It had been a few weeks since the formation of Xeik's guild, the Heaven's Dawn.  Despite some rough patches during start up, things had been running quite smoothly since.  More than ever, the boys had taken to working as a team, thieving more from the merchants and nobles that hoarded their wealth, keeping it as a trophy instead of helping those in need.  Despite being a black guild, Xeik held nothing but pride for it.

As the moving city of Hoja Mesto lulled for a moment, the lumbering titan seeming to pause in his daily motions, Xeik stood at the top of one of the corner markets.  Looking down, he saw the mark that they had been scouting for nearly three days.  His pattern was unusual, but not without merit.  He was an outsider, someone who was visiting the city on business.  As it would seem, he had something very rare, and very valuable.  

Xeik had seen it by accident.  A ring on his finger, with a large, ornate symbol etched into a blue gem.  Ever since, he had a few of the boys tail him, and learn his routine.  After three days, though, Xeik had concluded that he was definitely a foreigner, and that he had far more than just the ring in his inventory.  And Xeik had found where he was living.  

Hoja Mesto had a few, high class inns that were meant for the nobles who were doing business, and those who were willing to pay more than what it was worth.  Simply staying in such a place was a show of wealth and power, and ultimately hubris.  It was almost disgusting, but it was a sure sign that they were indeed a target worth thieving.  Xeik tailed the merchant back to the inn, and followed him back to his room, where the boy waited.

And waitted.  Patience was the name of the game.  He had taken up watch across from the inn, once more on the rooftops of one of the many mashups of architecture called a house.  Every so often, Xeik saw one of his comrades skittering about their daily routes.  One or two noticed Xeik, and gave a quick nod of respect before moving about.  Finally, after several hours, the man left his room and the inn, and walked into the streets.  Xeik clasped his hands together, smiling.  Finally.

He made his way to where he knew he room was on the outside, and climbed down to the window from the roof.  Within a few moments, he picked the simple window lock, and stole away into the room, landing softly on the wooden floor.  Perfect, and-

"Took you long enough," a gruff voice said.  Xeik looked up, eyes wide with shock as none other than an angry looking Terrance stood above him.  Immediately, Xeik tried to react, but at the snap of the pugilist's fingers, two shadowy figures appeared at either side of Xeik, and pinned him to the ground, forcing his face into the wood flooring.  "Well now, little rat.  I've waited for days for you to finally fall for this stupid set up of mine.  For a moment, I thought it had been a waste.  I told the idiot to flash his ring in your face, cause I knew you'd be stupid enough to go for it…but even so, I had my doubts…"  He slammed his foot into Xeik's face, knocking him unconscious.  

"But you really are an idiot…" He said.  "Take him away."

"And what of the woman?" one of the figures asked.  "You promised her as well."

"Oh, she's practically in love with the runt.  She'll come after him.  I promise.  Then the two birds can be together in death," Terrance said.  "Now, let's get going.  And don't forget to leave your calling card.  She's too stupid to find you otherwise."

One of the shadowy figures looked to the other, and they seemed to exchange some unspoken words.  Terrance felt a minor annoyance, as if he knew that he were being spoken of in a bad light."

"Come now, Terrance.  We have much to discuss with our leader," they said finally.  "Let us be on our way…."

Danwe could not have been more proud of the little guild that they had formed. Things had been a little rough at first, but now, Xeik and Bat had things running almost like clockwork. And it was proving most profitable for all the boys. The house they had decided to use, while still maintaining the ramshackle appearance, had been made into a nearly comfortable domicile, complete with hammocks and cots for each boy, gear trunks, and food at least twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. The boys reported to Xeik on the movements of potential marks in the city, and Xeik would confer with Bat on a big map of the city regarding the movements of the perfect marks to establish their patterns. 

There was hardly a thing that went unnoticed by the boys now, and Danwe was happy that they were working together as a team. 

So naturally, the boys were aware within an hour of Xeik's disappearance that something what wrong. And within that same hour, Danwe had been made aware of the situation, and the half-celestial was silently slipping into the same room that Xeik had gone into. 

