ASCEND INTO DARKNESS

by Ulquiorra9000

Chapter 20

"Ever notice how we seem to do everything in the morning?" Rick commented after a few uneventful hours of carriage riding through the chilly Ulvenwald forest. Even though the sun had already risen and had banished the thickest patches of morning dew and mist, the dark, foreboding forest remained intimidating, and the air was damp and cold.

"It's because moving out at daybreak gives us the maximum number of daylight hours," Abigail reminded him. "Ever since the Archangel vanished..."

"Night time has become the domain for the bad guys," Leo finished for her, scratching an itch on his neck. "How'd you like to do this during the late evening, Rick?"

Rick gave the dark forest a quick, fearful glance. "Yeah... I think I see the point."

Johann cleared his throat. "As long as your gal Karin doesn't transform on the way, we should be fine, fellas," he assured them. "I wouldn't worry too much... but keep your guard up."

"That sounds contradictory," Rick frowned.

"Just don't goof off and we'll survive the trip," Jorge paraphrased for him, then dug into his pockets and frowned. "I ran out of cigarettes. Forgot to buy some back in Helgarr."

"Cigarettes?" Johann laughed heartily as the carriage jostled over a knobby tree root on the dirt road. "Son, 'round here you'll find proper cigars filled with high-quality leaf. Personally, I suggest Lambholt Express Leaf, the best there is. 'Course, it has a price to match."

Jorge nodded absent-mindedly. "I'll think about it."

With every jostle and bump on the road, Karin's heavy iron cage rattled in the carriage back, but she never complained once. Still, Leo couldn't help but check on her. "Doing all right?" he asked her gently.

Karin groaned, curled up on the bottom of her cage. Glowing white shackles of white mana encased her wrists and ankles, thanks to Abigail's precautionary magic. "I dunno, Leo... I feel sick and weak. I hope I didn't catch something."

Leo felt a pang of sympathy. "Just how long were you in that cage exposed to the elements?"

"Three days," Karin croaked. "But I never got rained on or anything." Her breathes came in deep, deliberate gasps and her body shook under the large cloak she used as a blanket.

"We can treat any ailment she has once we reach the Heidin Brotherhood headquarters," the carriage driver offered. "They specialize in all sorts of ailments and curses."

"Awesome," Karin panted with forced cheer.

Leo poked his head out the carriage door, letting the cool, damp wind buffet his face as he looked ahead at the second carriage, where Erik and Martin were. These guys had better live up to their reputation. Demonic curses are never easily dealt with. He thought back to the moonlit night on the roof of that Falkenrath outpost, where he had accepted the deal offered by a large, powerful demon. If only I had stayed home in bed that day...

"Leo!" Abigail snapped urgently. Jolted, Leo slunk his head back into the carriage and realized that Karin's breaths had become heavy, growl-like pants and her voice had deepened. She sat up in her cage, seizing the cage bars.

"G-guys," she rasped, her eyes wild. "H-help me..."

Her voice was drowned out by a sudden noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl, then she scrambled back in the cage with her hands clapped over her face. Her fingernails were extending quickly, sharpening into points.

Johann's hand flew to his sword handle. "She's turning!" he barked. "Stop the carriage!"

The horses whinnied and dug their hooves into the dirt road, skidding to a halt as Karin started to thrash and grunt in her cage, rattling the iron frame. The white mana shackled kept her arms and legs tucked close to her body, but the restraints did little to hold back her transformation. Her hands dropped to her sides, revealing her black scleras and elongating canines. Slowly, her muscles began to swell and harden under her skin while thick, reddish fur began to sprout from her arms, legs and chest.

