COPS Summer Knight

by Yygriega

Harry must solve a mystery to save the world.

COPS

SUMMER KNIGHT

Chapter One

I stood in the middle of a park close to lake Michigan, watching toads fall from the sky with my friend, the werewolf. "A tropical storm front's headed this way. Soon it'll be raining cats and dogs." I said almost deadpan to Billy, my werewolf friend. He gave me a look void of amusement then couldn't hold back any longer.

"Weird, right?" he laughed. "This is not even the first of it. There has been craziness abound all day and all last night!" Billy looked around. "It's why we called our wizard friend."

"No vanillas around?"

"Just some meteorologists, trying to substantiate that a storm tossed them our way." Billy replied. I snorted on my way back to my trunk to grab a bag to collect some toads in.

"Come on, I need a few samples to figure this out."

"What are you looking for?"

"I need to know if they're real or just constructs."

"Why?"

"If they're real, we're in trouble." I said darkly. "It means something is out of wack. Hell I don't know, I just know its bad news for humans."

"So, uh… gotta ask. How's the vampire thing going?" Billy asked, passing two toads into the bag.

"I can hear your heartbeat, and you smell like dinner." I said maybe a little too close to him. He gulped audibly but remembered what I taught him about looking scared. He stood tall, and faced me with his jaw set and chest out. I was proud of the little guy. "Actually you smell awful, like eating Indian food… by the Yamuna River."

"I do?" Billy lifted an arm to sniff.

"It's because you're a werewolf. Its not strong just there telling me you don't taste worth the hassle." I shrugged one shoulder.

"Oh, well, if you feel up to it, were playing Arcanos and the campaign is really heating up." My ears piqued to the sound of squeaking shopping cart's wheels, drawing my attention to an old homeless woman putting around the jogging trail. "We're storming the castle in the dead of night so the council of truth doesn't know who the vigilantes are." Billy continued to speak. I heard a croak and snatched a toad out the air as it blew past me. Billy trailed off, I saw him staring at me. The Maori tiger stripes were red against my pallid skin, my eyes were black, ears pointed and black at the tips, and saber teeth jutted out my mouth. I looked down at the toad in my hand squirming to escape the cage of my black pointed fingers. The wind changed direction and the smell of rotted carrion wafted to my nose.

I sprinted after the old vagrant. I could hear Billy scream my name before smelling wet dog, but that didn't matter to me. The vagrant straightened up and fetched a sawed off shotgun from under her rags in the cart, I lunged toward her and let out a howl of contest, excited for the kill. She had two choices, spray and pray, or risk the fraction of a second to aim and possibly be too late. I saw her choose to shoot, but I tumbled the other direction, only catching a few balls in my shin, no big deal. I came up and lunged forward as she worked the pump, then she drew up while I was point blank range. I grabbed the barrel, wrenched it from her fingers, and then Billy tackled me to the ground. There was no time to explain, and my prey was disarmed. I backhanded Billy out of my way.

The vagrant stretched and contorted, growing taller and more hideous until she was a thing of scary anime educed nightmares. She dove at me, jaw unhinged, serrated yellow teeth bared. I grabbed the shotgun and shoved the barrel in her belly and pulled. My hand went numb instantly, my arm sore already, and my gut, which took the kick was cursing me but there was no time to pocket it in my shoulder before shooting. Tires squealed, a truck came up on the curb, and then the ghoul sprinted for the truck while the two in the bed laid down what I presume to have been cover fire because none of the automatic discharges were aimed properly. The driver wore a red ball cap and a goatee, but he smelled different from the two shooters who were half vampire like me. I stood in front of the massive brown wolf, my shield up, angling the bullets up into a hopefully less deadly arc.

Once the Ghoul was extracted, the truck sped away. "What was that?" Billy asked, quickly climbing back into his clothes.

"Ghoul." I snarled.

"Sorry, I thought-"

"Thought I was going to eat an innocent old lady?" I asked, turning my big black eyes on him.

"Sorry. You think you killed her?"

"No. Ghouls are resilient. They'll be back, and in greater numbers." I quoted Old Ben before letting the toads free.

"What are you doing?" Billy demanded.

"They're real."

"How'd you know?"

"When I transformed it pooped on me." I said, trying to calm myself. We got into the car and I paused before turning the car on. "I've been looking into a cure lately."

"And?" Billy tried not to let himself sound hopeful.

"It's never been done before. Many have tried."

"Yeah but Harry Murphy's never been inclined to find one before." Billy chuckled.

"My sister suggested I look on the brighter side." I shrugged. "I got a computer. I can search the web, play video games, and watch movies. I got a cell phone even. I was a bit shocked by all the choices and the bells and whistles, but I can be around electronics now! I even started appreciating Best Buy's relentless barrage of advertisements." I smiled at Billy. He laughed. "I can't play Arcanos with you guys tonight. I have an appointment at 3 and a meeting with the white council at 6." I said, engaging the engine. I looked pointedly at him with a grin. "Hear that?" I asked as I pulled out the parking lot onto the street.

"No, what am I listening for?" Billy asked.

"I'm not messing up the radio or the starter…" I got a nauseous feeling like the street became a roiling ocean wave and the edges of my vision went dark and unfocused. I vaguely understood Billy say he was happy for me then ask if I was okay. Around that time the occasional little toad became massive toads in a downpour. They came down hard, exploding on my windshield. I engaged the wipers, thankful that there was still water in this storm to rinse the blood and other from my windshield.

I raced out of the storm and got back into town. Billy and I breathed a conjoined sigh of relief when it was over. I suddenly couldn't help but to laugh. "It never rains, it pours!"

Chapter Two

I became a vampire 9 months ago when the red court invited me to a social. I lost my job as a cop and my girlfriend left me and moved to New York. It's not another country or anything, but I got the feeling she was afraid of me now. Not that I blame her. I scare myself sometimes. I traveled to South America a lot, where the Red court originated to see if I could discover some sort of cure. That didn't pan out, so I got my private investigator license, made a web page, got an office, and it actually got some patronage. I often sat in the office answering magic related questions on my help page, correcting misconceptions, and helping people cope with the knowledge that magic was real. When I wasn't doing that, I was hanging out with Karen, Michael, even Thomas. I went to a football game with Billy, and watched him play Arcanos once.

It kind of hurt to think that he thought I was attacking someone in cold blood. I had extensive practice in controlling my urges, partly with coaching from Thomas, the white court vampire, and partly with my sister. She knew I was depressed and refused to let me wallow in self-pity. The problem was that she smelled so good; like mother's milk, wild flowers, strawberries and honey. I felt like drinking her blood would be equivalent to strawberry shortcake and a hug from a favored aunt. Once, while we were cuddled up watching a show called 'Death Valley' from MTV, I heard growling then realized it was me, pinning her on her chest and I was about to bite the back of her neck. She never acted afraid though.

I had tried to grow a beard now that I was off the force. Karen trimmed it since I don't own mirrors, so I was surprised by my reflection. I looked mature, like a man my age and most concerning, like ID me. I wasn't fond of him. I was a bit on the thin side, considering I lost my appetite… for food anyway. It was getting about that time so I drove straight to my office.

The clock on the wall struck 3 at the exact moment my appointment knocked on the door. I reached for the handle and felt a shock, snap. I thought mildly how off that was then opened the door for my client. "Miss Summerset, I presume." I held the door open for her to enter, but might not have managed to get completely out of the way. She was stunning, literally, and I gawked unabashed at her beauty.

I'd venture a guess that she was use to such reactions. She stood and smirked in a manner that suggested she wanted me to get it all out of my system. So I obliged. She was tall, thin, an obscure age of maturity but not old despite the snow-white hair. Her eyes were deep green with a tint of blue, her lips were the color of frozen mulberries, and her skin was pale, and void of any blemishes or beauty marks. Her suit was charcoal gray, the pants showed every curve of her shapely calves and thighs, and I made an effort not to stare at her bottom. The charcoal suit jacket covered a periwinkle blouse with a deep v neckline that threatened to draw my eyes each breath and shift. Titanium quartz adorned her ears and throat, set in silver, and her nails were painted to match the stones, and somehow shifted through deep crimson and dark purples and blues without a change of light.

Once the shock wore off or maybe once I gawked far longer than she was accustomed to, she strode past me and stood by a chair. Her smell was cool and refreshing, like mint and fresh snow. The air around her was colder, and I knew touching her might even hurt. I grabbed the chair for her then hurried to mine own. "Uh… I'm Harry Murphy, pleasure to make your acquaintance." I offered my hand she gave me hers palm down like a princess. I bowed over it then took my seat trying to think real thoughts. "May I offer you a drink?"

"This shall be a short meeting." She said with a slight accent. It seemed European maybe?

"Well let's start by explaining what is going on. If I think that I can help-"

"Oh but you will help, there is no choice in the matter."

"Pardon?"

"Clearly you have yet to surmise who I truly am."

"No, I think I have you pegged already. As a matter of fact, you explain a couple things I've seen today."

"Pardon?" she smirked.

I rummaged into my desk a moment then said "catch" before tossing her a plain iron alloy nail. Not exactly cold iron, but the fay don't burn any less in it's presence. She gracefully backed all the way to the wall, throwing her chair to the side, letting the nail fall to the floor and roll. "Someone has already tried to kill me this morning, I don't feel like repeating the event."

"You think I want you dead, Detective?"

"You're here, in the summer, messing with the fabric of reality, to do what then?"

"You're the detective." She smiled. "A number of things, I fear have been stolen, from myself and another. I wish for their safe return. Are you well versed in the laws of fay?"

"No spoken lies, and no debts unpaid." I said cautiously. Her eyes went from round human pupils to the slits of the fair folk.

"Indeed. There is a debt with your mother that I intend to settle, strictly involving you."

"My…" I recalled the image of the dark haired woman that Lea showed me, and touched a pouch on a leather strap around my neck that held the pentacle necklace that she left behind. Lea's image of her wore one just like it. It wasn't anything particularly special, Elaine had a bronze pentacle on a leather strap, and I'd seen Thomas wear one identical to mine a few times, but it was something of her for me. I couldn't touch it any longer thanks to my condition. Miss Summerset nodded then passed me a manila envelope. "So if I do this job, this debt my mom got me in will be paid?" I asked.

