Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 21

It felt wrong to leave Moonwood Mill, Demarco thought. The Wolf in her wanted to stay, to fight for her territory, for her pack and for her people. The woman in her really didn't like the idea of leaving normals, like the Jackson and McGee families, alone to face Faust and the entranced Wildfangs. Still, she knew Etta was right - they couldn't do this alone.

So, rather than staying to fight, she drove away (Etta having admitted that, while she knew basically how to drive, she didn't have a lot of practice and her license was fake). 

"So, where are we actually going?" Demarco asked as they cross the bridge out of town.

"Henford," Etta replied. "Just follow the river."

Demarco ended up following the road signs, after quickly giving up on Etta's navigation skills. Her declaration that she was used to spotting landmarks from the air was both disturbing and unhelpful.

They turned away from the familiar road down to the Harbor, instead driving through green rolling hills, dotted with open fields and old farms. It was a quiet drive. Freddie dozed in his car seat and Etta seemed to retreat into herself, lost in her own thoughts. Demarco focused on driving.

In the little village of Old New Henford they left the van in a public lot and walked down a path marked as Olde Mill Lane.

Demarco was pretty sure who they were going to see. She was actually a little excited about it. 

She was shocked, however, at the sight of the sprawling farm with its huge stone house. After the urban decay of the Harbor and Moonwood Mill's beat up trailers and rustic cabins, the house at 3 Olde Mill Lane was not someplace she expected to see in real life. It certainly wasn't the place she expected to find the heir of the Moonwood Collective.

"Claudette?" Jake Volkov said, surprised, a moment after he opened the door. "What are you doing here... with Freddie... and a Wildfang I don't know yet?"

"Um, I'm Demarco," she said. "How did you..."

"You smell like a Wildfang," Jake said distractedly, "and Freddie smells like a pine tree."

"Etta did it," Freddie grumbled.

"Jake, you know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," Etta sighed. "We need your help."

"Let them in, Jake," a woman's voice came from deeper in the house.

"Well, hi little brother," the young woman said, smiling cheerfully at Freddie as she joined them. "Don't you smell fresh and clean."

"Etta did it," Freddie repeated fiercely. "Etta made me smell like pine-y tree to hide from 'Arco, 'cause 'Arco was under bad spell and Etta kiss 'Arco to break spell and we drive here."

"I didn't..." Etta stammered.

"We didn't..." Demarco said quickly. "I mean, I was..."

"... under a spell... and I broke the spell... " Etta continued.

"... but we didn't..." Demarco added.

"... we're just friends," Etta insisted. 

"You have a lovely home," Demarco concluded, looking around the entryway.

"Well, isn't this exciting," the young woman smiled. "Anyway, hi... Demarco, is it? I'm Beth and this little one is Diana."

"I was just about to put her down for a nap. Jake, Freddie looks hungry," she continued. "Why don't you take our guests into the dining room see if we have anything for them for lunch. I'll join you all shortly and you can explain..."

"She's always like this," Jake smiled as Etta passed Freddie to him. "Come on in. I think we have some leftover pasta and I know I can dig up a peanut butter sandwich for you, Freddie."

"P'nut butter," Freddie said excitedly.

-----------------------------------

"... and then we came to you," Etta said, concluding her account of the troubles at Moonwood Mill. "You are the best person I could think of to help... both Rory and Lily respect you, and you've been involved in defeating my Father... twice."

"Where's my father in all this?" Jake asked, stunned.

"Oh damn," Etta sighed. "I'd hoped you would know..."

"What do you mean?" Beth looked puzzled. "Has something happened to Kristopher?"

"He's been distant for months," Etta said, "and as far as I know, no one has even seen him for the last couple of weeks. I'd hoped... maybe he'd come to you."

"No, he hasn't been here," Jake said grimly, "but it explains why Faust would move on Moonwood Mill now. He's taking advantage of Kristopher's absence."