Sure enough, something had gone down there. She found one of Xeik's knives, and a couple spots of blood, possibly from a bloodied nose. She could smell body odor, and it didn't take much to guess who it had belonged to. She had been in close enough proximity to Terrance once to have that ingrained in her mind for eternity. But he didn't have the brains to pull this off on his own. 

"Son of a bitch… he actually had the balls to go after us after all," she mused to herself. She took in the state of the room. Apart from Terrance's tell tale marks, the room was almost spotless. There was no trace that anyone else had been there. And that was telling in and of itself. 

"Game on then, Blood Echo… Game on…"

She left the room and flew out into the welcoming dark. She soared over the streets, searching out that single alley where she knew they usually disappeared to. Silently one of her feathers fell to the ground before she turned on her wings and headed back to the Heaven's Dawn headquarters. 

"Listen up boys!" she called as she walked in. The members had gathered to discuss what had happened, and were talking amongst themselves. A hush fell over the room and they looked at her expectantly. 

"Terrance has decided to play dirty. He's set up a trap for Xeik, and unfortunately Xeik fell into it. Normally I wouldn't have been worried, but the problem here is that Terrance is not working alone. He's gotten the Blood Echo involved…" she announced to them. 

A few of the older boys audibly gasped, shaking their head.  There were some who even had the look of utter defeat about them.  They had all heard the rumors of the infamous Assassin's Guild.  They had been the ones responsible for several shake ups in the Hoja Mesto hierarchy, as well as other cities in the rest of Parvpora.  There were even rumors that they had ties to assassins all across the world.

"So it's over then," one of the boys said.  "I knew that this wouldn't last."  A few more murmurs from the boys seemed to agree to the statement.  There was one, though, who stepped forward.  The young boy, Lewis, who was now looking much healthier than he had when he had first met Danwe.  

"No, not yet," he said.  "Terrence wants revenge, especially on Danwe.  It's likely that Xeik is still alive."  He looked back to the other children, and motioned for them to follow him to the table where they had placed the map.  "Some of you may not be aware, but Xeik has been keeping tabs on the other guilds here as well.  The Blood Echos as well."  

"Wait, what?" one of the older kids exclaimed.  "Why didn't we know about it?"

Lewis shook his head, "It's an information game.  If you knew you were tailing an assassin, you'd give yourself away.  And instructions were clear…none of you were to ever engage.  But," he pointed to a few locations.  "These are the places where the Blood Echos operate out of.  Danwe, is this where Xeikw as captured?" he asked, pointing to another place on the map.  "If so…it's likely they took him….here."  

Lewis looked to the rest of the guild.  "It's not over.  We likely know where he is.  He has to still be alive.  So are you just going to give up on him?"  There was a resounding 'no' as they boys renewed their determination.  "Good," Lewis said.  "Danwe…do you have any input?  We'll need a plan."

"Lewis is right. Taking Xeik was more of Terrance's jab at me than anything else. He wants revenge for him losing his spot of power over you," Danwe explained. "If anyone is to blame for Xeik being taken, it is mine. More importantly, Terrance knows my reputation, and he specifically went to the Blood Echo because they would not be afraid to use force that I won't. He thinks that this is an advantage over me," she told them. "He's wrong. But we will need a plan. If I am to infiltrate the Blood Echo base where they are holding Xeik, I'll need you guys to create a distraction," she said. "We need to draw Terrance out and away from Xeik, and as many of the Blood Echo as will follow him…"

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With a plan set, Danwe left the headquarters. Lewis and the other boys had their instructions. Thanks to all the information they had gathered in the last couple weeks, there was a pretty good idea of a) where Xeik was going to be kept, and b) what the movements of the Blood Echo were. Danwe across the city and landed on a rooftop with a clear vantage point of where the Blood Echo were holding Xeik. It was a little bit busier it seemed than it otherwise normally would have been. Clearly, they were expecting some sort of retaliation. The question was about to become how prepared were they really. 

