A/N: I own nothing.


Madison stared at Jack for a long moment. She was actually concerned for him.

"…That's not funny," she said lamely, feeling much angrier than she sounded. She backed away a couple of steps. "I'm going now."

"Maddie, please!" He followed her, but didn't grab her again. "I know, I know you don't want to hear it, but it's the truth!"

"I don't even really have to debate this with you, because you're clearly going through some kind of episode here," Madison said crossly as she stomped across the dirt and roots back toward her car. "But I literally spoke to him yesterday so I'm pretty sure your point is moot."

"That's impossible," Jack stopped in his tracks, and she turned around to face him angrily, her hands on her hips. He appeared deep in thought, though he stared at her, seemingly trying to determine if she was lying. "Unless the Roses are messing with you somehow. But then they'd know you were here, and I don't think they know about you…"

"I haven't seen any of the Roses for months!" she spat angrily.

"Well, yeah, because they've been here for the past 6 months," Jack said defiantly.

Maddie paused, honestly wondering where he was going with this. "…What?"

"I'm sorry you've come back into this," Jack said sadly. "But the Roses – well, you remember, we told you about them, and the Council of Wizards and everything – they're here. They attacked Trinity back in June, and they've essentially been ruling the place ever since. We tried to fight them, we all did, but…" he looked at her with a defeated expression. "There just wasn't enough of us. It was too much."

Maddie looked around at the trees surrounding them. Great. Just great. She could already feel a pounding headache coming on. She looked forward to another great day, just like yesterday, though this time it was courtesy of Jack Swift. This had to be his stupid idea of a practical joke.

"This is a joke right?" she said crossly. "You and Ellen are pulling something on me right now? Look, I'm sorry if you're mad I left, but I had to! I have a brother and sister at home to take care of."

"I know," Jack said. "I'm just glad you got out when you did. And I'm sorry you had to hear about Seph like this." He stepped closer to her again, as if to offer comfort, and she took a step back. He looked at the ground. "I'm so sorry, Maddie."

Madison looked at Jack carefully – he was no actor, and he seemed genuinely upset. If this was a practical joke, it was the worst one ever.

"Better stick to fighting, Jack," Madison said. "Humor isn't your specialty."

He looked grimly back at her. "I wish I was joking," he said. "It's the truth."

Madison hesitated – was it possible the Roses had returned and taken over Trinity since she and Seph had left some months earlier? But Jack had said they attacked in June. That much was true, but the Trinity faction had won that battle. What Jack was saying didn't match up with how she remembered it. She snorted.

"You're saying the Roses are back?" she asked slowly. "How can that be?"

"They wanted to put a stop to our little revolution here in Trinity," he said. "We have the Dragonheart here still – you remember it, right?"

At this, Maddie was at a loss for words. Jack had been there at the end of the battle, when she was revealed as the Dragon Heir – he had watched her transform with his own two eyes, had he not? What was he talking about?

"All the Weir are drawn to this Dragonheart thing," he continued. "And we tried to keep the Roses out, because Longbranch, Wylie and D'Orsay wanted to use it to consecrate that Covenant that was made at Second Sister – you know, it would basically enslave the Anawizard Weir again, and stomp out anyone who got in their way," he sighed. "But there weren't enough of us, and there were too many of them, and they broke us down eventually. Seph did an awesome job protecting us," he looked up at her, sympathy and admiration in his eyes. "They knew he was too powerful for them. That's why they killed him."

Maddie shook her head. "Jack – I don't understand what you're talking about. I mean, the Roses and D'Orsay came back, ok, but Seph… Seph's staying with me in Coal Grove, remember? He's fine." But she trembled as she said it. Jack's words were confusing and hurt her to hear, even if she knew they couldn't – couldn't possibly – be true.

Now it was Jack's turn to look angry. "I get it, Maddie. You can have your denial stage, I understand. But I saw them kill Seph with my own eyes. It's the truth. I'm sorry. They killed him, and then they killed Nick Snowbeard. And then they brought Leander Hastings back from England and killed him here too, in another public execution." His voice was hollow now. "And I'm sure you wish Seph came back with you, but I'm sure he was just glad you got out of here when you did." His voice broke a little. "We were all glad you got out when you did. And now you have to leave, before they discover you're here."

