Twilight Sentinel by Andrew twi·light [tw lt ] noun 1. time after sunset: the time of day just after sunset or before dawn, when the Sun is below the horizon 2. half-light: the faint diffuse light that occurs at twilight. It is caused by the light from the Sun being refracted through the Earth's atmosphere. 3. final period: the time when something is declining or approaching its end, especially in a gentle or peaceful way. the twilight of the empire [15th century. Formed from twi- "two, half" (from Old English; ultimately) + light1.] sen·ti·nel [séntn'l , sént'nl ] noun (plural sen·ti·nels) sentry: somebody who is assigned the duty of keeping guard transitive verb (past sen·ti·neled, past participle sen·ti·neled, present participle sen·ti·nel·ing, 3rd person present singular sen·ti·nels) 1. guard something: to stand guard over something or a group of people 2. provide a guard for something: to provide a guard for something or for a group of people [16th century. Via French sentinelle from Italian sentinella , of uncertain origin: possibly ultimately from Italian sentire "to watch," from Latin, "to perceive."] \Twilight Sentinel/ \One/ Few people have actually stopped and felt grateful for the ability to see. Most people just take it for granted that the world will be there when they open their eyes. Of course, those same people, when thrust into a situation that robs them of that ability, will either adapt or get into all kind of trouble. At least, that was Erin's opinion. And midnight on a cloud-covered night was certainly dark. Erin Collins was walking home along a dark back road. It took a bit longer than the main road, but it was safer. She was, after all, dressed head to foot in black. Black sneakers, black jeans, black T- Shirt, and a black scrunchy in her long black hair made her doubt whether a car would see her in time to avoid hitting her. And there were never any cars this late on the back roads. In fact, there was no one around. Except for insects chirping, there was no sound. And the almost total void of any kind of sensory input was beginning to freak her out a bit. She was jumping at any unexpected sound, while straining to see where she was going. It was all Jasmine's fault. She swore to herself that she wasn't going to go to anymore of the cheerleader's parties ever again. (Isn't that what you promised last time?) a voice in the back of her head asked. (Well, I mean it this time,) she thought. But it was hard to say no to the girl. She seemed able to talk anyone into anything. And she had this unearthly beauty about her... But Erin stopped her thoughts before they strayed too far down this path. Nothing ever came of that kind of wondering, except a hedache. Especially if she tried to talk to her mother about it. Her mother had this wierd antipathy toward anything supernatural. She laughed silently as she remembered some of their arguments about Halloween. Erin always won, using the argument that it was just harmless fun, and the kids always looked forward to visiting their house. Erin always went all out on decorations and candy. She loved the supernatural, and anything to do with it. Maybe that was why she kept hanging around with Jasmine. (Okay, that's twice now that you've called this girl supernatural. Why?) She blinked and actually stopped walking for a second. For once the voice in her head brought up a good point. Why did she keep doing that? She didn't know of anything unusual about Jasmine. (Oh, no?) the voice shot back. (Well, just what do you know about her?) She started walking again as she thought about that. Well, the party this evening was a perfect example of what she knew - and what she didn't. It had been a normal enough party, with what seemed like the whole town there. At least half of those people, of course, were people that she had only ever seen at Jasmine's parties. She was starting to wonder if she was more withdrawn at school than she thought. She had actually tracked Jasmine down at the party to ask her about it. Jasmine had laughed that musical laugh of hers and replied that they went to school in another district. She had then asked Erin if she was enjoying herself, and how the food was. Erin had told her that she was having a great time - the truth - and that the food was great, too - somewhat less true. That was always one of the weirder things about her parties. Jasmine might know everything there was to know about being cool, but she knew zip about food. No one in the house did. Erin wondered why they didn't just get a caterer. They obviously had enough money. (Probably spend it all on take out. There's no way that they cook for themselves.) She stopped again. "But what about when they eat at home?" she wondered aloud. "Nobody can eat out all the time. If they don't make their own food, what do they eat?" She sighed. She felt like the answers to all of her questions were in her head somewhere, but she couldn't access them. It was very frustrating. As she once again started for home, she wondered if her suspicious attitude towards Jas wasn't partially due to the fact that she had asked Erin to stay and help her clean up. It had already been late, and a school night, and Erin had had no intention of agreeing. But Jasmine explained that her friends couldn't stay and help like they usually did, and it would be SO super-nice if she'd do it. Even then she was going to say 'no'. But Jasmine locked eyes with her, and after a few seconds, Erin melted. She still didn't know why. She stiffened. She was being watched, she could feel it. Since it was useless to try and look around, she just started walking faster. She couldn't hear anything, but she was positive that someone was there. She could always tell when someone was watching her. It was a talent that both frightened and fascinated her friends by turn. Right now, though, she wished it was more specific. She'd love to know if the presence was hostile or not. She was about to break into a dead run when the clouds started clearing, letting the moonlight shine through. It wasn't a full moon, but it was light enough. apparently whoever or whatever was watching her thought so, too. Before she had more than a second to look around, the bushes on the side of the road ahead of her rustled, and a large gray wolf jumped out. Erin stopped, jaw dropping open. A wolf. In Virginia. Before she could even get over the absurdity of that notion, something even stranger happened. The wolf sat up on its hind legs, as if to beg for a treat. Then it started stretching, growing taller. Its paws expanded into arms and legs, complete with fingers and toes. Its face flattened, assuming a more human shape. Some distant, detatched part of Erin's mind noticed that its fur seemed to change into clothing. The process continued quickly, until Erin was looking at a human body. A female human body. The girl was rather beautiful. Standing about four inches taller than Erin's 5'6", with long hair that was bleached ghostly white by the moonlight. She was now wearing some kind of form fitting bodysuit. Then she spoke. "Greetings, sister," the wolf-woman said. "My name is Suzannah." "Hello," Erin said weakly. Then she fainted. \Two/ Suzannah Kingston had been having a good day. School had gone great, she had had a date with one of the cutest guys in town, then she had been invited to a killer party. It had been hosted by an acquaintance, a vampire by the name of Jasmine. Then she had noticed the girl. Erin, she thought her name was. Suze knew that most of the people at the party were Night People, so she was surprised to see a mortal there. But the more she watched her, the less certain she was that Erin was human. There was something odd about her, and Suze could sense something. Shapeshifters were the undisputed masters at sensing life energy. Nine times out of ten, they could tell a Night Person from a human. Often, they could even tell the species of the person. But, for the life of her, Suze couldn't figure out what the hell Erin was. At times, she read almost like a witch, at others, Suze caught the barest hint of vampire. Guessing that all the other Night People at the party were screwing up her readings, she decided to follow the girl, talk to her alone. But then Jasmine just had to have her help clean up. By the time she'd gotten to where Suze had hidden herself, it was after midnight. Suze had turned herself into a wolf so that she could get home faster afterwards, and had set to reading Erin. She kept getting that baffling mixture of witch and vampire, though predominantly human, when Erin started wondering about what Jasmine's family ate. Suze mentally sighed. (Then she is human.) Then Erin tensed, seeming to fight the urge to look around. She started walking faster. Suze was too startled to do more than stare for a second. No human could have sensed her like that: she had made no sound whatsoever. Silently, she trotted after Erin. Just then, the clouds parted, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the scene. Erin was going to start running any second, so Suze decided to take a chance. She leapt out of the bushes and changed back to human form. (Now, what kind of greeting does one give a human who might be a witch who might be a vampire?) She thought, then decided on an approach. "Greetings, sister," she said, hoping she wasn't making a titanic mistake. "My name is Suzannah." Before she could add 'but call me Suze,' the girl smiled weakly and replied, "Hello." Suze felt a second of hope. Then the girl's emerald green eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the ground. Suze's heart sank. Not exactly the reaction she had been hoping for. (Now what do I do?) She couldn't just leave the girl here. While she may have had good intentions, there were other predators out there, as well as some Night People with less than enlightened attitudes towards humans, who would be decidedly less pleasant. Unfortunately, that also ruled out taking her to Suze's house. Her family might make dinner out of the helpless girl, if given half a chance. (How old is she anyway? 15? 16?) Whatever her age, she wasn't quite up to dealing with the Night World, as she had just proven. Suze started checking Erin's pockets for her wallet. If she could find some ID, then she could find an address. If she woke up at home, in her own bed, she'd dismiss the experience as a dream. And since they went to different schools, they weren't likely to come across one another often. It wasn't a great plan, but it was the best she could do. Erin groaned and stretched. She stared up at her ceiling in confusion, wondering how she'd gotten there. She didn't even remember coming home from the party. (Alright, I know I wasn't drunk, because I didn't have anything to drink.) The punch at Jasmine's parties always tasted too thick and sweet. The few times she'd tried it, it had nearly made her gag. Although there was something... almost familiar about it. She had gotten several amused looks from people when she drank some of it, so this time she hadn't. (Okay, let's look at this logically,) she told herself. (I do remember staying to help clean up, then I walked home, and ran into that girl-) Abruptly the events of the previous evening came flooding back, and Erin gasped and bolted upright in bed. Suzannah. The girl. The werewolf. She was amazed at how calmly she was taking it. (Was it real?) A quick search of her room, and a scan of the ground underneath her window revealed that yes, it was. There were faint but detectable dirty footprints on her rug, and footprints in the soil outside. Unnervingly, those footprints soon gave to paw prints. Wolf tracks, if Erin was any judge of things like that. Without really knowing what she was doing, Erin drifted into the bathroom to take a shower. Naturally, her mother was downstairs at the table waiting for her. With breakfast, Erin was glad to note. "I didn't hear you come in last night," her mother said disapprovingly. "Neither did I," Erin said, watching her mother closely. "Suzannah must have brought me home." If someone didn't know that the two were mother and daughter, they'd be hard pressed to believe that they were even related. Her mother had curly strawberry blond hair, usually tied tightly to the top of her head. She was also a couple of inches shorter than her daughter. And their personalities were polar opposites. Her mother was often quiet and withdrawn, almost as if she was trying to fade into the background. Erin was the kind of person that enjoyed the spotlight if it was shining on her, and was friendly with everyone. Madeline Collins quickly ran through a mental list of her daughter's friends. At least, the ones that she knew. Her daughter had so many friends that it was damn near impossible to keep track of them all. (Let's see. Suzannah, Suzannah...) "Who's Suzannah?" she finally asked, coming up blank. "Just someone I met at the party," Erin told her. Her mother raised an eyebrow. "She's okay," Erin assured her. And she was certain of that, even though she had no other evidence than that the girl hadn't killed her; she could feel it. "And what do you mean, 'brought you home'?" her mother pressed. "Erin, were you drinking?" "No! God, Mom!" She had briefly considered that. "How could you even think that?" She had gotten drunk a few times. "I just bumped my head on a rock. It was my own fault." She did, in fact, have a bump on the back of her head from hitting the ground when she fainted. She was rather embarrassed by the fact that she had fainted, but figured that, given the circumstances - like the location, time, and environment - that she was allowed. "I'll have to thank her next time I see her." (Which will be soon.) \Three/ "Hey, Suze! Think fast!" That was all the warning Suze had before a football came spiraling across the parking lot toward her head. Only her superhuman reflexes allowed her to catch it and save herself from embarrassment. Not to mention a headache. She hated it when he friends did something like that; forcing her to reveal her superior reactions. Most of the school was used to it by now, but she still hated having attention drawn to her like that. If anyone figured out what she was - anyone human, that is - she'd have to kill them. Or get a vampire to erase the knowledge from their head. That was what she had done last time. "Nice catch." She froze at the voice behind her. No, it couldn't be. But when she turned around, sure enough, there was Erin leaning against her car, watching her. "So, Suzannah - or was it Suze?" At Suze's stunned nod, she continued, "so, Suze, I'd like to have a word with you." She glanced at the small crowd watching them. "Alone." "Okay," Suze replied, still trying to puzzle out how Erin had found her so quickly. "Becky, do you mind getting a ride home with Tia today?" A small blonde, which Erin correctly identified as the aforementioned Becky, shook her head and moved off. After the others began dispersing, Suze unlocked the dark blue Fiat's doors and the two girls got in. "So," Suze asked as she pulled out of the parking lot, "where to?" "Well, we can go somewhere to talk, or you can just take me home. I believe you know the way." Suze winced. (So much for any hope of her thinking last night was a dream.) "Will you just tell me: how did you find me?" Erin smiled faintly at the memory. "I asked Jasmine." She remembered that conversation well. She'd found Jasmine in the halls during the break between third and fourth periods. "Hey, Jas, can I ask a favor?" she'd asked. Jasmine had smiled her too beautiful smile again. "Actually, I think I still owe you a favor. Ask away." "Can you tell me where to find someone that was at your party?" Jasmine's smile had slipped momentarily. It was only a fraction of a second, but Erin had seen it. "Who?" Erin had sighed. "I'm not sure, really. Her name's Suzannah, she's about three or four inches taller than me, blonde hair." A mischievous impulse had compelled her to add, "She's a real dog lover." That last had Jasmine looking confused, but she'd shrugged and told her that there had been one Suze Kingston at her party last night that fit that description. She had then added, much to Erin's delight, that Suze usually stayed after school for track practice. When she learned which school, Erin had done some mental math and found that she could get there well before practice let out. A quick search of office records had revealed which car was Suze's - she'd arranged for the person manning the office to be called away, and she'd just barely gotten out before he returned to lock up for the day. "You snuck past Goldberg?" Suze asked incredulously. "Barely anyone at school can do that!" "And I bet you're one of them. Am I right?" Erin shot her a teasing smirk. Suze laughed in spite of herself. "You are indeed." She shifted topics as she shifted gears. "So, why did you go to all the trouble of tracking me down?" "I wanted to thank you for bringing me home last night." Erin watched Suze's face closely. "Sorry about freaking out on you like that." Suze winced. "How much of last night do you remember, anyway?" "All of it." Erin paused, hoping she wasn't about to make a complete fool of herself. She also couldn't believe that she was about to say this out loud. "Just to be clear: you are a werewolf, right?" For a second Suze couldn't breathe. (She didn't just say that. She did not just say that.) But Erin was looking at her expectantly, and she clearly remembered what she had seen. (I hope Jasmine will erase her memory for me...) "Yes," she admitted at length. "Yes, I am." She sighed. "Since I guess I'm going to have to erase your memory, I may as well tell you everything." "Erase my memory?" For the first time, Erin sounded nervous. "You can do that?" "Well, I can't, but vampires like Jasmine can." "Jasmine's a vampire?!" (Whoops.) "Yes, she is. You didn't know?" Erin paused, then sighed and admitted, "I think I was about halfway there. So, everything?" "Okay." Suze braced herself. "Let's start at the beginning: the Night World." " 'Night World'? Where's that?" Suze turned the car into an exit heading for the mall. She could use some food, and she also thought she might find a vampire there who might blank Erin's memory. "It's not so much a 'where' as it is a 'what'. The Night World isn't a place. It's everywhere. It's a secret society of vampires, witches, werewolves and other shapeshifters, and other assorted creatures of darkness that live among us- er, you." She paused to take a breath. "The Night World doesn't really regard humans as significant. The laws say that it's okay to hunt them, toy with their hearts, even kill them. There are only two things that you can never do. One, never tell a human about the Night World. Two, don't fall in love with one." "What happens when someone breaks the rules?" Erin asked, not sure she really wanted to know. Suze cringed. "If they found out you knew, it would mean death for you and anyone you told. And me, too." A pause. "I think. It's never really come up before. With me." "And that's why you want to erase my memory of all this?" Erin asked, oddly touched. "Why not just let them kill me?" She paused as she realized just how that sounded. "Um, let me rephrase that..." Suze laughed as she pulled into the mall's parking lot. "I know what you mean. I, unlike my family, don't consider humans to be playthings here for my personal amusement. Besides, I kinda like you." "Yeah, that brings me to another thing," Erin said as Suze pulled into a parking spot. "What did you mean last night when you called me 'sister'? And why did you change in front of me at all?" Suze turned off the car and just sat in thought for a second. "I thought... you were a witch." Another pause. Then, quieter, "or maybe a vampire." "Why?" Erin asked, now completely lost. (How to explain, when I don't even really know?) "Okay, let me try and explain this. A lot of people in the Night World can sense a person's life energy. Shapeshifters are the best at it. You gave off the feeling of a witch, with just the faintest hint of a vampire in the mix. In fact, you still are. So I figured that you were a Night Person, and I wasn't in danger of breaking any laws." A shrug. "I was wrong." "A witch?" Erin laughed. "I wish. That would be perfect!" Suze couldn't help but laugh with her. "You are the strangest person, Erin- uh, what is your last name?" "Collins. My name is Erin Collins." Suze frowned. Collins? Why did that sound so familiar? "Do you have any relatives that I might know?" "You mean Night People? Not that I know of. Why?" "I don't really know. I just feel like I've heard that name before." She unlocked the car doors. "C'mon. I think I know someone in the mall that can help clear this up." "And then you'll erase my memory?" Erin asked, sounding somewhat sulky. Which, Suze reflected, she had every right to. "I don't know. It really depends on what we learn. I guess we'll see." As they got out of the car, Suze was glad to see that Erin looked somewhat happier. Or at least less likely to whack Suze in the head. "So, the person we're looking for works in a Mrs. Field's cookie store?" Erin sounded incredulous. Suze couldn't blame her. If she hadn't known better, she would have never thought to look for an expert on witch family histories there. "I know. But trust me: she's there." And sure enough, standing behind the counter was a short girl with frizzy red hair. She looked to be about sixteen, and had startlingly clear green eyes that flicked to Suze and Erin the second they walked into the otherwise empty store. "Suze?" she asked, her voice soft and melodious. "What are you doing here?" Her gaze drifted to Erin and back. "And who's your friend?" "This is Erin Collins. Erin, meet Maxine Wright." "But call me Max," Suze and Maxine chorused. Max chuckled. "You saying I'm getting predictable?" Suze grinned. "Oh, never. Now, we are here for a reason. Can we talk freely?" Max looked at her watch. "The boss'll be on break for another hour. Unless someone walks in, we've got plenty of time. What can I help you with?" "Actually, I was hoping you could tell us something about Erin's family. I know there are some witches in there somewhere, but neither of us knows where." Max frowned, but decided that it wasn't her place to tell Suze how to live her life. (I just hope she has some plan in case this Erin is simply a human.) "Collins, huh?" Now that she thought about it, the name did sound familiar. "Your great-grandmother came from England?" Erin thought hard. "Yeah, I think so," she said finally. "Then yes, you do have witch ancestry. Some of your more notable relations include the Olivers, the Drakes, and the Arlins." "The Arlins?" Suze repeated in disbelief. Max nodded. "Who are the Arlins?" Erin asked, hating the feeling that everyone knew something about her that she didn't. "Arlin, or more properly, 'Arm-of-Lightning,' is an old family, nearly as old as the Harmans." Then, anticipating Erin's next question, Max continued, "The Harman, or 'Hearth-Woman' family, is the oldest and most famous witch family. They're practically royalty. But I can look up some more detailed information about the Arlins, if you want." Erin nodded. "Great, stop by after we close, and I'll take you to my office." She looked up as a customer entered the store. "Now, if you'll excuse me...?" "You got it," Suze said. She and Erin departed the store. \Four/ Suze spent the rest of the day explaining the subtleties of the Night World to Erin. Who the most famous families in the assorted species were. What the positions of authority were in the witch power structure. Erin was especially fascinated by Aradia, the blind Maiden of all Witches. She tried to make her questions as intelligent as possible, since she didn't want Suze to get angry with her. Technically, Suze was still breaking Night World Law. And from the little Erin knew, the longer she had the information, the harder it would be for it to be erased. But Suze didn't seem annoyed by any of the questions, taking time to think about her response before she gave it. Erin found herself hoping that she would be allowed to keep her memory of all of it. She didn't want to lose Suze as a friend. Finally it was time to go meet Max. After Erin called her mother to tell her she wouldn't be home until late - she'd already called to say that she'd miss dinner - they left for the mall. This trip was much more quiet, but also more relaxed. Suze had pretty much given up on the idea of erasing Erin's knowledge of the Night World. Erin didn't seem very inclined to talk about it with anyone, and if she was even part witch, she had a right to know it. The Night World couldn't say anything about that. And she was surprised to find out how good it felt to talk about it - the Night World and its subtleties - with someone. Since everyone else that she could talk about it with already knew it all, she had to keep a lot of things to herself. She liked hearing a human perspective. Max seemed anxious to get out of the store as soon as possible, as if worried about what might happen if her boss interacted with them. Or the information she'd found was very important. Or maybe she just didn't like her boss. Erin didn't know, nor did she especially care. All she wanted was to know what Max had learned about her. The suspense was killing her. Max's 'office' turned out to be her basement. There hadn't been much in the way of conversation in the car. The only time Max had said anything was when she gave Suze directions to her house. She responded to all of Erin's inquiries with, "You'll see when we get there." Eventually, Erin had stopped asking. By the time they actually got to Max's house, it was just after midnight. Erin smirked, beginning to detect a pattern. Why is it that all my experiences with the Night World have to happen so damn late? she wondered silently. What, am I destined for darkness of something? Now there's a depressing thought. Actually, that thought would eventually lead to the biggest decision she would ever make in her life, but she didn't know that now. All she knew was that she was getting impatient. And maybe a little hungry. As quietly as possible, so as not to wake her family, Max led them downstairs. Once she closed the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's soundproofed down here, so don't worry about making noise," she told them. The basement had been divided into different rooms, obviously all used by Max. "I like it down here," she said offhandedly. "It's sort of my own little apartment." She led them into what had to be her office. To call it cluttered would have been an understatement. Papers were scattered everywhere: on the desk, on chairs, on shelves, even on the floor. There were also artifacts whose purposes Erin could only guess at lying around. In the far wall was a safe. Despite the mess, Max seemed to know where everything was. "Here," she said, plucking a piece of paper off the desk and thrusting it at Erin. "I traced your family as best as I was able." For a second, Erin just stared blankly at the paper. "When?" she asked when she finally took it. "We only asked about it this afternoon, and you've been at work all day." Suze had to admit she had been wondering the same thing. "Actually, no, I haven't," Max replied with a smile. "I had a nine to seven shift today. I only went back in to help close up. We were a bit shorthanded today." As Suze took that in, Erin read over the family tree Max had given her. She had always known that she had a big family, but she hadn't known it was this big! The paper was covered with names. Some branched into dead ends, but more kept going right up to the present. And, as promised, it focused mainly on the Arlins. She even had a distant cousin her own age, Winfrith. She made a mental note to get in touch with the other witch. She probably had some stories to tell. Then she noticed something odd. "There's not much here about my father," she said, raising her eyes to look at Max. "That's because his side of your family was a bit harder to track." She shuffled the papers on her desk. "I did find something..." she muttered as she searched. "You never mentioned much about your father," Suze said as the witch looked for the missing paper. It was true, too. While Erin had been only too happy to talk about her mother and all the great times they had together - or, conversely, their fights; many of which centered around her mother's tendency to hide from the public - she'd never said a word about her father. Erin shifted uncomfortably, her eyes staying focused on her family tree. "That's because he's dead," she said, sounding a bit choked up. "He died when I was three. I don't really remember him." Oh. Oh... damn. "I'm sorry," Suze whispered, fighting an odd urge to give the girl a hug. Instead, she reached out and grabbed Erin's arm, giving it a good squeeze. "I didn't-" "No way you could have known," Erin said cutting her off. "Like you said, I never mentioned it." She grasped Suze's hand for a second, then let go. Suze pulled away just as Max finally straightened up and exclaimed, "Found it!" She quickly scanned over the page. "Like I said, most of your Night World ancestry is on your mother's side, and even that's rather faint. The only thing I found on your father's side is a distant relation to the Redferns." Suze was rather impressed. "No wonder I keep sensing this almost-a- vampire energy. The blood of the Redferns, even as diluted as it must be in Erin, would still be there." Max nodded. Erin, not certain if she wanted to know, asked, "Would I be right in thinking that these Redferns of yours are important in the vampire community?" "They're like the Harmans of the vampire world," Max confirmed, talking to Erin. "But you may want to keep this information to yourself. You don't have enough lamia blood to do anything more than give the occasional shapeshifter an odd feeling, and the vampires really frown on human-vampire couplings. You're damn lucky that nobody else has ever found this information before now, when they might have been able to stop it." "What do you mean?" Max sighed. "Well, as I said, they won't care about you now. But if someone had caught the original human-vampire hybrid, they'd have killed him. And his family. So, don't bring it up." Then, seeing Erin's pale face, she changed topics. "But enough about that. We have a lot of work to do if we're gonna find out just how much of a witch you are." "What kind of work?" Erin asked, puzzled. "Well, to start, I think it might be good for you to come to the next Circle meeting." Erin blinked. Suze had told her some about the Circles that made up witch society, but not that much. "What Circle?" "Mine. Circle Twilight. The not-so-wicked witches." She smiled gently. "They're really the best option available to you." "What are the other Circles?" Erin asked curiously. Max hesitated. "There aren't actually that many... anymore. There's Circle Midnight, which I advise you to stay as far away from as possible." "Why?" The way things kept happening, she was certain that she'd end up meeting them sooner or later. (They are Circle Midnight, after all.) "Because it's made up of the darkest witches around." It was Suze that answered her this time. "They redefine the term 'evil'." Max nodded. "Yes. The only other good bet for you would be Circle Daybreak." She grimaced. "Although that may be taking things a bit too far." Even Suze looked lost. "Huh?" they said together. Max couldn't help but snicker. "Cute, guys." She sobered. "Circle Daybreak is the newest, and the last, Circle of witches. But it's not just for witches. Anyone can join. Vampires, shapeshifters, humans, it doesn't matter. They take all kinds." "Sounds like it may be the perfect place for me," Erin said, studying Max's face for a clue as to the reason for her disdain for the Circle. "Why don't you like them?" she asked at length. There was a long silence. Then, just as Erin was about to repeat her question, Max said, "Well, it's not that I don't like the other kinds of Night People, because I do. The fact that I went to all this trouble for you should tell you that I like humans, too. But... I just don't feel that we should start including them in our Circles. I'm sorry, but I don't." There was another moment of silence. Finally, Erin spoke up. "Well, that's your right," she said. "And I don't think I'm in any position to tell you what to do. And as for Circle Twilight, I'd be glad to visit." She frowned as a sudden thought took hold. "I wonder... Do you think my mother knows any of this?" Suze leaned against a wall. "What do you mean?" "Well, I was just thinking of what I should tell her about these meetings when it hit me: the way she tries to fade into the background, the way she shies away from attention, her antipathy to anything even remotely supernatural. Do you think she's trying to hide from the Night World?" Suze shrugged. "Only one way to find out for sure." \Five/ It was a year later that Erin got the news. She had just come home from a Circle Twilight meeting when she found her mother waiting for her at the door. "What's up?" she asked, throwing her backpack on a table and closing the door behind her. The bag had her witchy stuff in it, but it may as well have contained drugs for the way Madeline shied away from it. "You don't have to do that, you know," she said, feeling slightly exasperated. "Nothing in there is dangerous." "I just wish you wouldn't hang around with those awful people," Madeline shot back. "It's unnatural." Now Erin was beginning to get angry. "You may be content to turn your back on your heritage, but I'm not. It's a part of me, one that choose to embrace." Sensing that she wasn't getting anywhere, Erin decided to try a different track. "So, was there something you wanted, or were you just waiting by the door to berate my lifestyle?" All at once, Madeline looked uneasy, which made Erin uneasy. "I just got promoted." "But that's great!" And it was. Erin's mother worked as a General Manager of the local branch of a national bank. She had often complained that it was rather boring, and wished for something more challenging. "I thought that was what you always wanted." Her mother nodded sadly. "Yes, it was. I've been promoted to regional manager," Erin smiled, feeling happy for her mother. The feeling disappeared, however, when she continued, saying, "in California." Erin stared at her blankly for a few seconds as she processed this. Abruptly she exploded. "What?!" she practically screamed. Her mother sighed and headed into the kitchen. Erin followed, still ranting. "How could you do this?! And without even asking me how I felt? I thought we had an agreement around here: no making an important decision without first talking about it with the other person. I mean, I talked to you before I started attending Circle Twilight meetings." And that was true, Madeline thought with a wince. She could still remember the immense shock she'd gotten that day a year ago at breakfast the morning after her daughter had gotten back from her evening with her new friend, Suze, and had started asking her questions about the Night World. Madeline had nearly fallen off her chair. The look of pain in Erin's eyes when she had asked why she'd never mentioned any of this still haunted her. They had fought, and Erin had started going anyway, but at least they had talked about it. "They just sprang this on me," Madeline protested, wincing at how feeble that sounded. "I didn't even get a chance to say no." "Isn't there anything you can do?" Erin wailed. At her mother's head shake, Erin's eyes narrowed. "If you're doing this to get me to go back to having a 'normal life,' you can forget it. I'm sure there's a Circle Twilight branch out there. The Night World is everywhere!" Madeline sighed again. "I know that. I may not like it, but I understand it. But unless I want to kill my career, I have to do this." Erin knew when she was beaten. "How long?" she asked sullenly. "Two weeks." Madeline hated the gulf that was building between her and her daughter, but was powerless to stop it from happening. "As of Tomorrow." Erin sighed. At least school was out for the summer, so she wouldn't miss anything. "I hope that'll be enough time to say goodbye to my entire life." With that, she stomped up the stairs. Madeline felt the slam off Erin's door like a physical slap. It felt like she was being shut out of her daughter's life. She didn't like that feeling. "You're moving?!" Suze sounded as shocked as Erin had. "When? Why?" Erin sighed. She'd actually moved past feeling furious into a numb state. "In two weeks. As for why, my mom got promoted." "Where are you going?" Even though Suze couldn't see it, Erin smiled grimly. "Well, that's the one good part. California. San Francisco, actually." "Sounds like fun," Suze said, sounding a bit too upbeat. "And two weeks should give me plenty of time to get everything packed." (Huh? Give her...?) "Don't you mean, it'll give me time to pack?" "Huh? Oh, yeah. You'll have plenty of time, too." "Suzannah Kingston, what are you talking about?" Suze grinned. Erin only used her full name when she was getting seriously annoyed with her. "Well, you don't think I'm going to stay here while my best friend moves across the country, do you?" Erin groaned in frustration. "Suze, this isn't like when you changed schools. This is huge!" "I know," Suze replied. "But I'm not really needed for anything here, and my family certainly wouldn't miss me. Hell, I think they'd actually help pay my rent if it meant getting rid of me." "Ah, the lone wolf," Erin teased. Inwardly, though, she was glad. The entire ordeal would be made considerably easier by Suze's calming presence. \Six/ San Francisco, Erin was discovering, was a pretty cool place to live. And, as it turned out, she had been right: Circle Twilight did meet nearby. Max had called them to let them know that Erin was coming, and what they'd be in for. She also checked in on a regular basis, and they chatted about what was going on in each other's lives. Erin was happy to have earned a position in Circle Twilight all on her own. Her unique ability to detect threats had caused the witches to dub her their 'Sentinel.' In the past year she had learned how to hone her senses to a degree even most shapeshifters would be hard pressed to match. She knew that Suze was also adapting well, which made her happy. She couldn't have asked for a better friend. Suze had literally dropped everything to come and keep her company. Oh sure, she made noises about her family, but Erin knew that she had really done it for the sake of friendship. Night World relationships, she was finding, were often much more complicated - and more fulfilling - than their dayworld counterparts. Even a chance encounter could change your life. As Erin would soon find out. Walking through Golden Gate Park, Erin sighed. This city was so different from her old home. For one thing, it was so much bigger! You could easily fit three towns the size of her old hometown in the city, and still have enough land left over to build a few international airports. Construct an oil refinery. Host the Olympics. Then there were the people. Such a diversity! People of every ethnicity, gender, nationality... everything. And there were plenty of Night People. In fact, now that she thought about it, lately Suze had been warning her about a vampire gang that was doing some illegal hunting. (Hope I don't run into them,) she thought. (I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to object or not.) As if in response, she felt a tingling at the edge of her senses. On a sneaking suspicion, she checked her watch. 