Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 27

"Where are they?" Etta fretted.

They had emerged from the underground tunnels in an old bunker, not far from the Collective's Cabin. Even with them having to deal with Kiril and Briana, Etta had fully expected to see Demarco and Jake there already. She was quickly getting worried.

"They're fine," Gwen said serenely. "They'll be here any moment, in fact."

"Ok, good," Etta sighed, then hesitated. "Wait. You said Father was blocking your Sight. So, is it working now..."

"Don't ask. It won't help," Cassie warned.

"... or are you just trying to make me feel better?" Etta continued.

Gwen smiled as two werewolves came into view.

"How?" Etta looked at Gwen in confused awe.

"Really, don't ask," Cassie repeated. "She'll either just smile mysteriously and it will drive you nuts or, worse, she'll answer you and you still won't understand."

Gwen smiled.

Rolling her eyes, Cassie stepped forward to meet the werewolves.

"Alright, we know the plan," she said. "Etta, free the elders. Gwen, deal with Faust. Jake, Demarco, I'm with you. Let's get this done."

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Moving as quickly and quietly as she could, Etta ran toward the Collective's Cabin. Even now, it looked oddly peaceful - The big, rambling cabin and the little outbuilding that had, sometime in the past two years, become her home. Kristopher's garden. Lily's now, she supposed, suddenly sad as it struck her that the wise old man could really be gone. 

Nearby she heard howling again, the challenge and counter-challenge that told her that Demarco and the others had found Rory and Lou. The fight had been joined. 

Etta hoped, desperately, that they would all be alright.

"Etta! You're alright!" Daniel Moonrunner looked up at her. 

Father had placed wards, spells of fear, on the Cabin's kitchen door. Etta, without magic of her own to meet them, had gotten in by the simple fact that she was already terrified. Really, she thought, it hadn't been some of Father's best work.

"Where's Freddie?" Sylvia, his wife, asked. "Is he safe?"

"Freddie's fine," Etta said quick. "We got him out. He's in Henford with Beth."

"Jake's here," she continued, "with Demarco."

"Demarco?" Sylvia snarled. "What's Jake doing here with a Wildfang?"

"I was able to free her from Faust's spell," Etta explained quickly. "You know about that, right? The Wildfangs are under Faust's spell." 

"We know," Lily said, her eyes stern. "He had a good gloat about the whole thing. He said that Demarco was hunting you and Freddie... threatened you both, if we didn't obey him."

"Yeah, that's my Father," Etta growled. "But I got Demarco free. She helped me get Freddie out and get help. She and Jake are keeping the other Wildfangs busy right now, so I could get you out."

"Can you free the others?" Lily asked, forestalling any questions from the rest of the Collective.

"No," Etta said, "but we have Cassie and Gwen with us. Cassie is working to break the spell and Gwen is keeping Faust occupied."

"Well done, Etta," Lily said. "Well done, indeed."

"I didn't do it alone," Etta said, flushing with the unaccustomed praise. "And I can't do the rest alone either."

"Absolutely, I've been sitting here long enough! Let's get out there," Wolfgang grinned fiercely. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think it's time to take our town back."

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"Hello, John," Gwen said mildly.

Around the Great Tree that had served as the meeting place of the Collective for time out of mind, the ancient magics that lived in the Moonwood was like half-heard music. The air thrummed with the wild power of it.

In the near distance, the howl of battle rang out again.

"Gwen." Faust smiled cruelly. "I was so hoping you'd come."

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Author's Note: Next week, I plan to post chapters on Wednesday (12/13), Thursday (12/14) and Friday (12/15).

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 26

"Alright, here's the plan," Jake said confidently.

They had all piled into the Moonrunners' old van and left Glimmerbrook just as the sun rose. Jake seemed to know the way, guiding them along the twisting mountain roads with determined confidence. Demarco could smell a change in him, a scent of strength that she associated with Rory. The scent of a pack leader.

Returning to Moonwood Mill, Demarco had been ready to charge in at his side. Instead, Jake had first gone to the Jacksons' trailer, checking on the family of normals who lived on the edge of town, before heading toward the town center.

"Kurt says the Collective elders are being held in the Cabin," Jake continued. "The Wildfangs are guarding the trails and not letting anyone cross the river. So, Gwen, if you can find Faust and keep him occupied, Demarco and I will challenge the Wildfangs. Cassie works on breaking the spell they're under and Etta, you get to the Cabin and free the elders. Any questions?"

