about?"

            "Y'know what's about, M'lady.  Grayson has made a move; we'll probably see more of Zeil, RazorBlade, and Haiduc soon.  We must go to defend this planet and ours."  Joana was using his simple, sick logic against her.

            Kirada knew that if they stayed, Grayson Davis would send Razorblade and Zeil out to assassinate everyone until they found the MacNiall heirs.  Almost as if she lost hope again, she slouched down on her sofa.

            "And Nightmare and Ephit? What will become of them, my friends and my pack?"

            "Och, Little Sister, y'know that those two stubborn fools will be unharmed.  Grayson has recie'ed no word of them, so he will merely nae know that they exist."

            Jorje, Kirada's only older sibling, had his own sick logic.

            Reality…

            Bruce shook his head as he stroked his beautiful wife's golden hair as she sat near his throne.  They knew that their children were going to return to Raven, to battle in the Immortal War.

            What bothered the Laird is that all of his children were going to come back, and die as War Lords of Raven, the Saviors of the tribe, and they would never make it to see their names celebrated on the day of victory.  Annalise, too knew.  They knew that they would never see each other again after the war ended…

            Annalise shook her head, her tiny, delicate hands swiftly moving over the crystal rose. 

            "Talk to me…Talk to me…" she repeated, watching the rose sway.  Her mother's spirit had been cast into the tiny thing, and Annalise used it to foretell what was to come.

            First, she could make out fighting.  Fighting that way was in no way 'normal.'

            Kirada sat down, placing coffee on the table before her two brothers.  "Och, well if Grayson wants us so much why hasnae he come to find us?"  She was speaking in an ancient Scottish accent, the one they all grew up with.

            Joana shook his head and took a sip of the coffee.  "I cannae say, M'lady."

            Jorje sighed.  "Nor can I, Little Sister.  We all know that Grayson Allen Davis is one lazy mon, he willnae come for us alone."

            Kirada shook her head.  "You 'twould think that the mon would be lusty for our blood to be about his nasty paws.  Maybe we were wrong and underestimated him."

            "Aye, I think we have, Little Sister."  Jorje now took a sip, his cold slate eyes looking into the brown fluid as if it would give him an answer.

            Then, someone knocked on their door.

            "'Tis probably Lady Mauve, my neighbor." Kirada said, placing her cup on the table and walking to the doorway.   "Aye?"  She called out, only to hear a sigh.

            "Ms. MacNiall, it's me, Anna.  What's with your accent?"

            Kirada went pale and looked at her brothers.  Anna Stephens had always liked Joana, but her little brother took an annoyed shine to the young girl.  "Tavio."  She told them in their native tongue, in a whisper.

            They vanished just as Anna entered the room.  "Who were ya talkin' to, my overgrown friend?"

            "M'self, 'tis illegal now?"

            Kirada mentally slapped herself for still being accustomed to her accent as Anna gave her a funny look.

            A look that Grayson Davis would have given her…

            Jorje shook his head as he and Joana walked down the alley behind Kirada's apartment, sipping some Mountain Dew Slushies.   Joana was making tiny slurp sounds as they walked along, trying to amuse his big brother.

            "So, what do we do now, Brother?"  Joana asked him at last.

            "Oh, I don't know.  Maybe we can go for coffee and dinner."

            "And our sister?  Will she be invited?"

            "Sure.  But we need to wait until that kid is gone to call her."

            Joana shuddered.  "Anna, guh."

            Jorje chuckled.  "Don't worry, you'll find y'self a suitor some day.  Some woman who will make you wanna jump off a brick wall to stop thinking about her, yet you want to live to see her."

            "You mean like you and Kia?"  Joana noticed exactly what he'd said when Jorje frowned.

            "Don't fret, Little Brother.  Kia killed Emilia, and I don't need to get my revenge for her killing my only child."    

            "Oh?  Why not?"

            "Grayson's killed her.  You weren't there, but the day Emilia, mom and dad were killed, Grayson killed her.  Kia was merely a pawn to him."

            Now reaching the small café, Jorje and Joana slipped into a booth, taking a seat.

            A young pretty waitress came to them, smiling warmly and offering them drinks and menus.  The two men smiled back, giving her their orders.  They'd been here many times before, and didn't even need the menus.

            Joana sighed as the waitress served them their dinner about ten minutes later. Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched his brother through the window as he called their sister, inviting her and away from Anna. He shuddered. He really did hate her.

            If it weren't for their sister, Joana and Jorje would have been caught and killed by now. His brother lacked Grace when it came to hiding, and Joana was always just easy to find.

            Or at least, that was his last thought as light filled the side of his face and the window. Someone was trying to plow down he and his brother with their truck...