12:43 am. (I thought so.) It seemed like she couldn't even escape the bizarre string of midnight coincidences by moving across the country. She sighed and prepared herself for the inevitable confrontation. The wait was not a long one. She soon heard someone thrashing through the bushes. A young man wearing gang colors and wielding a knife burst out of the woods, followed by a young woman with wild red hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back. Her unearthly beauty quickly told Erin that she'd found one of the vampires. The gang member was pulling ahead - or rather, the vampire girl was letting him pull ahead. Whichever it was, he obviously thought that he might live through the night. Then he spotted Erin. Whether it was the fact that she had seemingly appeared from nowhere, or the no doubt eeire picture that she painted - tall girl, black hair that blended with the night, watching a vampire run at her calmly - he seemed to decide that she was a threat. Did she look like a vampire? Erin wondered as the gang member ran for her. No matter. She waited patiently until he got within striking distance, then dropped to the ground, balanced on her hands, and swung her legs around in a move that her gymnastics coach would have kissed her for, sweeping him off his feet. Even as he was falling, she swatted the knife out of his hand. His head had barely bounced off the ground before she drew back her fist and administered one sharp, clean punch. He was unconscious before his head hit the ground a second time. Since she could do little in the way of a magical defense, Circle Twilight - and Suze - had made sure that she'd be able to defend herself physically. The vampire stopped several feet away, staring at her. "Impressive," was all she said. "Thank you," Erin replied coolly. "A girl's gotta know how to defend herself." She stood. "You going to tell me what's going on?" The vampire tilted her head thoughtfully, then straightened. "Tell you what. I'll do you one better. I'll show you." She transformed, showing her fangs and growing far more beautiful. "Start running." Erin stiffened, then made a show of relaxing her posture. "Oh, thank the Goddess, a vampire. For a second I thought I was in real trouble." As she'd expected, this completely confused the vampire. "What?" Then, somewhat more calmly, she added, "And what makes you think you're not?" "Because from what Circe tells me, Night People can hunt humans at will, but hunting other Night People is really illegal." "Circe?" the vampire repeated, looking a bit less sure of herself. "The-" "Head of the local branch of Circle Twilight, yes." Erin smiled as the vampire relaxed into her human face. She was actually kind of cute when she wasn't threatening someone's life. Kind of an exotic beauty. Erin liked it. "Oh, but we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Erin Collins." The vampire couldn't help but smile back. "Jez Redfern." At Erin's raised eyebrows, she chuckled softly. "Yes, I said 'Redfern'. Got a problem with that?" "Should I?" Erin shot back. She knew that she probably shouldn't be bantering with a vampire gang leader - and she was the leader, Erin could feel it - in the middle of her gang's hunt, but she couldn't help it. "Well, maybe just a little," Jez said with a smirk. Then she tilted her head, listening to something that Erin couldn't hear. Whatever it was didn't make her happy. Her face scrunched up, and Erin realized that she was talking to someone telepathically. She'd never done it herself, but she'd seen enough people do it to recognize it when she saw it. "Something wrong?" she asked curiously. "Just that we're about to have company," she said, sounding slightly angry. "Morgead, my second-in-command." Erin chuckled. "What's so funny?" Jez demanded. "I knew it. I knew that you were the gang's leader." Erin realized two things a bit too late: one, she'd just admitted to knowing that the gang existed; and two, that she could tell who was a leader and who wasn't. But the first was common knowledge among the local Night People, and the second was to be expected, given who she was. And Jez probably knew that. Even if she didn't know that she knew. Erin blinked. Or something like that. Jez, sensing that Morgead was coming, filled Erin in about him as quickly as possible. Morgead Blackthorn was seventeen, a year older than both girls, and her worst enemy. He was conceited, hotheaded, stubborn, and power-hungry - rather like she was, Erin suspected. As he approached, Erin could see his gem-green eyes sparkling with mischief and... something. Whatever it was, it was directed towards Jez. It vanished quickly, but Erin knew she'd seen it. His hair was almost as dark as Erin's. "And who's this?" he asked, smirking. "A new friend?" Jez made an annoyed sound. "This," she said in her best 'you-should- know-this' voice, "is Erin Collins, the Sentinel of Circle Twilight. Erin, meet Morgead, my second-in-command. Now," she said, turning to face Morgead, "was there something you wanted?" "Well, I was going to tell you about the police cruiser that was patrolling nearby picked up one of our 'playmates'," Morgead growled. "But right now, I'm more interested in what the good Sentinel is doing here." "Actually, we never got that far," Jez said flatly. "Well, I can tell you that I wasn't expecting to run across a gang of vampires hunting illegally," Erin replied. "I was just out here communing with nature." There, that sounded like a witch thing to say. And it wasn't a lie, either. It just wasn't the truth. The truth was much more dangerous. She was looking for someone from Circle Midnight. It was perhaps one of her stupider ideas. She knew that it was. But she went ahead with it anyway. She had to learn more about what she was, and she knew that the darker witches might just know some things that the 'good' witches were too afraid to discover. But she wasn't about to tell Jez that. Even if she, more than anyone else, might understand, Erin didn't want to tell anyone about it. She didn't know who it might get back to. "Well then, we'll leave you to it." Jez gave Erin a look that said that she didn't quite believe her, but was going to let it go. As if she'd spoken into her mind - which, Erin reflected, was entirely possible - she got what Jez was really saying, (You don't tell anyone about us, we won't tell anyone about you.) Erin nodded. (You've got a deal) she thought. Jez seemed to pick up the thought. She nodded back, and she and Morgead melted back into the shadows. It was only then that Erin remembered the unconscious gang member at her feet. (Oh, son of a-) Erin thought, then shrugged. Not her problem. Jez could clean up her own mess. It was over three weeks before Erin ran into Morgead again. She was surprised by how panicked he looked. But once he told her, she felt a bit panicked herself. Jez was missing. While her gang continued searching for her, Erin decided to take a somewhat different approach. She ignored it. Jez was a gang matter, and they didn't really want her help. Which was fine by her. She had better things to do. She had decided to put her whole Circle Midnight plan on the back burner for now. There was no reason to unnecessarily complicate her life at that point. She was getting a handle on what she could and couldn't do. What could Circle Midnight possibly have to offer her? \Seven/ Katarina McConolly sat facing the Night World Council, the picture of serenity. Only someone who knew her well would see the ever-so- faint hints of the rage that was roiling beneath the surface. And there really weren't that many people that knew her that well. In fact, there weren't any. She had known that something like this was likely to happen. She was, at sixteen, one of the youngest members of Circle Midnight, but she was moving up through the ranks fast. So fast, in fact, that the Council had taken an interest in her, and wanted to make sure that she didn't hurt herself. (Translation: they want to make sure I'm not a threat to them,) she thought bitterly. (As if I care about vampires or shapeshifters. My Circle is all.) She shifted her gaze as Hunter Redfern started speaking. "Well, Ms. McConolly, what do you have to say for yourself?" (Self-important bastard. Like you even care. That little civilized act doesn't fool me, Hunter. I know the real you.) "I simply wish to remind the Council, again, that how strong I become is no one's business but my own and my Circle's." "I quite agree," an unexpected voice broke in suddenly. All eyes turned to face Grandma Harman, Crone of all Witches. "This situation is a witch matter, which we shall handle. Unless clear and specific charges are brought against Katarina, she is no longer your concern." And that was the end of that discussion. Katarina watched Grandma Harman as she left the meeting hall and the crowd began to disperse. Most witches in Circle Midnight tried to have as little to do with the Harmans as possible, but Katarina had never been quite so grateful to anyone before. (I'll send her a 'Thank You' card or something. But if she thinks that she's going to convince me to join Circle Daybreak, she's wrong. Dead wrong.) "Ah, Katarina. I was wondering when you'd get back. How are you?" The voice, as usual, sent shivers down Katarina's spine. Marcus Bloodstone, her mentor. Her lover. She was five foot nine herself, and he still dwarfed her by almost a foot. He was blond and muscular, his unruly hair trimmed to a point just above his cold blue eyes. His looks contrasted sharply against her spun gold hair and violet eyes, which she had been told were two of the high points of her elven features. She had more of a swimmer's body, athletic without being bulgy. Although, she thought with a mental smirk, she certainly was bulgy in other areas. "Hello, Marcus. I'm exhausted. I thought those windbags on the Council were never going to let me go." She plopped herself into a soft chair with a sigh of satisfaction. Her room at Circle Midnight headquarters - the Los Angeles branch - was comfortably furnished. Unlike some Night People, they knew a good thing when they saw one, and were determined to do whatever was necessary to make sure that she didn't leave. "Oh?" Marcus asked with a chuckle. He walked behind her and started massaging her shoulders. Katarina groaned with pleasure. "Yeah." She had at first been nervous about talking negatively about the Council in front of him, since he was older than her, but he seemed to have even less love for them than she did. "You'll never believe what happened, though. I thought I was going to be there all day. I might have been, too, if Grandma Harman hadn't intervened." "Grandma Harman?" Marcus repeated incredulously. "Yeah, I know. I couldn't believe it either. But she said, and I quote, 'This situation is a witch matter, which we shall handle.' She made it abundantly clear that unless I make a violate a major law, they're not to touch me." She laughed softly. "Remind me to send her a fruit basket." "You're not too grateful, are you?" The comment was teasing in nature, but Katarina thought she detected just the slightest hint of genuine worry in his voice. She twisted out of his grip and turned to face him. "Not hardly. I appreciate what she did, but she's a fool if she thinks I owe her anything." Marcus grinned. "Now that's what I like to hear!" He walked over to her glass coffee table, and picked up a folder. "Here's that information you requested. I had to pull some pretty major strings over at Circle Twilight to get these. In fact, they wouldn't even let me look over them. Said they were 'for your eyes only'. As if I'm just some low-level functionary." She chuckled softly, but there was just the slightest hint of danger in her eyes. "Well, if that's what they said, than that's the way it's going to be." Marcus looked ready to argue, but evidently thought better of it. He left without a word. Once he was gone, Katarina removed the wards on the folder with the specially requested herbs that had arrived the day before. She opened it and got her first look at her new objective. She studied the picture carefully, as well as the name. Erin Collins. \Eight/ It would be a year, however, before Katarina could make any headway on her new project. The delay didn't worry her. It just gave her time to work on her spells and become stronger. She was rapidly becoming one of the darkest witches in Circle Midnight Which was why all the talk she'd been hearing lately had been making her nervous. There had been some whispers - only whispers - that the witches might split from the Night World. Katarina honestly had no idea what to do if that happened. She wanted to stay loyal to her kind, but not if it meant joining with the Daybreakers. And really, Circle Midnight and Circle Daybreak were the only two options left to a witch now. The only thing that comforted her was that, from what she could tell, Erin semed as confused as she was. Unlike the rest of Circle Twilight, she had stayed away from Daybreak. (She seems to be heading, if you'll excuse the cliché, more towards the dark side,) Katarina thought. (This couldn't be going better if I'd planned it.) Erin, however, was not in quite as good a mood. With the collapse of Circle Twilight - that was how she viewed it - she had little to do. Suze tried to keep her occupied, but nothing worked for long. The other day she'd gotten so bored she'd went shopping for a motorcycle helmet. She didn't even have a motorcycle. Then they started showing up. Circle Midnight operatives. They seemed to be watching her, but she couldn't tell why. At least dodging them provided some entertainment. And she loved seeing the confounded look on their faces when their tracking spells seemingly just fizzled out. That's not what really happened, though. They didn't fizzle out at all. Erin absorbed them. It was one of the only tricks she could do exceptionally well. She had next to no magic of her own, but she could absorb magic from another witch and use that for spells. Or, if she got enough, witch fire. Just before Circle Twilight had disbanded, she begun to theorize that, if a stable link were created, she'd be able to function like a normal witch. But her mood at the moment wasn't excited. It wasn't bored, though, either. She was terrified. But not for herself. For a child. She and Suze had been flipping through the channels while her mother got dinner ready. That's when Suze had seen the news broadcast. A young girl was trapped in a fire. "Tell me you're recording this," Erin hissed, not sure why that was important. But it was. She could feel it. Without a word, Suze hit 'Record'. By now, Madeline had come out and was sat down on the couch next to them, looking shocked. Together they watched as the fire got steadily worse, despite the best efforts of the firefighters. The flames engulfed the girl's window. The reporter's voice broke. Erin stopped breathing. Then, suddenly, everything changed. There was some kind of light gray flash, then white smoke was billowing out of the building. Erin remembered to start breathing again as the reporter confirmed what she thought: the girl was out of danger. Not because she'd gotten out, but because the fire was gone. It was just gone. They sat for a while in silence. Then, when she was certain there wasn't going to be anymore useful information, Erin picked up the remote and stopped recording, rewound the tape, and hit 'Play'. "What are you doing?" Suze wondered. "Why would you want to see that again?" "Didn't you see that?" Erin asked as she got to where she wanted and slowed it down. "See what?" "That's what I'm trying to find out." Erin gasped and pointed to the screen. "That! What's that?" They looked. She reversed the tape, then played it in slow motion again. They could see the burst of orange fire, frame by frame, getting larger. It crawled up to engulf the window. And then there was a flash. It had only showed up as a flicker at normal speed, easily mistaken for some kind of camera problem. Suze couldn't figure out how on earth Erin had spotted it. At this speed, though, no one could mistake it. It was blue. It looked like lightning or flame; blue-white with a halo of more intense blue around it. And it moved. It started out small, then seemed expand and reach into the fire. After that, it was gone, and the fire was gone with it. Erin hit pause just as white smoke began to creep out the windows. "What-" Her voice sounded strangled and rough. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What was that?" "I have no idea," Suze answered, sounding amazed and just a bit scared. "But I think it's time we gave Max a call." Erin was surprised that her mother didn't object. She wondered if she'd just forgotten. If so, then Erin sure wasn't going to remind her. Later, when she had time to reflect, she'd realize that her mother, despite her attitude towards the Night World in general, knew that some things were just too big for the Day World to deal with, and this was one of them. "What did you say?!" Erin held the phone away from her ear until Max stopped shouting. "I said that we saw something on TV that looked like a flash of blue fire. Why? What's the big deal?" A pause. "Okay, look. I'm coming out there. Don't show anyone that tape, don't talk about this with anyone, don't do anything. I can't explain over the phone, but this... Just wait." Before Erin could say anything, Max hung up her phone and turned on her lights - on low. Being several hours ahead of San Francisco, Max had actually been sleeping when she'd gotten the call. But what Erin had said had made her forget about sleep completely. As carefully as possible, she made her way into her office and opened her safe. Inside were several papers, copies of several scrolls that were in possession of the Night World Council. She had come across them during the course of her career. Including some that they were just discovering now. What Erin had told her about sounded far too much like something from one of the bigger prophecies. The one about the four Wild Powers. The blue fire. (Goddess, is it possible?) She actually hoped not. Naturally, she'd give nearly anything to see a Wild Power in action, but not when she considered what else the prophecy mentioned. The end of the world. That was the reason for the Wild Powers existence - if they did, in fact, exist. To stop the destruction of the Day World. She scribbled everything that she had about the Wild Powers on a separate piece of paper, then locked the original copies back into the safe, restoring the old wards and adding several new ones. Then she began working on the ingredients for a very special spell. A teleportation spell. She wanted to get to Erin fast, and this was the fastest way possible. Teleportation spells were very tricky, but Max had finally learned just what was necessary. (Hope Erin's up for company.) She wasn't, actually, but she adapted quickly. Even her mother was polite to Max, which was a feat in and of itself. Max knew this, and made certain to be as nice to Madeline as possible. She couldn't help but wonder, however, as the evening went on, just why Madeline had turned her back on the Night World. Sure, she didn't have much power, but she had quite extensive knowledge. She would have made a welcome addition to the Council. Or at least Circle Daybreak. Max made a mental note to discuss that with her later. If there was a later. Eventually, they came to a decision. Max knew that the witch elders most likely knew about the prophecy, but they needed to know that the Wild Powers were manifesting themselves. And after Erin showed her the tape, Max was positive of it. She and Suze were going to go to Circle Daybreak headquarters and find Grandma Harman. As the Crone of all Witches, Max felt that she should know about the situation. Erin, much to her mother's relief, declined their invitation to come along. She still had school to attend, and she didn't feel right about going to Circle Daybreak, despite the fact that she had family on the inside. She had finally tracked down her cousin Winfrith, or Winnie, as she was typically addressed. Winnie, strawberry curled pixie that she was, had been thrilled to learn about her. Even when they'd met, and she'd learned about Erin's powers - or lack thereof - she'd still promised that Erin would be more than welcome at Daybreak. And Erin had been tempted. But she simply couldn't bring herself to side with one Circle over another. Winnie had been slightly depressed, but had accepted her decision. They still kept in frequent contact. Erin wished she could bring Winnie and her team in on this - she, a vampire named Nissa Johnson, and their leader, a black panther named Keller, were an elite Circle Daybreak commando team (or whatever) - but she had promised that she wouldn't tell anyone. But that didn't mean that she couldn't interact with other Night People, she thought, hiding a grin. Like maybe Jez. As far as her old gang knew, Jez was still either missing or dead. But Erin knew the truth. She was hiding in a small town named Clayton, about an hour and a half's drive from San Francisco - assuming there wasn't much traffic. On a really good day, she could cut travel time to an hour and fifteen minutes. Jez didn't come into the city often. Only whenever her work as a vampire huntress demanded it. The only reason that Erin knew that she was there was because she'd ended up in Clayton a few weeks ago when she'd been dodging a pair of particularly persistent Circle Midnight operatives. \Nine/ Three Weeks Prior Erin crouched on the rooftop, watching the two operatives go by. Fortunately, they didn't think to look so high for her. Probably because most witches couldn't move that fast. The only reason she had was that she had already been by this house a few times and had figured out the fastest route to the roof. She hoped the Goddard family wouldn't mind. After a few minutes, they finally gave up and left. Erin heaved a sigh of relief and began climbing down. At least no one was home. The adults were at work or out shopping, and the kids were at school. (Where I should be,) Erin thought with a wince. But if she'd stayed there, she would never have been able to avoid the two clowns she'd finally lost. And she didn't want Circle Midnight to know too much about her before she decided what to do about them. (Well, listen to you,) a voice in her head remarked. (Like you hold the fate of Circle Midnight in the palm of your hand. Hey, why not think bigger? How about the fate of the world?) (That's not what I meant!) she thought, annoyed. (All I meant was I'm not sure what to do about this weird interest they have in me.) She dropped to the ground with a quiet thud. (Ah, well. I'll figure it out when I get home... if I can just get out of here without anymore trouble.) Unfortunately, things didn't work out quite the way she planned. She'd barely gotten a few steps before her early warning system started screaming at her. She had learned how to interpret the levels of her feelings, and react accordingly. For a sensation like this... She threw herself to the side without thinking. Just in time, too. She felt something pass through the air where she'd just been, only missing her by a few inches. She hit the ground rolling. By the time she'd managed to stop herself, the other person had already recovered and was coming after her again. Strong hands threw her back to the ground, and she groaned as someone knelt on her, twisting her arm behind her back. "Who are you?" an angry female voice demanded. "What are you doing here? Did the Council send you?" "They wish!" Erin ground out. Something about the voice was oddly familiar. There was a snort of laughter. "Well, you've certainly got guts. But what are you doing here?" Now Erin remembered. "I was just out here communing with nature," she said with an audible smirk. There was a moment of silence, then the grip on her arm let go. Jez stood up and stared at her in confusion. "Erin? What are you doing here?" Erin greedily sucked in air once the pressure on her chest vanished. She rose and faced Jez - and stopped dead. She couldn't believe the change in Jez's appearance from a year ago. Oh, the features were the same; the height of cheekbone, the curve of chin. They had even fined out a bit because she was a year older. Erin's own features were slightly more sharp, more beautiful. Jez's red flag of hair was the same, too, although she noticed that it was now pulled back in an attempt to tame its fiery disorder. No, Erin thought, the difference was in the expression, which was sadder and wiser than Erin would have believed possible. And her eyes. Jez's eyes weren't as silvery as they had been, not as dangerously beautiful. And they were oddly vulnerable. Erin couldn't help herself. "What happened to you?" she blurted out. Strangely enough, Jez didn't even pretend not to know what Erin was talking about. "Let's just say that I found out a few things about myself, and leave it at that." Erin sighed. "Sure you don't want to tell me? I might understand better than you might think." At Jez's continued silence, she changed subjects. "Okay, I get it. I haven't answered your question, so why should you answer mine? Well, obviously I didn't know you lived here..." She glanced at the house. "With humans... Well, whatever. I was on your roof because I was dodging a couple of mid-level bozos from Circle Midnight, which took me a bit out of town." "Circle Midnight? What would they want with you?" Jez asked, confused. "Well, thanks a lot." "Not what I meant, and you know it. They don't usually chase witches like that." Erin winced and sighed. "Well, that could be because they don't know that much about me, and I'm going to keep it that way until I know how I feel about them, and what they can offer me." She paused, then continued, somewhat quieter. "Besides, I'm not a witch." Jez gave her an odd look. "Yes, you are. You wouldn't have been in Circle Twilight if-" "Oh, I have some magical abilities, sure. But little if any magic of my own. They mainly wanted me because of my senses and instincts. You remember that whole 'Sentinel' thing?" Jez watched as she seemed to deflate, staring down at her feet. "That's one of the main reasons I'm avoiding the Midnight people. I don't wanna know what they'd do to me if they found out I was a fraud. But you wouldn't understand." "Actually, I would," Jez said slowly. "You were right before. You do understand my situation better than I thought. That's why I left my gang. I'm half human." Erin looked up from her study of her shoes, shocked. "But I thought that Night World law forbade vampires from falling in love with humans." A new thought hit her. "And aren't vampire-human hybrids-" "Impossible?" She laughed bitterly. "I'd always thought so. But my mother was human. So I understand what you're feeling. In fact, my parents were killed because of me." "That's not true. It can't be!" Erin looked sick. "Jez, it isn't your fault. It's theirs. The vampires." Erin's face darkened. "Always the vampires," she spat. Jez sensed that Erin's reaction was coming from more than just her story, but the expression on her face discouraged any questions. "C'mon inside," she said instead. "Somebody's bound to notice us out here." Once inside, they sat down at the kitchen table and exchanged stories. Jez told her about her last hunt with her gang, remembering her parents' murder, moving in with her Aunt and Uncle, and joining Circle Daybreak. She got a brief faraway look on her face when she talked about her usual contact, Hugh Davis, a wakened Old Soul. That was rare enough to stop Erin's kneejerk reaction to the subject of Circle Daybreak. She talked about how hard it was to make Daybreak trust her. Erin told her about her first encounter with Suze, her earlier suspicions about Jasmine, meeting Max, and being introduced into Circle Twilight. She'd even once met Aradia, which had one of her high points at Twilight. She said how she shivered at the penetrating look the Maiden had given her. Aradia had said something about her not being able to fight her destiny when the time came, but had been unable to explain what that meant. She told Jez about her first conversation with her mother about the Night World, and her mother's keeping it a secret from her for her entire life. She talked about her mother's abrupt decision to move across the country, her settling into San Francisco, and her curiosity about Circle Midnight. She even told Jez about her ability to absorb magic from other witches. Then she told Jez about the faint but present Redfern blood in her. Jez was astonished, but somewhat happy, to learn that she wasn't the only human-vampire hybrid in existence. Although she was now. Neither had ever talked so candidly about themselves. But then, neither had ever met someone who so thoroughly understood what they were going through. Then they talked about less consequential things. The odd weather. The recent animal attacks around the country. Other things. They talked for a few more hours, until finally Erin had to go, before her mother started worrying. She promised not to mention seeing Jez to anyone, especially her gang. She casually mentioned how worried the other gang members, especially Morgead, had been. Jez didn't quite seem to believe her. (Which,) Erin thought three weeks later, (was too damn bad.) She and Morgead belonged together. Erin could feel it. And she was starting to learn that that kind of 'feeling' was always correct. It had led her trust Suze, and Jez. It had also led her to record the news footage of the blue fire. And now she could feel that Jez and Morgead would end up together. (To paraphrase Aradia, one can't fight destiny.) \Ten/ As it turned out, Erin was right. Jez and Morgead would end up together. But before that would happen, Erin paid her a little visit. Suze and Max had been at Daybreak for nearly two weeks, and Erin was getting nervous. What was taking them so long? She wasn't really sure how to get in touch with Winnie, and even if she could get through to Circle Daybreak, she had no guarantee that Winnie and her team wouldn't be on a mission. So her best bet would be Jez. Stopping only to pick up her new, useless motorcycle helmet, she grabbed the keys to her new car - a pleasingly inconspicuous Ford sedan - and headed for Clayton. As she pulled out of her driveway, she fleetingly wondered if Jez had been missing as many days of school as she had. At least she'd managed to go today. Her mother was seriously considering getting her a private instructor. Jez had actually missed far more school than Erin. She had even missed that day. So when Erin presented herself as a classmate there to give Jez her homework, Jez's family let her right in. (Dangerous,) she thought. (Anyone could just waltz right in here. You'd think the home of a vampire huntress would be a bit harder to infiltrate.) After fielding a few questions, she learned that Jez wasn't even home. Jez's cousin Claire seemed especially angry at her. Rather than leaving the imaginary homework up in Jez's room - where she was sure that Claire would look at whatever she left there - she left to go looking for Jez. Several hours later, she intercepted Jez on the way home. After exchanging pleasantries and warning Jez about her family's anxiety about her whereabouts, she got down to business. Because of her promise not to mention the tape or anything on it - which she knew still applied; even Max and Suze wouldn't say anything about it directly - she couldn't tell Jez anything about why Suze and Max, a witch from her home town in Virginia, were at