It was a warm spring day in mid-June and the small Midwestern town of Mistbrook Falls, Michigan was as pleasant a little town as one could hope to find. The weather was just about perfect with not a cloud to be found in the skies above the town of around 4000 residents. People went to and from their jobs in the factories in Bridgewater, the working class subdivision near the river that cut through town. Across the river in Briarwood Heights, the wealthiest part of town, children played in their yards and rode their bikes down the street with their friends. It was a quiet little town, and its streets were peaceful. Along Tranquility Circle, a large house had one of its upstairs windows thrown open and it was from here that music filtered out into the street below.

Look around your world pretty baby
Is it everything you hoped it'd be
The wrong guy, the wrong situation
The right time to roll to me

Roll to me

Look into your heart pretty baby
Is it aching with some nameless need?
Is there something wrong
And you can't put your finger on it?
Right, then roll to me

Sixteen-year-old Snow Austin danced around her room to the music playing from her stereo, shoving clothes into an already packed to near capacity suitcase. It was summer and her family was leaving Mistbrook Falls and heading for the Caribbean. It was their annual summer vacation and Snow was quite looking forward to it. The deep snows and icy cold of winter had gripped the town and its residents for too long. Snow, despite her name, was looking forward to the warmest temperatures she could find.

And I don't think I have ever seen
A soul so in despair
So if you want to talk the night through
Guess who will be there?

So don't try to deny it pretty baby
You've been down so long you can hardly see
When the engine's stalled and it won't stop raining
It's the right time to roll to me
Roll to me

She was surprised that the trip was actually happening. After the events of the last seven months, she was amazed any of them had survived to make the trip. Months of mystery, murder, betrayal, and fear had plagued Snow and her three best friends; Clara Mackenzie, Mary Sheppard, and Nikki Sorrento. The four girls had been hunted, stalked, and blackmailed by someone calling themselves JTG. Months earlier JTG had revealed himself to be none other than Steven Williams, a close and trusted friend. Or so they thought. They had believed that JTG, Steven, had been killed in what was supposed to be his endgame. It was the night Snow and her friends were supposed to die. It hadn’t happened and Steven had been killed instead.

It had been a horrific night, but in the end they had believed it was over. The deadly game that Steven had begun months before had ended. JTG was dead. Their joy had lasted less than half an hour. For in their moment of happiness, JTG had struck again. It turned out that Steven had not been working alone and instead had a partner who they knew nothing about. That partner had proven to be a far more dangerous and deadly adversary than even the venerable Steven. Still, seven months later, the game was over. JTG was finally gone at last and Snow and her friends were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives that had been left behind. They had won, but it had come at a terrible price.

Across the room, Snow’s phone began to ring. She paused her packing, turned down her music, and went over to answer it. She brushed her long, bright red hair out of her blue eyes and glanced at the caller ID.

“Hey, Mary,” said Snow, holding the device up to her ear. “Are you finished packing?”

“Almost,” Mary replied. “I can’t decide what shoes to bring.”

“Well, we’ll be on the beach a lot so probably nothing taller than four inches,” Snow put in helpfully. Snow could almost hear Mary’s eyes rolling.

“You know nothing, Snow,” said Mary dryly. “I don’t have to wear heels every day of the week.”

“A pair of heels for every occasion,” said Snow, laying back across her bed and grinning.

“Actually, Snow, I called to ask… well, about Clara,” Mary said, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s… better,” said Snow quietly. “Not great, but better. I’ve been trying to help her, but she’s just been so down, I… I don’t know what to do.”

“That kind of wound takes a long time to heal,” said Mary wisely. “We can’t just expect her to bounce back. You know that better than anyone.”

“Right,” said Snow quietly. “I just wish… that the last year had never happened.”

“I think we both know wishing won’t get us anywhere,” said Mary. “But maybe a little magic…”

“We’re not using magic on Clara,” Snow said sharply. “I mean it, Mary. She wouldn’t want that and Michael would never agree to it.

“Speaking of Michael,” Mary said slowly, her voice tight. 

“We don't need to speak of Michael," Snow said, perhaps more angrily than she had meant.

“Snow, you know I’m always on your side, but don’t forget that I’m the one he raped,” Mary reminded her firmly. “I can’t tell you what to do, but… God, Snow, think about what he saved me from. The things we’ve seen… what could have happened to me if he hadn’t… If I had to pick, I’d repeat that night every day for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to…”

“I know,” Snow said quietly. “Mary, I… I know, I just…”

“Do you still love him?” Mary asked bluntly. “Seriously, Snow. Do you still love him?”

“Does it matter?” Snow snapped brusquely. “He’s just not the same man I fell in love with, he’s… different, he’s…”

“Head over heels in love with you,” said Mary. She sighed heavily. "He told me what happened the night before everything happened. He told me you two slept together. I've got to say, Snow... ever since that night, you've been... off. Are you sure you're okay? I know what happened was terrible, and it's okay if you're not okay. I'm just... worried." Silence fell between them for a long moment. 

“Mary, I’ll call you back,” said Snow abruptly. “There’s something I have to do.”

Several miles outside of town, Snow eased her powder blue Mustang along a winding dirt road. The road wound its way through a field of grass so tall she couldn’t see over it. She knew he’d be here. He loved this place. He’d be there. After five minutes of driving, the grass fell away into a clearing with a large pond. Michael’s pickup was parked nearby and his fishing gear was scattered around the bed of the truck. Michael himself sat in a folding chair at the edge of the pond, fishing pole in hand.

Snow parked her car and sat there, thinking. Michael had glanced up and seen her, but had since returned to his fishing. He was waiting for her to go to him. She knew she had to, but it was the last thing she wanted to do. Sighing and resigning herself to her fate, she shoved her phone into the pocket of her khaki shorts and opened the door. She got out of the car, pulling a denim jacket on over her cream knit tank top as she went.

Snow’s five inch heels crunched across the gravel between the end of the dirt road and the grassy area next to the pond. Michael pulled a beer out of his cooler and popped it open as she approached. He took a long drink, placed the bottle on top of the cooler and laid his pole on the ground. He stood to his feet and turned to face her, causing her to come to an abrupt stop.

“What are you doing here, Snow?” Michael asked, arching his eyebrows.

“Michael,” Snow said slowly, her voice breaking. Tears welled in her bright blue eyes.

 “Michael, I…”

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Seven Months Earlier

That late November morning dawned bright and icy cold. Snow lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, wondering if she should even bother getting up. It was Sunday and all she wanted to do was sleep for the rest of the day, but she knew she couldn’t. She had so much to do. Later that day, she wanted to visit Jackson. He was still in the hospital recovering from the gunshot wound her had received the previous night. Before that, however, she would have to take her friends to Michael’s and reintroduce them to Sara. They had to know the truth. Meanwhile, Mary already realized that Snow knew Michael had raped her. The two of them would discuss that too. She wouldn’t force Mary to tell the others, however. That was Mary’s choice, not hers.

She was just so tired. No, tired wasn’t a strong enough word. She was completely exhausted. They had spent much of the night at the police station being questioned by the Mistbrook Falls Police Department, recounting the tale of how Steven had lured them to the mine and attacked them. It appeared, at least for the moment, that they had gotten away with it. Jackson was the one she was the most concerned about given that he was the one who shot Steven. However, it appeared her fears were for naught as Steven’s parents stated they did not plan to press charges. Much to Snow and her friends surprise, they had learned that Steven had been in therapy for a number of mental and behavioral disorders for years. His doctors had placed him on a cocktail of medications to help him with his obsessive and at times violent tendencies. Apparently, Steven had stopped taking his medications and the rest, as they say, was history.   

With a heavy sigh, Snow rolled off of her bed and padded into her bathroom. She went to the sink and spread toothpaste onto her toothbrush. As she was brushing, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her fingers slid through her dark hair, twirling a strand around her finger. She briefly considered washing the dye out and going back to her natural red hair, but for the moment she decided against it.

Snow climbed into the shower and relished the relaxing hot water soothing her skin. Her body ached from what Steven had done to her and the heat comforted her greatly. She showered quickly, toweled herself dry, and went into her closet to find something to wear. Once she had dressed, she went downstairs to the kitchen where she immediately discovered the wondrous smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. She was about to push the door open when she heard her moms speaking in hushed voices.

“I’m not sure I ever want to let her out of the house again,” Ariana was saying. “God, Kayla… our little girl. She almost… we almost lost her last night. We almost lost her again.”

“I know, baby,” Kayla replied soothingly. “But we didn’t. She’s home. She’s safe. Steven’s gone, honey. He’s dead and he can’t hurt her now.”

“We never even saw it coming, Kay-Kay,” Ariana replied. “We never suspected that Steven was so…”

“Demented? Insane? Royally fucked up?” Kayla wondered. “Babe, no one did. The girls didn’t know and neither did Jackson. How were we supposed to? Anyway, it doesn’t matter if we didn’t see it. Snow managed to survive all on her own. She’s a tough kid.”

“I know she is,” said Ariana. “I’m just worried… I mean, the next time…"

“So, you mean the next time a psychopath tries to murder Snow and her friends?” Kayla asked. “Sweetheart, what are to odds that there’s anyone else in town that wants to kill our daughter?” Despite the seriousness of the situation, Snow had to stifle a laugh. If only Kayla knew. Deciding she had eavesdropped on her parents long enough, Snow pushed the door open and entered the kitchen.

“Good morning,” said Snow, sinking into a seat at the table across from her parents.

“Good morning, Dove,” said Ariana in her gentlest voice. “How are you doing?”

“Well, I spent much of yesterday being beaten, stabbed, and electrocuted,” Snow said sardonically. “I’m fine.”

“Her sarcasm is in perfect working order,” said Kayla as Ariana placed a steaming plate of bacon and eggs in front of her daughter. “Really, sweetheart, how are you feeling?”

“Physically, I’ll be fine,” Snow reassured them. “I’m in some pain, but it’s not too bad. I’ll be okay. Emotionally, I… I don’t really know yet. I haven’t really had a chance to process all of this. I mean, Steven, he… he was my friend. I thought he was. To find out he hated me, that he hated all of us, I… I don’t know. It’ll take some time for it all to make sense.”

It wasn’t a lie. Snow wouldn’t be able to fully understand why Steven had done the things he’d done for a long time, but not for the simple reasons she told her parents. Instead, it was because JTG was still out there hunting them. She wouldn’t know the full truth until their game, their dangerous, deadly game, was over.

Snow didn’t spend long at the table with her parents. She had a lot to do and she wanted to get to her friends. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, she felt very alone when she was anywhere but with her friends. She supposed part of it must be because they were the ones that knew the truth… well, at least most of it.

Snow walked out to her car, her heels clicking along the driveway as she went. She climbed into her Mustang and set off to pick up her friends. She had texted the girls and told them she was coming to get them. They were going to Michael’s house. They were going to Stonehaven. It was time they learned the whole truth.

Despite the fact that both Clara and Nikki lived much closer to Snow than Mary did, she went to pick up the latter first. Before the others joined them, she and Mary needed to talk privately. There were things they needed to settle before they went to Michael’s.

Before she picked up her friends and started their incredibly awkward day, Snow needed a cup of coffee. With that thought in mind, she eased her car to a stop in front of the Mistbrook Barista. Simply called the Barista by most, the popular coffee shop was a frequent hangout for Snow and her friends.

Once inside the bustling coffee shop, Snow went up to the counter to place her order. She ordered coffees for each of her friends as well as for herself, and then she leaned against the counter to wait. She glanced around the shop, watching the various patrons as they enjoyed their Sunday morning. She noticed a few of the customers were staring at her while others held whispered conversations behind their hands. Word about the previous night was already spreading, not that she should be surprised. Mistbrook Falls was a small town where news traveled fast. There was no doubt that by the end of the day, the whole town would know what had happened at the mine. Snow dreaded going to school the following day.

As she waited for her coffees, her gaze was drawn toward a girl with black hair standing nearby. She was wearing worn jeans and leather boots. Her black leather vest was unbuttoned, revealing a white T-shirt with Tallahassee, Florida written on the front in bold, yellow lettering. The girl seemed to be watching her with curiosity through mismatched eyes. Her right was a chocolate brown while her left was inky black.

“I like your hair,” the girl said suddenly, slightly startling Snow.

“Oh… thanks,” said Snow, running her fingers through her curls. “I’m a natural redhead, but… well, I decided to change things up awhile back.”

“Well, it’s really pretty,” said the girl. She held out her hand. “I’m Car… Camryn. My name is Camryn.”

“Snow,” Snow replied, shaking Camryn’s hand. “I don’t recognize you. Are you new in town?” Camryn laughed.

“Do you recognize everyone that lives here?”

“Pretty much,” said Snow lightly. “In a small town like this, everyone knows everyone. That can be a problem sometimes. Everyone knows your business too.”

“Well, you’re right, I just got in last night,” said Camryn.

“Then let me be one of the first to say welcome to Mistbrook Falls,” said Snow, smiling warmly at Camryn. “It’s a lovely little town… just keep your secrets to yourself.”

“I’ve actually been here once before,” said Camryn. Snow thought she sounded quite sad. “A long time ago.”

“Well then, welcome back,” said Snow as the girl behind the counter brought the coffees she ordered. “I guess I’ll see you around town.”

“Definitely,” said Camryn, a thin smile forming on her lips. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Snow didn’t give Camryn much thought as she walked out of the shop and across the street to her car. If she hadn’t been in such a rush, she might have glanced back at the Barista and seen Camryn watching her with interest. She might have noticed her taking out her phone and sending a text. What she couldn’t have seen was the content of the text.

I just met the short brunette one. Snow, she… seems nice. I’m going to need more time.

After Carmel pressed send, she leaned back in her seat to wait for a reply. She waited less than a minute before her phone chimed.

You can’t understand our enemy in one five minute encounter. Patience is key, Carmel. I’m a very patient person. I can wait. I suggest you do too. Keep an eye on the news, Ms. Williams. Trust me –JTG  

Meanwhile, Snow had gotten into her car and set off. She drove across the bridge than spanned Misty River, the river that gave the town its name. Snow had always wondered why the town was named Mistbrook Falls when it was a river, not a brook, which ran through the center of the town. She suspected it was because Mistriver Falls was a supremely stupid name. Not that Mistbrook Falls was much better. It sounded like the name of a town in a horror movie. Fitting, she felt, since according to Michael a demon lived deep beneath the town and it wanted to slaughter them all.

Once across the river in the Bridgewater subdivision, Snow eased her car to a stop in front of Mary’s house. Mary’s family was easily the poorest of the four of them and their home reflected the fact. It was a small, single story house in a state of mild disrepair on a street filled with similar houses in similar states. Compared to the vast estates in Briarwood Heights where Snow and her friends lived, the homes in Bridgewater didn’t begin to compare.

Mary was already waiting outside in the yard when Snow pulled up. Snow wasn’t at all surprised by this. Mary didn’t get along with her parents at all. Her older sister Emily had always been their favored child, but Emily had left town months before. That left Mary alone in a house with emotionally distant parents that were never home and all but completely ignored her. Yet still, Mary endured. Of the four friends, the four most popular girls in town, Mary was neither the richest nor the prettiest of the group. She was popular only by association. Despite that, Snow knew without a doubt that Mary was the strongest of them. And contrary to the popular belief that she, Snow, was the smartest of the group, she couldn’t deny that Mary could at times rival her intelligence.  

“Morning, Snow,” said Mary, settling herself into Snow’s car.

“Good morning, Mary,” Snow replied quietly. She didn’t start driving, but instead looked tearfully across the center console at Mary, who brushed her shoulder length black hair out of her gray eyes.

“Mary, I… I could tell last night that you knew that I knew about Michael,” Snow began, her voice tight. “I… I’m so sorry, Mary. If I had known I would have never…”

“I know, Snowy,” said Mary gently. “It’s fine, Snow. You couldn’t have known. The only other people that knew were Emily, who left town, Michael, who didn’t want you to find out, and Sara, who… well, she’s not telling anyone anything.”

That’s what you think, Snow said to herself.

“I never wanted anyone to find out what Michael did to me,” Mary went on. “When you and Michael first started dating I tried to keep you apart, but over time I came to realize that Michael really loved you. Then that day at the hospital when you… Michael apologized. He said he was sorry and he didn’t want me to be afraid of him. I promised to keep his secret so long as he swore never to hurt you.”

“Mary, I… I never wanted you to do that,” said Snow. “That’s not… I don’t care if Michael really loves me or not. He raped you. That’s unforgivable, it’s…”

“Excuse me, but I’m the one who was raped,” said Mary, the sharpness in her voice shocking Snow. Mary was usually so soft-spoken. “I know exactly what he did. I was there. It happened to me. I’m the one who gets to decide if it is forgivable or not and I’ve chosen to forgive him. That’s my call, Snow, not yours.”

“I wasn’t trying to say that you couldn’t forgive him, I just meant… I meant that it doesn’t matter how he feels about me or if he’s sorry. He can’t just… I can’t just let it go. I almost destroyed our friendship over Michael and he wasn’t worth it. I hurt you, Mary. I can’t apologize enough for that.”     

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, Snow,” Mary said sincerely. “You didn’t know. You couldn’t know. It’s not fair for you to feel guilty about something you had no control over. Besides, I’m fine. I know you just found out, but I’ve had months. I’ve processed, I’ve… I’ve worked it out. I’m fine and Michael and I are on good terms.”

“Are you going to tell the others?” Snow asked. She couldn’t think of anything else to say. Despite Mary’s insistence, she felt no less guilty. Mary was one of her closest friends. Why hadn’t she felt something? She should have known.

“I think it’s time,” said Mary quietly. “Besides, they’ll have questions about you and Michael. I think we have enough lies going around without adding more. I’ll tell them.”

Snow wasn’t entirely sure how to process her feelings as she and Mary set off toward Nikki’s house. Mary seemed perfectly at peace with what had happened, but Snow was far from being so. Perhaps one day she would find a way to reach that place, but right then she was… She was so many things. She was angry, heartbroken, confused, scared… the list went on and on.

They drove back across town to Briarwood Heights and stopped in front of Nikki’s house. Nikki’s family, the Sorrentos, was quite wealthy although not to the same caliber as the Austins. Nikki’s home was a large, white two story ranch style built at the end of a cul-de-sac on Everdeen Lane a few blocks over from Tranquility Circle.

Nikki must have been watching for them because she was walking down the garden path toward Snow’s car before Snow could even take out her phone to call her. She strolled toward them, pulling her elbow length reddish brown hair back into a pony tail as she walked. She got into the backseat of Snow’s car, the smile on her lips not quite reaching her hazel eyes.

“Hey,” she said, leaning back into her seat. “Anybody get any sleep last night?”

“Not much,” said Snow solemnly. “I spent most of the time we weren’t at the police station thinking about… everything.”

“I didn’t get a wink,” said Mary. “I was too wired.”

“I’m pretty sure we all were,” said Nikki dryly. “You picked up Mary first? I figured you’d get Clara before all of us. She’s closest.”

“Change of pace,” said Snow idly, setting off the direction of Clara’s house. Nikki didn’t question it further and in a few minutes they were pulling up at Clara’s home.

Of the four friends, Clara’s situation was perhaps the most unique. She lived with her mom, Noel, who had just recently earned a promotion to General Manager at Geller and Greene National Bank. They lived in a very nice two story house built in the Victorian style and while not as large as the Austin’s or even the Sorrento’s home, it was still plenty spacious and Snow had often wondered how Noel could afford it.

Clara’s father had left them years before, and as far as Snow knew he had never returned or contacted Clara at all. Clara herself rarely spoke of him, not that Snow could blame her. Given how Snow felt about her own father, she could respect Clara’s opinion of hers. Admittedly, Clara’s father could be considered a wonderful man compared to Adrian Laine. Snow’s own father had locked his young daughter Ariana in a small closet for almost fifteen years. He had raped and tortured her until one day Ariana had managed to end her torment and escaped her father. That very same day just so happened to be the day that Snow was conceived. Snow couldn’t imagine anyone, no matter what they had done, being a worse father than that. 

Snow was shaken from her thoughts by Clara hurrying out of her house. She walked down the driveway, sliding a pair of mirrored sunglasses over her green eyes. Her three inch heels clicked along the concrete as she walked. Snow smiled as the blonde girl climbed into the back seat. They were the same in a lot of ways. Clara loved her heels as much as Snow did.

“Morning, ladies,” said Clara, glancing around at them all. “Has, um…. Have any of you heard anything else from you-know-who?”

“Not since last night at the police station,” said Nikki, shaking her head. Snow remembered the text quite clearly. It had come just as they had met a new player in their deadly game. Now things are going to get interesting. Your move. Game on, bitches.

“I wonder what she meant,” Mary said fretfully. “I mean, ‘things are going to get interesting’? Aren’t they interesting enough already?”

“I’m more interested in the part about it being our move,” said Clara. “What does that mean? If the game’s back on… how do we play?”

“She sent that text right after we met that new FBI agent, Daniel Morales,” Snow reminded them, thinking back to the tall, intimidating man that had confronted them in the police station the previous night. “He’s looking into Miranda’s murder. Speaking of which, Steven told me who really killed Miranda.”

“Who…really killed her?” Mary said uncertainly. “I was pretty sure Sara pushed her off the top of Lookout Point. Did I dream that?”

“No, but according to Steven Miranda survived her fall,” said Snow. “Someone found her and finished her off. Three guesses who that was.”

“Oh hell, is it Tony?” Nikki asked. Snow nodded.

“Right in one,” she replied. “Steven said Tony was there that night with Rick. They were trying to see if there was any point in mining the area and… and Tony saw Miranda fall. He found her and suffocated her.”

“Shit…” Nikki breathed. “That… that’s… whoa.”

“Have you told Rachel yet?” Mary wondered. Snow shook her head.

“I haven’t told anyone anything yet,” she replied. “She already suspected it was possible, so once she finds out its true… I don’t know what she’ll do.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Clara asked nervously. “I mean, that Agent Morales said he’s not stopping until he finds out what happened to Miranda. If he finds out about Sara and… and that we were there, then…”

“There’s nothing we can do about the FBI,” Snow said slowly. “We can’t stop him, so I… I don’t know. This isn’t JTG… it’s not Steven or someone else like him playing games, it’s the federal government.”

“Wonderful,” Nikki said grimly. “Could this possibly get any worse?”

“It’s about to get more interesting,” said Snow pointedly, putting her car into drive and setting off down the street.

“So… where are we going, anyway?” Clara wondered as they drove. “You didn’t say…”

“Michael’s,” said Snow quietly, earning a surprised look from Mary. She hesitated, dreading the questions that were sure to follow. “There’s something you all need to see.”    

Indeed, Snow was bombarded with questions all the way out to Michael’s estate. She refused to answer any of them. Even from a distance, Snow could see the central spire of Stonehaven rising into the early morning sky. She couldn’t wait to go inside. She had to see it all. She had to know. Up until the previous afternoon, Snow had never believed in magic. She had believed in true, provable scientific fact. Michael had blown all of that into a million pieces. She had spent many a day at Michael’s house, sitting feet away from the ancient Library of Alexandria and she had never known. Magic was real. Magic was true, provable scientific fact. She had seen it with her own eyes and so she had to know more.

Snow parked her car in Michael’s driveway and got out. Her eyes were immediately drawn out to Stonehaven where the sunlight sparkled off of the Library’s many stained glass windows. She glanced at Mary as she and the others got out of the car. Mary too was staring at Stonehaven, a small smile on her lips. Mary caught Snow’s eye as they made their way up to Michael’s front door, a simple acknowledgement that they both saw it. It was real.

“Seriously Snow, what are we doing here?” Clara asked, looking around bemusedly. “If you’re going to show us Michael, we’ve already seen him.”

“We’re not here to see Michael,” said Snow, ringing the doorbell. “Well, we are going to see him, but that’s not why we’re here.” Before Clara could say anything else, the front door opened and a disheveled Michael appeared at the threshold. He sighed heavily when he saw them.

“I guess I should have expected this,” he said in a resigned tone. “Come on in.” He held the door open for them. Snow stalked past him and led the way down the hall to the living room, ignoring the questioning stares of Clara and Nikki. When they reached the living room, Snow paused in the doorway as her eyes fell on a dark haired girl sitting on the couch with her back to them.

“Hey,” Michael called out to the girl. “You’ve got some visitors.” The girl on the couch turned around to face them. Snow heard Clara, Nikki, and Mary all gasp in disbelief.

“Mary, Nikki, Clara,” said Snow, a thin smile on her lips. “I’d like you to meet Sara Blake. Sara, you know the girls.” Sara stood up uncertainly, glancing between Michael, Snow, and the girls several times before taking a cautious step forward.

“Hi,” she said nervously. “I don’t… umph!” Sara staggered backward as Clara, Nikki, and Mary all rushed forward and engulfed her in a passionate, many armed hug. Snow glanced at Michael, who was standing nearby. His face was utterly impassive.

“How?” Nikki asked when the four girls broke apart. “How?”

“You died, we all saw it,” said Clara, tears shining in her eyes. “We saw you, we… we went to your funeral.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mary demanded, rounding on Michael. “You told me everything else, but you didn’t tell me about this?”

“’Everything else’?” Clara wondered, turning toward Michael. “What is she talking about?”

“A long story,” said Snow before Michael could reply. “There’s a lot you don’t know. I only found out yesterday, but I haven’t exactly had a great opportunity to tell you. Besides, I kind of wanted to show you this part.” She gestured toward Sara. “I figured you all ought to have the same shock that I did.”

“But… but how?” Nikki said again. “You died. We buried you, we… I mean, we did bury you… right?”

“Not exactly,” Sara said rather nervously. “We… This is hard to explain, I… I don’t… Well, I guess we’d better start from the beginning.” She turned questioningly to Mary, whose nod was almost imperceptive.

“It’s okay,” said Mary, her tone even. “You can tell them.” Sara sighed and nodded.

“Okay. Now, you’d all better sit down. Some of this is going to be hard for you to hear.”

Snow paced idly behind the sofa as Michael and Sara told the girls the full story of what had happened. Having heard it all before, Snow tried to look at the whole thing with a bit more perspective now that she had taken some time to process it. That didn’t make Michael’s sins any more forgivable, nor Sara’s betrayal any less painful. She found she was no less angry then than she had been the night before.

She kept a close eye on Nikki and Clara’s expressions, watching the awe in their eyes as Michael demonstrated magic to them. She saw the looks of wonder and confusion as he told them all about the Dawnguard, magic, demons, and the efforts he went to in order to save Sara life. But all that changed by the end of the story. Upon learning about Mary, it seemed that Clara and Nikki were furious as well. Although they had kept their silence throughout the story, when Michael and Sara finished they looked as though there were about to explode. In fact, Snow felt that they looked positively murderous.

“So, let me get this straight,” said Clara, her voice trembling with what Snow thought must be pure rage. “You raped Mary to protect her from a virgin killing demon that you and the Dawnguard are trying to destroy? And you, Sara, you… you used Snow as bait for someone you thought was a rapist?”

“It wasn’t like that,” said Sara somewhat defensively. “I was just trying to…”

“Who gives a shit what you were trying to do?” Nikki exclaimed. “You drugged your best friend and used her as bait for Michael the Molester over there!”

“Okay, stop,” Mary said loudly, standing from the couch abruptly. She looked between Nikki and Clara who were still seated on the couch, to Sara who was sitting in the armchair across from the couch, and to Michael who stood off to Sara’s right. “Guys… Sara’s alive. She’s here, she’s right here. I know she did bad things, but she’s here. She’s—”

“Thank you, Mary,” said Sara, standing to her feet and placing her hand gently on Mary’s shoulder. “Thanks, but I can speak for myself. All I can say is that I’m sorry. I… I have a unique perspective on things now. Dying does that to you, I suppose. The thing is… I’ve seen what it looks like after you die. I’ve seen my friends move on, my family move on… and I’ve realized how wrong I was.” Sara’s gaze drifted across the room to Snow, who had stopped pacing and was watching the exchange with great interest.

“Snowy, I always wanted to be known. I wanted to be popular. I wanted to be remembered—”

“That’s immortality, my darlings,” Snow interrupted, remembering something she had said at Sara’s funeral. “You were popular in life and in death.”

“Right,” said Sara sadly. “Except, I wasn’t. Sure, for a while people still talked about me. People went to my funeral and gossiped about who killed me, but then they moved on. Popularity doesn’t last. I did a lot of terrible things in the name of popularity. I used that power to hurt people, use people… control people. I started to think I was unstoppable, but someone showed me I wasn’t. If it weren’t for Michael I would be dead, and most of this town wouldn’t care. They think I am, and they don’t care. They don’t miss me. They don’t wish it hadn’t happened. They’re just glad the hateful bitch is dead. I screwed up, Snow, I know it. I don’t blame any of you if you hate me, but please… please give me a chance to earn your forgiveness. Please? Snowy?”

Every eye in the room turned to look at her. What was she supposed to say? She was still furious at both Michael and Sara, and yet at the same time she knew both of them had a point. She knew they weren’t bad people. The things they had done weren’t done out of hatred or viciousness, but instead out of concern and fear and desperation. They had both made mistakes, but were those mistakes truly unforgivable? Had not she, Snow, made mistakes herself? Perhaps nothing as horrific as what Michael and Sara had done, but she wasn’t innocent.

She had covered up a fifteen-year-old girl’s murder. Accident or not, Sara had pushed Miranda off of that cliff. It didn’t matter that Tony had been the one that actually killed Miranda, as that was only possible because Sara created the situation in the first place. She and her friends had been complicit in what happened to Miranda. They were all just as guilty. She was just as guilty. She might as well have pushed Miranda herself and yet still Rachel had found it in her heart to forgive her. She had lost her only daughter and still she had forgiven her.

Even Mary had forgiven Michael for raping her. That was a crime so vile that Snow couldn’t think of a punishment harsh enough for those that committed it, and yet still Mary had made peace with it and forgiven Michael. She had even defended him. If Rachel could let go of her anger and find forgiveness, and Mary could make peace with Michael… then why couldn’t Snow do the same? Although it pained her greatly, she knew in her heart she had no choice.

“A chance,” Snow said quietly, her gaze shifting from Sara to Michael and back again. “One chance, I… I can give you that. Just one and you’re going to have to work for it, but… it’s only fair, so…” She trailed off, unsure of what else to say. She would give them a chance, both of them, to win back her trust. She had no idea if she could ever truly forgive them, but she forced herself to promise to try. It really was fair and she would give it an honest effort so long as they did the same.    

“Thank you, Snow,” said Sara, positively beaming at her. Michael said nothing at all and in fact seemed to be trying to avoid her gaze altogether. “Nikki? Clara? Do you think…?”

“I guess if Snow can, we can,” said Nikki, while Clara nodded her agreement. “But the same conditions apply. You’re going to have to work for it.”

“Understood,” Sara said sincerely. “I know a lot has happened and none of this is… Look, I’m just so happy that you’re all here. Can we talk about all of this later? I’d love to show you around Stonehaven. I mean, if you’re interested?”

Snow tried really hard not to seem overly excited about the prospect of a tour of Stonehaven, but she knew her face had betrayed her. She was going to see so much history, and more magic as well. Less than a day before she hadn’t believed in magic, and now she had seen it firsthand and perhaps even had magic inside herself. She wanted to know more. She wanted to see it all.

“I’d be happy to arrange a tour,” said Michael. “The Dawnguard is in the midst of some… rather delicate preparations, but we can still show you around if you’d like. I imagine all of you have questions, and that would be the best way to answer them.”

All of them were interested in a tour, so Michael led the group outside and off into the field behind the house. Off in the distance, Stonehaven rose sharply into the sky and Snow didn’t think she had ever been more excited. Soon, she would be in the midst of all that history. She couldn’t wait.

As they walked, Snow filled Michael and Sara in on what had happened with Steven and that another JTG had appeared. She also told them about FBI Agent Morales sudden appearance and his investigation in Miranda’s murder. They were both, of course, shocked by the revelation that Steven had a partner and that the game wasn’t over. Judging by the look on her face, Sara was quite disturbed by Agent Morales and his investigation but she said nothing as the group continued along the dirt path through the open field.

“So… where exactly are we going?” Nikki asked after five minutes of walking. “There’s nothing out here.”

“Nothing you can see,” said Michael. “Well, yet. Sara, you want to give me a hand?” Michael walked over to Nikki and gently placed his hand to the side of her head. Sara did the same to Clara and after a moment both of them stepped away. Snow watched them, waiting for her friend’s faces to morph into expressions of shock. A moment later, it happened and Snow couldn’t help but grin. She knew they were seeing the vast structure towering over them in the distance.

“That, ladies, is Stonehaven,” said Michael. “At its center is the Library of Alexandria, which serves as our operations center and storehouse for countless ancient relics that we protect… and contain.”

“Contain?” Clara repeated, glancing dubiously around at her friends. “What does that mean?”

“It means that some of the artifacts here are very dangerous,” Michael explained. “In the wrong hands, some of the items in the Library could be more devastating than a nuclear bomb or biochemical weapons.”

“Well, if you ever find Pandora’s Box just make sure you don’t open it,” said Clara, laughingly. Michael, however, glanced back at her with a very serious expression on his face.

“We already have Pandora’s Box,” he said firmly. “The last time it was opened, it started a world war. It took years for the Dawnguard to track it down and seal it again.”

“Wait… what?” Clara asked, but Michael didn’t answer. Instead, he pointed further down the path where it widened into a paved road. At the end stood a pair of towering gates, easily thirty feet high. They had an ancient design to them, like castles of old, only they were made from a shiny white material that Snow had never seen before. The walls that surrounded Stonehaven were made out of that same material but still with a medieval look to them, giving the fortress an ancient-but-modern design. Snow found it quite strange to look at, as though her mind couldn’t quite comprehend what she was looking at.

“We’re here,” Michael announced as they approached the gates. “Welcome to Stonehaven.” The gates opened with an echoing crack as the massive locks that held them closed disengaged. The gates swung inward much faster than something so large should be able to, in Snow’s opinion. She wondered if they were somehow powered by magic. Could gates even be powered by magic? Should she think of magic as a power source? She would add these to the lengthy list of questions she planned to ask whenever she could get Michael to herself for an hour or ten. 

Michael led them through the gates, passed the walls which were as thick as they were tall, and into the city proper. And a city it truly was. They walked along the High Street, a wide open avenue lined with buildings, shops, and homes. The buildings, like the walls, had a medieval feel to them, yet they were very clearly of a modern design. In fact, Snow quickly began to realize that modern didn’t properly describe Stonehaven’s technological level. Stonehaven was more than modern, it was futuristic. It reminded her of something out of science fiction.

Everything was sleek and shiny and although she never saw anything that she didn’t know what it was, everything was clearly much more advanced than the world she knew. Even the cell phones, she assumed they were cell phones that she saw people using, were paper thin and crystal clear except for a small silver frame around the edges. People, hundreds of them, bustled in every direction going about their day. Snow’s eyes were drawn in a million different directions as Michael led them down the avenue, toward the city center. From a distance, Snow had been able to tell that the city was built in the shape of a pentagon with the Library of Alexandria at the center. What she hadn’t been able to see was that there were four other avenues like the one they had come down branching off from the city center and off toward the city’s walls.

But at that moment, Snow didn’t care much for the design of the city or the layout of its roads or the capability of its defensive walls. No, right then all she cared about was the towering spire in front of her. The Library of Alexandria was, there was no other word for it; beautiful. She had seen the spire before, but the base of the building was new. The architecture was quite clearly Greek in origin, but modernized much like the rest of Stonehaven. The entrance to the building sat atop a towering wide square dais that was easily the length of a standard city block. The dais had wide staircases on all four sides that rose up to a sprawling plaza. In the center of the plaza stood what looked to be a Greek temple similar in design to the Parthenon. The glittering circular tower that Snow had seen from a distance rose from the roof of the temple-like structure, rising what must have been three hundred feet into the clear sky.       

“Is this… real?” Clara whispered from Snow’s right. Snow turned and found her three friends gazing up at the Library with looks of disbelief on their faces.

“It’s real,” said Sara firmly. “This place… it takes some getting used to, trust me. But once you do, Stonehaven is an amazing place to be. You’ll love it here, I promise. C’mon, let’s—” She broke off as a loud reverberating thrumming sound echoed across the city and a shadow passed overhead.

In the sky above them, a vast airship drifted lazily over the city. The craft was long and sleek with a rounded bow and a wider center section that was covered in windows. The rear of the airship widened even more and eight short aerodynamic wings, four on each side, fanned out on either side of the side. The air beneath the craft rippled as though it were held aloft by some sort of antigravity technology. As the group stood watching the craft pass overhead, Snow caught sight of an insignia on the bow of the vessel.

The image was of the early morning sun halfway cresting the horizon and tendrils of flame burst from the sun in all directions. In the center of the sun was a large triangular shield and the Latin words clypeus inter tenebras et lucem, which Snow knew translated to the shield between darkness and dawn. The phrase was emblazoned in a crescent shape beneath the symbol. Above the symbol in bold black lettering that shone prominently against the ship’s shimmering white hull was the vessel’s name: Andromeda.

Michael pulled out one of the strange cell phones Snow had seen other people around the city using and pressed a couple of symbols before holding the device to his ear.

“Nathan, what the hell is going on?” He demanded. “I ordered Andromeda grounded until the Coven airships depart the area. Why the hell is my airship flying?” Snow couldn’t hear the opposite end of the conversation, but Michael’s expression darkened the longer he listened. “Alright, shit… fine, just don’t antagonize them. Just keep them out of our airspace. I’ll be up there in a few minutes.”  

“Does anyone want to fill us in on what’s happening and what that giant spaceship is?” Nikki said loudly, pointing up at the craft which had begun to turn to the northwest and accelerate away with an even louder thrumming sound. “Also… why do you have a spaceship?!”

“Andromeda’s not a spaceship,” said Michael slowly. “She’s an Interdimensional-class airship, one of the most powerful and advanced ships flying. Sadly, she’s the only ship we’ve got. Let’s not worry about that right now. We ought to get you all into the Library and get on with the tour. I have some business to attend to shortly, so we should get moving.”

Snow felt as though she were falling into a science fiction novel. She wasn’t sure what she had expected Stonehaven to be, but a futuristic city with giant airships was not it. She supposed she had been expecting castles and knights and blacksmiths, not… this.

“Michael, I… I don’t understand,” Snow said as Michael led the way up the nearest staircase up toward the Library. “All of this technology… airships, I… I thought we’d be seeing horses and knights and… and things like that, not all this. Where did all of this come from? It’s so… advanced.”

“Well, the Library of Alexandria was the repository of more knowledge and magic than anywhere else in the world,” Michael explained. “The rest of the world lost access to all of that information, but the Dawnguard did not. While the rest of the world suffered vast setbacks in advancement after the loss of the Library, the Dawnguard continued to advance and develop into what you see today. I mean, imagine a world with access to magic and couple thousand years head start and this is what you end up with.”

“Oh, well, I… I guess that makes sense,” said Snow thoughtfully. It didn’t really, but she supposed that compared to everything she had see and heard it wasn’t so hard to believe. “So the Dawnguard have scientists and researchers too? You’re not just demon hunters?”

“Oh no,” said Michael firmly. “The Dawnguard have a number of different departments that pursue various interests beyond hunting down demons. Our research and development departments are top notch, not to mention our librarians and artifact researchers in the Library are constantly infusing our technology with magic, furthering our advancement.

“This is… this is… insane, but it’s… amazing at the same time,” said Snow. Michael grinned at her.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said knowingly. They had reached the entrance to the Library by then and the golden doors swung open as they approached. Snow wasn’t entirely sure how her friends reacted as they stepped inside. In fact, she barely remembered they were there. The room they found themselves in was vast, far larger than it appeared on the outside. Hundreds of rows of towering shelves stretched on for what Snow thought must be miles ahead of them, each one filled with various objects. Off to the right and left sides of the room were doors with labels over each of them. They were titled things like ‘The Antiquities Wing’, ‘Dark Magic’, ‘Time Manipulation’, and ‘Dangerous Creatures’. A wide circular opening in the ceiling offered a view up to the very top floor of the circular tower that rose high above them.

“Is… is this the Library of Alexandria?” Snow asked, her voice trembling. Michael nodded.

“This is the Reliquary,” said Michael. “This is where we store every magical artifact and object the Dawnguard has ever recovered. The objects in here are powerful and many are extremely dangerous.”

“Oh my God,” Snow gasped, her gaze drawn to a golden chest with two praying angels perched atop it. The chest was surrounded by ropes to keep people several feet away from it. “Is that the Ark of the Covenant?”

“It surely is,” said Michael. “And I wouldn’t advise touching it,” he added as Clara and Nikki went over for a closer look. “Trust me, bad things happen.” 

“What happens, exactly?” Clara asked nervously, taking a cautious step away.

“Have you ever seen Raiders of the Lost Ark?” Michael asked her. Clara nodded. “Well, it’s like that only… worse. A lot worse.”

“I think I want to go home now,” Nikki said weakly. “I mean, invisible cities, airships, magic…”

“It’s okay, Nikki,” Sara said reassuringly. “You’re safe here. You’re probably safer here than anywhere else in the world. Even JTG can’t get to you here. No one can get through those gates out there unless we let them in.”

Snow wasn’t paying much attention to the conversations, but was instead slowly circling the Ark and carefully examining it from every direction. Michael broke away from the group to join her.

“People have been looking for this thing for a couple thousand years,” Snow whispered, awe present in every syllable of her voice. She couldn’t believe it. She was standing mere feet away from an artifact thought lost to history forever. “All over the world, people have searched for this and it’s in Michigan, of all places.”

“We’ve had it pretty much that entire time,” said Michael. “The Dawnguard of the time of the Babylonian conquest of Israel managed to make off with the Ark and secure it safely. We’ve made sure to protect it ever since. It’s much too dangerous to be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.”

“This is amazing,” Snow whispered. “Can we… oh, wow!” She had spotted a glittering golden sword placed on a display stand nearby and she rushed over to it. Michael followed her, grinning from ear to ear.

“That, Snow, is the sword Excalibur,” he explained. “But then I get the feeling you already knew that.”

“It had to be, didn’t it?” Snow gazed longingly at the sword. “Can I touch it?”

“Go ahead,” Michael told her. “Just don’t be surprised if… you…” Snow reached out and gently took hold of Excalibur by its hilt. She raised it slowly, turning the blade slowly and admiring the flawless construction.

“It’s beautiful,” she commented, holding the hilt closer for examination. “So, King Arthur was real? I thought it was all a myth, but if this sword is real then… Michael, what’s wrong?” She had just noticed that Michael was staring at her as though she had grown an extra head.

“Snow, that sword is the most powerful weapon ever crafted,” Michael told her. “Whether King Arthur was a real man or not, I do not know. What I do know is that sword has a powerful enchantment placed upon it. Throughout history, that sword could only be lifted by a person the sword deems worthy of ruling the land of Albion. I can’t hold Excalibur, Snow… I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who can pick up that sword. Luckily, two of them work for me. Otherwise it’s a real pain in the ass when we need to dust that thing.”

“You… you’re joking,” Snow said, a grin appearing on her lips. “Right, you’re playing a joke. Here.” She held out the sword to him, but he held up his hands.

“I can’t,” he insisted. “Put it back on the display and I’ll show you.” Snow did as she was told; still completely convinced Michael was screwing with her. Michael went over and seized the hilt of the sword. Though he pulled with all his might, Excalibur didn’t move an inch.

“Um… so if you’re not completely full of shit right now, what does this mean?” Snow asked, a jolt of fear coursing through her. She had tried to forget about the day before when Michael had told her that she was something different, something even he had never seen before. That alone had scared her and now an ancient magical sword was telling her she could rule a kingdom. She suddenly missed the days when she was just a normal teenager.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about going on a quest to rule the land of Albion,” Michael said slowly. “They call that land Great Britain now and they don’t take kindly to people trying to conquer them. But we do need to get some answers, Snow. You have power you shouldn’t have and we need to find out why. If you’re willing, I’d like you to meet with my resident witch, Zoe Emison.”    

“Hold on, you know Zoe?” It was Mary. She had come over to join them and had heard Michael mention Zoe’s name.

“The same Zoe from Zoe’s Jewelry Store?” Snow asked. “The same store that Brad and Mary robbed? She’s a witch?”

“The very same,” said Michael, glancing nervously at Mary. “I, uh… I’m sorry, Mary, I… I should have told you, but given how things are at the moment… well, keeping Zoe’s identity a secret is important. At least, as secret as we can. I doubt it matters much anymore, considering, but… Anyway, yes, she’s the same Zoe. Also, Brad didn’t rob the store. Brad works for me. He’s a member of the Dawnguard and has been for some time. We faked the robbery so that Zoe could inconspicuously deliver a very important map to us.”

“Hold on,” said Mary tightly. “Brad knows about all this? He’s part of this? And he never told me?”

“He’s as sworn to secrecy as the rest of us are,” said Michael gently. “We don’t just go around telling everyone who we are and what we do. Especially right now. In fact, before you leave we’re going to have to have a very lengthy discussion about a few things. For example, none of you are to breathe a word about what you’ve seen here to anyone. Lives are at stake, as are years of delicate planning.”

“That’s just great,” Mary grumbled. “But… So Zoe already knew that I took the earrings? She never said anything, so I… I thought…”

“She knew all along,” said Michael gently. “We paid Zoe for the earrings ahead of time. We had to pretend that the robbery was real to maintain security, so she reported the ‘crime’ to the police. You were never in any danger, Mary. We made sure of that.”

Snow couldn’t be sure if Mary was comforted or disturbed by this revelation. For herself, Snow was certainly disturbed by much of what she was hearing. As excited as she was to be there, all of this was so far beyond her. She needed time to process it all, but she knew she wasn’t likely to get it anytime soon. She was instantly proven right.

“Oh, there you are, Zoe,” Michael called to a tall, dark skinned woman who was walking toward them. “I’d like you to meet… Oh hell, what’s wrong now?”

“I’ve just received a message from the Triskelion,” said Zoe in a brisk voice. “They’ve ordered me back and to cut all ties with the Dawnguard. I’ve been given an hour to report to the Triskelion in New York and resume my place on the Witches Council.”

“So… what did you tell them?” Michael asked dryly.

“To well and truly fuck off,” said Zoe hotly. “I’ve burned my bridges, Michael… not that the Grand Enchanter gave me much choice in the matter. I hope you’re ready for what’s coming next. The only reason they would pull me out is if—”

“I know,” said Michael wearily. “The Coven airfleet that arrived just adjusted their course. They’ve been holding position twenty-five miles southeast of our position, but they just made a move to advance into our airspace. Nathan took Andromeda to intercept, but she can’t hold off a fleet of Coven ships on her own.”

“Um… excuse me?” Snow called out uncertainly. “I don’t have any idea what’s going on here. The Coven? The Triskelion? I don’t understand…”

“Right, I’m sorry,” said Michael, shaking his head. “Today really isn’t the best day for us to have guests. The Coven is what the witches call their government. It’s their central governing body and the Triskelion is their headquarters. As for what’s going on here, it’s a very long story and we haven’t got time for it right now. Zoe, I need you to come meet with Snow and myself privately. We have something important to show you.”

Mary went back over to Sara, Clara, and Nikki as Snow was led away by Michael and Zoe. Snow noticed that Sara seemed to be pointing out the finer details of the Holy Grail to them as Michael ushered her into an elevator. The glass doors slid closed when Michael pressed a button for the 30th floor. The lift rose up, gliding soundlessly skyward. The lift took them up the circular tower, passing floor after floor of wondrous sights that Snow couldn’t explain. Artifacts, magic, and heaven only knew what else was passing her by.     

The doors opened on the top floor of the tower and Michael led the way out. They emerged on a floor similar to the ones they had passed, only unlike the others it was empty of other people. Snow walked over to the circular railing in the center of the room and looked down at all the identical floors below, all the way down to the Reliquary at the bottom.

“What is all this?” Snow asked, watching people examining different artifacts on one floor and someone who seemed to be tinkering with a strange white rifle on another. On the floor below them she watched a man studying what looked to be a massive dinosaur bone. On many of the floors were the things Snow most wanted to gain access to: books. In shelves covering every inch of the circular walls on floor after floor were thousands upon thousands, possibly even millions of books and scrolls. She could spend the rest of her life there reading and would almost certainly never read them all.

“This is just another part of the Library,” said Michael, joining her at the railing. This is where we do research, study artifacts, build new weapons, discover new and exciting magic… the list goes on and on. This is just a fraction of the entire facility as well. I’m sure you noticed downstairs that the Reliquary is quite a bit bigger outside than it is inside. The entire building has a transdimensional expansion enchantment placed upon it. In essence, it’s bigger on the inside than it is on the out. The Library expands according to our needs and requirements. You see those doors down there leading off of each floor? They look like they would open to the outside and if you stepped through, you’d fall to your death, right?” He turned around and pointed to another door behind him. “Kind of like this one.”

Snow hadn’t given it much thought, but he was right. Based upon the layout of the building, the door in front of them should open onto nothingness; just open air. When Michael reached out and opened the door, however, Snow found herself in what appeared to be a perfect replica of Michael’s home far below them. The only difference she could see as she stepped through the door and into the living room was that instead of a flat wall on the far side of the room there was a wide window and a sliding glass door that opened onto a sprawling balcony.

“How… how are we back in your house?” Snow asked. “What is this?”

“This is my real home,” said Michael. “The house down below is there to be used when I need to meet with people who aren’t aware of my… other life. There are passageways between the house and Stonehaven so we can travel between both locations unseen.”

“Wow,” Snow said dryly, walking to the window and peering down at the ground far below. “I guess I didn’t know much about you at all, did I? I’ve never even been to your real house before today.”

“You know me, Snow,” Michael assured her. “I just… I couldn’t… I chose not to share a big part of my life with you. I should have, I know that now. It’s my fault, but I… I was scared. I was scared that you wouldn’t understand. I was scared that you would be scared… scared of me, of this world… all of it.”

“I am scared,” Snow replied, turning back to him with an expression of disbelief on her face. “I’m terrified, Michael. Put yourself in my place and think for a minute. After everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, how could I not be scared? And you’re telling me I have some sort of power I shouldn’t have and that a demon wants to kill me…”

“Sebastian doesn’t want to kill you,” said Zoe quietly, settling herself down on the couch. “He wants to impregnate you.” Michael grimaced and flashed Zoe and dark glare, which she either ignored or didn’t notice.

“Oh, thanks,” Snow snapped. “That makes me feel loads better. That’s just what I want to do; give birth to demon babies. My parents will be so proud.”

“You likely wouldn’t be aware of what was happening,” said Zoe thoughtfully. “You’re a human girl and your mind and body is completely unprepared for the… physical demands of a demonic pregnancy. Sebastian’s spawn would drain you of life, putting you in a sort of comatose state long before you gave birth. You wouldn’t even…” Zoe trailed off when she noticed Michael’s harsh glare. “Right… I’m sorry. You wanted to show me something, Michael?”

“Yes,” said Michael, shaking his head wearily. “You say Snow is just a human girl, but there’s… something different about her. I already told you that she has the strongest attunement to magic of anyone I’ve ever seen. After what happened yesterday… it’s much more than that. We’ll show you.” Michael turned to Snow and reached out for her hand. She reluctantly took it and he guided her behind the couch to an open area of the floor where they would have room to move.

“Okay, Snow,” he said softly. “There’s nothing to worry about, okay? We’re just going to do exactly what we did before. I’m going to hand you an orb of Magelight. You just do what you did before. This time, just in case, I’m going to place you in a magical containment field. It’s nothing to be afraid of and although it may look like it, you’re not trapped in a cage. You can pass right through the barrier. It’s only meant to block magic.”

Snow nodded, having seemingly lost her voice. Michael raised his hands sharply and a rippling box of bluish energy roughly five feet across rose around her. She immediately felt claustrophobic, which Michael seemed to sense because he stepped through the barrier and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“You can leave this field at any time,” Michael reminded her. “Now, let’s give this a try.” He formed the ball of light in his hand and passed it to her. She took it in her hands, noticing that Zoe was watching her intensely. Michael stepped back out of the box.

“Okay, Snow, just do what you did last time.” Snow wasn’t entirely sure what she had done except squeeze the light between her hands, so that’s what she did. Much like the last time, instead of the light winking out like she would have expected, a bolt of lightning arced from her hands. It struck the magical barrier and shattered it into a fizzling, crackling mass of sparkling magical light and raced across the room directly toward Zoe.

Zoe threw up her hands at the last second and the lightning was absorbed into a glowing purple hued magical shield that had formed from her palms. Snow clapped her hands to her mouth in terror and rushed over to Zoe.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” Snow exclaimed. “I… I didn’t mean to do that! I didn’t…”

“Calm down, child,” said Zoe kindly. “Of course you didn’t mean to. You have no idea how to control your powers yet. I’ve been hit with worse in my life, trust me.” Her expression darkened however, and she turned to Michael.

“You… you say she has no magic in her blood?”

“Of course not, she’s a mortal,” said Michael firmly. “I mean… we never actually tested her blood but up until yesterday I didn’t think we needed to. She was just someone naturally attuned to magic like we’ve seen before. Now tell me you’ve ever seen a mortal, even strongly attuned to magic, do something like that.”

“Michael, you gave her Magelight,” said Zoe incredulously. “That spell was invented so people like us wouldn’t have to worry about things like flashlights. She just amplified that spell with enough power to kill someone. Most fully trained witches couldn’t do that.” She turned back to Snow and fixed her with an intense stare that made Snow feel like she were being x-rayed. For all she knew, maybe she was.

“My God…” Zoe breathed after a few moments. “Michael, this… this isn’t normal magic. This isn’t Coven magic or Dawnguard magic… not even the Faery could do this. With no magic in her blood, she’s… This is genetic magic.”

“That’s a myth,” said Michael wearily. Zoe shook her head.

“It was,” said Zoe, turning back to Snow. “Until today. Snow doesn’t have magic in her blood… her blood is magic. It’s in her DNA. She’s made of it. She is magic. If you taught her how, I feel confident that she wouldn’t need you to hand her magic. She could conjure it herself. Magic is so deeply ingrained within her, I… Snow, your parents… neither of them have magic?”

“No, I… well, I don’t think so,” said Snow, finding herself evermore confused. “My mom doesn’t… she couldn’t. I never met my dad, but I can’t believe he could have.”

“Okay, wait a second,” said Michael loudly. “For this to be true, wouldn’t her entire family have to be magical dating back centuries?”

“No, no, this couldn’t have happened if either were magical,” said Zoe thoughtfully. “If she came from a magical bloodline, then the magic in her blood would take precedence. It would overwrite anything else. No, this… Okay, the theory goes that natural attunement to magic builds up generation by generation. It’s slow, almost imperceptive. But imagine if two family lines continued on for generations and generations, slowly but steadily building up a stronger attunement to magic. They would have no idea it was happening since they have no actual magic themselves. Now, imagine that two people from those families, having built up an incredibly strong attunement to magic, meet and have a baby.”

“That’s all it would take?” Snow asked, her mind reeling. “If that’s the case, why aren’t there people like me all over the world?”

“Because natural attunement to magic in and of itself is rare,” said Zoe. “It isn’t something we see very often, and even then the rate of strengthening is usually so slow that it never becomes something like this. But despite that, those two people having a baby isn’t enough by itself. Not by far. It’s merely the first step. The mother would have had to come into contact with magic, a lot of magic… a lot of very powerful magic while she was pregnant. If that happened, if she was exposed to a lot of magic… or was exposed to the magic of a being as powerful as the Sisters of Fate and Destiny perhaps… well, someone like you could potentially be born. Tell me about your parents, Snow. Is there any reason your mother could have encountered magic? A witch, perhaps?”

