Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I sighed. Shit, that was a crappy bar. Who makes the drinks that fucking expensive? Thought it was supposed to be ‘student night’...

I shrugged and rambled to myself as I wandered along the street. Fuckin’ asshole bouncer. Kicking me out when I bitched about their shitty prices. Bastard.

Now, where the fuck did I park the truck? I scanned around.

I looked down a dark alleyway. There she is! Walked ‘round the wrong fucking side of the bar. Ah well, I’m here now.

I rifled around in my pockets for my lighter and took the cig from behind my ear and headed down the alley towards my truck.

Shit, fucking shitty fucking lighter. I flicked the thing, but it wouldn’t fucking light. I just spammed it a bunch of times until it fwooshed into life. Fucking finally.

I lit the cig and looked down at the battered and beaten old zippo. Heh. I’d had this thing for years.

Rachel had bought it for me from some shitty souvenir shop after our first date. It was cheap as shit, but she’d gotten this sappy little message engraved inside. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for me in years.

So, sure, the thing was shitty, but there’s no way in hell I’m ever getting rid of it.

I smiled fondly at the memory. Then my face fell. Wasn’t shit now, was it? Rachel was gone, Max was gone, Dad was gone. Mom married an asshole and I got stuck alone.

Alone…

There’s no shittier word in any language.

I sighed, sagging against the wall.

There was a fucking roar behind me and a bunch of trash cans and shit clattered everywhere. I whirled to look.

Holy.

Shit.

It looked like a Two-legged, hairy Bear-Rhino with 6 human arms and a fucking scorpion tail. I blinked at it.

What the fuck? Am I high? Did Frank give me the hella strong shit by accident or something?

I looked down at my cig. Nope, not even a joint, just a generic cig. I looked back up at the thing, standing at the other end of the alley, growling at me.

Shitshitshitshitshit, that thing is fucking real?

I started to back up down the alley, being sure to avoid eye contact. Pretty sure Attenborough said to avoid eye contact with bears. Something about it being a challenge or some shit like that, I dunno. Besides, it's a Rhino and a Scorpion as well, who fucking knows what that thing does? Might as well trust the living God that is David Attenborough here.

Shit, maybe he ain’t so divine.

As soon as I started to back up, the thing charged, roaring and drooling at me like the ravenous wolf-bear-rhino-thing it was.

I’m not ashamed to say I turned and fucking ran for it. I dare you to fucking do differently. I didn’t even chance a look back. Always remember, the first rule of running away, never look back, it just slows you down.

I ran and ran, until something huge hit me in the back, sending a crack of pain up my spine and fucking launching me down the alley.

I put out my hands to stop my fall and was hella shocked to find them locking around a guy’s ankles when I landed.

I looked up into the face of this little old Asian guy. He had little round glasses and everything. I thwacked his thigh. “Fucking run! There’s a thing fucking after me!”

He didn’t even look at me, just stared down the alley. “Here, hold these. Do not break them.”

He shoved his glasses at me. I took them, I mean, what the shit else was I supposed to do?

He stepped over me towards the thing. Holy crap, does he not believe me? Shit, he’s gonna get ripped to itty bitty bits or stomped or jabbed to death and it’ll be all my fault again!

I was about to pull myself up so I could stop him, when someone saved me the trouble, rolling me over to face back down the alley. I couldn’t see whoever the fucker was, they were right behind me. “Stay still.” They hissed in my ear.

The voice was small and quiet. The part of my brain that wasn’t gibbering at the thing down the alley thought it was kinda familiar, too.

“Oh god, look at her side.” I blinked. Was the voice talking about me? I looked down.

Wow. That’s a lot of blood.

Is that all mine?

I looked up blearily at the voice. “Hey there.”

There was a shock of bubblegum pink hair above a freckled little face smiling down at me. A hella familiar freckled little face. “Holy shit. Max?”

Max dyed her hair? Seriously? Huh. Hella epic, first mate.

It might’ve been the hella bloodloss, but she didn’t seem all that surprised to see me.

“Hey Chlo. You’ve gotta stay as still as you can, ok? You’ve got…”

She pushed down on my chest and I… “AAAAH!”

Shit! That fucking hurt!

“Two, maybe three broken ribs. I can help if you just stay still.”

She started to move her hands around my chest. The pain started to lessen as she moved around. I started to feel hella good. Like, weirdly good.

Pretty fucking sure she copped a feel at one point though. She pulled her hands away and all the pain was gone.

“That should be better. You feeling ok?”

I nodded, not really listening and slurred out. “Yyyeeeaaahhhh…”

I vaguely hear a guy laugh from off behind me. “I think you overdid it, kid.”

Max looks at me, grinning and melting under her, then shrugs sheepishly off behind her. “You might be right…”

I flick back over to the bear-scorpion thing. I figure if I’m not scared, I might as well get a better look at it.

I blinked, watching the flash of steel from the three guys standing around the bear thing. Three? There was only one before!

There was the little Asian Guy dancing around in front of it, a big black dude hacking away behind it and this tall white dude in full fucking metal armour booming away at it at the side. Something about giving them money?

I started laughing to myself. These guys were the most over-the-top repo guys ever! Max was hella chattering away at the dude behind her. I couldn’t really make out what she was saying any more, everything was just getting… foggy.

The bear-thing was screaming and flailing around at them, but none of them seemed to get hit. It was pretty impressive.

The last thing I saw was the three guys swords lighting up and the bear thing howling and running away. Then, I passed out.

-----

I blinked awake. Where the fuck am I? What happened? Was that shit real?

Ok. That’s definitely not my ceiling. Did I hook up with someone and just dream that entire alleyway thing up?

I sighed. Your unconscious is all kinds of fucked up, Price…

I subtly glanced around the room, trying to work out where the fuck I was.

Ok, so, I’m on a morgue table. Unless I hooked up with a dead chick, it probably wasn’t a dream.

I tried to peer around the room again, looking for Max, or the other dude, or even the three sword guys. I’d take any of them at this point, just so I could find out what the fuck was going on.

I saw Max talking to some hella tall guy with dark hair in a long leather coat, I think it was a duster, and a fucking cowboy hat. The guy looked like a fucking refugee from the set of El Dorado or some spaghetti western. Max was pretty boringly dressed compared to that dude, just a grey hoodie, white top and jeans. I was still kinda half freaked out about, half loving her new hair though. My Max would never have done something like that. Bright as fuck hair-dye was more my thing. I guess she really had changed in the last 5 years. Then again, it's not like I wasn’t different from how I was back then either.

The big guy sighed. “Look, Max, I know she’s your friend, but there are rules. As idiotic as I think they are, they’re there for a reason.”

Max was stomping her foot. “But!” Back when I knew her Max never could be properly angry. She was always too fucking adorable for that. Max seemed… actually kinda pissed now. More like me.

He waved a hand. “No buts. You remember what happened last time you broke one of the Laws? That was what got us into this.” He waved a hand between the two of them. “Situation in the first place.”

Situation? What situation?

Max fumed. “I… I… Damnit.” She sighed, looking down at the floor. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Boss.”

He smirked and ruffled her hair. “It's okay, Grasshopper. You’ll learn better next time.”

Grasshopper? Huh?

He finally noticed me watching and nodded. “She’s awake. I’ll let you tell her. Meet me outside when you’re done. You’re doing the right thing, Grasshopper.”

He walked out, nodding to a little wiry-haired guy in medical scrubs sitting at a desk off to the side.

Max took a deep breath, then walked over to me.

“Look, Chloe…”

I scoffed. “I know. I heard you talking to Tall, Dark and Brooding over there. You’re leaving me behind. Again!”

She glared. “Yes. This life is dangerous. There are rules. I can’t tell you anything.”

She sighed, then straightened up, looking me directly in the eye. “So, here’s the deal. You go home, and you forget about this. Don’t tell anyone about any of it. Seriously. If you do, they’ll disappear too.”

“You bitch!” I spat.

Max smiled, sadly. “I know. I’m sorry, Chloe. It was nice seeing you again. The doc will let you out when you wanna leave.”

And with that, the bitch turned around and walked outta my life. Again!

As soon as the door swung shut, I hopped up, grabbed my jacket and ran for the door.

I threw open the door and looked around for Max. Nothing. Just more corridor. Where the hell did she go?

Never mind that. “Where the fuck am I?”

I heard a weary voice call out from behind me. “Left, two rights and left again. Tell Jerry on the door that you’re a friend of Doctor Marsh, he’ll let you out.”

Who…?

Oh yeah, the Doc. I slunk back in. The guy was sat a desk, doing paperwork. Man, I’m glad I don’t have a job where I have to do shit like paperwork. That would hella suck.

“Hey Doc. Uh, thanks for fixing me up, I guess?”

He smirked and raised an eyebrow, peering over his glasses at me like an owl. “You guess? So, you’re not sure if Max and Callahan should’ve left you out there?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nah, I’m sure. Thanks, Doc.”

He nodded. “Good. No point in my patching you up if you aren’t going to make the best of it. You remember the way out?”

“Left, two rights, left, Jerry, right?”

He gave me a watery little smile. “Very good. Now, if you wouldn’t mind? I’ve a lot of this still to do.”

I nodded. “Uh, yeah. Ok. Bye.”

I headed out, breezing past ‘Jerry’ with a wave. I stopped when I saw the sign above the door.

King County Morgue

Shit. They took me to Seattle?!

Mom’s gonna kill me...

-----

I stormed in, slamming the door behind me. “Fucking BITCH!”

“Language! And wouldya stop shouting, Chloe? Where have you been?”

I sighed. No sense bringing Mom into this fucking weird-ass shit. “Just out. Some bitch pissed me off. Don’t worry about it.”

We bickered back and forth for a while. I’ll save you the deets, it was just the same fucking argument we’d had since Dad died. Hella boring. When we finished, Joyce just sighed. “Ok. As long as you’re ok, hun. Do you want any food? There’s leftovers in the fridge.”

I shrugged. “Nah. I’m kinda tired. Just gonna hit the sack.”

Mom smiled. “Alright. Sweet dreams, kid. Night.”

I headed upstairs, closing my door behind me.

I took off my shoes and changed into my PJs.

Fuck it.

I rolled into bed.

Fuck her.

I closed my eyes.

Fuck Everything.

-----

I bolted awake. “Max!”

I close my eyes and ran my hand across my face and tried to slow my fucking heartbeat down. Crap, I really fucking hate bad dreams.

I heard a thud and a muffled “Ow…” and my eyes shot open.

There was a loud pop, like one of those air pipe things they used to move stuff around in shops, then Max just… appeared in the middle of my room. Like, first she wasn’t there, then she fucking was!

As I gaped at her, lying there on the floor, she looked up at me sheepishly and rubbed her ankle. “Uh, Hi, I guess?”

Chapter Text

I gaped at her. Max was just... there! First she wasn't, then she just... was! What the fuck?

She looked down at herself. "What? Did I get something on me?" She looks behind her. "Shit, did I break something? Crap, Chloe, I'm so..."

Ok, so I said that last bit out loud. Woops. I interrupt, trying to stop the word vomit. If I let her keep going, she could go on for hours.

"You didn't break anything, it's just generally regarded as kinda fucking weird when you just, y'know, appear out of thin air."

Max nods. "Oh. That."

She shrugs. "Well, that's magic."

I roll my eyes. "Why do I even fucking ask?"

"Seriously. Magic." She waves a hand, all mystic-like. "Wizardry, y'know? Subtle and quick to anger, all that stuff. It's all real. You remember the tall guy from Seattle? He's kinda my teacher. We travel around and fight monsters, like the thing in the alley."

I stare at her. Oh fuck... My first mate went crazy up there. Maybe all the fairtrade coffee and hipster art galleries went to her head or something. "You're kidding, right? You don't seem high, or drunk. So, you gotta be joking."

"No joke, Chloe. There's a whole world of shit just underneath all the 'normal' people. Faeries, werewolves, Wizards, Elves, all the stuff from the old stories and even more besides. It's all real. They've got politics and flags and everything."

I kinda decide to just go with it. I mean, that's how you deal with crazy people right? Through the delusion? Fucked if I know, I just... It can't be real?

"So, there's a whole army of monsters living around us and what... nobody but you knows about it?"

She shakes her head. "Nah. Plenty of people know about it. They just don't talk about it."

I frown. That seems kinda unlikely. "Why not? I mean, how fucking cool would it be to meet an Elf?"

She snorts. "Not as cool as you're thinking, believe me. And think about it. What would happen if I drove you down to the station and you told them you'd just been attacked by a monstrous bear-scorpion thing in an alleyway on the way home from a bar?"

Good point. That thing must’ve been fake or a science experiment gone wrong or something though, right? I know we’re finding new bugs all the time, but no fucking way we’d miss anything that big, so it couldn’t be real. But hey, play along, right? She’s right though. They wouldn’t do a thing. "Not much."

She finger shoots me with a little 'Pyowng' sound. "Exactly. Supernatural stuff happens all the time. People just don't talk about it. Every family has their little ghost story, right? Some little event that's impossible to explain? But they never talk about it afterward. Everybody knows, monsters aren't real. If they start saying they are, all they get is funny looks and an invitation to the padded rooms."

"So, everyone, every time, just... forgets about it?"

She shrugs. "Pretty much. The supernatural don't advertise." She cocks her head. "Well, the boss does. He's in the phonebook under 'Wizards'. But even the people who buy into it enough to come to us move on when it's all done. They pay the bill and they walk out, determined to get back to the life defined by the shit they see in National Geographic and Junior Scientist."

I frown, actually kind of getting into this now. Sure, it's crazy, but it'd make a hell of a book. "How could somebody do that?"

She smiles. "Because it's fucking scary. Think about it, Chlo. The kinda stuff we deal with, like the thing in the alley, it's scary. People don't wanna deal with a jungle where they're the lowest rung on the food chain. The modern world thinks it's the biggest, baddest thing out there and they wanna keep it that way."

She flexes one of her gloved hands. "Imagine, you find out that monsters exist, they're bigger and tougher than you, and there isn't shit you can do about it. Rather than live in fear, you get out of the situation. Eventually, you rationalise what you can, forget what you can't and get the hell on with your life. Dresden gets all cranky about it sometimes, but I don't blame them. Sometimes, I think I'd be happier doing the same thing."

"So, what, you're saying all these scientists and everyone are what... in denial about magic and monsters existing?"

"Not just in denial. Hella wrong. It's happened all the way through fucking history. People didn't believe in germs until years after they were discovered. Biologists denied tales of rabid beast men in africa despite dozens of eyewitnesses until someone dropped a gorilla corpse on their operating table. Humanity has an amazing ability to deny facts."

"What about if it was on TV? Seeing is believing, right? If you just went and did magic on the news..."

She laughed. "Beaten you to it, Chlo. Remember that video of the two people fighting a big dog thing on the news awhile back? That was us. And everyone that wasn't screaming it was a hoax was complaining the special effects looked shitty."

She waves over at me. "Hell, Chloe, you're my best example. A couple of hours back you were attacked by a big rhino-bear thing and you're still arguing with me about whether or not this shit is real."

I blinked. Because... "Because I don't want to believe it."

She shrugs. "Bingo. It's not a bad thing. Like I said, it just makes you human."

Shit. Is it bad when the crazy person makes sense? Does that make me crazy too? Fucked if I know. All I know is, I'm sticking with Max.

She grins. "Scared?"

I nod. "Kinda, yeah."

"Good. That means you're smart."

I grin back. "Joyce would hella disagree after I got expelled from school."

We spent the rest of the night catching up. She laughed at my stories and I gaped at hers. It was kinda fun. My Max was still there, but she was more like me now, too. I guess Punk was popular up in Seattle, too.

-----

"Oh, shit..." I groan. Hangovers are never fun. I roll over and squint around the room, looking for Max. I see her sat, eyes closed, back straight as an arrow sitting cross-legged in my chair. She fucking slept like that? Fucking hell.

As I spin over and bury my head back into the pillow with a thud, I must've made a loud sound because I can hear Max start to move. I roll back over and blink up at her through the light streaming in through the window. "Urgh. Morning."

She rolls her shoulders and unfolds from the chair. "Morning, Chloe."

I groan and roll back over. "Aarghlfarglewibble."

She laughs. "Hungover, right?"

I grunt, listening to her move about. "Gimme a sec."

I feel her hands settle on each side of my head, both of 'em start to get really fucking warm. Then... wham. Hangover gone.

I pause for a second, feeling it out. Yup. Definitely gone. I sit up and stare at Max's smug bitch grin. "How the fuck did you do that?"

She waves a hand again. "I told you, Magic."

I run my hand across my face. "Fuck. I am too hungry and too decaffeinated for this shit. Can we get noms?"

She laughs. "Sure, Chloe. Even magic couldn't change your fucking pit of a stomach."

I shrug. "Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite."

An idea suddenly pops into my head and I grin. "Max, can you do the appearing trick on Mom? I bet we could scare the shit out of her!"

She freezes. Like, the room actually gets colder. "Chloe, you still can't tell anyone about this. I was serious when I said anyone you told would disappear."

I frown, confused. "But you said..."

She grabs my arms and holds me still, focusing her eyes on mine. "Chloe, I broke, like, a dozen rules telling you this shit. You have to promise me you won't tell."

I waft her off me. "Fine, fine. I promise. Sorry, Max. I just got my best friend back and she's a fucking wizard! Can't blame me for wanting to play around with that, right?" I grin.

She rolls her eyes. "I suppose not. But it doesn't change anything."

I roll my eyes back, even harder. "Jeez, Maximilian the wizard is no fucking fun at all. Come on then, let's go see if Mom's downstairs."

-----

Mom wasn’t in the house, so we headed to the diner for Noms. We wandered in and took our old booth. I grinned when I saw the little Chloe + Max 4-eva 2004 I’d carved into the table. Maybe I’d have to do another one now we’re together again. I slid into the booth and lounged back. Max took the other side.

“Mom’s gonna be so stoked to see you. ‘Specially with the new hair!”

Max smiled. “Same.” She cocks her head. “Speaking of…”

Mom scurried over from behind the counter, pulling out her notebook and pen. “Hey Chloe, who’s your friend?”

She frowns and blinks at Max for a second and grins. “Well, I never. If it isn’t Max Caulfield. It’s good to see you, kid.”

Max smiles. “It’s awesome to see you too, Joyce. You look exactly the same.”

Mom leans back and puts a hand to her hip. “Like I’m still a waitress in a crummy diner after all these years?”

Max frowns. “No, like you’re still pretty. I hope I look as pretty as you when I’m your age! And this place isn’t crummy, it does the best fucking waffles in two states!”

Mom’s grin gets bigger. “Nice save, kid. You’re still smart, I see. Got Chloe’s foul mouth though.”

She rolls her eyes at Max’s hair. “And apparently her taste for hair dye too.” She shakes her head. “So, what can I get you two?”

“Well, I’ve been dying for some of your belgian waffles again. Nobody in Seattle can make anything even close.”

Mom smiled. “Coming right up. What about you, Chloe?”

I shrug. “Sounds good. Waffles for me too.” Mom walked away to get our food.

“So…” I turned to Max. “What’s it like?”

She frowned. “What’s what like?”

“Y’know…” I trailed off. “The…” I waved my hands and whispered. “Magic.”

She smiled. “Oh. That. It’s…”

She cocked her head. It’s something Max always used to do when she was thinking. It was hella cute. “It’s hectic, mostly. Long periods of doing fuck all followed by short periods of doing fucking everything.”

She shrugs. “We’re not really any stronger or faster than mundies, that’s you guys, we’re just a lot sneakier. If we’ve got time to prepare, we can beat most things. So, we spend a lot of time preparing for when shit finally goes down.”

I lean in. “So, what kinda shit can you do? Like, is it just the invisible girl trick or can you do other stuff as well?”

She nodded. “A few tricks. I’m still an apprentice, so…”

I might have pushed a little more. “Like what?”

She cocked her head again. “Um. Mostly illusions and stuff. Making people see things. I’m a little sensitive for battlemagic.”

I frowned. “Sensitive? Whadda ya mean?”

“Magic… It’s based a lot on emotions and energy. I’m good at picking up that stuff. But in fights, that all gets too fucking much to deal with. So, I tend to stick to the support stuff.”

Aww. Little Maxie is a sensitive soul. It’s kinda cool though. Magic sounds hella complicated. We shut up as Mom walks over with the food. “Here you go, girls. Enjoy. I have to go check on another customer.”

She turns and heads off, waitress smile switched on. I turn back to Max. “Come on, dig in!” I wave my fork menacingly towards her waffles. “If you don’t, I’m gonna have ‘em!”

Max points her fork straight at me. “No. You stay away from my fucking waffles.”

“Then get eating, Maxie. Or I’m coming for them.” I grin.

The minute we’re finished eating, I grab Max’s hand and we rush out. “Come on, Maxie. I know a place we can hang for a while.”

-----

“Isn’t this awesomesauce? Totally reminds me of when we were kids!”

I turned back to Max and rolled my eyes. Fuck, how slow is she? I wave back at her. “Come on, Slowpoke!”

She was looking around at all the nature and shit. I guess she’d gotten used to the whole urban sprawl thing up in Seattle.

I headed up the slope to the lighthouse. Damn. Those Vortex Asshole’s had been up here again. I grimaced at the campfire and the shitty beer bottles scattered about.

I slunk past it all and sat down on the bench, looking out over the bay. Fucking place.

I looked back over my shoulder to see Max running her hand over the bay map. Heh. I remember when we put that marker for our treehouse on there, so we’d never get lost.

Damn. If only I’d known a month later my Dad was gonna die and Max was gonna fuck off to Seattle. I shake my head. No, Chloe. You’re not doing this.

Wait, what’s she doing? Max was standing next to the map, eyes closed, one hand pointed out at the bay and the other hovering over this piece of paper. Is she doing magic?

The paper suddenly dropped and her eyes flicked open. She bent down and picked up the paper, grinned and turned to me. “Hey Chloe.”

“Heya slowpoke. What’s on the paper?”

She sits down and hands me the paper. “Just a picture.”

Holy shit. It’s a picture of the bay. I peer closer at it. The fucking detail on this thing is awesome!

“Fuck, Max. This is awesome!”

She shrugs. “It’s nothing special. Just a little spell.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re too fucking modest, Max. This is so hella cool!”

I hand the picture back, but she puts out her hands to stop me. “Nah. If you like it so much, you keep it.”

I grin. “Like a memento of us two hooking up again! Thanks Max.”

Max wiggles her eyebrows. “Us two hooking up, huh? I like the sound of that.”

I smirk and lean back, crossing my arms. “Seeing you after all these years feels like…”

Max grins. “Destiny?”

I jump up from the bench and stomp over to the cliff edge, glaring out over the bay. Max follows and stands next to me. “This shit pit has taken away everyone I’ve ever loved…”

I can feel myself getting pissed off at this shithole again. Fuck, I almost growl. “I’d like to drop a bomb on Arcadia Bay and turn it into fucking glass.”

There’s a cry of pain from beside me as Max suddenly falls to her knees, holding her head. I rush over. “Max, what’s wrong?”

She winces when I put my hand on her shoulder. “Sensitive, remember? Could you just fucking calm down, please?”

She snapped. Max just fucking snapped at me. Holy shit, she really has changed. Five years Max, I never even heard her raise her fucking voice.

Wait, wait, wait. I’m making her like this? I take a couple of deep breaths and try to calm down. I watch Max as I do. As I get calmer, she seems to get better. It’s oddly fucking cool to watch. We’re even more in-sync now than before.

Her phone buzzes. “Shit. I need to go, Chloe.”

I stare at her. You have gotta be fucking kidding me. “You’re leaving me? Again?!”

She sighs. “Chloe… I’m not leaving forever. Tell you what.” She waves her phone at me. “You can put your number in here. That way we can keep in contact. I can come visit you, you come visit me. If you want, I mean. I know I screwed up before, but I wanna do it right this time.”

I shrug, but inside I’m doing fucking cartwheels and I don’t even fucking know why. It’s not gonna be the same as having her here again. But she asked for my number! That’s gotta mean something, right?

I take the phone and give her my digits. She grins at me when I hand the phone back and I find myself grinning too. “Fucking A, Chlo. Let’s go. You can drive me there.”

-----

We pull up by the beach and hop outta my truck. I look out over the beach to see Tall, Dark and Brooding standing by the shittiest piece of crap Bug I’ve ever seen. The main body was blue, but one door was white, one was green and the front trunk door was red.

I look back at my truck. Then again, at least it doesn’t look like Tetanus City. I love my old truck, but fuck if she isn’t a rustbucket. I grin roguishly to myself and drawl “But she’s got it where it counts, kid.”

Max snorts. “Whatever you say, Solo.”

She wraps her arms around me. “Bye Chlo. This was fun. We should do it again. Maybe without the monster next time though.”

I laugh and hug her back. “It’s a plan, Maxwell Super Hammer.”

She pulls away and wanders off to Tall, Dark and Brooding. Shit, that’s too long to say, I’m just gonna call him TBD. She walks up to him. They chat for a second, then get in the car and drive off.

I watch them go.

-----

The minute I sit down in the Beetle, the Boss asks “So… did you get her number?”

I glare at his smug grinning face. “Yes, actually.”

He laughs. “Congratulations.” He paused. “So, what did you tell her?”

I try to look offended, but he just eyes me and my shoulders slump. Fucking hell. If mind magic wasn’t against the Third Law, I’d almost think the asshole was using it on me. “How did you know?”

“I can see it in your face, grasshopper.” He smiles. “Don’t worry kiddo, I’ve done stupid things for women before too.”

I snort.

He eyes me again.

I smirk.

He looks back out onto the road. Damn good timing, I was just about to tell him to do that. No way in hell I’m being in another car crash. That Dryad still hasn’t forgiven us for breaking her tree. “She knows to keep quiet, right?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, Boss. I told her how the big bad people we work for would come after her if she told anybody.”

“Good. Hells bells, Max, I hope so. We’re screwed if she doesn’t.”

I roll my eyes. “She will! Don’t worry so much, Boss.”

He grimaces. “I can’t help it. Being under the Doom doesn’t exactly make me calm and laid back.”

Yeah, I know the feeling. It’s pretty fucking scary. I stare out the window, watching the world whisk by. “So, any new clients?”

He shrugs. “Just the one. A ‘Ms Sommerset’. She wants to meet as soon as we get back.”

I nod. “You want me there?”

He shakes his head. “No thanks, Grasshopper. You go home, see your folks. And get that homework done!”

Goddamnit. I’d forgotten about that. I had to read some book about ‘the fundamentals of magical application and theory’. The boss had leant me this battered old copy that I still had sitting by my bed at home.

I nodded. “Sure thing, Boss. As soon as we get back.”

-----

I open the door and sneak into the house. It’s late and no fucking way do I wanna deal with step-douche right now. Luckily, I make it upstairs without a creak and head into my room.

Shit... What a fucked up couple of days, huh? I get chased by a monster, and I still need to ask what the fuck that thing was, I meet up with Max again, I find out she’s a fucking wizard and all these weird and hardcore scary monsters exist…

No wonder I’m fucking tired. I change into my PJs and head to bed, throwing my phone onto the cardboard box I use for a bedside table.

Just as my eyes were about to close, my fucking phone buzzed. “Fucking hell…” I groaned and rolled over to check it. I had a text.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Hey Chlo. This is Max. :)

I rolled my eyes. Fucking emoji!

Chapter Text

When Dresden’s beaten up old Beetle pulled up outside my house, I hopped out, hefting my bag onto my back before turning back to him.

“Hey boss, you wanna come in? Mom’ll have some of that pie you love so much.”

He frowned. “Sorry kid, it’s nearly 6:15. I have to be going.”

I checked my watch. It was a beautiful thing, sleek and clockwork. A svartalf had built us both one after we’d helped him with a hobbe problem. The boss never wore his. Said he didn’t need it. Something about his ‘wizardly sense of time-keeping’. Bullshit. The fucker was late to everything.

I rolled my eyes. Wizardly intuition, my ass. “It’s 6:47.”

He shrugged. “Close enough. Sorry, kid, maybe next time. I have to go meet Sommerset. Remember that book!”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes boss. See you tomorrow.”

“Till tomorrow, grasshopper.”

I watched him drive off. Turning, I headed up to the porch, sitting down in one the wicker chairs Dad had insisted we need. Between those and the white picket fence, we were one “G’night” away from living in the Walton’s house...

Heh. So. Chloe fucking Price. After all these years, I run into her on a fucking job? What are the chances of that? She’s so different from how she was before.

I grin and twirl a tuft of my bubblegum pink hair. Like you can talk, Caulfield.

Well, I like the new her. I think she likes the new me, too. I pull out my phone and shoot off a text.

MAX: Hey Chloe. This is Max. :)

I stow it back in my pocket and lean back in the chair. Damn. What a day.

I feel Mom’s presence in the back of my head as she walks out onto the porch with me. “What a day? What happened?”

Ok, so I said that out loud. Woops. Inside voice, Max.

I turn and smile up at her. “I saw Chloe again!”

She smiles, but I get a weird read from her. She was scared. Really scared. I can only pick up strong surface emotions, so Mom must’ve been seriously terrified. I would’ve frowned and asked her, but the whole 3rd Law made this empath thing a bit of a grey issue. Also, she was trying to hide it. Kinda impolite to just ask her. “Chloe? Chloe Price?”

“Yep. We were back in Arcadia Bay and we just sort of, ran into her. Kismet, right?”

She nodded, staring off into the distance and sat down limply next to me. “Chloe Price… Quite the blast from the past. How is she?”

I filled her in on most of the deets. I kept some of the swearing and the more graphic of Chloe’s stories out. No sense traumatising my Mom anymore than she already seems to be.

She sat back in the chair and stared off again when I’d finished. “Mom…?”

She shook her head, and the negative shit I was getting from her cleared. “That’s great Honey. That’s just… great.”

She got up from the chair and headed over to the door. “Are you coming in? There’s leftovers if you’re hungry.”

I grinned and followed her in. Mom cooking leftovers? Count me in.

-----

About 30 minutes and 2 plates later, Dad walks in, his usual golf bag over his shoulder. I wave at him from my seat in the kitchen and mumble something around my mouthful of food.

I watch him pull Amorrachius out of the golf bag and put it back on the wall mount above the fireplace. I thought it was kinda weird to have a sword on the mantle, if I were a Knight of the Cross, I’d just get an umbrella stand or something. Then again, that’s probably a sin or something.

I try saying something again, and lose about half of what I’m eating when it falls out of my mouth and back onto my plate. I growl at the half eaten meat on my plate.

He laughs and wanders over, wrapping one arm over my shoulder and kissing my temple. “Hey there, kiddo. You doing ok?”

I swallow and grin. “Doin’ great, Dad! I met up with Chloe again!”

I get the same feeling of fear from him that I got from Mom.

What the hell? Why is Chloe scaring my parents this fucking much? Like, what, did the news broadcast her murdering people and laughing and I just missed it?

They were hiding it pretty well though, so I knew there was no fucking way they were going to tell me. And I can’t go into their heads to find out. Damn it. Sometimes being the good guy is really fucking annoying.

“That’s great, Max. How is she?”

And so, I told Dad exactly what I told Mom.

“Wow. God moves in mysterious ways.”

I grinned. “Pretty awesome ways too. I got her number so we can stay in touch.”

Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. I took my phone out of my pocket and handed it to him. “Speaking, of… Can you fix this, pops?

He smiled. “Anything for you, kiddo. Do you need it for tomorrow?”

I shrugged. “Whenever’s good. I know you’re busy right now.” I finished off my plate and hopped up from the table. “And so am I. The boss gave me some homework to do. Gonna get it done before bed. Night.”

They both echoed me and I headed up to my room. I took the the two long, rosewood and walnut wands from my bag and slotted them in the rack on my wall and hung the long blue metal chain on a hook next to them. The various rings and amulets I had on all went in a jewellery box on my desk.

Foci stored, I sat down at my desk and read a few chapters of the boss’s book before going to bed. It was a pretty dull read, so when I finally went to bed, I fell asleep very quickly.

-----

“Max! Dresden is here!”

I got up out of my desk chair, grabbing my foci and heading downstairs. Mom and the Boss were sat around the kitchen table while Dad sat on the couch by the fireplace, sharpening his sword. “Hey Mom, Dad. Hey Boss.”

He nodded. “Grasshopper. Sleep well?”

Mom moved over to the toaster and put some bread in, turning the heat up slightly on the cooker. “Eggs, Bacon and Toast for breakfast, honey. That ok?”

I grinned. “Sounds great, Mom.”

I sat down at the table. “So, Boss, how was Sommerset?”

He raised his hand. There was a bloody bandage on it. “What the fuck happened?”

“Max! Language!” Both my Mom and Dad called out.

Dresden just laughed. “Faeries. She was a…” He paused, looking over at my parents, then whispered to me. “Fucking faery.” He raised his voice again. “One of the big ones, too. Mab.”

My jaw dropped. “Mab? Like the Winter Queen Mab?”

Mom slid me a plate over and I dug in.

“Yeah. That’s the one. The hand was a… uh… ‘proof of identity’ thing.”

I frowned, then my face cleared. “Oh. Sommer-set. I get it.”

He grimaced. “Yeah. I wish I had.”

“So, what does she want you to do?”

He shrugged. “Nothing much. Blunder in, tick a few people off, maybe find a killer or two.”

I grinned. “Oh, so the usual then. Is she paying?”

He nodded. “In cash. Pretty well, too. This is definitely something important.”

I finished my breakfast and went to put my plate in the sink. “So, what do we do?”

“Nothing, for now. I got a call from Murphy. She needs us, ASAP.”

“Ignoring the Queen of Air and Darkness for Murphy?” I grinned. “Mab’s gonna be pi-issed.” I singsonged.

He got up and put his plate next to mine. “Mab can go suck on a nail. I’m still just her employee, not her slave.”

Mab had been trying to recruit the boss as her Knight for ages, since before we’d even met. She was always confident he’d come to her in the end, which I think was probably what rattled him the most. Dresden liked his whole controlling his own destiny schtick.

“So, we’re off to a crime scene then?”

He nodded and picked up his staff. “Yep. We’re off to a crime scene.”

Chapter Text

Usually when Dresden took me to crime scenes, there was a crowd. Gawkers, cops, whatever. This time, nothing. He didn’t even have to get out his card.

“Seventh floor, right?” I asked, jogging slightly to keep up with the boss’s ridiculously long legs.

He nodded. “Yep. Seventh Floor, Apartment 3.”

We hit floor seven and entered the hall. There were a couple of bored looking med-tech guys to one side. One was smoking, the other was leaning against the wall with his ugly fucking cap low over his eyes.

“Hey Harry.” Lt. Murphy greeted us as we walked in.

“Heya Murph. What’ve we got?” The boss grinned at her. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. These two fuckwits had been dancing around each other for longer than I’d known them.

She shrugs. “Another weird one. Just take a look. I want your opinion.”

Lieutenant Karrin Murphy was the head of the weird-case cops in Seattle. The boss did all sorts of consulting for her when shit started going bump in the night.

She went and leaned against the wall by the door to the apartment. It was kind of a crappy place. The vic definitely wasn’t rich. Dresden put out a hand to stop me walking in any further. “Come on, Grasshopper. You know the drill.”

I turned to look at Murphy by the doorway, holding out a pair of gloves. I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please! I don’t need ‘em, I can be careful!”

In case you hadn’t guessed, I mighta had some teensy tiny issues with authority. And Lt. Murphy was the closest to Authority with a capital A that I ever got. Dresden tried, but his fluffy bunny slipper of command wasn’t that effective.

Murphy looked at the Boss. “Dresden…” She sounded… well, she sounded kinda pissed off. Murphy and I hadn’t ever really gotten along. We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances. I might’ve snuck into a crime scene and touched stuff. But I’d gotten way better about that!

Dresden plonked his hand on my shoulder. “Max. Put the gloves on.”

I grumbled, but I put the damn gloves on. I headed into the room. I could hear Murphy bitching about me to Dresden. Not like pissed off bitching, Murphy was too ‘professional’ for that. She just sounded… concerned. He shrugged. “She means well, Murph. She’s still learning.”

Murphy snorted and moved to lean on the door as Dresden moved into the main room. “So, how’s that war you started going?”

He shrugged as he poked around. “Holding, for now. Nobody’s killing anyone else at the moment.” He wandered over to stand by the open futon. The ‘vic’ was lying on it, hands on her stomach. It was… weird even being in this room. “So, who’s the dead girl?”

She waved over to the table next to the futon. There was a plastic evidence bag there. I went over to stand next to Dresden.

I’m so tired of being afraid. There’s nothing left. Forgive me. Janine.

I stared down at the note.

Shit. “Do we know anything about her?”

Dresden shrugged. “Well, she was a practitioner.”

I frowned. “How do you know?”

He stared at me. One eyebrow raised up. I stared back. “No pictures, no computers, no hair or nails anywhere. Plus, the shrine in the corner.”

Huh. My shoulders slumped. Damn it. “Shit, I should’ve got that.”

He shrugged, picking something up from a side table. “Everyone misses things.”

“Even you?”

“Even me, grasshopper.” He wandered over to the kitchen. “Suicides don’t usually leave food marinating, or dishes soaking, do they?” Murphy hmmed and walked over to him.

Well, time to get my Sensitive on. If she was a practitioner, maybe I could get something. Even if everyone misses shit, there’s no way I’m gonna do that again.

I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths and reached out with my senses. Just like the boss taught me. I got a brief spark of something from the far wall. My eyes flicked open. “Hey, boss! There’s something over there.”

He frowned over at me from the kitchen. “Where?”

I pointed. “The wall. It’s really faint though.”

He nodded, staring at it for a second. “Well caught, Max. Can you go get the kit?”

“Yep. Can do, Boss.”

I headed out, past the medtechs, out the door to the Blue Beetle. I popped the trunk and fished out the big box. I lugged it back upstairs and to the apartment.

-----

Shit!

I growled at the screen. Fucking nothing?!

I’d gotten up early to google the stuff Max talked about, but Google wasn’t giving me shit. Fuck, shit would be an improvement. Did Wizards not use the fucking internet or something?

I sighed. Fuckity, fuckity, fuck, fuck shit. I slammed a fist into my desk.

Then, it hit me. If magic wasn’t on the net, I was gonna have to kick it old-school.

The library in Arcadia Bay had fucking nothing on magic at all, so I hopped in my truck and drove into Portland.

The libraries there were pretty useless too. I was walking back to my truck from the big university library when I found it. This hella tiny place on a back street. I looked at the customers. One of them looked kinda like Dumbledore. I grinned and walked in.

“Hi, um…” I looked at the guy behind the counter. He was hella big, hella burly and looked like he’d done time. “Do you have anything on like, magic?”

Max had said not to tell anyone I knew, so I was kinda nervous about this whole fucking trip. But she’d told me next to nothing and I needed some fucking details.

The big guy’s brows furrowed when he looked over at me. “Magic? What kind?”

I shrugged, trying to seem vague. “Y’know, magic. Mythology. That kinda stuff.”

He nodded. “Back corner.”

I smiled and headed over. There was some interesting shit there. Not much on magic like Max talked about, but a whole pile of stuff on all sorts of monsters.

I spent like, three hours picking through those shelves. There was some cool stuff about monsters, but nothing on any magic. Nothing decent, anyway. Wait...

Score! Heh. The first book that sounded like it talked about anything Max said. I started to flick through it. Before I knew it, I was halfway through.

“Normally people pay for books before reading them, you know.”

My head shot up to see a tall, elderly looking dude smirking at me. I shrugged, giving him an awkward grin. “Yeah, I just kinda got caught up.”

He craned his head to see the title. “And what book so encapsulated your attention, may I ask?”

I showed him the cover. He smiled. “Ah. An excellent choice, young miss. And how, may I ask, did you come to be interested in the mysteries of the fae?”

I nearly rolled my eyes. Like, dude. I’m trying to read here. Who talks to someone while they’re trying to read? And old people say we’re the fucking rude ones.

Assholes.

But, I stayed polite. This was the first fucking place I’d found that actually had some interesting shit. I really didn’t wanna get kicked out.

I picked up my pile and smiled at him. “You’re right. I should go pay for these before I finish them.”

His hand, like, flicked out and caught mine. I blinked. Holy shit, the old man was fast. “I applaud your efforts, young miss. It is all too rare to see people of your generation take interest in the knowledge of the past.”

I shrugged him off, avoiding his eyes. I’m a hella crappy liar when I’m freaked the fuck out and I was hella freaked out by this old guy right now. I just wanted to get away from him. “It’s just stories, dude. It’s not like this crap is real. It’s just cool.”

I hurried off before he could say anything else. I headed over to the guy behind the counter. I slid the books over to him. “Hey. Can I get these?”

He nodded. “Sure. That’ll be…”

Holy fuck, magic books were hella expensive. I could afford hella fucking weed with that kinda cash. But, I really wanted to know about this magic stuff.

I forked over the cash and the guy handed me a bag for my books. “Hey, could you tell me when new shit comes in here?”

He raised an eyebrow. “New shit?”

I nodded, completely oblivious to the disapproving look. “Yeah. Magic books. Anything you get.”

His eyebrows bunched back together. It was kinda cool to watch, actually. They were like caterpillars dancing on his face. “Sure. Got a number?”

I nodded and we traded digits. “Right. Books about magic. I’ll let you know. The name’s Bock.”

I grinned. “Awesomesauce. Thanks, dude.”

I headed home, planning to hole up in my room and read. Pretty sure I hadn’t done that in fucking years. Mom even stared at me when I walked in with an armful of books.

-----

I walked in to see Dresden and Murphy laughing and joking about something. I rolled my eyes. “Hey, Boss. I got the kit.”

He came and took it from me. He started rummaging around inside. “That’s new.” Murphy noted.

He shrugged. “I’ve been teaching the Grasshopper Thaumatergy. We have to go out to the countryside, for obvious reasons. Got easier to set up a kit rather than just throw everything in a sack.”

He pulled out a little plastic test tube. Murphy chipped in again. “What’s that?”

“Copper filings.” The boss explained. “They conduct energy. If there’s a pattern there, these will help show it.”

“Ah. You’re dusting for prints.”

Dresden shrugged. “Basically, yeah.” He stood up. “Actually, do you want to take this one, grasshopper? Practice makes perfect, after all.”

I grinned and nodded, holding out my hands. He poured a small pile of filings onto my hands. I stepped forward, so I was closish to the wall.

I found the piece of chalk in my pocket and drew a little circle on the floor. I let some energy flow into them and broke the circle. “Baitaru.” I murmured and tossed the filings towards the wall.

We watched as the filings crackled and struck the wall. The place started to reek of ozone. Side effect of magic, spells really stunk sometimes.

Dresden blew gently on the wall, clearing the excess filings. Murphy stepped forward as we read what was now on the wall.

Exodus 22:18

I frowned. “I don’t know that one, boss.”

Murphy shrugged. “Me either. Dresden?”

The boss nodded. “It’s the one that always stuck in my head: ‘Suffer not a witch to live’.”

Murphy nodded, mostly to herself. “So, murder, then.”

“Looks like.”

She frowned at the wall. “And the killer wanted you to know it. A cop couldn’t have found this.”

“Yeah.” Dresden said.

“So, what are we looking at here? Salem Witch Trials aficionado? The Inquisitor reborn?”

Dresden and I both frowned at her. “And he uses magic to leave a message?”

Murphy shrugs. “Not like wackos can’t be hypocrites. How did the message get there? Did one of your side have to do it?”

Dresden turned to me. “You wanna take this one, grasshopper?”

I nodded. “It didn’t have to be a wizard. They probably just used the holy water from the shrine?” I turned to Dresden. “Right?”

He grinned. “Got it in one, Max.”

I beamed. “Holy water has a magic residue. If they drew on the wall, the residue would still be there when the water dried up.”

Murphy frowned again. “Holy? I thought magic was all energy and math and equations and things. Like electricity or thermodynamics.”

“Not everyone thinks that.” Dresden nodded at the altar. “Janine was a wiccan.”

She squinted at Dresden, then over at the shrine. “Like a witch?”

Dresden shrugged. “It’s complicated. Basically, she was both.”

She muttered to herself and sighed. “So, was this a conflict of religion, then?”

“It’s sort of difficult for sincere Wiccans to conflict with anyone. The faith is all about individual freedoms. There’s some basic tenets they all share, but mostly they believe as long as you aren’t hurting anyone else, you should be free to practice however you like.”

Murphy nodded. “Maybe. It’s still made up of people. Every faith has it’s assholes.”

I snorted. Dresden smiled. “Too soon to make any assumptions though, Murph.” Dresden frowned, looking over at the body. “This isn’t the only suicide, is it Murph?”

She shrugged. “Nope. There’s another four. All similarly weird to this one.”

“Damn. Can I see the bodies?”

She nodded. “Yep. They’re in the Morgue.”

We hadn’t been back to the King County Morgue since the Doc patched Chloe up. We parked in the little carpark next to the door and headed in. Dresden waved his card at the guy in reception and we headed straight to the back.

The place only has a few exam rooms, but even so, it’s still not hard to find the Doc. You just listen for the hella loud oom-pah noises.

Dresden rapped on the door with his staff and we waited for a sec. A minute or so later, the Doc appeared in the doorway. “Hey, Harry. Max.”

The doc was a weird guy. He was shorter than I was and had hair like a freaking steel wool factory exploded out of his head. Plus, an obsession with Polka that just could not be explained.

He turned and wandered back into the room. We followed him in. “So, Murphy tells us we’ve got a string of suicides on our hands?”

Marsh nods and ruffles through some papers on his desk. “Yep. A whole…” He frowned. “Where the hell did I…?” He grinned and pulled a file from the pile. “Here. A whole four. Well, five now.”

Dresden flicked through the files and nodded. “Damn. Are any of them still here?”

The Doc nodded. “Yep. Uh… Jessica Blanche. She’s in the back. Can you give me a hand?”

Dresden nodded, but his shoulders were stiff and he was trying to hide a shudder. Corpses are inherently icky, even to ‘Masters of the Arcane’ like the Boss. He turned to me. “You think you’re up to an object reading? See what we can get off her?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

He smiled. “Good. Get yourself ready. The full process, okay, Grasshopper?” He ruffled my hair, cringing slightly when flakes of the dye ended up on his hands. He wiped it on his jeans. I could’ve warned him that’d happen.

He and Doc Marsh headed out and I took a seat. I ran through my breathing exercises, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Object reading was a complex spell and I had to be sure I was focused.

Long story short, I meditated for a while until they brought the body in.

I stepped up to the body and looked into it’s eyes, carefully opening my mind to it and…

Wow. This is… kinda nic... Everything she was feeling hit me all at once and ooooh, she felt good! I melted onto the floor, a panting mess, and just lay there, feeling it all wash over me.

And well, yeah. So that happened.

The Boss came over, carefully asking if I was ok. It took me a little while to make it out. I just felt so good. I grinned. I was a lot better than ok!

I blinked. There was a familiar feeling somewhere in there… What was it..? Then, it clicked. “Oh, Boss, I got something! She was using one of those medical pinwheel things!”

“A wartenburg pinwheel.” The Doc supplied.

I nodded. “Yeah, that.”

Dresden frowned. “How do you know..?”

I gave him a lazy, wicked smile. “This is one of those things you don’t wanna know, boss.”

Marsh coughed. “They’re sometimes used… recreationally.”

Dresden’s cheeks reddened. The boss always was old-fashioned. I looked over at the Doc, who was desperately trying not to meet my eye. “Hey, doc, you got a marker or something?”

He nodded, and handed me a pen, without ever looking at me. It was kinda impressive, actually. I traced where the wheel had run over my stomach.

Ex 22:18

Well, fuck. “It’s official, we have a serial killer.”

I wasn’t really paying attention. I was just running through what I gotten over and over in my head.

Not like that! Perverts. Whatever did that to her, killed her. She didn’t even see it coming. It felt hella good, but it wasn’t. “It’s a vampire. right boss? Um… White Court? They use sex to feed, right?”

He nodded. “Could be. There are lots of nasties in the Nevernever that groove on the succubus routine though.”

We said our goodbyes to Marsh and left. I hopped in the car and looked at him. “So, whats the next move?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got to talk to some people, so…”

I sighed. So, I’ve gotta go home. Jeez. He never wants to introduce me to his sources. “Yeah, yeah. I know the drill, boss. Go home and practice.” I smiled. “It makes perfect, right?”

He nodded. “Exactly, grasshopper. Plus, your Mom will be happy I’m not keeping you out all night.”

When I got home, I headed to the garage. My Dad was out, but he should’ve fixed up my phone. I found it lying on a side table and headed upstairs. I sat down in my desk chair and frowned as I flicked through the phone. Huh. Picture message from Chloe?

CHLOE: hi mx are these hoppy umbrella things real? and cn u maKe fireballs?
CHLOE: and whts a Warden?
CHLOE: Hw do u do sight?
CHLOE: Do u guys have owls?

There was a picture, clearly out of a book, of an umbrella with a giant eye, a single leg and two arms. It also had a mouth with a lolling tongue.

Great. Chloe’s been reading.

I rolled my eyes and called her. This is gonna be a long day...

Chapter Text

I stop outside the store and fire off a text to Max. We’d been chatting on and off for the last two weeks. Magic fucks up technology, so it’s not like we can really keep conversations going for hours.

CHLOE: Hey Max off 2 bocks CU l8r @ cffeeshp?

I turn my phone off and put it away before I walk in. The wards on this place were weak, but better safe than sorry. No fuckin’ way I wanna replace my phone AGAIN.

“Hey Big Guy.” I grin and finger gun the guy as I stride in the door.

Bock nods. “Chloe.” He always just nodded now. I kept trying to get him to fistbump me, but his fucking golf-ball sized knuckles were hella bigger than mine. A couple of weeks of bruised fists made me give that shit up hella quickly.

He nods over to the back shelves. “Got some new inventory in. Held a couple for you.”

I grinned. Aww. “Awesomesauce. Thanks, Bock.”

He gave me one of his gruff rumbles and went back to his reading. Some kinda car mag, I think. I headed over to the back shelves to check out his new stock.

Oooh. Evolutionary Witchcraft, that sounds cool! I picked up the book and flicked through it. Chapter Two, ‘Recognising the Divine Within’.

