Honor's Debt

Sunday

Chapter 2

I knew all that had happened at Murphy's little get together because I had sat quietly right among them watching these events unfold in front of me without anyone, even Karrin, being any the wiser that I was there. It was just easier that way both for me and for the others than having to face them and the problems that would create for all of us.

On the one hand there was the White Council, among a host of current others, still hunting for me. Bringing that kind of firepower down on Karrin and the others as she was struggling to hold things together was not something you do to your friends. Her home had been attacked twice since taking up this burden so I was not looking to add to that list.

On the other hand I was also sick of having everyone trying to look after me. Sure I appreciated the sentiment and the caring. The whole reason we keep fighting is for people we love in some cases. Therefore seeing Father Forthill and Daniel, especially Daniel, at the meeting nearly tore my heart out. He was looking more like dad every day and even though he had shoulders broad enough for it, I could already see worry lines of age building around his eyes. I hated having to stay away from him, not even giving him a hug from his big sister, but I did it because I loved him.

Why was I even here you ask if it was such a potential problem for both me and those I care about? Exactly because it was such a problem for both me and those I care about. Normally I do not attend these meetings which Murphy or another faction sets up every few weeks or so except when specifically requested to attend. The last time, which had not been for the last few weeks, was to magically confirm it was Harry's shade we were talking to. That painful memory was another reason to not like being at the house as far as I was concerned.

But with Harry out of the picture I am more or less Chicago's only real defending wizard so I am obliged to stay aware of things going on in my city. That meant taking care to know who was coming and going and as such I set up an alarm inside the Nevernever that informs me when the pathway from Los Angeles to Chicago is used. I figure since I am being hunted by the Wardens and the White Council and their base of operations is currently in Los Angeles it makes good sense to know when someone comes through along that particular pathway. There were of course dozens of others paths and many conventional roundabout means someone could also take but I figure they would only do that if they knew I was watching for them. Unlike a former leather duster wearing wizard I could do subtle quite well.

I was less than happy when the alarm went off to see Carlos Ramirez was the one who came through that doorway, though the fact that he was alone and not leading a hunter-killer team made me feel just slightly better about the situation. Not surprisingly he too was a bit paranoid and did a quick magic scan of the area looking for threats as he came through holding his sword unsheathed and at the ready.

Over the past couple of years these pathway exit points were a preferred site for ambush if the enemy learned that you were coming through. It had been obvious in the fight with the Red Court that someone or many someone had been passing the vampires information on the movement of our forces. Thankfully the White Council had improved its operational security since then and now this type of information was compartmentalized to only a handful to both protect forces and identify leaks if they occur.

Carlos's detection spell never had a chance finding me as I was not using even a whisper of magic at the time and instead was standing beside two other street people pouring through their shopping cart of cans and collectables. They eagerly let me do this in exchange for the bottle of strawberry wine that I had been carrying and was happy to share. It was a great way to make friends quickly when you needed them I found.

As Carlos walked past sheathing his sword and close enough to me to kiss, that is if I had any desires in that area, one of the women I was with proclaimed the wine was almost as good as Strawberry Boone's Farm and handed the paper wrapped bottle back to me. The timing could not have been more perfect as this allowed me to tilt my head back and take a seeming sip while I watched him go past and not draw any suspicion from him in the least. I let him take four more rapid steps and then drew in a little magic to put the equivalent of a magic bug on his shoulder so that when he hailed a city cab at the end of the alley I could hear where he asked to be taken and knew at once he was headed to Murphy's house. No problem. I could take my own car and get there ahead of him since the cabbie would not know the suburbs as well as I did.

And so I did just that getting there a good ten minutes ahead of Carlos in fact. I parked a good distance away and tossed up my best veil knowing I'd have to get past whatever watchers Karrin may have out. Good thing too because will was just finishing a patrol in his wolf form, probably looking for familiar and unfamiliar scents before diving behind some bushes to change and toss on his conveniently stores sweat pants, shirt, and loafers.

It was happenstance that my path crossed his after he had searched this area because I knew when he was on his game he had a fair chance of literally catching wind of me. Hey I take these breaks when they come my way and scooted around to the back of Murphy's house while he finished dressing and then taking up his over watch position.

