Okay, I'm really, really, really sorry about how long this has taken. Life's been hectic the past few months and I didn't mean to crawl into a hole and die, or whatever happened. Well, without further babbling, Chapter 13!

"Come on, old man, there was no way that one was my fault!"

"Oh, yes it was. If you had not knocked over that display case, I would have been able to catch them!"

"No way! That gig was a disaster from the start!"

"How would you know? You did not even show up until they were halfway to the exit!"

"Really," interrupted the annoyed voice of the third presence in the room, "I don't know how my brother can spend so much time around you two and not go insane. I'm ready to walk out already and it's only been five minutes."

Fu Dog jumped down off of the counter and walked toward the girl on the couch. "I guess Jake's just used to it. But don't worry. As long as he's around, you shouldn't have to deal with us for a while."

Haley shook her head and looked at the ceiling. "I'll keep my fingers crossed." She turned her head to glance out the front window, but frowned at what she saw.

"Something wrong?" her grandfather asked, noticing her change of expression.

Haley pointed out the window. "It's Trixie and Spud. They're—"

But she didn't need to finish her sentence, for at that moment, Spud and Trixie burst through the door, completely out of breath, looking as though they had just sprinted the length of the city.

"What's going on?" Fu Dog asked as Trixie sank to her knees on the carpet floor.

"Jake…" she tried to explain in between gasps for breath. "He was—, He was—"

"—captured by the Huntsclan!" Spud finished for her, causing Lao Shi and Fu Dog's eyes to widen and Haley to let out an audible gasp.

"What?" she interjected. "How?"

Trixie waved her hand as she continued her attempt to catch her breath, willing Spud to take over.

"We don't really know. Us and Jake… We had this fight, and Jake flew off. We went after him a little later, following him into the woods. We looked a while, but didn't find anything at first. When we heard some noise ahead, we ran to check it out. That's where we ran into the Huntsman and Rose, and some weird hooded guy. Jake was there too, but he was lying on the ground, not moving. As soon as they saw us, the hooded guy threw some red powder on the ground that formed a big cloud around them. When it cleared, they were all gone. There was nothing we could do. So we came here."

"Well it's a good thing you did," Fu Dog observed, a thoughtful look on his face. "Did you get a good look at that hooded figure?"

Trixie shook her head. "Not really. They disappeared as soon as we got there."

"Hm…" Fu Dog mumbled, thinking hard. He too, like Jake, was instantly reminded of the figure who had put the curse on Jake at the park the other night. When the others questioned him, he explained his suspicions.

"That is curious indeed," Lao Shi pondered. "And not good news…"

"Why not?" Spud asked, confused. "If we can make a connection, it means it should be easier to find this guy, right? Then we'll find Jake."

"Yes, we can only hope that is true," Lao Shi answered, still thinking hard. "Unfortunately we do not know nearly enough about this person, whoever they may be, to correctly discern where to look for them. But what I do know is this, and this is the part that worries me: there is a plot unfolding here, and a dark and dangerous one at that." Everyone else grew silent, the frightening reality of this idea thinning the air around them. "If it really was the same character that both cursed Jake and captured him," Lao Shi continued, "then we should have great fear of whoever is behind this." He paused, seemingly searching for the best way to transfer his thoughts to words. He took a breath, and continued. "The attack pattern this person has yet been using is one not primarily of strength in battle, but of strategy. This opponent is intelligent and skilled in ways that demand fear and respect in the magical world. For these reasons, I fear this battle of wits that lies ahead of us is no doubt to be a difficult one. We must think hard, and think ahead. But for now," he paused again, glancing at everyone in turn, as they stared back at him with determined, if slightly fearful expressions, "the task which demands our immediate attention is finding more about the mysterious curse which started all these troubles." Brow furrowed in thought, and finished with his speech, Lao Shi sat back in his seat, a hand massaging his forehead in a tired manner.

"Alright," Fu Dog took over, seeing that Lao Shi was finished talking. "Trixie and Spud, you two go back to where you saw Jake last and look for any clues you can find that might help us out." Spud saluted Fu Dog and Trixie nodded, before both turned and briskly headed out the door. Fu Dog then turned to Haley, who had looked no less distressed since the news that her brother had been captured. Eyes softening at the young girl's expression, Fu Dog spoke gently to her. "Haley, why don't you go home and tell your mom what's going on? She'll want to know, and maybe she can help us." Haley nodded solemnly, before slowly rising from the couch and making her way out of the shop, heading in the opposite direction of Spud and Trixie. Finally, Fu Dog turned to Lao Shi, who was still massaging his forehead in exhaustion and worry. "We'll find him," Fu Dog said resolutely, as Lao Shi raised his head. "And we'll stop this." Nodding, Lao Shi rose from his seat. Picking up with his instructions, Fu Dog finished, "And that leaves us to research this curse. Who knows," he added after a moment, as they headed toward the back room, in which was kept everything one would ever need to know about the magical world. "Maybe this time we'll get lucky."

