"You have everything you need to succeed," her mother's voice came to her through the mist, "remember who you are, what you are, where you come from ... remember ..."

The words disappeared as Kelsie turned in circles looking for her mother. Frustration ripped through her as the heat rose again, scorching at the mist, making her sweat, pant, long for a drink of cool water. All she could see was the mist. If she walked, it moved with her. If she sat, it surrounded her.

"I don't want this mist anymore," she shouted in her mind, "tell me how to get through it."

"Remember who you are, Kelsie," her father's voice could be heard so close she tried to feel for him; her hand closed over the mist. It felt moist, spongy, enveloping and ever-present.

"How am I supposed to remember when I cannot even see my memories," Kelsie ranted, "they are on the other side of this damn mist."

"We gave you memories, Kelsie," her mother said as though she were in the distance.

Closing her eyes, Kelsie drew the wooden box toward her, opening the lid and lifting each photo up. Emotion ripped through her. Tears flowed freely and hot down her cheeks unheeded. Slowly she felt the band of mist release its hold little by little. Moving a little further from her position as she held onto the events Kelsie experienced at each location. The picture of Jezebels House rose before the rest. She had played in that garden and picked some of those flowers. Listened to the beautiful ebony-haired woman rising to the fore of the photo. She smiled at Kelsie, offering a flower. A scarlet rose on a long stem. Kelsie saw herself as a child accepting the rose, and Jezebel's voice rose in song, soft, lilting and beautiful. Kelsie listened as the words wound themselves around her. Gentle, life-giving and answering every question Kelsie never knew she needed to ask.

Standing in the circle of mist, Kelsie began to sing the song. Following Jezebel's voice, she ambled toward the memory of the house, the rose and the woman who had the softest touch she could remember.

"How is she doing?" Jason asked.

"The crying has stopped, and she seems to be singing," Zander said, "at least the sweating has stopped. Did you find the route to the next location?"

"It's through there," Jason said, scanning the skies, "it doesn't look like it's noon yet. We're making good time."

"What is Jezebel's Rose?" Zander asked.

Jason stilled, looking at Zander grinning, "It means that she is nearly ready to wake up. Do we stay here or move on?"

"Let's keep moving," Zander said, "we don't have time to wait for the entire process to finish back there, and she will be ... upset ... if we haven't moved closer to the House."

"You have a point," Jason nodded, "let's get going."

The room stayed dark, with no light before bedtime, no end of day sunset. Jackie knew this technique well. Punishment for the younger generation and a form of torture but for her ... training.

She missed the old days when everything was black and white, chuckling at the pun. She missed the days where everything was as it should be, white wasn't so soft and black wasn't so brutal ... days of balance. A key in the lock brought her attention to that side of the room. The light spilt into the room and should have blinded Jackie, but she was nowhere to be seen.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Where is she?" the guard said, "find her."

He closed the door without looking any further, nor did he feel the keys lifted when leaving the room. Jackie knew they wouldn't be missed until needed again, she hoped it wouldn't be soon. Waiting for a few heartbeats, she left her cell, moving through the shadows. Using her holistic training to get to the security room. Orders were given for search parties to look around the mountain compound; lips lifted in a smile as she lifted herself onto the beams making the roof structure. She balanced on a beam and quickly moved to the other side of the control room. She had an idea where Jason may be heading. If what she had seen in the control room was any indication of where the guards moving out to accomplish, her brother would need help.

"Double time, get to the east door and scour the forest," a guard shouted, "she has to be here somewhere."

"Why do you think she has left the compound?" a younger security guard asked.

"Are you asking questions?" the guard yelled in the young man's face.

"I am," he answered, not backing down, "all of this and she could be in the compound."

"Accompany this insurgent to the east door," the guard ordered two guards, "he is no longer one of us."

The two stepped up to each side of him, disarmed him and began leading him away. Jackie watched, tracking him. She saw the "insurgent" sniffing the air before his eyes rose, finding her with concerning accuracy. Would he give her away? She waited. He kept eye contact before indicating the direction they were heading. Giving a slight nod, she tracked them across the roof. He wasn't black or white? Could there be old school assassins trained in the younger generation?

The three arrived just short of the East exit. Jackie watched as the door was opened and wedged to make it easier for them to move back and forth. She waited for surging troops to leave into the forest, as the three men were about to exit she dropped in front of them.

"I think I'll take him from here," she smiled, hitting the one man with the side of her hand in his throat, making him gasp for air and punching the other man.

The young man assisted by using his knee to the gasping assassin's face and did not wait to see if an alarm would be raised. Instead, he followed Jackie out the door and into the forest. She had disappeared. Looking up, he saw her fly from one tree to another and made quick work of following her path.

Jackie watched the fellow Assassin finally catch up to her, landing quietly on the branch and crouching.

"I take it you're Jackie," he said, "I'm Alyx. Zander sent me."

"That makes sense," Jackie whispered, "you don't fit in. What is your training?"

"I'm not following," he said, "but Connie trained us."

"Tells me everything," she said, "they're coming."

"Let's move," Alyx said, "I don't know about you, but I think Zander will need help with what I learnt."

"Jason is going to need help protecting Kelsie," Jackie said, using the branches of the trees to keep track of the hunting parties below.

"Where are they headed?" Alyx whispered, "Zander and Kelsie, not the hunting party below."

"The same place the hunting party is," Jackie said, "Jezebel's house."

"That's an urban legend," Alyx whispered.

Jackie stopped meeting his steady gaze, "Is it?"

She moved on before he could say anything further and tracked the large hunting party, "It's big. I'm guessing they will split up and meet up somewhere else."

"Good guess" Alyx pointed to the hand signals being given, and the two groups split, one to the left and the other to the right, "I'll take the right path. You go left."

Jackie nodded, "Fides et veritas."

Alyx nodded once, placing his closed right fist over his heart, "Noster codice."

Jackie waited until he was out of sight before tracking the group to the left. Perhaps there was hope after all. Kelsie was going to need all the help she could get with all these hunters heading her way. If she was going to overthrow ... him ... she needed every one of these newly trained Assassins Connie had in her back pocket. If she could stealthily diminish the hunting group before they met up and doing more damage as they went.

"Hold on, Kelsie," she murmured, "your army is coming."