The next big trick was getting into Murphy's house without getting caught. I had done this before on occasion but it still presented a series of interesting challenges. For obvious reasons she kept her doors and windows shut, often locked, and while neither of those were particularly difficult to get past, doing so without alerting those inside was impossible; especially when they had company coming over and were even more alert for security issues that was usual. I thankfully had the perfect ace up my sleeve for this; that is if my ace was willing to play along.

Karrin had taken custody of Harry's cat Mister after the fire at his place and since her house came with no pet doors she had to open the back door to let him in and out each time he needed to do his cat things. Since our little trip to Mexico when Lea turned us all into dogs I found that I had gained a better understanding of animals, at least those I dealt with regularly. Lea had explained that this was just more of my sensitive magic manifesting itself and that she too had such affinity though it was restricted for the most part to her hounds and other canines like Mouse whom she told me it was better to never use this power on.

We even went one night to practice on some other dogs at the city kennel so I could learn how to do it correctly. My power, she explained, would allow me to work with all types of animals if I took the time to get to know and understand how they thought. Both the ancient Druids of Europe and Native American Shamans had shared this skill and even had the ability to farspeak with animals or see through their eyes.

I reached out carefully with my mind seeking the right one on the other side. I immediately sensed Karrin's overpowering constant worry, Father Forthill's calming demeanor, and even Daniel's energetic presence and was able to dismiss these all as I continued my mental search. I swear I had passed over Mister's mind two times before the combination of the sound of a can opener and convenient smell of the Father Forthill opening some tuna to make sandwiches roused the cat's mind just enough to actually allow me to sense his presence in the kitchen.

"Come to me Mister." I said picturing the cat's face in my mind as if I was staring into its eyes. This was how Lea had shown me how to communicate with the dogs so I figured it was basically the same principle. Then I added just a hint of compulsion and I knew from recent experience that I could get him to do what I wanted. "Isn't it time to come outside?" I placed the subtle suggestion into his mind.

His mental eyes stared back at me blankly though there was just a whisper of amusement in his Cheshire-like smile. Did I mention that generally I am not a huge fan of cats?

Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for but at least I found his mind and learned also that when a cat was napping they don't really have much of a mind to connect to. No problem at all for Chicago's premier sensitive wizard. Cats probably were just not as smart as dogs so I will just turn up the whole compulsion thing since the Laws of Magic say nothing is illegal about taking over an animal's will.

"Mister, I command you…" I said building my willpower up like a mental thunderstorm and then dropping over his like a sudden downpour. Only a moment later I felt the power slide away and dissipate into nothing like oil on top of water.

His eyes seemed to fill with mirth almost as if saying 'hold that though will you.' He then completely ignored my attempts at dominance as he licked one of his paws for a minute to ensure it was clean before turning his eyes back to me to allow me to proceed.

I doubled down on the strength of my will once more, battering it against the cat's mind. "You will do as I command! Your will is mine to control!" I said feeling the power of my spell and the way it left my body breathing heavily.

Mister rolled over on his back to rub it against the hard floor and reach an itch that his paws could not. He rolled back over onto his tummy and looked to see if his other paw could use cleaning at the moment as well. It didn't need it but he decided to lick it all the same as he waited for his opportunity to get to the tuna can on the counter.

My force of will battering upon him shattered into mist against the cat's unassailable mind and he smiled his Cheshire-like look at me once again patiently.

"I don't get it." I said in respectful awe. "How are you able to resist my control of your will?"

"I'm a cat Molly." He said as if that explained everything completely and when it was obvious by my facial expression that it did not he continued with a cat sigh. "We do not have will to break. We pretty much do whatever we want when we want. Willpower is a force to make a being do something it does not want to do. It is therefore an antithesis to our very nature. So we have evolved in such a way as no longer requiring such a primitive ability. I suspect a few more centuries and some of your kind may do the same."

I thought about the numerous times Mister had done whatever he wanted, from demanding Harry's attention by rubbing against his leg when he was busy to swatting Mouse's nose as a challenge over dominance of his food. I knew this insight was completely true. Cats were creatures of the here and now just as willpower was a force of the future. The two powers could not possibly coexist in the same being.

