Ivy despised being the Archive, but there were times all that accumulated knowledge came in handy. Say if you needed to pilot your catamaran out to a rocky island in the middle of Lake Michigan, it helped to have instant access to the million or so books written about the subject of sailing. Even with the relatively moderate winds they were pushing forty knots without the use of any magic. She felt it would be cheating.
"This is almost as good as flying," Harry declared, and Dresden's huge dog signaled his agreement with a loud woof. "Mouse isn't an ordinary dog, is he?"
"No, he is a Mountain Ice Demon from the Land of Dreams. And before you ask I have no idea what that really means," Dresden replied. "He can also speak perfect English, but I can only understand him when I'm a dog too."
"So you are an animagus?"
"Um... no."
"An animagus is a shape-shifter you idiot," Ivy explained. "Sometimes you take this whole "I'm a mysterious wizard" routine of yours too far."
"No, I'm not an animagus but Injun Joe says he wouldn't mind teaching me the Art of Shape-Shifting someday," a chastened Dresden replied. "So, you can fly?"
"Only on brooms, although I heard good things about magic carpets when we visited the Persian Empire over the summer."
"Magic carpets sound really cool. I can make a passable Flying Potion, but all it really does is slow your rate of descent when you have to jump from off a cliff or something like that. Actually it's kind of lame."
Ivy rolled her eyes while adjusting one of the catamaran's sails. Dresden was technically old enough to be her husband's father, but the two seem to be the same age when it came to their level of emotional maturity. "Do you feel the presence of Demonreach yet?"
"No, I have to be in physical contact with the island before anything happens—magically speaking."
Demonreach wasn't just another island, and it wasn't just another site were a Ley Line touched the surface of the Earth. Instead it was one of the sources from which magic was created and flowed outwards. Ivy had three theories about why magic originated on this particular island, but even she wasn't certain which one of those theories was correct. It didn't matter, at least not for the ritual she was planning on staging today.
Another interesting aspect of Demonreach was that the magic there had achieved a crude level of sentience. This malevolent spirit dove away any humans who attempted to settle on the island. Three years ago Dresden had foolishly performed a Sanctum Invocation ritual on Demonreach. It had allowed him to become the shaman of the island, but his control over it was tenuous at best. There was a high probability that this vast source of magical power would end up destroying the true wizard if he wasn't careful.
After another ten minutes of sailing the island came into view. Its shoreline was rocky and uneven, but beyond that there was a respectable little forest.
"You know, this place feels a lot like Hogwarts, but it's somehow colder here," Harry said as Ivy skillfully docked their boat at one of the old and crumbling piers.
"Your former school was built on a confluence of several Ley Lines, although the magic in that section of the Highlands is much more benign in nature than what we are dealing with here."
"Lucy, I'm home!" Dresden yelled as he and Mouse playfully jumped ashore.
"Is that another one of his obscure pop culture references?" Harry asked.
"Just be grateful he didn't quote Star Wars again," Ivy replied as she gathered her supplies from the hold. These fragile items were the reason they had traveled to the island using the catamaran instead of walking through the volatile Nevernever.
It was a short hike to the dilapidated lighthouse and cabin which were the only man-made structures left standing on the island. This was where the Order of the Blackened Denarius had brought Ivy when they captured her in Chicago. Despite her young age the Fallen had tortured her, hoping that she could be forced into accepting one of their coins. Luckily she had been rescued by a group which included Dresden, two Knights of the Cross, and one very resourceful Valkyrie with a helicopter and a Gatling gun.
"Demonreach isn't exactly happy to see any of us, so could you please tell me why we came out here?" Dresden asked.
Ivy opened her one of her bags and took out a pair of long pliers. She then opened another bag and used the pliers to grab an old silver coin which she carefully placed on the ground. "This is why," she replied before repeated the process with another coin.
"Those are real Denarian coins, aren't it? How many of them do you have, and what do you planning on doing with them?"
"Kincaid and I managed to track down twelve of the coins, and Gentleman Johnny Marcone was thoughtful enough to give Harry and me another one as a wedding present," Ivy explained. "And it should be fairly obvious what I am going to do with them. Today thirteen of the Fallen will be obliterated from this plane of existence."
"Do you really think that trying to kill thirteen Fallen Angels is a good idea?" a nervous Dresden asked as Mouse began to growl at the growing collection of coins.
"I am not going to try anything. I am going to obliterate them. And if the Great White God didn't want me to do it, than he shouldn't have allowed the human race to discover Quantum Mechanics. This ritual would have been impossible using just classical Newtonian physics," Ivy explained as she continued to carefully place the silver coins on the ground.
"I take it you want to tap into the power of Demonreach as part of this ritual? The Gatekeeper specifically warned me never to do that," Dresden said.
