KAYA

Eww. Kaya grimaced as Ajani chewed and swallowed the moth he had just caught with a quick snap of his feline jaws. By the time the meeting was drawing to a close, moths were out in full force. A brown and white moth had gotten into the house through an open window and kept fluttering around Ajani's face, irritating him to no end until he finally managed to rid himself of it.

Liliana sat across from Kaya at the table, draped elegantly in her chair. She giggled, barely stifling her laughter when the meeting was interrupted by Ajani and the moth. When the thing finally ended, her face fell and she crossed her arms over her chest. Kaya smirked. For a necromancer, Liliana was surprisingly jovial—even if her laughter more often than not came at someone else's expense. Kaya was familiar with the sarcastic Liliana; the petulant and morose Liliana; and even the Liliana with a dramatic flair. This side was new to Kaya, although she had heard it existed.

"All right," sighed Jace, now that the moth debacle was over, "I suppose that concludes our meeting for tonight. I can see everyone is quickly losing their focus."

"We lost our focus ages ago, Darling," Liliana droned. Then, with a smirk, "You've just finally caught up."

Kaya noticed a look pass between them. Liliana really loved pushing his buttons; strangely, he seemed almost to like it. People were weird when they were in love. Or…whatever it was between those two. Kaya preferred not to think too much about it, especially when it was Jace and Liliana. I mean, that's like thinking about…your relatives or something. What would have become another grimace was interrupted by a deep yawn, just then.

Unexpectedly, when Kaya rose and started for the exit, eager to kick off her boots and fall into bed, Liliana sidled up beside her. "Well, glad that's over. I thought it would never end."

"Oh," mumbled Kaya, as they walked out the door together. "Um…hi, Liliana."

"It's been a while since we've had the time to chat," said the necromancer, unusually…sociable. "How have you been getting on since…we last met?"

"Oh, um…" Kaya shrugged. "Been busy, I guess. You know, it's been a whirlwind these past couple years." She heaved a sigh. "First, Kaldheim and then Innistrad…and now this."

"You must be exhausted," Liliana sympathized. "What is Kaldheim like? I've heard of it, but I'm afraid I've never been."

"Cold, mostly. I don't think you'd like it there. But they've got these zombies called draugr. You'd like them, I guess."

"Hm. Delightful." Then she frowned. "I'm not allowed to keep zombies where I live."

"But…don't you teach necromancy? How can you do that without zombies?"

"We use cadavers," she answered, picking at her fingernails. "We're allowed to raise them for instructional purposes only. Once the lesson is over, it's back to the casket with them." With that last part, she waved her hand as though she were sweeping away the pieces on a chess board or something.

"Huh," said Kaya, not really knowing what to say. "Reusable dead guys."

"That's…kind of the point of necromancy, dear."

"Oh, yeah. I guess…"

Somehow, they arrived in the parlor and Liliana went to pour a glass of wine. She offered to pour another, but Kaya declined as she slumped into a chair. She was never really a wine drinker… Liliana shrugged and poured a bit more into her own glass then took a sip. Kaya watched the way she gripped her glass. She was intrigued by the way her fingers wrapped around the bulbous top while her smallest finger remained delicately poised away from the glass. It was a grip of power, but with a touch of ladylike class. How…Liliana.

Kaya observed the necromancer swirling the wine in her glass. She had seen other wine-drinkers do the same, but she had no idea why. Then Liliana sniffed the wine, her eyes closed for the apparent enjoyment. Kaya watched her take a sip and savor it before swallowing it down. She had never cared for wine, but the way Liliana drank it made it seem like an experience in and of itself.

Weird.

"So," said Liliana, "how's Innistrad these days?"

"Oh, you know…it's very…Innistrad."

The necromancer smiled. "Oh? How marvelous!"

"You like it there?"

"Of course. Innistrad was the first place I ended up after my spark ignited. It's where I first learned how to wield my power. How to draw dark energies from the land and to play with the dead." A low cackle hummed in her throat. "I've yet to find a plane where I can use my powers with such…perfect ease. It's always been my second home, really. Until that pesky Eldrazi ruined the place." She rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of which…that's kinda what brought us to Innistrad in the first place."

"Tell me Emrakul didn't escape…"

Kaya smirked. "More like, its imprisonment in the moon is what was causing problems for the humans of the plane. The nights were getting longer and days growing shorter. Zombies, werewolves, and vampires were pretty much taking over, not to mention all the other creatures that creep in the night."

