Author's Note: I enjoyed writing this. There is obviously something wrong here.

Tomorrow (August 2nd) is my birthday! Grant my birthday wishes and give me lots of reviews!

Chapter Three: Mad World

Juandissimo's red gaze seared and she flinched, rubbing raw flesh and serrated bones against the restraints. Gritting her teeth, she swallowed bile and willed calm. Panicking wasn't going to help, and she wouldn't be able to fight back. So far, despite his alarming appearance and aura, he hadn't harmed her. There was no reason to assume he would continue behaving himself, particularly with the malevolent glow. Should she absolutely need to fight, it'd be better to conserve energy now and loosen her stiff muscles.

Still, injecting tranquility into this scene was almost impossible right now, what with Timmy and Cosmo in captivity elsewhere and gloom nearby. Her muscles remained tensed, and she bit the inside of her lip to keep from growling.

"Why is she injured?" he snapped. "You told me she would not be harmed."

His eyes roved her frame and he rubbed her left ear. Gritting her teeth kept her from snapping at his hand.

"She fought," Ms. Doombringer said and shrugged carelessly. "If she had simply submitted-"

"Wandita does not 'submit'," Juandissimo snapped. He raised his wand and the human pushed it back down. Wanda eyed the wand hungrily- her salvation lay so close, yet forbidden thanks to the leather binding. Her legs were too tight against the iron table to permit her to scratch and tear the restraints. Unable to quell it, she whimpered and Ms. Doombringer scoffed.

"That's not my concern," Ms. Doombringer said.

"I will heal her and change her back," he said.

"You will do no such thing!" she growled. "She is stuck in that form as punishment for defying me, and her injuries are a reminder she's my prisoner."

Juandissimo glared and Ms. Doombringer pivoted to pace the room. Juandissimo's wand glowed for a second and warmth spread along her body. The already accelerated faerie healing processes kicked up a notch and she could feel the gashes narrowing and the bones mending. Juandissimo might have betrayed the other faeries, but he hadn't betrayed her personally. In fact, he might yet be an ally, assuming he'd be willing to backstab Doombringer to help her.

"I cannot turn you back," Juandissimo murmured in her ear, "but I can make things less painful for you."

"You know, if you just blasted her with your wand, you could free me and we could get out of here," she whispered.

Juandissimo tensed and his eyes flashed. Her breath caught in her throat and she imagined his brutal vengeance; he shifted into a wolf and slammed into the table. Drawing back his lips in a snarl, he snapped his jaws at her throat and she whimpered.

"Do not speak such things," he cautioned.

Her heart stuck in her throat and she wasn't sure if he was warning her to prevent her from getting Doombringer's attention, or because he'd hurt her if she spoke up again. Another whimper escaped and he nuzzled her.

"Never, no matter who is my master."

Ms. Doombringer snapped her fingers and a golden rope descended from the ceiling. The instant it snapped around Wanda's neck, the restraints flew off. The glow left afterimages on her retinas and Ms. Doombringer yanked her off the table and onto the floor. Juandissimo growled and Ms. Doombringer glared, power flaring around her for a moment. He lowered his head, submissive, and all notions of Juandissimo protecting her fled. Juandissimo looked like a cowed dog.

"I'm taking her for a walk," she said.

Juandissimo stepped beside her and his eyes narrowed at the leash. The warmth was cloying, unpleasant, and she snapped her jaw at it experimentally. Tough, tenacious fibers refused to budge beneath her teeth and she sniffed, detecting another magical source. In a few seconds, its origin returned to her and her stomach threatened to rebel.

"You'd like to see where Cosmo and Timmy are, wouldn't you?" Ms. Doombringer taunted. "Wouldn't you? Beg for it, little faerie. Beg for it."

"What will," she gulped, "what will you do to them if I don't?"

"This plan will work with only two faeries, not three," Ms. Doombringer said and grinned from ear to ear. "Care to guess which link can be severed?"

She gulped and stood her ground, knees quaking. "Cosmo and I are a team. You can't take down one of us."

