Chapter 8

Six Planeswalkers allied as the Gatewatch. From Kaladesh, the pyromancer Chandra Nalaar. From Theros, the hieromancer Gideon Jura. From Zendikar, the elven animist Nissa Revane. From someplace he no longer remembers, the telepath Jace Beleren. From Dominaria, the necromancer Liliana Vess. From the destroyed world of Korit, the eldrazi demon Damion. With the aid of Tamiyo, a soratami scholar of Kamigawa, they defeated the eldrazi titans Emrakul, Ulamog, and Kozilek, sealing two of the entities within Innistrad's silver moon, and the remaining one inside of Damion.

Once the Gatewatch arrived at Jaces home, the Planeswalkers had agreed that they all earned some R&R, although Liliana had decided to get her own place. Damion however was having a bit of trouble sleeping. Damion was in his room, asleep on a large hammock Jace had set up for him since he didn't like regular beds. He had a pained expression on his face and he was taking deep breaths, his chest was pulsing with a grey light. His demonic features appeared as the light grew brighter and brighter.

Damion pov

My eyes slowly open as a splitting headache racks my mind. "Oh, my head." I say in a pain, "What happened."

My heart nearly stops when I hear a voice I hoped to never hear again. "Damion." Her voice dripped with that tone that sent shivers up my spine and I wanted to be anywhere else but here right now. I fully open my eyes and see an arm was an inch left of my head, pale skin, black sleeve, voice that makes me feel strange. I follow the arm and look uo to see a familiar face, she had her arms on either side of my head and she had a smile that made me shiver. "Did you miss me?"

"A-Avacyn!?" I say in shock. How was she here!? And why does she seem...smaller? Now that I look at her, she looked like a younger version of herself, almost around physically my age.

"You remember me!" She said happily. "You don't know...how happy that makes me."

I had to think fast, I had to get away from this psychopath angel! Right. Fucking. Now! I move my hands under my back and use my claws to rip the hammock and fall through. Avacyne was surprised and I used that moment to unfold my wings and fly towards the door. I bolt through the door and slam it shut behind me, I quickly put several large pieces of furniture in front of the door. Once I put the last piece on I bolted down the hall as fast as I could, "Gotta find Jace, or Chandra, Gideon, Liliana, hell I'd even take-"*THUD* I was cut off when I ran into someone, I pick myself up and see who I ran into. "Nissa!" I shout with joy.

"Ugh, why did you-" She stopped when I got onto my knees and put my hands together.

"Please for the love of everything in creation please help me!" I beg making Nissa blink a few times.

"W-What?" She asked sounding very confused.

Before I could respond there was a loud crash from down the hall, "Oh no."

"What is-"

I don't let her finish before I run behind her, "Don't let her get me!" I beg, Nissa looked down the hall and her eyes widen once she saw Avacyn running towards us. Nissa seemed to be able to tell she was bad news and held her staff out in front of her. Parts of the ground broke apart as roots grew from the stone and soon became a bipedal elemental that charged the insane angel. The elemental raised its fist to hit the angel but Avacyn tackled the beast head on causing it to fall onto its back, she ripped root and stone from the elemental before her body started to glow slightly.

Without thinking I wrap my arms around Nissa and spread my wings around her as well, not a moment later I felt the familiar burning sensation of her holy light start to burn my skin. I saw Nissa look at me as I tried to ignore the pain, she raised her staff again before the light stopped, I opened my wings and saw Avacyne was now fighting against three more elementals, using what strength I had left I lifted Nissa and myself up and out a large window. I break through the glass, which unfortunately due to the holy light weakening me caused glass shards to embed themselves in my wings. I grit my teeth in pain before I crash into the ground.

Nissa had fallen out of my grasp and I was laying on my back unpin, my vision was blurry and I was taking deep breaths, my wings and body hurt like hell.

"Damion!" Nissa called out, a moment later she appeared in my vision. She got me to my feet and held me up as my vision cleared again. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"I won't be able to use my wings for a while, but I can manage for now, we need to find the others." I reply. No sooner had I said that, Gideon, Chandra, and Jace, run around the corner and were shocked when they saw us. "Oh good, we found them."

"What's going on!?" Gideon asked noticing the destroyed window and the damage on the ground as well as my injuries.

"In short." A loud crash could be heard from inside. "A crazy angel from Innistrad that I thought was dead somehow isn't dead and followed me here and also has some strange obsession with me, is currently fighting 3 elementals and is heading this way." I inform them. "Oh and for some crazy reason she looks my age now."

"What!?" Jace asked in horror knowing exactly who I was talking about.

The wall behind Nissa and I flew past us and crashed into the opposite wall, we turn and see Avacyn with her insane grin on her face as she crushed what remained of the last elemental, "There you are!" She said happily looking at me.

"I'm going to die." I state.

"Not today!" Chandra let loose a wave of fire at the arc angel who held her hand out causing the fire to split in half right in front of her. She waved her hand causing the fire to disappear before leaping towards me and Nissa, Gideon pushed us out of the way as he lit up with a golden energy. Avacyn materialized a black version of her spear and tried to impale Gideon but it harmlessly bounced off. Gideon summons his whip like weapon as Jace and Chandra run over to us, Avacyn saw this and raised her spear which lit up again.