"Everyone out!" Johann ordered, kicking open his door with his sword held at the ready. Trying to block out the disturbing noises of Karin's grunting and snarling, Leo scrambled out the carriage with the others, drawing his short sword from its sheath. The second carriage driver, having heard the commotion, halted his carriage as well and the occupants spilled out onto the rough dirt road. Meanwhile, Karin rattled her cage and wailed as her back and neck extended, her shoulders hunching and her face extending to a canine point. Long pointed ears erupted from her head and a bushy tail sprouted from her lower back, but these body parts weren't like the graceful and benign fox form that Karin used to employ. Rather, the furry beast in the cage was a scion of Innistrad's evil natural forces, and the fully-formed werewolf howled and snarled as she thrashed her claws against the iron cage.

Rick fumbled for his crossbow, fitting a bolt into the stock. "We're not going to... you know... kill her, are we?" he asked, his face going pale as he raised his weapon to aim at the monster.

"We must. There's nothing anyone can do for her!" one of Johann's men snapped.

"No true! We brought her to be treated and contained. Use non-lethal force, people!" Johann countered.

Karin growled hungrily as she wrapped her thick paws around the cage bars and peeled them slowly back, the iron groaning as the bars were twisted out of the way. Still bound by Abigail's magic, the werewolf tumbled awkwardly out of the cage, landing heavily in a heap of red fur on the dirt road.

This won't be too bad, Leo thought with relief, but he changed his mind when Karin snapped her arms out, shattering Abigail's restraints into puffs of white mana. The leg bindings were similarly kicked apart, and now the lithe werewolf began pacing in a wide circle, watching its human prey with bright, wild eyes and her fangs exposed.

Then she lunged.

Men dove for safety as Karin plowed into the earth, her claws raking the dirt and scrabbling for a firm grip. Snarling, the beast whirled around and swung out her paw, smashing the knuckles into a man's temple. The man dropped his mace numbly as he collapsed like a rag doll.

The other Cathars cursed and crowded around the werewolf, beating her sturdy frame with their maces and drawing light cuts with their swords. Aggravated, the werewolf knocked one man away with her brawny shoulder and snapped out with her jaws, clamping her teeth onto another man's arm. The main wailed as Karin bit down, and Leo winced at the sound of cracking bones.

"Damn it!" Abigail planted her feet firmly on the rugged forest path, raising her hands in a whirlwind of blinding white mana. At once, shining white barriers erupted around Karin, blocking her off from the remaining Cathars. The frustrated werewolf scrabbled her claws against the magical shield surfaces, raising clouds of mana sparks.

"Knock her out!" Johann ordered, joining the fray with his battle ax in hand. "But don't kill her!"

"Easy for you to say, captain!" a man snapped as Karin shattered a barrier with her fist, unleashing a deafening howl of hunger. Her left leg snapped out and kicked aside one man, sending him tumbling away on the road. Another Cathar approached from Karin's exposed flank, a battle cry on his lips as he swung his heavy mace down through the air. With a loud thwack, the mace's blunt surface smashed against Karin's thick werewolf skull, making her whimper and cower from the blow. Recovering, she whirled around and tore the mace out of the man's hands, towering over the suddenly fearful man.

"No!" Leo howled, leaping onto the scene. He didn't even have a real plan; he just went with the first thing that came to mind. He leaped into Karin's back and hung on, praying that she wouldn't throw him off. Confused, Karin snarled and twisted around, trying to reach back and peel Leo off her back. Determined to end the struggle as soon as possible, Leo raised his sword and sent the hard end of the pommel crashing down on Karin's head, right where the other Cathar had swung his mace. Once again Karin grunted from the blunt trauma, and this time she gurgled and went limp, toppling face-first onto the road.

Panting, Leo shakily got to his feet and backed up, sword held at the ready as he watched Karin's limp form. "How about that, guys? I actually knocked a werewolf out," he joked tensely.

"Mighty fine job, Thraben boy," Johann approved. "But that won't last long. Men, get this poor thing bound as tight as you can."

Quickly, Johann's men used ropes and chains from the carriages to tightly bind Karin's arms and legs together, and Abigail imbued the restraints with white mana for extra security. The men dragged the bound werewolf to the remains of its cage, heaving the beast into the carriage.