She looked up at the sky and waited. This would be a coordinated effort… so for now, she just needed to wait for her opening.

Everything lulled for a moment as Danwe waited.  The hideout for the Blood Echo was only a few streets down from the market where Xeik was kidnapped, so included in the heightened security of the assassins were the market goers and merchants who were up to their daily business.  The assassins very well knew this, and had chosen their place accordingly.  It was a multi-tiered building, with at least three floors.  The first floor had several average looking merchants posed at the door, seemingly arguing about the price of rice.  The second floor had a balcony, where there was a drunk woman passed out on the rail.  The top floor held no balcony, but there were windows that none of the boys, nor Danwe, could see through without getting close.  

Lewis found himself snaking through the crowd of market goers, moving towards the three merchants arguing next to the entrance.  As he got closer, he started to limp, and moved in.  "E-excuse me," the small boy said, holding out his hand.  "Coin, please?  Coin for a beggar?"  

Three other boys were waiting in the crowd, seemingly panhandling like the rest.  On the roof from the other side of the balcony was a third boy, a brand new slingshot in hand, an early present from their benefactors.  He looked down below, at the begging Lewis, and then to the drunken women on the balcony.  

Those were the four assassins that could be seen on the outside.  They had a rough idea of how many assassins were in the building to, but those would be left up to Danwe and Lewis once the plan was in motion.  And, with the stage set, the plan was launched.

Lewis tripped forward, ever so slightly.  At once, the the three boys in the crowd darted forward, all hitting the distracted 'merchants' hard, each stealing an item.  They all disappeared into the crowd.  Keeping up with their merchant guise, the assassins went after them, loudly exclaiming about thieves.  Lewis himself had stepped back into the crowd, blending and waiting for Danwe to make her move.  Simultaneously, the boy with the slingshot took aim as the commotion happened, letting loose a heavy orb.  With the eyes of a sharpshooter, he nailed the 'drunk woman' in the head, hopefully knocking her unconscious.

Now, it was Danwe's turn. 

With the sudden commencing of the coordinated attack, Danwe made her move. She was opening, entering, and closing a window before the . There had been several other windows open, and several others that were closed. The ones that were open were clearly going to be the easiest, but all so the most expected. But it was safe to say that the most guarded closed window was going to be the spot where they expected her to believe that was where they were going to be holding Xeik. 

So she had chosen one that was somewhere in between. She slid into the room, silent as a shadow, her wings sealed into her back to keep a smaller profile. The door was open, and Danwe strode across the room with cat's grace and carefully peeked outside. 

She waited for a moment hoping to hear footsteps. She did, and she counted, biding her time until they were far enough away that she could trail without being seen. However, she was hearing something about the situation. 

She flashed forward enough to hear what it was they were saying. 

As Danwe listened in, trying to eavesdrop on the walking assassins, she caught wind that Terrance and the leader of the Hoja Mesto branch of the Blood Echos were talking in the upper room. That would be the ideal place for her to find out more information.

In that particular room, Terrance was pacing back and forth, talking to the assassin. “So I don’t understand,” the failure of a thief said angrily. “Where is he? I thought you were going to kill the brat? Where is he?” He was more than just mad, though: he was furious.

“That was never a part of the agreement,” the assassin replied. “We said we would take care of him and the woman. You’re the one who seemed all intent upon their death. And yet, the Lightning Thief will die. She has stolen from us once, and once is grievance enough to warrant her death. But the boy,” there was a pause. “The boy has a talent. One that would suit us greatly, should it be drawn out and used appropriately. He will remain in the magical safe house out back until Danwe is taken care of.”

Terrance slammed his fist into the table between the two. “I can’t agree to these terms. You’re changing them on the whim of whatever you feel like!”

There was a soft chuckle, “No, you idiot. You simply signed on the dotted line. Our agreement still stands. It’s not our fault that you did not read the terms as we requested.”