I Jace and I knew what this was, I quickly shifted to my eldrazi form, but something felt different. I ignored it as I unfolded my wings, since I was in my eldrazi form I could mutate them, my wings grew and wrapped around the four of us as the light hit. I knew Gideon would be fine so I only shielded the others, the light hit me again and my flesh burned like hell, I wanted to scream at the searing pain but I had to focus on keeping my wings up.

The light dies down again and my wings return to normal as I fall to the ground, my mask falls off, my eldrazi form goes back to normal as I fall to the ground. Thankfully I was caught by, surprisingly, Nissa. Jace and Chandra went to go help Gideon and I was left with Nissa. As I watched the others fight I started to think, how did Avacyn get here? I watched her get destroyed. Okay think, the last moments you saw her, what happened? I thought back to when I fought her, Sorin had me bind her in chains to use the spell, wait a second, I channeled my mana into the chains. Usually when I do that...oh no, no please tell me I didn't actually do what I think I did.

"So you finally figured it out I see." Said a familiar female voice inside my mind.

"Mom!" I mentally shout back, "Okay first, I'm really glad you are here right now, second, why did you imprison yourself inside of me!?"

"I didn't want to be stuck in that dusty old moon for a who knows how long." She replied. "So do you like my gift?"

"Your gift is trying to kill me!"

"Don't be ridiculous, she may be insane but I made sure that she only wants to protect you. The injuries are because my insanity still has a hold on her mind. I know you can dispel it, I was just waiting for you to realize how she got here." I could tell she was smiling.

I let out a sigh before I look up at Nissa, "I know what to do." I quickly explain my plan and Nissa nods, by the eternities I hope this works.

No pov

Avacyn spun her spear sending the fire away from her again and avoided the strikes from Gideons whip. Multiple blue illusions appeared around her to confuse her but she sliced through them like nothing. She grabbed Chandra by the neck and raised her spear but stopped when she heard Nissa shout.

"Stop!" Avacyn turned to look in her direction and her expression turned to one of shock, Damion was being restrained by several roots and Nissa was holding a sword to his neck. "Make any sudden moves and he dies." Nissa threatened.

The rest of the Gatewatch were shocked. "Nissa what are you doing!?" Gideon shouted.

Jace could tell something was up, he knew Damion could easily break through the roots if he wanted to, his eyes lit up and read their minds. Damions plan might just work, he quickly sent a mental message to the others about what was going on.

"Drop her." Nissa ordered the arc angel. Avacyn grit her teeth and released Chandra who fell to the ground coughing and cussing at the angel. Chandra quickly got away from her and moved next to Nissa, "Now!" She pointed her sword at Avacyn as dozens of roots ripped up from the ground and wrapped around the angels wings and her body, Gideon then tackled her to the ground and wrapped her in his own chains. Jace used his magic to make Avacyn freeze and unable to retaliate, the roots around Damion unwrapped and Damion raced forwards before putting a hand on the angels head. A purple vail of energy covered the angel and disappeared, the purple markings on Damion appeared as he channeled his magic into Avacyn.

The Gatewatch stayed on edge just in case the crazy angel broke free, after a few minutes Damion let out a sigh and stopped his spell. "That should do it." He says and falls onto his back. The others slowly released Avacyn from their restraints and waited, once the young angel started to stir she sat up and yawned before looking around. Damion sat back up, the two looked each other in the eyes for a moment. Damions got to his feet and dusting himself off, "So, have you calmed down?"

Avacyn looked up at Damion and took his hand to help her stand back up. "Y-yes, I'm-" Once she was on her feet she lost her balance and fell onto Damion knocking them to the ground. The rest of the Gatewatch moved forwards thinking she was attacking but stopped when they saw Damion and Avacyn had both fallen asleep, most likely due to the running, fighting, and use of their magic.

"Well, this will certainly be interesting." Jace said before making sure Damion was alright. Once he was sure, he moved Damion and Avacyn into Damions room, hoping that things wouldn't get to crazy.

Three months later

Things have been calm since Innistrad, and the little Avacyn problem. After Jace offered his place for the Gatewatch to stay most of them agreed. Liliana had decided to get her own place and Nissa left her room after the first day. After the first week Damion had had taken claim of three rooms and the three above him by knocking down walls and parts of his ceiling to get to them. The reason being that the angels he had accidentally made part of his brood had appeared and needed room to move around, thankfully they stayed in their angel forms and not their eldrazi form, unless they need to. The young arc angel had also gotten use to her new form and could be seen with Damion on multiple occasions causing mischief.

The young demon often sneaks out with Chandra and both explore the city, the two cause trouble at times. Aside from Chandra, Damion had gotten along with Liliana surprising some of the other Planeswalkers, they both claim it's because they are capable of creating armies if they wanted to. That and they were both immortal and all powerful at one point. He got along with Gideon and they spared on occasion. Jace and Damion got along pretty well, they often play chess. Nissa and Damion tried to get along, but they barely talked to each other, so Gideon stuck them in a room till they had an actual conversation. No one knows what happened exactly but there were several loud bangs, shattering glass, and shouting. But once they came out they seemed to be on better terms than before.

Since then things have been pretty quite, well, until now.

Liliana knocked on the door to Damions room, but got no response. She knocked again, louder.

"Just a moment." Said a female voice Liliana didn't recognize. She was certain this was the room belonging to Damion. A moment later the door opened to reveal a black winged angel, she couldn't remember her name, not that she wanted to. "Oh, it's you. Damion said I could let you on but don't do anything funny." She warned before moving to let Liliana in.