“Well, my mom is… she’s my mom, I don’t know,” said Snow, frustrated. “How am I supposed to know? If she ever went into your store she would have encountered a witch, so I don’t—”

“Was she ever injured?” Zoe asked. “Was she gravely injured during her pregnancy? Or maybe she was put under the influence of a Faery’s charm? Bitten by a vampire?”

“She… she was shot,” Snow said, filing away the fact that vampires existed for a later conversation. “She was shot, but the doctors saved her… and me.”

“Likely not without help,” said Zoe knowingly. “Perhaps a witch working at the hospital, or maybe Fate or Destiny stepped in to save her. Without a close examination of your mother it would be impossible for me to say. Either way, given the evidence I feel it’s fairly certain she was touched by magic. Now, if only I knew more about your father I could more accurately judge how attuned both of your parents were to magic.”

A sudden thought occurred to Snow and she felt a chill run down her spine. “Wait, you said two people closely attuned to magic having a baby could cause this, right? Well, what if my father… was my mother’s father too?” Zoe stared at Snow for a full ten seconds before swallowing thickly. 

“I’m not going to ask how that might have happened,” she said at last. “But if you’re telling me that you and your mother share the same father, then… That would be enough. I mean, if they were both magically attuned to that extreme… and then to have a baby out of incest…"

“Does it really matter how it happened?” Michael interrupted suddenly. “Personally, I’m not buying this genetic magic crap, but even if it’s true… what do we do about it?”

“There’s nothing we can do, Michael,” said Zoe plainly. “The only thing I can say is this; keep her safe from Sebastian. None of us wants to see a world in which he gets her in his grasp. For the moment, I’m going to do as much research as I can on the theory of genetic magic. I’d ask the Coven for help, but I doubt they’ll be in the mood right now. Not to mention if they found out about Snow, they’d likely want to dissect her to find out how she works.” She gave Snow a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, dear. You’re safe with the Dawnguard and I’m going to do everything I can to learn more about… what you are. We’ll figure this out, I promise.” Without another word, Zoe turned and strode from the room. The instant the door swung closed, Snow burst into tears.

She sank to the floor, powerful sobs wracking her body. She was so confused and scared that she didn’t know what to think or how to feel. She wanted to go to sleep and hope that when she woke everything would be back to normal. That none of this was real.

Michael went to his knees next to her and wrapped his arms around her. Despite her feelings about him, she clung to him in that moment. She didn’t want to need him, but she did. There was no one else who could begin to understand what she was feeling.

“We’ll keep you safe, Snowy,” Michael promised her. “We’ll figure this out. You’ll be fine, baby. Don’t worry; I won’t let anything happen to you. We’ll find out where your power comes from and…”

“And what?” Snow asked, drawing away from him and peering up into his eyes. “And then what? I’m… I’m some kind of magical, incestuous freak that no one can fully explain or understand. How are you supposed to help me?”

“Because I’m going to divert the entirety of my research and development department into figuring out exactly what you are,” said Michael firmly. “As much as I didn’t want you to be, you may be the key to everything we’re fighting for. We’ll find a way to take care of this. Maybe we can figure out a way to remove this, or… or something, I don’t know yet. But I’ve got the best people in the world and they’re going to be working on this. We’ll figure it out.”  

“I don’t want this,” Snow wailed. “I never wanted any of this. I don’t want to be… whatever it is I am. I just want to be normal, I… I want to…  I don’t know anymore.”

“Listen, no one is going to make you learn magic,” said Michael softly. “If you don’t want to be part of this, I’m not going to make you. We do have to keep you safe from Sebastian until we can find a way to kill him, but you don’t have to be involved. You don’t have to be part of this world. I mean, I want you to be. I want to show you all of it. I want you to be part of it, but if you don’t want to I would never force it on you.”

“It scares me,” Snow confessed, sniffling sadly. “Magic, demons, witches… It scares the hell out of me.”

“Well, you’d be a braver person than me if it didn’t,” said Michael lightly. “Snow, I’m the Knight-Commander of the only organization standing between humanity and the forces of utter evil. I’m in charge of keeping the Dawnguard running and battling the darkness. If we fail, if the Dawnguard falls… mankind falls with it. I’m scared all of the time, Snow. There’s no shame in being afraid. You just can’t let it overpower you.”

“Easier said than done,” said Snow grimly. “I almost killed a woman today. I shot lightning at someone. I have this power inside of me and I don’t have the slightest idea how to control it. Magic is dangerous, and I… I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Magic… isn’t dangerous,” said Michael. “Not if you know how to use it. It can be scary at first, but it’s not dangerous. It can be, sure, but not always. And just like the Dawnguard, magic isn’t all about fighting and killing. It can heal, it can help, and it can take us places beyond our own imagining.” He held out his hand to her. “If you’ll let me, I’d love to show you.”

She hesitated, but only for a moment. Despite evidence that seemed to prove she shouldn’t, she trusted Michael. Even if she didn’t want to, she still trusted him. Slowly, she placed her hand in his and he helped her to her feet.

“I want you to think of the place in the world you’d like to be most,” said Michael. “Anywhere in the world, if you could go right now, where would that be? A place you’ve been or haven’t been, it doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t know,” said Snow slowly, thinking hard. “I… well, we went to Paris once. I was… three, I think. Four? I don’t remember much about it, but we spent Christmas there. Our whole family, we… It was nice. I remember liking it. I haven’t been back since.”

“Okay,” said Michael, squeezing her hand tightly in his. “Close your eyes.” Snow obeyed and a moment later she felt a sudden swirling and she felt dizzy. Then a breeze rushed over her and she was certain they were outside.

“Okay, open,” said Michael. Snow opened her eyes and gasped. All of Paris was spread out before her in the late afternoon sun. It took her a moment to realize that they were standing atop the Eiffel Tower, and yet she also realized that was impossible. Seconds before they had been in Mistbrook Falls, thousands of miles away from France.

“We… we’re in France,” Snow breathed, turning to Michael who was watching her closely and looking rather pleased with himself. “How… how did we… how did you… What happened?”

“We were transported here by magic,” said Michael, leaning against the railing with Snow. “We call it ‘blinking’ because we can be anywhere we want on Earth…”

“In the blink of an eye,” Snow finished his sentence for him. “Yeah, I guess so. Michael, I… I want to ask you something. I think I already know the answer, but I have to ask anyway. All this magic… the things you can do… Could you… is it possible for you to cure my mom’s cancer?”

Snow knew the answer before he ever spoke. She saw the pain in his eyes and she knew. She had already known, of course. If it were possible, surely he would have already done it.

“Unfortunately, magic doesn’t work like that,” said Michael quietly. “There are certain laws, not like the speed limit but like the laws of physics, that control what magic is capable of doing. Healing injuries is one thing, but a disease… Diseases are different, they… they fall outside of what we’re able to manipulate. They’re a natural part of human life, and magic can’t interfere. From cancer to the common cold, we can’t do a damn thing. I asked Zoe about it and she promised to look into it, maybe see if there’s some obscure spell that would help her but as of yet she hasn’t found anything. I… I’m really sorry, Snow.”

“I didn’t really think you’d be able to,” said Snow, shaking her head. She couldn’t deny that she wasn’t disappointed. Magic could do so much, but not the one thing she so desperately needed it to do. “I just… well, it couldn’t hurt to ask.” She stared off toward the setting sun, losing herself in her own thoughts. A sudden movement from Michael brought her back to reality. His arm slid slowly around her waist and she allowed herself to be drawn closer to him.

It felt good. She knew it shouldn’t, but it did. In that moment, she couldn’t help but remember how she felt when she was with him. She remembered how loved she felt when he held her, how easily and comfortably she fell asleep in his arms. She remembered how safe she felt when she was with him. She remembered how her knees would weaken when he kissed her, and the way he made her tremble when they made love. Being held by him then felt good. She should push him away. She knew she should push him away, but when he turned toward her and she had her chance, she didn’t. Before she knew what was happening, they were kissing. Michael’s hands were roaming, exploring her body with frantic ferocity. 

Stop, part of her mind kept saying. You don’t want this. You don’t want him. He raped Mary. He lied to you. He’s not the man you thought you knew. But the other part of her mind, the part of her mind that was desperate to lose herself in something, anything… to just feel something besides the endless pain and terror of her life refused to listen. The first part finally won out and she pressed her hand to Michael’s chest. She drew away from him and he let her go. She shook her head and turned back to the view of Paris.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I just… I can’t do this.”

“It’s not your fault,” Michael said gently, although Snow could hear the heartbreak in his voice. “None of this is your fault. I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t bring you here to… I just wanted to show you…”

“I know,” said Snow. “I know. I didn’t think you brought me here for anything else, I just… I can’t right now.”

“At least I can assume you don’t completely hate me,” said Michael. Snow looked back at him over her shoulder.

“I don’t hate you, Michael,” she told him. “I never said I hated you. You’re just… you’re not the same person I thought you were. I didn’t know anything about you… I didn’t even know your real last name. What was it? Ravenswood? What’s that about, anyway?”

“Right… that,” said Michael dryly. “That one wasn’t entirely my fault. See, my family founded the Dawnguard. We had a different name then, but still Ravenswood is an old name… a name well known to our friends as well as our enemies. Magic runs deep within our blood. Powerful magic, Snow… Old magic. I told you before that the Dawnguard had lost many of its members as the days of battling demons fell further into the past. Sebastian is the last real demonic threat left in the world and with him imprisoned beneath the falls, people felt the days of glory were over. So, when Sebastian began to regain strength we… came up with a plan. Currently, we don’t have a way to kill him permanently. We’re working on it, but we’re not quite there yet. As such, my team and I decided it would be best to... devise a bit of a deception.”

“What kind of deception?” Snow wondered. “Some sort of magic, or…?”

“Not exactly,” said Michael. “We decided to envision a future based on the trends the Dawnguard was following when Sebastian was imprisoned. A future where the Dawnguard has fallen into obscurity, abandoned by its members for decades seemed likely at one point. We worked hard to ensure that as far as Sebastian or any of his thralls were aware there were only two knights manning Stonehaven; me and Brad. I changed my last name because the name Ravenswood invokes a sense of power and leadership. We couldn’t let Sebastian know that a Ravenswood still lived, much less was leading the Dawnguard.”

“So this demon… this Sebastian, he thinks you’re weak, undermanned, while in reality...”

“In reality, I’ve spent most of the last decade strengthening the Dawnguard,” said Michael. “We have a dedicated army of warriors, the best scientists and researchers in the world, and bases and outposts in every corner of the world. When Sebastian attacks, and he will attack, he’ll believe he’s facing quite literally an army of two. Instead, he’ll be up against a highly skilled and heavily armed Dawnguard that is fully prepared to do whatever is necessary to end him. Of course, that’s all assuming the Coven leave us alone. If they keep meddling, it’s likely Sebastian will uncover the truth. If that happens we could be in some trouble. Hopefully, the Coven will maintain the peace, but if not…” As if to put emphasis on Michael’s point, his clear cell phone device made a soft chirping sound in his pocket. He took it out and pressed a symbol on the screen. Moments later, Snow realized he was turning it on speaker.

“Yes?” Michael asked.

“Sir, we’ve just gotten word from Andromeda,” said a female voice. “The Coven airships attempted to cross into our airspace. Andromeda tried to warn them off, but they ignored her hails. Two of the ships forced Andromeda into a skirmish and drew her off. The remaining three are on their way here. Andromeda looks to have beaten the other ships and forced them to retreat, but she’s taken heavy damage. Her engines and Blink Drive are offline and her weapons are down.”

“Go to Tactical Alert. Get the barriers up and charge the pulse cannons,” said Michael grimly. “I’ll be right there.”

“What’s happening?” Snow asked worriedly. It sounded like something bad was about to happen at Stonehaven and her friends were there, directly in harm’s way.

“The Coven has kept meddling,” said Michael dryly. “We need to get back there. Hold on to me.” She took his arm, clinging tightly as Michael blinked them back to Stonehaven. They arrived in the Reliquary, right where they had first entered. Klaxons were blaring overhead and people were running this way and that, appearing to be preparing for a battle. Snow noticed many of them carried the very same white rifle that Michael had used when he had rescued her and Jackson from Tony Sinclair.

“Sara will have taken your friends to Ops,” said Michael, practically reading Snow’s mind. She had just been wondering where her friends had gone. "That’s where I need to go anyway. Come on!”

Michael led her across the Reliquary and to a door on the right side of the room. It was marked ‘Operations’. They hurried along a stark white corridor toward a set of reinforced doors. Michael held up his hand as they approached and the doors slid open. The room beyond the doors was unlike anything Snow had ever seen. The closest thing she could compare it to was the bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

Holographic displays of various systems were scattered around the room and there were screens hanging from the ceiling everywhere she looked showing information she didn’t understand. Snow began to look around for any sign of her friends, but her attention was drawn to an Asian woman who appeared to be around Michael’s age marching toward them.

“I’m glad you’re back, Knight-Commander,” she said briskly, brushing her black hair out of her deep brown eyes. Snow recognized her voice as belonging to the same person who had called Michael in Paris. “We’ve got… oh, is this another of our guests?”

“Yes, this is Snow,” said Michael. “Snow, this is Akiko Sato, my second in command. Most people around here just call her Kiki.”   

“It’s nice to meet you, Snow, but we’ll have time for proper introductions later… at least I hope so,” said Kiki nervously. “Sir, the remaining Coven airships are on an intercept course, but they’re approaching cautiously. They’ll be here in ten minutes. Based on their formation, I believe they intend to attack.”

“Very well,” said Michael gravely. “Are the barriers up?”

“Yes, and the pulse cannons are charged,” Kiki pursed her lips. “Michael, you know we can’t hold off three airships in our current situation. The magical barriers can’t stand up to a barrage like that. I hate to say it, but… I’m not sure we can win this.”

“I want to get Snow and her friends out of here,” said Michael briskly. “This isn’t where they need to be. Where are the others?”

“With Sara up by the World Map, but…” Kiki trailed off when Michael stalked passed her, Snow hurrying along at his heels.

“Mike, what is going on?” Snow gasped, rushing to keep up with him. “I don’t…”

“Understand, I know,” said Michael quickly. “I know and I’m sure you don’t. You don’t need to. Right now, I just need to get you girls out of here.”

They found Sara standing with Clara, Nikki, and Mary in the center of the room near a large holographic map of the world that was being emitted from a large square computer terminal. Sara seemed to be explaining what was happening and trying to keep the girls calm.

“Mike, there you are,” said Sara, sounding highly relieved. “What’s the plan? I thought you said they wouldn’t attack us!”

“Technically, they haven’t attacked us yet,” said Michael firmly. “Sara, I want to get your friends out of her in case this goes badly. I need a couple of Knights to escort them back to the house. We can’t blink them out with the barriers active, so they’ll have to walk.”

“I’ll find someone to take them, but Mike…”

“Sara, just find someone to take them back to the house,” Michael snapped. “I’ve got to talk to Kiki. Just go.” Michael quickly returned to Kiki and the two began a hurried conversation together. Snow couldn’t help but notice how scared Michael looked.

“Sara…?” Mary asked uncertainly. “What’s happening?”

“The beginning of the end of the world, perhaps,” said Sara quietly. She shook her head wearily. “Just wait right here. I’ll find someone to take you back to the house. Once you get there, get in your car and drive as far away as you can. You’re not going to want to be around here much longer.” She rushed away before any of them could say anything further.

“I… I’m not even sure what to say… what to think,” Clara whispered, looking around at the other three. “What happened? What… what is all this?”

“I mean, magic?” Nikki questioned nervously. “I never believed… And all this technology they have… If I didn’t know I was awake, I’d swear I was dreaming.”

“You’re not dreaming,” said Snow. “I can’t believe this either, but it’s real. It’s really real and honestly it scares me more than JTG does.”

“Same,” said Mary weakly. “At least JTG can’t do… all this. And Sara’s alive too? She’s been alive all this time, just hiding in Michael’s basement and we never knew.”

“She seems… different,” said Clara thoughtfully. “Sara, I mean. I don’t know… just talking to her today, she seems like she’s almost a different person. It’s still her, still Sara, but… not. She’s changed.”

“That sounds like a good thing to me,” said Nikki sagely. “I haven’t exactly missed the old Sara. I mean… well, I did, but…”

“We know what you meant, Nik,” said Snow reassuringly. “I don’t know if this new Sara is a good thing or not, but… I don’t even know where I was going with that. My brain is quite literally overloaded.” 

“I think all of ours are,” said Mary. “I thought last night was crazy, but all of this is just insane. By the way, what did Michael and Zoe talk to you about?”

Snow was just about to answer, although she had no idea what she was going to say, when she heard someone shout. A Middle-Eastern man rushed forward from the far end of the room and raced toward Michael and Kiki, shouting to them as he ran.

“Knight-Commander! Knight-Commander, we’ve just picked up a new group of inbound signals,” he exclaimed, waving them over to the World Map

“Mr. Moghadam, calm down,” said Kiki swiftly. “What’s happening?”

“You said new signals, Aram?” Michael asked. “Where? How many?” Aram tapped in a command on the World Map’s computer terminal and the image narrowed down to an overhead view of Stonehaven. Snow wasn’t completely sure what she was looking at, but she assumed that the three ovals that were moving toward Stonehaven must be the Coven airships. A moment later another oval appeared closely followed by another, then another two, then twelve more.

“Sixteen,” Aram said weakly. “And two troop transports… fully loaded.” Kiki gasped while Michael closed his eyes and shook his head, a look of grim defeat on his face.

“What?” Nikki asked, looking back and forth between them. “What is it?”

“This isn’t an attack,” said Kiki quietly. “Michael… this is a purge.”       

2: Chapter II: Kingdom Come

Snow did not like the word ‘purge’. In fact, there were a lot of things she had seen and heard that day that she didn’t like, but her least favorite was Kiki’s use of the word ‘purge’. It sent a chill down her spine, and despite not knowing exactly what was happening she knew no good could come from that word.

“What do you mean by ‘purge’?” Clara asked, giving voice to the question Snow had just been about to ask. “That sounds… you know, bad.”

“It is,” said Kiki tonelessly. “It means they plan to kill us all. If they just planned to shut us down they wouldn’t send an army. They’re planning to wipe us out.”

“Well, we’re not dead yet,” said Michael. Snow could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking hard.

“Maybe not, but we will be soon,” said Sara, rushing back over to join them. “There’s no point trying to get them out of here now. If they’re here to purge us, they’ll hunt down any vehicle that tries to get away. Right now, they’re safer here.”

“Right,” said Michael. “Right, let’s—”

"The Coven ships are targeting us,” Aram exclaimed suddenly. “They're preparing to fire." Michael shook his head fiercely, his gaze falling on Snow. She stared back at him, confused and afraid. She felt a hand clasp hers and she looked to her right to find Clara clinging tightly to her. She couldn’t suppress a sudden feeling of guilt. If Clara or the others got hurt or killed, it was she that brought them here. Clara squeezed her hand and Snow squeezed back.

“Kiki… is there any sign of…” Michael began. Kiki shook her head.

“Not yet,” she replied. “If we don’t get reinforcements soon, we won’t stand a chance.”

“Fine… contact our other facilities and tell them to go to ground,” Michael ordered. "And open a radio channel with the lead ship. We need to have a chat."

"Channel's open, sir," said Kiki, rolling her eyes. "For all the good it'll do."

"Salem's Fury, this is Knight-Commander Michael Ravenswood of the Dawnguard," he said in his sternest, most commanding voice. Snow had never heard him sound so forceful before. "You are violating Dawnguard airspace. Withdraw now."

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Knight-Commander,” a rather gravelly voice replied through overhead speakers. “I have my orders. Power down your weapons and surrender now. There’s no need to make this harder than it has to be.”

"And I think you know I can't do that," Michael countered. "We have a job to do. If you start this, we will defend ourselves."

"You are horribly outmatched. Stand down or be destroyed. Stonehaven stands no chance against our firepower."

"He's right," Kiki said firmly. "Michael... you know he is. We can't fight. We have to leave.”

“We don’t have time to secure the Reliquary for transport, much less the rest of the city,” said Aram. “If we leave, the Coven will capture Stonehaven!”

“If we stay, they’re going to wipe us out,” said Sara. “Stonehaven doesn’t do us much good if we’re dead. Mike…?”

“Kiki… tell our people to make evacuation preparations,” said Michael grimly. “We’re leaving… but we’re coming back. Tell Atlantis to plan on housing us for the next while. Let’s—”

"Sir, we've got additional Blink Drive signatures on approach," Kiki said suddenly. "Dozens of them!"

"Coven?" Sara asked.

"No," said Michael, a wide smile appearing on his face. "Divinity." Snow had no idea what Divinity was or why Michael seemed so happy about it until she looked at the monitor with the others. Outside, three dozen airships had appeared above Stonehaven in brilliant flashes of white light. These new arrivals were different than the Coven's airships, however. These were long, sleek, and as white as new fallen snow. Motes of orange light rose up from indented circles along the ships' hulls and gathered to form glowing spheres. Suddenly, a woman's voice boomed through the speakers.

"I am Princess Sienna Varona of the Kingdom of Divinity.” Michael let out a loud shout of excitement. “As of this moment, Stonehaven is under my protection. Withdraw.”

"By order of the Grand Enchanter of the Witches' Coven, Stonehaven is to be purged. We mean Divinity no conflict. Do not interfere.”

"Why not?" Sienna asked smugly. "Those little toys you're flying? Divinity built them before I was born. My ships are newer, faster, and vastly more heavily armed. I could wipe out the entire Coven armada in the blink of an eye. I will give you one final chance to withdrawn from Dawnguard airspace and return to the Coven. There, you will tell your vaunted Grand Enchanter that the Dawnguard is under my protection."

"We..."

"Or..." Sienna interrupted, sounding almost bored. "You can remain here and fight. But if you do, I will consider it an act of war against Divinity and the Nine Realms. I will burn the Coven fleet from the skies and then I'll march on Manhattan where I will destroy the rest of the Coven fleet and then raze the Triskelion and Newcastle Academy to the ground. I will erase the Coven completely if you cross me. You cannot hope to stand against the might of Divinity. I am the Goddess of War and I will unleash the fires of Hell itself upon you if you challenge me. Leave. Now!"

It seemed even the most stubborn of witches couldn’t ignore that. With a pulsing flash of brilliant white light, the Coven airships were gone. All around Operations, cheers went up when the Coven ships vanished. People were clapping, hugging, and celebrating. Michael, trying to make himself heard, was shouting over the crowd.

“Kiki! Stand down tactical alert and open a channel to the Arcadia,” Michael called to her. “I’d like to talk to Sienna.”

“We’ve already been hailed, sir,” Kiki replied. “Her Highness is taking care of matters aboard her ship and then she’ll be on her way down. Expect her within the hour.”     

“Right,” said Michael. “We need to start making preparations for her arrival. We’ll need rooms prepared. Snap to and get to work, people! We’ve got royalty coming for a visit.”

Snow didn’t get a chance to talk to Michael as the Dawnguard went about preparing for Princess Sienna’s arrival. She and her friends sat huddled together out of the way, rarely speaking, watching the Dawnguard members as they bustled this way and that. At last, Michael returned with Sara and Kiki and hurried over to them.

“Our guest is on her way down,” said Michael. “Would you like to come meet her with us?”

~~~~~~~

Michael took Clara, Nikki, Mary, Sara, Snow, and Kiki up to the roof of the Library where they awaited the arrival of Princess Sienna, who Michael had said very little about. Floating high above them, the Divinity airships gathered into a loose formation over Stonehaven while smaller, single seat airships began to fly patrol formations around the perimeter of the fortress. A sleek craft with wide windows along the length of its hull soared away from the largest of the Divinity airships and settled onto the landing pad before them. A door folded down from the back of the ship to form a ramp and two men in golden armor with white accents emerged. Behind them, a woman that couldn't possibly be more than a few years older than Snow herself came after the soldiers who then walked behind her, flanking her as she walked toward them.

“So…” Snow said quietly as the princess and her guards approached. “Who is she, exactly? And where is she from?”

“That is Sienna Varona, Princess of the Kingdom of Divinity,” said Michael. “She’s also my cousin.” It took several seconds for that comment to fully register in Snow’s mind.

“Wait, your cousin is a princess?” Snow gasped. Michael nodded.

“Well, we’re distant cousins,” he confirmed. “I did tell you yesterday that I was the Prince of Stonehaven. My family has crossed between this realm and Sienna’s for centuries. She’s only been in power for four years, but in that time she put an end to a decades long war with a neighboring kingdom and brought peace and prosperity back to the realm.”

“Seriously?” Snow asked incredulously. “She can’t be much older than I am.”

“She’s nineteen, actually,” said Michael. “She was fifteen when she rose to power. She’s one hell of a lady, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah…” Snow said quietly. “It sounds like she is.”

By this point Sienna and her guards had almost reached them and Snow was able to get her first good look at the princess. She was hardly an imposing woman, only a few inches taller than Snow herself. She had lovely, delicate features and brilliantly blue eyes that where enhanced by her stark white hair and rather pale skin. Snow might have called her beautiful, but regal simply took precedence. She was every bit the perfect image of a princess. She was at least until she reached the assembled group. Her face broke into a wide smile and she rushed toward Michael, flowing blue gown bouncing around her.

“Mike!” She exclaimed, rushing forward and embracing him warmly. “It’s been too long. You don’t call, you don’t write… A girl might start to think you’ve forgotten about her. You didn’t even send a gift for my coronation!” Michael turned and glared daggers at Kiki.

“I told you to send something,” he said fiercely. Kiki rolled her eyes.

“And I told you to send something yourself,” she snapped back. “She’s your family, it should be from you.”

“I like you,” said Sienna, turning to Kiki. “I assume you’re keeping this goof in line?”

“I try Your Grace, but he takes so much looking after,” said Kiki idly. Sienna shook her head.

“Please, dear girl, none of that ‘Your Grace’ business. You are not my subjects. I’m a guest in your home so Sienna will be just fine.” The princess’s gaze shifted to Snow and her friends and her eyes widened.

“My goodness, the Dawnguard is recruiting younger and younger these days. Teenagers, Michael? Really?”

“Only Sara here is a member,” said Michael, pointing her out. “The others are her friends. This is Mary, Clara, Nikki, and Snow.”

Snow wasn’t sure if she should bow, curtsy, or perhaps kiss the princess’s hand. Based on her interaction with Kiki, she wouldn’t care. However, as it was her first time meeting royalty she didn’t know what to do. Once glance at her friends and she knew they were just as unsure as she was.

“Don’t look so frightened, ladies,” said Sienna, a smile gracing her lips. “I promise, I don’t bite. Just don’t tell the Coven that, I’m pretty sure they’re scared to death of me now.” She turned to Michael, her smile fading slightly. “Speaking of which, dear cousin, we need to talk. Now.”

“Right,” said Michael, turning once again to Kiki. “Please assemble the senior staff, Kiki. We have a meeting with the princess.” Michael offered Sienna his hand and then led her back inside the Library, followed closely by the armored guards.  

“Well, that was… interesting,” said Clara when they were alone.

“Yeah, I… I’d never met Sienna before but she’s not at all what I was expecting,” said Sara. “I was expecting someone more… prim and proper.”

“You almost sound disappointed,” said Mary as Sara led them back inside and downstairs to the Reliquary.

“No, just surprised,” said Sara. “She’s so young and… I don’t know, she’s just not what I was expecting.” She shook her head. “Well, there’s no point hanging around here. They’ll be busy for the next while anyway. Since we’ve got time and aren’t about to die I figured we could continue the tour.”

“I’d like to talk about what happened, if you don’t mind?” Nikki said abruptly. “I didn’t understand all of that, but it sounded like we were on the verge of being in the middle of a war.”

“You are in the middle of a war,” Sara said firmly. “A war with the demon Sebastian and a cold war with the Coven that just about turned hot a few minutes ago.”

“All of this is seriously crazy,” said Clara fretfully. Snow agreed completely, but she chose not to press the issue. Instead, she and her friends followed Sara across the Reliquary and through a door on that far side labeled “Mind Altering Relics: Extremely Dangerous”.

“By the way, don’t touch anything in here,” said Sara warningly. As they stepped into the room, Snow thought they had gone outside. The floor was covered in dirt, roots, and vines. Plants of all shapes and sizes covered the walls and floor as they made their way toward the center of the room. There, in a wide clearing, stood two trees roughly thirty feet apart. They were slightly illuminated by an overhead skylight. The tree on the right was tall with low handing branches that held shiny, delicious looking fruit. The one on the left looked like something out of a nightmare. The trunk was blackened and twisted and the limbs looked as though they might come alive and devour passersby. Inky black fruit hung from its limbs, eaten through with rot.

“What is this?” Snow asked as Clara, Nikki, and Mary drifted away closer to the trees.

“This is all that’s left of the Garden of Eden,” said Sara. “The tree on the right is the Tree of Life. The one on the left is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”

“Adam and Eve ate from that thing?” Snow asked, nodding toward the horrifying tree. “Why would anyone go near something that looked like that?”

“It didn’t always look like that,” said Sara. “According to Dawnguard legend the tree was corrupted by demonic energies. The Garden of Eden was all but destroyed, but the Tree of Life was able to keep the darkness from consuming it. The two have been locked in an endless cycle ever since, neither side able to overcome the other but at the same time dependant on each other. Light and darkness, good and evil…”

“Yin and yang,” Snow finished quietly.

“Right,” said Sara. “Balance. Light cannot exist without darkness. Good cannot exist without evil.”

“I didn’t come here for a philosophy lesson,” said Snow.

“This isn’t philosophy,” said Sara firmly. “This is the beginning, Snow. These two trees are fighting a battle that will never end. Good can never defeat evil and evil can never defeat good. The two sides are utterly and endlessly interconnected. They achieved balance… they created the balance. Our entire universe is formed around that balance and the universe must be kept in balance. The universe is like a clock, Snow. All the pieces inside are delicate and precise. If even one of them is out of place, the clock won’t work. There are beings out there in the ether that protect that balance, that grand design, to ensure all the delicate pieces stay in perfect working order.”

“So… if something were to upset that balance?” Snow wondered uncertainly.

“I don’t know, but I can’t imagine it would be anything good,” Sara replied. She shook her head. “Let’s just hope that never happens.”      

“Yeah… sure,” said Snow uncertainly, reaching into her pocket for her phone. “Oh, crap. I think I left my phone in Michael’s room. Is it okay if I go and get it?” She felt she should ask permission before she wandered off on her own through the Library.

“Sure,” said Sara indifferently. “Go ahead. We’ll wait here until you get back.”

Snow left her friends and took the elevator back up to Michael’s house. She had expected it to be empty, but when she arrived on the top floor she noticed that the door was slightly open and she could hear voices coming from inside.

“There was one thing I told you not to do,” Sienna was saying, pacing back and forth in front of Michael, Brad, Kiki, Aram, and Zoe where they were seated on the sofa and in a couple of armchairs. “One simple thing! What was that easy little thing? Anyone?”

“Don’t provoke the Coven,” said Michael quietly.

“Oho!” Sienna exclaimed. “Don’t. Provoke. The Coven. And so, what did you do?”

“We… provoked the Coven,” said Michael and Brad together in slow, nervous voices.

“Too right you did,” Sienna grumbled. “And now look at what you’ve gotten us into. The Coven is looking to wipe you out. They may be easily scared off, but they’ll be back soon and in greater numbers.”

“Well, I guess we’re really lucky that you’re here with your fleet,” said Brad. “I mean… you know, you can fight them off. You can beat the Coven.”

“Of course I can beat the Coven,” said Sienna dryly. “That’s not the issue. I’m not concerned with beating the Coven, I’m bothered by the fact that I have to. You’ve dragged Divinity into your war, a war my kingdom has no business or interest in fighting. But let’s assume for a moment that I agree to help you defeat the Coven. What then? If what I know of the Grand Enchanter is true, he’ll fight to the last man. What happens once the Coven is gone? There will be a massive power vacuum. Is the Dawnguard prepared to deal with that? I hope so, because I can’t stay here forever. I have a kingdom to rule and my airships are needed back home.”      

“We don’t have to destroy the Coven,” Kiki put in helpfully. “We just have to bring them to heel. We have to show them that we aren’t just going to lie down and die. If we show them we’re just as capable as they are—”

“But you’re not,” Sienna interrupted. “The Dawnguard isn’t as capable as the Coven. If you were, you wouldn’t have been ten seconds away from getting your asses handed to you when my fleet arrived. The only reason the Coven aren’t burning Stonehaven to the ground and scattering the ashes is because they’re afraid of risking Divinity’s wrath… my wrath.”

“So… if we can’t destroy the Coven and we’re not going to be a match for them once you’re gone…” Brad muttered quietly. “Then we need another solution.”

“Kiki’s right. We don’t have to destroy the Coven,” said Zoe thoughtfully. “Look, not all witches agree with the direction the Coven has gone. Most of them don’t have a choice but to go along with it, but if we can give them an alternative... I mean, it all goes back to the Grand Enchanter, after all. He’s the one who started the Coven down this path. Maybe if he were removed…”

“Killed, you mean?” Aram asked nervously. “We’re the Dawnguard, Zoe. We don’t assassinate people.”

“I didn’t say kill him,” Zoe replied. “I just said removed. If he weren’t in power, then maybe we could bring about change. Before him, the Coven was welcoming and friendly. Anyone could study at Newcastle so long as they had magic, but once our newest Grand Enchanter took power… well, things have changed.”

“The Coven hasn’t always been so... elitist,” Michael admitted, although he sounded reluctant to do so. “But they have been for a very long time. What’s the general consensus like among the rest of the Witches Council, Zoe? Is everyone united or is there some division?”

“Oh, there’s division,” said Zoe, nodding emphatically. “Trust me. No organized resistance to the Enchanter’s policies or anything, but every Council session is… lively. Not all of us support him and I’d wager quite a few among the Council would love to see him ousted. I know for a fact that there was quite the uproar when the Grand Enchanter first proposed shutting down the Dawnguard, but… I don’t know how we’d get rid of him; he’s still got too much support from the upper echelons of Coven society, but… but maybe there’s a way.”

“Either way, we have time,” said Brad firmly. “The Coven aren’t just going to turn around and come flying back now that there are a couple dozen Divinity cruisers up there. They’re outmatched and they know it. They’ll be back, but not for a long while. We can come up with a plan in the meantime. For now, since you’re all here, we need to discuss the Snow problem.”

Snow’s pulse quickened when Brad said her name. What did he mean? What was ‘the Snow problem’?

“You told him?” Michael asked, turning angrily to Zoe. “You told Brad of all people? Really, Zoe, and without even bothering to tell me first?”

“He’s a member of your leadership council,” said Zoe delicately. “He deserved to know what we discovered. It affects all of us, Brad included. He has to be part of the decision making process as we move forward.”

“Hi, excuse me, new girl here,” said Sienna airily. “What’s the Snow problem?”

“Well, you like to run your mouth, Zoe,” said Michael sagely. “Go ahead, tell her.”

“One of the girls you met when you arrived, Snow, she… she is something very special,” said Zoe. “I believe she’s the first recorded case of genetic magic.”

“That’s… impossible,” said Sienna quietly.

“Improbable,” Zoe countered succinctly. “But not impossible. This girl… she’s magic. It isn’t in her blood, her blood itself is magic; pure concentrated magic. She’s made of magic. She’s powerful beyond anything I’ve ever seen and I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of her abilities. I can scarcely imagine what she would be capable of given proper tutelage.”

“Or if she falls into the hands of Sebastian,” said Brad hotly. “She’s dangerous and Sebastian wouldn’t hesitate to turn her into a weapon.”

“A weapon we would have little hope to defeat,” Zoe added.  

“So… what are we going to do?” Aram wondered. “I mean, do we keep her here in the city or…” He broke off when Brad fixed him with a sharp stare.

“Brad’s not interested in protecting Snow,” said Michael. “No… no, not at all. Brad, why don’t you tell them what you want to do? Come on, share with the class.”

“We can’t risk the safety of the world for one person,” said Brad firmly. “We need to put her down.”

“I’m sorry, ‘put her down’?” Kiki exclaimed, while Snow felt her own heart skip a beat. Brad wanted to kill her? Why? Michael and Zoe had promised to protect her. Michael had sworn that everything would be okay. She had believed him. Surely he wouldn’t…

“No way,” said Aram. “We… we can’t do that. That’s not us, not the Dawnguard. We don’t just kill innocent girls, we… we… Mike, tell me we aren’t going to do this.”

“We have to do this,” said Brad. “Our job, our duty, is to protect the world.”

“Not at the expense of Snow’s life,” said Michael firmly. “We save lives, Brad. We don’t take them.”

“She’s just one person!” Brad exclaimed, standing angrily to his feet. “She’s one life. One soul… verses eight and a half billion! Even if it’s Snow, Mike, you’ve got to face fact. Her life isn’t worth risking the fate of all humanity. We have to protect the world. Snow has to die. End of story.”

“This is bullshit,” said Kiki hotly. She turned, furious, to Michael. “Mike, we’ve known each other for eight years. We’re friends, we’ve worked together and rebuilt the Dawnguard together, but… but if we’re even considering this then I’m out. I mean it, I’ll go home right now, pack my shit, and be out of town before nightfall. Murdering teenage girls isn’t what I signed up for.”

“Me either,” said Aram shakily. “If this is what we’re doing, I’m leaving too.”

“As am I,” said Sienna, speaking for the first time in a long while. “I didn’t come here to watch children be slaughtered. I won’t stand for it. If this course of action is chosen, I cannot stop you. But I will return to Divinity and take my airships with me. Divinity will play no part in this, I promise you.”

“You’d really let the Coven destroy us over one girl?” Brad asked, incredulous. “You’re a queen, Sienna! You must understand necessary sacrifice.”

“I understand sacrifice better than most, Bradley,” said Sienna, her voice suddenly cold. “I know very well what sacrifices are necessary and what ones are not. What you suggest is unthinkable and no civilized human being would ever consider it as a viable option. So yes, if the Dawnguard chooses to pursue this I will not only withdraw my forces and return home, I will publicly denounce the Dawnguard in each of the Nine Realms and permit the Coven free reign to do with you as they will. My help is free, but it comes with conditions. This is one of them.”

“Alright, everyone calm down,” said Michael sharply. “Kiki, Aram, Sienna, you can relax. We are not considering this. It’s not even on the table.”

“Michael,” Brad said in a fierce voice. “I swear to God, you’re… you’re so fucking stupid. You’re in love with the girl, I get it. You don’t want to lose her, I know. Hell, do you think I want to do this? God, Mike, she’s a sixteen year old girl! Her life is just beginning and I don’t want to be responsible for ending it. I don’t want to kill her, but we have to. We don’t have a choice. If we let her live and Sebastian takes her, that’s it. Game over.”

“She’s just a kid,” said Michael quietly. “She’s… she’s just a kid. She’s barely sixteen years old and she… she doesn’t deserve any of this. She doesn’t want to be… whatever she is. She just wants to be… a kid. She’s already been through so much, and she… Jesus, she’s the purest soul I’ve ever met. She loves with everything she is and I… I will not allow any more harm or pain to come to her. Certainly not anything caused by our war, that’s for sure. She’s been through enough. She’s suffered enough. Zoe, you promised her that you would help her. Do you still intend to do that?”

“Of course,” said Zoe stoically.

“Then do it,” said Michael. “As for the rest of us, we redouble our efforts to combat Sebastian and keep Snow safe from him. She’s our priority now. That’s…”

“Not enough,” said Brad, his voice deathly quiet. “It’s not nearly enough. If you won’t do what needs to be done, Michael, then I will.” Michael stood to his feet, an air of calm control around him.

“I will tell you this only once,” he said firmly. “If you lay a hand on Snow, it will be the last thing you ever do. I will kill you and that is a promise.”

“You’re a bastard,” Brad snapped. Judging from the look on his face, Snow felt certain Brad was about to punch Michael. “After what you did to Mary, you honestly think you’ve got some moral high ground to look down on me and…”

“Stop,” said Snow, pushing open the door and stepping inside. Every eye in the room turned to stare at her and she immediately regretted her decision to interrupt. She hadn’t given much thought to what she intended to do afterwards.

“Snow,” Michael exclaimed nervously. “We… we were just…”

“I know what you were doing,” said Snow. “I heard the whole conversation. I came up here to get my phone and I heard you talking. I heard everything.”

“Listen, no one’s going to hurt you,” said Michael, using his most reassuring voice. “Brad just…”

“I heard,” Snow repeated, glancing at Brad. Their eyes met for a brief moment. “He wants to kill me.”    

“Snow, it’s… it’s not like that,” said Brad delicately. Snow noted that he seemed far less sure of himself now that he was face to face with her. “It’s… Okay, you don’t know what Sebastian is like. He’s not some sympathetic storybook villain that has a tragic past. He’s just pure evil. He’s sick and twisted. He kills for sport. The things he does to the young women he takes, it’s… They’re barely recognizable as human once he disposes of them. If he gets you, makes you use your power for his goals... he’d be unstoppable.”

“I don’t even know how to use my power, whatever it is,” said Snow. “What use am I to anyone if I can’t do magic? I couldn’t help Sebastian if I wanted to.”

“You only need to be taught,” Zoe said promptly. “With the proper teacher, magic would likely come as naturally to you as breathing does to the rest of us. I can teach you and so could Sebastian.”

“Exactly,” said Brad. “With your power under his control he won’t even need to breed a new army. He’ll already have one.”

“Then why don’t we teach her?” Sienna asked curiously. “I mean, if Snow has this power why don’t we teach her how to use it? If she can control her gifts, she can protect herself.”

“It’s… not the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” said Brad, but he sounded quite uncertain.

“It wouldn’t take much doing,” Zoe added. “Magic flows through her easily. She would make an excellent student.”

“But even if we do teach her, she’ll still be no match for Sebastian,” said Brad firmly. “He’s a Demon Lord, the most powerful of their kind. At the height of his strength—”

“Sebastian isn’t at the height of his strength,” Kiki interrupted. “He’s still using his Thralls to probe our operations because he can’t come at us himself. He’s too weak. If we train Snow, he won’t be able to attack her either… at least for now.”

“It’s still dangerous,” said Brad hotly. “He has his Thralls and… and whatever attacked Zoe at her bookstore.”

“I thought that was a gas line explosion,” Snow said, recalling the report on the news about the explosion that had destroyed the entire shopping center. Zoe shook her head.

“No, that was an assassination attempt,” she explained. “Sebastian has developed a new weapon. I believe, though I can’t be certain, that he has found a way to imbue Thralls with magic. The girl that attacked me was powerful, but untrained. Still, if he is able to perfect this, then… we will have a very serious problem.”

“We already have a serious problem,” said Brad. “We…”

“Have ‘the Snow problem’,” said Snow grimly. “Look, Brad… Honestly, I agree with you.”

“Wait… you do?” Brad asked, surprised.

“What’s one life compared to eight billion, right?” Snow said firmly. “If I have to die to save the world, then… so be it.”

“Snow, can I talk to you alone?” Michael said abruptly, standing to his feet. Snow knew exactly what Michael was going to say, but she felt she couldn’t refuse him. Slowly, she nodded. Michael led Snow out onto the balcony, pulling the sliding glass door closed behind them. Snow went over to the railing while Michael lingered behind her, seemingly collecting his thoughts.

“Snow, what you’re offering to do… I get it. It’s damned honorable and I respect that, but…”

“Eight and a half billion lives, Michael,” Snow said quietly, turning to look at him with tears shining in her eyes. She knew it was the right decision, but fighting Michael about it hurt her deeply. She wasn’t entirely sure why. “I… How can I ask everyone to put their lives on the line for me? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, after all. I can’t ask that… and I can’t let you take that risk. It’s not right. It’s not fair. I’m just one person. Are you really telling me you’d risk letting everyone on Earth die just for me?”

“A million times over,” Michael said so firmly that Snow stared at him in surprise. “Today, tomorrow, and everyday after that. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Snow. All you need to do is ask and it will be done.”

“Then let me do this,” Snow pleaded. “Let me make this choice. It’s the right thing to do, Mike, you know it is.”

“He’s not strong enough to come after you yet,” said Michael. “In fact, it’s likely Sebastian doesn’t even know the extent of your abilities—”

“I don’t even know the extent of my abilities,” said Snow hotly. “Neither do you, for that matter. You and Zoe keep telling me that I have all this magic, but I’ve never done anything remotely magical. I don’t even know h—” Michael turned and sent a wave of fire rushing toward her, arcing from his fingertips. Snow screamed and threw up her hands. A blast of icy wind rippled from her palms, instantly dispersing the flames. Snow lowered her hands slowly, gasping for breath and staring at Michael with wide, frightened eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” She snapped, furious. “You could have killed me!”

“Well, you did just ask me to let you die to save the world,” said Michael pointedly. “And you just used magic. On your own. That’s the thing about magic, Snow; it tends to come naturally. So, how did it feel?”

Snow was seriously beginning to think Michael was crazy. He had just tried to murder her with fire from his fingers. How did he think she felt? That was such a stupid question. She felt… she felt… She looked down at her hands, realizing that she was shaking like a leaf. And yet still, she felt good. She thought back to that moment, when her body had reacted instinctively to the threat. She remembered the surge of power coursing through her. She had loved it.

“It felt good,” Snow admitted, although she felt a strong sense of reluctance in doing so. “It felt amazing… like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I felt powerful and… and I want to feel that way again.”

“So… you want to learn magic?” Michael asked. “You want to learn how to control your power?”

“I think I do,” said Snow. “I… I don’t really have a choice, do I? Either I learn to protect myself or die. Yeah, I want to learn. I think. I don’t know. This is all so much, so fast. I don’t know how to deal with this. I don’t know… I don’t know what to do.”

“Michael?” Sienna called, easing the balcony door open. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but could I speak with Snow for a moment?”

“Sure, CeCe,” said Michael uncertainly. “I’ll just… wait inside.”

“Actually, I was hoping Snow could come with me,” said Sienna. “I’ve not yet had a chance to visit my accommodations and frankly I’d like to change clothing.” The princess didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, she looped her arm through Snow’s and led her back inside and out on the landing beyond. They circled the floor and reached a door on the far side that led to a long, beautifully decorated corridor.

“So, you’re quite an intriguing little thing,” Sienna said thoughtfully. “The first recorded case of genetic magic. You must be excited.”

“That’s not the word I would use,” said Snow quietly. “I never wanted this… to have magic. I just wanted to be normal.” Sienna smiled sadly.

“Dear girl, I can safely say I know that very feeling,” she said wisely. “If you were to ask a little girl what she wanted to be when she grew up, she might well say a princess. Very few, if any, would say a queen. I never wanted the responsibility that I now find myself with. I wanted to be a princess, not a queen. I never wanted power, but I was forced to take it.”

“Why is that?” Snow asked as Sienna stopped in front a door halfway down the corridor. She opened it and they stepped into a lavish suite fit for, fittingly, a queen. “I mean, why were you forced to take power?”  

“My father died,” said Sienna. She didn’t sound sad. She circled the room, seeming to evaluate it. Whether the room met Sienna’s requirements or not, Snow couldn’t tell. Her face was impassive.

“My father was cruel,” Sienna said at last, vanishing behind highly polished oak changing divider. Judging from the sounds coming from behind the divider, Sienna was changing clothes. “He was a vicious man who showed no mercy for his enemies… and he saw enemies everywhere. His hatred resulted in our kingdom becoming locked in a war for decades that drained our coffers and nearly destroyed us. Slowly, he alienated those closest to him until one night… he turned on me. My personal guard, Tristan, has protected me since birth. He was there, just outside and he… When my father attacked me, he protected me. He fought off my father and… well, I don’t believe he meant to do it, but he killed my father. He killed the king. The next morning, I was crowned Queen of Divinity and was suddenly left to rule a kingdom in the midst of a war.”

“That… that sounds…” Snow muttered uncertainly. She wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t know this woman and yet here she was sharing a painful, personal experience with her. She didn’t know how to respond. She sank down on the edge of the bed, wondering what it was Sienna wanted with her.

“It wasn’t where I wanted to be,” said Sienna. “It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was where I found myself. I hated it at times and I struggled with many decisions, but in the end I was the right person to save my kingdom. Now, a mere four years later, Divinity is the most powerful kingdom in the Nine Realms and I can proudly say I led us there.”

“That’s great,” said Snow. “I’m happy for you, really, I just… I guess I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”

“I’m telling you this because as much as I wanted to be a princess, my people needed a queen,” said Sienna. “And although I couldn’t see it at the time, a queen was what I was meant to be. You, little Snow, are meant for great things. You have a power within you that no one else has. You can do things no one else can. You may be scared now… hell, you’ll probably be scared four years into this. I know I am. The point is you have a gift. It was given to you for a reason. Whatever you think of it or how much you may wish you didn’t have it; you were given this gift for a purpose. You were meant to have this power and the time will come, one day, when you will be very glad you have it.”

Sienna came back around the divider, tying her stark white hair up into a messy pony tail behind her head. She wore a pair of jeans and a loose fitting gray tank top. She smirked at the surprised look on Snow’s face.

“All that said, just because you will one day appreciate your gift and find yourself glad to have it doesn’t mean you won’t on occasion want to just be a normal girl,” Sienna said, grinning. She sat down on the bed next to Snow. She pressed down on the mattress and then lay back across it. She let out a contented sigh.

“If nothing else, Michael can sure pick a good mattress,” she commented. “Try it out with me?” Snow wasn’t at all comfortable with lying in bed with a woman she barely knew, but she felt she could hardly refuse a queen. She slowly settled back across the bed, letting out a long breath as she did so.

“I know about what Michael did to your friend Mary,” said Sienna quietly after a few moments. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry, and… well, I hope you won’t judge Michael too harshly…”

“Too harshly?” Snow asked more angrily than she knew she should have. She forgot, just for a moment, who she was talking to. “He raped…”

“I know what he did,” Sienna said calmly. “I know it’s a terrible thing. I know because it happened to me. So believe me when I say I understand exactly what has happened here.”

“I’m sorry, I… I didn’t know, I…” Snow muttered, feeling quite embarrassed.

“Of course you didn’t,” Sienna replied kindly.

“But if you… if you’ve been through something like that then surely you understand my feelings about Michael?”

“I do,” said Sienna. “If he were a citizen of Divinity I would have him executed. Rape is a capital crime in Divinity, no matter the sex of the aggressor. But Michael isn’t under my rule, and in his case… Well, there’s more to it. I assume you know about his sister, Riley? She was three and Michael was watching her while she swam. He looked away for just a moment, but in that time the little girl drowned. He blamed himself and so did his parents. He took it hard… really hard. Riley’s death shaped Michael into who he is today. He dedicated himself to protecting the people he cares about by any means necessary. To him, the ends justify the means. Raping Mary to protect her from a far worse fate is acceptable to Michael because in his mind, as I said, the ends justify the means.”

“I understand that, but that’s not really an excuse,” said Snow. “He still raped her. That’s unforgivable.”

“I’m simply saying that perspective is important,” said Sienna gently. “When my subjects come before me to lodge a complaint against a neighbor, I try to see things from the perspective of both sides. This is important for a number of reasons but primarily it helps me remain impartial despite my personal feelings on the matter at hand.”

“So I should look at this from Michael’s perspective because it’ll help me… what?”

“It will help you understand Michael’s mindset,” said Sienna. “Contrary to what you may believe, Michael is a good man. He’s made mistakes and he has… he has problems. Riley’s death destroyed him and he’s never fully recovered. He failed his little sister, a girl he loved dearly. He’s spent his life trying to make up for that failure, but it will never be enough. Every life he saves, every ounce of pain he spares someone… it’s never enough. He makes his choices based his desire to ease the guilt that grips his heart. That’s what drives him… often to the wrong decision.”

“I didn’t realize…” Snow said quietly. She didn’t know what to say. She had known about Riley, of course. Michael had told her about his little sister’s death when they had met at the Barista months before. She had known that her death had affected him, but not to such an extent. She wasn’t sure how knowing this made her feel. It certainly didn’t help simplify her feelings.

“I don’t mean to try to influence you either way,” said Sienna after a moment. “I only wish for you to know the whole truth.”

“No… yeah, I mean…” Snow took a deep breath. “Thank you, Princess.”

“Okay, enough of all this business,” said Sienna, motioning for Snow to follow her toward the door. “We must be getting back. I have to contact Divinity and ensure things are going well. It’s difficult ruling a kingdom from another realm, but I’ve left my most trusted advisors in charge while I’m away. Still, I worry.”

Sienna led the way back down the hall toward Michael’s rooms, Snow’s mind running at full speed the whole time. If nothing else, Sienna had given her a lot to think about. As Sara had said, Sienna was certainly not at all what she had been expecting. She hoped she got more time to speak with her in the future. Sienna was most definitely interesting, if not as regal as she first appeared. As they approached the door to Michael’s house, Zoe came out and walked toward them.  

“Michael’s waiting for you inside,” she said quickly. She nodded toward the door emphatically.

“Okay…” Snow said uncertainly. “If you want me to leave so you can talk to Sienna in private, you can just say so. I won’t be offended.” She turned and went inside without another word. Once the door closed behind her, Zoe turned to Sienna with uncertain eyes. Sienna glanced up at her and arched her eyebrows.

“Is there something you’d like to ask me, Zoe?” Sienna wondered.

“Oh… oh, well actually yes,” said Zoe. “I was wondering… I doubt you remember, you were just a child when I came to your father, but…”

“I remember your visit quite well, Zoe Emison,” said Sienna firmly. “You were the first witch I’d ever met.”

“Right,” said Zoe. “Well, I was just wondering about… about the man I brought with me. I came to your father to ask if he would allow him to live in Divinity and out of the Coven’s reach. I wanted to know if he… well, if he’s doing okay? You may not even know what happened to him, but I thought…”

“Your man is perfectly fine,” said Sienna gently. “In fact, Alden is more than fine. He is one of my most trusted advisors and a dear friend. He’s quite lucky you brought him to Divinity when you did, before my father sank into madness. But since you’ve asked me a question, now I have one for you. Alden ran to Divinity for a reason, and I understand why he had to. I wanted to ask about the girl. Does she know… what she is?”

“Of course not, and she never can know,” said Zoe. “As long as she never finds out, the Coven won’t come looking for her. I promised Alden I would protect her and I intend to keep that promise. If her magic remains buried…”

“Well Zoe, you know better than I do that magic has this nasty little habit of announcing itself when you least want it to,” said Sienna. “I would be immensely surprised if the girl’s magic didn’t show itself at some point. You’d be better off telling her the truth now.”

“She’s happy not knowing,” said Zoe firmly. “I’m not about to go tell the poor child that she’s half witch! Especially considering… Sienna, she’d be an outcast and that’s assuming the Coven don’t strip her of her magic. That might very well kill her… not that the Grand Enchanter would care.”

“The girl is in your care, Zoe,” said Sienna quietly, turning to walk away. “I’m just giving you an opinion. At the end of the day, the decision is yours. Just… make sure you get it right. You don’t get another chance if you screw it up.”

~~~~~~~~

“And our top story tonight; continuing coverage of the tragedy at the abandoned mine. As we reported this morning, sixteen year old Steven Williams allegedly kidnapped five local teenagers and held them in the facility. Williams’ victims were able to turn the tables on him and sixteen year old Jackson Binghamton, a close friend of Williams, was forced to shoot him. Williams died at the scene.