“God is self and self is God and God is a person like myself”
-Victor Anderson

Huh. Apparently this thing called the ‘tripartite soul’ appeared in loads of places. Some greek guy, ‘Plato’, even liked it. According to Max, the Greeks and Romans really started off modern magic, so maybe this Plato guy might know something. I added it to the pile and kept looking.

Rach always liked all this philosophical and spiritual crap. She always said there was something more out there, something part of us. She went Wiccan a few months before I met her. Never pushed it on me though. Something about needing to ‘embrace the mother’ or whatever.

I sighed and leaned my head against a shelf. Damn it, Rach. I miss you so much...

A couple of hours of searching and reading later, I had a little pile of four books to get. I headed over to the desk. “Hey Bock, just these today.”

He nodded and started pricing them up. “You read quickly.”

I shrug. “Yep. They’re hella cool books.”

please don’t ask please don’t ask please don’t ask

He nodded and handed me a brown bag. "$56.40”

Oh thank fuck. And shit, research is hella expensive… But I forked over the cash and took the bag.

I nodded bye to Bock and headed out the back door to the alley where I’d parked my old truck. Mom was cooking and step-douche was out, so I hella wanted to get back in time for noms.

Wait. I blinked. Why the fuck is my truck so blurry?

I felt a hand around my neck, I screamed, and then everything went black.

-----

We headed over to the counter. The huge, bear of a guy behind it looked up at us. This guy looked like he used to crack skulls for a hobby. He was huge, unshaven and had layers of muscle. He was like a walking piledriver. “Yes?”

“You called us? I’m Dresden. This is my apprentice, Max.”

He nodded. “I did. I’m Bock. Come on out back, Mr Dresden.”

He grunted up from his seat and lumbered out through the back door of the store into the alley.

We followed him out. The alley was well, just your usual alleyway. It ran along the back of Bock’s shop and a few other buildings on the row. “The girl, Price. She always parked out here.” He waved off down the alley.

Fuck… It was Chloe’s truck. “Boss...”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, I know, Kid. We’ll find her.”

Dresden turned to Bock. “What happened?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. The girl came in, as usual. She picked up her books and left. I heard a scream out back, so I came out to check.” He waves off down the alley. “Her truck was there and I found her books on the ground. The wards detected some teleportation here, so I called you.”

He held out a little brown paper bag. Shit. Dresden nodded. “Alright, thanks Mr Bock.”

“Just Bock. Let me know if you need anything else.” He turned around and headed back inside.

“Alright, Grasshopper. You know the drill.”

I nodded. “Check the scene. See what we can find.”

He smiled. “Learn quickly, this one does, yes!”

I snorted. “Come on then, Master Yoda. We’ve got to find her.”

We searched the alley. Dresden took one end, I took the other. It was about half an hour before I found anything. It was a lighter. Her lighter.

I called him over and handed it to him.

“Can we use this?”

He frowned at it for a second, then grinned. “I think so. The energy is fading fast though, so let’s get to it!”

-----

We were standing outside some shitty warehouse in the docks. Tracing the lighter had lead us here. It’s a thaumatergy thing. Stuff you keep with you all the time, with meaning and attachment placed on them, they sort of resonate with a similar energy to you. We can use that energy to find the owners of things.

Once we’d found the place, a quick deal with a Loa told us that some sorcerer and his pet demon lived here. For some reason, the Boss had decided we’d hit this guy at night.

Sometimes, for all his nerdiness, I wonder if he’s ever seen a fucking horror movie…

One of the cops, the guy with the shotgun, looked up at the warehouse. The boss never let me have a gun. After all his ‘magic doesn’t solve everything’ schtick, too. Anyways, the guy, Micky something, looked up at the warehouse and asked “So, we go in and then what?”

Murphy circles everyone up. “Here’s the plan. Harry thinks the followers will be drugged out or asleep. We round them up, cuff them up and move on.” She nods to the Boss. “The next part is Harry’s.”

Dresden shrugs. “The guy we’re after, we think he’s a sorcerer. It’s like being a wizard, only he spends his energy doing destructive things. He isn’t good at doing anything else. Kind of a one-trick pony, magically.”

There’s a lot of technical terms to wizardry. Wizards are like Jedi Masters. We can do lots of different things with Magic ‘cause we’ve got the training. Sorcerers are like powerful amateurs. All power, but no training. A prepared wizard always has the advantage over a sorcerer.

“So,” The Boss continued “Max and I are going to go in and lock down his magic. There’s a demon in there too.” He nodded his head to my Dad. “That’s what he’s here for.”

My Dad nodded. “If the creature is here, do not get close to it. Don’t even shoot it.” Damn. Dad always did get all booming and dramatic when he was in Knight Mode. “Leave it to me. If it gets past me, throw your holy water at the thing and run while it screams.”

He got a bit creepy, too. There’s a reason the Boss nicknamed him ‘The Fist of God’ after all.

“That’s pretty much the whole plan. Keep any human flunkies with knives from giving them to us. We’ll take the Sorcerer’s powers and the Demon out, and you grab the sorcerer as soon as we’re sure he’s down. If you run into any supernatural surprises, let us know and we’ll take them out.”

I waved and an image of Chloe appeared in the middle of the circle. A couple of the cops looked a little shocked, but most of ‘em had seem enough to hold it together. “This is Chloe Price. We’re here to find her. If you see her, don’t shoot her or anything. Grab her and get her out, okay?” I looked over to the Boss. He nodded. “That’s it. Questions?”

The cops all shook their heads and Murphy nodded. “Let’s go.” She signalled and the cops moved into the warehouse. We followed them in.

In the front of the warehouse, there were a dozen kids, some even younger than me, lying around the place. Shit, there’d been a hardcore party here. There were needles, clothes, bottle and cans and shit everywhere. The cops grabbed them all and shoved them in the wagon outside.

Dad, Dresden and I moved forward toward the back of the warehouse, through huge piles of shipping crates. Murphy and a couple of the other cops followed behind.

I was kinda glad the guy with the shotgun was coming with us, but also kinda baffled they let us go first. But hey, I guess the 6ft tall dude in platemail and the two wizards (Well, Wizard and Apprentice) got to go first.

We moved over to the back door of the warehouse and stopped there. Dresden peeked through and turned to my Dad. “Bingo. The Demon’s in there. He’s got it in a circle.”

Dad nodded and loosened Amoracchius in his sheath.

Dresden pulled the door open and the three of us crept in. The Cops hung back, just until we’d got him tied down. There was an old guy in there. Tall, grey hair, tangled beard. Just like Bock said. He was standing in front of a big circle. Inside the circle was something out of a nightmare. Glowing eyes, dark and shadowy body and… I shuddered, taking my eyes off it and focusing on the sorcerer.

So, this is the asshole that took Chloe. I could feel that old anger coming back, from before I’d even met Dresden. I was such a pissed off kid when we’d come here, when we’d left Chloe. Side effect of the whole sensitive thing, I tended to feel emotions really strongly sometimes. I wanted to leap forward and tear the old bastard’s throat out with my bare fucking hands.

But I didn’t. I breathed deep, and took control. Just like the Boss taught me. I opened my eyes to see Dresden watching me. I nodded. I’m ok.

He just looked at me for a second, before nodding again and smiling. He pulled out his chalk, I pulled out mine and we both drew out the circle for the spell. The minute the Boss started casting, the old man’s head snapped up, eyes focused directly on us. He snarled and broke the demon’s circle.

The thing leapt towards us, snarling and slobbering. Dad stepped forward to meet it, big-ass sword in hand. The whole ‘Spotlight of God’ thing kicked in too, making him look every inch the avenging angel. “Stay back, Spawn of Hell!” He roared.

Yep… Definitely Booming and Dramatic.

The Demon squealed, a sound like some kind of weird, two-voiced baritone pig, and charged. Dad sidestepped and raked the tip of the sword along it’s side. The thing squealed again, this time in pain, and took a swipe.

Dad tried to duck, but he took a hit to the chest. Luckily, the armour blocked it from ripping his guts out, but he did get shaken a little. The Demon, probably sensing the moment, swiped again, knocking him off his feet.

The sorcerer was standing back, maniacally laughing as he watched the fight. Dresden and I kept the spell going, slowly locking down more of his power. His eyes flickered over to us and he glared. He threw a bolt of lightning at us, helpfully blocked by Dresden’s shield bracelet. The next glare was way more vicious, like he couldn’t wait to squash us beneath his heel.

He threw spell after spell at us, each weaker than the last. But, they were still throwing us off the spell. Magic takes focus and being hit with that many spells was a pretty big distraction. So, Dresden raised his shield bracelet and stepped out of the circle. I immediately felt magical energies suddenly land on me, the pull of the spell like an anchor around my fucking neck.

“Dresden!” I called out, seriously panicked.

He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. “You got this, Grasshopper. Take this asshole down.”

I nodded. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. I. Can. Do. This.

I focused entirely on the spell, blocking out Dresden, my Dad, the Cops, everything. It was just me and the magic.

I pushed my will against his, trying to wrap the spell around it, dampening his energy. It was hard, but I pushed.

Damn, this guy is fucking strong! Way too strong to be just a sorcerer. This guy had enough power to be on the Council. But so did I, and I had a much better teacher. My eyes flickered open and met his across the room. He looked shocked.

I did it! I fucking did it!

He turned to run, but Micky the Shotgun Cop stepped forward and shot at his feet. It was from all the way across the room, but he did it perfectly. The guy fell to his knees. I looked over and saw my Dad end the Demon with a gullet to groin slice, bisecting the thing. As the two pieces fell, they liquidised into ectoplasm and melted into the floor.

We turned to the bad guy and swept in to take him. Just before the cops got to him, I felt a push back. It felt like ice was being pushed through my head. A migraine and a thousand slushie brain-freezes all at once.

The spell dropped and the man met my eyes again. His back rippled in spikes and a voice appeared in my head. It hurt just listening to it.

“I AM RETURNED! HE WHO WALKS BEHIND!!”

He waved and disappeared in an inky swirling cloud of shadow.

“Shit!” Murphy whirled on us. “Where the hell did he go, Dresden?”

He stared at the place where the guy had disappeared. “I don’t know, Murph.” She glared. He shrugs, hands out. “I swear to you, Murph, I have no idea. I’ve never seen teleportation done like that.”

She ran a hand through her hair and growled. I shrank a little, trying to hide behind the boss. No way in hell I wanted her coming after me on this.

“Fine.” She took a deep breath. “Fine. We lost him. At least we broke up his little cult.” She turned to the other two cops. “And find the girl. He’s got to have her stashed around here somewhere.”

Dresden turned to me. “Well done, Grasshopper. I knew you could do it.” I glowed under his praise. Back when we started I used to literally glow, but we’d got that under control a few months after.

I nodded, grinned, then fell to the floor. Shit, Magic is fucking exhausting!

I woke up again in the backseat of Murphy’s car. Someone had put a shitty police blanket over me. I clambered out, looking around. Dresden was standing by the hood of the car, watching the warehouse door. He grinned when I got out. “Hey Grasshopper. How are you feeling?”

I shrugged. “Like there’s an ogre with a hammer trying to break his way outta my skull, but other than that, ok.”

I looked around. “Where’s Chloe? Have they found her?”

Dresden smiled and nodded over my shoulder. I turned to see Chloe being led out of the warehouse by one of the cops. She was wrapped in another one of those shitty blankets and looked seriously beat up. She had a bloody lip and she was limping. But she was alive. She was fucking alive!

“Chloe!” I ran over and pulled her into a hug.

She grinned and hugged me back. “Hey Maxie. Thanks for coming to get me.”

I leant back and looked her in the eye. “That’s what friends do. Oh!”

I pulled away from the hug and ruffled through my pockets. Where did I put the damned..? Ok, here it is. I threw the lighter over to her. She caught it with a grin. “Thanks! I’d be so fucking pissed if I lost this.”

“Anytime. Now, we’re taking you to the paramedics. They need to check you over.”

Chloe opened her mouth, but I interrupted. “No fucking arguments. You’re going.”

She nodded and I watched her walk over to the ambulance waiting outside. I turned to Dresden. “Boss, can I talk to you?”

He nodded. I took a deep breath. “Something happened. In there.”

One eyebrow raised. He looked confused. I quickly clarified “Something other than the fight.” I took a deep breath and told him about what I heard. The voice and the spines.

His face fell further and further as I talked. “Hells bells, Grasshopper. Are you sure that’s what it said?”

I nodded. “Definitely. He Who Walks Behind. What do you think it is?”

He sighed and ran his hand over his face. “Bad news. It’s a Walker.”

Shit. “Are you serious? How are we still alive?”

He shrugged. “No idea. But this changes everything.”

-----

Max sat across from me. “So, who was the guy?”

I shrugged. “No fucking clue. He grabbed me from Bock’s Books in Portland. I was walking back to my truck and I just sort of… collapsed.” Heh. Bock’s Books, Bock’s Books, Bock’s Books. There’s a hella awesome tongue twister in there somewhere.

Max looked to Tall, Dark and Brooding. I guess this was ‘Dresden’, her teacher. He was even more brooding close up. “Shit, Boss. What are we gonna do?”

He frowned and stared over at me. He looked like he was thinking. I could practically see the little hamster wheel going in his head. He nodded. “We’re going to have to take her in.”

Max… did not seem to like that idea. “Seriously? We’re taking her to the fucking council? After what happened with me?”

He shrugged. “Hey, I seem to remember that turning out pretty well. You’re still alive, aren’t you?”

She jumped up from the chair and got right up in his face. “Yeah, but with a threat from them to kill me if I ever step out of line! I’m only here ‘cause my Dad saved some people. Chloe doesn’t have that!”

Well, thanks for the fucking reminder, Maxie…

She stopped, turned to me. “Shit. Sorry, Chloe. I didn’t mean it like that.”

I smiled. I didn’t wanna, but I really couldn’t afford to piss these two off. And, they’d just saved my life, so I guess I can give her this one. “It’s fine.”

Dresden put his hands on Max’s shoulders. “Max. We don’t know who this guy is, he’s using magic I don’t recognise and he’s still out there. We need help on this one.”

Max sighed. “Damn it.”

He snorted. “Yeah. It sucks, Grasshopper. But we need to take the chance.” He looked at me. “We’re taking her to Edinburgh.”

Chapter Text

I sighed as we wandered up the path towards the massive slabs of rock that formed the doorway to the Edinburgh Headquarters. The ‘Seat of the Council’ was as pompous and ornament-gilded as you’d expect, but the outside only gave visitors a tiny idea of the decor inside.

A single grey-cloaked guard stood at the door. He was tall and lean, with cheekbones most models would kill for. The expensive suit fitted tightly against him. Something I definitely appreciated…

The black bowler sat on his head topped off the ‘ensemble’. He also had an actual silver-headed cane, directly out of some old Victorian Novel. That cane was pointed at us as we came down the trail.

Dresden stepped forward and waved a hand. “Easy there, Steed.”

He lowered the cane and smiled. It made him look a decade younger. “Hello there Harry.” He bowed to me. “Ms Caulfield. How are you both?”

Dresden snorted. “Been a long night, Chandler. How about you?”

“I am freezing off my well-tailored ass,” Chandler said cheerily, in an elegant Oxford accent. “But I endure, thanks to excellent breeding, a background in preparatory academies, and metric tons of British fortitude.” He leant back on his cane. “So, what brings you to the ‘Seat of the White Council’?

“We need to see the big bosses themselves.” He thumbed back at Chloe. “We’ve got someone they need to see.”

He nodded. “Ah. Top secret, I presume?”

Dresden shrugged apologetically. “You presume right, Steed. Sorry.”

“Nonsense. It is only proper that secrets be kept on a need to know basis.”

I frowned, looked at the solitary guard. “Wait. Um, aren’t there supposed to be five of you watching the door?”

He put a hand to his chest and looked at me, hiding a smile. “Five of me guarding the door? Are you mad? The sheer power of the concentrated fashion sense would obliterate visitors on sight.”

Chloe snorted as I laughed. “You gotta only use your powers for good?”

“Precisely, Ms Caulfield. Precisely.” Chandler nodded. He straightened. “You know the rules, Harry.”

Dresden faced Steed and straightened too, standing formally and putting a serious look on his face. “I seek entry to the Hidden Halls, O Warden. May we pass?”

He gave us a slow, regal nod. Chandler always did do the whole royalty thing really well. I actually thought he was royalty, but Dresden said that was just the Prep School talking. “Be welcome to the seat of the White Council. Enter in peace and depart in peace.”

We bowed to him and walked in through the archway.

-----

Chloe peered around the tunnels, grinning like a kid at the glowing crystals along the walls. There were these ancient doodles of old Council events along the walls that I had to stop her poking at more than once. They were mixed in with ancient wards that could repel a fucking demi-god. No way in hell I wanted Chloe poking at those. “Your bosses live in caves? Are they, like, mole-people?”

I smirked. “Nah. They’re human. The council’s been in Edinburgh for… 500 years?” I looked to Dresden. He shrugged. “A little under 490.”

I rolled my eyes. “Close enough. We’re right under the castle, too. There’s all these tunnels under Edinburgh. They’re all over the city.”

Dresden nodded. “So stay close. You really don’t want to get lost down here.”

Chloe stayed quiet after that, just gawking at the slowly expanding tunnel. Every couple hundred yards there was a big metal gate flanked with two of the creepy Temple-Dog statues. Chloe nearly hit the ceiling when they moved. I’d have laughed if I wasn’t so creeped out.

When we’d gotten past them, she leaned over and hissed “What the fuck were those things?”

“Magic sniffer dogs.” I hissed back.

She blinked at me for a second before rolling her eyes. I guess she was getting used to all the shit. We went through every checkpoint until we hit the actual headquarters. Council Security was fucking ridiculous. Dresden stopped, pulled out a map and checked it.

He held up a hand and rotated the map. “This way.”

He took two steps then paused.

He turned the map around. “Nope, this way.” He swivelled and headed the opposite way.

I sighed. He stopped. He turned the map around again. “Nope, I was right the first time.”

Chloe and I shared a look.

-----

We headed into the Senior Council ‘chambers’. Basically a fancy way of saying their place. It was like walking into Versailles. And I’d know, we got called in for an exorcism there a year ago. The place was fancy as fuck.

The white marble floor had little flecks of gold swirling about in the stone. The pillars running around the edge of the room matched the floor. They even had a fucking waterfall. It ran down the far wall into a little garden full of all sorts of plants and animals. There was a whole little ecosystem in here. The rest of the room was full of those expensive patio settings you see in Hotels.

There was a balcony running around the room like a second floor, connecting all the doors to the Council Member’s private rooms. We walked straight the the main room (The Boss and I jokingly called it the Ostentatiary, because of how fucking over the top the decor was.) and up a set of stairs to one side of the waterfall garden.

Chloe’s expression was fucking hilarious. She was such a fucking tourist. I elbowed her every time she stopped to gawk, getting a growl and a swipe every time. But, she kept up.

Dresden checked the map again and headed to one of the doors to our right. He opened the door and waved us in.

The room was packed full of even fuller bookshelves. I grinned when I saw the grizzled old guy sat in an armchair in the middle of the room. He looked up and his craggy face split into a grin when he saw us come in.

“Hey Hoss. Max.”

“Hello, Sir.” Dresden ambled in and sat in the only other armchair in the room opposite him. Me and Chloe kinda just stood off to the side.

Most of the Council had a sense of propriety they took way too fucking serious, always dressed to the nines in full ceremonial robes. Ebenezar McCoy… didn’t.

Dresden’s old mentor sat in his chair, decked out in an old pair of denim overalls and a flannel shirt paired with leather boots that were older than I was. He leaned back when Dresden sat down, peered over at all of us. “How are you, Hoss?”

Dresden looked back at me and Chloe. “Tired, sir.”

The man’s big, grey eyebrow twitched up. “Oh?”

So, the Boss told him the whole story. Dresden trusted McCoy completely, so he left nothing out. McCoy went from leaning back in his chair to all the way forward by the time the story ended.

"Well, Hoss. It's a mighty fine mess you've found yourself in this time, huh?" He grinned.

Dresden snorted. "That's pretty much par for the course by now, sir."

McCoy thought for a second. I could tell because the crags in his face got all bunched up. It made his face look like the surface of freaking Mars.

"I'll talk to the Merlin. If what you're saying is true," He held up a hand when Dresden tried to interrupt. "and I believe it is, then everyone needs to know."

He got up out of the armchair, calling out as he left. "Wait here. There's food in the other room."

Chloe grinned and looked at me. I rolled my eyes. "Wowzers... Come on, then." We headed into the other room for food.

-----

Dresden, Chloe and I sat on a stone bench to one side of the stage, watching as the other members of the Council filed into the Auditorium. The Senior Council table was running down the middle and a similar stone bench sat on the other side. They were both empty.

Every one of the attending Wizards was in full formal robes. Dresden had tried to teach me what all the different colours and stoles and patterns meant, but he barely knew what half of it meant, so that meant I knew even less. Basically, I knew they were Wizards. That was about it.

As an Apprentice, I still had a plain brown robe. Chloe had smirked when I put it on. Bitch.

The Council had one serious ceremony-boner. When everyone had taken their seats, Luccio, the Warden Captain, had appeared. She was in full dress-armour and had a proper ceremonial staff. (Literally, it was just a staff with gold and jewels on it. Utterly useless in a fight, but great for boring and pompous ceremonies like this.) She walked in through the main door and proceeded to the stage.

She banged the staff three times on it and then the six members of the Senior Council entered, lead by the big boss himself, Arthur Langtry, our current Merlin.

I stifled a yawn.

Everyone was silent as the Senior Council took their seats. Luccio sat on the bench on the opposite side, joined by this little guy with a quill and a writing desk. I guess he took the minutes or something.

The Merlin stood up. “Esteemed Wizards of the Council.” He began. He waved a hand to the right. “Brothers.” He waved his other hand to the left. “Sisters.” He took a breath. Damn, this guy had good delivery. He was like a proper old Shakespearean actor. He came off as kind of a douche at my trial, but it was hella cool to listen to him.

“We have brought you here today to hear the…”

thud.

What the fuck is that? A murmur ran through the assembled wizards. I picked up a few “What the fuck is that?”s from the other wizards. My Latin always was better than the Boss’s.

Thud.

What the fuck is..? Shit. A cloud of inky black smoke had risen up from the stage, just in front of the Merlin. It coiled around into a cylinder, then faded with a pop to reveal a figure. Whoever they were, they were tall, lean and strong. They were also wearing a black hood, like the sorcerer in the warehouse.

They raised their arms and proclaimed, their voice echoing through the hall “The end is nigh!”

THUD.

There was this huge fucking roar and something big and bloody crashed through the huge doors of the Ostentatiary.

Then the lights went out and the room exploded into chaos.

-----

Oh, fuck. Where the shit did the lights go? I flailed, grabbing for Max’s hand. She wasn’t there.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, oh fuck. I couldn’t see shit, all I could hear was people screaming and yelling and there was something big roaring and slamming about by the door. I think something glass shattered, too.

I was hella fucking scared. Everything was happening at once and I have no fucking clue what to do. Where the fuck is Max? She’s supposed to be here!

Something flashed over to my left. What the fuck was that? This old woman had her arms up, with little balls of light in each hand. I stared. I’d spent like, weeks reading up on this shit, but it was still hella awesome to see happening in person.

Well, until a black tentacle cloud lashed out at her and her hands just sort of… dissolved. I stared, open mouthed as she fucking screamed and fell over in front of me.

Ohshitohshitohshit…

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the room. Shit, I don’t fucking know!

Ok, calm the fuck down, Price. You can do this. Deep breaths and all that shit. Ok, Price, think. I gotta…

Shit! Fucking asshole! Some fucker had run over me trying to get out. I rolled, trying to push the pain in my stomach away and clambered back to my feet.

I… I… I don’t know. Dark is scary, especially when it’s filled with monsters and guys who can burn a whole fucking city block down with a thought.

I look around the dark, focusing on the flashes of light, trying to see Max.

I finally spot her next to Dresden. They’re fighting the huge thing that broke through the doors. I only get kinda brief looks at the fucker when they throw fire and lightening and shit at it, but I’m pretty sure it’s a Rawhead. They’re like these big monsters made of slaughtered animals. They sounded hella cool in the book… In person… they fucking stink.

I watched as they threw spell after spell at it, only for it to just shrug ‘em off and keep coming. I couldn’t do shit to help, so I just sorta stayed out of the way, hiding behind the bench.

I feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder. “Come with me, if you wish to survive.”

I look up into the face of this old woman standing over me. She’s got a long black robe with a hood and one of those purple scarf things. That means she’s a Wizard, right? Right.

She holds out a hand. Her voice was quiet, but still weirdly fucking loud in my head. All the shit that was going on around us and I could still hear her clearly. Probably magic. It’s weird how used to that shit I’m getting. “Come with me if you wish to survive.”

Ok, not quite the quote, but still. This is hella cool! But fuck no, I’m not leaving without Max.

I yell back at her through the noise, waving off at Max and Dresden. “No, go get Max!”

She growled. “Max? She is unnecessary, a distraction.”

“I’m not going anywhere without her, ok? She stays, I stay.” I glared up at the old woman. All I could see was her mouth and the bottom of her nose. Everything above that was covered by this weird black hood.

Her mouth did this weird creasing thing, like she’d just bit into a lemon. “Very well. Stay here.”

I watched as she turned and strode into the battle, like a freaking rock against a tide. It was hella cool. Something small and grey with claws jumped on her, but she just raised a hand and it burst into fucking dust!

That was the last thing I saw before I blacked out again.

Fuck.

Chapter Text

"Aaaugh..." I groaned as I rolled over.

Ok... This is weird. I'm in a bed. A hella big one. Definitely not my bed. I opened my eyes and looked around. Yep, definitely not my bed. This one is way too fancy. It had those four weird pillar things and freaking curtains around it. Did I pick up some Victorian chick at the bar last night?

If I did, she got up before me. I stretched out a bit and moved one of the curtains.

Wow. Wherever I am, it's a hella nice place. The room was like one of those fancy lodges rich pricks go skiing at. Even had a fucking log fireplace in one wall.

But the big-ass wood door was closed, the curtains were closed and there wasn’t a clock. I got up out of the bed and headed over to the window. I looked out. What the fuck? There was a foot and a half of snow out there! It was October, how is it snowing in October?

I tried to remember what the fuck happened. Last thing I remember... we were in Scotland! We'd gone to see Max's bosses and... shit. They got attacked. There was that old lady! She went off to get Max... Yeah, that's all I got. Fuck!

Well, I'm not gonna find out shit just sitting around in here. I hopped out of the bed and pulled open the door. The thing was hella heavy, but I got it open. I ended up in a long hall of doors. Every fucking one of them looked the same.

Shit! A door down the hall creaked open. I tried to make myself scarce, but there were fuck all places to hide and I had no chance of getting back to my room, so I just sorta pushed myself up against one wall and hoped that whoever it was wouldn't see me.

A tiny chick in a brown leather jacket crept out of the room, holding a little stick in front of her. I relaxed when I saw her face. "Max!"

She whirled, pointing the little stick thing at me. Maybe it was a wand? Those are a thing, right? I tried to remember from the books, but I got nothin'. When she saw me, she nearly dropped it, which was kinda funny. "Chloe!"

I grinned and hugged her. It was hella good to see a friendly face. "Where the fuck are we?"

Max shrugged. “I have no fucking clue. I woke up in there.” She waved at the room behind her. Her too? This is so weird...

I frowned. “Shit. What’s the last thing you remember?”

She thought for a sec and… “The fight. I think. I was with the Boss and…” She shook her head. “Fuck. That’s it. Maybe someone pulled us out?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “But who? The old woman? Who even was she? Was she one of yours?”

She tapped her little brown satchel thingy. “No idea. I don’t know the whole council, there’s like, hundreds of us. If they're an enemy, they don’t know about foci, or they’d never have left me with my stuff.” She shrugged. “Well, we’re not gonna find out hanging around in the corridor. Let’s go poke around.”

I nodded. “Um. You go first.”

She stares at me. “Seriously?”

I nod. “Hella yeah. You’re the one with the mojo!” I wiggled my fingers.

She paused. "Good Point." She reached into her little satchel and pulled out another little stick. She saw me looking and explained. "They're wands. They help me make with the magic."

I grinned. Wands were something I’d spent a hella lot of my time reading about. They were like sniper sights. So, instead of blowing up a building, she can just smash the window. Hella cool.

We ambled down the corridor. Max pushed open the door and we went out onto an L-shaped balcony in the corner of a huge room.

We were at the top of a big staircase running down into this massive hall full of round wood tables and stools. There was a huge fireplace down there in the far wall, and a seriously big door, like twice my fucking height, over to one side. On the opposite side, there was a bar with a tall, tired looking guy standing behind it cleaning glasses.

I followed Max over to the edge of the balcony and looked over.

The old woman in the hood was sitting by the fire. Max stormed down the stairs and over to her. She looked seriously pissed off. I trailed behind her, still kinda lost. “Who the hell are you?”

She kept looking at the fire. Hella rude, bitch. She talked calmly and hella smoothly. “I am Weatherwax and I am your rescuer. Tell me - what do you recall of what happened?”

I frowned, shared a look with Max. We both shrugged. What the hell, right? She’s right, she did kinda help us out, might as well give her a shot. “Last thingwe remember was the council. Some fuckers burst in, started smashing the place up. The lights went out and you came over. I passed out. What the hell happened?”

“After the council was attacked, I rescued you. You demanded I rescue her, also.” She nodded over at Max. Max smiled at me. “She did?”

Weatherwax nodded, finally looking at us instead of the fire. “She did. You two were the only survivors.” She looked at Max. "That was three months ago."

Max and I yelled at the same time.

"Three fucking months?"

“What happened to Dresden? Did he get out?”

Weatherwax’s mouth curled again. It was kinda sour, like she’d sucked on a lemon. “He did not. He perished in the fighting. I was… unable to rescue him as well as the two of you. And yes, your injuries were severe. I brought you to this place and you slept.”

"You were unable to rescue him." Max threw the old lady a hella scary glare. She looked like she was gonna choke the old bitch to death. "Fucking unable to rescue my friend!"

Weatherwax just sat there, calmly watching her. "Indeed."

Max tried to fucking launch herself at the old woman, but I held her back. "Max, calm the fuck down. She saved us, remember? We need her!"

Max wriggled a hella lot, but I held on tight. Hella good thing about having a cop-dad and a veteran step-douche. I know holds hella well. She stopped wriggling and growled. "Let me go, Chloe!" I... yeah, I should let her...

Max suddenly backed into me, like she'd been punched. "What the fuck?"

Weatherwax eyed Max. "Please refrain from mental magics on Miss Price. Especially here, where such things may attract attention you would wish to avoid."

Max sagged and nodded. I let her go and she sank to the floor slowly, like a deflating balloon. I sat down next to her, patting her on the shoulder as she cried, feeling hella useless. What the fuck do I say to her after that fucking bombshell?

I leant in and started talking in her ear. Nothing hella specific, just kinda general reassurances and shit. "It'll all be alright" or "Don't worry.". That kinda shit that people say, but don't really believe.

They said that to me after Dad died...

I shook my head.

No surprise, it didn't really work. I'm hella bad at this emotional shit. I do not do reassuring. Witty banter, yes. Sympathy and shit, hells no. But, it was Max, so I gave it another shot. "Come on, Maxie. You gotta keep it together, 'kay? We got shit to do and I can't do it without you."

That was what pulled it together. Max kinda just blinked up at me and smiled.

I pulled her up and looked at Weatherwax. “So, where are we, anyway?”

She smiled. It was weird. Most people smile when they’re happy or someone tells a hella good joke. She smiled like a tiger or a wolf or something. Like it was a threat. It was hella scary. “The Erlking owes me a favour. Thus, we have a base of operations.” She opened her hands, like a magician finishing off a trick and smiled. “Welcome to The Mill.”

Max gaped at her. “The fucking Erlking owes you a favour?”

Weatherwax smirked. “He does indeed."

Max shook her head. "How the fuck did..? No, wait. Not going to ask about that, pretty sure I don't wanna fucking know." Weatherwax's grin said she probably wouldn't tell us even if we asked. "So, what do we need to know about this place?"

Weatherwax's hand flicked and the fire, nearly burnt out, roared up again. She thought for a second. "This place is in the Nevernever, on the border of the lands of the Winter Sidhe and those of Goblinkin. So, follow the usual guidelines for dealing with the Sidhe and you should fare adequately. As for the building itself, there is little to say. There are rooms for each of us and more for any companions you may find. The bartender can provide food and refreshment upon request and many amenities can be found scattered around. Here, we are protected from most those who might wish to harm us."

She shifted and looked off towards the bartender. "That is Sutter. He owns and runs this establishment." The guy from the bar gave us a nod and kept cleaning. "Should you require anything, he is the being to speak to."

Max frowned. "Being?"

Weatherwax shrugged. "Merely a verbal misstep. He is as human as you, wizard."

Max frowned again, but stayed quiet.

"And this" Weatherwax continued "is Quaver." A tall, redheaded girl just appeared next to Weatherwax. She was fucking gorgeous. She was like a supermodel's supermodel. Max and I jumped, but Weatherwax, fuck her, didn't even blink. "She is here to..." Weatherwax's mouth curled up in another hella sour-looking grimace. "aid you."

Wait, what? I stared at Weatherwax for a minute. "Quaver? Like the fucking crisp?"

Max rolls her eyes. "C-A-O-I-M-H-E, Chloe. It's just pronounced Quaver."

The redhead, Caoimhe, smirks at me. "Ya ain't an Irish gal, are ya?"

I shake my head. "Nah. I'm hella Oregon." But she definitely was. The accent was so Irish you could give her a pot of gold and call her a fucking Leprechaun.

She smiles. "Americans. Ye've no appreciation for the old world."

I glare at the girl and she sticks her tongue out at me. She grins and I can't help but grin back. Fuck me, I actually like the girl.

"You're Sidhe, aren't you?" Max asks.

The other girl grins and nods. "Yep. Only for the last century though, that's why I'm not all thee and thou." She rolls her eyes. "Gods, the older Fae think changin' with the feckin' dialect would kill 'em."

I look over at Max. "Sidhe?"

"Ah, jaysus, have ye not heard o' us before, cara? We're the rulin' class o' Faerie. All the most powerful Fae in the Nevernever. Your boss," She thumbs over at Weatherwax. "called in a couple favours wit' mine to get me here, so here I am."

Max turns to Weatherwax. "So, what the fuck do we do now? If the Council is gone, what fucking hope have we got?"

"We find the Warden-Captain. She will be aware of the location each council member fled to, no?"

I looked to Max. She shrugged. "Probably. If anyone was gonna, she would." She looks over at Weatherwax. "It's a longshot that she's even still alive though."

Weatherwax curls another predatory smile. "The situation is indeed dark, but still there is much to hope for. We must locate her, reunite the White Council and find allies to face this new threat." She turns and walks up the stairs, with the little redhead following her hella close behind.

Max and I share a hella confused, kinda irritated look and follow her too.

We go up the stairs and into one of the rooms around the balcony bit. The place was dominated by the hella huge glass table in the middle of it. Weatherwax walked to one side, and put her hands on it. We all stood around it and watched her mutter to herself for a second, casting some spell. When she stepped back, the table shimmered and a hella detailed flat world map appeared on it. Weatherwax waved another hand and the map zoomed in to some warehouse in Boston. She tapped a long, hella bony finger on the warehouse. "If we are to bring the Council back together, this is where we must start. The Warden-Captain is being kept here by a band of werewolves as a reward for their service."

Caoimhe frowns. "What kind of werewolves?"

"Lycanthropes." The old woman's eyes flick to me and Max. "They are not werewolves in the traditional sense, but rather act as channels for primal spirits, those of rage and violence. They are strong, fast and heal faster than even you or I would as wizards."

Shit. Fucking werewolves? I'd read up on the guys, they were fucking badasses. Like big, furry tanks. "This group call themselves the Streetwolves. They pretend they are like any other street gang, dealing in drugs, women and violence. I would suggest you avoid them. They are uncontrolled thugs. Lycanthropes lack the enhanced sensory capabilities of most other werewolf breeds, so stealth remains your best option."

She waves to Caoimhe. "She will be coming with you. Where three may be discovered and one may fail, two may succeed. You must go now. We have delayed too long already. It is time to strike."

Max and I looked at each other. I shrugged. Max nodded. Ok then, guess it's decided. Max looked back to Weatherwax. "Fine. Let's get this shit done before I change my mind."

We followed the old woman outside to a shitty little clearing a few minutes walk from The Mill.

Weatherwax swiped at one of the hella thick bramble bushes around the clearing and muttered something. My head suddenly started fucking killing me as this bluish circle started spreading from where she swung, revealing a gap in the bush. She turned to Max and Caoimhe. "The Way forward is clear. I will keep the gateway open and instruct you upon reaching your destination."

Max nodded, grinned at me and stepped through. Caoimhe shrugged and hopped in after her.

-----

We stepped out of the Nevernever and found ourselves outside another dockside warehouse. Why do all bad-guys set up shop in fucking warehouses? Half the reason I liked the White Court, at least fighting those guys meant we could do it in some awesome real estate. This warehouse was apparently a 'garage', as the large neon crescent moon sign declared. There was a regular door beside the pair of big, roll-up garage doors. Both were closed, so I decided to try the regular door.

I walked up to the door and moved my hand to open it. Caoimhe was off behind me somewhere. Neither of us were really sure who to expect inside. Weatherwax hadn't really let us know how organised these 'Streetwolves' were. I hoped the gang was out somewhere, tearing up a bar or whatever the fuck they did for fun.

Weatherwax’s voice appeared in my head, like I was listening to her through earphones. I grinned. I’d have to get her to teach me that trick. “There is much energy in the room beyond. I suspect you have enemies awaiting you there.”

What? How the fuck does she know that?

I concentrated and thought back. “Weatherwax? I can’t…”

“You cannot?” She hmmed. “Cast aside your sight, cast aside what you see and instead reach out with your will.”

Eh. What the hell. Worth a try. I closed my eyes and went through the ritual calming steps Dresden… the Boss had taught me. I reached out and…

My eyes shot open. I can feel them! No clue what the hell they are, but I see them in the other room. Well, I could sort of see them. It’s hard to describe. It’s more like I could see their… existences. What they actually looked like was still a mystery, but I knew they were there!

Weatherwax’s voice oozed through my mind again. She sounded almost proud. “Ah, you can feel them. The creatures have an energy to them, do they not? Almost echoing outwards…”

“This is so cool!”

She chuckled. “The ability does have some use. Extending the Sight outwards has it’s risks, but if used well, it can reward you greatly.”

I turned and looked back at Caoimhe, who grinned and ushered me forwards.

I pulled a scrap of parchment from my bag and held it, stuck my other hand through the door and closed my eyes.

I manipulated the energies, carefully channelling everything to the paper. It was all going so well... until Caoimhe appeared at my shoulder "Whatcha doin'?"

I muffled a squeak and glared at her. She stared back, one eyebrow raised. I glared harder. She shrugged, looking completely lost. I rolled my eyes and shushed her, then went back to the spell.

She didn't interrupt again.

When the spell was done, I took a look at the paper. Oh... fuck. The entire room was filled with fucking lycanthropes. They were lying all over the place, sleeping.

I leaned over to Caoimhe and showed her the paper. She frowned down at it. "So, what's this then?"

"The other room. All the assholes are sleeping in there."

She frowned back down at the paper, then grinned in realisation. "Oh yes, I see it now! Shite..." She looked down at her armour. "I am not gettin' through there any time soon."

I shrugged. "Then I guess I'm doing this myself. You stay outside. Play lookout."

I concentrated for a moment, then veiled myself. Caoimhe smiled, then skirted off around the corner of the building. Probably looking for a window or something.

I opened up the door and walked into the wolf's den.

The place was pretty much pitch black, so I could barely see anything. I had a limited night vision spell, but it'd only let me see a little bit. Like looking through really foggy glasses.

I crept through the room, step by step. It all seemed to go pretty well. Until I pulled my foot up and a guy rolled over and his hand fell right under where I was gonna step. I froze.

I wobbled there, swaying back and forth, trying so fucking desperately not to fall, but then... Shit! I knocked a can or something metallic to the floor with a clang.

Ohgodohgodohgod... The lycanthropes started to stir, grumbling and wobbling awake. Shit! Fuck my fucking clumsiness! I turned to run, but "I would advise against that, Ms Caulfield." Weatherwax's voice sounded strained. "I am holding them back for now, but I would suggest you hurry."

I nodded and kept going, rushing as quietly as I could towards the back door.

I eased it open, pausing to check back on the other assholes. Good, still sleeping. I went through into a small corridor, with a couple of doors halfway down, one in each wall, then another at the end. "Weatherwax." I thought. "Which door?"

"The Warden-Captain is through the farmost door."

I headed over and opened it up. Luccio and two other Wardens, still in their tattered grey cloaks, were tied up in the back room. Shit, they looked like they'd been through hell. When I dropped the veil, they immediately started to talk, all doing the alpha thing of demanding they get freed first.

They weren’t happy when I shushed them like a grade school librarian. But they shut up and I got them all untied. “Weatherwax, I’ve got them.” I thought.

Her voice appeared in my head again. So fucking cool. “Then you must leave. The exit you entered through is clear, although I am uncertain how long it shall remain so. Do hurry.”

I waved to Luccio and the Wardens as they stood up and threw off the ropes tying them. I whispered “Follow me. I know a way out.”

Luccio stopped me and glared. "One thing first. Where the hell have you been?"

I rolled my eyes. "Is that really somethin' you wanna talk about here? I'm all for it, but the fucking werewolves in the next room might have some objections to us using their place for chitchat, 'kay?"

She stared at me, and her brow furrowed, but she let it go. "Fine. But we will discuss this later."

I snorted. "Awesome. I promise once we're away from the big angry people who can rip us to pieces, we'll talk all you like. Now, can we fucking go?"

She looked at me, archly. "There's no need to be snippy, young lady."

I scowled and walked back through the corridor to the main room. I was about to walk through when Weatherwax's voice appeared in my head again. "Extend your senses once more, apprentice. I believe the occupants of the next room have woken."

I did what she said and... shit. The little glowy ball things had moved. I stuck out a hand to stop the others. "The assholes are all in there. We can't just go in."

Luccio frowned. "How did you get through?"

I shrugged. "They were asleep. I veiled. But that won't work on a werewolf that's awake." I frowned. "Will it?"

"I have no idea." She turned to one of the other two. "Anna? This is your field."

Anna looked at me. "Do you know what type of werewolf?"

I handed her the drawing. "Lycanthropes."

She grinned. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "You guys have been here for months, have you not seen them?"

She shakes her head. "No, just a bunch of angry bikers."

"Those guys are the werewolves."

The other guy, a kinda bookish looking black dude, chimes in. "So? Will it work?"

I let them argue among themselves and focused on my inner voice. "Weatherwax? Can you put them to sleep again?"

"I don't believe so. Even my power has limits. You will have to find a way past them yourselves."

Well, fuck. That's no help at all. Come on, Max. Ideas, Ideas. Gotta be something we can do.

I turn to the others. "Can you make a shield?"

-----

I clicked my fingers when we walked in, generating a flashbang-sized glow of light above my head. I'd made sure to place it high enough that the three Wardens keeping the shield up around us wouldn't get blinded. That would kinda ruin things. The lycanthropes screamed and cowered from the light. I grinned. "Hey guys. Just wanted to say thanks for the hospitality. But we'll all be going now."

Weatherwax's voice pops into my head, sounding more than slightly amused. "An... interesting solution, if incautiously direct. Let us see how this plays out."

A gruff voice barks out from the back of the room. "You aren't going anywhere, Wizards."

A ripple of mutters flickers around the room. "Wizard. Wizard. Wizard."

I grin, utterly confident and unfazed by the raging monsters around me in the dark. One of Dresden's first lessons. A Wizard should always remain calm, cool and collected even if the world is disintegrating around them.

"Killthemkillthemkillthem!" More and more of them join in the chant as it gets faster and louder. I can feel them dashing restlessly around us.

There's a sort of energy welling up along with the chant, a heavy momentum building up like a river through a breaking dam. We keep moving, rotating slowly towards the door. One or two of the lycanthropes throw themselves up against the shield, bouncing off and making all of us shake in an effort to keep the thing up.

We're maybe halfway when a particularly determined jump from a lycanthrope knocks Anna too hard and the shield flickers again.

Then, it drops completely.

The disappearance of the shield triggers a frenzied howl from the Streetwolves and they come surging towards us, all feral rage.

Shit.

We run for the door, bursting out of it and never slowing down. The Streetwolves charge out after us, that strange primal energy pushing them to pursue.

Until Caoimhe just sorta appears next to the lead guy, plants a shotgun barrel against his stomach and pulls the trigger, sending the asshole flying off. She blasts a couple of the other Lycanthropes and yells "Now that was a bag 'o swag, wasn't it? Get back in your gaff and we'll be on our way."

One of the lycanthropes tried to charge her, but screeched to a fucking halt when she levelled the shotgun on his head. "Ah jaysus. Jest give et up, ya gobshite."

She doesn't take her eyes off the werewolves, yelling out to us "You seem ta have done quite well for yerself, eh? We should prob'ly be goin'."

We don't think twice. We run into the Way, Caoimhe covering the rear, and we get the hell out of dodge.

-----

Luccio rolled out a world map on one of the tables in the central room. “Ok, so.” She tapped a circle. There were six others on the map. “The Council have designated final retreat zones only I am aware of.”

Anna came over and stood by the table. Bookish black guy stayed standing off in the corner with Caoimhe. Chloe was next to me still. She'd stuck with me ever since I got back.

“So, we’ve got to find them. Where do we start?”

I tapped the one in the jungle. “Ebenezar. Dresden trusted him.” I looked to Luccio. She shrugged. “Sure. We'll find the old goat.”

Weatherwax's mouth curled in another wolfish smile. "Then to the jungles we must go."

-----
Translations
Cara - Friend

Chapter Text

We headed out of the weird-ass War-Council thing and everyone splintered off to go do... whatever the fuck it is they do. I went to find Max.

It took me about twenty minutes, but eventually I found her sat on a wall outside, just staring blankly at some shit off in the distance. I went over and sat next to her. She didn't look at me. So...

Damn it.

I rubbed the back of my neck. Shit, this is hella awkward. "Uh, Hey Max."

She grunted.

Well, at least I got a response, right?

That's good.

Isn't it?

"Sorry about your boss." I tried. "I mean, I didn't really know the guy, but... yeah." Stop talking, Price. "Sorry."

She nods, vaguely. Pretty sure that's a 'thanks, but fuck off' nod. I sit down anyway. After William died, I wanted everyone to fuck off too.

"So..." You know you got to ask, Price. You've been thinking about it the entire fucking time she was off fighting werewolves or whatever. "What did Weatherwax mean about, uh 'mental magics'?" I took a deep breath and looked over at her. "'cause I felt hella weird after you, y'know, tried to throw yourself at an old lady."

Don't get me wrong, I can probably guess what 'mental magics' are. I'm not fucking stupid. I just needed to hear it from her. A lotta shit happened in the last couple days and weirdly, it's like I get pissed off hella less easily now. I was gonna listen, for once.

Her shoulders slumped. Fucking hell, Max... "I am so fucking sorry, Chloe. I just wanted to hurt her."

"So, you fucked around with my head?"

She shook her head. "No! Never. Not you. I just... pushed you a little. You trust me already, so I just... made you focus on that."

Yep. Fucking thought so. Godfuckingshitdamnit, Max. "Seriously, Max? You'd fucking do that to me?"

She snorts, looking up at me for a second. "Spoiler alert, Chloe. I kinda have 'self-control issues'." She goes back to staring at the ground. "She just... I got so angry, Chloe. Shit, Dresden went to the wall for me so many fucking times and I couldn't do shit for him when it mattered." She sighs and it's all weird and ragged-breathy like she's trying to keep her shit together and barely succeeding.

Damn it.

I put my arm around her and whatever dam she had keeping it all back just broke and she started crying. She was babbling, too. About all I caught was a bunch of "I'm sorry"s and shit like that.

I just hold her. Not even sure for how long. She'd stopped crying though and started talking. About friends of hers from Seattle. Kristen and Fernando. About the drugs. About how she'd played with their heads trying to help and nearly killed them both. About how these White Council douchebags tried to decapitate her (Like, seriously?) and about how Dresden had literally put his own head on the line to keep her alive.

The air around us seemed to crackle as she talked faster and faster. She looked up at me. She looked... tired. So fucking tired. Heh. I know the feeling. "Like, what kind of monster does that, Chloe? To someone they... someone they care about!"

"It all happened years ago, Max. People can change. I mean, look at me, right?" I grin. "I'm hella different."

She doesn't look up. You need to try something different, Price. You're not helping. Huh, maybe thats it.

"Fuck, Max... You tried to help." I shrug, kinda not sure where I'm actually going with this. "I hella don't get it, the whole 'Dark Side corrupts' thing, but you tried to help. That's gotta count for something, right?" She nods, numbly. "And what about the Council? You said they just execute, uh, 'Warlocks' all the time, right?"

She nods again.

I grin and do that 70s romcom thing where I gently nudge her chin up with my hand so she's looking at me. "So, you're not dead. If you were a monster, they'd have killed you. You made one mistake when you were a kid, that doesn't make you a monster, Max."

She looked up at me. "You really think so?"

I nodded, all solemnly and shit. "I know so. So, get your shit together, nerd. We've got a bunch of weird, faerie assholes to beat the shit out of, 'kay?

She nodded back, wiping her eyes. "'kay."

-----

After a while, we headed back inside. Caoimhe and Sutter were over by the bar. She'd gotten a glass of something and was sitting and chatting to the dude. Me and Max were about to head over when she spotted Weatherwax by the fire. She was talking to some dude with...

Huh.

That's a goat-guy. Or maybe a Goat-girl, I dunno. Whatever it was, there was a five-foot tall goat sat in a chair chatting with Weatherwax. "You will give Queen Titania what she requires!" He had a deep voice, kind of like Count Dooku. Probably a dude then. Gonna go with that unless someone says otherwise.

Weatherwax murmured quietly to him. I could see him get angrier with every word. His jaw locked and his eyes did this weird squinty thing my Dad used to do when he was hella angry.