"No, that's not it," Demarco said softly, struggling to catch a memory. "I think he's looking for Kristopher."

"What?" Etta looked startled.

"I can remember some of what happened when I was enchanted," Demarco said. "It's like... like trying to remember a bad dream, but I think Faust said he wanted to find Kristopher... Kristophorus, he said... the Annointed."

"Yes," Beth nodded. "That was his original name... Kristophorus. It means Bearer of the Anointed."

"I'm studying our history," she continued. "Kristophorus is a firstborn child of the Mooncasters, the ancient coven of witches who became the first werewolves."

"But that doesn't explain why Faust would be looking for Kristopher," Demarco said.

"The Moonwood," Etta breathed. "The power of the Mooncaster's wild magic is still there in the Moonwood."

"... and in ancient times, when Kristophorus became leader of the werewolves, he would have been ceremonially made ruler of their lands," Beth said. "Ritually anointed as Lord of the Moonwood."

"... and as the Lord of the Moonwood, Kristopher would be bound to the land by the ancient magic," Etta said. "Faust doesn't just want to control the werewolves. He wants access to the wild magic of the Moonwood. Defeating Kristopher gets him both."

"Well, this just gets better and better," Demarco sighed.

"You know who we have to talk to," Jake said, looking at Etta.

"Oh... I was really hoping to not have to do that," Etta sighed.

"You said one of the reasons you wanted me to help was because I helped beat Faust," Jake said, "but you know who really beat him. We need her help."

"I'm going to get turned into a frog," Etta groaned.

"Is a bedtime story," Freddie yawned hugely.

"OK, little brother," Beth smiled warmly. "Time for a nap. You can sleep in Di's room."

"I'm a n'ucle," Freddie said proudly.

"You are?" Demarco asked, stunned by the sudden change of topic.

"Yes, he is," Beth said, picking the little boy up. "Freddie is my baby brother... my three-year-old brother who is the uncle of my almost one-year-old daughter."

"Weird," Demarco said.

-----------------------------------

"You go," Beth said later. "We can hardly bring the kids into a fight for Moonwood Mill. So, one of us has to stay and Claudette's right... The Wildfangs and the Collective both respect you. You're Kristopher's heir... not me."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Jake asked. "What if Faust sends someone after us?"

"Honey, I may not be Kristopher's heir but I'm still a werewolf," Beth smiled fiercely. "Let them try."

"I've been thinking about this," Etta said. "There must be another way. I mean, there are other small packs. We could rally them. Or maybe someone else... like the police. The National Guard. The Agency! Are super-heroes real? Can we find a super-hero?"

"Wow, you're really freaking out," Demarco said.

"They're going to turn me into a frog," Etta moaned.

"That can't really happen, can it?" Demarco asked.

"You know, Faust turned me into a frog the first time I met him," Jake mused. "I ate a bug. It was disgusting."

"OooooK," Demarco said. "Who are we going to see?"

"The Guardians of Glimmerbrook," Etta sighed. "A coven of powerful witches, including the girl I betrayed. I am totally going to be turned into a frog."

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Author's Note: There will be another chapter post on Friday (11/17) - Leo

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 20

"Hey pup," Demarco greeted Freddie cheerfully. "Why do you smell like pine cleaner?"

"Etta did it," Freddie accused.

"It an herbal cleaner, it's harmless and it makes him hard to track by scent," Etta insisted.

"Well, then it works," Demarco said, wrinkling her nose.

"Come on, Freddie," Etta said, picking the boy up.

"You good now?" Freddie asked, looking suspiciously at Demarco.

"Yes, she is," Etta reassured him. "I broke the spell and she's good now."

"Told you. Kissing break spells," Freddie said confidently.

"Ok," Etta chuckled.

"So, now what?" Demarco asked. "You seem like you have a plan..."

