Fallen

Book 3: Missing Girls and Mystery Monsters

Chapter 2

- No Way to Urn a Living -

Ava looked around the car park, at the shiny vehicles parked in the bays. Cars were such damaging things. Was this truly the best method humans could come up with for travelling over long distances? Cars were, by their very nature, destructive. They hurt the environment. They hurt people, if they got hit by them. Roads had to be built for them, roads which paved over grass, which trees were torn down to make room for, which ran like a nest of ugly dark serpents across the land.

"Are you sure you don't want a sandwich, Ava?" Danny called from inside the RV.

"I don't require food," she replied.

"So you never eat?"

"On occasion, yes. I like chocolate icecream, and garlic bread."

"I got a question for you, Ava," Merry said. "If God's not in Heaven, who's giving you orders?"

"The arch-angels Michael and Raphael are currently commanding the Hosts of Heaven."

"So... arch-angels sent you to Earth to stop the apocalypse?"

"Not exactly," she admitted.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It's complicated. And also none of your concern." The less these people knew about her situation, the less they got involved in the affairs of Heaven, the better off they would be. Besides, she hardly wanted it broadcast that she had been cast out of Heaven. It wasn't something that would endear her to them. "Just as your affairs are none of my concern."

"Alright. We'll keep it professional. That's how we like it."

Suddenly, a dog started barking in the near distance. As its barks grew louder the siblings stepped out of the van, looking around for the source of the sound. At last a large rottweiler came bounding around the corner of the parking lot, dragging its owner with it, a man who held onto the lead for dear life and yelled at his dog to stop and come to heel. The dog ignored him, making a beeline for Ava. Beside her, she glimpsed Merry and Pippin reaching for their guns.

"It's okay," she told them, as the dog reached her and threw itself against her like she was its long-lost best friend. If its tail hadn't been docked it would have been wagging, and as its owner alternated between swearing at the dog and trying to catch his breath, Ava bent down and stroked the animal's broad head. An image and a scent entered her mind, and she smiled. "Good boy. You have a lovely dog," she told the man.

"I'm so sorry about this," he said. "He's never run off like that before."

"It's no problem," she said, standing up straight. "You shouldn't have any more problems with him, now."

And indeed, as the man started to walk away, the dog followed him obediently, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"What the hell was that?" said Pippin.

"A reply to my APB," she said. "The dog has noticed the same smell from the campus in another part of town."

"That's great," Danny said. He dove into the RV and came out with a map and his laptop, sitting on the step to the vehicle as he spread the former on the ground and opened the latter on his knee. "What did it tell you?"

"A building," she said. "Not far from here. It looks like a small castle. I believe it's a museum."

"What makes you think that?" asked Merry.

"There is a sign outside which says 'Castle Museum'," she replied.

"Got it," Danny said. "It's a history museum. Mostly deals with the history of Saginaw, but they also house a few other exhibitions. Did the dog say what the Yuan-Ti was doing there?"

"Do we have to go with that name?" Merry asked in irritation.

"Would you prefer 'snake monster'?" asked Pippin. "I think Yuan-Ti is fine, until we find a better name for it. Besides, you know the rule; you discover it, you name it."

"Until we're sued for breach of copyright and plagiarism," the other twin grumbled.

"I don't know what the Yuan-Ti was doing at the museum," Ava replied. "Is it near any sources of heat?"

"Hmm... nope," said Danny.

"Maybe it took Kayleigh there," Pippin suggested.

"Hardly the most private of places," Merry said.

"The dog smelt the Yuan-Ti a couple of days before the girl went missing," Ava told them.

"I suppose it's the only lead we've got," the young woman said with a sigh. "Let's pack up and drive over there. Take a look around."

The siblings finished their sandwiches and packed up the van, the twins taking the front seat and Danny hanging in the back with Ava. He glanced at her occasionally, when he thought she wasn't watching. Of course, she was always watching, but she could not blame him for being curious. So far, the family had reacted quite well to the revelation that angels existed and were walking amongst them, but she knew they had questions. Humans always had questions. For some reason, questions seemed to reassure them. Perhaps it was past time to practice her questioning skills herself.

"How did you and your sisters get into hunting?" she asked.

"Our family have always been hunters," he said. "Parents, grandparents, we go way back."

"And you lived in England?"

"Yeah, until a few months ago."

"Why did you come to America?"