He stood up suddenly with a hella pissed-off sounding growl, turning away from Weatherwax. Before he even took one fucking step, he crashed down onto the floor.

There were three purple scarf things hanging from his belt. Wait, weren't they the things Max's big bosses wore? The guys who were like, the most powerful wizards on the fucking planet? And this goat-dude-thing had killed three of them?

Fucking hell. Then I looked at Weatherwax. There was a tiny bead of sweat on her forehead, but other than that there was no fucking evidence at all that she was holding the goat-thing to the floor like a fucking pro-wrestler.

Max and I looked at each other. "Holy. Shit."

Weatherwax didn't even look at the goat-thing still flailing about on the ground. "If you talk to me in that manner again, I will pour so much frost into those Summer veins of yours that you will crawl to Mab herself and beg to become a Winter Vassal. Understood?"

The goat nodded, mutely. His eyes, looking like they were about to burst out of his fucking head, flicked about the room to each one of us stood watching in shock. Weatherwax snorted and waved a hand. The Gruff shook himself like a wet dog, then hesitantly tried to stand. When he found he could, he pulled himself fully to his feet. He stared at Weatherwax for a second, who'd gone back to looking at the fire.

Then, he shook his head and left the Mill, hobbling out the door.

Weatherwax's head swivelled to look at us. She didn't say anything, just quietly looked at us for a second or two, then smiled and went back to staring at the fire.

Max and I looked at each other again. "Holy. Shit."

We went over. "Hey, Weatherwax. Who was that guy?" I ask, figuring she'd bullshit or just smile that enigmatic smile of hers and ignore the question.

"No-one of consequence." Bingo! Ten points to me!

She looks up at Max. "There are many things to come for you, Child. If you are to be prepared, you must learn. Wizards practice many disciples, many styles of arcane combat. I realise your strengths lean further toward the subtleties of magic, but it will be of use for you to know some." She smirks. "I would recommend, however, that you do not overly rely on them. Your mind will get you out of more situations that those wands you carry."

Max shrugged, but I could tell she was excited. She got a little smirk that she kept trying to hide. It was cute.

I stuck my hands up and backed off. "You two kids have fun. I'm gonna go hang with Bart and the crazy Irish girl."

I wandered over to the bar, leaving Max and Weatherwax chatting.

Caoimhe grinned and held up her glass when she spotted me. "Top o' the mornin' to ya, lass." Sutter just grunted.

I nodded. I actually knew this one. Max's granddad had been properly Irish and used to say it all the damn time. "And the rest of the day to yourself, Caoimhe."

She grinned. "Y'know, you're not so bad, Price. You want anyt'in?"

I looked over at Sutter. "Uh, what've you got?"

One of his eyebrows went up. "Whatever you want."

I look at Caoimhe. Bullshit, right? She smirks. "The boyo means it. T'Mill c'n serve anythin' your little heart desires."

Huh. Well, what the hell. "Ok, dude. Um, surprise me?" That always turns out awesomely in the movies, so what the hell.

He nodded and busied about the bar. I sat next to Caoimhe. "So... You're a Faerie."

She nodded back. "I sure am."

"What's that like?"

She shrugged. "Prob'ly about t'same as bein' a human, just colder, bein' parta Winter an' all."

I frowned. "Yeah, Max said something about that. Means your big boss is Mab, right?"

She nods. "Sure does. She's a bit of a hard-ass, but a pretty good gal ta work for. She's not one for the olagonin' less'n somethin's doin' a number on 'er. "

We looked back to see Max juggling three knives without any fucking hands. They were just sorta flying in a circle above her open hand.

As we watched, she pointed over at something on the far wall and one of the knives shot out.

Caoimhe snorted. "Wizards're feckin' eejits. Magic's no substitute fer a good 'ole fashioned blade." She reached up and tapped the sword on her back. "This is Crednyah."

"Crednyah?"

"C, R, E, D, N, E." She laughs.

I roll my eyes. Fucking Irish. Hella weird language.

We got to chatting. Caoimhe was actually pretty awesome. Was still kinda weird, talking to someone who should be fucking fictional, but yeah. Hella awesomesauce.

-----

Luccio picked out one of the crosses on the big world map. It was somewhere in Russia, sort of around the right of the middle. "Elder McCoy should be here. It's close enough to the Tunguska area to mask magical energies. We'll have to get there before we can find him. Weatherwax, you know the ways. Do you know how we can get there?"

Weatherwax peered down at the map. "This location is known to me." She reached over to the map, and tapped the cross with a fingernail. Then, she tapped at the air. She turned to me. "May I have one of your paper pictures?"

I frowned, but gave her one. What the hell. She's my teacher now, right? She held up the page and closed her eyes for a second, chanting under her breath. She put the paper down on top of Luccio's map. We all immediately looked down at it.

"You made a fucking sat-nav?"

Weatherwax had turned the paper into a little map of Faerie. There was a little symbol where the mill was, and a big cross off in the wilds somewhere. She smiled. "I have indeed. It will guide you to your destination. Now, go. There is work to be done."

I took the paper from the table and we headed downstairs to equip ourselves.

-----

I pulled on my pack, with Ellis' help. I'd finally learnt his name after we'd gotten out of Luccio's briefing. Nice guy, but Wowzers, he was seriously bookish. Had these little pince-nez that perched on the the end of his nose and everything.

Caoimhe grins, strapping a second sword to her side. She'd introduced this one to us as Orlaith. (AN: Pronounced Orla, btw.) "Jaysus, bet it'll be good fer you Wardens to see some more action. Ya must've been goin' stir crazy after all the time with the wolves."

Ellis smiles. "We really have. It's been a while since I've been out on the field myself though. I was mostly part of the bureaucratic corps." He brings his silver sword down in a swift cut and stab. "But I made sure to keep in practice."

I blinked. Woah. I share an impressed look with Caoimhe. Never judge a book by it's cover, I guess. "Damn."

He grins and sheaths the blade. "Let's do this thing."

Once we're all prepped and ready, we head out.

I'm gonna skip the first part of the journey. Nothing happened, like, at all, so I'll just skip to the interesting stuff. That came a couple of hours into the trip when we came across a river out in the middle of this huge forest.

"How the fuck do we get across this?" It's pretty wide. Maybe 20 feet from edge to edge.

"Uh, Max?" Caoimhe mutters, cocking her head. "I think I hear music..."

I stop and listen. Shit, she's right. Faintly, off from across the river, I can hear... ew. Folk music. "Huh. You're right. There must be people over there."

"One second." I focus inwardly. "Weatherwax?"

"Yes, child?"

"Is there a town or something on the route you sent us? We can hear music."

I can sense the frown behind her next words "No. Your route should take you far from anyone who would trouble you. You may wish to avoid the music. You are in the Nevernever, after all. Music can be indicative of danger there."

Good point. I open my eyes. "Weatherwax says to go around." I check the map. "But the only other crossing is, like, fucking miles away. I say we cross and dodge whoever it is on the other side."

The Wardens exchange some... doubtful looks, but seem to shrug and agree quickly. Ana nods. "Very well. We'll go over here."

"Awesome." I lean back, look over at the river, then back at the Wardens. It's pretty strong... "You guys wanna go first?"

Luccio snorted. "We'll go together." She turned to the other two following her. "You two, mind the girl. Make sure she doesn't float away." I snort. Bitch. She looked over at Caoimhe. "You lead, we'll keep her safe."

Caoimhe shrugged. "All the same t'me, cara." She fiddled with a few buckles on her backpack and pulled it off, holding it up in front of her. Then, she walked into the river.

The two Wardens each took one of my arms and followed Caoimhe. Luccio took the rear. We all slid down the muddy embankment to the river. The minute we hit the water, I hissed. Shit, it's fucking freezing! I grit my teeth when Caoimhe looked back at me and grinned, utterly at ease. Bitch.

Anna and Ellis had to push pretty hard against the water to get through it. But they didn't get washed away. Their armour seemed to be weighing them down.

Maybe I should get some armour. That way I wouldn't have to get pulled through fucking rivers like a damn backpack.

We make it through and shake ourselves dry on the other bank. Caiomhe attracts our attention. "Uh, so, Anna's wandered off t's'mwhere."

Luccio whirls. "Damnit!" Her silver sword appears in her hand. "Did you see where she went?"

Caoimhe shrugs. "Níl. Jest turned 'round an' she was gone."

All three draw their swords. "Roight then, let's go get ya lost lamb, eh?"

They strode off into the woods, with me trailing on their heels. Basically, I was kinda using them as a human-fae shield. What? They were the ones with the armour and shit, right?

We make our way through the woods, with Caoimhe stopping every now and again to paw at shit on the ground like a bloodhound. The music got louder and louder as we went. Following her 'nose', we came to a clearing. There was a small campfire crackling in the middle of it and a couple of shadowy figures dancing around it, . "Uh, guys... I think we found the musicians..." I pointed across the clearing.

There were no musicians, really. Just three floating, ethereal instruments with a vague, green glow to them. There was a drum, a flute and something that looked kinda like a violin. The music, weirdly enough, had suddenly gotten quieter. The weird ghost-instruments were playing at a pretty pleasant level. Not too loud, not too quiet. I felt my toes start to tap involuntarily to the beat. I concentrated for a second and forced them to stop.

"Uh, Max?" Caoimhe sounded... oh crap!

The other two Wardens had dropped their swords and were dancing into the middle of the clearing with the other two. Caoimhe and I stood and watched in shock as the fucking Captain of the Wardens, big bad-ass bitch Anastasia Luccio, danced and swung around the clearing with a seriously fucked-up smile on her face. I literally cannot describe how disturbing it was to see, even if she was a weirdly younger and kinda hot version of her former scary old-lady self. Would've been way more fucking creepy before, but it's still pretty weird now.

Caoimhe put her hand on my shoulder. "I gotta bad feeling 'bout this."

I snort, watching the Wardens dancing around the campfire. "Yeah... bit late, Caoimhe." Luccio twirls around Anna and links arms with Ellis.

She takes in a deep breath. "Well, how t'hell are we gonna get 'em outta this mess?"

"Give me a minute." I glance around the clearing, trying to get a better look at everything. One of the Boss's lessons. Keep an eye on your surroundings. It doesn't really help. There's piles of bones and armour scattered around the clearing. Looks like a lot of people have died here.

That's... not good.

I look back over to the clearing, trying to check out the instruments. There's no fucking way I'm using The Sight in Faerie, that's an easy way to go fucking insane.

Wait... "Caoimhe, why are we immune to whatever this?"

She shrugged. "Got no idea why you are. I'm under the Queen's Aegis, myself. Protects me from a lot of the weirder things out here."

Huh. "Weatherwax?"

"I'm afraid I am also at a loss, Max. If you recall, I advised caution. That is the extent of my knowledge here."

So... "Any ideas?" I ask Caoimhe.

She nods her head at the instruments. "Good 'ole Faerie Charms, right there. Looks like..." Her eyes unfocus. I stare, kinda fascinated, as her pupils change into those little rounded Cat's-Eye Diamonds. So fucking cool. "Ah, fer fecks sake. Yeah, it's Summer-work."

It's what? Seriously? Well that's fucking bad.

She frowns. "What the hell is bloody Summer Court magic doin' in the heart o' Winter?"

That was probably rhetorical, but I shrug. "Maybe some Seelie Sidhe dropped it there. What does it matter? We need those three" I pointed over at the dancing lunatics. "to find the Senior Council. Whoever put this here, we need to get them out."

Caoimhe snorts. "Yeah, and if we get 'em out only to realise we ticked off a big bad faerie who's gonne come and rip us all t'pieces, then what? We gotta do this carefully."

Damn it. Why did she have to have a point? I sighed internally. Life would be so much easier if we could just blast through it. "Fine. Then, what would you suggest?"

"Can ya give the instruments a little nudge wit' your Will?"

I shrug. "Sure, but what the fuck is that gonna do?"

"Hopefully, it'll give me some idea o' what we're dealin' with 'ere."

Alright. What the hell. Better than doing nothing. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Wizardry is all about Will. It's something all of us with the gift have. The Boss always defined it as 'The ability to make things happen'. So, I concentrated, worked up my will and sent it out to the instruments. Sort of like the Wizard version of that 'poke' weapon from the Worms games.

The outline instruments quivered for a second and flickered out, then reformed. Shit. I turned to Caoimhe. "Did that help?"

"Depends. Do ya want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Good."

"Well, we can get 'em out. But we're gonna hafta pull 'em out. No way are you dispelling that shite."

I sigh. Damn it. "How the fuck are we supposed to pull three heavily armoured adults away from a magically induced dance?"

Caoimhe grins.

--

I'm so very happy by the time Caoimhe finishes explaining her plan. After fucking Splattercon, I needed something like this.

I take a deep breath and start bringing together my will. Caoimhe gives me a nod across the clearing. In position. Move.

"Kaze!"

I throw out my hands and channel the magical energies down, through and out of them.

The wave of energy hits the four dancers and sends them flying. I grin. Air Spells were one of the few offensive magics I was good at. Remind me to tell you about the time Dresden and I spent a whole week working out a hair-dryer spell. It worked awesome. His brother, Thomas, let me intern at his shop once. I go so many tips you wouldn't even fucking believe me.

The minute they clear the, uh, clearing, the music starts to fade away again. The three ghost-instruments slowly drift down, the music dying down more and more as they drift to the ground. When they hit the ground, the music stops and the fire flickers out.

Caoimhe stops running and I drop my spell. The three Wardens all drop to the ground and start blinking and shaking their heads like they've just woken up. We both turn and look back at the now empty campsite. "Well, shit. That went well."

Luccio laughs breathlessly, sounding utterly exhausted. "It could've gone worse. We could all be dead right now." She frowns and focuses on me. "Except... you were immune to the charm."

I interrupt before she can continue. "Yeah, me and Caoimhe had this talk already. We have no fucking idea why it got you guys and not me. Neither does Weatherwax."

Her frown deepens for a second, then clears. "Still. We..."

I roll my eyes. "We need to go. The instruments will reform in a few minutes and I do not wanna have to fucking pull you out again, okay?"

She nods and the Wardens all stand, adjusting their armour and weapons and shit in preparation. When we've (They've) all gotten ready, we head off into the forest, following the map again. We make it pretty easily to our destination, without any other problems. Well, Luccio kept bugging me the entire way to theorise about why I was immune, but I spent most of the trip up front with Caoimhe learning to track so I could avoid her, so in my opinion, it didn't really count as a problem.

I check the map again and call a halt. "We're here!" I check out the surrounding area. Well, shit. "Why can't we ever go anywhere nice?"

Weatherwax doesn't respond, she just laughs. Bitch.

The trees around us are covered in webs. I can't see any spiders, but knowing Faerie, it's only a matter of time. I head to the spot on the map, making sure I'm in the exact right place. Of all the places in the Nevernever, Faerie is closest to our own plane of existence. A lot of places here link to places there, but it's not exactly spatially exact. If I was too far off, I might get a Way to somewhere way off course.

I look up and call out. "Found it! We need to open the Way here!"

In hindsight, I knew this was stupid, but whatever. Turns out shouting at the top of your voice in a deserted, cobweb-filled forest isn't exactly the best idea...

"Who enterssss our demesne?" A voice echoes out from the dark woods. It's horrible to listen to. All deep and crooning and raspy. Like Kaa the snake if she'd smoked 50 a day for a decade or two.

All the Wardens immediately draw their swords and form a little diamond with Caoimhe around me. "Wardens of the White Council. We apologise for our intrusion, we'll be gone in..."

The voice interrupts. "Gone? And why sssshould we let you go? You are intruderssss, are you not, little man-things?""

Caoimhe murmurs. "Come in to my parlour, said the spider to the fly..."

Luccio calls out again. "And we apologise for that, and offer a commensurate service in return. But we have urgent business elsewhere. If we could just..."

"No!" The voice spits. "At them, children. We will feed on their bodies! At them!"

And a wave of spiders comes through and down the trees at us.

Oh, shiiiiit...

Anna yells. "Shit, they're all around us!"

The line smashes into us like a wave, pushing the Wardens even closer to me. Ellis actually knocks me a little, throwing off my concentration. I swear under my breath and start to pull my Will together again.

I risk a glance at the spiders, and shudder when I see the half-foot long fangs. These aren't your ordinary house-spiders. These things are the size of fucking horses. They had long, chitinous bodies of a grey and blue-ish white colour that marked them as being of Winter. They were actually very graceful, dexterously flicking and dancing around as they tried to eat our faces.

Speaking of, back to the fight. Probably a good thing for me to concentrate on, right?

I tune back in just in time to see Caoimhe launch a huge torrent of ice at a spider in mid-jump. The ice collided with the spider and it flash-froze. It continued it's jump, landing at our feet and shattering into a shitload of pieces. She laughs, delighted, and swings her sword at one that had locked onto Anna's arm, trying to yank her out of the diamond. The sword bites into the things head with a disgusting squelching sound and it lets go, falling back into the flood of spiders around us.

Luccio looks over at her shoulder back at me while casually slashing at one of the spiders. "Get us out of here!"

Ok! Ok, I can do this, I can do this, I can... I concentrate for a minute and slash a hand through the air to open a way. The familiar blue portal opens in front of us and we all step through.

-----

We stepped through from Faerie straight into... nothing. "Shiiiit!" We immediately fell straight down, tumbling and rolling down a fucking hill. It was everything I could do to avoid cracking my face on a fucking tree.

Honestly, looking back, I really wanted to know what it'd fucking look like to someone stood on the ridge. Just seeing us pop in out of nowhere and fall down like fucking Coyote in a Looney Tunes cartoon.

From my perspective, it fucking sucked.

When I finally hit the bottom, I tucked and rolled trying to, y'know, keep my internal organs internal. It's been harder than you'd think, actually. One reason I was glad Dresden had insisted I get good at shields and veils.

I hit the ground and I'm pretty sure every single bit of breath went out of me. I hurt so much I was kinda sure I was going to die.

Luccio had hit the ground in a weirdly nimble 3-point landing. Every one of my aching bones hated her for it. "Everyone, report. Anna? Ellis?"

Anna groaned and waved an arm from the bush she was stuck in. Ellis hopped down from the tree he'd landed in and called out. "Here."

"Excellent. Max? Caoimhe?"

I moaned and wafted an arm vaguely in her direction. To be honest, I was still not really with it. I'd just fallen down a huge fucking hill, so I'm pretty sure I could justifiably take a minute.

"I'm here." Caoimhe smirked down at us from her perch up in a tree.

Ellis wandered over and offered me a hand. I let it hang there for a second, maybe two, just wallowing in my pain. Ok, maybe three. But eventually I reached out and took the guys hand and he helped me to my feet.

That's when I noticed the weather.

"Holyfuckingshitit'scold!" I hissed out, doing that whole wriggle-rub thing you do to warm up.

None of the others looked concerned. "How are you not fucking shiv...shivering? It's so fucking cold!" I chattered out.

Luccio rolled her eyes and said "Magic." just as Caoimhe said "Winter-Fae. Duh."

Luccio turned and glared at her. She looked back at me. "Didn't Dresden teach you a heating spell?"

I shrugged. "N... No. We st...stuck to illusions and shit."

She rolled her eyes again. "Dresden... you shortsighted idiot." It was almost... fond?

"Well, you know the drill. It's the same process for a shield spell, just focus a little heat in there too."

I nodded hurriedly. "'kay. One sec."

I closed my eyes and visualised, well, me. I brought my will together and formed it into a blue coating, draping it over myself. This was how the Boss taught me to do shields. He was such an 80s Kid. I smiled, sadly. Everything had to be colour-coded. Blue for Defence, Red for Attack.

Once I had my shield, I focused on heat. Not too much. I wanted to be warm, not roasted. Well, probably burnt, since I'd totally missed Mom's gift for cooking. Remind me to tell you about the time I ashed a pizza later.

I tuned it to a comfortable 50 Fahrenheit and sighed in relief.

I opened my eyes again to see Luccio staring at me expectantly. "Ready?"

I nodded and took her hand, pulling myself up.

She gives me a second to dust myself off. "So, where to next?"

I pull out the map. "Uh..." I turn around until I'm facing the right direction. "This way."

-----

It's maybe three hours of walking until we hit the town. It's... not a pretty sight. Everything is very functional, with little to no attention to looks. We kick up dirt from the road as we walk down the towns main street towards what Luccio guessed was the town hall. It was the only building big enough to be one, so we decided to try it.

The few people we walked past on the way swerved well around us. They were all wearing thick layers of clothing, and openly gawked at the fact we were walking in clothes made for temperatures forty degrees higher. The two we manage to convince to stop look at us and mutter something that sounds like "sumasshedhiye amerikantsov." before keeping walking.

So, we end up in the big building, which turns out to be one big hall, with a couple of small offices built into one wall. We head over to one and knock. A woman calls out. "Voyti!"

Luccio turns and mutters something under her breath. The woman inside calls out again. "Enter!"

"Hey! I understood that!"

Luccio smiles. "Translation spell. We'll all be able to understand Russian now."

I grin. That's pretty awesome. I'll have to ask her how to do that later. For now, we all head into the office.

"Hi, are you the boss?" I ask. I honestly have no idea. Everyone here seems to be dressed exactly the same way. I was used to town authority having weirdly oversized gold bling shiny enough to rival Mr T. Nobody here seemed to match that description. They were all dressed more like Murdock or Hannibal.

The woman smiles."I am. Alma Dostoyevsky, at your service." She frowns and cocks her head. "How can I help you?"

Luccio steps forward. "We're looking for someone. He's an older man, American. Probably arrived two or three months ago. He's..."

She frowns, interrupting Luccio. "You want the Old Coot? What do you want him for?"

Luccio smiles. "Family business. A relative died and one of the clauses in his will require us to contact him. Do you know where we could find him?"

Dostoyevsky looks suspicious, but shrugs. "He's down south, near the treeline."

We come over the hill to find a little cottage just... there by the edge of the forest. It looked like it should have three bears and a little blonde girl arguing outside it. I frowned at it. This was where Ebenezar was hiding?

"Councilman McCoy is in here?" Anna looks over at the house, one elegant eyebrow raised. The image is kinda ruined by the blood running down her face, but whatever.

Luccio nods. "He should be. It's the location I know. If he's not there, then we've no chance of finding him."

Caoimhe rolls her eyes and walks forward. "Well, lets go get on with it then. Sooner we check et out, sooner we can move the feck on."

The Wardens shrug, unsheathe their own swords and follow. I take the rear.

The area is quiet as we creep over. No sound, no other people, nothing.

We reach the door in seconds. Caoimhe turns to me and mouths. "Should I?"

I shrug, look to Luccio. She nods. Caoimhe shrugs and reaches over, then knocks loudly on the door.

We wait for a minute. Then another. And another. Five minutes go by before we hear a faint grumbling and someone shuffling about on the other side of the door. The door flashes blue and fizzes loudly for a few seconds.

A stocky old man with blunt features and next to no hair answers the door. I grin. "Hey Sir."

His eyes bulge and his mouth opens slightly. "Max?" He looks to the others. "Captain Luccio? How the..?"

He looks between us again. "What the hell are you doing here? Protocol is to..."

"Um, sir? It's kind of cold out here..." I venture. Well, 'interrupt', but whatever. Potato, potato. "Could we maybe talk inside?"

He blinks and shakes his head. "Good point. Look at me, forgetting my manners. Come in, all of you. And wipe your damn boots."

We follow him in to the house. He takes us through to a small kitchenette area. He wafts a hand at it without even looking, heading straight over to stand by a window. "Help yourselves to whatever you need."

The two Wardens and Caoimhe settle down into the kitchen. Luccio goes to join McCoy at the window. I sorta stand between the two for a second, kinda overthinking what I know I gotta do. In case you hadn't guessed, I tend to do that. Overthink the personal stuff, Underthink the job stuff. Something else I picked up from Dresden.

Eh. Fuck it.

"Uh, sir? Can I talk to you? In private?"

His grizzled old eyebrows shot up, but he nodded and we headed outside. There was a little wooden bench-table thing carved around a tree trunk in the garden. He took a seat on it, I stayed standing.

He snorted. "I'm not gonna bite, Max. Sit down."

I sat down. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

I took a deep breath. How the hell do you tell someone shit like this? I mean... "Its about Dresden, sir."

Ebenezar frowns, his big shaggy eyebrows bunching together. "What about 'im? I was wonderin' where he'd got to. Is he with you?"

"No, sir. He's... he didn't make it."

His face falls. "So. The Lad is dead, then." He sighed. "I thought as much. Damnit, Hoss." His hand went to his forehead. "Damnit to hell."

I sat in silence as he muttered and grumbled to himself. It... fuck. It sucked.

"Right. Well, then." He lifted up his head and looked me straight in the eye. "We're going to get the bastards that did this, Max. You have my word on that."

I smiled. "Never doubted it for a second, sir."

He groaned to his feet. "Well, the boy wouldn't want us mopin' around fer too long. Lets get back in afore the Wardens start gettin' impatient an' tearin' the place apart."

We head back inside to see Ellis and Anna digging through the cupboards and Luccio pacing back and forth around the room. She spots us walking in and immediately storms over. "Elder McCoy, we need you to come with us. We're taking the fight back to..."

McCoy puts up a hand. "I can't do that, Captain. I'm needed here."

Her mouth drops open. "Here? What's here? You're needed for the fight, Ebenezar! What good are you doing here?" She punctuates that last line by almost pushing at McCoy, but she manages to stop herself right before her hands hit him. Smart woman. McCoy had once brought down an entire satellite from orbit just to fuck with someone.

The gruff old bastard growls with frustration. "Look, Captain, that's what I'm tryin' to tell you, damn it! I'm lookin' for somethin' that's gonna help with that fight!"

Luccio scowls, but her aggressive posture drops. "As you say, sir. Then please, tell us what we can do to help."

He raises one fluffy grey eyebrow. She smiles, awkwardly. "We might've lost Edinburgh, but you're still Senior Council, Sir. At the end of the day, we follow your lead."

He nods. "Excellent. Right, come on then. Follow me."

He takes us upstairs to a cramped attic.

"I'm here fer this." He rolled out one of the scrolls onto the table.

I... um... I look at the weird-ass picture on it. "What is it?"

He snorted. "This right here is map of the Reliquary." That's a map? Seriously? Okay... "Found it in one of my masters old journals. There's supposed to be a wealth of artefacts down there. Thought maybe we could use some of them. I certainly ain't leaving without at least takin' a look. You in?"

I look over at Luccio, who shrugs. I nod. "Sure. What do we need to do?"

The old man grins.

Chapter Text

After grabbing some supplies from Ebenezar's cottage, we head out on the road. The old man stays in front, leading the little convoy to wherever this mysterious 'reliquary' place of his is.

After the first mile, I'm... breathing a bit heavier than everyone else. Walking that far is... way more than I'm used to. Every shitstorm Dresden got us into was either short-range or we had The Blue Beetle to ride in. That car may have been old and crappy, but it could really haul ass when the Boss needed it to. So could I. Dwarves were natural sprinters, after all. Very dangerous over short distances. The same was true of my short-ass self.

Anyway, the walking kinda wore me the fuck out and I lost my control a couple times on the journey, letting the cold through to bite at my toes. I bitched about it a hella lot, so it probably balanced out.

Ellis grinned at me the first time it happened. "Tundras a bey-atch." He drawled,

I glare up at him and growl. He laughs and keeps going as Caoimhe scoops me off the floor with one hand, plonking me on my fight. "Now, c'mon there, no feckin' time ta be sittin' down right now."

I growl and keep going.

It's another two, maybe three miles of walking until we reach the small cave opening and Ebenezar stops. "We're here."

"Here?" I pant, ever so slightly. What? You try walking four miles while keeping your mind on stopping you from freezing to death. It's harder than it fucking looks, okay?

He nods and, with a faint shrug, we all follow him into the caves.

A few hundred yards inside, we find a door. Well, I think it's a door. It's kinda like a big vertical-circular alcove. The doorframe is a huge circle, but where there should be a door, there's just wall. It's divided into concentric circles of runes that I don't recognise.

Ebenezar runs his hands over it, stopping over the runes. They glow blue for a quick second, then he starts to read.

"I am what you seek,
To the door I hold the key,
I may be hidden from view,
Or may be plain to see."

I sigh. "Shit, fucking riddles?"

Luccio eyes me with amusement. I shrug. "I hate riddles."

Ebenezar laughs. "Well, we have to solve this 'un before we can get in there." He waves at the door.

I groan and wave a hand. "I'm gonna be totally useless here. You guys can take care of it, right sir?"

Caoimhe laughs. "Well, they could certainly try."

Ebenezar eyes Caoimhe, then Luccio and the Wardens with mild amusement as Caoimhe just chortles away and the Wardens all bristle at her. I have to stop myself from laughing too. Their faces are kind of hilarious. All scrunched up and offended. Heh. "Aye, I think we can. Lets see if that fancy Warden education put anythin' in those thick skulls of theirs."

Caoimhe plonks herself down by the door with a grin. "Alrighty then. This is gonna be some good craic an' no mistake."

I wander over and sit next to her, closing my eyes. Slowing my heartbeat, I drop into a meditative state for a while. I can hear the others still, but it's just... distant and far away. I spend the next few minutes carefully building up my heat-shield again.

Ellis suddenly clicks his fingers, pulling me back to reality. "The Answer!"

Everyone eyes him. "Yeah, we need to work out what the feckin' answer is, ye thick gabhdan." Caoimhe grumbles, probably pissed she hadn't guessed it already. Fae are supposed to be awesome at riddles.

Ellis rolls his eyes. "No, no. The Answer IS the Answer." He counts off on his fingers with each 'check'. "We seek it, it holds the key to the door and it's hidden from view, until we work it out, then it's plain to see." He looks up at us. "See?"

Ebenezar shrugs. "Good work, boy. As good as an answer as any. Let me see if I can find the runes fer that." He runs his hands over the door again, pausing every so often at certain symbols. As his hands moved over them, they glowed a bright, vibrant blue, kinda like Chloe's hair.

The symbols all flashed again, then flashed in a sequence of layers going up from the bottom. As the top-most ones faded, the huge stone M engraved above the door glowed that same blue as the rune-covered back of the door suddenly rolls off to the side, rumbling and crashing about like a damn thunderstorm.

Ebenezar and I share a grin. He turns to the others, gesturing at the open darkness beyond the door. "So. Shall we?"

--

There's a longish, plain cut-stone corridor, maybe thirty feet long. We all follow it along until we hit a small wooden door set into the end of it. With a shrug, we push it open and go inside.

"Woah."

The middle of the room is filled with a huge red-veined rock dragon statue sitting back on it's haunches and holding a rune-covered stone circle with a red gem-button in the centre. It's about twice Chloe's height and broader than all three Wardens stood next to each other. We all sort of pause and look up at it for a few seconds.

At the other end of the room, there's a closed portcullis with a smaller version of the dragon statue above it, this time holding an hourglass in place of the gem-circle thingy. The minute we step into the room, the door behind us closes and the sand starts to drop. Ebenezar and Luccio curse and launch forward to the Dragon. Ebenezar reads the runes quickly, then slams his hand down on the gem button. The sand reverses flow, then once the bottom is empty, starts to fall once again.

"I'll translate here and push the button when we need to. Everyone, check the room, see if ye can work out what we're supposed to be doing here."

After a couple of minutes of trying the gem-circle, Ebenezar pulls out a little book and starts reading. We've all split up and are combing the room. I find nothing in my corner and shout out to the others. "Found anything?"

Ellis snorts. "We ain't found shit!"

I sigh. "Damn it. Well, I don't know, we've got to do something. Merlin, nobody would put in a puzzle like this you couldn't get out of."

I turn and look for somewhere to check next. Everyone is split up, which is good. Too many eyes on one point is kinda pointless, right?

Ellis is stood still staring at the hourglass-dragon, watching the sand go down. His head is slightly tilted and I'm pretty sure he's counting under his breath. Well, ok. I leave him to it and check on the others.

Luccio and Anna are stood over by the entry door, talking in low tones about 'ancient lore' or something. I lose interest pretty quickly. History was never really my thing. Why bother dealing with the past when the future was so much more interesting? I move on.

Ebenezar is murmuring over the runes on the gem-circle, checking the book. It's just a constant stream alternating between 'eureka' moments and random curses. "Maybe a... no, damnit, that'll never work. Blasted myothermic principle, or maybe a, no, not that bloody either."

I laugh to myself and wander over. "Sir?"

He jumps and I resist the urge to grin. He glares at me, every inch the crotchety old man every apprentice feared. "What?"

"Just seeing if theres anything I can do to help, sir."

He eyes me. "Did you do that last task the boy set ye?"

I frowned. "You mean the book? I made it about halfway through. Why?" My frown deepened. "Is that helpful for this?"

He grins, his big bushy eyebrows wiggling like caterpillars with Parkinson's. "Prob'ly not. Just curious."

I roll my eyes. "So..?"

He shrugs. "I'm just tryin'ta work out if there's something we hafta do with this other'n push it." He throws the circle a glare. "The symbols ain't anythin' I know, so I'm tryin'ta see if there's any energy flowin' somewhere."

I... had no idea how to do that, and I told him as much.

He shrugs again. "Then, no. Nothin you can do to help, Max. Sorry."

I wave him off. "That's okay, just keep pressing that button, sir."

He snorts. "Yes ma'am."

I laugh. "What's the book?"

"My master's journal." He says it almost reverentially. Like a Priest talking about the Bible his family has passed down for generations or something.

"Your Master?" I raise an eyebrow.

He snorts. "Didn't used to be a dirty word, Max. Used to mean something. A teacher, guide, protector. My master wrote about this place towards the end of his life. That's what brought me to Russia in the first damn place. You think I'd be here if I didn't need ta be? It's too damn cold for my taste."

I laugh. "So, does it say anything about this test?"

He shakes his head. "Nothin' specific. Just a few vague hints. Something about time running out, and patience. I haven't a clue what it's trying to get at."

I shrug. "It's a mystery, sir. I'm sure you'll work it out. I wander off to see what everyone else is up to. Short answer, nothing interesting.

I lean back against the wall and... something cracks. I launch myself forward, twisting in mid-air to land on my back. "Shit!"

Everyone looks or bolts over. I get a half dozen variations on "What happened?".

I shrug, still on the floor. "No idea, I was just standing there and..." I pause. "Sir?"

Ebenezar is kneeling at my side, hand on my shoulder. "What?"

"You're not at the button."

We all turn and look up at the hourglass just as the last bit of sand pours through and...

The fucking portcullis opens.

We all stare at it for a moment, before breaking down in collective laughter. "Are ye feckin' serious? All we had to do?!"

I snort. Fucking typical. When we've all recovered, we head through into another long corridor, leading to another door to another room.

--

We push open the huge wooden door and walk in.

One wall of the room was dominated by the largest fucking mirror I've ever seen. It literally covered the entire wall, end to end. Goddamn, it had to be twenty feet long and half that high. It was fucking huge. Whatever Wizard built this place must've been seriously narcissistic. He even had a bunch of his shit on display tables scattered over the room.

And the stuff was seriously tacky, too. Looked like he'd found it all in a Vegas yard sale or something. There was a bright and bejeweled lamp, a couple of those stone fish rich people always have on top of their fountains. About a dozen little tables, all with one weird thing sat on them.

Ebenezar leant on his staff and looked over it all. "Well. This ain't what I was expectin' at all."

Luccio strides past him into the room, still trailed by her two Wardens. Caoimhe just saunters up and leans in the doorframe next to us. "Y'know, we should probly'a checked fer traps, first."

Luccio makes it to the centre of the room. "Or maybe not." Caoimhe grins and follows her in, Ebenezar and I taking the rear.

"So. Another damn puzzle then."

Luccio nods. "So it seems, Elder." She and the Wardens start looking over the objects.

He rolls his eyes, turns to me. "Still baffles me who thought callin' the senior council old all the damn time is showin' respect."

I start to laugh, until Dresden's voice pops in my head. "Wizards don't giggle. Bad for the image."

Something must've shown on my face, 'cause Ebenezar looks at me with that weird understanding thing he does.

I quickly walk past him into the room, ignoring the shit outta his face. "So, what's with the mirror?"

Luccio moves to stand next to me. "I have no idea. Maybe a portal of some kind?" She turns to Ebenezar. "Did your masters' journal mention anything about this test?"

Ebenezar thinks for a second.

"Though eyes I have, they have no sight,
I can't be seen in blackest night,
If I move left, then you move right,
I can blind you with the bright dawn light.
I take all the things you see,
And show them as they should be."

We all stand for a puzzled moment, running over the riddle. Caoimhe speaks first. "Well, wasn't that just spectacularly unhelpful."

Ebenezar glares. "Hey, those're the words of a Senior Council Member and honoured wizard. Show some respect."

Caoimhe throws him a grin. "He mighta been 'honoured', but he had a shitty taste in poetry."

I snort and wander over to one of the tables, running my hand over the little lamp on it. The others were all doing similar stuff, poking around and trying to work out what the hell this puzzle was supposed to be.

Something to do with the objects and the mirror...

I frowned, then looked at the mirror. There's something... Do you ever get that thing where the answer is just itching in the back of your head, but you just can't quite get a hold of it? I had that right now. I SO had that right now.

Wait a second... As they should be...

The mirror! It's the fucking mirror! I check the items on the tables in the room, then in the mirror. Yes! Eu-fucking-reka! "They don't match!"

Everyone turns to me. "What doesn't match?"

I point. "The stuff in the mirror. Look, the light out here is a fluffy dice!" Definitely Vegas... We took a closer look and a couple of the other objects didn't match either.

The others quickly swapped the items around, making sure they matched the mirror.

The moment we did, the mirror just... vanished to reveal another stone door in the wall. I grinned. I love magic.

Ebenezar went over and put his hand on the door. He grinned, then reached into his coat and pulled out a book. He smooshed the book up against the door and the symbols began to glow. Ebenezar read as they glowed. "The test of a magi, body, mind and spirit aligned. Whoever you are, you are worthy of what lies beyond. Use it sparingly, for..." He frowned. "For great danger can come from its misuse."

Caoimhe shrugged. "You heard the man. Feckin' get in there!"

Ebenezar snorted. "Not a damn chance. Me and Max'll take this one. Luccio, watch the door." He stares impassively at Caoimhe, who simply quirks a shit-eating grin back at him. "And her."

He turns to me. "Come on, Max."

The door rumbles open and we head in.

--

"Huh, okay. So... not what I was expecting."

The room we go into is straight from a 40s film noir movie, right down to the shitty furniture and kinda depressing atmosphere to the entire room. It was a small room, definitely well-used. Everything had that wear only a long time occupant could give.

There's a man sitting at the desk, reading a paper. He's got a pair of little wire glasses perched on the end of his nose. His long grey beard and hair were very well maintained. He was wearing a simple blue robe. We walked over and stood in front of the desk. I coughed.

He shuffles through the loose papers on his desk for a few seconds as we both stand around awkwardly looking at him. After a while, he looks up at us and smiles. "My apologies. I've been meaning to get this tidied for a while now." He gives a self-deprecating smile. "As you can see, it hasn't quite happened yet."

He clicks his fingers and "Ah yes, the drawer." He leans down and opens one up, rifling through it. Ebenezar is standing, jaw slack and staring at him in total shock. "Aha! Found you." The man pulls a small folder out of the drawer and plonks it in the middle of the desk. I steal a look at the cover, but I don't recognise the language.

He looks up at us. "So, welcome. You and your group have impressed me. It's not often that people make it through my little dungeon." He gives a sad nod. "I was sorry to hear about the boy. Dresden was a tragic loss. My condolences."

What? How does this guy know about the Boss? Who the fuck is he? I look over at Ebenezar. He seems kinda broken. He's just stood, mouthing "Mer... mer... you're... mer..."

Wait... Beard, robe, hair, knows more than he should... My jaw drops. "Are you... Merlin?"

He gives a small smile and a shrug. "That's what they call me these days, yes. But you can call me Myrddin."

I shake my head. "Uh, hi, I guess. Um..." I look at Ebenezar again. He still hasn't moved, just staring in shock at the man behind the desk. I look back to Merlin. "I really wasn't expecting this."

He laughs, faintly. "Not at all. Take as long as you need. Time is completely halted outside this room. Well," He amends. "This space. The 'room' is whatever will make you most comfortable."

That's when I notice it. We're in Dresden's office. We're in DRESDEN'S FUCKING OFFICE! "How..." My eyes drift around the room and settle back on Merlin. "How..?"

He shrugs. "Just part of the magic, kid."

I stop and just look at him for a second, kinda blanking out. "Wait, people don't make it through those tests? But they were fucking easy!"

He smiles. "It's all in the magic of this place. It reconfigures itself for different people. Can't have just anyone having access to my relics. Your group, however, interests me. You made it through the tests, and now you get a relic."

He slams both palms down on the desk. They land with a thunk and three chests suddenly appear on the table. They're all identical, except for a gem set into the lid. One is red, one is blue and one is green. "Take your choice. You only get one though, so be sure."

I frown. "How am I supposed to pick without seeing what's in the boxes?"

He smiles. "You are a wizard, aren't you? Use your sight."

I... ok. I'm still freaking out a tiny bit that frakkin' Merlin is sat in front of me, but I pull my shit together and focus my sight. It takes a couple of minutes, then the familiar ethereal glow settles over everything. The Sight is a cool wizard-trick we all apparently innately possess. In basic terms, it lets us see things as they truly are, no illusion or protection over it. In practice, it's a risky poke into the dark and obscured corners of reality. Some things really, really don't like being looked at. Others can drive you insane just by being. Human brains are cool, but we really don't handle the Elder stuff very well.

The first box (The green one.) has a little wire-gauntlet thing. "Ah, the Kinaipetus, strength of titans. This gauntlet is a powerful kinetomantic charm that stores significant energy from your movements, enabling you to utilise it later."

I move on to the next one. Merlin is still sat there, following my eye. The next box is blue and contains a weird tiara? "Satusnavus, the guiding light. It allows you to find your way to any destination you wish."

And the last box (that's the red one, in case you're not keeping track)... "Apeiron, the sword of... well, the translation varies. Some say it's the sword of warriors, others the sword of justice." I look up at him. He grins. "I'm a wizard, not a damn linguist."

I snort. Oh my god, Merlin is a fucking trekkie. TOS, too. He's got good taste. Seeing my face, he gives me a dismissive shrug. "I have to watch something to pass the time, and Mr Nimoy was a true legend."

I smirk and make a sudden decision, tapping the blue box. Merlin grins. "Oh, an excellent choice indeed, Max. Please, take it, with my compliments."

I open the box and fish out the little silver circlet. Now I've gotten a closer look, it's actually quite pretty. A circle of shining silver metal, with a bright green gem set into an elegant little loop on the front. "Thank you." I look up at Merlin. "Seriously, thanks."

He waves m. "Don't mention it. You earned that. Now, shouldn't you be getting along? You have six more council members to find, no?"

I nod. "Good point." An idea hits me. "Do you..?"

"Have any advice?" He smiles, an amused little twinkle dancing in his eyes. "Now where's the fun in that? You'll have to work it out for yourself, I'm afraid."

Damnit. I nod. "Thought so." I throw him a grin. "Worth a try though." I take a bow. "It was... nice to meet you, Myrrdin."

He returns my bow with a nod of his head. "And you, Max Caulfield. I've a feeling you'll be providing me great entertainment in the coming weeks."

We turn and start to head out when Myrrdin chimes up again "I will give you this warning though. There will come times when you feel the greatest of temptations, to give up. You cannot do so." He pauses. "Whatever happens, you must see this through."

I... I nod. "I will. I promise."

His craggy face splits into a wide grin. "Excellent. Then you'll be fine. Now, off you go. I really should be getting back to work."

I turn to leave, then notice Ebenezar is still frozen in place, staring at Merlin. I amble over and politely elbow him in the side, taking his arm and trying to drag him out.

It's not as easy as I expected. Fucking hell, the old man is built like a goddamn brick shithouse. I elbow him again. "Sir?"

He finally snaps out of it and looks down at me. "What?"

"We've got to go now." He nods, numbly and lets me lead him out of the office back to the ruined mirror chamber.

The Wardens look up as we walk out of the door. They've all sat down, Caoimhe included, and appear to be playing Bullshit. Surprisingly, Luccio is winning.

Ellis grins. "So, what was in there? You find anything cool?"

Ebenezar and I share a look. "Uh... yeah. Pretty fucking cool."

Chapter Text

"Seriously, Merlin? Like, THE Merlin?"

I shrug. "Actually, he introduced himself as Myrrdin. I get the idea that he prefers that to the title."

Ellis leans back, running a hand over his head. "Wow. I mean, man. That's kind of awesome. And you said he gave you advice, too?"

I shrug again. "Yeah. So?"

"So..?" He seems almost shocked. His pince-nez were almost quivering with disbelief. "He's Merlin. The last person on record that he gave advice to was King Arthur Pendragon."

"King Arthur was real?"

The look he gave me was thoroughly unimpressed. "Yes, King Arthur was real. Man, what do they teach you kids in school these days?"

"The Mitochondria is the Powerhouse of the Cell?"

"What?"

"What?"

We stare at each other for several seconds.

Ebenezar coughs. "Whenever you two're done doin'... whatever this is, I need to take a look at that artefact."

I hold up a hand. "It's alright, sir. I think I've got it." I concentrate for a moment, and grin when the gem lights up. "See?"

One bushy eyebrow raises. "No."

"Well, we need to get back to... whatever that town was called, right?"

He nods. "Right."

"Gimme a sec." I focus, gently letting out a small stream of magic into the gem. It starts to glow, brighter and brighter, until suddenly flaring and then dimming as the light blaring out in all directions like a sun coagulates into a single line pointing off to the left. "That way." I point.

The wardens exchange a few mildly sceptical looks, but at Luccio's shrug, they start walking.

--

As the town rises up ahead of us in the distance, I let out a crowing yell "Hah! I told you! I got this, sir!"

Ebenezar chuckles and claps a solid hand down onto my shoulder. "Apparently you do, Max. Nice work."

The group of us start to head closer to the town, intending to pass through to the town. I was technically aiming for the Way back into the Nevernever, but since the town was between us and our goal, Ebenezar had decided to stop in and talk to the administrator. He wouldn't explain why - and if I wasn't such a respectful, upstanding young apprentice, I would've spent the whole journey bugging him to explain - but I assumed they were friends and he wanted to say goodbye before heading back to a war for survival.

At least we'd be able to rest for a while when we got there. Man, I hate, hated, and will forever hate walking.

Unfortunately, it looked like that rest wasn't going to happen. Loud voices yelling in the distance started off indistinct and muffled, but quickly cleared into comprehensible English as we arrived in the main street outside the administrators offices. Two crowds of people were standing outside the large hall, each headed by a single individual. The one closer to the building was easily recognised as Alma Dostoyevsky. The other, none of us could see the face of to recognise. They were short, though. Maybe five feet at most?

And yes, I realised that thought was ironic, coming from me, but I... eh... shut up.

Ebenezar lead the way as we pushed between the crowds, our little group providing a third side to the little triangular face-off. "What the hell is happening here?" I frowned at him for a moment, wondering why his lips and words didn't match. Then I remembered the spell. Apparently, Ebenezar McCoy spoke Russian. Which made sense, really. I mean, he had to have chosen this place as his hideout for a reason, right?

Dostoyevsky lit up when she saw the old man. "Old Coot! Welcome back. I was just explaining to this idiot that we aren't going to abandon our homes just because some Ljos want us to."

"Ljos?" I chime in.

"Ljosalfar: Light Elves and scions of Summer. They've been trying to get us to leave, so they can take our metals for their bows. This," With that, she gestures to the shorter man in front of her. "cowardly idiot wants us to throw down our axes and retreat, but I know we can hold the town. We've done it before, and we'll do it again."

The man steps forward. He seems entirely unbothered by the height difference and completely non-intimidated by the woman towering over him. "And if it were just those ljosalfar, I'd agree, but they're bringing others. Humans, a couple of satyrs. We can't take on that many, we'll-"

"have help," Ebenezar interjected smoothly. With a charming smile, he added "If you'll have us, of course."

Both Dostoyevsky and the idiot look almost astonished. "You... really? The White Council will help us?"

Ebenezar shrugs. "It's what I said, wasn't it? Now, where do you want us?"

--

They didn't attack at dawn.

Really missed a trick there, in my opinion. Dawn was awesome, both aesthetically and tactically. The latter especially for me. As the ljosalfar creep out of the treeline, Ebenezar leans down and says "Whenever you're ready, Max."

I take a breath and raise my wands.

The countryside explodes in colour and light as I very, very carefully manipulate the sunbeams streaking over the landscape. Carefully, because there was an astonishing amount of energy in a sunbeam and I could quite easily fuck up the planet if I wasn't, y'know. Careful. Lucky this was my thing, really. When it came to delicate shit, I was made out of awesome.

People always say never to look into the sun, but none of them say what to do when the sun looks into you. Not that surprising, I guess, given that non-magicals can't do even half of what I'm doing right now. Then again, this was in a simpler form on a Pink Floyd album cover, so maybe they should've come up with something. Either way, when this supernova of a flashbang went off, the baddies had no idea what hit them. Several of the enemy alfar and humans suddenly buckle and scream in the same instant. I should probably feel a pang of sympathy for them, given they're all going to be basically blind for the rest of their presumably short lives, but eh. Fuck 'em.

A line of the townspeople appeared from various windows and doorways and let off a volley of shots into the trees to the North. They were super effective! The screams from the bullets tearing through only added to the cacophony from my... killer lightshow.

Another set of screams arose from the townspeople we had posted on the South, pulling most of the people on the East and West out of position as they frantically raced to help their friends and family. It was kind of annoying, but I honestly couldn't blame them. Humans, we're emotional creatures.

Though it seemed we'd broken the first push, apparently the second had rallied well and they were concentrating on the southernmost side of the town. There wasn't much on that end, mostly residences (now empty) and a few town amenities. Unfortunately, that also meant there wasn't much cover, and our people were getting pushed back faster than they could hope to manage.

Eventually, it came down to the middle road. The ljosalfar hadn't the numbers to surround us, but they didn't really need them. Their expertise with bows wasn't just making them, after all. Any time any of our people lingered too long out of cover, they'd find themselves turned into a pincushion by three-foot tall Legolas-wannabes. None of them saw a damn thing coming.