"Okay then, would you consider a bribe?" I asked resorting to a backup plan I did not know I had.

"Absolutely." He said and I suddenly had his entire attention as bribes were big things for cats. "What do you have to offer?"

"Well I was thinking you might want to come outside and visit some of your lady friends." Mister being male I figured I might as well start with the overriding male urges since I was running out of time.

"Pass." He said without much consideration. "I visited with the three sisters down the block just last night for a rather fun hour or so which is probably why I still feel so worn down." He said rolling onto his side and stretching in a cat-like content manner that communicated loud and clear he got his. I must admit that there is something disturbing in knowing the animals closest to you having better and more interesting romantic lives than you do. I shut that particular thought away for the moment.

"How about food then?" I asked.

"What have you got?"

"On me?" I said stepping back. "Well nothing at the moment but I can promise you…"

"Pass." He said dismissively again. "What part of being a cat and tied to the here and now are you not understanding? Besides as soon as the old white collar guy takes a step away I plan on getting my paws onto one of those tuna sandwiches he is making." He said rolling back to his paws and getting ready to take action.

I had unfortunately reached the end of my list, males being what they are and having so few drives to actually tempt with. It was not like I could get him a new cat collar to accessorize or anything. I was just about to break contact and start looking for another option on how to get in the house when I felt him tense up.

"Hello!" He said rather swarthy.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked.

"Um…sure." He replied though seemed distracted. "Tell you what. I'll get them to open the back door for you."

"Okay but I thought…" I said confused.

"Do you want me help on this or not?" Mister said with an anxious tone.

"Deal."

"Okay, be there in a minute or so."

From the back yard by the kitchen I heard Mister screech and run up to bounce his claws against the door and then step back, wait a second and do it again. Being a thirty pound cat the door literally shook in its frame with each of these pounces.

"Ms. Murphy I think the cat wants out." Father Forthill's voice carried to me even through the door.

"I'll get him." Daniel said and I could hear my brother's heavy booted footsteps as he crossed the wooden floor coming toward me.

"I would not get between him and the door. I have seen him knock Harry down once or twice when he is in one of these moods." Father Forthill's warning was light but still serious.

After a second to undo the three locks and the chain, the door swung wide as Daniel stepped aside and Mister crouched ready to pounce but looking at me, even invisible, standing on the other side with a 'come on I have not got all night' look. I scooted in quietly and off to the side as Mister then went racing out the door.

Daniel closed and rebolted the door with a chuckle. "Good luck buddy." He said shaking his head.

"I will expect you to add that to your list of confessions this Sunday Daniel." Father Forthill said with a disapproving tone.

"I did not do anything." Daniel tried to plead innocent. "It was the cat!" He said walking back into the living room and obviously taking a seat from the way the couch cushions groaned.

My next problem, which was a much bigger concern, was that as I crossed the threshold I literally left about ninety percent of my power outside which is not a good thing where magic is concerned. Comparatively Harry would be lucky to light a cigarette with the power left to him under such conditions; and fire magic came somewhat natural in his case. Thankfully for me veils were also easy so I could use what little power I had left for maintaining the one I had and feel fairly secure that no one would sense me providing I did not do anything stupid and get caught.

The downside was that Karrin's home really was not designed with convenience for invisible spies in mind. In fact it was a pretty basic box in design and there were no obvious open corners without chairs or lamps where I could hang out invisibly and just listen in.

As I learned in the past, standing around under a veil meant taking the chance of either having someone bump into me, which leads to a rather awkward and sometime violent moments thereafter, or having Mister come by and decide to rub against my leg, which would look rather strange to everyone else who noticed this as well. How cats can see through a veil is one of the great mysteries of magic. Thankfully he was out of the way for the second concern, but the first was still a significant issue.

Finally I decided there really was only one option open to me based upon the layout of Murphy's house. If I was going to observe and not be tripped over by someone needing to use the bathroom I only had one safe place. My veils have a moving silently element to them now as well so I carefully climbed and then sat silently in a lotus position right in the middle of Murphy's kitchen table figuring that if the guests were all going to be in the living room this was as good a location as I was likely to find and still be able to see and hear what was going on.

