JASON

The sound of gunfire dies away. I'm surprised by the number of guards here on the island. Sean and Michael are moving around the coastline, looking for any that might be trying to escape. Kai and Aislin have started in the house looking for Emma. I'm about to join them when Michael motions me over to the dock. Striding over, I don't like the look on his face. Reaching his side, I glance down at the man lying at his feet. The man is dead, his throat slashed. Bringing my gaze back to Michael, I shrug.

"His throat is slit, but we didn't do this. He’s been dead a few hours, I'd say," he replies, answering my unasked question.

Looking back down at the man, I take a closer inspection. Looking around at the house, I narrow my eyes, letting my gaze travel from it to the dock. I try to figure out what might have happened. Aislin's voice rings out from a balcony on the second floor to the right side of the house.

"Her things are here! She was here!" Even from a distance, her voice is loud and filled with her fear. I can see the tears beginning to fall from her eyes. Kai's arms come around her from behind, pulling her to him. His eyes meet mine, and he shakes his head. He didn't find Emma or anyone who seemed to be in charge. Frustration bubbles up from my chest, coming out at a growl. Sean is moving around the perimeter of the house and comes to a stop under the balcony. He drops down to his knees, looking at something.

"Jason." His voice reaches my ears. Kai heard him also, but he said it quietly enough that the others didn't. My gut tightens at his tone. He's found something, and it worries him a great deal.

"Wait here for a minute, Michael. I'm going to go check with Sean." He glances to where Sean is kneeling, and his eyes narrow. Sean turns, looking at him. They share a look, and Michael sighs. "We don't know anything yet."

I walk to Sean, keeping my eyes on the ground looking for clues as to what happened to the guard. When I reach his side, he points down. He didn't need to; her scent had reached my nose before I ever got close. Her scent was mixed with blood and fear. Kneeling, I looked at the place Sean was pointing. There are drag marks on the rocks. Tilting my head, I studied them while trying to calm my pounding heart.

Sean's voice whispered beside me, "She dragged herself back to the wall. Pressed herself back into it, I would say, trying to hide. She's hurt, and if I had to guess, partially because she jumped." His eyes sad, his face says it would have to be bad for a woman to jump from twenty plus feet up in the air.

"If you follow the trail, someone came and carried her to the dock. There is also another set of tracks that went behind them. There was at least one boat moored at that dock. At least one." I swivel on the balls of my feet motioning Michael over. "Michael found a guard with his throat slit."

Aislin's voice pierces the air, "What did you find? Please tell me you didn't find her." Her terror and anxiety beat at me.

"We doona know what happened, but she isn't here. We didnae find her." Her sobs of relief echo through the dark night. Kai is talking to her, calming her. Her sniffs and gulping breaths fill the room.

"We need to find the office." Her voice is stronger, determined.

"We'll meet you inside in a minute." Their footsteps disappear.

Rising to my feet, I focus on the Druids, "Where is Raven? We need to hurry."

"I saw her at the dock. She was looking at something and then she leapt into the air and flew east. I went over there to find what she had been looking at." Michael's eyes are on the sky as he speaks.

"We need to go in. We have to figure out who's running this island. This is a small operation, and I bet there is one crazy Order guy in charge here."

We turn in unison, heading to the front door. Drawing a breath in, I scent the air. Emma's scent comes from two directions. Looking left, I notice the stairs; right is a hallway. Turning right, I follow her path down the hall. Aislin and Kai join us at some point as we wind through the older part of the house, and I pause looking at the walls. Studying the stone work, I glance back at Aislin. My hand gestures to the bottom stone at the corner of the wall, and she squats down getting a better look. Gasping, she straightens and looks at me.

"It's the same as at the headquarters."

"Yes," I answer, even though it wasn't a question. "Probably even older."

"Someone mind telling us what ye are going on about." Sean's irritated brogue breaks the tension.

It is Aislin that answers, "The cornerstones here and at the office building are from ancient, and I mean ancient, Greece. Like, before it was Greece."

A slow whistle sounds from both Druids. Emma's scent tickles my nose, and I turn the corner, coming to an old carved door. The scene depicts Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, and I stare at it for long moments. "Jason?" Aislin's fingers slide into my hand. I turn my head towards her.

"This is where she was." I grip her hand, looking over her head at Kai. His arm slides around her shoulders.

"What? What is it?" Her eyes slide from me to the man she loves, her voice trembling.

Kai turns her toward him, drawing her gaze. "We smell blood and death beyond this door. You need to ready yourself for what we might find." He cocks his head listening and then I hear it too. Rats. They sound frenzied. I turn the knob, pushing the door open. Aislin gasps, the Druids’ teeth are grinding, and a growl vibrates from Kai. I'm simply relieved it isn't her. I feel bad for the poor bastard in the chair though. The scene is gruesome. It is Michael that speaks first. He and Sean have depended on their observation to keep them alive for years, and today it keeps our hopes alive.

"Someone fell over the chair, shoving it out of the way as they tried to flee.” He glances around and moves to the wall in the corner, "There is some blood here, but it is transfer from someone else. Seems to me she tried to get away from that poor fucker and fell in her scramble. Then the arsehole doing it came to either get her or calm her. Probably calm her." The last he said while looking at Aislin, for her sake. It helped to calm my racing heart also.

Focusing more on the scene and less on my need to get to Emma, I sifted through the smells in the room, caught hints of the feelings. Shaking my head, I try to understand. Opening my eyes, I see the others are watching and waiting.

"I agree. She is still alive for sure. I keep catching her fear, that guy's fear," my hand waves at the body, "and love. No… Not love. Obsession. That is our mystery man. He is obsessed with… Her, it seems."

Aislin sighs, "That's good though, right?" She gulps, her memories pushing forward, "Dorran was obsessed with me, and he kept me alive." Her face says she refuses to consider the flip side to the obsession.

"Yes, Sparrow, he will keep her close to him, if he is obsessed. That's good." Kai rubs her back.

"He was watching her." Sean points to the computer screen, and we all move around to look at it. Clicking on the screen, we roll the footage back until he carries her in the room. We watch as he kisses her while forcing her jaw open. I'm breathing hard when I look up, and I know my eyes are red. I calm slightly as he stalks from the room. Our eyes are locked on the screen as she cries, and then we see her glance at the camera.

"She knew he watched," Aislin whispers.

She jumps to her feet, running and closing the bathroom door before spinning and rushing out to the balcony, sliding out of sight. We wait for long minutes and realize that had to be when she had jumped.

"She realized she only had moments before he would be watching her again. She did what she had to." Aislin's voice is filled with pride.

"Ye girl made the jump. I think she hurt herself, but she had help getting to the dock. We found a guard with his throat slit, like this one. She might have gotten away on a boat. Raven saw something that sent her into the air." Michael looks at Kai, raising an eyebrow.

"You stay with Jason and your boys. I can cover more area than Raven. I will find her if she is out there." He pulls her into his embrace and kisses her passionately, spinning and sprinting out of the room. Her fingers drift to her lips.

Looking at her, I smile. "Tell him we will finish here, then head back to the house, unless he finds something."

She moves to the door, "I'm going to grab Emma's things. She's going to need them when we have her back."

Those of us left here in this room filled with madness and death share a knowing glance.