"The Gatekeeper warned you not to do that because you lack the necessary dexterity. No offense, but you have a well-earned reputation for being a magical thug," Ivy pointed out as she began painting a reddish circle with what looked like fresh blood. "However what would be suicide for you is a walk in the park for me."
The circle of blood was only the beginning. Over the next hour Ivy created a masterpiece containing scores of arcane symbols and runes from magical cultures lost to history. She also used a dozen advanced mathematical equations which somehow blended in perfectly with supernatural components of the circle.
"Let me see if I understand what's going on here," Dresden said. "You are going to take the magical energy from Demonreach and focus it using this Ritual Circle. And that focused energy will kill the thirteen Denarians and their coins?"
"You make it all sound so easy," Ivy said with a grin. "But it took me, the Archive, years of experimentation to figure out the precise mechanics needed for this ritual."
"What about the excess energy?" a voice asked from the small crystal in Dresden's pentagram amulet.
"I see that you finally discovered that hiding Bob in Margaret Dresden's crystal repository protects him from the negative effects of sunlight," Ivy observed.
"Yeah, my mother really knew what she was doing when she crafted this little sucker. Not only can it hold all of her personal knowledge of the Ways of Nevernever, but I can also fit Bob in there."
"There's plenty of room at the bottom," Ivy agreed.
"Who's this Bob person you two are talking about?" Harry asked.
"Technically Bob is a spirit of air and intellect trapped inside a human skull," Ivy replied. "In reality is a tiny and very horny version of the Archive. A very tiny version of it."
"I'm not tiny!" the voice in the crystal yelled.
"So Bob is a magical artificial intelligence?" Harry asked. "That sounds like a really useful thing for a wizard to have."
"There is nothing artificial about my intelligence Potter, but I am incredible useful," Bob sniffed. "If it wasn't for my genius Dresden would have ended up as werewolf shit years ago."
"Back to the matter at hand. What do you think of my ritual circle Bob?" Ivy asked.
"Simply put, it is beyond anything I have encountered during my long existence. Thank you for allowing me to witness its creation," Bob replied without a trace of his customary sarcasm. "But I still have one question: what are you going to do with the excess energy created by the death of the Denarians? It has to go somewhere."
Ivy took out a large satellite phone and dialed a number.
"Hello Lara... I'm sure it is... well I'm calling to tell you that the Raith family has five minutes to evacuate your Chateau... because I'm about to destroy it... yes, I'm being completely serious... no, I will not reconsider my decision... yes, be sure you take the Raphael with you when you leave, he is my favorite painter... yes, tell Ronald that Harry misses their games of chess... you're welcome Lara... good luck."
"You are going to direct all that energy at the Chateau Raith," Bob observed. "What a wonderfully elegant solution."
"What about Thomas?" a concerned Dresden asked.
"I am giving them time to evacuate," an irritated Ivy replied. "I want you to send a message to your good friend Demonreach."
"What message?"
"Now."
"I thought only you had the necessary skill to do this ritual?" a confused Dresden asked.
"I have done all the difficult groundwork, but as the shaman of the island you have to supply the energy," Ivy pointed out. "You want the Denarians dead as much as I do, don't you?"
Dresden spent the next several minutes having a loud argument with himself, but finally he said: "Alright, I'll do it. But this had better not endanger Thomas."
Since Ivy had first told Harry about this ritual he'd been dreading it. To him destroying the Denarian coins seemed far too much like destroying Voldemort's horcruxes, and that had been a long series of nightmares for him. From killing the diary with a basilisk fang to walking to his own death in the Forbidden Forest—each experience had been worse than the last.
This was different though. In a way it was almost sublime. The first coin suddenly cracked into shards, and released into the air an angelic being of awe-inspiring beauty. The Denarian held its shape for a fraction of a second, and then slowly faded away. This process repeated itself twelve more times, and by the end even Ivy was crying. As evil as the Fallen were, it still seemed wrong to be destroying such otherworldly creatures.
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Dresden muttered as the last Denarian vanished from sight.
"It is not over yet," Ivy reminded them as her husband wrapped her in a hug and wiped away her tears.
Harry hadn't noticed, but while the Denarians were dying the ritual circle began to pulsate with a strange black energy. Then the entire island of Demonreach started to pulsate along with it. Slowly this black energy coalesced into the shape of large mansion. In the end it became a perfect representation of the Chateau Raith, but after only a few seconds it too faded away.
"That was so peaceful," Harry remarked.
"Extravagant light shows and sound effects are the mark of an inexperienced practitioner," Bob explained.
"I bet it wasn't that peaceful for the Raiths," Dresden argued.
"They are vampires. They should consider themselves lucky that I gave them any warning at all," Ivy told him. "Harry, according to my projections the American Aurors should be arriving soon to investigate the disturbance, and I want you there to take credit for it."
