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."

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

"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

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 25

"Kristopher came to us a short time ago," Gwen said as she led Jake down the brookside path. "Days? Weeks? I lose track." 

Jake paid little attention to the path, to the evening sunlight dancing off the brook, or to the scents of flowers and new spring growth. He struggled to let the White Witch set the pace. He wanted to run, to shift and race on all fours to reach his father.

"Where is he?" he all but demanded as the Glimmerbrook Gate came into view. 

He had known already where Gwen was leading him and expected to find Kristopher sitting by the Gate and the waterfall, lost in thought as he often did on the mountain back home.

"Through there," Gwen replied, nodding at the portal.

"Through there?" Jake gasped. "Through... the portal? He's... he's in the Magic Realm?"

"Yes," Gwen smiled. "He said he was very close to a decision and needed a quiet place to think."

"Can I..." Jake started, then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Is... is there some kind of protocol or ritual for asking to go through?"

Gwen laughed, "Yes, but I've never had much patience for formalities. You're with me and have my permission to go on. That's good enough for the Gate. Step through."

"Whoa," Jake gasped, looking around. Inwardly, he winced at not saying something more profound, but really, all his brain offered him was: "Whoa."

Stars wheeled in an otherworldly twilight sky lit by a vast shimmering aurora, and great shattered stones drifted like clouds. The air smelled of unfamiliar spices, of trees that bore both flower and fruit, of wet autumn leaves, the cold whisper of imminent snow... and under it all, a hint of dust and shattered stone. A place of wonder, touched by ruin.

Jake took another breath and, among the many uncanny odors, caught a familiar scent. 

Kristopher.

Just as Jake had been expecting, his father was sitting, clearly lost in thought, in this mystical place. Even as Jake saw him, Kristopher's shaggy head rose, and a smile spread across his face. 

Jake rushed forward into his father's warm embrace.

"It's good to see you, Jake," Kristopher sighed.

"Father, I'm so glad I found you," Jake said.

"We need you. I don't know where you've been or what's so important, but we need you," he continued. "That wizard, Faust, has the Wildfangs under a spell. He's been playing on the tensions between the packs, and now he's driven Rory to some kind of violent takeover of the town. We have to put a stop to it. I've got the new Wildfang, Demarco, and Claudette... Etta... with me, and Gwen and Cassie. With your help, we can free the Wildfangs and drive Faust out. Come on. We have to go."

"Oh, Jake," Kristopher sighed. "I've been thinking about what you said."

"What I said?" Jake replied, confused. "Said when? Just now... what's to think about?"

"No, no," Kristopher smiled, sadly. "What you said when you and Beth left to follow Miranda... right after poor Nick died. Do you remember?"

"That was like three years ago," Jake said, growing even more confused. "I was angry. I mean... does that really matter now?!"

"It matters a great deal," Kristopher said.

"Three years ago, when the Dark Court attacked the Guardians," he continued, "and Cassandra asked me to protect her daughter, Miranda, I agreed but I insisted that we would not fight in their war."

"I remember," Jake said, solemnly. It has been the first time he had truly believed Kristopher had been wrong about something important. 

"You don't remember the first war, the war that created us," Kristopher mused. "My parents and the other Mooncasters had taken on the powers of their wolf familiars to fight against the vampire uprising. I was raised in that war and, as a young man, I fought in it. I saw so many fall, so much horror and bloodshed. When it was over, my parents let old age claim them... and I became the leader of our people. I accepted the burden of immortality, so I could protect and guide us. I brought us back to the Moonwood, where we could make a sanctuary for ourselves.  I believed I could keep us safe, from the world and the horrors of war."

"You have," Jake said. "You've been a great leader to our people... and they need you now."

"I have done the best I could," Kristopher replied. "No more, or less... but now... When Miranda came to us," he continued, "I said I would not fight in their war... but she was so brave, so willful... and you and Beth followed her. Nick fought and died for her. I saw the horrors of the old war claim another young wolf. I said, again, that we would not fight in their war! But you said to me...