-0-0-0-

It was almost unreal, Haley couldn't help but think as she made her way toward her house. This kind of thing never happened to Jake. He was a hero, he never lost a fight. True, he usually had Grandpa, Fu Dog, or his friends there at his aid, but the fact remained: this had never happened before, and it worried Haley greatly.

Upon reaching the front door of the house, Haley paused, taking a deep breath. She slowly opened the door, planning out what she was going to say. She wanted to make the situation sound as though it was under control, so as not to worry her mother too much. When she formed a plan, she entered the house.

"Mom?" she called, closing the door behind her. "You here?"

"I'm in the living room," came the reply. Following her mother's voice, Haley turned to her left and headed into the living room.

"Mom, there's been a bit of a problem. It's about Jake, he—" Upon entering the room, she halted her sentence, seeing her father sitting on the couch next to her mother. "Uh, hi Dad! What are you doing home?" she asked nervously, not wanting to give away her family secret by accident.

"I was done at work, so I decided to come home early," he replied. "Now what's this problem with Jake?"

Haley's mind raced for an excuse. "Oh, it's nothing, Dad. Just school stuff. Hey, Mom," she continued, before her father could inquire further. "Can I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?"

Getting the hint, Susan rose from the couch, turning to her husband. "We won't be long, honey. Just some girl talk. I'll be right back." With that, they left him there, a puzzled expression spreading across his face. When they reached the kitchen and closed the door, Susan glanced back in the direction of the living room they had just left. "Oh, I hate lying to him like that. I've been doing it for too long."

"It was your choice not to tell him, Mom. And it'll be your choice to tell the truth too, when you're ready."

Susan sighed. "I know." She then grew serious. "So what's going on?"

Haley took a breath, readying her mind. "Okay, you know that hooded guy from the park the other night?" Her mother nodded slowly. "Well, he's back. And… he's got Jake." Haley stopped for a second, waiting to make sure her mother wasn't going to flip out.

"…What? What do you mean, 'he's got Jake'?"

Carefully, Haley recounted Trixie and Spud's tale of the earlier events, making sure not to miss anything important. When she finished by telling of her grandfather's speculations and Fu Dog's plans, she stopped and waited for her mother to speak.

"This isn't good…" Susan stopped, looking deep in thought, before beginning to slowly pace back and forth. "And still no news on what's going on?"

Haley shook her head regretfully. "No. At least, not since I left the shop. Mom, what are we gonna do? According to Grandpa, whoever this guy is, he really knows what he's doing. We have to find Jake soon, before—"

At that moment, the kitchen door burst open, and in stormed her father, an angry and confused look on his face. "Alright, that's it. You're keeping something from me, I know it. I've had suspicions for years, but now, I know it's true. Now someone has my son somewhere and you weren't even gonna tell me? I thought we were a family!"

The two girls stopped dead, staring at the man in front of them. Susan was the first to speak. "How much have you heard, just now?"

"Everything. I knew there was something wrong when you two left me out there so I came over here to listen and find out. Now I want you to tell me what is going on!"

"Okay, Jonathan," Susan continued, straightening herself up. "We'll tell you the truth." Haley looked at her mother, but didn't say a word. She knew her mother was finally ready to explain, and all she could do was watch and hope for the best. "But," Susan added, "we should go back into the living room. You're gonna want to sit down for this."

Looking still slightly confused, but at the same time seeming relieved that he would finally be getting filled in, Jonathan led the way back into the living room, taking a seat on the far chair. Susan and Haley sat on the couch.

"Okay, it all started back before we met…"

-0-0-0-

"…And that's why Haley didn't want to say it in front of you," Susan finished. "It would lead to questions we couldn't properly explain." She looked at her husband, reading his face for any sign of emotion. When he looked up at her, his eyes showed not hate or remorse, but confusion and maybe even sadness.

"I don't understand," he began. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she answered. "I was afraid you'd think I was a freak, or rather, that our children were…" She glanced at Haley, who had just reverted back to her human form. "Still, you don't know how hard it's been for all of us, lying to you. I'd wanted to tell you for so long, but I never found the right time, or I was afraid. Though I can say that I really wished it wouldn't be under these circumstances…" She looked down, all of them knowing that she was referring to the current situation of the fourth member of their family. She had always hoped they could all tell their father together… Not like this…

"Well," Jonathan began in a business-like tone, clapping his hands together and sitting up straight. "What do we know about this 'hooded figure'? If we're gonna save Jake, we need to know what's going on."