"Yeah, I'll be leaving soon," Maddie said softly. She hurriedly wiped away the tears that had sprung to her eyes – she had no idea why Jack was saying these things, but it was making her upset. She had to find Ellen, or Mrs. Swift, to find out what was wrong with him. Perhaps he had just finally cracked under the strain of the war and the pressure of being one of the last known warriors of the Weir. Surely the things he was saying couldn't be true. It was impossible.

"I'm sorry, Maddie," Jack put a hand on her shoulder, and he did look so very, very sorry to cause her pain. He ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. "I've got to get back to my patrol anyway, they're going to be missing me. Just get out of town Maddie, before they find you. Just forget you ever came back here."

"Actually, ummm," Madison glanced at her watch. 11:14. Sara would have left her studio by now to go teach her class. But whatever was wrong with Jack was more urgent – he needed some kind of help, clearly. She'd have to find Rachel, or Ellen – Ellen would know what to do. "What do you mean, to your patrol?"

He walked back with her toward the edge of the woods. He grimaced. "I'm slave labor now basically. They've roped me into guard duty, rebuilding the town, dinner entertainment – whatever they need." His blue eyes seemed to darken like the sky before a gathering storm. "I can't do anything about it – they've got Ellen, and I don't even know where they're holding my mom."

"What?" Madison gasped.

Anger rippled through every syllable as Jack spoke. "That's why you've got to get out of here – I can't let them take you hostage too."

Madison could only sputter back at him. They had reached the edge of the woods, and she looked over at her car, suddenly fearful. She couldn't doubt Jack when he was so angry – he couldn't be making that up, could he? Her resolve was wavering, and she felt confusion and fear writhing together in her stomach. What was going on here?

Jack looked up and down the alley. "I think it's clear," he announced. "Get back in your truck and head straight out of town, ok? Please, Madison. Forget you ever came here," he said again. Jack had only a fraction of the wizard power Seph had, but she still felt a little prod in her resolve, something urging her to listen to his command. She realized what he was doing and shook her head stubbornly.

"If what you say is true and the Roses are here, then I'm going to help," she said crossly to him. She couldn't believe she was even saying this. "Where are they? Longbranch and Wylie? I can take care of them."

"No!" Jack hissed. "I'm serious, I want you to get out of here."

"It's not your choice," she said, sticking her chin out as she did when she argued with her mother. "Besides, my cousin runs the Inn. If the Roses are here then I have to get her and any other Anaweir out of here."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not sure if Rachel's still at the Inn," he said darkly. "That's where they're all staying – D'Orsay and Longbranch and Wylie and more. It's like the Legends has become the new Raven's Ghyll."

"Well, I have to try," she said.

"I can't let you do that," he said, a hard edge to his voice. "You'd be walking right into the snake pit. You really should just get out while you can."

"Jack, I'm not leaving until we figure this out," she said angrily. "The Roses were supposed to have been taken care of months ago. It seems they've already forgotten their fear of dragons," she said crossly. Jack just looked blankly back at her, as if she were the crazy one.

"I'm going to the Legends," she said, stepping out of the cover of trees. Jack pulled her back.

"Maddie, please, I'm begging, literally begging," he said. "Seph wouldn't want this-"

"I'm going."

Jack appeared torn. He was looking up and down the deserted street again, searching for something Maddie couldn't see. He hovered from foot to foot.

"I can't stop you," he said "I literally can't, or they'll find you anyway, because they'll be missing me from my post. Just keep your head down, ok? There's a huge chance they'll recognize you from what you did at Second Sister. If you can't find your cousin, then find Ellen – she's on the third floor of the Inn in one of the rooms, and she'll hide you until we can figure out what to do."

"What are you going to do?" Maddie asked in a hushed whisper.

"I have to go back on duty," he said. "I'll find a way to contact you, and get you and Rachel out of here. I promise." He looked up and down the street one last time. "Ok, if you're going, then go now – I have to get back to the front of the Inn, and I can't be seen anywhere near you or they'll get suspicious."

Maddie stepped out of the trees and felt suddenly exposed, as if she had stepped naked into the center of town and started screaming taunts at the Roses.

