First off, I would like to apologise for the time it took to put this chapter up. My only plea is that Work has been laid on me thick and fast.

Having said that, in my limited free time, I also fell prey to my biggest vice of loving books too much. A week or so ago, by chance I stumbled across the trailer for the new film, "The Hunger Games" and, intrigued, decided to pick up the book on which it is based. Not one to leave it at that, I was then compelled to read the other two books in the trilogy. And though I cannot apologise enough to those eagerly awaiting the next chapter, Suzanne Collins (the author) delivered a brilliant story of the depths of humanity, the good and bad. And I am grateful she has some input on the film that is to be released next month.

Trailer for the Hunger Games is; .com/watch?v=OgssLmsOa2s

You absolutely have to Check out both film and book.

Heres the next chapter as well, so Enjoy!

Chapter 8

Risking a short bus ride, I found myself outside the café ten minutes later looking through the window at Molly devouring some food and Lea sitting opposite her with a rigidity I found really amusing. It was like watching a weird conclusion to a failed mother-daughter day out. The waitress who served them kept looking in their direction with concern and whispering into the chef's ear. Hoping that they wouldn't remember Molly, I hesitated before marching through the door.

Walking up to the table, I sank into an empty chair and looked at Molly before saying, "Hey there grasshopper."

Her reaction was immediate. She froze with her breakfast sandwich hovering halfway to her mouth before raising her eyes to take in my face. The colour draining from her face, she snarled as she leapt to her feet in a flash, bucking the table and dislodging my grandfather's staff. I could feel her draw in energy as if ready for confrontation; her hands whipped out of sight and reappeared with her twin wands at the ready. "You dare use that appearance in front of me! How dare you use his likeness!" she shouted with hatred in her eyes.

I rose slowly to my feet. Dispelling the cloud of energy gathering around her with a wave of my hand and picking up my staff from where it lay fallen behind me. "Dare? Who would want to look like me anyway young Skywalker?" I said in my best Alec Guinness impression as Molly's face turned from one of anger to one of shock.

"He tells the truth Miss Carpenter, he is indeed my godson." Interjected Lea smoothly from her seat, as if nothing had happened.

Molly looked at Lea sharply before slumping back into her chair, tears threatening to run down her face, "you knew he was alive and you said nothing?"

"My dear, I knew only what Mab permitted me to know. His ghostly appearance a while back was a most risky gamble by the Quiet One and a gamble I did not foresee at that. Now, will you mind preventing the young woman who brought us food from phoning your authorities and detaining us from our tasks." Lea said as her eyes drifted to the waitress who looked on in shock from the kitchen entrance with a phone in hand.

Raising a hand and with a flicker of will, I muttered "Ventas," and the phone flew from the startled waitress's grasp and into my hand. Silence fell on the rest of the people in the café, who no longer cared about stealthy glances in our direction but stared openly at me and my staff, fear creeping into their eyes.

Laughter like that of a crystal bell sounded unnaturally loud as Lea clapped her hands together and said happily, "oh, I absolutely love mortals. They are so adorably ignorant of the world around them, and you my godson wonder why they are so willing to deal with my kind!"

"Peace godmother, we don't have time for you to make deals here. The Fallen are returning to Chicago and they are after the swords if they aren't here already," I chided her gently but forcefully.

Molly's face went from pale to deathly white as she whispered fearfully, "the ones who crippled my father?"

I turned to look at her fully then. Molly may be old enough to look after herself, but her father was an unstoppable force that was broken by Nicodemus and his kind. I went round the table and knelt next to Molly, taking her by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, unconcerned by a soul gaze. "That won't happen this time kiddo, I won't let it and neither will you." I said, finishing by looking at Lea pointedly.

That was when the damn broke. Molly collapsed into me as she started to let it all out in earnest and I slipped my arms around her. Racking sobs took a hold of her as she started to cry against my chest and I let her.

"You left us all alone, Harry. That was when they came and the city has gotten darker ever since," she said in between tears.

"I am so sorry grasshopper, I should never have taken you to Chichen Itza in the first place; never exposed you to that." I replied as tears threatened to fall from my eyes as well.

"It's not just that Harry. Even Marcone has admitted we might not have enough to win against these creatures. The image of the Ragged Lady has only brought more of them here and they are not going away. All of the Alphas have ended up in hospital at one point or another and Murphy has some kind of death wish ever since your ghost disappeared." She said as she withdrew from my arms slightly to look me in the face.

"The Paranet, what of them?" I asked.

"They are still suffering more casualties. No one has the power to defend themselves from these attacks despite the precautions in place. We have people watching out for Sanya, but no one has seen him and we had to stop Murphy from using Fidelacchius after that business with the Corpsetaker."

"Are you talking to her again then?"