I spent most of the time trying to stay sane - battles are incredibly noisy and chaotic, even for someone without my particular... sensitivity - but I did manage to catch Ebenezar being... suspicious. The man was on the senior council, literally the heavyweight's heavyweight champions, and here he was casting the real world version of a magic missile cantrip. That may have been a little bit of an exaggeration, but this guy could do far more than he was. Normally, I'd assume he had his reasons and leave it at that - it was the prerogative of wizards to be grumpy and mysterious, after all - but right now I was stressed and tired and kind of pissed off and I just wanted to go lie down for a few quiet hours. So, I added to that chaos and noise. By yelling. At my Master's master. At one of the biggest, baddest wizard's on the planet. At least I was kind of polite about it though. "What the fuck are you doing? Kill them already!"

Ebenezar continued to blast lame-duck spells with one hand while turning his curious, disbelieving, craggy gaze onto me and raising one bushy brow. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me," Oh, I was so going to regret this later, "You could take all these idiots with your hands behind your fucking back, why are you going so easy on them!? Stop holding back, or we're going to die too!"

The old man stared at me for a few solid beats, his other hand never stopping moving all the while, then he sighed. "Hold this, then."

He tossed me his staff, and I had to scramble to catch it. There was no way in hell I was going to let it drop, I may have been rude to him, but I wasn't insane. He extended his hand and spoke a word I couldn't quite understand, then darkness swirled together and condensed into a staff of dark, twisted wood, unmarked by any kind of carving at all.

The Blackstaff.

I think, anyway. There had to be a reason for the title, after all.

Ebenezar turned away from me, facing toward the enemy line. Arrows flew at his robes, but none hit; half of the arrows bounced off, the other half simply shattered. His robes barely even rumpled. The old man said, mostly to himself, "Youngsters these days have no idea..."

Then, he swept the staff from left to right, murmured a word, and ripped the life from every enemy there. All of them, to a man, just... died. There was no struggle, no spellfire, no screaming or pain. One moment they were firing arrows at us like bullets from a machine gun, the next they were all on the ground.

Ebenezar stared at the line of corpses, implacable and aloof.

Me, I stared at the staff.

The Blackstaff pulsed and shimmered and quivered with what my senses could almost see as... delight. I got a truly disturbing image of this... thing, this weapon, being alive and knowing exactly what its purpose was, and that what it wanted was to be used for that purpose, as much and as spectacularly as possible. And I'd practically shoved him into indulging it.

God, I hated myself even more right then.

Stretching out across Ebenezar's leathery skin, veins of inky black ooze reached from his hand and disappeared into his robes. Ebenezar's grimace told me more than I wanted to know or see, and I felt another faint pang of regret for pushing him. Especially the knowledge that I'd never quite admit to myself, then or now, that when he looked at me, he saw the tiniest pieces of Dresden.

He opened his hand, and the staff, and the veins, vanished. He shuddered, then held out the same hand to me. "If you would..?"

I gave him his staff back. He smiled. "Was that what you were wantin', Max?"

I looked at him, then the line of corpses in the treeline, then him again. I nodded numbly.

"Good. Now, we should be gettin' along. I'm sure we all want to be back wherever you're stayin' soon, get some rest."

With that, he strode back into the town, calling out for the others. I stayed quiet as I scampered after him.

--

Dostoyevsky shook Ebenezar's hand with alarming gusto. An older man might've had his hand broken by her level of enthusiasm. "Thank you, Old Coot. Thank you. I don't know what magics you used here, but Tunguska owes you a debt of gratitude. Our Svartalves will be at your disposal for a commensurate favour, whenever you wish."

Ebenezar nods, the very picture of humble gratitude. "Thank you, Ma'am. That's most fair of you."

She smiles as she drops his hand, and the townsfolk seem close to applause as they watch us leave. Thank fuck they didn't though, that would just be embarrassing. Personally, I still walk just a bit faster than usual until we were at least a couple of miles out.

--

"Max!"

Chloe dashed out of the Mill's door and threw her arms around me. I had to stop a moment to catch up, but I quickly put my arms around her too. "Hi Chloe."

I vaguely catch Ebenezar walking past us out the corner of my eye, then hear an ancient sounding voice call out to greet him. "Hail, Elder. Enter and be welcome in this place."

I step up on my toes to peer over her shoulder at Weatherwax. The old woman in the doorway stares back unsparingly. Her hand was curled around a long staff tipped with a vibrant purple crystal. Ebenezar stood in front of her, studying her. Whatever he found must've satisfied him, because he simply gave a short nod back. "Thank you." He didn't bother with the old world formalities. Frankly, here, they were taken as given.

After all the pleasantries and "Hey, glad you're not dead!"s were exchanged, Weatherwax leads us back to the war-room. Our new addition being a member of the White Council, and one we all actually liked, seemed to boost the mood considerably. We spent the rest of that day drawing plans together, narrowing down where the other members of the Senior Council would've gone and how we were going to get them back. It was surprisingly hope-inducing.

We were all starting to think that maybe, just maybe, we could actually pull this off.

--

Chapter Text

We step out of the Way, glancing around as it closed behind us. My first impressions of Illinois..? Cold. As. Fuck. Dog, I really hate winter. That's with a small 'W', in case any faeries are reading this. This being my mind, I mean. You guys are awesome, I promise.

Phew. Bullet dodged, I think.

My ballistic gymnastics aside, all I really want is to go curl up with a fluffy blanket in front of a fire and watch movies. And, uh, if a lanky bluenette happened to be along for the ride, I'd probably agree to that too. A specific one, I mean.

Ahem.

So glad Chloe can't read minds either.

During my little mental ramble, the Wardens had been busy. Luccio was wafting her sword over trees in the vicinity, muttering something in Italian under her breath. She'd apparently ordered Ellis and Anna to do the same, though they were both using the pseudo-Latin many Wardens cast spells in. Ebenezar was just standing mutely in the background, looking all around. Maybe he drew the short straw and had to keep watch?

Caoimhe was just leaning against a tree, watching all the goings-on with amusement. "What's with all the," She waved her hand around vaguely. "wafting?"

Luccio looked back at her, a single eyebrow raised. I think that meant she was shocked? "You mean you can't feel it?"

The Faerie maybe-Assassin shrugged. "Nope. Can't feel a thing. What're you-"

Luccio suddenly whirled, her sword flashing into the undergrowth. The greenery suddenly exploded in a spurt of red as a trio of cardinals scattered, chirping in complete terror. I chuckled, though I was the only one. The other wardens had some sense. I'd spent too long with Dresden to have a keen grasp on any of that. At least he'd helped me develop some self-awareness about it. Luccio turned and stowed her sword at her back. She glared at me. With her sweet, young face, it wasn't all that intimidating regardless of my lacking sense of self-preservation. I smiled back. She rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's nothing. Whatever it is, it's not stopping us from our goal."

I was slightly surprised when she turned to me instead of McCoy. "Where to?"

I blinked, about to question why the bloody hell she was asking me, and- oh! The map! I pulled it out of my pack and unrolled it. I'd made it early on in the planning after Weatherwax had taught me her little improv on my sketch-picture spell, hence the forgetting entirely about it until now thing. Also, my memory sucks. I look at Goldfishes with envy.

"Uh... According to this, the camp should be about a mile... thataway." I pointed off to the right. I think that might've been East North-East, but however cool this map thing was, it did not come with a compass and I hadn't been orienteering since I was twelve. I would've used Satusnavus, but I was honestly terrified that the thing had a battery and would run out if I used it to get places I hadn't seen before. That was always the rule, right?

Luccio nodded, and waved some bizarre arcane hand signals at the two Wardens, who returned her nod, a few hand signals of their own, and disappeared into the wood. I blinked again and Luccio was suddenly looking right at me. "Are you coming?"

I nodded hurriedly, and skittered after her out of the clearing. After a moment, Ebenezar and Caoimhe followed too.

--

A faint layer of mist lay over everything in sight. Dog, whoever roadies for the imaginary hypothetical band playing here is incredible. The mist, the twilight, the slight biting cold to the still air... it made for an atmosphere I hadn't been in since that school trip to Auschwitz. There'd been the same fog, the same still bite to the air then. It was sad and melancholy and hopeful and nightmarish, all at once. It acknowledged that something terrible had happened here, something truly fucking awful, but spoke to how people had fought to survive it, how people were trying to make sure it never happened again.

The old Native American camp ahead gave off the same vibes as the most deadly concentration camp in one of the deadliest wars in history.

Not to state the obvious, but that was a bad sign.

I wanted to lean forward, to ask Luccio or Ebenezar if we were really sure that this of all places was where we'd find our Native American councillor Joseph Listens-to-Wind, but I couldn't get the words out. I didn't want to disturb the air. Something told me it wasn't a good idea.

I stopped briefly, just outside the camp, as a splash of vivid colour caught my eye. Beneath the layers of frost and fog, I could see... flowers. Beautiful, living flowers. Tulips, in fact. Red. They had always been one of my favourites. When I was a kid, back when I was still scared of the dark rather than the things in it, my mom used to tell me about them after I'd gotten back from a day of school bullies and disinterested teachers. A tulip, she said, doesn't strive to impress anyone. It doesn't try to beat the rose because it doesn't have to. They're unique without trying, individual without effort, they're always on the alert to enjoy life as much as they can, without fear of looking at the sun or anything else above them right in the face.

She loved her metaphors and analogies. A life of being married to a Knight, I suppose. Eventually the scripture starts to get to you.

A hand landed gently on my shoulder, and I looked up into the kind, craggy face of my Master's Master. "Come on, Max. Best not to fall behind here."

I nodded and skittered forward to catch up with the Wardens. Ellis had some book open and was flicking through, muttering intently about old cultural practices and Native American architecture. Not sure what he was actually so interested in, but apparently it was a Big Thing^TM. Glad he was enjoying himself, at least. Kept him insulated from the creepy. And boy, was there a metric fucktonne of that around here.

Anna, Luccio, and Caoimhe were talking about securing the area and preparing to check the surrounding forest. And uh... no. Just no. So, I walked over to McCoy. He was leaning on his staff and looking over the ruined husk of one of the shelters. He looked back as I approached. "This was his, once."

"His, sir?"

"Joe's. His home. His responsibility. His people." The old man sighed. "And they all died. An entire people. I really don't know how he can come back here. I sure couldn't, if it were me."

I admit, I didn't know all that much about Native Americans. I'd studied some of the tribes from Oregon, back in school, but I barely remembered any of it. I'd never heard of anything like this, though. "So, why did he come back here?"

Ebenezar's expression took on a grim set. He leaned a little harder on his staff, looked a little older. It was almost harder to see than the devastated village. At least that was unfamiliar, distant. I knew Ebenezar. I knew what it took to make him look like that. And his four solid, guilty words said far more to me because of that. "Because we made him."

I tilted my head, trying not to seem... combative. I wanted answers, but I sure as hell did not want to piss him off. Not about something like this. He'd never hurt me, I wasn't afraid of that. Ebenezar in action seemed so solid, so dependable, but when he got like this, all old and brittle, I was afraid of saying something that would damage that relationship permanently. That would make him think less of me. Even more so, now that Dresden... now that it was just me and Ebenezar. "Why, sir?"

He took a deep breath and raised a hand in demonstration. Or supplication, maybe? "The sympathetic magics, thaumaturgy. Those spells that allow you to track or detect, they're hard to block once they're cast. Since you can't avoid making mistakes, dropping some hair or DNA somewhere or another, you got to plan for someone trying to find you. You could just hop into the Nevernever, but that only delays the spell. Soon as you hop back, it'll latch onto you again. Places like this... places of Death, they provide a cover. That which lingers after events like this, it confuses the connection." He shook his head. "I got lucky, going out to Tunguska. Never knew anyone out there, probably never will. Joe... his life's wrapped up in this place. All his regrets."

I stayed utterly silent, trying to wrap my head around all of... that. Councillor Listens-to-Wind (because I sure as hell couldn't call a two-hundred plus year old, super powerful Native American Medicine Man and my Bosses' bosses' boss 'Joe') lived here, and protected some of his people, but something killed them all. And then they forced him to go back? Fuck. "That's..."

"Terrible of us?"

I tried to shake my head, to deny his blunt and entirely too accurate assessment. He just chuckled. "Yeah. It was. There ain't no denying that, Max. But needs must on the road to Hell."

I choked back a sudden laugh. "Chris Rea, sir?"

He raised a craggy brow. The corner of his lip upturned, ever so slightly. "Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Max."

"Who?"

He waved a dismissive hand. "He was a French monk who helped form the Cistercian order in the 12th Century."

"Oh."

"Yep." There was a pause as he looked around us again. "Max?"

"Yeah, sir?"

"Don't use the Sight here."

His voice had a terrifyingly sincere tone to it.

I nodded.

"O-okay, sir."

He glanced up as Luccio called us over. "Duty calls, looks like. Come on, let's go see what she wants." I trailed after him obediently, still thinking over Councillor Listens-to-Wind's past.

Luccio greeted McCoy with a nod. She gestured to the two ladies standing in front of her. "Caoimhe and Anna found a small cave system to the east, nearer the river. We think we'll find the Councillor there."

"You looked it over?" McCoy asked them.

Anna shook her head. "There was a note. Apparently from Councillor Listens-to-Winds, saying he was going down to somewhere. As the nearest cave, we thought that would probably be it."

McCoy leaned on his staff for a moment. "Well," He drawled. "Let's get goin' then."

--

Those red tulips again. They were all over this wood, in spite of the harsh winter frost. They poked out from under rotting logs, from under tree-roots, all across the grounds. So very persistent. So very pretty.

I stuck to McCoy's side, humming absently as I maintained the map-spell. It wasn't quite like Weatherwax's version - I just didn't have the power to make it permanent like that - but I could keep it running for the breadth of the journey at least. Unless we had to go up any particularly large hills. Heh, no. I just had to stay conscious.

The cave ahead jutted out of the forest floor like a sleeping bear. A big, tough one. All scarred and pock-marked and grey. The entrance to the cave was covered by a wood and cloth structure that I guess acted like some kind of door? I mean, obviously it was a way-in, but a door was more than a way in and out. It was a threshold. This door seemed to have some kind of significance to it. Something that made it seem like a boundary.

There were symbols stitched into the fabric and carved into the wood. An arch of charcoal-black symbols on the rock surrounded the whole structure, except the bottom right was blatantly smudged.

I almost instinctively started to open my Sight, to see the unseen and reveal the hidden behind those symbols, but I recalled McCoy's face and his voice as he told me not to use the Sight. He wasn't just sincere... he was wary. Something here concerned one of the strongest dog-damn wizards on the planet.

So, what the hell was I doing here? I'm an apprentice, and barely one of those now that my master is... Gone. I'm a shitty wizard who destroyed the brains of my two best friends and nearly killed several people. I'm a liability, and a borderline crazy one at that. What if I get someone killed? What if I kill someone? I shouldn't be here. I start to back away. I shouldn't. I couldn't. I can't. I-

"Max?"

I whirled, thunking into Ebenezar's freakishly solid rancher-given muscles. My train of thought suddenly derailed in a fiery crash. Ow. "Huh?"

"You okay?" He asked, flashing a reassuring smile that filled his face with the wrinkled cracks of a life long-lived. "Breathe deep, Max. Calm your mind and you'll be fine." I kept his eye and tried to slow my breathing. In and out. Ebenezar knew what he was doing. He had to. It... was harder than I thought it would be, keeping the mounting panic down. So, I just focused and breathed. Dresden had tried teaching me meditation, but, well, it'd never really taken. Time to see how good a teacher the old guy really was. I breathed in and out and in and out again and focused on the motions. The feeling of the air passing through my lungs. The panicked thoughts were still there, but they started to become... distant. Insulated. Like the air I was breathing slowed down the torrential flow of terror. Ebenezar stayed calmly present the whole time. As my heart finally slowed to its normal speed, Ebenezar offered a simple explanation. "It's the symbols. They're designed to keep folks out of places like this."

I nodded slightly absently. The explanation made sense, but it didn't seem to matter. Everything was slow and- I shook my head tightly, clearing that heavy fog and revealing the hard pride underneath. Thanks, Harry. Maybe you were better at the teaching thing than you thought. I was just a crappy student. I shook my head again and turned that focus outward, back onto Ebenezar, who was watching me with concern. "They're, um... not fun."

He eyed me for a moment, and then the concern vanished. He just chuckled. "No they're not. Stay close to me, Max. I'll keep you shielded, best I can."

I almost sighed in relief. "Thank you, Sir."

We all walked up to the canvas curtains and pushed it aside. The inside was darker than pitch, seeming to glare out at us with malice and affront. And I found I could understand where it was coming from. How dare we disturb it? How dare we bring light into its demesne? How dare we continue?

The three Wardens lit up their blades and the darkness fled into shadows cast by the obelisk standing in the centre of the chamber and the ring of standing stones around its edge. The wall at the other side opened up into another hole of impenetrable looking dark.

Ellis skittered forward and fell to his knees in front of the Obelisk, his hands going over it and picking out the various symbols and carvings across its surface. He hmmed once, then stood. "It's a warning. Bugger off and stay quiet while you do, so as to not disturb their rest, basically."

"Leaving isn't an option." Ebenezar said simply, and he was right. We couldn't leave Listens-to-Wind here, surrounded by his past like this. We couldn't leave him alone. In the dark. Poor fucking bastard.

"Well, let's get going then. You wanna go first Sir, or shall I?" I gave him my best cheeky grin. He knew it was bullshit, but from his answering smile, he appreciated the effort.

He nodded. "We'll both go. Wardens, you take the middle. Caoimhe, you watch our backs."

The Wardens, without prompting, each muttered something over their swords. The three blades glowed with a bright blue-white light. Then, the Wardens all returned his nod and we got into our marching order, heading into the next chamber and pushing back the dark once again.

Y'know when you're a little kid, and you do something that you've been told is wrong, just to find out what would really happen? And you get that feeling of wrongness afterward, how your chest tightens and your eyes start to tear up ever so slightly? And you know, absolutely, undoubtedly, that you fucked up big time? And you fear that it'll follow you forever and nothing you do will ever be bigger or worse?

This place gave off those feelings in spades.

As we continued on, the path behind us was reclaimed by the dark, shadows rushing back into place like torrential water, leaving us in a little island of light surrounded by inky black sea. None of us spoke, leaving only the sounds of our footsteps and breathing to accompany us. Behind us, the Wardens seemed to try, but after a brief 'ah', they trailed off. Even those slight sounds, they felt like an intrusion. A sacrilege.

Like farting in Church.

And how long was this fucking tunnel? It felt like it was going on forever, like we'd been walking for miles. My leg muscles burned, and I could feel sweat dripping off of me, running into places that sweat really shouldn't be. Eurgh. Gross. And the still cold only made it worse.

Eventually, we got to a y-junction. The floor-area where the two tunnels ahead met was covered in more symbols that sent another flare of panic running through me. This felt slower than the feeling I got by the entrance. Deeper too, I suppose. I didn't feel like fleeing, but I dreaded what was to come, felt like it was something obvious to avoid. A shadow over the shoulder from a darkened alleyway. The feeling flowed over me from the darkness, strong and slow, and I could feel it through the beating of my heart. A slight shift. A second rhythm, going slightly off beat. Ebenezar's hand came down on my shoulder and he gave me a comforting squeeze. "Breathe, Max. Push through it."

I nodded, syncing my breathing to my own heartbeat and focused on ignoring this... intruder. The second beat jerked, once, twice, then... I blinked, and it was gone. I gave a slow sigh of relief and rolled my shoulders in an attempt to reduce the tension that hadn't left with the panic. I looked up and met Ebenezar's eye. After a moment, I gave a nod. "I'm good."

He smiled, squeezed my shoulder again, then dropped his hand. "Everyone else good?"

Caoimhe gave a cheery "Yep!" from somewhere in the black, while the Wardens stuck to business-like nods.

The symbols glowed, dull and ruddy, before suddenly vanishing.

We stood for a second, waiting for something else to happen, then... "Huh. Guess we can continue?" I offered, slightly surprised that, well, that that even worked. I fought the rhythm and I won. Then the defence went down entirely? That seemed... Low budget. Couldn't these people afford a laser grid or something?

The Wardens eyed me with mild amusement. "I don't believe Native Americans would've had laser grids in the seventeen-hundreds, Max."

Oh. I said that out loud. Woops.

I flushed, then grumpily grabbed Ebenezar and pushed forward. The man let himself be dragged, hiding his low, irritating chuckle when I glared at him. Son of a... very nice lady who probably feels really disappointed in her son right now.

The next corridor, I... woah. I blinked forward as my vision stretched wildly, the walls flexing and extending unnaturally ahead of us, like they were being spaghettified into a black hole, as what should've been a normal-sized tunnel doubled, tripled in length and seemed to thin out into the horizon. I shook my head, but the image remained.

Still, we pressed on. Luccio seemed unfazed by the distance, but bookish Ellis kept stopping, shaking his head, looking down, then back at the corridor ahead, then down again. Whenever he faltered, the Warden Commander would wiggle her fingers and mutter something in not-quite-Latin that seemed to straighten all his limbs and infuse them with energy. It never lasted long, not on this long walk, but fuck. It worked, and that was tha-

Luccio suddenly stopped, barked out, "What was that?"

We all froze, listening to the dark. Something ahead was... whining? Crying, maybe? It was still too far off to tell what it was exactly, but something was there! So, I tried for some hopeful assumptions - this walking was getting ridiculous and my morale was flagging so hard it was about to start the Pledge of Allegiance. I needed some bullshit to think about. "There's something ahead of us. This corridor actually ends soon!"

As I said the words... they became true.

The dark path ahead of us melted away to reveal a widening entrance into a new room. It was a wide room, maybe thirty feet in total. There were two new exits, one in each opposite corner, giving it another y-junction shape, just far boxier. As we all stepped over the threshold, what was making that noise became evident - it was in the middle of the room and was carrying a glowing gemstone. I recognised the creature immediately. It was Little Brother, Listens-to-Wind's raccoon friend/familiar (I never asked which he was).

He seemed to be doing okay, no visible injuries or distress. The gemstone's light, however, was dying. The dull orange-umber was flickering against the dark that seemed almost... mist-like in this room. Congealed into something solid and tangible. Something about the dark seemed to move and flow towards the creature, then rush away as the light brightened for a brief second.

As we walked in, the light from the Wardens pushed back the dark from us. The mist ebbed harder against the raccoon once, twice, then retreated as we got to him and added our light to his. I dropped to my knees and held out a hand to the little guy. "Hey, Little Brother. You're okay now, you're okay. We're here to help your master, your... um, friend? We're wizards, from the Council. You're okay now, you're okay."

I may have been rambling. I've never had a pet or really dealt with animals other than that one trip to the zoo when I was a kid. And Bungo never really liked me. Ebenezar seemed more at ease, reaching over me and plucking the raccoon up and resting him on one arm.

He looked Little Brother over, then gave a nod. "You alright there, little guy?"

I let Ebenezar Interrogate The Witness and joined the Wardens in keeping watch on the room. The darkness was still pushing up against our light, a dense, writhing inky fog on the sea bank below a bright-beacon of a lighthouse. Wow, that was a cheesy metaphor. Something about this seemed to be bringing it out of me.

I found myself staring up at it and, before I knew it, my Sensitive mind started to wander. I could feel the anger in this place. The hunger for retribution against something. Violence. Lust. Gluttony. Wrath. Protectiveness. Obsession. Darkness. They all melded together in whatever was feeling these things and bound themselves up in the anger until they were virtually indistinguishable from the Dark.

How dare we disturb it? How dare we bring light into its demesne? How dare we continue? Our every breath was a sacrilege, our beating hearts antithetical to the oppressive dark. Our light was a fool's lantern, leading us astray into places even angels fear to tread. Fools. We were fools.

We were fools!

I barely registered the blur before it hit us. Coming out of the black, a fast-moving, slithering and slimy creature exploded into the light, screeching as it was touched by it. Teeth-covered tentacles latched on to Anna's arm and she screamed - something between them, hooked and sharp, dug greedily into her flesh. She pulled up her sword and tried to stab, but the creature was within her guard and she couldn't bring enough force down onto it to pierce the... skin? Hide? I don't know.

Luccio stepped forward and, with a cry of fury, slashed downward with her scimitar. The sword, still glowing, carved through the creature's inky purplish flesh and it screamed - though it seemed more bothered by the light than the cut - the two sides were already starting to curl back toward each other. It retreated back into the dark with another burst of speed.

As we focused on the creature's retreat, another slammed into us from the back. Shit. They're Ambushers. "Sneaky bastards!"

Tentacles lashed out and sliced up Caoimhe's arm before she could dodge. The Sidhe Assassin never cried out, but pulled her sword and took a swipe at the creature. She didn't pierce it, the closeness of the creature making it near impossible to bring enough force at the angle needed to do so, but the hit was strong enough to knock it away from her. It left several teeth in her skin.

It was very gross.

The creature's speed was all that saved it from her. Her next swipe was barely an inch away from the creature's own leathery pelt. But, it vanished into the dark again before she could do any real damage.

That was when Luccio took command. "Wretched beasts are using the Dark as cover. Septimus Formation! Huddle up and stand strong, everyone!"

I had no idea what that meant until the others dragged me into a circle formation with Wardens and non-Wardens alternating and the still pained-looking raccoon in the centre. I had to be pulled into place when I re-noticed and got distracted. Wowzers. Poor lil' guy.

Five swords, a staff, and two wands extended out towards the sea of black surrounding us as we waited for the next attack. Several long moments passed and the room felt far too still.

Fools. We dared?

The air was unmoving, but something in the room, something beyond mundane perception, crackled with an unearthly energy that reminded me of some of the less logical areas of the Nevernever. Those places where up was down and beauty was truth and sanity was long, long since discarded.

More moments passed, quiet aside from the sounds of our slow breathing. Nothing but silence.

Then, the darkness exploded again. Three of them came at us this time, two for Anna and one for Ebenezar. Anna's sword, lithe and sharp, flashed out and jabbed into the first creature as it came at her, slavering and slathering. Its momentum carried it over her guard, the blade sliding and the tentacles latched onto her upper right shoulder, tearing deep into the flesh.

She screamed out and yelled a word in what sounded like Russian, flaring brightly for a second before the tentacles touching her turned black as the cavern. The creature flinched back from the burns and let go of her, falling away. It twisted in mid-air and the tentacles elongated, latching onto me. I didn't see the second one meet a similar fate, too focused on the creature grasping at me. Ugly, horrible, writhing, monstrous, evil!

Hella fucking gross!

I almost howled in agony. I certainly freaked the fuck out. I hadn't felt anything like this since the Fetches. Good God, those teeth! They seemed to twist and gouge in the wound, widening and deepening and tearing until my arm was nothing but pain. I couldn't concentrate enough to bring up any magic. I could barely concentrate enough to think. Waves and waves of pain and- The thing was torn from me and tossed out into the dark.

In, out, in, out. I breathed deeply, trying to get control of my mind again.

Anna's elbow dug into my side - ow, that was fucking sharp! - and she hissed a warning. "Stay focused!"

Not a good warning, but a good point. Getting distracted here would really be- "MAX"

Weatherwax's voice came suddenly, a yell that caused me to flinch instinctively. Prey before predator. Lucky instinct, as it took me out of the path of a leaping thing. My hand moved before I could think and I whispered a faint word and a... tornado of water burst from my hand. Water spiralled and roared into the quiet chamber and I could hear the creatures screaming. It was worryingly loud. There were more of them than we'd seen.

One of them burst out of the water and launched itself at me. The tentacles grasped on and- The creature's beak cracked. Hell, it was barely a fracture at first. But I clenched my hand and twisted, muttering another soft phrase and the fracture widened. The entire surface began to warp, wrenching itself from whatever secured it to the flesh of this creature. The poor thing screamed.

My hand loosened and fell open, and the thing dropped to the ground.

The room was quiet. Everyone stared at me. Even the Darkness felt somehow... shocked. Or... interested, maybe? Still. Even the things that didn't have eyes had them locked on me. I felt like a bug under a million microscopes. It wasn't a comfortable place to be. I... I didn't even know what I just did.

"You did nothing." Weatherwax's voice spoke inside my head. "I simply found a way to... lend a hand."

"Please don't do that again." That was... I felt like I was doing all of that, but I never moved. Never thought... Was this what it was like for Kristen and Fernando? "Just... don't."

"Noted." Weatherwax sounded amused. "I apologise for causing you discomfort."

"Th-thanks." I sighed. Her agreement was good to hear. No Sword of Damocles needed, right? We could be civil, mature adults and agree that mental manipulation was bad and she wouldn't do it again. "Do you, um, have any input on this whole... burial cave system thing?"

"Hmm." She actually said 'Hmm'. Who does that? "I would recommend caution, but not so much as Councillor McCoy suggests. The Sight would be useful here, to find what the designers of this place hid." A pause. "Though, perhaps the most useful would be your newest acquisition."

"Satusnavus?"

"Yes. It has no charge or power requirement, as you feared." She sounded amused again. Damn her. "You may use it as freely and for as long as you need."

I flushed. "How did you-"

"You seemed hesitant to use the device. Given your history of certain magical usage, worrying over corruption seemed unlikely, so fear of using it up seemed most likely. Hardly a difficult leap of logic."

Her dry voice drawled the words and for a moment I thought I could actually pick out an accent. American, definitely. West Coast, maybe? She certainly wasn't from New Orleans or Boston, but other than that I couldn't decide any way for certain.

"Fair."

She hmm'ed an acknowledgement of my praise and said nothing more. I got the feeling that she was being distracted. That feeling was validated when, after a half-minute of painfully awkward silence, Weatherwax groaned and almost breathed her indulgent "Oh, very well. Max, Chloe would like you to know that she wishes to speak with you upon your return."

"Cool. Thanks, Weatherwax. Tell her I'll meet her when we get back."

I turned back to the others. Ebenezar's eyes were bunched up in concern, but the others who'd been with us in the warehouse were unfazed. "I can talk to Weatherwax in my head." I explained.

'Explained'... Wasn't much of an explanation, but at least he was up to speed with everyone else. Including me. I really needed to ask Weatherwax how she did that.

"Ah." Ebenezar said. "That's useful."

He left it at that. We had more immediate things to worry about. The monsters hadn't all been killed - the skittering and slurping in the dark was evidence enough of that - but they seemed... wary. The Darkness was watching us carefully: evaluating, analysing, but staying back.

I stepped away from the circle with a momentary instruction to the others to keep an eye out, running a hand over my wounds and muttering slow, loping syllables in Greek that sounded far more impressive than the translated Chinese Takeout menu they were. The wound began stitching itself together - without anaesthetic. The spell hurt like a bitch, but it came in handy. I knelt by the little Raccoon and asked him "Do you know where Listens-to-Wind is?"

He stared at me for a long moment. That examined feeling grew. Only it wasn't just the Darkness peering in at me. This tiny raccoon was somehow looking me over, taking my measure. I hoped he didn't find me wanting. That'd be a fuckin' shame. And kinda embarrassing.

Little Brother finally nodded. I grinned. "Alright! That's cool. Can you take us to him?"

Another nod. The little raccoon pulled himself upright, took two steps forward and promptly flopped down onto my shoe. I very, very carefully did not laugh. After a moment, he dragged himself up my body and planted himself solidly on my shoulders. I put on the tiara-thing and spoke. "Um, Satusnavus? Could you direct us to Listens-to-Wind?" I let out a burst of my magic and watched as the tiara glowed brightly, then extruded the light out into a thin line pointing off into the black.

"Um. Okay then. Is he that way, Little Brother?"

The Raccoon nodded earnestly.

"Great." I reached up and scratched under his cheeks, getting a little squirm and a delighted chitter in response. I walked over to the side of the circle, in the direction of the line, and put my hand on Luccio's shoulder. "We're going that way."

She tilted her head slightly, enough to put me in her eyeline. "What?"

"That way." I pointed. "Satusnavus and Little Brother both say the Councillor is that way." I paused, gave a little smirk. "Unless you'd prefer to stay here with the tentacle monsters. No shame if you're into that, but I would've thought it was too new for a centuries old-"

Luccio's head turned further and pinned me with a glare. I stopped talking. Ahem. "Let's go."

--

"Oh my..."

Ellis... really spoke for us all. This place was spectacular. I almost felt that 'took my breath' away cliche as literal. Though that was probably the depth. Not much oxygen flow down here. Still though. That view...

The space ahead was dominated by a towering pyramid of roughly carved stone and piled earth. The earth formed into three larger plateau-like layers, with the carved stone melding between them as carved steps and iconography showing various battles between people and... something else.

The edges of each plateau were lined with a dark, carved wood. It looked like it'd been taken from the trees in the forest back on the surface. Back in the light. The wood had no iconography, only swirling patterns interlinked with shards of coloured glass. At the edge of the lowest plateau, arcane torches had been placed at even intervals all across the entire boundary. Those coloured glass shards sparkled like a rainbow under their flickering light.

The structure was immense, and the cavern felt even larger, but a few feet out from the pyramid, everything was shrouded in the pure black darkness. For all the size of what little we could see, there was the untraceable feeling that the darkness could've concealed boundless more. It was filled with it. It just... loomed.

Though the place was only theoretically bigger, anyway. Practically speaking, it probably wasn't that much bigger than it looked and we all knew that. But that feeling... That feeling that boundless spaces lay in that inky, infinite void. Something told me that I should probably avoid going there. I might never come back.

It was hard not to want to go anyway.

The way up to the edge of the pyramid was a single, thin line of stone. I could've laid down and stretched my arms out and reached both sides. Mid-way across was a... loop. The stone rose up and entwined with itself to form a sort of archway. We'd have to go through to get to the pyramid. We walked forward, all staying quiet.

How dare we. Intruders. Fools. Bringing the light, our breath, our hearts, our curiosity.

The distance, which had looked quite far at first, disappeared in a moment. I blinked and we were there, right up against it. Ellis peered closely at the archway, muttering to himself about carbon decay and essence dating and all sorts of shit I just didn't understand.

He stood back and looked at the arch with some satisfaction. "I don't think it's enchanted. It just seems like,.. decoration." His arm went up and one finger pointed ominously toward the nearest corner of the plateau - right on the other side of the arch. "That, however, is not. It reeks of protection magics, but something stinks about it. It's foul stuff."

The Wardens and Ebenezar looked at one another and nodded. Something passed between them, something I didn't get in the slightest, followed by a feeling of resigned understanding. "It's like that, is it?"

"Like what?" I asked. They looked at me blankly, like they hadn't really noticed I was there. I saw Caoimhe was peering in at us too, trying not to seem interested but all the more blatantly interested for it.

"Just stay behind us, Max. There's danger ahead." Ebenezar gave me a kind, worried look.

I snorted. "No shit, Sir. Sorry. Obviously, Sir. I think I noticed that, what with the monsters in the dark and the generally oppressive as he-ell-eck feeling about this place."

A little chuckle rippled through the group. I wasn't trying to be funny.

"You're right, Max. But this is more than you can handle." That demeanour came over him again - the Blackstaff, Senior Council Member - and I was hit again with the reminder that Ebenezar was one of the deadliest things on this planet. At that moment, the man bristled with power. I could feel the magic crackling and shifting across his physical form, occasionally reaching outward toward one of the others, then immediately snapping back as he bound his magic again.

But I hadn't been Dresden's apprentice for nothing. I might not be able to go toe to toe with the heavyweights, but I could sure as fuck mouth off to every last one of them (AN1). Defiance. It's a greater power than any spell.

"Unprocessed bovine waste, sir. I might not be able to fight it, but I can be useful. Just tell me what this thing you're all worried about is." I gave him my best glare. The Forrest Whittaker gimlet eye. Stern shoulders and angry arms. Yeah. I was scary. I was tough.

He looked unsure, glanced at Luccio, who shook her head. He paused for another beat, then nodded to himself. His hand clutched his staff just a little tighter. Fuck. "Sorry, Max. Just stay behind us and stay out of it. This fight is beyond you - and I know sayin' that only makes you want to fight more, you're too like Dresden for anything else - but you have to stay back."

I meet his eye with no hesitation and only a little disappointment. "Hell is empty, huh?"

"There's only one Devil up there, Max." He breathed out a deep, weary sigh. Pure resignation. "But yes, it's like that."

"Damn."

One bushy brow went up.

"I mean Darn."

The brow went down.

"Good." A pause. "Come on, then. Lets get this over with."

I stepped through the arch and the Darkness... stopped. Not vanished. Just... stopped. The pressure that'd been on my mind since we walked into the caves let up and I found myself thinking clearer. The sparkles stopped, too. The twinkling off the rainbow of glass disappeared entirely and the room was utterly silent.

We walked forward, and our steps made no sound.

Upward from the first plateau. The stairs were steep enough that climbing them took noticeable effort. I half expected to see a short, pudgy, and endlessly loyal ginger fall past us. The sides, what could generously be called 'railings', were slime-slick and hard to grasp. Where was safe to put my feet? Where could I cling to the railing without slipping? I had to think carefully about both. If I fell here... Fuck. It wouldn't be good.

The second plateau. I could feel my breaths coming harder. There was something solemn about the experience. Something that felt important. Something that felt like it mattered. Like what we did here would effect others on a grand scale, even though it would never be remembered. I think it was the lack of air. Might be getting to me. Might be the Black, silent and distant but still watching. Always watching. With each step forward, the malevolence grew.

The lip of the final plateau approached and I braced myself for whatever Devil was up there.

Fools. Trespassers. How dare we? Our every heartbeat was an affront. Our every breath a sacrilege. Heresy, monstrous, wrong. So, so wrong.

The flat top of the Pyramid was slightly inset, another stair leading down to an open square. The perimeter was lined with that same carved wood and that same coloured glass. The rainbow had returned, blazing brighter than ever before. I was expecting stone, or dirt, or wood in the floor, but it was glass. Or maybe ice, I wasn't sure. But it was pure, and clear, and all that stood between us and an apparently endless fall. The walls in that long, endless cavern were covered in bodies. Each one pristine, preserved. A faint shimmer to their skin betrayed the magic behind their state - some sort of spell protected them from the decay of time, kept them fresh.

Was this whole place here to protect them? To... display them?

Whichever it was, the Mausoleum certainly caught my attention. I almost didn't notice the other thing, not at first. A single man, kneeling in the precise centre of the square.

His skin was a ruddy bronze, tanned from time out in plenty of sunshine. His clothing was simple, blue jeans and faded band shirt (Pink Floyd? Really?) with a pair of fringed fabric moccasin boots up to mid-shin. Even his height was plainly innocuous, an utterly un-notable five-eight or five-nine. The only thing of interest was the small cloth bag around his neck and the plain-looking and still-living branch across his knees. A ring of jewellery surrounded him: a small necklace of bone-bits, a beaded bracelet, some kind of eagle-feather head or ear-thing, two bangles, a smooth wooden anklet, and a necklace of woven roots. I looked up from the ring of bling and back to its presumed-owner, recognising him immediately. I added another notable feature to the list - those eyes, dark and intense and locked, unmovingly, onto their target.

It was Listens-to-Wind. And he was fighting.

Not visibly, not like that. He wasn't hitting or punching or casting, but he was fighting all the same. As we walked down and we got closer, it was all over his face. The effort. Old and tired and still straining to keep on keeping on. I knew the feeling. It's how I was before Dresden came along. Life beats on you, sometimes, trying to knock you down, and you've just gotta buckle with it. I felt another burst of gratitude for Dresden. Before him, I'd have stayed a bitter, beaten hunchback. Afterward... well. You've gotta get knocked down to get back up again. I wasn't sure which step he was in, but Listens seemed to know that. His fingers were tapping a light beat on the twig. And the monster was contained.

The monster - and I honestly couldn't describe it any other way, the thing was fucking freaky - loomed over the Councillor, maybe twenty feet tall, maybe thirty, and it was pure undulating colour. Looking at it was like a blot, a barren spot in my brain that I just couldn't focus on. It was just so Bright. I wasn't sure whether that rippling was light bending around it or it dragging the light in. Devouring or burying. What a fucking choice. Somehow, Listens-to-wind's eyes never left it.

Huh. Never met a tye-dyed bad guy before. That's new.

As a group, we walked forward toward the... tableau. Caoimhe stepped onto the glass first. I half expected it to shatter instantly. It was fine. Not even a crack appeared. The Wardens fanned out to either side, Ebenezar in the middle like the palm of a hand. I did as instructed and stayed back.

As we approached, Ebenezar called out to Listens-to-Wind. "Hey, Joe! Have you got a handle on that thing?"

'Joe' - and wasn't that an odd thing for a centuries-old wizard to be named - called back. His voice made it sound like he'd never had any doubt we'd turn up like this. "Nothin' to worry about, Old Man. What brings a redneck hillbilly, a team of wardens, a Blade of Winter, and the troublemaker's apprentice to a place like this?"

Ebenezar chuckled. "Good. We were almost worried about you, Joe. We're bringing the Council back together. Take the fight to the enemy. And we thought we'd come... pick you up, as the young un's say these days." He turned to look at me, clearly looking for approval on the funny things young people did these days. I just shrugged. I didn't speak much more slang than he did.

Ebenezar just frowned. Looked back to Listens-to-Wind. He opened his mouth to talk. I cut in. "So, um. What is it, anyway?" I asked. They all looked at me. Ebenezar seemed irritated, despite his amusement. "What? Like you weren't all thinking it! It's a big glowy, multi-coloured blot-thing that none of us can really look at properly! Evolution makes some weird shit and all, but that's got to be something supernatural."

Ebenezar chuckled, said again "Definitely Dresden's apprentice." I flushed, but I think I managed to pull off pretending that it was pride and not embarrassment.

Fools. Our constant worrying about social irrelevancies. We'd quibble ourselves to death before the end could even get to us. Our griping, moaning anxieties about embarrassment were nothing before the grand spectrum of the sparkling, glorious infinity of the universe. It made our trespass even worse, all the bleating, damnable noise of life. It was an offence. We were pathe-

I shook my head. That voice was beginning to get irritating. Maybe I was right. Maybe we were fools, coming down here. I couldn't even look at the thing that Joe was fighting, I should probably go back up and- Wiat. Wati. Wait. I shook my head again and focused. That wasn't me speaking. That wasn't my voice. They weren't my thoughts.

"Damn."

The others looked at me. Concern slipped out of their controlled expressions. "What? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just..." My focus slipped and the voice crept in again, this time barely a whisper at the edge of my perception. I rubbed at my temple, concentrated, and the voice vanished again. "That thing is in my head. Or maybe it's just this place. Keeps telling me that I'm a trespasser and my breathing is sacrilege or something."

Joe said nothing. That was enough answer, in itself.

After a minute of pure quiet, one of the Wardens spoke up. "So, you didn't actually answer her question." Ah. Ellis, then. "What is this thing? I can barely look at it straight. It's like it forgot to bother with a veil and just ate the light and shat every colour it could think of."

"The Old Thing is part of the reason why this place was built. The Deaths of my People, they keep it contained here, in this place. They were supposed to keep it out of the Mausoleum, too, but-"

"So it is a Mausoleum! Fuckin' A, I thought it was and I was ri-" I trailed off, flushing as everyone glared at me. Fool. Your inane suggestions trespass on their minds. On their intellects. You will- I closed my eyes and grit my teeth. No. I have enough voices in my head already. A mental chuckle as an old memory surfaces. Get thee behind me, bastard. The voice stopped again. "Sorry."

Listens-to-Wind sighed. None of us noticed at the time, but the Old Thing... twitched as he did. Got a little brighter, a little more... solid. "Take a look. It should be down there."

We peered over the wall where he pointed. For a moment, I couldn't see what he was referring to. There were the same lights, the same wood, the same gla- Oh. If I hadn't stared right at it, I definitely would've missed it. A small gap in the rainbow. I had to assume the glass had been shattered because there was a colour missing.

This thing, it seemed, had slithered in through the crack. Wriggled and wormed, contorted and crawled, burrowed and bored, this thing had made it through and it had grown. Dog, had it fucking grown. Like a bacteria. Two then four then eight then sixteen then, well, that thing. It liked to remain unnoticed. Unbothered. It liked getting in under your guard. It liked festering. Knowing that... it helped. If it had a pattern I could see, it wasn't too alien for me to understand. It could be familiar.

"Okay, so it snuck in through a hole in the fence. That makes it a supernatural creepy teenager, not a threat. Why are you so concerned about it that you'd come down here?" The 'where your dead people are interred' was left unsaid.

"If the Old Thing escaped, it'd try eat the Sun."

"Ah," I blinked. That was really not an answer I was expecting. Listens-to-wind looked uncomfortably comfortable giving it too, which was just confusing. "Okay, um... what now?"

The question was left unanswered for a few moments. Then, Listens-to-wind jolted. The Old Thing, still unnoticed by all of us, twitched again. And yes, I only knew all of that in retrospect. I'll get to that, before the end.

"You need to go down."

The stick across his legs glowed brightly, previously invisible symbols lined in light and colour. He spoke a single word and a loud crack echoed through the cavern.

Fools. The door is opening now. Your trespass will-

For a moment I expected to fall - the floor had shattered, right? - and was utterly befuddled when I didn't. I looked down and the floor had gone from pure, clear glass to a mosaic of colour and lightning-linework. Each piece shimmered, that same rainbow effect once again, and suddenly they all just rotated. Pivoted, really, like they were opened. The doors really were open now. If the floor could be considered a door.

After a long, long moment of silence, we fell. Downward and down, faster and faster and ever-further into that pure, unending black before it exploded into a cascade of colour and light. My lungs seized and a memory long-since repressed, when I'd fallen into a swimming pool and nearly drowned, flooded through my mind. I panicked, heart pounding and mind racing, searching, hunting for anything that would get me out. Out of this void of sheer, utter colour.

I had the most uncomfortable sensation of being devoured.

--

AN1 - Do Americans say this? 'Mouth off', I mean? You also might've heard someone call a person 'mouthy', if that helps? I couldn't find anything conclusive on google as to whether Max might use it. In case it is only English, it means being verbally rude and disruptive. You'd often find it used to refer to errant schoolchildren being pricks to their teachers.

Chapter Text

I woke up in a ditch, my shoulders cramped and pressed up against the cold, rough stone beneath me. And anyone who ever told you that sleeping on the ground was comfortable is an idiot or a fucking masochist. Dog. I rolled my shoulders and groaned as the bones or joints or whatever popped and cracked.

Fucking. Ow.

I let my eyes flicker open and breathed out deeply. Oh... fucking ow! What was that pain? That sensation right there... that was... I poked a little harder. Yep. That- That's a rib. Ow. Why does that ache so much? Oh dog, I think this is what being kicked in the chest by a horse must feel like. Only I got hit in the chest by the floor. Does that make it worse? The floor is a lot bigger than a horse. I don't remember much from AP Physics, but I think widening the hit makes things worse. Or maybe it was better. Fucking ugh. Who cares. My ribs hurt.

I stared up at the ceiling. I could actually see one, which was interesting. I was expecting more Darkness. More... black? Oh. That's what happened. We... we fell. Through the dead. Walls and walls of them. Eyes blank, but so alive. I fumbled slightly, grabbed both my wands, and sat upright. Another twinge of pain through my chest. I could feel the air, cold and still, move with my motion. This place hadn't been disturbed in a very, very long time. And Dog, it fucking stank. I don't know what that smell was, but my stomach twitched every time I breathed in and just... eurgh.

Oh. Okay. I'm alone. Did not expect that. I'm gonna give them all the benefit of the doubt and believe they didn't just abandon me here, in the middle of this rock cavern thing. We must've fallen separately, then. Well, that's the second thing to do, then. What was the first? To find out where I was. Can't find them if I can't find me. Wow, that was deep. Almost as deep as I was right now...

I shook my head, blinked hard. Some of the fog cleared. I twitched. Ow. Damn ribs. I took a look around me. The cavern was vaguely circular, maybe more oval than circle, with three exits (two behind me, one in front), and- Wait. There's something... What am I missing? I know I saw... I know there's- Oh. Damnit. I looked back up at the ceiling. There... there was no hole.

"What the fuck?"

How did I get down here? This makes no sense, was I dragged? Is there some anti-gravity spell keeping me to this surface and I just fell out of one of those exits? I looked down at the ground. It was very... ground-ey. Kinda grey, mostly that weird scouring-pad surface that some rocks get, um... What does a drag-mark look like? Damn it, Dresden never... I sighed. Pity there weren't any caves back home. Maybe I'd actually know how to do all this.

Still. I may have had no idea how I got there, but I now knew where I was. In a cave with three entrances and no hole for me to fall through to get here.

In short, I was right in the middle of my usual weirdness. The more things change, eh?

Well, come on, Max. No time to just lie around. Gotta get working on thing two now.

I stood up, facing the single-exit side of the cavern. I stared at it. The inky black seemed to taunt me. Not verbally this time. No voices in my head but mine right now. It was taunting more in just... in its, like, general attitude. Was this how my parents felt when I did the talk to the hand, silent-treatment thing? Was I being cranky-teenagered by a lack of light?

Usual weirdness levels double confirmed.

I reached up and I tapped gently on the circlet I somehow still had on my head. Must be magic - there wasn't a comb or a clip or anything. I pushed some magic through my finger and let it flood into the circlet. "Satusnavus? Any way out?"

The circlet flared again and another line pointed backward. Toward the left of the two passages. Well, that's a clear answer, I guess. Couldn't get clearer without a little pop-up stationary-thing asking me if I was really trying to find a route and if I maybe wanted any help with that. Ahem. I followed it along.

Everything got darker as I walked. Or it felt like it did, anyway. I couldn't see well enough to judge the actual light levels, but my heart felt colder and colder as I continued down the tunnel. It tickled down the back of my neck, like icy-fingers stroking gently across the hairs there.

Fingers that vanished every time I turned around. Cowardly fuckers.

It... they weren't jumpy turns, strangely enough. I didn't feel panicked by the dark tickling my neck or the cold squeezing my heart. How can you jump at shadows when it's all shadows?

I could hear my heart beating in my ears though, which was kind of annoying.

And how long was this damn tunnel? My thighs were starting to hurt with all the - ugh - walking. The road stretched ever on... I chuckled. Heh. "Home is behind, the world ahead..." I sang, feeling the words echo out into the darkness. Guess it's true what they say about having a song in your heart. My step picked up as I continued, feeling more pep to it with each line of the melancholy song. Odd, I guess, but whatever works.