"Everyone back on board," Johann ordered, suddenly sounding weary. "Reaching the Heidin Brotherhood headquarters is still our top priority. They'll know what to do with Karin."

"You could say that again," Leo commented as he took his wife's hand. "All right, let's get going... what's the matter?"

Abigail stood rigid, her gaze fixed on the cloudy sky with a distant look in her eyes. "L... Leo," she said faintly.

Alarmed, Leo gripped his wife's shoulders. "What's the matter? Are we in danger?"

"No." A distinct look of careful optimism crept into her eyes. "Leo... something happened. Something big. I can feel..." She swallowed. "I feel a powerful presence, or maybe a number of entities in the far distance. More powerful than anything!"

Johann walked over to the scene, hands on his hips. "Is there a problem here, fellas?" he asked. "'Cause we've got to cart this werewolf to the Brotherhood headquart -"

"I feel it!" Abigail repeated. "It's the light of the Archangel! I can feel her holy magic spreading everywhere. It's like my nerves are on fire!" She lowered her eyes, her expression amazed. "She's here!"

Leo backed up a few steps. "Whoa whoa, what's this crazy talk? Avacyn is long gone, and we've got to get Karin on the road... wait a minute..."

The clouds overhead began to part, admitting rays of warm, golden light that seemed to melt the misty shadows with their radiant touch. The brilliant blue sky began to replace the cloud cover, dazzling Leo's eyes. "Oh... I think you were serious," he commented brightly.

"Well, whatever happened, we can figure it out at the headquarters," Johann insisted, motioning urgently at the carriages. "Get a move on! Erik and Martin need to get back with their fellows."

"Right," Abigail nodded, snapping herself out of her gaze and leading Leo to the carriage. "But I've got a good feeling about this."

She wasn't alone; the other men stopped and stared, unable to believe their eyes as a radiant blue sky streaked with gold washed away the former gloomy morning. Johann urged them all to get a move on, unwilling to stop and admire the view.

*o*o*o*o*

"This is it. Everyone deploy!" Johann ordered the minute the carriages rolled into the front grounds of a small manor with a tall, pointed roof deep in the Ulvenwald forest. Leo's heart hammered with excitement as he hopped out of the carriage and helped drag the restrained Karin through the building's front doors. Amazingly, Abigail's mythic restraints had grown in size, sizzling and pulsating with strong white mana. No doubt that Abigail's prediction was true: something big was happening on Innistrad, and Leo was determined to get to the bottom of it. But first...

"I need help. With a demonic pact that is," Leo urgently confided with a Heidin mage as soon as everyone had marched into the building. Dozens of men clad in dark green robes occupied the place, and they were grateful to have Erik and Martin join their ranks.

The Heidin mage, a man with curly brown hair and a short beard, gave Leo a hard look. "Demonic pacts are difficult to handle, boy," he rumbled as Karin was dragged through the halls of the torch-lit manor. "And do you know how many people have come to us looking for help? We're stretched thin. Our resources won't last."

Leo returned the man's hard glare. "A demon took advantage of a moment of weakness and granted me my life in return for a later price. I was dying!"

"You agreed to the demon's offer?" the man repeated. "To spare your own life?"

"And those of my friends and my wife," Leo hissed, glad that Abigail was out of earshot in the bustling front hall. "They didn't deserve death!"

The man raised his eyebrows. "Who are you to decide that?"

Leo faltered. "I'm not. But... sir, I have a four-year-old son back home who needs his parents. I have connections in the Church and I've fought tirelessly for humanity. Ask anyone! Ask Johann or the high priests of Thraben!" He lowered his voice. "I implore you... I'm not doing this for myself. I just want my wife and son to be safe and not pay for my mistake. I don't know what that demon will do when it returns to receive its payment."

