"I think I know who your mother is," Glory whispered.

The knife clattered at the ground, and the fire slowly died beside Peril's feet. Her glittering blue eyes were wide with shock and horror.

"You're lying," Peril said suddenly. A fierce fire came out in her eyes. "You're trying to buy yourselves time. You're pretty clever. But it won't work on me."

Deathbringer raised an eyebrow. "Hear her out, Firescales. This may be the time of your life."

Peril sneered. "Even if what you say is true, I don't care. I don't care who my mother is. The Queen will be displeased with me, and it doesn't matter who she is- I don't care. She tried to kill me, and that's all I have to know!"

"The Queen lies," Deathbringer shouted. "Don't you see? Without your fire, you're nothing to her. You're just one of her toys!"

"She doesn't try to kill me," Peril said, keeping her eyes at the ground. Like she knew what Deathbringer said was true.

It hurt him, that even the Champion of the Queen knew their entire system was wrong. It made him wonder, what if things were different somehow?

"So you don't want to know anything about your parents?" He thought about his mother: Quickstrike. It shot a deep pain across his chest, just thinking about her. How he had killed her.

"No." Peril stared at her hands, which were glowing. "I don't need her. I am doing fine by myself!"

Something moved beside him. Glory. Her blonde hair, her bright green eyes. Keep her from danger! If she made Peril angry, she could be destroyed very easily.

What if Glory dies, too? He thought about it. It would tear his life apart, like snapping a thin string he was holding onto. It would cut him into a thousand pieces.

"Liar." Glory narrowed her eyes. Peril whipped her head to her, growling. There was something dangerous in her blue eyes, like fire. Far apart, useful. Too close, dangerous.

"I know how you feel, Peril," Glory said gently.

"No, you don't!" Peril growled. "You have a perfect life, perfect face, perfect happily ever after... While me, I'm a monster, you see. Monsters always have had endings. You, you're that one person that has everything."

"Don't you feel like you're going to go crazy, not knowing who your parents are? If they loved you? What they looked like?" Glory continued on.

Peril didn't reply. She just clenched her fists, looking away.

"Your mother is Kestrel. She was my foster mother. I hated her, and she was a cruel, merciless monster," Glory told her emotionlessly. "She hated me. She hated everyone. She took me in because she was forced to. I never met my parents, and they're probably dead."

When Deathbringer imagined Glory's childhood, it was something like a round of laughter around the warm fireplace, a full family without any problems. Perhaps not.

"What I expected," Peril replied. But she seemed a little disappointed, like she was expecting more.

"But she cared about her daughter," Glory said, shrugging. Like she didn't care about her. Inn her light voice, in the deeper layers, there was a small spark of hatred. "Someone named Peril. She cried herself to sleep at some days, talking about a girl named Peril. That was when I thought, maybe she was better than I ever imagined."

Peril stared at Glory, amazed. "S-she did that?"

Glory ignored her, dislike flashing in her eyes. "I thought, maybe she was a person broken that was never fixed." She lashed her arms out fiercely, her voice filled with anger. "But what we did to us, it is unforgivable. What she did to a couple orphans that had no one but each other. Beatings, words that hurt every one of us..."

Glory's voice broke, making Deathbringer want to hug her until she stopped. Did she really go through all this hardship? He couldn't imagine his childhood without his mother. And he thought she had a perfect life...

"Clay, Tsunami, me, Starflight, and Sunny... We're family to each other. Once, it was us against the world. And we can do it again, if we have to. But I need them. Without them, I'm afraid I'll go insane."

A streak of tear rolled down from her eyes. "We only knew each other. But one day, this man came... Asking if I wanted to go with him, into a better world, where I can shine and be loved. It seemed like paradise to me. Although my friends insisted we stuck together, I accepted. I betrayed them.

"This is why I ask, Peril, Firescales, Champion, whatever your name is- Fire God, I don't care- please give me my friends back." Glory dropped down to her knees, covering her face with her hands. "I'm begging you."

Peril seemed taken back. "One of them talked to me. Clay?" Peril seemed in a daze for a second. Almost unnoticeable, but there nevertheless. "He was very kind."

Clay? "Without them, I'm afraid I'll go insane"? Deathbringer felt a pang of jealousy. Is this Clay a possible lover to Glory?

"Yes, he is... quite likable," Glory said. She didn't notice.

To a broken girl that has never felt love before except fake adoration, a kind boy from nowhere might be her hero, Deathbringer thought suspiciously.

"It will be as you wish," Peril said, bowing her head. "Just... tell me this. Is she- mo- Kestrel- still alive?"

Glory shook her head. "No. Morrowseer, the man you work for, shot her. She died thinking about you. Is that enough? Please, let my friends free."

That was when Peril nodded, and the glass around Glory's friends disappeared. Deathbringer helped Glory up, and, as he did, they dropped to the ground, blinking their eyes open.

"Clay! Starflight! Sunny! Tsunami!" Glory said joyfully, running towards them.

Instead of the expected welcome and so-earned gratitude, the fierce, cute blue-haired girl- Tsunami? - whipped her head to Glory, shouting:

"Go! He's coming! He's coming to kill us all!"