Easier to move forward than back, like my dad said... my dad. My dad! Somewhere off in the back of my head, a mist receded. As my step stalled, my attention immediately set on what was revealed. My parents... What had... why would... *how* could...

Why hadn't I thought about them?

They hadn't even come into my head once since all of this started. Not once. How could I... Look, I love my family. I don't understand them half the time, and I probably fight with them the other third, but I do love them. Really. I should've thought about them. They'll be so... I sighed. So, that was... weird. I'm going to go see them, when I get out of this place. I swear it.

So, how to - I paused, pondered - actually do that.

I wafted a wand, muttered a word in badly-pronounced Urdu, and smirked as it began to glow.

It... I really should not have done that. Oh no. It's- It's- I screamed in horror as the hideous, wriggling things revealed by the light tore into me, burrowing into my skin and ripping me limb from limb and-

Eh. Actually, it was fine.

I was just in a tunnel. Rough-hewn rock surrounded me, same as the cavern I'd woken up in. It could've been natural, it could've been not, but whatever it was, it was still it. I took a moment to look backward. Nothing.

The world ahead, Max. Keep your eye on the prize - getting out of here and not being dead. So, prizes, I guess. Lucky I had two eyes, then. I started forward. Though I'd never been able to go cross-eyed. Except once. It was Chloe's... ninth, maybe tenth birthday. Her 'party' was literally just me and her, same as it had always been. But William had gotten all dressed up, like a fifties doo-wap version of a clown, and tried to entertain us. He'd muttered something - something that my brain had itched trying to work out at the time, utterly believing in 'magic words' and shit like that - and then pulled a nickel from my nostril. I'd been so shocked, I'd gone cross-eyed trying to get a glance at my nose. I remember blurting "Oh dog, what if my nose got bent! I'd look like a wrestler! I can't look like a wrestler, what if people ask me what my favourite fighting move is? Somehow, I don't think 'Circle, circle, square, right trigger' would be the correct answer!" as the other two laughed.

I sighed. I hadn't been in Chloe's house for long, but... not so much laughter, these days. Wait. Chloe! I immediately stopped. "Weatherwax? Can you hear me?"

There was a pause. It stretched on. I swore. Dog, this is taking too long. "Pick up already, Weatherwax! Fucking hell, when I need fucking help, she's off-"

I stopped myself, gritting my teeth around the words to stop more coming out of me. Fucking hellfire. Nothing. "Well, just in case you can hear me and I can't hear you, we're stuck in a Dark cave." I made certain I pronounced that capital letter. "There's a bunch of weird monsters, and something Listens called 'The Old Thing' that apparently wants to eat the Sun, but nothing I can't handle. There's just no way out. I'm kinda wandering about pretty aimlessly, even with Satusnavus, so if there's anything you can do to help with that, I'd, uh, really appreciate it?"

I paused for another moment, managing to bite back some of the more... effusive expressions of gratitude I might've been tempted to give. 'cause fucking fuck that noise. But still, silence. Well, never mind. Cross that option off the list. Screw it. I'm continuing onward. And maybe I wouldn't even need Satusnavus. Even I couldn't manage to get lost in a straight-

Ahem.

I turned around, and followed the line of light.

Maybe I would keep Satusnavus on. Just in case.

--

The endless rock and dark turned out to have an end after all. It took almost an hour for me to reach it, and the tunnel veered up and down and left and right throughout, more and more as I closed on the final stretches. It was almost worm-like. Like some giant slithering creature had carved this like humans would hack out a path through dense foliage. Only it carved a path through rock. Maybe not a creature I'd like running into.

Not that I really had any options.

Or rather, no options that I knew would help me avoid that hypothetical worm-thing. After a rather abrupt downturn in the tunnel, leaving me a slope I had to slide down, it suddenly opened wide into a cavern. I stared at it. Fuck, and I thought the last lot of rock looked rough. The cavern's walls were a nebulous network of holes, like honeycomb. But if it was bees that made this, they'd've had to be the size of dogs. Big ones, like... like... Big Dogs. Yeah.

I muttered another word of Urdu and flung the light from my wand up to the ceiling of the cavern, where it illuminated the entire thing clearly.

Okay, so, that's... onetwothreefourfive- twenty seven possible routes. Just... wow. Thank fuck I have Satusnavus. I walked into the vague centre of the cavern - it was an oddly marshmallow shaped thing, so there wasn't really an actual 'centre' as such, but I found something workable - and pushed a bit more Will into it. The light line glowed brightly before flicking off to point to my left.

Then it flickered out. I tapped the crystal a few times. Nothing. So, I closed my eyes and pushed yet more of my will into the thing. It bloomed back into life, still pointing off to the left.

Unfortunately, that didn't narrow it down to a level that would actually be helpful - there were a dozen different tunnels off in that direction. But at least it was a direction, I guess. I paused for a second and looked them all over. Man, I really hope it isn't that one in the roof. Flying is not as simple as Harry Potter makes it look.

I took a deep breath. Okay, Max. Let's do this.

It took me an hour to narrow it down to two side-by-side passages. Whenever I got close to one tunnel, Satusnavus would focus on it for a few seconds before wobbling over to the other.

This, I had decided, was a big problem.

Namely, because I now had a decision to make. Which fucking corridor did I damn well use? I knew it was meaningless, I know it was meaningless - I had absolutely no way to tell which way was right - but for some reason I just could not decide. The closer I stepped to each one, the less I wanted to take it.

Something in my head kept telling me was a mistake.

This went on for about half an hour before something profound occurred to me.

Of fucking course it was a mistake. And that was fine! I made those all the time. And I'll be damned if being all alone in a dark cave makes me stop doing that. Onward!

I ran into the hole, too fast to see the sudden drop. I coyote-style ran in air for a moment, before I plummeted down yet again. Man, I thought, as I screamed in shock, this is happening way too often for my taste.

--

I woke up in a ditch. Again. Seriously, not a habit I ever expected to pick up, and not one I wanted to keep. The rock was still uncomfortable - sharp little points jabbing into my back - and the air was still still and stale and so very, very cold.

I really don't like it down here.

My eyes flickered open. Darkness. I sighed. Really, really don't like it down here. I muttered the Urdu once again and flicked out my- out my.... fuck. Fucking fuckballs, that's just... ugh. This was... Calm down, Max. You can do this.

mistakemistakemistakedeadlydeadlymistakemis-

"Shut up!"

My voice echoed around me, tauntingly, loudly. And... weirdly pitched. Did my voice just get deeper or have I really had no idea what I sound like all this time? I couldn't help myself.

I tried it again.

"What the fuck?"

Again, the cave echoed. My profanity-laden inquiry pingponging about, the tone and pitch still off. Still a lot deeper than my voice could ever go. There was a rumble beneath it, a vibration that felt like the rock itself was talking back to me. Something was tickling at the edge of my mind, like a realisation at the very tip of my tongue that would take only a tiny microstep more to be realised.

I scrabbled about the rock nearby, hand landing on one wand. Yes! I grabbed it and immediately cast light. The Urdu word echoed around me, pitch and tone changing wildly. I got to my feet, rising with the wand in my hand. One more. I had to know.

With a deep breath, I screamed "Purple People Eater!" My screams and the cave's echoed yells bounded off the walls, the resonance making them louder and louder until the sound was completely deafening. All-consuming. There was nothing in my head but me and the sound. And me was quiet.

And then, in a sudden snap, it all went still and silent.

That... yeah. That was creepy.

Don't judge. I wanted to make it... unexpected.

Maybe the stillness was less natural cave stuff and more of a hint. Scream not into the void, or the void will scream back. So, come on Max. Be the void. Be the void! Insert gym-bro squawk here.

I tried to stay quiet and pushed forward, quickly using my wand to find the other and stowing it away again. The shadows parted around me like water. It felt a little like swimming, too. That stagnant stillness seemed almost like it was trying to push back against me. So, I did what I always do. In the grand tradition of both my family and my mentor, I shoved that darkness back and dropkicked it into the lake. Okay, maybe that was more Dresden than my Dad, but my Mom would definitely pull something like that. Probably.

Either way, on I went. I could feel the strain in my muscles. My arms and thighs burned with it. But I could do this. I wouldn't let it win. I just kept my eyes on the prize. Wait, prizes. Not dying and getting out of here.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my ankles and pulled. Hard. I went down. Hard.

I slid for a distance, then finally hit a flat floor. I lay there for a long minute, trying to calm my racing heart. And to think of where my wand might have gone. I really need to get a strap on that thing, like one of those nintendo remote things. Not for the first time, I cursed my magic making video games impossible. With a whole bunch of effort, I pulled up my hand and planted it flat on the floor to lift myself up. I crawled forward, feeling along the floor for my wand.

After a few moments, I felt a powder beneath my hand. Which first, gross, but second... worrying.

I scrabbled about in the dirt and the stone, before remembering that I only dropped one wand. The advantages of redundancy, people. I pulled my other wand and one word of Urdu later, the room was lit. And my stomach dropped harder than I had.

That powder? It was some kind of coloured chalk, and I was right in the middle of a giant circle of it. Oh fuck.

Nothing was glowing, but that didn't necessarily mean anything with magic circles. Actually, come to think of it, that may just have been Dresden pulling my leg. Either way, I was going to be very, very careful. I paused, looked around, reminded myself that I'd accidentally wandered into the middle of a possibly live and complete circle. And then cast magic.

I'd be careful, starting from now.

"Okay, calm down-" "Okay, calm down-"

I paused. "Did that-" "Did that-"

Huh. Weird. The voices were back. Like, back in the cave, I mean. I got to my feet, quickly scanning about the room. Not that I was expecting much. Like before, I didn't see anything or anyone. Hm. What to do, what to do... I needed to get out of this circle, so getting out was worth a shot. I gently walked over to the edge, trying not to disturb the dust across the floor too much. I stopped a short ways away and reached out a hand.

The room flashed and I smelt an odd mix of after-the-rain and lightning-burn. I thought I could taste both slightly too. Okay, so. Not an option.

I thought for a moment. I'd need my wand to focus here, but if I use it I drop the light...

Fuck it.

I took another look to make sure I knew exactly where I was going to be pointing this thing and broke the light spell, plunging the room into inky darkness.

The stillness was so much worse.

I quickly pointed the wand at a particular spot in the circle and cast, a few dozen rapid words and sounds of Xhosa. As I cast, the cave spoke along with me. The spell revealed very little, beyond the fact that I had no idea what this circle was for. The only thing it clarified was a word - Meaning.

Which honestly, just... wow. Unhelpful.

Did something mean something?

Did I need to mean something?

Does it want to know the meaning of something?

I groaned. The cave echoed my groan. Dogdamnit. Okay, Max. Time to mix some of the old grey matter together and come up with an answer. Or you're going to starve to death in this circle. Hey, maybe that's what the powder is! I cast my light again and collected a small handful that wasn't part of any recognisable symbols and ran another few identification spells.

I really hate it when I'm right about these things.

There were many, many bones here. From many, many people.

Right. Not that I needed any more motivation to get out of here, but if I had that would've done the trick. Okay, can't just walk out, so I probably can't just- Huh. I tried to smudge the circle with my foot. Petrichor and ashes again. Yep. Can't just break it. Means there's either something powering it, or some sort of clause or criteria to breaking it.

Power. Okay. I brought up the light. Still no glowing from the circle. I threw the light across the room, going through it step by step. Just a cave. Nothing. Oh, hey, there's my other wand! Outside the circle, of course. "Fuck." "Fuck."

Right, yes. That again. It still made me shudder - little shivers down my spine like cold fingers.

What purpose does mimicking me actually serve? It's definitely not an echo. So, it's something deliberate, which means it's been done for a reason. Damned if I can think of what that reason would be, though. It's not like I have any pretty spirits lusting over me to offend.

I went back to the circle. Another few spells later, in the quiet dark, revealed another aspect to the circle - containment and manipulation. It wanted to catch something and do something with it. Maybe my voice? I mean, it's hardly done anything bad. I can still speak.

I can still speak, right?

"Testing!" "Testing!"

Great.

So, it's not taking my voice, just mimicking it. Or am I giving it my voice? Important distinction, magically speaking. What can I give but still keep?

And how the hell does this link to the Old Thing up on the pyramid? Is it a trap for it? The thing did talk in my head a lot. Maybe... oh. Oh shit! Meaning! I get it now. They are connected! I took a deep breath and said, as clear as I could, "Word."

A moment passed with nothing, and I thought I'd fucked it up, but then the cave intoned my word right back at me. "Word."

The only thing you give and keep at the same time. The thing all meaning is bound up in, conveyed through.

The circle suddenly blazed with light, like someone had turned all the Christmas lights on at once and threw in the 4th of July Fireworks for good measure. It felt like a pat on the back, and a gold star back in Kindergarten.

The light vanished, and with it the circle went. All magical pressure vanished - though the shape was still there in the floor, it wasn't holding me any more. I took a few cautious steps forward and grinned. I quickly dashed over to grab my second wand. "Yes! One win for me!" "Yes! One win for me."

I groaned. "Fuck." The cave groaned. "Fuck."

"Why are you why are still you still talking talking?"

That one gave me a headache. Seriously, I beat the circle. This should've stopped. I growled.

"What-what-do-do-you-you-want-want-from-from-me-me!!"

I stopped. That was weird.

"Did you get quicker?"

My train of thought derailed in a fiery crash. I just stood there. "That's not good. That's not good at all."

The voice was speaking at the same time as me now. Still deeper, more resonant, more dark cave-ey than my actual voice, but yeah. It just sounded like an odd vibration to my words now.

And then it spoke without me, in my fucking voice. "They're heeeere."

What.

"Run."

Something snarled behind me.

Leathery, bloated, inky-black slugs, the size of fucking bears. Their skin (?!?) undulated with each sinewy, relaxed movement that seemed to propel them far further than it should. I stared, slackjawed, as the shadow charged.

For a moment, I thought I might just stand and let it overtake me. Let myself fall into the black and experience that endless cascade of colour. But a whisper in my ear and the faint flickering of fire across my fingertips-

I was a student of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. His last student.

No way I could give up.

The faint flickering became a blaze and I grinned, wide enough to show all my teeth. The monsters may not recognise that particular signal, but it was enough to let me straighten my spine and face them, head on. I threw out my hands and a torrent of fire blasted from them, the monsters screamed. For a moment, it looked like pieces of the shadow were melting away, revealing the faces... the- the- Oh dog.

I dropped the flames and ran.

I was a student of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. His last student.

Running was something I could do.

I ran with no destination, no route. The only thoughts in my head were those faces, and the need to get away. To be anywhere but here. The creatures were slow, but their loping leaps ensured they stayed on my trail.

Suddenly, I coughed.

I blinked.

I coughed?

I coughed again.

I know it's cold down here, but this is ridiculous. Why am I coughing? There's not even- My train of thought abruptly detailed in a fiery crash. There's a tickle in my throat. It wasn't there before, but it was definitely there now. The things behind still came, but that didn't seem important. It wasn't, after all. What's the worst they could do to me? But this thing in my throat was demanding my attention, so I went in after it.

It was easier than I expected. My teeth scraped unpleasantly over my skin - even tearing it slightly, I think - but in it went. Nails, fingers, nearly all of my palm until- I suddenly gagged violently and a convulsion ripped my hand out of my mouth - definitely tearing the skin - just as my fingertips gently grazed the obstruction. Apparently, I managed to grab it, as what came out was revealed barb by barb to be a feather. The vane looked a little worse for wear, but it was a simple feather.

How had that gotten in there? I wondered. Wandered. I dimly registered the creatures closing, a few steps away from reaching me, but it didn't seem important. I'd get to that. I just had to work out what was up with this feather. As I focused in on it, running my finger over the barbs and feeling them rustle across my skin - oddly like feeling the side of a deck of playing cards, actually - I noticed something. There were words in the feather. I peered closely at them. God, how did they fit so many words on a feather? I marveled at the sheer talent it must've taken to make that happen.

And then, I made a horrible mistake.

I opened my Eye. And the words took hold.

-as preening birds pose still under the gazelight, so should you freeze before the g'Len-

My lips curled around the words, curled around those unfamiliar patterns of speaking as my body moved to someone else's instruction. Became part of someone else's pattern. It wasn't like changing an accent, it was like someone used to a different jaw was trying to move mine in the same way they moved theirs. Like something with five legs trying to walk in a two-legged body. Like... Like-

It was... so utterly disconcerting I couldn't even describe it. There weren't words. But there were. They were in my head. In my mouth. My voice. But they weren't words I knew. And they had control.

The words held up the feather with my hands, and something protruded out of it. I could see the shadow of the shapes moving, through the gaps in the barbs, but I couldn't see what they were becoming. I think I'm grateful for that.

The things chasing me stopped, and stared at the feather, and the weird stuff happening on the other side of it. And then the words took my mouth and used it once again.

-freeze as prey before predator, as a pool on the tundra, freeze as this one commands-

And as instructed, they froze. Literally. And then they each violently exploded into a block of thick blue ice - it was... transformative, like their forms unfolded outward into their new shapes. Like butterflies. Exploding, icy butterflies. I just stopped and stared. Huh. That was... huh.

I didn't need to hear Weatherwax to know what she'd say. The snide sentence practically creaked itself into my head. "Was that the assistance you had in mind?"

And no, no it wasn't, not even a little bit, hypothetical brain-Weatherwax. I literally just said not... some amount of time ago that she shouldn't take over my body like this. But, as I looked over the ice-blobs all around me, I couldn't deny it was effective as hellfire. Though the traces of it still creeping in the back of my head did make me turn my light up a little brighter before I pressed on into the dark again. And whenever I saw Weatherwax again, we'd be having fucking wor- I swallowed. A conversation about doing... that ever again.

I looked back at the ice blocks. "Huh."

Well. At least it worked. Not dying is alright. I could live with that.

Heh.

--

A few caves later, I finally spotted something of interest. I scurried over. Another one, eh? The symbols were... similar, but not quite. The shapes were similar, those same curves and jagged, broken emphasis. Same language, but different symbols, maybe?

There was one though, right at the top, that said 'Will'. It didn't say it in English, of course, but that was what appeared in my brain after my translation spell, so that's what it meant. Lucky me that I could keep light and cast detections now.

I poked through the rest of the circle. It was focused on... empathy?

As I poked it with my magic, it began to hum. I swore, pulled everything back immediately. It made no difference. The humming grew. Slowly, out of the rough-hewn rock the circle was carved into, a... blade of stone grew. It was curved and sharp, like a stalagmite crossed with a scimitar - one of the proper ones where the top section of the blade was nearly three inches from the edge to the pointy bit. It looked heavy, and hefty, and so, so sharp.

Some of the symbols from the circle were repeated on the sword - Will. Courage. Heart. Power. Life. Hmmph. If it was three things, I'd've suspected a Schoolhouse Rock reference, ancient Native American crypt-vault or not. But five? What brought all those things together? Will, Courage, and Heart were all sort of ways of saying someone was brave. But life didn't work for that even a little.

And while the others were vital, you didn't need Power to complete tasks.

Was it part of some story in Native American culture? I know the Norse have kennings - but if there was a referential metaphor here, I didn't have the knowledge to spot it. Thinking in that direction would be pointless.

Was it... I don't know, was it an anagram? The Greeks were fond of them, and they were all over Europe in the Middle Ages. They even used them to analyse the Tanakh, so... I still had no idea if that was a thing they'd actually do here though.

Regardless, I'd keep thinking. I'd be stuck here otherwise. I could do this. I could get out. Dresden would be so disappointed if I just gave up. He always... admired... my... tenacity.

Oh.

Will - your blood, sweat, and tears. The part of humanity that drove us to endure all these years, that drove us to the greatest highs and the lowest lows.

Courage - the willingness to step forward and put the work in. To shed blood in the name of the righteous cause.

Heart - the thing that pumps it through your body.

Power - blood was the strongest power there was.

Life - if you miss that association, I don't know what else to tell you.

I reached up and in one quick motion, ran my hand down the edge of the blade. While it was sharp, it was also still rock. I screamed as it tore through my hand. But as the liquid of my life dripped down it, the circle slowly dimmed.

I fistpumped in celebration. I screamed, as pain shot through my hand. Bad idea! Bad idea!

I poked my wand into the wound and muttered a random spate of Spanish. I couldn't fix it - I sucked at healing - but I could help hurry it along.

One more test passed. What would this cave throw at me next? I'd kick its ass, whatever it was, but yeah. Feeling confident, curious, and a little hungry. It's been a while since I had anything to eat. Not sure how long, admittedly. Kinda hard to tell time in a cave. In the Dark.

I took a few steps forward to the next cave exit, and then my foot exploded into fire. I screamed. The circle hadn't faded! Fuck! I tried to concentrate, tried to focus, but every time I got close - a lance of pain flashed up my leg and whatever I had just broke. The healing spell tried to repair, but whatever was damaging me just ripped up its' work a moment later.

I brought up my hands and just threw power out.

The dull circle below my feet - oh fuck - suddenly burst like a firework. Specks of light and ashen cinders flew through the room, and then I could move. I dashed forward, out of the circle as quick as I could. The stone was rough and unsteady beneath my feet and I went tumbling almost as quickly as I started. I made it out of the circle though. Fucking thing.

The cavern walls began to glow. Fuck again. With a rusty spoon. Damnit. I wafted a hand and, with a ringing sound that echoed through the cave, summoned enough energy to stand again.

The cave rumbled and shook. For fucks sake. What now? I turned to the open entry and, huh. Okay. That's a tide of skulls cascading toward me like some kind of... skull-nami. Skull wave? Eh. It's okay. I'll workshop it. I raised my hands and cast a shield. I also racked my brain for any helpful swimming spells I could remember. I was going to need them.

--

The flood carried me into another chamber, depositing me on the ground with a clatter and clash as skulls scattered across the cave. I pulled myself up, planting both palms flat on the ground and pushing my weight onto my knees. Every part of my body ached. I thanked my lucky stars though. It was an honest miracle I hadn't been sliced open by all those bones. Then I looked up, and my heart fell. Maybe not so lucky...

There were dozens of circles here, every one of them active.

Rings of symbols that twitched and danced and changed even as I stared at them. Some were barely a meter across, others were twenty meters or more.

I climbed quickly to my feet, scanning the floor around me and- I sighed. Wowzers. Thank dog for that. I was outside that mess. But what the hell was it? I'd never seen anything that big or complex. I tossed a few scanning spells into the interlocking rings, my mind boggling at the byzantine responses my spells threw back. Nothing made sense.

There was one clear thing though.

In the middle of the dark, dark cavern of unfathomably complex magical prisons... of course. A single, red tulip. Growing right out of the rock. A thin and shimmering liquid dripped onto it, drop by drop, from something up above. Something long and thin and spindly and just... hanging from the ceiling I couldn't see - which meant it was hanging from the black. It looked... oddly like a hand, if it'd been carved and hewn from the thick, dark rock by something without any hands at all, something that'd seen them only once in passing. Despite the crudeness of its carving, the giant stone thing was beautiful.

I stepped forward, careful to Not Cross Into The Circle. Any of them. If it was this hard to look at, I didn't even wanna think about how it'd feel to be in one of them. Just... wowzer.

I followed the edges along both sides, until I hit wall. Damn. No way around. The tunnel in, filled with skulls. No way back. Shit. I knew what I had to do. But it broke every rule, every sense, every bit of logic and self-preservation. I didn't want to do it. But I had to. I had to go through the circles. Maybe there'd be another test to turn them off, but there was nothing I could do from here. I couldn't even tell what the circles did.

I took a deep breath. I lifted my foot and pushed forward. The still air felt thick, pushing back against my foot. It took shoving some Will into my leg, giving it a hint of magic, to finally make it through. These circles were powerful, but they didn't seem too opposed to things coming in. This was weird. Circles should not be like this. But here they were.

Dog, what am I doing?

I planted my foot on the ground and heaved the rest of me into the circle. Immediately, the air felt different. The stillness remained, but it was like a thick, heavy coat. It was almost damp, but the faint taste was magic rather than moisture. I pushed through the circle, moving closer and closer to that flower and the hand (wrongwrongwrong) dangled above it.

For all my worries about the circle, nothing happened until I got close to the flower.

The hand flexed, the stone twitching like it was actually alive (WAS IT?!) and it slowly reached down out of the dark, a long arm of somehow-solid shadow behind it. As it reached my level, it began to unfurl, revealing, sat in its palm... a notebook?

I looked at it for a few long moments, the presence of a college-lined. ring-bound A4 Oxford notebook in the middle of this... nightmare taking me an understandable extra time to get my head around. I mean, just... what?

I stepped forward, though I really didn't want to, and tried to take the notebook. Tried to, because it doggedly refused to come away from its stone spot no matter how hard I pulled. I let it be with an embarrased huff. I still probably shouldn't use my sight down here, even if it would make this easier. I guess there's only one thing for it, right? The obvious action here...

I reached forward and I opened it.

Inside it was, as advertised, college-lined.

Got that important fact out of the way first, before moving on to the truly freaky thing. On the top line of the first page was a simple, single word:

Name.

It wanted me to write down my name? Like, my name? Or my Name?

A pen popped out of the air - a Black Bic Biro, seriously what the fuck? - and landed on the page. I guess that answered that question. I took a look around the cavern. No ways out. With a shrug, I scrawled down my name. Maxine Caulfield.

The circles, vanished, now burst into bright, beaming light that spread through the room like a floodlight. The way was clear. The flower was gone. The risk I'd just taken hit me. What Dresden would've said, walking into an active set of circles like that. I didn't do well on my own. I really, really didn't.

--

I walked into the final chamber, and immediately my gaze was drawn to the centre. Beautiful. Floating crystals of various sizes, but all bigger than me, hung in the air and sparkled. They illuminated a small area in the middle of the cavern, dotted around a large stone chair. It was empty. I took a look around, but the cavern was so massive that, despite the crystal lights, I couldn't see the sides- or even the roof.

I took another few steps in. Something crunched beneath my boot. I looked down. It was a three-eyed skull, each socket filled with a roughly hewn sphere of crystal. All three were an odd, pale white that blended well with the bone of the skull.

Something ahead of me snorted loudly.

I looked up. The chair was no longer unoccupied, and the figure that sat in it was... me? It stood and raised a hand, calling fire from the air and leaving it hanging like the spookiest of interior lighting. She did the same four more times, until five balls of fire had joined the crystals in floating around me. Then she sat back down. Her hands clutched the arms of her chair, and I could see the stone crack faintly beneath her fingers. I could... I could feel it too. Like they were my fingers, as well as hers. One person in two bodies. Twenty fingers on four hands. Hands that were two but four but two. The same fingers, making two different movements at once.

Wowzer.

I leaned forward, met my eye. Me looked at I and I looked at me. I/she grinned. "Pay attention, Max." I/she said, "This is where things get weird."

As instructed, I did. Paid attention, I mean. I finally took a decent look at myself. As in, her-myself, not me-myself. I do not have time for that kind of self-reflection right now. She-me was dressed in a way that me-me would never be, all fancy clothes and actual make-up. I don't think I've worn actual make-up since that time Chloe and I broke into Joyce's supply for pirate scars. And I don't think that really counts. Also, for clarity, I'm going to just call her her and me me from now because I'm starting to get confused in my own head and I do not want to go through that again and wowzer this is so freaking weird because I'm me and she's me but she's not me and she is me because I can feel what she's doing and there's stuff going on that I don't-

I swore and took a deep breath, shoring up my mind. I felt myself again. Just myself. Not myselves. That was not fun.

The other-Max smiled at me, and I didn't feel it. Good. "I'm impressed, original me. I didn't think you'd be able to push back like that. I'm glad. It wouldn't be good to win by default."

"Win?" I tilted my head.

"Win." She repeated. After a moment, she explained, "If you win, you get to go ahead to the next chamber. It would be your way out of... this place." She spread her arms wide and gestured to the cavern around us. She smiled. It had too many teeth. "If I win, I get you." There was a moment where the shadow dominating the room flickered. It was just for a moment, the briefest thing, but I could see the faces of the hundreds of corpses lining the space. They all hovered there, lifeless, empty, like puppets with no strings and dolls with no life behind their shiny, empty eyes. In that moment, all their eyes were staring at me.

And then it was just darkness again.

She let that sit for a few moments, before continuing, "Pirate scars, eh? Did you get that one across the eye right in the way you thought you would?"

I looked up at her, eyes narrowing. She rolled her eyes. "Well gosh gee golly willikers. It's almost like we've run into mind-reading entities before."

I paused. I had a fair point, actually. She did. Ahem. "So, what do I actually have to do?" She looked at me. "You know. To win."

A laugh. Did my laugh really sound like that? "Yes, it does. And it's pretty simple. You have to beat me."

"Beat you?" I tilted my head and raised a wand. The tip glowed a fell green. "So, if I burned you from the inside out with acid, would that do the trick?"

"You are certainly welcome to give it a go." She shrugged. "I don't know how much good it'll-"

My arrow of acidic energy flew past her head. I could hear it sizzling as it consumed the energy I'd used to throw it, vanishing before it even hit the shadow around the edge of the room. Other me laughed. "Not bad. Though, you'll have to try a little harder than-" She twitched left, avoiding the second bolt. Another laugh. "We're sneakier than I thought. Interesting. Do you often try and sideswipe people like-" Another dodge for another bolt, but I'd anticipated that. A second bolt followed, where I thought she'd dodge.

I'll spare you the tension. She dodged it.

"I'm you. Of course I dodged it." She looked at me like I was an idiot. And perhaps I was. She wasn't me though. And I wasn't her. This was the cave. Another test. Other me rolled her eyes. "I would've thought that was obvious. Of course it's another test, dumbass."

"So, if we're not going to sit here and kill each other, how do we beat each other?"

"The old fashioned way. Mind to mind. This is another puzzle, just like the others. I just happen to have Voice, Will, and a Name." She spread her hands wide, drawing me. "You simply have to find my answer." A pause. "Our answer."

"So, what's the question?"

"Really? You of all people can't work it out. You've probably seen a hundred clues on your way in here." A cruel smile, just a little too wide for my face. "Dresden would be so proud."

"He probably would. I made it here, didn't I? Kept going and going until I got to where I needed to be."

She snorted. "And yet, that got him killed." She leaned in. There was a look in my eye that frightened me. "And it's all your fault."

What?

"My fault? How the fuck do you figure that?"

"You think he'd've been in Edinburgh if he wasn't helping out your idiot friend? If you and Chloe hadn't pushed the investigation too far, brought attention you should never have had?" The eyebrow curl was perfect and taunting. Bitch. "You put him in that situation, ergo, it's your fault." A smirk. "Not to mention the cause of all that."

"The cause? What do you mean?" My heart was beating quicker. I could almost hear it, so distantly.

Her eyes widened. The smirk crawled across her face, spreading to her eyes. "You haven't worked it out? Honestly? I thought I'd just missed it in some neatly packed box in the back of your head, but you really don't know!" She laughed, honestly and long. "That is just fantastic. Wowzers."

I... snapped. I launched myself forward, gathering power to my hands. I grabbed the bitch by the throat. "You're going to tell me!" I put force on the words, layered them with compulsion. She would share. She would tell. I demanded it.

There was a moment, where her face creased. I almost thought she'd buckle.

The compulsion snapped with another open laugh. This one was dark. Biting. There was an edge of something in the eyes that stared coldly at me. Something just a little too familiar. "Fuck, Max. You used to be smart. I told you, this isn't going to end like that. No big boss fight here. I don't have an ultimate form, and there's no special combo. It's just you."

In an instant, she was in front of me.

She seemed taller. More present. More solid. I suddenly realised how tired I felt. How the walls towered above me, so small in this vast darkness. But I could fight it. I could keep going.

"Can you?" I asked, my voice coming from inside my head and beyond. I could see my face getting closer, eyes locked on mine. "Can you really keep going? Through all of this?" She shook her head sadly. "Don't you think I'd do better? Be a better you? After all," Leaning back. "Look at everything you've done. Never mind Chloe, you've enough on your tally sheet for any devil to delight in devouring you."

The corpses on the walls were watching intently.

She reached up and gently touched my temple with a single finger. The touch was kind. The burning memory that was shoved into my mind's eye was not. I watched myself, younger, in Chloe's room, desperately crying as she raged at me. How dare I not tell her I was leaving? How dare I continue? My mere presence was an affront. A sacrilege, against all the memory of the space I was standing in.

Another touch, the memory changed again. Kristen. Fernando. Standing. The bridge. The needles. The look in their eyes as I spoke, words laced with concern and compulsion and love. So much love. The anger. The fear. The love.

The bridge, again. Kristen. Fernando. Falling. Breaking.

The voice, speaking up for me. Young. Mistakes. Can do better. Could I? I was trying, Dresden. I swear I was.

I looked up and saw him, standing tall and proud. That ridiculous coat billowing as he cast at those around him. The darkness pressed in. The monsters were ravenous. I tried to push forward, to cast a spell of my own. Anything to help. I was trying.

But the storm of fury was digging itself into my head. Tearing up the turf and paving of my brain and digging deep. I could barely thing. Thin. Think. Think. Somehow, I managed to shove the turmoil down. Compress my empathy. I pulled up a spell, something with fire. I'd bring light to the situation.

I stepped forward. Just in time to see Dresden buried in undulating darkness and screaming monsters. Everything faded once again, until I was hanging loosely in the void. The skin of reality folded back and revealed my counterpart.

She walked up to me, stepping up invisible stairs, until she had to lean down to talk to me. Her face was barely half a foot from mine. It was identical. My face. Her face. Ours. I could feel it. Wrongwrongwrong. Two faces on one person. I wasn't two faced. I was me. I was her. Shit.

"Now, you have a choice to make, Max. Are you going to let me in? Are you going to keep trying to prove yourself to people you already got killed?" She shook her head. "They don't care anymore, Max. Give in. Please. Let me take over, be the Max you should've been."

I shook my head. It was harder than I thought. My head was too heavy. Twice as heavy as usual. But I still managed. Still pushed. Tried to keep everything I was to myself. "I am Max Caulfield."

"Maxine, never Max." Her face, in my mind.

"I am from Arcadia Bay."

"But our real home is Chicago." Her face, in my memories.

"Chloe is my best friend."

"But we haven't seen her in years." Her face, in my house.

"You are not me!"

"But I will be." Her face. With my family. My friends.

With Chloe.

"...n-n-n-n-n-"

I tried to say it. The word. To push back. Courage and heart. To stand up like Dresden did. Tell them... tell them. But I couldn't. My mouth, my mind. Neither would move. I was stopping me. Me was stopping she. She was stopping I.

The force of my will was crushing. It always had been. I'd out-stubborned everything in my path. Losing Chloe and William. Moving to Chicago. Kristen and Fernando. Dresden. The Council. My mom. My dad. And now that was turned on me. I could almost feel my brain crinkling like a crisp packet. My soul searing as it was stuffed further and further down by this furious presence. I honestly don't know how hard I screamed, only that I went hoarse long before I stopped.

My body crumpled. I hit the floor. I kept screaming still.

And then I remembered the tulip. My mom's voice, unbidden, rose in my head. A tulip isn't like a rose. A tulip doesn't strive to impress anyone. It's unique without trying, individual without effort, always on the alert to enjoy life as much as it can. It doesn't fear looking at the sun. It doesn't fear looking at anything else.

Stubbornness had its place. It'd gotten me far. But it was time to... step closer to myself. I looked up at me, and met my eye. The kaleidoscopic feel of staring at myself gave me one hell of a headache. I kept the gaze, and held it. Slowly, my faces split into a grin. "Excellent. Well done, me." A pause. "Let them know I'll take care of the Old Thing. A little refraction and it'll be kept at bay another fifty years or so before I need another recharge. I'd check on it every decade though, just to be sure. Better safe than sorry."

My counterpart's form shimmered, a twist of the light revealing that the flesh and blood form was actually just glass. Lines appeared in the form as it split into shards and froze. A light built through the room, and colours I couldn't even begin to name reflected and refracted through the shards of my former other self, spreading light into every corner of the cavern. Despite the looming dark, the cavern was much smaller than it looked. The walls were barely a few feet beyond the precipice of where the shadow had started. Every inch of every one was covered in odd sigils, glyphs, shapes, and forms that shimmered against the dark rock. As the colours hit the wall, they melted into the shapes, filling them. The light spread more and more, pushing back the dark wherever it reached.

Above a pair of thick cloth... curtains (?), the light flooded into a new symbol. Two circles, one inside the other. The outer circle was bisected by three lines, dividing it into thirds. The inner circle held a diamond - a really blocky, square one - with two right-angled lines coming out of the top like wings.

I walked over to the door, and pushed on it. I wasn't expected much. But open it did. The next room was... I don't know, a temple? I didn't think Native Americans had those, but it's the only word I could think of to describe it. The walls were lined with logs and furs, and the ground with many, many pelts. Some of them were uncomfortably... inky. Dotted throughout the space were what I can only call Shrines. If there was another word for them, I didn't know it.

I walked up to the last one, furthest from the door. Dog. That was not what I expected. A blank polaroid. This situation is getting weirder and weirder. But it gave me an idea. I held my hand over it. My head was killing me. My hand was killing me. My ribs were bruised to hell and back.

Perfect.

I closed my eyes and channeled energy down into the image. The magic took hold, shifting the colours, compounds, and dyes behind the film covering. White for the snow, browns and greens for the forest, and red. For the tulips. Then I threw in the Wardens, Caoimhe, Ebenezar, and Listens-to-Winds. Oh, and Little Brother.

I felt the cold breeze on my skin. Then, I opened my eyes.

All of my companions were standing around the cold, open space outside the tented entrance to the cave. Every one of them was confused and looking around in open surprise. "What the hell?" One of them blurted. I wasn't sure who. I was too focused on one particular person. I had a message to give.

I walked over to Listens-to-Wind. "The Cave will take care of the Old Thing."

He nodded. "You passed the challenges, then?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I'll make sure we get someone to come by. Do a little cleaning, refuel the circles."

"Wait, wait." Caoimhe stepped forward, hands outstretched. "What the hell went on in there? I was wanderin', and then I was just... out here." She turned to me. "What did you do?"

What the hell, right? Nothing to prove. I told them the whole story. Kept it simple, though. As I finished off the battle, and described how I'd made my way back up here, Caoimhe leaned back on her haunches. "Damn."

"Yep."

Anna and Ellis were chatting quietly, debating parts of my story and matching it to different bits of what I vaguely recognised as Arcane Theory. I pulled myself up. Ebenezar was watching me silently. Listens-to-wind leaned in and clasped my hand in his. It was quite clammy. "Thank you, Max. You've done something great here today."

I smiled. "Thank you, sir."

"Shall we get back to the Way?" Ebenezar asked.

I jumped at the chance. "Yes, please. It's so freaking cold here." And off we went, returning to the Mill. I still needed to have that conversation with Weatherwax about my fucking vocal cords.

Chapter Text

I pushed the point again, leaning forward in my seat. "Look, we've been back in this place a week now, and you haven't been able to decide who we're going after next and Weatherwax is off fuck-knows-where doing fuck-knows-what. I need to go see my parents - I'll be barely any time. I haven't seen them since Edinburgh, so they don't even know if I'm alive, and-"

"Max-" Ebenezar laid a hand on my shoulder and my babble cut off instantly. I looked up, my eyes locking on his across the table. As best they could, anyway - I was very distracted. Dog, his eyebrows had definitely gotten neater since the cave. How the fuck did that work? Did this place have a barber?

He took a deep breath. Whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be good. I could see his shoulders setting firmly with the motion. One of those solidly parental motions they bring out when they know their kid isn't going to like what they have to say. Hmph. "We don't know what the enemy knows. We don't know who they are, or what they can do. They have access to everything back in Edinburgh - if they thought for a moment your parents knew anything about us, what do you think they'd do?"

"My dad is a Knight of the Sword, Sir. He can take care of himself."

"Can the rest of your family? And even then, can he watch them every minute of every day?" Another deep breath. He smiled sadly. "I understand, Max. I really do. But it's not the time."

I sat back again. Without me thinking about it, I slammed one hand down on the table. Fuck. That's... just... I pursed my mouth. Holding back from saying what I knew I shouldn't. Ebenezar watched me quietly from beneath those bushy, bastard brows. Fuck!

After a few seconds of quiet (and an exchanged look with Listens-to-Wind, who had the other seat at our table), Ebenezar leaned in. He placed one rough, calloused hand over mine. His eyes pinned me to my seat. "Do you understand, Max? I have to hear you say it, lass."

"Yes. I understand." I spat out. Full grumpy teen mode activated. I crossed my arms and slumped down in my seat, spine like a drunken cat. "I don't like it, but I understand."

He nodded, and pulled back. The same hand that had comforted me a second ago now went and dusted off my shoulder. The invisible dust of imagined sin. "Good on you. We need to keep mission security fully secure here."

"I know!" I groaned, rubbing at my temple. "I agreed with you, Ebenezar. You don't have to keep trying to persuade me."

He chuckled. "Sorry, Max. Old habits die hard. I know what you apprentices are like. Lucky for us there's a fully stocked kitchen in this place."

"Not actually an apprentice anymore..." I muttered.

He frowned. "That is a good point. You'll be needing another teacher when all this is over." Those firmed shoulders dropped. "I know I'm not Harry, but I'd be honored if you'd let me take up the role."

I didn't look up at him, but I knew he could see the redness at the tips of my ears. One of the few times I've ever cursed my taste for shorter hair.

I nodded. He beamed.

The bastard.

"Right." He rose from his seat with beatific grace, and no small amount of relief. Part of me was half hoping for his stole to get caught on something, but no such luck. "Now, I'm sorry to do that and run, Max, but I'm afraid the Council duties don't exactly lighten up in times of stress like this."

I nodded again. "Right."

With some vague platitudes, he and Listens-to-Winds ambled off. Presumably to find the Wardens and the other actual members of the White Council. I let my head fall roughly forwards until it was cradled by my hands. I sat there for a few long moments. Just... breathing. In. Out. In. Out. In. "Aaaagh!"

I whirled and punched Chloe in the shoulder. "You asshole!"

She laughed. The bitch. "Sorry Maxie. Couldn't resist, you standing around, lookin' all lonesome and scare-able."

"John Wayne, you are not." I shook my head. "Drop the accent, Cowboy."

"You're just jealous I have a talent you don't." Chloe smirked.

"Not even a little. If the fate of the world ever depends on a John Wayne accent, you'll be recruited to make shit happen." I grinned broadly at her. "I'll finally get a day off."

She faux-glared at me for a few long seconds before her face cracked into a grin and then a loud belly laugh. A guffaw, even. I've never used that word before, but it was the only thing that felt appropriate here. I let only the faintest twinkle of my own amusement beam through my expression before breaking into a guffaw of my own. Dog, it was ridiculous, but it felt so good to be ridiculous.

Eventually, we came down from our giggly high and Chloe got all serious again. It permeated her whole body, expressive as she was - everything from her expression to her posture screamed business. But still, she hesitated. Just for a moment, before saying quietly, "Can we talk?"

"Sure." I answered immediately. I'd always do my best to make time for her. "Wanna head back to the room?"

She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure. Probably shouldn't talk about this shit out in the open where any fucker could hear, I guess."

Well. If I wasn't curious before...

She headed for the stairs back up to our room, and I trailed along behind her.

--

When we'd both sat down on the bed, everything stayed quiet. It wasn't quite what I'd expected. Whatever was bothering her, she must be really concerned about it. One of those things that really got under her skin. Maybe I should pull out some Empathy? I discarded the idea almost as soon as it snuck in. Never. No mind magic on friends. Not anymore. I could help her on my own. And if I couldn't, at least I tried.

It's what friends do.

So, I started out sharing myself. Vulnerability for vulnerability. Chloe always did like things fair.

"I'm so fucking angry at Ebenezar right now."

She stopped still. Stared. Said, "What?"

I explained the whole sorry conversation, from how the topic had originally arisen, culminating in his bullshit, unfair, completely correct ultimatum that I actually fucking agreed with. Damn shadow war. Why couldn't we just be like Bond, going around telling all and sundry about everything with no care in the world? Just that part of his character though, I couldn't deal with any of the more problematic aspects of his character - I really, really hated martinis.

Chloe just sat back, flats of her palms on the bed behind her. She shook her head, eyes awash with empathy. Then she rocked into motion, explosive as she always was. "Wow. Those assholes. Can definitely tell they're all old fuckers who only live for the job, right?" She drawled angrily. She was bristling, fully protective, nose flaring, ready to fight the world for me. Aww.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if she was right on that though. Ebenezar definitely had less... attachments than most people, but I knew he cared about Dresden and me. Didn't wanna pick on a guy for outliving anyone who wasn't a work friend and therefore also particularly long-lived by virtue of everyone at his job being magical.

That just felt... mean.

"So," I started instead, "What did you wanna talk about?"

Fuck. Master of conversation, I was not.

Chloe winced. Apparently, she agreed. But she was more than used to it by now, so she started talking anyway.

"So, uh... something hella weird happened, while you were out in the cave." She trailed off. Her mouth moved soundlessly a few moments. She took a long, deep breath, then her eyes set onto mine. Something had filled her with determination. "Weatherwax, after the whole fucked-up feather thing, she was freaked out."

"You saw that?"

"Yeah. Well, sorta - I only saw it from Weatherwax's side. Her eyes went all-" Chloe wafted her hand vaguely in front of her face. "-foggy, and she was kind of... nervous?"

"You sure that wasn't just 'cause I was yelling at her?" I asked. I paused, frowned. "Also, foggy? I don't know if you've noticed, Chloe, but her eyes are always cloudy."

Chloe politely didn't laugh at me. Which, fair, honestly.

"When she asked if 'that was the help you wanted', I asked if there was anything wrong with you - wanted to know if you were in the shit - and she hesitated."

She hesitated? "What do you mean?"

"So, when she's not happy about shit, she does this weird mouth creasy-thing, like she bit into a lemon," Chloe demonstrated, and it was all I could do not to laugh as she contorted her expression into the sourest, crinkled thing she could manage. "-And she totally did that then, but she hesitated first. Like she couldn't work out if it was something she wasn't happy about or not."

"And you're... sure?"

"Fucking sure, sista." She paused, and something dark drifted across her face. "Rach used to do something kinda similar - she could play a situation on a dime, turn anything to her advantage. But before she picked a way to go, she'd always get that look. Like she was calculating shit in her head - play all the odds, y'know."

"Huh."

"Yeah." Another pause to ponder. "Anyway, that's when she got out of here like a bat outta hell and she hasn't come back since. So, y'know. Probably connected."

She made a fair point. Connected indeed. "So, what do you think we should do?"

"I... I dunno." Hand up to the back of her neck. "I mean, I wanted to bring it up, just in case - but... yeah. I might just be fucking paranoid. Let's just... keep an eye on shit?"

Chloe? Counselling... patience? "Okay, so we're just going to... leave it?" I asked, just to confirm. I gotta admit, I was not expecting that. I mean, what the fuck?

"Yeah, fuck it. We don't wanna break shit just on my stupid ideas, right?" I blinked at the sudden appearance of Chloe's self-esteem. I straighten up, ready to fire back, when Chloe suddenly frowned and loomed over me, peering past and down to my back. "Uh, you know you've got a flower stuck to your back, right?"

"What?"

"Shuffle over, Hippie." I did, and she reached behind me. There was some scuffling, and then she pulled out a red tulip and passed it to me. Damnit. I tossed it onto the room's one desk.

"That is-"

"Hey!" Luccio poked her head in, settling on us. "We need everyone in the war-room. Now."

"What? Why?"

"We have a visitor. Get down there. I still need to find Ellis."

With that, she disappeared off down the corridor. Chloe and I looked at each other. "Well. Guess we're heading to the war-room?"

Chloe immediately dashed off. "Last one there is a rotten egg?"

I gave chase, yelling, "What does that even mean?"

She just laughed.

--

Chloe flipped around the corner and - pride of prides - just narrowly beat me to the war room door. She gave a cheer, rambling something about her long history of winning (cough cough - bullshit - cough cough) and her proud lineage of winners. When she noticed me ignoring her, she just flipped me off. We both broke into laughter.

Anna stopped me as I made to walk in. "There's a Sidhe in there. One of the important ones. Be careful. Does your friend know the rules about dealing with faeries?"

"Don't be rude, don't promise anything, don't eat the food." Chloe smirked. "That about cover it?"

Anna opened her mouth, paused, thought, then closed her mouth again. Then she realised she had to actually respond. "Well, yes."

Chloe beamed, threw her arm over my shoulder. "Awesome. Let's go meet us some important Sidhe peeps."

And with that, Chloe lead us into the war room.

Have you ever been in one of those places where there's a stark temperature difference between two spots? Like you take two steps and you can actually feel the drop in temperature, like you're walking through a wall of air? This was like that.

The war-room was so very, very cold, and I could feel every degree.

My eyes were immediately drawn to the figure standing near the central table. They were facing the table, back to us. Three long braids, tightly bound and woven with silver threads, went down to the floor. Their skin was a glittering ice blue. And they were tall, and stick-thin, like a delicate trellis that would hold crawling ivy. Well, if that ivy wasn't frost-tender, anyway - Winter Court and all that.

Aside from the Wardens, everyone else was already around the table. Every last one of them was eying the Sidhe, no small amount of wariness hidden badly on their faces. Dog, I didn't blame them. I could feel my own spidey-senses vibrating like a particularly off-colour metaphor as we approached.

Chloe, of course, showed no bother whatsoever.

Damn her.

As we neared the table, the Sidhe turned. Their face was filled with sharp, elegant angles that gave them an androgynous, but hawk-like appearance. I was pulled from my observing as harsh-slit eyes landed on mine. I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach and then keep going. It was how I imagined turning a corner to find yourself face to face with a massive tiger would feel. Then again, I didn't feel like much of a steak dinner - more like a bug under a microscope. Those feline eyes saw too much.

Then the door creaked open and the other Wardens filed in. The moment was gone.

After everyone was arranged and attentive, Ebenezar turned to the Sidhe. "As you've asked, we're all present. Now, share your message."

The Sidhe drew themselves up and stated, words dropping like heavy stones, the kind people used to carve menhirs from, "You are planning to seek out The Gatekeeper."

Everyone bar me and Chloe froze. We didn't even know that yet - how did they? Had one of the Council said something?

