Thorne and Rielle searched through the shadowy corridors of the base, their mission clear: to find and memorize hidden messages scattered throughout the labyrinthine structure. Talon had emphasized the importance of this task. Each recruit was supposed to search alone, but Thorne and Rielle had decided to team up. It wasn't the first time they'd bent the rules in their favor.

Thorne activated his Tracking skill periodically, hoping to catch some clue, but the base was alive with hundreds of tracks and markings. The sheer amount of activity rendered his skill almost useless. Still, he kept his eyes peeled, scanning for anything out of place.

As they searched in silence, Thorne broke it with a question that had been gnawing at him. "Are you excited for tonight?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "It's finally time to leave the base. Three months of this, and we're finally allowed out for a night. I can't wait to see my friends again."

Rielle, crouched by an old armoire, shrugged as she sifted through the dust beneath it. "I'm excited to see the light of day again," she replied dryly. "If I stay buried down here any longer, I'm afraid I'll burst into flames like a vampire the next time I see the sun."

Thorne chuckled at the mental image, but then his Tracking skill pinged something. "Look behind that painting," he suggested, nodding towards the dusty, framed canvas on the wall.

Rielle gave him a skeptical glance but did as he said. She pulled the painting away from the wall and, to her surprise, found a note wedged behind it. She quickly unfolded it, reading the cryptic message scrawled on the paper, before crumpling it into a ball. "How did you know?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Thorne shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Just a hunch," he said, enjoying the brief look of confusion on her face.

Rielle rolled her eyes and held the crumpled paper over a candle flame, watching as it ignited. "Next one is yours," she said, tossing the flaming ball to the ground and stomping it out with her boot.

They moved on to another room, this one lined with old, dusty bookcases, each filled with worn tomes and scrolls. The air was thick with the smell of aged paper and forgotten secrets. They split up, each taking a different section of the room. Thorne's mind, however, was only half on the task at hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me tonight?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time. "My friends would love to meet you." For some reason he felt reluctant parting with her.

Rielle didn't look up from the shelf she was searching. "I told you, I have things to do," she replied, her tone neutral but firm.

Thorne grumbled under his breath, his fingers brushing absently against the spines of the books. Rielle was a mystery to him, her past and life outside the Family a well-guarded secret. He had tried to pry information from her before, but she was always tight-lipped, deflecting his questions with ease.

"Do you have someone waiting for you?" he ventured, trying to sound casual. The thought of someone else being important to her stirred an unfamiliar feeling of jealousy in him, a realization that made him frown.

"I think I found it!" Rielle's voice rang out, cutting through his thoughts.

Thorne blinked, momentarily disoriented. "You found what?" he asked, having lost track of their mission.

She rounded the corner, holding up a stained parchment with a triumphant smile. "The code, dummy! Here, read it."

Thorne took the parchment from her, scanning the cryptic message and committing it to memory: "Raven flies at dawn, over the mountain's shadow." He hadn't missed the fact that she had sidestepped his question, but he decided to let it go. "Let's head back. I don't want to be the last ones there," Rielle said, tossing the parchment into a nearby sconce, where it quickly turned to ash.

They made their way back to the classroom, where a few recruits had already gathered. Rielle's gaze landed on Sera and Marcus, who were laughing obnoxiously in the corner. "Great," she muttered, dipping her chin toward them. "They're probably laughing about who tripped over their own feet first."

Thorne barely noticed, his mind already drifting to thoughts of seeing Darius, Jonah, and Ben again after so many months. The anticipation made him almost bounce on his toes, eager for the time to pass quickly.

More recruits trickled in, including Vance. Rhea followed shortly after, looking much better. Her wounds had healed, leaving only faint scars, but it was her hair—or the lack of it—that caught his attention.

She had shaved it off, unable to stand the sight and feel of the patches of scalp left by her ordeal, reminding her every waking moment the sight of her fellow recruits being torn limb to limb. Despite this, her confident gait showed she cared little about her bald head, sashaying toward them with a playful smirk.

"I can't wait to get wasted tonight!" she said as a form of greeting. "My girls know the best places to get hammered. Thorne, are you in? Vance is coming later."

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Thorne was tempted, the idea of letting loose appealing, but the thought of reuniting with his friends was stronger. He shook his head. "Nah, my friends will kill me if I don't meet them."

Rhea shrugged. "Have it your way. We'll be at Bullheaded Pete's if you want to swing by," Rhea said, flashing him a grin before turning to greet Vance.

Thorne nodded, making a mental note of the place just in case he decided to join them later. He was about to ask her more about this mysterious tavern when a sharp clap of hands silenced the room. Talon had entered, her presence commanding immediate attention. The room fell silent, the air thick with anticipation.

"I hope everyone was successful in finding their codes," Talon said, her voice cold and firm as she scanned the room with her steely gaze. When everyone nodded or muttered in agreement, she continued. "Now, you are free to go. Remember, you are to be in the Room of Bridges in an hour for your free day."

A murmur of excitement rippled through the recruits as they exchanged eager glances. They had all been waiting for this moment, the chance to step outside the base and breathe fresh air, to feel the sun on their faces. The promise of freedom, even if only for a night, was almost too good to be true.

