"Get your hands off of me!" 

The angry snarl woke Cinder. He snapped open his eyes, jolting on a small bed. Sunlight filtered through the window that had no curtains next to him. The room was tiny, the twin sized bed taking up most of it. Cinder moved to sit up and immediately regretted it. Groaning, he pushed his hand down against the inside of his hip. Memory caught up with his groggy mind. Something had run him through along with the magician that had spirited him away to some strange place. 

With that thought, he looked around in fear, heart pounding hard enough to hurt. No chains.... No restraints.... Cinder's mind was slow in grasping it all. It didn't seem like he was a prisoner, which was a good thing. Or so he thought. Though he wasn't tied down, that didn't mean the door wasn't locked either. But getting up was looking less like a feasible option. Moving hurt like hell.

"I said, let go." The voice was unmistakable then and with it a rush of power that could only belong to Kydyn. Shouts flooded the rest of the building and several heavy thuds resounded outside the door. The door to his room vibrated as someone slammed into it. There was more scuffling beyond the room. Cinder could only watch with bated breath. 

When the door swung in, allowing Kydyn through, Cinder found it easier to fill his lungs. The warlock stepped over the young man who sprawled across the floor, ignoring him completely as the boy groaned and rubbed at his head. Cinder was half expecting Kydyn to step on the poor kid on his way in, but thankfully he was nice enough not to do that. Even so, the warlock's destructive power could easily be seen past the door into the hallway. Glass was strewn everywhere, picture frames scattered, pottery that might have been pretty at some point shattered into a thousand pieces to mingle with the destruction. 

"Cinder!" Kydyn was leaning over the bed in mere seconds, taking Cinder's eyes from what he could see of the hallway and the figures of people sprawled across the floor. 

"You're okay?" Cinder asked, though he already knew the answer. If the warlock was throwing people around like that, he was definitely just fine.

Instead of his usual, snarky answers, Kydyn's jaw was tight as he stared down at Cinder. Not sure of how to take his strange silence, Cinder opened and closed his mouth several times while glancing toward the door of the room he'd woken up in. He squeaked out a sound, but it didn't last long as Kydyn took a deep breath, shook his head and tangled his fingers in Cinder's unruly hair. The shock only came after Kydyn had already pressed his mouth against Cinder's. 

The kiss was hard, desperate even. Kydyn's hand tightened in his hair, pulling at the locks just enough to have Cinder feeling it. His other hand curled up around Cinder's jaw, hooking behind his ear. Caught in the warlock's grip, Cinder couldn't pull away. A hard lump formed in his throat. Kydyn pulled back from the kiss only long enough to take a breath before he was kissing Cinder again. That time, Cinder felt wet heat slipping across his lips. Kydyn's mouth had parted, his tongue pressing down to try to get inside Cinder's mouth. 

Reaching up, Cinder wrapped a hand around the back of Kydyn's neck. He let himself fall back against the mattress as he held onto Kydyn, opening up to his probing tongue at the same time. Kydyn moved with Cinder, getting up onto the bed so that he could straddle him. Cinder ran his hand up from Kydyn's arm, feeling how his muscles tightened. He traced the contours of Kydyn's chest. The warlock groaned, the sound had a quick effect on Cinder. His breath hitched and he tilted his head a little to get more of Kydyn's tongue in his mouth. 

Cinder moaned low in his throat as Kydyn moved his hand down to brush across Cinder's chest. Heat was building between them. Cinder's mind was going to his crotch with each passing moment. The longer Kydyn played with his tongue, touched his body, the more he wanted. Until someone coughed loudly in the doorway. Cinder jumped, eyes snapping open and his heart freezing instantly. The heat of pleasure was washed away. Kydyn pulled up from the kiss and frowned. Turning to look over to the door, he glared at who stood there.

"I was enjoying that," Kydyn hissed.

