"We need to figure this out, and now. We have one Wild Power," Hannah
paused and looked kindly towards Jez, before resuming, "But that still
means that there are three out there, somewhere. Those are the ones we need
to focus on now. We're going to need three separate parties to go off after
the three of them. We've heard that one of them is in captivity already,
but the other two are still in unawares as far as well know, which means
that we're only going to have to work harder. We have to all be together in
this."
"Uh, excuse me, but is it too late to sign up to this group?" an unexpected voice questioned suddenly.
Heads from all over the room turned to face the newbies who had just arrived. Hannah's eyes met Nilsson's man who had allowed them in and saw the slight nod of acceptance that he directed towards her.
"Hi, I'm Keller, this is Winnie and Nissa. We're the best from the Californian Circle Daybreak faction. I'm sure you can see what we are, which I'm hoping will help you to believe that we are sincere in our wanting to help. Heard that you needed to round up another one of these Wild Powers in this area?" The shapeshifter seemed to be in the lead of this small group, Lupe noted with a certain amount of interest.
"So, are we too late to join up?" Keller asked a second time.
Hannah made a quick take of the room to ascertain that there were no great objections to this, but as far as she could see, there was only interest and curiosity in majority around the room. She nodded, noticing as she did that Nilsson's man stepped back, probably to report back to Thierry on their latest arrivals, who couldn't have arrived at a better time!
"Providing you're prepared to work with us, you're in," she announced. "Now find a place to sit. We have some organization to work through."
*
Hugh was setting off in the direction of the Dark Kingdom that Circle Daybreak had gotten wind of through the Maiden of the witches, Aradia. Circle Twilight had been thoroughly disbanded in the face of the upcoming Millennium. There were only two sides to be had; light and dark. All too many had already gone over to Hunter, but more than a few had decided on Circle Daybreak.
Many of those were in the group who had gone in ahead with Aradia as they tried to approach the newest Wild Power with diplomacy. Hugh, Blaise and Kestrel were to follow up behind in case anything went wrong and they were to report back to the Circle Daybreak mansion. James, Rashel, Morgead, Lupe and Raven had been picked out for muscle power in defense of the witches.
It seemed an almost flawless plan, until an attack against them succeeded.
It came on so suddenly that retreat was the only option left open to them by all who survived the initial attack. By the time that they reassembled themselves further back from the boundaries of the Dark Kingdom, where the attack had taken place, they realized that Aradia was no longer with them.
*
Hugh froze. Something had gone horridly wrong, and now someone was. . . speaking inside of his mind? He shook it for instant clarity, and Kestrel who was standing beside him looked at him warily.
"Are you alright?" she asked with trepidation.
"Fine, just. . ." And there it was again! Whatever it was, Hugh wasn't appreciating it. Especially now when there were far more important things to be worried about.
iSend help. Backup. We are alive. We have seen the Wild Power. Follow onward.i
The voice sounded almost like a whisper on the wind, and just as weak and elusive. In all the years of his life, even after he had awakened to the fact of his being an Old Soul, nothing like this had ever happened to him.
"Hugh, what is it?" This time the lamia's voice was testy as she asked him. There didn't seem any point in lying. In either case, the witch who was here with them might actually understand what was going on here.
"I keep hearing. . . voices in my head," he said in distraction.
"Voices?" Kestrel asked, looking doubtfully towards Blaise. The witch's steady eyes remained on Hugh.
Voices? No, that wasn't quite right. "No, it's just one. A whispering in my mind of someone else," was all he could supply, in complete bafflement.
He watched Blaise's eyes narrow.
"What is it saying to you?" she wanted to know.
Hugh concentrated again.
iTrust. Appeal to them from their hearts. Believe in me. Believe in this.i
"It's saying to trust. To believe," Hugh replied haltingly. "That they, whoever they are, are in trouble."
Then, as sudden as that, a blissful expression came over his face.
"The soulmate principle," he whispered. Then he appeared to remember that Kestrel and Blaise were still staring at him strangely. "The witches. We must go to them. Now. They have the Wild Power near to them."
"Shouldn't we talk to Thierry about this?" Blaise questioned as she and Kestrel lagged behind. Hugh was already busy gathering the witches who were still assembled, James and the other vampires.
"Unlike some, he doesn't seem so hesitant about his soulmate," Kestrel replied pointedly, before following closer to Hugh and the rest.
*
"So, you're Delos Redfern," James said, measuring him up and down.