Liliana walked through the door and looked around, Damion was in his hammock near the ceiling, the ceiling was also covered in purple, grey, or white drawing similar to Eldrazi. What appeared to be several bags of varied size hung around him, it was impossible to see what was inside them. His miniature hydra, no bigger than a small dog, was curled up on his chest. Liliana looked up and saw that more than half the ceiling was ripped out and various angels were on the second floor watching her.

Various angels were watching her to make sure she didn't do anything to Damion. A certain young arc angel was watching her as well, when Liliana was told that this was Avacyn she laughed for a good five minutes straight. The once proud arc angel that had been a major annoyance on Innistrad was now nothing more than a child.

She walked closer to the hammock before noticing the his clothes were covered in black ash, Damion looked at her rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Good morning purple lady." Damion said with a yawn.

Liliana had given up on trying to get him to stop calling her that. "Come child, we have to go see what beafslab wants."

"Do I have to?" Damion asked rubbing his eyes and flying down to the ground.

"Yes, I'm going to get Chandra, get cleaned up and meet me there."

"You sound like my mother...or something else...what's anotherer family member?" Damion replied still tired.

"I would prefer you think of me as an older sister." She said with a smile.

"I've never had a sister before, okay then. I'll catch up in a minute." Liliana soon left as Damion got ready for the day. Once he was somewhat presentable in his eyes he whistled getting everyone else attention. Not a moment later the Angels and hydra currently present all turned into grey orbs and flew into his chest. Damion then left once he had everyone back inside him. He walked through the labyrinth of halls that belonged to Jace, following the sound of Lilianas voice till he walked up next to her.

"I trust the evening was worth it?" Liliana asked Chandra who had clearly just gotten out of bed herself. A breeze kicked through the hall, carrying the scents of sun-baked bricks and frying food, the susurration of crowds and the tinkling of bands in the square below. A strand of wayward orange hair wavered in the summer wind and fell across Chandra's eye. Liliana reached out and tucked it behind the girl's ear, tsking. It was dry as straw, the ends split. To be expected, perhaps, given its tendency to burst into flame.

"Stop that," Chandra said, waving away her hands. "I wasn't doing anything last night. Just went to watch..." she hesitated, amber eyes squinting off into the gloom of her bedroom. "Uh, some minstrels. Yeah. A tavern in—on Tin Street. They had, like...fiddles."

Liliana had met many terrible liars over the centuries, but impressively few could rival Chandra. She folded her arms across her chest and allowed one corner of her mouth to tilt upwards. "You two went to see the Izzet air races."

"No!" She defended herself.

"Exploding goblins were awesome." Damion mumbled out leaning against the wall. Liliana smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"...Yes." Chandra yawned. "So you gonna yell at me, or what?"

She laughed lightly. "Why on earth should I? Do what you want." She waved over her shoulder, the gesture encompassing the sun-baked hall, the quiet, book-stacked rooms of Jace's sanctum, and the preposterous band of freelance do-gooders she'd found herself walking two steps behind and shaking her head at. "Nobody here has a right to tell you what to do. That's certainly not what I signed up for."

"You didn't sign anything."

Damion looked up, "We had to sign something!?" Damion asked in concern.

"No, don't worry little one." Damions eyes slowly closed before falling back against the wall. Lilianna looked back at Chandra "Never do, sweetie. Best to live unfettered." She tapped a finger against her lips. "Air races are dangerous for most. But after Emrakul, the perils of goblins with rockets strapped to their backs seems distinctly...non-perilous for you."

"Mom has that effect on people." Damion added.

"One of them had rockets in his boots. But he blew up. Boof!" Chandra's hands cupped and spread apart, describing an expanding cloud of yuck. "Chunks everywhere. Super gross."

"Super awesome!" Damion mumbled.

"Charming. Did you enjoy your evening?"

The younger woman grinned, the freckles on her cheeks scrunching up into an adorable mess. "Yeah! I love air races. I haven't seen once since—" her mouth hung a moment, and she blinked twice, rapidly. "Not for a while, anyways. Not big with the monks," she said, with an unconvincing laugh.

Liliana studied the fall of the noon sun across Chandra's hair, remembering the brittle feel of it between her fingers. "Beefslab wants everyone downstairs in an hour. We have a guest."

"Who?" Chandra asked.

"Do they have food?" Damion asked starting to actually wake up.

"I'm sure I didn't ask."

"What? No, I mean...Beefslab?" Chandra clarified.

Liliana let the corner of her mouth slide up again, placed one hand on her hip, and waited for it.

"She means shiny man." Damion clarified.

"Oh!" Chandra snorted a laugh. "Gids."

She waved pale fingers in the air and rolled her eyes, theatrically. "Surely you've thought the same? It feels like I have to ask him to put a shirt on every other day."

Chandra rubbed her left eye and yawned again. "Hey, I don't mind the view. I wanna get breakfast on the way. Lunch. Whatever. You coming with?"

She moved to brush past Liliana, who stopped her with a hand to her exposed shoulder. The skin was radiantly, unnaturally warm, as if she'd been lying in the sun. She'd noticed that on the rare occasions Chandra sat still for five minutes, her lap inevitably attracted a small pile of drowsy cats.