The Sidhe watched our shock for a moment, then continued, "I am here to warn you. This course of action is inadvisable. Do not attempt to find the Gatekeeper."

"Why not?" I asked, before I could stop myself. "And why are you even telling us this?"

"Payment for services rendered." The Sidhe responded, choosing to answer the latter and not the former question. Or possibly both. Or neither. For whatever unfathomable reason, I mentally muttered. The Sidhe met my eye and that terrible hawk-like gaze... winked. My complaining stuttered immediately.

What the actual fuck.

No. No way. Not letting this happen. I had to do something. They weren't going to tell us why - no Sidhe ever would - but maybe I could get us something out of this.

I stepped forward. "If you want us to do that, we'll need something from you. We're going into danger, and the Gatekeeper could be the difference between life and death." I shook my head. "If you want us to go forth more vulnerable, we'll need a trade. Equal value. That's how you all roll, right? Balance in all things?"

"You are correct." The Sidhe pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That is acceptable. One promise, commensurate in value, in exchange for this action."

Shit. I... honestly had not expected that to work. Not that I'd really thought about it that much. Best foot forward. "Uh, okay." I rubbed the back of my neck. The Sidhe eyed me, amusement evident. "Good deal, I guess?"

"Good deal indeed, Max." They pronounced it exactly right. A little shiver rippled down my spine.

"My message has been delivered. I will now depart."

They turned and left. That was... abrupt. Just our luck to get the one Sidhe who doesn't give a shit about clever wordplay and trickery. As the figure vanished, every person in the room let out a sigh of relief. "Wow."

"Yeah..." I said, "So, who are we going after instead?"

Everyone took a moment to mentally readjust before Luccio decided to answer my question. "Martha Liberty. She should be a quick stop based on the Council reports - we still need to flesh out the plan a little before we bring it to everyone."

"Awesome." I threw my arm over Chloe's shoulders - with our height difference, it was exactly as awkward to manage as I thought it would be. "In that case, we're going to go get Lunch."

--

"Weatherwax!"

The old woman turned to look at me. Her hood hiding blind eyes, though none-too-many of the wrinkles across her face. She slunk over to our table, so we weren't shouting across the room. Or so I didn't have to do it again. "Yes, Max?"

I paused. As she'd closed, I'd noticed she was carrying a brass pot. It was kind of like the old light-things... braziers? Something like that. Broad, quite shallow, handles on both sides. It was clean and polished brass, like a bell. And it felt thoroughly weird. Uh... I shook my head. Focus, Max. "You're back."

"Yes." She said. Which was fair - I didn't exactly give her a lot to work with there. We both paused in quiet for a moment, then she said simply, "I shall be returning to my rooms now, to rest."

"Could we-" I paused. Didn't quite mean to say that. Um. Here goes. Better too early than too late, I suppose. "Could we talk?"

Weatherwax's weathered face crinkled more. It was like looking at a river delta if the water was all dried up. If the land was desiccated and stressed and unfathomably, subtly far more ancient than you had any idea of. So, yeah. Lotsa wrinkles. More than I remembered - and it had only been a week, my memory wasn't that bad. But despite my thoroughly probing then probably quite blank looks, she nodded her assent and slid into the seat opposite me.

Chloe was quiet, just... watching. Her eyes flickered back and forth between us, and I could see her teeth worrying at her lip.

"What would you like to talk about, Max?" Her voice is quiet, but somehow cutting across the humming noise of the bar. Like someone who can project their voice across an entire theatre hall. Though I get the impression nobody else can hear her as clearly as us.

"You know what."

"Mmm." A pause. "My assistance to you, back in the caves."

"Yeah. Your 'assistance'."

"Well, I can only offer my apologies, Max." She said, "But you do have to admit - it was helpful. Those creatures would've eaten you whole without my intervention." Another pause. "I believe the typical response to that is to say 'thank you', but I suppose I'm no expert there."

I snorted. Right. "Yeah. Thanks. But still. Don't do it again. I don't like people fucking with my head. And trying to cough up a feather was absolutely terrible."

"A feather?" She paused again, but her face was distant. None of the previous amusement of the prior pause. Then it reappeared, like she'd turned on a switch in her head. "Would you prefer something else? Flowers, perhaps? Or maybe a roll of cheese?"

I leaned in, eyed her. Not that I could meet her eyes, hidden in the hood as they were. But I could see enough to know my thinking was right. She was hiding something. She'd been surprised. Maybe that's the face Chloe was talking about. "You're hiding something."

Weatherwax tilted her head. "I'm hiding many things, Max." Oh. What? You're not supposed to just... what kind of revelation is that? Who just tells people they're hiding things? "I apologise for that. I've kept my thoughts... well-veiled for many years. The habits of a lifetime are hard to break." She shook her head. "If you wish to know something, ask. If I can guide you to an answer, I will. But some truths are not mine to tell."

"Guide me? You won't just tell me?"

"Were I to simply tell you whatever you wished to know, you would forget it soon after. With guidance, with growth, with... thoughtfulness and investigation, the knowledge will remain yours far longer."

I shook my head. "Look, I'm not interested in your pedagogical philosophy. I want to know what you're hiding."

"As I said, Max." She smiled, slow and sharp. "All you have to do is ask."

I leaned back, staring intently at her. Questions flew through my head at a dizzying pace. Everything shimmered, like it does when you've looked at something too long without blinking. I finally reached out and grabbed hold of one, dragging it down to ask. And then Luccio appeared at our table, wearing what looked like military body armour of all things. "The Liberty plan is done. Let's get to the war room."

Then Luccio left.

I turned back to Weatherwax. "We'll continue this later."

"I am quite certain we shall." Weatherwax responded calmly, "but for the moment, shouldn't we do as the Warden-Commander asks?"

"Yeah. Right. Come on. Let's go see what kind of plan the Council have cooked up."

Chapter Text

Everyone was still a little quiet as we filed back into the war room. Ebenezar waited patiently for us all to enter and circle the table before unfurling his plan. "Liberty is in New York."

"Actually, I think she's kind of outside it, y'know." Chloe quipped.

We all turned to look at her. A couple of them frowned. I just waited for the joke. "What?"

"Y'know. Like the statue?" She stood, lifting one hand above her and clasping another to her chest. Her expression went grandiose and austere. "Gimme your tired, your poor, your masses yearning to live free."

And there it was. Ah, Chloe. The room took a collective deep breath. Then we turned back to the plan. "Liberty is in New York." Ebenezar repeated, "Her safe-house is Blackwell Island."

Listens-to-Wind snorted. It sent a little gust of wind that flicked the ends of his hair upward. Little Brother chittered from his shoulder. "It's Roosevelt Island now, old man."

"Really?" Ebenezar blinked. Bushy brows twitched. "Well, Liberty's safehouse is there, regardless of what the place is called. We need to go check it out."

Luccio stepped up to the map, eying the circles and lines and notes scrawled on it. "Are we foreseeing any issues?"

Ellis chimed up. "Recent reports did show some kind of magic-using gang in the area. It was quite sizeable. We were preparing a proposal for a Warden raid in the next briefing, before... well. Before all of this happened."

The two Senior Council Members and the Commander of the Wardens all took on the look of people who'd been in far, far too many briefings throughout their long lives. Ebenezar nodded. "Well, we can assume Liberty's involved in fightin' them, then."

Everyone in the room - bar Caoimhe - nodded in agreement. Including me. I'd only met the woman a couple of times, but that tracked. I don't think there's an injustice she wouldn't get involved with. Despite her sternness, the woman was an empath like me, too. Well, to a point. The first time we met was the time she was getting ready to vote on executing me, so I wasn't too big a fan.

Weatherwax finally spoke up. I honestly jumped at the sound. I'd kind of forgotten she was in the room. It was like a piece of the furniture just suddenly got involved in the conversation. "Why was this location chosen for a safehouse?"

Listens-to-Wind and Ebenezar looked at each other. Ebenezar nodded, and let Listens-to-Wind speak. "The island was also known as Welfare Island. It's been home to hospitals for every downtrodden malady-ridden group at one point or another. Between the prison, the poorhouse, the smallpox, the asylum-"

Ah. Shit.

He shook his head. "There's been a lot of darkness there. It's a good place for a wizard to hide."

Weatherwax's eyes turned to me. "Will that be something you can manage with, Max? It seems this place may be... unfriendly, to one of your talents."

"Liberty is an empath like me and she's there." I wasn't sure if this would work, but Dresden would be disappointed in me if I didn't at least try. No stubbornness here, but I'd be an asset.

Weatherwax tilted her head in acknowledgement. "A fair point, though Councillor Liberty is likely considerably more advanced in the art than you."

"More advanced, sure. I'll give you that. But she hasn't gone through trial by Dresden."

"Dresden?" Ebenezar raised one bushy brow. There was just a tinge of amusement to his voice.

"The Council are a very... distant authority, Sir. You don't know half of what Dresden got into over the years."

Ebenezar very skeptically snorted. But he said nothing. Damn right. He and Weatherwax eyed each other for a few tense moments, before they shrugged. Which in retrospect was fair enough. Miserable hell-island or not, this was hardly the Cave. There weren't going to be any mind-melting, Lovecraftian monsters in New York, surely. "Very well. But if things start to get... tense, you let us know Max."

"Of course. Only an idiot hides their zombie bite."

Chloe chuckled. All the wizards in the room just looked blankly at me. Ugh. Now I know how Dresden felt. Pop culture is wasted on the Council. "Right, so... how are we getting there? I'm assuming there's a Way on the Island?"

"Yes." Luccio stepped forward, rolling one of Weatherwax's maps out onto the table. "We've got an entry a short distance from the Safehouse. It should be a quick in-and-out job."

Chloe groaned. "Oh, you did it now."

Luccio's sweet face turned cold. "And what did I do, Chloe?"

"Jinxed us!" Chloe's hands communicated enough of her frustrated amusement there. "It should be a quick in-and-out job? Shit, why don't you just say 'What could possibly go wrong' or 'This'll be the best Christmas Walford's ever had'."

"What?"

By the time Luccio finished her briefing, she definitely seemed ready to murder the both of us. Or at least go to bed with a terrible migraine. Either way, I didn't much blame her. "We'll be running a smaller group this time - Councillor Listens-to-Wind and Ellis will be staying behind to start work on finding Councillor Mai." Both of them nodded. She looked to Ebenezar, me, Caoimhe, and Anna. "It'll be the five of us going."

--

"You know she's arrogant, disrespectful, irreverent-" Luccio was listing very, very familiar adjectives.

Ebenezar chimed in, "And now she's alone under the Doom, she's a bigger risk of turning Warlock than Dresden ever was." At Luccio's shocked look, he rolled his eyes. It was an amusing taint of teenage angst on Ebenezar's weathered old face. I wished he'd do it more. "You know we say the same damn things every time? It's no big trick to predict that line of thinking, Commander."

I slid back into the dark spot I'd found and set to listen. So long as I blended into the background noise of this place, I should be okay. I needed to hear this.

"I'm surprised you're not talkin' to me about her friend, Chloe."

"That girl isn't one of us. She's a civilian. I expect better from the Council."

"Well, I appreciate you comin' to me about Max."

"Of course. Praise in public, punish in private. I remember some of the lessons I was taught about leadership, you know." I couldn't see her face, but I could picture Luccio's sweet young expression contorted in wry irritation. More teenage angst than Ebenezar's eyeroll, even. Heh. "But you need to talk to her."

And then another voice blew in to the conversation. I could barely hear it, but it was thoroughly recognisable - Weatherwax. "And what are we discussing, off in this hidden corner of our abode?" She was distinctly amused, but her voice was rigid. I smiled. It felt nice to have another person in my corner. "Matters of discipline for my apprentice should include me, should they not?"

"Your apprentice?" I could hear the surprise in Ebenezar's voice.

"I did save her life. I have been teaching her since. What else would you call that relationship?"

There was a considering pause. Luccio coughed. "Whoever has responsibility for her, we can't let what happened in that room with the Sidhe happen again."

"It worked." Weatherwax observed simply.

"And what if it hadn't? What if it doesn't next time? What if she makes a decision all on her own - decisions which we know haven't been perfect in the past - and gets us all in some manner of shit that we can't get out of. We have too much at stake for a teenager to be making unilateral decisions when we have the collected wisdom of the council behind us."

"That's a rather long-winded way of calling them old, isn't it?"

Ebenezar bit back a laugh at Weatherwax's dry comment. "Luccio, I understand your concerns. But the heavy-handed approach won't work here."

"I'm not asking for the heavy-handed approach, Councillor McCoy. I'm just asking you to talk to her. Or Ms Weatherwax, I'm not picky." There was a muffled exchange of movement and mumbles - I couldn't catch a thing of it. But the familiar heavy sound of Luccio's boots thudded across the floor as she left.

"Do you want to come out now, Max?"

Shit.

I put on my best innocent expression and stepped out to face the music.

--

We stepped out into the city. It was cold, a little rainy. As a group, the five of us quickly shuffled over behind one of the big semi-trailers standing around the overgrown parking lot. It was the same grey-white as the sky. "Are we in the right place?" I asked.

"Yep." Caoimhe pointed. The redbrick and grey-windowed building loomed imposingly above us. "Coler hospital, there. I recognise it from your briefing, Luccio. Pretty sure this is the right backside we're at."

All of us looked at her for that one. Interesting phrasing.

"Good." Ebenezar said. "Let's get moving."

He lead the way over to the lot's big metal gate, stamping his staff against the ground a few steps away without pausing his stride. The gate vanished for long enough that we could get through, reappearing as we'd all left. Ebenezar gestured to the river. A little path and railing ran along the edge of the island. "Stay on the coast path. We'll draw less attention than walking on the roads."

We followed the path along, taking a right onto main street and up to the front of a big grey building. Luccio looked at the 888 over the door and nodded with satisfaction. "This is the place."

We headed in. The room was so... shiny. The floors gleamed, and little spotlights were speckled about the place to highlight the pictures hung up on the wall. And also some of the bare bits of bricked wall. And everything else. Dog, this place had so much light. The gleaming floors looked like an Abrams movie. The Concierge looked up at us from behind their desk as we walked in, smiling politely and giving a pleasant acknowledging nod. I looked back at Ebenezar and Luccio - she pointed over to the left exit, opposite the concierge desk. "Head to the mail room. There's an elevator there that we need to take."

We found it quickly, tucked away in a corner. All of us filed into the elevator, and Ebenezar quickly tapped a few keys. The elevator, despite not having any basement floors or even a 'down' on the panel, began to descend. "I didn't think the Council would do much with technology like this."

"Magic does cause some problems, but since there's no stairs to the underground sections anymore, this seemed the most subtle option."

"Fair enough." I responded. A pause for thought. "I'm still not going to cast anything while we're near the elevator though."

"That's probably for the best." Ebenezar drawled dryly. I raised an eyebrow at him. He grinned back.

The elevator slowed and stopped with a pleasant ding. We waited for the doors, then stepped out into the room. Huh. This is... not what I expected. The walls were a light sky blue, the carpet some inoffensive beige, a window - clearly fake - showed a picturesque tropical beach. Several surprisingly clean cups and glasses sat on a polished table holding a heating element and a kettle. There were a couple sets of drawers, a wardrobe, and some side tables dotted around as well. Two other doors lead into side rooms - presumably one was a bathroom.

It really was just a hotel room.

"Really? Somewhere like this is dark enough to hide a Senior Council Member?" I couldn't keep the scepticism out of my voice. "This place isn't exactly traumatised."

"Before it got 'fashionable', this place was an asylum so poor that Dickens hated it. There have been lingering tales of ghosts and monsters here for longer than you've been alive, Max. Gentrification isn't enough to remove the ghosts of a place like this."

"Ah." I paused. "Are there any here? Ghosts, I mean."

Ebenezar shrugged. "There's a reason we chose here."

"That's not an answer, Ebenezar!"

He ignored me and walked further into the room, heading over to one of the doors. He leaned on the wall and rapped politely on it, three rapid thuks, with the back of his knuckles. "Matty? You in there?"

For a moment, I almost hoped it really would be that simple. But whatever unfathomable entity controlled my life and universe couldn't make it that easy.

Ebenezar's shoulders drooped, ever so slightly. He reached out and pushed open the door. It creaked awkwardly loudly. He leaned in to the small bathroom beyond, and then turned back. He strode over to the other door and pulled it open. It clattered against the wall - empty.

A broom fell out of it.

After a moment, Ebenezar reached down and picked it up, then put it back into the open closet. He straightened up. "Right. Look around, see what you can find. We need to know where she's gone."

We did as instructed, spreading out into the space and poking through drawers and hidey-holes and anything we could find. As we did, one thing quickly became clear. "This place... it's never been used."

"Do you think Liberty got intercepted?" Anna asked, "Maybe she didn't make it out."

I picked up a book and scanned over the cover before putting it back down with a shrug. Something grabbed my attention, out the corner of my eye. I turned, scanning the area quickly. What was it..?

Ah, there! Under one of the glasses on the table.

I gently pushed the glass aside and picked up the paper. It was lightly stained - moisture from the glass. I quickly called everyone's attention. "For anyone reading this. Thanks for coming to get me. There's a group that's been causing trouble for the people here, so I've gone to see to the situation. Don't worry, I've taken some trinkets from this place to carry the protections with me. You're welcome to wait here for my return, or go find Andrew - he'll have a place for you to wait as well." I read off. "It's signed. Wowzer, her signature is the tidiest thing I've ever seen."

Dog, the thing looked like it'd been done with a fucking slide-rule. Physicists were wondering how someone had finally managed to measure to the Planck length. I bet she could draw a perfect circle unaided.

"So, she was here."

Oh, right yes. Forgot about that bit. Ooops.

"Well." Ebenezar clapped his hands together. "Let's go ask around for anyone fittin' her description. We can't track her with spells, maybe some good old fashioned detective work will turn something up."

I chuckled. "Dresden would be proud, Sir."

He smiled back.

--

"Yeah..." One of the two men said slowly, eyes going distant in recall. "I know the woman you mean. It's been a few days, but you don't forget someone like that." He and his friend exchanged lecherously appreciative looks. I suppressed my shudder and probed further. At my questioning, they both quickly pointed me over to a small courtyard cafe Liberty had frequented. Of course, it was closed.

I stared up at the empty, dark store with a scowl. It really can't ever be that easy, can it?

A rough voice, like gravel in a woodchipper, drew me out of my musing. "I hear you're looking for someone."

I turned around. A tall man had stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in purplish almost-armour, secured over a thin black short-robe with a hood that hid most of his face. Was he a vampire? Or just really into his anonymity?

I saw the symbol on his chest - a silvered and twisting eye segmented by a curled scar-line. It was hard to look at. Abrupt rage filled me at the sight of it. My pulse thundered and my fists and jaw clenched without me. The Cave had given me something useful - I easily recognised the anger as not my own. Whoever he was, someone with the power to put their emotions in my head was furious with him. I could feel them burning through my mind.

He continued, not noting 'my'... emotional state. "I figured I might be able to help."

I took a moment to choke back the anger. Damn it, that's annoying. "What do you know?"

The figure lifted his head. From out of the hood, several long tendrils of hair grew down from a fractured head. His skin was ruptured, fractured, broken across every visible inch. Almost gemstone-esque, blistered growths protruded from the gaps all over his skin. "I know to stop your search now, before you disturb things best left alone."

He raised a blade, long-handled and with a multi-pointed, almost axe-like head, and charged. (AN1)

He was barely a few steps in front of me, so he didn't get much time to build up momentum. That was the only thing that saved me as he brought the blade down in a dizzyingly fast cross-body swipe. On instinct, I tossed a spell back at him - something that would burn. The symbol on his chest glowed, and then a hand reached out and caught it. Not his hand, but a shadowy, almost liquid thing that stretched out of his chest with fingers that wrapped almost sinuously around my spell.

As I looked at him in shock, that many-pointed sword-tip dipped as my attacker spread his hands and shrugged. "You didn't expect me to just stand here and take that, did you?"

I paused. "Fair point."

And then the fight was back on. He came at me, swinging furiously. Man, he wielded that thing like it weighed fucking nothing. I could hear the force of the air it pushed aside, even over the pounding blood drumming in my ears.

I tossed another spell at him and it was caught, just like the last. His face never twitched from a focus and concentration, but I imagined if he'd smiled... it'd just be another fracture.

Right then. I dodged back from another swing. He was controlling the distance here. I needed to get under his guard or out of his reach, now. Or I was going to get cut.

Well. Time to do something clever.

I'll... let you know when I come up with something.

Shit, dodge! Left! - right! - left! - right! - fuck, ow!

He'd managed to tag me, outside of my bicep. I could feel it start to bleed. Even now, the fucker's expression never changed. Dead-eyed focus all the way. He had the look of some of the more serious cultists Dresden had dealt - the ones that weren't all completely mad, but calm and calculated in their magical mania.

Fuck.

He pushed forward again, coming at me hard. My dodges were getting closer and closer to the blade. And then I finally got a hit. A blade of my own, compact air, slicing right through him. The flesh parted easily. There was no blood spurt, just... nothing. The head was there. Then it wasn't. My mind stuttered. I stared at it, lying there on the floor. There was noise around me, but it was distant. Mumbly.

A few seconds after the head hit the floor, it just melted into nothing.

As it did, the man's severed neck began to grow. Sundered flesh rebuilt itself in front of me as I watched in fascinated horror. Because... just... fuck that. This time, I threw more fire. Burned his body to ash. And then I watched it reform in front of me, cracks and scars and all. Like a broken pot that repairs itself. Fuck. Just. Fuck.

We couldn't imprison this guy. The only space we had was The Mill and there's no way in hell we wanted to bring him there. Not when he could do this. And I couldn't kill him. Not without getting more creative than we had time for, and the moment I made a mistake, that would be it.

Weatherwax's voice oozed into my head. "He," She started, almost spitting the word. "-cannot be killed. Continue to run, and lose him. Or he will continue attacking until he wins."

"Who is he?" I thought back. "You know him?"

"Denisek. He's tried to kill me before. I believe he has been hired by our enemy."

Well. Shit. "I'll try not to let him kill me then."

"That would be advisable." Her tone filled with dry amusement.

I fled the fuck out of there. I had to find the others.

I found them quickly, and somehow managed to convince them there was a danger and we had to leave quickly. I don't think they believed me that it was as... horrifying as it was, but they agreed the search wasn't working and that it was best to move on.

Ebenezar revealed he had a new connection for us to try - a minor talent mage he knew was apparently working in Queens, so we were heading over to see if he knew anything about this gang Liberty was going after.

Worth a shot, right?

--

"I still can't believe the subway was locked down! Who does maintenance work on a weekend?"

"We got across the bridge fine." Anna responded absently. Her hand dropped down to the bulge in her coat that I knew hid her sword. Her eyes were scanning every inch of the area around us. I approved. She certainly wasn't getting jumped.

"I still say we should've gone for the ferry. Couldn't exactly follow us." I grumbled, carefully ignoring Luccio's irritable expression.

"But could've quite easily beaten us there." Ebenezar countered, "The Bridge was the best option, Max."

"Fine. So, where are we now?"

"Queens."

"That doesn't help. The only sign I see says 'Costco'." I pointed up at the store we were walking past, just as a reminder. I really was a sarcastic little shit sometimes.

"The last sign I saw said Vernon Boulevard. So, I presume that's where we are."

"Right. So, how do we get to wherever it was your friends said to be?"

"It's somewhere around Mount Sinai. We'll follow the coast along 'til 30th Avenue and then head up from there." He pointed us the right direction and off we went again.

---

"There's the hospital. Where to-" Ebenezar didn't stop, heading straight into a Pizzeria across from the hospital. "Ah. Okay. I guess we follow him?"

We followed him. He walked up to the counter and had a hurried conversation with the server - a young Asian man with the most impressively feathered hair and chiseled chin I'd seen on anyone ever. The guy looked like he walked straight off a Stallone movie set. Or an 80s music video. I am honestly not sure what language the conversation was in. Whatever it was, it was a delight to hear it in Ebenezar's 'yeehaw' accent. After a few minutes, he shook the man's hand and strode back out of the pizzeria. Left, away from the hospital.

We all dashed after him. "What did you find out, sir?"

He waved a hand off ahead of him. "The gang we're looking for hangs out in a bar about two blocks that way. It's a bit of a dive-"

"So we should fit in nicely?"

He snorted. That meant I was right. I know it did.

"Cross in here. We should get off the main roads, break line of sight."

We headed into a small courtyard surrounded by three-floor apartment blocks. There was a gate on each side, and several picnic benches scattered through the area. Judging by the neon signs in the corner, there was also a small cafe-bar serving the residents. Ebenezar pointed to the gate to our right. "There."

We took barely two steps forward when it happened. The man - Denisek - suddenly appeared from nowhere, like the world had corrected a visual error. Shit. He'd been under a veil. He was free of his hood and coverings, wearing only that shimmering purple armour. It was hard to look at, making him seem somehow more present in the brown and green courtyard.

"Found you." He crooned. I had been right about his smile - it only added more cracks to him. Creepy, creepy cracks.

"Fuck." I sighed out.

"Indeed." He said, his glee fading to be replaced with a firm focus. His hands crackled and raised, then all the gates leading out of the courtyard slammed shut. They all had a light shimmer of magic, and I could smell something burning. Electrified. Damnit.

The five of us quickly spread out, pulling weapons. Denisek raised his own blade - that weird, multi-pointed falchion-chopper thing - and simply waited. Which was fair. We'd have to come to him now, after all. But then I noticed something.

The curtains in the windows were twitching. We'd have to do this quickly.

Almost instantly, Ebenezar cast some kind of thin line of green energy and swiped it right through Denisek. He didn't even have time to bisect, the gaps almost immediately stitching themselves back together. He cleared the distance between him and Ebenezar in a flash, taking a swing that Ebenezar only barely dodged.

Well. At least they might believe me now. "We have to go! Disable him and let's run!"

Luccio stepped forward, whipping out her silver sword. "No!" She barked. "This man is attacking Wardens of the White Council. We don't let that go unchallenged!"

Denisek continued attacking Ebenezar even as Luccio closed and Anna and Caoimhe spread out to contain him. His swings were somehow getting faster, like he was feeding on his own momentum for more speed. Hell, maybe he was.

Ebenezar slammed his staff down and in a flash it... changed. Where once was solid, study wood was inky, shifting blackness. It reminded me of the cave. He shifted this new staff with ease, meeting Denisek's blade with equal, unerring speed. Pieces of the shadow broke off - they darted around Denisek like angry piranha, nipping and slicing new cracks into that ruptured skin.

He never paused. It was barely a moment before the others threw themselves into the fray. Luccio, Caoimhe, and Anna taking their own swings at Denisek's back and sides. He- dog, even now it seems impossible - his form just flickered and it was like he had four arms and too many blades to count, whirling and dodging and still getting faster.

It wasn't long before he started hurting them.

Soon enough, all of them were backing off under the pressure. Anna was the first to resort to a spell, and Luccio quickly followed her lead, throwing bolts of multi-coloured energy at Denisek from range. A shadow-hand crawled its way out of his spine and caught them, tossing all of them at Caoimhe. Luccio quickly dashed over, using her sword to slice through the spells. They poofed into nothing.

Denisek danced back out of Ebenezar's reach and vanished.

"Detection!" Luccio immediately called out. The three White Council members began casting some kind of goop about the place, making it look like a Hare Krishna celebration coincided with a high-stakes game of Paintball Assassin.

I kept my eyes peeled. I wasn't trying to spot the shimmer, I was trying to spot the gap he'd exploit. Honestly, I was half tempted to move out just to try end the fucking suspense.

Shit! Anna was open to- Suddenly, Denisek was just there, sword raised, victorious glee all over his smug, dickbag face. Anna must've seen something in our expressions because she whirled and jabbed, sliding her sword into his stomach. It went through that purple armour like it was nothing at all.

Denisek paused. He looked down. He dropped his sword as his arms just flopped. She'd gotten something vital. Fucking excellent.

Ebenezar raised his staff and began to chant - I recognised it immediately. It was a spell to seal the target in a frictionless bubble. He'd just be spinning round and round, like a hamster in space.

Luccio and Caoimhe stepped forward, swords raised, trying to cover Anna's hold.

I heard Anna sigh in relief. Denisek just smiled. Then he seemed to loom and lean forward over her and began to push himself up the blade, hands out like grasping claws aiming to tear out her throat. Anna let out a noise of distress and tried to pull back, but Denisek had healed fully around the blade now and it was stuck firm. She took a couple steps back and he was right there.

It took a moment of hesitation, but she made to drop the sword just in time for Caoimhe and Luccio to strike. But it wasn't to be.

Denisek moved seamlessly, even faster than we'd seen him move before, sliding along the blade like a fucking bannister, hands reaching out to Anna. He wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed, then twisted. Her eyes went empty. That monster broke her fucking neck. Small consolation that she died instantly.

Luccio wafted a hand and barked a loud, Italian-sounding word that split into three silver spears, longer than the swords. With another word and wave, she hurled them at Denisek, ramming two of them into his shoulders, sending him flying. They slammed into one of the buildings, pinning him to the wall. The other went right through his gut.

Denisek coughed. I was expecting blood, but it was just... dusty. Fuck. I've never heard of any vampires like this. Or anything like this. What the hell is he?

He laughed, low and amused. He met my eye and shook his head in pity. And then he started to wriggle along the spears, pulling himself off them, inch by inch.

Fucking hell.

Ebenezar groaned. Damn it, we really don't have the time for this. Apparently Ebenezar agreed. So we threw a couple more spears at him, pinning him even harder to the wall, and left in a hurry.

We didn't know what Denisek had heard, under that veil, so we had to find this gang. And fast. The mood in the group was... strained. Everyone had that faint, manic look in their eye when things weren't going how they expected. The Dresden First Timers. Hmph. They'd get through it. Now, I just expect things to go horribly wrong every time. It saves some mental acrobatics and energy later on. I'd grieve later, but for now - we had to stay on task. Or things would only get worse.

We quickly made our way out of there. A couple of streets later, Ebenezar pointed. "There." The bar we were looking for. The... Purple Seagull? It's no Mac's, that's for sure. The building was a lurid lilac colour, hadn't a single window, and was playing loud music inside. After a few moments, a large group left the building - a couple of them were carrying rods and staffs. Shit. Our gang?

They were walking in our direction, stumbling the walk of the truly inebriated.

"In here!" Ebenezar gestured to a nearby older, boarded up two-floor building. As he ran forward, he slammed his staff down into the ground again and the door burst open. We all crowded in, whirling quickly to slam the door shut behind us. The room was silent.

"Why did we just do that? We could've veiled."

"There's a drug called ThreeEye that allows them to see through veils." Luccio answered, "If they're taking from their own stock, we'd've lost the element of surprise immediately. We need to stay quiet, watch these people. If Councillor Liberty was worried about this gang, they're definitely trouble - we should be careful."

I leaned in to the window and tried to spot the gang through the cracks between the boards. "Are they still coming this way?"

The lot of us crowded around the windows, peering through them like short-sighted people who've all lost their glasses. If I hadn't been part of it, it'd probably have made me laugh.

And then someone coughed. "Quiet." Ebenezar barked, all business. I didn't blame him. Anna was... fuck. Just. Fuck.

"Um." Caoimhe said.

"What?"

"There's somethin' you should see."

We turned around to find a room full of people staring at us, half with tankards and other glassware raised. In a moment, all of them had weapons pointed at us. Some guns, some staves, some knives. Liberty's gang problem. Of course. If they were small enough to only need one bar, they wouldn't need a Senior Council Member to deal with.

They charged.

Two closed on me - a tall balding man with a gold tooth and a guy who looked straight out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catwalk. Both had knives. I was going to throw fire, but thought better of it - I was in this building, after all - and instead went for air. Both of them felt an intense downward pressure as several tonnes of air shoved them to the ground.

Caoimhe and Luccio were calmly and with great enthusiasm cutting their way through the magic mobsters. Despite none of them inflicting even a little damage on us, they kept coming. Ebenezar simply scoffed and raised his black staff. With a word, a dozen people died. Then again, then again.

I barely had to do a thing. Ooof. Within thirty seconds, the room was quiet and still. It was just us left.

Shit. The people outside. I dashed back to the door and listened, peered out, tried to see if they were... I sighed in relief. Nothing.

I turned back and gave Ebenezar a nod. We were clear. Immediately, Luccio began issuing orders. "Check this place out. See if there's anyone else in the other rooms. And check the bodies. There may be some information available here."

Luccio and Caoimhe searched the bodies as me and Ebenezar searched the building. I was glad for it. I don't think I could do that.

I pushed open the door behind the bar and stepped into the next room. It was some kind of storage space. Tables of supplies and folders and shelves of notes held more than a few answers. This really was Liberty's problem gang, and they were making potions. I picked up one of the papers at random and scanned through it. Wait. I recognise this. I quickly glanced at the ingredients racks - empty. "Secure the live ones, quick!"

They didn't hesitate, but they were too slow. Multiple gang-members vanished to the sound of shattering glass as their potions fell. "Fuck!"

"How did you know?" Luccio demanded, "What was that?"

"Escape Potions. They had recipes for them, and the holders I spotted for the ingredients to the potion were empty. Might've been something else, but..." I shrugged.

"Shit." She scowled, reached up to massage her temple. "They'll have a back-up spot to report to, and possible reinforcements for a counter-attack. There's enough infrastructure here they'd have to be interested in re-taking it. Especially now they know we aren't strong enough for actual law enforcement. No reason to move." Luccio paused. "And they'll probably alert the other bar, too. We aren't getting in there tonight."

We quickly checked out the rest of the building. Everything just confirmed what we already knew - gang bar, potions lab, storage and recipes. There was no trace or mention of Liberty anywhere.

--

We were heading back to the Safehouse with nothing. That just felt... wrong. Not a clue, not a lead, not even a potential one. And Anna was gone. The mood of our little party felt failed.

"Man, you people move really fast. I don't think I've had to work this hard to find anyone in years!" We all whirled, spells at the ready. The man reared back, held up his hands. "Woahwoahwoah! Not a threat! Not a threat!"

He did look very kindly. I'll give him that. His hair was a vibrant red that stood up like unkempt grass. He dressed like a hipster professor - and that's coming from me. "I'm Andy. Andrew, I mean. Andrew Byrne." His hands were still up. He peered at us all, eyes flickering across the various magical accoutrement and weaponry still pointed at him. "Matty sent me?"

Ebenezar and Luccio relaxed quickly. Caoimhe and I were still... hesitant. "Sent you for what?"

"Well, she didn't send me, exactly. She just warned me that I should be on the lookout for some heavy magic hitters. If they were you, I was supposed to come find you and invite you to a safe place. If they were anyone else, I-" He rummaged in his bag and held out two pieces of a broken twig. "-was supposed to break this. It signals her. Somehow."

"How did you know we were here?"

"The local gang is completely riled up over you. I overheard some chatter in another bar that you were in the area. A little detective work later and well, here we are." He paused, gave a bright smile. "So, do you want to come with me? My place is safe, I assure you. Matty helped with the defences herself."

--

Matty's place was a vast underground space, filled with people. Various barrel fires heated the room, and a veritable shanty-town's worth of metal girders and fabrics separated it out into smaller, more private areas. "Welcome. Welcome! Hopefully Angie is in - she makes a killer stew. You'll probably be hungry by now, I wager."

"Are you sure? What if Denisek turns up here? We don't want to get these people in his crosshairs."

"We'll be fine. This place is very hard to find, and it is ridiculously full of exits. We can be halfway across the city before he gets more than five steps in here."

With that said, the group spread out and started to settle in for the night. The others settled with the evident practice of people used to roughing it in the field. I lived in a city and had never been camping, so I had significantly more trouble until Caoimhe took me under her wing and showed me how to set up a bedroll. It's actually slightly more complicated than the name implies.

Ahem.

We ate together with Andrew, chatting lightly and sharing some - but not all - of our mission and circumstance. Lucky for us, Andrea was in. Her hobo stew really was incredible. After eating, we all split off a little to get some rest. Still in earshot though, in case of Denisek. I closed my eyes. "Weatherwax?"

"Yes, Max?"

"Can you pass on a message to Chloe for me? We're staying on site for the night and I don't want her to get worried."

She paused. "Very well. What would you like me to say?"

"Just tell her I'm safe, alive, and I'll see her tomorrow. Also, I had an incredible hobo stew that reminded me of that thing her mom used to make. I may be fixating a little, but I remember sitting around the table with her and William and-" I stopped, shook my head. "Um. Don't tell her that bit. Just the safe and alive stuff. And that I'll see her tomorrow."

Weatherwax didn't speak for a few moments. When she acknowledged my message and told me to get some sleep, there was some... distance in her voice. Lost in some memory of her own, I think. I wondered what her life was actually like, before all this. Still wondering, I drifted off to sleep.

I saw Anna's face in my nightmares, slack and empty. Fuck.

--
AN1 - For anyone wondering and interested in googling, this is called a Maciejowski Chopper. It's a type of Falchion someone recreated from a piece of art in the Maciejowski Bible. Thought it was an interesting looking thing and it fit the character I was going for with Mr Mystery Murdering McGee there.

Chapter Text

Ebenezar's abrupt growl woke us all. "She's not here."

I blinked blearily over at him, stood firm and scowling. Even my sluggish brain could recognise it wasn't getting any more sleep today, so I shimmied out of my bedroll and stumbled to my feet. My nightmares, mercifully, stayed in sleep. "What?" Ebenezar eyed me. "Sorry. What do you mean, Sir?" I amended.

"Matty. She's not here. There's a problem."

"Not necessarily, Mr Ebenezar," remarked Andrew. He tapped his watch. "There's still time before she said to be concerned for her."

"Maybe on her schedule. But we have a more demanding timetable." He stood straighter. "We're going to go find her. Now."

"Right you are." He paused. "No breakfast first?"

Ebenezar's look was scathing.

"Right." Andrew sagged. "Off we go then."

--

"She was supposed to be here?" We looked over the untouched, unhindered building. It stood a little ways apart from everything else, in the middle of a dusty and slightly overgrown yard. "There doesn't seem to be any sign of conflict."

"She isn't the type to burn the building down, Mr Ebenezar. No matter the quarrel she had with the people in it." Andrew responded.

Ebenezar snorted. I think that said enough.

After a moment of silence, I asked, "Spread out, search for clues?"

Ebenezar nodded. His face spread into a broad grin. "The old standby."

We sneaked our way up to the building and broke in. Two steps in, it was immediately obvious. This place had been cleared out. Luccio sighed and stood, said exactly that. "Same routine as before. Check around for anything you can find."

Ebenezar and I went upstairs, the Luccio and Caoimhe took the downstairs. And, I later found out, the basement. Ten minutes later, we regrouped on the main floor.

Ebenezar went first. He held up a purple crystal. It was a little darker than his stole and a little larger than his fist. "I found this under a wood pile upstairs. It's Matty's."

"What is it?" Caoimhe frowned curiously at it.

"Focus crystal. Helps with meditation." Ebenezar tossed it to Luccio, who caught it easily. "Anyone else get anything?"

Luccio herself answered. She put something away in a belt pouch I hadn't noticed before. "Nothing conclusive. Scan spells showed people in here. One person entered later, joining the rest for a while before they all left together. I couldn't identify any of the imprints, but I would bet Councillor Liberty was one of them. Too much power in these imprints for any minor talents."

I frowned. "Did she get captured? That can't be right. She's fucking Senior Council. You don't get to that point by collecting bottlecaps. Maybe she retreated? Didn't want to hurt them too badly?" I looked over to Ebenezar. His expression was as puzzled as mine, big bushy brows bunched together.

"Or maybe they had something on her." Luccio pointed out. "Being Senior Council doesn't mean you can't get outmanoeuvred."

Caoimhe sighed. "Well, this has been thoroughly unhelpful. We're just gonna keep hunting these guys 'til we find a clue to where she is?

"Or we could head back to our safehouse and just wait for her to come back?" I suggested. It was rapidly beginning to seem like a better option. Bunker up and wait for some developments. Otherwise we're just going to keep chasing shadows. And being chased by shadows.

Caoimhe snorted. "Better the unhelpful hunt than lockin' ourselves in that box and becoming the hunted. That Denisek guy isn't going to just give up because we've gone to ground."

I turned to her, crossed my arms. "And staying out here, leaving us vulnerable to attack from every direction, is any better an idea?"

"Hey-" Caoimhe turned to retort, but was cut off by a sudden yell.

"Children!" We all turned to look at Ebenezar. "Focus on the goal, you two. We need to get Matty back. To do that, we need to fight this gang of hers. So, let's go find out more about them. If we can find a good point to get involved, we can try it. If not, we'll see about waiting. Understood?"

"Understood." We chorused.

"Right." He turned to Andrew. "Is there anywhere you'd recommend we start?"

The man took a moment, clearly overwhelmed. His eyes were wide and it was a few seconds before he shook his head and started to refocus. "Um, right. Yes. The bar I heard about you in - Funky Thrones. Some of the gang members you... encountered retreated there, like I said. Maybe some of them are still around there?"

I looked to Luccio. She pondered for a second, then gave a nod. "It's as good a lead as any."

--

The 'bar' turned out to be more of a club. We could hear the music inside from half a block away. Lurid pink and purple lighting emblazoned the outside, and there was a chunky, bored bouncer manning the door. The door was stained red and covered with gold embellishments. The bouncer appeared to be reading Dostoyevsky.

He didn't even look up from his book as we walked over, just knocked on the door with his knuckles - a three-fold thunk-thunk-thunk. The door swung open and we were granted entrance.

I could feel the music pounding in my bones as we walked the small corridor inside. There was nobody around, but the walls were covered in pictures of random people, none of whom I recognised. "Nice place." I muttered.

Nobody heard me. Music was loud, remember?

We finally walked out into the main club space and found it to be a dark, greying room, frayed... everything all over. I took a few glances around. There were maybe thirty people in here. Most on the dance floor. Two bartenders were sitting, bored, behind the bar. One of them had a small book in their hands and a pencil.

The others quickly spread out. Luccio and Ebenezar took the people around the edges, while Caoimhe went straight for the dance floor. Me? I just found the darkest corner and settled in to watch.

It was maybe twenty minutes before I picked up on something. The bartender, the one with the book. He'd stopped writing, but hadn't looked up from the book. Or at least, he hadn't raised his head. His eyes were definitely following Ebenezar, and they were wide open.

As Ebenezar strolled over and struck up a conversation with the other bartender, book guy put down his book, stood, and started to quietly walk towards one of the employee exits behind the bar. I left my corner and went after him.

He started to hurry as soon as he broke sight of the doors. Not running, just very blatantly rushing. He took a few corridors and then pushed through a fire door. I followed him out into an alley. He took a few steps, then put a hand on the wall and leaned down, breathing deeply. It was a familiar gesture - he was trying to slow his heart rate. He was panicking.

Time to put some pressure on. I stepped out of the shadow. "Hello there."

He nearly jumped a foot in shock. His eyes were fully blown wide and his face was open in panic. It only got worse when he recognised me. "S-sorry. I'm on my break," He tried. "I can't help-"

I muttered a word and ice began to slowly crawl up my arms, little cooling wisps of steam emanating off me as I stepped towards him. He began to back off, further and further, until his back hit wall. He was mine.

I leaned in. "Now. I would like to ask you some questions. The first law means I can't kill you." Not that it really seemed to apply much, these days. Also, not that that was the full law. But he didn't have to know that. I locked eyes with him. "But I can make things very, very unpleasant. Have you ever felt flesh melt? It's quite an interesting experience."

He gulped, looked away down the alley. "There's no escape for you, my friend." His eyes widened as he spotted something behind me. I heard familiar footsteps. Good. The others had noticed me leaving. "You're part of the gang, aren't you?"

He started to shake his head, but at a look, he quickly started nodding. "Excellent." I threw him a bone. "That's good. That means you can be useful to us. We're looking for our friend, see, and she seems to have been... encountering your friends. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

Another nod. "The Council Woman. L-Liberty?"

"That's the one."

I was about to continue when Luccio and Ebenezar both stepped in, him putting a hand on my shoulder. I stood, and he gestured me to move. The two of them leaned in. Luccio's hand was settled on the hilt of her sword. Ebenezar had that staff.

I didn't hear what they said to him, but it worked. A few minutes later, he was singing like a canary. "Okay, okay! I wasn't supposed to see, but I followed my supplier this one time - he gives me a really great deal on the stuff and I wanted to know who he was getting it from. I found their base. It's big." He pointed us to an address. We let him live, with a warning, then left for the base.

--

"Well. That place is... big."

It was indeed big. It was three floors in some places, and I'm pretty sure it had been a school in a previous life. There was a gym-looking structure at one edge of it, and a vast sprawl of corridors and classrooms across the rest of it.

The outside seemed to be empty. We crept across the empty parking lot and up a fire-escape ladder onto a first-floor roof. Ebenezar and Luccio gathered us all against one wall. "Ready?" He asked. I nodded. When he was satisfied, he turned to the wall and waved his staff. A glob of acid spat out from it and hit the wall. It began to slide down it, spreading as it went until it had melted a person-wide doorway through the wall.

Huh. Neat trick.

We stepped through the new door and found ourselves in an upstairs corridor. I think I was right about my school suspicion - there were still torn posters all over the walls. We were at the end of a corridor, three doors to rooms behind us and a path stretching off ahead of us with two turns off before it flipped left at the far end.

This second floor area seemed clear. We walked through more than a few empty rooms, some apparent gang-dormitory spaces (the dozens of camp-beds were a dead giveaway), and rooms just full of whatever random crap the gang had that they didn't bother to throw out.

We hit an open stairway and snuck our way down. The gym doors were slightly open, and we pushed our way in. The room was filled with tables and tables of bottles and large shipping containers. I walked over and picked one up. "What the hell is this stuff?"

"Some sort of potion." We all whirled. A wall in one of the containers was lightly translucent, hard to see when you weren't looking right at it. A figure, blurred, stood on the other side. "I think it's a narcotic." A shrug.

"Thanks." I answered.

"Anytime!" The person said brightly.

"So, uh... who are you?" I asked as the others came over to my side.

"I'm Alicia."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Max, this is Ebenezar, Luccio, and Caoimhe." I gestured to each of our party in turn.

She beamed. "It's nice to meet you too! It's been very quiet, since the big stormy thundery time a little while back."

"Big stormy thundery time?"

"Yep. Everything shook, things got real loud, and I'm pretty sure part of this floor burned down. It got quite hot!"

We all blinked at her.

Abruptly, Ebenezar tapped his staff against the glowing wall. It shivered for a few seconds, then shattered like glass - though it vanished before hitting anything. Alicia immediately perked up. "Oh, are you trying to get me out? Thanks! It's not just the forcefield though. There's a few things that I saw them do before they let me out - I can run through them for you, if you like?"

"That would be helpful, thank you." Luccio answered, and she and Ebenezar walked over to the doorway.

I leaned back to watch, when Weatherwax's voice oozed into my head. "There is a cabinet in the corner there. Can you go and check it? I believe the contents may be of use to us." With a shrug, I wandered over and checked the cabinet. It was full to bursting with random shit. "The leather pouch." She directed. Another mental shrug: I reached in and picked up the pouch, testing its weight. I quickly stowed it in one of my pockets, to the approval of Weatherwax, and turned back to the Great Escape Group just in time to see them break whatever last seal was keeping this woman inside.

Alicia was... wow. She was striking. High, sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw were only the tip of the iceberg. Those eyes were just... Damn. I shook my head. Not the time, Max. I walked back over just in time to catch the tail end of the plan. "-set all these on fire, the explosion should cause most of the damage. Open up the gas in the basement and the old labs and that should cover the cause for any investigators."

Luccio and Alicia were both nodding. I couldn't see Caoimhe anywhere. "That's a Dresden Plan, sir. I'm in."

Ebenezar met my eye and grinned.

--

"I can't believe we still couldn't find her. Or that she hasn't turned up yet."

"It is a bit odd, yes." Andrew mused. "I was half expecting her to be in the base somewhere."

"I was, for a while." Another whirl. This was getting a little ridiculous. Liberty stood by one of the smaller fires, warming her hands against it. She had looked up at our entry and was now watching us. "But upon finding out the size of the gang presence, I retreated to plan a new assault - I hadn't found any solution that did not risk Alicia's life." A pause. Her voice turned wry. "Congratulations on beating me to it."

"Thanks, Matty. We couldn't let those people continue what they were doing."

"Indeed. And you rescued Alicia. I'm grateful. Them finding her was a surprise - my home is heavily protected and my family carries protections wherever they go." Another pause. A small smile. "The gang won't be able to hurt anyone else for a very long time. They'll struggle to build any meaningful supply up again without those resources. You've crippled them for now."

"Good. Because we need your help. We're gathering everyone up and heading back to Edinburgh."

"Good." She echoed. "It's about time. I'll gather my things and meet you at the Roosevelt Island Way. Be careful if you plan to break back in to the Parking Lot. There are several loud alarms." Liberty walked over to Andrew and they had a hushed conversation I couldn't hear. After a moment, she placed a hand on his shoulder, nodded, then walked out of the Sanctuary.

Ebenezar walked over to the spot Matty had stood in just a moment before. He stuck out a hand. "Thanks for your help, Andrew. Good working with you."

Chapter Text

Weatherwax leaned forward in her seat, long elegant fingers curling together in front of her. Her hood fell further over her face, blocking the tranquil sunlight and casting deep shadows over her expression. "Try again, Max. Feel the cold, and harness it. Make it dance to your whims."

"That's not how... anything works, y'know Weatherwax." Chloe drawled, from her comfortable, warm spot in the doorway.

"Winners make their own rules, Chloe." Weatherwax responded simply, without looking at her. "And Max, you are a winner. You've survived everything life has thrown at you and you've prospered. You've gained power, and the perspective to use it. Believe." That last word was said with so much force that I half thought she'd laced it with magical compulsion, but no. She just... genuinely believed in me. How weird was that?

"Fine, fine!" I threw up my hands. "I'll give it another go. But we do have the war room meeting in, like, ten minutes."

"So, you'll just have to get it right this time." Her mouth, the only part of her face I could see, curled into a teasing, vicious smile.