Withdrawing from me completely, she composed herself whilst saying "she lets me stay at hers now. I can't stay with my parents at the moment, I don't want them in the middle of this, but Murphy insisted I stay with her instead of on my own."

"There's that at least." I said with a degree of happiness whilst retaking my seat from across her.

"What are you going to do now you're back, Harry? We need you here; I need you here, for without you we will lose. I don't have the strength you do and I'm tired of doing this by myself." She asked with an accusatory glance at my godmother, her weariness more than a little apparent.

"I'm not headed anywhere for now, evil things afoot and whatnot." I replied, mirroring her with a stare of my own at Lea. "I have my freedom to do as Mab asks, and that it was I shall do. She doesn't need to know how I go about it, as long as it gets done."

Lea's eyes went wide at that statement as she asked, "And why would she allow such freedom, my godson?"

"Because I promised I would be the greatest Knight in the history of the Winter Court as long as my will remains my own. Like you, I am an independent agent of Winter." I replied.

Her eyes sparkled in merriment at that as she laughed once more saying, "I bet she wasn't happy at that arrangement, my darling boy?"

"I couldn't tell, she seemed both happy and angry at the situation." I agreed wistfully.

"Hah, you have no idea. However, now is not the time to indulge in further conversation. With you back from the dead, my obligation to your apprentice is ended and you can have her back somewhat more refined than when you left her to me. I can now leave on more urgent matters."

"Like what?" I asked.

"Going to Summer and the wyldfae courts as Winter's ambassador to see if we can reach an understanding and deal with the threats we now find ourselves facing." She replied.

"Good idea," I agreed. "See whether Titania can commit the Gruffs to our cause, I fancy being backed in our corner by the Elder Gruff at least." I added, the memory of the Elder Gruff swatting aside the Fallen Magog as if it was a mere annoyance a fairly sweet one.

"We'd be lucky to get them as they are her personal enforcers, although the situation may be dire enough if the need is conveyed well enough," she said as she rose from her seat. Smoothing out the few crinkles in her robes, she then walked to the door, the other patrons watching her go as prey may watch a dangerous foe. Opening the door, she turned back and said to me "it is good to have you back godson, the world has been a boring and unexciting place since you've been gone, perhaps now we can have some fun once more." And with that statement she was gone.

I shivered slightly at those words as I remembered Chichén Itzá and the pleasure Lea seemed to have at striking down the Red Kings retainers.

I was also troubled by recent conversations. The Fae were renowned for twisting their words due to their inability to lie, but Lea was the second Sidhe of the Winter court to speak to me plainly in recent days and their forthrightness troubled me to no end. The burning question was, how bad a threat can we be facing? It is true that I have faced many fearsome creatures that should have left me dead to rights were it not for sheer luck and instinct, but I also believe that the finer talents my enemies possessed made them more than the equal to my brute force strength.

Pulling myself out of dark thoughts, I watched as Molly started inhaling the food in front of her once more, never pulling her gaze away from me, as though afraid I would disappear again.

"So no news from your family?" I asked her finally, as she came to the end of her meal.

"The occasional meal with them I guess, but the city is so dangerous now I veil myself every time I go over. Mouse also has to be the one to allow me in the house just in case I was an imposter." She replied reassuringly as she finished the last morsel of food on her plate. My heart racing as I tried to avoid asking after my beloved dog and the other, most recent, member of the Carpenter household.

"And how is Daniel? How are his injuries from the confrontation with Aristedes?" I asked as I remembered the numerous cuts he suffered at the hands of the minor league practitioner.

"He was fine within a day or two. The doctors patched him up and forced him to stay in the hospital a few extra days though because the cut along his thigh was close to the femoral artery. Dad forced him to stay indoors at night though and told him to take it easy where possible for a while as well. He's only recently re-joined patrols around the city, though at least he has the brains to ask me or some of the Alphas to go with him at night."

"What about Forthill?"

"He was in hospital a little longer due to his more numerous injuries and his age. A few broken bones including some ribs and a cheek bone required some minor surgery and nearly a fortnight in the hospital. Dad came to see him before his surgery and refused to leave until after seeing him come out and ended up staying the night. He's fine now, though a bit slower than before and the local members of the Paranet, including Anna of the Ordo Lebes help us keep an eye on him and include him in their protective circle." She said as she finished the remnants of her drink.

I nodded appreciatively at that as we rose simultaneously from our seats and made to leave. Molly paused to leave money for food as we passed the terrified waitress who had refused to come within ten feet of our table throughout our entire conversation. I also apologetically left the girl her phone on the counter in the off chance that it still worked. Though the other patrons had tried to look occupied as we swept passed them, there was an almost audible sigh of relief from them as we opened the door and closed it on our way out.