"I value intelligence in my subservient workers," she replied. "Cosmo has none. His only possible use is target practice. You, on the other hand…"

Ms. Doombringer smiled and Wanda moaned, backing up. The unicorn hair leash tightened around her neck and she yipped, snapping her jaw at it to no avail. Chills coursed up and down her body and she imagined Cosmo lying in a pool of blood, like he had right before they'd been captured. Her father had taught her never to beg, but Cosmo couldn't defend himself, and Timmy, Timmy was only a child…

"You'd hurt a child?" Wanda snapped, wishing she had real anger to fortify it instead of mind numbing terror facing losing her husband.

"If it were a faerie child…" Ms. Doombringer smiled and the smile startled both faeries, although Juandissimo's gaze never faltered. "If it were a faerie child, I'd slaughter it right in front of its parents."

For a few seconds, Wanda's heart stopped. Her eyes widened and she collapsed onto the floor. Since the leash wouldn't allow her to back away or flee entirely, she settled for staring at the black tiles beneath her feet. Every cell in her body was screaming for her to grab Cosmo and Timmy and get the hell out of here. If she'd destroy a faerie child so readily, what would she do to Timmy, already in captivity? Moreover, what did it entail for Cosmo when Cosmo was so obviously expendable?

Ms. Doombringer knelt to touch her forehead and Wanda backed up as far as the leash would allow, which was a foot. Her hiss turned into a whimper and she trembled uncontrollably.

"Don't worry," Ms. Doombringer said and smiled. "There are no faerie children. I've checked."

Gulping, she shut her eyes and slid closer to Juandissimo. In terms of safety, she felt marginally better next to him.


Timmy's head jerked and he stared into the darkness. Nothing had changed, as far as he could tell. Cosmo was draped over his legs and panting, twitching in discomfort every once in a while. To placate him, he rubbed his head and underneath his chin, and alongside his neck. Cosmo was also unnaturally warm, but that might have been the healing process. Timmy had never witnessed it up close and personal before, and never without a wand present.

"No, no, stop it, Daniel!" Cosmo screamed and bolted upright.

"Who the heck is Daniel?" Timmy said. Cosmo's fur had acquired a cold sweat and he shook himself to remove it. Timmy received a mouthful and spat it out, wiping his face to rid himself of the rest.

"Who?" Cosmo said.

"Daniel," Timmy said and rolled his eyes. "You said, 'no no, stop it, Daniel'."

"Um…we're not allowed to talk about other godkids," Cosmo said.

Timmy's brain jumped ahead of Cosmo's, which wasn't a stretch. It wouldn't take much to trick him, and Wanda wasn't here to counterbalance it.

"We weren't. We were talking about Daniel, which is completely different. So, who is he? And what did you mean before about using magic without your wands?"

"Oh, Daniel," Cosmo said in a light tone, and despite it, he trembled again. "He wished us into deer, wished up a pack of wild wolves, and almost killed me. Hah, you should have seen Jorgen's reaction."

"Was he glad?" Timmy muttered.

"No…" Cosmo said. "We are his friends, you know."

"Okay, so, Daniel, sadistic homicidal godkid. Got it. What about the magic without wands part? You guys always need your wands. You're powerless without them."

"Yeah, but…"

"You'd better not pass out on me again," he warned.

"Wanda wouldn't like me telling you."

"Wanda's not here," he pointed out. "And, in case you haven't noticed, we're trapped underground somewhere, with a sadistic teacher bent on killing us. Or worse. Whatever's worse."

Cosmo was silent and Timmy expected him to start babbling. He didn't.

"Well?" he pressed. "You didn't pass out again, did you?"

"I can't tell you," he said. "I shouldn't have told you anything before."

He sneered. "Because Wanda said so? What the heck does she know?"

"It leads to darkness," he said. "Not anti faerie darkness, either."

"Okay…so, what are we talking about, here?"

"I told you…" Cosmo whimpered and fidgeted. "I wish Wanda were here. I wonder…"

He swallowed hard and trembled uncontrollably. Timmy grimaced. While he was worried about his godmother too, he was impatient. He didn't know what had spooked his godfather, and it could have been anything. Cosmo lifted his head and his eyes were luminous in the dark.

"Whatever it is, I promise I won't tell another living soul," Timmy said, bored.

"I hear something," Cosmo said and his ears cocked. Timmy scoffed.

"I don't hear anything except that stupid drip," he retorted.