The Heidin mage hesitated, holding his breath as his mind raced. Then he released his breath with a puff. "Very well, boy. Follow me, and my fellows and I can start a procedure to determine the nature of your pact. I warn you, this will take some time. And it may be very taxing on your body and mind to counteract the pact. Also, there's no guarantee that we can banish the pact, depending on how powerful the demon is..."

"I don't care, just do it!" Leo whispered urgently.

With a nod, the Heidin mage set off down a corridor, his robes billowing behind him. "Follow," he said simply.

Muttering a feverish thank-you to whatever angels were watching over him, Leo jogged down the corridor in the mage's wake, already mentally steeling himself for whatever "taxing" procedures were ahead of him.

A sudden thump from overhead made everyone freeze.

"Did you hear that?" Abigail, Jorge, Rick, and several others caught up with Leo, fear in their eyes.

"Must have been a tree branch falling on the roof, right?" Rick suggested weakly. He winced when another heavy thump echoed from the manor's roof, along with the sound of huge claws scrabbling against wood and tiles. Then, with a heart-stopping crash of shattering wood, something huge broke through the ceiling and bashed its way through the manor's floors.

"Leo, son of Wulfgar! Your time has come to pay!" boomed a hideous voice that rumbled in everyone's minds.

Abigail trembled, aghast. "Leo, how does that thing know your name? That's the voice of a demon!"

Leo fought for his words. "Um... I'm pretty popular in certain circles, you see..."

"Don't evade the question!" Abigail snapped, taking Leo's shoulders and shaking them as more crashes filled the manor. "What is happening? Do you know something?"

"Hey, lay off!" Rick growled, tugging Abigail off her husband. "We're all in danger here. We're in for another fight!"

Indeed, Johann and his men were already converging in the manor's entrance hall, swords and maces drawn. Leo drew his own sword, trying to avoid Abigail's accusing eyes as he and the others joined Johann's men in the front lobby. "You guys stay back! Your lives are top priority!" Leo barked at the Heidin mages, who stood in a frightened cluster near a set of stairs. The man scrambled back, retreating into a side hallway.

Then, the ceiling bulged inwards as though bearing a heavy weight, and with a blizzard of wood chips and plaster, the ceiling gave way and a monstrous demon landed heavily on its reptilian legs. Around it landed dozens of chattering, red-skinned devils with long claws and beady eyes. The demon flared out its wide, bat-like wings and swished its reptilian tail through the air in excitement. "How resourceful, Leo, fleeing to the Heidin Brotherhood to find a cure for the pact you made with me," the demon commented, leering with its sharp teeth exposed. "But I will not let you get away so easily. I will have what is mine!"

Johann rounded on Leo, mingled horror and anger in his eyes. "What is this all about, Thraben boy?" he demanded, his voice hoarse. "What have you done? And you had the nerve to drag my men and I into it!"

"It doesn't matter anyway, boss," one of Johann's men said boldly. "If we kill these sons of bitches, then it's all right, ain't it?"

That was all that the Kessig Cathars needed. With a war cry, the men surged across the entrance hall with weapons raised, and the devils rushed to counter-attack. Sword and mace met claw and fang, while the demon pointed a clawed finger down the hall. "Slay them! All of them!" it barked, and a cluster of devils gleefully galloped down the hall, pouncing on the screaming, hapless Heidin mages. Leo winced and looked away, but not before he saw shredded green robes and sprays of human blood soak the walls. He saw his last chance for freedom vanish as the Heidin mages were slaughtered.

The demon now lumbered down the hallway, shaking the floor with every step of its wide feet. It tore its claws through one Kessig Cathar, rending the man in half as it advanced to Leo. It didn't even wince as Rick fired a bolt and the steel-tipped projectile stabbed into its left shoulder. Abigail raised her hands, white mana flooding her hands as she conjured a wide barrier that took up the hallway. With a single headbutt, the demon shattered the barrier and kept coming, its flaming eyes fixed on Leo.