"By the completion of this task, you will have full understanding of the bargain your mother made."

"But will it be done?"

"You should know that a being of Fairy would not go back on a deal. Debts must be paid and collected in appropriate time." She said, gliding toward the door. I understood she was a winter sidhe, and the name she chose to give me was cleverly posed, and a fairy would never give me their true name for fear that I'd bind them to my will, but I still had to ask.

"Who are you?"

"You tell me."

"The static on the door, the chill in the room, your lips, your scent… its raining toads."

"Hallelujah." She smirked

"You're a winter sidhe." She raised her brows and quirked a smug degree into the corners of her smirk. "High on the totem pole, from the looks of… oh" I couldn't believe it. My heart raced, I couldn't breath. My panic may have made the Vampire in me reveal it's self. She touched my cheek and the cool of her fingers calmed my nerves. I felt human again. There was no thirst, no screeching in the back of my mind, no twitchy muscles yearning to pounce on every soft warm body I passed. I still marveled at the woman before me. No, she was a woman like Everest was a hill. She wasn't of winter she was winter.

"Clever lad." She said with an alien wide toothy grin.

"Queen Mab." I whispered before bowing to show proper respect.

Chapter Three

I narrowly escaped a car accident on my way home to collect my proper council attire. Too bad I couldn't find any of it. I text my sister to ask if she knew where my robe was. She hadn't responded so I conceded to grab a hooded bathrobe and hoped for the best. When I pulled into the proper parking spot I felt a buzz in my pants that nearly made me crash. I parked then read the text that Karen was rushing them over to the council meeting place. A black '37 Ford pickup with wood bed pulled into the spot beside mine. The driver slid out the driver side and rounded the beetle to shake my hand.

"Hoss!"

"Mr. McCoy." I replied. "You better take that shot gun down before Karen sees it."

"Is she coming to the meeting?"

"Just delivering my robes." I admitted. Karen didn't like being around too many wizards at once, though I wish she would stay. Ebenezer McCoy frowned at the state of the blue beetle. "It rained toads this morning." I excused.

"Uh-huh." He said gruffly, eyeing my face. "How's the, ah…"

"Vampirism? Just fine thank you." I answered. He made a pained face then grabbed his red stole and robes and staff. "You'll be late you hang out here with me."

"Wanted to have a word with you and a couple others first."

"I was wondering what those two under a veil were doing." I mumbled. The aforementioned veil dropped and two wizards emerged to edge closer to me. One was a steel haired old woman about six feet tall, nearly as dark as her black robes and purple stole. Next was a Native American man, looking all the stereotype aside from his black wizard robes.

"Hoss, this is Martha Liberty and Listens to Wind." McCoy introduced. Martha came close enough for me to smell the centuries of hard work on machinery and a hint of apple pie. She of course smelled yummy, but not fresh enough to want a taste. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh.

"You are in much pain."

"What, the vampire thing?"

"The human thing." She said mournfully, touching my heart with one large rough hand. "You resemble your mother about your eyes."

"I never knew her."

"No, you did not." She said sadly.

"Where's the Russian?" McCoy asked. Listens to wind and Martha shook their heads. At that moment the rumble of a motorcycle echoed up to my heightened sense of hearing. "Simon. Oh no." McCoy lamented. Soon after, the rumble turned into the parking garage and rolled up to me. It was such a hot day; my sister opted to blind us all with her pale legs by wearing shorts. She wore black sneakers and a black leather protective jacket with her cool black helmet that had a tint so dark it looked like there was nowhere for her to see out of it. She pulled into the spot on my other side, took off the helmet and jacket, and then dug into the saddlebags for my blue wizard robes. During all this I also listened to the old wizards talking about a vampire expert Simon Pietrovich being overcome in his own stronghold called Archangel.

Karen had started dying her hair to match mine when we were both on the force, but since she discharged me she had ben able to dye it other colors. She was presently a coppery redhead, which suited her well. She was growing out her hair too. The messy pigtails rested against her shoulders, though most of it was wild from helmet hair. She wore a black CPD tank top that was long enough to be a scandalously short dress on her. She shoved the robes into my arms then threw herself into McCoy's arms. "Neezer!" Karen said practically molding to the old man. McCoy laughed.

"Karri! I like your hog, but it's unbecoming of a young lady. Especially in those shorts." He gave her a stern look then held her again. Swiftly a raccoon began pestering Karen.

"Little brother asks if you might part with some of your food." Listens To Wind asked Karen. She tilted her head thinking then fished an Odwala bar out her back pocket. She removed the wrapper for him then handed him the bar of fruits and nuts. "Little brother says you are a good person."

"Thank you, little brother." Karen said to the raccoon. McCoy introduced Karen to the others then advised her to call listens to wind Injun Joe.

"Redneck does not know it is improper to call me Injun Joe. Now he must call me Native American Joe." Joe jested. Karen laughed. Joe turned to me and smiled. "The one you know as Terra West also sends her regards."

"You know Terra?" I asked. He nodded slightly

"Friends are good to make in these troubling times. Fear will drive your enemies to vote against you, Hoss Murphy." He said darkly. "Would you care to join us miss Karri?" Listens to wind asked Karen. She looked to McCoy who shrugged in a way that meant yes. And looked to me as I shrugged into my stole and robe in a manner that meant yes.

"I suppose this isn't proper attire. I haven't been to one of these since we were 16." Karen mused while she fetched a jacket from the saddlebags. It looked almost like a pea coat and a dress made a baby and was made of green wide plaid fleece with black leather breast pockets and a wide black leather belt. She bothered to fix her hair then McCoy offered her his arm so she took it.

"And what a time that was." I grumbled. We passed through a number of security checkpoints, trading banter with Morgan. Every single fu dog statue raised an alarm and every time McCoy and Karen had to explain my… situation. Entering the theatre I could smell every herb, chemical, and body odor. The majority of the assembled wizards smelled like old unwanted leftovers, the rest smelled like health food. Not literally, but to my senses it was the closest I could relate them to. They all smelled edible but not desirable. A whiff of something tantalizing wafted to my nostrils and I began to drool. Slurp.

Karen looked up to me as I wiped my mouth, and then followed my gaze to a collection of brown robed apprentice wizards. There were three males and seven females. She tugged my elbow so the three of us walked arm and arm like a strange reimagining of the wizard of oz. we found space for the two of us on the second row and Ebenezer in front. The other wizards were high council members and had to seat on the stage. The Merlin, not Merlin himself but pretty much head of parliament as far as wizards are considered, was just finishing up opening statements. "Ah, Wizard Murphy. So kind of you to attend this meeting about the war you started. And I see you've brought a mortal as well. Have you no respect for convention?" the Merlin said in Latin.

"Hard to show respect to an institution that condemned a child for defending himself against a warlock." Karen responded in perfect Latin. The room went crystalline silent.

"You do not get to speak, child." The Merlin warned Karen.

"Hells bells, I thought Hoss would be the one to mouth off, not you." McCoy whispered to Karen.

"Yes, because what wisdom can a mere mortal contribute? I had fallaciously believed this meeting to be for devising a strategy against the vampires who had been spoiling for war unmistakably. Instead you place blame and point fingers like children." Karen said without projecting her voice. She didn't need to. Everyone was so quiet they could hear in the farthest seat from her. My ears twitched to the sudden tumult of whispers and young apprentices snickering.

"Point of fact: the blame is important, for from there we may determine correct action. A missive was received this morning from Duke Ortega, the war leader of the red court, offering a truce while we deliberate over his request for a peace offering." The Merlin boasted.

"And what would that be?" Karen asked in a tone that made me think she already knew. I saw her train of logic. When cops arrive on the scene of an altercation though they might arrest both parties it's the one who caused the trouble who is given charges. Naturally, if the vampires insisted on placing the blame on me, they would want me. They already had me by the short and curlys by making me a vampire, so now I could only surmise they wanted one Harry David Murphy, wizard slightly used.

"What anyone would ask; Justice. From their accounts wizard Murphy in a role as representative of this court assaulted a noble of their court, damaged their property, and burned many members of their house in a fire cast by magic. By our laws; he should be executed, but his death will serve a higher purpose of bringing an end to this conflict.

"The Red court will not stop if you send them Harry's head. There is no simple and swift response to this threat. Even if the vampires call truce for a time, resting on your laurels in a season of relief will not benefit the wizard race either. Your laws were devised to protect humans. I'm an officer of the law in this city; I looked over the coroner's report. None of those bodies were human. The revelation of such called for the brave and intuitive medical examiner involved to be sent to a sanitarium but he remained firm in his conclusion. Harry adhered to the letter of the Accords and the spirit, which these monsters did not. When the holy sword Amoracchius was about to be undone and an innocent's blood was about to be spilled, Harry moved to defend those innocents from the vampires and rescued human lives. I had thought that was important. Wizards are still human, are they not? Or are the lives of mere mortals so worthless?" Karen pursued the point in perfect Latin. She went to college for it and criminal justice. This was essentially her bag.

"That will be enough!" the Merlin commanded. I felt fuzz on my flesh like static. It was the workings of magic that The Merlin was readying to turn on Karen. It could have been anything from a sleeping spell to confusion spell. Those are considered white magic, though wounding if the wielder so chose it to be. That upset me. These hypocrites spout off nonsense about right and wrong then abuse their own laws bending them to their own will. I was about to stand when McCoy stood, turned to Karen and gave her a stern look in the eyes.

"Confound it child, this is not the time or place!" McCoy scolded her. She mumbled apologies and crossed her arms and legs in a pouting gesture.

"Thank you, wizard McCoy. Now to council business; council member Simon Pietrovich was killed in combat two days ago. We must appoint another wizard to council."

"I see him appointing someone to senior council who he can control." I mumbled just loud enough for McCoy to hear me. A wizard with a blue beard, seated on the other side of Karen made a sound like he agreed.