Circle Daybreak. She just said that they'd been gone much longer than planned. Jez seemed to understand the urgency behind her request, if not the reason, and promised to get word to them. In return, Erin gave her a ride home and provided an excuse for her now extreme lateness. She told Jez's uncle that it was her fault, and apologized for keeping his niece out so late. He nodded understandingly and said that it was okay, but it had better not happen again, which seemed to really make Claire mad. Before she left, Erin told Jez to be more careful with Claire - the human girl could prove to be a huge complication, as well as a huge distraction that could end up getting her killed if she wasn't. She could feel it. She didn't know how right she was. After that things began getting complicated. True to her word, Jez had gotten word to Circle Daybreak, and Suze had called her back. Unfortunately, from what Suze could tell her, Jez was now unavailable, since she was needed to participate in the investigation of the Wild Power, who had seemingly been identified by Morgead. On the bright side, Max hadn't had to mention the tape at all, since one of the elder witches - Grandma Harman, most likely - had had a dream about the Wild Power manifesting in San Francisco. And something about the Coit Tower, which confirmed it. Knowing that Jez was searching for the Wild Power did explain a few things, though. Like why she'd seen Jez and her old gang riding around with a kidnapped child. But soon, Erin had bigger things to worry about. Like finally having to deal with Circle Midnight. \Eleven/ Jez had just discovered that the child that Morgead had located was not the Wild Power when Erin stumbled across the battle. Keeping her distance, she could see a witch being attacked by several shapeshifters. In daylight. In public. (This is insane!) she thought wildly. Carefully, she maneuvered closer. It was all Katarina could do not to smile. (I should have done this sooner!) she thought with a mental cackle. (As undecided as little Erin is, no way is she going to just walk away from a witch in trouble. Especially in a situation as weird as this.) It was a bit risky, doing this in broad daylight, but she'd taken precautions. Powerful glamours kept humans from even seeing them, and wards were in place to keep out any curious Night People. Anyone but Erin Collins, of course. Katarina had chosen two wolves and a tiger for her little act. She found the initial look of horror on Erin's to be strangely satisfying, even though she didn't know why. Then Erin surprised her by stopping several yards away, an unreadable look on her face. That wasn't good. She needed Erin to stop this fight. The shifters that she had drafted for this mission doing just what she'd told them to - not pulling their punches. And she'd hate to waste a valuable resource by killing them. A blast of her witch fire hit one of the wolves, and it went down. Erin didn't react at all. Despite herself, Katarina was almost impressed. Finally, after just staring at them for nearly two minutes, Erin seemed to unfreeze. "Do I need to separate you three?" she asked with a smirk. Well, that stopped them. They looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. The looks on the animals' faces was especially priceless. Katarina felt a smartass remark just itching to be said, but she stopped when she took her first good look at Erin. Her mind shut down for a second. Erin's ebony hair was blazing in the midday sun, while her eyes shone like emeralds. She made for a rather breathtaking sight. Katarina shook her head. What was wrong with her? Was she that lonely? She had Marcus... who had been rather distant lately. No matter. She was here for one reason and one reason only. To recruit Erin. Erin hadn't moved since her little comment. Katarina broke away from the fight. "Ah, Ms. Collins," she said with an evil grin. "I was wondering when you'd get here." "Sorry I'm late, traffic was a bitch." Erin gave the blond the once over. Her face held an elven beauty, with her shining blonde hair and violet eyes making a striking addition to her features. "So, you're the one pulling these bozos' strings." It wasn't a question. Katarina answered it anyway. "Yes, I am. I hear you've been giving my boys a hard time." "You must have been kidding, sending them after me. Was I really not supposed to notice them?" (Well, that was the general idea.) "All I wanted to do was see what you could do." "You could have asked." Then, as if she'd just noticed, remarked, "Glamours to keep mortals away and wards to keep witches away. Cute trick. But not easy." She watched as a thirty-something woman with mousy brown hair walked right past her without seeing any of them. "Who are you?" She laughed. "How rude of me. My name is Katarina McConolly." She watched with amusement as Erin's face betrayed her astonishment. "Ah. You've heard of me." "There aren't that many witches in California that haven't. But I thought you lived in LA." "I do. So I hear you're interested in Circle Midnight. Want a tour?" The werewolf on the ground had woken up by now and, not knowing that the 'fight' was over, launched itself at Erin. Katarina raised her hands to fry him, but Erin stopped her with a shake of her head. "A tempting offer, Ms. McConolly, but what exactly do you have to offer me that I can't get elsewhere?" She made no move to avoid the wolf. Katarina suspected she knew why. If she tried to get out of its way, the wolf would just change course to catch her. If she ran, it would chase her down. But why not let her fry it? She knew that some humans, trained in the ancient art of ninjitsu, could get away from it. The only problem was that she knew for a fact that Erin had no such training. Erin waited until the wolf was only a few feet away from her before she acted. Moving faster than anyone would have thought possible, she calmly stepped out of the way. The wolf was unable to stop in time. Carried forward by its own momentum, it slammed into a nearby parked car. The impact shook the car, actually moving it back a few feet. Its alarm began to wail. Katarina was astonished. Nothing human, not even anything wiccan, could move that fast. (Looks like I may have underestimated the Redfern blood in her,) she thought. (Or I underestimated her. Either way...) "What can I offer you? How about a ride out of here? Even the glamours won't keep people from noticing that for long." She gestured to the car. Deciding not to question how we had become me, Erin looked around. Sure enough, people were starting to look around in confusion. (Well, doesn't look like I've got much of a choice, does it?) "You better get your people in human form fast," she warned. Katarina grinned in triumph. "Gwen! Alex! Chris! Time to go!" Without waiting for them, she grabbed Erin by the arm and led her away from the battle scene. She knew that the shifters would be human and in the car by the time they were ready to go. And they were. They had been driving for nearly twenty minutes before Erin thought to ask where they were going. Of course, she'd had several other questions that she wanted answered first. Like who the shapeshifters were. She knew that they couldn't be part of Circle Midnight, since Circle Daybreak was the only circle that accepted anyone but witches. It was the first question that she'd asked once they reached the car. She would have asked it sooner, but she was still a bit disoriented by her earlier encounter, and the gorgeous witch hustling her along didn't give her time to recover. And the tingling along her arm, coming from where Katarina was grabbing her. The car Katarina had mentioned turned out to be a long black limousine. The two wolves, Gwen Acevado and Chris Robertson, and the tiger, Alex Keene, had joined them just before they peeled out. Alex and Chris were about the same height, the former heavily muscled, looking like a blond surfer; the latter dark haired and lanky. Gwen had odd silvery-brown hair and dark amber eyes. She felt the most out of place to Erin - other than Erin herself. According to Katarina, the three were - or had been - a professional strike team for the Council, now employed by Katarina. Not Circle Midnight, Alex stressed, but Katarina. She treated them much better - most of the Night World considered shapeshifters to be low creatures, higher in status only than humans - and she paid much better as well. "I gotta tell you, I'm surprised to see shapeshifters working with a witch outside of Circle Daybreak," Erin remarked casually. "You've had a lot of experience with Daybreak?" Chris asked suspiciously. "Enough. They're the only ones who've shown even close to the same interest as you," Erin said, mostly to Katarina. "And at least I know what they want with me." "You don't sound like you care for them overmuch," Katarina remarked, deliberately avoiding Erin's implied question. "More like I don't entirely trust them. Which makes it harder to relate to my cousin Winnie." "I know what you mean," Gwen said, her amber eyes flashing sadly. "My sister Lupe is on the inside, too. I miss her a lot, but I just don't agree with her or her boss, Thierry." "Thierry? The Lord of the Night World? That Thierry? Your sister works for the second oldest vampire in existence?" "Actually," Katarina interrupted, "since Maya was killed, he is the oldest." "What? Maya was killed? Who-?" "Thierry's human soulmate, Hannah Snow." "Soulmate?" Erin asked curiously. Then, "Human soulmate?" "Yeah, I know," Katarina said. "Lately, something's been making Night People find human soulmates. At least Hannah's an Old Soul." "A very Old Soul," Gwen put in. (Soulmates.) Something about the word gave Erin an odd feeling. "So," she said in a rather obvious effort to change the subject, "where are we going?" "Los Angeles," Katarina said, giving Erin a look that said she should have known that. "What?!" Erin looked at Katarina as if she'd gone insane. "Why?!" "Because that's where Circle Midnight headquarters is, and I did promise you a tour." She smiled. "Besides, aren't you even slightly curious as to why I've been trying so hard to see you?" Erin had to admit, she did want to know. "But my mother-" "Has been informed that you'll be away for some time," Alex said. Erin winced, trying not to imagine her mother's reaction. "I'll bet she was just thrilled to hear that." Alex chuckled dryly. "I've got to say, I've never heard some of the things she called me. That was the first time I'd ever been glad to be working for a witch." "Why?" Alex smirked. "Because Katarina's stronger than any of the rest of them. Easily as twice as strong as Grandma Harman." Erin gaped in astonishment, while Katarina looked embarrassed. "Yeah, but I don't have even half the influence." She remembered the events of a year ago, when only Grandma Harman's intervention had gotten her away from the Council before they found out too much. She actually had sent the Crone a fruit basket, complete with a card reading, 'Thanks for your help. I guess I owe you one, but don't expect too much. Sincerely, Katarina McConolly.' "But they did make me head of Circle Midnight LA for a reason. And even though my age makes it unlikely that I'll be advancing any farther, I'm satisfied where I am." A pause. "For now." Erin laughed. She couldn't help it. "Well, you are an ambitious little thing, aren't you?" They all shared a laugh at that. \Eleven/ As she looked around Katarina's room, Erin came to one inescapable conclusion. She had good taste. Despite the darkness of its occupant, the room was decorated in soft, muted colors. From her plush armchairs to her thick, velvety carpet, the room simply screamed class. Running a hand along the off white couch, Erin felt a muffled pang of longing. She'd always wanted a place like this. She sensed that she could be very comfortable here. (Okay, that's enough of that,) she told herself with a mental headshake. (Time to get down to business.) "So. You wanted me here. I'm here. Now what do you want?" "You." Katarina must have realized how that sounded, because she added, "working with us." "Uh-huh, that's pretty much what I figured," Erin said. "Now for the twenty-four dollar question: why should I?" "I suppose threatening you wouldn't do much good?" Erin shook her head. "I didn't think so. So I'll say this instead: there are a lot more opportunities for someone with your unique talents here than at Circle Daybreak." Katarina's mouth unconsciously twisted into a sneer on the last word. (My unique abilities, huh? Hoo boy.) "Are you really twice as strong as Grandma Harman?" Katarina blinked at the unexpected question. "Well, not really. At present, I am much stronger than her, but if my power was cut in half, it wouldn't be equal. And I'm certain of that, because I've been careful to only use about half of my Power so that no one here knows how strong I really am. And no one does, except for Gwen, Alex, Chris, and you. No one else. Not even Marcus." "Who's Marcus?" "My lover. He was also my mentor, but I don't really need him in that capacity anymore." Erin felt a strange feeling upon learning that, but Katarina didn't give her the necessary time to figure out what. She took a warning step closer. "I don't really need to warn you not to tell anyone else, do I?" Another step. There were only a few feet between them now. "No," Erin said with a small gulp, her composure slipping slightly. She had heard terrible stories about this girl's temper. "But if you're so strong, why do you need me?" (Not a bad question,) Katarina thought, (though it is somewhat rude. Anyone else and I'd be blowing them through a wall.) But Katarina hadn't gone to so much trouble just to do that. "Like I said, I could use a girl with your abilities. For example, I'd love to know just how you managed to deflect every single tracking spell we used on you." "I didn't." At Katarina's incredulous gaze, she added, "I absorbed them. I can absorb any magic directed at me." "Any magic?" "Yeah. Guess those files you got from Circle Twilight were incomplete, huh?" she asked, gesturing to the files spread out on Katarina's coffee table. (Now for the part sure to get me killed.) "They'd have to be, since Circe didn't write certain things down. Like the fact that I don't really have any magic of my own." Katarina didn't think she'd heard right. "What?" "I have next to no magic of my own. Aside from my defensive abilities, I'm pretty much human." (Marcus is in SO much trouble.) "I... see. No, actually, I didn't know that. But then, that's not what drew my attention to you in the first place." "You- you're alright with that?" Erin asked, astonished. Whenever she'd tied to figure out how Circle Midnight would react to that bit of news, she'd always figured that they'd at least react. She felt off-balance. "With me... I mean... Aren't you...?" "Let's just say that this is another thing that we'll keep between us," Katarina said with a neutral expression. She held out her hand. "Agreed?" Erin nodded. "You've got a deal," she said, reaching for Katarina's hand. "Now, about my tour-" Contact. Erin grasped Katarina's hand, and her vision exploded into white light. (What is this? What's happening?) Erin could feel her body falling forward, clutching at Katarina. They both slid to the ground. (What are you doing to me?) (It's not me!) Katarina sent back. And it wasn't. Erin could feel that she was equally as startled and astonished as she was. Some force was trying to merge the two of them, and Katarina wasn't happy about it. But she seemed resigned to it. (What is this?) Erin asked, then gasped as thoughts and memories hit her. But they weren't hers. They were Katarina's. And Katarina was seeing her thoughts. (At least this way I'll save time trying to explain my past,) she thought wryly. To her surprise, she heard a soft voice laughing. It took her a moment to recognize it as Katarina. It sounded so much lighter and warmer than her real voice. (Do you know what's happening?) (You haven't guessed?) Katarina sounded amused. (Just what were they teaching you at Twilight?) (Katarina...) Erin warned. She got the distinct impression that her threat amused the witch immensly. (It's the soulmate principle.) Erin felt the floor drop away beneath her. (My soulmate... is a woman?) That made no sense. Katarina had just confessed to having a lover - a male lover - and Erin had lost track of the amount of guys she'd lusted after. (There's a difference between lust and love.) It was impossible to tell which of them the thought had come from. Katarina laughed wryly. (Someone up there,) she told Erin, (has a very warped sense of humor.) Erin acknowledged that with a chuckle. (So,) she asked, (what do we do now?) All at once she became aware of her own body again as Katarina pulled away. "Good question," she said aloud, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm not sure." She lovingly brushed a stray strand of ebony hair out of Erin's face. Erin captured her hand and held on to it. "First of all, are you going to be staying here?" "Yes," Erin breathed. The mental contact, short as it was, had put things in perspective. School, attempting to hold on to what was left of Circle Twilight, even her home life with her mother - none of it mattered. Oh, she'd visit her mother often, but she couldn't leave Katarina. She kissed the blonde girl's hand. "If you'll have me." "And you realize that when I asked you to stay here, I meant stay here." With her free hand, Katarina gestured to her room. "Even if we will have to hide the fact that we're soulmates." "Why?" Erin asked, feeling hurt. Katarina sighed. "Look, Erin, we both know that I'm not a nice person. I made it to the top by being the best and by being ruthless. I've made plenty of enemies. If we let on that we're soulmates, you may as well wear a giant target on your back." Erin tried - and failed - to keep from smiling. Her vision blurred, and she furiously blinked away tears. Once she was back in control, she looked at Katarina hopefully. "There is one thing we could do to make things easier." "Oh? What?" (How to explain?) "Well, a while ago, when I was learning about my magical absorption ability, I had this theory. If I could forge a stable enough link between myself and another witch, I'd be able to function as a normal witch. There were only two problems. One, creating a stable enough link was nearly impossible. Two, since we'd be sharing Power, we'd each get only half." Comprehension dawned on Katarina's face. "But a soulmate link is the most stable link there is," she said slowly. "And I've got twice as much Power as I need." A look of mixed curiosity and awe appeared on her face. "Of course. That's why." "Why what?" Erin asked, confused. "For the longest time now, I've been trying to figure out why I was getting so strong. Now I know. Because of you. You were meant to be a witch, but since you didn't have any Power, I got twice as much as I needed, so I could share it with you. Amazing. I didn't know it could work that way." "I guess it is." (And I guess I now know the answer to that question I keep asking myself: Am I destined for darkness? It seems that I am, but in a way that I never would have ever expected.) She leaned over and kissed Katarina's soft lips, and the world went white again. \Twelve/ "She's where?!" Suze's voice soared up to an incredulous high note on the last word, causing people all over the room to stop what they were doing and look at her. Lowering her voice, she turned away from them as much as possible, hunching slightly over the phone. "Are you sure? Yes, of course you are. Well, on the bright side, I don't think they want to hurt her. They want to recruit her. No, I'm not certain they've succeeded. Of course, I can't say for certain that they've failed." She paused as she listened to the person on the other end of the line rant for a minute. "Naturally, we'll try and get her to come home. But if she doesn't want to leave, it may be impossible to get her out of there. But I promise we'll try." A soft laugh. "To us all. Goodbye." She punched the phone off and slid it back into her pocket. She sighed heavily. "Something wrong?" Hannah Snow, Thierry Descourd's beautiful human soulmate asked, concerned. "Yeah, something's wrong," Suze said, and shot Max a look. "Max, we're idiots." Max's eyebrows rose. "Why do you say that?" "Erin's in Los Angeles." "So? Max asked, still not seeing the problem. "At Circle Midnight headquarters," Suze added. "This is all my fault. I knew that they were getting more interested in her, and she in them, and I still stayed here. Now she's with Katarina McConolly, and I don't know how to get her away." While Circle Midnight had drawn some attention, mentioning Katarina had caused a dead silence to descend over the room. Even the usually inscrutable Ash Redfern looked a bit nervous. "I have to go to LA. Can you guys manage without me for a while?" "Of course," Max answered. In the two weeks that she'd been at Circle Daybreak, her attitude had done a complete 180. She had to admit that she enjoyed hanging around all the different types of people. And heading off the end of the world was an important task, one that she was honored to be part of. Suze blinked in the sunlight as she walked out of the airport. She had grabbed a quick flight to San Francisco, which Thierry had arranged for her. He had also arranged for a car to pick her up an bring her to Erin's house. The original plan had been for Suze to go to Los Angeles, but Erin was supposed to be home today, picking up her possessions. She'd be leaving some things at home for when she came to visit, but all her favorite things were going with her to LA. Suze figured that she had a better chance of getting through to Erin while she was away from Katarina. There was only one thing wrong with that theory. Suze frowned as she pulled up in front of Erin's house. There was a black limo parked out in front. When she walked into the house, she got an even bigger surprise. Katarina was sitting at the kitchen table, calmly sipping a cup something that gave off a fruity smell. The blonde witch looked up when she entered. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of opaque black sunglasses, but she gave the impression of a superior look. Suze froze. (I should have expected this,) she thought, annoyed at herself. (After all the effort she expended at getting to Erin, no way was she going to just let her go off by herself.) "Katarina McConolly?" she asked coolly. As if it could be anyone else. No one else that young could exude that aura of power, of coldness. Katarina nodded. "And you're Suzannah Kingston. Erin's told me a lot about you." Her voice seemed to warm for a second when she said Erin's name, but any warmth vanished as soon as it had appeared. Suze tensed. Again, she supposed she should have expected that. But she felt oddly betrayed. Knowing that Erin had been talking to her with Katarina, telling her Goddess knew what... that she trusted her that much; it hurt. Erin chose that moment to bounce into the kitchen. "Okay, I'm just about done," she announced to Katarina. "Gwen's getting the last of my stuff now, so..." She trailed off as she spotted Suze for the first time. Suze was vaguely annoyed to see that Erin was dressed much the same as Katarina: form fitting dark clothes, black sneakers, and the same sunglasses, which she promptly removed to get a better look at her. "Suze?" As if a switch had been thrown, Erin's expression shifted from puzzled to thrilled. She flew across the room to envelope Suze in a hug. Even someone as annoyed as Suze was at Erin couldn't help but smile and hug her back. "Hi, Erin." She was surprised to find that Erin read much more like a witch now. Pulling back, Erin fixed her with a wry grin. "So, Mom actually broke down and called Daybreak for help. Wow. I wouldn't have expected that. So, go ahead. Talk some sense into me." (This could be harder then I thought.) "Well, I'll try," Suze said. "What I really want to know is what lead up to this decision. Last time I talked to you, you were avoiding Circle Midnight like they had the plague. Now you're moving into their headquarters. I don't understand-" "No, you don't," Erin interrupted, sounding angry. "Of course, how could you, since you haven't been here in over two weeks. You haven't even talked to me since I asked you to call. What, did you just forget I existed? Too busy with your new Daybreaker pals?" Her voice was dripping with scorn. "It's not like they're going to be around much longer. The entire Night World is going to be gunning for them now. They, and everyone associated with them, are going to be wiped out." Her expression softened to one of concern. "I don't want you to die, Suze. But I don't want to die either. And unlike some of my friends, Kat's never forgotten about me." Her lips subconsciously curled into a warm smile. (What the hell?) Suze was to stunned to respond for a second. (It's too late. I'm too late. We've lost her.) Or had they? She was obviously still worried about her friends, and Katarina didn't seem to have any kind of supernatural hold over her. There was something between them, though. But if she asked what, there was no way that either would tell her. It quickly became rather unimportant, though. Katarina winced, covering her ears as if she was hearing something deafening. Her sunglasses fell to the table. Erin doubled over in pain, clutching at her head. Suze gaped at them in bewilderment. "What's wrong?" she asked. She got no answer, save a moan from Erin. After a few more moments, the... whatever seemed to stop. Gradually, Erin straightened up, and shot a confused look at Katarina. "What was that?" "No idea," Katarina replied, staring at the table, deep in thought. Suze blinked at hearing her admit that she didn't know something. It didn't fit with what Suze knew of her. (Guess whatever it was felt like a bigger thing than they're letting on,) Suze thought. "Guys, talk to me here. Whatever that was, I missed it." "Most everyone did," Erin said. Nobody, not even her, knew how she knew that. She just did. "I think..." She turned pale. "What? What's wrong?" Katarina was on her feet and at Erin's side before Suze could even move, an expression of open concern on her face. Suze wondered about that, but what Erin said next temporarily erased any thoughts about it from her head. "I think it was the Wild Power." Jaws dropped all over the room. "Are you sure?" Suze asked "Yeah," Erin said, sounding uncertain. Then, in a stronger voice, said, "Yes, I am." "But why didn't you react that way last time the blue fire was used?" Erin thought about that. "Actually, I did react. The last time it happened, I couldn't breathe. At the time, I thought I was just scared for the kid, but it must have been because of the Wild Power." Suze still didn't understand. "But why are you reacting at all? And why is it worse now?" Erin shrugged. "My unique condition, I guess. And I've gotten stronger now, so my reaction is stronger." "But why-" Suze broke off. She had been about to ask, 'But why is Katarina reacting?', when she put the clues together. Their shared fashion sense. Their inability to hide their warm feelings for each other. The fact that Erin seemed to have miraculously developed witch powers. Their shared pain. Erin and Katarina were soulmates. "Whoa," she said instead. Katarina sighed. "Alright, how do you want to handle this?" she asked Erin. "Well, it's not like we can just erase the knowledge from her head," Erin said with a smirk at Suze. Suze grinned back, understanding the shared history that she was referring to. "So we'll just have to trust her to keep quiet." Katarina looked dubious. "Trust her?" "If she promises she won't say anything, then she won't." Suze arched an eyebrow. "And why should I promise that?" "Because you don't want Erin to die." Suze looked at her in horror. "You wouldn't!" Katarina restrained herself from punching the werewolf. Barely. "Not me, you idiot! But judging from your reaction, you know just how loved I am in the Night World. Imagine if someone found out that I had a soulmate, one much less powerful than I am." Now Suze got it. She turned white. "I won't say anything. I promise." She couldn't talk about this anymore. "So, what are we going to do about the Wild Power?" "We've got to get her to Circle Daybreak," Erin answered immediately. "Come again?" Katarina asked, sounding amused. It was a condition that seemed to occur often where her soulmate was concerned. "Katarina, please!" Erin begged. "I know the Council wants them dead, but I can't let someone die just because they say so. And I kind of like this world! I don't want to see it end. Please," she finished, looking her in the eyes. Katarina was silent for a long moment. Suze had hated to see her friend begging like that, but she knew that if Katarina didn't want them to interfere, then it wouldn't happen. "Don't you think," Katarina said at last, "that if the Wild Power is using the blue fire, the Council is already trying to kill them?" "Then we have to do something!" Erin protested. Katarina sighed. "Do what you must. I won't stop you." She gave Erin a hard look. "But I can't help you, either." Erin grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Fair enough." "So, time to go save the world again, eh?" Suze asked with a grin Erin grinned back and slipped her sunglasses back on. "Absolutely." "Again?" Katarina repeated. "When did you save it the first time?" "During that whole mess with the Heart of Darkness," Suze replied. "The Heart of Darkness?!" Katarina sounded horrified. "I didn't hear anything about that." "No one did," Erin said quietly. "That was the whole point. See, some vampires found it. I still don't know if they were under orders or not. Anyway, they wanted to use its power to bring about the time of darkness that's supposed to take place around the end of the millennium now. And they came damn close to succeeding." "But they didn't count on Erin," Suze said with a grin. "She got it away from them and used it to blow them all to atoms." "You used it?" Now Katarina sounded genuinely worried - for Erin. "Are you insane? You know the kind of Power it has." "You mean the kind of Power it had. After I used it... Well, I could hear it in my head, urging me to use it more, to use it for evil. And I nearly did. But I just couldn't do it. So I turned its Power against itself, and it self-destructed. I was a bit annoyed at vampires in general for a while after that, but I got over it." "Well, if you can do something like that, and keep it a secret, than you just might survive," Katarina said with an affectionate smile. "But you'd better get going. The Council is about five steps ahead of you." She shook her head. "I said I can't help and I meant it. But I can tell you this: If you want to find the Wild Power, you'd better track down your friend Jez." "Of course!" Erin blurted. "Jez was sent after the Wild Power! Are you saying that she found it?" "All that I can say is that you'd better get to her house now. The Council knows." "That she was sent back to her old gang?" Suze asked. "Well, I'd expect that." "No, you don't get it. They know. About her. What she is." Erin turned white. "C'mon," she said to Suze, "we've got to go now. Hope whoever you've got driving is good." She was already on her way out the door before Suze could fully process everything. "Wait! What are you talking about? What is it that they know?" Erin didn't answer until she was at the limo. "She's half-human, Suze." Erin stopped and looked into her eyes. "They'll kill her, and then they'll kill her family. She can take care of herself, especially if she's with the Wild Power. Her family, however..." Suze stepped around her and got into the car. "I hope you know how to get to her house, 'cause I don't have a clue." Erin got in as well, shutting the door with a slam. "Of course I do. Now, let's go!" Back in the house, Katarina watched them peel out. "Good luck," she murmured. "You're just going to let her go?" a voice asked from behind her. Katarina turned to face Madeline. "Of course. She's my friend, not my slave. She's free to do whatever she wishes. I just hope that, sooner rather than later, she realizes that this is a lost cause. Daybreak will never get all four Wild Powers on their side. Not if I have anything to say about it." \Thirteen/ They were almost too late. Jez and her friends had just gotten slammed by the Volvo when the attack on her family began. For some reason, they were all at home. Erin couldn't figure out why. Had it been something the Council did, to get them all in the same place to make it easier to kill them? Or had Katarina somehow guessed that Erin would rush off to help them and had gotten them all together? That would actually make more sense, since it had been almost an hour and a half since the attack on Jez began, and there was no reason it should take the Council's team that long to take out a bunch of mortals. But if they'd had to chase them all over town... (But she said she wasn't going to help,) Erin thought. It could just be a coincidence, but that was amazingly unlikely. No one was sick, fired, or suspended. There was no reason for them to all be home. (Or were they running from the Night World?) Erin wondered suddenly. Even if they just thought they were human attackers, they'd try and get away. Unfortunately, they'd somehow ended up back at their house, where they seemed to be trying to make a stand. They were losing. Jim Goddard couldn't believe that this was happening. He finished reloading his old shotgun, which he'd never actually used before. It had been a gift from his brother-in-law, Bracken. He'd been puzzled when he'd gotten it, but hadn't said anything, since he hadn't wanted to be rude. He just left it up in the attic, occasionally cleaning it, since Bracken had told him to keep good care of it. Back then, he'd been puzzled, but agreed. Now he was wondering if Bracken knew something that he didn't. The two remaining wolves had pulled back, as if to regroup, giving him much needed breathing time. Nanami had finally stopped Ricky's bleeding. Ricky had been the first one attacked when a group of four wolves had jumped out at them when they got back home. They had been chased all over town by a black sedan. They'd finally managed to lose and, since they were almost there anyway, had gone home to call the police. Then the wolves had attacked. One of them had bitten Ricky before Jim and Nan had managed to beat it off. They'd run into the house, rapidly locking all the doors and windows. Unfortunately, they hadn't had time to block the windows, and the wolves had started jumping through them. That was when Jim had run up to get his shotgun. Now there were only two wolves left, and he was beginning to think that they might just live through this. At that moment, the black sedan drove up. Jim stared in disbelief. (This can't be happening!) And calling the police was out, since the phones were dead. He simply couldn't believe that the wolves had done that, but it seemed that they had. Two people got out of the sedan. Jim thought the stress was finally getting to him. They couldn't really have fangs, could they? Yes, it seemed, they could. Both were in dark clothing, almost like uniforms. Then, just when he thought things couldn't get any stranger, they did. The two - vampires? - strangers began ordering the wolves around. (Well, that's it. We're going to die.) Jim hung his head. At least Jez and Claire weren't here. He just hoped that they were alright. Erin felt a wave of dark anger when she saw the attack team. (Two dead wolves on