Delos' chin lifted with pride.
"I am," was all he answered with.
"James," he introduced himself. "Redfern. I think you might have been introduced to one of the less popular Redferns first up. Shall we try this again?"
Looking quickly towards Maggie, who was still standing close to her newly recovered brother, Miles, Delos smiled at James with a quick nod.
"I think I'd like that," he replied, and the two Redferns shook hands.
"You weren't a shapeshifter before, were you?" Lupe asked, coming over to Maggie and Miles and introducing herself before asking Miles the question.
Miles shook his head.
"It's still relatively new. Better now, of course, now that I don't have the witch's curse on me on top of everything else. Could be worse things than a falcon," Miles answered, tightening his arm around his sister's waist.
"Yeah, you could have been just dead," Maggie responded smartly.
Morgead seemed rather less patient to get things over here and return to the Circle Daybreak mansion. Perhaps it was all the fuss Rashel, Kestrel and Raven were making over the new Wild Power. Either that or the way that Hugh was looking down at Aradia, holding her arm lightly as they spoke in quiet tones was making the vampire conscious that his Wild Power soulmate was not here with him too.
"Alright then, who's coming back with us then?" he questioned pointedly, cutting off the current catch ups and conversations without remorse. Many of the Daybreakers looked over to him in surprise, before their expressions acceded that his was a valid question to be asked right now.
In the end, it was Morgead, James, Delos and Maggie who led the way. When the witches weren't crowding around her, Hugh and Aradia were hand in hand, looking into each others eyes as only a soulmate could understand with a blind Maiden of the Witches. Lupe was filling Miles in on what it meant to be a shapeshifter within Circle Daybreak, only the third one thus far. Raven, Rashel, Jeanne and P.J backed up the group, and Kestrel and Blaise were wandering somewhere in between.
"They almost look happy," Blaise murmured. "Regardless of the fact that the possible end of the world may be upon us even as we speak, they all look. . . satisfied."
Kestrel looked around, considering the group they walked within.
"They've all got a purpose. A reason for being, I suppose," she said a while later.
Blaise couldn't help but agree. And why should she deny herself what everyone else had seemed to find within Circle Daybreak? Problem was, that it had gone on for so long now, that Blaise didn't even know if she could find the words she wanted to say here.
Kestrel gazed at her from beneath her eyelashes, alerted by the change in her soulmate's thoughts. Such a strong willed personality. No less would have appealed to her, she surmised. However, she was not going to make this any easier for the witch. Not after all the hell that she had put Kestrel through these past months!
"Kestrel. . ." Blaise's voice trailed off, and Kestrel couldn't help but be disappointed. What else could she do here? She had all but laid herself on a platter to be picked at.
She listened as Blaise took a deep breath in, noticing it possibly because it was one of the innate differences between the two of them. Breathing had never been mandatory to her kind. All the same, Blaise's next movements took her totally by surprise.
Pausing in the middle of the group, Blaise suddenly took a hold of both of Kestrel's upper arms. Although Kestrel knew that with the slightest effort, she would have been able to get away; the witch's strength was nothing to a lamia vampire, Kestrel wanted only to wait and see how this was about to be played out.
She wasn't disappointed. Less than a second later, Blaise's lips were upon hers. Soft and cool, exactly as Kestrel had always imagined them being. She was in a heaven visited to her because Blaise had finally found it within her to be able to give in to what was so alive between them. She felt her mind open up to the soulmate connection that was greater than both of them together, and willfully lost herself within it.
*
"Hunter's not going to like this," Dani laughed shakily as the second Wild Power was introduced to everyone at Circle Daybreak.
"That's two down, two to go," Eric put in.
"Welcome to Circle Daybreak," Thea offered.
Delos nodded around to everyone in turn.
"It's, well, it's great to be here," he granted hesitantly. He still wasn't used to being a part of something big, around other people to whom he actually mattered as a person, not just a doomsday weapon.
Maggie was sitting comfortably on his lap, a large grin on her features. Even her brother, with his less than wonderful beginnings into the Night World seemed to have found an instant rapport with Lupe, who seemed more than happy to have him hanging on her words.
Everything seemed just perfect, as far as Maggie could see it. If only it could stay this way always; with many of the soulmates around the room laughing and enjoying the peaceful togetherness time they had been allowed, others like Hugh and Aradia, or Kestrel and Blaise simply enjoying the newness of it all.