The two girls looked up at him in surprise.

"You mean, you're not mad?" Haley inquired, a wide smile spreading across her face. "And you don't want to leave us?"

"Haley," he said in a softer voice, moving to sit between the two of them on the couch. "We're a family. And families stick together. I love you guys, and nothing—not even you being a completely different species—is gonna change that." He put one arm around each of them and they all shared a giant group hug. Susan looked at her husband and smiled at him, saying 'thank you' with her eyes. He smiled back in a way that clearly stated, 'I meant what I said, and I promise, this—right here—will never, ever change'.

"Okay," Haley began as they separated again. "There's really not much we can do right now. Grandpa and Fu Dog were going to do some more research when I left them. I don't know if they found anything yet."

"Why don't you go back over and find out?" Susan suggested hopefully. "It's been quite a while. Maybe they've made a breakthrough."

Haley stood up, nodding in an obedient manner. "I'll be back with any news I find."

"We'll be waiting," her father said, nodding in turn to her. And without another word, she turned and headed out the door, hoping with all her heart that her grandfather and Fu Dog had been successful…

-0-0-0-

"This is hopeless," Fu Dog said, throwing aside yet another useless book. It landed in a pile behind him of about thirty or so similar ones.

"Now, now," Lao Shi replied, leafing through a considerably larger book with an emerald binding. "We mustn't give up hope. What we are looking for must be here somewhere…"

Fu Dog sighed, picking up yet another large volume, this one coated in purple leather, bearing silver lettering on the front cover. "I just hope Trixie and Spud are having more luck than we are…"

-0-0-0-

"We're not having any luck at all," Trixie complained from her spot on the ground. They were back in the same small clearing, and she was currently searching the forest floor for anything out of the ordinary.

"Come on, Trix," Spud said from his perch atop a nearby tree branch. "We gotta keep looking. There's bound to be something—Hey! Look at this!"

Trixie looked up into the tree to see Spud examining a crumpled up piece of paper with writing on it. "What is it?" she asked, walking into the center of the clearing.

"It's Tuesday's History homework," he replied in a puzzled tone, scratching his head. "Think it's a clue?"

Trixie shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

Spud examined the paper again. "Hey," he began slowly, squinting at the bottom right corner. "There's something written here…"

"Well, what's it say?" Trixie demanded.

"I don't know… It's not in English."

"Give it here," she said, holding out her hand. Spud let the paper fall down to her, before climbing back down to the earth below. She glanced at the corner. "Huh… We should take this back to the shop. It may be worth something after all." She turned to go, but slipped all of a sudden and fell to the ground. Spud rushed over.

"You okay?" he asked, helping her up.

"Yeah," she answered. "I just tripped on a rock or something." Looking down toward the grass, she saw a small glimmer of something gold amid the greenery. She knelt down to pick it up, and found that the object she had presumed to be a rock was actually a small, glass vial. Inside it was a tiny sample of a strange golden powder, held in by a wooden cork at the top. She showed it to Spud, who looked at her and smiled.

"Let's get back to the shop. This stuff has gotta help."

Trixie nodded as they began jogging back through the trees. "I just hope Jake's holding out, wherever he is…"

-0-0-0-

A flickering light… Shuffling footsteps… Soft whispering… A dull clink…

Slowly, Jake was becoming aware of his surroundings. He had yet to open his eyes; the exhaustion was taking its time in wearing off. He remembered the events from earlier, the confrontation in the forest… Then his mind was blurred. Though having no idea where he was, or how long he had been unconscious, he did recognize that he was in an upright position (although having no knowledge as to how this was so) and that he was not alone in the room.

After a few minutes, he heard the soft shuffling of footsteps yet again, and the unmistakable sound of a door opening and closing. Silence followed. Figuring he was finally alone, Jake mustered his strength to slowly open his eyes and look around.

He was in a dark, underground chamber, as evidenced by the walls and floor, which seemed to be covered in dirt, as though the room was cut out from beneath the ground. There were no windows, which would make sense if the room really was underground. The chamber was lit instead by a number of time-worn, yellowed candles hung on the walls by rusted, old-fashioned candelabra. There was a single brown door on the side wall, the handle of which was chipped in a few places. A long table was lined against the wall opposite the door. On it were set a number of small, glass vials of diversified shapes and sizes, filled with various substances of several different colors. An opaque, glass bowl was set in the center of the table; it was filled with something unidentifiable, and what looked like steam was slowly emanating from it.