With a cry, Leo slashed his sword through the air, unleashing a sheet of holy flames that washed over the demon in an instant. Still the demon didn't stop, its skin merely blistered in patches from the fiery assault. Instead of striking, however, the demon gestured Abigail, Jorge, and Rick. The three of them cried out and collapsed to the hardwood floor when devils pounced on them, pinning them to the floor. Rick's crossbow dropped and Abigail's white mana suppressed by the ethereal bindings.

By now, at least half the devils had fallen in combat, but the last of the Kessig Cathars perished, the man falling to the floor in bloody pieces. The remaining devils happily scampered over and clustered around their master, taunting Leo with their wicked eyes. At the demon's command, two devils pounced on Leo faster than he could react, their heavy bodies and sharp claws pinning him painfully to the floor. Leo grunted and wriggled against the two red-skinned beasts sitting on top of him, his sword falling out of reach. He strained to wrap his fingers around his weapon's hilt, but the devils punched their claws into his arms, trapping them in place and drawing hot blood.

"You'll... never get anything form me," Leo gasped, feeling sweat soak his hair and forehead. He tried to ignore the smarting pain from the devils' claws.

"But I think I will," the demon sneered, taking a few heavy steps forward. "And so will my master."

"Your..." Leo repeated numbly, unsure if he had heard that right. The demon had a master? Who could that possibly be?

"There's no use wasting time, Leo," reprimanded a new voice, one Leo had never heard. From the shadows stepped a man of moderate build, his body cloaked in voluminous black robes. The boots on his unseen feet stomped heavily on the floor and his sharp brown eyes watched Leo without pity. He appeared to be middle-aged with a short tuft of beard and a beak nose, but otherwise he was fairly unremarkable.

Leo finally gave up his struggling, panting for breath. "And who might you be? Don't tell me you're the demon's master. I've seen much more impressive Skirsdag cult ringleaders than you. Killed some, too."

The man smiled with mock pity. "I'm not with the Skirsdag cult, Leo. They are beneath my notice and they can't even grasp how old or affluent with demonic magic that I actually am."

Feeling lost, Leo gawked at the man. "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Keeping my end of my own bargain," the man told Leo. "For nearly three centuries I have harvested the souls of one man per generation in our family, and your soul is the newest one I will offer to my demon partner. Immortality... at the price of others. Those were the terms."

Something clicked in Leo's mind. "I had a vision in my dreams, one where I was warned about a family inheritance and the generations. This is it, isn't it? I'm next in line to fuel your pact with this demon, and you're my cursed ancestor who started all this?"

The man looked mildly impressed. "You had an ancestral recall? Interesting, but it won't save you. The Heidin Brotherhood is wiped out, and if you don't give me your soul now, Leo, I'll start killing these friends of yours."

Leo flinched. "Don't you hurt them!" He recalled the pact he had made and now he knew that someone had indeed been standing in the shadows, watching the scene. This man.

The demon chuckled. "You know, Hendrick, the souls of these others look delicious. Perhaps I could have them instead of Leo's? Three for the price of one!"

The man named Hendrick considered this. "A fair proposition, but I can't have Leo remembering all this. What do you say, Leo? Offer your friends' lives and have your memory of me wiped, or give yourself and have your friends endure your absence?"

"L...Leo, don't cave to their terms," Abigail pleaded. "I don't want to lose you!"

"And if I gave your life in my place, I wouldn't deserve to live anyway," Leo argued, then turned to the demon. "You've been following me, haven't you? You waited until I was on the brink of death during that mission in Stensia, then made your move."

"Yes, as I has been for all the others," the demon acknowledged. "What a clever lad you are. A shame that you might die."

The devils piled on top of Rick, Jorge and Abigail sank their claws into their human prey, slowly digging deeper while spilling blood everywhere. All three of them cried out in pain, but they couldn't break free. "Those devils will keep going until they are dead or until you make a decision, Leo," Hendrick warned him. "The demon is being generous, giving your this choice. Consider it a gift."