Unfortunately, there was still Hunter Redfern to think about, and two other Wild Powers to ensure that they found before him and his lot. It wouldn't be long at all before the real world situation once again intruded on the relative peacefulness of life within Circle Daybreak.
*
"Uh, Hunter? There are some people here to see you."
"Send them away. I said no visitors today," Hunter replied moodily, without looking up at the witch who had interrupted him.
Vivienne looked slightly discomforted, but squared her shoulders in a way that said that she wasn't about to be pushed aside lightly, if he ever bothered to look at her.
"I think you'll be wanting to see these visitors," she reiterated, trying to put some strength into her voice, while facing this incredibly strong vampire whom she knew could kill her with a single, lithe movement.
Finally, Hunter looked up at her. The expression on his face was anything but friendly.
"Vivienne, I have given you orders. If you are so unable to follow them, perhaps you would have been better off dead instead of Sylvia!" he roared.
Vivienne's throat clenched and she had to force herself not to step back at the violence of his retort. Instead, she uttered mildly, "Sylvia was stupid. She should have known better than to try to take their side at the last minute."
For a moment, Vivienne was certain that Hunter was going to overstep from verbal violence and into the physical violence that she knew that he was more than capable of. However, another somewhat rasping voice interrupted just before he could make his move against her.
"Now now, Hunter. Is this the way that we are to be received? The mother of your own very children?"
Now Hunter looked beyond Vivienne, who had quickly stood aside at the first sound of this new female voice, and stared at the witch who had given him his three daughters and taken only one other away to be brought up in the ways of the Harman witches.
"Maeve, it has been a while," Hunter said. "And to what do I owe this privilege?"
Vivienne slipped out of the room quickly, seeing as how these two obviously had some pretty heavy catching up to do.
"What, a mother can not come to see her daughters? Or what is left of them," Maeve glared at Hunter reproachfully, speaking of course of the two younger daughters of Hunter's that were now dead. "Of course, it could be for you to see your other daughter, whom you so easily seem to forget."
Hunter hadn't realized that there was another woman standing in the shadows until Maeve indicated to her. She has got much lamia blood in her after all, Hunter found himself thinking with pride, before he started striding up to her.
"Roseclear, it has been far too long," he murmured, taking her hand in his.
"You've been busy with the end of the world," Roseclear responded. "It's understandable. That's why I decided to help you a little with it."
Hunter glanced up at Maeve in surprise, but her only expression was on her daughter, and so finally, Hunter looked down at his witch daughter again to ask her of what she walk speaking.
"Why father, I'm surprised that you have not already thought to ask it of us," Roseclear said in the same wintry tone of voice. "You have already lost two of the Wild Powers to the Daybreakers and their broken laws. You can not afford to lose anymore to them."
"And I suppose that you have a plan already set out to stop them?" Hunter asked with more than a little curiosity.
"I thought you would never ask," Roseclear smiled cruelly. "And the plan, it is already done."
At that moment, Hunter thought that he heard a dull roaring that was almost too low to be thought to be a true sound, except for the force that went behind it.
"That's right, father. We witches had the power to put away the dragons all those years ago, but what if now, we had a reason to bring them forth once again?" Roseclear asked, watching the expressions flit across her father's face carefully. "Hunter Redfern, I should like to introduce you to Azhdeha. One of the last dragons to be put away. And consequently, one of the strongest."
Azhdeha tossed his head, obviously less than happy to be paraded around in such a fashion, but still too weak from his awakening to do a great deal about it. Especially to those who were offering him the world again.
"See look!" Roseclear said, pointing in obvious glee when his dark hair shifted away from his forehead for an instant. "Five horns."
Even Hunter could not manage to keep a reaction hidden from that one. In all of the tales and myths of the dragons, it was stated that there were to be expected a number of three horns on the dragon's forehead; four in rare cases. But this one, Azhdeha, owned five!
"Yes father, just think of the powers we now have on our side. The shapeshifters will follow him no matter what promise ceremony the witches have planned, and after that, the Wild Powers don't stand a chance. It's brilliance," Roseclear pronounced with a smile.
Hunter didn't dispute that. He did, however, wonder why she would so easily turn her back on the others of her kind.
"Well that's easy. I'm tainted," she answered with a mock pout, when he asked the question out loud. "Too much a vampire to be any sort of true Harman witch. You should see how many times I have been over looked for the sake of my cousins. Even lost witches who have lived among humans their entire lives! But mother here tells me that when I came to you, this would not be the case. Especially if I brought something with me that was of infinite value to your entire cause."
"You have that," Hunter murmured, his eyes straying to the dragon once more.
Although he didn't currently look like much, the lamia vampire could feel the power radiating off of him like a stagnant heat wave. Barely shaking his head, he looked towards his daughter and the mother of all his daughters anew.
"Very well, need I welcome you over to our side? I'm sure that you will feel right at home. You'd be surprised at how many witches have actually chosen to join us here. And how many more are sure to when they see that we are the only side likely to come out of the Millennium battle alive."
*
When the time came around for the next project, it was Keller, Winnie, Nissa who were placed on the foremost run. As it was the Witch Child who was expected to be the next Wild Power, Grandma Harman requested a number of other witches for a second front after meeting with Iliana, the Wild Power in question, at one of the Circle Daybreak safe houses.
All of the other Harman descendents had already been checked for Wild Power potential, and now it seemed that it was all down to this one, ditzy looking human girl. It was Grandma Harman's hope that when faced with other witches around her own age who had gone through the same thing in recent times, they might be able to bring this new Wild Power around.
More than everything else, they needed her for a promise ceremony between the witches and the Prince of the First House of the shapeshifters if they were not to totally lose the allegiance of the shapeshifters in the war of the worlds that was coming. Gillian, Thea, Dani, Melusine as well as Nilsson, Chess, Eric were to make up the undercover group for the third Wild Power. Keller, Winnie or Nissa were without knowledge of this as it was put together after the girls and the shapeshifter prince in question, Galen, had already found and began bodyguarding Iliana.
All of this was put to a great stunt when news came from the L.A. faction of Circle Daybreak, directly from Thierry, that Grandma Harman had been mauled to death by renegade shapeshifters in full daylight and sight of humans.
Gillian held a hand over her mouth as though she were physically about to be ill. Thea's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but nothing came out as the wetness invaded her eyes and Eric's warm arms came around her suddenly chilled skin. Dani had to react quickly through the blurring in her own eyes to catch Melusine as she swayed and lost her balance. Chess and Nilsson, both frozen in action, just stared at each other, all color having left from their faces.
Nobody in the group could understand why such a thing could take place, unless it was an out and out declaration of war between the shapeshifters and the witches. But why would the do that with the promise ceremony so close on the way? Unless, the First House had never wished for that in the first place. . .
"Unfortunately, we do not have time to waste on speculation," Thierry was telling them in a broad mind broadcast. "We are still trying to figure out what it could all mean, but the most important thing for your group must remain getting Iliana to that promise ceremony, and back here afterwards unless further instructions make that impossible."
Gillian wasn't too sure, but she could have sworn that she actually could feel a tinge of shininess in the old made vampire's eyes. He blinked it away before she could grasp anything solid.
"We'll be sure to keep in touch, but just make sure to get everyone back here as soon as possible. It's not safe out there at the moment. Good luck."
As suddenly as he had reached them, he backed away. Emotions were still running high among the group. The witches themselves couldn't understand how they were going to get through this. How could they go on without a Crone, a leader of all the witches to keep them together? The situation had just appeared to go from bad to so much worse.
All the same, Thierry was right. All they could do now was go on as they had before.
*
Iliana had just bound herself to Keller and given freely the burden of the promise ceremony between witches and shapeshifters to Keller and Galen. Not that they looked as though they felt it to be a burden. Another pair of soulmates, and now, a third Wild Power on the side of Circle Daybreak.
To Thea, it almost identical to the set up that she and Blaise had faced almost a year ago now. So much had happened since then. Not the least was the fact that Grandma Harman was not standing here this time. Again, Thea felt herself tearing, but noticing something when she looked closer, she forced herself to keep her tears at bay for the moment.
From where she was standing, she could already see the age that Mother Cybele had appeared to gain in the time that the true Crone of the witches had been dead. Already, the Mother's body was changing itself for the new role that it was about to take on. Thea could see that it wasn't an ugly kind of aging that was creeping upon Mother Cybele, rather a truly regal one. Stopping herself from sighing, she was sure that had she looked across to where Aradia, the Maiden of all the witches, was standing, she would have seen a similar thing occurring there too. The wonders of witchcraft.
After the ceremony was done and over, Thea and the rest of the group with her stepped forward into the sight of all the witches and shapeshifters there assembled. Pitching her voice to a level that would be heard around the whole room, Thea spoke.
"We face dangerous times. The whole Night World is split. I appeal to whoever will come to join us as we return to the L.A. faction of Circle Daybreak, and Thierry Decoudres. We have three of the Wild Powers. The fourth will be the hardest of all."
*
"Uh, excuse me, but is it too late to sign up to this group?" an unexpected voice questioned suddenly.
Heads from all over the room turned to face the newbies who had just arrived. Hannah's eyes met Nilsson's man who had allowed them in and saw the slight nod of acceptance that he directed towards her.
"Hi, I'm Keller, this is Winnie and Nissa. We're the best from the Californian Circle Daybreak faction. I'm sure you can see what we are, which I'm hoping will help you to believe that we are sincere in our wanting to help. Heard that you needed to round up another one of these Wild Powers in this area?" The shapeshifter seemed to be in the lead of this small group, Lupe noted with a certain amount of interest.
"So, are we too late to join up?" Keller asked a second time.
Hannah made a quick take of the room to ascertain that there were no great objections to this, but as far as she could see, there was only interest and curiosity in majority around the room. She nodded, noticing as she did that Nilsson's man stepped back, probably to report back to Thierry on their latest arrivals, who couldn't have arrived at a better time!
"Providing you're prepared to work with us, you're in," she announced. "Now find a place to sit. We have some organization to work through."
*
Hugh was setting off in the direction of the Dark Kingdom that Circle Daybreak had gotten wind of through the Maiden of the witches, Aradia. Circle Twilight had been thoroughly disbanded in the face of the upcoming Millennium. There were only two sides to be had; light and dark. All too many had already gone over to Hunter, but more than a few had decided on Circle Daybreak.
Many of those were in the group who had gone in ahead with Aradia as they tried to approach the newest Wild Power with diplomacy. Hugh, Blaise and Kestrel were to follow up behind in case anything went wrong and they were to report back to the Circle Daybreak mansion. James, Rashel, Morgead, Lupe and Raven had been picked out for muscle power in defense of the witches.
It seemed an almost flawless plan, until an attack against them succeeded.
It came on so suddenly that retreat was the only option left open to them by all who survived the initial attack. By the time that they reassembled themselves further back from the boundaries of the Dark Kingdom, where the attack had taken place, they realized that Aradia was no longer with them.
*
Hugh froze. Something had gone horridly wrong, and now someone was. . . speaking inside of his mind? He shook it for instant clarity, and Kestrel who was standing beside him looked at him warily.
"Are you alright?" she asked with trepidation.
"Fine, just. . ." And there it was again! Whatever it was, Hugh wasn't appreciating it. Especially now when there were far more important things to be worried about.
iSend help. Backup. We are alive. We have seen the Wild Power. Follow onward.i
The voice sounded almost like a whisper on the wind, and just as weak and elusive. In all the years of his life, even after he had awakened to the fact of his being an Old Soul, nothing like this had ever happened to him.
"Hugh, what is it?" This time the lamia's voice was testy as she asked him. There didn't seem any point in lying. In either case, the witch who was here with them might actually understand what was going on here.
"I keep hearing. . . voices in my head," he said in distraction.
"Voices?" Kestrel asked, looking doubtfully towards Blaise. The witch's steady eyes remained on Hugh.
Voices? No, that wasn't quite right. "No, it's just one. A whispering in my mind of someone else," was all he could supply, in complete bafflement.
He watched Blaise's eyes narrow.
"What is it saying to you?" she wanted to know.
Hugh concentrated again.
iTrust. Appeal to them from their hearts. Believe in me. Believe in this.i
"It's saying to trust. To believe," Hugh replied haltingly. "That they, whoever they are, are in trouble."
Then, as sudden as that, a blissful expression came over his face.
"The soulmate principle," he whispered. Then he appeared to remember that Kestrel and Blaise were still staring at him strangely. "The witches. We must go to them. Now. They have the Wild Power near to them."
"Shouldn't we talk to Thierry about this?" Blaise questioned as she and Kestrel lagged behind. Hugh was already busy gathering the witches who were still assembled, James and the other vampires.
"Unlike some, he doesn't seem so hesitant about his soulmate," Kestrel replied pointedly, before following closer to Hugh and the rest.
*
"So, you're Delos Redfern," James said, measuring him up and down.
Delos' chin lifted with pride.
"I am," was all he answered with.
"James," he introduced himself. "Redfern. I think you might have been introduced to one of the less popular Redferns first up. Shall we try this again?"