"Wake up, father! The war is happening, whether you want it or not... We can't be diplomatic with someone who doesn't even see us as people. We can't peacefully coexist with someone who wants to destroy us. People are dying. Nick died! No, he didn't just die... they killed him.

"Nick wasn't part of your pack, father. He was part of mine... and my pack is going with Miranda. We're going to stand against the vampires because it's the right thing to do. Because it's not her war, father. It's everyone's."

"I'm sorry, father," Jake began.

"No! You were right," Kristopher insisted. "I have led our people for a long time, Jake. Hundreds of years, building a sanctuary for us, finding peace with the Wolf within us. and trying keep us out of the world. You showed me that it is time for a new way."

"OK," Jake nodded. "OK, so you'll find a new way. We'll go back, save everyone and then you can lead us into this new way."

"No," Kristopher said, almost laughing. "Not me. You."

"We have to... huh, what?!" Jake rocked back, shocked.

"You, and your sister Rory," Kristopher smiled. "I can see that now, at last. I can't say I was wrong, not even now, but I can say that it is time for a new way. You will find that way for our people, to move forward in this new Age. I am too old, too set in my ways. I raised you. I raised you both... to be leaders, to take my place... so I could finally put down the burden and privilege of leadership. For a time, I thought you weren't ready, like I thought about so many other possible successors over the centuries. I finally realized I wasn't ready. I need to be. I need to step aside.

"I entrust you, Jacob Volkov, with the leadership of our people and with protection of the Moonwood," Kristopher knelt, bowing his head before his new leader.

"... and the Prince comes to Garden," Gwen said softly, "to receive that which he does not want."

"Thank you Gwenivar," Kristopher said rising. "I know I can trust you to keep an eye on them."

"Both eyes, as often as I can spare them," Gwen quoted. "Fair well, Kristophorus Lykos. I hope you find the peace you seek."

"You're leaving?" Jake gasped. "You tell me I'm pack leader, protector of the Moonwood... which has been invaded by an evil wizard in case you've forgotten, and you're just leaving?!"

"You don't need me, Jake. You're ready," Kristopher smiled. "You can do this... and you won't be doing it alone. To be a wolf is to be part of the pack. You said, three years ago, you have your pack, and you have only added to it since. I wouldn't give you this burden if I didn't believe you could carry it."

Turning, Kristopher walked away, and with each step, he seemed to fade.

"Goodbye."

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 24

"OK, I can't believe I'm sitting in Cassie's dining room!" Demarco whispered to Etta, looking around at the painting, hardwood walls and antique furniture of the old house.

"You are such a fangirl," Etta chuckled softly.

"I know," Demarco smiled. "Hey what was that thing Gwen said... about light in a dark wood and a prince?"

"The Light illuminates the Dark Wood," Etta repeated.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Demarco asked.

"Well... Lux," Etta said pointedly.

"Gwen is a Seer," Cassie put in, smiling as Demarco looked abashed at having been overheard. "She can glimpse Moments of the future."

"That's amazing," Demarco said, awed.

"Mostly annoying, honestly," Cassie replied, smiling at her wife. "Gwen speaks in riddles at the best of times, and her prophecies are even worse."

"That's what you guys meant when you said they knew we were coming," Demarco said, "but... wait... if you knew what was happening in Moonwood Mill..."

"I didn't," Gwen said sadly. "I can't See anything in Moonwood Mill right now."

"Father," Etta said, her tone making it a curse.

"Yes," Gwen smiled sadly. "He's gotten better at hiding himself and his plans from my Sight. I've had hints... enough to know that he'd come to you, Etta... and enough to know that you would all come here... but I can't see more than that."

"Which is a good thing," Cassie added.

"It is?" Jake looked confused.

"So she insists," Gwen replied. 

"The Moments Gwen sees are inevitable," Cassie said. "Once she Sees a thing, it will happen... and she doesn't decide the future. She just foretells it. That's why she couches everything in annoying metaphors and symbolism... the vaguer the prophecy, the more leeway we have in dealing with it. Faust hiding himself entirely from her Sight means that nothing he is doing is certain. There is no predetermined outcome. This future is entirely ours to create."

