Y’kara stared down at the small blue, thick, rose emblem held between her fingers. A small frown adorning her puzzled face as she fumbled with the emblem. Her finger drug over a split in the metal, an old wound which was inflicted long before the emblem had come to her possession.

Her mind shifted back to earlier that morning. A sentence which seemed to have flipped her world upside down.

“Guard this with your life, understand?”

It all happened so quickly. One moment the old woman was there, and the next she was gone-as if she had dissolved into dust. She spoke with such urgency, so much panic seeping from her words; it made Y’kara’s chest seize up just upon hearing them.

What did she mean?

Why her?

Why now?

Many questions swirled in her mind. But not one could be answered.

She ran her finger over the split again, and then again. The roughly filed down jagged edges slightly catching the ridges of her finger tip. A thin blade caught light between the two pieces. Nearly overlooked had she not been studying the emblem so intently.

She flipped the emblem over, and her eyes immediately found the light seem which was nearly identical to the split on the other side; however this side had not broken.

“Huh.”

She quickly flipped it over and brought her two fingernails between the split. With more force needed than expected, the two pieces broke apart. A thin gold sheet slid out from between the two pieces, and it fell into her hand.

Bold, black lettering was brought to her attention.

WESTMINSTER PALACE

“Guard it with your life… why would I-“

“Hey! You there!”

Y’kara jumped, her line of sight training immediately on a lean man stalking towards. She pocketed everything and snatched her bag. She darted off to the left, the bold lettering now ingrained in her memory.

WESTMINSTER PALACE

Her eyes widened.

What. Did. That. Woman. Do.