"Before we go downstairs, sweetie," she said, "you might wish to put on pants."

"What are you, my m—aunt?" Chandra grumped. She turned and wobbled toward one of the piles of laundry, toes curling up at the cold of the hardwood. That settled the question of which pile was the clean. Hopefully.

Liliana silvered a laugh into the air. "I'd rather you think of me as...a sibling, shall we say?"

Chandra pulled a pair of leggings out of the pile, sniffed, and tossed them over her shoulder with a grimace. "I don't have any siblings. Anyways, aren't you like two hundred or something?"

"Ah, but two hundred going on twenty-nine." Chandra closed the door leaving the two alone. "Did you have fun?" She asked the young demon.

Damion looked up at Liliana, "Yup, there the explosions were so cool to watch!" Damion ten started to explain what had occurred until Chandra walked out.

"Not wearing armor today?" Liliana asked as they walked to the stairs.

"Around the house? Nah. You think maybe I should for this meeting?" Chandra was looking down at the lacing of her shirt. She'd been trying to work out a knot, but only managed to get a thumb caught. "I left it downstairs, in that room Jace keeps all his cloaks." A puzzled frown bent her lips. "He's got an awful lot of them. Hold on."

She paused by one of the open bedroom doors to work her thumb free. It was Nissa's room, theoretically. The curtains were pulled wide, letting noontime sun fall on undisturbed bedding and a dusty bureau. Chandra glanced in. "We've been here like three months, but I've barely seen Nissa since Innistrad."

"You won't find her in there. Let me see that." Liliana turned and batted Chandra's free hand away from her shirt's lacing. The other hand was now connected by the thumb and an additional finger. "The first morning you all were here, she stumbled out looking like death warmed over."

Chandra brightened and opened her mouth.

"Yes, yes," Liliana sighed. "I'd know best what that looks like."

"Aw..."

"Sweet girl, trust me. I have heard all the necromancer jokes." Liliana sucked in her lower lip as she dug in her fingernail to tease a knot free. "Nissa mumbled something like, 'Can't sleep. Too many angels.' She's been staying in the roof garden ever since."

"It's pretty nice up there." Damion added. "And she was not referring to my angels."

"Weird." Chandra watched dust motes swirl in the air. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Liliana pulled at another knot.

With her free hand, Chandra pushed her goggles further back on her forehead. "Jace offered you a room too. Right? Like the rest of us? But you went and got your own place, even when everything's so expensive here."

A final, firm tug, and Chandra's hand was free. "I mislike relying on the mercy of others," Liliana said, forcing lightness into her voice. It had the virtue of being true, if not the entire truth. "Now let me tie this for you properly."

Sleeping under a roof that Jace paid for? Not just "no," but "hell no."

"There." She patted the lacing on Chandra's shirt. "Don't touch it again. Next time you'll probably get a toe caught."

"Thanks," Chandra grinned, then wrapped one warm arm up around Liliana's bare shoulders and squeezed. "I'm so hungry I could eat an Eldrazi. Maybe even one of the gooey ones." Damion quickly moved to the other side of Lilianna who patted his head. Chandra launched herself toward the stairs. "They don't get breakfast on Ravnica at all. It's like they get it all backwards. Big dinners, long lunches, skipped breakfasts. Crusty bread with butter? For breakfast?" Chandra made a lemon-pucker face. "Come the hell on."

"Is that why you can't get up in the morning here?" Liliana asked, mildly.

Chandra slugged her in the arm. "Jerk." She was taken so off guard she staggered. Chandra walked obliviously ahead as Liliana rubbed the potential bruise. Her steps quickened and Damion flew after them as she warmed to her topic and gestured to an audience only she could see. "Listen. A real breakfast starts with methi thepla. With ginger, chilis, and some yogurt in the mix. When you wake up to that smell—" she paused; swallowed; shook her head. "With pickled mango! Mango is the best. Anyone who says otherwise should be pitied for their tragic and inescapable wrongness."

Liliana shook her head. "I have no idea what mango is."

"I don't know what any of those things are." Damion said with a shrug, "Is yogurt a type of animal?

"A mango is a fruit and yogurt is not an animal." Chandra said before looking at Damion, "What do you eat?"

"Usually what ever I can find." Damion replied. "I do enjoy the taste of blood on occasion."

"Well, nothing else tastes like a mango in the multiverse. At least in the parts I've been. When it's perfectly ripe and you take a bite..." she cupped both hands under her mouth. "...the juice just runs down your chin. Sweet and tangy at the same time—and sharp in the back of your nose. Like the way juniper smells, a little. They're like a sunrise in your mouth. So big and bright it spills out."

"They sound confusing." Damion responded.

"They sound...messy," Liliana allowed.

"I guess. Sometimes. But so worth it," Chandra grinned. "For the second course, do you know what a chickpea—oh." They had turned into a hall that opened over a courtyard on one side, open to the sky and brimming over with green. Chandra's forward momentum trickled to a halt as she drifted toward the balustrade.

"We've got time for one more go before the meeting. Whenever you're ready." The booming voice of Gideon. "Let's do this!" An echoing clap of meaty hands.

She moved to stand beside Chandra. Below, Mancake settled into what was probably a Theros wrestling stance, braced as if expecting a blow. Across from him, the willowy Zendikari elf stood with one hand gripping her opposing shoulder, looking like she wanted to fold into herself and disappear.