Cinder swallowed and turned his head away. His face was bright red, he knew it by the heat that rushed along his cheeks. Whoever was at the door sighed. "He's injured, Kydyn. At least let me heal him first before you jump him." 

For once, Kydyn didn't have a comeback for that. He grumbled something under his breath though before he sat up and moved off the bed. Cinder chanced a quick look to Jika who was glaring at Kydyn. When Kydyn didn't say anything, Jika leaned down and helped pull the young man up off the floor where the warlock had left him. Hauling the poor guy to his feet, Jika looked him over. 

"You okay?" 

"Yeah," the man answered with a groan and rubbed at his head.

"Help the others up. Sorry about that. He's a brute."

"They were in my way," Kydyn retorted and he sounded almost put out over it. 

The druid rolled his eyes as he knelt down next to the bed. Leaning forward, he pulled the sheets back to uncover the rest of Cinder's bare torso. The spot where he'd felt the thick patch under the wrappings had a tiny splotch of red beginning to peek through the crisp white cloth.

"They don't have a healer, so this was the best they could do for you. I was a little busy with Lyn and Kydyn, so forgive me for the wait."

Cinder shook his head. "Don't apologize. You do what you have to do first. But, uh... how did you get away from my father?"

"That was your old man?" Kydyn's angry snap was something Cinder was far more accustomed to than the sweet kiss he'd experienced. 

"Yeah," Cinder answered, his head dropping forward. He stared at the carpet, a sour taste filling his mouth. If Kydyn was surprised, Cinder was completely bewildered.

"If it wasn't for these guys interrupting, we might not have made it out alive," Jika answered. He probed the wound with his fingers gently and Cinder flinched at the pressure. With a muttered "sorry", the druid helped him onto his side so he could see the back of the wound. "There's quite a bit that we need to talk about with them, but first I need to heal this. You're lucky, Cinder."

"I don't feel very lucky," Cinder replied. "He died. The guy who took me here. Whatever went through me killed him instantly."

"That wasn't your fault," Jika said, lifting Cinder's head with his hands. The hard look only served to make Cinder feel worse.

"Your father was pretty desperate," Kydyn added. "I don't know if he was trying to kill you, or trying to stop the spell from finishing. Whatever it was...." Kydyn stopped talking and simply glared at the wall across from him.

Cinder didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. He couldn't even refer to the man as his father anymore. What kind of parent would try to kill their child? Power hungry ones. Cinder grimaced as Jika helped him to lay down again. "Lemme get the tea, then I'll start the healing process. This'll take a while, but at least it was a clean strike."

"Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Cinder asked tightly.

"Yes. It could have been much worse," Jika answered. The druid got up off the floor and left the room. Kydyn leaned his head back as he sighed. Cinder didn't move from where Jika had laid him down. He watched Kydyn for a while, pondering over the kiss that the warlock had given him. There had been something going through his eyes right before he'd claimed Cinder's mouth as his. 

"Are you okay?" Cinder asked again.

Kydyn looked over at him, a frown on his lips. It fit him better, at least that was what Cinder was used to seeing anyway. That and the cocky smile that often graced his face. "Fine. I told you that."

"Um. You didn't. You sort of.... Attacked," Cinder answered and his face bloomed red again.

"I figured that was a good enough answer. If I was kissing you and quite ready to jump you, I was just fine. Or do I need to spell it out for you?"

Cinder's blush faded fast in light of Kydyn's acidic tone. "Good God. Here I thought you were finally being nice."

"I'm never nice."

"Your kiss was pretty fucking nice."

Kydyn looked over at him. A wicked smirk was spreading. "Yeah? You liked it? Want to know what else would be nice?"

"Later, Kydyn. I leave for one second and you're ready to grind dicks." Jika ordered as he re-entered the room with a cup in hand.

"That is not my fault," the warlock retorted.