"I ask for Klaus Schneider to ascend to this role-"

"Honored Merlin, is it not customary to hold a vote of a number of candidate for such a position?" Martha Liberty spoke.

"Customarily yes, but in these troubled times."

"Wizard Schneider is a fine enchanter, with a reputation of skill and honesty, but there are wizards present who are his seniors in experience and art. They deserve consideration." Injun Joe contributed.

"That is true, however with times so dire-"

"You figured no one would mind if you forced your favorite down our throats." McCoy suggested. To the rabble of agreeing tones the Merlin clenched his teeth and glared at McCoy. "Anyone else feels this matter is too important to leave to consensus?" the rabble grew.

Wizard Peabody went down the list of senior wizards, each of which were not present for one unusual reason or another including 'real married', pyramid sitting, and living under a polar ice cap. At last it came to Schneider, and the man declined so McCoy was nominated and voted unanimously into chair on the council. Next Warden Morgan proceeded to explain the war so far then took a sick pleasure in suggesting I had something to do with Pietrovich's death since he trained Justin who trained me. The theory was that Justin divulged Archangel's defenses in detail to me for just such an occasion. Bah. He also reported my recent visits to Valladolid, Mexico. I explained, with Karen as my translator, that I had gone there for a procedure that involved tattooing over certain acupuncture spots and allegedly channeling my chi in such a way to suppress my inner vampire. When Morgan was about to accuse me of switching sides, I explained that I was kidnapped and turned by the Red court against my will and Karen added that just being a vampire didn't mean I sympathized with their cause.

After it was made clear that this war was my entire fault Morgan explained how badly we were losing it. Our only hope was an allegiance with the fairy queens. Ancient Mai was in charge of getting their help but one of her messengers was told that summer would remain neutral, and winter sent the messenger back frozen nearly to death. His message was that a wizard was appointed as her emissary and upon his success she would render aide. When the question was raised as to what wizard was given this task Karen looked at me while the other wizards murmured to each other, looking around for a hand raised or man standing. I slumped.

"What kind of trouble did you get into now?"

"Good question." I replied, standing and raising my hand. All eyes rounded onto me. "Hoo boy."

Chapter Three

The rest of the meeting went rather well. We voted on if I should be sent to the vampires in a very small box, it was a draw until the gatekeeper showed up last second, had a chat with me and decided to say I should live. After that, McCoy had new duties to attend to, being unanimously accepted into the senior council. I growled the whole drive through the car wash and back to my apartment, where my sister joined me. I plopped onto my couch and accepted a coke from my sis, and growled more as I gulped it down.

"Stop whining." Karen said, lightly kicking my foot. "So lets get in gear, what did winter tell you to do?"

"Me first. What was that all about at the council meeting?" I glared at Karen.

"Neez, and I were talking about how best to protect you. Since I'm mortal there aren't any serious consequences they could visit upon me, and if I made a point to mention my standing as mortal authority they would be dissuaded to kill you then and there. So it was a way for me to let the uninformed masses know what was really going on and also be there to give them a headache should anyone still want to kill you."

"You could have been hurt! What if the Merlin cast a spell on you?"

"That's why Neezer sat between him and I." Karen shrugged. I growled to show my concern this time and Karen draped herself over my back. "There there, little brother. Now back to business!"

"The queen of winter wants me to investigate a murder and two thefts I gather, from the words she chose." I pulled the manila envelope from my back pocket and dumped it's contents on my coffee table. There was $500 in 20s, and two photos of an older gentleman sprawled at the bottom of some stairs.

"This is Ronald Ruel. I thought his death was an accident."

"Yeah well, the winter queen says it's murder."

"Give me your laptop, I'll get you the case files." Karen got off my back and perched on the edge while I dug my laptop out my bedroom. I checked it to make sure nothing inappropriate was on the screen then passed it to her. "Harry, do me a favor please?"

"Sure, what?"

"Let me help you."

"Hells Bells, sis, you're in enough hot water as it is. After that stunt with the council I want you as far away from danger as possible."

"Well that's impossible, and this is my job." She snorted then took the laptop over to a tv dinner tray that had a printer on it and plugged it in. she printed about 10 pages then properly closed out of everything, returning the laptop to my bedroom. We both sat in the armchair, Karen on the arm, looking over the details of the case.

"Security guard didn't report anything?"

"Nothing to report. No alarms were tripped, the cameras didn't catch anything, and no bursts of static to indicate magic." Karen reported. "Actually…. There wasn't any around when I got there but the FOS reported clear slime at the top of the stairs. Thought Ruel could have slipped and fell."

"That could have been ectoplasm." I said, nodding slowly.

"So something from the Nevernever just popped in to shove him down the stairs and pop out? Why?"

"Well obviously he was mixed up with fairies, that's never good." I grumbled. My ears twitched as I heard someone slip down the steps toward my apartment door. Karen must have heard my ear or felt me go still. Either way, she slipped off the couch without making more noise than only I could hear, she grabbed her gun from her backpack, then stalked silently to the door. She waited behind it while I moved to in front of where it would swing open, then I felt my wards go down, heard someone deftly pick my lock, then the door opened and I froze from shock. The woman entered, then Karen tackled her to the ground, one knee in the center of her back, the other foot blocking her arm from coming to her side and left arm on the back of her neck while the other hand trained a gun on the intruder.

"Stars and stones!" I swore. "Karen, get off of her, come here." I said cautiously. Karen backed away tactically, coming to my right, gun still trained at the woman's face as she rose to her feet.

"Hello, Harry. Karen." Elaine said sheepishly.

"You Bi-" Karen snarled.

"KAREN?" I cried out in shock as she lunged at Elaine and landed two expert hits to the jaw. My vampire speed allowed me to pin my sister to the wall where she struggled to push me away. "What's gotten into you?"

"Ask her!" Karen spat threateningly. "Ask her about the lies, the abuse, the childish pranks!"

"What is she talking about?" I looked at the ever-shrinking Elaine.

"It wasn't me. It was Justin."

"Hells Bells, Elaine, he wasn't holding a knife to your throat. From what I could tell, he didn't violate your mind like he did mine!" Karen said looking wild and sick, her eyes were wide enough to see white around the iris, and the blood drained from her complexion as she let tears wet her cheeks unabashed. To Elaine's shameful posture, and the shift of her aroma to something deliciously weak, I gave Karen a look to continue. "Was it Justin who put a binding spell on me, and stuck me in a closet for days, then told Harry I had run away? Made him believe I abandoned him, was afraid of him, and hated him? Was it Justin who held my face close to the fire and told me I should just die like the rest of my family?" Karen demanded

"He made me."

"Karen, she was enthralled, and brainwashed. We all were." I defended her.

"No, not you. He complained to me sometimes that you were too strong to control. He told me I was of no use to him and would be thrown out if I couldn't control you for him." Elaine said so quietly, I only heard clearly because of my bat hearing.

"You know there were crawl spaces throughout the house, even the attic? Justin made me use them to get around the house while you were home, so Harry couldn't ever see me." Karen lost her vengeful wildness and wilted in my grip. "I could hear the things you whispered to my brother while you were… intimate. Is that how Justin suggested you control him?"

"I… I loved Harry. I'll always…" Elaine's heart sped up, she began to sweat and cry. I tilted my ear toward her and listened, while I looked at Karen's flush flesh just under my nails. Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I could tear open her flesh with ease, drink my fill, then play with Elaine until I regained my thirst. That thought was small, quiet, and of no position to tell me what to do. I learned a lot about my new abilities, and learned how to tell when someone lied. Elaine hadn't lied about Justin so far, but either she wasn't sure or wasn't genuine that she loved me.

"Why are you here?" I asked. She blinked.

"You're supposed to say 'Elaine so glad you survived, you look great.'" I gave her a skeptical look. She smelled like wildflowers and honey and spring rains. I wanted to taste her, but I was also wary of her.

"I looked for you, had fairies comb the earth for you… how do I know you're real?"

"I was in Fairy, with the summer lady. Its me Harry. Who else would know you failed your drivers test five times, sprained your shoulder trying out for football, or that we soulgazed on our first night… together." Elaine said. Karen had at some point stopped struggling but when I loosened my grip she tried to lunge again. I grabbed her again and felt my knees go weak.

"Stars…"

"I'm here as emissary to summer. There's been a murder and I saw your ad in the newspaper and figured you would be better equipped to handle this than me."

"Well I'm already winter's emissary so-"

"WINTER?" she asked, looking frightened. "No. You cant. Winter's responsible."

"How are you so sure?"

"Ronald, the man who was killed was the summer knight. Who but winter would have reason to kill him? Furthermore, the mantle has been taken, leaving summer weak."

"There are plenty of angles to examine. Why would winter hire Harry if they did it?" Karen asked.

"To look innocent."

"Then they'd hire a crack pot detective. You already admitted not to be the best equipped to handle this." Karen said, no longer in a rage. Her body relaxed but I knew better than to let go. She was at her most dangerous when relaxed.

"This must be some kind of joke that Titania and Mab are playing. They are laughing at us as we speak." Elaine surmised, beginning to pace across the living room, chewing her thumb. "Well, as winter's emissary you must have been told about the situation, where do we start?"

"We start with what you know. You say this Ruel was the summer knight. Tell me about him." I suggested, taking a seat and pulling Karen down in my lap, still holding her arms to her sides.

"I don't know much. I hung with Aurora most of the time. She loves art so we were always going to shows, museums, and studios, that sort of thing. Ruel only answered to Titania, so the rare occasion I saw either they were together. He's a college professor. I know that much."

"So once you complete the task of finding Ruel's killer, what do you get?" Karen asked. I squeezed her arm but she didn't react.

"The debt of protecting me all these years will be paid. You?" Elaine asked coldly.

"Harry gets to live a little longer and Mab helps the wizards fight the vampires." Karen shrugged.

"That seems like you get more out of this deal than warranted. Beings of Fairy tend to lowball deals."

"It's not explicitly part of the deal per say but is a consequence of resolving this issue." I admitted. "Was anything taken from Ruel?"