The first moment of potential flaw in my plan came when Father Forthill finished making the platter or sandwiches and placed them, along with half a dozen glasses filled with ice, and a pitcher of lemonade, on the table literally inches from my feet. Considering that it had been over a day since I had anything that could be remotely considered a meal this was not only inconvenient but damn annoying as well. Worst of all there was no way I could come up with to sneak a sandwich and not increase the chances of getting caught. I wonder if Harry ever had to endure such tortures when he was the magical defender of Chicago.

I decided instead to focus upon the conversations taking place around me as a means of ignoring the temptation of the food knowing that Mister would undoubtedly laugh at what this silly concept of willpower was denying me. By listening in to my brother and Father Forthill chatting I soon understood that the resistance council was meeting today at a request from Marcone's faction. This was good in that it explained why Warden Ramirez had come to town, thankfully not to hunt down a certain rather cute and perky wizard, but rather to coordinate efforts.

I did find it interesting that Marcone had called the meeting because to my knowledge he had never done so before but just took care of situations his own way and occasionally passed along results or intelligence his agents had gathered in the process. There had to be something fairly big for him to change his ways of doing business.

I also had a passing worry that Carlos might try the magic seeking spell again when he arrived at Karrin's house but hoped that him realizing this would be seen as a rather serious breach of trust among supposed allies would prevent him from doing so.

Lucky for me Felicia Raith showed up at almost the same moment and accompanied him to the door giving the warden something else to distract his attention and another potential threat to keep his eyes on; though I also think his eyes should occasionally linger above her chest when making these not so subtle sidelong assessments.

My last moment of near panic at my choice of locations came when Marcone stepped into the kitchen and took the chair that was at the end of the table to sit on rather than the one the others had left for him. I thought at first by his determined step that he was coming right for me, but my veil had held and I choked down the squeak I was going to make when I realized he was actually looking through me and out the window behind for any telltale signs of potential threats. It only took a few moments for my heart to stop racing once the meeting actually commenced.

I listened in to all that was said and made mental notes of the key points. Marcone's agent murdered by a vampire of course was not particularly good news for our cause. I would need to try and get word to Thomas and see if the White Court or some of its members had stopped playing ball or had started hedging their bets in case we lost.

Lara swore they would not, but I understood she would also put her house above her word to us. Likewise I agreed with the others that there was always the possibility of one of her clan going rogue and joining forces with the other side to advance his or her position within the various families and possibly take Lara down. To the Whites such deception and backstabbing was as natural as their lust.

Since my soulgaze with Thomas before Mexico I knew how badly he was hurting over both the course his life had taken since encountering the skin walker and suspected what losing Harry had most likely done to him. I also knew he would still answer me if I asked the question as long as I stayed safely away from him; preferably in another state. I will admit openly that Thomas actually scared me. I loved Harry, but there was a part of me now that wanted Thomas. I had to keep that part under control. God when did my life start becoming as bad as a Twilight novel?

Carlos's report of something powerful coming into Chicago definitely got my attention as well. I had not sensed any new powerful players and being a sensitive wizard this usually gave me some indication of such things. But that did not mean whatever came through was also not powerful enough to block my general sensing of it. The major players in the Faerie Courts could all do so at will I had found out when dealing with Lea. Luckily I had an idea of how to check out not only if there was a new player in town, but also a means to try and narrow down the location of this Hive Marcone had mentioned as well.

Carlos's offer of support and his promise to keep his forces off my back was welcome news. Not that I trusted this mind you. I could see one or more of his junior wardens wanting to make a name for themselves by bringing in Harry's rogue apprentice; well at least her head. But still there was an awful lot of magical fighting going on in Chicago and we could definitely use a few more wizards on our side to balance this out somewhat. If that meant I needed to keep clear of them in the process I would easily accept that for the little respite their presence would provide.

I was actually fairly happy by the time the meeting was breaking up, in part because keeping up the veil powered starting to wear on me, but more so because no one had touched the sandwiches and I planned to flinch a couple as I made my escape on their heels. Both of these plans were completely screwed up when Marcone decided to stick around to talk to Karrin about my recent activities while eating the very sandwich I had set my eye on. It was also emotionally rough sitting there having him report to my friends on my recent activities.