"OK," Demarco nodded. "I like that. Free will, right?"

"It's a rarer thing than you imagine," Cassie smiled. 

"Alright," Jake said. "So, we've got a chance... or at least no insurmountable prophecies that say we don't. We've got two werewolves and two powerful witches... or maybe three?"

"No," Etta said softly.

"Could you?" Demarco's eyes widened. "Could you give Etta her magic back?"

"Yes," Gwen breathed.

"No!" Etta repeated, loudly. "You can't. I won't. Please, no."

"Why?" Cassie asked gently. 

"My magic, my Father's magic... it's dangerous," Etta said shakily.

"Like Black Magic?" Demarco said. "Is that a thing? Is magic, like, evil?"

"Is being a werewolf evil?" Cassie replied. "Magic is a force of nature, like wind or rain or fire. Like the Wolf in you, it isn't good or evil... but it is powerful and it is wild. It's always easier to destroy than to create, easier to hurt than to heal."

"I won't," Etta repeated. "Please don't ask me. I'm sorry."

"It's OK," Jake nodded. "I get it. We work with what we have. Two werewolves, two powerful witches and an ex-witch. We can do this," he added confidently.

"Yeah, but Faust has us outnumbered. He's got the Wildfangs under his spell," Demarco pointed out, "and, by now, probably the Collective too."

"Not the Collective," Etta said. "He'll be stretched thin holding onto the Wildfangs. He won't be able to control the Collective elders too... and he wouldn't try. Not if he's after warriors."

"You've clearly never seen Lily fight," Jake put in.

"Doesn't matter," Etta replied. "Even under Compulsion, he'd be hard pressed to make her fight for him."

"Compulsion?" Gwen asked.

"He'll be using a Grigorian Compulsion spell. It's like a classic Fabian Mesmerism," Etta said, "but with elements of vampiric Dark Energy thrown in. It allows him bend their will more by drawing on darker, even self-destructive impulses."

Demarco exchanged a look with Jake as the conversation moved into esoteric discussions of magical theory. It was clear that, whatever she had lost, Etta still had a firm grasp on the principles and theories behind Faust's dark magic, which was apparently different from Cassie and Gwen's magic.

From what little Demarco could follow, it seemed that Faust's spell had tapped into Rory's frustration with the Collective, enhanced by months of Kiril's subtle manipulations, to drive her into violence, and then pulled on the bonds of the pack to drag her and Lou along. Still, they seemed to think the spell could be broken, provided Faust wasn't actively reinforcing it.

"Could you use the power in the Moonwood against him?" Etta asked. 

Gwen's only reply was a quizzical smile. 

"I've felt it," Etta said. "Even cut off, I could feel the ancient magic all around me in those woods. That's what he's really after, isn't it?"

"Probably," Cassie said. "To really use it ourselves, we'd need..."

"Need? Need what?" Demarco said after her pause had gone on longer than she could stand.

"A key to that magic," Gwen said. "The Moonwood Wand."

"Miranda's wand," Etta breathed, eyes wide. 

"Beth and I found it for her," Jake said. "In the old ruins, under the Moonwood."

"She said once her magic was moon magic," Etta said. "But why didn't he have me take it years ago when we... you know..."

"Stolen magic," Gwen said. 

"Of course," Etta nodded, as if it made sense. 

Demarco actually growled in frustrated confusion.

"Stolen magic is weak," Etta explained. "Magic won is strong. Magic freely given is strongest of all. If Father had stolen the wand when we... well, it wouldn't have been much more than any other wand to him. But if his allies on the Dark Court had... well, killed her...  they would have won the wand and then could have freely given it to Father."

"I think it would be best to keep Miranda and the Moonwood Wand out of this fight," Cassie said after a moment. "Better not to risk Faust getting his hands on the wand."

"There is another key to the magic of the Moonwood," Gwen said. "Its protector. The lord of the Moonwood."

"Kristopher," Etta said.

"Yeah, that was something else I needed to talk to you about," Jake said. "No one knows where my dad is."

"I do," Gwen said.

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Author's Note: There will a second chapter this week, posting on Friday 12/1