"Yes," Demarco said. While the wolf in her was strangely eager to follow Jake into the jaws of her own pack, the woman in her recognized that his call for questions wasn't just rhetorical. "First, why don't Gwen and Cassie just turn the Wildfangs into frogs or something and then break the spell?"

"Because," Cassie replied, "trying to unravel Faust's Compulsion, through their own native shifting magic, will be hard enough without adding another Transformation on top of that. It would be like... I don't know... 

"Trying to paint someone else's toenails," Gwen offered, "through a hole in their socks, while they're still wearing shoes."

"That happened once," Cassie said defensively. "They were open-toed and Ashley is a brilliant make-up artist... and that was only because you made me late."

"OooooK," Demarco said.

"Anyway," she continued, turning to Jake. "So, are you not worried that we're outnumbered two to one? I mean, I can take Kiril or Bianca in a straight fight, but I doubt I could handle them both at once..."

"I'm sure Kiril's made that suggestion," Etta snarked.

"... and I know I can't take either Lou or Rory in a fight," Demarco continued, piously ignoring her friend's comment.

"We don't have to beat them," Jake said. "We just have to keep them focused on us, so Cassie can work on breaking the Compulsion."

"And don't die," Etta added.

"And don't die," Jake agreed.

"Great," Demarco winced.

"I can help with the 'not dying' part," Gwen put in, holding up a bottle of shimmering violet liquid. "This potion will keep body and spirit together, even if the body is mortally wounded. Drink this and, until the sun rises again, you won't die."

Glancing at Etta, Demarco saw her friend's eyes wide with awe.

"It's quite safe," Gwen added. "We've used it ourselves."

"What the hell," Demarco said, taking the bottle and, in a self-mocking toast, added, "To health."

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"Kiril and Bianca?" Jake asked, looking at the two werewolves blocking their path. 

"Yeah," Demarco snarled. "Kiril said he wasn't under Faust's spell..."

"He isn't," Gwen agreed. "Neither of them are."

"We still need to get past them," Cassie said.

"Or through them," Demarco growled.

"I can take Gwen and Cassie through the tunnels," Etta said. "You can..."

"We'll catch up," Jake smiled fiercely, responding to the scent of Demarco's anger.

"You ready for this?" Jake asked.

"Looking forward to kicking Kiril's ass, again," Demarco grinned, pulling her shirt up. "You know," she added, "since becoming a werewolf, I'm recognizing a real plus to not actually needing to wear a bra."

"Oh, yeah. That drives Beth crazy," Jake grinned. "Especially since the baby."

"Oh wow, right," Demarco chuckled before turning a fierce smile toward her treacherous packmates. "OK, let's do this!"

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Etta tried to ignore the clenching in her gut as howling rang out behind her. After more than two years living among werewolves, she thought she'd grown used to the sound. 

In the privacy of her own mind, she could admit that it wasn't the primal fear of an ancient predator that caught her breath in her throat. It was fear for Demarco. Even trusting that Gwen's alchemy would keep her friend alive, she knew that didn't mean Demarco couldn't get hurt. 

Leading Gwen and Cassie away, she tried to tune out the snarling, violent sound of the fight behind her. 

"The entrance to the tunnels is down here," Etta said, knowing she was just trying to distract herself. "One of them anyway."

"Well, I'm glad I brought me 'walking through drainage ditches' boots," Cassie said. "Unlike some people."

"These sandals are very sturdy," Gwen replied serenely. 

"The tunnels run all under the town," Etta continued. "We should be able to get closer to the Cabin without being spotted... but you both could just Translocate, couldn't you?"

"We could," Cassie nodded, "but with the other Wildfangs guarding the paths, we might pop up face-to-face with a couple of angry, enspelled werewolves. Dark, smelly drainage ditch tunnels actually sound like the better choice to me."

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Demarco howled, challenging Kiril to get up again and continue the fight. The scent of her rival's blood filled her nose, the taste of it strong as it dripped from her fangs. The fury of the Wolf filled her, demanding Kiril's submission. 

The black wolf groaned as he struggled to rise. 

Demarco heard Bianca's whimper, as she struggled against Jake's grip. She caught no blood scent from the white she-wolf, but the scent of her fear was strong. 

Kiril made a final defiant snarl, even as he bared his neck in defeat and raced away. 

Demarco took the moment to breathe, as Rory had taught her. A Wildfang swims in the ocean of Fury, she reminded herself. She does not drown in it. Breathe and ride the tides. Do not be pulled under by them.

She watched as Jake, growling, released his grip on Bianca, who quickly followed her mate in retreat. As she had scented, there was no blood on the white she-wolf. She could smell Jake's blood from the few scratches he'd taken, far less than her own, but Bianca was unmarked. The difference, Demarco thought, between the way the Wildfangs and the Collective fought. 

Time to consider that later, Demarco thought as she and Jake raced deeper into Moonwood Mill, to confront the leaders of the Wildfangs.

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Author's Note: There will be another chapter tomorrow (Friday, 12/8)

Bad Moon Rising - Interlude

"Jake, you're back," Demarco said, "but... no Kristopher? Did you not find him?"

"No, yeah, we found him," Jake said, sounding slightly dazed. "He... uh... he named me leader of the Collective and said that Rory and I, together, were the leaders of our people now. Then he... kinda... disappeared. I think he might have... like... ascended into pure spirit or something. I... I don't really know."

"Oooook," Demarco nodded. "I... I, I have no idea how to respond to that."

"Yeah," Jake smiled sadly. "Same."

"Alright guys," Cassie said, in firm, motherly tone. "It's getting late. Everyone inside. You all need to eat and get some rest."

"No," Jake shook his head. "We... we have to get going. We have to get back to Moonwood Mill, stop Faust... free everyone. We can't..."

"From what you've all said, Etta and Demarco have been up and on the run since before dawn," Cassie said, "and, Jake, I know you're a working farmer with an infant child. So, if you try to tell me you got up any later than they did, you're a liar. It's evening already and it would be well after dark by the time we got to the Moonwood, if we left right now. None of you will save anyone if you're falling down tired. 

"Besides," she continued, "Gwen and I have things we need to prepare if we're going have the best chance when we face Faust. You all may as well use the time to eat and try to catch a little sleep. We'll leave as soon as we're ready."

"But..." Jake started.

"No buts. Inside, wash up, sit down," Cassie commanded. "I'm making fresh pasta."

With a sigh, Jake nodded and followed her inside, Etta and Gwen just behind him. Demarco struggled to contain a grin. She knew she should share Jake's concerns about Moonwood Mill, but all she could think was - I'm having dinner with Cassie the Raven Witch!

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Returning to the table, Jake, Etta and Gwen started to discuss further their plans for confronting Faust. Demarco knew she should be listening, but she realized that Cassie had been right. It had been a long day, and she was tired and hungry. 

She found herself once again looking around the old house, which was both not at all what she'd expected the home of an international musical superstar to look like and yet somehow fit the motherly raven-haired woman, currently making pasta from scratch in the kitchen, and her eccentric wife perfectly.  

It wasn't long before Gwen gently pointed out that Jake was repeating himself. The limits of what they could plan ahead, not knowing the exact situation in Moonwood Mill, had been reached. Now, she said, agreeing with her wife, their time would better spent on food and rest.

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"Can I ask you a question?" Demarco said to Etta.

It was after dinner. Gwen had disappeared upstairs. Cassie was looking through shelves of old, leather-bound books and Jake had gone for a walk in the garden.

"You just did," Etta teased lightly.

"Well, you see... here's the thing," Demarco started.

"Lux, I think I should stop you," Etta flushed.

"Yeah, right, totally," Demarco nodded. "I mean... we didn't kiss. We've never kissed... and you said, back when we met, that you weren't dating right now... and I'm a total mess at relationships. I mean, my last boyfriend was a total creep and then I had my not-relationship with Annie and managed to screw that up... so, yeah... I get it. But Cassie Goth just made me homemade pasta... and I am sitting in her home, like ten feet from her... so I'm kinda in an 'anything can happen' place and... I... am an idiot. Never mind. I get it."

"You don't," Etta said sadly. "Lux, I... I've never had a real relationship with someone. Never. Father taught me how to use relationships... to use sex... as part of a mission. To manipulate, to control, to trick. That's all I've ever done. You are just about the first person my age I have ever had something... anything... real with... and I'm terrified that I'll screw that up, just sitting here and talking to you."

"OK. You're not, you know, screwing this up," Demarco said. "Believe me, I am an expert on screwing up relationships and you're not doing that. Also, next time I see him, I am going to kick your dad in the balls so hard you will feel it... so, sorry for that, in advance."

"OK," Etta laughed. "Lux, maybe someday I'll get myself figured out... and if you're still interested... maybe?"

"OK, I can work with that," Demarco replied. 

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The kids were asleep at last.

Cassie smiled to herself. She was trying very hard not to think of them as "the kids" but it was hard, knowing that Jake and Claudette... no, Etta now. She seemed to have earned her reinvention...  were the same age as her own daughter. Demarco couldn't be much older. Cassie knew she might not look much older than them, thanks to Gwen's alchemy, but she was old enough to be their mother. Tonight, she felt those years. 

Not for the first time, she wondered how Gwen, who was simultaneously young and centuries old, felt. Not for the first time, she set that thought aside. She loved her wife desperately, but she had accepted that trying to understand her was the path to madness.

Cassie turned her attention back to the book she was reading - an old and rather long-winded treatise on Trickster magic, but which touched on powers that, while not strictly forbidden, were certainly not considered respectable. Understanding them might help her in countering Faust's magic.

Gwen, she knew, was in the tower, brewing up potions that would help them survive the day to come. They had used that powerful alchemy before, to bind flesh and spirit together strongly enough to cheat Death itself. At least this time, Cassie thought, she'd know in advance that she'd taken it before she almost died.

A sound, like a ringing bell, drew her attention. Outside the window, surrounded by brilliant blue, a tiny winged figure tapped against the glass. Bluebell was a fairy spirit, longtime friend of Gwen's family and her daughter's familiar. 

"Gwen," Cassie called, knowing she could hear her anywhere in the house. "It's Miranda!"

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"I should have known," Cassie snarled. "I should have known they'd pull something like this."

Bluebell had just finished delivering Miranda's message, telling them of the would-be master vampire, Ms. H's attack and infection of Miranda's girlfriend. Clearly, their daughter needed their help. Just as clearly, knowing as they did of the alliance between Faust and Ms. H, this was no coincidence but a coordinated attack. (Miranda's message had also blamed Glimmerbrook's notoriously poor cell phone coverage for her sending Bluebell instead of using a phone "like a person who doesn't live in the 14th century.")

"Faust strikes at the Moonwood," Gwen mused, "while his vampire allies strike at the holder of the Moonwood Wand. He gives himself a chance to win both... and, more likely, expects to distract or divide us. He's playing the game well."

"We can't leave her to face the vampires alone," Cassie snapped, "but we can't abandon the werewolves either. What are we going to do?"

"We don't play his game," Gwen said confidently. 

"We make our own choices," Cassie said, drawing in a deep breath.

"Are you counting Miranda in that?" Gwen asked gently.

"Ooohh," Cassie groaned. "You know, this whole Wise White Witch of Glimmerbook thing is really annoying sometimes... and overly heavy on alliteration."

"So you've said, dear," Gwen smiled. 

"Bluebell," Cassie said to the waiting fairy, "by the time you reach her, we'll be in Moonwood Mill dealing with... something. Tell her that we'll have everything under control and that I can be there the instant she calls us. Do not say Faust's name or mention anything about the Wildfang troubles."

Bluebell chimed in agreement.

"If she needs me, I have to go to her," Cassie said. "I have to."

"Of course you do," Gwen said, embracing her. "If it comes to that, I can handle Faust alone. She'll be alright."

"Our little girl is off fighting vampires, all by herself," Cassie sobbed. "She's all grown up now."

"And you're so proud of her," Gwen smiled.

"So proud," Cassie agreed.

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Author's Note: Firstly, there will be a new chapter tomorrow (Thursday, 12/7) and Friday (12/8) this week.

Secondly, I labeled this "chapter" as an Interlude because it isn't strictly necessary for moving the story forward and has the strongest link yet back to the finale for Wyrd Girls: College Years... being the other half of the messages Bluebell carries between Miranda and Cassie in Chapter 48: The Weird and the Wild and Chapter 49: The Fourth Volume (which is where the idea for Bad Moon Rising came from in the first place).

I also took this opportunity to directly address some fan questions about the romantic tension between Demarco and Etta. Despite my romantic heart longing to bring those two together, this isn't the right time for them.

-Leo