the ground. That would make for a total of four wolves and two vampires for one human family. Talk about overkill.) The anger felt oddly foreign, and intensified when she saw the lead vampire. (Tiger Garret.) The name, completely alien to her, floated through her mind. She'd never even heard of him before, so she had no reason to hate him. But apparently Katarina did. (This soulmate business gets weirder and weirder,) she thought. The team was on the personal payroll of Hunter Redfern, Erin now 'remembered'. They were responsible for no one knew how many massacres. Including Katarina's family. Not that Katarina could ever prove it. And when she started getting strong enough to do something about it, Hunter had hidden them away. Erin felt a rush of satisfaction at being able to avenge her soulmate's tragedy. The fact that she was contemplating murder never even bothered her once. Of course, given that they were attacking the family of a friend of hers, murder wasn't really the right term. Erin, Suze, and the driver, Emily, another witch, got out of the car. With a nod of silent agreement, they started for the house. Erin didn't worry about Emily being able to handle herself. Daybreak wouldn't have sent someone helpless with Suze, in case they had to resort to violence while they "rescued" her. She still found that a laughably pathetic notion. They should have known that there was no way that she'd go to Circle Midnight headquarters against her will. Of course, she reminded herself as she charged toward the house, there was no way that they could have known the truth about her relationship with Katarina, and that there was no way in Hell that Kat would ever hurt her. Suze was changing before she was even ten feet from the car. It felt good, as it always did. Painful, in a nice way, like the feeling of having a tight bandage removed. A release. The first few seconds, when she felt fluid, like a being of pure energy, were the most intense. After that, her body tightened, compacted, and shrank into her wolf form. She sensed, more than saw, Erin let loose with a blistering barrage of golden-orange witch fire, which sent the two vampires flying. It was hard to say who was more surprised by their sudden arrival, the Goddards or the bad guys. Jim lowered his shotgun, gaping in astonishment. The two vampires picked themselves up of the ground, staring at them with a look of hatred that only the undead can pull off. The two wolves growled. "Damn Daybreakers," Tiger growled. Erin, who was the closest to him, stopped and stared. She was distantly aware of Suze and Emily taking on the two wolves. The vampires were closing on her. "Actually, Garret," she said with a sneer that Katarina could probably do much better, "I'm with Circle Midnight." She was glad Suze was too busy to pay attention to what she was saying. Tiger halted, and the other looked at him in confusion. "Circle Midnight? Then what are you-" "Katarina McConolly." Those two words were enough to make the vampires look rather nervous. "McConolly? You're with her?" Tiger asked, sounding almost afraid. (Good,) Erin thought, a surge of hatred almost overwhelming her. (Make him scared. Make him beg for his life, like he does to his victims. Like he tried to do to Katarina's parents, her sister.) "Yes," she replied, her voice sounding twisted and distant to her, "I am. With her. And I know all about you." She was too angry to wait for them to process what she was saying. She let loose with another punishing volley of orange fire, sending the vampires flying back into a tree. She withdrew two of the stakes that she'd grabbed from the car - Suze was nothing if not prepared - and, focusing her will, sent them hurtling through the air into the vamps' chests. She felt a surge of dark satisfaction as she watched the two of them mummify, as vampires did when they died. She wasn't used to having that much power at her disposal - actually, she wasn't used to having any power at her disposal - and it was a bit draining. Erin just stood there, breathing heavily, feeling happy. It took her a second to remember that there was a battle going on around her. Or there had been. She didn't know if the two Council wolves had been distracted by the rather spectacular deaths of their vampire teammates or if Suze and Emily were just better, but the fight was quickly wrapping up. Suze's brownish-blond fur was matted with blood, only some of it hers, but she had her jaws clamped on the lead wolf's throat. His struggles had grown rather pitifully weak. He'd be dead in a matter of seconds. Emily, on the other hand, had somehow produced a silver knife from somewhere, which was currently jammed into the female wolf's side. She was lying motionless on the ground. Seeing that they had things under control, Erin went to check on the Goddard family. She didn't like what she found. The boy's right arm had been torn open, and he was staring ahead, shaking. Erin was no doctor, but she thought he was in shock. Well, small wonder. The woman was cut in a few places, but otherwise okay. If having wide, terrified eyes and most likely nightmares for years could be considered okay. The man, still clutching his shotgun, was also bleeding in several places, and he had a wicked looking bruise forming on his forehead. Of the three, he seemed to be the one most still in control of his faculties. He stared at her as she walked through the shattered remains of the front door. "I know you," he croaked. "Don't I?" "Yes, you do," she said soothingly. She purposefully avoided looking at the gun that was pointed at her. "I'm a friend of Jez's. I'm here to help you. We need to get you and your family to a hospital." At the mention of his family, he seemed to snap back to reality. Dropping the gun to the floor, he turned to look at his son - what was his name? Ricky, that was it - and his wife. "Nan, how is he?" Nan didn't answer. She just stared at Erin in horror. Erin swore to herself. This wasn't good. She couldn't very well carry everyone out of the house. She turned to see how her friends were doing. Suze was back in her human form, meaning that her opponent was dead. Emily was talking on a cell phone, no doubt asking someone from Daybreak to come clean up the mess. They could take the Goddard's to the hospital themselves. Erin was not looking forward to trying to explain this to the hospital's admission staff. \Fourteen/ Taking care of things at the hospital proved much easier than Erin had anticipated. Thanks, in a large part, to the fact that Circle Daybreak had some people working there. A vampire made sure that none of the human staff even remembered them, while several witches used healing spells on them. Erin, after calling Katarina to let her know where she was - she knew that Circle Midnight would have most of her things enroute to LA, with Kat and Gwen just waiting for her - she insisted that the vampire blanked the Goddards' memories as well. She knew that they'd have to be told about the Night World, and Circle Daybreak, but there was no reason for them to remember the attack. No reason at all. It was easy to tell when Katarina arrived at the hospital. The Daybreakers started getting twitchy and edging away from the waiting room area. So Erin headed directly for it. Sure enough, there was Katarina, sitting like a queen in an ugly orange chair. Erin wouldn't have thought that anyone could pull that off, but Katarina managed it. Gwen was apparently waiting in the car. "You wouldn't believe how glad to see you I am," Erin said with a grin. Katarina rose in a languid yet graceful fashion, intended to be provocative. She succeeded. "Tell me anyway," she said with an amused smile. She held out her arms. Erin gratefully melted into her embrace. "It was rather ugly," she muttered into Katarina's hair. "And you'll never guess who's team it was." Katarina must have noticed something in her voice, because she pulled back and studied her face. "What is it? Who's team?" "Does the name Tiger Garret mean anything to you?" Katarina stiffened. "You ran into Tiger?" "And he ran into a stake." Erin grinned. "Didn't you wonder what I needed that much power for before?" "You killed Tiger?" Katarina's usual iron control slipped, showing an expression part hurt little girl and part worried girlfriend. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Erin felt tears welling up. (She really does love me.) "No. And he won't be hurting anyone else, ever." She gently caressed the side of Kat's head. "I'm so sorry that he hurt you like he did." Katarina caught her hand. "How did you know...?" Erin shrugged. "I don't know, really. I just kind of... remembered it. I don't really understand it. How can I remember something that happened to you? We weren't even linked then." "Actually, we were," Katarina replied, her expression back under control. "That's how you were able to use my magic. But you must have picked up some things from my mind during the times we were speaking mind to mind." She pulled away from Erin and fixed her with a mock puzzled expression. "But what are you still doing here?" Erin responded with a genuinely puzzled look. "What do you mean?" "I thought you and your Daybreaker friends were out looking for Miss Redfern." Katarina sounded vaguely amused. "Did you find her?" "No," Erin said slowly. "But I'd figured that protecting her family was a higher priority." "But you've done all you can for them," Katarina argued. "We should be out trying to find the Wild Power." If she was trying to make Erin understand, she was failing miserably. "Why would you want to help them find the Wild Power?" A pause. "Uh, no offense intended, but..." "Why would I want to help Circle Daybreak?" Katarina finished for her. "To be honest, I don't. But I don't especially mind if they get one Wild Power, and I'd love to see the blue fire in action." Erin chuckled. "Then let's get going. I think we may be running out of time." Erin had no idea how right she was. With Katarina's contacts, it took them only a short time to find out where the Council had taken Jez, Hugh, Jez's cousin Claire - Erin had been wondering what had happened to her - and, surprisingly, Morgead. It seemed that they were convinced that one of them was the Wild Power. (But which one?) Erin wondered as the limo shot along to the house out in the country. "Which one?" she repeated aloud. "Which one what?" Suze asked. She had been a little uncomfortable with the fact that Katarina was coming with them in their car, instead of her own, which was following along behind them. But since it was only because of Katarina that they knew where to go, she kept her mouth shut. "Which one of them is the Wild Power," Katarina explained. She'd gotten it instantly. "I don't know. I don't even think they know. But if I know Lily, she has a plan for finding out." "Lily Redfern?" Suze asked. At Katarina's nod, she groaned. "Great. Like we needed that. It's safe to assume that Hunter sent her, and not alone. So what are we going to do?" "Let the Wild Power handle it," Katarina said. "Even someone from the Day World can handle themselves with that kind of power." "From the Day World?" Erin repeated in confusion. "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about a prophecy that the Council dug up last week. And since I'm confident that Daybreak will know about it soon, I guess I can tell you. It goes like this: One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark." "Interesting," Suze said, mostly to herself. "'One from the hearth'... That must be the Harman witches. Their last name originally meant 'Hearth-Woman.'" "But from the Day World...?" Erin gave her soulmate a confused look. "The Wild Power's human? And what was all that about 'two eyes watching?' What eyes?" "If I had to guess, I'd say the sun and the moon." "Then if two eyes are watching," Erin said slowly, "the Wild Power must belong to both worlds..." Suddenly she bolted upright and gasped in horror. "What?" Suze asked urgently. "What is it?" Katarina looked equally concerned. "Jez! Jez is the Wild Power! Don't you get it?" She looked excitedly from one to the other. "She's the best of both worlds! It has to be her." "You're right," Katarina said, looking at her with something that could only be described as adoration. "In which case, we'd better hurry. Lily will do anything to find out who the Wild Power is, and she'll be considering Jez as the most expendable." It took them a while to actually reach the house. During that time, Jez and company had been deposited and tied up in the living room. Erin would have been surprised to find out that Pierce had betrayed Morgead, as well as the rest of the gang. But not as surprised as Morgead and Jez had been. And Katarina had been correct. Lily did consider Jez expendable. Which is why she agreed with Pierce's idea to stake her. Jez heard herself scream, but only faintly. There was a roaring in her ears as if the BART train was coming at her again. And a pain that engulfed her whole body, sending agonized spasms through her limbs. It centered in her chest, though, here something white-hot was lodged inside her, crushing her lung and burning right beside her heart. She'd been staked. What she'd done so often to others had been done to her. She hadn't realized that anything could hurt like this. She was glad none of her victims had lived long enough to keep suffering. The wood of the stake was poisoning her heart, she knew. Even if it were removed, she would die. Only a mile away, Erin felt something hot in her chest. "Kat?" she asked, gasping in pain. "I don't know," Katarina said, only wincing. "I assume something's happening to Jez, though why you're feeling it..." Se trailed off as something occurred to her. "You're an empath." Erin tried to focus through her pain. (But it's not my pain!) she thought fiercely. (It's Jez's.) "An empath?" "You can feel someone's emotional state. Almost like telepathy, but not quite." "Like she was almost a witch, but not quite?" Suze asked. "Exactly. And since she was probably focused on Jez, and is rather close to her..." "Not to mention related to her," Erin said. "Though distantly. I guess that's why I sensed her using the blue fire." She sighed worriedly. "But if I'm only getting part of how much pain she's in... We've got to go faster." "We'll be there in less than a minute," Emily said from the front. And she was right. Even now, they could see the house. It took only another 45 seconds before they were parking in front of it. "Let's go," Erin said, and they all climbed out to face the enemy. Even Katarina. Jez wanted to scream at them, to tell the Wild Power to do something, because everything was lost now anyway. But she didn't have the air to scream. And she felt so adrift and confused anyway.... Her universe had become so disjointed. Her thoughts seemed to be unraveling all at once, past memories combining with flashing sensory impressions from the present, and with some strange new ideas... If it was involuntary, why didn't the Wild Power work magic more often? Unless there was some other requirement... (I can't let this happen.) The dampness of blood spreading around her heart... Claire's nails digging into her arms... ("When there's no physical way to escape..." ) Power in the blood. Claire on the floor there. Screaming and screaming... Something burned inside her, hotter than the stake. Morgead beside her whispering, "Jez, I love you." Pierce with the stake over him. Morgead looking up unafraid... Hotter than the heart of a star... Hugh in the distance saying almost quietly, "Goddess of Life, receive us; guide us to the other world..." Hotter than the sun and colder and bluer than the moon, like fire that burned and froze and crackled like lightning all at once. Something that filled her with an energy that was past rage and past love and past all controlling and something that she recognized in her soul even though she'd never consciously felt it before. It was swelling in Jez to bursting, pure and terrible flame that was never meant to be unleashed like this... "Do it!" Lily shouted. And Jez let it free. It came roaring out of her like a silent explosion. Blue fire that streamed from her body and blasted in all directions, but especially up. It came out and out, engulfing everything, flowing from her in a neverending torrent. Like a solar flare that didn't stop. It was equally impressive from outside the house. Erin and the others gaped in astonishment as the house... exploded, for lack of a better term. The light was so bright it was almost blinding, but no one looked away. None of them wanted to miss this once in a lifetime event. The revelation of the first Wild Power. It was like a pillar of fire from Heaven, except it was coming from Earth. From one young girl. One injured young girl. And then it was gone. Those outside had to blink as their eyes readjusted and they could see the house again. Or what was left of it, anyway. And that wasn't much. There was about a foot and a half of ragged wall left all around, with charred insulation spilling out. Blue energy like electricity ran along the edges here and there, fizzing. That was it. The rest of the house had been vaporized. "Goddess," Erin whispered. She was so astonished by what she saw that she didn't even stop and think about what she'd felt when Jez had unleashed the blue fire. This time it hadn't been pain, but something else... "Indeed," Katarina said in an almost reverent tone. She had known that the blue fire was powerful, but this... It was more than she'd ever dreamed. (We have to get one of them on our side,) she thought. (With power like that...) She left the thought unfinished, in case Erin picked it up, but there was only one natural conclusion. (We'd rule the world.) "Jez," Erin said suddenly. "We have to get to Jez. She's dying." "And what are you going to do about that?" The question, posed by Katarina, stopped them all. What could they do? "A healing spell," Erin said, not giving up yet. "You could do a healing spell on her." "Me?" Katarina looked at her like she'd sprouted a second head. "And why would I do that? I said I can't help you, and anyway, I'm not the only witch here, am I?" Erin glanced briefly at Emily, then looked back at Katarina. "No, you're not. But you are the strongest witch here and I know you said you wouldn't help but you've got to or Jez will die and so will the world and she's my cousin sort of and you've just got to save her and I know I'm babbling but that should tell you just how scared I am for her and please!" Finally Erin ran out of air, and stopped to take several gasping breaths. Katarina chuckled softly. "Oh, alright. If it's that important to you... Lead on." The others were looking at her in astonishment when, in the distance, they heard, "DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME, JEZEBEL! DON'T YOU DARE! Or I'll follow you into the next world and KILL you." "Sounds like we'd better hurry," Katarina remarked dryly. She started across the rubble, and the others were right behind her. When they got near enough, they could see that Jez was in rather poor condition, but the other three were okay. Well, they were okay in comparison. Hugh looked like he had a broken arm. They got there just as Jez fainted. The other three looked up as they approached. "Who are you?" the girl - Claire, Erin remembered - asked suspiciously. "We're with Circle Daybreak," Suze answered. "My name is Suze Kingston. These are my friends, Emily, Erin- "And a friend of mine," Erin interrupted. She hoped Katarina wasn't offended, but she really didn't think it would help their case much if Hugh and Morgead recognized her name, which they would. She felt amusement from Katarina. (Actually, it's fine by me,) she whispered into Erin's head. (I'd rather it not get out that I was consorting with Daybreakers. Goddess knows what the Council would make of that.) "We're here to help," Erin assured them. She nodded to Katarina, who walked over and knelt down by Jez. Erin couldn't catch the words she was saying, but she could feel the Power filling the room. Jez's body glowed a golden color briefly, then returned to normal. "There," Katarina said, leaning back and wiping her brow. "She should be stable enough for you to get her to your safehouse now." Morgead looked at her oddly when she said 'your safehouse'. "That was some pretty powerful magic," he said quietly. Katarina stood. "Thank you. Now we must be off." She gestured to Erin, and the two started heading for Katarina's car. "Talk to you later!" she called to Suze, who waved a hand in acknowledgement. They found Gwen standing outside the car, staring at the ruins of the house in open astonishment. Erin wondered if she'd arrived in time to see the blue fire. She thought so. As she settled into the car, she reflected on what she'd felt when she'd seen the blue fire. It didn't seem as if Kat had felt it this time, which was good. Because it hadn't been pain, and it hadn't been fear. She'd felt it pulling at her, at something so deep inside of her that she wasn't even aware of what it was. And it scared her. "Correct me if I'm wrong," Morgead said as they loaded Jez into the limo, "but wasn't that Katarina McConolly?" Suze sighed as she thought about how to answer that. She considered lying, but she didn't think she could get away with it. "Yes," she admitted. (Which now leads to the inevitable question...) "Why did she help us?" Hugh asked. (Yep,) Suze thought. (There it is.) Although, seeing an Old Soul look so confused might just be worth it. "Because Erin asked, or rather begged, her to," Suze answered. "She was trying to get Erin to join Circle Midnight, and it looks like she's succeeded." \Fifteen/ Erin settled into life at Circle Midnight surprisingly quickly. At first, she'd figured that she'd have to go to school. Katarina arranged for her to take an exam that would get her, if not her diploma, than at least her GED. She passed it with flying colors. No one had even raised an eyebrow when she'd moved into Kat's room, leading her to wonder just how often Katarina took new lovers. Katarina had picked up that thought and had burst into outright laughter, answering, not often, but they wouldn't look twice if brought home a were-rat. That had caused Erin to tackle her to the floor and tickle her into apologizing. It took her a little while. (For a group of evil witches,) Erin mused, (they're awfully nice.) Or rather, some of them were. The older, darker witches avoided Katarina - and, by extension, her - whenever possible. They even went so far as to stay away from headquarters as much as possible. It was like Circle Midnight LA was a totally separate Circle from the rest of Circle Midnight. CM LA was made up mostly of young runaways, it seemed. But they were powerful runaways. The Power humming in the Midnight building was staggering, and it took Erin a few days to get used to it. After that, she wasn't comfortable sleeping anywhere else. And she also quickly found that she didn't like sleeping away from Katarina. But it was going better than Erin had ever dreamed. Of course, the other shoe had yet to drop. She had yet to meet Marcus Bloodstone. Marcus shifted impatiently as his car approached Circle Midnight's LA headquarters. He had been away for two weeks, and he didn't like being away from Katarina for that long. Not out of any love for her, but because his control over her might slip. He couldn't control her with a spell - she was far too strong for that - but between minor magical influences and subtle emotional conditioning, he had maintained a strong hold over her. At least lately he'd finally been able to stop pretending to be her adoring slave. Sure, he cared about her a bit. But he didn't love her. He was just training her to be a weapon against the Council. He knew about the darkness coming at the end of the millennium, and he intended to be at the top of the Night World power structure when it happened. Which meant that he was running out of time. He'd been away preparing a backup plan, just in case. When the car pulled up in front of the massive mansion-like structure, he impatiently opened his door and walked inside. Then he stopped dead. The power harmonic had changed drastically. When he had left, there had been a pleasingly dark and bleak cloud hanging over the place, generated by all the witches, but shaped by Katarina. Now it had shifted to something almost... happy. And there was, he noted with horror, a definite air of hope to the place. Something was terribly wrong. He hurried upstairs to Katarina's room. She'd know what it was. As much as he thought of her as a stupid young girl, he couldn't deny there was a dangerous intelligence to her. It made her hard to control, but it also made sure that she kept up to date on everything that happened within Midnight's walls, which was very useful. He entered her room without knocking and stopped dead in his tracks for a second time. There was a young girl with long jet black hair and piercing green eyes sitting on the couch staring at him. "Oh, Kat," she called to the bedroom. "We've got company." The girl was dressed in a white shirt and red shorts that Marcus recognized as Katarina's. Katarina, Marcus noted with surprise when she came into the living room, was dressed in only a bathrobe. "Ah, Marcus," she said dryly. "How good of you to come." "Told you we should have locked the door," the girl muttered. Katarina chuckled. "Yes, you did. Next time I'll listen." She caught Marcus's expression and sighed with mock-regret. "Oh, but I'm being rude. Marcus Bloodstone, meet Erin Collins. Erin, this is Marcus." (Of course,) he thought with relief. (Erin's what's different around here.) "Having a nice visit?" he asked, trying to be polite. "Visit?" Erin and Katarina exchanged an amused look that he didn't like. "I live here." Katarina sat down next to her, and Erin tucked herself under her arm, cuddling up against her and staring at Marcus in a clear show of possession. Marcus was so stunned that he let it show for a second. (Well,) he reminded himself, (Katarina said she'd do whatever it took to get this girl to join Circle Midnight.) He hid a grin. (Looks like I've rubbed off on her.) He tried to check the minor spells he'd placed on her. He felt nothing. That was alarming enough that he stretched out with his mind, trying to get an impression of what she was thinking. All he got was the briefest hint of annoyance - directed at him - before his probe was sent rebounding away. He staggered backward from the backlash of Power. Katarina untangled herself from Erin and stalked towards him. Wisely, he backed for the door. "Having trouble, Marcus?" she asked tauntingly. She stopped at the doorway, with him outside. "In case you didn't get it in there," she said in a voice laced with scorn, "it's over. Your things have been moved to a room downstairs. Oh, and Marcus? Don't bother coming back. I've changed the locks." With that, she slammed the door in his face. For a second, he just stood outside the door, raging. How dare she! Did she think she could spoil all his carefully laid plans? Just for one - admittedly attractive - piece of ass? He knew that she had resented his recent indifference, but this? apparently she was smarter than he'd given her credit for. She'd managed to dispose of every spell placed not only on her, but on everything in her room. That shouldn't have been possible. He wasn't certain yet, but he'd bet that she'd also gotten rid of any surveillance devices that he'd placed in there. Well, she'd set back his plans, but she hadn't stopped them. There was always a chance that he could get back in her good graces. But that would mean getting rid of Erin, and Katarina would have taken steps to ensure that any magical attack on her would be impossible. But there were always other options. And he always had his backup plan. No, things weren't over yet. Not by a long shot. "Are you sure you should have done that?" Erin asked nervously as Katarina walked back to the couch. Katarina sat back down, Erin immediately settling back into her arms. "Probably not." She smiled wickedly. "But it was sooo much fun..." They shared a laugh. "Besides, I wasn't going to play the doting girlfriend for his power games. I've really had it with him, with all of it. Time to start cleaning house." "What do you mean?" "I mean, yes, this is Circle Midnight, so I don't expect to find good and pure witches here. But I've had it with those only interested in power. I don't want to have to worry about someone stabbing me in the back in my own home. So it's time to start getting those darker, more manipulative witches out of here. They can go back to the Council for all I care." She gave Erin an intense gaze. "But there's no way in hell I'm keeping them anywhere near you." \Sixteen/ "So, Winnie, how's things?" Erin asked, seated in one of the plush chairs in Kat's living room. (No,) she silently corrected herself with a happy smile, (OUR living room.) Katarina was off on her quest to weed out the untrustworthy witches, and Erin had started feeling lonely. So she'd decided to check in on things at Circle Daybreak. Happily, her cousin had been there to talk to her. "Things are going great!" Winnie sounded happy, and Erin had no trouble picturing her pixie face stretched into a radiant smile. "We just signed up the second Wild Power." "Really?" Erin asked, astonished. "That's great!" And it was. No matter how much she might be with Circle Midnight, she didn't want the world to end. And, she suspected, deep down, Katarina didn't, either. But that was a conversation for another day. "Who was it?" "A vampire prince named Delos Redfern, from the Dark Kingdom." (The Dark what?) "Never heard of it." Winnie laughed. "No one else has, really. Hunter Redfern went there when he heard reports that his son had still been alive, and that his grandson was ruling, and might know who the Wild Power was. Turns out that his grandson was the Wild Power. And there's even more big news: Hunter never came back." "He's dead?" Erin asked, unable to make herself feel bad about that, no matter how much she tried. "Yeah. So that's two down, two to go. We're halfway there!" Erin grinned at the enthusiasm in her voice. "'One from the land of kings long forgotten,' huh? Did you have any luck finding the Harman 'spark' yet?" "Not yet." Winnie paused, and Erin could practically feel her gathering her courage to ask the next question. "You guys haven't... heard anything yet, have you?" "'You guys'?" Erin repeated in mock-indignation. "I might resent that if it weren't true. And no, we haven't. Kat's too busy clearing out the darker, more untrustworthy witches. But I'll keep my eyes and ears open. If I hear anything, I'll let you know." "Thanks, Erin. Talk to you later." "Bye." Erin hung up the phone with a click. Winnie stood staring at the phone for a while after she hung up. She was having a little trouble processing the last part of their conversation. "Winnie? You alright?" Winnie heard the slight concern in Keller's voice and allowed herself a small, unseen smile. Keller liked hiding her emotions behind a mask of toughness, but it was nice to know that she cared. She turned and faced the others. Keller had a vague look of concern on her face, while Nissa looked cool and imperturbable as always. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was Erin. I told you about my cousin Erin, right?" "The one currently at Circle Midnight?" Nissa asked. "Yes, I believe you mentioned her. Was there something she wanted?" "No," Winnie said, shaking her head. "She just wanted to talk. Oh, and she promised to let us know if she hears anything about the other Wild Powers." "And that's good," Keller said, "but it's not what caused that look." Winnie mentally laughed. Trust Keller to pick up on the subtleties. "No, it was something that she said about Katarina. She said that Katarina was, and I quote, 'clearing out the darker, more untrustworthy witches.' It kind of struck me as strange." "And why would she be doing that?" Winnie shrugged. "Maybe Erin's having a good influence on her. Who knows? Now, I believe we've got a job to do." Keller tried not to smile. This was a switch. Usually if someone needed to be reminded that they were working, it would be Winnie, and Keller would be doing the reminding. And they did have a job to do. It wasn't a big one, but it was important. They had been assigned to take out one of the Council's teams, before they could find out where Daybreak was hiding Jez. "Let's go." Erin sighed as she sat in her chair, petting Katarina's familiar, a black tabby named Shadow. She was going over the prophecies regarding the Wild Powers in her head. "Okay, Shadow, let's see if I can come up with anything." The cat looked up at her quizzically. "You don't think I can? Alright, the first one goes: In blue fire, the final darkness is banished. In blood, the final price is paid." She paused. "Well, that one's obvious. The Wild Powers are meant to stand against the darkness, and it will take their blood to destroy it. I wonder if it means that they'll have to die. I hope not. Next, we've got: Four to stand between the light and the shadow, Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision; Four less one and darkness triumphs." She looked at Shadow. "Well, we already knew that. There are four Wild Powers, and they all possess the blue fire. But they need to spill their blood before they can use it. They're all the same age, seventeen. And all four will be needed to keep the world from ending. Even one less, and we're dead." She scratched under Shadow's chin, making her purr. "Doesn't sound too good, does it? But if Daybreak can find them first... that's where the next prophecy comes in." She frowned. "One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark." She sighed. "I just don't get it. I mean, the one from the Day World is obviously Jez, and the one from the land of kings long forgotten is this Delos person. But which Harman holds the spark? And what does the one about the twilight mean?" (And,) she wondered silently, (why does it give me such a bad feeling?) She curled up into the chair, Shadow purring in contentment. (I'll figure it out,) she vowed. (And after that, Kat and I can get down to the business of enjoying ourselves.) Then the phone rang, and the news she got shattered her world forever. \Seventeen/ Katarina sat at a corner table in the massive dining room, staring at her hands in despair. Erin was up in their room, crying. Or she had been last time Katarina checked in on her. Not that Katarina could blame her. But the fact that she was shutting Katarina out hurt more than she would have thought possible. But Katarina could understand, if she tried. Erin was in tremendous pain. Her mother was dead. She had gotten the news yesterday. There had been a fire. What caused the fire was still under investigation. Officially. Unofficially, however, Erin knew. A magical pendant, made of steel, and painted blood red. A pendant that belonged to Katarina. All she'd said to Katarina was that something of hers was found in the wreckage. Katarina had looked at her with horror. "You can't seriously think that I had anything to do with that?" Erin hadn't even been able to look at her. "No... But just the same, could you leave? Please?" She'd started crying. "Erin, please!" Katarina had been able to feel her own tears sliding down her face. "GO!" And she'd gone. After finding a quiet spot and crying until she was out of tears, she'd gone down to the gym and taken out her frustrations on a punching bag. Which was currently being replaced. Then she'd started thinking of ways to get Erin to believe her, to trust her. Many centered around finding the real person - or thing - responsible. Some were extreme; she'd even begun considering joining Circle Daybreak. That had made her realize just how desperate she was. So she'd gone to the cafeteria. She wasn't hungry, but it was a place to think where she could be around some people, but no one would bother her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she was keeping an eye on Marcus. He'd been behaving himself during her cleansweep. A bit too well. Marcus hid a grin, maintaining the illusion that everything was normal. Judging by Katarina's expression, everything was proceeding on schedule. Soon enough, Erin would be gone. Then things could get back to normal. Hiding things from Katarina, especially satisfaction like this, wasn't easy. But he could hold out a little longer. Longer than Erin could. Katarina didn't know any of what Marcus was thinking. Nor did she care. She just wanted Erin. As she walked out of the dining room, up the stairs, and approached the front door, she felt a new resolve. They were going to resolve this now. They had to. Erin didn't even look surprised when Katarina walked in. Truth be told, she wasn't surprised. She'd been expecting this. "Erin, we need to talk," Katarina began. "Look, you have to believe me. I had nothing to do with-" "I do," Erin said, cutting her off. "I believe you. I just needed some time to myself." Sure, when the pendant had been presented to her, Erin had flatly rejected the notion. But she'd started to wonder. (No,) she'd decided, (Katarina would never do that to me. She wouldn't need to. She has me. She doesn't need to convince me to do something.) That had caused her to wonder: who would want her to do something badly enough to kill her mother? "You... Oh, thank the Goddess." Katarina looked like she might actually faint with relief. She didn't say anything out loud, but Erin picked up the thought, (Oh, good, I won't have to join Circle Daybreak after all.) It was meant to be amusing, but Erin could tell that she meant it. "You'd have really done that? Just for me?" Katarina briefly considered pretending not to know what she was talking about, but she knew that Erin would see right through her. "I would have done anything to stop you from being mad at me... from shutting me out." She shook her head, trying to shake off her depression. There was no longer a reason for it. "What on Earth made you think I might have even been slightly involved with... with..." She couldn't even bring herself to say it. Erin held up the pendant. "This. Recognize it?" Katarina studied it. "Yes," she said slowly, "that's mine. But I haven't seen it since I lent it to-" She didn't say the name. She didn't have to. "Marcus." Erin felt like slapping herself. Katarina felt much the same, except it wasn't herself she wanted to hurt, and she wanted to do a lot more than slapping. "Marcus." Katarina groaned. "Of course. I am such an idiot. I never stopped and wondered why he was behaving so well. I just thought that he was trying to avoid being thrown out." "Why didn't you throw him out?" Erin quickly held up a hand. "I'm not blaming you, of course, but..." "Why? Because I was trying to keep him from doing something like this." Katarina laughed bitterly. "Great plan, huh? The way I had figured it, if I had gotten rid of him immediately, he would have been in a position to hurt us and I wouldn't have been able to keep an eye on him. If he thought I was waiting to get rid of him, he'd have started organizing a revolt, or a new Circle. Whatever. But I thought that if I waited until I got rid of any potential supporters..." "But why kill my mother?" Erin asked. "And why frame you?" "To split us apart," Katarina answered. "And get you to leave. He wanted his position as my right hand back." Her eyes hardened in sudden understanding. "He wanted to use me as a weapon against the Council. When the millennium comes, he wants to be in charge. But he's not going to live to see the new millennium." "You're going to kill him?" At Katarina's incredulous glance, she continued, "Don't get me wrong, I feel like killing him myself, but isn't there another way?" "Erin..." Katarina sighed. How to approach this? "Did you hesitate to kill Tiger when you picked up what he'd done to my family?" "He wasn't really alive, though," Erin protested weakly. "Oh, don't get me started on that discussion," Katarina warned. "And don't change the subject." "Hasn't there been enough death? Can't you do something else?" Katarina frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe..." There was a long pause, then Katarina grinned evilly. "Actually, yes. There is one thing..." Her expression sobered. "I want you to know that I don't blame you for suspecting me." She held up a hand to forestall Erin's protest. "And you did, if briefly. I would have, too. I'm not a nice person, Erin. I've used magic to kill and I've enjoyed it. But I would never, ever, do something to hurt you. And that's a promise." "I know you wouldn't," Erin said, giving her a hug. "And you've been doing better about not using magic for vengeance since I've been here. I'm proud of you." Marcus suspected that something was wrong when a group of witches surrounded him at his table. "Something I can do for you?" he asked coldly. "You're coming with us," the lead witch said. She wasn't scared in the least, which wasn't a good sign. "Lady Katarina has ordered your presence in the Great Chamber. Now." Marcus sighed. (I knew it couldn't last.) He stood. "Lead the way." ('Lady Katarina'?) he thought wryly. It was, technically, true enough. Though nowhere near as old as some of the other more influential Night People, like Thierry, she was strong enough and powerful enough to be considered a Lady of the Night World. But most people simply didn't call her that. It was a bad omen that these witches did. He wasn't surprised to find that the group surrounded him, not dropping their guard once. They were well trained, and if he knew Katarina, she'd threatened them with something severe enough to make sure that they didn't let him go. He shook his head in amusement. (I do love the way that woman works.) He was surprised, though, at what he found waiting for him. Katarina was dressed up like a queen. She was wearing a flowing white gown, diamond studded tiara, and diamond necklace. In her hands was a long golden scepter, topped with a clear crystal ball. She was sitting on an actual throne. On anyone else, it would have looked ridiculous. Somehow, Katarina managed to pull it off. "Cute outfit," he said dryly. "Silence!" she ordered. "Marcus Bloodstone, you are charged with the murder of a fellow witch, and the destruction of the private property of a member of Circle Midnight. How plead you?" "Oh, come off it, Katarina," he said, rolling his eyes. "SILENCE!!!" This time the chamber actually shook, her voice reverberating off every flat surface. Marcus shut up. He was starting to get nervous. Katarina got up off her throne and walked towards him, stopping several feet away. "Do you understand the severity of these charges?" "What are you going to do, kill me?" She wouldn't do that, he was certain. It would undermine all of her efforts to convince her followers that violence wasn't an all-purpose solution. She grinned darkly. "Oh, no. You're going to live..." Marcus allowed a grin of triumph, until she continued, "... as a human." His grin collapsed. "But that's- you can't do that," he sputtered. "Oh, yes. Yes, I can." She held up her scepter and began chanting in a language so old that only a select few of the darkest witches anywhere even knew it existed, let alone how to speak it. It seemed that Katarina was one of them. But how could she be strong enough to perform the spell? (She's been holding back on me,) he thought angrily. Marcus lunged to stop her, but a beam of black light erupted from the sphere, striking him in the chest, lifting him off the ground. He felt it penetrating him, sinking deeper, seeking out the core of his being. There it found his inner magic, everything that made him a witch, burning like a flame. And snuffed it out forever. Marcus's screams echoed throughout the chamber. Then he fell to the ground, convulsing in the ebony glow. He stopped moving, and the glow gradually faded until it was gone. Once she was certain it was done, Katarina turned to astonished the witches that had escorted him in. "Remove him from my sight," she ordered. "I never want to see his face again." With that, she turned and walked out of the chamber. She knew that, once they recovered from what they'd just seen, they'd obey. She disliked showing off with displays of force like that, but sometimes it was necessary. Now it was time to get rid of the rest of the witches disloyal to her. Let the council think whatever they wanted. She was through taking crap from anybody. \Eighteen/ A month later, things had finally settled down. Katarina had managed to get rid of everyone that disagreed with her philosophies. After what she did to Marcus, it proved surprisingly easy. Erin, who was now much more accepted by the Midnighters - people who dealt with shapeshifters, vampires, and other assorted creatures usually didn't find a problem with something like two women dating - had been trying to keep her promise to Winnie. She was looking for any new information on the Wild Power. She decided to try something a bit radical: trust her feelings. Katarina theorized that they were low- level precognitions. Or maybe not so low-level. She tried studying maps. She started with a map of the world, then narrowed it down to America. Then the East coast. She got it narrowed down to the southern most states along the coast - North Carolina, if she had to guess - before she had to stop. That was as far as she could go. But fortunately, she had other options. She had gotten some research material from Max - who probably didn't know why she wanted it, since Erin didn't say - and she started searching through it for clues. She started with Grandma Harman. It seemed like a natural choice. It took her a few minutes, but she noticed something odd. Grandma Harman, or Edgith, to use her real name, had a younger sister, Elspeth. But about ninety years ago, just before World War I, she and their brother, Emmeth, vanished from the historical records. The Harmans were no doubt closer to tracking down their descendents. But she could perhaps narrow things down with an internet search. She wouldn't find any clues about Elspeth, but Harman's were rather distinct looking. Silvery-fair hair and violet eyes couldn't be that common. Of course, some could have more blonde blonde hair. That fact had led to quite a few discussions of Katarina's features, Erin knew. She made a mental note to ask Max to check and see if, despite her claims to the contrary, Kat did have Harman blood. It could make a world of difference. She filed the thought for later and resumed her search. It took almost three hours, with plenty of dead ends, but she finally found something that seemed concrete. The Dominick family. She paused, tasting the name. Dominick. Yes, it felt right. She logged off and reached for the phone. Winnie jumped as her cell phone rang. Since cell phone calls could be intercepted so easily, she only used it for emergencies. She flipped it open and said, "Hello?" "Hi Winnie. Get to the nearest secure phone and call me. Or give me the number so I can call you." "Erin?" She was, for once, at home. She and her team were between missions at the moment. "I'm at home-" "Good," Erin said, cutting her off. She hung up without another word. Winnie stared at her phone in amazement. Erin was many things, but rude was never one of them. Then her house phone rang, and it required no great leap of imagination to guess who it was. Winnie picked up the receiver. "Erin, what's going on?" "I found her." There was a thread of excitement in her voice. "Found who?" "Her! You know, the person we were talking about a month ago?" Winnie groaned with frustration. "Why can't you just speak clearly?" "Because you never know who's listening." She let Winnie absorb that for a second, then continued, "Her, Winnie. The spark." Winnie was glad that she was near a chair, since her legs collapsed out from under her. She tried three times before she was able to speak. "You- you found her?" she whispered. "Her name is Iliana Harman, though she thinks her last name is Dominick. She's in North Carolina. You can check with Circle Daybreak for the exact location, but I wanted to tell you first. I know they'll send you, 'cause you're the best. Good luck!" Winnie was still having trouble speaking. "Thanks. Have you told Katarina yet?" "No, I promised to tell you first. But I think the Council may already know. Or someone, anyway." "Someone?" "I haven't really heard anything about this from my sources on the Council," Erin explained. "But they will know when you tell Katarina," Winnie said flatly. Erin hesitated. "Maybe." "Maybe?" Erin sighed. "Well, since the witches seceded from the Night World, except for some of the darker witches at Circle Midnight... We're not really part of Circle Midnight. Or we're all that's really left of Circle Midnight. Whichever way you want to say it, we don't really answer to the Council anymore. And Katarina's never liked them, even with Hunter Redfern gone. So... they won't hear about her from us." "Thanks, Erin," Winnie said warmly. "I mean it. Thanks." "My pleasure. Love you, cuz. Good luck." Keller hung up her phone with a feeling of intense satisfaction. They had a new mission. And not just any mission, but the mission. Finding and retrieving the third Wild Power. Time to collect the team. She called Winnie first. She picked up on the first ring, as if she'd been waiting for this call. "We've got a new mission," Keller said without preamble. "I know." Keller paused. While it was possible that Circle Daybreak could have called the rest of her team, they usually let her handle the initial debrief. "Guess this is where I ask you how you know that." "Erin called me. She's the one that found her." Another pause. "One of these days you're going to have to introduce me to this cousin of yours." Winnie laughed, but there was no real humor in it. "If I can track her down. I haven't seen her since her mother's funeral." She lapsed into silence as she remembered the day. It had been overcast and threatening rain, which was rather appropriate. It was the first time Winnie had met Katarina. She'd been expecting to see a bitter and cruel crone. Instead, she found a beautiful and sad young girl, who obviously was very attached to Erin. She was so distressed that she let her control slip, and Winnie saw something that Katarina - and Erin - obviously didn't want her to. They were soulmates. Winnie had never told anyone. Not even Keller or Nissa. Of course, they'd never asked. \Nineteen/ "A dragon?!" Heads all around the table turned to face her in shock. They were in the middle of a Circle Midnight meeting. Phone calls weren't usually allowed, but the caller had said it was an emergency. Erin's astonished exclamation let them know just how much of an emergency it was. "Oh, Goddess, Winnie! Are you alright?" She held up a hand to shush the muted questions that were now being directed at her. She listened patiently as her cousin explained what had happened. "Is the girl alright?...Good. Well, the shapeshifters would probably know more about dragons than me...Oh, is he? And how did Keller take that?" She laughed. "I wish I could have seen that. Are the wards stable?...Two minutes ago? Really? I did not know that." She grinned, a bit shakily. "Well, have fun at school," she teased. She hung up the phone, her smile fading immediately. "We've got a problem." "What was that about a dragon?" Katarina asked coolly. Oh, she was concerned, but only Erin could tell. Her control was that good. "That was my cousin Winnie," she said, more for the others' benefit than Katarina's. "She's part of the team assigned to guard the third Wild Power. They were attacked by a dragon. Somebody, likely the Council, must have dug him up and revived him. They called him Azhdeha, if that helps." "Not really," Katarina said. "Okay people, new agenda. I want to know everything about this dragon, and how to stop him, and I want to know it yesterday. Dismissed!" (Okay, okay, I know this isn't a military operation,) she told Erin as the others quickly departed, (but sometimes I just can't help myself.) Erin grinned back at her. (Thanks for this,) she said quietly. (I know you don't want Daybreak to get any more Wild Powers.) (Yeah, but this dragon could be a threat to us as well. And I don't think the Council's behind this. They may support it, or they may not, but they're not behind it.) (So, if you get a chance, you'll turn the Wild Power over to the Council?) Erin asked, not sure she really wanted to know the answer. Katarina laughed silently. They were now the only ones in the room, but she answered mentally anyway. (I don't know. Two months ago, I'd have said yes without hesitation. But now... I don't know. It would really depend on the Wild Power, what kind of person she is.) Erin recalled Winnie's brief description of Iliana Harman and winced. "When you get some solid information on dragons," she said aloud, "will you show it to me? I'd like to know what my cousin is up against." "In case you decide to help?" Katarina challenged. Both knew that if she wanted to go, Katarina wouldn't stop her. But Erin hated choosing sides, and in a case like this, where she'd be walking headfirst into overwhelming odds... Would Katarina let her go, to face almost certain death? "In case there's a way for me to help." "Alright, if you insist. But be careful." As promised, once some reliable information on the dragon was found, Katarina sent it to their apartment for Erin to study. Katarina herself was trying to find out just how involved the Council was in this. From what she could see, the Council wasn't pulling the strings. They didn't seem to mind if the Wild Power was killed, but they were a bit upset that someone had raised a dragon without their knowledge. That part bothered Katarina, too. The Council may have been filled with arrogant blowhards, but they were well informed arrogant blowhards. If they didn't know who was responsible... Katarina didn't finish the thought. She didn't have to. They would be screwed. Erin, meanwhile, was studying what Circle Midnight (LA) knew about dragons. Which wasn't much. She learned their history, about the time when the dragons ruled, and how they tried to destroy the world. Then the witches stopped them, put them to sleep and buried them alive. But, annoyingly, it didn't say how. There was more, something about an infant dragon princess, but it didn't help at all. Erin finally quit and just stared at the pictures. They weren't as good as the scrolls that the shapeshifters had, which were now most likely in the hands of Keller and her team. Or they should be soon. (I hope they can save Iliana,) she thought. (Then they'll just have to find one more Wild Power and that'll be it.) But she didn't have a clue what the last line of the prophecy meant, no one did. 'One from the twilight to be one with the dark.' Then Erin stopped breathing. Her mind, too preoccupied to focus as she usually did, had stumbled across the answer. (Oh, Goddess, no. Please, it can't be true. It can't!) She looked around the room wildly, as if the Wild Power was going to jump out at her. (What's wrong?) came Katarina's concerned voice. (What is it?) Trying to breathe, Erin sent back, (Nothing's wrong. I was just looking over the information you gave me on the dragons.) She hated lying to Katarina, but she had to, or they were all going to die. Fortunately, Katarina believed her. Of course, Katarina was a bit preoccupied herself. She'd returned to Circle Midnight Headquarters just in time for a meeting. Erin looked jumpy as hell, but no one commented. They were all a bit nervous. Also, they had discovered the same thing as Katarina and Erin: nothing. "Let me get this straight. We have contacts in every Circle, coven, and Night World outpost around the world, and no one found anything useful?" She slammed the table hard enough to make everyone jump. "That's pathetic, people. Tell me something. When the dragon decides to take us out - and you know it will, eventually - what are we going to do to defend ourselves?" The others were spared further yelling when a young witch ran into the room. She was shaking like a leaf. "Yes, Heather?" Katarina asked, annoyed even further by the interruption. "What is it?" Heather was stammering so hard that no one could make out what she was saying. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Fortunately, Gwen Acevado ran into the room after her. Heather flung herself at Gwen and held on as if the werewolf was a lifeline. "Gwen, would you like to tell us what's going on?" Katarina asked, patience nearly exhausted. "I'm sorry," she said. "Katarina, I don't know how to say this." She swallowed and then straightened, speaking formally. "The Crone of all the Witches is dead." There was dead silence in the room, broken only by Heather's sobbing. Katarina, after a few tries, said, "Someone get her out of here," pointing to Heather. "Take care of her, maybe give her something to relax her." A witch named Daniel rose and escorted Heather out of the room. Then Katarina turned to Gwen. "Explain," was all she said. It was enough. Gwen spoke carefully. "It happened yesterday in Las Vegas. She was outside her shop, on a city street mind you, in broad daylight, no less. She was attacked and killed..." Gwen winced. "...by three shapeshifters." There was more, but Erin didn't really absorb it. Grandma Harman, dead. (No, please, not her. Why?) There had been a couple of wolves and a tiger, it seemed. Gwen got a few dirty looks when this was said, but Katarina's glare kept anyone from saying anything they'd later regret. And knowing Katarina, they would regret it. "There's more," Gwen said, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. Circle Midnight they may have been, but they weren't taking the news well, and someone might forget themselves and kill the messenger. "Turn on CNN." "Thank you Gwen," Katarina said in a tone that said 'don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.' Gwen gratefully took the hint and left. There was a monitor in the wall, and someone flipped it on and turned it to CNN. It was happening all over the country. Even in LA, which made several of the witches mad. "How dare the First House do this in our territory?" A petite witch named Gerta asked, referring to the First House of the Shapeshifters. "I don't think it's the First House," Erin said abruptly. "How would you know?" someone asked. "I don't know, I just do," Erin answered with a shrug. "Then who do you think it is?" Erin thought, then was suddenly struck with an idea so horrible, she knew it had to be the truth. "The dragon." Katarina groaned. "Of course. It's like King Arthur coming back." "So, what do we do?" Erin asked. No one had an answer. \Twenty/ "Let me get this straight: you're not going to do anything about the dragon?!" Katarina asked incredulously. Not that she'd really expected the Council to do something, but she'd thought that they'd at least feign concern. Fox Redfern, the representative from Council assigned to talk to her, shifted uncomfortably. "At present, the dragon is only a threat to the Daybreakers. He and the shapeshifter attacks are making sure that the shifters side with us. If they become a threat to us, we'll act." Fox's silvery gaze shifted to her suspiciously. "Surely you don't have a problem with that?" Katarina shook her head. (What,) she asked herself, (did you actually think that the Council would care that they killed Grandma Harman? Or some humans? They hated her, and consider humans to be vermin.) "Of course not," she said smoothly. And she didn't, not really. She could certainly understand where they were coming from. And as far as she was concerned, it was better that the Council stayed out of it. It would keep them out of her way if she was forced to intervene. "I just hope that, if they do become a threat, you'll be able to notice and react in time." Fox narrowed her eyes. "If and when that should happen, we'll handle it." Sensing that Katarina remained unconvinced, she swiftly changed the subject. "So, anything new to report about the Wild Powers?" "Other than the fact that your dragon is trying to kill one?" Katarina asked archly. Fox bristled. "It is not our dragon," she said sharply. "And yes, other than that." Katarina sighed. "Not really. Only something that Erin said to me, back around the time that she heard that Delos was the second Wild Power. She said that she found it odd that they were all related. It got me thinking. She's right. Jez Redfern. Delos Redfern. Iliana Harman. And you know full well that the Harmans and the Redferns are related." "So the fourth Wild Power would be a member of one of those families," Fox said, growing excited. "That'll narrow down the search considerably! Thanks." Katarina shrugged, not really caring one way or the other. She was too busy making plans for the future. Should Circle Daybreak get all the Wild Powers and stop the end of the world, she wanted to be ready. And if they failed, she was going to make sure that her people had a place in the new order. "If you hear anything about the last Wild Power, you'll tell us?" Fox asked, but it wasn't really a question. "Of course," Katarina replied with a smile. It was a smile that she favored Fox, and the rest of the Council, with often. A trustworthy smile, one that said, "I'm on your side, and I'll do whatever I can to help." She was rather astonished that none of them ever suspected that she was lying through her teeth. When Katarina returned to Circle Midnight headquarters, she found Erin waiting for her in their apartment. This in itself wasn't unusual. It was what she always did. It was the fact that Erin was nearly bouncing up and down in her chair, looking like she'd had one espresso too many, that caught her attention. "Are you alright?" she asked curiously. Erin bolted out of her chair, and only the fact that her feet caught on each other and sent her sprawling kept her from running from the room entirely. "Oh, Goddess, Kat! You scared me!" Katarina hurried over to her and extended a hand, helping Erin to her feet. "What is the matter with you?" she asked, bewildered. "Sorry. I'm just... nervous, is all." Katarina narrowed her eyes. "C'mon, Erin. This is me you're talking to here. You'll have to do better than that." Suddenly an idea struck her. "Oh, no. Erin..." It could have been her words. Or it might have been the vague suspicion in her voice. It could even have the almost threatening posture she adopted. Whatever it was, it caused something in Erin to snap. "NO! Get away from me!" She flung herself away from her confused soulmate. "You'll just turn me over to them! I won't let you, I won't!" Katarina's jaw actually dropped open in shock. "Erin, what in the name of the Goddess are you talking about?" Suddenly Erin looked less sure of herself. "What are you talking about?" she shot back. Still looking lost, Katarina said, "Erin, just tell me one thing: How much have you told Circle Daybreak about what we've been planning?" Erin's expression shifted from panic to outrage. "I haven't told them anything! Nothing that they didn't already know." A pause. "So, ah, there's no need to turn me over to the Council." "Nice try, Erin. But I know that's not what you meant. You've been acting squirrelly ever since that day I gave you the information about the dragon. You barely even let me touch you. And I know Azhdeha isn't what's bothering you, not this much. Now, what is so bad that it had you scared of me?" That last was said in a rather hurt tone. Erin winced. She hadn't wanted to hurt Katarina. She just hadn't been thinking. "It's better that you don't know. That's why I've been trying to limit contact. If the Council found out about me..." Katarina didn't understand. What could possibly be so threatening about Erin that the Council would kill her the instant they found out... Her legs collapsed under her, and she slid to the ground. There was only one thing. Erin watched Katarina's reaction and paled. Katarina knew. Now Erin would see what her lover would do with that knowledge. "Are you sure?" Katarina whispered. "I- I don't know. How can I be sure?" "No one can," Katarina answered quietly. "Not until you demonstrate it." Katarina looked up so suddenly that Erin jumped. "Which is something that you'd better not do. I don't know if I'd be able to keep it quiet." "You won't say anything?" Erin asked in a barely audible voice. She was having trouble speaking. "But if the Council found out that you knew and didn't say anything..." "They'd kill me," Katarina agreed. "Probably excruciatingly painfully, too. But they're not going to find out. And anyway, you're more important than anything else." That was all Erin could take. She quickly crossed the little distance between them and flung herself into Katarina's arms, sobbing. "I can't stress enough just how uncomfortable I am here," Katarina hissed to Erin. The two of them, along with Gwen and her team, were in Charlotte, North Carolina. The building was long and low, and just barely big enough to hold all the witches and shapeshifters gathered inside. They were waiting for the Witch Child - AKA the third Wild Power, Iliana Harman - to arrive and promise herself to the son of the First House of the Shapeshifters, Galen Drache. It was almost midnight, and there was no sign of them. Erin was beginning to get nervous. Her cousin Winnie was on the team assigned to bring her back, and if she wasn't here... Erin's nervousness was rubbing off on Katarina, who was already unhappy at being surrounded by so many Daybreakers. There were a number of people sitting at a table on a platform at the front. They were facing the audience like the audience just like any ordinary panel, with glasses of water and microphones in front of them. Of course, they were anything but ordinary. There was Mother Cybele. Mother of all the Witches, just as Grandma Harman had been Crone. With Grandma Harman dead, she was now the witches' leader. Next to her was Aradia, as well as Galen's parents, the leaders of the First House of the Shapeshifters. There were other people, too, important people from Circle Daybreak. But Katarina could care less. She was growing impatient. And she wasn't the only one. Mother Cybele stood up and started speaking. "I'm afraid that since it's now past midnight-" "It's just midnight now!" A voice rang out. Neither Katarina nor Erin recognized it. But whoever it - she - was, she was getting a lot of attention. Mother Cybele looked up over her glasses, startled. Every head on the panel turned. And every face in the audience was suddenly fixed on the source of the voice. It was a group of five people, led by a young girl with long, black hair. From her looks and general attitude, Erin knew that it had to be Keller. Which meant... (Yes!) she thought triumphantly as she spotted Winnie. (They are the best,) she thought again. Katarina was less impressed with Keller's team. They were a rather sorry looking group. Winnie's strawberry-blond hair was dark red with blood on one side. Galen's sweater was in shreds. And the one that had to be Keller was filthy with dirt and blood. From where she was, she couldn't see the vampire, Nissa. Only Iliana looked reasonably clean. Which, Katarina noted with interest, was probably because she was glowing, which kept people from focusing too closely. Mother Cybele gave a little cry of joy that sounded quite young, and she dropped the index card she'd been holding. Aradia stood up, her beautiful blank eyes turned towards them, her entire face shining with joy. Galen's parents looked extremely startled and relieved. Erin started pushing through the crowd towards them. Katarina looked heavenward, rolled her eyes and sighed. "Why me?" she muttered. She nodded to Gwen and her team, and the four of them followed her. Nissa was just coming in the door - (No wonder I didn't see her before,) Katarina thought wryly - when Keller responded to the challenge of someone in the audience who'd stopped her with, "We're the people who're bringing you the Wild Power." She beckoned Nissa to her. "And we're also the ones who killed the dragon." Erin stopped so abruptly that the others slammed into her. The room had fallen deathly silent. "Well, actually," Keller clarified, pointing to Iliana, "she killed the dragon." Aradia, in a hushed voice, said, "The Witch Child. She's come to us." And, Katarina had to acknowledge, she did make a rather impressive sight. Even knowing what Erin had told her about her personality - or, at least, what she had been like before she unleashed her Power - didn't change that. She slowly walked up onto the stage, and explained that she didn't kill it alone. Everyone helped, she explained, most especially Keller and Galen, who fought it to near death. But, Iliana said, with no trace of self-consciousness or arrogance, once she used the blue fire, they got better again. But no one, not even Iliana herself, seemed to know exactly how she'd beaten the dragon. Oh, they knew how she'd destroyed him, but it seemed that just prior to that she had said some things about Hecate that had seemingly come from the nowhere. The audience broke into cheers and applause. Erin, Gwen, Alex, and Chris enthusiastically joined in. Katarina clapped politely. No point in pissing off the Daybreakers when they massively outnumbered her. And anyway, she was rather impressed with Iliana. As well as Keller and her team. She briefly considered trying to recruit them, but knew it would be a hopeless cause. They firmly believed in their cause, any nothing would be able to pull them away. Erin was moving forward through the crowd again, albeit a bit more slowly and discreetly this time. Katarina helped out by using minor magical spells to move some people. Others, who either recognized her or knew what kind of witch she was, backed off instinctively. Erin briefly turned, lifted a hand, and brushed her cheek. She started forward again as Katarina asked, (What are you trying to do, out us?) Erin silently laughed. (Not hardly. But no one here would care. Nobody in Circle Daybreak would try and use me against you. That's not the way they work. If anything, they'd think that since I'm your soulmate, you can't be all bad. With them, we wouldn't have to hide what we are.) (What are you trying to do?) Katarina asked, amused. (Recruit me?) Erin grinned evilly. (Well, that would serve you right, after the way you pursued me so hard. And, who knows? You might even learn to like it there. Aside from some minor philosophical differences, we're not that different anymore. I mean, face it, Kat. You may have recruited me for Circle Midnight, but that Circle Midnight doesn't really exist anymore.) And as much as Katarina wanted to argue - and she did want to argue, very much so in fact - she just couldn't. Circle Midnight LA was all that was really left of Circle Midnight, and lately it had been changing drastically. She shook herself from her musings. Something was happening on stage. It looked like the promise ceremony was about to start. Galen's father stepped up to lead him over to Iliana. But Iliana was holding some sort of whispered conversation with Aradia. When she turned