Okay, for the record, let me state here and now that I was not responsible for the actions that he described to my friends. It was true that I had no compulsion any longer about killing the Fomor or their agents; in fact I was fully supportive of the idea.

The truth was, however, that I tended to merely provide the impetus for violence and then let them do these horrible things to each other. Remember I do not have the kind of power necessary to do to them what Marcone described. I was not Harry, I could not throw gouts of fire like he could; which was a pity as far as Chicago was concerned.

When those types of things are required, that is where Harry's godmother Lea comes in.

Lea is the handmaiden of the Winter Court which means she has roughly the same amount of awe inspiring power as you average comic book super villain mastermind; only with perhaps one-tenth the moral convictions. Under her philosophy of war, fear and dominance are the accepted means to establish peace and so she had come up with more and more creative ways to make the Fomor's hirelings fear the Rag Lady. Let me also say that the braided intestines were actually only one of her more lighthearted plays that I had been forced to watch but thankfully not participate in.

I also hate to admit this and even shudder as I do so, but to be fair Lea's plan actually works.

Before Lea began to assist me and take on the role of the Rag Lady herself, the Fomor's went almost unmolested through the city. Marcone's forces occasionally complicated one or two of their operations. Murphy and the others sometimes got lucky as well and broke up a plan. Even a lone, cute, perky wizard had a success or two at first. But these were pinpricks that the Fomor just ignored and continued on with their own devices.

Then with Lea's assistance the Rag Lady arrived in Chicago.

At first she simply interrupted their operations and sewed discord and confusion among their forces allowing their targets a chance to escape. It was admittedly not much because in the grand scheme of things that is all I was capable of as I began my training.

Lea sat on the sidelines at this time providing me schooling but took no active role at first as she judged my power for herself. Finally she offered to assist me but only if I was willing to ask this of her. And while I was certain Harry would not approve of my doing so and becoming obligated to one of the Faerie Court, I knew I could not wage this kind of war alone. I asked Lea for her help with this war and she agreed. And soon thereafter the Fomor's forces began to understand what it was like to know real fear.

Their agents that went out alone, even on relatively simple missions, stopped coming back. Many disappeared completely with only a rag scrap left at the scene to advertise to any who followed what had happened to them. Some of their forces were left in such a way to guarantee they were found by those looking for them and hopefully no one else because the message those bodies conveyed was not a pleasant one.

Soon the same thing was happening to pairs, then trios, then groups even as large as five of the Fomor. And at the scene of every encounter was left a bloody rag to ensure there was no doubt in their minds or any others planning ill will upon Chicago who it was that had taken down these forces.

I set up a rather ingenious method to know what they were up to, or at least when they were on the move. Lea and I did not try to strike all the time, and certainly not against every mission they undertook, but we did it enough to keep them wondering if they would meet the Rag Lady any time they left their safe houses. In fact Lea taught me that by not striking too often we actually helped build the fear in the other side, making them wonder more and more when the next attack would come rather than just assuming it would from the very outset. Fear, she explained worked best when a mind was unable to determine underlying patterns since patterns provided comfort. The Rag Lady never again followed a pattern.

This randomness also allowed us to avoid most of the traps they set for us. The Fomor are not stupid and they quickly tried to turn the tables on us once they understood the threat we posed. Their plans almost succeeded one time, except those coming for me had expected only one Rag Lady and when they had a certain perky wizard cornered and nearly defeated the appearance of a second Rag Lady turned the tables on the dozen of them that had me trapped, injured, and exhausted. Thankfully Lea ensured that none of those twelve survived to spill that particular secret. Instead this loss caused the Fomor to pause and rearmed their forces as the notoriety of the Rag Lady increased from the swath of their agents' bodies that failed revenge operation had left behind.

In truth Lea only occasionally took direct action in such events and has been doing so less and less as of late; the six bodies outside Marcone's club being a notable exception. The reason for this reluctance is that the Fomor and their agents now fear the Rag Lady and this allows me to use that fear against them if I plan things correctly. The vast majority killed now are done so by their own side as panic sweeps in among them. Larger groups therefore actually are more of a problem than sending out single agents would be; not that I plan on informing them of this bit of knowledge.