I shook my head and turned back to the clearing. Frost fog lay gently over it, the power of Winter in physical form. I picked up my wands and focused, firmly and confidently, on the frost. I stretched out my senses and tried to feel. Tried to believe. The shivers down my spine, the cold air a gentle sting on my skin. The chill of snow on my fingertips, and the crunch of it beneath my boots. The warmth of a fire, people huddling around as they desperately tried to stay warm in the harsh cold.

This would work. I spoke a word of lyrical Sanskrit and thrust out my wands. The cold surged upwards through my feet and out through my wands in a torrent of snow and ice and freezing air.

I could hear Chloe woop distantly, but every bit of my attention was focused on this. The feeling running through me, the power of the world at my feet - literally!

There was another word in my head, something I didn't recognise, and the flow stopped. A wrinkled, liver-spotted hand reached out and turned me to face Weatherwax. "You understand, now. There is a power in the world beyond the magic of individual wizards. Tapping into it, controlling it, it takes a powerful mind. A powerful focus. You have that power, but you also have the mind to understand when it is right to use and when it is not. Keep that understanding."

I still couldn't see her eyes, but I could feel them piercing through me.

I just... nodded. What else was there?

She watched me for another few moments before nodding and standing, just in time for Chloe to swoop in and wrap me up in her arms. "That was fucking awesome, Maximus! You're like the Ice Man!"

"It was pretty... cool, wasn't it?"

Chloe groaned. "And you ruined it. Pun game is worst game."

I gasped. "You take that back! Puns are the height of comedy!"

"Too bad you're so short then."

"Oh," She went there? "You did not just..." I jabbed a finger at her. "Just wait, Chloe. My revenge will be well-planned, surprising, and merciless."

Chloe just stared at me, an expression I couldn't parse over her face. "What?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I don't know... I just... didn't think you could be so... cold."

"Chloe!"

--

"So, where is Ancient Mai, anyway?" I asked, leaning back against the wall of the War Room.

"China." Luccio brought out the map for the main table and centered in on the north-western edges of the country. "She was assigned to the Yangtze River Valley. It is less... dark, a place than we would usually pick as a retreat, but it was shown the water was sufficient. It carries enough magical energy away to dampen any detection."

She ran a finger along the river until she found a certain spot, then tapped it. "The Senior Council," She gave the collection of powerful wizards a grateful nod, "helped narrow down her position to here - the hidden valley of the Jade Court."

There was a collective sigh rippling throughout the room. Not many people liked the Vampire Courts, for all they were tolerated as a lesser evil than just letting everything run rampant. The Jade Court was the only one outside the Big Three that anyone found worth the time - the others were barely more than mosquitoes. But they were the weirdest of the bunch, in my opinion. The White Court fed on emotion, the Red Court on blood, and the Black Court on Death. Or life, depending on who you asked - reports were... sketchy. Anyway, the Jade Court were the weirdest - they fed on breath. Breath!

There was this old story of an Asian Warlock Warlord type from somewhere down near Thailand, who sent an emissary to link up with some of the Jade Court's enemies. They found him dead in his hotel, almost completely blue. The autopsy showed his lungs looked like raisins.

Needless to say, the Warlock Guy was pissed and sent more of his people, who kept dying suddenly and mysteriously of collapsed lungs. Eventually, he got so pissed he declared to his whole army that he was going to go himself and bring all his forces to wipe out the court. He was found dead, with shrivelled lungs, the day before he was gonna leave.

And in all that time, with all those deaths, nobody ever saw a single vampire. I've never seen a single description of what they look like - they could be people-shaped, they could be giant, hopping umbrellas with big lolling mouths. We just don't know.

Needless to say, possibly annoying these vampires was not something I was particularly in favour of doing.

I tuned back out of my introspection and back to the plan. There was a Way available, but it was a decent distance away from the Hidden Valley. We'd have to walk. Fuck.

--

We step out of the Way once again. I was immediately hit by a sweltering heat. The valley felt... wet, somehow. I took a few deep breaths to counter the sudden narrowed-feeling in my throat. Okay. That was going to be... annoying. I shook my head. No distractions.

We'd stepped out onto a ridge, or maybe a spur? Either way, it was some low thing with more mountains and hills looming behind us and yet more off in the distance ahead. Between us and those distant peaks there was The River - and dogdamn did it deserve those capitals. The Yangtze was impressive, to say the least. It had to be a few hundred meters wide, and it practically thrummed with energy. Definitely a Powerful place. Capital P intended.

"Ancient Mai really knows how to pick 'em, eh?"

"It is a very beautiful place."

"Eh. It's a bit warm for me." Caoimhe took a step back toward the Way. She did look thoroughly uncomfortable, squinting vividly with an expression familiar to anyone that's had a migraine before. "If you don't mind, I'm going to sit this one out."

"What?" We all looked at her in shock.

She shrugged. "Yeah, this place isn't my kind of vibe and I'm not gonna do too well here. Might as well stay back and let you non-Winter types take care of it."

Ah. Right. Winter Fae and sweltering wet heat probably not the best mix. And it's not like she was under the Council's command - she was here voluntarily. Or at least under the command of the Winter Court. I still wasn't sure there. Ebenezar nodded. "Fair enough. Look after yourself, Caoimhe. We'll take it from here."

We said our goodbyes and off we went.

It was a hard trek through soggy soil and rough terrain. I'd thought the Cave walk was hard, but it didn't compare to this. It did feel a little bit like being in Lord of the Rings though, so it wasn't all bad. Okay, it really sucked, but I was trying to be optimistic, okay?

Eventually, after what felt like hours of nothing but trees, ground, and The River, we finally found something, standing alone in the middle of an empty glade.

"Huh."

It was odd. I'd've almost described it as a Paifang - traditional Chinese gate - if it wasn't so... plain. Restrained. It was a large arch, probably three people across and at least four tall. Assuming none of those people were me, anyway. But where normal arches were decorated, marked with words and images that represented the thing they were dedicated to, this was completely without anything. It was plain wood without any adornments whatsoever.

As we stepped out beyond the treeline, a tiny old woman stepped out from the arch. Out from, not through. She never seemed to have entered from the other side, only stepped out of the empty threshold between the beams. Her dark hair was held up in an intricate bun.

I recognised her immediately. The woman we'd come to find - Ancient Mai, the most terrifying little old lady Dresden had ever met. She gave off the purest form of "Don't fuck with me." energy I'd ever seen, despite also looking as frail and delicate as the finest of fancy little teacups.

Despite her look, her voice was strong and unwavering. "You're late." Her eyes stared at all of us like she could see the darkest depths of our souls, piercing through all the bullshit. I shivered, ice dripping down my spine. Yep. She definitely hasn't lost any of her spooky-time-inducing talent. Fucking hell.

She suddenly whistled, harsh and clear, and gave a sharp gesture with one hand. Four large stone dogs, the same granite colour as Ancient Mai's hair, thundered out of the treeline around us. Three of them each went to take a sniff at us, while the fourth went over to Ancient Mai. Her mouth pursed as she watched. The Dogs paused over us - I noticed mine stayed for a little longer than the others - before going up to join Ancient Mai. She tapped each one, then sent it back off into the woods. "Good." She said. "Come with me. We have much to discuss."

She turned and walked back through the archway, vanishing the second she stepped into the threshold.

Fuck it. We followed her in. The moment we passed through, that glade was suddenly an open plain. I could see the faintest shadow of the trees that were there, but we could walk through them now. Dog, magic is weird. I peered around me in curiosity. The River was still there, and still as present as back before we came to wherever this is. Ghost trees... yep. Still weird. In the very faint distance, I could see hints of buildings, but whenever I tried to focus they vanished.

It made me slightly dizzy, so I stopped trying to study things quite quickly and instead focused on Ancient Mai, who was an increasing distance away as she strode off. Ebenezar and Luccio were a few paces behind her. I thought about asking her to wait up, but honestly fuck that. I sprinted after her and caught up with them.

"If you are here looking for allies, the Jade Court will not help you."

Both Ebenezar and Luccio seemed surprised at that, like they'd never even considered the thought. Which to be fair, made sense. I'd only barely heard of the Jade Court of Vampires, but basically all I knew was that they were enigmatic as fuck and Did Not Get Involved. They were barely even Unseelie Signitaries.

Ebenezar answered her. "We're not lookin' for aid from the Vampires. We're getting the Council back together to retake Edinburgh."

"A targeted response, without the confusion of the initial attack?" Her voice went considering. "Perhaps it might work. But I cannot leave at this time."

"Anything we can do to help, Ancient Mai?" Luccio asked. "I assume it's the Court keeping you here?"

"Not the Court itself, merely a promise made. I require an item to finish a creation of mine. The Court has that item and is willing to trade it for services rendered."

"And what's the service?"

"A plane was brought down and crashed into this place a few miles in that-" She pointed east. "-direction. Every person aboard was a member of the Black Court or a slave of theirs. They have taken over a few key storage areas that the Court relies on. As most of their number do not Breathe, there is some wariness amongst the Jade Court about an assault. So, they have turned to me."

As Ancient Mai explained, something distracted me. A faint shiver down my spine, the feeling of being watched. On display. I turned to check out the treeline, but saw nothing. But the feeling remained.

"Brought down? What could bring down a Black Court protected plane? Was it a missile?"

Ancient Mai shook her head. "There was no obvious sign of tampering, but our... hosts were very emphatic in their use of that word. This was no accident, merely a subtle attack. Perhaps another Vampire wished to eliminate whoever was aboard, perhaps it was something else entirely. It matters not."

With a disregarding swipe of her hand, she turned and strode forward once again. Slightly faster, this time.

With that same sudden not-being-to-being transition, a hall appeared in front of us - raised slightly off the ground on a a stepped platform. A green roof and paper walls marked it as local, but there was an odd sheen to it I couldn't quite identify. I knew a little, but I certainly wasn't an expert. None of the others seemed bothered by it, so I dismissed it.

I still felt like I was being watched.

We entered the building - it was empty of any inhabitants - and followed Ancient Mai over to a table holding a large, blank piece of paper. As she put her finger down, ink and paper shimmered to reveal a map. Or part of one, at any rate. A few centimeters from her finger, the paper was blank again. I blinked in mild admiration and thorough acknowledgement of the effort - these people really were enigmatic as fuck.

Ancient Mai ran her finger over the map, explaining the layout of the area and her plan for attack. Luccio and Ebenezar chipped in with some additions, pointing out the presence of three extra wizards allowing more options. Ancient Mai agreed and they all drew up some kind of agreed-upon idea. But Ancient Mai gave us one more out. "Do you still wish to help?" She asked, direct to us all.

We didn't need to think. "Yes."

"Good." She responded, "Then we shall remain here until the appointed time, at which point - we strike!"

Chapter Text

With no particular warning or signal, Ancient Mai seemed to know it was time. "We need to leave." With a shrug, we all collected ourselves and followed her out. She crossed an open courtyard that was surrounded by nothing but ghostly trees where buildings seemed intended to be. There was another unadorned Paifang at the other side and she crossed right through, vanishing from sight.

We followed her in.

We found ourselves in another part of the jungle-esque environment, only now we were right up against those distant mountains. They loomed over us like quiet watching giants. Though I think the watching part was just my imagination. There was still that feeling like we were being watched, and I still couldn't see anyone.

Ancient Mai and the others were now a distance away from the archway again. I dashed again to catch up.

She lead us up to a rough-hewn wall that suddenly was a set of ornately carved double doors. She pulled two vials from somewhere and drank them both down, then pulled two wands from her belt. We all watched as she then whistled, calling a dozen animated stone statues from the forest around us. One of them was one of those ward-dogs, which she tapped on the head.

"There have been no signs of anything leaving these doors. They're still in there."

I stepped up next to her. "What kind of numbers are we looking at?"

"Unknown."

"What kind of power level are we talking?"

"Unknown."

"Are we totally fucked?"

"Unknown."

I blinked at Ancient Mai, who looked guilelessly back. I grinned. Maybe not so scary after all.

Ebenezar tapped his staff on the ground and the doors creaked open. The air inside rushed out with a scream. He turned to us. His face was utterly amused. "Well. Let's go into the creepy cave, shall we?"

--

It actually wasn't a cave. Or if it was, it showed no sign of it. The inside was carved and decorated with dark brown wood across the floors and intricate carvings across the walls and ceiling. It was kind of pretty, if a little bit much for a store-room. There was very little light inside, barely the hints of dying embers on torches and sconces around the room.

It was clearly some kind of processing room, with nothing inside it, but places clearly set aside for temporary storage of stuff being moved through.

Ebenezar gestured and Luccio moved ahead, with Ancient Mai's stone allies walking in line besides the walls. Well, prowling in line - they moved smoothly and with dexterity, like the animals they were pretending to be. Though you probably couldn't expect them to move like the other half of their origins - how did rocks move, anyway?

Suddenly, one of them - an odd monkey-like thing, maybe a lemur? - straightened and a gem embedded into its' chest glowed a sickly green. Ancient Mai's eyes narrowed, and she tapped the creature. "There is a toxin in the air." She turned to me. "Can you cast a filtering spell for yourself, or will one of us have to provide it?"

I shook my head. "Gas mask was never high on Dresden's list of priorities, so... no. You'll, uh, have to hook me up, if that's alright?"

"I would not have offered were it not." She waved an idle hand, muttered a word, and a small bead of light crystallised in front of her. She gestured me to get closer as the new crystal began to grow metal appendages that morphed into a... hair clip? "Turn around." I did so, and she put the crystal clip into my hair, around the base of my skull. "This will filter your air, and protect your brain should anything get through the filtration." A pause, then- "Do not fiddle with it."

I made some vague sound of gratitude - that was weird - and we carried on. Luccio had simply put on some kind of silvery bandanna that covered her mouth and nose. Ebenezar's shimmered shield looked like something out a sci-fi movie. I couldn't see whatever Ancient Mai had, but I assumed it would be some enchanted item like she'd given me. It made sense, given her interests.

The stone dog barked and trotted over to a section of the wall. The wood had been ripped apart and torn away. Beneath the wood, huge scratches, each line inches apart, had been gouged into the carved and smoothed rock of the inner walls. "Fuuuuck." I breathed out.

Luccio gave me a look.

"I don't know anything... Vampy that does this." I continued, "Anyone else more knowledgeable about shit wanna say what this is?"

Luccio shrugged. Ebenezar never moved, staring at the wall.

"It is not of the Jade Court." Ancient Mai said simply. She gestured the Stone Monkey forward and it gamboled over to the scratches. It quickly climbed up and suddenly the tip of its' tail opened up to become the mouth of a snake that bit greedily into the scratch. The green gem glowed. "Toxins once again. Perhaps the source of those in the air."

She leaned in to study it further. So, I headed over to Ebenezar. "Sir? Do you know what this is?"

He sighed. "It's only a suspicion, but it's the only thing I know close to this. Never seen one myself, but my teacher called them Reavers. Undead creatures, constructed by a necromancer of power - the giant claws, poisoned wounds. They're fast and smart, but not very tough. I think you kids would call them a 'glass cannon'."

Never not surreal to hear Ebenezar reference modern trends. Ugh.

"If it is one, keep an eye out. You need to hit it before it hits you."

I nodded. "Okay. Should we bring this up with Luccio and Ancient Mai?"

He snorted. "They've been listening this entire time, Max." I looked back at both of them. Ah. So they were. Well then. "You found anythin' else from those marks, Mai?"

She shook her head, and straightened up. "Nothing beyond the toxin and the spread of the strike. They may be your 'reavers' or they may yet be something else. We shall have to keep watch and see."

With that ominous statement, we continued on yet again. It was a few minutes of quiet walking down increasingly damaged corridors before it happened. Out of nowhere, dark things with glowing red eyes launched themselves forward and chomped down on several of our stone pets.

Ebenezar immediately slammed down his staff and threw a bright light that illuminated the situation. Darkhounds! In the dark, they'd been all but invisible. In the light, we could see them fully. They looked like dogs, if they'd been pumped full of steroids and drained of all water. Their muscles bulged and their veins and skin seemed almost sagging.

Their teeth were sharp though, and they scraped and screeched across the stone of our pet companions. I immediately began throwing fire. Stoker's recommended cure for the Black Court Plague. Or one of them, anyway. Two of the dogs went up immediately, but it seemed like more only joined them.

Out the corner of my eye, I could see Luccio's sword flashing as she slashed through the creatures, accompanying her strikes with bursts of flame.

Ebenezar and Ancient Mai had gone back to back in the middle of the corridor, she striking out with various enchanted tools and tricks, and he simply killing. Between us, we took them all down in minutes. "So, we've reached the outer perimeter." Luccio remarked, casting a quick spell to clean the blood off her blade. "They must be out of Renfields or the more martial thralls."

"Dresden always said the dogs were there to be alarms. The Renfields can't hear for shit, so the dogs made up for them."

Luccio tilted her head in acknowledgement. "Perhaps. Either way, we've made contact. We need to be even more alert from here."

"Fair point. I'll keep my eyes peeled."

--

As we crept quietly down the corridors, back in the shadows, I could feel my nerves rising. I hadn't been up against the Black Court properly before, but I knew about them, just like everyone else.

Vlad Dracula, son of the Dragon himself, had done something to create the first Scourge, inviting something In that turned him into the first Black Court Vampire. They were fast, cruel, and hungry, but vulnerable. One book detailing their weaknesses had taken them from probably the strongest of the Vampire Courts to almost irrelevancy. They were still strong, but it's hard to underestimate the psychological impacts of being hunted endlessly for centuries. Far as I know, most of the Big Hitters still left were the ones who'd gone to ground and hidden the best, only coming out to do things they were sure wouldn't draw attention.

That meant hit and run strikes. That meant smart and sneaky.

That meant- "Shit!"

Without warning, long, sinuous fingers wrapped around my leg and claws dug in. I got a brief look at the expressions of surprise on everyone else's faces before they - I - vanished. I found myself dragged upwards and through a thin tunnel faster than I could think. As I screamed, the claws dug deeper into my leg. Quickly, another claw wrapped fully around my head and slammed me into a surface.

I passed out.

Fucking head trauma.

--

I woke up to nothing.

All was silent, I was sightless, and everything sucked.

Stupid fucking claw monster lair things. Why do they always kidnap me? It's never Ebenezar, never Dresden. Motherfucking sexist monsters. I tried to move my hands, to grab a wand and mutter a word and bring light into this dark place, but nothing. I was stuck in place, and when I tried to speak, nothing came out.

I felt calm. Too calm. I focused for a moment and noticed it - a spell, influencing my emotions. Keeping me... docile. I could think angry things, but I didn't actually feel the anger. Well. I'd leave that alone for the moment. Instead, I turned my senses outward - no Eye, but enough magical energy to at least detect any power in the- woah. There were four spots of arcane power so strong that they threatened to pull my paltry energy into them.

I pulled back immediately, but it was too late. Barely a heartbeat later, a voice, crisp and crinkled, crept into my ear. "So. The little wizard is awake. I have to admit, I am surprised. You must be strong-minded to wake so soon. Our tricks usually work so much longer than this-" The mysterious voice turned wry, almost dryly amused. "-not that we can really tell time all that accurately down here. Damnable breath-stealers couldn't be bothered to put a clock down here."

I tried to respond, only remembering two words in that I was somehow silenced. Fuck.

A chorus of whispers and murmurs, right at the edge of hearing, flitted throughout the room. For a moment, I thought if I just strained enough, just paid enough attention, maybe I could make the words out. But no.

A claw, long and serrated, grazed my cheek. I hissed as it suddenly sped up, drawing blood. There was another chorus of barely-audible mutters. The voice in my area spoke calmly, "Peace, brethren. I have matters well in hand." Despite seeing no movement, the voice felt like it had turned away, and then it turned back. "Now. We have a fortuitous serendipity to discuss, you and I. As you know, your kind wishes us to alight this place. We also wish for this. There is no need for conflict - this can be resolved with... conversation. And perhaps a little commerce?"

It... was trying to bribe me? Something tugged at my mind, an unfamiliar influence. I snorted soundlessly. The voice paused, "My. An interesting little wizard indeed. Mayhaps keeping you should be part of our conversation. The things we could learn. And the things we could teach."

Suddenly, another voice, still ancient and still crisp, appeared in my mind. Contrary to the Vampire, this one didn't creep. Didn't skulk or hide. This one strode in like an actor, wont to own the stage and draw all the limelight to them. "Make the deal." Weatherwax said.

"What?" My mental voice echoed in the dark cavern of my mind.

She sighed. "You heard me, Max." Exasperation. A familiar tone. Heh. "Make the deal. Ask them for the Breathing Dark. Say it's a nod to the situation you find yourself in. They'll try push back." A snort. "The petty creatures. You know what to do."

And in a flash of light and flamboyance, the old woman's voice vanished from my mind. "Weatherwax?" I tried.

Nothing.

Well then. Breathing Dark, huh? Wonder what the fuck that is. Some kind of spell? Ingredient? Ancient demonic doodad?

I turned my magic inward once again, focusing on what didn't belong. In moments, I found the stench and followed it down my neurons to the Broca's region. A little spell there, hanging out, silencing me. I burned it out.

My mouth suddenly freed, I yelled out a word and filled the room with light. A dozen vampires, and a dozen thralls, all screamed. With another word, the light filtered down into a beam, a spotlight focused entirely on me. I pulled a little of Weatherwax's confidence into me. A deal, huh? "I don't want to find out what you ancient things think a school should be. I want the Breathing Dark."

The vampires, still gasping over the sudden burst of sunlight, snarled as one. It was oddly comical, seeing the scourge pull together and react in unison, like they were about to burst into song asking their greaser leader about his summer romance.

One of them, older and someone more rigid than the others, leaned forward out of the mass. I could barely see them, through the light that leaked into the rest of the room. His flesh was almost bone white, contrasting with the deep, rusty brown of his suit. For a moment, I thought his eyes were covered in bandages, but I quickly realised it was skin. Folds of it, that sagged down over the top half of his face, leaving his mouth the only visible feature. It spread wide, revealing black, cracked gums and two sharp teeth. "The Breathing Dark? You, of all people, wish for that, little wizard?"

"It seems appropriate," I spread my arms wide, "given the 'fortuitous serendipity' we find ourselves in."

The Vampire Man laughed. It was not a pleasant sound.

"Perhaps it may be appropriate for the situation, but I am afraid it is most inappropriate for our conversation, little wizard. I would not wish to harm such an interesting thing as yourself with something as dull as the Breathing Dark."

"That's fair," I responded simply. "I certainly won't force you to give me anything." The vampires seemed to relax at that. "But as you said, this could be resolved with conversation. If it can't, then I'm afraid that all we have is conflict."

And I turned up the sunlight, just a little.

The Vampire Man raised what may have originally been an eyebrow. "Perhaps you are less interesting than I thought, resorting to threats like so many of your kind."

I shrugged. "Whatever works, dude." Maybe I should incinerate a Renfield, just to make the point?

The scourge looked at each other.

--

I stepped out into the room, coughing lightly as the others bickered. "Excuse me!"

Ebenezar whirled, staff pointed directly at me. His eyes glowed briefly for a moment, before he moved quickly forward and clasped me on the shoulder. "I'm glad to see you, Max."

"I'm glad to be seen again too, Ebenezar."

Luccio and Ancient Mai were both eying me. I gave them a shrug. "I got them to agree to leave. They'll repair the damage, wrap everything up, and get out of here, come nightfall - if the Jade Court will give them a clear path to the portal."

"And in exchange?" Luccio asked. Her voice was... terse. I guess I had gone rogue again, but in fairness I didn't exactly go looking for the situation this time around. It wasn't my fault. Really.

"Well, they don't want to die." I frowned. Huh. "Or un-die? Whatever. They want to get out of here and back to their un-lives."

Ancient Mai frowned. It was not a pleasant sight. "I do not like it." She said, words as severe and stentorian as it was possible for anything not carved into stone tablets to be, "But the Jade Court will likely accede - they have no wish for such destruction in their lands, or to truly attract the enmity of the Black Court."

The three council members collectively winced. Which didn't surprise me. Honestly, if Weatherwax hadn't suggested it, I probably wouldn't have gone for it. But the old woman hadn't steered me too wrong yet and there was no way I could've actually taken all of them on my own. Thank fuck they bought the sunlight bluff.

Luccio and Ebenezar seemed like they had a headache, but they turned to Ancient Mai. Luccio spoke first. "Are you still willing to come with us, Councillor Mai?"

"Once the Court provides what I need, yes." One of her stone animals trotted over and sat beside her - she ran a hand across the dog's head. "You walked from the distant way?"

"Yep." I grinned. "It was quite a hike."

"Indeed." She seemed amused by me again - that faux-guileless look all over her face. "There is a shortcut back. If you wait outside the portal, I will show it to you once my dealings are done."

"Understood, Councillor." Luccio responded. "We'll see you shortly."

--

Ancient Mai looked through the Mill with great... skepticism. She even hmmphed over the place! But she came, and she followed us all through to the War-room. I couldn't help thinking over our little group now - Chloe and I, Weatherwax, Luccio and Ellis, Caoimhe, Ebenezar, Listens-to-Wind, Liberty, and Ancient Mai. Quite the powerhouse. Pity the Gatekeeper too busy, uh, Gatekeeping? Or being gatekept. I still have no idea.

I frowned through the group, counting off in my head. "I'm not the most... dues-paying member of the Council, I know, but there's only two of you left, right? That Cristo dude and the big guy himself?"

Ebenezar nodded, and gestured to Liberty, who began the briefing. "Councillor Cristos' chosen hiding place is in the middle of a warzone - for the last three-hundred years, the area has been home to two Peik-ta Cults, a collection of miscellaneous Guardian Spirits like Yetkhat, and a few magical organisations that extend throughout that part of Asia. Cristos and I were called in to intervene about a hundred years ago, and it's been a cold war ever since."

She leaned over the map. "He should be hiding in-"

Suddenly, the room erupted into blaring lights and noises, and then a voice began to speak. "-can't keep this up for long. They've found me! I don't know how many, but I can't keep this up for long. They've found me-" The message looped a few times before Ebenezar slammed his staff down and cut it off.

I looked over at him. "Cristos?"

"Yes. I was goin' to suggest we go find the Merlin first, to help with handling the warzone, but it sounds like Gregori could use a hand." He looked over to Liberty. "Is there a way we can use?"

"Yes." She responded confidently, "Here. It's a short walk from his hideout, so we can be there in minutes."

The Senior Council - most of it, anyway - stood tall, and the room brimmed with power. This experience had hit them harder than I thought. They'd been some of the most powerful things on the planet, and now they'd been beaten. I hadn't even noticed it. But now, they could do something. We could take the fight back to them.

"Alright!" I clapped my hands together. "What are we waiting for? Let's go kick some bad guy ass!"

For once, Luccio didn't seem to disagree.

Chapter Text

We came out of the way at a full sprint. I could hear my blood rising like a dramatic drumbeat. Ebenezar was leading the way, moving with strength and agility beyond his years. Emergency was a potent motivator and we needed it - the path ahead was heavily wooded and as hilly as Edinburgh. Even Ancient Mai seemed fine with it, gliding through with an elven deftness to spite her 'elegant old teacup' vibe.

Dog, Myanmar had some beautiful forests. If there was one thing to be said for this entire disastrous nightmare, it's that it took us to some very, very pretty places. I'd always heard Myanmar was a beautiful country, but we had no time to really appreciate it as we ran like bats out of hell with our asses on fire. I decided (quickly) to come back here after things were all wrapped up, take the time to properly see the sights.

Maybe bring my camera.

Ebenezar slowed as we crested the last hill, gesturing ahead with his staff. "There!" There was a small wooden building sitting tucked into a small outcrop beneath the hills. The place was rough - maybe before it had been a nice place, but now it looked like some serious magical energy had been thrown at it. It was full of holes, discoloured, and broken.

There wasn't even a threshold anymore - we burst right in.

The place was... empty? There was no sign of a struggle. No sign of... anything bad at all? What? The outside had been wrecked, but the inside was fine?! Oh, I fucking hate magic sometimes. Maybe there was some weird illusion or shield or something - we'd have to ask the guy when we found him.

And speaking of - if there was nothing here, where was the bloody councillor?

After a moment of us standing there, a voice, hurried and harried, spoke from the walls. "I have had to run. They're close, far too close. I'm not sure if this will work, but I haven't time for anything else. I'm going to get somewhere clear of traumatic energy - whatever tracking spells you have will work. But so will theirs. Please hurry. I'm... I'm scare-" The voice cut off.

"You heard the man!" Luccio barked, whirling into action. "Tracking spells!"

Ancient Mai, Liberty, Listens-to-Wind, and Ellis all started casting at the same time. And all of them pointed off in different directions. Ah, fuck.

Luccio sighed. "There must still be interference. Let's get out of the building and try find a trail."

We scurried out and headed back up to the top of the hills - we could see a lot further up here and there was less psychogeographic interference to fuck around with the spells. Line of sight and all that. I could hear the others chattering and bitching about it all, comparing spells and outputs and ideas, until eventually Liberty's spell suddenly started sparking.

"That way!" She pointed off towards another set of hills in the distance. The stretch between us was an unbroken canopy of trees. Welp. Sooner we start going, sooner we get there, I guess. I trotted after the others, feeling oddly like one of the seven dwarfs.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to war we go.

--

We stormed up the incline, cresting the layer of forested hills up to an almost mountainous jut that stuck up out of the trees like an awkward thumb. Ebenezar still took point, Luccio hot on his heels, but Liberty called out the directions for us to follow.

Eventually - after more running than I'd ever done before - Luccio finally called a halt. "Spell-light ahead!"

We could see flashes of purple and blue magic through the trees - no clear light source, but the impact of spells being thrown showed strong. We all refreshed our own protective magics before advancing slowly, fanning out to- There was an abrupt scream, deeply terrified. Then the lights vanished.

Caoimhe let out a slow "Fuuuck."

Luccio didn't bother giving her The Look. Instead we continued onward, careful and wary, because what the hell else was there?

We came to a- I'd call it a clearing, if we were back at the forest level. Trees grew partially up this side of the mountain, but stopped about halfway, leaving an almost semi-circular empty space that had almost no plant life growing. At this height, I think it might be a plateau? Or ridge? Whatever. The ground was charred and dry and-

Completely fucking empty? Agai-

Suddenly, the area lit up once more and the whole forest seemed to swarm with life as warlock upon warlock, monster upon monster, screaming and howling thing upon thing, crawled out of the trees. And some of the trees began crawling forward too, huge craggy faces appearing the bark. Every one of the things I could see had the same expression - an almost feral hunger.

Caoimhe let out a slow "Fuuuck."

We spread out quickly, ensuring we were in easy distance to support each other, but enough to cover the full arc of enemies slowly and inexorably flowing towards us. There was no gap left, just an endless sea of forms.

Then the horde swarmed forward.

I tapped my wands together, shouted a word of Elvish (Tolkien, not Faerie) and threw lightning out into the crowd. A river of them twitched and howled, their skin crackling and blackening as the energy spread.

That was all they needed. That horde rush became a surge, a torrent that rammed itself up against the Elder Council's hastily erected barriers. Said barriers flickered with the force of it. A call went out from one of the Warlocks, something deep and harsh and growly - then magic started appearing from various points in the horde, launched up at the weakening shield.

Ebenezar looked at me, though I could see a vein in his temple wiggling with the strain of the magic. "You ready for this, Max?"

"Born ready, sir!"

He chuckled. "That must've been hell on your poor mom. I'll have to send her a condolence card once we're done here."

As the Horde pushed again, the Senior Council pushed back.

The first volley was a crackling display of power, arcs of magelight and primal elements that slammed into the first ranks of the horde and spread like a Lichtenberg figure. The Horde filled the gaps of the dead in a moment and surged forward again as another volley from the Warlocks hit the shield.

The shield just snapped.

Suddenly, we were buried in monstrous flesh. Sharp claws raked across my arm - I screamed as the pain flashed through me. Bastards! Back off! I instinctively pulled magic in and slammed it down, forcing the crush back from me with a push of compressed air. Ebenezar picked up my trick and pushed his own monsters back, clearing a space for us to breathe again.

The Council pulled in closer and set up shields again, this time on a smaller scale and at an angle the Warlocks couldn't easily levy volleys of spellfire at. Though they still managed it. They were free to reposition while we were hemmed in.

Each of us just hit them again and again with whatever we had. There wasn't time to think or analyse or anything. Just instinct. I had no idea what the others were doing, aside from the occasional sound of swords swinging and lights and sounds coming from either side.

All I could really focus on was what was in front of me.

Most of them were a blur, coming as a horde crushed so close together they might as well have been a single thing with a hundred arms and claws and teeth. I'd resorted to the lightning just to hit most of them, weakening them enough that the swarm pulled them down for me and did the rest. I don't know how long we fought before the horde thinned and things felt... calm is the wrong word. Conscious, maybe?

There was this thing that imposed itself on reality like a bloodstain and looked like a big, midnight-blue stag stuffed with something like a sack of bees. The skin of it writhed and wriggled and squirmed, even the two enormous, scythe-like horns that stuck out from above burning eyes. It wobbled towards me like a parasite trying to learn new legs - I underestimated it because of that, and took a moment too long to ready my spell.

The creature lashed out with a terrifying speed, striking with stinging pains that felt like my own skin was going to tear itself out from the inside. I can't even describe the fear I felt whenever it touched me - that deep, primal horror of something getting in that should not be.

There was a shout behind me and the protections fell - more and more creatures forcing their way in. One from behind knocked me into the infested stag and I screamed, lashing out with something before I could think. It fractured like sky and split open, skin and space folding and contorting in ways they should not do.

A spell flew in from the left and the entire thing popped like a bubble.

Another moment later and a crackling ball that looked like those electric sphere things that you tap and it zaps you flew past me and into the treeline. I heard the warlocks screaming and it seemed like that broke a spell on the monsters in our midst.

Another moment later and the Elder Council pushed enough power into the surroundings to create a fucking sun. The mix of fire and force and fuck knows what else tore through them, almost halving their number.

And then, a mercy. They broke! The bastards broke!

Like a suddenly discovered colony of insects, the few remaining creatures of the horde scattered to the winds, leaving the few remaining Warlocks standing open for Ebenezar and the Wardens to retaliate. They weren't standing for long. Or in possession of complete necks.

We paused. Honestly, this moment was probably as split-second as the others, but it felt long and quiet in a way that reminded me of a graveyard. Then the moment was broken.

With no warning, Luccio growled and strode forward to the treeline. She'd seen something. I followed her eyeline to spot a short, well-dressed man with well-coiffed, dirty-blonde hair that flowed pleasingly down his head. He had a pleasant face - a little bit of an unhealthy pallor, like someone who'd spent too long out of the sun - but he looked like someone you could trust. A friendly Mediterranean man who'd been a little down on his luck.

I hated him immediately.

Chapter Text

Chapter XIX: Cristos Redentor
---
AN:
Hey there, Fan-fic-folks!

I've actually written this entire thing now - should be finished at chapter 21.

Thanks for reading and, as always, please review.
---

"Gregori Cristos!" Luccio yelled. Her voice thundered through the hillside, stentorian and severe. The man ahead paused, just enough. Ellis appeared out of fucking nowhere with a spell and managed to tag him - Cristos' body seized up and fell to the ground.

We went over and flipped him round. He looked up at us, eyes still darting around in his utterly still face. Luccio reached down and grasped him by the face. His darting eyes locked on her as she leaned in and hissed, "We're going to make you pay, Traitor."

I... what? Wasn't he just caught up in this fight like us? As much as I disliked the guy, that didn't make him a traitor. Given that even Ebenezar looked severe and serious, they probably knew something I didn't. I had been focused on the fight. Had they seen him helping the enemy?

I took the opportunity to take stock of the others. Mai was - dog. Her arm was just... gone. Ebenezar was covered in dirt and blood and scratches, but seemed to be... okay wasn't the right term. Upright. Yeah. Upright was good. Luccio was in control, Ellis helping her out. Listens-to-Winds was limping, but otherwise unwounded. Liberty had long scars visible everywhere I could see, and was looking at the destruction and death around us with a mounting horror.

Caoimhe was cool as a fucking cucumber, though had definitely taken a few knocks - the bruise marring her face would last, even on a Sidhe.

Weatherwax's voice suddenly chimed up in my head - "Tell them I have a cell set aside for him. It should contain someone of Senior Council ability quite nicely."

I relayed the information to Luccio, who grinned. She squeezed Cristos just a little tighter and hauled him to his feet - still only holding him by the face, by the way. Holy shit. Was it wrong for me to find that just a tiny bit hot?

"Let's get the traitor back to base. We can interrogate him there." Ebenezar leaned in to stare into Cristos' eyes. His craggy expression promised many painful things. "Find exactly what they promised him to get him to turn."

Cristos wilted beneath his stare.

--

I stared out at the cold, icy plain that stretched out before me - the snow utterly unbroken, like no human had tread there for years. Honestly, this was the Nevernever, so that was possible. Could still be plenty of other creatures around - more than a few of the wyldfae were light enough to walk on snow. Some weird magic density thing, I think. Dresden tried to explain it once, but I was never good at the physics stuff.

"Maybe I should ask Chloe."

"Ask me what?"

I jumped a mile, and the bitch laughed at me. At my grumbles, she scurried forward and instinctively huddled up against me for warmth. "So?" She asked.

"What?" I blinked at her. My brain had definitely drifted off there.

"What did you wanna ask me, Maximus?" She grinned. "Let me bestow my divine wisdom down upon thee, my child."

"The preacher talk does not work for you."

"Pfft. I'd be the hot preacher all the flock had crushes on." She cocked her hip with a raunchy wink.

I rolled my eyes. Couldn't help it. Just the image alone was ridiculous. "I'll talk to my Dad when we get through all this. See if he can't find you that flock."

She laughed quietly. It was a pretty sound, though a little breathier from her than I was used to. We stood quietly together, just taking in the sights. And the biting cold. "So, what did you wanna ask me?" She repeated again.

I sighed. "Oh, right. Um, I was just wondering what the physics of elves was."

"Elves?"

"Yeah, the real ones look less like Legolas and more like goblins. They're actually shorter than me-" Another quiet, breathy laugh. "-if you can believe it. Still great shots with a bow though." I shook my head. Back on target, Max. "Anyway, they're light enough that they can run on snow. I was wondering what the physics of that would be."

"Not sure. Probably something quantum and shit. I never got that far. It'd be cool to do some experiments though - see if they could run across water."

"They can."

We both jumped. Hah. Vindication!

Caoimhe swaggered out of the woods and up to our little perch. "Good spot you found yourselves - but it's gonna be full of spiders in a couple of hours. Everyone's to get back to the Mill so they can put the protections up in time."

"Spiders?"

That doesn't sound too bad, but I'm wary of Nevernever bullshit. Chloe, however, blusters on.

"I'm not afraid of spiders."

"These ones you should be. They're about the size of a truck and can move about as quickly. Fangs the size of my-"

"Alright, alright." I waved her down. "I think she gets it, Caoimhe. Lets get back in."

Caoimhe eyed Chloe for a long moment, those cat-like eyes scanning her with eerie precision. "Seems you're right, Cara. Lets go."

--

"-and that's why the shutter speed of the X3 is like that, it helps out with taking pictures of-"

Ebenezar suddenly appeared at my shoulder, interrupting me. "Max? We could use your assistance."

"Mine?"

Really? What on Earth could they- Oh.

I looked back at him - really looked. Something in his voice, that tone. He just stared back, and didn't bother to elaborate. I don't think he needed to. That tone said it all. They needed a very specific type of assistance. One they'd tried to execute me for, last time I tried it.

I scowled. Couldn't help it. Bastards. I pushed past Ebenezar - not actually pushing him, just past him, I wasn't insane, unlike whoever fucking suggested this shit. He followed me all the way to Cristos' cell, where I found the rest of the Council plus Luccio standing around in the corridor. I glared at all of them. "I hear you want my assistance?"

I put just the right emphasis on 'my' to let them know I knew their game, through and through. They had the good grace to look a little sheepish, but they managed to meet my eye. Liberty stepped forward - the fellow empath the best one to deliver this explanation to me, of course. "I'm afraid so, Max. We wouldn't ask if it weren't of dire importance. We need the information in his head and you are the only one of us with actual experience of this."

Seriously?

"None of you have done this?"

"If they had, the Wardens would've executed them as Warlocks." Luccio stated. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes sharp as the sword at her side.

I turned on her immediately. "You can't be okay with this? Because this is insane."

Somehow, Luccio's jaw clenched tighter. If she got any more angry, she'd chip a tooth. "Obviously not. This is a terrible idea. But I was outvoted." She cast a harsh look at her superiors, the futile resort of the gainfully employed. Honestly, I was grateful for it. Thank fuck someone is sane here.

Liberty chimed in again, repeating, "You're the only one of us with any real experience with deeper mind magics, Max."

I sighed, deep and tired. Flashes of Kristen and Fernando flittered through my head. The good times. The bad. Everything I did to them. I looked into the faces of the Senior Council, the most powerful and influential mages on the planet. Dedicated to safeguarding and maintaining order in the human end of the superpowered chaos of supernatural life. Trying to protect mages from themselves, and protect others from them. And they were united in wanted me to do this. Shit. I guess this is happening then. "I have permission to break the Law, then? I want it on the record."

They nodded, made vague mutterings. Ebenezar laid a hand on my shoulder and I could sense the meaning behind it.

"Fine. Fuck it."

I stepped forward to the cell door, bringing me right next to Luccio. Her hand fell down to her sword and she leaned in. "If you become a Warlock, there are still two Wardens left to execute you, Max. Tread carefully."

I just went into the cell.

It was a pretty open space. Looked like someone had emptied a storeroom or something, as the place was barren stone flooring and walls aside from a single chair in the centre of the space. Cristos was magically bound to it, crackling lengths of arcane rope strapping him down tightly enough he couldn't even wriggle.

I imagined there was far more than I could see in here. The Senior Council were tough, even if Cristos had mostly gotten his appointment due to politics rather than power, he was still a strong wizard. There'd need to be more than rope to keep him contained.

"Hi Cristos," I started, gave a small empty smile. "Long time."

He glared balefully at me.

Fuck it. Better to just get it over with. I pulled up my wands and pressed the tip harshly into each of his temples. Not quite hard enough to bleed, but I'd ensure he'd have one hell of a headache. Then I started to ask very, very leading questions.

One of the reasons psychomancy is so vehemently criticised is how difficult it is to fight. Try to keep a secret when I'm in your fucking head. It's like trying not to think of a pink elephant. By the time you've thought to not think about it, you've already thought about it. Most of the mind happens below conscious acknowledgement - which means it's the most effective place to work, but also the easiest to damage. People can... break, before you even really have a chance to stop it.

This means that where mortal cops needed to avoid leading questions where possible to avoid tainting their work, psychomancers needed to stick to them, to get the brain working where the person can't stop it. Cristos already knew how this all was connected - I just needed him to let me in.

"You're working with our enemies, aren't you?"

A flicker of confusion. Enemies? Her? No, of course not. She was a respected ally, if not a respectful one. Loyal to magic, if not to the law of the council.

Interesting. Someone familiar, perhaps?

"What do you value more than your loyalty to the Council?"

Flashes of accolades, of reputation, of recognition. Yes. That was the word. Recognition. His mind screamed out for it. Someone other than the Council had recognised something he liked about himself. Possibly this mystery ally woman.

"Who are you loyal to?"

Respect once again. Allegiance, recognition. Long blonde-grey hair out of a hood covering a deep vacant shadow. A wooden mask, curled and worn with age, natural reds and blues and greens all mixed together but barely visible below that same hood. A feeling of prosperity and benefit. Feeling known and seen. He almost blazed with it.

"How do you greet your ally?"

I pushed that image of mask and hair into his mind, demanding again a name. There was another moment of confusion. A push back. A question of his own. What was her name? There was a void in his memory where a name should be, and a feeling of being scoured. Like it'd been burned out of him. Again, that flash of recognition, that feeling of prosperity. That flicker of confusion. It all jumbled together, faster and faster as he pushed harder in his own mind, trying desperately to recall what was simply no longer there.

His train of thought derailed with a crash.

I stepped back out of his head. His eyes were flickering beneath his eyelids, like the most intense REM sleep. Whatever he was seeing, it wasn't here.

I shook my head. It wasn't manipulation - just a cover-up. I had to do this for nothing. I turned and headed back to the door, pushing it open to- wowzers. In place of a hall and in place of space, there stood a giant wooden mask and an infinite burning judgement. At this size, the aged and worn appearance was only heightened. There was nothing behind it, not even void, but oh how that judgement blazed. It'd warm the cold of space.

It bored into me, that judgement, waiting for me to make a mistake. Expecting me to make a mistake. I could feel the satisfaction brewing as it pushed forward to that end it was oh so certain of.

Fuck. That.

I punched it in the face and ran, breaking the connection in an instant.

This time, Cristos was dead. Blood poured from his eyes and nose and ears and good fucking god. I shoved my way out of the cell and into the corridor, ignoring the Council's startled yells as I dashed off into the Mill, no fucking idea where I was supposed to go.

--

"Uh... hey?"

I jumped as Chloe stepped out of the woods into my little clearing. She eyed my wands, wary and nervous. Then she eyed the scorch marks across the ground and trees around me. The look in her eye... I let the wands drop.

She took a few steps forward, then faltered. Looked up at me, then the floor, then somewhere over my shoulder. "So, I, uh, hear, you, uh, some shit happened?"

I let out a dark chuckle. "Yep. Killed another one."

"You didn't kill him, Max." She sighed and strolled over to take a seat next to me.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I did." I scowled. "Stepped into his head, fiddled around with stuff, and then boom. Head exploded. It's pretty obvious what happened."

Chloe looked at me with something like pity. I could feel that fluttery, breathless irritation rising up in my stomach. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what? Dude, I'm just looking at you." She shakes her head. "Talk to me, Max. What the fuck happened in there? All the Council fucks are bitching at each other and none of them have a clue. Liberty took one look in the room and ran off with a migraine." She chuckled. "Which was kinda funny, I gotta say, but y'know. It gets a gal all curious."

I sighed. The angry butterflies were not going to take control of me this time. I gave her the basic rundown. Talking about that mask was... oof. Something about the words felt too heavy to actually say out loud.

Chloe was silent for what felt like an age. Eventually, she took a deep breath in and started to speak, all on that one breath. "Look, dude. Max. I know all don't get all this magic stuff, but it sounds like it was something already in this guys head, right? Like, the mask person stuck something in his head and turned him into, like, a time bomb. He was always gonna die."

The last few words wheezed a little as they left her mouth.

I met her eyes. That was always one of my favourite things about Chloe. Those eyes were worth a thousand words. I let out another deep sigh. "Fuck."

She reached out and awkwardly patted me on the back. "That's the spirit, Maxie. Now let's go fuck up the mask bitch for... shit, so much at this point."

I let her take my hand.

--

I slinked back into the war-room, Chloe on my heels, to find the place in conflict. Ebenezar and Luccio were very politely facing off, the conflict of a subordinate who knows their boss has done something wrong but is absolutely trying to avoid being openly rude.

It stopped when they saw me. Both whirled on me. Luccio's expression was harsh, but Ebenezar's was soft. Familiar. I kept my eyes on his and tried to communicate whatever apologies I could.

"Something was looking through him, Sir. And it saw me. Then it did that when I tried to run."

"It... what?" Even Ebenezar couldn't hide his shock. And for a man that'd been alive as long as him, that was... worrying. "Do you know what it was?"

"Not a clue. But I got some stuff from Cristos before it..." I gestured vaguely, not knowing how to explain... "That."

"What?" Luccio barked.

"He never saw the face of the person who recruited him," I started. "But he thought she was a she, and she had long blonde-grey hair. Wore a weird old wooden mask."

I clicked my fingers - fuck my shitty memory. I took some paper and focused on it, using that old image spell to create the mask down on the page. Suddenly, Liberty chimed in. "One of the people who attacked Edinburgh was wearing that mask."

We all looked at her for a moment. "Well," Ebenezar said. "That's good to have confirmed." He reached out a hand and tapped on my drawing. "We'll keep an eye out for this 'un."

As the conversation descended into hypotheticals and possibilities, plans and ideas, I found myself drifting to that mask. The more I thought about it, the more it felt like I was missing something. Something obvious. The mask was something primal, no doubt, that knotted wood and worn bark felt like some ancient growth deep in the Nevernever or something. But that didn't feel right. It wasn't Fae, whatever it was. And seriously, whatever it was was right on the end of my dogdamn tongue but dogdamnit if I can remember what it dogdamn was. Wowzer. Eugh.

"What next?"

"We need to find the Merlin."

"Okay, so..?"

"What?"

"Where's the Merlin?"

"Canada."

"Seriously?"

"What? You try find someone in the middle of the Frozen North."

Chapter Text

We entered into a scene from Lord of the fucking Rings. Great armies stood at the foot of a mountain, throwing fire and spells and arrows at the largest barrier I'd ever seen. The barrier stretched high and curled over a simple log cabin. If it hadn't been surrounded by monsters, it'd've been a perfectly pleasant, post-card-worthy image. Or given the shield, a snow-globe.

Ebenezar quickly took charge. "Ready up! Councillors, focus hard on shields, we need to push through 'em as quick as we can." He turned to me, the Wardens, and Caoimhe. "You three are on offense - anything tries to stop us, kick its ass."

I shrugged and pulled out my wands.

I don't remember much of what happened next. Just pushing and casting and emotions rocketing through my head like fireworks.

I think I killed a lot of things.

As we finally neared the shield, a small hole appeared in it. We scurried through and it sealed behind us. We were in!

We turned to the cabin, and saw a figure standing in the open porch, holding a cup of tea. Even at this distance, his white robes and cold, blue eyes revealed his identity. Arthur Langtry, the Merlin. He nodded a polite greeting at all of us, like we'd met out on the village green, before taking another drink from his teacup. Even his ridiculous, Gandalfian beard was perfectly groomed.

Something in me rebelled at the image. Like, what the fuck. What the actual fuck. He's sat, drinking tea, holding up a shield that's stopping literal hundreds of creatures with magic and weapons from tearing him apart.

Ebenezar lead the way, striding up the stairs with the ease of someone who lived in the 'great outdoors'. (Why did they call it that? Nothing great about it, I say). He walked over and stood next to the Merlin. "Arthur."

