Hidden Truth

[Cheyenne Fordyce]

She knew that when she was in the presence of magic that it bled. She'd watched it sometimes at night for lack of better things to do and watched as it crawled and seemed to shift with a life of it's own. She'd never thought much of it, just a mark it was to her. Nana had told her all her life it was a gift from her real mother, that one day if they ever wanted to find her again that that was how they would find her, by the brand that Chey had on her outer right ankle. To any normal eye it looked like a tattoo or a simple brand, a solid black rose, with two serpents wrapped around it, a dagger pointed downward through the middle...all black.

She was going to be twenty-three this month and all her life she'd hidden the brand. Before now, only three had known that she had even had it, Nana, and the couple that had found her on their doorstep...until now. She'd never gotten close to anyone, didn't want to answer all the questions about the mark. What was the difference in hiding it now? She'd fallen in love, that was the difference. Sooner or later she would have to tell him about it, but so far she'd manage to avoid staring eyes or probing thoughts, so far Chey had hid the brand for a very long time, until that little cute, damnable wolf had to tell her secret...a secret she didn't even know, a secret she didn't even understand.

They'd been on the beach that night and lately the brand had been bothering her a lot, causing her to favor her right ankle and as much as she had tried to deny Artemus, the wolf had told her secret when it snuck it's muzzle between Chey's pantleg and boot, it's muzzle stained with crimson as it whimpered and looked up at Chey and Artemus. She'd shown him the mark that had branded her for as long as she could remember. Though her simple story did not convince Artemus or his brother and his lady friend. Now there would be four more that knew of the mark, a harmless wolf, two brothers that held a special place in her heart and a woman that everyone had risked their lives to save.

She'd argued pointlessly with them all that it was nothing but a simple brand, but yet the questions was posted by them all that Cheyenne had asked so many times in her life as well and had never gotten an answer for..."Why then does the mark bleed in the presence of magic?" Hell she'd asked that question all her life and never had known the answer. Quite frankly Chey'd just figured it was a fault in her or something and that was when she'd been told that they'd seen the mark before. She couldn't believe that the mark could have meant more than what Nana had told her all her life, what she'd been brought up to know all her life. Oh no, the mark was much much more than Cheyenne had ever thought possible.

He'd told her that he'd seen it before and that there was a Tome in the library at the keep that bore the same brand on the cover and Cheyenne spat out a slew of profanities and even had called him a liar, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Since she'd grown of age, people had been trying to kill her, that was nothing new to the rogue as she had wronged many people in her life, so what was the difference in them trying to kill her? There seemed to be a grand difference now as she listened to him. She was dumbfounded at what he spoke of, yet her heart soared to know that she did have some sort of past, yet her heart sank at the thought of what she was. She was bad before, but the sounds of this was even worse.

They left the beach that night and Cheyenne had a lot of reading and studying to do...and a lot of thinking...

"Assasin Mages? Powerful? Last descendant?"

[Cheyenne Fordyce]

The knock on the door, roused the rogue from sleep as it continued, firm and it seemed to reverbrate throughout the Fordyce house as she muttered and grumbled, making her way sleepily towards the door, leaning against it. "Who is it?" She ran a hand through her tussled dirty blonde hair and let out a quiet yawn as the voice outside the door rumbled to her ears.

"Open your door Rogue and let me in, lest you expect me to climb through a window and deliver the messages you asked to recieve."

There was quiet laughter on Chey's side as the voice and humor behind the words were of only one when she was growing up, she quickly undid the locks that barred her door and threw the door open, the faint darkness causing her vision to blur for a moment before the hooded figure took form before her eyes. "You returned quicker than I would expect. Was it that easy in coming by old friend?" She stepped aside to allow the man into her home as she again covered the hint of a yawn.

"You seem to complain more than I remember Rogue, is that something you've picked up amongst your days with Society?" He stepped inside the foyer room to the woman's house, the hood hiding most of his facial features, yet his voice gave away everything. His words cold and quipped to his childhood friend.

"Your words are harsh my friend. Just because things have changed, does not mean that I have forgotten who I was before all of this. You act as if I asked for this to happen." She turned and headed towards the kitchen to get a drink for them both, her words as well cold as she spoke to him. The two had gone through a lot together as they grew up. Her back was to him as she continued to speak. "And I told you that you could have came with me. It was your choice to stay." She turned with two bottles in her hand and headed towards the couch where he had sat down, extending her left hand she offered him a beer and after he took it she flopped down on the couch across from him, setting her own water bottle on the coffee table.