I actually have to spend more of my effort now carefully selecting where and when to hit them for fear of the potential injuries to civilians. Those outside Marcone's club were a perfect example of this. The six were attempting to take a child from a nearby apartment. It was part of a government housing project and not the kind of place that the police were likely to respond rapidly for the report of half a dozen suspicious men, even if the men were carrying large illegal weapons. In that neighborhood unless you were trying to muscle in on someone's drug trade traffic you were not going to face opposition when walking around armed either. Luckily the Rag Lady was close by and was able to get to them before they got to their target.

One thing I had learned from Lea was that the Fomor and pretty much most mythological type races all had developed long-standing blood feud enemies over their course of their existence. This was because the long-spanned races were of course in constant competition for power and territory with other long-spanned races and this inevitably led to conflict.

I am certain if the Girl Scouts for example ever became an immortal race unto themselves then another group, probably the Weight-Watchers or something similar, would take offense at the mind-controlling aspect of their cookies. The two would declare a war of extinction between them as they battled each other throughout the eons.

Knowing then they had enemies I decided to check this out. It took some research at the public library since I was denied the easy access of the Internet everyone else would use. I was also not about to negotiate with Lea for even more information that always came with a price. Eventually I found out that the Fomor's primary enemies had been the Jotens from Norse mythology. I did not exactly know what a Joten looked like but did learn they also worked with trolls and I did know what trolls looked like.

Fomor tactics were pretty much standard after a few thousand years. Being as tough as they were, the half dozen turtleneckers who arrived outside the complex started by scouting out the building and looking for ways in and ways out of which there was only one, an obvious violation of the fire code. They then split into two-man teams, one carrying a modern automatic weapon with silencers or suppressors, something they started doing after the early successes of the resistance's efforts, and the other partner holding one of their urchin shooting pipes in one hand and a nasty backwards bent dagger in the other. This combination provided them the flexibility of fighting in both the old world and new as they prepared to enter the building in these pairs.

The Fomor also had very poor eyesight, which since they lived underwater seemed to make sense. In place of this limitation the race had developed a sense of sonar that allowed them to 'see' by making small clicking noises and having the sounds reflect back to them off of nearby objects much like bats did. Karrin had been the first of our team to learn this and shared it with the rest as we developed better tactics that accounted for this.

Sure, I know what you are thinking. Molly you have your Rave spell that shoots light and sounds. Surely that would confuse and take these creatures down.

Yes you would indeed be correct. Except they had a nasty tendency of sensing magic as a wizard drew it in so they would merely close their eyes, well ears, as the spell detonated and avoid the majority of the disorienting effect that such an attack would try to achieve.

Sure I could keep the spell going for a period of time to blind and then attack them, but normally long terms sound attacks like this merely put them off balance. The result was the ones carrying the automatic weapons would just open up on full automatic spraying in every direction hoping to hit whatever was creating the sound in the first place.

As I said a big part of my problem was picking fights where innocents would not get hurt, and in a situation like this one with three guys carrying automatic rifles spraying a housing community did not qualify as a safe option. But hey, I figured I had about five thousand years or more of technological advancement to draw upon.

A really loud I-Pod for example could cause the same disorientation but of course I could not get near one without it frying no matter how hard I tried. Steve Jobs had wrote me a personal letter saying they were not going to honor my warranties after the ninth one exploded so that option was out. But hey there was always Marco Polo.

As the group of six finished checking out the building and regrouped before storming their way in I pulled a couple of useful items out of my utility belt. Yeah I know I look a lot more like Wonder Woman than Batman but the carry all belt was a much better assist than a lasso of truth at the moment so deal with the costume change.

I struck a waterproof match and lit the fuse on my present, tossing the result off the roof and right onto the front stairs to the project. Firecrackers are illegal in Illinois which means it takes me at least ten additional minutes to find someone willing to sell them to me than it would if Wal-Mart were allowed to sell them. Firecrackers are also not something ancient creatures that lived under Lake Michigan for the last few centuries had any experience with.