"No. You think he just happened to die in a robbery or something?"

"Something, yeah. We should-" I couldn't finish telling Elaine what we should do because there was a banging on my door that rattled it in its frame.

"Murphy! Open up!" Morgan demanded, banging on the door again. "Murphy, I know you're in there! Open this door!"

"Or you'll huff and you'll puff." I responded, moving noisily to the door while Karen shoved Elaine into my bedroom and closed the door. She moved to sit on the arm of the armchair by her backpack that held her 1911.

"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked, coldly surveying the interior of my apartment.

"Nah, My sister and I were just settling down to some porn and fondue. You can join if you like." I answered. "Though, I don't think there's enough baby oil for the both of us."

"You disgust me, Murphy."

"That's me, the big bad vampire. I take it you didn't come for the melted cheese and bad acting, then?"

"You shut your mouth about Sasha's acting." Karen interjected.

"I want to know how you continue to escape justice, arranging things in just a way that you appear innocent or justified, or make yourself beyond the reach of justice."

"Maybe its my perky nipples." I responded. Karen stifled a laugh.

"You think you're funny." Morgan sneered.

"Most folks do but hey, looks aren't everything."

"Well you know what I think? I think you are working with the vampires. You asked them to turn you and in exchange you would give the secrets of archangel, then continue to sabotage the wizards during this war. Perhaps you coordinated with the winter queen before engaging this war. And as your defense you hide behind your mortal sister." Morgan said with the sneer growing. Karen and I laughed. Morgan punched me hard in the abs, expelling all the air in my lungs for a dizzying second. "You can not laugh this off."

"What do you want from me?"

"Admit it! You started this war!"

"I was rescuing innocent people, a seer named Lydia, my girlfriend Susan, Karen. I made no moves against the Vampires until they were about to chop off Lydia's head. At that point I had to do something. So if you want me to strike you so your buddy back there can tell the council I attacked, you have to get your hands a lot dirtier than this." I growled, holding my belly where Morgan hit me. Morgan stammered.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please, I can smell him. Waiting up there for me to move. Maybe after you kill me he will testify I had attacked first, this punch to my gut being a mere greeting ritual between us. Karen wouldn't get to come this time, her only link to the council being I. Maybe your friend can erase her memories of magic, who cares if she goes brain dead. Erasing memories is technically white magic." I stood up straight and stared Morgan down.

"You're a fool. A young fool. Do you think she would remain loyal after you're dead? Once you've left this world she will likely beg to forget all she's been through because of you."

"You don't know me." Karen said in an eerily calm tone, moving to the door. "Harry, would you like to press charges against this man for assault and" she pulled Morgan the last six inches between him and the inside of my apartment, "trespassing?" I smirked then looked at Morgan. He seemed intent on the bedroom.

"Who's in your room if it isn't your mortal whore?" he said, looking pointedly at Karen.

"See for yourself." I said coolly. Hopefully Elaine was hiding or preparing a deadly spell, either way was fine with me. When Morgan opened the door, Mister, my giant gray bobtailed cat darted out the bedroom under his feet to his favorite bookshelf and hissed at Morgan. "Even animals hate you. Or maybe he's a dangerous insubordinate. Perhaps you should take him in for questioning."

Morgan spun on his heel and left the apartment. "The council wishes me to advise you that they will be nearby watching but will not aide you. Here is the number to call when you've failed." He flung a card in my general direction then left. When he turned to say something else I slammed the door shut and Karen turned on loud rock music to drown out whatever else he had to say.

Elaine emerged when Karen turned the volume down. "I got to get out of here."

"They're still watching."

"I'll veil myself."

"They're good."

"So am I." Elaine gave me a significant look then I opened the door for her and stuck my head out to look around then she got out the door and I shut it.

"What do you think, Harry?"

"If this problem grows any more horns I'm gonna shoot it and mount it on the wall." I grumbled, flopping back onto the couch. Mister came to me and rumbled like a motor against my hand until I moved it. I leaned back onto the couch and curled my fingers into the soft fur of my cat. After rubbing his head I felt the pull of sleep as if gravity doubled and the lights dimmed.

I dreamed the same dream I'd often had since I was changed, only it wasn't Susan before me, smiling, it was Elaine. She looked so scared and vulnerable; I moved to console her but pulled her into an embrace, which dissolved into a kiss, and from the kiss bred passion. I pressed her into the wall and moved my hands over her hips and pressed mine against them. My eyes intensified as if the light had suddenly changed, a feeling I knew accommodated my eyes turning black and growing. Elaine made a whimper into my mouth of equal parts fear and pleasure then melted into my kiss. She rolled her head back when I broke off the kiss, exposing the lines of her throat.

My fangs extended, growing, a dull throbbing process, and I thrust them into her throat, slid them out, then put my mouth over the fresh puncture marks, sinking my fangs into her neck again. I drank in her warm delicious lifeblood, feeling it travel down my throat into my belly. I felt her body go lax in my arms and slid down the wall. I followed her body to the floor and continued to drink until the fountain of blood dwindled to a sparse trickle. At that moment I felt fear and anxiety melt away, and pain and doubt leave my body. I felt only ecstasy and elation and freedom. I felt the true power of control over life and death it's self, in that by my will I could end Elaine's suffering and bring her eternal peace. I felt power over these soft and feeble beings I had once but no longer considered myself among.

Then I felt pain. Something burned my eyes and I became suddenly aware of a cold, hard sensation biting into my wrists. I thought my eyes were already open but they opened nonetheless and I saw a silver cross dangling in my face I moved my arm to shield my eyes but my arms were bound over my head. When I had been changed I got iron shackles with a three-link chain and from the center link, another long chain to a hook. I bolted a ring into the concrete floor of my basement apartment near the couch. Karen had cuffed and connected me to this ring.

"Harry? You there?" Karen asked, looking into my goggling black eyes.

"Harry isn't with us any more." I responded before sticking out my long dark tong and flicked it around a little.

"Okay." Karen smirked, tucking away her cross. She leaned over me to unlock the manacles but my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten food for days. She froze then backed away slowly. "Maybe I should get food in your belly before letting you free." She remarked cautiously before bustling to the kitchen to prepare a grilled cheese sandwich. She fed me then cleaned my face by licking a napkin and dabbing my chin. I caught a glimpse of blood on the moistened napkin as she pulled it away and tried to quickly crumble it. Her black tank top didn't show bloodstains but as she turned her head to toss the napkin into the trash across the apartment I saw four staggered puckered wounds on the meat between her neck and shoulder. Damn me straight to Hell for all I've put her through. Had it not been for me, her parents and real siblings would still be alive, she wouldn't had to grow up abused by Justin and Elaine, and she wouldn't be here baby feeding a monster that just attacked her moments before.

"Why are you crying?" Karen asked when she looked back at me. My human features had returned at some point before the sandwich, but my senses were still heightened. Her heartbeat changed rhythm. She didn't just go through the motions she still cared deeply for me despite all I'd done to her. It made me weep harder.

"I'm in over my head." I resolved myself to admit. If I told her I wept for her woe, I'd only anger her.

"That's what I'm here for, you big baby." She smiled angelically down at me and freed my wrists. One of my hands reached into her soft copper curls and she froze with wide eyes, afraid to move. I had leaned up then regained control of myself. Was I about to bite her again? No, my tattoos were gone.

"Thank you." I said, pulling her into a hug. The smell of sunshine and wild flowers lingered in her hair with her strawberry and honey shampoo. She and Elaine actually smelled a lot alike. I let go, reluctantly, then rolled to my feet and stretched. "I needed that." I took a long cold shower despite having working heat now that I wasn't fowling up technology, and then groomed my beard and hair before toweling off. When I came out Karen was lying on the couch talking to a lump in her shirt.

"Harry, Bob has some ideas about the motive for Ruel's murder." Karen told me while I passed her and the skull under her top to grab a coke.

"Okay, but what are you doing?"

"He wouldn't discuss fairy politics with me unless I traded something so I had to take off my bra and put him in my cleavage. But listen."

"BOB!"

"Harry, listen to me, because I'm certain Mab is not the killer. First of all, the queens can't kill each other or their vassals directly, for that they use the knights. The knights are sort of-" Bob explained.

"Knaves. Errand boys but for dirty work." Karen interjected.

"Exactly. Now if Mab wanted Ruel dead she would send her own knight to dispatch him but then the knight mantle would just be passed along to another. There's really nothing to be gained."

"But perhaps Ruel himself was an obstacle. Maybe he knew something or maybe he was too good at his job and someone felt it was necessary to give it to another." I retorted.

"Well that is where I believe the real problem lies. The mantle hasn't been passed on while Ruel is clearly and truly dead."

"How is that possible?"

"Somehow, someone has stolen the summer knight's mantle." Bob concluded. Karen sat up and Bob squealed a giddy little laugh.

"But that means summer is weakened. There has to be balance among the sidhe. Well who would want summer weakened if not winter… Mab did do it, or have her knight do it." I reasoned.

"Harry, summer and winter may behave as enemies but they're just two sides of a coin. A coin is considered flawed if it has two faces. The sidhe want balance, they need it. That's why winter hired you. You have to restore the balance." Bob explained.

"So we are in agreement that the killer had to be one of the queens or knights but at the same time it couldn't have been because they at their core would not be able to disrupt the balance of their powers."

"Now you have it."

"Don't make this too easy on me or anything." I grumbled. "Well at least I only have three suspects."

"Six." Bob corrected me.

"SIX?"

"Yes the mother, the queen, and the lady of each court." Bob explained patiently.

"Seven including the knight." I added.

"Eight including Elaine." Karen said under her breath. The thing I didn't like about that was that it wasn't baseless. Elaine bound Karen, bound me, albeit poorly, and now I was finding out she was bullying Karen and manipulating me. Brainwashed, enthralled, even possessed, there are things that can't easily be forgiven, and from my understanding, emissaries had a degree of power and purpose as well. An emissary of winter for instance could be given an advantage over a knight of summer. By that logic I was as much a suspect as any myself.

"Nine including me." I said to her.

