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longer. When it felt like they’d given the trio enough time to have a ‘we can do it’ pep talk. Lexy piped in, “Who wants to go and collect our subjects for the Testing that are still squealing over a fish touching someone’s toe in a lake?”
    Frost volunteered and with an optimistic skip in his step he started to walk down the trail towards the dock. Grey was good. He’d given him a tiny amount of hope to cling to.
    She heard Frost loudly announce, “It’s time to go.”
    The three helped each other up, and followed Frost down the dock and as they started up the trail Lexy grabbed Grey and said, “Let’s go. We can beat them there.”

Chapter 3
Lambs to the Slaughter
    T he light flowed in single rays through the trees creating a heavenly looking pathway as it usually did, but this time, Grey didn’t stop to experience the moment. They were both in silent agreement that they wanted to get ahead of the drama that was in the process of unfolding. Even the musical chirping of the birds did nothing to lure her Handler’s beautiful heart into taking its time. They glanced at each other as they heard the voices coming closer and neither one of them wanted to be a party to the awkward guilt ridden stroll, so they sprinted through the trails towards the Ankh crypt in an attempt to arrive before the others. Perhaps, they’d even have enough time to take a beat and compose themselves. They arrived slightly out of breath but neither of them worse for wear. Lily was the only one standing there waiting for them to arrive.
    Lily strolled towards them and explained why she was waiting there for them all by herself, “Markus thought it would be best if those closest to the three accompanied them to the Testing.”
    Grey walked towards her and said, “Are you alright?”
    Lily nodded, looked down at her feet and kicked the dirt causing a bit of dust to rise around her shoe. She responded, “I’m okay.”
    Greydon gave her shoulder a knowing squeeze and whispered, “You don’t look okay.”
    She raised her eyes to meet his and gave him an answer that they all could relate to, “I just wish I’d kept my distance.”
    Grey looked back at the trails where they could hear the muffled voices of the Testing’s sacrifices as they approached and replied, “I’m with you there.”
    A gentle breeze whispered through the trees rustling the branches above her and stirring up the forest floor beneath her feet. Lexy glanced down at the ground and in front of her the sun had filtered through the trees on the pathway in the pattern of a number. It was eleven…that was the number of the stall she’d spent five long years held captive in. It was coincidence, that’s all it was… The number eleven remained on the ground in front of her until it successfully sunk into her soul and gave her the reaction intended. Her heart began to solidify against her will. She needed more time, a few more minutes to remain in land of the sane. She looked at Grey and he was deep in conversation with Lily. She needed him to keep her with him for a few moments longer, Lexy felt herself sinking into the background. In the sound of the crickets chirping she heard a name, it was being repeated over and over again. Charlotte… Charlotte . This was the name of the little girl that she’d failed to protect. It had been the most painful goodbye of her life. She was forced to step back from everything and allow the Dragon to dull her reaction. Logic played no part when the beast within her began to take hold. The Dragon was a necessary evil, it had come to save her as a sixteen-year-old girl after she’d been murdered and tossed to the bottom of a well with all of the other forgotten children. The Dragon had given her the strength to heal and climb out of the pile of water logged rotting corpses to seek her revenge upon the demons that had enslaved her. As the visions of that time caused her mind to begin to drown in the horrific images.
    Grey noticed her