"Are you sure?" she asked the grass. Her voice was uneven, scratchy with disuse.

His laugh echoed off the stonework. Liliana was fairly certain she heard distant glassware vibrating. "If I know it's coming, I'm indestructible. The whole point's to see how far you can go. Trust yourself, Nissa. And if you don't...trust me. I can absolutely take it."

"But..."

"Indestructible," he repeated cheerfully, flashing perfect teeth.

"All right." Nissa closed her pine-shadow eyes. "There's not much here to work with."

"We could do this in the garden."

"I meant...never mind." She breathed in, and raised a hand.

The bushes exploded into bloom. Lavender-and-white petals swirled on a sudden wind, filling the air with thick sweetness. Ivy shot up the walls, emerald leaves swelling and unfurling, coating every surface. The grass stretched and bent, whispering in the breeze, lovingly wrapping itself around Nissa's hiking boots.

Chandra took an involuntary step back, inhaling sharply as greenery embraced the balustrade.

Branches swelled and twined, weaving into a single four-legged shape. Maybe some Zendikari beast? Liliana had visited some decades before, but found the place too dull to stay long. The bushes pulled themselves free of the ground, flicking dirt from their root-feet like a fastidious cat.

The bush-beast—more a tree now—reared back, creaking and groaning like the world's largest rocking chair. It shed pastel petals in a constant rain, motes of pollen swirling in the noontime sun. Its front limbs interlaced into a single fist, which it drove down on Gideon like an avalanche.

His flesh shone with liquid gold.

Then he was driven down into the earth, up to his chest.

Nissa gasped. With a wave of her hand, the tree-beast jumped back away from him, landing with a reverberating impact that left Liliana clutching the ivy-clad railing for support. Somewhere in the house, she heard porcelain shatter. Several somewheres, actually.

Gideon laughed uproariously. "That was incredible!" He braced his hands on either side of the crater, and with a grunt uprooted himself. He rolled up on to his feet and brushed black earth off his trousers, a grin lighting his face. "You can't hurt me, but I didn't even think about the floor."

The tree-beast keened at Nissa like a scolded puppy. "Shh," the elf whispered, bending to rest her forehead against the monster's wooden brow. "My fault, my fault."

"Nicely done," Gideon laid a massive hand on Nissa's thin shoulder. She twitched and inhaled sharply. The tree-beast swung toward him and shook itself, leaves rattling a feline hiss.

He stepped back, hands in the air. "Easy, big fella. Not attacking mom."

Nissa laid a stilling hand on the beast. "Thank you. Rest now." It dug its wooden fingers and toes into the earth, groaned, and settled back into mere topiary. Nissa stood alone again, the beast's last pale blossom petals tumbling down around her.

Gideon rubbed his prickly jaw. "Hope Jace is all right with us landscaping."

Liliana glanced at Chandra. She was up on her toes, leaning forward over the rail with a dazzled little smile. "Careful you don't fall off."

Chandra hopped back down, and stuck out her tongue. "Like I would. Come on, I'm hungry."

Liliana smiled and followed with Damion not far behind. Behind her, Gideon's voice echoed from the courtyard bricks. "Nissa, before you go. That thing I do, where I clap people on the shoulder? Does that make you uncomfortable?"

Liliana paused at the door, listening. If the elf responded, her words weren't audible.

"I'm sorry. I hadn't realized. I won't do it again." Liliana couldn't imagine his expression, but his tone dripped such brown-eyed-shaggy-dog sincerity her lips twitched with irritation.

"Thank you." Barely more than a whisper of wind on leaves.

"If anything makes you uncomfortable, let me know, all right? Especially if it's me."

Liliana set her mouth in a hard line and followed after Chandra, boots clicking on the hardwood, silk hem swishing in her wake. If she listened to any more she might vomit. Of course the elf gets apologies and promises. Two hundred years ago, she'd had to learn to break fingers.

There were a dozen ways into Jace's library, not counting the hidden passages Lilianas shades had found. Three stories of overflowing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, all in alphabetical order by author, and arranged by subject. After a few weeks, she'd started taking random books and placing them on other shelves. It would drive him insane when he noticed.

The marble table at the center was normally covered with Jace's neatly squared stacks of notes. He'd moved that into a private office; the library had become a common room because the table was the only one in the house large enough to accommodate them all. He'd visibly twitched when they started taking meals there.

Today the table held only a pitcher of water and seven glasses. Jace was already here, of course, pacing, frowning, flipping through a bundle of notes, and trying to keep clear of Lavinia, who'd stationed herself by the exterior door and stared pragmatically into the middle distance. You could almost see checklists and formation marches lockstepping behind her eyes, taking up cycles while she waited for something important to happen.

Liliana had seen her sort a thousand times. Dutiful, observant, entirely unimaginative. If she had a favored tavern, which seemed unlikely, her usual was a mug of room-temperature water.

Lavinia was almost certainly standing by the door to keep Jace from bolting out on some adventure. Of course, if he really wanted to leave, he just needed to be alone for a few minutes. She knew that now; with five Planeswalkers living here, and one availing herself of the amenities, thank you very much, it had been necessary to explain. Jace had invoked some Guildpact bylaw of subsection of article as amended and ratified by who the hell cares to swear her to secrecy.