Chapter Four

Karen and I snooped around Ruel's apartment, fought an Ogre. That was fun. Then were saved by an angry neighbor who thought all the grunting and breaking things was gay sex apparently. She told us fairies that she called the cops. She was half right about the fairy thing. We attended his funeral and met some kids who were in photos around Ruel's place. I pulled out a picture I pilfered. It had been folded but it showed two boys and two girls with Ruel in front of Cinderella's castle. At the funeral I overheard the kids talking about one of theirs missing. A mysterious 'he' was conjectured to have her and I was conjectured to be intent on killing the kids. Like I cared about them. I made the mistake of splitting up with my sister. I had sent her to get pizzas and I followed them to ask some questions but the girl busted me in the mouth. There was a misunderstanding, and I was tossed in a trash can.

"Harry?" Karen called. I made a noise from the garbage and she hauled me out. "I don't want to know do I?" she asked.

"You might, but I don't want you to." I answered sheepishly. She passed me the pizzas and went away so not to spook the fairies I was about to summon. I learned quite a bit from them but most importantly I got a guide to take Karen and me to the winter lady. Don't get me started on a fairy's direction giving ability. They don't have any. We found our way into undertown. I hate it there, but a malk greeted us and led us safely to the winter lady.

She was throwing a ball and all the guests were dressed in world war one era costumes. Or maybe some of it wasn't costume but authentic clothes from the time that were finally put back to use. The winter lady was not quite as expected. She looked quite like Mab only younger. She may have been any number of decades or even centuries older but she appeared to be exactly what 'barely legal' was meant to look like. I felt a bit discomforted by my own dirty musings. She had dreadlocks of her snow-white hair, but the ends were dyed every hue of deep green blue and purple. A band shirt was cropped to show her midriff and a bit of under-boob if she lifted her arms over her head. She wore a three-inch long black and dark green plaid skirt low on her hips with tiny shorts underneath and had one purple and black striped, one red and black striped long fingerless gloves to above her elbows. Thigh high fishnets and long furry black and blue leg warmers adorned her legs and goth punk boots her feet. Goggles completed the look where they festooned the top of her head like a steam punk crown. She didn't at all coordinate with her guests.

She watched me approach her stage and bow at the steps, Karen curtseyed a step to my right and a step behind. The winter lady sat sideways in her throne and giggled.

"Harry Murphy." She said as greeting.

"You know in what capacity I have come."

"Indeed."

"Did you arrange the murder of the summer knight?" I asked. Karen mumbled something about finesse but I couldn't understand enough to argue. The room went silent so Maeve led the attending sidhe in a good laugh at my expense.

"I can not just give you such information."

"I assume you already have a trade in mind?"

"Come, join me at my table, the both of you." Maeve offered. Karen and I bowed again as thanks and sat at the table.

"I have to warn you, I don't have a lot to offer." I advised the winter lady. Maeve looked me up and down which incited a favorable response in my pants, and then she smiled and leaned back in her chair.

"I think you have plenty." She murmured suggestively. "What I desire is your issue."

"Oh well I have plenty of those." I remarked. Maeve began another peel of laughter then settled down to explain.

"No no, your issue, heir, firstborn." Maeve clarified.

"Sorry, I'm fresh out." I countered.

"That's not an issue." She countered, snapping her fingers. Out of a nearby pool, a beautiful naked woman came forth and was hastily dressed by pixies as she approached the table. Karen shifted in her seat and for a brief moment her breathing was erratic. She focused on calming herself then we exchanged a glance. To me the woman's scent was far from appetizing. She smelled like seaweed kelp salad with swamp water for desert; edible but by complete heathens with no taste. She bowed then approached the table. Karen and I leaped out of our seats and gave her respectful gestures, then the woman sat at the foot of the throne and leaned her head on Maeve's lap.

"Jenny, I'm sure you've heard of the infamous Harry Murphy."

"Indeed, my lady." She eyed me like I eye swimsuit magazines then smiled, teeth the color of seaweed peeked between her lovely lips. "Something of a gentleman… and tall. I like tall men."

"Does she please you, wizard? Is she not lovely?" Maeve stroked her hair. "I shall give the answers you seek and in exchange, you will spend a night with my Jen." Maeve explained.

"You want me to impregnate your girlfriend?" I asked skeptically.

"It's hardly an unreasonable request. I feel it in you. Your need. Perhapse Jenny alone is not enough. Would you rather it be the three of us then?" Maeve seemed to enjoy the thought.

"I should like the little virgin to join as well." Jenny stared at Karen, making my little sister hiccup in equal parts fear and arousal.

"Oh, run a hard bargain, wizard, I should think we would all enjoy that." Maeve concluded.

"Dear penthouse…" I grumbled. Karen whispered something in a tiny pitiful voice. I looked at her blushing feverishly, almost matching her hair.

"We gotta get out of here." She repeated herself. "Just hurry up and do it." Well that was all the encouragement I really needed. I stood up, unzipped my pants, then grabbed the pitcher of cold water, and poured it down the front of my pants.

"Sorry Lady, not gonna happen." The glamor was lifted from me, the building need was gone, and my man parts were trying to come back to the mother ship.

"Not so easily captured, are we? KNIGHT!" Maeve called. A man every bit the image of a thug strode to the table without the fanfare and etiquettes. He was balding but also shaved bald, wearing a t-shirt stained with what looked like blood, blue jeans, and combat boots. He wore a leather jacket with the sleeves cut off and a snowflake over his right breast pocket. "What took you so long?"

"It was harder than you said." He griped.

"Wizard Murphy, meet my knight, Lloyd Slate." Maeve explained. Lloyd had a parcel under one arm but presented it to Maeve, or rather, shoed it at her, before plopping in a chair at the table across from Karen so he could eye her floor to follicles.

"Sup." He said more to her.

"Yo." I replied loudly to draw his attention. He gave a wheeze of a short laugh. "Did you kill Ronald Ruel?" he laughed again harder.

"Sorry but I didn't. Shit, I'm not really sure I can. Not in a fair fight for sure." He shook his head.

"But he's old." I said confused.

"Lots of wizards are too, but nobody messes with them. For folks like Ruel, age was just more experience, wisdom… nah, I'd hate to get into a one-on-one with him." At that moment Maeve finished unwrapping her gift and tossed it at Slate in anger.

"USELESS, ITS USELESS!" she screamed like those super sweet sixteen girls. A military issue looking dagger, stained with something black struck Slate. He recovered it then leapt after Maeve. Maeve lifted her arms and Slate froze, struggling against her will. His snowflake glowed and Jenny greenteeth circled him to wrap herself around his neck and whisper into his ear. His knees buckled and he began to sink. Jenny made a gimme gesture then a pixie produced a needle for her to plunge into Slate's arm. When his eyes rolled back, she sank with him to the ground.

"Hmmm…" I broke the tension. "I don't think you did it." I told Maeve. She looked back at me startled.

"Now if you will excuse me." I stood and Karen followed.

"I did not give you leave to go, wizard."

"I didn't ask." I replied on our way for the exit... which wasn't there.

"You can not leave!" Maeve stamped her foot. Karen took a stance in front of me and deflected a blow meant for my gut. She followed up with a palm to the nose of the sidhe gent who threw the punch. Another sidhe kicked at my knee but Karen kicked their foot, knocking them off balance long enough to kick their chest, flooring them. The pixie that had guided us there woke up from her nap in my hair at that moment and started pulling my hair like the rat chef from that movie. I grabbed my sister out of the air, mid round-house, and ran through the wall out into a sewer we hadn't passed before. We followed the pixie through a labyrinth of tunnels and out. I asked her to lead us back to my car and she did in a far straighter route than before.

As we approached it had already gone dark out. I stopped Karen a few feet from the funeral home and in a blur of vampire speed, grabbed one of the kids from the photo and pinned him against a wall. He was the little one with tanned skin and platinum blond hair. I bared my fangs at him, causing a squeak, then got distracted by the sounds of a struggle behind me. Karen was on the ground with her thighs locked around the neck of a much larger woman who was trying to do the same to her but couldn't thanks to Karen's height, or lack there of.

"Who are you?" I snarled. The little man squeaked again and looked away. After some deliberation I put him down and moved to the woman. "Who are you? Why were you waiting to ambush us?"

"We want to help you find Ron's killer." The big woman gasped from my sister's pale fleshy vice.

"You have a funny way of doing things; beating me up, throwing me in a dumpster. But then again, I've never read that Mars-Venus book."

"I'm sorry for that. I panicked."

"Who are you kids? You were close to Ruel, how?"

"He took us in. Ace, Fix, Lilly and I are changelings."

"And where's Ace and Lilly?"

"Ace is at work, Lilly's missing. We think it has to do with Ron being killed. I think the winter knight took her."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Meryl." She answered. Karen had already loosened her grip but completely got off the woman and got behind me. Fix rushed to Meryl's side.

"What makes you think the knight took her?" I asked. Meryl made a face that I couldn't understand but Karen did.

"He's done it before. And he does things to her… did you call the police?" Karen asked.

"Sure sure, I just told them a mortal champion of fae had abducted a half nixie nude model to fairyland and they were all over it." Meryl replied.

"Or you could have reported her missing like a normal person. You're half that too right?" Karen retorted. I admired the kid's sarcasm but what's the point of a department for weird crimes if no one reports a crime because its too weird? Karen fished out her wallet and flipped it open exposing her police badge, but that wasn't the point exactly. She produced two cards, one was hers at HQ one was mine. Then she considered things as they were and gave her three of each. "Maybe you should hand some of those to your friends or whatever. If there's any trouble call Harry or Chicago P D Special investigations. We really will jump all over a mortal champion of fae abducting a half nixie model to fairyland."

"We'll look into her disappearance, okay?" I said tiredly. The kids exchanged looks and nodded.

"Thank you, wizard" Meryl answered. I closed the distance on my car and caught a whiff of fresh blood. I hadn't noticed sooner because the funeral home already smelled of death blood and embalming fluid. My chest felt like it was caving in when I recognized the body in my car. I rushed to unlock the beetle and Karen, better at first aid in any case, dove into the car to check vitals.