The group dispersed to their sleeping quarters to get ready. Thorne was practically buzzing with excitement as he hurried to change into something more presentable. Before too long, they were all gathered in the large circular room, their eyes drawn to the intricate network of bridges above them.

Older recruits walked across them with practiced ease, some chatting leisurely, others focused on their tasks. It was a scene Thorne had grown accustomed to, but today it held a new significance—the gateway to freedom, if only for a short time.

Talon and Lock appeared at the entrance to the room, their expressions as unreadable as ever. "We'll be bringing you up in groups of five," Lock announced, his voice gruff. "We don't want to raise suspicions with a large crowd suddenly appearing out of nowhere."

Lock scanned the room, his eyes landing on the first group of recruits, including Cassandra and Marcus. "You're with me, follow me," he barked, motioning for them to follow him through a narrow door at the side of the room.

Next, Talon selected Rielle, Vance, and three other recruits. Thorne watched anxiously as they left the room, a nervous knot forming in his stomach. He knew this wasn't another test, but the past three months had made him suspicious of everything.

Finally, it was Thorne's turn. Talon reappeared, her sharp eyes locking onto him. "You're with me," she said, gesturing for him to follow. Rhea, Devon, and two other recruits were also chosen, and together they followed Talon through the same narrow passage.

The tunnel they entered was winding and steep, the incline growing sharper with each step. Thorne's legs burned with the effort, but he pushed on, his excitement propelling him forward. After what felt like an eternity, they crossed into a large room filled with towering columns. A massive depression in the center of the room could have housed several dozen people, but it was eerily empty.

They continued through the room and into another corridor, where they began to ascend a wooden staircase. The steps creaked under their weight, and the damp, musty smell of the room grew stronger the higher they climbed. The space at the top was cramped, barely large enough to hold them all. Thorne could hear the others' harsh breathing, echoing off the close walls.

Talon reached the top first, pushing against a wooden panel that slid to the side with a soft scrape. She turned back to them, her voice a whisper. "This is the entrance to the Butcher Quarter. This is where you'll return. Use the code you found today to enter."

Everyone nodded in understanding, eager to escape from the small room. One by one, they squeezed through the tight space and emerged into the night. For the first time in months, Thorne saw the sky, a vast expanse of red and orange hues stretching out above him. He inhaled deeply, the fresh air filling his lungs and clearing his mind.

Thorne stood still for a moment, savoring the cool breeze against his face. The others around him whispered excitedly, their voices full of awe and relief at finally being outside.

For Thorne, it was more than just the fresh air or the open sky—it was the feeling of freedom, the sense of being unshackled from the dark, oppressive confines of the base.

His eyes were drawn to the horizon, where the sun dipped below the city's rooftops, painting the sky in deep reds and purples. Twilight had always been his favorite time of day, and now, after so long underground, it felt like a reward.

But the moment was broken abruptly. The whispers of excitement died down, and a tense silence fell over the group. Talon had reappeared in front of them, her sharp daggers gleaming ominously in the dim light. Her expression was as cold and unreadable as ever, and the recruits stiffened.

Out of the shadows emerged a figure. Everyone held their breath, and Talon twitched, her body tense and ready to attack. The recruits shifted uneasily, their eyes darting from Talon to the figure, trying to discern friend from foe.

As the figure stepped into the dim light, Thorne's eyes widened in shock, and despite himself, he blurted out, "What are YOU doing here?"

The others turned to look at him, confused by his outburst. But Thorne barely noticed their stares; his attention was locked on the familiar face that had just emerged from the shadows. To his surprise, Talon's posture relaxed, a subtle but clear indication that she recognized the person.

Arletta stepped forward, her movements as precise and controlled as ever. She wore her signature maid uniform, the fabric pristine despite the grime and muck of the city streets. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her face was severe, her expression giving nothing away. She looked exactly as Thorne remembered her, an unwavering pillar of discipline and order in Uncle's household.

"Thorne," she said in her no-nonsense tone, "Uncle is waiting. If you will follow me?"

Without another word, she turned on her heel and began walking briskly down the narrow alley. Her footsteps were nearly silent on the cobblestones, a testament to her training and years of service in the shadows.

Rhea mouthed, "Uncle?" her eyes wide with bewilderment. Devon's gaze flicked back and forth between Arletta and Thorne, his expression incredulous, as if trying to piece together the puzzle that had just been thrown at them.

But Thorne had remained frozen in place, his mind struggling to catch up with the sudden and unexpected turn of events. The last thing he had expected was to see Arletta here, in the city, and to be summoned by Uncle.

Talon's voice cut through his shock like a blade. "What are you waiting for, recruit? Go!"

The sharp command snapped him out of his stupor, and Thorne's body moved before his brain fully processed the order. He fell into step behind Arletta, his legs carrying him forward automatically. As they walked away, he could feel the eyes of the other recruits on his back, their curiosity and confusion practically tangible in the air.

Rhea, still standing with the others, watched him go, her brow furrowed in thought. "What the hell was that about?" she muttered to herself, but no one had an answer.

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