"Jason, is she going to be okay?" Zander asked, watching Kelsie as her eyes fluttered, her breathing varying between panting and even inhalation.

"She is strong, but there is no knowing," Jason shook his head, "we can only protect her and make her comfortable; it was a brave call doing the process now."

"Why would Connie do this?" Zander asked, frowning, "it's cruel and unnecessary."

"Connie could never give up the reigns of control," Jason sighed, "even though our laws dictate it to be so."

"But to wipe a child of the memory of her parents ..." Zander shook his head, "that is not the way of the White Faction."

"No," Jason shook his head, "it isn't, and most of the training Kelsie received was mixed, both black and white factions."

"How did Connie know the training of the black ..." Zander's words trailed off, "Connie trained both factions."

"Yes," Jason said, "many years ago, there was no black and white faction. There was simply the Assassin Faction. We were given assignments, weighed the viability of the termination, looked at the facts, and investigated the target ourselves, making the final decision. Connie's brother decided he preferred to take an assignment and simply carry out the orders. Connie still wanted to know if it was a viable target and if the reasons for the termination were correct."

"They split ways, didn't they?" Zander whispered.

"Yes," Jason nodded, "Connie always wanted the two factions to be one again but realised that there were those that simply enjoyed the chase and the kill."

"Did she think that Kelsie could bring them together?"

"I think that was what she wanted," Jason sighed, "after decades of trying, she realised it would never be. Families would continue to be divided, choosing different lifestyles, which was how it would be."

"Then why teach Kelsie both ways of fighting?" Zander frowned.

"The White Faction only trained one way after two decades making their fighting humane, but the Black faction fought brutally, and the white was not well versed in stopping them."

"Connie saw this day coming and knew Kelsie would have to know their ways to defeat them, Zander said, "wouldn't that be wrong from the White Faction side?"

"Connie taught Kelsie the way of the holistic Assassin," Jason said. "The way your father was trained, the way you were trained, the way Kelsie's parents were trained, and she learnt how to return to our true roots."

"She seemed to know much about my style," Zander nodded, understanding the missing pieces of information as they fell into place. Suddenly he stilled, lifting his finger to his lips, his other hand indicating he heard something. Turning toward the entrance, Zander moved low and stealthily. The shuffling of the creeper branches drew his full attention, glancing back at Jason. He had armed himself to protect Kelsie and indicated that someone was coming through the entrance to Zander.

Zander flattened himself against the stone wall, waiting, his heart pounding, his breathing even and steady, focusing his full attention on the entrance he waited. Lowering himself into a fighting stance, he waited while the person came further into the cave.

"Well, you're hiding the traitor here, Jason," the voice sounded familiar to Zander, "who knew you would deceive your own kind."

"No Creeper," Jason said, "I have not murdered Assassins or broken our code. He has done that; he is an abomination to who we are and what we stand for."

"He has a name," Creeper said, "use it."

"No, someone like that has no name," Jason said, "unlike you, I follow the creed and the code."

"You'll pay for that old man," Creeper said, drawing his gun, "and so will the royal spawn."

Zander sprung from his position in the shadows knocking the weapon from Creeper's hand, engaging in close hand to hand combat. Creeper threw a punch which Zander evaded but used the man's momentum to bring him down next to the coals, his knee on his chest and gun to his temple.

"Zander," Creeper hissed, "should have known you would betray the black."

"I have betrayed no one," Zander whispered, "how many are with you?"

Creeper's silence told Zander everything he wanted to know, "Douse the fire."

Jason followed Zander's orders before returning to Kelsie's side.

"If they are nearby," Jason whispered, "we cannot stay here, but we cannot move her yet."

"We may not have a choice," Zander said quietly, "if Creeper found us, so can others. I'm beginning to regret insisting on a ground floor cave."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"What do we do now?" Jason asked.

"Oh look, the old man is asking for guidance," Creeper mocked, "can't even think for himself."

Zander hissed a curse before landing a hard blow to the man's face knocking him out.

"I need to dispose of this body," Zander said, "gather her backpack and the map she marked out; it may be a quicker route."

"Dispose of ..." Jason muttered, "did you kill him?"

"My oath may have been taken when I was a child, but it still stands true," Zander said, "he wanted to kill her or did you forget that bit."

'No, I heard it," Jason sighed, "it's been decades since the old ways have been followed. I'm going to have to get used to them again.

"Speed up the process," Zander said as he hefted Creeper's body through the entrance, "be as quiet as possible."