The Fomor turned to note their gravity fed arrival just as the first of the string of two hundred began to explode followed quickly by a pair of smoke bombs that landed among them as well. Total price including the match was about three dollars. Yep, it was a bad day to be a Fomor.

Unfortunately, like I said earlier, Fomor are tough so although the series of explosions blinded and disoriented them, they did not fall down and become quivering masses of jelly as I would have liked. They instead staggered, shaking their heads, and trying to cover their ears or clear out the ringing and get some semblance of control back into their lives. This is where I learned magical timing was crucial.

I pulled in my magic while they were disoriented and unable to truly sense me and as their swaying and staggering began to lessen released the spell I had thought through in my mind. Illusions are nifty if you know how to use them and say what you will about what a mean bastard Lea was, she certainly had taught me much on how to use them to the best effect.

As a sensitive wizard I can also make illusions that touch upon all senses, which is important when fighting things like the Fomor. Sonar would go right through the purely visual ones Harry likes to create but because mine also contain sound I am able to make the Fomor 'see' my illusions even though they are just as fake as Harry's.

So imagine being disoriented and the first thing your slowly recovering senses take in is a fifteen foot troll coming through the very door you had been planning to enter through a moment before. Did I mention Fomor dislike trolls because trolls eat Fomor; and pretty much anything else.

Because the Fomor at the back of the group were the ones most shielded from the firecrackers' effect, they were therefore the pair first able to begin to recover and suddenly see one of their age old foes bearing down upon them looking for a snack. Thousands of years of instinct took over as I moved my troll in among the group of six and they instinctually decided like most sentient beings they did not want to be on the menu.

The pair in the back opened fire with both the automatic weapon one carried and the urchin wand of the other. The former tore through the illusionary troll but also ripped real holes into three of the shooter's companions. Likewise the latter's ball of urchin slammed acid into the back of the head of the fourth companion right in front of himself.

The troll's roars along with the click and cries of the Fomor set off a cacophony of sound that kept them all off balance and with time not to think only to react. In the real world we often call that panic.

As the thirty round clip finally emptied the Fomor dropped the weapon and drew its own knife only to have a blade from one of its wounded companions which was also now striking at the fake troll find Fomor flesh and almost completely sever the arm holding the recently drawn blade that clattered to the ground.

Within a few more seconds all of the Fomor were down, four fatally wounded and the other two severely injured. Lea took pleasure in finishing the last two off with an ice magic that caused their bodies to nearly explode. She also took a moment to compliment my handiwork and for once did not offer any corrections.

Of course no one inside the building came out or even looked out the windows to see what was going on. The residents were also well trained to hunker down at the sounds of gunfire and wait for the silence of aftermath to assess damages.

"Can we chalk that one up as a success?" I asked noting that Lea seemed far more distracted than usual and wondering what else was going on in her Faerie mind. I was busy checking the Fomor for cash, not that I kept much, only enough to eat, but I always made sure to drop it at a nearby church as a means to help those affected by these events.

"Hmmm?" She turned to look at me and realized I had asked a question. "Oh yes child that was truly adequate for once." She said with a smile as she magically transported the bodies and their gear away, along with us, from the apartment complex to behind a nearby business that now turned out to be one of Marcone's. There was nothing we could do about the blood, but all things considered that was a relatively small concern.

"Really that is all you have to say?" I asked. Something was distracting her and that worried me.

"Indeed." She said as she began to carve up the remains and do things I would prefer not to think about much less relate. "In fact I believe it is time for me to let you spread your wing a bit without me hovering over you constantly as I have other matters to attend to at the present."

"What other matters?"

"Winter Court matters child." She said with a smile as cold as the subject that also communicated that was all I was going to get on that subject.

"And if I need your assistance?"

"Then you need but call to me." She replied. "Hopefully I will be able to reach you before you look like these now do." She said and again I am not going to describe what she was talking about except to say consider the worst thing you can possibly think of and multiply it by a factor of six; or maybe six and four-tenths.

Yeah I got to think back on all of this as Marcone described the scene behind his business to Murphy and the others. It hurt a bit to see the deeper fear and concern for me in their eyes. The only upside to all of this was if the demonstration was enough to shake even a stone cold killer like Marcone, who knew he was probably still my ally, what would the Fomor think of this? It might explain why they had called for reinforcements.