Some gift, Leo cursed, his heart thumping with dread. He couldn't turn around and look at Abigail and the others, but he knew that they could hear him. "Abigail, my love... look after Theodore for me, okay? Raise him well."

"Leo, I -" Abigail protested.

"Don't argue!" Leo bit back, his mind whirling. There was definitely only one right option, and there was no way out. "I'm not buying my freedom with your life! Or Rick's or Jorge's! This is all my fault and it's my burden to bear."

Abigail made a choking sob. "L-Leo, dear... is this why you were so determined to leave Thraben and get to Kessig? To find a way to break your pact with this demon? You hid all this from me! Your wife!"

"I didn't want to burden you with the knowledge," Leo choked, feeling tears welling in his eyes. "There was nothing you could do anyway. No one could help but the Brotherhood. Now that they're dead, I'm down to my last choice. I'm giving my life so you can live, Abigail." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I love you very much. Don't ever forget that."

"I..." Abigail sputtered as the demon started lumbering toward Leo with its claw outstretched, mingled black and blue mana gathering on its palm. "Leo, I..."

Leo didn't say anything else, and instead tried to calm himself as he felt the demon's clawed hand clasped itself around his head and began to leech his very essence from his brain. The sensation was almost relaxing, like having a cool torrent of water flood through his head. He felt his thoughts grow fuzzy and distant...

*o*o*o*o*

Abigail could feel the weight and, more importantly, the claws of the devils piled on top of her, but she ignored all that as she watched her husband's soul get siphoned out of his body and into the demon's palm in a colorful display of black and red mana while Hendrick watched with satisfaction, his ancient eyes cold.

That bastard! Abigail howled in her head as she stared daggers at Hendrick. Taking the souls of others to fuel his pact with a demon... the coward! I felt so angry at Leo a moment ago for dragging himself into that pact, but it's all this man's fault! She clenched her hands into fists and bared her teeth. I'll kill him! I'll kill him for what he's done to my family!

With a soft puff of mana, Leo's body evaporated into vapors, the soul-sucking ritual complete. The demon sat back on its haunches, running its long, barbed tongue over its shiny teeth. "Exquisite, Hendrick," the beast commented. "I've been waiting for this for so long."

"We have," Hendrick had to agree. "Have your devils drag these people out of the manor and kill them. I don't want any witnesses. Leo had only the illusion of control of the situation."

The demon chuckled again. "Exactly my thoughts! Minions, take them outside and feast on them! Today is a good day!"

The devils broke out into hungry chatters, rising to drag their human prey out the front doors. Before they could make a move, however, a brilliant flash of golden light enveloped the whole room, making everyone cover and shield their eyes. Abigail distinctly heard the flap of huge, feathery wings and the rustle of robes.

"Evil beings, begone!" a woman's strong voice shouted, and the sudden squeals and shrieks of injured devils filled the air as an unseen weapon slashed through the air. Abigail heard the splatters of hot devil blood being spilled and the demon's indignant howls of dismay. The unseen visitor kept up her assault, and Abigail felt the devils that clung to her release their grip as they died.

"An angel? I don't think so," the demon rumbled. "Hendrick! We will slay this bird-woman and – urgh!"

The angel's weapon sank into flesh and the demon let loose a pained howl that shuddered the entire manor. Abigail scrambled forward on all fours, opening her eyes as the angel's light slowly dimmed. Her eyes watered against the brightness, but she could distinctly see Leo's short sword lying on the wood floor ahead of her. Abigail lunged and seized the weapon in her right hand, scrambling to her feet with her heart hammering her chest. The black-robed Hendrick had stumbled back, shielding his face with his hands. Abigail slowly marched toward him with the sword held at the ready. She had never really trained with such weapons, but Hendrick was unarmed, and Abigail had a hell of a lot of payback to get.