After his senses were fully restored, Jake realized that he was held up against the wall by dark, metal shackles clamped to his wrists and ankles. They looked as though they were loosely attached to the dirt wall, but when he tried to pull himself free, the chains wouldn't budge. He even tried breathing fire on them (he was at least relieved to find that he was still in his dragon form), but all that did was heat the metal to the point where it burned his skin. He quickly abandoned that tactic.

At that moment, the wooden doorknob turned and the door creaked open. From the room beyond entered first the cloaked woman from the wooded clearing, followed by the Huntsman and Huntsgirl. Almost immediately, they turned to Jake, seeing him awake and alert.

"Ah," began the hooded figure, "So you've decided to join us at last." Not answering her, Jake instead yanked on one of the chains binding him yet again, a last attempt to free himself. "Don't bother," she scoffed, watching him, a humor in her voice which led one to believe she was smirking under her hood. "Those chains are made of a strong iron-titanium alloy that won't break so easily, and will absorb your fire breath. And I even added my own touch of magic to assure that they don't pull loose from the wall behind you." She then set the vials she was carrying down on the table and walked up to Jake. "I must say I'm disappointed," she began, a sort of mock-lamenting tone to her voice. "After the way these two," she gestured toward the two Huntsclan members by the wall, "talked about you, I expected you to be more of a challenge. I guess I was wrong." She laughed mirthlessly, as Jake, still refusing to answer her but unfortunately unable to move, breathed out a jet of flame in her direction. She waved her hand in front of her effortlessly and the flame was extinguished before reaching her. "Then again," she added with a smirk, "Not many can challenge me." She let out another croak of laughter, moving to the side table as Jake eyed her strangely.

"What do you want?" he finally spoke up, his voice sounding somewhat cracked from lack of use.

She turned to look at him, before walking up to him again. "It's quite simple, really. I want what everyone else wants: power." Jake could almost hear the venomous smile in her voice. "But for my spell to be complete, I need one thing more." She paused as Jake eyed her suspiciously. She then lowered her head in a dark and menacing fashion, before saying, "The blood of a dragon."

-0-0-0-

Ding!

The bell above the shop door rang shrilly as Trixie and Spud strode in hastily. Haley stood quickly from her place on the couch as they entered.

"Any luck?" she asked them hopefully. "Grandpa and Fu Dog are still looking, but they haven't found anything yet. We're getting anxious." As she spoke, Spud and Trixie could clearly see the worry evident in her eyes, and were even more hopeful that what they'd found would help.

"Well," Trixie began. "We found these things." She and Spud brandished their found evidence in front of them as Haley came over to look.

"Grandpa!" she called to the back room. "Fu Dog! Trixie and Spud are back! They found something!" Lao Shi and Fu Dog reentered the front room, dusting themselves off.

"Alright, let's see what you've got here," Fu Dog said as he walked up and took the vial from Trixie's hand. He examined it closely. "This powder definitely has some magical qualities, but I can't tell what it does just by looking at it. I'm gonna have to examine this better."

Lao Shi then looked at the sheet of paper Spud was holding. "Yes," he said when Spud showed him the strange writing. "I believe this is written in ancient Greek. Unfortunately, I am not learned in all of the ancient languages, and ancient Greek is an uncommon one at that. I will ask you three to do whatever research you can – use anything you can find in this store – to find out what this says. It may be a vital clue. Fu Dog, come." With that, the two of them headed off toward the back room to analyze the magic powder. Haley turned to Spud and Trixie, a determined gleam in her eye.

"Well, let's get started."

She headed straight toward the large, wooden bookcase at the side of the room, the other two following right behind her.

-0-0-0-

The hooded woman was standing hunched over the side table, carefully mixing together the contents of some of the various vials. Jake was still trying his best to make sense of the current situation. But of all the questions that may have plagued him, one stood above the rest. And the way he figured it, why not voice it?

"Hey, Hunts-chumps," he called, causing the two Huntsclan members to look his direction. The Huntsman growled slightly at the use of the old nickname. "Why are you helping this girl? I thought you guys preferred to 'work alone'."

The Huntsman seemed to consider a moment before speaking. "Well, we might as well tell you. Soon it'll all be over anyway. She's promised us the power we need to finally finish the task of defeating you." He chuckled darkly at the thought.

"Ha, yeah right," Jake scoffed. "You haven't been able to slay me for the past three years, what could possibly do it now?"