“There’s a reason no one likes your bloody politics,” Terrance replied furiously. “Fine. Keep the runt. I can settle with Danwe’s head.” There were footsteps as he made his way to the door, aiming to leave. “But…even if he’s your true prize…if I find him before he’s well and trained….I’m going to kill him myself.”

The assassin laughed again. “That boy could kill you without a second thought. All it will take is just a little push….”

Danwe listened carefully at the door. She raised an eyebrow as she sat with her ear pressed against the door. Of course Terrance was baying for blood, but she was relieved to hear that the Blood Echo had no intention of harming Xeik. That was at least a step in the right direction. The Blood Echo and her, however… well that wasn't news. She had stolen from them, no regrets there, so naturally they wanted her dead. 

She heard what she needed to hear, and in a breath of wind she was gone out the nearest window. 

Xeik was being kept in the shed in the back of the main building. Unfortunately, there was very little cover out there. Danwe swore beneath her breath and looked for some way that she could cross the threshold without being noticed. She heard a set of foot steps coming up behind her, so she pressed herself into the shadows of the doorway and waited. As one of the members of Blood Echo passed, she reached out and struck him in the back, a severe shock bursting through the man's body. He slumped to the ground in a spasming heap on the ground. He would be out for long enough for her to achieve her goal. She pulled on the man's cowl and cloak before she stuffed him in a closet and slipped out across the yard to the shed. She looked as natural as possible doing so before she pressed her hand to the lock. It clicked open without a fuss and she pushed the door of the shed open. 

When Danwe entered the room, it was mostly dark. There were a few lanterns in the middle of the shed,illuminating a chair. There, Danwe noticed the boy sitting in the chair, tied down by ropes. Xeik was unconscious at the moment, and he looked like he had been beaten several times over. Perhaps that was the reason why they had hidden him from Terrance. There were at least two of the Blood Echo assassins in the room, looming over the boy.

One of them seemed to be injecting some unknown substance into Xeik’s arm. The other was standing back, idly watching. When the door opened, the two glanced to Danwe, who was still in disguise.

The one injecting the substance into Xeik chuckled. “I expected nothing less from you, Lightning Thief,” he said, his voice muffled by a hood and mask. “You’ve come for the boy, I expect? He’s quite the catch. He’s young, very athletic, and has so much potential. The head has been eying him for quite some time.”

The other assassin turned to Danwe, and started walking forward, drawing a blade from the shadows. “You, though, have been a thorn in our paw for far to long. As thanks for…aiding us in getting the boy, we’ll make your death swift.”

There were sudden cries from outside, and the two assassins indoors looked at each other curiously. “Finish the woman off, and deal with the guild rats. He’s been fully prepared for the ritual…”

Danwe slowly lifted her hands as the assassin came towards her. 

"You guys are really still sore about that business in Karith, huh?" she asked, an amused tone to her voice. "Fair enough, I get that," she said.  "Since I am inevitably facing my doom here in this room, would you at least be so kind as to explain why one, you are working with a thug like Terrance, and two what exactly you plan on doing to the kid? I have a suspicion that you just shot him up with something to make him a bit more pliable and susceptible to command?" she asked as she moved back away from the door as the assassin pulled a wicked looking blade out of his robes. 

"Pretty smart," the assassin commented. "Just something to help the boy accept the true demon inside him. Paired with the power of this stone–" he was pulling a glowing purple stone from his pocket. The other man in the room hissed at him to put it away. But it was too late, Danwe had seen it.

"You plan to use a celestial stone as an anchor for something to possess the boy…" she said softly. "Tch… see, now, I feel bad, because you are going to fail and get fired," she said. 

"Kill her now!" 

The assassin lunged with impressive speed and alacrity. It wasn't quite fast enough. Danwe ducked beneath his blade and threw her shoulder into him. Her speed and force was enough to send him tripping backwards. She dodged to the side and her own blade sliced through the ropes that tethered the unconscious Xeik to his chair, as the first assassin also lunged at her. She caught the blade hand and drove her palm into the man's chest, and delivered him a debilitating shock directly to his heart.