Liliana smiled to herself as she scraped a chair out from under the table, imagining the guard banging on the door of the privy; "Are you still in there, Guildpact? Respond at once!"

Jace looked up at the noise of her chair. "You're early?" He sounded aghast. She was professionally affronted.

"No. Everyone else is later than me." She cast a critical eye up and down his form. Firm, fit, alert, hair combed. She mentally called bull on it. "You can drop the glamour, dear. No one cares."

He sighed, and shimmered as his illusion dropped. There was the real Jace; paler, hair rumpled, eyes sunken from late nights, and his chin tinted by the adorable peach fuzz that almost counted as a someday-maybe beard.

"Vanity?" she said. "That's not like you."

He raked a hand back through his hair, which did nothing to calm its random angles. "I should be at my best for team meetings. Project leadership. Confidence. The idea that I know what the hell I'm doing. And why am I telling you this?" He looked annoyed at himself.

She raised one ivory shoulder in a careless shrug. "Who else knows you well enough to understand?" Liliana leaned back in her chair and placed her feet up on the table, one ankle crossed over the other. The hem of her dress fell away from her boots in a rustle of silk.

"That's rude," Jace frowned.

"Mm."

His eyebrows collapsed into fuzzy perpendiculars of irritation. "And distracting."

Liliana favored him with a lazy, indolent smile. "I'll remember." She turned her attention to scanning the book spines nearby, and imagined his fuming.

Gideon thundered down the stairs, taking them two at a time as he yanked a shirt down over his various bulges, ripples, and throbbing bits. "Oh, good. You remembered today," she said.

He blinked at her. "What?"

"Nothing." She waved a careless half-salute in his direction. "Carry on, Sir General sir."

Jace set his notes down as Gideon pulled out the chair across from her. "That's nearly all of us, so I'll start. We can catch Chandra up when she gets here."

Liliana blinked and scanned the room. What about—oh. Nissa was sitting cross-legged in a chair under the shadow of the bookshelves, several steps removed from the table. She wondered how long the elf had been there. A scratching noise from above caught her attention, she looked up to see Damion was crawling on the ceiling, how long had he been there?

"The short of it is," Jace continued, "I'm still tied up with Guildpact work, and will be for a while. When I got back from Innistrad, my desk was covered. Actually, the whole office was a maze of stacked papers and books. It took me five minutes to reach the desk."

A faint smile tugged the corner of Lavinia's mouth. Liliana revised her estimate of the woman's creativity upward.

Jace leaned on the table with the tips of his fingers. "I've put word out through—"

Bits of armor clattered and rang across the table. Jace glared up at Chandra. The pyromancer's arms swept up the pile of her spilled equipment. "Sowwy," she said around the pastry she held in her mouth. It dripped cinnamon icing on the marble. She collapsed in the chair beside Liliana, bit off a piece, and started strapping on pieces of armor. "Wha' wersh you shayin'?" she asked from the side of her mouth.

"I was saying," Jace said, with exaggerated patience, "that I've put word out through Tamiyo that the Gatewatch is ready to help. She and other Planeswalkers pass information to each other. They collect news and stories in their travels. The way bards work, but they carry word from other planes instead of the next town over."

"How many are they?" Gideon asked, resting his chin in one hand. "How often do they meet?"

Jace shook his head. "They're not organized like we are. It's informal. Practically gossip. But they move around often, and talk to many people. If someone wants help, they'll mention us. If someone needs help, they'll get word to us." He paused, and looked at each of them. "This has already borne fruit. Someone's sought us out. He's waiting outside."

Gideon grinned and sat straighter in his chair, which creaked at the shift in weight. "Outstanding work, Jace."

Jace nodded. "Our guest is Dovin Baan. He's Minister of Inspections for some kind of inventors' festival on Kaladesh." Warmth bloomed to Liliana's right. "Lavinia, could you see him in please?"

Minister. Hmm. Liliana took her feet off the table, sat up straight, and crossed her legs, brushing the folds of her dress into smoothness. A ripple passed over Jace; he'd re-summoned the neat and tidy illusion he'd been wearing when she entered.

Across the table from her, Gideon eyed their mutual preparations thoughtfully.

Chandra slumped further down in her chair, pulled her goggles down over her eyes, and folded her arms tight across her chest.

The vedalken man was tall, thin as dueling blade, blue-skinned, and impeccably dressed. His suit was partially encased in whorls and filigrees of brass, bits of which hissed and ticked faintly. He descended the stairs with brisk, precise motions, hands clasped behind his back, and Liliana wondered how he managed it. Surely the bits of metal covering his sleeves would get tangled?

He paused as he passed a painting, frowned, and reached out to nudge it upward on one side.

"Minister Baan," Jace said. "These are my colleagues Nissa, Gideon, Chandra, and Liliana. Damion is on the ceiling."

As she was introduced, Liliana unfolded from her chair and applied a pleasant smile. She curtseyed, keeping her eyes locked on Baan's as she bobbed. His were a fevered, restless fuchsia. A fascinating contrast from his cool demeanor. "Charmed, Minister." Her form was rusty, but she doubted he'd be familiar with the particulars of Dominarian court manners.

Baan laid an arm across his stomach and bowed to her from the waist, lowering his eyes to the floor before her. "Likewise, Miss Liliana."

"I hope your wait was comfortable?" Jace asked, indicating an empty chair at the far end of the table.