around, she announced that she wanted Keller to do it, since she was the one responsible for all of it. Katarina had caught the several looks exchanged between Keller and Galen, and wondered if Iliana was trying to be cruel. Erin, on the other hand, suspected that she was the only one who knew what Iliana really meant. And when Iliana cut open both her and Keller's hands, she knew that she was right. Iliana announced to the stunned crowd that she and Keller were now blood sisters, and that Keller had already been like a sister to her, saving her life over and over. "And if that's not good enough for an alliance between the witches and the shapeshifters, I don't know what is," Iliana said. Erin quite agreed. As everyone tried to digest that, Iliana responded to Galen's father's incredulous question - "Are you saying that you won't marry my son?" - by saying that if he should be with anyone, it should be Keller. There was no reason to make him miserable for the rest of his life just because they wanted the shapeshifters and the witches tied together. She and Keller, Iliana said, were tied together, and always would be. The same applied to Galen. Why couldn't that be enough? A sound was starting from the crowd again. Erin had to strain to hear what was being said. Keller looked happy, but afraid. As if she wanted desperately to believe Iliana, but was afraid to. Galen's father made one last, feeble protest, wondering what would happen if the witches didn't agree. Iliana stamped her foot. She actually did. "I'm the Witch Child. They'd better listen to me. I didn't go through all of this for nothing." Then the crowd was thundering applause even louder than before. Keller and Galen embraced, and Iliana smiled at the sight. (Oh, yes,) Erin thought to herself as she headed for the stage. (I do believe I'm going to like this girl.) Winnie had been absolutely thrilled to see Erin. She had been somewhat less thrilled to see Katarina, but, head of Circle Midnight or not, she was a witch, so she had a right to be there. And she definitely wasn't out to harm anyone. "Did you have to cut it so damn close?" Erin asked, her voice echoing her previous anxiousness. "I was starting to get really worried." Winnie laughed. "Sorry, but there was nothing I could do. We got here as fast as we could after Iliana blew up the dragon." "You... saw the blue fire in action?" Erin asked, unsure where he hesitation had come from. "Yeah, and it was amazing!" Winnie gushed. "Now I know how you must have felt when you saw Jez use it." (No, you don't,) Erin thought. She was suddenly seized by an inexplicable impulse to confess. To tell Winnie everything. She'd understand, Erin was certain. And Circle Daybreak would take care of her, hide her, keep her safe. But she couldn't do it. It wasn't the right time, she could feel it. She wondered if there would ever be a right time. She made herself focus as Katarina asked, "What exactly did the dragon say?" Winnie's face scrunched up in thought. "Keller asked him who'd woken him up. He said, 'Someone you'll never know. A witch who isn't a witch. We made our own alliance.' Mean anything to you?" "No," Erin said. Katarina thought a long moment, then shook her head. She didn't have a clue either. "Keller, this is my cousin, Erin Collins," Winnie said proudly. She'd finally managed to get Keller alone. Katarina was off mingling. "Erin, Raksha Keller." "Your first name is Demon?" Erin asked curiously. Keller looked almost impressed. "Not many people know what that means. So, you're the famous Erin." She looked the girl over. She was rather athletic, and her posture strongly suggested that she knew how to use each and every muscle she had. Her aura, though, radiated with an entirely different kind of Power. She possessed strong, if dark, magic. Which, from what Winnie told her, came from Katarina McConolly. "I'll admit, you certainly seem able to live up to your reputation." "And just what reputation is that?" Erin asked, amused. Winnie blushed. "Winnie, just what have you been telling your friends about me?" "Only the truth," Winnie protested. "Just that your influence managed to somehow get Katarina to get rid of the darker witches at Circle Midnight. And that you managed to track down Iliana before anyone else." She paused. "And maybe some other stuff, but those were the biggies." Winnie was saved from further explanations by a passing shapeshifter who stopped to regard them. He looked from Erin to Keller and back again. "Are you two related?" he asked finally. Witch and shapeshifter turned to look at him in surprise. Both were roughly the same height, with the same color hair, and the same stance, but that was where the similarities ended. Or maybe not. Both fixed him with an identical sour, withering glare, which caused him to quickly melt back into the crowd. Winnie tried desperately not to laugh. Lupe Acevado was grinning like an idiot, but she didn't care. She was too happy. The shapeshifters had finally joined up with the witches, which meant that they had finally joined Circle Daybreak! (Now we're sure to win,) she thought triumphantly. Maybe it was pride, but she felt that with the shifters, all of them - or near enough - on their side, they were sure to win. (Who knows?) she thought, her grin widening. (Maybe we can get the vampires on our side, too. Maybe then the darkness will never come at all.) "You look happy," an extremely familiar voice said from behind her. Lupe whirled around, unable to believe her ears. Sure enough, there was her sister, Gwen, grinning at her. Even a casual observer would have known the two girls were sisters. Except for a few superficial differences, they were identical. Overjoyed, Lupe pulled her into a tight hug, which Gwen returned. "Gwen! I'm so happy to see you!" she exclaimed when she let go. "What are you doing here? Did you finally decide to join the good guys?" Gwen chuckled. "No, I'm just here with some friends. But enough about that." She practically bounced up and down with excitement. "C'mon! Tell me what you've been up to." They talked for a long time. Lupe told her everything from when she discovered Thierry's soulmate, Hannah, to when she learned about the joining between the shapeshifters and the witches. Gwen talked about how Erin had first come to Circle Midnight, and Katarina's unexpected decision to exclude some witches from the Circle. They talked about everything they could think of. Everything but the big issue. But, after a while, it could no longer be avoided. "So, when are you going to give in and join Circle Daybreak?" Lupe asked. Gwen sighed. "Lupe, we've talked about this. I already belong to a Circle." She paused. "Sort of." "But you believe in what Daybreak's doing," Lupe protested. "I know you do. You don't want to see the human world end anymore than I do. Why won't you join?" "Because I don't believe you'll win." "And when will you believe?" Lupe asked, beginning to grow angry. Gwen was silent a moment, thinking. She didn't want to spoil her reunion with her twin. So she decided to come up with a new, though still true, answer. "When you get all four Wild Powers," she said. "Then I'll believe." The answer brought Lupe up short. She was so accustomed to the same argument being tossed back and forth that, when it wasn't, she was caught by surprise. But she recognized a compromise when she heard one. "Alright," she said, giving her sister a grin. "You're on." It took her a while, but Winnie finally managed to get Iliana away from the countless people that were fawning over her. She'd already introduced Erin to Nissa and Galen, and she knew that Erin wanted to meet the newest Wild Power. Nissa and Keller were off making sure that the Ashton-Hughes family hadn't been hurt by the dragon. Iliana, Erin noticed, was still shining with that silvery light. Winnie had also made sure that Katarina wasn't around. She didn't see any reason to inflict the Midnight witch on Iliana. Of course, she didn't know that Katarina had already introduced herself to Iliana. They'd actually gotten along fairly well. On the other hand, Iliana had no idea of Katarina's title. She only knew her as a witch. She had considerably amused Kat when she'd asked if the other girl was a Harman, too. "I think I'd know if I was," Katarina said between laughs. "Not necessarily," Iliana replied. "I didn't." Kat grinned. "Yeah, but I'm a bit more high profile than you. My background's been thoroughly analyzed. I am not a Harman." Iliana had still looked doubtful, though, which had briefly made Katarina wonder, what if? Would she enjoy being a Harman? She'd probably be able to rise even higher in the Night World if it was true. And the thought of being related to someone as sweet as Iliana was quite attractive. Then she came to her senses. Yeah, it'd be nice, but it wasn't true. After a few more words, she'd moved off into the crowd, Iliana still having no idea who she really was. "Iliana, I want you to meet someone," Winnie said. "This is my cousin, Erin Collins. Erin, meet Iliana Harman." Erin grinned. "Delighted to finally meet you." She shook Iliana's hand - and was nearly knocked backwards by a jolt of energy. Iliana jumped slightly. She'd obviously felt it, too. "What was that?" she asked curiously. She didn't sound nervous, which Erin found a good sign. "I think it was me reacting to the blue fire," Erin responded. Iliana studied her with a surprisingly wise gaze. "You're the one that found me." It wasn't a question. Erin nodded. "Yes, I am," she said anyway. Winnie was surprised. How had Iliana known that? And why was Erin reacting to the Wild Power? She had reacted to Jez, when she'd used the blue fire, but they were related. (Of course!) Winnie thought suddenly. (The Redferns are related to the Harmans, however distantly.) She wondered if Erin would be able to sense the fourth Wild Power. She hoped so. They needed all the help they could get. \Twenty-One/ The search was on for the fourth Wild Power. Circle Daybreak had everyone they could spare out looking for clues. So did the Night World Council. Both expected Erin - or Katarina - to come to them immediately if she heard anything. Each had promised that she would, but they weren't looking for the Wild Power. They were trying to find out who had woken up the dragon. Erin had said, and Katarina agreed, that if someone out there could find and wake up a dragon once, they might do it again. Or they might attack with something even worse. "And anyway... 'A witch who isn't a witch.' What does that even mean?" Erin had asked. No one had an answer for her. So, research. Erin, surprisingly, didn't complain once. Normally, she didn't care much for looking through Circle Midnight's various dusty tomes, some of which practically radiated evil. She usually at least made a token comment. Now, however, she was so desperate to keep her mind off of her... situation, that she split up her time between them and the internet, looking for something for hours on end. Evidently, she found something, even though she didn't know it. Or someone thought that either she had, or she would. Because that someone decided to remove her from the equation. "I hesitate to suggest this," Katarina said when Erin came up for air, "but perhaps you should check in at Circle Daybreak and see if they've come up with anything." Erin gave her an odd look. "You think we should call Circle Daybreak? Have you been inhaling too much dust?" Katarina chuckled. "Cute. But we can't afford to waste time on this. Especially with the vampires organizing an effort to find where Daybreak's hiding the other Wild Powers. If whoever it was comes back with something more destructive, and the vamps lead them to one or more of the Wild Powers..." "Gotcha." Erin picked up the phone and dialed a number from memory. The fact that she had it memorized should have told her something. After a short wait, someone answered. "Erin Collins here. Code word, Twilight Sentinel." Erin rolled her eyes even as she said it. "Let me speak to Thierry." She saw Katarina's eyebrows go up. She could understand why. She was asking to speak to one of the highest level people at Circle Daybreak, with information that they had to already know and questions that someone at a much lower level could answer. But she had this feeling... "Look, I don't care if he's with someone. You know I wouldn't be calling if it weren't important. Yes, I'll hold." She covered the mouthpiece and shook her head. "Secretaries," she muttered. Katarina muffled a giggle. Erin probably wouldn't appreciate being laughed at, but she just looked so damn cute... After a seemingly endless wait, someone picked up the phone. Going by Erin's relieved expression, Katarina thought, it must have been Thierry. "Hello, Sir," Erin said, slipping into a formal tone. Briefly. "Yes, I have something to report. But before I do, I have a question. Has Circle Daybreak learned anything more about whoever woke up the dragon?" A short pause. "Well, that is unfortunate... No, we haven't either. As for what I have to report..." She sighed. "The vampires are making a concentrated effort to track down where you're hiding the Wild Powers." A longer pause this time. "You didn't?" She exchanged worried glances with Katarina. That was bad. "No, I haven't heard anything to indicate that they've figured anything out yet. But if they do, I don't think they'll tell me. You better try and stop them... You can? Yes, that would be wonderful. Best of luck to you. Tell Jez I said hi." After exchanging goodbyes, she hung up and faced Katarina. "They hadn't heard anything about the vamps," she said. "But they're going to take out their search teams before they get anywhere. And they may relocate the Wild Powers, if it becomes necessary." She smiled. "And I believe we have reservations?" Katarina grinned. Erin had been putting so much effort into finding the 'unwitch', as she had taken to calling the person, that Katarina had decided to give her a treat. She'd made reservations at one of Erin's favorite restaurants. It was a bit overpriced, but Erin said that the ley lines that ran under it made it the perfect place to relax and enjoy a meal. She was more sensitive to ley energy than Katarina, so the blonde witch took her word for it. She and Katarina were being led to their table when Erin's internal alert system went into hyperdrive. She looked around wildly. It only took her a second to find the problem. Four men in ski masks had just walked in the door. It was painfully obvious that they were armed. Heavily armed. She spotted at least one rocket launcher. She tackled Katarina to the floor a second before they started spraying the room with bullets. Screams of pain and terror filled the air. After a few seconds, Erin felt a fresh wave of horror. They were shooting all over the room, but they were targeting her and Katarina. Everyone else took advantage of that fact to get out of the way. Panicked people stampeded through the exits, occasionally trampling over some other people in their hurry. Some even made new exits, smashing the tinted windows. In a short time, she and Katarina were the only ones left alive in the restaurant. Other than the shooters, of course. Katarina had finally had enough, and had started shooting back, launching blasts of golden-orange witch fire at them. There was a brief lull as they took cover. The two witches took advantage of it to find better cover themselves, and Katarina fished out her cell phone to call for backup. They moved just in time. No sooner had they ducked into the kitchen then an explosion blew apart the overtuned table they'd been hiding behind. Erin was moving a step behind Katarina, but she was a bit too slow. As she threw herself into the kitchen, she felt a burning pain blossom along her right arm. She looked down and her eyes widened in shock. She'd been shot. It wasn't too bad; the bullet had only grazed her. But it still hurt like she couldn't believe. Katarina, busy shooting fire at the gunmen, winced and grabbed her arm in sympathetic agony. Erin could feel a scream welling up in her... No. Her eyes widened. That's not what it was. Something was burning inside her, trying to get out, but it wasn't a scream. It was like fire, spreading from her wound to her entire body. Hotter than the heart of a star. Hotter than lightning. Hotter than the sun and colder and bluer than ice, stronger than anything Erin had ever felt and she knew this shouldn't be happening now and she couldn't do this here but Katarina was in danger and this couldn't be allowed to continue and she couldn't stop it anymore... And Erin let it go. Katarina had been getting worried. She couldn't get a clear shot at the gunmen, and something was happening to Erin. She was in pain, and suddenly very scared, even more than she had been when she'd been shot. It felt like she was losing control. Katarina was trying to get a clear shot when Erin screamed. She had barely begun to turn when the world turned blue, then white, then black. Katarina groaned and massaged her head, sitting up painfully. She'd been thrown headfirst into the wall. Except, the wall was gone. So were the gunmen. And, for that matter, so was most of the restaurant. Erin was balancing on her heels, arms wrapped around her legs, head buried in her arm, rocking back and forth. Katarina started to ask what had happened, but stopped as images started replaying in her head. Erin's injury. Her terror caused by mysterious feelings of losing control. The blue flash. Katarina knew what had happened. She just hoped that people from Circle Midnight would arrive before the authorities did. She had no desire to try and explain this to the police. Fortunately, she'd had people standing by a few blocks away, just in case. Paranoia, perhaps, but what had just happened proved it to be justified paranoia. Even now, she could hear the screech of tires a block away. (Gwen must be getting creative,) she thought wryly. Not much time now. She forced herself to stand, then walked over to Erin, and gratefully sank back to her knees. Her vision was blurry, and she felt dizzy. (Must have gotten a concussion,) she thought muzzily. "Erin?" "Guess there's really no point in denying it anymore, is there?" came Erin's muffled reply. "I killed them." "They were trying to kill us, Erin," Katarina replied, taking Erin's chin and gently raising her head until she could see her face. "And, yes. I believe this would qualify as a demonstration." "Then it's true." Erin's voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm the last Wild Power." \Twenty-Two/ "What do you mean, we have to leave?" Iliana asked, studying Keller curiously. She had just started getting used to the safe house, and she rather liked having Keller and the others around. The Night World had no idea where they were. Why should they leave? "I said we may have to leave," Keller corrected. "It's not certain yet. Circle Daybreak has been getting rid of the teams that the Night World has had looking for you and the others, but they haven't gotten them all. And now someone else is hunting down our people. If they find out we're here-" She was interrupted by Winnie rushing into the room. She was breathing heavily and looked terrified. "C'mon!" she said between panting breaths. "You've got to see this!" With that, she turned and ran from the room. Iliana and Keller exchanged a bewildered look, then followed her. The 'this' that Winnie had been talking about was a report of a terrorist bombing in Los Angeles. And it was bad. At least thirty estimated dead, mostly from the terrorists guns. The terrorists had died setting off the bomb, which had vaporized a restaurant in downtown LA. "Alright, this is horrible," Keller said. "But why does it concern us?" "I know this restaurant that they're talking about," Winnie said shakily. "Erin told me about it. It was one of her favorite places to eat." Now the others got it. "Oh, no!" Iliana exclaimed, rushing to give her a hug. "But she wasn't there when it happened, was she?" "I don't know." She turned to Keller. "Boss, I know we're only supposed to call Circle Daybreak in an emergency, but..." "They may not know either," Keller pointed out. "Then what am I supposed to do?" Winnie demanded angrily. Keller didn't object. Winnie had every right to be angry. "Perhaps you should give Circle Midnight a call." "Hello, Winfrith." Katarina didn't sound surprised to hear from her. She sounded tired. Winnie felt a cold shiver race down her back. "I guess you know why I'm calling, huh?" A sigh. "Yes, I believe I do. To answer your first question, Erin's fine. She's just a bit shaken up." "Then you were there?" Winnie asked. The others stared at her in astonishment. Nissa and Galen had joined them, and Keller had filled them in on what she knew. "But how-" "Did we survive?" Katarina interrupted. "Simple. I put up a shield. I'll tell you the same thing I told Suze when she called: Erin's alright, but she's not quite up to company just now. And I think you have a more important job to do just now, anyway." With that, she hung up. Winnie sat back, somewhat reassured if not enlightened. The next time Circle Daybreak checked in, she'd make sure to get more information. Like why had someone gone after Katarina and Erin in the first place? "I have no idea why someone would try to kill them," Thierry said. He and about a dozen others were discussing the attacks on their teams, which had led to the attack on Erin and Katarina. "At least, no specific idea. Katarina pissed people off on a daily basis, but to do something so public..." He shrugged. "Could someone have known that Erin was trying to find out who woke up the dragon for us?" James asked. "Everyone we've sent out after the Night World teams has suffered an attack. They may have thought that she knew something." "The Night World wouldn't have sent humans," Ash said, rolling his eyes. "And Katarina was certain that they were human." "No wonder she sounded so angry when we called," Poppy muttered. "As far as she knows, Circle Daybreak is the only organization that would employ humans against a witch." "But it wasn't us, and she knows that," Thierry said, looking at each of them in turn. "So what really happened? Ideas?" Rashel spoke up. "Am I the only one that finds the fact that the restaurant was vaporized while none of the surrounding buildings was harmed odd?" No one answered immediately. "Well," Lupe said slowly from where she was standing at the door, "Katarina could have done that. We know that she shielded Erin and herself from the explosion. She could have raised another shield to protect the surrounding buildings. Maybe she was even trying to keep people from noticing more than they had to." She shrugged. "If she did that, the force of the explosion would have been turned back inward, vaporizing the building instead of just blowing it up." The theory made a lot of sense. It was wrong, but it still made a lot of sense. Thierry nodded. "That could be." He rose from where he was seated behind his desk and walked into the middle of the room. "So the question remains..." "Why did someone try to blow me up?" a voice behind him guessed. Everyone's head snapped around to what had been empty space. Standing behind the desk was Katarina McConolly. "Wh- B- How did you get through the wards?" Thea Harman sputtered. "Not even you should have been able-" "I didn't," Katarina said, cutting her off. Then, to everyone's astonishment, she walked through the desk. Thierry got it first. "Astral projection," he said as she stopped a few feet away from him. Katarina, or rather her image, nodded. "I always knew you were the brains behind Circle Daybreak," she said with a small chuckle. "Uh, this may be a stupid question," Poppy began. "But what's astral projection?" "It's sort of a different form of magic," Thea explained. "Sort of like telepathy. She used her power to reach another plane of existence, the astral plane. She's not actually here, but she can project an image of herself anywhere. Some humans can do the same thing, with some meditation and a lot of training." She paused. "I'm explaining this badly." Katarina sighed with annoyance. "Look, basically I just concentrate really hard and form my mental energy into an image that can interact with people, okay? Now, I'd like to talk to Thierry." She looked over everyone else in the room. "Alone." "Why? So you can put some kind of spell on him?" Hannah asked suspiciously. "No, I can't. I can't get that kind of magic through the wards. I don't even know how much longer I can keep this up." She fixed Thierry with an intense glare. "Erin and I nearly died doing you a favor. You can give me five minutes." There really wasn't much Thierry could say to that. She was right. "Alright, five minutes. If you'll excuse us...?" he said to the others, gesturing to the door. One by one they left, most pausing at the door to give Katarina a warning glance. Hannah was the most obvious. "Be careful," she whispered to Thierry, glaring angrily at Katarina. "I will," he promised, knowing full well that Katarina couldn't hurt him right now if she tried. He gently kissed the top of her head, then escorted her to the door, closing it after she left. "Okay," he said once they were alone. "What do you want?" "My," Katarina said, staring in the direction of the departed Hannah. "Spunky, isn't she?" "Katarina..." Thierry warned. "What do I want?" Katarina repeated. She sat on his desk - actually sat on it, without falling through it. "Oh, plenty of things. Money, power, other assorted material things... If pressed, I could probably come up with a few dozen examples." She fixed him with a stare. "But what I want from you," she said firmly, "is a favor." "What kind of favor?" he asked suspiciously. Katarina sighed and shifted uncomfortably. Clearly, she was unhappy about the request she was about to make. "Tell me something," she began. "How difficult would it be for me to get one of my people inside Circle Daybreak?" The question, totally out of left field, brought him up short. "Well," he said slowly, "I guess it would depend on how good an agent this person was, and just how deeply you-" "No, no, no." She shook her head rapidly. "That's not what I mean. I'm talking about..." She waved a hand around vaguely. "Well, protective custody is the best analogy I can come up with. For someone who I feel would be in tremendous danger if she stayed at Circle Midnight." "Well, it would take quite a lot to convince everyone that this person wasn't a plant, or some kind of saboteur. But I guess it could be possible. Is it really that serious?" "Would I be here, asking this of you, if it wasn't?" she shot back. "She's already been attacked once already." Thierry's eyes widened in understanding. "It's Erin, isn't it?" Katarina hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. There are a lot of people that would like to see me dead, but this is the first time Erin has been attacked. And they were after her. Oh, I don't think they would have been all that upset if I was killed, but they were aiming mostly at her." She stared off into space as she recalled just how close it had been. Erin had trying to keep out of the gunmens' sights, so she hadn't noticed that she was the main target. There had been one heart-stopping instant when one of them had gotten a clear shot at Erin's head. If Katarina hadn't raised a deflection spell just then... She made sure that it wasn't reflected in her astral image, but she knew that a shudder went through her real body. Katarina hadn't told her, either. She had enough to deal with just now. Bringing herself back to the present, she refocused on Thierry. "And I can't really go to the Night World Council for help, either. The Council, or what's left of it, would kill her if they found out-" She broke off. (Idiot! What's wrong with you?) She'd almost come right out and told him that Erin was the Wild Power. She couldn't believe that she'd been so careless. "If they found out what?" Thierry asked cautiously. Here it was. The real reason. From the moment she'd mentioned Erin, Katarina's control had been slipping. She was genuinely worried, enough so that she was asking her sworn enemies for help. Katarina cursed silently. She had been serious before; she did consider Thierry one of the smarter people at Circle Daybreak. So she knew that he wouldn't believe a lie. But she couldn't tell him the truth. Or at least, not all of it. So she told a truth. "She's my soulmate," she admitted quietly. After giving him a minute to get used to that idea, she continued. "I'm not a good person, Thierry. I know that. I've made any number of enemies. But I can take care of myself. If the Council, or any of rest of them, found out that I've got a soulmate, much less one infinitely weaker than I am, magically speaking..." She trailed off, letting him finish the thought himself. "They'd kill her. And by doing so..." "They'd kill part of me," she agreed solemnly. "We're so linked, I don't even know if I'd survive. I do know I wouldn't want to. She's it, Thierry. She's my world. If she died, I just wouldn't care. About anything." She felt her eyes start to burn and blinked furiously. Goddess, she was not going to start crying, was she? "Now do you get it? I'd do anything to keep her safe. Please," she pleaded, for once not even caring that she was practically begging. "You more than anyone else should understand how I feel." Thierry nodded. He did understand. He remembered all the times he had lost his soulmate to Maya, during Hannah's previous lives, and how he had felt whenever she was threatened by her. And Katarina was telling the truth, he could tell. There was a certain look to people who've found their soulmate, a look that no one could fake. Katarina, once she had stopped hiding her real self, had that look. And the sheer anguish in her voice... "Okay," he said suddenly, making her jump. She seemed to have forgotten that he was even there. "Bring her here as soon as you can. I know that there are a number of people here who'd love to see her." Katarina smiled, but there was a tinge of sadness to it. "Thank you. Really. She'll be there by the end of the week." She paused. "I know you'll probably end up telling the others about my reasons. I guess I can trust you guys not to do anything with the information, but do try and keep quiet about it." With that, her astral form faded, then disappeared. "So, what did she want?" Thierry had barely gotten out the door before the questions started. Lupe managed to make herself heard above all the others. "She wanted to put Erin into, effectively, protective custody," he replied. "She feels that the attack at the restaurant was meant for Erin, and she wants her safe." "Why?" Poppy asked. Realizing how she must sound, she quickly added, "Why would she care so much that she'd ask us for help?" "Because they're soulmates," a new voice said from down the hall. The group of assembled Daybreakers turned around to see Suze Kingston approaching them. Her blonde hair was cut shorter than the last time they'd seen her, ending just above her shoulders. She looked good. "How did you know that?" Thierry asked curiously. "I've known since they first got together," Suze replied, studying him. "How did you know?" "She told me when I asked why she wanted to send Erin here. She's positive that the attack in the restaurant was for Erin, not her." This caused a flurry of discussion amongst the assorted humans, vampires, and witches, but Suze was only concerned with one thing. "Erin's coming here?" "Sometime before the week's over," Thierry confirmed. "Would you like me to arrange for our other... guests... to be sent elsewhere?" There was a lull in conversation as the others looked at Thierry in confusion. (Guests?) "No, I don't believe that will be necessary," he said finally. "Unless you think letting Erin inside will cause some kind of problem?" Suze shook her head. "No way," she stated firmly. "Erin would never harm them, and Katarina wouldn't place her in danger just to set a trap. It'll be okay." She turned and started walking away. "I'll go and start the collection process." "What guests?" Rashel asked once Suze was gone. "I'm bringing the Wild Powers here," Thierry announced. "It's one of the most secure facilities we have, and it's past time they all met. If they're going to be working together to save the world, they're going to need to be able to work together." \Twenty-Three/ Erin was scared, and she wasn't even bothering to try and hide it. Anyone who noticed guessed that she was still upset by her near death experience. Which was true, but not for any of the reasons that they thought. She was terrified that someone would figure out the real cause of the destruction of the restaurant. The going theory was that the ley lines under it had boosted Katarina's spell, vaporizing everything. Or something like that. Erin didn't pay attention to any of it. She hadn't left her room in hours. So when she did come out, she expected Katarina to make some kind of big deal out of it. Tease her a bit. Do something to try and get her to smile. She didn't really want that, but knew that Katarina would do it anyway, sensing that she needed it. Which was why finding Katarina sitting in a armchair, legs tucked under her, eyes closed was surprising. (She's not there.) Erin wasn't sure where the thought had come from. Clearly, Katarina was there. Physically, anyway. Mentally, however... She was somewhere else, Erin could sense it. This was something Erin had seen a few times at Circle Twilight. Astral Projection. She hadn't known that Katarina could do this, though she wasn't surprised. Without warning Katarina opened her eyes and focused on Erin. Who, in spite of herself, gasped quietly and drew back. Watching her soulmate, Katarina couldn't help herself. "Boo." Erin blushed and whacked her on the arm. "Knock that off!" she insisted with a laugh. Then she sobered. "Where were you?" Katarina sighed. "Making arrangements for you." "For me to what?" Erin asked, not liking where this was heading. "Stay alive." Katarina hesitated, then took the plunge. "You're going to Circle Daybreak." She braced herself, expecting an explosion. Instead, all she got was, "What about you?" "I'm staying here." Now the explosion came. "What?! No way! If you think that I'm going to go cower away in some safe house while you stay here, a target-" "Then I'm absolutely correct," Katarina interrupted. "If just you go, then people will think that you got scared and decided to jump ship. Or that I decided to get rid of you. But if we both go, then people will get suspicious, and some of them will figure out the real reason." "You're worried about what people will think? I don't care about any of that! I care about you!" Erin knew that she was shouting, but couldn't help it. "And why should I be the one to survive? Because I'm the Wild Power?" She paused. That was only the second time she'd said it out loud. As if saying so, admitting it, would make it more real. Unfortunately, it had, in her mind, anyway. She was no longer wedged firmly in the land of denial. "Don't you understand? Without you, I don't care. If you die... I'll just say 'let it burn'." She could feel tears sliding down her face. "Please, at least think about it." Katarina sighed, knowing better than to think Erin would drop this. And she was being a hypocrite, she knew. But she didn't care. She was expendable. Erin was not. That was all there was to it. But on the other hand, if Erin would be unwilling or unable to fight without her... (And,) Katarina had to admit, (if I were in her position, I'd be reacting the same way.) "Alright," she said at length. "I'll consider it. But I can't just leave all the others alone to fend for themselves. They need me. I could try and talk them into switching sides; and who knows? Some of them might actually do it. But even if I do decide to go to Circle Daybreak, it won't be now. You, however, are going in two days." "Two days?" Erin repeated. "What am I supposed to do until then?" "Nothing. For the next two days, you're staying here. Don't leave for any reason. Don't open the door for anyone." "Not even Gwen?" "Not for anyone. The only person you'll be seeing is me. When it's time to leave, Gwen and her team'll bring you to the airport and fly with you to Las Vegas. Once there, Gwen will escort you to Thierry's. Under no circumstances are you to leave her side. Once she makes sure you're safe there, she'll come back. Got it?" Erin nodded, the slew of instructions making her head spin. Katarina was scared, so she was going nuts with Erin's safety. What really scared Erin, though, was that maybe, just maybe, she needed that much protection. "Have you talked to Gwen about this?" she managed to ask. "Not yet. I thought first I should make sure you had somewhere to go before I sent you away," she said, a hint of a smile on her face. "I'm going to do that now." "Have fun. And tell her..." Erin shrugged. "Tell her I'll see her in two days." "What's up, boss?" Katarina braced herself. This was not going to be easy. "I have a favor to ask of you," she said quietly. They were alone in Gwen's room, not likely to be overheard, but she couldn't help it. Erin looked at her in confusion. A favor? This was new. Gwen and her team worked for Katarina, not with her. She'd do whatever Katarina asked. "Just give the word, and I'll do it," Gwen assured her. "Whatever it is." Katarina shook her head. "No, this isn't a mission. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm going to be ordering you on a mission. But there's something else I'd like you to do. Something you might not want to." Now she had Gwen curious. "What?" "Erin isn't safe here. In two days you and your team are going to escort her to Thierry's mansion in Las Vegas." Gwen didn't think she'd heard right. "You- you're sending her to Circle Daybreak?" she asked incredulously. Katarina nodded. "She'll be safe there. Don't say a word about this, not to anyone. Not even your team. They don't have to know anything until you're on the plane. I'm only telling you because I need- I would like you do something for me," Katarina said, correcting herself in midsentence. Gwen was beginning to get a sinking feeling that she knew what that something was. "What is it you want me to do?" "I want you to stay there with her," Katarina said, confirming Gwen's fears. "Not forever, just until I'm convinced she'll be safe there." "And you think because of Lupe they'll be more likely to trust me?" She couldn't believe she was hearing this. "You know I don't trust Thierry." "Give the man some credit, Gwen," Katarina said, her voice taking on a hard edge. "He saved your mother and sister from those other werewolves when everyone else in the Night World would have just killed you and been done with it." "Except you," Gwen whispered. She didn't like talking about her family - or what had happened to them. She hadn't actually been there herself, but Lupe had told her about it in such detail that it had given her nightmares. Gwen, at that time, had already been in the service of the Council. They might have tried to kill her anyway, but Katarina had managed to convince them that she was already dead. Then, when some of them began figuring it out, Gwen and her team left the Council and started working for Katarina... although, Gwen was the only on the team that Katarina would talk to unless she had no choice. Katarina just didn't trust that many people. "Well, maybe Thierry and I are a lot alike," Katarina said, her voice softening. "We both want the best for our people. And anyway, have you ever actually spent any time with him?" Gwen hesitated. "Well, I have visited Lupe once or twice at Circle Daybreak, but I only saw him, and that wasn't often. He always seemed so busy, always running around, looking for something..." "His soulmate." Katarina smiled. "He was looking for his soulmate, Hannah. And he's found her, so maybe you'll get a chance to get to know him better." Then she straightened and the smile faded from her face, replaced by a look of concern. "But I want this clear. You don't tell anyone about Erin. Someone seems to have taken a very personal grudge against her, and I don't want to give them anymore chances to get her. She's too important to the world." "In what way?" Katarina didn't answer right away. She was too busy trying to figure out how much she could trust Gwen. Finally she came to a decision. "In the biggest way possible," she answered. "She's the last Wild Power." Gwen's jaw actually, literally, dropped open in astonishment. "She's..." She went very still as she realized what Katarina had just done. Not only had she just admitted to openly defying the Council, as well as Night World law, but she had also just placed her and Erin's lives in Gwen's hands. That was a huge display of trust for the witch, and Gwen treated it accordingly. "I'll get her there," she vowed. "I just wish we knew who wants her dead." She paused as a new thought struck her. "And why send humans? I still don't get that." "You're not the only one," Katarina muttered. "It doesn't make any sense," she said, mostly to herself. "Well, they can't have known she's the Wild Power, or they'd have been better prepared." They had had defenses against magic, which was the only reason she hadn't vaporized them. That, and the fact that they were good. They'd only given her a few good chances for shots. But they'd clearly known that they'd be facing witches, and come prepared accordingly with charms and deflection spells. "So we're dealing with someone who knows about the Night World, but doesn't belong to it, or they'd have sent dark ninjas. Or someone human who's working with Night People." She sighed in annoyance. "This is maddening. I feel like I've got all the clues and the answer's staring me right in the face, but I still can't see it." "Like no one's noticed that Erin's the Wild Power," Gwen asked. "I mean, she's from Circle Twilight, her soulmate's from Circle Midnight-" "Who told you we were soulmates?" Katarina interrupted sharply. (Oops.) "Uh, no one. I just noticed. We try not to gossip about you guys too much." "We?!" Katarina repeated incredulously. She shook her head in disbelief. "We're not fooling anyone, are we?" Gwen chuckled in spite of herself. "Not really. But since it's really because of her that you got rid of Marcus, no one really minds. We hated him." "Marcus..." Katarina slapped herself in the head. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? He would try and kill Erin, out of spite if nothing else. And I guess he would consider her a threat. But why now? All she's been working on is finding out who..." She trailed off, turning pale. "What?" Gwen asked, concerned. "Let me ask you something, Gwen," Katarina asked in an odd voice. "When is a witch not a witch?" Confused, and trying to remember everything she could about how Katarina got rid of Marcus, Gwen said slowly, "When the witch has no..." Gwen felt faint. "Powers." She could tell they were both thinking the same thing. Something each had heard about on the eve of the Solstice Ceremony. //Keller asking, "Who woke you up?" The dragon replying, "Someone you'll never know. A witch who isn't a witch. We made our own alliance."// A witch who isn't a witch. "Marcus... woke up the dragon?" Gwen asked, her voice barely a whisper. Katarina could feel her old anger welling up, the same anger that she used to feel when she was, well, evil, and making sure everyone knew it. Back when she used her magic to kill. "It certainly sounds like something he'd do," she said darkly. "And I bet he's got more tricks up his sleeve. I'd better warn the Daybreakers." She smiled grimly. "Besides, I did promise to let them know if I figured out who it was." \Twenty-Four/ Thierry's mansion was very large. Even with three Wild Powers, three teams of bodyguards, half a dozen other shapeshifters, about twenty vampires, and a couple dozen witches, all added to the house's regular tenants, it was still quiet at night. This quiet was abruptly shattered by a short, piercing scream. Everyone who had met her recognized it as Hannah. Thierry managed to get to her first, and was nearly run over by other concerned guests. Hannah looked at the door, surprised to see them all. "Sorry," she apologized quickly. "She just surprised me." She gestured over to near the grand piano, perched on top of which Thierry was only moderately surprised to find Katarina McConolly. "I wish you'd quit popping in like that." "This is only the second time I've done it," Katarina protested. "And I'm only here to tell you something you might want to know. Of course, if you'd rather I leave..." Thierry sighed. "What is it?" he asked, resigned. "Oh, not much. I just figured out who woke up the dragon." She shrugged. "Thought you should know." She now had everyone's attention. "Who?" Keller demanded. As the one with the most experience dealing with the dragon, she was especially eager to find out who'd woken it up. "A former witch named Marcus Bloodstone," Katarina said, her face darkening. "He used to belong to Circle Midnight." She shook her head with self-fury. "I knew I should have killed him when I had the chance." "Why didn't you?" Keller asked at the same time Poppy wondered, "How do you become a former witch?" "Erin asked you not to kill him, didn't she?" Suze asked. She'd somehow gotten by the crowd and leaned against the piano near Katarina. "You really think she'd be able to influence the head of Circle Midnight LA like that?" Rachel asked incredulously. Suze didn't answer, simply looked at Katarina. "She said there'd been enough death," Katarina replied distantly. "So what did you do to him?" Ash asked curiously. Of everyone present, he was perhaps the only one who'd never been really scared by Katarina. He'd simply respected her, had maybe been a bit nervous of her. "I destroyed his magic. Turned him human." Dead silence. Then, finally, a quiet voice from behind the others asked, "You can do that?" Everyone managed to either get into or out of the alcove, allowing Katarina to see the speaker. Iliana Harman. She looked just like a Harman, Katarina thought suddenly. Beautiful. And was she imaganing it, or was Iliana still glowing faintly? She shook her head. It didn't matter. "Most witches can't," she replied. "They lack either the power or the knowledge. Or both." She shrugged again. "I'm the head of Circle Midnight. I know a lot of things your people don't." She slid off the piano to her feet. "I assume you'll have people out looking for Marcus," she said. "But be warned that he'll probably try something here." She studied the group more carefully, her eyes lingering on three distinct spots. "I also assume you have a reason for the Wild Powers being here, and that it won't interfere with Erin's arrival." Her astral image disappeared, her parting words echoing in their ears, "And you may want to toughen this girl up. If she can't handle an astral projection popping in on her, she'll never be able to take a Night World assualt." "Hey, girl. You ready to go?" Gwen asked as she stood in Erin's and Katarina's living room. She had only been in Katarina's room a few times before Erin had arrived - Katarina liked her privacy - but she liked what the newer witch had done with the place. She had only made a few minor changes, but the room somehow seemed much more friendly. It was certainly bigger and better furnished than her modest room, but she prefered it that way. Fewer distractions. "Yeah. I guess." Erin sounded uncertain, which was certainly understandable. She came out of the bedroom with only a carry-on bag. That was part of the plan to try and fool Marcus, who probably still had a spy or two in the Circle. If she left most of her belongings there, it would take them a day or two to catch on to the fact that she was gone. "Where are the others?" "Alex is waiting downstairs at the door, and Chris is with the car." Gwen hesitated, then moved closer and placed a hand on Erin's arm. "Look, Erin, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You're way too important." Erin eyed her nervously. "What do you mean?" "It's okay," Gwen assured her. "Katarina told me everything. I haven't told anyone else, and I'm not going to." She paused. "Well, until we get to Circle Daybreak, anyway. Lupe'll be happy, I guess. After all, I've finally 'seen the light', right?" "Um, yes?" Erin guessed. "Oh, you know she will," Gwen replied with a smirk. "Now c'mon. Let's go." Things went surprisingly smoothly getting Erin to the airport. It made Gwen twitchy. Not that she wanted something to happen, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was the early warning system of the shapeshifters. It had saved her life before, by giving her a hint of danger. When they actually got to the airport, it started screaming. She might have thought she was being paranoid, but Chris was a bit jumpy, and even Alex looked tense. So when they got there, Gwen immediately went off to find the Night Person who would be serving as their contact. Chris went to 'convince' the flight attendant that they didn't need to check their bags, making sure he stayed in visual range of Erin and Alex. "Katarina really trusts Gwen, doesn't she?" Erin asked Alex quietly. "Yes, she does," Alex replied with a small smile. "I think she reminds Katarina of her sister. Ceceila was brave, smart, and put everyone else before herself." He shrugged. "Or so I've heard." It was a simple comment, but for some reason it started Erin's own unique early warning system to jump into hyperdrive. She knew that she was being paranoid, but she figured she had just cause. Gwen returned quickly. "Our flight is down that way," she said, pointing down a causeway to the right, "and leaves in twenty minutes. Move out." They moved. And they moved quickly and quietly, just as Gwen trained them to. Erin was bothered by the fact that the section of the airport they were now in was totally empty, but she figured that Gwen or Katarina had arranged that for safety's sake. But it caused her already raw nerves to start jangling. Gwen took point, with Chris walking with Erin, and Alex pulled up the rear. They were about halfway there when a wave of panic swept over Erin so hard that she actually gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. The shapeshifters instantly stopped with her. "What's wrong?" Gwen asked, looking around for a sign of whatever had spooked Erin so badly. "You didn't feel that?" Erin replied. "Something's... wrong. Very wrong." "You always were very perceptive, Erin," Alex said. But there was something in his voice that caused her to turn around. And see the two guns that he had pointed at her. \Twenty-Five/ "Alex, what are you doing?" Gwen demanded, bewildered. Erin knew. "You... You're a plant! You've been on Marcus's payroll all this time!" Alex chuckled. "As I said, you're very perceptive. And I don't work for him, I work with him." "But not as equals," Erin guessed. "After all, he never knew how strong Katarina really was." "He still doesn't. But enough of that. You've caused us quite a bit of trouble, Ms. Collins. Time to die." He pulled the triggers. The noise was deafening, especially for Alex. It was so loud, in fact, that it took him a few seconds to realize that none of his bullets were actually hitting Erin. Or either of the other two shifters. They were impacting on an invisible barrier around the three, and falling to the ground. He stopped firing and stared in astonishment. "But... How...?" "I've been preparing for this spell for the last ten minutes," Erin replied in a scornful tone that belonged more to Katarina than her. "Ever since your little comment about Kat's sister. Her family died before she began employing Gwen and the rest of you. And she never brings them up. The only you'd know what she was like was if you'd spoken with the ones who killed her." Golden witch fire began crackling around her hands. Normally, she'd never dream of using magic in public like this, but she figured that if Alex's gunshots hadn't brought people running, neither would this. Alex began backing up. "So it's true," he said with something that, in a nicer person, could have been called awe. "You can use her magic as your own. I've never heard of soulmates doing that." (Aw, geez. Does everybody know? Did we do that bad of a job hiding it?) "And you never will again," she growled, then began launching blasts of fire at him. She didn't need her empathy to pick up his sharp spike of fear. Utilizing his supernatural speed, Alex dodged every blast, then took off running. In seconds, he was gone. "Do we go after him?" Chris asked Gwen. No answer. "Gwen?" Still nothing. Gwen didn't answer. She couldn't. She'd trusted him. With her life, with her secrets. How could he...? "Hey, Gwen?" Erin moved to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Don't check out on us now. I need you." Chris was experiencing betrayal and anger, Erin could feel it. But Gwen was radiating hurt. Gwen shook her head and snapped herself back to reality. She didn't have time to dwell on Alex's betrayal; she had a job to do. "No, we do not," she finally said. "He's got to big a lead, and we have no time. We have to assume he planned for this, or something like it. He'll have an escape plan, and no doubt something nasty planned for us if we followed. We have to get Erin to safety. The plane's no longer an option." She thought for a second, then came up with a new plan. "Okay, Chris? You go find a secure phone and call Circle Daybreak. I know there's a witch there who knows teleportation spells, and we'll need them to open a hole in the wards around the mansion for a second. After that, call Katarina, let her know what's happened. I'll take Erin somewhere safe until we hear from her." "How can I reach you?" Chris asked, already figuring out ways to carry out her multiple orders as fast as possible. And still reeling from Alex's sudden changing of teams. "Katarina can reach Erin anywhere," Gwen said. "Now go!" As he ran off, Gwen took Erin by the arm and led her away from the terminal as quickly as possible. This was a bodyguard's worst nightmare. "We've got a problem, Max," Suze said, bursting into Max's room without knocking. Unlike a lot of the other current guests, Max actually had a room of her own. "What?" Suze wouldn't just barge in on her like this, Max knew, without a good reason. "One of the bodyguards Katarina assigned to Erin turned out to be a plant. Erin and the others are okay, but we need a new way of getting them here." "You want me to teleport them here?" Max guessed. She couldn't think of any other reason that Suze would come find her. "Exactly. Thierry's already arranged for a small hole to be opened in the wards." She paused. "Do you think you'll be able to handle two simultaneous blind teleports?" "Two? You know that I can pull more than one person here in a single jump." Suze sighed quietly. "Yes, I do know that. I want you to send me to LA." "Why?" "Because I think we'll need Katarina's help, and I know she'll want to be with Erin. She'll be able to bring us back, so you don't have to worry about that." Max thought about it, but she couldn't really find anything to object to. Other than Katarina's presence, but she'd already shown that she could just astrally pop in and find out what was going on at will. "Can I handle it?" she repeated. "Yeah, I guess so. If I can sleep for about a week afterwards." Suze laughed shortly. "You pull this off, you'll have earned it." Chris had barely hung up the phone after his call to Katarina to fill her in when the world started blurring. He felt a moment of nausea, then it passed, leaving him staring into a pair of wide violet eyes. He braced himself for a fight, but it was unnecessary. The person in front of him was Katarina. "Is there... something I can do for you, ma'am?" he asked uncertainly. "Yes, there is," Katarina replied tersely. "You can go help Gwen keep an eye on Erin, and alert me the very second either Marcus or that bastard Alex tries something." Something glittered darkly in her eyes just then. Something cold and pitiless that promised an absurdly slow and excruciatingly painful death for anyone who dared to threaten her soulmate. For a brief second, Chris felt a spark of true pity for Marcus and Alex. Then the second passed. "You got it, boss. But how-" "I'll send you there when they drop the wards to let Erin and Gwen in," Katarina interrupted. "It should be happening any second, so get ready." Chris braced himself. True to Katarina's prediction, it was only a few seconds later that he felt the telltale dizziness that precipitated the jump. When he materialized inside the mansion, he was greeted by three things simultaneously. The sight of Erin and Gwen solidifying next to him. Gwen's surprised but happy greeting. And about a dozen or so Daybreakers who were significantly less happy to see them. "Uh," Chris said uncertainly. "Hi?" A rumble of quiet conversation was starting among the Daybreakers, but one voice rang out clearly over the others. "What is going on in here?" a male voice said from the doorway. Chris turned to see a young looking man standing there. But everything about him screamed vampire. He turned to the others. Thierry, Gwen mouthed. (Oh, boy,) Chris thought. (How to explain this one?) But he was saved the trouble of trying when a blurred form broke free from the crowd, ran across the short distance between them, and practically tackled the two girls. "Gwen!" Lupe cried excitedly. This set off a whole new round of talking, and as Gwen enthusiastically returned her twin's hug, Thierry repeated his earlier question. "What is going on here?" Erin stepped around the two wolves and walked up to him. "I think I can answer that question," she said, stopping in front of him and holding out a hand. "My name is Erin Collins. I believe you were expecting me." Thierry looked surprised - but also relieved. "Yes, we were," he replied, shaking her hand briefly. He was impressed by her firm grip, but it wasn't that unexpected, considering what he'd heard about her. "But not until later in the week. And we thought you'd be arriving in a more... mundane manner." "Actually, that was what we were trying to do," she said with a sigh. She then launched into her story. She had gotten to the part where Alex pulled out his guns when she felt a familiar presence coming down the hall. No, she told herself, she had to be imagining it. But by the time she was talking about how she and Gwen had checked into a room at a nearby rundown motel - she left out the leering, knowing look the desk clerk had given them; he could think it was whatever he liked - she was certain. But it didn't make any sense. Erin didn't understand how she could be there. So when Jez entered the room, she wasn't surprised. Just very confused. Jez, on the other hand, was very surprised. "Erin? What are you doing here?" "Same thing you are, I imagine," Erin replied, giving her a quick hug. "Hiding from the Night World." "Though for different reasons," Gwen threw in helpfully. Erin could have kissed her. She knew she was probably safe here, and it should be okay to tell them the truth, but she couldn't do it. And she wouldn't be able to, she knew, until Katarina was here with her. She needed the moral support, if nothing else. "Marcus has tried twice now to kill her," Chris added. "Geez, he must really hate you," Jez said. Erin rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Jezebel." "Don't call me-" "Okay, that's enough for now," Thierry said, cutting her off in mid- protest. "Let's get Erin settled first. Then we can ask her some more questions. He gently escorted Erin out the door. They'd barely made it seven feet before the first attack began. Katarina had just sent Chris on his way when she sensed an incoming teleportation. For a confused second, she thought that she'd timed it wrong, that the wards had been up, and Chris had been deflected back. But then she realized that this wasn't her spell. Someone else had decided to use the brief window she'd opened in the wards around Circle Midnight headquarters to pay her an unannounced visit. But they had to know she'd sense it, and be able to put up the wards enough to stop them in midjump - which was not a pretty picture. She could only think of one person reckless enough - or perhaps magically naive enough - to do that. So she simply smirked as Suze materialized. "Ah, Ms. Kingston," she drawled. "Decide to come join the winning side?" To her surprise, Suze just shook her head. "Sorry, Katarina. I don't have time for our usual banter. We have to get you to Vegas." "Feeling the sudden urge to hit the slots?" Suze sighed impatiently. Why did Katarina have to make things so damn difficult? "No, because I know you can help keep Erin safe. You don't think Marcus will leave her alone even at Thierry's any more than I do. And I know she'll feel infinitely better with you around." Katarina seemed to deflate, all the good humor leaking out of her. "Maybe I don't, and you're probably right. But there's no way Circle Daybreak will ever allow-" She broke off, head snapping around to look at nothing with a startled expression. Suze moved a few steps until she was in front of the witch's eyes again. "What? What is it?" "Erin," Katarina said quietly. "The mansion's under attack." Her face scrunched up slightly. "The wards are back up at full strength. It's making communication a bit difficult, but if I'm hearing her right, the entire street's filled with dark witches, vampires, and shapeshifters of all variety." She swallowed hard. "The Daybreakers are vastly outnumbered." "But you could help them," Suze said urgently. "You're stronger than any of them. And just seeing you will probably scare off some of them." "But we'd still lose," Katarina replied, shaking her head. "The wards won't last much longer unless something takes the pressure off. I imagine the Daybreakers are massing a counterattack now. But Marcus has an army." She nodded to herself and started for the door. For the first time Suze noticed that they were in Katarina's living room. "There's only one thing we can do." "What's that?" Suze asked, starting after her. Katarina paused at the door, giving Suze a serious look. "Raise an army of our own." Katarina assembled all of Circle Daybreak L.A. in the massive Great Chamber. It was as big as a good sized auditorium, and had a high, vaulted ceiling. She stood on the stage that had held her throne when she'd stood in decision over Marcus. Now, it held only her, a microphone, Suze, and a young vampire named Violet. She was another person that Katarina had liberated from the Night World. Violet had made the mistake of falling in love with a human. Then, in an effort to save them both, she'd broken the laws further by telling him about the Night World. But it hadn't done any good. The Council had him killed, and would have killed Violet as well if Katarina hadn't hidden her away. Katarina stared down at the nervous crowd, wondering if they somehow knew what she had in mind for them. She had devoted her career to helping these people, and now she was going to ask them to be ready to sacrifice themselves to save the Daybreakers, who many considered the enemy. She tapped the microphone. "Good morning," she began uncertainly. It was just after midnight, technically morning. As the crowd quieted down, she spared a brief thought to what Erin and her notorious string of midnight coincidences would make of this. "Most of you know me by reputation alone. To you, I'm just the golden girl who hands down the orders. But I stand before you tonight as not as a dictator, nor the evil bitch some think me, but a witch. By now, many of you have sensed the growing disturbance in Las Vegas. You don't know what's happening. Well, I'll tell you. An assault is underway on Lord Thierry's mansion. It's being led by Marcus Bloodstone, a former acolyte of ours." She held up a hand to still the murmurs generated by this news. "Why does this worry me, you ask? I'm worried mostly because Erin's there." She didn't feel odd saying that; it seemed like the entire Night World knew what they meant to each other. "But you also want to know why that should worry you. For one simple reason, one that I fear our enemies have discovered: all three Wild Powers are there as well." This sent off a shockwave throughout the crowd. Katarina waited until it had passed before continuing, "Now I know many of you consider the Daybreakers to be idealistic idiots. But I want you to think hard about something. Do you really want to live in a world without them? Without the humans? A world ruled by the Night World? Many of you came here specifically to get away from that. We may not agree with their methods, but their goals are worthwhile. I'm leaving to help them. I'm not going to order you to come with me. In fact, I seriously considered ordering you to stay away. But I can't tell you what cause you should fight for anymore than I can tell you what to do with your lives. Just keep in mind that this will likely be the biggest magical battle in the history of mankind since the Night Wars." She paused to consider that idea. "Mankind," she repeated, allowing the word to hang in the air. "The word should take on new meaning for all of us today. Many Night People look down on humans. They consider shapeshifters to be lower class. But just how different are we, really? Do you consider shapeshifters to be nothing more than savage animals? Well, look into the core of each species, and you'll find the same thing. But it doesn't matter. What does is what else we have in common: We're all people. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. The inhabitants of the Night World can't be allowed to ruin the lives of countless innocents just for their own selfish interests. They want to destroy the humans. Well, underneath all our magic, we are human. "Now I'm not going to make any false promises to you. It's very likely that whoever decides to accompany me on this mission won't survive. But if ever there were a battle worth fighting, this is it. And as I stand here, I realize how lucky I am, to be here at this critical moment, surrounded by people like you: people who love their world and are willing to lend their talents, skills and, in some cases, even their lives to the task of defending it. I consider it a privilege to be allowed to fight alongside you, to raise my voice in chorus with yours and declare, whether we win or lose, we will not go quietly into the Night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on, we're going to survive. Now: who wants to stay here, and who wants to go with me?!" As Katarina stepped away from the microphone, the crowd rose to their feet, filling the Chamber with cheering and applause. Katarina looked infinitely proud. Suze could guess why. She'd only expected about one fourth of the witches to agree to come. Instead, she'd convinced all of them. Deeply moved by her words, the women and men facing her forgot their fear and pumped their fists into the air and cheered, ready to fight. They would have followed their leader anywhere, even into the very jaws of Hell. Suze could also see why Katarina had risen through the ranks at Circle Midnight so quickly. It wasn't just her raw power or her ruthlessness. It was more than that. The girl was a born leader. \Twenty-Six/ The battle was not going well. The wards were keeping the enemy forces out - barely - but the ground battle was growing bloody. Shapeshifters tearing into each other with teeth and claws. Vampires lashing out with supernatural strength and fangs. The entire scene lit up in an eerie orange glow as witches exchanged fire and a variety of spells. Bodies from both sides lay on the ground, and the night was filled with cries of pain. Katarina had been correct. The Daybreakers were vastly outnumbered. In fact, the only thing that had kept them from being slaughtered outright was the fact that they could pass through the wards at will, allowing them to choose their battles. It also kept a lot of spells from the enemy witches from getting through. By unspoken consensus, all the present human members of Circle Daybreak were kept out of the fight. Well, almost all of them. Rashel gritted her teeth and swung her sword in a downward arc. (Another leech bites the dust,) she thought with savage satisfaction, feeling an echo of The Cat stirring in her. A break in the fighting around her allowed her to check how the others were doing. Quinn was holding his own against three other vampires, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She couldn't see Keller and her team, but she'd bet vital parts of her anatomy that they were also kicking ass. She grinned. (Which is as it should be,) she thought. She couldn't see many of the mansion's regulars, but she could see Gwen. Or was it Lupe? In either human or wolf form, the two were nearly indistinguishable until you got close enough to get a really good look at them. No, Rashel saw in surprise, it was both of them. Despite the fact that they had only spent a few brief times together over the past decade or so, the sisters were working in perfect harmony, combining their lethal attacks with devastating efficiency. Chris was around somewhere as well. Having two shapeshifters from Circle Midnight defending them was a rather odd experience. True, Erin was from Circle Midnight as well, and they were really just defending her, but Erin was different. She was only at Circle Midnight because of Katarina. (Speaking of Erin...) She spotted Erin wielding a wooden pike with silver coating on one end, and iron on the other. It was a very effective weapon against any of her attackers, and she was quickly proving that she knew exactly how to use it. Rashel felt a brief wave of amusement. For some reason, Gwen had been adamant about keeping Erin out of the fighting, and Erin had promised to stay inside. But it seemed that Erin couldn't just hide out while everyone else was risking their lives, which Rashel could understand. Besides, these people had tried twice to kill her. It was personal. Of course, Rashel could also understand Gwen's motivation. Erin was her friend, and she doubtlessly didn't want her hurt. And then there was Katarina. Gwen had promised Katarina that she'd keep Erin safe. Rashel didn't want to think about what Katarina might do if Erin was killed. Though Gwen had seemed more afraid that Katarina would be disappointed in her. Lupe had taken Rashel aside and explained that her sister had a relationship with the witch similar to the one she had with Thierry. But none of that really explained why Gwen had so dead set on keeping Erin safe. Then her thoughts were disrupted when a bear tackled her. Erin saw Rashel go down. Unleashing a blast of witch fire at the three vampires attacking her, she then whirled in a blur. None of the vampires would be able to say where, exactly, she gotten the silver knife from. All that was certain was that the knife flew from her hands, seemingly with a mind of its own. It spun end over end, ending up embedded in the bear's neck. It bellowed in pain, then fell down, dead. With a grunt of effort, Rashel managed to shove the dead bear off her and slid free. She ran over to Erin, thinking that the vampires might have tried to take advantage of her distraction. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary. Erin continued her spin and jabbed two of them with her pike. When the wooden staff struck their hearts, they immediately started shriveling up. The third was in the process of reaching for her neck when it was staked from behind. It fell to the ground, showing Erin who'd just saved her life. It was Max. Max hadn't known why Gwen was being so overprotective of Erin either, but it had struck her as just odd enough that she'd decided to stick close to Erin until it was all over. She accepted Erin's grateful smile with a nod and a grin of her own. Sure, doing the two simultaneous teleportations had drained her, but thankfully a few other witches had helped her, so she wasn't too tired to help fight. There wasn't a damn thing that was going to get her to leave Erin's side. It was a decision, although she didn't know it at the time, that would allow her to realize one of her fondest wishes. Several of the witches had stayed inside to help heal those that were dragged in off the battlefield. Iliana was helping with this as best she could. She had picked up healing spells remarkably quickly. And she was helping for one other, important reason: In the more extreme cases, she would cut herself and use the blue fire to heal them. It didn't happen often, but she had at least a dozen bandages on her so far. Jez was rather impressed by her, and wished she could do something to help. But she had no idea how to get her powers to do that. She didn't even know if it was possible. And Circle Daybreak had forbidden the Wild Powers from getting involved in the mêlée. They had all protested, even Iliana - which had gotten an amused, if somewhat proud, smile from Keller - saying that with the blue fire they could end the fight quickly. Thierry had vetoed the idea, saying that all the enemy needed was one lucky shot, and the world was doomed. And this group, he had added, was not like the Council. They had no problem using guns. So they were confined in the house with the humans. At least the wards allowed them to watch what was going on. (Although,) Jez mused with a helpless pang as she saw Rashel take another pounding, (that may be somewhat of a mixed blessing.) The only thing comforting her was the fact that Morgead was with her, rather than out in the fight. Delos and Maggie were sitting across the room, talking quietly. The house shook again, and Jez clenched her hands in frustration. "I know," Morgead said quietly. "I hate this, too. I'd much rather be out there helping. But Thierry was right." A sudden burst of gunfire accentuated his point. "Yeah, but still.." A sudden noise at the door distracted her. She didn't have a clue what was happening until Iliana cried out, "Oh, no. Lupe!" Sure enough, the werewolf, in her human form, was being carried into the room by her sister. Both were covered in blood, and Lupe was having trouble breathing. Gwen looked at Iliana pleadingly. "Do something," she croaked. "Help her." There were injured people lying all over the room, but the witches somehow made room for Lupe on a sofa, which had been covered with a cloth. Jez couldn't really remember what color it had been in the beginning; it was now dark red. As they set to work, Gwen looked around the room. Her subconscious noticed something, but it took a few seconds for it to filter through to her brain. "Hey, where's Erin?" she asked suddenly. "She could probably help." Iliana flinched guiltily. "Uh, Erin's outside." Gwen froze for a second. Then she exploded. "What?! When I said that these people were targeting her specifically, was I just talking to myself?! Were you all ignoring me? Or did you want her to die?! How could you let her do this?" "Well," Jez answered, since no one else seemed inclined to do so, "first of all, we didn't 'let' her do anything. We couldn't stop her. And secondly, I've been watching her, and she's more than holding her own." She sighed. "Look, I understand that you're upset-" "You don't understand ANYTHING!" Gwen shouted. "If she dies, we're all screwed!" With that, she stormed out of the room, muttering darkly under her breath. "W- what was that all about?" Lupe asked, her voice a whisper. But the fact that she could talk now told Jez that she was getting stronger. "Don't ask me," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and returning her gaze to the fight. "Probably something to do with Katarina." "Gwen, where are you going?" Chris asked as she nearly ran for the front door. "I thought your sister-" "She is!" Gwen snapped back. "But Erin's outside, and I have to go get her." She paused and gave Chris a long look. "Do me a favor," she said. "Go keep an eye on Lupe, make sure she'll be okay. And give her a message for me." She was silent for so long that Chris started to think that that was the message. "What?" "Tell her... tell her that now that Erin's here, I believe." Off his blank look, she added, "She'll know what I mean." Chris shrugged. It didn't make any sense to him, but he figured it must be a sister thing. "Okay." She barely waited to hear his answer before taking off out the door. She didn't even pause to say hello to Keller, who was coming in the door, a Daybreak witch slung over her shoulder. "What's with her?" Keller asked Chris curiously. Chris simply shrugged. "I have no idea. C'mon, let's get her dropped off," he said gesturing to the unconscious witch, "and get back out there." Keller looked like she was about to make a comment about how anxious the Midnight wolf was to help them, but let it go. They really didn't have time for that. When they got back to the room Gwen had recently stormed out of, Chris was pleased to see that Lupe was doing much better. She wouldn't be fighting for a while - really, she'd have trouble getting out of bed in the immediate future - but she no longer looked like she was about to die. While Iliana greeted Keller with an enthusiastic hug, which the shapeshifter pretended to be annoyed by, the other witches took charge of the newly arrived injured. "Chris?" Lupe called weakly. "Where's Gwen?" Chris maneuvered around both patient and doctor alike until he was at her side. "Outside, looking for Erin. She asked me to check up on you." Lupe sighed. "Great. I don't suppose she told you why getting Erin inside the house was so important?" Chris shook his head. "Not really. The only thing she said made no sense. Well, not to me. I'm hoping you'll get it. She said that now that Erin's here, she believes." "Believes what?" Jez asked, confused. "I have no idea," Chris replied. "She said Lupe would know what she meant." All eyes shifted to Lupe, who was looking suddenly much paler than she had been before. "Oh, Goddess," she breathed. She looked around the room wildly. "Chris! Keller! Oh, hell, anyone who can walk. You've got to go help Gwen get Erin inside!" "Why?" Keller asked, giving her a vaguely suspicious look. "What did she mean?" "Well," Lupe began slowly, "back at the Solstice ceremony I asked Gwen why she wouldn't join Circle Daybreak. She said because she didn't believe we'd win. I asked her when she would believe. And she said..." Lupe paused to take a steadying breath, a mixed look of awe and terror on her face. "She said she'd believe when Circle Daybreak got all four Wild Powers." There was a shocked silence as everyone digested this information. "And Gwen thinks Erin's the final Wild Power?" Keller asked slowly. "She wouldn't have said it if she wasn't sure," Lupe replied firmly. Abruptly she smacked her head. "Of course! I'm such an idiot. The destruction of the restaurant she and Katarina were attacked in! That wasn't a spell of Katarina's gone wrong, it was Erin!" Jez started, remembering that day all too well. A few time zones away from L.A., she been woken up from a sound sleep by feelings of profound dread, and a tightness in her chest that she couldn't explain. At the time she'd just chalked it up to a nightmare, but now she realized that it had been a reaction to Erin's use of the blue fire. "You have to get her back in here," she blurted. But Keller and Chris were already on their way out the door. Outside, things weren't getting any better. The wards were beginning to weaken, and the Daybreak forces were getting beaten back. Erin gritted her teeth and threw herself into the fighting. This couldn't be allowed to continue. She knew now that the Night People that were attacking them had put up some kind of glamours, similar to the ones that Katarina had used on the first day they'd met, to keep out prying eyes. Which, unfortunately, meant that help was not going to be coming. Even human police would be welcome at this point. In a distant corner of her mind, she was aware that she should go back inside with the other Wild Powers. If she was killed than the world was doomed. Of course, if she was killed, than it would only be a matter of time before the others were killed, too. So she kept fighting. But she was getting tired. And, alarmingly, her magic wasn't coming quite as consistently as before. Was she overusing the connection between herself and Kat? Or was Kat just running out of power herself? Or was she gathering up a great deal of power to do something to help? That was Erin's favorite theory, but she wasn't going to cling to false hope. She knew that she couldn't count on backup arriving. Her thoughts were cut off by a large concentration of Power descending upon the battlefield. She clutched at her head. Something like a wave of static filled her mind, and she fell to her knees, groaning in agony. This - whatever - hurt! All over the mansion's grounds, witch, vampire, and shapeshifter alike all fell to the ground as thunder shook the ground. A bolt of lightning struck the ground not far from where Erin was, seeming to split the air apart. Then everything changed. \Twenty-Seven/ It took a while for the ringing in her head to fade. When it did, Erin saw that the equation had been changed. Katarina, and what looked like every single witch at Circle Midnight L.A., had arrived on the battlefield. The Daybreakers were looking at them uncertainly, while the Night Worlders were looking distinctly nervous. For a long time, nothing happened. Then someone moved. All hell broke loose. It quickly became evident that the new arrivals were on Circle Daybreak's side. The Night People, though thrown, recovered quickly, and the battle was rejoined. Jez, who was watching this new development with interest, was dismayed to see that the Midnight witches didn't seem to be doing quite as well as their Daybreak counterparts. The reason quickly became readily apparent. They couldn't pass through the wards! Bizarrely, Katarina could. (Why can she get through them when the others can't?) she wondered. (I think it's because the wards were adjusted to let Erin through,) Morgead replied silently. (And since they share the same magic...) (If one can get through, both can,) Jez finished with a mental chuckle. (Bet the witches didn't think of that.) Down on the battleground, Marcus thought he might have an embolism. He'd thought Katarina had betrayed him before, destroying his powers and firing his followers, but to join with the Night World's sworn enemies... He grinned evilly. Actually, this might allow him to convince the Council to take action against her and remove her from her position. Although... His grin faded. It looked like all of Circle Midnight L.A. was here. If the Council got involved, there'd be nothing left to command. Not that he cared at this point. He wanted them all eliminated. The only problem with that scenario was Katarina herself. "Marcus..." a voice behind him growled. (Well, speak of the devil.) He turned to see a very, VERY angry Katarina standing there. Her eyes were literally shooting sparks. "Ah, Kat," he said, feeling his own anger rising. "I was wondering when you'd get here." "You know that only one of us is going to be walking away from this fight." He sneered. "Are you that anxious to throw your life away?" Kat's eyes narrowed. "That's a question you should have asked yourself a long time ago." Marcus reached for some kind of bizarre weapon at his side, then changed his mind. "No. I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!" So saying, he tackled Kat, forcing her to the ground. She quickly drew her legs up and kicked him off. Then she fired a spear of witch fire at him. Rather than vaporizing him, like she'd hoped, the energy coursed along some kind of barrier, then down to that weird weapon at his side. He raised it and fired a burst of Power back at her. Only Kat was no longer there. She was now running at him, then punched him in the jaw. When he landed, she deliberately fired another, lower power burst at him, watching carefully as the energy flowed along the barrier again. This time she caught it flowing through a gem on the hilt of the - gun? - weapon. Marcus surprised her, however, by throwing a iron blade at her. She gasped as it cut into her side. Now Marcus launched the energy blast back at her. She barely dodged it. Marcus tried to shoot again, but he was out of Power, and Kat was charging him. She sent him flying with another punch to the jaw. She swallowed a scream as she pulled the knife out of her side. She knew it would heal, but the fact that the knife had been iron would keep any healing spells from being quite as effective. But she could use a spell to stop the bleeding, at least for the moment. Marcus charged her, trying to use his greater size and strength to end the fight quickly. (Oh, it's going to end quickly, all right,) Kat thought grimly. Once again, he tackled her, this time trying to choke her to death. She couldn't get any breath to form words, but fortunately she wasn't the kind of witch that needed rhyming spells to use her magic. Orange fire seemed to explode from every part of her body, forming a shockwave of Power that even Marcus's weapon couldn't handle, sending him flying. She hung onto the gun, tearing it away from him. She removed the gem, climbed to her feet, and destroyed the gun with a flash of light. She stalked over to where he was lying and glared down at him. He looked up at her, knowing he was staring death in the face. "This is it, Marcus," she informed him, fire crackling between her hands. "No more Miss Nice Witch, no more second chances." She raised her hands over her head, the energy becoming blinding. Anyone watching could tell it would be a death blow. "This time you just die!!!" The hammer came down. Erin, who was standing about twenty feet away, watched Marcus's death calmly, waiting to feel the sadness she always felt when a life was ended. Any life. It didn't happen. (Oh, well. Can't say I didn't try.) She quickly became more preoccupied, however, with dealing with Alex and another shapeshifter. They were heading toward Kat, who didn't see them coming. Erin headed after them, then almost tripped over the body of a dead vampire. She looked down and was horrified to see that it was, or rather, had been, someone she knew. A young vampire she'd seen around Circle Midnight headquarters named Violet something. She dropped to her knees and stroked Violet's lifeless hair, tears blurring her vision. For some reason it seemed important that she know Violet's last name. "Erin, c'mon! We have to get inside." She was vaguely aware of Max's voice, and that the witch was now crouched by her side, and... Was that really Keller with her? It didn't matter. "They didn't have to do this," she whispered. "She was just a kid. No threat to them. But they made sure they killed her." "Erin, now!" "They made sure because they missed her before," she continued, ignoring Max completely. "And for no reason other than she fell in love with a human. She was just a child. She didn't know any better." Suddenly, Erin seemed to collect herself and rose to her feet. "No more. This can't be allowed to continue. It stops now!" And before either Max or Keller could stop her, she was heading across the blood- soaked ground at a dead run. None of them saw her coming. Dimly, she was aware that both Max and Keller had followed her, but most of her attention was focused on Alex and the female shapeshifter at his side. (Ashley.) The name suddenly popped into her mind. She didn't know if Kat had recognized her or what, but it didn't matter. (The bitch has a name.) And wasn't that a surprising amount of vehemence to have for someone neither she nor her soulmate had ever met? But that didn't matter. Only one thing did. The two shifters were circling Kat like vultures. She seemed to be fending them off with little difficulty as, for some reason, both were still human. The only visible wound that she had was the knife wound that Marcus had inflicted. And Erin knew it had been him, since she'd felt it as well as seen it happen. "Oh, Alex?" she called sweetly. All three froze. It was hard to say just who looked more astonished by her sudden appearance. Kat silently said, (Get out of here!) while Alex smirked and added, "Well, Erin, I am impressed. I was certain you'd be hiding inside Thierry's mansion, staying away from the action. I didn't think I'd actually get a chance to gut you myself." "Why?" Kat demanded. "Why are you so set on killing her? I know why Marcus hated her, but what did she ever do to you?" "Oh, nothing," Alex replied, not taking his eyes off Erin, trusting Ashley to keep watch of Kat. Very professional, Erin thought. "This isn't personal, any of it. It's business, plain and simple." His gaze briefly shifted to a point behind her, and Erin knew that Max - and probably Keller as well - had arrived. (This stops now,) she thought again. "You know," she began, "I should probably thank you. During the fight, your people managed to cut me several times. Which saves me time; I don't have to do it myself." Alex looked at her as if she'd gone insane - which, given her recent statement, was understandable. "What are you talking about?" (Erin...) Kat didn't sound happy. But Erin didn't care. She was through hiding. Some things were just more important than her freedom, even her life. "Could you possibly not know?" she asked with mock astonishment. "Have I misjudged you that badly? What, do I need to spell it out for you? Alright." She bagen slowly advancing on them. "Let's look at the clues one by one. I'm seventeen. I'm related to both Jez and Delos. You attack me and the building is vaporized. I'm from Circle Twilight. My soulmate is from Circle Midnight. And we're so close as to practically be one." She paused. "Are you getting a word picture here?" He was. Both he and Ashley were gaping at her in open astonishment - and fear. "You're the Wild Power?" "Give the man a prize," she sneered, blue fire crackling between her hands. She caught Max's gasp of surprise, and smiled to herself. (You think that's something?) Just wait. "No more, Alex. This stops now!" Max had seen the blue fire in action on the tape that was kept locked up in Circle Daybreak headquarters, but seeing one in person was SO much different. This time it wasn't like a bolt of lightning or a nuclear explosion. It was like Erin had become a supernova, blue fire pouring out of her in waves. The fire swirled around the battlefield like a tornado, sweeping up everything in its path, like the wrath of God. \Twenty-Eight/ It was over. Where Alex and Ashley had been, there was nothing but a scorched crater. Kat, miraculously, was untouched. The blue fire seemed to have spared only those on Erin's side, she thought dimly. There were only a few handfuls of Night People left surrounding the mansion. She briefly spared a thought to what had happened to Gwen. Then she passed out. Gwen was actually on the opposite side of the lawn, with Nissa and Winnie. She had been looking for Erin, trying to track her unique energy through the mêlée, but all the magic being thrown around had confused her senses, and she'd ended up with Winnie instead. They were too far away to see or hear anything going on with Erin or Katarina. They had no way of knowing that Marcus and Alex were even present. So needless to say, when the blue fire was unleashed, they were all surprised. For the duration of the Power storm, they held themselves as close to the ground as possible. When it was over, the population of Night People on the mansion's grounds had been severely reduced. Winnie blinked in confusion. It was easy to figure out what had happened, just not how. "Which of the Wild Powers got outside?" she asked Nissa. The vampire shrugged, but before she could actually reply, Gwen moaned, "Oh, no. Erin!" and took off at a dead run for ground zero. "Erin?!" Winnie repeated incredulously. And she had every reason to be surprised. Just thinking that her cousin had been a Wild Power all along, and had apparently figured it out, then never told her... She shook it off. If Erin was a Wild Power, and she had used the blue fire, something must have been very wrong. Without another word, she and Nissa followed Gwen. Katarina looked around with a mixed sense of awe and dismay. She was very proud of Erin and what she'd done, but the scene looked like something out of one of her nightmares. People dead, people vaporized, and her followers decimated, scared, and confused. She gently stroked Erin's hair, then rose painfully to her feet. The wound in her side was killing her, but there was one last thing she had to get done before she could rest. "Listen to me! All of you!" she shouted, her voice clearly heard in the silence that had fallen after Erin's attack. "Look around you. What do you see? Death and destruction. Unnecessary death and destruction. This is what the Night World would have done to the humans. Would you really wish to inflict something like this on anyone? Ever?" She paused, and her tone grew more thoughtful. "Unity. There's a reason we witches use that as a greeting, you know. It's for much the same reason that the Night World was formed in the first place. We must stand together to survive. Maya learned that lesson too late. In her quest for immortality, she was prepared to sacrifice anything, even the safety of her tribe, to achieve it. Hellewise stood against her, to protect her people. But neither of them could kill her sister. Not even Maya. Hellewise knew that nothing was more important than unity. And, deep down, in a place usually sealed off from the world, Maya knew it, too." She didn't have a clue where the words were coming from, but they certainly sounded good. "Earlier this morning, I told my people that we can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. I say it again now because you're all my people. Shapeshifter, witch, or vampire, it doesn't matter. The only thing that does matter is life. Perhaps one of the Old Souls around here could better explain just how precious life is. All I know is it shouldn't be wasted seeking revenge for imagined slights or something as spiteful as trying to split apart two people who genuinely belong together." She knew she had Thierry's attention now. She wished she knew where the words were coming from, but she didn't have any time to mull it over. They continued pouring out of her. "You should live life. And if the Night World wins, that won't happen." Finally, whoever was speaking through her decided to shut up, and released her to kneel back beside Erin, who by now had woken up and was looking at her in bewilderment. "Kat?" she said slowly, still trying to focus. "Where did all that come from?" "I don't know," Katarina replied, not caring about the crowd growing around them. "It wasn't me, not really. Oh, it was my voice, but the words were someone else's. Whoever they were, though, they were right." She rose to her feet and started to help Erin up. "Now let's get you-" She froze in mid-motion and sucked in a hissing breath as a fresh bolt of agony rippled through the left side of her body. Her stab wound was bleeding freely again. Erin winced as the wave of pain hit her. "Kat..." "It's not as bad as it looks," she lied. They both knew it wasn't true, but she said it anyway. "Alright, so we need to get both of us inside." Her left leg chose that moment to fold under her. Surprisingly enough, she didn't hit the ground. Someone had caught her arm, and was now supporting her. She looked up and was rather astonished to find it was Keller. If there had been one person at Daybreak that she would have bet good money would kill her if she got the chance... "Uh, thanks." Winnie and Nissa were helping Erin up. Keller answered her with a nod and a small smile. (Oh, don't look so shocked,) Erin's amused voice told her. (After that little speech, you could probably talk them into nearly anything.) Katarina laughed silently. (I wouldn't bet on that. But it's a nice thought.) She let the shapeshifter escort her inside as the sun finally rose over scorched and damaged ground. Everyone gathered back in what was quickly becoming the main hospital room. Gwen settled happily next to a recovering Lupe. Erin was perched next to Kat's bedside as some of Daybreak's healing witches patched up the hole in her side. The other three Wild Powers had joined them. Jez was grinning like an idiot. Delos was happy, but it was hard to tell. Conversely, Iliana was bouncing around the room like a happy puppy. Jez knew that they'd felt the same thing she had when Erin had used the blue fire. It hadn't been the tightness or pain that Erin had felt. That had probably been caused by her own blue fire being restrained. It had been a feeling of completeness. All the Wild Powers were now active, and together, as they'd been meant to be. "That was a nice speech you made," she remarked conversationally to Katarina. "But I think you may have inadvertently convinced them all to join Circle Daybreak." "Thanks, but I didn't make it." Instantly, Katarina looked sorry she'd even opened her mouth, but it was too late. The damage had been done. "What do you mean, you didn't make it?" Thierry asked, confused. But not suspicious. None of them looked suspicious. Katarina supposed she should be grateful for small favors. She sighed. "I mean, I didn't make it. Oh, it was my voice, but someone else's words." Then, speaking more to Erin than anyone else, she added, "It was like someone decided to step into my head and take over. I'm just glad whoever it was is on our side." Erin paused, then looked seriously at Kat. "Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you're not a Harman? Cause what you just described sounds a lot like what happens when one of their ancestors decides to talk through them." Kat groaned. "Erin, I think I'd know by now, don't you? Do you have any idea how many people have researched my family history?" "Well, she may not, but I do," Max said from the door. She walked over to stand in front of the two. "At Erin's request, I've been doing a bit of digging into your family tree myself. I even went so far as to sneak a look at the scrolls." Erin's eyebrows shot up. The scrolls Max was so blithely referring to were some of the witches most treasured artifacts. And not something to be taken lightly, especially since Max most likely didn't have clearance to look at them. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I don't know how to repay you for all this." "You already have," Max said with a small smile. Erin knew what she meant. Max had, for a long time, wanted nothing so much as the chance to see a Wild Power in action. "Anyway," Max continued, "I hate to be the one to break this to you, Katarina, but you're wrong. You are a Harman." She paused. "And all the way through a female line, too." Erin made sure to keep any of her seldom used empathy under control, because she knew that if she didn't she'd be knocked over by the waves of shock whiplashing around the room. Katarina's eyebrows both rose to her browline and stayed there. It gave her an almost comical look, but no one was laughing. They were too busy absorbing the implications of what Max had just said. "But- but how is that possible?" Katarina finally said. "People have studied my family tree for over a decade and never seen any relation to Hellewise." Iliana had been doing an admirable job of restraining herself, but someone who knew her well could see that she was about to go off again. Keller did know Iliana well, and stifled a sigh. (Here we go again.) "Oh, who cares? There obviously is one. That means we're family!" She enveloped a startled Katarina in a big hug. "Well, that does explain a thing or two," Erin said slowly. "You are a Harman, Kat. You have to be. All the Wild Powers are related, right? But I don't have any Harman blood. My relation to the Redfern family is so distant that it happened before the two families joined. I'm not related to Iliana. But you are." "Then we're cousins!" Iliana squealed joyfully. "Uh, more like second cousins, if anything," Max interjected. "There's a reason no one ever found out you were a Harman, Katarina. They were looking in the wrong place." "What do you mean?" Katarina asked, feeling nervous. She had a BAD feeling about where this was going. Max cringed, then took a breath and charged ahead. "They didn't think you were a daughter of Hellewise because you aren't." "What?" No none could really be sure who said it first, since everyone in the room seemed to say it in unison. "What do you mean?" Iliana asked, giving her a confused look. "You just said that she was a Harman." "And she is," Max confirmed. "She's just not a daughter of Hellewise." Katarina felt a sudden sense of dread, replaced almost immediately with a quiet resignation as Max continued. "She's a daughter of Maya." \Twenty-Nine/ No one seemed to know how to react to that piece of information. Erin kept opening and closing her mouth, as if she was trying to say something, but nothing came out. Iliana, who still had her arms wrapped around Katarina, looked a bit unsure as to what she should do next. Hannah was looking nervously at Katarina. She'd been scared of Kat before, but finding out that she was related to Maya... and might just take the death of her ancestor personally... She shuddered. Katarina herself was staring off into the distance, lost in thought. Though she'd never admitted it to anyone, not even Erin, she'd always been privately afraid of finding out something like that. "But..." Iliana looked from Max to Kat, then back to Max. "But," she tried again, "she's not a vampire." "No, she isn't," Max agreed. "That's why I had to look at the scrolls. They're the only place where the information I was looking for can be found. Most people don't know it, but Maya had a daughter when she was still a witch. She was named Amelia." Katarina inhaled sharply, knowing where Max was going with this. "She was relatively young at the time," Max continued. "She kept it a secret, because she didn't want anyone to use her daughter against her during her quest for immortality. Then, when she realized what she needed, she left her daughter with another witch couple. Guess she cared more about her own child then someone else's. They didn't have any children, so they considered her a gift from the Goddess." "Wow." That was all Katarina said. She really couldn't think of anything else. Erin, though, could think of a few other things to say. "Kat, don't you know what this means? I mean, not only are you a Harman, and a full-blooded witch, but you're the only one descended from Maya." "Now," Katarina muttered darkly. Erin pushed on, undaunted. "You're one of the most unique beings in the Night World. You could-" She paused. "Hell, you could probably rule the vampires, if you wanted. With Hunter dead, you're the closest descendent of Maya alive." "Not quite," Katarina said dryly, looking from Thierry to Delos and back. "Anyway, I'm not a vampire, nor do I have any desire to be. One of you two can rule them for all I care." "Oh, I don't think they like either of us much better at the moment," Thierry said dryly. Erin was still caught up in her vision, and refused to be distracted. "Yeah, but still... You're a living link to their past." Her face suddenly lit up. "Maybe you could convince them, or some of them, to join our side. It worked with the shapeshifters." "That was a bit different," Keller interrupted. "Iliana was supposed to promise herself to Galen." "Yes, and instead she promised herself to you." The remark made Iliana blush furiously, which Erin felt bad about, but it was worth it to see the look of sputtering shock on Keller's face. "Or whatever. But you're missing the point. Kat doesn't have to promise herself to anyone. She's a link between the vampires and the witches all by herself." "And since she's a Harman," Suze said, making Erin jump - she hadn't seen her werewolf friend enter the room - "she would also provide a link between the vampires and the shapeshifters, thanks to Iliana. You were right before. They are all your people." "I'm not the one that said that, though," Katarina reminded them. "Then who did?" Erin wondered aloud. "Well," Winnie said from where she was sitting on the floor, "ordinarily, I'd say Hellewise. But in your case..." No one spoke for a moment. "But why would she help us?" Hannah asked, bewildered. Katarina shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe dying affects a vampire the same way it does everyone else. Or maybe since she's not so focused on Thierry now she changed. Does it really matter? Everything she said, if it was her, was absolutely correct." "True," Erin said, then grinned. "But I still get a kick out of thinking of you as the princess of the vampires." Katarina chuckled, which soon became a yawn. Organizing the massive group teleportation, the fight itself, and now the healing spells and the revelations about her family had finally worn her down to a point where she was having to fight just to stay awake. Erin took the hint. "Uh, Thierry? You had a room prepared for me, right?" In short order, Erin and Katarina had been escorted to their room. Erin promised the Daybreakers that they could resume their questions in the evening. Thankfully, most of the witches from Circle Midnight had survived, as had their Daybreak counterparts. Erin really had to wonder just what the division between the two was now. Would Katarina end up merging her people with Daybreak? Would she even care? Yes, she had always wanted power, but lately she seemed happier just being with Erin. "Of course, if I'm going to bring the vampires into our little club, I may need the status of head of Circle Midnight," Katarina said sleepily, picking up on Erin's thought. "But we can worry about that later," Erin said, gently settling Katarina down on the bed, taking care not to jostle her injury. "I don't think we'll have to worry about it until after the party." "Oh." Then Katarina blinked and forced herself a bit more awake. "What party?" Erin chuckled. "Oh, come one, Kat. You don't really think that Circle Daybreak won't have a party now that they have all the Wild Powers, do you?" Katarina grinned. "Good point." She yawned again and lay down. "We'll worry about it all later." Erin snuggled up next to her. "Gladly. I hope you realize just how much I love you, Katarina Amelia McConolly Harman." Katarina sighed with pleasure and closed her eyes. "I do. Just as much as I love you, Erin Diana Collins." The two of them, laying together, put all thoughts of battle out of their minds. They knew all too well that peace never lasts forever. But whatever came, they would meet it head on, together. That, after all, is what heroes do. One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark.