Dark POV:

I was wandering around the mansion grounds to brood alone when I heard a pop echo in my head like a gunshot. I stopped cold. That was the sound of the wards breaking. From the OUTSIDE.

I burst into my shadows, flying at break neck speed through the gardens. How had they found us?! This was the only safe haven that i was positive would grant us infallible asylum! I couldn't let anything happen to Jericho, not her.

If she died, I went with her.

I flew into the foyer towards the ward crack just in time to see Anti and another girl disappear with Jericho into thin air with a flash of pink light. That was Miishu's aura! What in the world was that meddling witch doing here, with Anti? I heard an enraged scream accompanying their vanishment before I could unleash my own: "NOOO!" My heart stopped when I saw the source.

There was Fell, crouched on the steps post-leap with a look of feral rage on his face, eyes glowing wildly as he glared at the place The trio just left vacant. Anti was sprawled out on the black tile at the base of the stairs with several arrows protruding from his torso as he groaned in pain.

Ah. That meant that the man Signe was with was Anti's vessel. I calmed myself, knowing she was probably safe with the witch; though I didn't know what she meant to accomplish by kidnapping Jericho, I'd known the crazy Hex monger for too long to suspect that her intentions were anything but pure. Crazy and haphazard, but pure.

I still wouldn't go easy on her later, though.

"...Fel 'iikh. What happened here? What did you do?" I asked quietly.

The Demon dubbed The Angel of Death tensed and slowly turned to pin his molten gaze on me. I made sure to flare my aura, sending threatening signals through the room. Fell's teeth glinted as he shot me a sly smirk, narrowing his serpentine eyes.

"Well if it isn't the 'Blood King' himself, fashionably late as always. Apologies for the mess, the party got a bit out of hand for a bit. ANTI! Stop lazing about, it's unbecoming," he suddenly snapped with a glance over his shoulder before turning back to grin at me conspiriatorily, "You're embarrassing me in front of our...host."

I almost laughed as Anti let loose another groan, struggling to stand. He was more worm than snake.

I folded my arms. "Of all the things I could call you, Fell, welcome is not one of them. What do you want with Jericho?" I stayed calm, restraining my emotions and holding back my urge to fly at him and rip him to pieces. If we fought, we'd likely lay waste to everything within a three mile radius.

He began chuckling softly before he crescendoed into a fit of laughter that shook his thin shoulders. "Oh fuck, FUCK you're precious! Oh BAAL, you have no idea do you? You clueless fuck!"

I raised a single eyebrow in response. I wouldn't be goaded into a battle until I knew where all the pieces lay.

"And just what has a creature like you in such hysterics?"

He wiped his eyes. "The thought of your face when the pieces finally fall together. We'll be there to see you fall, king. You won't even see it coming. Anti! Let's go. Pull yourself together."

He dissolved into smoke from his feet to his head; his golden eyes were the last thing to go. Anti did the same, the arrows falling to the floor. I watched them retreat through the wall and disappear from my sight. I sighed. At least Jericho was safe. Signe was almost as powerful as me. I was peeved that she'd taken action without consulting me first, but I was thankful that Jericho was taken by her rather than Fel 'iikh and Antiok.

That witch better know what she's doing.

Jericho's POV:

We reappeared just outside of a small town that was mainly just white clay houses. I looked around, disoriented at the sudden change in location. "Where are we?"

Miishu shrugged. "No idea."

Sean was on his hands and knees, looking a bit more pale than usual. He lifted his head weakly. "Ugh... what the hell..." Miishu helped him to his feet, putting his arm around her shoulders and looking like she wanted to laugh.

"You good there, Irish? This is the second time today!" She said in a teasing, but still sympathetic voice.

"I-I'm fine, just dis... ugh...disoriented. w-what do you mean you have no idea?"

She shrugged again from under his arm. "I meant what I said. Now do either of you have a safe place we could hide out for a bit? Somewhere they wouldn't expect us to go. I'm pretty popular, so any base of operations I have could easily be compromised."

I shook my head immediately. "Yeah, Definitely not. The only place would be my apartment, and they're bound to be watching that."

"Mmkay. Okee Dokee Irish, how about you?"

Sean took his arm back and thought for a minute before nodding slowly. "I might know a place..."

Mikhail's POV:

Finally!

They had just approved my departure from the fortress. I was going insane, barricaded in that thrice damned medical wing for two days. At the very least, the souvenirs I'd acquired from my little scuffle with Dark were gone, thanks to the medic mages.

I made a beeline straight for the Vienna airport. As I'd suspected, we'd received no word from the knights that the council sent to Iraq. Why the White King would ever dream of approving such a farce, I'll never know. They were likely already dead. If I caught a plane that night to a city outside Hillah, I could be there by the time the sun rises on Iraq... But I had to hurry.

I was just exiting the cathedral that was built over the underground fortress when I heard the one voice I would never have expected at that moment:

"Mikhail. I need your help."

Jericho's POV:

"I might know a place...how do you two feel about LA?"

I looked at him blankly. "What? Why?"

Miishu just grinned and giggled. "Oooooo, I know EXACTLY where we're going!" She grabbed both of our arms.

"Oh fuck, not again..." Sean groaned.

"Hang on to your panties, Irish! Here we go!"

We appeared in front of a gigantic mansion. It was pretty posh; it had a fountain, a big pool, and well kept green grass and shrubs all across the grounds. Miishu released me and held Sean up before he could fall again.

"Did I guess right, Irish?" She grinned.

Sean looked around. "Y-yep... this is- ugh- this is the place. J-just knock on the door..."

I followed his instructions, banging on the fancily crafted wood. There was a yelp followed by loud laughter, and I heard frantic barking after a few seconds as a dog ran up and jumped on the door, popping up behind the glass window every time it jumped.

"Mark! Jesus, go get your freakin dog, she made me drop the fruit punch!" Someone yelled from inside. I heard another person laughing.

"I know, that was hilarious!" The man said as he almost sobbed with laughter. "Okay, okay, I'll get her, calm down. Chica! Chica pica puppyyyy~!" The man cooked in a baby voice as his footsteps neared the door.

"Who dat, Chica? Who'dja find, pupper?" The dog stopped jumping on the door as the blurry figure of a man showed through the tinted glass designs. The door opened, setting off a fresh round of yaps from the adorable golden retriever.

"Yeeees?" The man said with a goofy grin. My jaw dropped through the concrete.

"MARKIPLIER!?"