Zander slowly exited the cave pulling Creeper's body behind him. Quietly moving to the edge of the clearing, he looked over to see a small group of men moving in formation, weapons raised as they were expecting confrontation. Narrowing his eyes, Zander snapped his attention to where he could successfully dispose of the body. Pulling Creeper's body to the far end of the ledge, he checked the area for anyone who may raise the alarm. Everything seemed quiet and peaceful, too peaceful. Sniffing at the air, he smelt the death and blood of the night; there had been more searchers. The traps had thinned the hunting herd. Easing Creeper's body to the edge, he positioned it to roll over when he was out of range of any unseen crew. Running along the edge of the ledge and using a large rock to push himself into a tree, Zander moved from tree to tree, tracking the hunting party. He lowered himself silently from branch to branch easing himself closer, gathering natural weapons as he moved. A loose vine here, a thick loose piece of the tree there, sliding into position on a branch just above the party he waited.

"Anyone heard from Creeper?" a whisper came from the middle of the group, "he should have reported back by now."

"Hush," another said, "can you smell that?"

"You and your smells," someone scoffed, "we're in a forest."

"The forest doesn't smell like a sweating man," the alert one said, "heads on a swivel."

Military personnel with one Assassin, Zander noted. Suddenly the Assassin looked up, meeting Zander's steady, cold, calculating gaze.

"Above," he shouted, "track him."

Zander had already dropped to the ground while the military men looked up. He quickly disposed of the Assassin with one quick blow to the temple with the piece of branch. Using the vine, he lassoed the military men bringing them to their knees and making short work of hog tying two before engaging with the remaining three. The hand to hand combat was fast, demanding Zander draw on all his training, pushing his focus to five, not three. Landing a quick kick to the two tied up, Zander spun in a circle knocking out two with a roundhouse kick and landing a punch on the third. Two went down as Zander landed on the chest of the third.

"Who are you?" the man wheezed.

"Someone who is asking questions and you will answer should you wish to live," Zander whispered, "how many are in the forest tonight?"

"We were the last few," he said, panting hard, "we were ordered to retrieve a traitor to the Royal family and terminate her."

"That target is part of the Royal family," Zander said, "I'm her bodyguard. Take that back to the men you lead, and in future, get all the information before you make a call on following orders. If you flex your arm to stab me, you will lose your arm and life. Do not follow us, do not come back into this forest if you wish to live."

"Understood," he whispered, struggling to breathe with Zander still kneeling on his chest.

"If you have lied to me, you will regret your actions," Zander said, rolling the man over and tying him with a nearby loose vine.

"You're an Assassin; why are you leaving me alive?" the man asked as he was propped against a tree and secured to the large protruding roots.

"A true Assassin has a code to follow," Zander said, "you answered the questions I promised to let you live."

"You very different from those I've worked with," he whispered, "they take the orders and follow them without question."

"A Black faction Assassin loves the hunt and the kill," Zander supplied, "White Faction or Old School Assassin's look at all the facts and only terminate on necessity."

Turning, he left the man sitting in the dark as he jumped onto a branch and used the trees to move through the forest, checking for anyone else who may be hunting them. Returning to the ledge, Zander noticed Creeper's body was gone and quietly moved toward the cave entrance.

"Fides et veritas," whispered from the shrubs running the back of the clearing against the mountain.

"Noster Codice," Zander whispered in reply.

Jason's head popped out from an unseen pocket; he indicated for Zander to follow him.

"What are we doing in here?" Zander asked.

"After Creeper, my gut was churning, so I cleared everything out, covered the fire and brought Kelsie to this spot," Jason whispered. "She seems to be sleeping deeply at the moment."

"Could we carry her through the forest?" Zander asked.

"Not yet," Jason shook his head, "perhaps in an hour."

Zander checked his watch, "In time for sunrise," he patted Jason on the shoulder, "I'll take first watch."

"Why do you smell like death?" Jason asked, narrowing his eyes on the younger man.

"Cause I dealt a blow or two," Zander said, looking at Kelsie's still form, "a promise is a promise."

"Leave anyone alive?" Jason asked.

"One," Zander said, "teaching him that not all Assassins are bad."

"Think he learnt the lesson?" Jason asked.

"If he didn't, he will not get another chance," Zander said, "let me change my clothes, so I don't attract wild animals. Get her ready to be moved."

"Will do," Jason nodded, "it's good to have you back, Zander."

Zander smiled, "It's good to be free."

Jason moved to Kelsie's side, wiping her sweating face and neck, "Your bodyguard has your back, Kelsie."

Zander quickly changed his clothes, burying them to the side of their hideout. Sitting cross-legged near where Jason had shown himself, listening to the surrounding night and waiting for the break of day. Ever ready to guard and protect.