When Harry apparated to the former site of the Raith home a few minutes later he found a disaster of biblical-proportions. A three-hundred meter wide pit had been carved into the rolling countryside of northern Illinois. The bottom of this new pit was so deep that it was completely hidden in darkness.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" a familiar voice called out from the nearby woods.
Harry turned to look at his best friend, and was shock at the changes he saw. Ron Weasley had gone completely muggle, and looked like one of those investment bankers Ivy had working for her in Switzerland. His custom-tailored suit probably cost more than what his father Arthur Weasley earned in a year as the Minister of Magic.
"Where is Lara Raith?"
"I am right here," the vampire said in a cold voice as she suddenly appeared at Ron's side. Her eyes were totally sliver, which meant that the demonic spirit inside of her was eager to kill any human in its path.
That fact didn't concern Harry in the least. "The American Aurors will be arriving soon, so you and your family should be leaving, unless you're looking for a fight."
"You just destroyed a home that has belonged to my family for over a century, along with a countless number of heirlooms and works of art. So yes, I am looking for a fight," Lara hissed.
"Are you truly foolish enough to fight against the local Aurors and the Winter Knight at the same time?" Hermione asked as she came riding out of the woods on the back of Tycho the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She was wearing an elaborate but functional suit of Sidhe armor, and for the first time actually looked like a proper Knight.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ron asked his other best friend.
"That is an excellent question," Lara said. "The Sidhe of Winter have no quarrel with the White Court Vampires."
Hermione was studying the vast pit, and didn't even bother to turn around and face the powerful vampire. "Several years ago the White Court captured several hundred small fairies, and used them as lawn ornaments at one of your disgusting revels. At the time Queen Mab allowed your insult to go unchallenged, but Queen Maeve feels a proper response is now in order. Are you going to be reasonable vampire, or shall I order Tycho to attack?"
Lara didn't rise to her current position of leadership by being stupid, and picking a fight with two enemies at once was definitely stupid. Especially when one of those enemies was as cruel and vicious as Sidhe of Winter. "That wouldn't be necessary; we will withdraw. Please tell Queen Maeve that we meant no offense, but will be happy to pay whatever compensation she desires."
Once Lara was a safe distance away Hermione dismounted. "How can you stand being with her?" she asked Ron.
"What's the big deal? Harry is married to a walking library, and you have a soul-bond with Kreacher the bloody Elf," Ron pointed out. "Compared to that my relationship with Lara is practically normal."
"Doesn't she feed on you during sexual intercourse?" Hermione asked with obvious disgust.
"Sure she does, but I don't mind," Ron told them. "Let's be honest here: even if I became the starting keeper for the Chudley Cannons I would still never find a woman half as amazing as Lara. You want me to leave all this behind so I can do back to the Burrow, and then marry someone like Lavender Brown? No bloody way."
"So you want to stay with her even though she might accidentally kill you?" Harry asked.
"Trust me, it's worth the risk," Ron replied obvious honesty.
"You are acting completely insane," Hermione huffed.
"I like your new armor," Harry commented, hoping to prevent another lengthy row which the two were famous for.
"It was a gift from Luna. It is so lightweight I feel like I'm wearing my old Hogwarts robe," Hermione said as she preened. "The Lady of Winter felt that if I was going to ride Tycho into battle I should look the part. I suppose this pit is Ivy's doing?"
"It was a byproduct of a magical ritual she performed today."
"If I ever start making Ivy angry kick me in the leg or something before she decides to kill me," Ron said, and it was clear he wasn't joking.
"You both should leave before the Aurors arrive," Harry told them. "It will be easier to deal with this mess without anyone else around."
While Hermione opened a portal to Nevernever, the Raiths left in a long convoy of luxury vehicles that had somehow escaped destruction. After five minutes Harry was left alone to ponder Ivy's plan. He knew he would never become the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW unless he proved to his fellow Ambassadors that he was worthy of the post, but taking credit for this mess seemed a bit over the top. His musings were cut short when the Aurors from the United States Department of Magic started arriving.
The Yanks were understandably furious that a magically explosion of this size had occurred less than twenty miles north of Chicago, but the presence of the Boy-Who-Lived calmed them down a bit. Not only had Harry killed the Dark Lord Voldemort last spring, but he had also slaughtered a vampire army and a rampaging giant down in Brazil the other week. So when he explained that the explosion had taken place during a battle with the White Court Vampires, the Americans couldn't have been more pleased.
"Our moronic Secretary of Magic believes in peaceful coexistence with the vampires, but personally I glad someone finally took the fight to these blood-sucking monsters," one of the Aurors said. "We need a cover story for the muggles, and I don't think anyone will believe the standard "it was a gas main leak" excuse. Any suggestions, Mr Potter?"
"Well, there are a lot of deep caves around here, so I would tell the muggle government that one of them collapsed and caused a sinkhole to open up," Harry offered. "The same thing happened in Guatemala a few months back, so they should buy that explanation."
"That is a great idea Mr Potter."