles. What a better opportunity than this?" She concluded uncomfortably.

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"They're anticipating my failure." I hung my head.

"Yes and no. I don't know more than you, I just know how they think." She crossed her arms, "You heard Ari as well as me, they want this and they don't. It's a fine line they're walking and they want us to play by their script." She scratched her head, stepping back.

"The trick is keeping that in mind." She muttered.

Luca frowned, "As much as I hate it, they're not the priority right now. We can worry about them after Merle's dead."

Diggery huffed a sigh, "This is a lot to take in."

I nodded, realizing how much we were throwing at him. "I'm sorry." I replied, giving him a sympathetic look.

"For what reality?" Luca raised his voice, surprising me. I gawked at him.

"You don't need to apologize for things beyond your control." He said to me, softening his tone.

Diggery scowled, "I didn't ask her too."

"I didn't say you did." Luca hissed, anger lighting up his eyes.

"Ya well you implied it!" Diggery roared.

Luca gave a sarcastic smirk, "Well I'm sorry if you feel that way. That wasn't my intention. Guess I'm more concerned about Phyn’s feelings than you are." Luca spat, lighting up Diggery's eyes in fire.

"You're more concerned?!?! I seem to be the only one who thinks Phyn shouldn't do this. If you really cared about her you wouldn't encourage this!" He yelled back.

Luca's eyes stared wide, a real genuine pain across them. "I…"

Diggery stared down Luca, "I'm here to support Phyn not some prophecy can you say the same?"

My heart felt cold. I stared, watching them. An anger building in my chest.

"Stop." Emery huffed, in aggravation, "I get it, the hormone levels are high, but we don't need you two to get in a fist fight. We have real problems.”

Diggery turned his scowl to Emery, crossing his arms. Luca clenched his fists, looking angrily at the floor.

"I think everyone needs a breath." Broc advised, in his motherly tone. "Do we have time for that?" Emery hissed.

"We'll make time." Broc echoed. I didn't wait for Emery's response, I was done with this. I headed to the door as fast as I could. Clenching my fists as I stormed off. I had to be anywhere but here.

I stomped down the steps, breaking into a run. The trees passing by, a green blur, I was too focused on my anger. I kept running, going into the forest.

I grabbed the nearest stick and threw it, it bounced off a tree in a tiny crash. I was angry at both of them and I had a right to be. Maybe if either of them actually cared about my feelings they wouldn't put me in the middle of it. That thought actually made me glad. For once it wasn't my guilt to bear. I laughed obnoxiously through my anger, this was something I didn't have to apologize for. It felt good to be angry.

"Phyn." A voice behind me made me turn, surprised someone kept up with me. "I'm sorry if that upset you." Diggery said, a little out of breath. I stared at him, unsure of what to do.

"I don't know what came over me." He gave a weak grin. My anger bubbled up.

"Jealousy?" I said with an exasperated grin plastered across my face.

He scowled at that, "I'm trying to apologize to you Phyn."

I nodded, "and I will accept it but I'm allowed to be a little mad aren't I?"

He snorted, "Luca started it."

I paused, he wasn't wrong. Luca had been deliberately argumentative. It seemed so uncharacteristic of him.

"Ya but you didn't hold back any punches." I crossed my arms, glaring at him. Diggery gave a guilty eye roll. I stood my ground.

"Maybe I'm not the one you need to apologize to." I hinted, walking back to the house.

"I'm not apologizing to him!" Diggery called after me. "Not unless he does it first!"

I didn't look back "Fine then." I spat. He would do what he wanted.

Walking back through the trees and bushes I bounded past earlier, the cottage came back into view. Luca sitting on the steps, a stormy look in his eyes. I sighed, might as well get the second awkward conversation out of the way.

I walked up to him, he ignored me till I was standing right over him. I stared down at him, raising my eyebrows. He looked up briefly, dodging his eyes.

"So what was that about?" I stated firmly, crossing my arms. "I don't know." He muttered his face turning red.

"Just apologize to Diggery."

Luca's eyes shot up in a moment of outrage. I stopped him with my eyes. " I know your heart Luca. You asking me to do this is no reflection of much or little you care." I echoed, his eyes softened on mine. He looked at me regretfully, not saying anything. He looked like he wanted to say something.

"Okay." He nodded, standing up. He walked off in the direction I came from. I stood, my mouth gaping open. He was going to apologise. I didn't expect him to actually do it.