"Huh." Liliana took another sip of wine, and then stared into her cup. Finally, she said, "I suppose it's a bad thing…"

"You're joking, right? I mean, of course it's a bad thing."

"Yes, of course."

She didn't seem all that convincing.

"You know, you left behind a few zombies, by the way. Arlinn wasn't very happy about it."

"Arlinn?" She chuckled. "I'm afraid I don't know an Arlinn." This was followed by a careless shrug.

Kaya rubbed her forehead. "That's…not really important. The point is you left behind a bunch of undead guys who've been infesting Thraben."

"And nobody put them to good use? What a waste."

"One of them was a bishop. An old friend of hers."

The necromancer shrugged. "I don't choose who dies…usually. I just picked them up along the way."

"And it never occurred to you that you were using people's friends and relatives to build your undead army?"

"If it wasn't for me and my zombies, Emrakul would never have been defeated in the first place." She finished off the wine in her glass and set it down.

"Ok, well, I'm heading to bed, so…it's been nice talking to you."

Liliana had just finished pouring another glass of wine and raised it to Kaya, seemingly undisturbed by the thought she had left a bunch of zombies walking around the streets of Thraben when she left Innistrad the last time she was there. As Kaya stalked off to her bedroom, she felt some mild annoyance by Liliana's overall lack of concern. It was as if everything was a joke to her. Kaya could almost appreciate it, if not for the pain she had seen in Arlinn's eyes when she found that bishop among Liliana's left-over undead. She wondered then, if she died, would Liliana use her to further her own ends, too?

TEFERI

While everyone else cleared the room, Teferi noticed Jace beckon to him, so he stayed behind. Teferi was no mind-reader, but he could see by Jace's demeanor that something troubled him. Once the others had all filed out, Chandra following Nissa and Liliana chatting with Kaya, Teferi approached Jace, and asked, "Is everything all right, my friend?"

Jace cleared his throat and tilted his head slightly. "Um…not exactly. I mean, I don't know."

"Tell me what's going on," Teferi gently urged.

With a heavy sigh, Jace said, "You know the Phyrexians better than anyone alive, I think."

Teferi gave a tentative nod.

"Okay," Jace sighed again. Then he paused to take in a deep breath. "I'm not really sure how to say this, but…ever since I went to Phyrexia, I've been hearing…a voice. In my head. Someone—or something—speaking to me. Calling out to me. Especially in dreams. But sometimes it happens when I'm awake. Am I… Do you think I'm crazy?"

"No," Teferi answered pointedly. "You are certainly not crazy."

Jace nodded. Whether it was a relief or a cause for greater concern to him was unclear. Then he said, "I think I made a mistake going there. They—" he paused, as if to reconsider. "I get the feeling Phyrexia…knows me now. I hear it calling to me. Trying to lure me back to what logic tells me would be certain death."

"Or something far worse," suggested Teferi. "May I ask how you found your way to Phyrexia?"

Casting him a sidelong gaze, Jace said, "I read about it. In a…book I found hidden away in the Mystical Archives at Strixhaven. It was a very old tome and it looked like it had never been read."

"What was this book?"

"It was…well, it claimed to be written by the artificer, Urza."

"The Urza?" Teferi was impressed.

Jace nodded. "The one and only. Liliana questioned its authenticity, of course, but…Teferi, it had details I think only the real Urza would know. And…directions."

"Directions? Through the Blind Eternities?"

"They were written in code. Thran hieroglyphs. I had to find several language dictionaries and cross-reference just to decipher it. I didn't tell Liliana what I was doing, but she was thankfully too busy teaching and preparing for classes, that she didn't pay much attention. I didn't want her to know in case she either tried to stop me or tried to go there herself. Now, I'm wishing I hadn't gone there, either. I still can't believe it worked."

"If it hadn't worked, I would find everything you've told me to be entirely unbelievable."

Teferi paused and drew in a deep breath. Then he said, "You need to be careful, Jace. It seems as if they have chosen you."

"Chosen me? For what?"

Teferi raised a brow. "To be one of them. You would be a valuable asset. And if Tezzeret is working with them now, it could be his way of trying to get you back on his side."

"I would never work for Tezzeret again!"

"If the Phyrexians captured you and made you one of their own, you wouldn't have a choice, I'm afraid."

After a pause, he said, "The only piece of advice I can give you, Jace, is to ignore the voice. Don't let it take over your thoughts and especially don't let it have any power over your actions. And stay away from Phyrexia. The more you go there, the more power it gains over you."