Baan glanced at it with momentary puzzlement, but made no move to sit. "The accommodations were tolerable."

Jace's projected face gave no hint of the discomfort Liliana's suspected lay beneath it. "Good. Well. What can the Gatewatch do for you?"

"I have come to inquire with regard to the matter discussed in my previous correspondence."

After a moment of silence, doubtless spent unpacking Baan's baroque grammar, Gideon cleared his throat. "Excuse us, Minister. Not everyone here has seen your letter."

Baan inhaled slowly. "Ah. Very well. I will recapitulate." Clasping his hands behind his back, he began to pace at the end of the table.

"I have the honor of coming before you as an officially and duly designated representative of the Consulate of Kaladesh. I have, of course, educated myself on the means of governance on Ravnica; your system of competing 'guilds.'" Baan pronounced the word with delicacy, as if it were some rare sweet he'd never encountered before. "Our Consulate stands in contrast. It is unified; centralized; meritocratic. All resources are administered and distributed by the rational and equal application of the law. We have achieved a society in which no one wants."

Liliana's right arm felt sunburned. She glanced at Chandra. A shimmer of heat-haze danced over the younger woman's head. Stray wisps of copper hair rose and wavered in the updraft. But she was silent, rigid, the muscles of her jaw rippling as she clenched her teeth.

Liliana quietly slid her chair to the left.

"Six months ago," Baan continued, "the Consulate scheduled an Inventors' Fair in the capital city of Ghirapur. It is to begin on the morning following. There are to be expositions of artifice in a variety of fields. Award of grants for exceptional work."

Baan allowed the corners of his mouth to turn up, ever so slightly. "It has been my pleasure to personally inspect all submissions for safety of visitors. If I may be forgiven for saying so, I believe the judges have many difficult choices to make. I am confident that at least one of our luminaries has managed to create an entirely new order of artifice."

He paused at the books stacked along the wall, and tapped the brass of his shoulder piece. An array of lenses whirred into place before his left eye. He peered through them for a moment, frowned, and drew one slim finger across the surface of the shelf.

"In recent weeks," he continued, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket as he turned on his heel, "preparations have been repeatedly disrupted by vandals and malcontents. My safety arrangements have thus far prevented any casualties." He wiped his finger with the handkerchief, carefully folded the cloth into quarters, and slid it back into a pocket. "However, efforts to discover and eliminate the source of this unrest have been less successful."

Baan's lens array ticked back into a storage position over his shoulder plate. "That is all."

Gideon cleared his throat. "So, to be clear, you want the Gatewatch to provide...security?"

"To root out the source of these attacks?" Jace suggested.

Baan looked from one to the other, and inhaled as if he'd smelled something from the bottom of a shoe. "Just so," he said. "As stated in my original correspondence."

"Who are these people?" Gideon asked. "Why do they want to disrupt a festival?"

Baan inclined his head. "A logical question, Mister Gideon. I regret there is no logical answer for your query. The renegades' grievances largely exist in the fevered space between their own ears. The most significant objection they can muster is that equal distribution to all by the Consulate is somehow 'unfair' to them personally. Put simply, they feel they are entitled to more than their fair share. When the Consulate declines to indulge their selfish desires, they resort to sabotage of government property and theft of resources appropriated for the common good."

Chandra's chair tilted over backward as she bolted to her feet. Liliana snapped out an arm and kept it from clattering to the floor as she stomped away, trailing heat-blurred air and sparks.

"What are you—?" Gideon began, but flinched away from Chandra's flickering hands as she passed him. She vaulted up the stairs two at a time, snarling eye-watering obscenities.

Baan's eyes followed her, his eyebrows arching skyward. "I trust she is aware that is not anatomically possible?"

Jace cleared his throat, too loudly. "Minister Baan?" The vedalken turned back to the table as the massive library doors slammed shut. "Are any of your renegades Planeswalkers?"

"Not to my knowledge."

Gideon shook his head, "Then I don't see how we can help. I'm sorry, but—"

"Wait." Jace leaned forward. "He said he doesn't know. We can prove one way or the other." He looks up towards the ceiling, "Damion is able to sense Planeswalkers thanks his new powers, we can send him to the Kaladesh to confirm this if necessary." Damion flew down from the ceiling and landed before taking a seat.

Baan closed his fever-bright eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between thin fingers. "Gentlemen, forgive my presumption. Which of you is making decisions for this group?"

Jace and Gideon looked at each other.

"Well..."

"Uh..."

"Gideon is the battlefield commander..."

"Jace is the administrator..."

"But we both..."

"But neither of us..."

Baan was clutching his head as if he had a migraine.

"Minister Baan," Liliana interrupted. She rose in an ostentatious swish of silk and lace, and affected her most disarming smile. "What troubles my...colleagues is the focus of our group. The Gatewatch was formed to stop people like us—Planeswalkers—from interfering with others. Problems from without, in other words. It sounds like your problems come from within. In which case," she gestured with feigned helplessness, "our hands are tied. However we can still send Damion to confirm this, and if he finds anything we will not hesitate to come and help."

Baan released a slow, relieved breath. "Ah. Thank you, Miss Liliana. Your position is abundantly clear to me to now. I did not fully comprehend the strictures you operate under. Of course I cannot expect you to violate the laws that bind your organization." He bowed to her again. "My sincerest apologies. In the future I will endeavor to be more thorough in my research. If you will permit me, I shall take my leave with Master Damion." He glanced at Damion who understood they were about to leave so he stood up and walked over to Baan.