Diggery was emerging from the forest, cautiously slowing as he caught sight of Luca approaching. I watched the two walk up to each other, cautiously tense. Luca offered Diggery his hand. They shook on something, their conversation appearing civil. I held back a grin, happy to have that settled before turning back up the steps.

Back into the house, I shut the door, finding Broc and Emery in deep discussion. Broc holding out a wooden crossbow. Emery gathering up the arrows.

"What's going on?" I asked, the two turning to me.

"Try this out for size." Broc said, handing me the crossbow. It was heavier than I expected, holding it up with both of my arms I pointed it at the wall. "It's a little heavy." I complained, lowering it.

"Yes but you want to make sure it's a kill shot. If you use a smaller one the force might not be great enough." Broc replied. " Here, hold it more like this." He adjusted my posture so it rested better in my arms. "Point, shoot, it’s not that complicated. Don't overthink the shot." He advised me to step back. His brief lesson was scaring me. Did they expect me to just pick this up naturally?

Emery put her hands on her hips, "If you get a chance to practise you probably should." She shrugged. "Why don't I practice now?" I asked, watching Emery pack up the arrows. "Time is short I would suggest sleep, over practice right now." She said, finding a spot on the couch.

"We prepare the necessities, be ready to leave at a moment's notice." Broc nodded.

"We are waiting for the Dreamer to pinpoint Merle." Emery returned, leaning her head back. Broc took the crossbow back, packing it up. I looked back towards the door.

"He knows we're waiting on him." Broc echoed.

"Once the ball starts rolling it might be a long time before you get to rest." Emery advised again. I nodded, looking to the stairs, the light growing orange from the sunset. I was exhausted. The days were blurring into one another, I couldn't tell how much time was passing.

I stifled a yawn, "I think you're right , I should sleep." I shuffled to the steps. Emery didn't reply, her own eyes shut, leaning back on the couch. Broc sent me a nod, busy packing things. I looked back at them before trudging up the steps.

I was a little worried that stopping the momentum would send me to a crashing halt, but I didn't have a choice. My limbs were feeling weak, my eyelids heavy. If I was going to kill Birdman I needed to be at my best. That was a funny thought. I didn't think any amount of sleep was really going to help me with this.

I wandered down the hall, finding my room I opened the door, closing it behind me. The calm made it harder to keep my eyes open. Surrounded once again by Luca's book collection, I wandered to my mess of blankets. Still there from my last stay, I was grateful. I buried my face in them, a familiar smell. My thoughts growing foggy, the reality of how soon this would all unfold was starting to hit me.

The fear building in my gut was beginning to bother me. If I let it, the anxiety and tension would overwhelm me. Ignoring It wasn't hard though, I was tired enough. I let my body sink into sleep. Drifting away, I left my awareness.

I was being shaken. My groggy mind, struggling to catch up to reality. I lifted my heavy eyelids, the room was still dark. The light was low, it was still night, maybe early morning. Draped in shadows, my eyes adjusted.

Luca's eyes staring down at me. His big beautiful brown eyes. He was so handsome… I smiled up at him admiring him. He was still trying to get my attention. What did he want? I was having trouble concentrating.

I blinked realizing Emery, Broc, Ari and Diggery were all standing in my doorway, packed up ready to leave. I frowned looking back up at Luca.

"I found him Phyn, we have to go." His voice echoed sympathetically. I sat up struggling, tossing aside my blankets. I sighed looking back around the room.

"It's urgent?" I laughed, looking at all of them. Luca's face was gravely serious. I guess it was.

"There's a complication." Luca stated carefully. I bit my lip, trying to understand. "We're running out of time." Emery stated. I paused, registering it.

"Oh." I mumbled, attempting to make my way to my feet. They were waiting on me. I got up a little too quickly, losing my balance. Luca's arm found my shoulder, helping me steady myself. I almost fell flat on my face, very embarrassing. I was still half asleep and a dreadful mess. He stepped back once I found my balance.

I crossed my arms feeling a sudden chill from leaving my warm blankets. I did my best to be present.

"We tried to let you sleep for as long as possible." Diggery muttered, staring at me with concerned green eyes. I didn't like how serious everyone was. I looked back at Luca, feeling a sense of panic.

"What is going on?" I asked him with a hint of desperation. Luca looked a little tense.

"Merle's going to be in Euphoria an hour from now." He started, the worry never lifting from his expression "He's going to try and kill their king."