Jace thanked him but seemed pretty shaken. He started to walk away but stopped and turned back to him. "Oh, and Teferi…don't tell anyone about this."

He didn't even wait for an answer. Teferi watched him walk away, mumbling to himself. He decided maybe it was time to pay Liliana a visit. If anyone needed to know, it was his new wife.

LILIANA

She was still in the parlor, lounging with another glass of wine, when Teferi walked in, and said, "Oh, Liliana. I'm glad I found you. I…need to speak with you. About…your husband."

"Jace?" she asked, setting down her wine glass and sitting up. "What about him? Is something wrong?"

"I'm…not sure exactly." He told her about the conversation they just had, after the meeting was over. After he was finished relating it to her, she raised her brows. "That's…disturbing, to say the least. I wonder why he hasn't told me…"

She barely managed to conceal the hurt in her voice.

"I think he may be trying to protect you," Teferi replied gently. "But I also think you need to know, since you're the one who is closest to him. You can…keep a close watch over him. Make sure he doesn't…heed the call."

"Do you think he would?" She was genuinely concerned.

"I know he doesn't want to," said Teferi. "But I don't know how deep this goes. If it started after his first visit to the plane, he's been keeping this to himself for quite some time."

"He's only been there once, that I'm aware of."

Teferi sighed and wrinkled his forehead. "I was afraid of that."

"Wait, but isn't that better?"

"It should be, but by the sound of what he's told me, they've got more of a hold on his mind than they should after only one visit."

"Tezzeret," said Liliana, her teeth clenched.

"I think he is the one behind it, yes," Teferi agreed.

"Everyone else needs to know about this," she said. "If we are to keep watch over him, we need to have everyone apprised of what it means and what could happen if we don't keep an eye on him. In a few days, I'll need to return to Str—school. To get the twins."

"Ah yes, Jace told me about them," said Teferi, pulling at the hair on his chin. "I look forward to meeting them. In all my years, I've never encountered anything like it."

"Yes, well…they'll be finishing their exams and I need to escort them here. Jace has already decided he will stay behind, but now I'm not sure if that's a good thing. While I'm away I'll need everyone else to keep an eye on him, so he doesn't…do anything stupid."

"I don't care for your choice of words, but I heartily agree."

"Okay, then I'm going to leave you in charge of telling the others. They'll…listen to you. They respect you. And since you're the one he told, it's only right it should come from you."

"Of course," he said with a nod. "I'll take care of it."

He was about to walk away, but Liliana stopped him. "Teferi?" When he turned back to her, she said, "Thank you. For coming to me with this. For…trusting me. I only want to keep him safe."

"I know," he said, placing a hand over hers. His hand was so big compared to hers, but it was warm and comforting. For only a moment, it reminded her of her father's hand. A flash of an ancient memory, and then it was gone.

They talked only briefly after that, and then they went their separate ways.

Liliana went straight to Jace's room—her room—their room? She heard water running in a sink from the master bathroom. After changing into a robe, she went in and found him washing his face. He was only wearing his trousers.

Not a bad sight, she thought with a smile. He was more fit and athletic than most scholarly, intellectual types.

She leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms, waiting for him to notice her. When he looked up from drying his face, he saw her in the mirror and smiled back.

"Oh, hello there, beautiful. I didn't hear you come in." He walked toward her, and she leaned her back against the frame, while he slipped his arms around her waist and leaned in for a kiss.

Distract him, she reminded herself.

She met his gaze with a mischievous grin and let the sleeve of her robe sink to reveal a shoulder. Of course, it seemed to happen by accident rather than design. Either way, it had the desired effect. Jace would not be leaving his bedroom at all for the rest of the night.

CHANDRA

Holding Nissa's hand as they walked out of the meeting together, Chandra was hopeful. She led Nissa back to her room and drew her into an embrace, but when she moved to kiss her, she noticed Nissa was not receptive. That was weird.

"Hey," said Chandra, "you okay?"

"I'm worried about Jace," came Nissa's reply.

"Jace? I thought you hated him."

"I think Liliana is using him."

Chandra wrinkled her brow. "Okay, listen…I know you've never trusted Liliana. And I get it. She doesn't exactly have a perfect track-record in honesty. But…I think you're overreacting."

Nissa's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. "I am not overreacting."

Holding up her fingers, she said, "I think you are—just a pinch."