Looking quickly towards Maggie, who was still standing close to her newly recovered brother, Miles, Delos smiled at James with a quick nod.
"I think I'd like that," he replied, and the two Redferns shook hands.
"You weren't a shapeshifter before, were you?" Lupe asked, coming over to Maggie and Miles and introducing herself before asking Miles the question.
Miles shook his head.
"It's still relatively new. Better now, of course, now that I don't have the witch's curse on me on top of everything else. Could be worse things than a falcon," Miles answered, tightening his arm around his sister's waist.
"Yeah, you could have been just dead," Maggie responded smartly.
Morgead seemed rather less patient to get things over here and return to the Circle Daybreak mansion. Perhaps it was all the fuss Rashel, Kestrel and Raven were making over the new Wild Power. Either that or the way that Hugh was looking down at Aradia, holding her arm lightly as they spoke in quiet tones was making the vampire conscious that his Wild Power soulmate was not here with him too.
"Alright then, who's coming back with us then?" he questioned pointedly, cutting off the current catch ups and conversations without remorse. Many of the Daybreakers looked over to him in surprise, before their expressions acceded that his was a valid question to be asked right now.
In the end, it was Morgead, James, Delos and Maggie who led the way. When the witches weren't crowding around her, Hugh and Aradia were hand in hand, looking into each others eyes as only a soulmate could understand with a blind Maiden of the Witches. Lupe was filling Miles in on what it meant to be a shapeshifter within Circle Daybreak, only the third one thus far. Raven, Rashel, Jeanne and P.J backed up the group, and Kestrel and Blaise were wandering somewhere in between.
"They almost look happy," Blaise murmured. "Regardless of the fact that the possible end of the world may be upon us even as we speak, they all look. . . satisfied."
Kestrel looked around, considering the group they walked within.
"They've all got a purpose. A reason for being, I suppose," she said a while later.
Blaise couldn't help but agree. And why should she deny herself what everyone else had seemed to find within Circle Daybreak? Problem was, that it had gone on for so long now, that Blaise didn't even know if she could find the words she wanted to say here.
Kestrel gazed at her from beneath her eyelashes, alerted by the change in her soulmate's thoughts. Such a strong willed personality. No less would have appealed to her, she surmised. However, she was not going to make this any easier for the witch. Not after all the hell that she had put Kestrel through these past months!
"Kestrel. . ." Blaise's voice trailed off, and Kestrel couldn't help but be disappointed. What else could she do here? She had all but laid herself on a platter to be picked at.
She listened as Blaise took a deep breath in, noticing it possibly because it was one of the innate differences between the two of them. Breathing had never been mandatory to her kind. All the same, Blaise's next movements took her totally by surprise.
Pausing in the middle of the group, Blaise suddenly took a hold of both of Kestrel's upper arms. Although Kestrel knew that with the slightest effort, she would have been able to get away; the witch's strength was nothing to a lamia vampire, Kestrel wanted only to wait and see how this was about to be played out.
She wasn't disappointed. Less than a second later, Blaise's lips were upon hers. Soft and cool, exactly as Kestrel had always imagined them being. She was in a heaven visited to her because Blaise had finally found it within her to be able to give in to what was so alive between them. She felt her mind open up to the soulmate connection that was greater than both of them together, and willfully lost herself within it.
*
"Hunter's not going to like this," Dani laughed shakily as the second Wild Power was introduced to everyone at Circle Daybreak.
"That's two down, two to go," Eric put in.
"Welcome to Circle Daybreak," Thea offered.
Delos nodded around to everyone in turn.
"It's, well, it's great to be here," he granted hesitantly. He still wasn't used to being a part of something big, around other people to whom he actually mattered as a person, not just a doomsday weapon.
Maggie was sitting comfortably on his lap, a large grin on her features. Even her brother, with his less than wonderful beginnings into the Night World seemed to have found an instant rapport with Lupe, who seemed more than happy to have him hanging on her words.
Everything seemed just perfect, as far as Maggie could see it. If only it could stay this way always; with many of the soulmates around the room laughing and enjoying the peaceful togetherness time they had been allowed, others like Hugh and Aradia, or Kestrel and Blaise simply enjoying the newness of it all.
Unfortunately, there was still Hunter Redfern to think about, and two other Wild Powers to ensure that they found before him and his lot. It wouldn't be long at all before the real world situation once again intruded on the relative peacefulness of life within Circle Daybreak.