"Wait, are they there now?" Maddie hissed back at the trees. "Are the wizards at the Inn?"

"I think some of them may be," Jack whispered back. "Not Longbranch or D'Orsay at the moment, I know that much. So if you're going, get in and get out!"

That was the last Madison heard – she was off and running toward her car, successfully terrified that a wizard would swoop down on her at any moment. She slowed only enough to not slam into the truck, and turned to see Jack sprint out of the trees toward the front of the Inn. She took several deep breaths and then sprinted to the side of the Legends Inn. She clung to the walls, inching her way silently toward the kitchen entrance. She opened the door and hurried inside. She still remembered it well, after working here for so many months. There was no one in the kitchen, but he heard pots and pans clanging in the pantry just off the kitchen, so in one swift motion she grabbed a baseball cap from the hat rack by the door and walked swiftly to the dining room.

She stifled a gasp – right next to the entrance of the kitchen was a wizard. He sat at a table with his back to her, drinking tea and reading a large, ancient-looking spell book. She did not recognize him, but he gave off a glow that showed he was immensely powerful. She skirted noiselessly behind him and tugged the cap on, pulling it low over her face. The wizard didn't even look up, and she exhaled as she stepped into the main foyer of the Inn.

The entrance hall was full of wizards as well as Anawizard Weir and Anaweir. It seemed busy enough that no one would recognize or notice her. She glanced at the front desk, where Rachel would sometimes work if she was understaffed, but there was an Anaweir girl standing there, seemingly enthralled by the wizard who was charming her. Madison looked around the hall – no sign of Rachel. All the other Anaweir she was able to pick out had vacant looks in their eyes – a product of the wizards they were obligated to serve, it appeared. She hurried past the office that had always been Rachel's and glanced inside – empty. Maddie couldn't see her in the library, the café or any of the first floor reception rooms. She expanded her search breathlessly to the upstairs, dashing hurriedly from hall to hall, listening and looking. When someone would pass her in the hall she would keep her head down until they had passed.

Madison had no idea if all the wizards she was seeing were indeed members of the Roses, as Jack had said, or if they had come to Trinity seeking sanctuary, like Seph had. And Seph… why would Jack say those things? She pushed it out of mind. There was clearly something wrong with Jack, but it seemed that there may be some truth to his statements – the Legends was crawling with wizards, after all.

She had reached the stairs to the third and top floor – she doubted Rachel would be up here, unless she was supervising the cleaning. But Jack had said Ellen would be up here. If the Roses were really here, was she a prisoner? If so, would Madison be able to speak to her? And how was she to know which room held Ellen?

She looked around hopelessly when she reached the top floor. She could knock on all of the doors, but somehow she didn't think that was a good idea in a hotel full of wizards who might not appreciate her looking for their captive warrior.

But then the last door on the hall caught her eye – all the doors bore locks, but this one looked as if it had several additional locks and bolts added recently. The door looked thicker than the others too, as if it had been reinforced – perhaps to keep a young warrior in. As she walked toward it, she also realized there was a faint haze around the door, as if it were covered in a spell. Madison took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No response. She tentatively started to undo the bolts – thankfully none required a key. She turned the latch, her heart pounding in her ears, and opened the door slowly, tensed to run should it not be Ellen on the other side.

But it was Ellen's familiar face that looked up from the bed she sat on. Her expression was wary at first, as if she was expecting someone unpleasant. But Madison watched as the look on her face turned to one of shock and then happiness.

"Maddie!?" Ellen gasped. "How did you get in here? What are you doing here?"

Madison quickly entered the room and shut the door quickly behind her, hardly daring to believe that she had made it, and that she had found Ellen.

"Jack told me where to look for you," she gasped, coming forward. "Are you ok?"

"I'm alright," Ellen stood, ready to embrace her friend, but Madison stopped in her tracks. For when Ellen had raised herself to her full height, she had revealed something Madison hadn't been able to see when Ellen was sitting. Ellen's body was the same, long and strong and beautiful, but her stomach, normally so toned and flat, had rounded out in the unmistakable weight of pregnancy.


Hope you're enjoying so far! My next update will take a couple of days, because unfortunately Chapter 4 was lost. If anyone knows anything about retrieving lost passwords for Word documents, please let me know :P