"You wait, dragon," the Huntsman threatened. "When this is over—"

"Actually, he's right," came the voice of the hooded girl as she turned to face the crowd. The Huntsman turned to look at her, seemingly taken aback. "Oh, that's right!" she said with mock surprise. "There's one little detail I forgot – I took some insurance measures after I found out you were going to double-cross me." The Huntsman and Huntsgirl looked alarmed. "That's right, I found out. I just put a… simple curse on the dragon. One that, when it takes its final toll, will make sure you won't be able to defeat him so easily." She paused and giggled evilly. "Sorry I… forgot to mention it." The Huntsclan members both growled audibly, but did not advance on their enemy. Jake, on the other hand, was more confused than ever.

"A curse?" he asked vaguely. "What kind of curse?"

The hooded girl turned to him. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" she asked, seeming genuinely disbelieving. She laughed again. "I really did overestimate you. But no matter. Anyway, what fun would it be for me if I told you now? I think I'll let you… figure it out for yourself. But be warned – you're running out of time," she finished in an amused voice, laughing mirthlessly yet again.

As she turned back to her table, Huntsgirl began advancing on Jake, her staff held ready. "Well, if the 'deal' is off," she said in a scornful tone, "then this gives me the perfect opportunity to slay you once and for all, and end our age-long toil."

The hooded girl stepped forward. "I don't think you want to do that. I still need him."

"Give me one good reason," Huntsgirl said, still drawing closer.

"Strike, Huntsgirl," the Huntsman was saying. "Now!"

"No!" the hooded girl was shouting at the same time. "Trust me, you'll regret it!"

Jake was still helplessly stuck to the wall, feeling as though his fate was hanging in the air in front of him. He had to say something, anything to stop the girl in front of him. So he said the first thing that came to mind…

"Look – Rose, wait!"

…Unfortunately, Rose's name was likely the last thing he wanted to say. Luckily, this at least had the effect of freezing everyone in the room, all of them staring at Jake and Rose.

"W-What did you say?" she stuttered, eying him suspiciously through her mask.

"I-I said… uh…" Jake attempted to backtrack, but was unable to think quick enough.

"How do you know my name?" Rose asked, surprise evident in her voice.

Jake's mind raced for an explanation – one that wouldn't end in his getting slain – but was still unable to come up with a good excuse. So he decided reluctantly that the truth was likely the best way to go. Sighing, he looked her in the eye. "Because I know you, the real you. And…" he took a deep breath before continuing. "…You know me, too"

"What?" Rose went on. "What are you talking about?"

Jake looked down, as if thinking, before looking back up at her. "You really wanna know?" he asked as a last precaution. No one moved. Even the cloaked girl seemed interested now. "Okay…" With that, Jake allowed his dragon form to fade away, replacing itself with his well-known human form (As he did so, he was surprised to find that the shackles binding his wrists and ankles seemed to shrink with his arms and legs, further forbidding escape).

Rose's eyes widened even further as she took a step back, her arm falling lax at her side. "…Jake?" she questioned, clearly shocked. Jake simply smiled a bit and shrugged. "But… How?" Just then, Jake could've sworn he'd heard a gasp from beneath the cloaked girl's hood. He looked toward her, and was contemplating saying something, when the Huntsman spoke.

"Well? What are you waiting for, Huntsgirl? He is defenseless! Finish him!"

Rose simply shook her head ever so slightly. "I… can't." Her staff fell from her hand as she took off her mask. She backed away even further, her eyes never leaving Jake's.

The Huntsman glared at her. He stepped forward to stand beside her, facing her. "One should never put personal feelings before duty. You bring shame to our family." She turned quickly to look at him, as he raised his arm and struck the side of her face. She cried out in pain as Jake shouted angrily, "Hey!" Rose stumbled back away from her uncle.

"Enough!" shouted the hooded girl, whom they had all temporarily forgotten about. They all looked at her, but she seemed to be staring in Jake's direction. She took a step toward him. "It's you…"

"What?" he started, a confused look on his face.

"All this time…" she continued, as if he had not spoken. "It was you…"

"What are you…" Jake said again. "Do I know you?"

She chuckled shortly and somewhat hollowly, before raising her hands and, as everyone watched with baited breath, slowly pulling back her hood. Underneath it was the face of a pretty girl about Rose's height, with dazzling green eyes, a smooth, pale complexion, and sleek black hair. Jake and Rose both gasped.

"Ebony?"

Well, that's it for this. I'm gonna get right on the next chapter real soon so I don't go on a weird three-month-long unexplained, unprecedented, unwarranted hiatus like that last – what – three times…?

And in case you were wondering, Wednesday (July 11th) is my 17th birthday (yay!), and I'm making it a goal to get another update by then so you can all review for it and wish me happy birthday! (But you know, that's no reason not to review now, either…)

See ya soon! (really, I mean it this time)

-oMM