"She's alive. Not too badly injured. We need to get her to a hospital!" Karen said urgently. I got into the front and started the car. I heard Elaine weakly object as I pulled out of the parking lot.

"Its too dangerous." She whispered.

"You're losing a lot of blood, your cuts are too deep and wide." Karen replied.

"They'll find me there. Rothchild Hotel. Aurora will help." She faded back out of consciousness. I heard tearing as I rounded a corner and headed that way. At the check in parking, the pixie in my hair zipped out and in front of my face then led me, Elaine in my arms, up toward the elevator. The doors opened and a mousey looking girl in paint stained overalls and braided blond pigtails adjusted her glasses then jumped in surprise to see the bleeding woman and me.

"Ela! What happened?"

"I just found her like this, she said to come here."

"You're with winter."

"How did you know?"

"It shows."

"I swear I didn't do this, I was just hired to find out who killed Ronald Ruel, please help her."

"I'm so glad I happened to be going out for more clay just then." She said as she let me into the elevator and hit the top button. We went up up up then exited the elevator to a grand garden with beautiful creatures of fae like a massive centaur and tiny elves making art, creating beauty. One artwork in particular was a statue of woman at that age of adulthood when the final wisps of childhood had fallen away. The fae apparently smelled winter on me and didn't like it but I gave them my side for all it was worth, then one of them, Lord Marshall, took Elaine to be healed. The paint girl sat me down and talked to me then I figured out she was the summer lady and she just touched me and I became a messy puddle of emotion. When I was done with my catharsis I was revive, refreshed, and ravenous for real food not blood, though yeah that too but no. We had a nice long chat, and I came to understand something toot mentioned earlier. The summer knight's mantle was gone; there was no balance so while summer was still in control of the stone table they had to fight winter.

My sister and I returned to her place so she could look into Lloyd Slate's background and so I could start calling all morgues for a green haired corpse. I started calling all hospitals for green haired young women, but most of the operators said they wouldn't know unless I had a name and Lilly was all I knew. My sister turned in her chair to look at me on her bed. It had a frilly floral duvet and a crocheted quilt over it with frilly pillows. I hung up the old fashioned rotary phone on the night table and sprawled on the bed.

"I have some bad news and some bad news." Karen said with the inflection suggesting one was less bad than the other.

"Hit me."

"Well this Slate guy has a rapsheat for disorderly, public intoxication, assault accused but not convicted of rape and sexual assault, and possession of most illegal substances." I whistled. "And… I think I know who attacked you at the park the other day. They call her Tigress, she's a mercenary."

"Yeah, ghouls tend to be."

"My point is, she's expensive, and while I'd love to think she was hired by the vampires, I'm beginning to think she was hired by whoever killed Ruel."

"I hadn't taken the job yet. How could they have known?"

"Think about it. Ruel died the night before. If everything works like clockwork among the fae then of course the killer would presume the courts would each choose an emissary to investigate. As the only detective openly involved with the preternatural, you would naturally be chosen by one of the courts. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised summer didn't try to approach you. Instead they chose Elaine whos already bound to them, and vested in their interests enough to possibly shift the blame on anyone as long as they aren't summer."

"Enough with your suspicion of Elaine! She was hurt today. Before that we thought she was dead. You should be glad she's alive!" I shouted at my sister.

"Well I'm not." Karen said, kicking her chair aside on her way out.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted as I forced my aching body from the bed and after Karen.

"The hell is wrong with you? You still love her?" She stormed outside, throwing on her jacket, then moved for her bike.

"Yeah, I do, so what? I also love pizza but I'm not about to marry it." I suddenly got a chill. It wasn't cold out but fog was moving in on us from every direction. I grabbed Karen and pulled her close as I drew and closed a magic circle noticing the mist curl around the circle proving I was right; it was a magical construct.

"Let me go!" Karen twisted under my arm and slid out of my grip.

"Shut up stupid, this is bad. Someone is-" something hit the circle and scampered off. I couldn't see it well but it drew our attention.

"Run for it?" Karen suggested.

"I got this feeling we shouldn't touch the fog." I said cautiously. I pulled some of Karen's hair, extracting one of the loose hairs and fished string out of my pocket. I muttered a spell while I twisted the two around each other. "Pinky" Karen gave me her left hand, pinky out and I tied the string around it. "Hope this works." So then we booked it toward the door, my shield bracelet providing me the same protection against the fog as Karen's string. We almost made it too, but I heard a yelp from behind and smelled him more than I could see or feel his presence. The ogre, "Grum" I snarled.

"Pretty tiny little thing." He said. I heard my sister struggle, but he was four times her size and supernaturally strong. Then I heard a snap followed by a whimper of pain and a thud. I smelled blood so sweet, my stomach lurched, and I flew into a frenzy.

"Fuego!" I shouted, cupping my hand and flinging a fireball. I did this three more times to no avail, Ogres were immune to magic so I could have just been tickling him with a feather to the same effect. As I dashed toward Grum the ground rolled and threw me aside, and I heard Grum charge after me, as I fell. I twisted so when he shoulder blocked me, I was facing him. I sank my fangs into his face, my clawed fingers into his shoulders, and the heels of my boots into his stomach and groin. He howled with pain and nearly threw me off, but I dug my fangs in again, then again, then again, until he was Swiss cheese. He growled and cried about his face then stumbled out of my vision, but the plants in the back yard had collected and become a creature bent on destroying me. It too shrugged off my fire.

Then I heard a sick little sound followed by a motor string being pulled then the sound of a chainsaw echoed in the darkness and the fog. I jumped aside then watched Karen come at the chlorofiend with all the grace and determination of Jedidiah Sawyer himself. She tore through the construct then when the chainsaw jammed and the beast had fallen, she collapsed atop its remains. The fog lifted but when I looked up from Karen's body I spotted the mercenary. she changed to a ghoul already and held a hunting rifle trained at me. I hoisted my sister into my arms and clamored into the house, kicking the door shut. We were by no means safe but I felt a bit safer. I called the ambulance. The ghoul was a professional so she wasn't likely to stick around when she heard sirens.

I assessed the damage and found Karen's right leg was twisted till it snapped, and her arm had been pulled out of the socket. blood seeped out from where her broken bone was poking the flesh. Once the EMTs took my sister, I got on her bike and headed to Billie's.

Some werewolves patrolled the area while I explained what was going on. Meryl and Fix were invited along too. Radar, my ex partner gave me a call, asking if he heard right and I was the winter emissary. I almost asked him from where, but I remembered his wife was half troll. I didn't know for sure but if you saw her, you'd be sure of it too. He warned me about the fighting and I explained everything to him. He and his wife showed up at Billy's in just a few short minutes. The troops needed time to sort out and Georgia, alpha female of the pack, insisted I eat food. I settled into a couch with a coke and slice of pizza.

"You look upset." Meryl said, sitting beside me on the couch. She was nearly my height, bulky, strong, with emerald eyes and muddy swamp green hair.

"They hurt my sister. Before they attacked she and I had a fight."

"Siblings fight all the time. I fight with my brothers a lot any way."

"We have disagreements but I'd never hurt her before… I hurt her then I let her get hurt. Its all my fault. All of it. I keep hurting her over and over."

"That's life, Harry. We can't keep the people we love in a gilded cage forever." Fix said, sitting close to Meryl on the couch, and lacing his fingers with hers. Oh wow. Really? I shook my head.

"When we were 11, some madman saw that I was going to grow up to stop him from doing something really bad so he summoned a fire demon to burn our house down with the whole family inside, just to get to me. Karen saved my life, but we lost our mother, and our four siblings in the fire. Then a warlock adopted us. He liked to abuse her and bully her so he could control me. He had another little girl who I was in love with, but the girl bullied Karen too. Today she came back into my life and I took her side and fought Karen over her, and let the argument blind me, let Karen get hurt."

"Yeah, loves fucked up that way." Meryl said, coming to her feet. "Karen isn't going to blame you so stop trying to take it and do something about it. Lets kill these bastards who took our loved ones away."

"You're right!" I got up and ran away.

Chapter Five

As I trudged toward the shore of the lake, shivering, holding my arms, I marveled at the unnatural storm above. I strode to the end of a stone pier and scanned the tree line across the lake, then summoned my fairy godmother. I waited in the rain wondering if I should try again, then I swear I heard someone say from afar, "Bibbidy… boppidy," I scanned the lake. "Boo." She said in an amused tone. I jumped from her lovely voice speaking directly into my ear then whipped around to be face-to-face with the lovely woman. Her fiery red hair draped over her breasts, her gown was all shades of blue, shimmering under the little moonlight that peeked between the ominous clouds. The rain plastered it to her slender form and followed the curve of her hips to a sword belt holding the short sword she got from the vampires last year. I quickly recalled my manners.

"Good evening godmother. Your beauty rivals the stars tonight. As I'm sure it does every night."

"Such a flatterer. Good child, godchild. And what may I do for you now?"

"I seek audience with the summer queen and the mothers."

"You must understand, my power has grown but I can not protect you from them." She warned me, touching the hilt of the short sword."Give me your hand."

"I need my hand!" I said, holding my right hand defensively. She laughed beautifully like a bell then replied.

"No child, put your hand in mine, and I shall convey you."

"At what cost?"

"None… to you." She said with a smile. My hand instinctively went to the leather sack hung around my neck and she nodded with a smile. I took her hand and in a blink I was in another place. Rolling hills and stones and the very place I stood were all crafted out of clouds. Below the light from lightning traveled along the cloud stream, then things began to look, to me, like the mist had parted and I was truly in a meadow with a stream and a stone table centered among large monolithic stones. I had wandered away from my godmother exploring my surroundings.

"Were here… the stone table." I said incredulously. Lea bowed.

"Blood spilled at this table becomes power in the hands of whoever hold it. Summer holds it for the warm months, winter holds it in the cold months."

"I get it." Lea moved swiftly to my side and cupped my face between her hands.