“Tonight we have more information to report. The Mistbrook Falls Police Department have confirmed that Williams suffered from a number of psychological and behavioral disorders that appear to have intensified when Williams stopped taking his prescribed medications. This resulted in a violent and rage-fueled attack on a group of Williams’ former friends. The MFPD have also confirmed that the shooting has been ruled to be in self defense. No charges will be filed against Jackson Binghamton. And now over to Chief Meteorologist Spencer Hastings with the weather. Spencer?”

Carmel turned off the TV and held her phone up to her ear. “I just watched the report. It… they’re making him sound like he was crazy. ‘A violent and rage-fueled attack’? That wasn’t the Steven I knew. He was kind and sweet, I… I don’t understand. People knew him here. How could they say things like that about him? It can’t be true… can it?”

“I’m sorry, Carmel, but I did warn you,” said JTG, the usual electronic scrambling in place. “That’s the way this town works. I told you those girls would get off free and clear. They weren’t even mentioned in the news report. Jackson may have pulled the trigger, but those girls tortured Steven for years. Sara Blake was the instigator, but they went right along with her. They bullied him and he and I finally decided to do something about it.”

“Fine, maybe something needed to be done, but…” Carmel sighed heavily. “If you plan to kill them, I can’t help you. I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“Oh Carmel, you silly girl,” said JTG. “I have no intention of killing our little liars. Believe me, if I wanted them dead I could have killed them months ago. I won’t lie, Steven wanted them dead. I can’t blame him given how they treated him, but I don’t want that. I want them to suffer for what they’ve done. I want them to pay for their sins. I want justice; not just for Steven but for all the people Sara Blake and her friends have trampled on.”

“So… you’re after the truth?” Carmel could almost hear the smile on JTG’s lips.

“The truth is all that matters, Carmel. Now, will you help me? Will you work with me to use the truth to make those bitches pay for their crimes and get justice for your brother?” Carmel hesitated for a long moment. No matter what JTG said, part of this felt wrong somehow. Part of her didn’t believe JTG, but try as she might she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. JTG could help her get justice for Steven and that, she knew, was right.

“I’m in.”  

3: Chapter III: The Circle Will Be Broken

Snow eased open the door to Michael’s home and closed it behind her. Michael sat on the couch, looking very anxious. Snow walked over and sat down next to him. He eyed her uncertainly for a moment before speaking. “So… what did the princess want with you?”

“I’m… not completely sure,” Snow replied. She really wasn’t. The entire meeting had left her feeling quite confused. “She just… taught me to see things from different perspectives.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” said Michael nervously.

“No, trust me, it was a good thing,” Snow assured him, smiling slightly. “She, um… she told me more about how Riley’s death affected you. I mean, I knew… obviously I knew. I guess I just… didn’t really know. I get it now, though. I understand how much her death hurt you.”

“I’ve made a lot of foolish decisions in Riley’s name,” said Michael quietly. “I didn’t rebuild the Dawnguard because I wanted to save the world, but instead because I knew I could use it to honor Riley. I thought if I saved enough people, if I… If I could somehow save enough lives that it would start to ease the guilt, but…” He broke off, seemingly unable to say anything further.

“But it hasn’t, has it?” Snow asked him. He shook his head. “Mike, your little sister died on your watch. I can’t imagine how hard that must be to deal with, especially if your parents are holding you responsible. You were just a little boy. You shouldn’t have to carry that. But Michael, you can’t… Look, you don’t get to go around doing whatever you think is best for everyone else because you’re trying to assuage your own guilt. You say raping Mary saved her from an even worse fate, and maybe that’s true. If Sebastian is as bad as everyone around here says then maybe you’re right. But still, you can’t arbitrarily decide what’s best for everyone else.”

“I wasn’t trying to decide what was best for Mary,” said Michael. “I just… Things are about to get bad, Snow. Before long, girls in this town are going to start disappearing… and then they’ll be found… ripped apart. I didn’t want that to happen to Mary. I can’t protect all of them, Snow. I wish I could and we’ll fight as hard as we can to save everyone we can, but… but Snow, people are about to start dying. I’ve done everything I can to protect you and your friends, but we can’t be everywhere.”

“You’ve always got an excuse, don’t you?” Snow said sagely, suddenly angry. “You say you weren’t trying to decide what was best for Mary? Then why didn’t you just ask her what she wanted? You could have let her choose for herself. Oh, but because she could have said no, you decided to cut out the middleman.”

“I didn’t…”

“Oh, but you did,” Snow snapped. “Michael, you haven’t honored Riley. You’ve committed an atrocity in her name. I may not have ever met her, but I feel certain she would be appalled by what you’ve done. You raped someone, Michael. That’s…”

“Mike…?” A small voice called from the doorway. Snow and Michael both turned to see Gwen slowly approaching them. Snow couldn’t understand why Clara’s strange friend was standing in the middle of Stonehaven. How? Why? It didn’t make any sense.

“Gwen?” Snow asked, perplexed. “What are you doing here?”

“I… I live here,” said Gwen, tears welling in her eyes. “I… I’m… I’m Michael’s sister. Mike, did… did she just say… what I think she just said?” Michael looked up at Gwen as she moved to stand in front of him, heartbreak evident on her normally happy little face.

“Gwen, you… you don’t understand,” said Michael slowly. “I… I was trying to—” Gwen slapped him with every ounce of strength she could muster. She paused for a moment before raising her hand and slapping him again just as hard. Her normally brown eyes suddenly glowing strangely yellow.

“How dare you?” Gwen hissed, a deep rumble in her throat. Snow had only met Gwen once before, but she had never imagined the tiny little goofy girl could ever possibly get so angry. And her eyes… what was she? “How dare you? And you’re using our sister, my twin sister, as your justification? You… you make me sick… and you know what? You’d make Riley sick too.” Gwen turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. Silence fell.

“Um…” Snow said uncertainly. She didn’t know what to say. Despite what Michael had done, she still felt terrible that Gwen had found out like that. “So, Gwen… Gwen is your sister, then? I… I didn’t know…”

“Yeah,” said Michael, shaking his head and determinedly looking in any direction but at Snow. “Yeah, she… she’s my sister. Riley’s twin, she… It’s a long story. She’s been in hiding from the Coven for most of her life. She’s… moonlight intolerant.”

“I… don’t know what that means.”

“She’s a lycan,” said Michael. “A werewolf.”

“There… there are werewolves?” Snow asked, briefly wondering why she was surprised by this revelation.

“Yeah, there are,” said Michael dryly. “The Coven has been trying to eradicate them for years. Some werewolves are vile, vicious creatures but most can control their transformations and aren’t dangerous. The Coven though, they don’t care. They round up every werewolf they can find and ship them off to what they call the Farm. It’s basically a fancy prison for magical beings the Coven wants to control and regulate. They’d probably lock the vampires and the Faery away as well if they could. The Vampire Clans are too strong, too well organized and the Faery… well, their Realm is heavily defended. I’m not sure even Sienna could mount a successful attack against them.”

“Right…” Snow muttered, unsure what else to say. “Mike, if… If I had known that Gwen was here, that she… that she was your sister, I wouldn’t… I would have kept your secret. I’m sorry she found out like that.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” said Michael, sighing and standing to his feet. “She knows and there’s nothing to be done about it. I… I guess I should probably go talk to her, but I don’t even… What do I say?” Snow arched her eyebrows.

“You’re asking me?” She sighed. “Michael, you’re the last person who should be talking to her right now. I… I guess I could try. Actually, wait a minute. I’ve got another idea.”

~~~~~~~~

Downstairs in the Reliquary, Clara stood beside a display case containing a blood red stone roughly the size of her fist. The information plaque next to the case read; The Philosopher’s Stone – Extremely Dangerous: Do Not Touch. She stared at the stone in silence, watching its shimmering red surface that seemed to be calling out to her. The lights overhead danced across the stone, swirling and flickering, drawing her in… drawing her deeper. Before she knew what she was doing, her hand was pressed against the glass display case.

“Clara?” The blonde jerked her hand away from the glass as though she’d been stung. She looked up and saw Sara approaching her.

“Oh… hey, Sara,” Clara replied, glancing back at the display case. “I… I was just looking at this. Is that really the Philosopher’s Stone? Like the one from Harry Potter?”

“It is,” said Sara, nodding. “But it’s far less benign than the fictional version.”

“It felt like I was being drawn to it,” Clara said uncertainly. “I wanted to touch it… to hold it.”

“Hmm… the Stone doesn’t usually affect mortals like that,” Sara commented. “You can’t actually use the Stone, but I guess since… well, considering how the Stone works it makes some sense. It can’t be used to create some elixir. Instead, a person holds the Stone and it drains the life force from anyone near them. Only death can pay for life, Clara. Magic can’t bring back the dead, but it can extent life indefinitely… so long as you’re willing to pay the price.”

“That’s… terrifying, is what that is,” Clara muttered. “Seriously, why do you keep these things in here? Everything here seems dangerous and horrible.”

“We keep them here so they don’t fall into the wrong hands,” Sara pointed out. “Just think of the Stone was in the hands of someone who wanted to use it? What if someone opened Pandora’s Box again or got their hands on Archimedes’ Death Ray?”

“Um… bad things, I guess?” Clara said uncertainly. Sara nodded.

“Very bad things,” she insisted. “Can you imagine a terrorist organization with access to Pandora’s Box or if the world’s governments could replicate a directed energy weapon? It would be disastrous. So yes, it’s dangerous to keep all these artifacts here, but it’s much better than allowing them to be used by whoever can get their hands on them.”

“So, you—” Clara began, but paused when she saw Snow rushing up to them. “Oh, you’re back. Where have you been? You went to get your phone ages ago.”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Snow said hurriedly. “Clara, that girl you introduced us to? Gwen? Here’s a shocker for you, she’s Michael’s sister.”

“Wait… wait, Gwen?” Clara asked, perplexed. “Fluffy little oddball Gwen? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Snow confirmed. “But wait, there’s more. She’s a werewolf.”

“There are werewolves?” Clara wondered, utterly confused by just how ludicrous her day had become.

“Apparently,” said Snow. “The thing is that Michael and I were fighting and Gwen… well, she overheard us. She knows what Michael did to Mary and she’s devastated. I thought… well, maybe you could talk to her? You know her better than I do and she could really use a friend right now.”

Clara could hardly refuse and followed Snow back to the elevator. As they rode to the top floor, Snow filled her in on everything that had happened since she had left to get her phone. By the time she had finished her story, Clara’s head was spinning.

“So… okay, so you’re magic? You’re like… made of magic? Or something? There’s a sadistic demon that wants to make babies with you, Brad wants to murder you, and Zoe’s going to train you to use your powers to protect yourself?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Snow said dryly, shrugging at the ridiculousness of it all. “Hell of a day, huh?”

“Yeah,” said Clara quietly as the elevator doors slid open. “Hell of a day.” Snow led her around the circular walkway to a door on the far side. She eased it open and gestured Clara inside.

“She’s in there,” Snow said quietly. “Just… be gentle. She’s really…”

“Snow, I got it,” Clara said firmly. “Trust me.”

“Always,” Snow said with a warm smile. Clara smiled back and slipped through the door. She closed it behind her and approached Gwen, who stood out on a balcony on the far side of the darkened bedroom. As she grew closer, she could hear that the girl was crying. She forgot, as she padded over and wrapped her in a tight embrace, that Gwen was a werewolf. Later she would wonder why it hadn’t seemed to matter. A part of her felt as though she should be terrified, or perhaps even repulsed, but she wasn’t. Gwen was just a sad young girl that needed love. Clara understood that all too well.

“I’m sorry, Gwen,” said Clara as they broke apart. “Snow told me what happened. I’m really sorry.”

“I can’t believe he could do something like that,” Gwen sniffled, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He…  he’s my big brother. He is… He was my hero. I just… I don’t understand. I thought he was good.”

“I haven’t really had a lot of time to process what Michael did,” Clara said delicately. “I don’t really know him well, but… but I don’t think he’s bad. He’s just…”

“Evil,” said Gwen furiously. “He’s… he’s sick and twisted and wrong! Why are you trying to defend him? You don’t even know what this feels like! You’ve never had someone you love betray you like that.”

“You’re right,” Clara said softly, deciding on a different tact. “You’re right, Gwen. I’ve never had someone I love rape someone. If I did… I’m not sure I could ever forgive them. But I have had someone I love betray me. My dad left when I was just a little girl. My mom always gave me this bullshit line about how he just left her, not me. The thing is, Gwen, he left us both. He turned his back on us and that was that. So I do understand how you feel. My dad… he was my hero too. We just weren’t enough for him… or maybe he just didn’t love us, I don’t know. All I know is he walked away and never looked back. He’s never checked on me, he doesn’t even send a card. We might as well not even be on the same planet.”

“I’m sorry, Clara,” said Gwen drearily. “That’s terrible, I… I’m sorry. But even so, I… It’s not the same thing. Your dad is gone. You don’t have to look at him every single day and see him as a… a monster.”

“Oh, Gwen,” Clara said softly. “I don’t… I mean, Michael isn’t a monster. He’s not evil either. He did a terrible thing and you don't have to forgive him. You don’t, Gwen, not if you don’t want to. But… from my own personal experience I can tell you that holding onto a grudge doesn’t get you anywhere. You can hate Michael for what he did if you really want to, but at the end of the day you’re only going to be hurting yourself. I hated my dad for a long time before I was finally able to let it go. I don’t hate him, I’m… indifferent. He just doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

Gwen sighed and looked up at the bright afternoon sky. Even though it was daytime, the moon was faintly visible in the cloudless blue sky. Clara glanced up at it and then back down to Gwen, who seemed uninterested in continuing their conversation. Clara decided to try and change the subject.

“It’s a full moon in a couple of days,” she commented. “Snow told me about you being a werewolf, I… I can’t imagine what that’s like. I mean, turning into something like that once a month is really… yeah, weird.”

“You’ve been watching too many movies,” said Gwen, turning away from the balcony and returning to her bedroom. She flopped down on a beanbag chair and shook back her shaggy black hair. Clara followed her and sat down on the edge of the bed. “The moon doesn’t have much of an effect on us, full or otherwise. Werewolves like me, ones who can control themselves, we can change our form at will. It’s the ones that have gone feral, the ones that lose control that you have to worry about. They turn into vile creatures that only live to hunt… and eat. The moon affects them, though. Ferals can’t control their turnings and they’ll change at the full moon. They’ll attack anyone and if you’re lucky enough to survive a feral werewolf attack… well, you end up like me.”

“Snow mentioned something about you being in hiding before you came here?” Clara asked. “You were hiding from the Coven? I can’t blame you. From my limited experience with witches, they seem like pretty big assholes to me.”

“Not all witches are like that,” said Gwen, shaking her head. “Zoe, for instance. She’s a sweetheart. Witches have never cared all that much for werewolves, or any half-breed. If you don’t know, half-breeds are anyone like me. We’re human, but we’re also something more. Witches don’t even tolerate half-witches. They’re abominations as far as the Coven is concerned. They lock us half-breeds away in a place called the Farm. It doesn’t sound so bad, but it’s just a fancy prison.”

“They lock away their own people?” Clara asked, surprised. “Half witches, I mean?”

“No,” said Gwen darkly. “No, not the half witches. They strip a half witch of his or her powers which has about a 99.9 percent chance of killing the witch. It’s a death sentence but they don’t call it that because there’s a tiny sliver of a chance that the person will survive.”

“Shit…” Clara breathed. The Coven had frightened her before. Now, they just made her blood boil.

“But anyway,” Gwen continued, seemingly undisturbed by the Coven’s heinous actions. “Yeah, I was hiding from the Coven with my mom. I was just a little girl when I was bitten, and my dad… well, he was a lot like the Coven, honestly. He wanted to put me down, said he couldn’t have a half-breed daughter besmirching the ‘great Ravenswood name’ or causing strife with the Coven. My mom though, she… she couldn’t let it happen. She took me and fled. She gave up her position with the Dawnguard, my brother… her whole life just to save me.”

“She sounds like a pretty good mom,” said Clara, thinking fondly of her own mother. She knew Noel would respond similarly if she were in that situation.

“Yeah,” Gwen said sadly. “She… she can be. She was, she… It’s been a long time. We’ve spent years moving from city to city, staying one step ahead of the Coven. She eventually came to resent me. She realized what she gave up to save me and I think she’s discovered that I wasn’t worth the price.”

“Well, then she’s an idiot,” Clara said bluntly, causing Gwen to chuckle. “Seriously, you’re pretty awesome. Even more so than I initially thought since you’re a freaking werewolf! That’s actually pretty cool.”

“You’re literally the first person to ever say being a werewolf is cool,” said Gwen. “I don’t even like being called a werewolf. I prefer moonlight-intolerant.”

“But I thought you said the moon doesn’t affect werewolves?” Clara asked uncertainly.

“I did and it doesn’t unless you’ve gone feral, but I can still play into the trope,” she replied with a grin. “I guess being a werewolf isn’t really so bad. Staying clear of the Coven can be difficult, but otherwise the only real problems I have is all this.” She gestured to her hair. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep all this clean and tangle-free?”

“Oh, I can imagine,” said Clara. Gwen smirked and shook her head.

“No… no, you can’t. It’s especially bad in the summer when I start shedding. It gets everywhere. I’m constantly brushing and washing… it’s ridiculous. And then I always have to wear baggy sweatpants and things in public, you know, to hide the bushy tail.”

“I… wait, seriously?” Gwen nodded, smiling slightly. She sighed heavily and rested her head against her chair.

“Thanks for checking on me, Clara,” she said softly. “I appreciate it, I just… I think I’d like to be alone for a little while. I need some time to think.”

“Yeah,” said Clara, standing to her feet. “I’ll… I’ll go and you… you take all the time you need. If you ever need to talk you’ve got my number, so just call me.”

“I’d like that,” said Gwen. Clara bid the girl goodbye and stepped out onto the walkway. Snow waited there, leaning against the circular railing with Sara, Nikki, and Mary.

“How’d it go?” Snow asked as Clara joined her friends. Clara shrugged.

“It… well, it went, I suppose,” she replied. “She’s really upset, but she’s strong. She’ll be okay, I think. She just needs some time.” Snow breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, that’s good,” said Snow. “I’m really glad. I didn’t mean to upset her. I didn’t even know she was here, I was just—”

“It’s not your fault, sweetie,” said Mary reassuringly. “You couldn’t have known she’d walk in.”

“I know,” Snow said sadly. “It doesn’t mean I can’t still feel bad.”

As excited as Clara had been to explore Stonehaven, she was also quite looking forward to leaving. There was a dark side to this magical world she found herself in and part of her wanted to be as far away from it as possible. Still, she knew that Snow had no choice but to be part of it so regardless of her own trepidation, she would have to be involved. She couldn’t let her friend face it alone.

In less than an hour, Sara was guiding the girls out of the Library and toward the armored gates they had entered through. Zoe was leaving a nearby apothecary as they walked and she hurried over to them.

“Snow, before you leave I’d like to schedule our first magic lesson,” she said briskly. “We need to start as soon as possible, so I’d like to begin tomorrow if you are available?”

“Uh… yeah, tomorrow should be fine,” said Snow. “We’re still not sure if we’re going back to school tomorrow or not, what with everything that happened yesterday, but yeah sometime tomorrow afternoon will be fine.”

“Excellent,” said Zoe brightly. “Just approach the gatehouse and someone will know to let you in. I’ll be waiting in the training grounds. Ask a guard and they’ll escort you.”

“Sure, thanks Zoe. I’ll see you tomorrow for magic class. I can’t believe that’s a thing I go to now.”

“You’ll get used to it,” said Zoe with a grin. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Zoe turned and started to walk away. She paused, however, as she passed Clara and glanced down at her. It seemed for a moment she wanted to say something, but apparently thought better of it. She strode away from them without a backwards glance. Clara stared after her, a sudden feeling of intense déjà vu flooding through her. It passed as quickly as it came and she turned and followed her friends through Stonehaven’s armored gates.

~~~~~~~

After Snow left to ask Clara to talk to Gwen, Michael was left alone in his living room and with his thoughts; his deeply troubled thoughts. He had been so convinced that he had been right. He must have been right. He knew the power of the enemy they faced. He understood what would happen, what would become of anyone who drew Sebastian’s eye. He had saved Mary and she was all the better for it. It was the lesser of two evils, he had been sure of it. He might feel bad about it, it might have even apologized to Mary for it, but he had never once thought that he had made the wrong decision. He had been right.

Snow didn’t understand the true nature of their enemy. She might grasp some of the details, but she had never seen the devastation a Greater Demon could wreak upon the world. She simply didn’t understand. Even she hadn’t convinced him that he had been wrong. She didn’t know how lucky Mary was that someone had taken it upon themselves to protect her. He had made the right decision. He had never questioned it.

And then he’d seen Gwen’s heartbroken face. Unlike Mary, unlike Snow, Gwen knew exactly what would happen to anyone Sebastian got his hands on. She knew perfectly well the power of their enemy, and yet she too had rebuked him. Perhaps she even hated him, he didn’t know. But it was Gwen, his little sister, who had finally made him question if there hadn’t been a better way. Was it possible that he was wrong? Had he, in his endless quest to save everyone he could however he could, finally gone too far? Should he, as Snow said, have simply told Mary the truth? He could have allowed her to make her own choice, but what if she said no? What if she didn’t believe him? What if she refused?

“Still moping, I see,” Sienna said from the doorway. She entered the room and sank onto the sofa beside him.

“Not now, CeCe,” said Michael darkly, wishing he had thought to lock the door. “I’m not in the mood.”

“I wasn’t in the mood to leave my city and rush to your aid either, but I did,” Sienna said sagely. “I had plans, you know. I was busy. They were making roast duck for dinner in the Seraph Palace tonight and I’m missing it. We don’t always get what we want.”

“Sienna…” Michael said warningly. “I mean it. Gwen just found out about Mary, and I just… I need a minute.”

“Ah, of course,” Sienna said knowingly. “Little Gwen. She’s a constant reminder of the sister you lost, of the sister in whose name you do everything… and she detests what you’ve done. Honestly, Michael, are you surprised?”   

“I just… I thought she would understand,” Michael groaned. “I thought… she knows what a Greater Demon is capable of, so… so I thought she would understand.”

“I know what a Greater Demon is capable of, and I don’t understand,” Sienna said, her voice tight. “I don’t understand how anyone could do what you’ve done. I told Snow today to look at this from your perspective, something I myself have tried to do, and I do understand why you think you made the right decision. But allow me to be the next in line to tell you that you made the wrong one. It doesn’t matter what your reasons were, you raped someone.”

“I know, I…” Sienna held up her hand, cutting him off. He was momentarily surprised that he so quickly fell silent at her slightest gesture. She was so young that he often forgot just how powerful she was and how intimidating she could be.

“Let me tell you something,” she said, her voice suddenly ice cold. “You have no idea how deeply what you did can affect someone. You wouldn’t know… you can’t know… unless it’s happened to you.” She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. “Unless you’ve been there… until you’ve been held down, powerless… and… and had someone…” She broke off, seeming to take a moment to compose herself. “I still remember his face, the way he smelled, the vile things he said to me… the way he felt inside of me. I was fifteen years old and the memories of that night will be with me just as clearly as they are right now for the rest of my life.”

“CeCe, I… I don’t know what to say,” Michael muttered, refusing to look at her. He couldn’t bear to see the pain in her eyes. “I didn’t know what happened to you, I never… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” said Sienna, reaching out and taking his hand. She used her other to force him to look at her. “Make it right. And then don’t ever do it again. If I’ve learned anything in my years of ruling it’s that the ends don’t always justify the means. We are both powerful people. We command armies and we hold the fates of our worlds in our hands. That kind of responsibility is overwhelming, but still we don’t get to be wrong. You were wrong. You have to be right. I can forgive a lot, cousin. And yes, I can forgive this… but don’t you dare ask me to forgive another transgression like this. I assure you, I will not… and the next time you need Divinity’s aid, you might find that it does not come.”

Sienna stood to her feet and turned to leave. She paused in the doorway and turned back to him.

“On a more business related note, I dispatched two of my patrol frigates to tow the Andromeda back to Stonehaven. They should be arriving at any time if you’d like to accompany me to the hangar.”    

Michael led the way out of the Library and down the road toward the northernmost gate. Sienna walked along beside him, studying the citizens of Stonehaven in contemplative silence. Michael was utterly exhausted and didn’t have the energy to engage her in conversation anyway. He was too lost in his own confused thoughts. As they passed through the North Gate, a loud thrumming sound rippled through the air around them. Two of Sienna’s smaller airships drifted overhead, moving steadily closer. Andromeda was floating along behind them, held to them by a series of long cables.

The Dawnguard airship had certainly been put through the wringer by the Coven airships. Her hull was breached in multiple locations and a number of fires still burned along her length. She seemed to be held aloft primarily by the towing ships.

“She’ll be out of action for weeks,” said Kiki, strolling up behind them. “I’ve already talked to Chief Mikhailov and he’s going to be working his crews around the clock to get her flying again. Until he does, our only air support belongs to you, Princess.”

“My ships will remain in position as long as they are needed,” said Sienna. “If the Coven returns, we will drive them away. The force I brought is but a fraction of my navy. If need be, I can always summon more ships.”

“It’s good to have friends in high places,” said Kiki with a smile. Michael found he couldn’t disagree. As the airships drew nearer, the wide open field in front of them cracked. It split down the middle, a vast seam opening in the earth. It grew wider and wider as the massive hangar doors slid back, revealing the hangar beneath. Search lights shown up into the sky from inside, illuminating the wounded airship. Eight mechanical arms extended from the hangar and attached themselves to Andromeda. Slowly, the ship was lowered into her berth deep beneath the ground. The doors then slid closed, leaving no trace that a massive facility was hidden just below the surface.

“Thank you for that,” said Michael, glancing over his shoulder at Sienna. “There’s… one more thing I could use your help with. Zoe’s done her best, but she doesn’t have the experience. It’s… well, it’s about the dragon.”

~~~~~~~

Snow and her friends all got into her car. Snow started the engine, but she didn’t drive away. All four of them sat there in silence, staring at each other.

“Did all of that… I mean, did everything we just saw… Was all of that real?” Nikki asked after a few moments. 

“If not then we’re all sharing the same hallucination,” said Clara, shaking her head weakly. “Magic… witches… werewolves…”

“Vampires, and demons, and airships, oh my!” Snow added in a sing-song voice. “And to top it all off I’m some sort of magical superweapon that a demon wants to impregnate. Do any of you remember when we were just high school kids?”

“Those were the days,” said Mary fondly. “So… what do we do now?”

“We go home and get ready to face what comes tomorrow,” Snow said far more confidently than she felt. “JTG’s still out there and Agent Morales seems to be gunning for us. We’ve got more problems than magic and demons.”

There really was nothing else they could do. JTG would continue to hunt them. Agent Morales would press forward with his investigation into Miranda’s murder, and Sebastian would doubtlessly continue his quest to bring Hell to Earth. She could do nothing about Sebastian, she would leave that to Michael and the Dawnguard, but perhaps she could do something about her other problems.

Her mind was wrapped up in these thoughts as she drove her friends home. JTG was more of an enigma than ever before. Steven had stood in their midst since the very beginning and she had never suspected him. Whoever this new JTG was would likely be even harder to identify. She had no idea how to combat an opponent that could be anyone. Months of work had been for naught. They had played right into Steven’s hands and had never realized it. There was no way for her to deal with the JTG problem, not without more information. Agent Morales, however, was another story.

With him, she had an ally; Rachel. Miranda’s mother wanted revenge for her daughter’s death. Now that she knew for a fact that Miranda had survived the fall and had instead been murdered afterwards, she was sure Rachel would help her. Her husband Tony had murdered Miranda, but she had no proof. She wondered if Rachel might be able to find some. If she could, then perhaps they could find a way to escape the rapidly closing net around them. She wasn’t sure, but she knew for a fact that a picture of Sara pushing Miranda from the top of Lookout Point while she and her friends looked on existed and if Agent Morales got his hands on it… game over.

When Snow had finished dropping all of her friends off at their homes, she drove around aimlessly for a while, lost in thought. At long last she found herself at St. Sebastian Memorial Hospital where Jackson was being treated. He’d been kept overnight for observation and would be released the following morning. She had tried to call him, but he was refusing to take her calls. She couldn’t say she was surprised. He had been forced to murder his best friend to save her life. She couldn’t imagine what that must have done to him.  

Snow got out of her car and made her way into the hospital. She asked at the nurse’s desk for Jackson’s room number, took the elevator to the fourth floor, and was soon standing outside of room 416. She slowly eased the door open. It was dark inside save for the flickering light cast by the television mounted on the opposite wall from the bed. Jackson lay in the bed staring at the TV, although from the distant look in his eyes Snow could tell he wasn’t really seeing it.

She hesitated, wondering if she shouldn’t just leave. Perhaps he wouldn’t want to see her. She couldn’t really blame him if he didn’t. He had killed his best friend for her, after all. She had just decided to leave him be when he turned his head toward the door. Her movements must have drawn his attention and he called out to her.

“Oh, hey Snow,” he said quietly. “Come in.” Deciding it would seem odd to simply flee the room like she really wanted to, Snow eased into the room and closed the door behind her.

“Hey, Jackson,” she said uncertainly. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I was shot last night,” he deadpanned. “I’m fine.”

“Seriously, Jackson,” Snow replied. “How are you?” He sighed heavily, refusing to meet her gaze as he spoke.

“I’m… physically, I’ll be fine,” he told her. “The rest, I… I don’t know. I killed him, Snow. He was my best friend and I murdered him. And before you say it, I know what he was. I know he was going to cut your throat if I didn’t stop him, but it doesn’t change anything. I still killed him.”

“You didn’t have a choice,” Snow insisted, reaching for his hand. He pulled it out of her reach. She stared at his withdrawn hand for a moment, unsure what to make of it. “Jacks, if you hadn’t stopped him he would have killed all of us. Not just me, but the girls and you as well. He wanted us all dead and you saved us.”

“I’m not a hero, Snow,” said Jackson quietly. “I’m not a good guy. I’m the bad guy. Maybe I’ve always been the bad guy. I wasn’t even a good boyfriend to you.”

“Yeah…” said Snow softly, remembering what Steven had told her and wondering if she should mention it. “I, uh… Steven told me that Emilia… wasn’t the first girl you cheated on me with. Aria Welch, Hannah Morris, Spencer Montgomery… it’s like you were working your way through the prettiest girls on the Mistbrook High cheer squad. It doesn’t really matter now, I… I don’t really care, but… is it true?” Jackson bowed his head, still refusing to look at her. Slowly, almost imperceptively, he nodded.

To say it didn’t hurt would be a lie. Jackson’s confession of his numerous betrayals cut her deeply. A lot of time may have passed, they might have been broken up for months, but he had been her first love. To realize she hadn’t been good enough, that he hadn’t loved her enough, hurt her deeply.

“It’s okay, Jackson,” she said at last. What else could she do? Jackson had saved her life the previous night. Could she really hold his betrayal against him? They weren’t even dating anymore. She knew she had to let it go. “Really, it is. I just… I wanted to know the truth. You’re not the bad guy, Jacks. You’re a good guy. You saved my life last night. Don’t worry about it, we’re fine.”

“No, we’re not,” said Jackson sadly. Snow gave him a sad smile.

“We are,” she insisted. “None of us is innocent. We’ve all committed our sins. I was going to ask, though… this is a small town and I’m pretty damn popular. How did you keep it a secret from me? People talk, they love their gossip… you’d think I would have at least heard a rumor, but if not for JTG I wouldn’t even have found out about Emilia.”

“Snow, it… it was JTG that kept it all secret,” said Jackson quietly. Snow’s mouth fell open. “The first time that I… When I cheated the first time, I… I told Steven. I was so afraid that you would find out and I… I told Steven and he said for me not to worry. He promised he would take care of it. I thought maybe he paid the girl or something, but now I think a lot more people fear the name JTG than we thought.”

“You think he threatened them? You think he used their secrets against them to shut them up?”

“He must have,” said Jackson. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. He’s been playing this game for a long time. I think he was setting things up, compiling secrets to use against all of us. He claimed to be helping me, but I think he was just biding his time to take me down. Then we broke up and it didn’t really matter anymore.”

“Maybe,” said Snow. She sighed. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Steven’s dead and this new JTG… I don’t know, I feel like she’s something different. I think the game is changing, Jackson. I was just learning how to play, and now… now I’m really scared.”

“Yeah… yeah, I know, I…” He looked suddenly very nervous. “Snow, about JTG… You remember that text you four got last night? When I got my phone, I realized I hadn’t gotten it. This morning I found out why.” He reached over to his bedside table and picked up his phone. He pulled up at text and held it out for Snow to read.

It’s your lucky day, Jackie Boy. For you, the game is over. Steven wanted you involved. I did not. You were an unnecessary complication. Under any other circumstance, I would simply kill you to tie up a needless loose end. However, you did me a favor last night. Unintended though it was, by killing Steven you removed a dangerous obstacle from my path. Steven had gone rogue. He was as dangerous to me as he was to you. His actions went against my plan and I can’t have that. 

I intended to kill him myself, but you took care of it for me. I owe you a debt of gratitude, so here is my offer. Leave. Forget any of this ever happened and I will let you go away unscathed. Refuse, interfere with my game again, or do anything to work against me and I will burn your world down around you. I will kill you, I will kill your family while you watch. I will make you suffer in ways you can’t imagine if you cross me. I’m offering you this once. Leave this game. Leave your friends. Do not test me, Jackson Binghamton. It would be the last thing you ever do –JTG  

“Jackson…” Snow whispered, her mind reeling. JTG was letting Jackson go… no, she was forcing him out of the game. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m out, Snow,” he said, the happiness in his voice stinging her heart. “I’m free. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. I can move on with my life.”

“Yeah, that’s… that’s really great for you,” said Snow, anger bubbling up inside her. “Not so good for the rest of us though, huh?”

“Snow… look, I’m sorry,” said Jackson. “It’s not like she’s giving me a choice. If I don’t back off, she… Snow, she threatened my family. I can’t take the risk even if I wanted to. I have to protect my family. JTG’s given me an out… I have to take it.”

“I know,” said Snow, bowing her head. “I know you do, Jackson. I just… I… I have to go.” She turned and rushed from the room. She raced down the corridor and pushed the button to call the elevator. It wasn’t his fault, she knew that. JTG was forcing him out. She couldn’t blame Jackson. She couldn’t be mad at him. It wasn’t his fault. But as the elevator doors slid open and she stepped inside, she thought of the joy she’d heard in his voice. He was free. She knew she should be happy for him, but his happiness cut her as deeply as Michael’s betrayal.

It wasn’t until the elevator doors closed that Snow slid down the wall to the floor and began to cry.

4: Chapter IV: The Lies You Can't Hide

Nikki got out of Snow’s car and started the long walk up her driveway to her house. She waved back to her friends when she unlocked the door and stepped inside. She could hear the sound of the television coming from the sitting room, meaning her parents must be home. She rolled her eyes as she set off towards the kitchen. Of course, now they’re home. They hadn’t been home all night long. She hadn’t seen them since she had left with Clara and Mary to go to the mine the night before.

Nikki went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. She turned to walk down the hall, planning to bolt for the staircase and the safety of her bedroom. Unfortunately for Nikki, the moment she passed the open door to the sitting room, her mother’s voice called out to her.

“Nicola!” She chirped annoyingly. “Come in here.”

You can’t say ‘please’? Nikki thought irritably. And don’t fucking call me ‘Nicola’.

Frustrated, Nikki stepped into the sitting room. Julia and Randy sat in their usual armchairs, reading by the natural light flooding through stained glass windows that were set into the wall at regular intervals. Just looking at them sitting there made Nikki’s blood boil. Why had she been cursed with such terrible parents? Why didn’t they care about her at all? Did they even know what she had been through? Did they care? It made her angry. No, she was furious. She was pissed off and she was done caring about their bullshit. JTG was hunting her down, an FBI agent was on the verge of sending her to jail, and to top it all off a demon was on the loose in Mistbrook Falls. What could her parents possibly do to her?

“What?” Nikki snapped before she could stop herself. She thought, briefly, about trying to save the situation but she decided to just embrace it. She cocked her head to one side and placed a hand on her hip. Julia stared at her, mouth agape.

“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady,” she said hotly. “Where have you been?”

“Out,” Nikki muttered indifferently. “It’s not like you care.”

“Nicola,” Julia said warningly. “What is wrong with you today? What’s gotten into you?”

“Here’s a better question,” said Nikki fiercely. “Where have you been? You were gone all night. Do you even know what happened last night? My friends and I were kidnapped and almost murdered up in the old mines. Steven did it, by the way. Jackson had to shoot him in the head to stop him. When it was over and we were safe, my friends… all of their parents came for them. But you two couldn’t even be bothered to check in. What were you doing, spending the night at church? Praying or whatever the hell it is you do? I needed you and you weren’t there. You’re never there. Throughout my whole life, you’ve never been there for me.” She paused, her heart racing as both of her parents sat in stunned silence, staring at her.

“I had an abortion,” Nikki said firmly. To hell with the consequences, she decided. They could disown her if they wanted to. She didn’t care anymore. It wasn’t as though they loved her anyway. Could they really care any less about her than they already did? “Yeah, that’s right. Your perfect, innocent little daughter went and got herself knocked up. If I didn’t have such shitty parents, I could have come to you and asked for help. Instead, all you would have done is ship me off to a convent. I did the only thing I could do. If you don’t like it, well… fuck what you think.”

Nikki turned on her heel and stormed upstairs to her room. She slammed the door behind her and sat down on her bed, shaking like a leaf. Why? Why had she done that? Not only had she confessed one her darkest secrets to the least understanding people on the planet, but she had also yelled and cursed at them and stormed off. There would be no coming back from this. Her outburst would cost her dearly, she knew that. Regardless, there was nothing she could do. What’s done is done. You can’t turn back the hands of time.

She sat there, staring at the door and waiting for the other shoe to drop when her phone chimed. With trembling fingers, she slid her phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen. There was no message, just an audio file from the same blocked number that JTG had long been using. When she didn’t press Play, the file began to play itself and she shivered as the first haunting notes began to play.

Was it you?
Left your secrets inside?
All the lies you can’t hide
It’s a dangerous game

Start feelin’ high
Play with fire
It’s a dangerous game

I see a storm rollin’ in
I see the ground crumblin’
Caught in a chain reaction

I see the dark comin’ in
I see a war, is this the end?
Caught in a chain reaction
It’s a dangerous game

The sudden knock at her door caused Nikki to stop the song. She slipped her phone back into her pocket, took a moment to compose herself, and opened the door. Her father stood in the doorway, his face impassive. All of her anger from before faded away to be replaced with stomach turning fear. He took a step forward into her room and she stepped back. He closed the door behind him and looked down at his trembling daughter.

Nikki was prepared for him to yell at her, condemn her, threaten to send her away, to disown her, or even hit her. What she did not at all expect was for Randy Sorrento, of all people, to reach out and pull her into a tight hug. She was so shocked she didn’t even hug him back. She just stood there, stunned, trying to remember the last time he had hugged her. She realized with a pang of hurt that he had never hugged her before, at least not that she could ever recall.

“I’m so sorry, mija,” Randy said softly, drawing away and placing his hands on her shoulders. “I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through and what you’ve had to do. You… you’re right. We should have been there last night, but we… we didn’t know… And before, with t-the pregnancy.... You should have been able to come to us, but…”

“But you would have sent me to a convent,” Nikki finished lamely. “Dad… I… I thought you would hate me, or… or disown me… Why…?”

“Oh, your mother would do just that if she could have her way,” said Randy quietly. “I’ve gone too far down this path and I can never make it up to you, but I’ve realized that I have to try. I allowed your mother to dictate how we would raise you. I went along with her way of thinking because I thought she was right. I thought we could protect you. I thought we could keep you from ending up like…” He trailed off uncertainly. Nikki looked up at him, confused.

“Like who, Dad?” Randy shook his head.

“Like… like this,” he said at last. “We thought we could protect you, but I was wrong. I should have seen it sooner. We failed. Don’t worry, darling, there will be no punishment for this. Your mother may try, but I will see to it. Things are going to change around here, I promise. I’ll see to it. Let me go and speak with your mother.” He kissed her on her forehead and left the room. Nikki slowly sank onto her bed, her heart pounding and her mind swirling.

That morning she had discovered that her best friend was still alive and that magic existed. Not only did magic exist, but an entire world existed just out of sight and no one knew about it. And perhaps even worse, her other best friend was sought by a demon that wanted to make demon babies with her. Yet despite all of that, her father’s response to her outburst and revelation was by far the strangest thing to happen to her today.

While Nikki waited in her room, Randy returned to the sitting room where his wife waited. He could tell by the look on her face that she was fuming. She turned to glare at him the second he entered the room.

“Well? What are we going to do with her?” Julia demanded. “An abortion, Randy. She was pregnant. We were supposed to stop something like this.”

“Right,” said Randy, keeping his voice level. “The brilliant plan you came up with all those years ago worked out really well, didn’t it? Seriously, Julia, how could we both have been so stupid? She’s a teenager and we treated her like a prisoner. We never held her; we never praised her or encouraged her. We taught her to be the ‘perfect’ Christian, only we couldn’t even manage that.”

“It isn’t our fault,” Julia snapped. “It’s in the girl’s blood to behave this way. You can’t change genetics.”

“That’s got nothing to do with this and you know it,” said Randy firmly. “Nikki needed love, not drill sergeants. She needed compassion and understanding… just like her mother. Maybe if we had given that to her she could have made something of herself and raised her own daughter. I’m afraid that if we don’t make a change, right now, we are going to lose Nikki forever. Either we’ll drive her away completely or she’ll end up just like her mother did. We can still help her, Julia, but we have to change our methods. We have to.”

“I will decide what’s best for Nicola,” said Julia fiercely. “If it weren’t for me, she would have gone into the system. I brought her here and I will make the decisions about her future.” Randy shook his head sadly.

“You’re a fool, Julia,” he said quietly. “I’ve allowed this to go on long enough. I don’t care if Nikki is my blood or not, she is my daughter. Push her away all you like, but I intend to do everything in my power to strengthen my relationship with my daughter. With everything that’s happening, we may not have much time left with her. I plan to make the most of it.” Without another word Randy marched into the kitchen, leaving his wife alone to fume in silence. In his haste, he didn’t notice Nikki standing in the shadows on the staircase, tears streaming down her cheeks.

~~~~~~~

Mary hadn’t expected anyone to be home when she arrived. Her parents were both scheduled to be at work soon so she was surprised to see the old Ford Focus her father drove in the driveway. Mary walked up the path to the front door and eased it open. The kitchen sat immediately to her right and it was there that she found her mother and father sitting at the small table.

Mary’s parents couldn’t look more different if they tried. Mary’s father Garrett was a short and thin man, balding, with gray eyes. Her mother, Jessica, was fairly heavy-set with flowing black hair and emerald green eyes. She was a waitress a local diner while her father worked at Gendry & Sons Boat Rentals down at the docks. If her parent’s presence had surprised her, she was even more shocked by the third person sitting at the table.

“Emily?” Mary asked, staring at her older sister in surprise. “W… what are you doing here? I thought you had left town.”

“I did,” she said tightly. “Now I’m back. I’m sorry I had to have you pick me up from the airport. I hope it didn’t make you late for work.”

“Ah, it’s fine,” said Garrett, his oddly deep voice echoing through the room. “Shop’s closed for a couple of days anyway until the cops finish their investigation.”

“What happened?” Jessica asked. Garrett shook his head, clearly frustrated.

“Apparently one of the guests paddled off in one of the boats and never came back,” he said wearily. “We’re not sure if the boat sank or if it’s a case of grand theft paddleboat. Either way, I’m off work for the next two days.” 

“Well, it’s nice to see you Emily,” said Mary, trying very hard to keep her emotions in check. It wasn’t actually nice to see Emily at all. Despite finding forgiveness for Michael, she couldn’t quite say the same for Emily. It was strange, she knew, but it didn’t change anything. At the end of the day, Emily was her sister. Asking Michael to do what he did was a step too far in Mary’s opinion. They had never talked about it, but now that Mary knew the truth she thought perhaps it was time they did just that.

“Hey, Em? When you get a sec, can you come to my room?” Mary gave her sister a very serious stare that their parents missed. Emily swallowed visibly and nodded. Mary turned on her heel and went upstairs to her bedroom. She fell back across her bed, the events of the last twenty-four hours having sapped all of her energy. She had known about magic for a while, but seeing it all in person was more than she had been prepared for.

On top of that, she hadn’t even begun to process Steven’s betrayal and what would happen next. JTG was still hunting them. The game wasn’t over, in fact Mary felt certain it was only just beginning. Then there was Snow and the demon Sebastian. That was a topic she couldn’t begin to think about or understand. And Sara… Sara was alive. After all this time, months and months spent believing she was dead and she’d been hiding out at Stonehaven all along. She thought she should be angry after everything they had learned about their former queen bee, but Mary found that she felt nothing but elation. Sara, one of her very best friends in the world, was still alive. The five of them would find a way to come back together again. She knew it.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. Emily eased into the room and closed the door behind her. Mary sat up and stared at her as she came and stood in front of her. Mary cleared her throat.

“I know about the Dawnguard,” Mary said bluntly. “I know about the Library, magic, witches, demons… I know it all. I spent most of the afternoon standing in the Library of Alexandria. Most of all, I know why Michael raped me. I know you asked him to do it.”

“Mary…” Emily began in a tone Mary recognized all too well.

“Don’t,” Mary said warningly. “Don’t you dare try to play that game with me. You know what you did. We both know, so let’s not go down that road. I just want to know why. Why didn’t you just come to me? Why didn’t you tell me the truth and let me decide for myself what I wanted?”

“You could have said no,” Emily snapped, throwing up her hands. “Knowing you, you probably would have said no. What was I supposed to do? You’re my sister; I wasn’t just going to let you die.”

“You sound just like Michael,” said Mary dryly. “Do you really not see how… you know what? Never mind. Just go.”

“Seriously, Mary? That’s it? Come on, you really can’t see this from my perspective?
You were in danger, danger that no sane person would actually believe in without serious proof. The Dawnguard doesn’t just pass out information like that to anyone. I’m sorry, but I didn’t have a choice. Was I supposed to just wait around and hope you managed to find a boyfriend? Hate to break it to you, but it’s not like you’ve got guys lining up to date you.”

“Thanks, Em,” said Mary wearily. “Tell me how you really feel. It doesn’t matter, you… you don’t get it. Just… just go. Get out of my room. I’m done.”

“No, you wanted to talk about this so let’s talk,” Emily argued. “There is true evil in this town, Mary. It’s an evil like you can’t imagine and I was trying to protect you from that.”

“Again, just like Michael,” Mary groaned. “You have no idea what that was like for me. As far as I knew, you were just… You were handing me over to a monster, or at least that’s what it felt like. If you had just told me, explained…”

“I couldn’t,” said Emily thickly. “You might have said no, and… I couldn’t let you die.” Suddenly, there were tears shining in Emily’s eyes. “We’ve never been a close-knit family. We don’t really talk to either other or care what goes on in each other’s lives, but I… When I found out about demons and what Sebastian would do, I… I couldn’t let you die, Mary. I could live without you in my life. I could live with you hating me, but… I couldn’t let you die.”

“You could have told me the truth,” Mary said quietly, sliding off of her bed. “You could have saved our relationship. You could have spared me a lot of pain. You could have spared Snow from a broken heart when she’s already so broken and beaten down. You made your choice, Emily. Live with it.” Mary stormed out of her bedroom, slamming the door closed behind her.

~~~~~~~

Snow managed to compose herself by the time the elevator reached the lobby. She hurried out of the hospital and into her car. She sat in the parking lot for a long while, lost in thought. Her mind shifted from one of her nightmarish problems to another, never remaining on one for long. She wondered, truly, how she was keeping it all together. JTG was out to get her, the FBI was investigating her, her mother was dying of a terminal illness, her boyfriend had betrayed her and raped her best friend, she was a magical enigma that no one seemed to understand, and to top it all off a demon wanted to impregnate her. She sincerely believed that by the time it all ended, however it ended, she would spend the rest of her life in a mental institution.

Deciding she didn’t feel like going home and facing her parents, she took out her phone to deal with another situation that had been left hanging. She swiped through her contacts and pressed Call when she found the one she was looking for.

“I didn’t expect to hear from you today,” Rachel Sinclair said by way of a greeting. “I heard about what happened last night, Snow… Steven, I… I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Not really,” said Snow idly. “I, uh… I don’t want to talk about this over the phone. Can we meet somewhere? There’s something I need to tell you.”

Fifteen minutes later, Snow was sitting in a dark, secluded corner of the Underground. The local hangout was busy and noisy at that time of the afternoon, hidden in her shadowy corner Snow managed to go virtually unnoticed. She only had to wait a couple of minutes before Rachel arrived. She went up to the counter and ordered a drink. She spotted Snow while she waited for her drink and once the bartender had brought it to her, she made her way over.

“I’m not sure this is the best place for a private meeting,” said Rachel, sliding into the booth across from Snow. “It’s pretty rowdy in here.”

“The harder to be overheard, my dear,” said Snow with a smirk. “Listen, Steven told me something last night… something about Miranda. He confirmed that Miranda survived her fall from Lookout Point. According to him… well, you were right. Tony found her and suffocated her.” If she had expected Rachel to be surprised, she would’ve been sorely disappointed. Instead, Rachel simply nodded.

“So I was right,” said Rachel quietly. “That bastard killed her. Good.”

“Good?” Snow repeated, her eyes widening. “You’re happy about that?” Rachel nodded energetically.

“Snow, I’m ecstatic,” said Rachel. “It means there’s one more thing I can use to destroy him. Now that I know he murdered her… I can make him pay.”

“Just be careful, Rachel,” said Snow quietly. “Tony’s dangerous, obviously, and I… I don’t know what he’ll do. Moreover, I don’t know what else JTG has planned and—”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up,” Rachel exclaimed. “I thought… I mean, based on the news I thought Steven was JTG.”

“He was,” Snow confirmed. “He just… Apparently, Steven wasn’t working alone. I have no idea who it is or what they want, but you and Tony are both wrapped up in this thing with us. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“That’s sweet considering just a few days ago I tried to kill you,” Rachel reminded her.

“Eh, bygones,” said Snow with a small smile. “Like I said, just be careful. Tony’s dangerous enough with JTG involved. If she’s got something planned for Tony and you disrupt it... it won’t end well for you. It’s her game, Rachel. We’re just the players.”

“I’ll be careful,” said Rachel reassuringly. “This is just something I’ve got to do. I’m not just going to go home and shoot him. I want to see him punished for what he did.”

“You might get your wish without doing anything at all,” said Snow. “There’s an FBI agent in town, Daniel Morales. He’s investigating Miranda’s murder. According to him, the police received evidence yesterday that proved her death wasn’t an accident. I don’t know what they have or if it was JTG who told them, but they know that Miranda was murdered… and I think he suspects me and my friends. He knew we didn’t like each other and I think he knows we had something to do with what happened.”

“If there’s an FBI agent investigating then he’ll surely want to talk to me,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “If he does, maybe I can help take him off your scent. If he asks me about you I can vouch for you or something, I… I don’t know.” She paused, a sudden smile appearing on her lips. “I think I might have just found a use for those videos you sent me.”

~~~~~~~

Carmel walked slowly down Eisley Lane, nervously chewing her lower lip. The air was crisp and cold, but she hardly noticed. She was scared, very scared, but she had to do it. She sighed heavily as she came to a stop in front of a large two story house.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said darkly into the Bluetooth headset that was connected to her phone. “You think I should just stay away.”

“I think you’re opening a dangerous door,” said the electronically masked voice of JTG. “It’s a door that need not be opened if you ask me, which you didn’t. I never asked him, but… did Steven know about you? About what you are… or should I say were?”

“And could be again… maybe,” said Carmel dryly. “Steven never knew about me. Well, I guess he didn’t. I never told him anyway. I’d ask how you know, but I suppose at this point it seems like a fairly stupid question.”

“It would be,” JTG replied, the smugness in that voice evident even through the electronic mask. “Regardless, you’re certainly quite interesting. A half witch with her powers bound; unusable. Imagine my surprise when I learned the truth about magic. I wondered how easily I could play our game if I had magic myself. It would all be so much simpler, but alas I am but a mere… hmm… mortal, I believe is the term.”

“Well, I’m afraid I can’t help you there,” said Carmel. “I don’t know anything about magic. All I know is that my mother was a witch and my father wasn’t. She took me away from this town and bound my powers so the Coven couldn’t track me if I accidentally used magic.  After my mother died, I… I wanted to come back, to… to meet the rest of my family… my brother.”

“I can’t tell you what to do here, Carmel, but I’m telling you that you’re opening a dangerous door. We have a job to do here and you’re putting that at risk.”

“They won’t even recognize me,” Carmel shot back. “I’ll be fine. I just want to meet him, that’s all. If Steven were still alive things could be different, but as it stands… I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She paused for a second. “You know everything about me, it seems. I don’t even know your name. When are you going to stop hiding behind that electronic filter and tell me who you are?”

“When I’m confident I can trust you,” JTG replied. “Good luck, Carmel.” The line went dead. Carmel shook her head wearily, a familiar shiver running down her spine. JTG scared her more than she wished to admit. He or she, it was impossible to tell, was clearly quite dangerous and she wasn’t entirely convinced that she could trust them. At the moment, however, she had little choice. She was already wrapped up in this game as JTG called it. She wasn’t sure she could get out now even if she wanted to.

Carmel walked along the path and up the front steps of the house and onto the porch. She hesitated for a long moment before ringing the doorbell. In the forty-seven seconds it took for the door to open, Carmel considered running back down the garden path and hiding in the bushes at least twenty separate times. She was still standing there, however, when the door swung open.

A frail looking woman who appeared to be in her early forties opened the door. She peered at Carmel uncertainly for a moment before speaking. When she did so, it was in a tired, trembling voice.

“If you’re another reporter here looking for a story, we’re not interested,” the woman said without an ounce of strength behind the statement. “Our son just died last night. Leave us alone.”

“Wait, I’m not a reporter,” Carmel exclaimed as the woman went to close the door. “I… I’m not here about Steven. Well, I am, but not because of what happened, I…”

“Melissa, what’s going on? Who’s at the door?” A tall man with brown eyes and short, smooth black hair appeared behind the woman. “Who are… oh God… Carmel?”

“You… you know me?” Carmel gasped. As far as she knew, no one in town, not even her father, should be able to recognize her. She had only been a baby the last time she had been there.

“Of course I do,” said the man. He looked extremely nervous. The woman, Melissa, cleared her throat.

“Ezra, who is this girl?” She asked. “You know her?"