Will's call over the radio was just enough to draw me out of my memories and therefore sense something close by was calling up magic. I reflexively pulled up what little magic I still had as a shield, knowing it would never be enough to block a serious attack just as the wave of magic from outside washed over all of us.

The hunger compulsion was a new idea I had never faced before, but since it too was sensitive-magic based I had some natural resistance to it. That benefit combined with my shield that also partially blocks magic of this type was enough to keep me from becoming as ravenous as the others, though I still regretted the fact they finished off all the sandwiches before I could snag even just one.

I had to put first things first however. I dashed out the front door noting that none of the others even sensed my passing as they were so intent upon feasting. As soon as I crossed outside the threshold my magic came back to me and I felt refreshed if not at my full strength. I called up my own magic as I looked around trying to find whoever had attacked us.

I knew Will's favorite overlook position was on the roof of the house next door as this provided him observation of the front and back doors, along with the closest side of the house, and the street for nearly two blocks in either direction. That would be a good place to start since he had obviously spotted the intruder just before the spell went off. Hopefully I would either link up with him, or he could at least point me in the right direction.

The problem with these suburban neighborhoods is every other house seems to have a damn white picket fence. Thankfully Harry had made me practice running and since the fences were only three feet so or high I was able to hurdle almost as gracefully as my brother the former track star. I landed in the neighbor's backyard and looked up at the roof hoping to see some sign of Will. That is when I understood from the growling that the fence was actually there to keep in their dog.

I spun toward the sound pulling out my wand to focus the little battle magic I had at my disposal and hoping I was not staring down a Mastiff or a Doberman. What I found instead was Will, and not Will the Werewolf, but just Will the former college student still in his sweat suit lying protectively over a dog bowl of what looked to be Kibbles and Bits and making a low threatening growl as if he thought I planned to steal his dinner.

Yeah there really is not anything witty you can say in the middle of a situation like that so I kept facing him, though avoided looking him in the eyes, and slowly backed up. "Ummm… not really I am not that hungry at the moment." I said until I felt the pickets on the back of my thighs. Will's eyes followed me but he made no further of aggression but instead merely lowered his face toward the bowl and scooped up another mouthful of dog food.

My free hand, the one no holding the wand toward Will, grabbed the top of the picket fence and I vaulted back over, happy to note Will showed no signs of following me. Okay where do I go next?

I quickly surmised that since Will had seen the intruder yet Marcone's bodyguards were still in the car, that probably meant the spell caster was in the backyard of Murphy's house as well. Having been there recently I knew it was a perfect place to listen in since the old house was short on insulation. Spies were no good.

I raced around the back and noted that oddly enough the street lights, those lights actually out by the street, did not do all that well illuminating the areas behind the houses that contained various sheds, alleys, and parked cars. There were also just way too many shadows for the bad guy to hide in and attempt to do harm to one cute and perky wizard. Not a problem. I had a Rave spell that was perfect for this.

I fired off my Rave spell which created a series of fireworks, aiming for the area right above Murphy's backyard. The explosions of colored lights were not as good as a spotlight of course, but the strobe light effect they created would keep an opponent off balance since only I knew the pattern of when each was going to explode.

It also was just enough light for me to just catch something or someone low to the ground sliding away behind a nearby shed. I only had an instant but I sensed it had an inhuman natural grace about itself. Did not matter of course for the chase was on.

I ran around that corner and caught what might have been movement racing through a series of parked cars. I dogged after it and as I came around the corner of an old Buick I suddenly tripped over something lying on the gravel and crashed to the ground. I should tell you that the Rag Lady's rags are sort of thin as far as padding is concerned.

I crawled up to my knees and turned to look only to find Mister lying on his side looking at me with a sense of euphoric contentment that should be rated pornographic, even as far as felines are concerned. His body showed a series of scratches and love bites that made me worry for his health by his smile pushed that all away. He left one eye open for a moment looking me up and down, and then sighed contently, closed his eye, and immediately began to snore.

Did I mention I am not really a fan of cats?