Jace stared at Liliana open-mouthed, annoyance and astonishment warring across his face. Priceless.

"Uh, hold on," Gideon jumped to his feet. "Minister, you should at least stay for dinner."

Baan looked at him as if he'd grown several additional heads. "Mister Gideon, even if I considered it acceptable to further impose upon your hospitality, I am sorely needed on Kaladesh. I have no doubt that since I departed, there have been several acts of sabotage."

Gideon grinned at Baan. "Planeswalks can be taxing, and you've already done one today. We couldn't let you go on an empty stomach. Rules of hospitality, let's say. While we get that made, I could give you a tour of Jace's hou—of our headquarters."

Baan stared down his nose at him. "I assure you, my fitness is within acceptable boundaries for one of my age and profession, though I do not believe the matter to be any of your concern. Still. If it is your custom to provide sustenance to a departing guest, I will respect it."

"Outstanding!" He moved to clap the Minister on the shoulder, but stopped himself and disguised the instinct as an awkward stretch.

Lavinia cleared her throat. "Guildpact. Before your associates leave. The other business?"

Gideon paused. "Other business?"

Jace grimaced. "While I was away on Zendikar and Innistrad, a few influential members in the Azorius Senate were...eliminated."

"Certainly a concern," Gideon said. "But what does that have to—"

"You said 'eliminated,'" Liliana interjected. "Not 'killed.'"

Jace nodded. "They were petrified. Turned to stone." He hesitated. Liliana raised her brows. Jace speechless? How intriguing. "About a year ago, there was a gorgon assassin operating on Ravnica. A planeswalking gorgon, with a grudge against the Azorius. I stopped her, but...irritated her."

"You have such a way with ladies," Liliana said.

"The point is," Jace said, "she swore she'd be back someday."

Gideon rubbed his jaw, eyes flickering to Lavinia. "Huh. Any leads?"

"Not yet," Lavinia said.

Jace turned to Gideon. "I'd like you to investigate this."

He shook his head. "You're the best choice, Jace. Look into it and report back to me."

Liliana's eyes flickered from one to the other. So glad she had her own place. Though if things ever came to a group vote, this made it easier to tilt things in whatever direction she wished.

"You have no idea how much I'd like to handle this myself," Jace said. There was a faint creak of leather as Lavinia's gloved hand tightened on her scabbard. "I have paperwork." He spat it like an obscenity. "Gideon, I'm not going to...it's not an order, all right? It's just something that needs to be done. I can't do it myself, and I think you'd work well with the Azorius. Better than Liliana would, at any rate."

"Oh, he's right about that," Liliana said, mildly. She was fairly certain they would still have her wanted posters up from four years ago, when she and Jace had worked for Tezzeret's criminal Consortium. Odd to consider how much had changed since then. Now Jace was the one the Azorius appealed to for aid, and she was more powerful than the guild could possibly deal with.

She laid a hand over the hidden pocket where she kept the Chain Veil. Not that she needed to assure herself of its presence. She could feel the icy sprawl of it against her thigh, and when her concentration lapsed, the whispers of the Onakke spirits possessing it rasped from the darker corners of the room.

"That makes sense," Gideon said, nodding slowly. "All right. Lavinia, I'd like a summary of what the Azorius know."

The guard looked scandalized. "A summary? Captain Jura, the witness statements alone total several thousand—"

"I'm new here." He gave her an easy smile. "I need to rely on your expertise. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you get something for me by tonight? Even a little would be great."

Lavinia flustered under his gaze. "Absolutely, sir."

"Thank you, Lavinia," Gideon gestured to Baan, and moved toward the door on the far end of the room. "Jace's kitchen staff is incredible. Perk of being Guildpact, apparently. What's your interest?"

Jace dropped his illusion of calm and glared into Liliana's smile.

"I am content with a loaf of unleavened bread, a thin cut of meat, and water."

A booming laugh. "We can do better than that!" They turned down a hallway.

Damion had a curious expression on his face before flying out of a nearby window and made his way to the roof. Waiting for the time he had to leave for Kaladesh.

Lavinia tromped off, making notes on a small pad.

They were alone again.

Liliana placed herself between the table and the door to Jace's office as he gathered his paperwork. He scowled to see her waiting, lowered his chin, and marched past her looking into the distance. She smiled benignly. Magnanimously. "In the future, my dear, maybe you should leave the talking to me?"

"I hate it when you do that," Jace said, low and colder than she thought she'd earned. "When you walk in and take over. Like you own everything and everyone. Then expect me to thank you." He turned his shoulder to her and brushed past.

Her words came out by reflex, unbidden; pain for pain. She breathed into the collapsing space between them, "I remember when you enjoyed that."

Then he was gone, leaving behind only his angry words, each a nail of ice pounded into her heart.

Well, damn it. There went her good mood. She swiped a hand beneath one eye ,just being sure, nothing would ever be there, then squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. To Grixis with him, then. Let's see where Chandra stormed off to. That could be fun.

She turned toward the stairs, and noticed Nissa's chair was empty. The elf had left as unobtrusively as she'd arrived.

It was only when she was halfway to the second floor that Liliana realized Nissa hadn't said a single word through the entire meeting.