*
"Uh, Hunter? There are some people here to see you."
"Send them away. I said no visitors today," Hunter replied moodily, without looking up at the witch who had interrupted him.
Vivienne looked slightly discomforted, but squared her shoulders in a way that said that she wasn't about to be pushed aside lightly, if he ever bothered to look at her.
"I think you'll be wanting to see these visitors," she reiterated, trying to put some strength into her voice, while facing this incredibly strong vampire whom she knew could kill her with a single, lithe movement.
Finally, Hunter looked up at her. The expression on his face was anything but friendly.
"Vivienne, I have given you orders. If you are so unable to follow them, perhaps you would have been better off dead instead of Sylvia!" he roared.
Vivienne's throat clenched and she had to force herself not to step back at the violence of his retort. Instead, she uttered mildly, "Sylvia was stupid. She should have known better than to try to take their side at the last minute."
For a moment, Vivienne was certain that Hunter was going to overstep from verbal violence and into the physical violence that she knew that he was more than capable of. However, another somewhat rasping voice interrupted just before he could make his move against her.
"Now now, Hunter. Is this the way that we are to be received? The mother of your own very children?"
Now Hunter looked beyond Vivienne, who had quickly stood aside at the first sound of this new female voice, and stared at the witch who had given him his three daughters and taken only one other away to be brought up in the ways of the Harman witches.
"Maeve, it has been a while," Hunter said. "And to what do I owe this privilege?"
Vivienne slipped out of the room quickly, seeing as how these two obviously had some pretty heavy catching up to do.
"What, a mother can not come to see her daughters? Or what is left of them," Maeve glared at Hunter reproachfully, speaking of course of the two younger daughters of Hunter's that were now dead. "Of course, it could be for you to see your other daughter, whom you so easily seem to forget."
Hunter hadn't realized that there was another woman standing in the shadows until Maeve indicated to her. She has got much lamia blood in her after all, Hunter found himself thinking with pride, before he started striding up to her.
"Roseclear, it has been far too long," he murmured, taking her hand in his.
"You've been busy with the end of the world," Roseclear responded. "It's understandable. That's why I decided to help you a little with it."
Hunter glanced up at Maeve in surprise, but her only expression was on her daughter, and so finally, Hunter looked down at his witch daughter again to ask her of what she walk speaking.
"Why father, I'm surprised that you have not already thought to ask it of us," Roseclear said in the same wintry tone of voice. "You have already lost two of the Wild Powers to the Daybreakers and their broken laws. You can not afford to lose anymore to them."
"And I suppose that you have a plan already set out to stop them?" Hunter asked with more than a little curiosity.
"I thought you would never ask," Roseclear smiled cruelly. "And the plan, it is already done."
At that moment, Hunter thought that he heard a dull roaring that was almost too low to be thought to be a true sound, except for the force that went behind it.
"That's right, father. We witches had the power to put away the dragons all those years ago, but what if now, we had a reason to bring them forth once again?" Roseclear asked, watching the expressions flit across her father's face carefully. "Hunter Redfern, I should like to introduce you to Azhdeha. One of the last dragons to be put away. And consequently, one of the strongest."
Azhdeha tossed his head, obviously less than happy to be paraded around in such a fashion, but still too weak from his awakening to do a great deal about it. Especially to those who were offering him the world again.
"See look!" Roseclear said, pointing in obvious glee when his dark hair shifted away from his forehead for an instant. "Five horns."
Even Hunter could not manage to keep a reaction hidden from that one. In all of the tales and myths of the dragons, it was stated that there were to be expected a number of three horns on the dragon's forehead; four in rare cases. But this one, Azhdeha, owned five!
"Yes father, just think of the powers we now have on our side. The shapeshifters will follow him no matter what promise ceremony the witches have planned, and after that, the Wild Powers don't stand a chance. It's brilliance," Roseclear pronounced with a smile.
Hunter didn't dispute that. He did, however, wonder why she would so easily turn her back on the others of her kind.
"Well that's easy. I'm tainted," she answered with a mock pout, when he asked the question out loud. "Too much a vampire to be any sort of true Harman witch. You should see how many times I have been over looked for the sake of my cousins. Even lost witches who have lived among humans their entire lives! But mother here tells me that when I came to you, this would not be the case. Especially if I brought something with me that was of infinite value to your entire cause."
"You have that," Hunter murmured, his eyes straying to the dragon once more.