Jika scoffed at him as he crossed over to the bed. Kneeling down next to Cinder, Jika helped him sit up so that he could drink the tea. It was the same as before, bitter and tasting like watered down cough syrup. It made him shudder and gag. Handing the cup back, Cinder wiped at his lips. He was fighting the urge to throw up what he'd just forced himself to down in two gulps. Jika knelt down again, shifting until he was in a good position with his hands on either side of the wound. The druid's warm touch seeped through bandage. 

Cinder watched him as he started chanting. He didn't hear anything from Jika, but his lips were moving and the familiar pulses of color rippled through his dark eyes. The healing process wasn't painful, but Cinder could feel it. The druid was simply enhancing his body's natural healing, making it go faster. It wasn't the most pleasant thing, but it didn't hurt. Cinder wasn't sure if he should be thankful for it or not. He didn't know how to deal with the discomfort, at least pain was something he was familiar with. 

Jika pressed his hands against Cinder's hip as he leaned forward a little more. Though it was only one wound, the fact that it was basically a hole through Cinder's body was sure to take its toll on the druid. He could feel the tremble in Jika's hands and see the slick sheen of sweat across his forehead, spreading just beneath his hairline. 

Cinder nibbled on his lower lip, hoping that he would be finished soon. 

When Jika finally pulled away from him, it had to have been at least fifteen minutes, though it felt like hours had passed for Cinder. He didn't want to know how it felt for Jika though. Judging by how he leaned against the bed, it had to have been more grueling for him. Cinder grimaced. He felt horrible for making Jika work so hard. 

"Sorry."

"For what," Jika panted.

"Well...."

"Not like you could have seen it coming," Kydyn said. "Your father was pretty quick on the uptake even after I rushed him. Plus, you weren't even looking."

"I still feel horrible," Cinder insisted.

"Don't. You're alive and it's not the worst that I've had to do," Jika said and stood up. Brushing off his pants, he stretched his arms back, the tank top lifting just a bit to show some of his stomach and the band of his jeans. Cinder could hear his bones popping. 

"Thanks, Jika. But seriously, I'll try to keep this to a minimum."

Jika smiled. "Sure you will. But at least you're offering. That pecker head doesn't even try."

"Honestly. 'Pecker head' isn't even insulting," Kydyn huffed.

"I can be insulting if you want."

"You could. But we both know it'd just piss me off." Kydyn gave him a grin and Cinder sighed as he leaned back. 

"You have the worse attitude ever," Cinder commented.

Kydyn shrugged as if he didn't care. Cinder stared at him, certain that he really didn't give a rat's ass about it. Jika rubbed at his face before running his fingers through his dark mass of loose curls. A knock resounded and the druid turned to look at who had come to hover in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt, but looks like they're finally ready," Lyn said. He was breathless and red in the face, but otherwise he looked just fine. When his eyes met Cinder he beamed a bright smile. "Hey! You're awake. Jika patch you up, yeah?"

Cinder returned the grin. "Yeah. You too I heard."

"That's 'cuz he's fucking awesome."

"Alright, come on. Let's go talk to this Syl...." Kydyn shoved off from where he'd been sitting and strode to the door. He didn't seem all too excited about meeting with the woman. Cinder groaned as he got up too. Sometimes he really had to wonder about Kydyn.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly," Syl was saying as she sat at the far end of the huge dining table. The windows had heavy curtains covering them, closing off any sunlight. A handful of lamps were lit, spreading their dull yellow glow across the room. Leaning forward, Syl put her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together. Her bright red eyes danced between the occupants at the table. "I'm Syl. Head of the Ivory Guard."

"Ivory Guard?" Kydyn was already skeptical and interrupting her with his nasty tone. Cinder cringed from where he sat next to the warlock. "Never heard of it."

"You wouldn't have. No one knows about us unless I tell them. Since that doesn't happen unless the people I tell are joining me, then we don't exist."

"Why?"

"It's easier to operate under the council like this. The less they know, the more we can do," Syl answered. She was handling Kydyn's attitude rather well, at least that was what it looked like to Cinder.

"What is the Ivory Guard?" Jika asked, getting the question in before Kydyn could continue his harassment. The warlock shot Jika a sharp glare to which the druid completely ignored. 

"The true rebels against the council is the best way to answer that question."

"But the rebels are—" Cinder started but Syl's hard stare coupled with her raised voice silenced him.

"The 'rebel's' you know are what Odain wanted you to focus on. He wanted you to continually side with him and never question him. They're not real, those rebels that he conjured up for you. They are the council themselves. Puppets on strings for Odain and Iriyn."

"Iriyn?" Kydyn asked.

Cinder grimaced. "My father."

"Oh," Kydyn stretched out the word, a wicked grin painted his face as he looked between Cinder and Syl. "So that's the bastard's name. I look forward to wringing his neck."

"He nearly killed you, warlock. I doubt you could stand up to him as you are now. Iriyn has several years on you. He's perfected his art, unlike your flailing around earlier," Syl stated, her tone smooth.

Kydyn's smirk faded into a dark frown. Anger pulsed in his eyes, the pupils growing small and the pale blue color turning to chips of ice. "You have balls to say that to me, sorceress. You're at the bottom of the totem pole."

"I might not be as powerful as you, but I have far more grace in my magic than you do."

"A-alright, can we just. Get back on track here, please?" Cinder tried to get the conversation to turn back to Syl's "Ivory Guard". 

"You call that little fire ball of yours 'graceful'? You were aiming for that bastard and you hit me instead."

Syl's stony features cracked for just a moment. Her eyes narrowed and the edges of her lips tipped down. It was brief, gone in a flash, but it had been there. "If you were faster like Iriyn, than you wouldn't have been hit by it."

"Bitch," Kydyn hissed. "If you had stepped in a little earlier I could have killed that fucking asshole before he stuck Cinder!"

Cinder was floored by Kydyn's words. He was livid. Shaking even as he leaned forward and snarled the words at Syl. His hands gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that Cinder could see the whites of Kydyn's knuckles. He was stunned, words flailing around in his mind as he tried to make heads or tails of Kydyn's unbridled anger. 

"If we'd intervened, he would have killed Cinder, and all of us. We had to wait."

"He was trying to kill him! Don't spout that bullshit at me!"

"Kydyn!" Cinder found his voice and gripped the warlocks forearm tightly. "Calm down. And he wasn't trying to kill me."

"Are you saying that because he's your old man?"

Cinder frowned, feeling heat prick across his face. It wasn't out of embarrassment but out of anger. "He might be my father by blood, but that doesn't mean shit to me when he's trying to use me and murdered my mother because she knew about it! All he wants is my magic! That's it! Don't fucking say that to me."

Kydyn stared and the heat of his anger slowly simmered down from its boiling point. Biting his lower lip, he turned away from Cinder and stared at the table. Syl was quiet for a while longer before she spoke up again. Under Cinder's fingers, he could feel Kydyn's muscle tightening, his fingers curling tight again on the chair. 

"Iriyn would have killed you, Cinder. If he deemed that we would succeed in taking you. Which was what he tried to do when Dean cast the transportation spell."

Dean... That was his name. Cinder's jaw tightened and it was his turn to squeeze the arm of his seat. "I'm sorry."

"These things happen in war," Syl answered. Though her words were cold, the tone was warmer. 

"He shouldn't have died. Not for me."

"I'd rather it have been him than you," Kydyn snapped.

"That's so fucked up," Cinder retorted.

"It's true."

"Death is horrible, no matter who it is," Lyn said. He was leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest and as the sleeves of his sweater pulled up to his elbows to flash the ink that spiraled over his arms. 

"Dean knew the consequences. We all do. Iriyn isn't a force to try to tamper with. He will destroy you. Odain and the council are just as strong. They're conniving. They know how to get what they want and they had all of you tied up on strings for so long I'm surprised you weren't licking that bastards boots every time you went to see him," Syl chided. 