The angel's spear stabbed deep into the demon's chest, piercing its leathery hide and spilling dark blood. Wincing, the demon seized the spear and tore it out of his own chest, slashing his claws across the robed angel's chest. The angel cried out as she was thrown against the wall, crashing in a confused pile of wings and sky-blue robes. The demon lunged after her with its claws outstretched and its wings flapping, and the two of them grappled in a immortal struggle.

Meanwhile, Abigail charged at the hapless Hendrick with Leo's sword, shouting in rage and retribution as she plowed the sharp blade into the man's gut. Hendrick howled as the weapon pierced him, but he only smiled mockingly and backed up a few steps. "The demon makes me immortal and gives me more power than you can imagine," he reminded her. "Did you forget? Here's a remind,er just in case." He flicked a few fingers, and Abigail shrieked and crumpled under the pressure of a mental attack that seemed to fry her brain. Hot red and black mana seared her vision and thoughts, threatening to engulf her in a world of white-hot pain and magic.

Then the pressure stopped.

Slowly, Abigail climbed to her feet again, whirling around to see what the hell was going on. The angel had recovered her spear and had planted its point into the demon's head, and the demon's limp body began to sizzle and corrode as though doused in acid. Hendrick gasped and coughed blood, wheezing wetly. "No... my power! My power!" he gasped, staring at his hands. Wisps of black mana seeped from his fingers, vanishing into the air. He fell to his knees, his sword wound threatening his suddenly mortal body. He tugged the weapon free and tossed it aside, but it was too late. He fell on his back, going pale as blood seeped onto the floor. With one last puff of breath, he went still.

A thick silence fell over the scene, then Jorge and Rick slowly made their way toward Hendrick's still form. "He's... really dead?" Jorge asked hesitantly.

"The bastard's dead," Abigail confirmed, then shakily walked over to the angel and fell to her knees, tears welling in her eyes as her grief came crashing though her mind all at once. "But Leo... he..."

The angel knelt before Abigail, gently taking the priestess in her arms. "Easy, child. He gave his life so you might live," she told the sobbing Abigail. "I could feel the process from above when I approached. I am so sorry if I arrived too late. I sensed the demon's presence and hurried to the best of my abilities."

"Well, at least Hendrick and the demon are dead," Rick offered in a hollow voice. "I mean, that's a victory in itself, right? Leo's avenged. He'd like that."

Abigail nodded mutely, burying her face in the angel's soft robes as she wept freely. "I-I guess so. Angel, what is happening? I f-felt something on the ride here..."

"The Archangel is free from her silver prison," the angel announced. "And with her came a new dawn to banish Innistrad's shadows. Humanity is safe once again, and the demons and ghouls and werewolves now have much to fear. But this one can be saved."

"What... oh. Karin!" Abigail realized, breaking free from the angel and turning around. Karin had woken up, and the red-furred werewolf had been left lying at the other end of the entrance hall. Caution was in her eyes and her ears were flat against her head.

The angel rose gracefully on her wings, extending a hand outwards and approaching the werewolf. "Avacyn has decreed that those afflicted with lycanthropy shall become the newest guardians of humanity. Poor soul, will you accept this gift and become a higher being?"

As though understanding, Karin sat on her hind legs like an obedient dog and sat still as the angel shattered the ropes and chains and pressed her hand to Karin's forehead. At once, Karin's monstrous body grew thinner and upright like a human's, taking on a more mellow form that radiated strong but gentle red and green mana.

"By the decree of Avacyn, you shall be one of the wolfir, guardians of the people," the angel declared. "No more will you slaughter those you once knew and loved. Rise, and assume your new duty."

"All's well that ends well, huh?" Rick said with more forced cheer. "I bet not even the Heidin guys could have pulled this off."

Abigail managed a watery smile. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Now, let's get going. We've been away from Thraben for too long, and I get the feeling that we'll be needed there."

*o*o*o*o*

A/N: Just one more chapter to go!