Although he didn't currently look like much, the lamia vampire could feel the power radiating off of him like a stagnant heat wave. Barely shaking his head, he looked towards his daughter and the mother of all his daughters anew.
"Very well, need I welcome you over to our side? I'm sure that you will feel right at home. You'd be surprised at how many witches have actually chosen to join us here. And how many more are sure to when they see that we are the only side likely to come out of the Millennium battle alive."
*
When the time came around for the next project, it was Keller, Winnie, Nissa who were placed on the foremost run. As it was the Witch Child who was expected to be the next Wild Power, Grandma Harman requested a number of other witches for a second front after meeting with Iliana, the Wild Power in question, at one of the Circle Daybreak safe houses.
All of the other Harman descendents had already been checked for Wild Power potential, and now it seemed that it was all down to this one, ditzy looking human girl. It was Grandma Harman's hope that when faced with other witches around her own age who had gone through the same thing in recent times, they might be able to bring this new Wild Power around.
More than everything else, they needed her for a promise ceremony between the witches and the Prince of the First House of the shapeshifters if they were not to totally lose the allegiance of the shapeshifters in the war of the worlds that was coming. Gillian, Thea, Dani, Melusine as well as Nilsson, Chess, Eric were to make up the undercover group for the third Wild Power. Keller, Winnie or Nissa were without knowledge of this as it was put together after the girls and the shapeshifter prince in question, Galen, had already found and began bodyguarding Iliana.
All of this was put to a great stunt when news came from the L.A. faction of Circle Daybreak, directly from Thierry, that Grandma Harman had been mauled to death by renegade shapeshifters in full daylight and sight of humans.
Gillian held a hand over her mouth as though she were physically about to be ill. Thea's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but nothing came out as the wetness invaded her eyes and Eric's warm arms came around her suddenly chilled skin. Dani had to react quickly through the blurring in her own eyes to catch Melusine as she swayed and lost her balance. Chess and Nilsson, both frozen in action, just stared at each other, all color having left from their faces.
Nobody in the group could understand why such a thing could take place, unless it was an out and out declaration of war between the shapeshifters and the witches. But why would the do that with the promise ceremony so close on the way? Unless, the First House had never wished for that in the first place. . .
"Unfortunately, we do not have time to waste on speculation," Thierry was telling them in a broad mind broadcast. "We are still trying to figure out what it could all mean, but the most important thing for your group must remain getting Iliana to that promise ceremony, and back here afterwards unless further instructions make that impossible."
Gillian wasn't too sure, but she could have sworn that she actually could feel a tinge of shininess in the old made vampire's eyes. He blinked it away before she could grasp anything solid.
"We'll be sure to keep in touch, but just make sure to get everyone back here as soon as possible. It's not safe out there at the moment. Good luck."
As suddenly as he had reached them, he backed away. Emotions were still running high among the group. The witches themselves couldn't understand how they were going to get through this. How could they go on without a Crone, a leader of all the witches to keep them together? The situation had just appeared to go from bad to so much worse.
All the same, Thierry was right. All they could do now was go on as they had before.
*
Iliana had just bound herself to Keller and given freely the burden of the promise ceremony between witches and shapeshifters to Keller and Galen. Not that they looked as though they felt it to be a burden. Another pair of soulmates, and now, a third Wild Power on the side of Circle Daybreak.
To Thea, it almost identical to the set up that she and Blaise had faced almost a year ago now. So much had happened since then. Not the least was the fact that Grandma Harman was not standing here this time. Again, Thea felt herself tearing, but noticing something when she looked closer, she forced herself to keep her tears at bay for the moment.
From where she was standing, she could already see the age that Mother Cybele had appeared to gain in the time that the true Crone of the witches had been dead. Already, the Mother's body was changing itself for the new role that it was about to take on. Thea could see that it wasn't an ugly kind of aging that was creeping upon Mother Cybele, rather a truly regal one. Stopping herself from sighing, she was sure that had she looked across to where Aradia, the Maiden of all the witches, was standing, she would have seen a similar thing occurring there too. The wonders of witchcraft.
After the ceremony was done and over, Thea and the rest of the group with her stepped forward into the sight of all the witches and shapeshifters there assembled. Pitching her voice to a level that would be heard around the whole room, Thea spoke.
"We face dangerous times. The whole Night World is split. I appeal to whoever will come to join us as we return to the L.A. faction of Circle Daybreak, and Thierry Decoudres. We have three of the Wild Powers. The fourth will be the hardest of all."
*