"They have pledged their troth to each other," said Nissa.

"Yeah. And…?"

"Jace did not trust her, before the war here. Do you not remember? Now, he trusts her enough to claim her as his wife? Does this not…seem strange to you?"

"I mean, they've always had a thing. They go way back, farther than any of us." She shrugged. "They love each other, and they want to be happy. Why can't you just be happy for them?"

"Because I don't trust her."

"You don't think she really loves him?"

"No."

Chandra crossed her arms and raised a brow in disbelief. "Okay, Nissa, sorry but I don't agree with you at all on this. I've seen the way she looks at him when she thinks nobody's watching. I've never seen her look at anyone that way. I didn't even think she could look at another person that way. Not even her zombies."

"But how can you be sure? She has always been a good actress."

"That's for sure," Chandra agreed. "But no…she has no reason to keep it up when she thinks no one's looking. She really loves him. She gives him puppy-dog eyes!"

"What?" The color drained from Nissa's face.

"Oh! No, no," Chandra said, realizing her mistake. "No, not literally. It's a…figure of speech. Like, she looks at him the way a puppy looks at…like, a person they love. You know because dogs are innocent and all that."

Nissa's only response was a blank stare.

Finally, Chandra said, "Okay, well, anyway… Look at her when they're in a room together sometime. Don't let her see you watching. But then you'll see it. Not just when they're together, together, but like, when they're just in the same room and they're doing separate things. Or he's talking and she's listening to him. Literally, she thinks nobody sees it, because she likes to appear all heartless or whatever, but I've definitely seen it. She looks at him the way I…look at you. Only they have this long history together that makes it more…I dunno, intense."

Chandra admired the way Nissa wrinkled her mouth as if she was really thinking about it but still unsure. It was, like, so cute. Everything Nissa did was cute, really.

Before Nissa could reply, there was a knock on the door. Chandra heaved an impatient sigh and went to open it. It was Teferi.

"Oh! Hi, Teferi? Can I…help you?"

"Chandra, Nissa," he greeted them both with a nod. "I apologize for the intrusion."

"Oh, no intrusion," Chandra replied. "You're always welcome, Teferi."

"I'm glad you're both here, because I think we all need to be worried about Jace."

Nissa gave Chandra a satisfied stare.

"Okay, come on in," said Chandra. Her stomach twisted.

She closed the door once Teferi was inside. Even when she offered for him to sit at the table, he chose to remain standing, his back perfectly straight. Chandra wondered how he could do that without his back aching. She had never seen anyone with such perfect posture before—well, except maybe Liliana. But even she could slouch every once in a while…

"So, what's up with Jace?" asked Chandra, dreading what he was about to say.

Rather than confirm Nissa's suspicions, however, Teferi said, "Jace has been hearing voices, ever since he 'walked to Phyrexia."

The room fell eerily silent. Then Chandra said, "You mean, like…voices in his head?"

"Yes," Teferi confirmed. "And in dreams. He asked me not to tell anyone, but I told Liliana because I thought she, of all people, should know. We agreed that everyone needs to know about it, though, so we can all keep an eye on him. We need to protect him."

"From…what, exactly?" asked Nissa.

"Phyrexian influence," Teferi replied. "From what he told me, it seems Phyrexia—possibly with Tezzeret's help—is trying to lure Jace back to Phyrexia so they can capture him and turn him into one of them. Liliana is with Jace the most, so she will be his main guardian. However, she'll be leaving soon to get a couple more planeswalkers who are going to be joining us. While she is gone, and in general anyway, the rest of us must be alert and aware. Jace knows the threat exists, but even he is not sure of his ability to resist the call. Apart from the fact that he's our friend and we care about him, we cannot let Phyrexia get ahold of him. I don't think I need to explain why that is."

Chandra shook her head slowly. "Nope, we understand perfectly, Teferi."

He nodded. "Okay, good. I'm going to tell Ajani and Kaya, then. We all need to keep watch, diligently."

"Just call us the Jacewatch," Chandra joked, raising a hand in salute.

Nobody laughed, but Teferi almost smiled so that was something.

Teferi bid them a good night and Chandra closed the door behind him as he left. Then she twirled around, arms crossed, and looked at Nissa with a proud smirk.

"See, I told you she cares about him. She wants to protect him, just as much as the rest of us do."

Nissa crossed her arms and looked away, saying, "Fine. But it will take a lot for me trust her again."

Chandra sighed. So much for a romantic evening…