"I ain't going to beat around the bush Tyler. You have known me all your life, yet you haven't told me a damn thing about yourself. It sorta pisses me off that I had to find out like this and that you do as well, but get ready Tyler, cuz you wanted the truth, here it is. Your biological mother, father and brother were murdered. Your mother, Lady Caroline Fordyce dropped you on the doorstep of the Taine's and was killed shortly afterwards. Your father, Lord Andrew Fordyce was killed later that night while searching the alleyways for your mother, both by the same blade. Your brother, Lord Adam Fordyce was killed in his sleep later that night. Again by the same blade Tyler." He paused for a minute to let the information so far sink into the Rogue as he drew off the beer, violet eyes daring to look over the lip of the bottle at her.

She'd sat there on the couch, not even moving a muscle as he told her what he had discovered of her mis-guided past. Her knees pulled tightly to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She blinked a few times, but other than that her face was expressionless as she offered a nod for him to continue.

"Your family, the Fordyce family is the last of the descendants of a great line of mages and assasins. They were known for their prowess in secrecy, their powerful magics, mind control, wake of death that they left and their blades. Each member of the Order was branded at birth with a mark, a black rose with two serpents wrapped around the rose and a dagger pointed downwards through the middle. The entire brand was black and shifts with life. The girls at birth were branded on their outer right ankles, the boys were branded on the back of their necks. Evidently your family were the last of this ancient order Tyler and why they chose to keep it from you, I cannot tell you. " He waited again, seeking her face for some sign of recognition or concern, a sign of something and what he saw frightened the man to his very core as he drew on his beer again.

[Cheyenne Fordyce]

Thoughts raced through her mind as she sat there and listened to what he was saying to her. For the most part it had made sense, though she still could not believe that she was the last descendant of some powerful Order. Were they certain that her brother as well had been killed? She had a brother. Chey had remained expressionless as she listened to him tell the tale she had waited to hear since that night on the Isle with her and Artemus, and of course the snooping lil wolf she had come across. She'd not moved her position either, and now hearing the last bit of what Drew was telling her, caused her face to pale slightly and her expression grew cold, her eyes took on the glint of the hunt as he spoke, another nod offered to him for him to continue on as she lowered her knees and sat indian style on the couch in front of him.

"Tyler, I did not want to hide it from you when we were young, but now you have discovered your heritage. Or at least a part of it, so now I have to be honest with you. You asked how it was possible I came across all of this information so quickly, it was because I have known ever since we were children, but the Taine's swore me to secrecy. They knew as well Tyler. We all wanted to give you the chance to live a normal life and to possibly escape the fate that met your family." He set the beer on the table and looked at her, moving from the couch to a kneeling position in front of her, his fingers guiding her to look at him. "Tyler I am sorry that I did not tell you earlier, but you must understand that my word is my honor. To lie to you and keep things hidden from you for so long, killed me. There is one more thing I have to give you, and this will help you to fully understand who you are Cheyenne Tyler Fordyce, last living descendant of the Order of the Black Rose." His voice grew softer and he looked away, it was almost like he was fighting himself from saying more. Removing his fingertips from her chin, he slipped a silver necklace from around his neck, a lone silver skeleton key hung from the center...the engraved words on that key read "Cheyenne Tyler Fordyce." An outstretched hand to her. "Here you will find answer to any and all questions. This is the key to the Fordyce Sanctuary. Think Tyler, in the darkest alleyway of Rhydin, there is a hidden path. On the wall you must press a series of stones to allow the wall to shift and let you in. Left, right, left, left, center right. The wall will shift and your questions will be answered."

Her body trembled as she listened to him, he had hidden the truth from her! He'd lied...to protect her. He'd been sworn to protect her at all costs. So she could live a normal life? What the hell was normal with killing people, stealing from people? What the hell was normal with the life she'd led this far? Absolutely nothing. She looked at the fireplace and the flames that flickered inside, she seemed hypnotized by their dance. Chey had never heard Drew leave her house.

-----A few hours later-----

It was like she'd been cast under a spell. She blinked and turned to talk to Drew, it was like time had been frozen. His beer was still there, the smell of his cologne was still in the air, but Drew was nowhere to be found. Dazed and a bit confused, Chey stood up on shakey knees and called out for him, "Drew?" but no one would answer her calls. He'd disappeared into the waning darkness of the morning, she knew now that she'd never see him again unless she hunted for him and she looked at the key that was in the palm of her hand and sighed. She flopped back onto the couch and shook her head. "Unflippinbelievable man. Things just keep getting weirder and weirder and christ Imma kill someone." She let out a low whistle and groaned when she looked at the time, Stick...Dojo...training...Dammit. She streaked through the house and grabbed her duffle bag and clad in her silk boxers and tanktop, taz slippers completed the ridiculous outfit, she raced towards the Dojo, late again...100 laps she thought to herself, damn. Mebbe with her luck, Stick wouldn't even notice.