Cinder frowned. "I wasn't.... Oh whatever. So what the hell is it that they want? I've seen what going black does and it's not appealing. I doubt they'd be able to control that."

"Black?" Syl asked, then laughed. The sound was without mirth. It was short and clipped. "That's not what they want. Odain spun that well didn't he? That old bastard knew his pet warlock would save you before they succeeded in turning you. He knew that Kydyn wasn't going to let you fall into black magic. He doesn't want that. He wants you as pure as you can get."

"What for? All I can do is heal and star gaze. That makes me fucking useless when it comes to a fight," Cinder said, bitterness in his words.

"You have no idea what kind of power you've got," Syl said, her eyes narrowing at him.

"I know what I've got. I'm saying that makes me a freaking liability in a fight."

"Star gazing isn't just glimpses of the future, Cinder. You can walk through time using the energy from the stars. Their burning glow collects time. The light takes years to reach us, to be visible. There are billions of stars, Cinder. Encircling us. The heat of their energy is what gives you the ability to see into the future, and see the past."

Cinder stared at her. The way she explained it seemed to make his star gazing that much more important. He dropped his gaze after a while when she didn't say anything else. Maybe she was trying to get him to figure it out. Scrunching his eyebrows together, Cinder thought about what she'd said. He'd experienced seeing the future when Kydyn had forced him to lay in the field and star at the canopy of darkness overhead. It was a strange feeling. Like he'd been floating along a stream, watching as things just... happened. 

He shook his head, giving up on it. "I don't get what you're trying to tell me. Time flows in one direction. So how can they show me the past too?"

"It is different once you reach the expanse of the universe. Our time goes by much faster than it does out there," Syl lifted a hand and pointed up to indicate outer space. "A day or two floating around a couple hundred lightyears out there could mean years down here."

Cinder's eyes widened and everything started to fall into place. "The light can see the future and stores the past."

"Yes," Syl answered and she sounded pleased that he'd figured it out without her having to go into greater detail. "Star gazing is the highest power one of our kind can possess. It's why there's only one magus at any given time. There can never be two of you. There's just too much power. If two magus were to star gaze at the same time during the same era, things could become convoluted."

"How so?" Cinder asked, leaning forward in the chair.

"The parts of the future that would normally be shown to you wouldn't be shown. You'd get a jumbled mess. Your star gaze would be distorted. You basically cancel each other out."

"How is it that you know so much about a magus, sorceress?" Kydyn asked. 

Syl glanced at him but didn't make any notion that he'd irritated her. Cinder was sure the warlock was trying to piss her off. He would have smacked Kydyn if he knew that wouldn't have had any undesirable consequences on his end. Letting Kydyn be a jerk was probably easier than actually invoking his ire.

"I was Odain's underling for many years. He and the council were obsessed with the magus. So they started investigating. I was his right hand for a long time before he started working on his own after many of his colleagues died. I picked up quite a few things from what they were researching."

"Journals then?" Jika asked.

"Quite a few actually. And then books and myths from ancient times. Many of those weren't very helpful, but some of them held bits of truth. Unfortunately though, you've just heard the extent of my knowledge," Syl said.

Cinder nibbled on his lower lip. It was quite a bit that she'd told them though. What else was there to learn? Much of it was kept from him, so there had to be even more. "But, he said he wanted me black."

Kydyn looked over at him, apparently the only one who had heard the soft mutter that had come from Cinder. "What? Who wanted you black?"

Cinder lifted his eyes from the table he'd been staring at without seeing it. "My father did."

"Iriyn told you that?" Syl asked. She sounded confused and her expression had finally cracked into something else. Worry.

"Yeah. I asked him why he destroyed those buildings in downtown, and he told me it was because he wanted to start me on my decent to being black. That he'd always wanted that."

"So they don't want you white.... I was mistaken. But why? They can't control you if you're black."

"May be they can," Kydyn said and the implications of his words sent ice sliding down Cinder's spine.