"Do not ever let her bring you to the table." Lea warned me. Just then, a chill crept over my spine. "Now look. You must see as only a wizard can to understand." I opened my sight and slowly surveyed what was around me. There was discourse and conflict, and it was all too overwhelming. I covered my eyes with my arm and fell to the ground to open them back at the lake.

"What was that?" I asked. I looked around. "Where are the queens?"

"But I showed them to you Godchild. With your sight you were able to see them for what they truly are, and know them far better than if you were to exchange words. You would mistrust anything they said any how."

I nodded my head to the side in reluctant agreement. "Well now I need to speak with the mothers."

"That is far beyond me, Godchild." She strode to me and lifted on her toes to kiss my forehead. "I am needed at my queen's side. Be swift and safe."

"You're leaving?"

"I must." She moved into the water of the lake and exploded into glowing blue sprinkles of water that left fading phosphorescent ripples in their wake. Great. I went home and called McCoy but got Morgan who had a lot to say before hanging up on me without letting me ask McCoy for help. At that point I figured a shower was in order, so I showered and packed an arsenal into a hokey sports bag and got back into the beetle to track down the only person I saw helping me any.

Elaine was waiting for a flight to 'the hell away' at a bistro that was already open for folks awaiting the early morning flights. She sniffed the air as I came close and whipped her head around to look startled at me. "How did you?"

"I'm smarter than you, remember? I need your help."

"Where's your sidekick?"

"Kicking it sideways, I'm thinking. I need to talk to the mothers. I know Lloyd Slate attacked you. He didn't want to kill you, he just wanted your blood for something." I explained to her. She shivered. Blood was hardly used for good magic when used by another person. I'm sure she was thinking some form of mind control. Enthralling an agent of summer for a little espionage.

"Did he kill Ruel too?"

"Possibly, but it was at someone's behest and I don't think I believe Mab or Maeve ordered it."

"Please, Maeve totally did it. Don't tell me her petulant childish nymphomaniac act fooled you."

"Shut up… no, and shut up." I answered childishly. "So I need one of your contacts with summer to help me talk to the mothers, chop chop."

"You're insane, they're too powerful."

"That can't matter to us right now." I said, gripping her hand tight. She hemmed and hawed for a time then got me some breakfast and left to make a call at the payphones. When she returned I gathered my bag, left a 20 by hers and she began to arm up with jewelry foci. She looked at my bag and quirked a brow.

"Still with the phallic foci, eh?"

"Makes me feel manly." I shrugged. I held the doors for her as we exited, then a Victorian era carriage pulled up with two horses, one the blue of a drowned corpse with white dreadlocked mane and eyelashes, one grass green with wildflowers in it's mane. There was no driver, and the door opened to us with no one inside.

"This will bring us there but we won't be protected." Elaine warned me.

The ride was quick and when we arrived we were greeted by a Unicorn. Summer Unicorns are the fancy kind with one magical horn and rainbow droppings. They're deadly but skittish and introverted. This was a winter unicorn. Deceptively it had three horns, a goat beard, and no eyes. It saw by sensing thought, and particularly liked to mess up anyone thinking happy thoughts. Elaine led the unicorn, bearing his frightful fangs, throwing bubbles of happy thoughts so it couldn't zero in on her directly. The beast's fangs reminded me of mine. I ran with vampire speed to the cottage at the center of the forest.

When I entered the cabin looked deserted at first, then I heard a cackling from the rocking chair by the fire. "Emperor Palpatine?" I asked at first glance. The dry harsh laughter increased.

"Dear me, I do see the resemblance." A voice startled me from behind. "You must be Harry." The old woman said cheerily.

"Uh…" I said looking between the two. It dawned on me who the women were. They smelled plesant, even winter, but absolutely not edible. I'd never met someone who didn't at least smell edible. These were the mothers. I bowed humbly and the women chuckled, summer warmly, winter harshly. I have to admit, I think I know where prophetic dreams get their ambiguity. The two mothers asked me questions then answered mine in form of another. After time I became frustrated but it think I understood the problem with how I thought this whole time. It wasn't so simple an answer as winter versus summer and who dun it wasn't malicious in her motives, she was just shortsighted by her inherent nature. But that only made things more complicated. Winter gave me a knitted square of fabric with a loose string and told me I can put it on anything and by unraveling it I can unravel any spell cast on it. I thought for a moment about undoing my vampirism, but I knew it was meant for something to do with the fairy war. I thanked her for it and was about to leave.

"Oh, could you possibly call off your unicorn?"

"What Unicorn?" Winter asked. I contemplated everything as I walked through the forest and came to a few unsettling conclusions. Just in time to be attacked by Grum and the unicorn.

"You can all drop your glamour. I can smell you Lord Marshal, Korrick, Aurora, Elaine." The veils and glamour dropped and Elaine looked very ashamed. "Were you compelled this time?" I asked her bitterly.

"How long have you known?" Aurora asked.

"Since I spoke with mother winter." I grumbled, looking to sweet Aurora. "You had Lloyd Slate kill the summer knight, he's the only one who could, and perhaps you were able to help. You knew he hated Maeve, and was able to turn him against her. You faked Elaine's injuries, cut her up but had her pretend they were worse. It threw me off balance. Welcome to the show, Slate."

"Spooky, he doesn't look all that smart."

"I'm a dick. It's what I do." I boasted sarcastically.

"Your words, not mine." He smirked. "Well, you know he knows everything, lets kill him." He said to Aurora.

"I want him to understand." She said defensively.

"You don't watch a lot of Bond films do you?" he said

"And what are you getting out of all this?" I asked Slate

"Maeve… at my mercy." He snarled.

I barked a laugh. "Hope you got that in righting. How about you?" I turned to Elaine.

"A girl's gotta live." She shrugged shamefully. I snorted. I watched Slate come to kill me but Elaine stopped him. "You cant. If you break the circle he'll be able to cast his death curse." I screamed at her but she continued. "Arrange a flood. I'll bind him."

"I'm not afraid of him." Aurora said.

"You should be. Justin thought he was something special, something to be feared. He's certainly the most powerful wizard I've ever met in person." Elaine informed her. They followed Elaine's plan while I glared at her, and before she left she turned and smiled at me. "Just like old times."

I understood, she chose to use her old flawed binding spell that I could escape easily. Once she was gone, I broke the spell and launched myself out of the water, landing unceremoniously in a tree far away, covered in mud. The gatekeeper was there. He was cool. He gave me some goodies.

I returned home to bathe, change clothes, and call the A team. They arrived crammed in two vans, werewolves in one and fae in the other. I sat with the fae and explained the plot. I dangled the first of gatekeeper's goodies and it pointed us the way to the battleground. When Radar asked me where to go, I told him "second star to the left and straight on till twilight," making a gesture to the stone's direction. He nodded then drove toward the lake. A scratchy noise sounded in my seat. I jumped up and found a walkie-talkie there. Billy's voice came through.

"What's the plan, Harry?"

"uuuuuuuuuhhhhh, this is your captain speaking. We are on the 7:40 flight to Chicago Above. We should be arriving shortly after sun down at which point you will see all around you, war, destruction, and violence. Uuuuuuuuuhhhh I advise you to remain in your seats until the vans come to a complete stop, keep your seatbelts on, while the vans are in motion, and please respect the no smoking signs." Fix snorted a little laughter, bless him, and Radar gave me a look. "So here's the deal guys. Do as I say, follow my lead, and we should be just fine. Were dealing with the kind of bad guys who think they're doing the right thing." The troll women groaned. "The summer lady is the bad guy, the winter knight is her bitch. Lilly is a statue and has the summer knight mantle. When it strikes midnight the ball will be in winter's court. That's when the summer lady plans to kill Lilly so winter gets the power, throwing everything off balance and bringing on the next ice age or great flood, who knows." I explained.

"I don't understand. Why?" Fix asked as Billy's voice came over the radio asking the same.

"The world has gone to pot, Aurora- the summer lady- wants to hit the reset button, start from scratch." I answered over the net. We got to the harbor and the stone began to point up. We parked, the wolves changed, and I smeared the gatekeeper's other party favor on their eyes. "This should keep you from being dazzled by the fairies. We're cutting through the battle straight to the table where we'll save Lilly, undo the spell on her, and then hopefully show the summer lady the error of her ways or something. I don't know, it's technically Chicago, maybe you can arrest her, Radar." I suggested as the red haired, ex militant came out of the family van and dawned full tactical gear.

"It looks like that's the air marshal's jurisdiction." He said darkly as he pulled out a box and tossed it to me. Inside were a bunch of craft box cutters in bright orange plastic. You know, the type for school projects. His wife came out of the van, taller than me, and more clearly part troll than I remembered. She smiled at me and passed up the stuff. I hid somewhere and did something then returned without the box of cutters. Meryl got out of the van and dawned a denim jacket with flatware fixed to it. Fix came out and lifted a heavy toolbox onto his shoulder with ease.

"What no chain mail?" I asked humorously. Fix looked at Meryl and looked down.

"It was the best I could do on such short notice. At least now it'll be harder for something to take a bite." Meryl put a grateful mitt on Fix's shoulder and smiled. The little brown guy blushed. To each his own, I guess. Suddenly the wolves all looked up and to Billy's bark, scattered.

"Take cover!" Radar shouted. We ducked behind the vans as bullets ripped across the asphalt of the parking lot. I tried to get a look at our shooter. Like a baboon combined with a hayena, Tigress stood with an automatic weapon, moving around to see us beyond the vans. We moved around to counter her and were fired upon from behind by someone on the roof. Crap. Well we didn't have to worry long. Six wolves crept in on all sides and tore her to pieces. I mildly wondered where the other six wolves had gone until I heard more gunfire from the roof then a man fell off the roof. He was badly injured but not dead, and not coming after us. We hurried in the direction of the stone and went up an invisible spiral staircase to the clouds.

Chapter Six

We emerged from the clouds looking awesome amidst a platoon of brownies. It suddenly occurred to me what fix's fairy parent was. A knight covered in insect-like armor rode up on us and things went silent. We traded niceties and he led us to Mab. She looked stunning in half armor half gown. Her hair was black, and a crown of ice sat boldly atop her black hair. Fix whimpered, "oh my god." And it amused me to a certain extent how essentially right he was.