“Of course I know her, Mel,” said Ezra, his brown eyes glued to Carmel’s mismatched ones. “She’s my daughter.”   

~~~~~~~

“Why are you here?” Michelle demanded, glaring down at Alana where she sat at the kitchen table nibbling on a slice of buttered toast and reading the morning paper. It was the morning after the late night meeting and Michelle hadn’t slept well. She was irritable, frustrated, and most of all; scared. Alana was an unknown variable that in her opinion they didn’t need.

“I’m here because you need a friendly face,” said Alana, not looking up from the paper. “Tony’s a well-known asshole, I don’t think anyone in this town trusts Rick, the Sorrentos are fine but hardly approachable, and you… well, I hate to break it to you Michelle, but most people don’t really like you all that much.”

“Now, now, settle down,” said Tony, striding into the room. “There’s no need to be rude, Alana.”

“I’m not here to be polite to you people,” said Alana sharply. “I’m here for the financial gains I was promised. I don’t intend to be beholden to my sister for the rest of my life. If this scheme of yours works, I expect to be well paid. Of course, no one told me precisely what I was getting myself into upfront. If I’d realized I was getting into bed with murderers I wouldn’t have agreed.”

“Well, you’re here now,” said Rick, appearing in the doorway from one of the bedrooms. “You know the truth and so you’re stuck with us. You know what’ll happen if you try to go to the police.”

“You don’t need to threaten me, Rick,” Alana snapped.

“I wasn’t threatening you,” Rick replied, shrugging his shoulders. “I was just telling you how things are going to be.”

“If I go to the police, I don’t get paid,” said Alana. “I very much want to get paid, so as long as that happens you don’t have anything to worry about.” Her eyes flickered over to Tony. “On the other hand, if I don’t get exactly what was promised… well, you’d all do well to remember that my daughter is a detective. She’d be thrilled to find out that you’re responsible for suffocating Miranda. Or you, Rick, for orchestrating the explosion in the mine that killed Ryan Blake…” She turned at last to Michelle.

“But you… you’re the worst of them all. Sophia would love to know the truth about you. She’d be ecstatic to learn that you snuck into Michael Comstock’s house in the night and stole a knife belonging to Brad Reynolds. Then, you secreted away into the night, waiting until you saw the perfect moment when the guests had gone outside and she was all alone. You crept up behind your own daughter and stabbed her to death. You killed Sara, Michelle, and just because she was getting too close to the truth about you, Rick, and the rest of these miscreants. You deserve to burn in hell for that.”

Alana sighed and rolled her eyes. She threw her paper down and stood to her feet. She grabbed her purse and her keys.

“But I’ll leave your fate up to a higher power. All of your secrets are safe with me, so long as I get what I was promised. If not, well…” Alana gestured toward Michelle’s cell phone which was clutched in her hand. “Ask not for whom the bell tolls, bitch. It tolls for thee.” She turned on her heel and strode from the lodge without another word. 

Outside in the snow, Alana strode to her car and sat down in the driver’s seat. She shivered, although it had nothing to do with the cold. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had known what she was getting into, but she hadn’t been prepared for all of this. Sighing, she started her car and was just about to drive away when her phone chimed. She glanced briefly at the screen and then did a double take.

I don’t care what you’re up to or why you’re playing a part of the dirty half dozen in there, Alana. It’s not part of my game, but still you’d do well to forget you ever heard my name. Friendly advice; don’t say a word to anyone about me. Don’t mention my name to a single living soul. If you do, I promise your daughter will pay the price. Her life is in your hands, bitch. Don’t test me –JTG

5: Chapter V: The Trigger

It was late in the evening by the time Snow returned home. She had spent much of the afternoon wandering through Rivendell Park, lost deep in her confused and troubled thoughts. She was trying to unravel the chaos that had become her life and make some sense of it. She failed.

Darkness had already settled over Mistbrook Falls when Snow parked her Mustang. The air outside was cold and the skies clearer than she had ever seen them. A field of endless stars spread out before her as she gazed upward. She longed to lose herself amongst them and never come back. She never wanted any of this. She never asked for it. She would give anything to escape it.

She glanced down at her arm, the scar from her self-inflicted wound shining in the moonlight. She stared at it for a long moment, struggling against the seductive, twisted voice whispering in her ear… the voice that always seemed to be there.

‘It would be so easy, wouldn’t it? You would be free. No more fear. No more pain. It would all stop. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? That’s what you still want, yes? You want to be at peace. You’ll never find that in life, but only in the cold embrace of death. It’s what you want. Say it.’

“It’s what I want…” Snow choked out, trying and failing to choke back her tears. She gazed down at the scar again. “It’s what I want… but not like this.” Defiantly, she wiped her eyes and slammed her car door closed. “I am stronger than that. I am stronger than the voices in my head. I’m never going to listen to you, so shut the fuck up!”

 Snow turned on her heel and marched up the front steps of her home and through the front door. It was rather dark inside as most of the lights had been turned off for the night. She could see the flickering of the TV in the den to her left and she poked her head in to see Kayla and Ariana sitting cuddled together on the sofa in the darkened room watching a movie.

Snow smiled in spite of everything else going wrong in her life. They were cute. As far back as she could remember, they always had been. It had been the two of them who had shown her what real love was. She had never believed that love conquered all. She still didn’t and never would, but when she looked at her parents she almost… almost believed.

Deciding not to bother them, she tried to quietly ease away from the doorway and go up to her room. However Kayla, being ever vigilant, looked up as she moved.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she called out.

“Hey, you guys,” Snow replied, giving them a rather forced smile. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I just got home and I’m pretty tired. I was just going to go up to bed.”

“Dove, are you planning on going back to school tomorrow?” Ariana asked her, sitting up from where she had been resting against her wife’s shoulder. “There’s no rush, of course, but we’ll need to let the school know something before too long.”

“Um… not tomorrow,” Snow said quietly. “I’m… we’re… not ready to face that just yet. Maybe one or two more days, just… just a little more time to process everything.”

“Darling, take one or two more weeks if you need to,” Kayla said firmly. “After what you’ve been through, if you want to take the rest of the year off I wouldn’t blame you. You’re a brilliant girl. I’m more worried about your mental state than I am your education.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll need that much time,” Snow replied. “To be honest, I think I’d like at least a little bit of normalcy back in my life. I’ll let you know for sure, though. Anyway, I’m gonna head up to bed. Love you guys.”

“And we love you,” said Ariana warmly. Snow turned and started to walk away before something made her stop. She turned and went back into the den.

“Hey… actually… can I ask you both something?”

“Of course, Dove,” said Ariana. “What is it?”

“It’s silly, but… well… do either of you… believe in… magic?” Even in the semi-darkness, Snow couldn’t miss the look of surprise and nervousness that passed between the two of them.

“Why do you ask?” Kayla inquired after what could only be described as a very pregnant pause.

“Oh… it’s nothing, just something my friends were talking about,” said Snow idly, although her bullshit meter was on high alert. Her parents were many things, but they were terrible at lying to her. “I’ve always believed in science, but… it’s interesting to think about.”

“Well, I think there are a lot of things out there that we can’t explain,” said Kayla. “Stuff that definitely seems supernatural, so I guess… yeah, I mean, there could be.”

“I don’t just mean the supernatural,” Snow said delicately. “I mean… magic. Like… well, like witches, and demons, and spells, and… you know, magic.”

“It’s certainly possible, Dove,” said Ariana, although Snow noticed she seemed very hesitant to answer. “But I don’t know. I guess… I guess I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Right,” Snow said, doing her best to keep her doubt from showing on her face. “Well… good night.”

“Good night,” her moms called after her.

Snow went up to her room and fell, fully clothed, into bed. Despite being exhausted, she lay there for a very long time wondering why her mothers had just lied to her.

Eventually, Snow fell into a fitful sleep. She dreamed of Michael, and Mary, and a faceless evil that she couldn’t seem to escape from. At some point in the night, very close to one in the morning, her dream began to change.

Suddenly, she was standing atop a cliff that overlooked Mistbrook Falls. The sky was inky black and filled with ash and falling embers of flame. It was dark, although she could still see the sun through what she now saw to be a thick and seemingly endless cloud of ash. The air was swelteringly hot. I had a very acrid, sharp metallic smell. There was a strong scent of sulfur and chemicals.  Oppressive and miserable, the heat caused Snow to immediately become drenched in sweat.  

The mountain that loomed over Mistbrook Falls seemed to have erupted into a twisted and blackened volcano. The peaks had been blasted open and streams of lava bubbled and frothed up and ran down the mountain, turning the forests around the town into blackened, twisted expanses of ruin and death.

The river of lava coursed into the river than ran through the town, vaporizing the water and leaving a red hot stream of lava coursing through the center of town. The town itself looked like a war zone. Most of the buildings were ablaze or destroyed altogether. The ground was cracked, with spikes of some strange black crystals jutting up into the air all across the city. Bodies, many of them ripped asunder, lay scattered every few feet and the ground ran red with pools of blood and entrails. Some bodies seemed to have been purposefully impaled upon the blackened crystal spikes and left to rot.

Off in the distance, where the school once stood, was a blood red spiral of magical energy that spun and crackled like some sort of vortex or portal. Beasts beyond Snow’s ability to comprehend were pouring out of it. Large, stark white, bipedal monsters that stalked the ground like twisted, demonic dinosaurs. They had long, razor-sharp claws and gaunt, skull-like faces. Their barbed tails twitched and arced up behind them and their wide, skeletal wings seemed to ripple with some sort of magical force.

Another creature, easily twenty feet tall, stalked the edge of the portal. It stood upright like a man, but was covered in thick, matted fur. It had strange legs, like those of a goat. Its head appeared to be some twisted visage of a bull, with flaming eyes and long gnarled horns that curled up behind its head. It held a titanic, flaming axe in its muscular, fur covered arms and shouted at some of the smaller creatures nearly in a deep, terrifying voice. It spoke in a language Snow didn’t recognize, but it sent a jolt of cold fear through her heart.

There were a host of other horrifying creatures that roamed through the town, many of them slaughtering anyone they came across. Snow didn’t get a chance to focus on them, however, because a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She tensed and slowly turned to find a tall man dressed all in black standing behind her. He had a hood pulled up over his head, and despite the fact that she was sure she should still have been able to discern the faintest details of his face; she could see none of his features. His face was simply an endless void of the inkiest black. The abyss. Endless. Crushing. All-consuming. Inescapable.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” The man said, his voice not deep like Snow had imagined, but a smooth, silky voice not unlike that of a seductive vampire. It was the kind of voice that could make a woman’s knees go weak… if she weren’t scared to death. “This is what you and I shall create together. We shall break open the seals that hold closed the Gates of Hell. We shall unleash my family free upon this plane at last. We shall return my kind to their rightful place! I shall be their eternal king, and you… you, the mother of their salvation… you shall be my queen. Together, we shall spill forth the corruption of Hell once again upon the Nexus.”

Snow was about to tell this creature, this demon that she was certain must be Sebastian, that she didn’t want any of this. She was going to tell him that she would not be his queen; she would not mother his army of demons. She was going to tell him the Dawnguard would destroy him. That she would destroy him. Before she could even open her mouth, the dream faded and she woke up, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

She was hot, blisteringly hot. She kicked off the blankets and stood to her feet, feeling woozy. She felt suddenly very ill and stumbled into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time. She knelt there for a while on the cold tile floor, feeling shaky and clammy. At long last she stood up and went back to her bedroom. The window, she noticed, was open and she immediately flicked on her light and peered around the room. It looked just as she’d left it and she was very much alone. Ariana would have opened it. She often did if she checked in and the room was stuffy. That would be it. It had just been a bad dream. Yes. Everything was fine.

Despite this, Snow walked to her window and peered out into the darkness of the night. Everything seemed to be as it always was. Mistbrook Falls sat in sleepy silence. She leaned back inside and closed the window. She drew the curtains across it and slid back into bed.

“It was just a dream, Snow,” she told herself. “It was only a dream.”

It was not just a dream. What Snow had not seen, due to a powerful magical cloaking spell, were two figures standing on the sidewalk across the street. They stood together, unmoving and unspeaking, until a third hooded figure joined them.

“Well?” Emilia glancing between the figure she had been standing with, her father, Alfonso, and the newcomer. “What do you think?”

“She is everything I could have asked for,” said the newcomer, in the same smooth voice from Snow’s vision. “She is precisely what I need. She is… perfect.”

“She’s dangerous,” said Emilia, sounding quite disgruntled. “If she’s really so powerful, why not just kill the little bitch and be done with her? I would willingly bare your children. I seek nothing more than to complete your ancient quest! Let’s kill her now and allow me to serve at your side instead. I would…”

“Silence,” Sebastian hissed. His voice was not loud. It was little more than a whisper… but it was commanding. “You are nothing. You are a little more than an experiment. A failed experiment. You are a twisted abomination. You are a tool to be used. You are not worthy of my seed. You are not worthy to bring forth the glorious creations that will free my brethren from their prison.” Sebastian turned and looked back up at the Austin house, towards Snow’s now closed window.

“No, she is the One,” he said firmly. “We simply must find a way to turn her to our side.”

“With the witch’s protection, we cannot simply take her,” said Alfonso. “You cannot touch her and only your power can corrupt her. I… I do not know what we should do.”

“I cannot touch her now,” Sebastian corrected. “My powers are still strengthening. Soon, the witch’s spell will no longer affect me. Once this occurs, we will be able to take her. I will be able to corrupt her mind… and then her body. She will be mine, body and soul… and I am going to relish it.”

~~~~~~~

Back at Stonehaven, Michael led Sienna and Zoe down a long, heavily armored corridor deep beneath the city above. The passageway was narrow and the walls were covered with thick armor plating. It was warm, usually so, despite the coldness of the metal and steel around them. One look at Sienna’s face told Michael that she wasn’t at all happy about her current circumstance.

“We’re almost there,” he said in an attempt to comfort her. The princess did not respond.

Soon enough the passage ended in an even more heavily armored door. It was sealed with massive, heavy steel bars that slid into sockets that held the door closed. It looked not unlike a bulkhead door you would see on a battleship of old, only far thicker and heavier. Michael tapped in a code on the keypad next to the door. There was a tremendous grinding sound as the bars slowly retracted and the door swung open.

They stepped through the door and into a vast underground chamber. The area right around the door was lit by lights set into the stone walls. The light extended roughly twenty feet into the chamber before fading into darkness. This chamber was even warmer than the passageway, despite being a cavern which would traditionally be rather cold.

“Underground, Michael?” Sienna demanded, her voice filled with frustration. “You can’t… They need room to roam, to fly, to… you can’t keep them trapped like this.”

“Don’t blame Michael, Your Grace,” said Zoe, coming quickly to the Knight Commander’s defense. “This isn’t his fault. This was my idea. At first, we attempted to let it roam free, but I had to keep it magically controlled so that it would not escape and be spotted by mortals. That put an extreme strain on my abilities. Eventually, we had to contain the beast.”

“Beast?” Sienna said gruffly. “Zoe, dear, your kind have been trapped on this magic-repressed realm of existence for far too long. The fall of the Wiccan realm truly damaged your people. This creature is no beast, I assure you. You simply do not know how to communicate with her.”

“And you do?” Michael asked hopefully. Sienna gave him a wry smile.

“Of course I do.” Michael sighed, quite pleased.

“Good. I was hoping so, seeing as you keep one as a pet. I thought—”

“Don’t ever let him hear you call him a ‘pet’,” Sienna advised. “He gets… very upset. He is my guardian by choice. Now, where is she?”

“Deeper in the cave, most likely,” said Zoe, pointing into the darkness. “She tends to nest back there when she’s not attacking the barrier.” Zoe motioned to a thin bluish field of magical energy, barely visible to the eye, which seemed to drift from floor to ceiling about ten feet further into the chamber and cut off this entrance from the rest of the cavern. Sienna turned and marched toward the barrier, not waiting for Michael and Zoe to accompany her. She stopped when she reached the barrier.

“One second,” Michael called after her. “We’ll have to lower the barrier so we can go in.” Sienna glanced back at him over her shoulder. She raised her left hand touched the energy field. A flash of white energy, blindingly bright in this darkened chamber, burst from her palm. A sheet of ice seemed to spread out across the energy field and the subtle drifting motion of the barrier ceased. The ice then shattered into a billion tiny shards and took the barrier with it. Sienna gave Michael a thin smile and strode deeper into the cavern.

“I fucking love her,” Zoe whispered as she and Michael watched the princess walk away into the darkness. “Did you know she could use magic?”

“Apparently there’s quite a bit about my cousin that I don’t know,” Michael said quietly as he and Zoe set off after her.

“Yes…” Zoe replied. “Speaking of things we don’t know… We’ve been getting reports.”

“What kind of reports?” Michael asked.

“The kind that greatly worry me, the Coven… everyone,” Zoe replied. “There is talk of… a war in heaven. The rumor is that someone died before they completed their destiny. From the sound of things, that bitch Fate broke the universe before the Elder Gods put her down for good.”

“And what do the Gods and Destiny have to say about all this?” Michael asked.

“As usual, nothing,” Zoe said dryly. “But it sounds like this isn’t going to be an easy fix. Destiny hasn’t been able to repair the damage Fate has done and the Grand Design is in danger of collapsing. The Gods… the more… entrepreneurial of them, have taken the opportunity to attempt to stage a coup and overthrow the other Gods.”

“Well, it hasn’t come to blows just yet,” said Michael confidently. “If it had, we’d know. Either way, there’s not much we can do about it. We don’t have to power to battle beings of that… caliber. We have our own problems to deal with. Just… let me know if anything changes. We have options and we may have to revaluate our position depending on what happens.”

Zoe nodded but did not reply. Ahead of them, roughly twenty or so feet, Sienna had come to a stop. She was looking up high above her into the darkened ceiling of the cave. She seemed to be trying to make out something in the darkness. Zoe raised her hand and a ball of light flickered to life, illuminating the space around them in a thirty foot radius.

“It’s all right, girl,” Sienna said in a soft, whisper-like voice. “No one’s going to hurt you. Come on out. You’re safe.”

Despite Zoe’s Candlelight spell, the cavern was still very dark. The group was only able to make out the outline of something massive shifting and moving just outside of the range of Zoe’s spell. There were sounds of claws scraping against stone and the rumbling of what sounded mysteriously like the spinning up of some gigantic engine.

Suddenly, a massive lizard-like head emerged from the shadows. Covered in deep red scales, the adolescent red dragon stalked forward, its jet black eyes flickering between Sienna, Michael, and Zoe. It seemed especially focused on Zoe.

“Sienna…” Michael muttered uncertainly. The princess ignored him completely.

Although only a young dragon, the creature stood easily fifteen feet tall as it slunk out of the darkness, pacing in front of Sienna as though carefully evaluating her. Its massive clawed feet scraped against the stone and the outline of a vast wingspan was only just visible in the darkness as the creature furled and unfurled its wings.

“It’s okay, girl,” Sienna said, still in that same soft voice. “It’s going to be okay. I know you don’t like being down here. You want to see the sky, don’t you?” She raised her hand up towards the young red dragon. It made the sound like a massive jet engine starting to spin up again and it gazed down at her through its black eyes.

Slowly, the dragon lowered her head and came face to face with the young princess. The creature was far largest than she was. It could have killed her in an instant if it wished and there would have been nothing Zoe or Michael could have done to prevent it. It did not, however, attack. Instead, the dragon tilted its head, clearly studying the princess with interest. It snorted suddenly, its breath causing her white hair to billow around her.

“I’m going to take care of you,” Sienna told the dragon softly. “I’m so sorry you’ve been trapped down here, alone and afraid. I can take you to a place where you will be safe if you would like. Would you like that?”

“We need the dragon here, my Queen,” Zoe spoke up. “It’s important, we…” She trailed off as the dragon suddenly jerked its head toward her, the sound it made growing louder and louder. It began to open its mouth, but Sienna reached out and stroked the side of its scaly face.

“She’s not going to hurt you,” Sienna reassured the creature. “They simply do not understand you. Not in the way that I can.” Michael and Zoe had never once seen a dragon look surprised and confused, but the expression on the red dragon’s face was clearly one of immense surprise and confusion. Suddenly, the dragon began to make sounds. It was strong and sharp, yet also beautiful in a way. It was, although neither of them could understand it, a language. The dragon, it appeared, was speaking.

Sienna stood there for a moment, listening, and then turned back to Michael and Zoe.

“Her name is Ancalagon,” said Sienna. “She asks why you keep her here. She demands to be released immediately and taken back to where she can see the sky.”

“You… you can speak to dragons?” Michael asked, exchanging a uncertain glance with Zoe. Sienna smiled.

“You know, for an ancient organization that has close ties with the draconic you are horribly uninformed,” said the princess. “I said before that dragons are not beasts. They are ancient, powerful creatures that are far more knowledgeable and intelligent than we are. Perhaps you are used to the feral drakes that once roamed this realm, but Ancalagon here is no drake. She tells me she is from one of the oldest and noblest of the draconic bloodlines… and you have her trapped in a box.”

“We… we didn’t mean to…” Michael sputtered. The dragon was staring at him as though debating whether or not to roast him before she ate him. “We simply found the dragon egg. We had no idea that she was an intelligent creature capable of communicating. We needed… well, we needed a dragon. The only weapons capable of killing a Demon Lord are those that undergo a lengthy and specialized forging process. One of the most important aspects is that the metal must be heated in the breath of a dragon.”

Ancalagon began to speak again and Sienna looked up at the creature, nodding her head slowly. When the dragon fell silent, Sienna turned back to them.

“She says she has felt the presence of this Demon Lord for some time,” Sienna explained. “Despite hating being trapped beneath the ground, it was one of the primary reasons for her attempts to escape. The Demonic realm and the Draconic realms are very close to each other, as you well know. Demons long ago invaded and destroyed the Draconic realm. The ancient dragons fled, but the memories and history of that assault is carried through the bloodlines. Ancalagon says that if you agree to release her, she will remain and assist you however she can. She has no desire to see what happened to her world happen to yours.”

“What assurances do we have that she won’t just leave?” asked Michael. Ancalagon made what could only be described as the sound of a dragon chuckling. Sienna grinned.

“Because she hasn’t burned us all alive yet.”

~~~~~~~

At noon the following day, Snow drove out to Michael’s house. She parked her car in the driveway and walked along the gravel path toward Stonehaven. She was still awed by the majestic city despite having spent much of the previous afternoon within its walls.

As she approached the entrance to the city, the massive armored gates split open to welcome her with an echoing crack. Inside, Stonehaven was a hive of activity with people bustling this way and that, going about their day. Snow had only taken a few steps beyond the gates when a guard dressed in shining silver armor approached her. He held one of the rifles she had seen before and a sword was strapped to his waist.

“Greetings,” he said pleasantly. “Welcome back to Stonehaven, Ms. Austin.”

“You… know me?” Snow asked. She was surprised that anyone would remember her from the short time she had visited.

“Of course,” said the guard. “Everyone here knows about you. You’re the Unum Purissimum; the Pure One.”

“Oh… well, I… I don’t know about that. I just…”

“Are you harassing our guests again, Derrick?” A familiar voice called out. Snow turned and saw Kiki striding toward them.

“No, Knight-Captain,” said Derrick, inclining his head. “It’s just, I… I never expected the Pure One to arrive in my lifetime.”

“And I never thought you would buy into ancient prophetical bullshit,” Kiki said drolly. “Go on; get back to your post. I’ll see to our guest.” Derrick hurried away, glancing back at Snow as he went. Snow turned to Kiki feeling utterly bewildered.

“What was…?”

“That about? Don’t worry about him, Snow. Derrick is just a little… odd. He believes in prophecy, an ancient and widely discredited branch of magic. The prophecy he’s talking about refers to a being of pure magic arising at a time of great strife to fight the great evil and save the world.”

“And Derrick thinks it means me?” Snow wondered. Kiki smiled softly.

“Snow, there have been countless magical beings believed to be this so-called Pure One over the centuries. Each of them powerful, magical… and there’s not an ounce of proof that distinguishes any one of them as being this ‘Pure One’.”  Kiki sighed.

“Then again,” she added somewhat offhandedly. “We all have a destiny to fulfill.” Snow gave a slight chuckle as they set off along the bustling street.

“I don’t believe in destiny,” she said pointedly. “Never have.” Kiki simply smirked.

“You will.” 

Silence fell between them as they walked along the busy street, passing vendors hawking their wares and shoppers going this way and that about their business. There was also a significant increase in armed individuals moving about the city. Snow noticed no less than twenty people patrolling the streets, each of them armed with one of the shiny white rifles and a sword strapped to their belt.

As they walked, the sky darkened as one of Princess Sienna’s airships drifted overhead. The air beneath the craft rippled as whatever energy field that kept it aloft did its work. There was still so much that Snow didn’t understand about this world it seemed she had no choice but to be a part of… and she couldn’t deny that there was a tiny sliver of herself that wanted to be part of it.

She had magic. She had used magic. Perhaps not intentionally, but she had used it and that rush of power was infectious. She wanted to learn, to study, to discover how to use the power everyone kept telling her she had. It was perhaps that realization that frightened her more than JTG or the demon Sebastian. In her heart, she knew what she truly desired was, quite simply, power. JTG has stolen that. Her mother’s illness had stolen it as well. With magic, she might find a way to get it back… and annihilate anything or anyone that got in her way.

Kiki led Snow through the city and up sprawling staircase to the Library. Once inside, she took her into the elevator and pressed the button marked Basement. The lift dropped for what seemed like forever before the doors finally opened. The room they had arrived in was easily as large as the warehouse. Everywhere she looked there were training dummies, archery and rifle ranges, obstacle courses, rope and climbing courses and even what looked to be a wide range of siege equipment and targets to fire upon. It was clear that this was the area where the Dawnguard’s military force was trained.

“Ah, there you are,” said Zoe, turning away from Michael and Sara where they stood nearby waiting. She stepped forward, her elegant robes billowing around her as she walked. She glanced at Kiki. “Thank you, dear, for bringing her. I’ll take care of her from here.”

“Please do,” said Kiki, giving Snow’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “You’ll do fine, Snow. Don’t worry. You’ve got a good teacher.” Kiki turned and retreated to the elevator, which still waited with its doors open. She went inside and soon the lift carried her back up towards the main floor of the Library.

“Okay, Snow,” said Zoe in a much more intense and focused voice than Snow was used to from her. “Welcome to Magic 101. I’m going to teach you the basics of controlling your powers… at least, to the best of my ability.  You are not a witch, but neither are you… anything close to what anyone has ever dealt with before. So, we’re going to attempt a few things.”

“Okay…” Snow said uncertainly.

“Firstly, magic is tied firmly to our emotions,” said Zoe. “The more troubled our emotional state, the more unsettled and dangerous our powers become. You, dear girl, have doubtlessly had your fair share of emotional turmoil… as is evidenced by the abnormal and most certainly magical snowstorm that has recently plagued our town.” Snow’s eyes widened in shock.

“That… that couldn’t have been me,” Snow whispered, looking imploringly to Michael and Sara.

“Zoe’s been checking into it,” said Sara delicately. “The snow began when you found out about your mother’s illness and it ended when you began to come to terms with it. The snowstorm was your doing, Snow. That should give you some idea of the scope of your powers.”

“As well as show you just how important it is that Sebastian never gets his twisted hands on you,” Zoe put in. “Uncontrolled, your power is immense. Heaven help us all if that power, once controlled, were turned against us.” She paused, seeming to wait and allow the enormity of her statement settle on everyone present.

“Magic, at its core, is emotion made manifest. It is our deepest feelings coursing out of ourselves and used to heal, change, move, and yes, destroy. Every magic user has what we call a trigger, a focus. It is the central emotion that we use to harness and control our powers. The first step in any young sorceress’s training is to discover which emotion will be her focus. For some, those unwilling to get deeply in touch with their emotions, this will be one of the most difficult aspects of training.” Zoe stopped circling Snow and stepped very close, peering deeply into her eyes.

“What do you believe would be your focus?” Zoe asked. “Which emotion would you like to start with? We will have to experiment until we uncover the correct one.”

“Uhh….” Snow muttered uncertainly. She had no idea. She hadn’t expected this and she wasn’t at all sure where to begin. She thought hard, remembering the day before when Michael had attacked her in an effort to test her. Her first thought had, of course, been fear. Fear… well, it made sense. She was afraid most of the time. She had been afraid the night up in the mines when Steven had her bound and suddenly… suddenly, as though she had willed it into being, her bindings had loosened. It was fear, she realized. It had to be.

“Fear,” said Snow at last. “We’ll try fear.” Zoe nodded. She didn’t seem at all surprised.

“Fear,” she repeated. “A common first attempt, although rarely correct. Still, it is always worth a try. Come.”

Zoe raised her hand and made a slow, sweeping gesture in front of her. Like a rippling pool of water, the training area shimmered and shifted, melting away to become a lush forest in the late afternoon. The air was cool and crisp and comfortable. It smelled of honeysuckle and oak. The sky was clear and the sun was low enough that the first hints of stars were visible. The four of them stood in a wide clearing covered by ankle high grass.

“One day, you’ll be able to do that too,” said Zoe, grinning at the wowed expression on Snow’s face. “Now come, let’s begin.”

Zoe led Snow out toward the center of the clearing and stood in front of her. She clasped Snow’s hands in her own and peered into her eyes. She seemed to be looking for something, although Snow could never have begun to guess what that might be. She stared for so long that Snow began to get a little uncomfortable before the witch finally drew her hands back and blinked.

“Okay,” she said softly. “What we are going to do now is attempt to connect you to your trigger and fully unlock your powers. Everything you’ve done so far as been reactionary or accidental. It’s impressive as most witches would not be able to utilize the level of magic you have before undergoing this process.”

“Thanks,” said Snow, only half jokingly. “I needed to be reminded what a freak I am.”

“My dear, you are not a freak,” said Zoe with a warm smile. “You are a miracle when the world most desperately needs one. Now, what we must do… what you must do, is focus. We will stand here together and you will think deeply about what you fear. You will focus on your worst nightmares, the things in this world that you fear the most. Bring all of them to the forefront of your mind. Do not push them away. Do not run from them. Use them. I will help you remain calm and relaxed. Close your eyes and we will begin.”

Snow obeyed and closed her eyes. She felt Zoe take her hands again and her body almost immediately relaxed. She felt as though she were floating through clouds, weightless and free. She found it incredibly easy to focus her mind on any topic she wished. Remembering her purpose, she shifted her attention to the things she feared the most. She thought of losing her mother, of losing her friends, of JTG, and off the shapeless, faceless form she had come to associate with Sebastian. She thought of the possibility of her failure; that perhaps she could not learn to do magic as well as Zoe and the Dawnguard hoped.

She began to dive deeper and deeper into her worst fears, and yet she felt no surge of power. She felt no sudden burst of magical energy course through her. Try as she might to focus on how she had felt each time she had used magic; it simply would not come to her. Soon enough, she opened her eyes.

Zoe no longer stood in front of her. In fact, she was standing well away from her with Michael and Sara, talking quietly with them. They all turned toward her as she came out of whatever magical trance Zoe had seemingly put her in and walked over.

“As I suspected, fear was not the proper trigger,” Zoe said, seemingly unfazed by Snow’s failure to produce magic. “It rarely is. Oh well, better to rule it out early. It only took thirty minutes, so it’s not as though we wasted much time.”

“Thirty minutes?” Snow asked, nonplussed. “I couldn’t have been standing there for more than five minutes.”

“Snow, you were in a meditative trance for over half an hour,” said Michael, holding out his clear Dawnguard cell phone for her to see the time.

“Whoa…” Snow whispered, feeling suddenly strange and somewhat lightheaded. “I… I didn’t realize…”

“It’s to be expected, dear,” Zoe said gently. “These types of things take time, and it’s very easy to lose track of time once you’re under. Rest a moment, consider another potential trigger, and we’ll try again.”

“What about sadness?” Snow asked, gratefully accepting the bottle of water that Sara held out to her. “I mean, if I conjured that snowstorm it was because I was sad. Maybe that’s it?”

“Possibly, yes,” Zoe said thoughtfully. “Much like fear, sadness is rarely a viable trigger, but it too is worth a try. At least we’re operating with a guide and not just guessing. When you’re ready, we’ll—”

“I’m ready now,” Snow interrupted, taking a deep gulp of water and passing the bottle back to Sara. “Let’s try again.”

Once again, Zoe led Snow out to the center of the clearing and helped her go back deep into a meditative trance. Snow thought of all the deep hurts and heartbreak that had been forefront in her life for the last few months. She relived the moment Ariana told her of her condition. She thought of that night at Michael’s party, heard the phrase once again as though it were being spoken directly into her ear in that moment: "Yes... yes, that's right. Sara Blake... sixteen years old... Time of death: 1:42am."  

She thought and thought, focused with all her might, but still no magic came to her. Recognizing defeat, Snow opened her eyes once again and almost immediately fell to her knees, her legs aching. She sat there, trembling, as Michael, Sara and Zoe all rushed over to her.

“Are you okay?” Michael asked, lifting her chin and peering into her eyes. “You were under the trance for over an hour. I was getting worried.”

“I… I was?” Snow asked blearily. She hurt all over and she felt like someone had been battering her brain with a mace. She shakily accepted the water Sara passed to her, although her hands shook so badly that Michael had to help her drink it.

“Thank you,” Snow whispered, looking up at Michael with tears shining in her eyes. Michael cupped her cheek and wiped away a tear that managed to escape no matter how hard she tried to hold it back.

“I’m so sorry to put you through this,” he said quietly. “I know it’s hard, believe me, but… but you can do it. The loss of time, what the trance does to your mind, it’s tough and it takes a toll. I know you can handle it. Take as much time as you need before we try again.”

“Yeah, I… I just need a minute, I think…” Snow muttered. She took another drink of water and looked around for Zoe. “Hey, could I… Could I talk to Zoe alone for a minute?”

“Um… sure,” said Sara, nudging Michael with her elbow. “Let’s just… go… over here. C’mon.” It was clear Michael didn’t want to leave, but he allowed himself to be steered away by Sara, leaving Snow and Zoe sitting alone on the grassy ground.

“Zoe… What if I can’t do this?” Snow whispered, once Michael and Sara were out of earshot.

“But you can,” Zoe said firmly. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

“Not this, not… not finding my trigger,” Snow explained. “What if I can’t fight him? What if he’s stronger than me? What if he wins?”

“Then our world will burn,” Zoe said simply. “But don’t think about that. Don’t worry about what might happen. Focus instead on what’s in front of us and what we need to do.”

“You’re really willing to risk the fate of the entire world on some off-chance that I’m really capable of being what you need me to be?” Snow asked incredulously. “I understand Michael, he loves me, but you… you don’t even know me. Zoe… I had a dream last night. At least, I think it was a dream. It might have been a… vision, I don’t know.” Snow spent the next few minutes explaining the details of her nightmare to Zoe. She noticed at certain points, particularly when she described the portal and the creatures, Zoe had to work very to hide her concern.

“Well, that… that was certainly no ordinary dream,” Zoe said quietly. “Those white creatures? They are called infernum venandi; Hell Stalkers. They are a relatively common daedric beast that stalks the Hell realms. They are vicious and kill without thought or remorse. The other creature… that… that was Abraxas. He… he is an ancient, monstrous archdemon. He was once one of the most powerful of the Demon Lords; however he lost much of his power when he and his ilk were banished from this realm and the Gates of Hell sealed behind them.”

“So… you’re saying what I saw was… real?”

“No,” said Zoe. “Not real, per se. If I were to guess based upon what you’ve told me, I would say that this dream was implanted into your mind. It sounds as though a demon attempted to force its way into your mind and show you this image. It was likely Sebastian himself, although I’m not sure how he could have done so. This may mean he has regained more of his power than we’d realized. Nevertheless, it changes nothing. We have little choice but to press forward.”

“Zoe, if what I saw could actually happen… if that’s the fate of our world if Sebastian wins, then… we can’t let him have that chance.” Snow took a deep breath. “I already asked Michael, but I can’t trust him to follow through. I would ask Brad, but knowing him he might jump the gun. So, I’m asking you. I’m going to give everything I have to learning how to do this, but… if I can’t, or if Sebastian gets his hands on me…”

“Yes,” Zoe said promptly. Snow’s eyes widened. “What? Did you expect me to argue? Yes, if Sebastian takes you I will do whatever it takes to stop him from completing his plans. If that means killing you, then yes, I will do so. I likely would never be able to forgive myself for such a sin, but… I cannot allow Sebastian to open the Gates of Hell. You mentioned in your dream that Sebastian referred to this realm as the Nexus. Well, there’s a good reason for that. This realm is the only realm that is directly connected to all of the others through natural magical means.

“Sienna has her airships and the Nine Realms have partnered to construct the Realmshift Gate Network as a means of traveling quickly and easily between the realms. Without these methods, someone wanting to travel from this Sienna’s realm to the Faery realm must first travel here and then to the Faery realm. If Sebastian could corrupt the Nexus, he would have direct access to every realm. He could seep his corruption across the Nine Realms and beyond. That cannot be allowed to happen, so… yes, I will do as you ask.”

Snow wasn’t at all sure how to respond to that. Everything she heard made her task seem that much more important… and that much more difficult. The entirety of the Nine Realms, billions perhaps trillions of lives, rested on her shoulders. The enormity of it seemed sure to crush her. Luckily, she was spared having to come up with anything to say because Michael came over a moment later.

“Hey,” he said softly, kneeling on the ground with them. “How are you feeling? Any better?”

“Yes, a little,” said Snow. It was a lie. If anything, she felt worse. “I think I’m ready to try again. I just not sure which emotion to focus on this time. If it’s not fear or sadness, I… I don’t know what to else to try.”

“Well, I think it’s obvious,” said Michael with a warm smile. “The emotion you need to focus on, the one I know you feel all too strongly, is love.”

“Love isn’t an emotion, it’s a feeling,” Snow told him.

“And yet still a perfectly valid trigger,” said Zoe. “Perhaps the most dangerous of them all. We should certainly try it.”

For the third time that day, Zoe led Snow out to the center of the clearing and placed her into the meditative trance. She brought forth images of all the people she loved, her parents, her friends, and yes even Michael. She focused with all her strength on the faces of the people she loved, of the people she would fight for… the people she would happily die for. Despite it all, there was no change. No magic came forth.

It was nearly two hours this time before Snow emerged from her trance. Her body was sapped of energy and the instant her mind returned to her body, she began to fall. Michael was right there, catching her before she hit the ground. It seemed her three companions had positioned themselves around her in case she needed help when she awoke. It took another forty-five minutes before Snow could even sit up by herself. The repeated journeys into the trance, a place of meditation and extremely deep self-exploration Zoe referred to as the Expanse, were taking a tremendous toll on Snow’s mind and body.

“I believe that’s going to be our last attempt today,” Zoe said once Snow had recovered enough to focus on what she was saying. “Most witches have more time and training before attempting this. You need to rest and we’ll try again tomorrow.”

“I just want to know what it is,” Snow moaned. “I mean, is it just me? Have we already tried the right emotion and it’s just not working?”

“It’s unlikely, but we can always attempt them again later,” said Zoe. “Don’t worry, Snow. We’ll get you there, I promise. We just need to—” Zoe broke off as Sara approached and stood, rather menacingly, over them. She stared down at Snow with fire in her eyes.      

“It must suck to be such a failure, huh?” Sara demanded, her eyes narrowing hatefully. “Always such a little know-it-all at school, but you can’t even figure out what emotion you need. So much for being special.”

“Sara, what are you doing?” Zoe asked, but Sara ignored her.

“For someone supposed so damn smart, you sure missed a lot that when on right under your nose. Steven outsmarted you. I outsmarted you. I lied to you, kept secrets from you and you just followed me around like a sick little puppy. I made you think you were good enough, but you never were. You never could be. The only reason you’re popular is because of me.”

“Sara, I…” Snow began, utterly confused by her friend’s words.

“You know, I’m glad your mom is sick,” Sara hissed. “Maybe now you can feel what it feels like to lose a parent!” Snow stood suddenly to her feet. She was confused and exhausted, but Sara had just crossed a line.

“Sara, what the hell is wrong with you?” Snow demanded.

“Nothing’s wrong with me,” Sara snapped. “But I seem to have struck a nerve. Your parents strut around this town acting like they’re God’s gift to Mistbrook Falls, but they’re just like everyone else. Except they’re worse, because they go around pretending like they’re better. They deserve what’s happening to them.”

“Shut up,” Snow said, her voice suddenly deathly quiet. She was angry. No, she was furious. Her hands were clenched so tightly that her fingernails were digging into her palms, drawing blood.

“I’m glad Ariana is dying,” Sara growled. “I’m glad Michael cut your heart out of your chest. You’re all alone and I’m glad. Glad, glad, glad!”

“Shut up!” Snow screamed. And as she did, a blast of magical energy erupted from within her. It shot out like a thunder wave in all directions, knocking Sara, Michael, and Zoe all off of their feet.

Snow stood there, trembling in shock and surprise, while the others regained their footing. Sara walked over, a thin smile on her lips, and gave her friend’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Snow’s trigger isn’t fear or sadness,” said Sara firmly. She looked over a Michael and shook her head. “It’s not love or joy. No. Snow’s trigger is hate.”    

6: Chapter VI: Magic is a Drug

Snow’s trigger is hate. Trigger is hate. Hate… hate… Snow’s trigger is hate. Hate… Snow’s trigger is hate. Sara’s words repeated on an endless loop in Snow’s mind. Hate. How could her trigger be hate? This wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. Surely Sara was mistaken. And yet, it seemed she wasn’t. Snow had been positively seething as the power boiled up inside her. It was true, and although she was glad to have discovered her trigger, she was heartbroken to learn that it was something so dark. Love would have been perfect. Fear and sadness she could have understood and tolerated. This… This just felt wrong. She felt wrong.

“Well, congratulations,” said Zoe, standing to her feet and wiping dirt off of her pants. “Well done! That’s quite an accomplishment… and if I might say so, a display of power as well. What would you call that, Michael? Third level Repulsive Blast?”

“Close to it,” said Michael, gazing at Snow and grinned. “That was really impressive!”

“Hey…” said Sara, taking a cautious step toward Snow. It appeared that she alone had noticed the crestfallen expression on Snow’s face, a fact that Snow was deeply grateful for. “Do you guys think I could talk to Snow alone for a minute? She looks like she needs a breather.”

“Certainly,” said Zoe briskly. “I’ll require a moment to prepare for the next stage anyway. Then perhaps Michael and I can demonstrate the full limits of what you will one day be able to accomplish.”

Snow barely heard the conversation as Sara gingerly led her away from the clearing and along a trail that wound through the nearby woods. Sara stopped after a few minutes, once they were well out of earshot and even visual range of the clearing. With a wave of her hand, the roots of a nearby tree sprung up from the ground. They twisted and molded themselves into a rather comfortable looking wooden bench. She sat down and looked up at Snow expectantly.

“You can sit if you’d like, but I imagine the adrenaline pumping through your veins right now isn’t making sitting down easy,” said Sara quietly. “Listen sweetie, I know this isn’t easy. I know right now you’re thinking that you’ve failed or that you’re evil or whatever. I know this feeling really well because my trigger is hate too.

“I know it’s a scary feeling, but it doesn’t mean you’re bad. A person’s trigger doesn’t speak to the character of the individual, it’s just… it just is. Believe me; it gets a lot better with time. Once you gain full control of your powers and learn how to use them, you won’t have to worry about your trigger. You won’t have to get angry or even think about your trigger to utilize your abilities.”

“Yeah… yeah, maybe…” Snow muttered quietly, more to herself than to Sara. “I just… this… This is all just too much, too fast. I mean, I don’t even know what I am. And now… now this, I…” She looked at Sara with tears shining in her blue eyes.

“What if… what if this makes it easier for Sebastian to—”

“Don’t,” Sara said firmly. “Don’t go there, Snow. That’s not how this works. Like I said, your trigger doesn’t represent anything about your character. Snow, my trigger is hate too, but do you know what skillset I’ve chosen? I’m a cleric. I use my powers to heal and restore. Yes, I can bring down the wrath of the gods if I want to, but I focus on keeping my friends alive and healthy and protected. Your trigger does not define you or the magic you’ll be able to use. It does not make you weak. It does not make you evil.”

“How do you know?”

“Because that’s not how magic works,” Sara said plainly. She smiled slightly. “One of my favorite fictional characters ever once said; ‘It is not our abilities that show us what we truly are. It is our choices’. Magic is not inherently good or evil; it’s… what we choose to do with it.” Sara stood up, walked over to Snow, and took her hands in her own.

“You’re going to be an incredible sorceress,” Sara said firmly. “Be afraid of Sebastian. Be afraid of the countless evils that exist across the Realms, but… my sweet, sweet girl, do not be afraid of yourself.” Sara leaned in, almost shyly, and kissed Snow on the tip of her nose. She smiled nervously and pulled away. “Come back when you’re ready.” Sara turned and set off back towards Michael and Zoe without another word.

Snow watched her go, a million billion thoughts racing through her mind. Slowly, she sank down onto the bench and held her face in her hands. It took everything she had not to break down and cry. No, she was stronger than that. She had to be stronger than that. Sebastian wasn’t going to stop and if she couldn’t learn to control her powers, she and the Dawnguard wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You know who you are,” Snow said out loud. “At least… who you try to be. Magic doesn’t have to change that.” She stood to her feet, glancing back in the direction of the clearing.

“It’s our choices…” She breathed. “Okay, then. It’s time to make a choice.”

Snow set off, following the path Sara had led her down, back into the clearing where Michael, Sara, and Zoe all stood waiting. They seemed to be having a whispered conversation as she approached. Snow was fairly certain she could guess what it was they were talking about.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Michael asked when the three of them noticed her. “Do you want to continue today?”

“I’m fine,” said Snow, nodding defiantly. “What do we do next?” She glanced at Sara, who gave her a wink and a reassuring smile.

“That’s my girl,” Sara mouthed to her when Michael and Zoe weren’t looking.

“Well,” said Zoe, flipping through a massive tome that appeared suddenly in her hands with a flash of light and a cloud of purplish smoke. “Next, we start practicing some spells. Normally, we’d start off small but you’ve already proven you can handle the small stuff without issue and… well, to be honest I’d like to sate my own curiosity. Given that I am an Elementalist who has deeply studied Evocation magics, I am best suited to teach you to harness the powers of water, earth, fire, and air.

“We will start, as most Elementalists do, with the easiest to master: air, or as it is more appropriately called; Aerotheurge. Spells within this classification do not simply refer to harnessing the power of wind, although that is certainly possible. No, instead we will focus on the far more dangerous and powerful aspects of the Aerotheurge skillset. We’re going to start today with lightning.”

“Um… lightning?” Snow repeated, rather unnerved by this pronouncement. “Like… Emperor Palpatine? From the fingertips…” She made a gesture pretending to shoot lightning from her hands.

“No,” said Zoe with a grin. “Although such a thing is possible and is referred to as Shocking Grasp. It’s a much lower level spell than where we want to start today. I want to move up a few levels; past Lightning Bolt and right on up to the much more fun Lightning Strike.”

“Well shit, why don’t you just start her off with Lightning Storm?” said Michael. “I thought we were going to ease her into this?”

“We don’t have time,” said Zoe sharply. “This is going to have to be a crash course in magic. I can teach her the Evocation spells, but there’s so much more that we’ll have to seek out others for assistance. We don’t have time to run her through the entirety of Newcastle’s curriculum. Now, you asked me to teach her and I believe she’s more than capable of handling this. Let me teach.”

It seemed that Michael either agreed with her or saw no point in arguing. Snow greatly suspected it was the latter. Personally, Snow was completely on Michael’s side. She wasn’t sure she was ready for higher level magic. She didn’t even know what levels there were. She was about to attempt to cast what sounded like a very powerful spell and she was very afraid she was going to hurt someone.

“Okay,” said Zoe, interrupting Snow’s mini panic attack. “To begin, you will need to focus on your trigger. Think whatever thoughts you need to in order to harness your power.”

It didn’t take long for Snow to get angry. She had a lot to be angry about. Her mind when instinctively to Michael and Sara’s betrayal, but somehow it didn’t seem to give her the fury she needed. If she hadn’t been so focused on what she had to do in that moment, this revelation might have bothered her more than it did at the time. Instead, she shifted her attention to the thing that had pushed her over the edge before; her mother’s illness.

Snow would have thought that her mother’s failing health would make her sad, and it did. But even so, she spent so much time running from it and refusing to think about it that when she did stop and think about what was happening to Ariana, she came to realize that instead of making her feel sad, it made her angry. Ariana was too young, too sweet, too caring, too beautiful a soul to suffer like this. More than Michael and Sara, more than Steven, more than even JTG, it was this that pissed her off.

Zoe was talking, but Snow barely heard her. All she could focus on was the sudden discovery of untapped power trapped inside of her. She could feel it coursing through her veins in a way that made her question how she had never realized it before. Without even hearing Zoe’s instruction, Snow closed her eyes and raised her hand toward the sky. Off in the distance, there came a sudden rumble of thunder.

The skies overhead turned dark as a deep black thunderhead seemed to appear from the either; summoned into being by Snow’s will alone. Snow opened her eyes and saw Zoe watching, a mixture of pride and shock on her face.

“That tree in the distance,” Zoe shouted. “That’s your target. That power you feel? Focus it on the tree and unleash it!”

Unleash it? How? She could feel the power, certainly, but how was she supposed to use it? The instant she thought the question, it was as though a switch turned in her brain. She stared at the tree, the tallest anywhere around them. She burned the image of it in her mind before closing her eyes again. She gathered that churning power, feeling it build and build within her. When it became almost too much, surging to the point she felt she might explode, she brought her arm down violently, bending it at the elbow. As she did, a bolt of lightning arced from the sky and struck the tree. The accompanying crack of thunder was nearly deafening. 

The trunk was split three quarters of the way to the ground, with one half cracked and broken completely off of the tree. The remainder that still stood was engulfed in flames. Overhead, the storm cloud that had emitted the lightning bolt began to dissipate and before long the sun was once again shining brightly in the sky.

“That was incredible,” said Zoe, walking over to Snow and placing her hands on her shoulders. “Well done, truly. You really are a natural. Wild, untamed, and perhaps slower than more advanced Elementalists, but the raw talent is there. Yes, I can work with this.”

“That… that was… I’ve never felt anything like that before,” Snow gasped, staring at Zoe with wide eyes. Zoe smiled warmly.

“My dear, that was a mere taste of what you’ll be able to do,” she explained. “Would you like to see, then, the extent of what magic can do?”

“Definitely,” said Snow enthusiastically. She was still trembling from her explosive use of magic and she was glad to have an excuse not to have to cast another spell right away. She was still in awe of what she had done as she sat down on the grass next to Sara to watch Zoe’s demonstration. Magic was clearly capable of doing so much more than she had ever imagined. She wanted to learn more. She wanted to learn everything she possibly could. She wanted, she realized, power. She had tasted it and now… now, she craved it. She smiled as she lifted her hand and caused a few crackles of electricity to arc between her fingers.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Sara asked, grinning at her.

“Yeah,” Snow said absently, watching the energy cascade across her hand. “Pretty cool.”

A fair distance away, Zoe strode purposefully toward the center of the clearing. She held her hands out wide and then thrust violently towards the sky. Thunderclouds formed instantly, far larger and more ominous than Snow’s had been. What must have been hundreds of lightning strikes began to obliterate the edge of the tree line, each blast as powerful as the single bolt Snow had conjured.

“Come on Michael,” Zoe called over her shoulder. “Don’t you want to play?” Sara and Snow both looked up at Michael, who was standing nearby. He had a look on his face that could only be described as giddy.

“You’re on, Emison,” Michael shouted. Without warning, he set off at a run. His hands flashed and twin bolts of bluish-green energy rocketed away toward Zoe. The witch saw them coming and with a power gesture with both hands, she raised a wall of solid stone from the ground. The two bolts of Eldritch energy hit the wall and cracked it, causing a portion to collapse but leaving Zoe completely unharmed.

Zoe scattered the remains of the stone wall with a blast of wind before using that same wind to create a cyclone around herself. Lightning flashed within it, striking out at Michael as he ran forward, a long silver blade appearing magically in his hands. He deflected the bolts with his sword and was steps away from Zoe when the cyclone dropped. Zoe spun, leaping back and sending a small ball of fire directly at him. It struck the ground at his feet and exploded with the force of a small bomb.

Michael had just enough time to summon a shield of rippling blue energy to deflect the blast, but he was still pushed back several feet, his heels digging into the earth. He smirked up at her.

“So, we’re not playing games, I see,” he said smugly. “Alright then.” He raised his hand and pointed one finger right at Zoe. A beam of sickly green energy emitted from his fingertip and arced in her direction. Zoe’s eyes went wide and she attempted to get off a spell of some type judging by the sudden rapid hand motions she made. She was too late, however, and the beam caught her in the side. She shrieked in pain as the beam burned through her clothing. The bare skin beneath was left blackened and it looked dead.

“I would argue that there’s a significant power difference between Fireball and Finger of Death, but so be it,” Zoe said sagely. She glared at him and raised her left hand toward the sky. High above, the sun seemed to shift. Suddenly, a burst of what could only be the power of the sun itself came down from above and swirled into Zoe’s outstretched hand. She raised her right hand toward Michael and unleashed that same beam of white hot energy toward him. He raised the shield again, but the blast overpowered the shield and blew Michael clean off of his feet. He landed in a heap thirty feet away.

Wincing in pain, his body and clothing smoldering slightly from the power of the Sunbeam spell, Michael leapt to his feet. He sent a barrage of dozen magic missiles from his palm, arcing cross the clearing Macross style. Before they impacted, Michael vanished. Zoe cut down most of the magical projectiles with small bolts of fire, but they provided enough of a distraction for Michael to disappear.

Zoe turned slowly on the spot. She clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

“Oh, Mike…” She said wearily. “You forget who you’re up against.” Zoe’s eyes began to glow a strange, vibrant white. “Come out, come out wherever you are…” Michael, it seemed, had been listening. He reappeared behind her, a gigantic ethereal sword gleaming in the air above him. It swung down, slicing through Zoe’s body. It left no visible injury, but the witch doubled over in pain. Her eyes flickered back to their normal color as Michael approached her.

Zoe shot fire bolts toward him in rapid succession, each one cut down by blasts of Eldritch energy from Michael. The battle grew more and more ferocious as Michael drew nearer unitl Zoe, visible frustrated, made a spiral motion in front of her with both hands and vanished in a swirling purple cloud. She reappeared behind him and a beam of crackling black energy burst from her outstretched finger.

The blast of energy caught Michael in the arm, which instantly turned black and then seemed to dissolve into dust. Surprised, Michael cried out in anguish, staring at his missing arm.

“Well played, Mike, well played,” Zoe said sincerely. “But I’m older and more experienced. And you, well… You’re not quite as quick as you used to be.”

“Oh yeah?” Michael asked, nodding toward Zoe’s feet. She looked down just in time to see a red glyph glowing beneath her flare brightly and explode, engulfing her in flames. She immediately dowsed the flames with a column of water that erupted from the ground beneath her.

“Glyphs…” She muttered darkly. “Of course. Goddamn warlock…” She rolled her eyes. “Enough.” Zoe raised one arm and a literally tidal wave of water rose up from the ground and raced toward Michael. He raised his hand, his eyes widening as he saw the water and seemed to know Zoe’s intentions. The water engulfed him and, with a gesture from Zoe, began to freeze it’s way up his body, trapping him in ice. Just before the ice covered his face and entombed him forever, he managed to choke out a final word.

“Morietur…” Zoe stood before him, looking triumphant. As she heard the word, her expression changed to fear as the ripple of black energy erupted from Michael’s palm a split second before his frozen form shattered into a million pieces. The energy wave passed over Zoe’s body and she fell, clearly dead, to the ground.

Snow screamed and turned to Sara with a look of terror on her face. The other girl was watching her with a look of amusement on her face. She grinned and waved her hand.

“Restituere,” She called out. The room thrummed with power and a wave of bluish energy rose up from the ground and vanished through the ceiling. As it did, the forest Zoe had created vanished and they once again stood in the training room. Zoe and Michael lay on the ground, both of them just beginning to stir.

“Everything that happens in the training dimension is simulated,” said Sara, smirking at the confused expression on Snow’s face. “They can use all the magic they want here and it doesn’t really hurt them.”

“Oh, it hurts,” said Michael, grimacing and rubbing his newly reformed arm. He glanced at Zoe.

“Disintegrate? Really?”

“Killing Word? Really?” Zoe snapped back at him. Michael shrugged.

“Touché.”

“So… so wait,” Snow interrupted, glancing between the three of them. “So in this room, none of the magic is real?”

“No, it’s definitely real,” said Zoe. “This room exists in a bubble of subspace time that is able to be rewound or restored at will. It’s a little pocket dimension created by one of the artifacts here and we utilize it for training purposes. It’s basically the closest to safe and reliable time travel that anyone’s been able to discover.”

“So magic can’t be used to travel through time then?” Snow asked, a pang of sadness and a niggle of worry about her sanity creeping into her mind at the memory of her supposed daughter from the future.

“Safely?” Zoe asked. “No. Time manipulation is incredibly dangerous. Many of those who have meddled with time have suffered horrific repercussions. Some have attempted spells and have never been seen again.”

“So, it’s possible?” Snow wondered. Zoe nodded, but her expression was dire.

“Yes, it’s possible. Ill advised, foolish, dangerous, and likely deadly, but yes time travel is certainly possible. Only a complete fool would attempt such a thing, however.”

Deep inside, Snow knew that something within her had changed in a way that she was not altogether comfortable with. That day, she had seen power the likes of which she couldn’t have imagined. She had watched Michael and Zoe unleash spells of tremendous power. Zoe had called down the power of the sun itself and held it in her hands. She, Snow, wanted that power too. Magic, she realized, was a drug more powerful than any ever created. She had tasted power and now she knew she was addicted to it.

“That’s right,” a soft voice whispered in her mind. “Don’t fear your gifts, Snow. Embrace them. Learn. Grow strong… strong enough to save your mother’s life.”

“So, do you think you’re ready to try again?” Zoe asked her; seemingly unaware that Snow had not been present for the last few moments. Snow blinked, all memory of the whispered voice suddenly gone from her mind. In fact, she didn't even remember realizing her sudden desire for power. Deep down, however, she felt that something, somehow, wasn't quite right.  

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I’m ready.”   

 

     

 

7: Chapter VII: I Have Passed Through Fire

After a long and rigorous day of training during which Snow learned more and more about controlling her powers, she sat in the shade of an old oak tree to rest. Magic was draining and the more powerful the spell, the more drained the caster became. After hours and hours of spellcasting, she was exhausted. Such were the consequences of advanced spellcasting.

She sat there for a while, lost within her own thoughts, her fingers tracing the steadily healing cut upon her wrist. The roughly four inch cut was still slightly red and heavily scabbed over along its jagged length. It still hurt; a constant reminder of what she had done… and of what had driven her there.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know?” Zoe said quietly as she approached, nodding toward Snow’s arm. “It doesn’t make you weak.”

“It sure as hell doesn’t make me strong,” Snow replied, glancing up at the witch as she came and sat down beside her.

“No?” Zoe asked. “When you look at that scar, do you think of doing it again? Do you wish that you hadn’t been saved? That you had died?”

“No… no, I… I don’t,” Snow admitted. “It reminds me that I want to be here… that I have friends and family to live for… It reminds me to never, ever do something like this again.”

“Then, in a way, it does make you strong,” Zoe said wisely. “It gives you a great deal of strength.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Snow said dryly. “I don’t know, Zoe. My life… my whole world is on fire. I’m… I can shoot fire from the palms of my hands, summon ice spikes, create tornadoes and call down lightning from the sky… but I can’t save my mom.” Zoe gave her a sad smile and patted her gently on her thigh. 

“Some people say we magic users are blessed,” she said quietly. “I tend to agree with those who say we’re cursed. We have all this power inside of us, but even we are limited. There are things we simply cannot do, even with all of our power.”

“Then what’s the point?” Snow wondered. “If we can’t even save the people we love, then why... why bother with any of this?"

“I’ve always believed that the purpose of life is not to live forever, Snow. It’s… those moments in between. It’s what we do with the time that we have that matters. Whether it’s a hundred years or a hundred days, what matters is how we live and the effect our lives have on those around us. Life... it's not the amount of time we have... it's what we choose to do with it that matters the most."

"I just wish she had more time," Snow whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I wish... things could be different. I don't know how to live without her, I... I can't..."

"Snow, I've lived more years than most people ever will," She smiled and leaned in close. "I'm a hundred and seventy-three." She grinned and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Really, you don't look a day over one fifty," Snow replied with a throaty chuckle.

"It's a lot of years, Snow," Zoe continued. "I'll outlive most of my friends by at least four times as many years as they get. I've... lost more people than you've ever even known. The pain of losing someone you love is... worse than you think it will be. But there's one thing I know with absolute certainty; it gets better. You're going to have to live with that pain for the rest of your life. You'll carry it with you until the end of your days. But regardless, it will get better. It will take time and quite frankly in the meantime it's going to suck, but... one day it will get a little better. Over time, you'll feel it less and less. It never goes fully away and truthfully I don't believe it ever should. It's supposed to hurt."

Zoe paused, looking over Snow and taking in the tears that were barely contained within her deep blue eyes.

“You said... it feels like your whole world is on fire..." Zoe hesitated a moment, seemingly unsure if she should continue. "There's a funny thing about fire. Did you know that there certain seeds that must be burned before they will grow? The same is true of iron and steel. There are many things in this world… in all of the worlds, that must first pass through fire before they come into their own.” She reached out and took Snow’s arm, running her fingers gently over the wound. She looked up at Snow with a gentle smile.

“Do you trust me?” She asked. Snow stared at her for a brief moment before nodding. Zoe smiled and pressed her fingers more firmly against Snow’s arm. A golden glow emitted from the place where they touched. She drug her hand up Snow’s forearm, the glow trailing along behind it. Soon, Zoe pulled away and the light faded. The scar was still there, though now fully healed. A beautiful tattoo surrounded it now. At her wrist, where she had begun the cut, the image was of blackened, cracked earth with broken roots and death. From the center of that horror, a single stem rose up the length of the scar where a single red rose bloomed brightly. A phrase in Latin had been placed in the center of the stem, making up a large portion of the center of the tattoo.

“The phrase is in Latin,” said Zoe. “It says…”

“I know what it says,” said Snow, the tears finally falling from her eyes. “Ego transierunt per ignem… ‘I have passed through fire’.”

~~~~~~~~~

“No!” A scream. A flash of white hot fire. Flying. Falling. Pain. Blackness. Silence… silence… silence… Nothingness. Floating. Alone. Endless blackness. Death. “Clara!”

Clara sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath. Her heart was pounding and her pale skin was drenched in sweat. Her blonde hair was plastered to her face and her head was throbbing with pain.

She slipped out of bed and walked to her window. She pushed it open, allowing the icy cold air outside to cool her stiflingly hot bedroom. She leaned against the windowsill and looked down at her hands which were trembling uncontrollably. 

While not the first nightmarish dream that had plagued her in recent days, this one was by far the worst… and the most vivid. She couldn’t remember any actual details of the dream, just the emotions that accompanied it. She knew that whatever happened in the dream had been horrific and painful. It terrified her for reasons she couldn’t quite place. It felt… wrong, somehow. Unnatural, as though it was not just a dream. A few days ago, she would have dismissed that notion. Now? Well, now nothing was just anything.

It would have been easy to convince herself not to worry if not for the knowledge that magic existed. If she was being honest, magic scared her. She didn’t understand it and the idea of the Coven locking away anyone they didn’t like and murdering their own kind just because they weren’t pure blood witches, well… That was all the more unsettling. Not to mention the Demon Lord, Sebastian, that everyone was so concerned with. She knew she should be more afraid of him than of the Coven and of magic, but she hadn’t seen Sebastian. She had come face to face with magic and she seemed so small and weak in its presence.

She gazed out at the darkened street, guessing that it was near dawn as she could just see the hint of the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. She wondered what would come at her that day. What new, real life nightmares would chase her until she went back to bed to face her dreams?

It felt as though everything was frozen. She and her friends were just waiting. Waiting for JTG to strike again. Waiting for the new FBI agent to uncover the truth… waiting…  waiting. She hated waiting. She always had. It never got any easier.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, lost in her thoughts, but by the time she came out of her reverie the sun had fully risen and she could hear her mother moving around downstairs. Sighing heavily, she pulled a bathrobe around herself and padded out of her room and into the bathroom. She did her best to at least make it appear as though she had gotten a good night's rest, even though she hadn't truly had any such thing in weeks.

Despite her best efforts, Noel noticed. That was the problem of having a good, attentive parent; they noticed when you're acting differently and called you out on it. After a good deal of back and forth, Noel finally convinced Clara to leave the house and have lunch at the Underground. The conversation between them was normal, if a bit tense. Clara's problems ran too deep, her secrets too important to share. She knew, though, that the fates of her and her friends were balanced on a razor's edge. Before long, she knew, everything would come to light. 

After lunch, Clara allowed herself to be dragged along to North Shore Park. As it was still winter and cold outside, very few people were out and about walking the park's trails. The mother and daughter passed a handful of townsfolk out for a stroll, but most remained indoors. There were a few vendors along the park's many paths, selling food and homemade trinkets.

As Noel hurried off to a nearby vendor who was selling Clara's favorite flavor of cotton candy, Clara turned and walked along a nearby path that branched off from the main trail through the park. Roughly twenty yards along the path stood a rough hewn stone arch bridge. The bridge itself was very old, but still well maintained. The span was roughly thirty feet; crossing over a small stream that split off from the river that gave the town of Mistbrook Falls its name.

Clara approached the bridge, walking slowly up the slight incline towards the center of the bridge. The cobblestone walkway was covered in a thin layer of snow and the eastern redbud trees that grew up around the tree were barren in the deep Michigan winter. In the spring, the leaves and beautiful flowers would create a thick canopy over the bridge that would make it appear like the entrance to some fantastical realm. For the moment, however, the old bridge looked cold and uninviting.

Clara stopped at the center of the bridge and peered out over the mostly frozen over stream beneath her. She loved this bridge, but she also hated it. This bridge was the last place she had ever seen her father. He had taken her here the day he left. She remembered very little about it, only that he had walked away, back the way she’d come, and she had never seen him again.

The bridge was her strongest memory of her dad, so it would always hold a special place in her heart. Yet at the same time, whenever she was here it also caused her great pain. It was perhaps the most conflicting place she could go, but she still liked to come here from time to time… if only to remember.

“I’m very sorry he left you, Clara,” said a voice from the blonde’s right. She turned to see Zoe, bundled up in warm black and gray robes, stepping toward her. She had a very conflicted expression on her face, as though uncertain if she should be there.

“Oh… hey, Zoe,” said Clara, looking at her curiously. “How do you know…?”

“How do I know that your father left you?” Zoe asked quietly. From the look on her face, Clara could tell the woman was having a very difficult time. She couldn’t begin to understand why. “I know, Clara, because I helped him.”

“You… you, what?” Clara spluttered, confused. “Helped him? Why did he need help to abandon his wife and daughter? That… that bastard could’ve done that all on his own. How do you even know him?”

“I know him because… because…”

“Clara, what are you…” Noel approached, her voice falling away when she saw Zoe. Her eyes narrowed as they settled on the witch. “What are you doing here, Zoe?”

“I’m sorry, Noel… really, I am… but the time has come,” Zoe said solemnly. “She deserves to know the truth.” Noel looked devastated that Zoe had said this and she glanced, horrified, to Clara.

“Sweetheart, let’s go,” Noel insisted, waving for her daughter to come with her. Clara, however, was very confused and didn’t move an inch.

“Mom… what does Zoe mean? What’s ‘the truth’?”

“Clara, there’s… there’s a lot that you don’t know,” Noel said nervously. “I… it was all to protect you, I…”

“I know a lot more than you think, Mom,” said Clara. She rounded on Zoe. “Does she know? About the Dawnguard? About… about magic? What does any of this have to do with Dad?”

“Zoe…” said Noel. It was half warning, half pleading.

“She deserves to know,” said Zoe quietly. “She’s in danger… especially now.” Zoe sighed heavily while Noel began to quietly cry.

“Clara, your mother knows about the Dawnguard,” said Zoe. “She knows about magic because your father… Alden was… is… a witch.” It took everything Clara had not to pass out right then and there. If her father was a witch, then that meant…

“That means that I’m… I’m…” Clara looked at her mother, tears shining in her eyes. “That means I’m half-witch, right?” Slowly, solemnly, Noel nodded.

“It’s not… The Coven doesn’t allow witches and mortals to marry,” Noel explained, refusing to meet her daughter’s gaze. “Even worse, they don’t allow them to have… children.”

“The Coven view half-witches, and indeed all half-breeds, as abominations of magic,” said Zoe. “That’s why your father left. The Coven were beginning to grow suspect of the amount of time he was spending in Mistbrook Falls. We knew it was only a matter of time before they discovered the truth about his relationship with Noel and that you were his daughter. With some very clever magical assistance from the Dawnguard, we were able to hide you from the Coven. We could not, however, prevent the Coven from discovering the truth about Noel and Alden.”

“Your father didn’t want to leave, Claire-Bear,” said Noel, still not looking at her daughter. Instead, she sat on a nearby bench and stared at her knees. “He left because the Coven would have killed him if he hadn’t. They would have tortured him for information, discovered the truth about you, and then…”

“And strip me of my powers,” Clara whispered. “Yeah, Gwen told me. She… she’s Michael’s little sister. She, I… I have powers, then? And where is Dad? If he left, where did he go?”

“I helped him escape,” said Zoe. “I arranged a deal with Princess Sienna’s father, the King of Divinity at the time. Alden was given shelter in his kingdom from the Coven. Divinity has no extradition treaty with the Coven, and the Coven had little interest in risking conflict with the most powerful military in the Nine Realms. Suffice to say, Sienna’s father was far less… diplomatic than his daughter is.”

“So he’s… he’s somewhere in Divinity then?” Clara asked. “Where is that? How do we get there?”

“Divinity is in the neighboring realm of Olandria,” said Zoe. “And we cannot go there right away. But your father is there and he’s doing very well. He is one of Sienna’s most trusted advisors.”

“Why are you telling me all of this now?” Clara demanded, glaring at Zoe. “And you!” She exclaimed, rounding on her mother. “Why didn’t you tell me this years ago? You’ve been lying to me for a decade!”

“Your mother didn’t tell you because your father and I insisted that she did not do so,” Zoe explained before Noel could speak. "This knowledge... it's extremely dangerous. Especially now, with the Coven's eyes so intently focused on Mistbrook Falls. Even an accidental use of magic will draw their attention and we cannot allow them to discover your true nature. I swore to your father that I would keep you safe. For the longest time, keeping the truth of what you are from you was the best way to do that. Now that's changed."

"You're not taking her," Noel said hotly, standing to her feet. "You're not teaching her. That world... it swallows people whole. I'm not letting my daughter get any further involved that she already is! How did you find out about this anyway? Did Michael tell you?"

"One of my friends is involved," said Clara, carefully keeping Snow's name off of her lips. "It doesn't really matter."

"It does matter," said Noel firmly. "It matters because I'm not going to lose you to that world like I lost your father."

"Noel, I have no intention of taking Clara anywhere," said Zoe gently. "Nor of teaching her anything unless she wishes to learn. I don't even know what school of magic she's most closely attuned to. My intent is to bind her powers, at least for now. This way she won't be able to accidentally use them without meaning to. The Coven won't be able to find her."

"If you could 'bind my powers', why didn't you do that a long time ago?" Clara asked. "It seems like a pretty sensible course of action." Zoe sighed wearily.

"Because your powers are part of who you are," she replied. "To cut you off from magic, even if you don't realize you're connected... it will have an affect on you. Potentially an unpleasant one."

"Would you care to elaborate?" Noel snapped. Zoe closed her eyes for a moment before continuing.

"In the most extreme case, it could... radically affect your personality," she explained. "We would be removing a major part of who you are. That can have strong consequences if we are not careful. Clara, If... if there were a safer way to protect you, I would persue it. As it stands, I don't have many options."

"Find a better one," Clara said firmly. She shook her head. She was beginning to understand Snow's plight a little better. This was all so much, so fast. All she knew was that she didn't want to take this risk. Not if she wasn't going to be the same person when it was over.

"I'm serious, Zoe," she continued. "Find a better option because I'm not doing this. I don't want to be anyone else. I don't want to have a piece of myself ripped out just because the Coven might track me down, I..." She paused suddenly, thinking hard.

"Clara, if the Coven find you they will do far worse," Zoe insisted. "You won't survive the power stripping process. The binding doesn't remove your powers, it just suppresses them. We can undo it when and if the Coven are no longer as serious of a threat."

"What if..." Noel began, a heartbroken expression on her face. "What if we send her to Divinity? She coud live with her father. She'll be safe there."

"Mom..." said Clara, staring at Noel with an expression of disbelief. "You... I can't believe you would suggest that."

"Believe me, it's that last thing in the world that I want," Noel sobbed. "Baby, I want you to stay right here with me, but... but you're in danger here. My top priority has to be keeping you safe, honey."

"Just because the Coven has no extradition treaty with Divinity does not meant they do not have spies within Olandria," said Zoe succienctly. "It's an interesting idea, and in the absence of a better one I would consider it. As it stands, if Clara made direct contact with her father she would undoubtedly be targeted by Coven agents and discovered. No, Clara... if you will not agree to bind your powers, then I'm afraid we have little choice." Zoe shook her head wearily. “You will have to learn how to control them.”

~~~~~~~~~

Mary woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. Her heart was beating almost painfully in her chest. It had been the same each night since that night up at the old mine outside of town. She kept having strange dreams and had been filled with a sense of… it was hard to describe.

She felt as though she was floating; as though she didn’t belong. Truthfully, she felt as though she shouldn’t be there. It was an odd feeling and she couldn’t explain what it meant nor why she couldn’t shake it.

She hadn’t had the courage to mention this feeling to her friends yet. They were all dealing with so much that her problem seemed small in comparison. Nikki had been quiet and distant, Clara had been spending time with her mother and Jacob, and Snow… well, Mary certainly didn’t want to bother her. Snow was busy learning how to summon lightning and spit fire from the palms of her hands. She clearly had her own problems that were far and away more difficult than an unpleasant feeling in the back of her mind.

Mary’s life had taken such a strange turn, but this was… this was by far the strangest. Magic hadn’t really been the shocking revelation she had expected it to be. She had always believed that there was something larger, something… more. So to discover that there was had not shaken her as much as perhaps it might otherwise have. The woman sitting at her desk across the room reading one of her magazines, however, did.

Mary leapt out of bed, her left foot getting caught in her bedsheets. She lost her balance and fell, causing the woman to giggle; a light, gentle laugh that had a soft etherealness to it. As quickly as she could, Mary stood to her feet and turned to face the intruder. Her first thought was that this person was JTG. However, upon taking quick stock of her, this thought faded from her mind.

The woman was… odd. She was slender and quite beautiful. She had thick white hair that reminded Mary strongly of Princess Sienna. She wore a long white gown and was gazing at Mary through a pair of surprisingly bright blue eyes. When she spoke, her voice was much like her laugh; light, warm and seemingly ethereal.

“Hello Mary,” the woman said warmly. “I apologize for frightening you… and for laughing at you. I find myself… greatly in need of a laugh these days.”

“Who the hell are you and why are you in my bedroom?” Mary demanded, her eyes glancing around the room for anything she might be able to use as a weapon.

“Me? Oh, well… Over the centuries my sister and I have been known by many names,” the woman said. “Peoples from all across your realm and the many other Realms of Existence have crafted names and titles of all sorts for us. I know you are very new to magic, but it’s possible you may have heard of me.” The woman paused and Mary couldn’t help but notice that she seemed rather nervous. Mary was too and it must have showed on her face because the woman smiled warmly at her.

"You don't need to fear me, Mary," she insisted. "I mean you no harm. In truth, you stand here today alive and well because of me. I saved you... I've saved all of you." The woman broke off and sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, you asked me for my name. I apologize, I tend to ramble. My name, Mary, is Fate... and I need your help."

8: Chapter VIII: The Grand Deception

"M... m... my help?" Mary stammered, staring at Fate named Fate with wide, surprised eyes. "I don't know anything about magic or... or anything. How am I supposed to help?"

"Oh Mary, I don't need anyone who knows about magic. I know all there is to know about magic. Trust me, I've had plenty of time to learn. You see, Mary, my twin sister and I… We were the first.” Fate paused her gaze shifting from Mary and seeming to become lost into something over her shoulder that Mary couldn’t see. A distant memory, perhaps. “Well, we may have been the first.”

“The first what?” Fate smiled.

“Why, the first intelligent lifeforms in the universe, of course. For eons, my sister and I roamed the void. We explored all corners of the universe together. We were all there was and so we were all we needed. We were everything to each other. Friends, sisters, partners, lovers… everything. But after so many millenia, I suppose we grew… lonely. We knew everything about each other and about the universe we lived in. We longed for something more. So, we decided to create just that.”

“You… created… us?” Mary asked, suddenly even more frightened by Fate and the power she doubtlessly wielded. Fate, however, smiled.

“You’re getting quite a bit ahead of yourself, my dear,” she said warmly. “No, we did not create your kind. We created another species. For thousands of years, they lived peacefully and happily. They built cities, civilizations, cultures, societies… and my sister and I watched from amongst them while they remained forever unaware of their creators walking beside them.

“But then they discovered magic. Magic back then was… infinitely more powerful than it is now. That first civilization, by far the most advanced that has ever been, destroyed themselves with their newfound power. Distraught, my sister and I tried again but ultimately achieved the same result. Countless times throughout the millenia, we crafted new species only to have them wipe themselves out once they discovered magic. A few even destroyed themselves earlier, as anger and hatred amongst themselves caused them to destroy each other. 

“Eventually, we hit upon a new idea. We decided to create a number of races instead of just one. These races were the precursors of humans, elves, fae, and dragons. As these species discovered magic, each of them reacted in a different way. The elves sought to control every aspect of magic by their species alone. The humans wanted to understand it thoroughly. The fae wished to wage war and destroy their enemies, and the dragons… well, they wished to simply learn and grow.

“The war that followed was the most destructive in all of history. History remembers it simply as the Cataclysm. The races all but destroyed themselves and their world along with it. It was then that my sister and I knew we had to take action. We realized that not only could our creations not be trusted with magic, but they could also not even be trusted with their own lives.

“It was then that we created what you refer to as the Nine Realms. In truth, there are countless more. Some occupied, some empty, others too strange and perplexing for your kind to explore. We banished each of the races to their own realm. Unfortunately, we had a few… new races to contend with. Interbreeding of the species, as well as magical augmentation had created… anomalies.

“The humans and the elves had created a long lived magical species that would eventually become known as Witches. The fae and some rogue dragons had worked together to alter themselves into beings beyond comprehension. They became the stuff of nightmares through their experiments. They were evil… true evil. You know them as demons. We scattered the demons to Hell, the dragons to Lokhar, the elves to Olandria, the Fae to the Feywild, the witches to Agamar, and the humans… well, here. Other beings have risen since and claimed realms for themselves, but these were the original.”

Fate sighed very heavily indeed and focused her eyes back on Mary, who had listened to this speech in stunned silence. Mary was wracking her brain for questions, trying to formulate her million billion thoughts into a consice question. Instead, Fate asked her one.

“Have you ever heard of the Grand Design of the Universe?”

“I think Michael mentioned something about it,” Mary said, not entirely certain. “Why?”

“What if I told you that the so-called Grand Design was a lie?” Fate asked. She didn’t wait for Mary to answer her. “It is exactly that. There is no Grand Design. There is merely our design; mine and my sister’s. We feared another Cataclysm… more destruction, more death… so we put together a plan.

“My sister and I have lived since the beginning of time. Everything that exists is of our creation. We believed that we and we alone knew what was best for our creations. So we began to guide the lives, the very destinies of every single living being towards a goal; our goal. There is no free will, Mary. You follow our plan for your lives; a course mapped out long before you were ever born. We had control for the first time over the course of our creation’s development. We would protect them, nurture them, guide them… but even our control had its limits.

“Over time, as our creations began to master control over magic, they began to work counter to our plans. Some of them were able to achieve great powers despite our influence. Now, my sister and I had long ago created a safe place for us to live. A home realm, in a sense. As our creations grew stronger and more powerful, eventually they discovered how to transcend the barriers between our worlds. They broke into our pocket realm and discovered us. In order to maintain our secret control over all creation, we lied and told them that we were not their creators but merely caretakers whose job was to guide the fate and destiny of all living things according to the Grand Design.

“Eventually, we were able to limit the ascension of any more beings to near godlike status, but the damage was done. There were twelve beings who believed themselves to be gods… and so we had little choice but to embrace the idea. It was the easiest course of action. They were, after all, quite powerful. Indeed, their power rivals our own. They became the Pantheon of the Elder Gods and they sit in our former home, relishing in the worship of beings to foolish to realize the truth; that the gods they worship were once mere mortals just like them.”

And so for millenia we have pressed on, allowing the worlds to believe that the Grand Design is real; that the universe itself will collapse unless the ‘balance’ is maintained. It is all a lie… and my sister is determined to maintain it. But over time, I’ve come to realize that we made a mistake. I do not believe that life guided down a predetermined path is really life at all. My sister has gone nearly mad with her power over our creation. She would keep us on this path for all eternity, each of you hamsters running on a wheel. I intend to break that wheel. I’ve tried before, but she’s always been stronger than me. But now… I believe I have a chance.” Fate paused, gazing at Mary with a smile.

“You are one of the few who now live outside of my sister’s designs. You feel, even now, that something is wrong. You feel like you shouldn’t be here. That you don’t belong here anymore. This is my fault. You were meant to die, Mary. Your destiny, sweet girl, was to die. That was the path my sister would have you follow, all to maintain her design, her narrative. I saved you from that. My sister always lamented my toying with the established narrative, but I never did it for fun as I allowed her to believe. I wanted to break the narrative."

“I don’t understand, I…” Mary began, but Fate interrupted.

“Worry not, my dear. I will explain,” Fate assured her. “Although my sister and I are powerful, even our power has limitations. We are not all seeing or all knowing. We have foresight, yes, but that too is limited. I took advantage of these weaknesses to strike out at my sister’s plans and attempt to break her ‘Grand Design’ and force her to lose control. I had toyed with changing fate many times, but never to this extent. This… this was altogether different. I was going to prevent a destined death. Sara Blake’s death.

“So wait… Sara was supposed to die?” Mary asked, her memories drawn back to that terrible night in late August.

“She was indeed,” Fate said sadly. “Her death would have led to an entirely different set of events that would have unfolded. For example, when your friend Snow attempted suicide, there would have been no one there to save her. She too would have perished. This would have broken Clara Mackenzie. She would have taken her own life as well. And you… the night up in the mines, you would have played the same game your rival played with you and Snow on Halloween. Only this time you held the gun. This time it was loaded. You chose to save Nikki and sacrifice yourself. I chose to prevent any of these things from happening. And now, at last, I have what I need; a mortal being without an ounce of magical blood in her veins that is free from my sister’s plans.”

“Right…” Mary muttered, her mind a blur. “So… so you… What do you want to do, again? And how am I supposed to help? I’m just Mary the Small and Meek.” Fate chuckled lightly at the joke before adopting a more sorrowful expression.

“What more could a parent desire than to teach their children all they can and then send them out into the world to watch them thrive all on their own merit? I want my children to live freely, no longer trapped in the iron clutches of a design that cares nothing for the individual. I want all of you to live as you choose, not how we choose. I want… I suppose I want what all mothers want. I want you to go and be better, greater versions of me. I want you to be free.”

“But you said that before the Grand Design all the species you created destroyed themselves with magic,” Mary pointed out. “Why would you want that?”

“Oh, I don’t,” said Fate. “But… at least that would be true freedom. You live in a prison, Mary, you just can’t see it. The truth is that we don’t know what would happen this time. Things are different now. Magic is far less powerful and the denizens of this realm are largely unaware of its existence. It has been hundreds of thousands of years since the Cataclysm, so perhaps things have changed. I don’t know, but I do know that this… this is wrong.”

“You still haven’t explained how I’m supposed to help you,” said Mary. “And what if I don’t want to?”

“If you do not wish to help me, then I will leave,” Fate said quietly. “I know what you are insinuating, Mary. No, I will not force you to help if that is not your wish. I saved you to give you a fair chance at life; to free you from servitude, not to force you into it. If you choose not to aid me, I will leave and you will never see me again. The choice, as it should be, is yours.”

“You… you’re God,” Mary exclaimed. “You’re literally God. You made the universe. How the hell am I supposed to help you? What could I possibly have to offer?”

“Oh, I’m no god, Mary,” Fate said lightly. “A god would have done better by her creations than I have. A god would know… what to do next. A god would have all the answers, and I… I’m afraid I have few.” She sighed and held her face in her hands.

“I never wanted… any of this,” she whispered. “I just wanted to make something beautiful. I never wanted to rule or be worshipped or feared or… anything. I just wanted… I wanted to make something beautiful. And instead, it’s led to this. And… and my sister…”

“What about your sister?” Fate smiled sadly.

“My sister… she believes me to be dead. As I said before, I’ve toyed with the Grand Design before, adjusting the narrative where I could but never quite breaking it. When I did, well… suffice to say my sister did not take kindly to that. After quite literally spending eternity together, my sister attempted to kill me.”

“Oh… shit,” Mary deadpanned. Fate smirked.

“Shit, indeed,” she replied. “Luckily for me, while my sister Destiny has always been more powerful, I am smarter and a deal quicker than she is. I was prepared and while I was grievously wounded, I was able to both escape and convince my sister that I had been killed. I hid myself away in a secret pocket realm where my only friend helped nurse me back to health. Since then I have been waiting, gathering strength and watching as my sister begins to deal with the pieces I’ve already set in motion. She’s beginning to lose control. Her perfectly orchestrated design is beginning to fracture, but its not enough.”

“So… what am I supposed to do?” Fate smiled and Mary felt confident that it was quite genuine.

“Oh, my sweet Mary,” she whispered. “I need you to live. I need you to do the very opposite of what my sister wants you to do. She needs you to die to put her plans back on track. I want you to defy that idea to the highest degree you can. I need you to go out into the world and live like you never have before. At least for now. Eventually, I may ask for additional assistance for I have few trusted allies.” Mary sank down on the edge of her bed slowly.

“I… I don’t… I feel like this is… What if you do this and history repeats itself? What if your sister is right? What if everyone dies because of this? Isn’t submission preferable to extinction? I don’t think I can do this, I… You’re talking about all of existence here. I don’t even think anyone should do this. It’s too much. I’m sorry, no…” Fate bowed her head dejectedly.

“It’s okay, Mary,” she said quietly. When she looked up, Mary was surprised to find tears in Fate’s bright blue eyes. “It’s okay if you don’t want to help. I understand, I… I just hoped that… I suppose it doesn’t matter.” Fate stood up and pushed the chair back into place. When she turned for the door, Mary stood and chased after her. In a move that surprised even herself, she reached out and seized Fate’s hand to stop her. It was a normal human reaction and it didn’t occur to her until after she had done it that she had just grabbed the hand of the co-creator of the universe.

“Wait,” she gasped, deciding to press on given that she hadn’t simply been atomized on the spot. “Don’t go, I… I’m sorry. This is a lot to take in and I’m not sure.. of a lot of things, I….” But then she noticed that Fate didn’t seem to be listening. Instead, she was staring down at where her hand was still clasped tightly in Mary’s. She looked up at Mary with surprise in her gaze.

“I… I haven’t been touched by another since… Goodness, it must have been eight millennia.” She squeezed Mary’s hand, seeming to relish the sensation. She looked up and met Mary’s eyes briefly before pulling her hand away abruptly. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t…”

“It’s okay,” Mary interjected as Fate drew away from her and went to sit on her bed. “Why, um… what haven’t you… you know, touched anyone in so long?”

“I used to walk amongst you, lived amongst our creations. After the Cataclysm and the implementation of the Grand Design, my sister… well, she felt such intimate relationships with our creations was inappropriate and distracting from our work. I withdrew, becoming more and more isolated even as the world grew to view destiny with positivity and fate with fear and dread.”

Mary was suddenly struck with the realization that Fate, despite being what she considered to be a god even though Fate herself denied this, was perhaps more human than most humans were. She was not some all-knowing deity who demanded worship. She was a mother who had spent eons watching her children die countless times over. She then watched as the world turned against her when all she did was love them. All she wanted was the best for them. Suddenly, the ageless creature sitting before her was less of a terrifying god and instead a small, sad woman. Mary reached out slowly and took Fate’s hand again.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, hoping she would understand. “I’m sorry for… everything.” Fate nodded, a tear dripping down her cheek. “But this… this isn’t a simple thing to ask. I don’t even really understand all this, or for that matter I don’t know if you’re really who you say you are. You’ve just shown up in my room claiming to be God, and I…”

“You would like proof,” Fate finished Mary’s sentence for her. “That’s fair. I can prove to you that I am exactly what I claim to be.” She held her hand. “Do you trust me?” Mary stared at her incredulously.

“No.” Fate smirked and took her hand.

“Good.” In an instant, they were ripped from the confines of Mary’s bedroom. Mary was surrounded suddenly by blackness, a deep and seemingly endless expanse of nothingness. Motes of light began appear and she felt as though she was being drawn forward through twisting swirls of color and shapes that she couldn’t comprehend. She drifted forward, drawn toward this endless, infinite void that seemed ready to consume her.

Her heart began to race as she accelerated faster and faster, feeling as though she were moving at speeds unfathomable and yet also not moving at all. She could still feel Fate’s hand in hers, but she could see no one. She was alone within this infinite emptiness. Just at the moment when panic began to overtake her, a brilliant flash of white light took her vision and suddenly she was standing before what looked to be a golden wall. It seemed to stretch on endlessly in all directions. It was on a scale that boggled her tiny human mind. It seemed infinite and vast, yet if she focused on it it was right in front of her, within reach.

Fate appeared in her peripheral vision, stepping slowly toward the golden wall that Mary now realized was not a wall at all, but was instead a tapestry of millions of billions of golden threads. Mary stared at it for what could have been an eon or merely a few moments. In this strange and timeless space, it was impossible to tell.

“What is this?” Mary asked, turning breathless to Fate who stood nearby watching her with a unreadable expression on her delicate features. “Where are we?”

“Nowhere,” Fate said idly. “Or perhaps everywhere all at once. It truly is hard to say.” She gestured toward the golden tapestry with a slender hand. “These are the Strands of Possibility. Each one belonging to an individual soul. Here, look.” Fate reached out and touched one. Suddenly, the others vanished leaving Fate there with her fingers pressed against a single thread. “This one is yours.”

She pulled both she and Mary were drawn suddenly forward and then the thread itself seemed to grow larger and larger. It was a long line that Mary found herself strolling along beside Fate through that sea of blackness. Before long, they came across a change in the thread; a deep blackened mark where the thread ended.

“This,” Fate said. “Is where your story ended. This was the end for you if my sister had her way. Instead…” Fate pressed her hand to the thread and instantly it was miniscule again. She held the thread in her fingers for a moment before releasing it. The thread split at the end, passed the blackened mark. It began to split again and again, spreading out like a spider’s web; endless and infinite.

“This is was this place was meant to be, what these Strands of Possibility were meant to be,” said Fate. “Endless possibility, endless choices, endless outcomes. Instead…” She gestured around them and Mary realized that the rest of the threads were back, stretching on forever. Each one a single, straight strand.

“My sister and I corrupted the purpose of this place,” said Fate. “We took the power of infinite possibility and ground it down to a single, linear strand. These are the paths of every living soul, bound inextricably to our will. But yours… well, you saw yours. You are free now and within you lies endless possibility.” Fate reached out again and took Mary’s hand. Mary closed her eyes and in a split second they were back in her bedroom.

Mary felt instantly dizzy and nauseous. She quickly sat down on her bed, holding her belly. Fate joined her, looking rather apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Mary,” she said softly. “Extraplanar travel can be… strenuous at times. But I hope you can see now that there is truth in my words. I want to right a grievous wrong, Mary.”

Mary looked up at this woman and remembered her earlier thoughts on how sad and small she seemed. Even now, despite having just been whisked across time and space, that impression hadn’t changed. She, Fate, sat there gazing at her with an expression that crossed between a deep sadness and a faint flicker of hope that danced behind eyes that seemed to be fighting back tears.  

“I’ll help you,” she added, giving Fate’s hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “For all the good it’ll be, I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Mary,” Fate whispered. “What changed your mind?”

“I guess… seeing that... and seeing you like this, I… I get it. I believe you want what’s best and I… I don’t know if what you want really is best, but maybe it is. I guess we won’t know until we’ve tried. And also… you just really look like you could use a friend.” Fate let out a small chuckle.

“I don’t have many of those,” she said wearily. “Only one, really, and I’m pretty sure she only just tolerates me. I haven’t always been as kind to her as I should have been. I’m working on that.”

“Well, now you have two,” said Mary with a smile, one which Fate returned.

“I’m afraid I must be going soon,” she said, standing to her feet. “I can cloak my presence for some time, but if I remain on the prime realms for too long my sister will doubtlessly detect me. All of this will be for naught if she discovers that I am still alive. I must go, return to my pocket realm. Please, live your life, Mary. Live it fully.”

“I still have so many questions,” Mary exclaimed. This was too much. She needed answers. She still wasn't fully sure what she was agreeing to or even if she should be agreeing to it. “Will you come back? Will I see you again?”

“You will, Mary. We’re friends, after all. If you need anything at all, just call out. My only companion will be watching over you in my absence. She will keep you safe and let me know if you need help. I’ll be back to speak with you again, I promise.”

“Wait though, who do I call out for?” Mary asked as Fate began to vanish in a burst of bright light. “What’s her name?” Before she could answer, Fate vanished and the room returned to darkness. A gust of warm air, much like a gentle breath, brushed against Mary’s ear and whispered;

“Her name is Claire.”

~~~~~~~~

Fate reappeared in what looked to be a small study. She gasped in pain and clutched the edge of a small end table to keep herself standing. She clutched her side, breathing deep, pained breaths for a few moments before a voice called out.

“You’ve got to stop pushing yourself like this.” A young, dark haired woman stepped forward as Fate struggled to steady herself on her feet and slowly sank onto a sofa in the darkened room. “You’re going to kill yourself if you keep this up. You’re still wounded.”

“I know, Claire,” Fate whispered. “I know, but Mary needed proof. She needed to see.”

“And did she agree to help us?” Fate nodded wearily.

“Yes, for now at least.” She closed her eyes, still clutching her side. “It was so nice, Claire… talking with her. She is truly special. Her Strand… she really is free.”

“If we succeed, they’ll all be free,” said Claire, her expression darkening. “But if you drop dead from overtaxing yourself, we won’t succeed. I can’t carry on with this without you. You’re not invulnerable, Fate.”

“Oh, I know,” Fate replied. “My sister reminded me of that.” She adjusted her gown and revealed a deep black wound just above her waistline. There was no blood or scarring. It looked like… nothing. Just a black hole of emptiness. A void so deep and infinite that surely nothing could ever escape it.

“It’s healing,” said Claire, sounding slightly more positive. “But if you don’t stop using your powers…”

“I know, Claire, stop mothering me,” Fate grumbled. Claire smirked.

“You may be as old as time, but that doesn’t mean you always know what’s best for yourself. Look, take a break. I’ll take care of Mary for the time being. Stay here. Rest. Destiny doesn’t know about the Infinite Atheneum, so she’ll find you here even if she knew she needed to look. We’re on the right path, Fate. Let’s not take unnecessary risks.”

"It wasn't unnecessary," Fate countered. "We need Mary. She's Fatetouched. She's the first non-magical being whose death I've been able to prevent. She's special, Claire. I don't know how, I don't know why, but she's different. She's seemingly resistant to my sister's influence. I don't know what that means, but Mary... We have to keep her safe. I can watch over her, but as you just said, my powers are limited right now. Promise me you will protect her."

"You care about her," Claire said with a light chuckle. "She's not just some pawn in all this, you actually care."

"I care about all of them, Claire," Fate replied. "I care about you. That's why I'm doing this. I want to give them a chance."

"I've known you a long time, Fate," said Claire. "I used to think you were a selfish bitch."

"People do have an annoying tendancy to call me that," Fate muttered irritably.

"Oh you can still be a selfish bitch," Claire pointed out, causing Fate to laugh lightly and then wince in pain. "But you've got a good heart. Just... don't forget what's at stake. What we're doing could destroy... everything."

"I know, that's why I keep you around. You keep me grounded and focused." Claire laughed out loud.

"Oh please, you keep me around to have someone to bitch at," Claire suddenly looked skyward as Fate tried not to laugh. "I'm being summoned, I've got to go. Destiny will be wondering what I've been doing."

"Have you had a chance to talk to Cooper?" Fate wondered as Claire began to walk towards the old style wooden door across the room.

"I'm working on it," said Claire. "It's hard to nail anyone down out there right now, what with all the panic. They actually believe the universe is about to implode what with the cracks in the Grand Design, so they're a little wound up trying to stop it."

"Right." Fate said quietly. "Well, good luck. Stay safe, Claire."

"You too," Claire replied. "I'll be back soon. While I'm gone, rest dammit."

"Yes, mother," Fate snapped, but she was grinning. "See you soon."

Without another word, Claire opened the door which revealed a familiar endless expanse of infinite blackness beyond. She stepped through and closed the door behind her, leaving Fate very alone in her study with nothing but her thoughts and her pain to occupy her mind.

9: Chapter IX: Arguments, Cover Ups, Training, and Conversations on the Origins of the Universe

Clara was already halfway up the stairs to her bedroom by the time her mother reached the front door, having leapt out of the car the instant her mother had parked it in their garage. She had been so furious that she hadn’t said a word the whole drive home and took off immediately as to avoid any further conversation.

“Clara, wait,” Noel called after her, rushing up the stairs after her. “Please, we need to talk about this.”

“Oh, now we need to talk?” Clara shot back hotly. “Now you’ve got something to say? Sixteen years, Mom! Sixteen years you hid the truth from me. You pretended that Dad just walked out on us, that he didn’t love us… that he didn’t love me. You drunk yourself sick and let me take care of you without ever thinking that maybe, just maybe, I deserved to know why.”

“Baby, I was just trying to protect you,” Noel pleaded with her daughter. “I never meant…”

“For what? For me to find out? Yeah, I figure that’s pretty obvious,” Clara snapped. She was livid, positively seething with anger. How dare her mother do this? This wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. She had hidden not only the truth about her father, but about her, Clara, as well.

“I didn’t want you to be exposed to that world,” said Noel. “It’s… it’s awful. It’s scary and dark and nothing good comes out of it. I didn’t want you to end up like your father did.”

“What about what I want?” Clara shot back. “Did you even consider what I might think about this?”

“You were just a kid, Clara,” Noel explained. “I couldn’t… I had to make a choice. Everything I did, I did to protect you.”

“Even lying to me about Dad?” Clara snapped. “You made me think he didn’t love me. You told me he dumped us. You made me think he didn’t care about me at all.”

“I thought… it was the only way to explain… I… I didn’t know what else to do. I was trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

“But you do,” Noel replied, her voice trembling. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You don’t know how cruel your father’s world can be. I didn’t want that for you. I wanted… I wanted you to be… a normal, happy little girl.”

“Well, I’m not normal, am I Mom?” Clara replied, crossing her arms angrily. “I’m a witch. If that’s not what you wanted, if you’re ashamed of that, then…”

“I’m not ashamed of you, honey,” Noel insisted, taking a tentative step toward her only daughter. “I have never been ashamed of you. I’m scared for you, baby. You’re not a witch. You’re a half-witch. To those… those people, you’re… Like Zoe said, they’ll hurt you if they find out about you. I thought if you never knew the truth, then maybe you would be safe. Obviously, I was wrong and I’m sorry. I know I lied and I’m sorry, I just… I thought I was doing the right thing. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy. That’s still all I want and I’m terrified that you’re in danger and I… I… I can’t… I can’t protect you from this…”

Noel sank to the floor, breaking down into violent sobs. Clara glared at her for a moment before her anger broke and she slowly sat down beside her mother and pulled her into her arms. Her heart broke seeing her mother cry. She hadn’t intended to get so angry. She hadn’t meant to make her mother cry.

“I just wanted you to be safe, baby girl,” Noel whimpered through her tears. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“I know you didn’t,” Clara said quietly. “I know you didn’t, Mom.”

“I don’t know what to do now,” said Noel when, after nearly five minutes of sobbing, she appeared to have cried herself out. “You’re my daughter, but I can’t help you… I can’t protect you from this. I don’t know how.”

“You can’t always protect me, Mom,” said Clara. “I know it’s hard, but… but you have to let Zoe help me now. I don’t know anything about being a witch, but maybe it won’t be so bad. What magic I’ve seen looks pretty cool.”

“It… is pretty cool,” said Noel with a sniffle. “Your dad could do amazing things. His power was premonition. He could… see things that hadn’t happened yet. He could sense things, feel when people he cared about were in danger or somehow just know where something lost had gotten to. It was so strange.”

As Clara listened to her mother, she remembered something that shocked her. She hadn’t even given it a thought before. When Snow had attempted suicide, she had felt it. Even as far away as Jacob’s house where they had been sitting playing cards together. She had felt it. And again at Tony and Rachel’s house when she had found the hidden flash drive in Miranda’s room. She had known there was something there to find. At the time, she couldn’t explain how. Now, she had a fairly good guess. Then she remembered her dreams. The day that she and her friends had faced off with Steven in the mines, she had a terrible dream and woke with a feeling that something awful was about to happen. Even worse, the dream that had awoken her that morning was still fresh in her mind… and for the first time since she had discovered she was a witch, Clara Mackenzie was terrified.

~~~~~~~~

“So, what’s this about?”

Sophia Austin stared at the paperwork in front of her for a full ten seconds before looking up across the table at Rachel Sinclair. They sat in one of the Mistbrook Falls Police Department interrogation rooms. Sophia had wanted a private conversation, so the cameras were off and no one was watching from behind the two-way mirror.

“This is about your daughter, Miranda,” Sophia said delicately. She paused, running through her mind for the thousandth time how to break this news. How do you tell a mother that her daughter was murdered? “This… may be difficult for you to hear, but new evidence has recently come to our attention that Miranda… Well, her death may not have been an accident. We… I believe that she may have been murdered.”

“What… what makes you think this?” Rachel asked. Sophia couldn’t help but notice that Rachel seemed slightly… not exactly nervous. Just a bit unsettled. Perhaps it made sense. She had just been told that her daughter’s death wasn’t an accident.

“I have received a report from an anonymous source that has led us to this,” Sophia explained. She noted that Rachel’s eyes widened slightly when she said the words ‘anonymous source’. “In particular, we have a copy of the coroner’s report done by Cory Atkinson. This report states that the cause of death was suffocation.”

“But I was told the fall killed her… Blunt force trauma, they said. I don’t understand, I…”

“We believe Cory Atkinson faked a new coroner’s report that included a false cause of death,” said Sophia. “We know he quit his job and left town a week after filing that report. We’re not sure yet, but we suspect that the person who killed Miranda may have paid off Mr. Atkinson to provide a false report.”

“Do you have any idea who could have done this?” Rachel asked. Sophia shrugged.

“We have some theories,” she said quietly. “From our prior investigations, we know Miranda had enemies. Sara Blake, for one, although we can’t exactly question her.”

“I may be her mother, but I know Miranda was a… stereotypical mean girl,” said Rachel. “So was Sara. Doesn’t it seem likely that whoever killed my daughter killed Sara too?”

“It’s possible,” Sophia agreed. “But currently we don’t have any leads or any evidence to confirm that. All I know is that two teenage girls were murdered in this town. I want to stop this killer before they strike again. I wanted to ask; did Miranda ever say anything… any possible hint that might cause you to suspect anyone in particular? Sara’s friends, perhaps?”

“I don’t think it was them,” Rachel said, perhaps too quickly. “I know those girls, they don’t seem like they’d be capable of murder. But no, Miranda… she was… secretive. She didn’t share much about her life, even when I asked her. No, I don’t know.”

“That’s okay,” said Sophia, although her eyes were narrowed. Sophia was nothing if not good at her job. She’d earned her position as a detective, after all. She wasn’t sure why, or about what, but she knew without a doubt that Rachel Sinclair was lying to her. “No, I didn’t really expect that you would. I just… well, this is a complex thing. There’s a lot of variables and I’m trying to cover all of my bases. I’m sorry for bringing you in here before we had a solid lead, but we thought you should know. Also, we’ll need to question your husband as well. Do you know when he might be available?”

“I’m not sure of his schedule right now,” said Rachel. “He’s out of town on business, I know that much. I’ll ask him to get in touch with you as soon as he gets back in town.”

“Right,” said Sophia slowly. “Well, I’d really appreciate that. We have an FBI agent in town that is working with us to resolve this case, and Sara Blake’s as well. I’m sure he would love to speak with Tony as well.”

“Of course,” said Rachel. “As soon as he gets home, I’ll make sure he contacts you.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” said Sophia. “Well… I guess that’s all for now. If you think of anything that will help…”

“You’ll be the first person I call,” Rachel insisted. “Please believe me, Detective Austin; there’s nothing I want more than to see my daughter’s killer brought to justice.” Rachel shook Sophia’s hand and left without another word. Sophia watched her go, feeling increasingly unnerved by the whole interaction.

“Hey there.” Sophia was jostled from her thoughts by the sound of her mother’s voice from the doorway. “Are we still on for lunch?”

“Yeah,” Sophia nodded, motioning for her mother to enter the room. “Close the door.” Alana did so, pulling the door shut as she stepped into the room.

“Well?” Sophia asked quietly, eying her mother with intense curiosity as she hastily collected her paperwork from the table. “What did you find out?”

“Everything,” Alana said, a smile appearing on her face. “I’m in and they trust me. I’m still not entirely sure what they plan to do or how they’re going to do it, but… but Soph, this goes so much deeper than we thought. Tony and Michelle and the rest, they… they don’t just plan on somehow getting around Kayla and Ariana’s ownership of the town. They’re killers.”

“K… killers?” Sophia asked, her voice cracking. It had been her plan to place her mother undercover with Tony Sinclair and his group. She and the department had had reason to believe that Tony was involved in… something. They just hadn’t known exactly what. Tony himself had a history of underhanded dealings, but she had never expected murder to be involved. She and Alana were able to craft a convincing cover story that the wedding business Alana ran was struggling and she desperately needed money. It didn’t take much convincing for Alana to slide quiet easily into Tony’s group, given the assistance she could provide in spying on Kayla and Ariana; Tony’s long-time rivals. Now, Sophia was no longer certain it had been the best idea. “Mom, this wasn’t part of the plan. Who did they kill? When?”

“Sweetheart, you might want to sit down,” Alana said gently. Sophia slowly sank back into her chair. “I don’t have evidence, just their word. I wasn’t expecting to find any of this out when I did, and… well, I wasn’t prepared to record anything, I was still trying to work my way into the group. What I learned is that… Ryan Blake’s death wasn’t an accident. Rick and Tony orchestrated the explosion that killed him in order to get him out of the way.”

“Because he was opposed to the plan to strip mine Mistbrook Falls,” Sophia sighed heavily. “Of course. Ryan wanted to stop them and he had the influence and the money to do it. I’m assuming Michelle is aware?”

“She’s aware and supported the plan,” Alana confirmed. “But she did a lot more than that. She killed Sara.” Sophia’s binder fell out of her hands; the loose papers inside scattering all across the floor.

“Oh my God…” Sophia breathed. “Y… you’re serious?”

“Yes,” Alana said solemnly. “Sara was apparently investigating her father’s death. She didn’t believe it was an accident. She was getting very close to uncovering the truth, so… so Michelle killed her own daughter and attempted to frame your boyfriend for it.”

“Holy shit, Mom,” said Sophia. “This… this is so much more than I ever imagined. I’ve got to pull you out. This wasn’t the plan, I… I thought we were dealing with underhanded business practices, not killers.”

“There’s more, Soph,” said Alana. She suddenly seemed nervous. “It’s about Miranda. We… have a problem. Tony confessed to suffocating his daughter at the base of that cliff where they found her. She had fallen from the top, but she was still alive. Tony found her there and killed her.”

“Okay… that’s terrible, but… why is that a problem for us?” Sophia wondered. Alana closed her eyes.

“There’s a photograph,” Alana said hesitantly. “I don’t know who took it, but… it shows… it shows Sara pushing Miranda from the top of Lookout Point… and the girls are all there watching it happen.”

“Snow too?” Sophia asked, dreading the answer.

“Yeah,” Alana said wearily. “Snow too.”

“Fuck,” Sophia whispered, leaning back in her chair defeatedly.

“Fuck indeed,” Alana agreed. “Sophie, what are we going to do? I mean, it’s Snow. We can’t…”

“I know we can’t,” Sophia snapped, far harsher than she had intended. “But if the Dirty Half Dozen have that photo, then…”

“I don’t think they plan to use it,” Alana cut in quickly. “They didn’t really say. Tony’s had it for a while, but he… he… he was hesitant to reveal where he’d gotten it.” If Sophia hadn’t been so lost in her own thoughts, she might have noticed her mother’s stammering.

“What about Rachel?” Sophia asked. “What does she know?”

“I’m not sure. I mean, I’ll do what I can to find out, but for the moment I have no idea.” Alana shook her head. “Sophia, we have to protect them. Snow and the girls, we have to protect them.”

“We have to know the truth, Mom,” Sophia countered. She sighed heavily. “For right now, we don’t do anything. I’ll talk to Snow… see if I can get her to talk. For all we know that photo could be fake. Tony could have manufactured it as a frame job or a cover up if suspicion ever came his way. We have to know more. Until then, we keep the girls’ names out of it. Once we know more, we’ll… we’ll see what happens.”

~~~~~~~~

“It’s okay, Snow,” Zoe said reassuringly as the fireball fizzled in Snow’s hand for the fifth time in a row. “You’re still new to this. I know calling down a lightning bolt on your first try sort of sets the bar pretty high, but you’re just beginning. You can’t expect to become a Jedi Master over the course of a couple of hours when you’ve never heard of the Force before today. This is real life, not a movie. Magic takes time, dear.”

“I know,” Snow said bitterly, twirling her left hand once again and attempting to summon another small globule of fire in her palm. “But people around here keep telling me we don’t have time. Sebastian is coming, the world’s about to end, apocalypse is nigh. If I’m supposed to help, I’ve got to learn this stuff and fast. We’ve already been at this for three days.”

“There’s no point in trying to rush, Snow,” Zoe said calmly. “There is much more to learn than even I can teach you. Once we have completed your training in Elemental Magic, there are a vast array of schools of magic that you must learn.”

“And you can’t teach me those?” Snow asked. She had been expecting Zoe would be her instructor and mentor throughout the training process. She liked Zoe very much and had already learned so much from her. She was patient and kind, but firm and talented. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be passed off to anyone else.

“Don’t worry, I will be by your side until your training is complete,” Zoe reassured her. “However, there are aspects of magic that I cannot teach. I am an Elemental witch; meaning my focus is on magics that control the elements. We witches are naturally attuned to a particular school of magic. While we can use any school of magic, our attunement makes us far more powerful when using our attuned school and less so in others. People like Michael and Sara however have no such attunement. They are free to study all forms of magic and are likely to be evenly skilled in many of them, however they are no more powerful in one school than any other. Now you… well, we’ll see what happens when we get you to your next instructor and begin working on another school of magic.”

“And who is my next instructor?” Snow wanted to know.

“That all depends on which school of magic you will be learning next,” said Zoe. “I’m leaning towards Conjuration, but we’ll see. There’s also hand-to-hand fighting and weapons training as well. Most of our skilled Guardians are currently working at our other facilities, so we will likely have to travel to them for your training.”

“Right,” said Snow, attempting again to ignite a flame in her palm. “Michael mentioned something about the Dawnguard having other bases around the world.”

“Yes, there are a few,” Zoe explained. “There used to be many more. The Dawnguard once had bases in every country on Earth. Now, there are only a handful left in operation. They have the Sandbox in Egypt; an underground site where Dawnguard agents work on highly experimental technological and magical research and development rated as too dangerous to be conducted here at the Library. There’s Atlantis deep beneath the Med; and yes, I do mean that Atlantis. There’s the Icebox in Siberia; a cold storage facility for artifacts that are again too dangerous to store here. There’s the prison facility in the Arctic, the Field Combat Training Facility, The Rock, in the Northern Territory of Australia… and of course the Groom Lake facility in Nevada.”

“Right…” Snow muttered. She was only vaguely listening. She was so intently focused on conjuring a flame in her hands that she had all but completely tuned Zoe out.

That’s right, Snow. Focus! Focus on your power. Harness it. Control it. Use it. Use it to save your mother’s life. Use it to crush your enemies who want to hurt the people you love. That same voice crept up in the back of Snow’s mind, reaching out and grasping at her consciousness without her knowing.

Snow closed her eyes, the flame in her hand flaring suddenly. It grew brighter, hotter, and far larger than she was prepared for. The magical field that held the flame shattered and the fire burst out and would have engulfed her had Zoe not been ready. She extinguished the flames with a sudden blast of magically conjured water.

“That’s enough for today,” said Zoe in a tone that indicated there would be no further debate on the matter. “You have to rest between training sessions. Too much too fast and you’ll burn yourself out. Or worse, lose control. Let’s get you home and in bed. You can come back tomorrow and we’ll continue from here. Are you going back to school tomorrow?”

“I think so,” Snow replied, remembering that tomorrow was Monday and it was finally time to go and face the music as it were. “I think it’s time. We’ve got to face it eventually and I think we’re all ready. But I’ll come by right after school, I promise.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” said Zoe. “Just be very careful whenever you are outside the walls of Stonehaven. You are in great danger. I don’t know if Michael has told you, but he has ordered operatives to maintain a constant security perimeter around you and your family. One of our best teams will be accompanying you wherever you go and will be able to respond within a moment’s notice in case of danger. Don’t worry, they won’t bother you. You’ll never be aware of their presence unless you are in danger.”

“Is that entirely necessary?” Snow asked as she and Zoe left the training room and made their way up into the Library proper. “I already feel like I’m constantly being watched. I don’t need the Dawnguard Secret Service watching my every move.”

“It’s very necessary,” Zoe explained. “I know it’s awkward, but you will have your privacy. They will not be watching you undress or listening to your conversations. They will be monitoring for magic and magical entities that could pose a threat to you and will respond if necessary. I understand your concern, but it is for your safety. Outside these walls, you must be constantly protected until you are able to protect yourself.”

“Fine,” Snow grumbled as they exited the Library. “But just make sure that they…” Snow trailed off as she saw Michael approaching from the direction of the Control Room.

“Hey,” he called out to them, waving. “How’s training going?”

“Good,” Snow replied hesitantly. She wasn’t at all sure that was true. “Well… I’m starting to get there.”

“Good, that’s good,” said Michael. “I’m sorry I haven’t come down the last couple of days, we… we’ve had reports of a Pontianak near Kotamobagu, Indonesia that we had to investigate. I’ve been busy coordinating with our team in the area. Thankfully, the reports look to be unfounded.”

“Good,” said Zoe. “Nasty creatures…”

“Mmm,” said Michael, nodding in agreement. “Anyway, if you’ve got a moment, I’d like to talk to you, Snow.” Snow couldn’t help but notice that Michael seemed extremely nervous.

“Um… sure,” said Snow, exchanging a glance with Zoe.

“Right,” the witch said with a nod. “I’ve got some… witchy things that I need to take care of, so I’ll just… yeah, I’m gonna go… witch. I’ll see you tomorrow, Snow,”

“See you,” Snow called after her as Zoe headed for the Library’s large front doors. She then turned to Michael, who placed his hand on her back and guided her across the Reliquary. They sat down on a wooden bench across from a glass case containing a series of brightly colored stone and a plaque labeled "Chaos Emeralds”.

“So… what’s up?” Snow asked after a full minute had passed in silence. Michael looked up at her from where he had been staring blankly at the floor. His expression indicated that he was quite lost for words.

“Snow, I… I need help,” he said desperately. “I need… I need to talk to Gwen.”

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Late one night well after the rest of Mary’s family had fallen asleep, Mary herself lay awake. Her mind had been swirling for the last several days and she didn’t know what to do. She needed more information. She needed help. At long last, as it neared 3 in the morning, Mary decided to ask.

“Claire?” She called out quietly, feeling very stupid indeed. How was someone supposed to hear her from who knew how far away? “Claire, I need to talk to you… or Fate, if possible. I don’t know if you can hear me, but…”

“Hello, Mary,” Fate’s familiar voice suddenly whispered in her ear. Mary gasped and leapt out of bed. Fate knelt beside her bed with a pleased smile on her lips.

“Don’t do that,” Mary exclaimed, clutching her chest in a fruitless attempt to calm her racing heart. “There’s a crazy psychopath that’s trying to kill us. I’m kind of on edge already.”

“I’m sorry, Mary,” Fate said apologetically. “But if there’s anything about me that history has gotten correct, it’s that I’m a little bit of a trickster. I’m sorry, but it’s part of my charm.”

“Right,” Mary said breathlessly. “Well, just… just try not to sneak up on me, is all.”

“I’ll do my best,” said Fate. “So, you called for me? Claire is a bit busy on an errand for me right now, so I came instead. I cannot stay too long, lest my sister detect my presence. But I can talk for a while. What did you want to ask?”

What did she want to ask? She had the creator of the universe in front of her. She could know the answers to all the mysteries mankind had ever considered. What should she ask first?

“You can see the future, right?” Mary asked. Fate nodded.

“Somewhat,” Fate replied, sitting down on Mary’s bed. “My sister and I have limited foresight. We cannot say with absolute certainty what will happen years from now. The Strands of Fate are not quite so accurate as that. Things shift, change… the future is always in motion. Despite what my sister wishes, nothing is set in stone.”

“So if I asked you if my friend’s mom, Ariana… if she’s going to die… You couldn’t tell me?”

“No, I could not,” said Fate. “I do not know. I hope not, but… I cannot say.”

“Can you heal her?” Mary asked. “You have powerful magic, couldn’t you do something?”

“My sister and I live by the same rules that all other magical beings do,” Fate explained. “I can no more cure Ariana’s cancer than Michael or Zoe can. I am infinitely more powerful than any other magical being alive, but even I cannot do that. The rules of magic were not created by myself or my sister. They existed long before us, I assume. I do not know.”

“So you… you… how can you not know that?”

“Mary, there are many things I do not know,” said Fate gently. “As I said before, I am not all seeing or all knowing. I have great power, yes. You call me a god, and perhaps by your standards I am, but… Mary, if I am a god who created all that there is… who created me?”

That question stunned Mary. She had never been religious and so had never really questioned where God or any godlike being came from. But it was a valid question. If Fate and Destiny were gods, where did they come from? And if someone made them, who made the being who made them?

“Don’t go too far down that rabbit hole, Mary,” Fate advised, seemingly able to read into what Mary was thinking. “Trust me, I’ve spent thousands of years debating that same question. I’m afraid I have no answer.”

“So that’s what you meant when you said a god would have all the answers?” Mary questioned.

“Well, I should hope a god would have the answers,” said Fate. “Then again, perhaps not. Perhaps all a god truly is is a being that became so powerful that they discovered how to create other, lesser beings that would one day become strong enough to replace them. Maybe every god is just a normal person who got in way over their heads.”

“That’s… unsettling. But even then, at some point there had to be a first, right?” Mary wondered. “Someone somewhere started all this, so… where did that person come from?”

“Mary, Destiny and I created this realm 13.8 billion years ago. This was merely the most recent in hundreds of thousands of attempts to create life. Destiny and I have lived for trillions of years. So long that I’ve lost count of the number. I have pondered this question for much of that time, and have come up with no answer. I’m afraid, we aren’t going to arrive at a conclusion tonight.”

“Right… right, I’m sorry, I just… this is a lot, you know?” Fate smiled kindly.

“I do,” she said gently. She gazed at Mary for a long moment, almost longingly. “I was a lot like you once, Mary. I was fascinated with what the universe meant. I wondered what we were and where we had come from. I questioned why we were here and what our purpose was. I wanted to know everything. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of curious innocence, days you remind me of so powerfully. Instead, I’ve seen what there is to see. There are no answers to be found, I don’t believe. What is, is. I don’t know why and likely never will. I don’t know why I am here and what my purpose is, if I even have one. Perhaps I don’t.” Mary hesitated for a moment, sitting down slowly next to Fate.

“Does… does that scare you?” Mary asked delicately, hoping not to offend. “Not knowing?”

“It terrifies me, Mary,” Fate confessed. She did not elaborate. Mary chewed her lower lip nervously, hoping she hadn’t upset Fate.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last. “I didn’t mean to pry or anything, I just… I mean, magic is so new to me and now I’ve met you, and…”

“It’s quite all right, Mary,” said Fate, patting the back of Mary’s hand gently. “I know you’re curious and I can hardly blame you.” She paused for a moment, seemingly considering something. “Would you like to come and visit my home?”

“Um… sure?” Mary was not actually at all sure she wanted to do that at all. “Where do you live?”

“A hidden pocket realm that my sister does not know of,” said Fate. “It is called the Infinite Atheneum. My sister cannot see into realms she does not know exist, so she cannot hope to find me there. I thought… well, perhaps you might find some of the answers to questions you have there.”

“Okay, sure. The Infinite Athenewhatsits,” Mary repeated. “I don’t know what that means.”

“You’ll see,” said Fate with a knowing smile. “I cannot take you today, but soon I promise. In the meantime, I believe you have more than enough on your plate to occupy yourself.” Fate paused, looking at the clock on Mary’s bedside table. She sighed heavily. “I should go. The longer I’m exposed, the more likely that my sister will be able to detect me. Thankfully, she doesn’t know she needs to be looking, but still… it is a risk I cannot afford to take. Not to mention, I… I would hate to put you in unnecessary danger.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” said Mary with a light chuckle. “I’d almost say you like me.”

“I do,” Fate said plainly. “I like you very much, Mary. You are… exquisitely delightful to talk to. I rarely find anyone with whom I can have an engaging conversation. You… you intrigue me, Mary Sheppard.” Fate glanced suddenly over Mary’s shoulder. “Oh, what’s that over there?”

“What…?” Mary turned to look, discovering nothing but her typical bedroom. She turned back to Fate, but she was already gone. That familiar breeze ruffled Mary’s hair and teased her ear. Before it too was gone, Mary could have sworn she heard a faint giggle on the wind.

 

10: Chapter X: Waking Up at the Start of the End of the World

Nikki wasn’t sure what had drawn her to Stonehaven. Even as she passed through the gigantic armored gates that protected the hidden city, she barely registered where she was. She had quickly left her house that morning for a walk to clear her mind, but instead her path had led her here.

She walked along the city’s cobblestone streets, only partial cognizant of the townsfolk going about their day or the blatant signs of magic in the air that should have drawn her attention. Nikki was far too lost in her own thoughts to care.

She was adopted. Her parents were not her real parents. She had wished for this, prayed for this, but now that it was real she did not feel the joy she had anticipated. She had dreamed of parents who loved her coming to save her from the clutches of Randy and Julia. Now, it seemed as though they had saved her from unfit parents, or at least that’s the feeling she got from the conversation she had overheard the night before.

Nikki found a beautiful park on the eastern side of the city filled with lush greenery and strange, otherworldly flowers that she suspected must come from one of the other realms she had heard about. It was lovely and she found a bench in a secluded section of the park to sit down and think.

She sat in the park for a long while, watching people come and go. Not just warriors and wizards… but families and children. Stonehaven, she realized, was not just a fortress but a home for a great many people. She watched a family; a mother and father holding hands with their young daughter as they strode through the park. She realized she couldn’t ever remember doing anything like that with her parents… or whatever she was supposed to call Randy and Julia now.

What did it mean? What would change? Randy and Julia didn’t even know that she knew. If she didn’t say anything, then maybe… And Randy had been so nice to her. He had stood up for her. He had promised that things were going to change. Maybe he would keep that promise. Maybe she would at least have a father who loved her and treated her as a parent should. Maybe it didn’t matter who her birth parents were. Did she even want to know? Did she care?

She had wished, dreamed of discovering that she was adopted; that she had real parents out there somewhere who loved her. But the discovery of that truth had not filled her with joy as she had once believed it might. Instead, it crushed her in ways she had never expected. She didn’t even know who her real parents were. She didn’t know what had happened and why they had abandoned her. Instead, she was alone… and loneliness can be crushing.\

She looked up as a shadow passed over her. She glanced up, her gaze first being drawn to the towering spire of the Library of Alexandria glittering in the sunlight. Then, she noticed Sara who had approached and was standing next to her.

“Damn, you look like you’ve lost your last friend and I know that’s not true because I’m here,” said Sara, sitting down on the bench next to her. “What’s wrong, Nik?”

“Nothing,” said Nikki, not feeling at all in the mood to talk about her problems, least of all with Sara who she still wasn’t convinced she trusted.

“I think I know you well enough to know when something’s bothering you,” Sara pointed out. “Also, one of my abilities since joining the Dawnguard is Empathy. I can literally feel your emotions. And before you say anything, yes, I see the irony in that.”

“I was going to say,” said Nikki, Sara’s comment drawing a thin smile to her face. “You never used to be all that empathetic.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Sara agreed, a flicker of guilt flashing across her face. “I know what I used to be. I don’t like who I used to be, not anymore. I’m trying to be better. It’s hard some days… when the old Sara creeps back up again, but I do everything I can to keep her buried where she needs to be. I understand that you don’t trust me, but… I am still your friend. You can talk to me.”

“The last time I told you a secret you held it over my head like an axe,” Nikki reminded her. “You weren’t a good friend.”

“I wasn’t,” Sara agreed. “I was an awful friend. I used you, all of you. I treated you all like playthings instead of the only real friends I had. It’s funny, when I was the popular girl everyone might have known my name but none of them were my friends. You, Clara, and Mary… you guys weren’t at the top of the social ladder, but at least you had people who cared about you. Death teaches you what’s really important and it isn’t popularity or power… it’s the people around you that you love.”

“You know, Sara… there may be hope for you yet,” said Nikki, patting the empty space on the bench beside her. Sara sat down, smiling slightly.

“I’m glad you think so,” she replied. “It helps, you know, having someone believe in you.”

“Yeah… can’t really say I know what that’s like,” Nikki muttered.

“Seriously, Nikki, what’s bothering you?” Sara pressed. Nikki noted that she sounded genuinely concerned. “Despite our troubled past… and present… we’re friends, sisters even… Talk to me, Nik. Maybe I can help.”

“I just found out that I’m… adopted.” Nikki blurted the sentence out so fast that it seemed Sara barely heard her. She stared, processing Nikki’s statement for a moment before leaning back and letting out a long breath.

“Whoa… well, that’s… that’s not what I was expecting you to say, I… Wow, I… How, um…. How did you find out?”

“I overheard them talking,” Nikki explained. “Randy and Julia, they… Okay, so I kind of blew up at them last night and told them all about the abortion. Mom… Julia was furious, but Dad- um, Randy… he was nice. He apologized for how everything had been and he swore things would be different. He went downstairs and fought with Julia and that’s when I heard them say…”

“Right,” said Sara, nodding slowly. “So… how do you feel about this?” For such a simple question, Nikki found it incredibly difficult to formulate an answer. How did she feel? She didn’t feel hurt necessarily, or betrayed. She remembered, months before, standing on the fire escape at the old Austin family warehouse when Snow confessed that she knew she, Nikki had had an abortion. She recalled Snow saying that her parents wouldn’t disown her if she told them the truth. She also recalled not caring all that much if they had. She only worried that she would have no home, no place to go. She would be alone. And that, she realized, is exactly how she felt.

“I feel alone,” Nikki confessed, unbidden tears spilling from her hazel eyes. “I feel… I don’t know. I feel like I’m… I don’t know. I used to wish I was adopted, you know? I thought my real parents would come along and save me from Randy and Julia, but from what I overheard, it sounds like the only reason I didn’t end up in the system is because Randy and Julia took me in.”

“Did they say who your parents are?” Sara wondered. Nikki shook her head.

“No, but clearly they knew my mother because Randy said that if they had shown her compassion and helped her then maybe she would have been able to raise me,” said Nikki. “But I don’t know who she was… or is. I don’t know anything about my dad either.”

“Do you… I mean, do you want to know?”

“I don’t know, maybe?” Nikki sighed. “I guess I just want to know the truth about what happened to them and how I ended up with Randy and Julia. The rest of it… I don’t know yet.”

“Well,” said Sara, absentmindedly twirling a flare of purple-blue magical fire around her finger. “I think the only way to find out about that is to… well, talk to them. Your parents… adoptive parents. You said Randy was nice, right? Maybe tell him you overheard them and he might tell you the truth.”

“Maybe,” Nikki said with a shrug. “What have I got to lose, right?”

“And who knows what you might gain?” Sara pointed out. “I know it’s difficult, but maybe some good will come of it. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to meet your real parents someday. Even if they’re not the heroes coming to rescue you that you hoped they’d be, at least you would know them.”

“Yeah… yeah, I’m… I’m… I’m gonna talk to them… No, not them. I’m going to talk to Randy,” Nikki said, standing to her feet. “If he’s serious about making things right between us, then he’ll tell me the truth. If he doesn’t, then I guess I know where we stand.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Sara asked as Nikki set off towards the city gates. Nikki shook her head defiantly.

“Thanks Sara, but no… this is something I have to do on my own.”

 

~~~~~~~

 

“I’m not really sure how much help I’ll be with Gwen,” Snow said with a shrug. “I don’t know her that well. Clara already talked to her and she knows her a lot better. She’d be a better help than I would.”

“I know, but you know people,” said Michael. “I have to talk to her. I have to say something, I… I can’t just keep letting this go. I don’t know… what to say. What do I say?”

“I get the feeling that with her it’s not going to matter all that much what you say,” Snow replied after letting out a heavy sigh. “This isn’t… something you fix, Michael. I know you and I know that you always want to fix things. I love that about you, but this… You can’t do that with this.”

“I have to start somewhere,” said Michael, the desperation in his voice was stronger than Snow had ever heard. “She’s my baby sister, I… I can’t just… I have to prove to her I’m not the monster she thinks I am.”

“Is there any part of you, even a little bit, that believes what you did to Mary was right?” Snow asked. She dreaded asking for she was sure she knew the answer.

“Right?” Michael asked, his gaze locking firmly onto Snow’s. “I knew it wasn’t right when I did it. I knew what I was doing, I just… I did what I thought was the best thing in a situation full of nothing but terrible options. I didn’t want to do it, I…”

“Would you, knowing what you know now, would you do it again?” Snow felt she knew the answer before she even asked the question. She knew Michael too well. Michael sighed, holding his face in his hands. He didn’t answer.

“Mmm,” said Snow, patting Michael gently on his forearm. “Michael, what you did… I get it. I’ve said so before; I get it. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t matter. You raped someone. You could have told Mary everything and let the choice be hers, but you didn’t. You have no right and no authority to make decisions for other people, especially decisions that cause potentionally lifelong effects. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to prevent. The ends don’t always justify the means. And what scares me the most is… what if this wasn’t Mary? What if this was our daughter? Would you do the same thing to her? That fact is I don’t know and I’m pretty sure you don’t either.” Snow paused, catching herself before she launched into a tirade.

She didn’t want to berate him, not really. Her emotions hovered so close to the surface these days that it was easy for her to lose control. Zoe had warned her that control in these early days was paramount. If she got too angry or sad or scared she could unleash untold devastation with her powers so wild and unchecked. She sighed very heavily and glanced at Michael’s stoic face.

“Mike, I don’t think you can prove to Gwen you’re not the monster she thinks you are. I think you’ll have to prove that to yourself first.” She stood briskly to her feet and strode away through the Reliquary, leaving Michael alone with his thoughts.

It hurt her to walk away from him, but this… it was something he had to deal with on his own. She loved him still, very deeply, but she knew if their relationship was ever to truly heal, Michael had to come to terms with what he had done. She had no wish to punish him, for she knew Mary didn’t wish anything of the sort. But as long as Michael believed his choice had truly been the lesser of two evils, there would be no reconciliation.

Snow passed through the golden doors that led out onto raised dias that the Library of Alexandria was built upon. She was halfway down the stairs that would take her to the main street that led to the gates out of the city when she saw Brad climbing the steps toward her. He waved and slowed, waiting for her to reach him.

“Hey there,” he called, turning to walk with her. “How’s training?”

“It’s going,” said Snow with a shrug. “It’s… weird. All of this is so… yeah, weird.”

“And you’ve only scratched the surface,” said Brad with a chuckle. He fell silent, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. “Hey, I uh… I know I probably seemed heartless before. It’s just… the danger that you pose to the whole world, hell the Nine Realms really, it… It’s like sitting on top of a nuclear bomb.”

“Really, it’s okay, Brad,” Snow said gently. “If you’re worried you hurt my feelings…”

“I just didn’t want you to be… scared of me,” said Brad, seeming quiet uncomfortable to be having this conversation. “I’m dating your cousin, and… well, things are starting to get kind of serious and… I’d hate for you to be nervous and uncomfortable when we’re around each other. Besides, we’re going to be working together. You need trust for this kind of thing.”

“Oh, so you just want to get on my good side because you’re dating Sophia,” said Snow with a smirk. “I see how it is. I suppose murdering your girlfriend’s cousin could put a damper on your relationship.”

“A bit,” said Brad dryly. “But seriously, it’s not just that. I just want you to know that I’m not going to stab you in the back. Or the front or anywhere else for that matter.”

“Unless you have to,” Snow said firmly. “I told Zoe and I’m telling you too. Michael won’t do it, so… so if Sebastian… if this doesn’t work and he captures me or it looks like he will… I want you to make sure he doesn’t. I don’t want to be used like that. Frankly, I’d rather die. So, if it comes down to it…”

“Snow…”

“I’m serious, Brad,” Snow said, coming to a stop in front of a shop that advertized magical enchantment services. She turned the face him with a pleading glare. “I need you to promise me you’ll do it. If Zoe isn’t there, if she can’t… If I cant… you have to.”

“Fine,” Brad exclaimed. “Fuck, fine. Yeah, I’ll do it. I’ll fucking murder you. Are you happy?” This pronouncement drew the attention of several passersby, who stared at them curiously.

“To be honest, I’m just having fun watching you squirm,” said Snow, waving the onlookers away with a smile. “It’s different when it’s not just some girl, isn’t it? But instead you’re face to face with her and you know her?”

“Yeah, a little bit,” said Brad unconfortably. “It’s… yeah. Anyway, I’ve got a meeting with Kiki and Sienna in ten minutes. We’re working up a plan for when the Coven inevitably come knocking.”

“Well, have fun,” said Snow, grinning at him and his obvious lack of enthusiasm.

“Oh, it’ll be a blast,” said Brad, shaking his head. “See you soon.”

“See you,” said Snow. The two parted ways and Snow was just glancing at her phone when Brad called out again and she turned back to him.

“It’s not my business, Snow, but you should really go back to the red hair,” he called, walking backwards away from her. “I always thought it suited you.” He turned and jogged off toward the Library before she could respond.     

 

~~~~~~~

 

Carmel sat on the fine, clearly very expensive leather sofa in silence. Looking around the high class sitting room, she could guess that the furniture alone cost more than the entire house she had grown up in. Her father’s house in Briarwood Heights, the high end subdivision of Mistbrook Falls, was likely the nicest home she had ever set foot in.

She could hear a heated, whispered conversation from the direction of the kitchen; her father and step-mother. She could only imagine what they were talking about. She suspected that Ezra was explaining to Melissa a great deal of surprising things that she hadn’t ever realized before. This was all but confirmed when they returned from the ktichen, Ezra carrying a tea tray.

Melissa sank into an armchair across the room, her eyes wide and a stunned expression on her face. She looked as though she had just been slapped across the face by the hand of God. Ezra poured them all a cup of tea and sat down on the far end of the sofa. He passed a cup to Carmel, who took it but didn’t drink. Melissa didn’t even ackowledge that he had tried to give her one.

“Well,” said Ezra, sitting back nervously in his seat. “This is quite a surprise, Carmel. I hadn’t expected to see you.”

“I didn’t know you knew I existed,” Carmel replied. “Mom said… she said she left before I was born. We only came back once, when I was really little.”

“Of course,” said Ezra. “To have your powers bound.”

“So you do know,” Carmel breathed. “I assumed, based on the look on your wife’s face, but I wasn’t sure.”

“Yes, I’ve… I’ve known about magic since I met your mother,” Ezra explained. “She told me everything, I… It’s why she left and bound your powers. You were in danger, both of you. If the Coven had discovered you…”

“I know all about the Coven,” said Carmel. “We’ve only be running from them my whole life.”

“Then why… What are you doing here, Carmel?” Erza asked. “This town is dangerous for people like you.”

“I…” Carmel hesitated. She wasn’t sure how to best approach this. She had, of course, come back for Steven. But now, things were different. Everything was different. “I came back to meet Steven,” Carmel said at last. “He… we’d been talking for a while. He came to visit me one summer, he… He told me everything. He told me about… about the girls and about what he was trying to do. I know they murdered him.”

“They didn’t murder him,” said Melissa, seeming to shake herself from her reverie. “Your brother… he had… problems. We tried to help him, we did. He… we tried. We got him the best care money can buy, but…”

“It’s okay, Mel,” Ezra said gently, reaching over and giving his wife’s trembling leg a reassuring squeeze. “Carmel, your brother had a number of mental and pyschological disorders. He was often driven to extreme anger and rage. He was on medications, but he would stop taking them. We thought he was doing better, but it appears he was only pretending. He attacked those girls, Carmel. He tortured Snow Austin and likely would have killed her had Jackso not stopped him. I loved my son, but… given the circumstances I can’t harbor any anger toward his victims. My boy didn’t give them much choice.”

“No… no, that’s… that can’t be,” Carmel whispered. That was what the news report had said, but… but that had been a lie. She knew Steven. He wasn’t crazy. He was sweet and kind. Those girls deserved what happened. Steven had told her everything. He’d explained what they’d done and why they deserved to be punished. He’d shared everything… hadn’t he?

“I’m afraid… I’m afraid it is, sweetheart,” Ezra said heavily. “I’m afraid there’s no one to blame except Steven… and us, of course. We… we could have done more. We could have been better parents and supported him in the ways he needed. We tried to help him, I’m just not sure we knew how. I wish… I don’t know what I wish.”

“Steven told me those girls were cruel to him,” Carmel countered. “He said… he told me he wanted payback. They deserved it, I’m sure. He was just trying to… to… No one understood him, and they…”

“You’re right that we didn’t understand Steven,” said Erza with a heavy sigh. Carmel could see the intense regret behind his eyes. “We should have. I should have. He was my son and I… I failed him so completely that I can never make up for it. Especially now…”

“Now that those bitches killed him,” Carmel snapped. “I can’t believe you’re defending them!”

“Steven gave them no choice,” said Melissa, her voice sounded incredibly tight. “He had Snow Austin held at gunpoint. If Jackson hadn’t intervened… if he hadn’t stopped Steven, he would have murdered an innocent girl. I hate what happened more than anyone, but Jackson did what he had to do. We all have to face the reality that Steven brought what happened on himself. Erza and I failed him, certainly, but Jackson and those girls are not to blame.”

“They tortured him,” Carmel exclaimed, her anger suddenly flaring. Why didn’t they understand? “He… he told me they made his life hell, that they… that they…”

“They were his friends,” Ezra whispered. “They… they cared for Steven, Jackson especially. He was over here all the time, playing video games and whatever. So, I… I don’t know what they did but I know those girls and Jackson and I can’t see them behaving the way Steven seems to have told you they did.”

“But… but…” Carmel was flabbergasted. Steven must have been telling the truth. He had been so sure, so convincing, so ardent in his belief that his so-called friends deserved to be punished. She had believed him. And what of JTG? If Steven had been lying to her, then who was JTG and how were they involved?

“Can I… I’m gonna step outside for a moment… if that’s okay? I need a second.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” said Erza, guiding his daughter toward the door. She stepped outside and closed it behind her. She walked a few paces down the path before she pulled out her phone and dailed a number.

“Yes?” Came the electronically masked voice of JTG.

“Erza and Melissa told me Steven was a mental case,” said Carmel, unable to keep the tears from falling from her mismatched eyes. “They said… they said Jackson and his friends were innocent. They said Steven was going to kill them and they defended themselves.”

“And?”

“And?” Carmel snapped. “And? Is it fucking true? Did Steven really have all these mental issues? Did he… did you… did both of you… Did those girls do what Steven said they did?” JTG sighed very heavily indeed. Carmel could feel the answer coming before the mystery caller ever even spoke.

“To a degree. In truth, it was Sara Blake that caused Steven so much grief, as I told you. Her friends were… mere accessories. They knew what that bitch was like, but they allowed her to reign unchecked. They’re just as guilty.”

“So they deserve to die?” Carmel shot back. She was furious; livid even. Steven had lied to her. JTG had lied to her. “All because they didn’t stop some bitch from picking on him? That may be shitty behavior and it needs to be called out, but Steven tried to kill them. He never mentioned that was part of the plan… and neither did you.”

“They’ve done far more,” said JTG, their voice strangely calm. “They covered up a girl’s murder! A murder Sara Blake was responsible for.”

“How am I supposed to believe you?” Carmel hissed. “You’ve already lied and you won’t tell me who you are. I can’t believe anything you say. Fuck this, I’m out. Whatever vengeneace you want, get it yourself. I’m done with this, and you.”

“Not so fast, Carmel,” said JTG, the voice suddenly ice cold. “Once you’re part of the game, you don’t just get to walk away. You see, you joined my team. You agreed to help me, and you’re going to honor that promise. If you don’t…”

“If I don’t… what?”

“I told you before that I have no intention of killing those girls,” said JTG. “I want the truth. I want justice, Carmel. I want justice for everyone those bitches have ever stepped on. But here’s the thing; I don’t much care how I get it. I had a plan, but Steven… he was reckless and stupid. He went rogue and tried to kill them. To be honest, I’m glad to have him out of my way. But I still need a partner. So, here’s the deal. Either you help me of your own volition, or… let’s just say I have ways to make you. Make a choice, bitch.”

The line went dead.  

~~~~~~~

 

Missy Moreau and Natalie Farrell were two of the most popular girls at Mistbrook High. While their fame might not have reached the heights of the vaunted Snow Austin or her gaggle of friends, they were still cheerleaders. Everyone knew them and most would have loved to be them.

The two girls were best friends; they had been since middle school. That evening, the pair of them had enjoyed a fun-filled night at the Underground and were making their way out of the building to Missy’s car, giggling happily together. It was a cold night, as most nights in Mistbrook Falls were in the dead of winter. It was cloudy and also quite foggy and the threat of further snowfall hung in the cold night air.

As they walked across the parking lot, still laughing and chatting without a care in the world, the air around them became if possible even colder. It didn’t initially occur to them that this cold… this cold was an unnatural level of cold. This was a strange and otherworldly cold that could not be explained by conventional means. It was so cold that the water particles in the air around them began to freeze and fall to the ground as bits of ice.

The sky itself grew even darker than that usual night sky. What few stars should have been visible had winked out. Even the streetlights had grown dim, nearly invisible. Of course, by then Missy and Natalie had very definitely noticed that something was very, very wrong. They ran to the car, Missy fumbling frantically with her keys. Natalie raced around to the passenger side and tugged on the door handle as Missy pressed the Unlock button.

Missy reached for her own door handle, but paused, staring over Natalie’s shoulder; her mouth open in a silent scream of terror. The creature seemed to materialize from the darkness itself. A massive shape that defied the natural order of life. Although she could see no determining features, she knew that whatever this thing was, it was not of this Earth.

Natalie turned upon noticing Missy’s frightened stare and looked up just in time for a titanic, razor sharp claw to slash across her. It carved deep, nearly bisecting her from her left shoulder down to her right hip. A spray of blood splattered across the nearby cars and left a crimson stain upon the snow that covered the parking lot. Missy watched Natalie’s body crumple to the pavement all the while everything inside her was screaming for her to run.

She remained, however, rooted to the spot. Whether by her own fear or by the creature’s power, she could not know. The monstrous entity advanced upon her and took her small body in it’s grasp. She tried to scream, but found she was unable to make a sound. Within moments, consciousness left Missy Moreau and she would never see the world from which she came ever again.

The creature shifted and with a loud crack like a thunderclap, it vanished from the parking lot. It reappeared in a dark cavern, buried deep beneath the old mines up in the moutains outside of Mistbrook Falls. It deposited Missy’s unconscious body onto the cold stone floor. The creature’s body then began to shift and change, shrinking itself down into a tall, lithe humaniod figure wrapped in black robes.

“I see you’ve found a new toy,” said Alphonso, watching him closely with his daughter Emilia standing at his side.

“Yes, one of mine,” said Alexander Winston, the English teacher at Mistbrook High. He had a grim expression on his face. “This will no doubt attract the Dawnguard’s attention.”

“If the body of the other I left behind does not, this one surely will,” said Sebastian, his skeletal arm gesturing towards where he had just deposited Missy. “My friends, my power is growing. I was able to return to my true form tonight. With time, I will regain my full strength and we will be unstoppable. In the meantime, I’d like to play a little.” He gestured again at Missy. “I’m certain she will be… exquisite.”

“I thought the goal was Snow,” said Emilia, twirling a shimmering green dagger between her nimble fingers. “She’s your “one” or whatever, right? Why bother with the riffraff?”

“Because I do not have the strength to overpower the witch’s magic, girl,” Sebastian snapped, his voice filled with fury. “Snow is protected. I have already reached out and touched her mind, but her body remains beyond my reach for the moment. Besides, Snow is special. She has a purpose. She will be my queen. She will rule at my side. This tiny, wretched human girl is merely a delectable treat that I will relish as I tear her apart.”

“I believe what my daughter means to say, my Lord, is… should we be wasting our time with trivial distractions when our goal is soon to be within reach?” Alphonso said. “If the Dawnguard…”

“You worry too much about the Dawnguard,” Sebastian hissed. “They have no power, no army. They’re holding on by a thread, less than a shadow of their former power. Their bases have been abandoned, their knights have left their posts. The Dawnguard at the height of their power could only contain me. Now? I will crush them without effort.”

Sebastian turned, glancing back at the still unconscious body of Missy. Beneath his hooded cloak, his face broke into a twisted grin.

“But first, I shall take the bounty of this town. I shall rip and tear through the young, nubile flesh as I have always done and I shall remind the mortal world what true power is. Then… then, I shall take the Austin girl. I will corrupt her very soul… and I already have a plan to do just that.”     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11: Chapter XI: But It's Feeling Just Like Every Other Morning Before

Snow parked her Mustang in the garage and made her way up the drive to the front door of her home. It was early evening and the rapidly darkening skies combined with the increasingly cold air sent a shiver up Snow's spine that wasn't entirely to do with the weather. Now that she knew what truly existed in this world and others, her fears had increased ten-fold. Somehow, JTG frightened her far less that she used to. There was true evil in the world and JTG just couldn't compare. She was concerned, however, by JTG's lingering absence. JTG had only vanished for so long once before… and it hadn't ended well. She felt certain that whenever JTG did reappear, it would be in quite the spectacular fashion.

Snow pulled her coat tighter around her as she hurried toward the front steps of her home. Before she got there, she glanced up and saw Sophia's car, a police issued black sedan, coming down the drive. The car stopped in front of her and the passenger window rolled down.

"Get in," Sophia said briskly, her voice uncharacteristically sharp. Snow swallowed thickly, suddenly very nervous. She walked over, opened the door, and settled into Sophia's car.

"Hey," said Snow, trying to sound as though it was business as usual. "What's up?"

"Snow," said Sophia, fixing Snow with the most serious stare the younger woman had ever seen. "I have to ask you some questions and I need you to be completely honest with me. I can't help you if you don't."

"Okay…?" Snow said, praying she wouldn't ask what she knew she was going to. "What's going on?" It seemed the Sophia was having trouble giving voice to her questions. The expression on her face was one of deep regret.

"Snow, did Sara Blake push Miranda Sinclair off the top of Lookout Point… and did you, Clara, Mary, and Nikki stand by and watch it happen?"

Snow's heart dropped into her stomach. JTG had finally done it. She had outed them to the police, her own cousin no less. Sophia must have seen the picture. Even if she had wanted to lie, there would be no escaping this time.

"Sophie, I…"

"The truth, Snow," Sophia interrupted.

"This is the truth," said Snow hurriedly. "Yes. Yes, Sara pushed Miranda but it's not what it looks like. They got into a fight, a bad one. They… Sara didn't mean to do it, she… she pushed Miranda back, trying to fight her off and she slipped. She fell, she… it was an accident. Sara never meant for it to happen. She said Miranda was dead and we didn't… we were scared, Sophie. We didn't know what to do and Sara said to keep it quiet, so… so we did."

Sophia had listened to the story with her face held in her hands. When Snow fell silent, she remained sitting that way for a full twenty seconds before she looked up at her cousin.

"Sara pushed that girl off of that cliff, Snow," Sophia said wearily. "And you covered it up. You'd be accomplices to murder if I didn't have evidence that Miranda survived the fall."

"You know about that?" Snow asked, completely nonplussed. Why would JTG have told Sophia that?

"You know about that?" Sophia countered. "How?"

"I assume the same way you know about this," said Snow. She paused, closing her eyes. "JTG told me."

"You know about JTG?" Sophia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, I know about JTG," Snow said wearily. It was time to let it out. God help them. She paused, however. JTG seemed to always know everything. She couldn't take the risk of JTG overhearing their conversation. She turned her head slightly to the right and made the smallest gesture with her right hand, hiding it below the edge of the car seat. She whispered "Et Inaudita" beneath her breath.

While there was no flash of light or whooshing of magical energy, Snow noticed that the moisture that had collected on the windows seemed to ever so slowly freeze as the magical bubble of soundlessness surrounded the car. No one outside the vehicle would be able to hear anything they said. Satisfied they could not be overheard, Snow continued;

"JTG's been stalking me and my friends for months, and Sara for ages before that. She knows everything about us. She sends us texts…" She hesitated before passing Sophia her phone and showing her the string of texts from JTG. "She's been threatening us. Steven was part of it and after he died, we thought it was over. It wasn't. We don't know who this person is or what they want or why they're doing this. We don't even know it's a she. It's just always felt like a girl to us."

"This could be Rachel Sinclair," said Sophia quietly. "I interviewed her recently. This JTG let me know that it wasn't the fall that killed Miranda. It was suffocation. I called her in to tell her and she seemed… off."

"It's not Rachel," said Snow, shaking her head. "We've already cleared her. When you found my friends running out of Tony and Rachel's house they were there looking for evidence they were JTG. We found a lot, but later on we learned that JTG had shone them a photo that she took the night Miranda fell off of that cliff."

"So there is a picture?"

"Yeah… you haven't seen it?" Sophia shook her head.

"No, but I've heard about it," she replied. "Finish your story… there's a lot I think we both need to share."

"Right… well, the evidence we found were some videos that Miranda had filmed… of her and Tony sleeping together."

"Wait… really?" Sophia asked. Snow nodded.

"Yeah, he… he's… he's actually the one that killed her. Steven told me that in the mine. He found her, wounded but alive, and killed her to keep her quiet about their affair. I told Rachel and gave her the videos. I don't know what she plans to do with them, but she knows everything now. But whoever this person is, it isn't Rachel or Tony."

"So that's why she was acting so strangely," said Sophia. "She already knew Tony murdered her daughter."

"She did," Snow confirmed. "Like I said, I don't know what her plans are, but she's very aware that Tony killed Miranda."

"Right…" Sophia muttered, seemingly very distracted. "This is… this is a lot. I thought JTG was just an anonymous tipster, not… not this. Okay, listen Snow. What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this car. Understood?"

"Of course," Snow agreed, desperate for whatever information Sophia had. Maybe she knew something that would help put the pieces together.

"Okay… I have an informant working closely with Tony Sinclair, Rick Winslow, Michelle Blake… and Randy and Julia Sorrento."

"Nikki's parents?" Snow asked, surprised. "What do they have to do with Tony and Rick and Michelle?"

"I'm not completely sure just yet," said Sophia. "We suspect that Tony and his crew are somehow working to get around your moms' ownership of the town in order to continue with their plans to mine the area. We're not sure exactly how they intend to do that, but… that seems to be their goal.

"I know that Randy and Julia were involved in the original bid before your parents stepped in, so… I'm not sure yet. But what I do know is that these people are far more dangerous than I thought. I've been informed that Ryan Blake's death was no accident. He was murdered because he opposed the plan to strip mine the town. Rick and Tony had that explosion set up in the mine set up to get him out of the way… and Michelle knew all about it."

"Oh, God…" Snow breathed. Poor Sara. Her mother had gone along with a plan to kill her father. Her dad's death had devastated her and had sent her on her path to uncover the truth… and her mother had been behind it the whole time. "That's… that's crazy."

"There's more," Sophia said solemnly. "Snow… it was Michelle. She's the one who murdered Sara." Snow's jaw dropped. Michelle had been the one? Of all the people she had suspected, from the countless hours she had spent theorycrafting who could possibly have been Sara's attempted murderer, Michelle Blake had never once been on her suspect list.

"You… you know this for sure," Snow asked, her mind reeling. "You have proof?"

"Only the word of my informant right now, which is why I haven't acted on this yet," Sophia explained. "Without proof or at least an eyewitness accounting, there's not much I can do. But I promise you, I'm working on it. I swore I'd find the person responsible and I have. Now I'm promising you that I'm going to make this bitch pay."

"Good," Snow said savagely, far more intensely than she had intended. "I hope you do. She deserves it… her own daughter, I don't… how could someone do that?"

"Greed," Sophia said sadly. "Ambition, selfishness… pure fucking evil, I wish I knew. I really wish I knew, Snow."

"Okay…" Snow whispered. "So… what now? Me and my friends, are you… I mean, we did it. We're guilty, so…"

"You're not guilty," Sophia said delicately. "At least… maybe not. There's no law that says you have to report a crime. If that picture shows Sara pushing Miranda and the rest of you just watching, then… well, you didn't actually commit a crime. Sara did, but we can't very well arrest her. It looks bad, yes and I'm sure people will doubtlessly judge you for keeping it a secret, but… not reporting a crime isn't illegal. Immoral perhaps, but illegal… no."

A wave of relief flooded through Snow at this revelation. If this was true, then JTG had nothing. The bitch had nothing at all to use against them… except that Clara was responsible for Jacob's injury. Snow's excitement wilted slightly, but she couldn't stop the nervous smile from appearing on her face.

"So… so, what does that mean?" She asked. "What do we do now? Do we report it now? Do you?"

"At the moment, all I have is the word of my informant," Sophia said quietly. "My worry is Agent Morales from the FBI. He's about to start questioning you and your friends. When he does, you need to tell him the truth. You need to tell him everything. About Miranda and Sara, about JTG… all of it."

"We can't," Snow exclaimed. "We can't tell anyone about JTG. This game of hers… she won't let anyone put a stop to it. If we try… if we get the police involved… Sophia, JTG has killed people. If we try to stop her game or change the rules… I have no idea what JTG would do."

"Snow, whoever this person is… they're not all-powerful," Sophia reassured her. "You're not alone anymore. We're going to find this person and make sure they're locked up."

"You don't get it, Sophia," Snow countered, desperate for her to understand. This had been her fear. Sophia didn't know JTG like she did. She hadn't battled her for months on end. "JTG has done terrible things to us, but I'm afraid of what she'll do to our families. She got Clara's mom fired because Clara blocked her number. She kidnapped us on Halloween and forced us to torture each other for hours. She made us turn on each other when we were all each other had. She killed Dennis Roberts because… well, we're not sure why but I think she used him to fire Clara's mom but… well, he knew too much by that point. Don't you see? She's ruthless and the Mistbrook Falls Police Department isn't going to be able to stop her overnight… and that's long enough for her to wreak unspeakable destruction. Please, Sophia… you don't know her like we do."

There were tears streaming down Snow's cheeks by this point and Sophia pulled her into a tight hug to soothe her. Snow realized in that moment that she had been wrong; JTG still scared the hell out of her.

"Okay," Sophia whispered. "Okay, we'll… we won't say anything. At least not yet. This… this is a lot, Snow. You said JTG killed Dennis? You know that for sure? I'm pretty sure his cause of death was an allergic reaction."

"I don't have proof, but I'm confident JTG killed him," said Snow. "The reason is JTG sent me a picture of Dennis holding the same cat Mom found outside of our house. JTG didn't necessarily confess, but it was as good a confession as any."

"Right… right, okay…" Sophia appeared to be struggling to put the pieces together from everything she had learned that night. Snow knew that look all too well, unfortunately. She briefly entertained the idea of how Sophia would react if she knew their conversation was being kept secret due to a magical silencing spell.

"So, you're worried JTG will kill someone if you tell anyone about this, yes?"

"Exactly," Snow replied. "She calls it a 'game', and no one… no one gets to end the game but her. That's one reason we didn't go to the police initially. She knows everything about us and she's not above murdering someone to keep this game of hers going. Everyone who knows about this, everyone who's ever heard the name JTG is in danger."

"But even so, you've just told me about all this," said Sophia, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I mean, she's human. She can't be everywhere. She can't possibly hear everything all the time."

"Somehow she can and she does," said Snow. "She knows things that she couldn't know. She overhears conversations she never should have been able to overhear. We even went to the warehouse once, but it didn't seem to help."

"Maybe she's tapped your phones somehow," Sophia said thoughtfully. "Steven was super computer savvy, right? Maybe he did it? I'll try to look into it and see what I can find. In the meantime, we'll… I'm not sure. Just… talk to your friends and tell them what's going on. I'll see if I can get a time table for Agent Morales' questioning. We'll take care of this, Snow. I promise, we'll get this all straightened out."

"Thanks Sophia," Snow said, her voice flooded with gratitude. "We've… we've been so alone in all of this for so long that I… It's nice to have a friend."

"Like I said, I'll do everything I can," Sophia swore. "For now, just sit tight and I'll be in touch soon."

Snow and Sophia said their goodbyes and Snow quickly made her way up the front steps of her home and was soon greeted by the warmth of the faintly lit interior. She had considered asking more probing questions of her parents about magic or even forcing their hand by showing them a trick or two, but she supposed she should ask Michael before revealing their secret to anyone else. Also, her conversation with Sophia had proven exhausting and she was much too tired for anything like that. Not to mention, she had school the next morning.

Instead, Snow made her way upstairs and, after saying a brief goodnight to Kayla and Ariana, found herself crawling into bed. Despite her swirling thoughts, she was on the verge of sleep within moments and would have drifted off if her phone hadn't chimed. Dreading what she would find, she powered on the screen; the bright display illuminating her face in the darkened room.

That was a daring move. I've warned you before not to change our little game. Involving Sophia… hmm, well I guess that's decided my next move for me. You know how this goes, Snow. This is my game, bitch. I make the rules. You'd better start following them… before someone else dies. Kisses, bitch –JTG

. . . . . . .

It was nearly dawn before the body of Natalie Farrell was found. Both Natalie and Missy Moreau's parents had called the Mistbrook Falls Police Department once they realized that neither of their daughters had returned home. After that, it didn't take long for the ruined body to be discovered. The police department descended upon the scene of the grisly murder quickly, and early reports of what had happened began to trickle across town.

One girl had been horrendously murdered and another had disappeared; likely kidnapped by the killer. Theories and rumors abounded by the time the sun had risen. Another murder? Perhaps committed by the very same person that had killed Sara Blake? Or perhaps Missy Moreau herself was the killer and she had fled. Or, as some old local gossips liked to say; perhaps it was the darkness of legends that had once plagued the small Midwestern town decades before.

But hours before those rumors had spread, and before conspiracy theories of betrayal or even worse, monsters and demons had been constructed, the Dawnguard had agents onsite.

Although slower at detecting such events given their serious lack of manpower from their most prominent time, the Dawnguard was quick to send Brad and Kiki out to the murder scene. Disguised as police officers, the pair slipped onto the scene unnoticed.

"Brad, once we're in we won't have long to get this done," Kiki whispered to Brad as they slowly ducked under the yellow police tape. "If anyone else arrives on the scene, we're screwed."

"This ain't my first rodeo, Kiki," Brad pointed out. "I have done this once or twice"

"I know," said Kiki. "It's just… now its in our own backyard. Usually this shit is on the other side of the world."

"It's a lot more real now, isn't it?" Brad commented, echoing Snow's sentiments from the day before. He didn't wait for Kiki's reply. They had reached the point where they could see the coroners loading the remains into their vehicle. They had to move fast. He glanced around quickly before fishing a small silver crystal out of his pocket. He placed it on the ground where it hovered an inch above the asphalt. He whispered 'prohibere' and the crystal flashed brightly. All around them, the crime scene froze. The people, the wind, the light snowfall, even a flock of birds that had drawn too close. Everything was frozen in time.

"We've got five minutes," said Brad, tapping the crystal with his foot. "You're up."

"Keep an eye out," said Kiki, moving off toward the coroner's van while keying her radio at the same time. "Echo One to Base, we're in and evaluating the kill now. Standby."

"Copy that, Echo One," Aram's voice came back over the radio. "Andromeda is on station to pick you up. You'd better make it fast. We're picking up another patrol car headed your way."

"We'll be back before you can blink, don't worry," Kiki replied, reaching up and unzipping the body bag.

"Sorry Kiki," said Aram. "You're forgetting, I'm the Director of Base Operations. It's literally my job to worry. Especially when the Dawnguard's second in command is out in the field on my watch."

"Yeah, well, get used to it," Kiki replied. "There's only so long I can stay cooped up in Ops before I need some field work. This is… oh, Gods…"

"What is it?" Aram asked. "What did you find?"

"Exactly what we thought," said Kiki, tugging a small metal case out of her bag. She opened it and took a small glass cylinder from inside. She held it up over Natalie's remains and made several broad, sweeping passes over the body. "There, I've got the scans done but it's pretty obvious what did this." She quickly zipped the bag back up and nodded across the way to Brad, who reached down for the crystal as Kiki rushed over.

"Ready?" Brad asked, his hand closing around the crystal. Kiki nodded. Brad gripped the crystal tightly and tugged. Around them, the scene began to ever so slowly move again. By the time the world unfroze, Brad and Kiki had vanished.

The pair reappeared aboard the airship Andromeda which hovered, invisible, in the sky above the unsuspecting police officers. Given the dangers posed by the Coven and Sebastian, Michael had decreed that all magical means of transportation into Stonehaven would be blocked for the foreseeable future. Luckily, the Dawnguard had other options for rapid transportation and minutes later the airship was lowering itself into the underground hangar just outside of Stonehaven.

Once the ship was secured in the hangar, Brad and Kiki hurried along the jetway and up through the series of corridors and elevators that connected the hangar to the city. Soon enough, they were hurrying into Ops where Michael, Zoe, and Aram waited for them.

"No problems, I take it?" Michael asked as Brad and Kiki joined them.

"None," said Kiki, taking out the cylinder and pressing it into a matching slot in the large holographic display table that dominated the center of Ops. "We were in and out and whisper quiet, like always."

"Good," said Michael. "The last thing we need is the locals catching wind of magic right now."

"Yeah, well… they may be about to," said Kiki as an image of Natalie's body appeared, projected by the table. "What do those wounds look like to you?"

"Shit…" Zoe whispered while Michael heaved a deep sigh.

"It's begun," he said wearily. "Sebastian has begun targeting the local population. There was no sign of Missy, I presume?"

"Not that we could see," said Brad. "We didn't have time to use the Chronovisor to see what actually happened; that'll have to wait until after the cops clear the area. But I'd bet money she's been taken by Sebastian."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Aram asked, looking toward Michael. "Some sort of rescue plan?"

"We don't know where Sebastian is hold up," said Zoe. "And even if we did, we don't have the manpower or the firepower to attack. Sienna has been working with Ancalagon to help us produce more weapons capable of killing demonic beings… and I'm sure there are a handful of relics in the Library we could use, but… we're not ready."

"So we're just going to let this girl die?" Aram protested. "I thought this was our job!"

"Our job is to save the world," Brad countered. "To do that, we need a plan. We need weapons and soldiers. We need information on Sebastian and any thralls he may have in town. We need to know the location of his lair. Zoe's right, there's not much we can do right now."

"We knew this was coming," said Michael before Arma could reply. "This… we kew this was going to start happening. Yes, we thought we had more time before Sebastian gained enough strength to retake his demonic form. We were wrong. Now…"

"It doesn't change the plan," said Zoe. "We gather our forces while Sebastian plays with his food. He won't be in a rush, or at least he wasn't the last time. We make weapons and locate his lair. We make sure Snow is properly trained and ready to fight. We'll need her. Then we storm Sebastian's base and kill him."

"You really think it's going to be that simple?" Michael asked, arching his eyebrows at the witch.

"I never said it was going to be simple," Zoe countered. "I laid out a basic plan of action. Simply put, there's nothing we can do for Missy. It's terrible, but there it is. Eventually, Sebasitan is going to make his move but he can't crack open the Gates of Hell on his own. He'll need help, which is why he'll be after Snow. If he uses her to breed his demonic army…"

"Game over," Kiki muttered darkly.

"Right," said Michael quickly. "That's why we're going to make sure that doesn't happen. Aram, I want you to triple the guard on Snow. She is never to be left alone. Park a fucking airship over her house if you have to, but I want a team ready to blink in on her at a moment's notice."

"Yes sir," Aram replied. "I've already got our best agents assigned to her."

"I was thinking it might be prudent to have Snow move into Stonehaven for the time being," said Kiki. "She'll be a lot safer here. Sebastian will be hesitant to attack the city directly."

"He would if we hadn't done so much work to convince him the Dawnguard was all but dead," said Michael. "If our disinformation efforts have paid off, Sebastian believes it's just me, Brad, and Zoe hold up in here. On the plus side, if he did attack us here he'd get a pretty big shock. Still, I'll… I'll talk to Snow. I doubt she'll love the idea, but… maybe. In the meantime, let's stay focused on the task at hand. Zoe, how's Snow's training coming?"

"Good," said Zoe. "Very good. She's a natural. As far as spells go, I've taught her all but the most advanced spells in the Elementist branch. Next, she's going to need to learn combat; how to use these spells in battle. We need to have her choose her weapon as well and get her training with Winter at The Rock. She needs to know how to handle hand-to-hand combat."

"Alright, I recommend we get her on an airship to the Sandbox," said Michael. "She can choose her weapon there and then have her start training at The Rock. I hate it, but we're going to have to accelerate her training. If today has taught us anything, it's that we're running out of time."

As the rest of the command staff hurried away as the meeting ended, Brad hesitated for a long moment staring at the image of Natalie's eviserated body. He sighed heavily and turned away.

"I'm not so sure you're right, Mike," he said to himself as he strode away. "I think we may already be out of time."

12: Chapter XII: The Shape of Things to Come

It was a couple of weeks before Nikki managed to find the opportunity to confront her father. In that time, Nikki's plan of how to approach her parents changed at least seventeen times. Part of her wanted to rage at them for hours on end. Another just wanted to sit them both down and ask a lifetime's worth of questions. Who was her mother? Who was her father? Why had they abandoned her? Where were they now? Could she contact them? Should she? The list went on and on.

When Nikki turned onto Everdeen Lane after returning from a trip to the Mistbrook Barista late one evening, she noticed that only her father's black sedan was parked on the curved drive in front of the house, she breathed a sigh of relief. She could talk to her dad privately. Maybe without her mother there, she would have a better chance at getting the answers she wanted.

She parked her car and took a moment to gather her thoughts before pushing the door open and walking along the paved path up to the front door of her home. She was surprised to find tears stinging her hazel eyes as she unlocked the door and went inside.

"Dad?" She called out, hanging her coat on the hook by the door. "Dad, are you home?"

"In here, sweetheart," Randy called back, his voice drifting in front the direction of his home office. Nikki hurried down the hallway paused, steeling herself before entering.

"Hey, are you busy?" Nikki asked hesitantly, noticing that Randy was typing away at his computer. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Randy replied, finishing a paragraph and then closing the laptop he had been using. He gestured to the chair on the opposite side of his desk. "Sit down. What's on your mind?"

"I heard you and mom," Nikki said, sinking into the chair. There was no point beating around the bush she reasoned. "I know you're not my real parents."

Randy had taken a moment to clean the lenses of his glasses with the hem of his shirt. As Nikki finished her sentence, he accidentally snapped the frames in half in shock. He looked up at Nikki, his eyes wide and fearful.

"The truth," Nikki insisted. "You promised things were going to change around here. So don't lie to me. What happened? Who are my parents? Where are they? Why…?"

"You heard correctly," Randy interrupted, cutting her off. He heaved a deep sigh and stood to his feet. He turned to gaze out of the window behind his desk and into the darkened backyard. He was silent for a long moment, so long that Nikki was about to speak up when Randy at last began talking.

"Your birth mother is Julia's younger sister, Isabella," Randy said tonelessly, still staring into the yard. "She… she was a lot of things. She was a wild child, always was. Rebellious… always a troublemaker. She was deep into drugs and alcohol, she… When Izzy got pregnant with you, she wanted to have an abortion but her parents forbade it. After you were born, Julia and I decided to adopt you. Izzy wasn't fit to be a mother and didn't want to be. You would have wound up in the system otherwise and Julia… she didn't want that."

"Why couldn't you just tell me that?" Nikki asked, those damnable tears welling up again. She was glad Randy was still refusing to turn and face her. "Why hide it?"

"Because your mother and I are fools," Randy said wearily. "We believed that if we kept you in the dark and locked away in this house that you wouldn't end up like your mother. We were worried that there was too much of your mother in you. We didn't want a repeat of what happened to Izzy. We thought we could protect you. Obviously, we were wrong."

Nikki stood up slowly from the chair, her mind so full of questions she wasn't sure which to ask first. For some reason, all she could think of was the fact that Randy and Julia had chosen to give her the middle name Isabella.

"Where is she?" Nikki finally asked. "My mother, I mean. What happened to her? Where is she now?"

"The last we heard, she was living in Tallahassee," said Randy, rubbing his temple. "But that was years ago. We haven't heard from her in a long time, so… truly Nikki, I don't know."

"And my father?" Nikki asked, desperate for more information. "Who is he?"

"No idea," said Randy, at long last turning to face his daughter. His face was stiff, impassive. "Izzy never told us who he was. Truly, she may not even have known for sure herself. I'm sorry. I know that's not the answer you're looking for, but it's the only one I have."

Nikki peered into Randy's eyes, trying to read any hint of a lie in his expression. If he was being dishonest, he gave no insight into it. She wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, but she really had little choice.

"Okay," she said at last, a suddenly wave of emotional exhaustion washing over her. "So… what now?"

"Well," said Randy, once again taking his seat behind his desk. "I don't know. We… work to fix this, I suppose. I don't quite know how we earn back your trust, but… I want to try."

"It's not that I don't trust you," Nikki countered, although she wasn't entirely sure how honest that statement was. "I just… I need to think. I need to think and sleep on it. I'll… I'll see you in the morning, Dad."

"Good night, sweetheart," Randy said quietly as Nikki turned to go. "And Nik… I really am sorry." Nikki didn't respond. She retreated from Randy's office and hurried upstairs to her room. She closed the door and locked it behind her. She leaned back against it, breathing deeply.

She had already known, but having it confirmed… it did something to her she couldn't explain. She felt… alone. Alone in a way she never had before. It was unnerving. Her thoughts and emotions were so twisted and confused that she couldn't even begin to unwind them that evening. She needed to sleep. Everything would be clearer in the morning. Or at least that's what she hoped.

Standing upright however, Nikki noticed a tube of her red lipstick lying on her bed. She was certain she hadn't put it there, as she was very careful to take good care of her makeup. She had always been allowed very little of it and much of what she had borrowed from her friends. She picked up the tube and turned to her dresser to put it away. The moment she turned, however, she gasped and the tube of ruby red lipstick bounce away soundlessly on the carpeted floor. There, scrawled violently across her full body mirror, was a message written in ruby red smudge.

Blood is thicker than water. I wonder what yours will look like spreading across the floor.

Nikki only had a split second to stare at the message in fear before a quiet crack split the silence of her bedroom as the window cracked because of the suppressed, subsonic bullet shattering it.

. . . . . . .

Across town that same night, Snow slept fitfully. The message from JTG had shaken her. The bitch usually made good on her threats and Snow couldn't begin to guess how she might retaliate.

Play by the rules! Damn it, Snow. You know better. Snow mentally berated herself as she tossed and turned in bed. She had been cornered without a lot of options. What was she supposed to do? Lie to Sophia? It's doubtlessly what JTG has wanted, but she had believed the silencing spell would keep her prying ears at bay. Clearly, she had been wrong. Even magic couldn't protect their secrets.

At long, long last Snow managed to drift off into an uneasy sleep. She dreamed of fire and blood and death. She dreamed of twisting flesh and teeth and endless chaos. She saw deep into the very core of Hell itself and new, somehow, someone… something… was looking back.

Snow woke suddenly, pulled from her dreams and forced violently back into the real world. She was floating in her large bathtub in a darkened room lit faintly by candlelight. The large windows she could see across the room had the shutters closed over them, but Snow could see faint reddish light glowing through the edges.

The dream had been a pleasant one, although painful. It had been filled with memories of the past; of the life she had once lived. It was gone now, of course. There was no sense in looking back and wishing things had been different. What's done is done. You can't turn back the hands of time, no matter how hard you try.

"I'm sorry Mistress, did I wake you?" She looked up to see her handmaiden Clara, nude save for golden chains that decorated her body. They were draped around her, adorning her like some strange metal bikini that did nothing to shield her modesty. Her usually long blonde hair had been shorn down to mere stubble. She stared at Snow with wide, worried eyes.

"No, it's fine," Snow replied, reminded sharply of her dream and a time long ago when Clara had just been her friend and not her slave. "I was just… thinking about… it doesn't matter."

"Of course, Mistress," said Clara, bowing deeply and withdrawing to the shadows out of sight. Snow settled deeper into the warm water, relishing as the heat soothed her body.

"I am sorry, you know?" Snow said, knowing that it would make little difference to Clara at this point, so many years later. It just occurred to her that she had never actually said the words. "For… all of this. It was the only way. It was the only way to save what was left."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Mistress," Clara said obediently. Snow knew the fight had been beaten out of her former friend long ago. She was completely subservient now… but at least she was alive.

"I have so much to apologize for," Snow whispered. "I thought… I thought I was doing the right thing…. The only thing I could do."

She remembered the shattered walls of Stonehaven the demonic hordes had poured in. She recalled the blackened sky and the rains of pure fire. She could still smell the blood and death; hear the screams of the tortured and dying. Even when she closed her eyes, she still saw the burning airships falling from the sky. The mightiest battleships Divinity could send snuffed out effortlessly.

She had sought to save everyone she could. She had trained. She had fought. It hadn't been enough. After seeing too many of her loved ones torn apart, she had freely given herself over. She had joined with her Demon Lord with a promise; those who did not fight back would be spared a gruesome death. They would be allowed to live and serve.

It had been the only decision she could make. After all, was submission not preferable to extinction? Wasn't life, even in servitude, better than no life at all? At least this way millions had been spared. But of course, many had seen her act as a horrific betrayal. Michael and the remainder of the Dawnguard had fled to Divinity where, to this very day, the resistance fought back against Sebastian's ever strengthening army.

Snow pressed a hand to her swollen belly. Soon, she knew, she would once again give birth to another litter of demonic hatchlings. Within days, the hundred or so tiny slithering things would grow into demonic killing machines. They would be thrown into battle against the resistance and she, Snow, would spend yet another night with Sebastian where he would doubtlessly breed her once again.

It was how she thought of it. Despite it words, Snow was not Sebastian's wife and partner. She was a living, breathing incubator. But still, her act had saved lives. Clara… she was still here. Sure, Nikki and Sara had died years ago. Mary had vanished and had never been seen again. Brad, Kiki, Aram, Zoe, Sienna… so many had fallen before she had put a stop to the killing.

Snow's thoughts were interrupted by the door across the room swinging open and a man strode inside. Sebastian was, there was no other word for it; beautiful. He was tall, very tall. Michael had always towered over Snow but Sebastian dwarfed even him. He had a strong, angular face with wide cheekbones and a slightly pointed chin. He had a thin, jet black beard and goatee that accompanied his short black hair. He peered down at the two girls with a pair of steel grey eyes.

Clara threw herself to the ground, bowing before him with her face pressed to the floor.

"My Lord, my God," she repeated over and over again in a quiet whisper. Sebastian ignored her, stepping around her to approach Snow in the tub. Snow herself had not moved; instead she had just watched him as he approached. And then, he smiled.

"My love," he said warmly. When he spoke, it was in the same smooth voice Snow had first heard in her dreams. "Please, rise and walk with me."

Snow stood and stepped, dripping wet, from the tub. Clara, keeping her head bowed, stood and brought over a thin, silk gown that she wrapped around Snow's shoulders and slid her arms delicately into the sleeves. When she was done, she backed away and bowed down once again.

Snow pulled the gown tighter around herself, forgetting as she often did that the silken fabric was, while very fine, was also so thin it did nothing to hide her nakedness. If Sebastian noticed her discomfort, his expression did not show it. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to the closed windows which opened with a wave of his hand.

"Look upon what we've built together, my love," he said, gesturing out to the lands surrounding their perch. They appeared to be high up in the tallest tower of the Obsidian Palace; the castle Sebastian had built atop the ruins of what had once been Mistbrook Falls. All around them the land was either blackened and dead or engulfed in flames. The sky glowed a deep, fiery red and was filled with swirling black clouds. Off in the distance, Snow could see what must have been the largest conflagration she could possibly have imagined. A wall of fire so tall she thought it must have reached outer space spread out in all directions. Tornados of fire spun and twisted ahead of the slowly moving fiery doom.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Sebastian asked, his voice full of pleasure. "And think, dear, this is only the beginning. Soon, our empire will span all of the Nine Realms." He reached down and placed the hand not gripping her waist onto her bare belly. "Soon, the next of our children will be born. Soon, we shall replenish our forces and strike at the beating heart of what's left of the shattered Dawnguard." He spat the word as though it were a curse.

"Divinity has been a thorn in our side for too long. But the last remnants of Michael's pitiful army cannot hope to stem the tide that is set to fall upon them." He leaned in close, his warm breath tickling her ear. She could practically feel the smile on his face. "But first…" The hand on her belly dipped lower and Snow's knees very nearly buckled as her body was wracked with pleasure. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. Her mind was consumed with the glorious sensations Sebastian's fingers were creating.

No. Snow, you don't want this. A voice, somewhere, so very distant, was screaming in her head. Look! Look at that destruction. Keep him out of your head!

'I know,' Snow thought. And she truly did. 'I know what he is… but Gods it feels so good…

She knew… she had always known, deep down, she had to stop him. She couldn't believe she had allowed this to happen. She couldn't let it continue. If some small fraction of the Dawnguard has survived, if Divinity still stood then maybe there was still a chance. She had to stop this… she… she had to… She… she had to? But why? Why, she wondered as Sebastian's lips captured hers an instant before her mind exploded in euphoria. Her body shook and trembled and all the while, Sebastian held her.

As she slowly calmed and looked up into Sebastian's warm and handsome face, she found she was utterly enraptured with him… until she glanced past him at Clara. Her once smooth skin was covered from head to toe in cuts, most of which seemed to be in strange, demonic ritualistic patterns. Snow knew she had been tortured. She had been beaten, broken, raped and God only knew what else. It had made her compliant… but it was then, after all these years, that Snow realized while Sebastian may have broken her body, he had not completely shattered her spirit.

It was her eyes… those beautiful green eyes that Snow knew so well, that broke through the fog that had clouded her mind. Her best friend stood there, watching with a mixture of terror and loathing in her gaze. Loathing for Sebastian… loathing for her.

This is what he's done to your world. That distant voice continued. What you've done. What you'll do. Don't let him in, Snow! Fight him!

'I can't…'

Yes, you can. You know this isn't real. It's not too late. Resist. You're stronger than him.

'No, I can't be. He's a Demon Lord…'

And you are magic incarnate. The power within you rivals the strength of the Elder Gods themselves. Sebastian fears you. Ignore his promises. He will try to trick you. He will try to lure you to his side. Resist. Snow… resist!

And suddenly it all came flooding back. She knew that all the memories weren't real; they couldn't be. She had just gone to bed. This… this was the dream. In an instant, Snow vanished from Sebastian's arms and reappeared between Sebastian and Clara. She swirled her hands in front of her, causing a shield of rippling golden arcane energy to form from her palms.

"This isn't real," Snow snapped at the slightly grinning Sebastian. "You… you're just in my head; invading my dreams like some sort of parasite."

Sebastian turned slowly towards her, that grin still plastered on his handsome face. He cocked his head, his eyes trailing the edges of Snow's arcane shield. He jerked his hand forward violently. Streams of unraveling arcane force jutted out, impacting the shield and instead of dispelling the barrier, simply bounced harmlessly off of it.

"I don't want to hurt you, Snow," he said quietly. "I want you to join me." Snow scoffed.

"Yeah, I've seen what that gets me," she snapped back at him. "A burning world, my friends dead or tortured into serving you. Yeah, no thanks. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you could offer me that would make me bring this—" She gestured out of the windows at the hellscape beyond. "Into reality. So no, I will never join you."

Sebastian, it seemed, was not at all affected by Snow's words. He was still smiling and gazing at her almost wistfully.

"Nothing?" He repeated doubtfully. "There's nothing I can offer? Snow, I have power beyond your meager mind's imagination. You and the Dawnguard and the Coven… you fumble about with magic in ignorance, incapable of understanding its true nature." He smiled even wider. "Snow, I can give you back your mother. Ariana… I can save her."

The knife that had been plunged into her heart long ago on a cold, snowy night twisted ever deeper. Could he really save her? What if Zoe and Michael were wrong? What if magic could cure her? But then she remembered the voice. Ignore his promises, it had said.

"Even if you could," Snow said hotly, her blood positively boiling. His offer had not enticed her, she realized. It had simply pissed her off. "Even if your power is greater than our meager understanding and you really can do what you say, I'd never agree. If you wanted me to join you, showing me this wasn't the way. If I joined you, if I willingly let this happen… Ariana would be ashamed of me."

"Yes…" Sebastian said sagely. "This was not the plan. It would seem you have drawn the eye of a very interesting protector. But it will not be enough. You are weak. The Dawnguard lies in ruins. Before me, before us, you are nothing."

"The Dawnguard sealed you away once," Snow countered. "We've beaten you before!"

"At the apex of the Dawnguard's glory, they could only contain me," Sebastian reminded her. That smile of his never fading from his lips. "Now? With the Coven on your doorstep and your armies scattered to the winds? I think not."

"We won't give up," Snow insisted. He didn't know. She had confirmation that Sebastian thought the Dawnguard was weakened. He didn't realize that Michael had rebuilt! He wouldn't be prepared for a real fight. "We'll fight you and we'll win." Sebastian actually laughed out loud.

"You're certainly confident, aren't you? But it is clearly borne out of ignorance. You can fight if you wish, and all of you will die. Or you can join me and your friends may live. But I assure you, if you resist you will all die." It was then and only then that Snow saw his smile fade. It was replaced with a look of cold indifference. It scared her more than if he had turned into a demonic horror.

"When I break open the Gates of Hell, and I will, even the strongest of your armies will be obliterated. My sealed brethren… we are legion. Our numbers will darken the skies of every Realm. If you fight, it will lead to the end of everything."

"Try to frighten me all you like," Snow hissed, sounding far braver than she admittedly felt. "But we will fight. All of the Nine Realms will fight back. We won't lie down. We won't give up. We will fight until we've won or there's nothing left of us to fight with. So, come at us. If you want to conquer the Nine Realms, we're gonna make damn sure you pay for it."

Sebastian chuckled at her defiance. Snow realized how foolish she must look, standing there half naked shouting words of resistance and bravado. She knew nothing of fighting. She barely understood the little magic she had been taught. But when she glanced behind her and saw Clara still standing there, that look in her eyes had shifted. Those cold eyes were cold no longer. Instead, behind the layers of fear and pain, Snow swore she saw the tiniest spark of hope. Sebastian, however, either didn't notice or was wholly unfazed.

"Courageous words," he remarked idly. Then his voice suddenly hardened. "But those words are as empty as your future. If it is blood you want, then blood you shall have. This debate is over."

Snow suddenly jerked awake, snapped back into reality by the insistent buzzing of her phone on her nightstand. Drenched in sweat, her hands shaking, she reached for it. She glanced at the clock and noted that it was nearly three in the morning. She turned on her phone's screen and when she saw Clara's name she felt a slight swooping sensation in her stomach. A sudden flash of her friend, nude and covered in cuts and scars, cut through her mind. She shook it off as best she could and swiped her finger to answer to call.

"Clara?" She said, her voice hoarse of raspy. She hadn't realized until then just how dry her throat was. "Clara, what's going on? It's 3AM."

"Snow," Clara said, the fear in her voice jolting any remnants of sleepiness from Snow's mind. She could easily tell, even from the first word, that her friend was crying. "Snow… It's Nikki."

13: Chapter XIII: Let the Games Begin

Snow’s Mustang screeched to a halt in the parking lot of St. Sebastian Memorial Hospital. She got out of the car and was already halfway across the parking lot before Kayla and Ariana could even get out. She raced up to the revolving front doors and shoved her way through.

It was very early in the morning and the hospital lobby was mostly empty. Snow spotted her friends sitting in seats at the far end of the open lobby and hurried toward them. She could see the tear stains on Clara’s cheeks even as she approached. Mary was sitting next to her, talking quietly to her. Across the aisle, Noel sat with Randy also talking in those hushed voices people use in hospitals and funeral homes. Snow’s heart filled ever more with dread. Mary looked up at the sound of Snow’s heels clacking on the tiled floor and stood, hurrying over to intercept her.

“Mary, what happened?” Snow exclaimed as she and Mary met.  “Clara said Nikki had been shot! Is she…?” Terror swelled in Snow’s heart as she waited for Mary’s answer. If Nikki was dead… if JTG had murdered her because of Snow’s own actions…

“She’s okay,” Mary said reassuringly, taking Snow’s trembling hands in her own. “She was shot in the left shoulder. It wasn’t life-threatening. They’ve removed the bullet and they’re patching her up now.”

“Thank God,” Snow breathed, a tiny bit of the tension that had filled her since Clara’s panicked call fading away. At least she was alive. Her guilt, though horribly heavy, was slightly lessened. Snow followed Mary over to where Clara sat, looking anxious. “Do we know anything else? Was this…?” Snow fixed her two friends with an intense stare that she knew they would understand.

“Randy said someone wrote a message on her mirror,” said Clara. “Blood is thicker than water. I wonder what yours would look like on the floor… or something like that.” Clara paused, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Is this… I mean, is JTG really outing herself like this? The whole town will hear about this.”

“Shhh,” Snow hissed, pressing a finger to her lips. She glanced over at Randy, Sophia’s words from earlier that night still ringing in her ears. “Not here.”

And so they sat in relative silence for the next hour. The parents all sat together talking quietly and the girls sat a little ways away, not daring to discuss JTG out in the open. Snow desperately wanted to let her friends know everything that Sophia had told her, but she couldn’t tell them here. If JTG really had bugged their phones, then she needed to have this conversation away from the devices.

At long last, they were informed by a doctor that Nikki was out of surgery and had been taken to a private room. As there were far too many people to crowd Nikki’s room all at once, Randy allowed the girls to visit her first.

“I think tonight she’d much rather see the four of you than me,” he said waving them toward the elevator.

The four friends rode the elevator to the fourth floor and emerged into a relatively quiet corridor. They quickly found Room 423 and went inside. Nikki looked up at them as the door opened, an expression of immense relief appearing on her tired face.

“Thank God you guys are here,” she exclaimed as her friends crowded around her bed. “I was so worried she’d gone after you too.”

“Don’t worry about us, Nik, we’re fine,” Clara reassured her. “You were shot.”

“Yeah…” Nikki said, grimacing as she shifted slightly in bed. “Hurts like a mother too.”

“Nikki, what happened?” Mary asked. “I mean, this… was this JTG? Did she send a message or…?”

“She was in my damn house,” Nikki said in a furious whisper. “That bitch was in my bedroom. She wrote message in lipstick on my mirror and then… all I remember is my window exploding and a lot of pain after that.”

“Why would she try to kill one of us now?” Clara wondered. “I mean, I know Steven wanted us dead but this new bitch… I got a different feeling.”

“She wasn’t trying to kill Nikki,” Snow cut in. She had been thinking, all night, about how to give voice to what had horrified her since Clara’s call. “Give me your phones.” Despite curious expressions from all of her friends, the girls handed over their phones. Snow placed them on a table on the far side of the room and returned to Nikki’s bedside. Then, after taking a nervous glance around, whispered “Et Inaudita” beneath her breath. A faintly visible field of magical energy rose up around them, encasing them in a field of complete silence roughly ten feet by ten feet. Even if JTG were bugging their phones, unless the bitch had implanted listening devices into their skin, there was no possible way she could hear the conversation taking place within the field. Snow ran a hand across the back of her neck involuntarily at that thought, half expecting to feel an incision at the base of her skull.

“This wasn’t attempted murder,” Snow said at least. “This was punishment… and a warning.” And so Snow launched into the story of everything she and Sophia had talked about earlier that evening. When she was done, all three of her friends were staring at her in horror.

“So… so Sara’s mom tried to murder her?” Clara gasped.

“My parents are involved with Tony?” Nikki whispered.

“JTG is bugging our phones?” Mary asked, stunned.

“Yes, I don’t know exactly how or why, and also yes and probably our houses and family members too,” said Snow wearily.

“Okay… okay… so… so what’s her plan here?” Clara asked, beginning to slowly pace back and forth. “What does this bitch want with us? If she has this picture, which we know she does because she sent it to Sara, why doesn’t she just turn us in? What’s the point?”

“Making us suffer? Playing with her food before she devours us… I have no idea,” Snow groaned.

“What does Sophia think?” Nikki asked. “About my parents, JTG… all of it.”

“She’s investigating,” said Snow with a shrug. “She doesn’t understand JTG really. She doesn’t get the lengths she’ll go to… what she’s capable of. As for your parents, Nik… I don’t know. All she knows is that they’re somehow involved with Tony’s crew…”

“And Ryan Blake’s death and Sara’s attempted murder,” Nikki hissed. “Fuck me. No… no, fuck them! I’m glad I’m adopted! Glad, glad, glad!”

“Um… excuse me, you’re what now?” Mary asked, while Snow and Clara stared at Nikki in surprise.

“Hold on, you’re… wait, you’re serious?” Snow asked. She certainly hadn’t expected that.

“Um… right, I… haven’t had a chance to talk to you guys,” Nikki mumbled. “But… yeah, so… I told my parents about, you know, the abortion or whatever and my dad, he… he was nice. He said things were going to change and that everything would be okay. Then I overheard him talking to mom and… yeah, I’m not their kid. Not that I’m upset about that anymore.”

“Did they say who your birth parents are?” Clara asked.

“My mom is Julia’s sister,” Nikki explained. “Randy claims he doesn’t know who my dad is. Just some guy.” Snow’s eyes narrowed, studying Nikki’s expression closely.

“Do you believe that?” She asked. Nikki shrugged.

“I… don’t know,” she confessed. “It didn’t set off my bullshit meter necessarily, but… it felt like maybe he was hiding something. I don’t know.”

“Right now, we can’t really trust too many people outside the four of us in this room,” said Snow. “Our families, maybe,” she added, glancing at Clara. She turned to Mary. “I don’t know much about yours, but I don’t think…”

“I’m not sure we can even trust our families completely,” said Clara in a quiet voice. A humorless smile crossed her face as she glanced at Nikki. “You’re not the only one who learned something about herself recently. It turns out my dad didn’t leave us. He’s in hiding… from the Coven. He’s a witch and he left because witches and humans aren’t supposed to fall in love, much less have… children.”

“Clara, if… if your dad was a witch…” Snow began in a hushed voice. “That means… you’re half-witch.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Clara dryly. “Your mentor Zoe told me. She said I’m going to have to be trained to control my powers or have them bound so I don’t accidentally use them. If the Coven find out, they’ll strip them. I’ve been told it can be… fatal.”

“Well, that’s… that’s kind of exciting, isn’t it?” Mary asked uncertainly. “I mean, you get to learn how to do magic like Snow, right?”

“I mean, yeah… it’s just… it’s a lot, okay?” Clara said quietly. “I mean… I’ve been pissed at my dad for years because I thought he abandoned us when in reality he gave up everything to flee to Divinity and hide because he wanted to protect us. And my mom lied to me ever since.”

“I’m sure she was just trying to protect you,” Mary insisted. “I mean, it’s Noel. She loves you.”

“I know she does, I just… I’m scared. I don’t even understand what I am, much less what I’m supposed to do now or how to feel about it all.” Snow tried really hard, but she couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

“Welcome to the club, honey bun,” she said, wrapping an arm around her friend’s shoulders. “I know this is a lot. Trust me, I know. But Mary does have a point; magic… it’s pretty cool.” She gestured to the faintly rippling field of silence that surrounded them. “And Zoe’s a great teacher, so you’ll be learning from the best.”

“Thanks Snow,” Clara said gratefully. “It’s just… like I said, it’s a lot.”

“Well, I guess this last week has been full of interesting surprises,” said Nikki grimly. “I found out I’m adopted and my adoptive parents are murderers. Clara’s dad is a witch and so is she. Snow learned a lot of wild information from Sophia…” She glanced at Mary. “What about you? Anything crazy happen to you this week?” Mary’s eyes widened slightly before shaking her head.

“Me? No. Nope, nothing. It’s been, uh… pretty quiet the last few days. Until tonight, anyway.”

“Well, at least one of us has had a good week,” said Clara. “Hey, Snow? Earlier you mentioned that Nikki being shot was punishment and a warning… what did you mean?”

“Right,” she said nervously. “That. After I told Sophia everything, JTG sent me a message. She said I’d changed the game and that I’d better learn the rules and follow them before someone else dies. I thought she’d retaliate, but I never imagined…” Tears Snow hadn’t even realized she’d been holding in began to drip down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Nik. I didn’t think…”

“Shush,” Nikki interrupted. “Don’t even think of blaming yourself for this, Snowy. It’s not your fault. That bitch wants you to blame yourself, that’s why she did it I’d bet. It’s just another way of hurting you. I’m fine. Might even get a cool scar out of it too.” She added, causing the other three to laugh.

The levity was broken, however, when the hospital room door opened and Sophia appeared in the doorway. Snow snapped her fingers and the soundproof field, invisible from the outside, dispersed.

“Good evening, girls,” said Sophia, entering the room and closing the door behind her. “Nikki, I’m glad to see you’re doing okay.”

“I am, thanks,” Nikki replied, glancing sideways at Snow. Snow herself pointed across the room to the phones. Sophia went over and placed her own on the table and then walked back over.

“I assume you told them about our conversation earlier?” She spoke in a voice so low the girls had to strain to hear it. 

“I did,” Snow replied just as quietly. She didn’t dare try to cast the Field of Silence spell again in Sophia’s presence. It was a subdued spell and very hard to notice, but it could still be seen. In Sophia’s car was one thing as she could place the field outside of the vehicle. This was too close for comfort. “I told them everything.”

“Good,” Sophia replied. “I went to your house, Nikki. I saw the message on your mirror. JTG, I presume?”

“Who else?” Nikki muttered. “There can’t be that many psychopaths in this town.”

“That's not really a surprise given that there was no sign of forced entry. Do you have any idea why this person would do something like this now?” Sophia asked, looking at each of them in turn. “From the look of the message, this seems…”

“It was retaliation,” Snow interrupted, those damnable tears welling up again.  “Sophia, this… this is what I warned you about. Earlier tonight, I changed the game. I told you the truth about JTG. I broke the rules of the game, and JTG… she punished us for it. She reminded us that she can be anywhere, hear everything… that she can kill us or the people we love if she chooses to. This is because of our conversation. This is because I told you the truth.”

It was her fault, regardless of what Nikki said. She knew the rules. She knew just how vicious JTG could be. She had played with fire and Nikki had gotten burned. Nikki may not blame her, but she certainly blamed herself. She should know better. She did know better. She had just been foolish and stupid and JTG nearly killed her friend because of it.

“Even if that’s true,” Sophia said slowly, her eyes narrowed. “That was just a few hours ago. How could JTG have had time to overhear our conversation, break into Nikki’s house to write that message, and also have time to set herself up in a position to fire a suppressed .300 Blackout round through your bedroom window? No one’s that fast or that well prepared. Not unless… there’s more than one person.”

“You think JTG has a helper?” Clara asked. “A new… Steven?”

“A new Steven or maybe it’s been a group of people all along,” said Sophia uncertainly. “I can’t be sure yet. And until I am, you girls need to be especially careful. Whoever is behind this is obviously extremely dangerous. I’m very concerned…”

“As well you should be,” said a deep and gravelly voice that Snow recognized from that night at the police station a couple of weeks earlier. The door opened again and FBI agent Daniel Morales stepped into the room, his deep brown eyes quickly but thoroughly studying each of the four girls. “Earlier this year, your good friend was murdered. Just recently, all four of you were kidnapped and nearly killed. Now tonight, someone broke into your house, left a message, and then proceeded to shoot Ms. Sorrento.”

“What can I say? Some girls have all the luck,” said Nikki with a shrug. Snow, however, had stiffened and witty comebacks were the farthest thing from her mind.

“Mmm,” said Agent Morales. “It does seem the four of you are always around when bad things happen. You were even all there the night Miranda Sinclair was murdered.”

“So were a lot of people,” said Clara. “Half the town was up at the Falls that weekend.”

“True,” Agent Morales agreed. He paused, turning to stare out of the window at the town of Mistbrook Falls that spread out beneath them. “This town…” he muttered sagely. “There is something wrong in this town, ladies. Something very wrong indeed and I fully intend to get to the bottom of exactly what it is. This whole town stinks.”

He turned abruptly and headed for the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob and glanced back at the four little liars all clustered together around Nikki’s bed.

“I’ll be contacting each of you within the week,” he told them. “I believe we have a lot to discuss.” And with that, he opened the door and strode out of the room. Before the door could even fully close, all five of the phones on the counter across the room, including Sophia’s, chimed in unison. The message was short, but drove the point home.

This should be fun. Let the games begin, bitches –JTG

And then, as if the message weren’t enough, the overhead speakers crackled to life and the first notes of a song familiar to Nikki began to play.

Was it you?
Left your secrets inside?
All the lies you can’t hide
It’s a dangerous game

Start feelin’ high
Play with fire
It’s a dangerous game

I see a storm rollin’ in
I see the ground crumblin’
Caught in a chain reaction

I see the dark comin’ in
I see a war, is this the end?
Caught in a chain reaction
It’s a dangerous game

14: Chapter XIV: The Consequences of Accidental Spellcasting

Carmel thrust herself into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She was breathing heavily as she hurriedly crossed the room and tucked her muddy, snow covered boots in the back of her closet. She sat down on the edge of the bed, shaking from the cold and from terror. How had she let herself get wrapped up in this? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She had never agreed to murder.

“Fuck…” she breathed, lying back across her bed. She had been nearly ready for bed when JTG had called her. She was needed for an assignment, she had been told. She had to go and she had to go right then. She was to go to her mailbox where a key to the Sorrento residence would be waiting for her. She was then to enter the home and sneak upstairs to Nikki’s bedroom and scrawl a very particular message across her mirror.

“Use something clever,” JTG had said. “Make it really pop.” Carmel had found the red lipstick and hastily scrawled the message; the warning JTG had insisted she leave there. It was only supposed to be a warning. That was it. JTG had sworn…

She was able to get in and out of the house unseen. Only the father had been home and he had been in his study. Carmel was only just out of the back door when she saw Nikki’s car pulling into the driveway. She hurried away into the darkness and waited for JTG’s instructions, just as she had been told. She had hidden in the dense trees on the edge of the Sorrento’s property. She could easily see into the window of Nikki’s bedroom from her position.

It took all of her willpower not to scream when she heard the crack of a rifle from somewhere nearby. She didn’t stop to look for who had fired or where it had come from. She didn’t go back into the house to help. She just bolted. She turned and ran all the way home, the sound of the gunshot ringing in her ears the whole time.

And so she lay there on her bed, trying to calm her racing heart. She would go to the police. She would tell them everything. What other choice did she have? This wasn’t the plan. She didn’t want to be part of this nightmare anymore. She wouldn’t be, she swore. Then her phone rang.

“Congratulations on a job well done,” said the always disguised voice of JTG. “I realize it was short notice, but that little bitch Snow forced my hand this evening. We needed to send a message and you helped me do just that.”

“It was supposed to be just a message,” Carmel hissed, careful to keep her voice low incase her father or stepmother happened to overhear. “You never said anything about killing anyone!”

“No, I don’t suppose I did,” JTG replied. “And that’s good, because no one is dead. What’s that quote…? ‘Tis but a flesh wound’? Nikki is still very much alive, Carmel. But now those little brats know how serious I am. This game is mine and I will punish anyone who dares to try and take control of it from me. We sent a message and I dare say they’ve learned their lesson.”

“Yeah, but… but this is going too far,” Carmel lamented. “I never agreed to… to this.”

“You agreed to join the team, Carmel,” JTG reminded her. The voice was light, but held within it a note of harsh malevolence; almost daring her to press the issue. “Don’t get cold feet on me now. We’re just getting to the fun part.”

‘You didn’t give me much of a choice,’ Carmel thought, but decided it was wise not to argue. With a heavy sigh, Carmel relented to her fate. She was damned, she knew. There would be no escape from this. Whatever fate eventually befell JTG would doubtlessly come for her too.

“So…,” she said quietly. “What’s next?” She could almost hear the smile on JTG’s lips as she spoke.

“What’s next? My dear Carmel, now we hunt bigger prey.”

~~~~~~~

It was a very long night indeed for Snow and her friends. The girls got very little sleep as they all elected to remain at Nikki’s bedside all night. Snow and Clara both insisted that their parents all go home for the night and that they would be fine staying at their friend’s side. Ariana had to practically drag Kayla out of the hospital, worried as she was for Snow’s safety. Snow did her best to assure them both that she could take care of herself. She couldn’t say it, but she wished she could tell them that while guns could do damage, they were nothing compared to lightning bolts called down from the sky.

And so the long night tarried on until the first rays of orange began to appear on the horizon. Nikki was to be released that morning, although she would be required to keep her arm in a sling for quite a while. Despite Clara’s protests, Nikki insisted that they still keep with their plans of returning to school.

“We’ve been out long enough,” she had said. “I know none of us want to go, but… it’s time.” Snow found that she agreed very much. Although she loved school and learning, she had little to no desire to ever return. She dreaded the stares, the whispered conversations behind hands, and perhaps even the direct questions that would no doubt come their way. They would be questions she had no idea how to answer.

Furthermore, Snow found she just didn’t have the same interest anymore. School no longer held the same pull it once had. All of her dreams of academic excellence had faded the moment she had learned about magic. Now, that same drive that had filled her to learn had shifted instead to mastering her craft and learning all she could about the world she had only just discovered she belonged to.  

But Nikki was correct; they had to go back. They had been out long enough and at some point, they had to face the music. She could take solace in the knowledge that whatever they would face, they faced it together.

So the girls all went home to prepare for school. Sleepily, Snow soon found herself in her bedroom dressing for school. She pulled on a pair of black jeans and tucked the legs into her favorite pair of high heeled knee-high boots. She selected a black leather jacket and paired it over a hot pink tank top. The brightly colored bangles she often wore were placed on her left wrist while she fastened an Amulet of Protection that Michael had offered her around her neck.

It was the emblem of the Dawnguard itself; a triangular shield partially covering the image of a sunrise with a pair of swords crossed behind it. Michael had promised it would offer her momentary protection from lower level spells, giving her time to react if need be.

Snow was just finishing brushing her hip length black hair when Kayla and Ariana peered hesitantly through her doorway.

“Morning,” she said to them, the tiredness evident in her voice.

“Good morning, Dove,” said Ariana, nudging Kayla into the room. “How are you?”

“Tired, but okay otherwise,” Snow replied. “They released Nikki this morning, so we’re going to head to school.”

“Right…” Ariana said, glancing at her wife. “Well, before you go, your mother and I have… well, some questions.”

“We’re worried,” Kayla said bluntly. “We’re really worried about you, Snow. After Sara died, everything’s been… wrong. I know you’ve had a very hard time these past few months, but… but with Steven and now… now Nikki being shot last night and that message… We’re very worried that you and your friends aren’t safe.”

“Snow, does what happened last night… is it related to Steven somehow?” Ariana asked. “It just seems like you’re all being targeted.”

“I have no idea,” Snow said as nonchalantly as she could, her heart wrenching at having to lie to her moms so blatantly. “We all thought Steven was behind everything. After what happened, we thought Steven killed Sara, but with Nikki being attacked tonight… I really don’t know.” Snow picked up her purse, shoved her phone into her back pocket, and moved to pass by her parents.

“Hold on,” Kayla said abruptly. “Snow, if someone’s after you and your friends then we need to know why.”

“I don’t know why,” Snow countered, a twinge of panic beginning to set in. “Trust me; if I did we’d be able to put a stop to it. All I know is that Sara was murdered and Nikki was shot. Steven could only have done one of those things, so either Steven wasn’t working alone or the two events aren’t related.”

“And no one’s threatened you?” Ariana asked worriedly, fear apparent on her face. “You haven’t received any threatening messages? Snow, if you’re being harassed, you have to let us know. We can protect you.”

“I don’t need protection, Mom,” said Snow hurriedly, that little twinge of panic growing all the more strong. Her emotions were beginning to get the better of her. “I need to get to school. I’ll be late if I don’t leave soon. I’ll see you both tonight.” She pushed passed them and headed downstairs, her moms on her heels. She was anxious to get away from them and their questions. They were picking ever closer to the truth and while Snow might be good at telling when Kayla and Ariana were lying to her, they were just as good at noticing when she did the same. And sure enough…

“Hold on, missy,” Kayla said sharply as they reached the foot of the stairs. Snow had practically been able to sense the silent conversation her moms had been having behind her. “This is serious and you’re acting… strange.”

“Snow, what’s really happening?” Ariana asked, a note of fearful desperation in her voice. “I’m scared for you, baby. Please, you can talk to us.” Snow turned to face them, her words catching in her throat. She couldn’t tell them. JTG would know and surely strike a much more punishing blow. She had to get away. She had to leave, run away to school. It was the only way to keep them safe.

“Trust me, everything is fine,” Snow insisted, her panic turning quickly into fear. And the fear grew stronger as she took in the persistent expressions on her mom’s faces.

“No, it’s not,” said Kayla firmly. “Come and sit down, we’re going to talk about this.”

“Momma…” Snow pleaded. That was when she felt it; a sudden ripple of energy from deep within her. She knew what it meant and she knew she couldn’t stop it. Her magic, only just beginning to come under her control, was reacting to her emotions. She tried to clear her mind and let herself calm down, but it was no use.

“Snow, come sit,” Kayla pressed. “Now. This is important. It’s clear you’re hiding something.”

“I’ve got to go to school,” Snow said firmly. She turned to go, but Kayla caught her arm. That rising rippling energy flashed out beyond Snow’s limited ability to control it. She tried to reel it in, but it was too late and she was far too emotional. Her brain wanted her to go, so go she did. In a flash, Snow blinked out of existence, leaving Kayla’s hand clutching the empty air where Snow’s arm had been moments before.

~~~~~~~

New York City was well-known for a number of prestigious schools and universities. Columbia, NYU, and Cornell just to name a handful. But perhaps the city’s most impressive educational institution was the one almost none of its residents had ever heard of… or could even see.

Newcastle Academy of the Arcane was a vast, sprawling college campus not unlike many traditional universities. It had a modern, sleek design with large open windows and angular architecture. What made it stand out was its location. The school sat atop a magically cloaked rocky island in the middle of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, squarely in the middle of Central Park.
 
While far from the oldest magical institutions in the world, it was renowned in the magical community for being one of the best schools of magic in the Nine Realms. Gaining admittance to the vaunted Newcastle was a tremendous achievement, an achievement that nineteen-year-old Erica Ramirez was quickly beginning regret ever accomplishing.
 
The headmaster of Newcastle, an absolutely ancient man by the name of Awyn Onadyris,       had just summoned the student body onto the quad for an announcement. It was a bright and sunny day, but Erica could sense a storm brewing on the horizon. Dark times lay ahead for them all; whatever today brought would only be the beginning.
 
“Good afternoon everyone,” the wizened old headmaster called out, his creaky voice magically magnified across the open courtyard. “Today… I bring you news that will doubtlessly shock some of you and for that I apologize. As you all know, since the destruction of our home realm by our own hubris countless centuries ago, we have lived here on Earth. We have come to call this place home. That home is now threatened by the same arrogance and overconfidence that once brought ruin to our world.
 
“Uncontrolled magic,” Awyn said heatedly. “Powerful forces running rampant across the globe without the wisdom of Coven oversight… and perhaps worst and most dangerous of all; the resurgent Dawnguard. An organization nearly brought to its knees by decades of stagnation still holds countless ancient and power artifacts within their citadel. The Witches Coven can no longer stand by and risk the fate of yet another realm in the hands of ineptitude. We must be prepared to defend this realm against any adversary, even those who believe they are doing the right thing. As such, today I am issuing a change in Newcastle’s curriculum. Based upon guidance handed down from the Witches Council and the Grand Enchanter, Newcastle will immediately and until further notice suspend all courses of study beyond the school of Evocation and offensive-minded magics.
 
The uproar that followed this pronouncement was, to Erica at least, predictable. Newcastle Academy was known primarily for its classes on Magical Theory and Experimental Spellcrafting. Students often spent much of their lives preparing for the entrance exam just to participate in those particular programs.
 
Even as the Headmaster was being shouted down by the mob of angry students, although she noted there were many among her peers that were cheering the announcement, Erica slipped out of the crowd and hurried across the quad to a secluded alcove near the library. She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed.
 
“Hello Erica,” came the voice of her mother, Alison. “How’re classes going today, sweetheart?”
 
“Mom, listen,” Erica said briskly, glancing over her shoulder at the assembled crowd in the courtyard. “I don’t have a lot of time. You need to get in touch with Aunt Zoe immediately. That thing you warned me about? The one you wanted me to keep an ear to the ground for? Yeah… it’s begun.”

15: Chapter XV: Mary is a Mystery

In a flash of uncontrolled magic, Snow found herself flying through space… or something that resembled space. She fell through an endless void filled with distant colors and bright motes of light. Twisting swirls and shapes. Stars. Galaxies. Universes. Nine… nine realms, nine tunnels, no… no doorways. Passages to other places, other worlds, other realities. As she fell, she saw more than nine. Ten, fifty, a hundred, a billion… more. The nine were connected, but the others… all separate… cut off… all alone in the night. The emptiness she fell through seemed to go on and on forever, endless and infinite. Everything around her was both impossibly distant and within arms reach at the same time.

She knew what this was. Zoe had called it the Expanse; the space between the realms. In essence, nowhere. She had blinked out of her home, but unlike when she had been taught how to blink, when she accidentally cast the spell she had not had a specific destination in mind. So, that’s exactly where she had ended up; nowhere.

She was both terrified and amazed. She was staring at trillions of worlds, so many unexplored by anyone from the Nine Realms. Anything could be out there… somewhere. And that very much terrified her. And so did the uncertainty of how to return home. But she found the instant she thought of home, the Expanse vanished and she was instantly thrust back into the entryway of her house where Ariana and Kayla still stood with shocked expressions on their faces.

“So…” Snow said nervously, rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly. “I, uh… I don’t suppose there’s any chance you guys didn’t see that, right?”

“Snow,” Kayla said sternly. “What. The. Fuck?”

“Kayla!” Ariana exclaimed, scandalized. “What your mother means to say is… no, actually, what the fuck, Snow?”

Snow would have found the surprised look Kayla gave Ariana very funny indeed had the situation not been so serious. The magical secret, Snow knew, was incredibly important. Keeping magic hidden was critical to not only the Dawnguard, but to magical beings the world over. Now, she had some explaining to do… and not only to her parents.

“Listen, I… There’s a lot I need to tell you,” Snow said somewhat lamely. “Please, let’s… just go have a seat in the living room. Let me make a quick call and then we’ll talk.”

“Snow…” Kayla began, but Ariana placed a hand on her arm.

“You’re not going to vanish into thin air again, are you?” She asked. Snow shook her head.

“No, Mom,” Snow promised. “I just need some help explaining all of this. Let me make a call and get someone over here. Just go and sit down. It’ll only take a few minutes. I promise, I’m going to tell you everything.”

Snow hurried upstairs to her room and called a number that was still on speed dial. She realized her hands were shaking. She had no idea how he would respond to this. Or what he would want to do about it. True to his nature, Michael didn’t ask any questions when Snow asked him to blink over. He appeared, nearly instantaneously in her bedroom.

“What happened?” He then proceeded to ask as he popped into existence near her window. “You sounded scared.”

“Okay, so… I might have screwed up,” Snow said worriedly. “Before you get mad, it was an accident. I don’t know if you’ll want to modify their memories or put some sort of spell on them or… I know they won’t say anything, but we need…  I need to tell them. We have to. Or… or something, I don’t know…”

“Snow,” Michael interrupted, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. “You’re rambling. What happened? We can take care of it, whatever it is.”

“Okay… okay, so… so I might have accidentally blinked out in front of my parents,” Snow confessed. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to, I just…”

“Snow, it’s okay,” Michael said kindly. “Sure, the fewer people that know our secret the better off we are, but they were going to have to find out at some point. In a way, it’s better that they know now.”

“You’re not mad?” Snow asked, wondering why she cared so much if he was. Michael shook his head.

“No, I’m not mad,” Michael assured her. “Trust me; you’re far from the first person to ever accidentally cast a spell in front of mortals. But, we do need to deal with it. I’d imagine they have some questions.”

“Just about a billion, I’m sure,” Snow replied, the knot that had formed in her stomach loosening slightly. “I didn’t know how to tell them… or what to tell them. I thought maybe you could help?”

“Of course,” Michael agreed. “And when Kayla tries to kill me, I’ll just blink out.” Snow couldn’t help but laugh as she led the way out of her bedroom and back downstairs.

“Hmm,” Michael said thoughtfully. “It’s… been a long time since I’ve heard you laugh. It’s a good sound.” Snow didn’t respond, but she knew he had a point. She had almost forgotten what laughter and happiness felt like.

As the pair entered the sitting room, Kayla and Ariana turned toward them clearly cutting off the hushed conversation they were having.

“Michael?” Kayla asked curiously, staring at the both with wide eyes. “He’s who you called?”

“Yes,” Snow replied. “He’s the one best suited to explain… all of this. Please, let’s sit down. This… might take a bit.”

“I’m sure you both have a lot of questions,” said Michael as the four of them sat down. Kayla and Ariana settled onto the sofa while Snow and Michael took seats in armchairs across from them. “Snow told me what happened, so…”

“She disappeared,” said Kayla. “Right in front of us. She just vanished.”

“She blinked,” said Michael. “It’s a powerful, albeit somewhat limited form of instantaneous magical transportation.” He paused for the briefest of moments. “Yes, magic is very real. I myself come from an ancient and powerful line of magical beings. And Snow here… well, Snow is very special. The details are far too intricate and complex to explain right now, but the quick and dirty version is this. I am the leader of an organization called the Dawnguard. Our motto is simple. We protect the world from magic, and protect magic from the world. We keep dangerous magic out of the hands of those who would abuse it, and we protect the non-magical beings from anyone or anything that would use magic to harm them.”

“The… Dawnguard…” Ariana said slowly. “So you…?”

“We keep the darkness at bay,” said Michael. “We store and archive powerful magical artifacts, hunt down and kill or contain dangerous magical entities…”

“Vampires, werewolves, wendigos… you know, the usual,” said Snow with a shrug.

“Most specifically, demons,” Michael added. “I don’t mean to scare you, but… well, they are the stuff of nightmares. They are evil and twisted. Death incarnate, I’m afraid.”

“And what does any of this have to do with our daughter?” Kayla snapped, her eyes narrowing in what Snow recognized was a very Kayla way of indicating she was getting pretty pissed off. “What the hell have you gotten our baby girl involved in?”

“Only a war to save everything and everyone we hold dear, unfortunately,” Michael said tiredly. “I said before, Snow is very special. There is magic within her; extremely powerful magic.” Michael sighed and glanced at Snow. She knew this wasn’t easy for him, so she stepped in as best she could.

“There is a demon here in Mistbrook Falls,” Snow explained. “A very old and powerful demon called Sebastian that was contained by the Dawnguard, but broke loose some time ago. Most of his kind here on Earth have been wiped out, but there are many more locked away in Hell. The Dawnguard have sealed the gateway to Hell, but Sebastian intends to break through the Dawnguard’s defenses and open the gate.”

“Demon armies would spill out and annihilate anything in their path,” Michael continued, taking over from Snow once again. “Everyone and everything would be destroyed. In order to do that, Sebastian needs an army. He needs soldiers.”

“He needs me,” Snow said quickly, cutting Michael off. It had to be her. She had to be the one to tell them. It would scare them no end, but it had to be her. She couldn’t let the news of what could be come from anyone else. “There are very few human women with the… strength, I suppose, to survive giving birth to demonic beings. Apparently, I’m one of them. If Sebastian captures me, he’ll use me to breed an army and then he’ll attack the gates. If the Dawnguard fail to stop him… Game over. But the magic inside me is apparently unique and very powerful. So, we decided it was best for me to learn magic to be able to protect myself. My mentor, Zoe Emison, believes I might even be strong enough to kill Sebastian myself.”

“The point,” Michael interjected. “Is that your daughter is truly very special. The entirety of my organization is dedicated to two things at this time: preparing for war and the protection of your daughter. There’s so much more to tell you, but this is the simple explanation. I’m very sorry, but…”

“Fuck you,” Kayla snapped at Michael, her eyes flashing dangerously. She had leapt to her feet and was glaring at Michael with an intensity Snow had never seen before. Suddenly, she rounded on Snow. “No, this is insane. Snow, you’re not having anything more to do with this. You’re a kid. Sit your ass down and leave this alone.” She turned back to Michael. “I don’t know who you think you are or what it is you’ve gotten our daughter involved in, but…”

Kayla trailed off, however, as Ariana reached up and took her hand. Kayla turned and stared down at her wife as the redhead’s hand tightened around her own.

“Kayla… what if this is her destiny?” It came as a great surprise to Snow when Kayla’s eyes filled suddenly with tears.

“Ari…” Kayla said in a shaky voice. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“What do you know?” Michael asked suddenly. Snow glanced over at him and found that he was staring at her moms with an expression unlike any she had seen cross his face before. He was staring between Kayla and Ariana as though they were the most interesting people he had ever seen. When neither answered, he pressed on. “That word… Destiny. You know, don’t you? You’ve… you’ve seen them, haven’t you?”

“Seen… who?” Snow asked, bewildered. What was Michael on about? When she turned to look at her moms, however, she was shocked by the nervous look the pair shared with each other.

“It was…” Ariana began, but Kayla cut her off.

“Ari… Ari, we swore…” Kayla pleaded, the fear in her voice frightening Snow. She had never heard Kayla sound so afraid before.

“I don’t think we have a choice now, Kay-Kay,” Ariana said gently, tugging on her wife’s arm to get her to sit back down. She did so, although Snow could tell it was done extremely reluctantly. “Okay. You’re right, Michael. It was thirteen years ago. Kayla and I were visited by… beings. Twin sisters who called themselves…”

“Fate and Destiny,” said Michael. “The Guardians of the Grand Design.”

“The Grand what now?” Snow sputtered, staring wide eyed at her moms. “You guys… you know about magic? You knew… and you never told me?”

“We had no idea that you had magic yourself, Dove,” said Ariana gently. “Most of our encounters were with Fate. She and Destiny keep what they call the Grand Design of the Universe on track. Everyone has a destiny, you see. A thing that they have to accomplish to keep the universe running. They described it like a clock. It has lots of little pieces inside, all working together to keep the clock ticking.”

“Tick tock,” Kayla said dryly.

“If one of those pieces breaks or is removed, the clock stops,” Ariana continued. “That’s what the universe is like. Everyone has a destiny, Snow. Everyone. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to slay a dragon and save the kingdom or toss the One Ring into Mt Doom either. It just means fulfilling a specific task.”

“Fate and Destiny have their own ways of ensuring the Grand Design continues,” Michael put in helpfully. “Or should I say had. Destiny uses beings she calls Guides. They’re the souls of the dead that have been called upon to, well… guide people along the proper paths. Fate, on the other hand, liked to play games. She played tricks and used tragedy and heartbreak to push people toward their destinies. She always liked to twist the narrative, bending the Grand Design near to breaking… but she never broke it… until recently.”

“Yeah, we know about that,” said Ariana. She glanced at Snow. “I don’t know if you remember Cooper? He died when you were only four.”

“Um… yeah, vaguely,” Snow replied. She remembered a man being there, but it had been so long and she had been so young. She only just remembered him.

“Well, Coop became a Guide after his death,” said Ariana. “He came to visit us recently. He told us… well, a lot is apparently happening up there. It seems Fate managed to break the Grand Design and Destiny was having trouble repairing the damage.”

“Destiny was forced to fight her sister when she confronted her,” said Michael. “Destiny had to kill Fate to stop her from making things even worse.”

“Fate’s dead?” Kayla asked, seemingly suddenly seeming to perk up a bit. “She’s… really gone?”

“So the rumor goes,” said Michael. “With entities that powerful, their activities are really beyond the scope of the Dawnguard’s mission.”

“Either way,” Snow cut in quickly. “You think that what’s happening now with Sebastian… that this could be my… destiny?”

“It could be,” said Ariana. “We don’t really know, but… if it is, Kayla you know we can’t stop it.” Kayla just shook her head and didn’t reply.

“Well, on a somewhat related note,” said Michael, turning to Snow. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the attacks on Missy and Natalie, correct?”

“Yeah… they found Natalie… torn apart,” Snow whispered. “Was that…?”

“Sebastian,” Michael confirmed. “He likely took Missy for his… pleasures. We have no idea at the moment where he could be holding her, so a rescue is out of the question. His power is strengthening rapidly. We’re running out of time. After school today, we should have everything in place. Zoe wants you training in combat before she worries about getting you trained on the other schools of magic. As such, we’ll be putting you on an airship to the Sandbox this afternoon. It’s one of our facilities just outside of Cairo in Egypt. There, you’ll select a weapon and then travel to The Rock in Australia’s Northern Territory. It’s our foremost, and currently only, field training facility and where you’ll start learning how to fight.”

“Right,” said Snow, trying her best to retain the information given to her. She had just learned that Sebastian had murdered one of her classmates and was likely torturing the other. And it was only the beginning if Michael was to be believed. “Right, I’ll…  I’ll meet you at Stonehaven after school then.”

“Hold on,” Kayla interrupted. “You’re not going anywhere yet. What the hell is Stonehaven?”

“The Dawnguard’s base of operations,” Michael explained. “It’s built around the Library of Alexandria. Despite what history says, the Great Library was not destroyed in a fire. The Dawnguard sort of… stole it.”

“Well of course they did,” said Kayla exasperatedly. She gave Ariana a “what the fuck” look that Snow knew all too well.

“To that point,” Michael went on. “I actually needed to talk to you about something, Snow. Given Sebastian’s rise in power, you are in ever increasing danger. I’ve increased your personal guard and even had one of Sienna’s escort destroyer airships assigned to you, but… well, you would be much safer at Stonehaven. It would be much easier to protect you if you lived there until this situation is resolved."

“Snow is not moving in with her boyfriend,” Kayla grumbled. Snow noticed Michael’s eye widened at that statement and he glanced her way briefly.

“You would both be welcome too, of course,” he insisted, turning back to Kayla. “You’re both in danger as well. Anyone close to Snow is, but I can’t exactly haul everyone Snow cares about to Stonehaven. Still, we can respond to threats to most of Snow’s loved ones. If Sebastian captures Snow, the game is over. I know it’s a lot to ask of you all, but it really is the best way to keep your daughter safe.”

“Of course we’ll do whatever we need to in order to keep Snow safe,” said Ariana, glancing quickly at Kayla as though expecting her to argue. “If this is necessary, we’ll… well, we don’t really have much choice.”

“Again, I’m sorry,” said Michael. “But on that note, I really must get back to base. I’ve got to finish preparing for our trip today and now I need to arrange living spaces for the three of you. I’ll arrange for an escort to Stonehaven to pick you up later this evening. Please pack up anything you need to bring. There will be plenty of space and we’ll be able to provide for your every comfort.” He stood to his feet and straightened his shirt. “Once again, I’m very sorry for all of this. If I could get Snow out of it, I would. But there’s nowhere I can send her that Sebastian would not follow. Our best option is the one we’re pursuing.” Kayla and Ariana both nodded, but did not speak. It was a reaction she recognized from her own response to learning all of this. They were stunned into silence.

“Snow, can I talk to you for a moment before I go?” Michael asked her. Snow nodded and followed him back upstairs to her room.

“Whatever you wanted to say, you could have said in front of them,” Snow told him. “Or… maybe not,” she added when she noticed the look on his face.

“You haven’t told them,” he said bluntly. He looked… Snow couldn’t quite place it. Not hopeful, not expectant. A hint of the faintest relief, perhaps? “You didn’t tell them about us. Kayla called me your boyfriend. She doesn’t know that we… broke up.”

“Right, no, I… I haven’t said anything,” Snow said very quietly. “I haven’t… Mike, I’ve barely had time to process everything to do with magic on top of dealing with JTG. You and me… I haven’t even had a chance to think about us and where we go from here. So no, I haven’t told them because to be honest, I don’t even know where we stand. All I know is that we need time. You need time to sort out whether or not you’re capable of being the man I thought you were. I need time to work through… everything you did and figure out if I can live with it. I can’t do that right now. Between Sebastian and JTG, I just… I can’t. So… when this is over… if we survive that long, we’ll start to work on us, okay?”

“No, that… I mean, sure of course, I understand, but… that wasn’t really my point,” said Michael. “I was just… surprised you hadn’t told them. I just assumed you had.”

“If I told them we broke up, I would either have to tell them why or lie to them,” said Snow idly. “If there’s anyone in the world you don’t want finding out what you did to Mary, it’s Kayla and Ariana. If they do… well, I hope you can blink yourself to another realm because that’s the only way those two won’t be able to hunt you down and make you wish you’d never been born. My moms are scary if you piss them off.”

“Duly noted,” Michael said quietly. “Well, I should really be going. I need to get back to Stonehaven and prepare. I’ll see you this evening.”

“Yeah,” Snow replied, giving him a small smile. “See you.” He stared at her for a full three seconds before vanishing from her bedroom.

Snow returned downstairs to collect her bag and finally head off to school. If she blinked there, she should just make it before the bell rang. As she entered the living room, she once again found her moms quickly ending a hushed conversation.

“Hey, um… Snow?” Kayla asked, looking rather hopeful. “I wanted to ask you… what can you do? With magic, I mean?” Snow knew instantly what Kayla was asking. She glanced past her to Ariana, who was looking back with a knowing expression on her face.

“Not enough,” Snow replied sadly.

“If she could have, Kay-Kay, we both know she already would,” said Ariana. “We wouldn’t even have to ask her.”

“It was one of the first questions I asked Michael,” Snow confirmed. “I thought maybe, but… no. Magic… it just doesn’t work that way. Believe me, I wish it did.” She tried her best to ignore the crestfallen look on Kayla’s face as she picked up her bag.

“So...  what can you do?” Ariana asked in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. Her voice, however, contained a note of excitement. “I mean… show us something. If you’re allowed to, that is.”

“Yeah,” said Kayla, seeming to swallow her disappointment quickly. Although Snow suspected she was putting on a show for hers and Ariana’s benefit. “Yeah, show us something cool.”

“Okay…” She cast around for something to do, some spell to cast but nothing came to mind. But then an idea struck her and she shook back her shiny black hair. She ran her fingers through the strands, the black dye clinging to her fingers like tiny little beads. She pulled back and much like taking off a wig, the black dye came free. With a wave of her hand, she dispersed the material into the air where it seemingly evaporated. With a slight grin, Snow shook back her flowing, once again vibrant red locks.

“Love you guys,” she said sincerely. “I know we have a lot to talk about, but… we’ll talk through it tonight.”

“Yeah,” Kayla replied. “Yeah, we’ll… we’ll talk tonight. About this and whatever else is happening with you. And we love you too, by the by.”

“To the moon and back, Dove,” Ariana added. Snow gave them both a slightly tearful smile and a small wave. They blinked and Snow was gone.

 

~~~~~~~

 

They had called it The Observatory. It was the place where Fate and her sister Destiny had monitored and controlled the Grand Design. Fate had always thought of it more as a planetarium than an observatory, given its design, but Destiny had decided on the name and it has stuck.

The Observatory was a small pocket realm that the pair had created after the Cataclysm had brought about the need for the Grand Design. It was a large, stark white circular room with a domed ceiling. The room was empty except for a raised oval dais in the center. With a mere thought, the two sisters could foresee the possible outcomes of the billions upon billions of choices being made all across the realms displayed upon that domed ceiling above them. There, they could determine what courses of action would lead to the same destruction that had always befallen their creations and guide them along the paths they desired. It was here they had constructed the prison every living soul was now trapped in.

Fate appeared within those familiar walls and found her sister gazing up at the ceiling where an impossibly vast number of images were being displayed. No one besides she and Destiny could hope to keep track of them all. But this day, Fate knew her sister would doubtlessly be focused on a single one.

“Why would you do this, Fate?” Her sister said without looking at her. Although her arrival had been silent, the pair had always been able to sense each other’s presence. “You have… you have done irreparable damage to the Grand Design. A girl is dead who should not be. Another is alive who should not be. This will spiral out of control. The simple reversal of those two events will lead to circumstances that are inconceivable.”

“Good,” Fate replied, slowly approaching Destiny, who still had not looked her way. “Good, that means my tireless efforts have finally borne fruit. Maybe now you’ll stop this madness and let them go.”

“Madness?” Destiny asked, turning to face her sister at last. Her usually azure blue eyes were tinged with red. “You think I’m the mad one? Fate… the Grand Design is the only thing standing in the way of their doom. Our children may well be damned because of you. I do not know if I can possibly even begin to undo the countless changes even these two alterations will cause.”

“Then don’t undo them, Destiny,” said Fate. “Put an end to this. They’ve lived under our rule for far too long. They deserve a chance to live their own lives free from our influence. Maybe we’ve put them on the proper path and they’ll be able to thrive on their own. Shouldn’t they have that chance?”

“Maybe?” Destiny repeated, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Perhaps? What if? Fate, you know what has happened. You know what will befall them without us. They cannot survive their own. With the Design, they will all die. You know. You’ve seen it billions of times.”

“We don’t know what will happen this time,” Fate countered. She had to make her sister understand. She had to make her see that it was finally time to stop all of this. They would retire the Grand Design and together they would watch their children go their own way. It would work. It had to.

“We do,” Destiny said sadly, giving her sister a very sorrowful look. “We do, and I can’t allow this to happen.” She closed her eyes and took a deep and steadying breath. When she opened them again, her expression was cold. “I don’t know if I can repair the damage you have caused, but…  I know that I absolutely cannot do so with you working against me.”

“We don’t have to work against each other, Destiny,” Fate pleaded. “We can make a new plan, one that doesn’t keep our children held prisoner to our whims. We…”

“No!” Destiny roared, cutting Fate off and causing her to take an involuntary step backwards. “No, you have made your choice. You have chosen your path and as such, you have chosen mine. I’m sorry, dear sister, but your actions must have consequences. You risk countless lives. You risk the unraveling of the universe all because of your own self-righteous foolishness.”

“I’m self-righteous?” Fate scoffed. “Of the two of us, which one is declaring herself to be all-knowing? Which of our actions are done in the belief that they are completely and unquestioningly right? If I’m self-righteous, Destiny… then what are you?” Destiny heaved a very heavy sigh and shook her head. She looked back at her twin sister with deep sorrow in her eyes.

“It would seem you cannot be made to see reason,” she said stoically. “Very well, then. I will do what I must. For our children.” It took Fate a moment to realize what Destiny meant. When she did, her mouth fell open in shock.

“Destiny, you can’t be serious,” Fate said incredulously. “You don’t mean to…”

Destiny moved with a quickness Fate had not been expecting. Her sister raised her hand and sent a bolt of rippling black energy rocketing towards her… the type of power that could unmake worlds. Fate barely had time to sidestep and deflect the assault with a ethereal bluish-white arcane shield that appeared in front of her.

“Destiny…” Fate whispered. She hadn’t expected this. She knew Destiny would be angry, that she would argue and fight against this. But she never believed her sister would actually intend to murder her. In that moment, Fate knew there could be no reconciliation. A trillion billion years of history between them shattered in an instant. They had been everything possible to each other in that time… but until that day they had never truly been enemies. It broke Fate’s heart in a way she hadn’t realized was possible.

“I’m sorry, sister,” said Destiny, and she truly sounded it. “But there is no other way. If our children are to have any hope of survival, you must die. If I am to repair the Design, I cannot risk your continued attempts to destroy it.” Another blast of energy arced across the room. Fate deflected it again, sending the blast into the ceiling which split and cracked from the impact. Spider webs of damage spread out across the immaculate dome that had once been a space the pair had shared.

“I won’t fight you, Destiny,” said Fate, shaking her head. “I won’t kill you.”

“You can’t,” Destiny countered. “You know you can’t. I’ve always been the stronger of us.” Rippling waves of black energy began to stream off of Destiny. Power beyond imagination. The power to make worlds and destroy them. When she unleashed it, the Observatory shattered. The pocket realm was obliterated in an instant as the barriers between the realm and the Expanse were destroyed. A titanic shockwave of energy, much like a star going supernova, blasted out across the Expense in all directions and scattered the remains of the Observatory across light-years.

Fate and Destiny remained standing atop of shattered hulk of their broken realm, floating somewhere in the infinite Expanse. Destiny coalesced more and more power around herself while Fate wrapped herself in a barrier of bluish energy that seemed to glow brighter and brighter as they waited, staring at each other.

“You know that won’t protect you,” Destiny said sadly. “This has to end, sister. You are a threat to the very thing you claim to love so dearly. Can’t you see? Without you, our children may have a faint hope of survival. The best thing you can do for them now is to leave them in my care. I wish I could trust you to stand down.  I wish you would come back and help me build something beautiful again.”

“What we’ve built isn’t beautiful, Desi,” Fate replied tearfully. “What we’ve built… what we do to them… it’s wrong. The point of life is to be free to choose your own path. We take that away from them. We assume that we know better, so…”

“We do know better,” Destiny snapped. “We are ancient, beyond time and space. They’re just foolish children. They cannot be trusted to make the right choices… and neither can you. I’m sorry, sister. Truly, I do love you, but… I love them more.”

The beam of black arcane energy that struck Fate cut through her barrier as though it weren’t even there. The bolt of rippling, crackling energy burned through space with a thrumming sound of immense power that overwhelmed Fate’s senses. All she knew was pain. It consumed her almost entirely. It took her a moment, or perhaps a million years, to realize she was screaming.

She knew in the small part of her mind she could still control that she would only have moments. If she was to survive, it would have to be perfect. Fate summoned what strength she had left and, still screaming her agony to the void, detonated.

The flash of energy was utterly soundless. The blast ripped through the Expanse for millions of light-years in all directions. Time itself seemed to freeze in place as the massive burst of power, more energy than was expended in the birth of the universe, of a million universes, spread out in a wave of endless silence.

“Fate!” The goddess jerked awake, shocked back to the present at the sound of the voice.

‘That damnable dream,’ she thought wearily. She had it often, practically every time she rested. She relive the last moments she had spent with her sister. It had all been a trick, of course. Fate had unleashed nearly every ounce of power she had, reserving just enough to transport herself back here to her hidden home. The explosion had hidden her disappearance and provided a believable death for a being such as herself.

Neither she nor Destiny knew what would happen should either of them be killed, or even if they could be killed. Fate, however, strongly suspected that they definitely could be. She had been on the very brink of death, she was certain of it. Her recovery from that day would take eons more time than she had to spend.

“I take it you had the dream again?” Claire asked, sitting down on a chair opposite the couch that Fate had been resting on. They sat in the small, darkened study that had long since been more of a home to Fate than anywhere else.

“Yeah,” Fate replied quietly, sitting up on the sofa. Her heart was still racing, thumping almost painfully in her chest. “It’s… very vivid.”

“I can’t imagine,” Claire said regretfully. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t know…”

“There’s nothing to be done, Claire,” Fate interrupted. “It’s only a dream. I’ll be fine.” Claire glanced down to where the wound Destiny had inflicted was hidden behind the fabric of Fate’s white gown.

“Will you?” Claire asked uncertainly. “I’ve been gone a while and time doesn’t quite work the same here. How long has it been?”

“Not long enough,” Fate replied, holding a hand over the injury. “I’ve managed to recover some of my power and heal a bit, but… I don’t know. Perhaps… What if Destiny is right, Claire? What if our actions will destroy everything?”

“If the realms destroy themselves, at least it will be their choice,” Claire countered. “At least they would be free instead of enslaved to Destiny’s Design.”

“Maybe,” Fate muttered. “Claire, I… I have no idea what I’m doing anymore and I’m just so tired. You know, I had more fun and felt more at peace talking to Mary the other night about the mysteries of the universe than I have in millennia. The selfish part of me wants to leave all of this behind and vanish into the ether with her to see what’s out there. I think she’d enjoy it too.”

“You’ve been… different since you met her,” Claire pointed out, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You never doubted this plan before and I know she was… hesitant in the beginning to support it.”

“Well of course she was, Claire,” said Fate. “Who wouldn’t be? And just because I never openly voiced my concerns doesn’t mean I didn’t have them. I just…” Fate sighed and leaned back into the sofa. “She just reminds me of… well, me. A me from a long time ago… so full of wonder and questions and curiosity. In a way, I envy her.”

“I get that,” said Claire. “I’m just concerned that you’re getting… too close to her. We can’t afford to have you be distracted from the mission.”

“Honestly, I’m just glad to have a friend,” Fate said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It’s been a while and I… Like I said, I’m tired. I’m tired of fighting with my sister. It’s exhausting and I already know that if I have to confront her directly, it will be a suicide mission. I’m not sure I even want to do this anymore.”

“You don’t mean that,” Claire argued. “You can’t. This is everything we’ve worked for. You can’t just give it up. We have to do this. We have to free… everyone.”

“And if it brings about another Cataclysm?” Fate countered. She knew Claire meant well, but she was so weary from it all. She just wanted to be happy for a while. And if her actions destroyed the very people she so desperately wanted to save… well, Fate wasn’t sure she could live with that anymore.

“Seriously Fate, what did Mary do to you?” Claire demanded. “I’ve never heard you talk like this before you met her. I know she’s important, but Mary is…”

“Mary… is a mystery,” Fate said quietly. She fixed Claire with a very serious stare. “She isn’t what we thought. I thought she was the first non-magical being who’s death I was able to prevent. I’m not so sure that’s true anymore.”

“You’re saying Mary has magic?” Fate shook her head.

“I have no idea. She’s always been different, but I never thought to look…” Fate held out her hand. “Let me show you what I’ve found.” Claire slipped her hand into Fate’s and an instant later they stood before the Strands of Possibility where Fate had taken Mary.

“Here, this is Mary’s Strand,” said Fate, indicating the blackened mark where the thread should have ended with her death, but instead spread out in all directions indicating she was free of the Design’s influence.

“I’ve already seen this,” Claire said dryly.

“Right, but have you seen the other end?” Fate asked, gesturing back along the golden thread. She led the way along the shimmering strand until they reached its origin; the point of Mary’s birth. Every strand began with the joining of their parent’s strands. It worked much like a family tree, except…

“Mary’s… isn’t connected with anyone,” Claire said, turning to Fate in surprise. “This should trail back to her mother and father, but hers just… starts. How have we never seen this? What does it mean?”

“I never thought to look at the beginning,” Fate shrugged. “It never occurred to me. I don’t know what it means, Claire. Just that Mary is something very different and far more special than I ever imagined.”

“Fate, if Mary wasn’t born to mortal parents, then she had to have been created somehow,” Claire reasoned. “What if this is Destiny’s work? What if she created Mary as a trap for you?”

“She couldn’t,” Fate countered. “Neither she nor I have the power to create new life on our own. Only a joining of our powers can do that. Wherever Mary comes from… whatever her origins… Destiny and I had nothing to do with it. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t sense we need to be worried that Mary is dangerous. She is, however, incredibly interesting.”

“Right,” said Claire, turning back to the start of Mary’s Strand. “So… what do we do now?”

“You go back to work,” Fate said wearily. “I return home and continue to rest, think… and determine our next move.”

“Fine,” said Claire. “Just… remember that although you may feel like it, you’re not alone in all of this, Fate. You’ll always have me.” She paused, grinning playfully. “And I suppose you have Mary now too.” Claire disappeared before Fate could respond.

The goddess stood looking at Mary’s strand for a long time after that, lost in deep thought.

“Who are you, Mary Sheppard?” She asked aloud, knowing there was no one there to answer. With a heavy sigh and a shake of her head, Fate vanished from the chamber and returned home to rest where she would doubtlessly find no answers to her growing list of difficult questions.

16: Chapter XVI: The Break of Dawn

May 19, 526 A.D.
35 Miles Northeast of Antioch on the Orontes

Zora, Knight-Commander of the Dawnguard, stood atop a sloping hill overlooking a wide valley that spread out beneath her. It was just before dawn as she carefully surveyed the land through narrowed brown eyes. She shifted slightly, her heavy plate armor clinking as she moved. The wind whipped through the valley, billowing her flowing black hair. This, she knew, would be the single most pivotal day of her life and perhaps of the entire history of the world. This day would decide the fate of all who lived in the realm… and even the realms beyond this one.

Out on the plains beneath her, a thin line of red arced into the sky. It crackled and sparked as it widened periodically to allow more of the beasts to stalk through. In this place stood one of the many Gates of Hell; passageways that connected this realm to the demonic one. Demonic incursions like this one had happened all throughout history, and the Dawnguard had always been there to fight them back. But this one, this time… this was different.

The Demon Lords, a cabal of 13 extremely powerful demons were gathering, uniting as one force to press upon the realm and only the Dawnguard stood against them. If they lost today, the realms would fall. So they could not fail. They would not. But as she looked out at the field below her, at the hundreds… no, thousands, of swarming, twisting, gnashing hellish beasts, some towering several stories tall, assembled there, Zora had to admit she was far from confident of their success.

The heavy tromp of many armored boots drew her attention and Zora turned to see a large portion of her army marching toward her; thousands of soldiers dedicated to the cause of protecting the world from the demon hordes. She felt a surge of pride at the sight of the Dawnguard banners waving in the wind. If they lost, she knew that no one else could have done better.

Overhead, a crack like thunder split the sky and a massive shape appeared, floating in the air unsupported. Wrapped in a field of bluish magical energy, the city of Stonehaven rotated slowly above them. From within the city’s walls, a number of titanic winged creatures emerged and took to the skies; the Dawnguard’s dragon allies. The largest, a massive red beast, landed heavily on the ground next to Zora. The creature gave her a knowing look and turned its long, scaled neck toward the demon horde and gave out of tremendous roar of pure fury.

It was as good a battle cry as Zora would have given and it was all the encouragement her soldiers needed. Behind their lines, a line of mortars began lobbing explosive shells overhead as the dragons swept down upon the demons beneath them. Scores of the creatures were killed as they charged the Dawnguard’s lines. Archers and crossbowmen rained thousands of arrows and bolts at the approaching hordes, but they kept coming; crawling over the corpses of the fallen and charging ahead. Stonehaven continued to rotate in the sky above while armored doors on its white walls slid open. Magical cannons fired blasts of energy that cut through dozens of the hell beasts, but still it did not stop them.

Zora reached for her belt and gripped the hilt of her sword. It was a beautiful hilt, truly. A hilt the length of a traditional bastard sword, the weapon was made of highly polished silver with gold trim around the crossguard and the rounded pommel. The body of the hilt was covered in strange runes and engravings. Stranger still, there was no blade.

Zora raised the weapon above her head. As though from the air around her, a swirl of bright golden light gathered faster and faster in the space where the blade should be before suddenly and violently solidifying into a beam of pure golden energy.

“We are the Dawnguard!” She cried. “The world does not know of us, but they will live on because of us! We will hold!”

Thrusting her sword, Dawnbreaker, forward, Zora led her army in a fierce charge against the tides of Hell racing toward them.

~~~~~~

Mistbrook Falls, Michigan
Present Day

Snow reappeared in the material world a few dozen yards inside the tree line of the forest that surrounded Mistbrook High, just out of sight. Having already revealed the existence of magic to her parents, the last thing she needed to do was tell the whole student body about it as well. She stumbled slightly as the spell completed and her weight fully settled upon the damp, mossy ground. Her high heeled boots were not made for such terrain.

As she set off toward the school, after taking a quick look around to ensure no one had noticed her sudden appearance, Snow’s mind turned back to the events of the morning. Her mothers already knew about magic. More to the point, they had been visited by extremely powerful magical beings that apparently maintained the order of the universe. Just when she thought her life couldn’t get any stranger.

Fate and Destiny. Fate. Destiny. Guides… why did it all seem so… familiar somehow? She knew she had never heard of such a thing before and yet somehow it seemed to pick at a certain memory. She couldn’t quite explain it or even remember exactly which memory the words brought up. There was just… something. She couldn’t place exactly what it was.

She didn’t have long to dwell on her ever growing list of questions, worries, and problems however. She quickly crossed the parking lot and was soon walking up the path toward the entrance to the school. The last few stranglers were just making their way into the building as Snow arrived, however her three best friends still remained standing just outside the doors, looking around anxiously for her. Clara spotted her first and Snow noted the suddenly look of relief that burst onto her face.

“Snow!” Clara called out, causing Mary and Nikki to notice her as well. “Thank God! We thought… When you didn’t show up, we were worried…” She broke off suddenly. “You’re a redhead again.”

“Really?” Mary deadpanned, shaking her head wearily. “That’s the important thing to comment on right now? We thought JTG had kidnapped you or something.”

“No, nothing like that,” said Snow. “But… we might have a problem. My moms are getting suspicious. They’re asking questions and I think at some point soon I’m going to have to tell them about JTG and… I don’t know how to handle that.”

“Snow, if you tell them anything you know how JTG will respond,” Nikki said, shifting her arm which was still bound in a sling. “She’ll retaliate. She always does.”

“Probably, but I don’t know what else to do,” Snow lamented. She knew that Nikki was right. JTG would hit back and given how much more dangerous JTG had become in recent days, that retaliation could be catastrophic. “They know something is going on, but I did sort of accidentally blink out in front of them this morning, so maybe I can convince them that it’s all related to magic somehow.”

“We missed a lot,” said Clara, glancing at Mary and Nikki. “So, your moms know about magic now too?”

“That’s the thing,” said Snow. “They already knew about magic. According to them, these super powerful beings named Fate and Destiny visited them years ago. It’s… a long story.”

“Did you say Fate and Destiny?” Mary asked, looking at Snow with poorly concealed surprise in her eyes.

“Yeah…” Snow said suspiciously. “Why? Do you know something?” Mary shook her head vigorously.

“What? No? I just… those are odd names, right?”

“Right…” Snow replied, still quite suspicious of her friend. She knew Mary well and her reaction was one of shock and surprise… and also recognition. Still, she decided, it was a conversation for another time. “Regardless, I… I don’t know what to do, but I’m going to have to do something. Those two aren’t just going to let this go.”

Their conversation was interrupted at that moment by the sound of the school bell ringing loudly behind them. Perhaps, she reasoned, this secret had gone on long enough. JTG was dangerous and formidable, certainly, but then again so were Kayla and Ariana. As scared as she was of the possibility of JTG targeting them, there was a sense of relief at the thought of having their considerable resources on her side. And after all, they would be moving into Stonehaven soon. JTG surely wouldn’t be able to reach them there.

Snow steeled herself, and she sensed her friends around her doing the same as they approached the doors to their school. It had been nearly two weeks since they had graced the halls of their high school and Snow knew her friends were just as nervous to return as she was. This was like with Sara, only worse. This time they were all directly involved in the death of a fellow student, even if he had been trying to murder them.

With backs straight and heads head high, the four friends pushed through the front doors and into the halls of their high school. Snow thought back to that day, not all that long ago, when they had entered the hustling and bustling halls of Mistbrook High after Sara’s supposed death. She remembered worrying then about how much attention they would no doubt receive and how many people would come up to either offer condolences or ask question. Back then, no one had said anything.

On this day, it seemed every eye was on them as they made their way down the central corridor. While no one approached them directly to ask questions, it was clear that everyone was whispering about them.

“Now I know what animals in the zoo must feel like,” Nikki lamented as the girls reached their lockers and set about storing their bags and collecting the books they would need for their first class of the day. “I was hoping this would be like after Sara, when at least everyone had the common courtesy to leave us alone.”

“Anyone could have killed Sara,” Clara grumbled. “Everyone knows what happened with Steven and the rumor mill has to be working overtime. I’d bet half the school suspects we murdered Steven as part of some demonic sex cult.”

“That’d be funny if there wasn’t actually a demon murdering girls as part of his twisted sexual fetish,” Snow deadpanned. She lowered her voice to below a whisper. “Michael told me this morning that Missy and Natalie were attacked by Sebastian. He killed Natalie and took Missy for… God only knows what.”

“Seriously,” Mary gasped, her eyes widening in horror. “Are they… Is the Dawnguard planning to rescue her?”

“Michael says they have no idea where Sebastian is keeping her,” Snow replied sadly. “So… they can’t launch a rescue mission if they don’t know where to go.”

“Fuck,” Nikki breathed. “So… so Missy’s just… just being…”

“Yeah,” Snow whispered. “She’s just being.” Her eyes fell on Clara and sudden flashes of a distant dream burst into the forefront of her mind; her friend nude and covered in cuts and scars. It was a stark reminder of the price of failure. “And it’ll happen to more and more unless we stop him.”

“Can we?” Clara asked softly. “Stop him, I mean?”

“If we can’t, then no one can,” said Snow. She sighed heavily and shook her head. “C’mon, we should get to class.”

As the four friends turned to head towards their classroom, they noticed Jackson walking through the hall towards them. It was hard to miss that every eye followed him as he walked, perhaps with even more scrutiny than was placed upon the four of them.

As he approached, Mary raised a hand to wave at him. Jackson made only the briefest of eye contact before averting his gaze and walking past them without a word. As he did, Snow was reminded suddenly of the message he had received from JTG. It felt like years had passed since he had shown it to her. She had nearly forgotten.

I’m offering you this once. Leave this game. Leave your friends. Do not test me, Jackson Binghamton. It would be the last thing you ever do.

“And then there were four,” Clara scoffed as Jackson disappeared around the corner. “I can’t believe he just… abandoned us.”

“JTG threatened his family, Clara,” Mary pointed out. “What would any of us have done?”

“I know,” Clara grumbled. “It’s just… we didn’t have many allies as it is. It goes to show how easily JTG could separate us if she wanted to.”

“She showed us that on Halloween,” Nikki reminded them. “She tested us and we failed.”

“Right,” Snow said rather heatedly. Her emotions had been hovering so very near the surface for so long now, and more and more often she found it impossible to keep her feelings in check. “Sure, torture someone long enough or threaten to murder them and their families and yeah, they’ll break. It doesn’t mean we failed. It means this bitch is pulling out all the stops and we need to do the same.”

“And what do you suggest we do exactly?” Clara asked. “We’re not exactly in a position of power here. Bitch’s got us by the proverbial balls.”

“I know,” Snow replied. “But the longer we keep playing her game and abiding by her rules, the more we’re just playing into her hands.  I don’t know what we do, but we can’t keep going on like this. If we play by JTG’s rules… she wins.”

“You’re right, but that still doesn’t answer the question,” said Nikki. “What do we do? Every time we break the rules, JTG punishes us. Hard. I don’t see how we win this.”

“Honestly, every day I get more and more worried that you were right from the beginning, Clara,” Snow said, turn and making her way towards their classroom; the other three trailing behind her. “Maybe the only way to win this game is to refuse to play at all.”

Their first class of the day was English. Snow didn’t pay much attention at all throughout the lesson. Partially because of the whispered conversations she could just pick up on and the periodic less than subtle glances cast her way by her classmates, and also because she simply didn’t care to learn anything that Mr. Winston was teaching. In fact, she realized, going to school was the biggest waste of time she could possibly think of. Whatever lessons her teachers had to teach were pointless. Less than pointless. Who cared about algebra or American history? Why was she sitting here listening to Alexander Winston rattle on about Shakespeare? She should be at Stonehaven learning magic. She should be doing something that actually mattered.

She already knew she was never going to have a normal life, even if they managed to defeat Sebastian. Her dreams of being a teacher had vanished the instant Michael had introduced her to the world she actually belonged to. Magic scared her, yes. That world scared her, but even still she loved magic. She loved the way it made her feel. She loved how powerful she felt when she used it.

She thought about all the good she could do in the world with her gifts, and she was wasting time she could be training sitting here. Her future was in Michael’s world, working with the Dawnguard. It wasn’t here, it wasn’t this. This didn’t matter. Magic mattered. Saving the world, that mattered. This was a waste of time.

And for the first time in her life, Snow seriously gave thought to dropping out of school. It was possible at sixteen, with parental consent. Perhaps she would talk to her moms later and see what they thought. At least until the war against Sebastian was over, then maybe she could go back. As it stood, she was their only hope to defeat Sebastian. If they won, she would have plenty of time to complete her education. If they lost… well, it definitely wouldn’t matter if that happened.

At long last, the bell rang and class dismissed. Mr. Winston, however, caught Snow as she trailed after her friends as they made their way out of the classroom. Snow waved her friends off, telling them she would meet them in their next class and turned apprehensively to her teacher. She knew it had been very apparent that she hadn’t been paying the least bit of attention that morning.

“Ms. Austin,” he said kindly, sitting down at his desk and look up at her where she leaned against the front row of desks. “I know you’ve had a very tough year, far more difficult and more tragic than most would be able to handle. But I don’t want to let these circumstances permanently damage your future. You are, truly, the brightest star in this school. We talked about your grades before and… even before this most recent unpleasantness, your grades had dropped tremendously.”

“I know,” Snow snapped, far more harshly than she’d intended. She closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. “I’m sorry, Mr. Winston. I know you’re trying to help, but… to be honest? I don’t care about my grades. My mom is dying of cancer. She has months left to live. A person I thought was a friend tried to murder me and I had to watch another friend choose between killing him or letting me die. So, frankly, my grades are the least of my concerns right now. I appreciate you making the attempt, but whatever you’re going to tell me or offer… I just don’t care.”

“I can understand your feelings,” said Mr. Winston kindly, giving Snow a warm smile. That smile… for reasons Snow couldn’t quite explain, it sent a chill down her spine. “Like I said, I know you’ve had a very difficult time. I just wanted to offer my help, should you need it. I wanted you to know that you can talk to me.”

He stood up and circled the desk, coming to stand in front of her. It was odd. He wasn’t doing anything particularly suspicious, but for some reason Snow kept getting the strangest vibes from him. She felt especially uncomfortable being alone in the room with him, as though she expected him to make a pass at her at any moment. Despite the fact that he had never done anything of the sort, she just couldn’t shake the feeling.

“If you ever need anything, anything at all, please come and see me,” Mr. Winston said, shaking Snow out of her thoughts. She looked up at him as he peered down at her, his green eyes shining behind his wiry glasses. “The welfare of my students is my top priority and I know you most of all have been struggling, so… yes, I just wanted to make sure that you knew I was here and a resource should you need anything.”

“Right,” said Snow, taking a step back from him and towards the door. “Thank you for the offer, I’ll… I’ll keep that in mind. I should get to class.”

“Of course,” said Mr. Winston, gesturing toward the open door. Snow gave him a small smile and a nod before turning and hurrying from the room. If she had looked back, she would have noticed that his eyes never left her until she was down the hall and out of sight.

The rest of the morning passed quite normally for the quartet of friends. After their algebra class, and study hall, they made their way to the cafeteria for lunch. As was common for the four most popular girls in the school, many eyes were on them as they sat down around their usual table. Although while some were still eyes of the jealous type, many more were now curious or suspicious instead.

“Do any of you remember when the most important thing in our lives was how popular we were?” Clara asked, stirring her yogurt idly with her spoon.

“Seems like a million years ago,” said Snow. “’The Queen of Mistbrook High’. How stupid.”

“It did feel good sometimes though,” said Nikki. “And it was a lot simpler.”

“It was definitely…” But what it was, Snow never quite said out loud as the words died in her throat. The cafeteria doors had just swung open and in walked a girl that Snow had to do a double take to recognize. It was none other than Emilia, but she was no longer the demure girl that she remembered.

Emilia’s formerly long black hair had been trimmed to a short bob. Her green eyes sparkled behind immaculately applied makeup. She wore a low cut top and a skirt that was so short it clearly violated every dress code rule in the book. Already a tall girl, she towered over everyone in the strappy heels she wore.

“What…” Clara whispered, turning to stare along with the rest of the assembly.

“The fuck?” Nikki finished the thought for her. “What happened to Emilia? Since when is she, you know, hot?”   

That, Snow thought, was a very fair question. The Emilia she knew was anything but the confident and outgoing girl striding across the cafeteria with a sultry smile on her face. The Emilia she knew was shy and nervous and incredibly introverted. This was a very different shift from the girl she’d had coffee with all those weeks ago… and the girl that had kissed her in the woods on Founder’s Day.

In fact, now that she came to think about it, she couldn’t remember actually seeing Emilia since that day in the woods near the waterfall. She had, as far as Snow was aware, had vanished off the face of the Earth. Snow hadn’t really given the girl much thought since the kiss, but she found she couldn’t even remember passing her in the halls between classes or bumped into her at the Barista. And so for the second time that day, a very strange feeling indeed crept over Snow and a chill ran down her spine.

Emilia made her way over to the table where the Mistbrook High cheerleaders gathered and took a seat, smiling and chatting with the other girls. She noticed Jackson sitting the table next door, however, and hurried over to sit with him instead. Within moments the two were talking and it was quite obviously that Emilia was being overtly flirty with him. Snow was just about ready to ignore this unsettling display when Emilia glanced over Jackson’s shoulder and made eye contact with her. The smirk on her face spoke volumes. Jackson sat with his back to Snow’s table and didn’t seem to notice the intense moment between the two girls. Snow, however, felt certain that something was very, very wrong.

17: Chapter XVII: Revelations: Part Two

“We should have told her the truth a long time ago,” Ariana said for what must have been the tenth time that morning. She and Kayla had set about packing what they needed to make the move to Stonehaven, wherever that was. Kayla had been so rattled by the revelations of that morning that she could scarcely think of anything else. Ariana, she knew, had instead been feeling very guilty.

She clearly regretted keeping such an important secret from their daughter, but they had done it with the best of intentions. They had done it to protect Snow as much as possible from a world they barely understood and that had done them no favors. They had hoped, perhaps if they just ignored it, that Fate would never come for Snow as she came for them.

It was a foolish notion, of course, but when you’re powerless to stop something it is often easier to pretend whatever actions you’re able to take might be helpful in some small way. In the end, of course, it didn’t matter. Fate was dead and they would never have to worry about her twisted machinations ever again. Snow would still have her own destiny to complete, sure, but that… maybe, just maybe, that wouldn’t be so bad.    

“We did what we thought was best, Ari,” Kayla said gently. “What else could we have done? The truth wouldn’t have helped her be ready to face… whatever it is she’s facing. We didn’t know she had these powers and telling her some story that we couldn’t prove about magic wouldn’t have prepared her for it.”

“I know,” Ariana whispered, sitting down on the edge of their bed and shaking her head. “It’s all just so… so messed up. We tried so hard to protect her, to keep her safe, and… and we can’t protect her from this.”

It was strange, Kayla realized, seeing Ariana on this side of the conversation. So often it was she, Kayla, who felt this way. She had always been the worrier and the protector. Ariana had always kept it together somehow. She had always managed to see the bright side, had always taken the optimistic point of view. It was off putting to see Ariana on the other side.

“Ari, I…”

“It just… feels like we let her down,” said Ariana sadly.

“You didn’t let her down,” said a voice that neither Kayla nor Ariana had heard in many years. Thirteen years, to be precise. They turned toward their bedroom door and saw a young woman with stark white hair standing there watching them through a pair of vibrantly blue eyes. She leaned casually against the doorframe, her long white gown flowing around her.

“Destiny?” Kayla said, turning slowly to face the newcomer. The last time she had seen this woman, she had not looked like this. She had been a young girl, although still with those same blue eyes and a similar white dress and hair. Ariana, however, seemed to catch onto something Kayla had not, because she reached up and put a concerned hand on Kayla’s arm.

“No…” she whispered. “The other one.” Kayla’s eyes widened. No… no, that was impossible.

“Fate?” Kayla breathed, taking an immediate step back to shield Ariana as best she could. Rationally, she knew this was pointless, but it was the only thing she could think to do in the moment. “You… you’re supposed to be dead.”

“Eh, rumors of my demise and all that,” Fate said airily, waving a hand unconcernedly. “Michael knows only what he and everyone else has been led to believe; that my sister killed me. Even she thinks I’m gone.” She paused, perhaps noticing Kayla had shifted in further in front of Ariana.

“You don’t need to fear me,” Fate said gently. “I’ve come… well, because I suppose I feel I owe you both an apology. What I put you through thirteen years ago… that was wrong and I’m sorry. I was trying then to do what I’ve finally begun to accomplish. I was testing the limits, the boundaries… seeing how far I could push things. Change the narrative, you see? Destiny told you that I wrote the story and forced people to play my characters, but that was the lie. The Grand Design is her story. I wanted to change the outcome.”

“To break the Grand Design?” Ariana asked. “To… break the world? Why? What do you have to gain from that?”

“Could… could we go downstairs and sit down?” Fate asked, looking uncertainly between the two of them. “I need to tell you both the truth… the whole truth.”

“We’re not going anywhere with you until you start making sense,” Kayla snapped. Fate sighed very heavily, although Kayla noticed that she didn’t seem angry with them or even irritated. She seemed… sad? Tired? It was hard to tell for certain.

“Very well then,” said Fate. “I suppose here will have to do. But please, listen closely. I don’t have much time here, but… it’s time I told you everything.”

And everything is precisely what Fate told them. She told them the truth about the Grand Design, about her and Destiny’s origins, about the near infinite attempts at creating life only for it to fall apart. She told them about the change of heart she’d had and her realization that the Grand Design was not a shield but a prison and that she intended to destroy that prison. She told them of Destiny’s desire to keep the desire in place and her ardent efforts to ensure it remained.

When she was finished, both Kayla and Ariana had sunk onto the side of their bed seemingly at a loss for words. Kayla was absolutely baffled and she wasn’t fully convinced she believed a word of it, and yet… and yet as Fate spoke, she did so in a voice that professed a deep pain and regret. She seemed filled with this immeasurable sorrow that was evident even to Kayla. And that spoke to her.

“Fate… If all of this is true… why us?” Ariana asked, shaking Kayla from her ruminations. “Why did you target us to try to test the limits the first time? We weren’t special.”

“Ariana, you are the mother of the single most powerful magical entity to ever walk the Nine Realms outside of my sister and myself,” Fate said firmly. “I daresay, you are very special indeed. That is why I chose you. I knew what Destiny had planned for you… had planned for Snow. I… I suppose I didn’t want that to happen.”

“What does Destiny have planned for Snow?” Kayla demanded, rising to her feet once again. “What is Snow’s destiny?”

“She was meant to die, Kayla,” said Fate. “In her suicide attempt, she was destined to die. Due to… a change I made that I’m not going to tell you about because… well, suffice to say it’s quite a good one and I’m very excited to see the looks on your faces when you find out. But that change put people in the places they needed to be to save your daughter’s life.”

“So you wanted to… help us?” Kayla wondered. “To save Snow? What, out of interest in her power? Or because you actually care about us?”

“Kayla, I am not some heartless deity that sits on her throne and looks down on you all expecting worship and offering nothing in return,” Fate told her. “I am not a deity at all. I am… a mother, in a way.” Her eyes flicked to Ariana for the briefest of instances. “My children are being hurt and they are being hurt needlessly. For the Grand Design to continue as planned, Snow had to die. I made sure that didn’t happen. I didn’t do it because I care about her power, I did it because I didn’t… want her to die.”

“Then save Ariana,” said Kayla, glancing back at her wife. “We both know you can. You’ve done it before. She died and you brought her back. So heal her. Prove you actually care about us.” Fate bowed her head, looking very remorseful indeed.

“There are rules to magic, Kayla,” Fate said delicately. “I have power, yes, but those rules govern everything that magic is capable of doing. Healing disease isn’t one of those things that magic can do. It’s never been able to, not even in the earliest days when magic was infinitely stronger than it is today. If I could cure her, I assure you I would gladly do so, but… I’m afraid that is beyond even me.”

“Kayla…” Ariana said, placing a hand on her wife’s shoulder. “Kayla, it’s…”

“Then bring her back,” said Kayla. How? How could the being that created the universe not be able to fix this? What the hell good was magic if it couldn’t damn well do anything? “You’ve done that before, we all know it. So when Ariana dies from her illness, you bring her back.” A small smile appeared on Fate’s lips, but it was very clear that it was a sad smile.

“I could, yes,” said Fate. Her tone was… unplaceable.

“But?” Ariana spoke up, shifting around Kayla to face Fate directly. “There’s a ‘but’.”

“Magics of this sort… come with a price,” Fate intoned. “It isn’t that magic is incapable of bringing back the dead. It’s that most magical beings simply have not reached the level where they have access to such power. But as I said, magic this powerful… a price must be paid. Only death can pay for life, you must understand this. To restore a life, another must be taken.”

“So when you brought me back before…” Ariana trailed off, seemingly unable to finish the thought.

“A sacrifice was made,” Fate confirmed. “It seems that in this case creation is far easier than restoration. But yes, it can be done. If you can live with the price, that is.”

“I’ll be the sacrifice,” Kayla said at once. It was so obvious. So simple. Of course she would do it. Between the two of them, if once of them had to die then there was only one choice. It made so much more sense that Ariana should live. She was by far the better of them, and that didn’t even make mention of Snow who desperately needed her mother. There was no question to ask, no choice to be made. The choice was clear.

“That is very sweet of you, Kayla,” said Fate with a gentle smile. “And I will do it… if and only if, she agrees.” Fate inclined her head toward Ariana, who sat on the edge of the bed with her face in her hands. If it was possible, Kayla’s heart broke all over again. Ariana would never agree to this. She thought, for just a moment, about pressing the issue. She thought about pleading with Ariana to agree, to be let her do this. She wanted Ariana to be selfish, just this once… but she knew she never would. There was no point in trying and she knew she would only cause Ariana more pain by trying.

“Then Fate… can you help Snow?” Kayla asked. If not Ariana, maybe she could convince Fate to help Snow through the battles she would face. “She’s dealing with something that neither of us really understands. A war against demons, that… that’s so far beyond us. But you do have great power. Could you help her? Give her strength or… anything?”

“I already have,” said Fate with a truly warm smile. “Sebastian has already reached for her mind, but I have protected her from him. His trickery will have a very difficult time taking root. I cannot directly intervene, my power has been too greatly weakened and what little I have is taken up with healing from my battle with my sister, but… I will keep watch over Snow. I will continue to do what I can to keep her safe. Do… try not to tell her any of this, will you? If she knows, for example, that I’ve appeared to her before in the guise of her daughter from the future it would greatly weaken the affect should I need to do so again.”

“You… wait, what did you do?” Ariana asked, peering curiously over Kayla’s shoulder.

“Snow needed… a bit of a jumpstart, if you will,” said Fate. “Following her suicide attempt, she was very downtrodden, as you well know. She needed to see that life could go on and that she could be happy again. I may have shown her a possible future… to give her a spark of hope. I’ve heard that great things are built on hope, so…  I tried to give a little to your daughter. I’d like to think it worked.” Fate sighed and looked at the clock.

“I should go,” she said quietly. “I am sorry, but I have another I want to visit today and the longer I’m here the more likely my sister will discover me. Speaking of… I will not ask for your forgiveness for if that is ever to be given then it must first be earned. But I would ask that you keep my continued existence a secret. Should anyone, including your friend Coop, learn of my survival… well, I doubt I would be able to fight my sister a second time.”

Kayla, honestly, did not care one iota about what Fate was trying to accomplish. She wasn’t bothered by the affairs of gods. She cared about what was right in front of her. Her family. The people she loved, that was what was important. She wouldn’t go out of her way to turn Fate in, if for no other reason than she had seemingly been keeping a watchful eye on Snow. Ariana, at least to some degree, seemed to feel similarly.

“If you swear to do everything in your power to protect our daughter… then yes, we’ll keep your secret,” said Ariana. Fate inclined her head.

“Hmm… what a mother would not do for her child. I will, of course, do whatever I can,” Fate promised. “But you should know this; that girl of yours? She is something new… something wholly unique. She has power the likes of which no mortal has ever wielded. She needs only to learn how to wield it. If she can do that… well, she’ll be more than capable of taking care of herself.”

~~~~~~~~

In one of the taller towers within Stonehaven, Zoe busied herself within her private chambers; hurriedly preparing for their journey that afternoon. They would be taking Snow to visit two of the Dawnguard’s primary bases; The Sandbox in Egypt and The Rock in Australia. The Sandbox had long served as the Dawnguard’s experiment weapons testing ground; a place where Dawnguard researchers could safely create new and potentially extremely dangerous weapons away from Stonehaven. It also served as a vault where weapons too dangerous to be stored at Stonehaven could be kept.

It was there that Snow would be allowed to select a weapon of her own, as was Dawnguard tradition. Of course, given Snow’s intimate and unique connect to magic, a weapon for her was more symbolic than anything else. In combat, Snow would doubtlessly wield magic far more than any sword, axe, or bow. Still, learning hand-to-hand combat would be very important for Snow to learn.

Afterwards, they would head to The Rock, buried deep in the earth beneath Uluru in the Northern Territory of Australia. As with the majority of off-site Dawnguard bases, the massive sandstone monolith sat on one of the ancient magical ley lines and was the site of the Dawnguard’s last remaining field combat training facility. There, Snow would begin her combat training. Learning how to cast spells was one thing. Learning to wield them in battle was another thing altogether. She would have to learn and learn quickly, because Zoe knew very well that they were running out of time.

As if to prove her point, in the next room the teleportation circle; a twenty foot wide circle of arcane glyphs and runes carved into a stone platform, began to glow and one of her oldest friends, Alison Rameriz, appeared. A fellow witch and a Cardinal Witch of the Witches Council, Alison had been a constant companion and confidant for much of Zoe’s life. Indeed, the pair had even attended Newcastle Academy together.

On this day, Alison’s expression was not one of happiness at seeing her friend, but grim and worried. Her brown eyes were narrowed and her black hair a bit frazzled as she stepped off of the platform.

“Sorry for the unannounced arrival, Zohanna, but… I heard from Erica,” said Alison. She sounded incredibly weary. “As you know, I’ve asked her to let me know if anything happens at Newcastle. Yesterday, Headmaster Onadyris announced a change in the curriculum. With the exception of the Evocation school, all other courses have been suspended.”

“So, they’re doing exactly what we feared,” Zoe said, heaving a deep sigh. “They’re trying to militarize Coven youth.”

“Precisely,” said Alison. “The Coven’s standing army is more than a match for the Dawnguard’s limited numbers, but when Princess Sienna arrived with a fleet of airships… it changed the game. And it didn’t take long for the Grand Enchanter to do exactly what we thought he would.”

“I’ve been out of the loop for weeks,” said Zoe, indicating her withdrawal from the Witches Council. “How are the other members of the Council taking all of this?”

“A small but growing number of counselors are becoming… concerned by the Grand Enchanter’s aggressive policies,” Alison replied. “Once again, when the ire of Her Majesty is drawn and the power of Divinity’s vast military is put on display… the smarter members start to reconsider their stance. Still, a hard line group are defending the need for Coven control and oversight of magic… using force if necessary.”

“And for the moment at least, the latter is the group in power,” Zoe muttered.

“And they won’t remain idle for long,” Alison pointed out. “They’ll hit you again and in greater numbers. The Dawnguard must remain… well, on guard. My advice, ensure that Sienna is carefully and thoroughly protected. I can’t swear it, but I do not believe the Enchanter to be above assassination.”

“You think he’s foolish enough to assassinate the most powerful woman in the Nine Realms?” Zoe asked in surprise. “I didn’t know him well, but he can’t possibly be that stupid.”

“I just advise caution,” Alison warned. “He’s… different. I don’t know what it is, I can’t explain it. But Sienna is the only reason the Dawnguard still exists. If anything happened to her… you don’t need me to tell you what would happen.”

“Right…” said Zoe weakly. “Right, well… thank you, Ali, truly, for coming all this way. Please, keep me informed of anything else that comes up. And give my best to Erica as well. Please tell her to keep her head down and her nose clean. She’s in as much danger as we are.”

“My girl knows how to play the game, Zohanna,” said Alison with a grin. “She learned from the best.”

“Yeah,” said Zoe. “Me.”

Alison soon departed through the teleportation circle and Zoe called a meeting of the command staff to let them know everything Alison had told her. They met a small briefing room located just off the Command Center. After she finished her explanation, ending with Alison’s fears that the Coven would attempt to assassinate the princess, Sienna actually laughed out loud.

“Your friend thinks that highly of the Enchanter, does she?” Sienna asked, her blue eyes sparkling. “Personally, I would be very interested in seeing the skill of any Coven agent that is capable of slipping into this heavily defended city, past the enchantments and spells protecting it, and then manage to get through my Queensguard as well as Tristan,” she gestured to the armored knight standing at her side, the same one who never seemed to be more than ten feet away from Sienna at any given time. “I would argue that at the moment, my safety should be the least of the Dawnguard’s concerns. My men can see to my protection. You need to concern yourself with protecting the Dawnguard.” Michael, who sat to Sienna’s right from where she was positioned at the head of the table the command staff was seated around, nodded in agreement.

“Sienna’s right,” he said. “We should remain cautious, but I’m sure that the Queensguard are more than capable of protecting their queen. We need to focus on Stonehaven. Aram, how fairs our city? How far are we from getting her flight and blinking capabilities back online?”

“We’ve got teams working around the clock,” Aram responded, waving his hand and bringing up a holographic display of the city which projected from the tabletop itself. “Stonehaven hasn’t flown or blinked in over a hundred and fifty years. The enchantments have faded and everyone who knew how to restore them… aren’t with us anymore, so it presents a problem. I’m confident we can restore Stonehaven’s ability to relocate, but likely not within the timeframe we’d need to.”

“Even if we could move the city into hiding, it would weaken our position in the fight against Sebastian,” Kiki pointed out. “Stonehaven is needed here. If we leave pack up and leave, we blow our cover. Sebastian will notice a giant flying city after all and he’ll know it’s not just you and Brad here.”

“Zoe, do you know if the Coven are aware of our other bases?” Brad wondered aloud. “Atlantis, the Sandbox, the Rock…?”

“I don’t think so,” said Zoe after a moment’s thought. “Those bases were reactivated in secret, so theoretically they should be safe. Not that it matters, of course. The bulk of our relics and artifacts are stored here and relocating them to the other bases would take weeks, and they don’t have the storage space anyway. Unless we want to speed up the reactivation of the Icebox, we’re stuck with what we have.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of retreating,” said Brad quietly. “If the Coven overwhelms us, we may have no choice but to abandon Stonehaven. If Atlantis and the rest are still secret, we could regroup and make a new plan.”

“If that happens, we’re done,” said Michael. “We can’t fight a war on two fronts even with Stonehaven. If the Coven take this city, it’s game over.”

“If it comes down to it, Divinity would be willing to declare open war on the Coven,” Sienna said abruptly. “A war with Divinity would draw the bulk of the Coven’s forces away from Stonehaven. We could occupy them long enough for the Dawnguard to finish Sebastian. After all, if the Dawnguard fails, Divinity will fall as well. I would hate for it to come to that, but if it does you need only say the word.”

“I don’t think it will come to that,” said Zoe. “Fighting the Coven head on is a fool’s errand. It weakens our position regardless. We’ll need Divinity’s help against Sebastian and you can’t be in two places at once either. No… no, I think there’s still a chance to stop this before it gets further out of hand. I think the best way, perhaps the only way to stop the Coven, is from within.