"Councillor McCoy." Those cultured British tones were as cold as his eyes. "It's been a while." He looked out over the others, and I know he'd clocked that Cristos wasn't with us. There was a moment of quiet, before- "I'm glad to see you're all alive."

"Glad to be alive." Caoimhe chirped.

One elegant eyebrow raised. "Indeed." He turned his attention back to Ebenezar. "Well, we'd better move this inside. We have much to plan if we're to retake Edinburgh and destroy these impudent creatures."

"You know we want to retake Edinburgh?" I blurted, promptly clapping my hand over my mouth and mentally cursing my complete lack of deference to authority. Fuck the man and all, but I wanted to know what was going on first. Luccio glared at me, probably thinking the same.

"I had assumed as much, yes." The Merlin responded. He frowned lightly at me. "It is the only course of action we can take."

"But... how do you know we weren't, like, planning to go underground or something? Run away and let them have the win?"

Damn my motor-mouth. Again.

The Merlin pondered for a moment, actually giving my blurted question some genuine thought, then spoke, "This is the nature of organisations, Apprentice Caulfield. Inexorably, they fall and they falter, whether through their own efforts or those of others. They then must either rise to the occasion or find themselves a footnote in the annals of history." He smiled at me, a curled and dry thing like a twig before a towering inferno. I could see the flame behind those cold, cold eyes. "I do not wish us to be a footnote, do you?"

"No sir."

You did not get to be the Merlin by collecting bottlecaps.

With that, he nodded and guided us inside to plan. Well. The Councillors did the planning, but I brought the tea!

We spent a few hours going through plans and ideas, trying to work out exactly how we'd retake the seat of the White Council's power. The Edinburgh Sanctuary was literally designed to repel attacks and even with the most powerful wizards on the planet, it was a risk. They got to something they were satisfied with, and then the Merlin stood. "Excellent. We'll need to tidy up in here and ensure we're leaving nothing for those outside to use, and then we shall be off."

We skittered about the place, following his instructions to collect various bits and bobs and store them away for transport. Once it was done, he met us back on the doorstep and we headed out into the fray.

With the Merlin's help, we made it back out through the army. He held the shields himself, while the rest of us were on offence. Honestly, it was a walk in the park. We made it to the Way without a single problem.

--

We stepped back through the Way, into the heavy, marshy Nevernever forest. Standing in the path was a familiar, cracked form. Denisek grinned, that smile a horrifying splinter across his already warped face. He raised his sword. "Found you." He crooned.

The Merlin frowned at him and raised a hand, encasing the man in a perfect, glowing sphere of energy. The cracked man snarled and tried to swipe, though the lack of friction inside the sphere caused Denisek to slip and spin wildly. I blinked. In a moment, the Merlin had neutralised someone that had nearly killed us. Fucking hell.

For a moment. Then Denisek suddenly froze, and shattered. The pieces of him rapidly melted into an odd, sickly-looking liquid that oozed through the bottom of the sphere and down onto the ground, where he reformed into himself again. Even faster than last time.

Fuck.

His face firmed into a determined scowl and he raised his sword. There was a moment's pause before the entire remaining Senior Council began throwing spells at him. The shadows crawled from the cracks across his body, dozens of inky-black tendrils catching and diverting and blocking any of them from reaching him as he charged forward.

A moment before his blade would've bisected Ancient Mai, Caoimhe stepped forward and caught the hook of his blade with hers, wrenching it to the side. She pressed the attack, swiping in low at his belly - he took it with a laugh, another scar in his ruined skin was nothing.

His attention locked onto Caoimhe and he stepped towards her, slamming his sword onto hers with a feral savagery and that same splintered smile. Again and again, sending a ringing echoing out into the forest like fucking Church bells. Someone threw a beam of sickly-green light at his back, but it vanished the moment it passed through one of those shadowed tendrils.

Caoimhe had it right. Magic wasn't the right approach here. Or at least, offensive magic wasn't. As the last two wardens stepped forward, their own swords raised, and the last of the White Council, their various magical accoutrement held loosely at their sides, tried desperately to strike at this cracked, slippery hunter, I took a second to think.

I took my wands and began to focus on weaving an illusion. And it was weaving, of a sort, tying reality and fiction together to make a picture that fit. An illusion was far finer work than reality - reality had an innate believability of its own, but I had to make sure every bit of my facsimile was perfect. Set the scene, use the framing. Light and composition and interaction.

With the final word, I swiped my wand and within the trees, gnarled wooden masks poked out. I didn't enter Denisek's mind - I didn't want to, I got the feeling he was warped more than just on the outside - I just lightly grazed it, a faint touch along the smooth vertice of an edge.

And then I made the mask scream.

"FAILURE"

Denisek flinched back, getting another scrape from Caoimhe for his trouble. His eyes landed on one of my masks and I pushed that scream again. His panic and confusion was visible across his face. It was an almost childlike terror - tiny form facing up at the oncoming storm.

It was enough - all three Sword-wielders struck at once, swords sinking into that fractured meat. But as the blades pulled free, the wounds began to knit closed again. "Get him out of here!" I shouted to- hell, anyone. They were all more powerful than me, they should be able to-

Oh, my. That was impressive. I watched idly as the breeze around Denisek suddenly picked up, picked him up, and hurled him off into the distance. It half reminded me of the one and only Baseball game I'd been to - the bowler had thrown the ball so fast I could barely see it.

I looked back across the others and- wow. One guy had done all that? We made it through an army with less injuries! Every one of the Senior Council looked bruised and hurt and just... not in good shape. Not that we'd really been anything close since the first attack, but somehow this was worse.

The Merlin suddenly looked up as Liberty cocked her head, clearly listening to something distant. They had some hurried conversation of eyebrows and silences before he barked "We need to keep moving."

We kept moving.

--

We all gathered in the War Room. Every living councillor, Luccio and Ellis, me and Chloe and Weatherwax, and Caoimhe. The usual map table was covered with a map of the Hidden Halls at Edinburgh.

Dog, the place was even bigger than I'd thought. If that was full of those creatures, how in the fuck were we gonna do anything about it? Suddenly, the day's fatigue landed on me heavily. This was going to be...

I sighed.

Come on, Max. Optimistic thoughts. We talked about this, damnit.

The Merlin leaned in, his long form somehow seeming natural in front of the map spread out at the table. One finger extended out and tapped gently on a marked ramp that headed to nothing. "This is our objective. We must reach the deeper zone to activate the Hidden Halls full defences. That will give us the numbers we need to fully secure the Halls."

The others all nodding hinted at some Senior Council Secret that I didn't know, but... shit, I was too tired for it. I just sat and listened as the man spoke of tactics and strategy, scouts and guards, infiltration and attack, and other martial words I honestly forgot.

Basically, we were gonna kick in the front door, push through the halls, and secure the ramp down to the super-secret-defences area. Not much to it, really. Honestly, it was kind of a Dresden Plan. I liked it.

"-And tomorrow, we will take back our home. We will restore order and peace to the magical world." The Merlin wrapped up his rambling and turned to the room. "I would recommend you rest as much as you can and prepare what we've discussed."

--

Chloe came over and plonked herself down next to me at a booth in the main room of the Mill. The place was almost abandoned, one passed-out... thing in the corner the only customer besides our lot. The Council was holding council by the fire - or just old people trying to find some warmth, I guess. Fucked if I knew.

When I didn't respond, she elbowed me in the side. Hard. "Maxie? You alive in there?"

I grunted.

She laughed and settled in next to me. "That bad, huh?"

"No, I just..." I trailed off. How the fuck to even start? I don't think I was even sure what I was feeling, much less how to put it into words.

"Not feeling good about the plan? I thought it seemed pretty good. For a bunch of old assholes, these council peeps kinda seem to know what they're doing."

"A ringing endorsement indeed." We both jumped as Weatherwax appeared by our table. "I'm sure they'll be most satisfied to have your approval, Chloe."

Chloe snorted. "I'm pretty sure most of them don't even know my name."

"Quite possible. They do have slightly bigger concerns at the moment."

Chloe was definitely preparing for a prolonged bantering session - I could see the spark of it in her eyes - so I butted in. "Was there something you wanted, Weatherwax?"

"Merely to check on you. We're coming to the close now, I wanted to see how you were feeling about it."

Damn it.

"I have no idea. It's big, I know that. But-" I sighed. "I just don't know."

"Understandable. As you said, this will be another big change to all our lives. You lost someone you were close to in the last one and have been disconnected from your family since. It isn't the most steady place to be."

"No." My eyes drifted back down to the table and I slumped, feeling somehow worse than before.

"Look at me, Max."

"What?"

"Look at me."

Something in her tone makes me obey and I look up into the shadows of her hood. She began to speak with an intensity I hadn't seen from her before, each word indelibly imprinted upon my mind with a passionate force and roiling intensity that screamed that this was a truth I should listen well to.

So, I listened.

"The world will try to force causality. To make the great chain of events continue ploughing forward through any and all opposition. But we humans have a gift that no other species does. Every other entity adapts to the environment or dies. We Humans are the only ones to change it. We will the world to be as we would make it. If you only heed one lesson of mine, heed this: You are human and you have the right and the power to change the world. To damn its' continuity and make what you will. If you are feeling unsure of where the world is taking you, if you rail and anger against that current which drags us all down and along, fight. Fight long and hard and exert all the will you can and you can find a better path."

I just stared.

Weatherwax's lips quirked beneath the hood. "I will leave you to consider my thoughts, Max." She stood to leave, turning back as a thought occurs. "Oh, and do try to get some sleep. The will thing works better after a full night of rest."

And then she left.

Chloe stared as she went, all the way until Weatherwax disappeared into the rooms upstairs. Then she turned back to me. There was something in her eyes that unnerved me - I think maybe she understood Weatherwax's message better than I had. "That was weird."

"Yep."

"We should, uh, get some rest."

"Yep."

"You're not gonna get much rest either, are you?"

"Nope."

"Shit."

--

Well. Fuck. That's a cheery sight. Ahead stood the tree that marked the turn-off to the Hidden Halls. It had a pentacle carved into it, but across the star was now a bloody handprint nearly a foot from pinky to thumb. Despite the blood being cold, it was still dripping down the bark, casting deep stains.

We took the turn and headed up the path - the normal creepy was dialed up to eleven, those whispering voices just at the edge of hearing now fully audible, demanding and begging you to come find them in the branches, to put yourself within their reach.

None of us took them up on their oh-so-kind offer.

In the clearing stood the familiar dark stone entryway to the Hidden Halls, though no Warden stood guard as they had in the times of the Council. Oddly, no-one else stood guard either.

"Is anyone else worried that-"

"That there's no visible guard, so they may be watching all around us?" Luccio finished.

Not... quite what I was going for, but close enough. "Yeah."

"Yes." The Merlin spoke. "I am quite worried."

His voice was calm and cultured and measured as ever. Cool as a cucumber sipping Bond's martini. Still, he gestured us forward and strode through the dark stone doors and into the Hidden Halls of Edinburgh. The long stair descended ahead.

Walking down into the Council halls had always been a daunting experience. I think they designed it that way - trying to intimidate and impose. To impart that vision of strength and power and solidified authority that they'd always tried to maintain. And failed dismally, of course.

The cold, still air and near-silent halls set our footsteps echoing wildly. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Needless to say, I was getting closer and closer to freaking the fuck out. Even with some of Ancient's Mai's animated guardians heading forward as an early warning system. I could feel the others around me, due to how they moved the air. For all the council were ancient, they moved with a flowing, confident grace. Staffs and staves and wands and accoutrements aplenty, raised and ready. Eyes scanning the area for any sign, any indication of occupation. Or attack.

The main hall at the base of the stairs was empty. It was- no!

A half dozen malformed suits of armour strode out of nowhere and took up weapons against us. Each were of the same set - a dark and rust-reddish metal of mismatched plates and cruel, jagged spines. Though it all bulged and bent as the slimy, bloated flesh beneath it pushed against the metal failing to keep it contained to a humanoid form.

Their helms were thin and sweeping, with three horizontal lines across the faceplate like clawed scars. Behind them was still nothing but that twitching mass of slimy flesh.

It... honestly, they looked like slugs, crammed into suits of armour.

They raised their weapons - a motley collection of swords, polearms, axes, and other stuff that wouldn't look out of place in a medieval levy. I could see Ebenezar snort and idly raise his staff to blast them, when one suddenly blinked out of place and landed next to him, swinging its' axe down at his spine. He whirled and jammed his staff up against its throat, letting off the spell he'd intended for distance - the thing exploded and sent him flying back into a wall where he landed with a painful crack and oof.

Again, the Senior Council burst into motion. The Wardens and Caoimhe, blades out, spread forward and charged in. The others fanned out and began throwing spells of various colours and forms.

The slugs met the charge with their own weapons, the clash of steel and iron echoing through the silent hall. While the Wardens and Caoimhe fought with training and skill, the slugs fought with ferocity and force. Even the staunch Commander Luccio shook under their heavy blows.

As the slugs pounded our companions like hammers on anvils, the Elder Council threw fire and acid and all manner of energy at the creatures. They took each and every blow and soon enough that rusted armour was covered in burns and frost and fuck knows what. Honestly, the 'fight' was starting to get slightly ridiculous. Just clangs and spell-sounds as each side thwacked away at each other, doing almost no fucking damage.

It wasn't until one of the slugs slid on its own slime and landed at just the right spot for Ellis' blade to get under its guard and into its flesh that things got... nasty.

As the creature fell, it- it was like acid. The flesh inside just melted away into a slick slop that dripped out onto the ground and sat, stagnating in seconds. In a few moments, the creature was gone and only the rusted armour remained - and even that was slowly flaking away, rusting at a far faster rate than nature would allow.

And the other creatures doubled their ferocity. Luccio broke the guard of another, slipping through its strikes only to find it vanish and reappear behind her, its heavy axe coming down on her shoulder with a meaty thwack.

She rolled with the blow even as she hissed with the pain, whirling out of the creature's reach. It took a step forward and flickered to pursue, only to fall itself as Ellis appeared behind it and stabbed through a chink in the armour. It didn't get any easier to watch the creature melt away.

One of the creatures seemed shocked by its companion's demise and turned to run, heading straight at Ancient Mai with its spear clutched in heavy gauntlets. It flickered every few feet, jumping a meter before taking another few steps. This one Ebenezar took care of, launching a dark and vibrating spell at it that suddenly compressed the armour inwards. The creature popped.

As the goop hit Ancient Mai, she grunted in pain. Dog, that sounds- She wafted a hand and cleaned it off. Her skin was pinkish below the spots it had hit her. Gleh.

The slugs began to blink more and more, but it wasn't too long before the Senior Council caught and killed them. The last slug finally fell, to Ebenezar's spell. As it started to quiver, Luccio yelled out an order. "Grab it, before it melts!"

Liberty twisted her hand and muttered a word and the slug-soldier froze in place, halfway to puddle. Ebenezar took hold of the creature and pulled it towards him, turning the face-plate up to look into it. "Where is everyone?"

It glubbed at him.

With a sigh, Ebenezar focused on the creature for a moment and then gestured, a quick, cutting vertical swipe. The creature quivered for a second, then bisected. And trisected. And quad-sected. And whatever the hell comes after that. All the sluggy cubes dropped out of the air into a neat little pile on the floor.

What in the actual fuck.

We all stand for a few short moments, dealing with the gross situation we just found ourselves in. Eventually, Ancient Mai speaks up. "What now?

I could see them all pondering. We'd had a plan, but it had not taken into account any of... this. Things were not what they seemed and not how we'd thought. The plan would have to change.

Weatherwax's lips curled beneath her hood - it was a cruel smile, but seemed directed at this place. I could understand that. Her voice slithered out and she chimed up for the first time since we'd arrived. "It may behoove us to find what they wanted from this attack. If they have abandoned this place, they would have taken something with them. The gap they left may tell us much about their intention."

I looked to Ebenezar. Then the Merlin. I kinda forgot he was in charge for a moment there. The man thought it over and then nodded. "Whatever they came for, it was something they did not have to remain here to utilise. Perhaps the Archives? There are many tomes and artifacts there that they may have wished to obtain."

Tomes...

"Maybe your journals, Ebenezar? You did say Merlin himself had written in them, maybe there's a secret of some kind in them." I frowned, looked over at Langtry. "The original, not you, Sir." He gave me an almost amused look, before nodding. "Is there anything else?"

The others pitched in with suggestions of this artifact or that valuable thing - and fucking hell did the Council have a lot of crap lying around - and everything was taken down in the mind of the Merlin. When we'd run out of ideas, he nodded. "We shall start with your journals, Ebenezar. They are closest to the Council Hall, which may make a good staging ground for further action." He strode off almost immediately after.

We shrugged and followed him.

--

The pomp and pointlessness of the Ostentationary was still just as imposingly decadent as ever. The White Council definitely needed a good redesign, maybe throw in one of those fancy fountain things they always had in posh offices. Then again, some of these people hadn't redesigned since the Aztec Empire was a thing, so that may have been a longshot.

We headed in and fanned out, poking into all the nooks and crannies and generally trying to check out the room for anyone else. Nothing.

The Merlin took command once again. "Ebenezar, take Luccio, Liberty, and Listens-to-Wind and locate your journals and the other artifacts upstairs. We will secure this area."

As the others headed off to the upper landing, the Merlin turned back to the rest of us. "Let's get started. I want circles of protection at each of the main entrances, and alert wards out to a range of twenty feet for each corridor. I will hold the main tether and set-up some protection wards from here."

The rest of us (Chloe with me, the rest in two groups at the other entrances) went to each of the three entrances to set up some circles. As Chloe watched the door, I started drawing on the ground. Graffiti-ing the majestic marble floor was oddly satisfying.

"So, what are you doing?" Chloe asked.

"Protection spells. The circle," I gestured down to the thing. "-lets me hold together more power than just casting would, which makes the protection stronger. And I'm about to-" I stepped into the circle and sealed it with a bit of blood and willpower. "-direct that power into-" I muttered a word of Latin-ish gibberish and threw power down the corridor. Little threads of light - sort of visible but only if you looked at it right - tied off on random bits of frippery and decorative crap in the corridor, the other ends sitting in my circle. "-the right form." I finished.

I stepped out of the circle. "See the tethers? That's the alert ward. It'll let us know if anyone gets close. It does make the protection a bit vulnerable, but it's worth the extra time." As I stepped out, a beam of light shone out from the centre and back towards the Merlin and his warding work.

"Cool." She nodded. "And what about the, uh, 'main tether'? What's that do?"

"I... honestly have no idea. The Merlin is the ward expert, I only know a few basic things. Dresden, he, never really did the 'fort up and protect stuff' side of things. He was more of a 'charge in and kick ass' kind of guy."

Chloe chuckled. "He'd definitely be proud of you then. Shit, the amount of places you've just charged into since this thing started is hella ridiculous."

I blushed down to the tips of my freaking toes. "We, um, should probably, um, check in. See if anyone needs anything." I quickly turned back to the room and ran the hell away from my emotions again. They're not the boss of me. Can't be the boss if I don't acknowledge their authority. No representation without taxation, or whatever. Is that how it goes?

I shook my head. Not the time, Max. Check in. The plan may be fucked, but keep to the goals. "Uh, sir? Merlin? Langt-" I stepped close enough to see the Merlin was frozen.

Weatherwax's hood was down, allowing me to see her face for the first time. And wasn't that a thought - this entire time, I'd never quite realised that I'd not seen it. She had two long, ice-coloured scars across her misty-grey eyes, both putting a nock in her eyebrows and dividing up her sharp cheekbones. Weirdest thing was, I swear she looked familiar. Long blonde hair flecked with grey furled out like she was the baddie in a fucking anime - I swear the stuff almost looked alive.

Oh, and she had her hand through the Merlin's chest, a pulsating bulge on the back of his robe hinting at what she'd done to his heart.

Her lips were quirked into a crooked grin and her eyes were gleaming with triumph. No, not triumph. Resolution. Like she'd been waiting for a moment for so very long and it had finally turned up. That bulge in the back of the Merlin's robe suddenly popped like a lanced boil, and the spot soaked through with red. Weatherwax pulled back and let the corpse of the most powerful Wizard alive drop to the floor.

Ellis shot forward, sword raised to strike, and was immediately cut down by his own sword as Weatherwax clenched her fist, took control of his hand, and raised the sword to cut his own throat. Two of Ancient Mai's stone creatures were hot on his heels, exploding into powder as Ellis' spellbreaking Warden sword slashed through them. His corpse whirled to face us, dead eyes behind broken glasses.

From behind me, Chloe suddenly blurted- "What the fuck?"

Weatherwax looked at her - almost sadly..? - and then wafted a hand at her, muttering dark and plosive sounds that made my head hurt to hear. A tentacle of shadow reached out from the dark and wrapped around her, yanking her hard against the wall. Her head hit hard and she just... slumped.

"Chloe!" I screamed, knowing it was pointless but unable to stop myself. Wowzers. This is fucked. This is totally, utterly fucked.

I whirled back to Weatherwax, her old face split between regret and a slowly building determination. "Why?" I demanded of her. "Why would you do this?"

She took a deep breath in and let it out slow. Then another sharp breath in - her face flickered. Not like a light, more like... a flickerbook. A kineograph. A million faces, masks, expressions, all imposed over Weatherwax and all there and gone in the briefest flash.

I was left with the feeling of ancient secrets and things that should not be seen.

She rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck and when it went back to her face, only determination remained. "You wouldn't understand, Max. And I'm no teacher."

My shouts had apparently drawn the others, as Ebenezar, Luccio, Liberty, and Listens-to-Wind all appeared at the railing of the balcony above. None of them bothered to speak, to state what we all knew was going to happen next. Their faces simply hardened as they descended the stairs - and ran straight into the Merlin's protection ward.

Luccio raised her spell-breaking blade and thrust into the ward - it bounced off and the energy flashed a wicked, bloody red. As she swung again, Ellis' animated corpse strode shakily towards Ancient Mai. The woman pointed at him and several of her creatures charged.

I looked to Caoimhe, who was watching everything go down with the dispassionate amusement of the fae. "We need to hit her now! You with me?"

She shook her head and drew her swords. "Sorry Cara. Bad form to kill your employer, y'know." And then she advanced on me. It was a languid, predatory walk - she believed she had me. Lucky for me, that meant it was quite slow and gave me just enough time to throw up a blinding light and hurl a table at her.

Telekinesis was a bitch.

She leapt up into a spin, curling her arms into herself as she tucked and rolled over the table. It crashed into the wall, shattering some of the ever-sparkling gilt.

Caoimhe landed in a crouch, then looked up and grinned. Just in time for my second shot to hit her in the face. Skin and bone tore, leaving the gaping chasm of her mouth open to the air. She spat out teeth - though does it still count as spitting out if they just fall out of the hole where your cheek used to be?

Either way, I threw another table at her, forcing her further back across the room. She managed to keep her feet, swinging her swords and slicing apart the various pieces of crap and detritus I hurled. Still couldn't push back, but I was burning too much energy too fast. I'd have to take a breather soon.

I heard a scream from off behind me and then I felt the air part next to me. I dodged to the right just a second before Ellis' sword cut past me and hit the floor with a clang.

I whirled back - Ancient Mai was on the ground, unmoving, and Ellis and Caoimhe were both now facing me, swords raised. Weatherwax was doing something - a low chant of building power - and the remainder of the Senior Council were still trying to contend with the Merlin's ward.

I'd been paying attention to the wrong thing too long as another sword came at me - this one hit, cutting a long gash across my nose and cheek that burned across my skin. I hissed out a swearword and flinched back in time to avoid the other blade following it.

The corpse and the fairy pushed me back, swinging with undead force and unnatural grace. It was everything I could do to not get cut again. Almost on instinct, I suddenly lifted one of my wands to parry - wood and steel hit and wood lost.

I hurled the remains at Caoimhe's torn face and the thing jammed into her like a chopstick stuck on a retainer band. Her distraction was enough for me to get some distance and, with the other wand, I took a moment to focus. Weatherwax's many-masks thing had been pretty cool, but I had a trick of my own.

My form vanished and a dozen of me suddenly ran in different directions, hurling fire and frost and magical stuff of every colour on the spectrum at Caoimhe and Ellis.

Caoimhe suddenly whirled at the nearest me and charged, sword dancing through the area. The illusory me joined the duet with reflexes far better than mine and dodged and weaved through the Sidhe's fast and powerful strikes. Left, right, left-

Ellis kept moving forward towards me until something pulled taut in his head and dragged him off to another of my illusions. It was almost nauseating, seeing someone who'd almost been a friend like... that.

I had to act fast, before I burned myself out. Or let the illusion overstay too long. Eventually they'd notice. So, I focused in and pushed my will into the magic further, sending my illusions dancing outwards towards the pond at one end of the room. Ellis lurched after them and Caoimhe stalked afterwards - both of them leaving their backs open to me.

I twisted my wand and spoke a word and my illusory copies burst into a burning light. Quick now, Max. I brought in more energy - my bones screamed under the strain of the sudden onset exhaustion - and hurled thoughts of death and disablement and finality in a wave that struck them both.

Ellis dropped like a puppet - strings cut. Caoimhe went painfully. The Fae never did go easily.

I left the bodies where they fell. Another thing to add to the list, Max.

Weatherwax was still in the same spot and was still in that same spot. The only part of her that was moving was her mouth, twisting and turning in odd syllables of semi-tones and half-sounds. The barrier was flashing a now fleshy-red, giving me brief glances at the Council still sealed behind it. They seemed to be trying a coordinated approach. It wasn't going to work. The Merlin is- was the best warder on the planet.

Either way, I had a traitor to fuck with.

I fell back on a classic - warped wooden masks peered out at us through the cracks in reality, a disconcerting atonal sound humming low in the background. I didn't touch her mind either - If Denisek's mind had been a no, Weatherwax's was a fuck no. But I added in the faint whispers: doubts, anxieties, worries clawing at the edge of her self.

None of them landed. Not one worries, not one shitty little question. Fuck. She was the bad kind of psycho-villain - the ones who were quiet and serious about whatever villainy thing they were doing. She believed. And belief made magic.

Weatherwax's face flickered again, that million-version of images super-imposed, melting, and juxtaposed together. Her own face finally settled on that old wooden mask - though hers had holes in the eyes. "If you're trying to scare me, you would be better served avoiding my own image."

I felt Chloe step up beside me, her trademark scowl and 'rebel without a cause' stare facing directly at Weatherwax. "I could say the same to you, asshole. Chose the wrong face to fuck with me - I saw through your shitty little illusion in a second."

Weatherwax... hesitated? Why would she- her hands suddenly started twisting in intricate shapes as she spoke another unnatural phrase. A bolt of energy, moving like liquid lightning, spat out from her hands and slammed into us.

I was expecting- it was... what? I, um. Oh god, why do I feel? Did that spell seriously just get me drunk?

I tried to throw a spell back, but my shaky balance and wobbly arms sent it wide. Weatherwax observed me with a detached amusement, but somehow the magic-booze gave me a clearer perception than I had before. Underneath the mask, she was spooked. This moment she'd been waiting for hadn't gone how it was supposed to.

Which was only appropriate. I was Dresden's apprentice. If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was fuck up a plan. My soul was built to be a wrench in the works.

I tried again, this time the force of my gestures completely knocking me to the ground. I rolled over in time to see Chloe hit the ground too. She was nimbler than me - or at least more used to this feeling - and rolled with her fall and back up onto her feet. I took a breath and scrambled back to mine, joining her in facing Weatherwax.

Chloe leaned down and scooped up one of Caoimhe's swords, holding it with the odd looseness of the truly pissed. "Shall we get her, Maxie? And her stupid fake face?"

Her what?

Weatherwax simply wafted a hand and the sword was wrenched from Chloe's grasp and buried up to the hilt in one of the walls. Right through a painting too - ooh, that's gonna be expensive.

She looked back at us both - I tore my gaze from hers before a soulgaze could start, but I got a flash of endless dark and glittering lights. At my flinch, she hurled another spell that burst into motes of light that zoned in on us like heat-seeking missiles. Before we could move, she turned and strode straight through a wall. The light motes exploded harmlessly around us.

Guess that worked out for her. Shit.

Chloe swayed gently next to me, then leaned in and gave me a bony nudge to the side. "Hey Max, Max!" When I looked at her, she gave me an exaggerated wink and- "Looks like she had to go catch a train!" She burst into drunken laughter.

I was glad she was happy, but I didn't get it at all.

I took a moment to try and focus through the haze. Doing magic like this was--- bad. Bad idea, Max. Oh dog. My head! I sagged down to the floor, clutching at my temples. I closed my eyes and settled in to wait. No point trying anything now.

A while later - not sure how long - the spell finally wore off. It was like a heavy wet blanket had been over my brain and suddenly got whipped off. Gave me one hell of a headache, but at least I could think. I slowly eased up to my feet to find Chloe in a similar position of recovery.

I stumbled over to the barrier and leant up against one of the bannisters, staring up the stairs at the last of the Senior Council. They all looked back at me in open concern - Liberty tried to speak, but no noise came through the barrier. "Uh, hi? Can you hear me?"

They soundlessly gestured to their ears. I took it as a no. Shit.

Wait, was this new? I could've sworn they could hear us before. Come on Max, think it through. Oh fuck. Weatherwax must still be controlling it somehow. The Merlin was dead, so maybe he'd tethered it to something she's- Oh. I poked at the ward and it flashed that bloody red - the red of tendons and meat. His heart. She'd taken it. That had to be for a reason, right? Maybe it controlled the barrier that kept the council trapped in their quarters?

Made sense, right? She wanted to keep them out of the way while she did... whatever it was she was down there to do.

I pulled up some magic and went looking for some paper. I found a stack in one of the side tables and waved it up. Nothing to write with though. Ebenezar nodded in understanding and simply conjured a stack of his own.

I took a breath and cast my message onto the paper. "I need to go after her. She's got the Merlin's Heart - if I destroy it or take it from her, I can get this barrier down."

Ebenezar read it and his eyes widened. Luccio just facepalmed.

I quickly waved him down before he could interrupt and cast another message. "If Luccio's spellbreaker sword thing won't work, there's nothing you can do quickly that'll help. I'm pretty sure the heart is the key and-"

Damn paper. I held it up and quickly cast a follow-up. "-even if it isn't, we need to see what Weatherwax is doing as soon as we can. It might be time sensitive enough that we can't afford to wait."

Ebenezar scowled - almost picture perfect for how Dresden used to do it - and put in his message. "Fine. But stay out of it unless you absolutely have to. You're a scout only unless there's an emergency. Got it?"

The next paper was almost empty. "Got it."

I gave the last remnants of the senior council my best responsible nod and turned back to go. I walked right up to where Weatherwax had disappeared and stared at the spot. I didn't want to use the sight, but I could definitely sense something there. "Right. Chloe? You coming?"

Chloe didn't hesitate as she stepped up to stand beside me, just a step away from the wall. "Once more unto the breach, eh Maxie?"

"Shakespeare, Chloe? I didn't think you had it in you." I grinned at her. If I was going into hell, best to do it with a friend.

She laughed, something joyful in it despite our shitty as fuck situation. "Fuck you Maxie. Lets do this thing."

And we stepped through the wall.

Chapter Text

There was an immediate change in architecture on the other side. The main areas of the Hidden Halls were very straight, very ordered, very tidy. This place was chaos. The walls of the corridor that should be straight were a mess of flowing lines, dips and peaks and twists and turns that made it honestly hard to even look at.

"Well. This is gonna be rough."

"It'll be like a cross-country run."

"You hate running, Chloe."

"Yeah. This is gonna be rough."

I snorted. "Right. Let's just get moving. Sooner started, right?"

We set off into the corridor, clambering over and shimmying under the weird shapes of the walls and floor. Good exercise, but fucking uncomfortable. Probably for the best we didn't bring the council through. This would've been a lot.

The corridor went along for probably a little bit too long until we caught sight of something. There was a platform hanging in the void - it took me a moment, but I recognised the vibe from a ski holiday my family had taken when I was really young. This thing was a funicular.

So freaking cool.

I scurried over to it and looked over the edge. Just more chaotic corridor and then nothing but void. No lights down there? Weird design choice, but okay. Right. Now, how do we even activate this thing? I started to glance around, looking for some kind of lever or control panel.

Then I remembered where we were. I moved to the centre of the funicular and raised a hand, stretching out my senses until- yep. Magic. Obviously, Max. Duh.

I pumped some power into the thing and grinned as it lit up. "Chloe? Come on, I can move this thing."

She looked slightly hesitant, but stepped on anyway. The funicular lurched a bit, but I got it started and we slowly sank into the void.

A few long moments of silence passed. Then Chloe fumbled her sword and it clattered to the funicular floor. I turned and gave her my best "The fuck?" expression. She actually blushed, then leant down to scoop the sword back up again.

A shape slammed into the funicular. The impact shook us both off our feet. Chloe once again rolled back to her feet quicker than me and we both stared as the dust cleared to reveal the split face of Denisek.

He raised his sword. I swore.

He grinned.

He charged.

I couldn't move - I didn't know what would happen to the funicular if I stopped pumping power into it. But if I didn't- Chloe suddenly swooped into position in front of me, sword flying up to push his to the side. She held it ready. "Come on then, bitch."

Denisek's face split in another broad grin, and he threw himself into the fray. Chloe's long limbs, usually so jerky and uncoordinated, really worked with a sword. He slammed the chopper down on her with the force and rhythm of a blacksmith's hammer, but she dodged and deflected and redirected his strikes with an unexpected competency - even to her. She watched her hands with shock and awe for a few strikes before looking up at him with a cocky grin.

"I thought they said you were tough? Took the fucking Merlin throwing you across the Nevernever to beat you, and this shit is all you can do?"

I was about to yell out about how stupid Chloe was being, but honestly Chloe's shit-talking seemed to be getting to him. His swings were getting faster and more erratic, his eyes narrowing and taking an almost apoplectic sheen.

She twisted the sword under his guard and the blade bit greedily into his chest. Before he could move, she pushed further and wrenched the blade, opening up his chest upward and out of his shoulder, meat hanging loosely from collarbone. The man groaned and let out that odd little gasp of breath before slumping down.

Chloe whirled and grinned at me, "I got him! I actually-"

Denisek stood up, his wounds already healing, and punched Chloe across the funicular. She slid to a stop a few feet from the edge - there was no guardrail. "I have survived far worse than you, Chloe. My will, my endurance, it ensures I will never cease."

"Oh shut up, dude." Chloe retorted, charging in again.

This time he didn't resist, laughing as she took off his head. His body hit the ground and Chloe kicked his head off into the darkness, the laughter fading into nothing. It simply grew back on his torso, and the man was still laughing. "I cannot die. Your attacks are futile."

"Maybe, but they're fucking fun!"

Chloe killed him again. The sword was definitely enchanted. Frankly, she moved like my Dad did and he'd been fighting for decades now. When he regenerated, she tried once more, but his sword flashed in a swathe of shadow and rose to meet hers with a wet clang. He drew his palm across it and the blade began to leak shadow, like an ooze of ink flowing out from it.

Fucking gross.

"Weatherwax," He spoke the name with no small amount of irony, "will end you."

"You're probably right. But we'll stop whatever she's doing first." Chloe gave me a significant look. "All it takes is one fuckin' push."

Oh. Oh!

Chloe quickly darted forward and drew Denisek in. As his sword swung, she ducked and rolled away. "Now!"

I dropped the magic into the funicular and the platform suddenly sped up rapidly, falling through the void. Then I threw every bit of magic at Denisek that I could, drawing every breath from my lungs to blast the arsehole off this ride.

Chloe suddenly dropped with a groan. "Fuck that was exhausting. How does your Dad manage to keep waggling that thing around all the time? And I'm pretty sure his is bigger!"

Obligatory pervy eyebrow waggle - which, ew, gross, that's my Dad, Chloe.

"Keep practicing Chloe, I'm sure you'll get it. Now, can you shut up and let me get control of the platform again before we slam into something and die?"

She wafted a hand at me. "Fine. Go, do boring shit. I'm just gonna lay here for a while. Wake me up when we get to the bottom."

I began pumping power into the platform again, trying to get control over the completely uncontrolled descent.

I managed it and looked back to see that Chloe actually did fall asleep. I... just... wowzers.

--

The core of the Hidden Halls was... expansive. Not expensive - the ostentationary still took the top spot for most pretentious and overwrought place I'd ever seen - but it was a large space. A large platform hung in the middle of a well-carved cavern, signs and sigils and magic symbols of hundreds of varieties covered every inch of surface on the platform and the cavern walls. Below the platform, magical energy sparked wildly from bronze sculptures and tools that looked like they belonged on the set of Frankenstein.

Needless to say, it was a lot more impressive than the ostentationary, in an old school sword and sorcery set kind of way.

The platform, maybe a few feet in from the edge, had a ring of arches that went unbroken around it. There were... no other exits from this place, and we hadn't missed any on the way in. Weatherwax was here. She had to be.

As Chloe and I stepped through the closest arch, an uncomfortable sensation of pressure lay itself on all my skin. Like I'd just slipped on a heavy full-body duvet.

Welp.

That was- Ah shit. On the inside of the circle, in odd metal cages bolted deep into the rock of the arches, were things. Things from all the places we'd been.

A web-wrapped and ethereal instrument, covered in Nevernever ectoplasm.

A faint rainbow reflected in a blood-red tulip.

A bubbling vial of some potion and a familiar pouch, made with materials from a drug-dealers workshop.

An etched symbol of sparkling light and night - the Breathing Dark.

A profaned head of a traitor, Cristos' corpse.

The Merlin's heart.

There were three others, messes of plastic wrapping covering something dark that I couldn't make out.

I was adding it all up to... something, but I was fucked if I had any idea what. There was something there. I knew it. But what?

Weatherwax stepped out from one of the alcoves of the arches. Her hood was raised again and she held a long brass staff of similar design to the sculptures below. It curled, perfect circles within circles - a design like that held power. Lots of it.

"Hello Max. Chloe."

We both whirled, weapons raised at her.

"What is all this? I thought this place was where we could turn on all the defences and stuff." Chloe gave her a wide-eyed look. "What the fuck is all this shit even for?"

"It is. And that place comes from the intersection of every major leyline in this hemisphere. This is quite possibly the most saturated place of natural magic in this world." She grinned. "A perfect resource to bring it all down."

Leylines... fuck. "You're trying to break the gates?"

"The what?" Chloe asked.

"The Gates of Reality - it's a... it's a magical thing that keeps reality in and everything else out." It was also basically the Quantum Physics nightmare of the Magical World, so trying to explain it was an exercise in metaphor and analogies.

"What do you mean 'Everything Else'?" Chloe demanded, baffled. "What's outside reality?"

"Remember He Who Walks Behind? His bosses." The Old Ones had been a horror story for every Mage for centuries now. If they ever came back, well. We were fucked. There was no other possibility.

"And Magic." Weatherwax added, a surety in her voice that almost made me believe her. Until I realised what she was saying, of course.

Pfft.

"Bullshit. Magic comes from us."

And it did. Dresden had taught me that magic came from life and living. Going out to ball games and having great pizza. All that little stuff we took for granted - there was power in it.

Weatherwax clearly did not agree with those teachings.

"And where is our Magic Gland? Which part of the brain allows us to harness this energy, which piece of our DNA?" Weatherwax chuckled, a dark and bitter sound. "It is not from us, but from the Outside. It is an infection. And every time we draw upon that infection, we damage our own world. It may take time for the Gates to fall, but fall they will and we will have damned the future for our own convenience. To support this colourful illusion, hanging on the film of a fleeting bubble of reality that is drawing ever nearer to a final pop."

That was... almost menacing. Aside from the metaphor.

"So, what, reality is just a fragile illusion that we're breaking with magic and so you're gonna go pop the bubble before anyone else can so the monsters from outside reality don't fuck us up for the rest of eternity?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I- Shit, I didn't expect you to agree. I was being sarcastic." I ran a hand through my hair.

Weatherwax simply hmm'ed in response, watching us patiently. Her hands were ready on that staff though.

"And you can't just, y'know, let us live out our lives and only destroy it before the end comes?"

She sighed. "And how would I guarantee it would be done? You know people, Max. Can you really say that my instructions would be followed and that others would not attempt to twist the situation to their own ends and needs? Do you really want me to trust the unending fate of everything and everyone to the hands of some future question?"

That was... honestly fair.

"But what if you're wrong? What if the bubble never pops? What if the universe just ends and the bubble keeps the real nothing from the anti-real nothing?"

"I'm not. I wish I was."

There was a silent moment.

"There is another way."

We waited for her to continue.

"If you gave up your magic. If we all did. That could serve the same purpose. Achieve the same end. There is power in choice and that power could end magic for good. That would preserve the world and ensure those who would destroy it are powerless to chase their destructive goals."

We both stared at each other, minds clearly racing, until Weatherwax simply sighed again. It wasn't a good sound. It just sounded... tired. "I figured as much. If even you can't make that choice, what hope is there for the rest?" She shook her head. "I can't persuade you to help me then? Or to stand aside and let me do what needs to be done?"

"No, Weatherwax. We're not gonna help or let you destroy reality." Chloe scoffed. "Hell, we live here."

She breathed in deeply, pulling her resolve in with the air and straightening. "Very well."

She spun the staff and slammed it down, the metal hitting one of the symbols carved into the floor that began to glow a violent purple. More and more of them flickered on until reaching one of the ritual item spots I hadn't been able to identify - it promptly burst into red and I worked it out. Blood.

The circle sealed and Weatherwax's mouth set further in determination.

She pulled the staff back, sweeping it out in a long arc that gathered crackling energy to it, then jabbed it forward and sending a sphere of lightning at us. Chloe and I split, her to the left and me to the right.

Weatherwax's staff followed me, sending out little bolts of energy that barely grazed me. For an old woman, she moved quickly, but I was faster. Her attention stuck on me gave Chloe a chance to get closer and out of the corner of my eye I suddenly caught her rearing up behind Weatherwax, sword raised to strike.

Weatherwax never stopped firing at me, but she quickly jabbed back with the butt of her staff and rammed it into Chloe's stomach. She buckled with a pained gasp of air and fell to her knees. Kept hold of the sword though, just in time to parry another strike - sluggish and badly, but parry she did.

I fell into a roll and paused to throw a spell, only to get hit in the chest by another of her energy bolts. It sent me flying back into one of the archway pillars, where I fell with a thud, limbs spasming with the energy. My hand shook as I tried to raise my wand - no chance I'd be able to hit anything like that.

She watched me for a moment then, knowing I was out for a while, turned to Chloe, who paled beneath her gaze. Chloe pulled herself to her feet with nothing more than sheer will - she always was stubborn - and raised her sword.

Weatherwax swung her staff and Chloe brought her sword up to block. The two met with an echoing clang that sounded oddly like a note from some brass instrument. Suddenly, Chloe twisted her sword and self in a move that brought her right up to Weatherwax's side - more of her comfort zone. She swung a fist into Weatherwax's side. It broke her concentration enough for Chloe to wrench the staff from her and toss it away.

I could've shouted with joy, if I wasn't waiting for my head to clear up.

Chloe punched Weatherwax again, knocking her down, then raised her sword for a final strike. As she did, Weatherwax kicked out in a surprising burst of movement, sweeping out Chloe's legs. I watched in swirling horror as my friend hit the ground with a pained oof, but managed to hold on to the sword.

She lashed out, the tip of the sword sinking slightly into Weatherwax's arm. Just enough for the pressure in my head to let up, enough for me to move my arm. She quickly set the spell in place again and my head was worse than before, but it was enough. I pushed the wand to my temple and then I did something really, really stupid.

I shoved my way into my own mind.

You see, Weatherwax had been talking in my head for so long I'd almost forgotten what a feat that was. Because doing that over long distances requires a connection - and any door can become two way, with the right application of force.

My mind was a weird place. Lots of mirrors.

Many things in the space were distorted. Weird. As I walked and light hit the mirrors around me, things changed and warped. I knew this about myself - I had potential, good and bad.

Eventually though, I find it. The one mirror that didn't change. It was me - obviously - but the background wasn't the hall of mirrors but an aged wood. And my face was off. Blind and scarred. Weatherwax.

It didn't take me long to work out what to do.

I pulled a fist back and shattered the mirror. My hand practically exploded into blood and the shadowy void reached out and pulled me in.

I found myself on a stage. A crowd of giant eyes stared up at me, following my every move. Every time I tried to step away from my mark on the stage, the eyes burned and my muscles locked up. Being frozen gave me time to look around, and beyond the field of eyes I saw... Chloe? There were scenes of her across Arcadia Bay - I recognised a few of the spots. Some of her on a road, slouching along through the twilight, some of her on a train cart, laughing and jamming along to music, some of her in a bed, lit by stars.

It was like a museum of memories.

So, Weatherwax really did know Chloe. Or knew Chloe. Or was this something from me somehow? Or a trick? Or... Or... Fuck it. I pulled a chalk from elsewhere and began scrawling on the stage.

My flowing, elegant circle let me draw in a whole bunch of power from the surroundings. All the eyes sort of... wilted? But the memories of Chloe only blazed harder. I pulled in that fire and that energy and shook up Weatherwax's mind as best I could.

The blast shook me up too, up and out of her mind with a resounding slam.

I woke up back in that cavern. Chloe was cowering behind what looked like one of those big Roman shields - and where the fuck had she even gotten one of those? - as Weatherwax hurled spell after spell at her. Wherever that shield was from, it was clearly enchanted to hold up like that.

A moment after I registered all of that, Weatherwax suddenly cringed in pain. Chloe quickly adjusted and threw the fucking shield at her. The woman batted it aside, leaving her open for me. I brought up my wand in a shaking hand and let off a spell of my own, a sickly swathe of energy that curled out and enveloped Weatherwax before sinking into her skin.

Finally, Weatherwax stopped. Her spells flickered and vanished. Then she fell to her knees, then onto her side. She didn't move.

"Max?" Chloe scrambled over to me. "Are you-"

I wasn't sure. I dropped my wand. I took a deep breath in, then out. Come on, do as I- Oh that's good. I sighed in relief as magic permeated my body and took stock of my state. I wasn't half bad.

We both looked at Weatherwax's body. "Should we..?"

I took another very deep breath. It was longer than I thought to breathe back out again. "I guess. Let's, um... go. Over there."

We made like a snail and went over there. I grabbed Weatherwax's shoulder and pulled her over. Her hood fell down again - she was still breathing. For a moment, her face went through that flickbook again, infinite variations and oddities, then settled on the face that she'd worn upstairs. Her eyes flickered open and then to me, and settled on Chloe. "Hi Price."

"Rach? Rachel fucking Amber?" Chloe sounded... gobsmacked. Beyond gobsmacked. And angry and terrified and so, so sad. She leant down next to Rachel's slow-breathing form and poked her. Rachel grunted and Chloe's face softened. "What the hell happened?"

Rachel pulled in a ragged breath. Something hitched inside her and she hissed with pain. I leant in and tried to help, just a little. She smiled at me, then shook her head. She tried to explain. "There was a man. Who he was doesn't matter, only that he was a part of something greater than both of us and he took me in order to serve it. There was a plan. He broke it. He broke me. And so I broke him, and made the plan my own."

"The plan?"

"To open the Gates. To let those things that hunger and anger on the edge of reality in. To destroy everything that is and let it all fall to what isn't. To fill reality with so much chaos that we never have any hope of returning to order and sanity." She coughed, something rough and racking. "To let the Old Ones return. They tried to pull me into it - they did so many things - but... I made them pay."

"And why the act?" I asked. "Why bother with the 'Weatherwax' thing and not just tell us this from the start? Why the mask?"

"That's all the world is, Max. Just masks." Her face flickered, a million variations of her passing in an instant, and that curled, warped, wooden mask mixed in. "All we do is cling to the idea of others that only exists in our heads, the masks of our own making. And they put out a completely different mask of their own. It's all just illusion, all the way down, and it needs to end. Before the Old Ones make sure we never can."

"Then why didn't you ask for help? Find people, allies, minions, fuckin' whatever? The Rachel Amber I know would've made everyone dance to her tune."

"I'm not the Rachel Amber you know." That was said with enough strength and sharpness to worry me, but she coughed and groaned in agony and the illusion was lost. "But I did. The attack that started this, the attacks since, Cristos and Denisek and Caoimhe and all the others. I've done a lot of things to get to this place, with the necessary components."

"And it all came to nothing in the end."

Rachel snorted. "As everything will, unless someone comes after me."

She coughed again, a longer and more racking thing than before, and something twinged in her torso. For all her willpower, it was just too much. Her eyes went distant, seeing something beyond us as she stared upward in horror. "What? It's so, there's just-"

Rachel suddenly went slack, and all the masks melted away. A scared, tortured teen lay dead on the floor, blood and vitae slowly seeping into the stonework. We'd destroyed enough of the symbols that it made no difference - they were just as dead as she was.

Chloe took a sharp breath in and shuddered. I let her back off and shuffle away, facing off into the shadows as she clenched her fists. I couldn't have done anything even if I wanted. I just stared down at the open expression of fear on Rachel's face.

We sat there for a long time, until the remnants of the Council came and found us.

--

"Ready, Chloe?"

She grinned at me, hand falling to the sword at her hip. She'd barely taken the thing off since- dog, it had been a long eight months. We'd reconnected with my family and Chloe's, brought the last surviving mages together, and started work on the Hidden Halls. Everyone had developed the habit of going around armed and ready - the place just had that feeling to it. All the darkness and death had lingered and you couldn't help but feel... watched.

I'd even found Dresden's body, down there in the cave. All that blood that Weatherwax... Rachel had used was his. The blood of a starborn, whatever that means. Nobody had really been able to tell me. Yet.

Liberty and I had struggled with being here for a while - empaths and all that - but to be fair, I don't think any of us had felt at all settled here until we'd gotten all of Weatherwax... Rachel's mess cleaned up. She'd destroyed so much in her blind rush to her goals, to 'save' us from that inevitable destruction by destroying everything first. To burn it all down, consuming everything until there was nothing left.

But I kind of liked how Listens-to-Wind had put it. Out of every fire was the opportunity to build anew. Destruction was just a part of life, it was how you survived the darkest points until you were able to choose a new path that really made us human.

Seeing two dozen new students skittering nervously into the hidden halls went a long way to helping that survival. I think we're finally ready to make that choice.

I just hope it's a good one.