"You have found the thief."

"I have. It was Aurora, the summer lady." I answered. Mab's Black eyes widened then she nodded to me.

"Can you show proof?"

"If I can get to the stone table before midnight." I answered.

"Time works against thee, Wizard. Make haste, and keep to the river." Mab warned me as she formed an emerald mist path to the stone table. I ushered my crew forward and made a point to bark encouragement to my companions as things around us became more frightening. Meryl and I flanked Fix to shield him from the terrors. We appreciated his presence and his pluck, but the man was a lover, a creator, not a fighter. Radar was at my right, a step behind me, his troll wife was trudging along to the left and behind Meryl.

Nearing the table, we saw goblins of winter combatting giant bees. Some bees broke off from the group and I rallied everyone behind me. Radar got my staff out of my hokey bag and passed it to me then crouched with a P90 at my side, but the gun aimed at the water. He knew the drill. I lifted my shield and pressed my staff against it before calling sheer force to knock them out the sky, breaking the first three open like piñatas. The other two recovered and charged, but split up to divide my focus, but I reached out with my senses and snarled in quasi-Latin and the creatures were incinerated from the inside out. The other bees fighting the nearby goblins turned to avenge their fallen but a blast of kinetic energy scattered them into a retreat. Goblins cheered, and the folks around me stared.

Soon we found ourselves surrounded by summer's knights and The Winter Knight. He laughed as he dispatched some nearby goblins with his freezing sword, and then wheeled on me. We all gave out war cries as we charged. I took Slate naturally, discarding my staff and drawing a sword from the bag. Our steel clashed, chipping ice off his blade that was flicked at my cheek, drawing blood. My eyes felt intense, and Slate faltered, just enough for me to gain ground. I struck and struck again, but now he was deflecting and countering as well as before. I made a move that perhaps was too fast for him to see, because he didn't even bother to block it, but an expert swing of his frozen blade took away my sword.

My nose filled with the scent of his blood. He smelled tastier than before; vulnerable, uncertain, and afraid. I had no time to waste. I dashed straight for him, screaming in a voice I didn't recognize. When he slashed at me with his frozen sword I ducked lower than a normal man my size could have done so nimbly, grabbed his sword arm, and twisted it behind him in a police take-down. But I followed him to the ground and sank my fangs into his trapezius, again and again. I swallowed down pints of delicious hot blood and felt all my worries fade. For a moment I forgot why I was even there. Someone tackled me off of the winter knight. I spun, crouching like an angry cat on all fours to snarl at the frightened little man. Fix stopped me from killing Slate with my thirst. I don't understand why but I was glad. I scrambled on all fours for my sword and my staff, snarling gratitude as I passed by him and moved on toward the table.

More forces came after us as we pressed on toward the table but just before they reached us Sidhe soldiers in pale armor intercepted them. The head of them removed her helm to reveal herself as Maeve. "I like you better this way wizard. A vampire far better suits this battle!" she exclaimed. "I shall hold them off, lead them away. You hurry to the table!" Maeve cheered rather than howled in an exuberant war cry, and we were able to continue up the river to the table.

At last we reached it and found Korric, the centaur and right hand of the summer lady, setting the stone figure that was Lilly on the table. Meryl flew into a rage and charged, the others were close on her heels. I began to move ahead but some feeling stopped me. I felt cold, like ice was forming in my veins. I fell to one knee, watching battle give suit all around me, then I felt Lloyd Slate breath his last cold shaky breath as if it was my own. Next I remember, I opened my eyes to see Korric drive a sword through Meryl's abdomen. Fix screamed in rage and produced an oversized wrench from his toolbox, and crushed one of the centaur's forelegs. He fumbled to get up and strike the little man but was clipped in the jaw and again in the temple with the wrench while Fix howled vengefully with each blow.

Meryl pulled him down before some giant thorny branches sprung around the hill, separating my compatriots from the table. Korric stumbled to three of his feet and tried to run up the hill to his lady, but he was lamed so he was stuck in them. As they grew and curled, he was sliced to ribbons. I gasped, casting a plume of mist into the tepid air, then felt a remarkable lack of fatigue. We had climbed a stairway to heaven, ran and fought through knee-deep water, and yet I felt no pain, no tiredness, and an overwhelming urge to visit agony upon my enemies. I dashed ahead, passing Radar, who was firing into a mass of charging summer sidhe while his wife swung an iron axe at anything that came close to her husband. I blasted fire, force, everything I had at the brambles but couldn't breach them until I looked down at the frost collecting on my blade and held my hand up to them, uttering "Infriga."

The thorn bush curled in upon itself to escape the cold. Those poor whips that had nowhere to go shriveled and died, frosted over, and then snapped off. The higher branches shattered when they landed. "Radar, cover our exits with the ladies, Fix tend to Meryl, Wolves on me!" I commanded the troops. We dashed through the brambles at incredible speed, approaching the table as Aurora was unraveling the spell on Lilly. With a gesture, I fanned my wolves out to dispatch the other sidhe and went after Aurora. I swung my sword, right handed at Aurora, who countered with a shield. Once Lilly was human on the table, I shouldered Aurora away from her, and then she began to fight me with a sword of her own. We traded blows and banter, and then Lilly came to and ran, screaming away from us.

Lord Marshal caught Lilly and threw her onto the table, then held her there for Aurora. His face was twisted with revulsion in himself but his loyalty was far stronger than his constitution. "I see you have chosen to serve winter!" Aurora snarled at me, eyes wide in wild fury.

"And you've chosen the dark side." I shouted at her. She kicked out my leg, used wind to pin me, and then dashed toward Lilly. The stars aligned, the stones glowed, and then energy erupted around the table, throwing everyone to the ground. I remained pinned by Aurora's wind so I whistled and motes of different shades of blue and purple buzzed around Aurora, swinging bright orange weapons faster than the human eye could register. The wolves ganged up on Marshal while Lilly crawled away, crying toward the frozen tunnel through the thorns. That's when Aurora did the truly insane and dragged herself bleeding and tired toward the table. If she let the power of the summer lady go to winter, she will still have won. I focused the howling cold within me to push against the warm summer wind. Soon mist built up around me as if I was made of dry ice, and the summery cage was released.

I dashed inhumanly fast to land like a cat on the table then threw myself at her away from the table. She screamed against me as we rolled down the hill. Once at the bottom, she kicked me off and clamored to her feet. She slipped on the wet grass and fell again, then began to cry. "I only wanted it to stop. I wanted the hurting to just stop."

Something far more human than I'd felt lately came over me as I held her in my arms, letting her cry. Her crying shivering form was becoming cold, relaxed, and ever more quiet in my arms until I looked down and just knew she was dead. "The only people who never hurt are the dead." I whispered, holding her to my chest.

I no longer cared about the war. All I cared about was the poor child in my arms who was deluded into thinking mass extinction could answer any of her problems. Dead she looked like just a young lady sleeping peacefully in my arms, innocent of the world's troubles. I wished it was so. Titania took Aurora, and Mab caressed my hair until I was able to speak. "Leave me alone, Mab."

"But I can not. You are a part of me now."

"When Slate died."

"The mantle passed to you."

"Mom set this all up since before I was born, didn't she?" I asked bitterly.

"It is as you say. But you are not yet truly my knight. I will wait to initiate you. First you and your allies must depart. Take the iron with you, and fear not for your little warriors. They were acting under your employ, so they will not be held responsible for the lady's death."

"Thank you." I whispered, ready to cry from emotional exhaustion.

"It is I who am thankful to you. You saved the realm, returned the summer and winter mantles to their rightful owners, and avenged a dear friend. To show thanks, I shall aide the council against the vampires." She nodded. I looked up and realized her hair and eyes were back to normal. She looked up and smiled. "The desert fox wishes to speak with you." She nodded to me and parted.

"Gatekeeper." I stood, wobbled, and then felt good.

"I have informed the council of your fine work, and new position. A lot of council members weren't happy but you are now beyond their reach as winter knight."

"I'm not initiated in yet." I grumbled. The gatekeeper tilted his head side to side then turned to leave without a word. I followed directions, returned home with my cohorts, then went to my place to shower and change… wait a second, the apartment was immaculate, I had clean clothes, and was that fresh pine I smelled? There was a knock on my door and when I opened it three beautiful youngsters were at it. I let them in and offered them coke from the freshly stocked fridge. The first was Fix. He looked healthy, more confident, and somehow stronger. He stood close to a lovely young lady who looked strong and tall but human with auburn curls in a punkie faux hawk that flopped onto her face on the right side. After a second I understood the features of her face and realized it was a very not-troll Meryl. Her denim pants, tank top, and leather jacket were too big for her now.

Lastly was an incredible beauty, Lilly I presumed. I bowed to her, knowing the feel of the summer lady at least. "So since Lilly was already made summer knight, that must mean Fix is the new summer Lady, yeah?" I asked. Fix chuckled.

"It all went into me, then I chose Fix to be my knight." Lilly said with a smile. "I came to thank you, Harry. You have no idea what you've given me."

"No thanks necessary. Couldn't have done it without Fix and Meryl."

"Yes, and I'll be thanking them properly as well. For your help I've employed the service of some brownies cleaning services." She said happily. "And I hope despite being avowed to winter we can be good friends."

"I hope so too." I said with a bow. "So the red court hired the Tigress after all. She was headed this way before the summer knight was killed any way; Ace was working in tandem with her trying to kill me for who knows why. Elaine cast the mind fog on me the night Karen was injured… what am I missing? Hey, why are you human now?" I asked Meryl.

"After seeing Fix take down that Centaur, I feel safer with wanting to be human. I always wanted to be, but being a troll came in handy so often, I couldn't do it." Meryl shrugged then smiled, straight while teeth parted her lips. She was actually beautiful without the trollness. Good job Fix. Later that night I joined Billy and the werewolves and Radar to play Arcanos. I visited Karen every day in the hospital. She enjoyed that I told her she was right.