"Yeah," Etta said. "Like I said, we can't do this alone. We need help. Faust will have shut down anyone and anything in Moonwood Mill that he considers a threat. That which means we need to get out of town and find help. I have some ideas... People who can help us. They don't like me, but I know they'll help just that same."

"OK, get out of town. Find help," Demarco nodded. "A couple of things... How do we do that? Also, if we're leaving town, I need pants."

"I grabbed the spare keys to the Moonrunner's van on the way out," Etta said, "and I have pants in my go-bag."

"Your what?"

"Go-bag," Etta repeated. "My escape kit. I've got a change of clothes, a couple of IDs, some cash, water bottles and granola bars, that sort of thing. It's all stashed in the rafters above the lady's bathroom on Prowler's Patch."

"How long have you been planning this?!" Demarco said, shocked.

"Two and a half years," Etta said calmly. "It's tradecraft 101... always have an exit strategy. I didn't know this was going to happen, but I knew I might need to make a quick getaway, for one reason or another. So, I made sure I was ready."

"Tradecraft? Who are you? James Bond?" Demarco chuckled.

"Father trained me as his agent in a covert war and, if I do say so myself, he trained me well," Etta smiled grimly. "Now he pays the price."

"Wait, do you smell that?" Demarco said suddenly.

"Ki'l," Freddie said seriously.

"Kiril," Demarco nodded in agreement.

"Don't," Etta said. "Whatever you're thinking, please don't."

"We're pack-mates," Demarco insisted. "I might be able to reach him. I have to try." 

"Go," Etta groaned. "Meet me on Prowler's Patch, but if I get caught again, I will kick your... butt."

"Said 'butt,'" Freddie giggled.

-----------

He had obviously just shifted. His body was covered in healing scratches and cuts, much like the ones Demarco could feel on her own body. She tried hard not to think about what it meant, about who she'd hurt while Faust had controlled her. 

"Kiril," she called to him. "Kiril, listen to me. This isn't you. You're being controlled."

"Kiril, you're being controlled," he mocked her. "No, Demarco... I am not. You are being controlled... Rory and Lou are being controlled... maybe my Bianca, too... but not me. I am doing this because I want to. No more Rory's rules. Just strength. Just power."

"You did this," Demarco said softly. "The concerts..."

"Very clever, no," Kiril gave her a feral smile. "But you, naughty girl, slip leash. Is OK. Is more fun this way."

"You son of a bitch," Demarco snarled, throwing Etta's shirt aside.

Kiril growled back, answering her challenge, shifting as he stood. 

She felt her wolf responding and let it fill her.

He snarled, drooling and eager to fight. 

They hurled at each other, jaws snapping, claws tearing.

Kiril was big and surprisingly strong. Demarco was lean, quick and tough. She snarled through the pain of his claws and sank her teeth into him. 

He was arrogant with the greater power of his wolf, but she had trained, working out daily and sparring regularly with Rory. 

In the end, it was no contest.

She howled in victory as he fled.

"OK, I always knew he was a jerk but I didn't think he'd..." Demarco told Etta.

"Betray you?" Etta said sadly. "Sorry, but he was the type. Takes one to know one, I guess."

"Hey, don't talk about my best friend like that," Demarco said firmly. "Now, about those pants..."

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 19

"Blek! Smell like pine-y tree," Freddie complained as Etta spread the herbal salve over him.

"Yes," Etta smiled indulgently, amused despite her fear. "Which means you don't smell like little boy, and the bad guys can't sniff you out."

"'Arco not bad guy," Freddie insisted.

"No, she's not," Etta sighed sadly, "but remember what I told you..."

"Mean witch put spell on 'Arco to make her be bad," Freddie nodded with all the sage wisdom of a toddler. "You gonna kiss 'Arco?"

"I... what? What?!" Etta stammered, shocked. "Why? Kiss her?!"

"To break spell," Freddie said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Like sleepy beauty... prince kiss girl, break spell... Frog prince... princess kiss frog, break spell. Kissing break spells!"

"OooK," Etta said, adding half to herself, "Call that a solid Plan B."

Freddie stopped to sniff the air.  "'Arco coming," he said.

"OK," Etta took a deep breath. "You remember what to do?"

"Hide," Freddie said seriously. "Pretend I pine-y tree. Don't come out 'til you say."

"And if I don't call you?" Etta prompted.

"Hide and run to Mr. Lumberjacks," Freddie said.

"Good." Etta tried to give him a reassuring smile. She knew he didn't really understand. For Freddie, it must seem like a game, but as long he followed the rules... "Everything's going to be fine, cub. Go."

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As Demarco's russet wolf-form came into view, Etta took another steadying breath. She never thought she'd be so grateful for Father's predictably casual cruelty. 

She was still taking a horrible risk, not only to herself but to little Freddie too. Her plan was in no way sure to work. In fact, she admitted as the entranced werewolf raced closer, it was almost certain to fail. She just hoped Freddie would be OK. Her herbal brew wasn't a true potion, but it should still hide his scent from the werewolves, and if he could reach the Jacksons' house, she was sure they would protect him. 

Yes, a horrible risk, but she couldn't abandon Demarco. She couldn't betray another friend.

Working quickly now, she affixed the tuft of Demarco's hair to the poppet she'd prepared and began the incantation. 

It wasn't real magic. There were no Words of Power, but the rhythm of the incantation felt... familiar... as if the cadence of it carried the echo of a Word. Even as the werewolf bore down on her, she felt strangely calm. She could actually feel the energies of wind and water and the Moonwood itself gathering in her hands. 

At the heart of any magic is intent and will. Etta focused on hers. Lux Demarco, she thought. You are my best friend in world. Come back to me. Please, Lux... come back to me!

She felt the whisper of Power rush through her, leaving her giddy. She actually laughed out loud as she hurled her little folk charm against the might of an ancient and powerful warlock. 

Even bereft of her own Power, she knew the shape and form of her Father's magic. She knew the forbidden secrets that fueled his Power and she knew its weaknesses. 

"Etta?" Demarco blinked, stunned and confused as much from her sudden shift of form as from the breaking of the enchantment that had held her. "What... I was... Oh God, I was hunting you!"

"Yes!" Etta cried. "It worked! I can't believe it worked!"

"Oh God," Demarco shook her head to clear it. "Oh God, Etta what have I done? I..."

"It was my Father," Etta said firmly. "He put an enchantment on you. Whatever you did, it wasn't you. You didn't have any choice."

"It was like, I wanted to do everything... anything... he told me," Demarco said, horrified. "Like he was the smartest, wisest, most perfect..."

"OK, you can stop anytime," Etta snorted. "He's an asshole and he twisted your brain into knots to make you believe he was the center of your world. A little like love, really..."

"Etta, we attacked the Collective elders!" Demarco gasped. "He's taking over the whole town..."

"Yeah, I thought as much," Etta sighed.

"We can stop him!" Demarco said. "You can break the others free, and we can stop him!"

"I can't," Etta said. 

"Etta, he's got Rory and Lou... all the Wildfangs! We have to free them," Demarco said firmly.

"I can't!" Etta insisted. "I wasn't sure the charm would work at all but I know... I know... I need to be close to the subject. Like, emotionally close. Without that bond, I don't stand a chance of breaking the enchantment. Lux, you're my best friend in the world... I couldn't leave you... but I'm not that close to Rory or Lou... and I don't even like Kiril! I'm sorry. We can't save them... not alone."

"OK, OK," Demarco nodded, taking it all in. "I guess I should be glad it worked at all."

"Yeah, me too. Here, you're kinda naked." Etta said, pulling off her shirt and handing it to her. "I'm just really glad I didn't have to kiss you."

"What? Kiss me? Why would you..." Demarco stammered as she pulled Etta's shirt on, glad that it was long enough to cover her. "Also... hey, I'm a good kisser! But why?"

"It was just something Freddie said," Etta smiled. 

"Freddie!?" Demarco gasped. "Oh God, is he OK? Is he safe?"

"OK? Yes," Etta said. "Safe? No. None of us are safe. Come on."

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 18

Night had fallen and the thin crescent of the waning moon gave little light. A chill wind blew down off the mountain, stirring the branches of the old trees. The Moonwood itself seemed to whisper, as if the trees shared ancient secrets among themselves, under the watchful stars.

In the quiet of the cold spring night, the Wildfangs, obedient to their Master's command, gathered at the Den.

"As you see Markus, all the Wildfangs are now ours," Faust said.

"Too bad the last one never came to one of Kiril's concerts," Markus replied, as he studied the gathered werewolves. "We could have finished this sooner."

"You're always so impatient, my friend," Faust smiled. "The concerts served their purpose... giving us our chance to ensnare the others. There was no need to rush. When the time was right, Ms. Demarco came to me... and now the entire pack is under my control."

"What about Claudette?" Markus asked, the whisper of a cruel jeer almost hidden. "Has she come to you, now that the time is right? Is she under control?"

"Claudette is unimportant," Faust's answering smile barely covered the flash of temper. 

"As long as she doesn't interfere again," Markus growled with bitter memory. [1]

"She's powerless," Faust replied. "Stripped of her magic, she can do nothing!"

"Da, she is like buzzing of little fly," Kiril said, shifting out of his wolf-form and stepping forward. "Annoying but harmless."

"She's made her choice," Faust nodded, "and she'll suffer for it."

Kiril smiled, "Wildfangs await your orders."

"Sleep... until morning," Faust said. "Markus, go back to Forgotten Hollow and tell our friends - By the time the sun sets, and they have awoken, Moonwood Mill will belong to the Wildfangs... and the Wildfangs belong to us."

----------------------------

Soon, Faust's familiar spirit, Mephistopheles, intoned in its sepulchral voice. Soon the Moonwood will be ours.

"Indeed," Faust smiled. "It seems a pitiful domain... to those who do not understand the ancient power here. Now, let us be about it..."

"Kiril," he continued. "Mephistopheles tells me that there is to be a little gathering at the library this morning... local mortals speaking with Mr. Wilder, sharing their their concerns regarding the Wildfangs recent actions. I believe the pack should have a voice in that meeting.

"Take Bianca. Deal with Mr. Wilder and the show these mortals what it truly means to be means to be ruled by the Wildfangs!"

"As for the rest of you... it is time to put an end to this feud with the Collective. They will acknowledge the rule of the Wildfangs or they will pay the price. We will bring the Collective elders to heel... then we will deal with Kristophoros, the Annointed." 

"Of course, that does leave one matter unresolved," he mused to himself. "By now, Claudette will have abandoned her so-called friends and be focusing on protecting herself... hiding or trying to escape. So, who shall I use to track down my wayward daughter?"

----------------------------

Angry howls echoed through the trees. 

"Don't worry, Freddie" Etta said, holding the little boy close. "I'll keep you safe."

I won't betray you, she added to herself, and I won't abandon you!

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[1] The last time a defiant Claudette interfered.

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 17

Something was wrong.

Demarco didn't know what, but she could feel it with every step she took back to the Den. Of course, lots of things were wrong right now, but this was... different. She couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to be somewhere. 

To hell with it, she thought. Rory always told her to trust her feelings.

Breaking into a jog, she trotted past the Den and headed toward the entrance to the tunnels. The underground passages that ran under Moonwood Mill were the quickest way for her to get to the Collective's cabin. Without knowing how or why, she knew she needed to get back to Etta.

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"Hello, Claudette," Professor John Faust's deep voice was like ice and fire in Etta's blood.

The sight of him, standing there behind her like some black shadow she could never escape, filled her with conflicting emotions. Anger, hate... oh so much hate... fear, shame and, despite everything, the desperate, bone-deep longing for his approval. The sheer intensity of her feelings was nauseating.

"Well, I am pleased to see that two years living among these feral beasts hasn't done you any harm my dear, except perhaps to your fashion sense," Faust said.

"Seriously? I mean... seriously?!" Etta gasped, the absurdity of his words cutting through her visceral reaction to him. "After two and a half years... two and a half years! ... you risk coming to Moonwood Mill to insult my clothes?! What do you want, Father?"

"Is it so strange that I would seek out my dear daughter," Faust said with a serpent’s smile.

"The last time we spoke," Etta said bitterly, "you said I was a defiant fool, a disappointment. You said I was nothing."

Even now, knowing better what he was and what he had done, the memory hurt. All she had ever wanted was to make him proud. The memory of things she had done in an effort to earn his approval sickened her and still she yearned for it, ached for it.

"My dear, I was angry," Faust said gently. "You had, after all, just betrayed me."

"Yes, well, betrayal seems to be a particular talent of mine," Etta said, holding tightly to her anger as a shield against her pain. "One you nurtured and honed to a keen edge. Careless of you… cut by your own weapon."

"Yes," Faust hissed. “Quite careless."

"What do you want, Father?" Etta repeated.

"I came to offer you a chance to return," Faust smiled. "A chance to regain the powers those sanctimonious Sages took from you. I can give you that... and more. Come back to me, my dear."

She couldn't breathe for the shock of it. There he was, offering her everything... her powers restored, her place at his side. All she had to do was take it.

"Why?" she heard herself ask. "After all this time, why?"

"I need you, Claudette," Faust said gently, kindly. "Great things are coming, and I want my daughter at my side. You were a powerful witch, and you can be again. Together, we can continue the Great Work..."

"I've... I've dreamed about this," Claudette said. "Literally dreamed of this moment... of you, standing there and offering to take me back, offering to restore everything I lost. Every time... every time... I woke up before I heard myself answer you. I've wondered... for so long I've wondered what I would say to you. Now I know, without doubt or hesitation, what my answer is."

"Go to Hell, Father!" Etta shouted. "I want nothing from you. Your words are lies. Your gifts are poison. You used me, twisted me, made me a weapon... nothing but your weapon! I will not go back! I will not join you. So yeah... go to Hell, Professor Faust! I have it on good authority you know the way."

With a deep breath, she turned her back on him and marched away. It had happened. He'd come to her, just as she had always wanted. He offered her everything, and she'd rejected him. She felt free. She felt strong... and she absolutely wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her throw up. She'd do that when she got back to her cabin and could break down privately.

"You ungrateful little slut," Faust snarled. "Don't you turn your back to me!"

Pain seared through every part of her body. 

She couldn't move. She couldn't even scream. 

Desperately, she tried to cling to her anger, to her defiance, her freedom. Another wave of pain ripped through her. She wanted to scream, to cry, to crawl to Father and beg for his forgiveness. Anything to stop the pain.

"Hey!" Demarco shouted. "What the hell are you doing to her!?"

She didn't know what was happening, not really, but she had no doubt that this strange, dark man was responsible for what was happening to Etta.

"Leave her alone," she snarled, looming over the man.

"Ms. Demarco, I believe," Faust smiled even as he reflexively leaned away from the werewolf's fury. "I've been so eager to meet you."

"If you don't back off, asshole, you're going to get more of me than you can handle," Demarco growled.

"Run," Etta sobbed softly. "Lux, run... please... run!"

"Oh, I think not," Faust smiled. "You see, I know how to handle bitches like you. Heel, dog."

"No," Etta cried as Faust raised his wand and spoke a Word. 

Sobbing, Etta turned and fled. Lux, I'm sorry, she thought. I didn't have enough time. 

Demarco stood, dazed. Her mind felt empty, as she awaited her Master's command.

Finally, Faust thought, the last of the Wildfangs is mine.