"Listen."

Timmy shut his eyes and concentrated, despite thinking his godfather had fallen off the deep end. Then he heard it- faint scuffing sounds, like high heels on dirt. This was accompanied by two more distant glimmers and air rushed into their cell. Timmy thrust out his arm on a whim and didn't encounter the brick wall. Hope brimming within him, he jumped to his feet (knocking Cosmo over again) and dashed to the open space. He made it a foot further before slamming into steel bars, falling over, and landing atop his faerie. Cosmo screamed, kicking him and huddled in a corner.

"So faeries do have superior hearing," a chilling voice called and Timmy growled.

"You!" he said. "What the heck do you want now?"

"Say hello, Wanda."

There was no response and Timmy distinguished a golden chain around a pink wolf's neck. Cosmo leapt to his feet and temporarily forgot his ailments.

"Wanda!" he cried.

"Cosmo!" Wanda replied and Ms. Doombringer chuckled. She yanked on the leash around Wanda's neck and brought her to her knees with a pained yelp. Cosmo snarled, snapping his jaw through the bars and straining to get to her. Timmy glared at Ms. Doombringer.

"Let her go!" he snapped.

In response, Ms. Doombringer tightened the leash and Wanda whimpered, eyes glazing over. Cosmo slammed into the bars repeatedly to get at her, as if he could knock them down by sheer force, and despite the enormous pain, continued to do so. His legs weren't up to the strain and he buckled, falling to the floor but still twisting his head, thrusting his body forward to get to her.

Another wolf snarled and snapped his jaw at Ms. Doombringer's ankles. The red eyes made Timmy shudder, but there was something familiar about him.

"You swore you would not hurt her!" he growled and pawed the ground. Doombringer brought out a black quartz necklace from beneath her black leather tank top and held it in front of him. Juandissimo hissed and lowered his head, but his eyes continued to glow, baleful.

"Much better," she said. "This is a nice family reunion, isn't it?"

"Wanda!" Cosmo screamed. Wanda lifted her head, but there wasn't much she could do. Her flanks heaved and it looked like she was trying to get enough air into her lungs.

"What are you going to do to her?" Timmy said, shaking and clinging to the bars to stand upright. "What are you going to do to us?"

Doombringer stepped forward and dragged Wanda along the ground like an unwanted toy. She'd been healed, at least, but her eyes were bright with pain and she made strangled noises, prompting Cosmo to bark and howl again. Doombringer stopped in front of the cell and Cosmo locked onto her skirt.

"Let go, you mangy fey," she snapped. Cosmo dug his jaw into it and worked on tearing the fabric. It wasn't leather, like her top- it looked like some stringy material, and after a little work, it started to tear. Ms. Doombringer kicked Cosmo in the head and he flew backward, landing on his back in front of the rear wall.

"You I have special plans for," Doombringer said. "I thought perhaps I'd let you spend some quality time together while I put the next phase in motion, but I rather enjoy this. They are like dogs, aren't they? And humans are their masters. Heel, bitch."

Timmy's fear slipped into rage and, without thinking (which was what Cosmo excelled at) he punched her in the stomach. His teeth were chattering with inchoate fury and it was a while, swallowing several times, before he could speak.

"You won't understand," he snapped. "You'll never understand. When we get out of here, you'll be sorry."

"Are you threatening me, child?" To his dark amusement, Doombringer's voice was breathy, thanks to the punch. She held her stomach and massaged it. He had no idea how hard he'd hit her, but he hoped it'd hurt just as much, if not more, than his faeries hurt.

"Leave Cosmo and Wanda alone!"

Ms. Doombringer didn't respond and he continued, his throat constricting. "Whatever you have planned, I won't help you, even if you torture me. I would never help you harm them."

For a second, all he heard were Wanda's gasps, Cosmo's labored breathing, and the constant drip behind them. He breathed through his nostrils and wished Doombringer hadn't moved back, because he wanted to punch her repeatedly. Fury raised his temperature, brought blood rushing to the surface, and he thought he could have happily dismembered her. The last time he'd felt this kind of rage, it'd been directed at Vicky. Now he thought he might hate Doombringer more.

"You will help me, whether you want to or not."

"Over my dead body."