"Our grandad died, and my sisters wanted a change of scenery. We heard from the Trust that there were some pretty heavy omens over here, so we decided to check it out."

"What is the Trust?"

"Every country in Europe has its hunters," Pippin said, looking over her shoulder from the front passenger seat. "Over time, they've formed a loose coalition called The Hunter's Trust. They have a headquarters in every country, and each building is run by a Keeper, a retired hunter responsible for maintaining records, collecting and recording lore, and making contacts in various different organisations which are of benefit to hunters in general."

"To what end?" Ava asked.

"Not everywhere is like America," Merry replied. "Here, you've got whole areas of nothing. Somebody going missing isn't a big deal here. The monsters can operate with far more impunity, which is why a lot of them came here in the first place. But in places like England, France, Belgium... far more populated. Harder for monsters to operate off the grid, so they become smarter, better adapted for urban attacks. And, of course, it's harder for hunters to do their jobs too. Smaller areas, more people, CCTV everywhere, not conducive to actions such as beheading vampires or digging up graveyards. The Trust works with individuals in organisations and government departments, building relationships, finding people who are in a position to, and willing to, help a hunter to be more covert. Covering up suspicious activities and that sort of thing."

"The Trust offers aid to hunters," Pippin continued. "Knowledge, supplies, fake IDs, that sort of thing. They also monitor registered hunters, keeping tabs on them, making sure they don't go rogue and start hurting people, too."

"You have to register to become a hunter?" Ava asked, thinking of Dean. She was fairly certain that the eldest Winchester would never submit to operating under such restrictions. He disliked authority and authority figures, and she couldn't imagine him working with a secret society like the Trust. Things were very different, here in America. Much more... fast and loose, she believed the term was.

"You don't have to register, but registering has definite benefits. Access to safe-houses in certain cities, access to a wealth of information... access to a lawyer, just in case something goes wrong."

"Hey, we're here," said Merry, pulling up in the parking lot of the museum. The castle-like building, a post office in previous times, loomed impressively in the foreground, casting a shadow over immaculately-kept grounds. "Damnit," she swore, as she failed three times to find 'park' gear, and the engine made a churning sound. "Bloody Americans and their bloody left-hand drives." Pippin grinned, and Merry glanced into the back of the van. "We'll go check it out. Danny, Avariel, stay here."

"I think not," Ava said. The girls could boss their brother around all they liked, but she was an angel. She would not be ordered around by humans... other than Bobby, of course. But not only did Bobby hold her leash, he also held her respect. She had Watched him for some time, and had seen that he was honourable. These children had yet to prove themselves to her. She teleported to outside the van, and waited for the girls. "Don't worry," she said, as the twins stepped out of the vehicle, "I'll let you do all the talking."

"Just... try not to get in our way," Merry said irritably.

Ava followed the twins towards the front entrance of the building, and together they climbed the steps. The door was open so they went inside, into the cooler darkness of the entrance hall. There were a few people inside the building, talking quietly as they stood in front of exhibits. Pippin nodded towards a grey-haired middle-aged man who was wearing a dark blue blazer over a light blue shirt, the word 'curator' written on a badge on his breast. The twins walked straight for him.

"Excuse me," Merry said, glancing at the name-tag below the badge. "Mr Mayweather?"

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked, his eyes roaming over all three of them, taking in their appearances.

"We are transfer students, recently arrived at Saginaw University," Merry lied smoothly. "We're massive history buffs, and we've just joined the Saginaw Valley History Club. We were told this is the best place to come to learn about the area and its heritage." She gave the curator a warm, friendly smile, which he returned.

"Well, you've been told right," he replied. "And I'm always happy to help out students of the History Club. Feel free to look around for as long as you like."

"That's very kind of you, Mr Mayweather," Pippin said, also smiling. Ava didn't bother with a smile. Dean had told her that her smile looked 'creepy and false', possibly because there was no real emotion behind it. "We heard that you sometimes get special exhibitions in, too. Is there anything of interest on display at the moment?"

"Well, other than the usual displays," he said, "we've got a brand new Ancient Egyptian exhibition. We have great links with one of the museums in Cairo, and they generously allowed us to borrow some of their items for a month. As soon as it's up, we expect it to be a real crowd-drawer."

Merry's cellphone rang in her pocket, and she walked away from the group to answer the call. Ava, her curiosity getting the better of her, altered her mind's perception, to pick up the signal of the phone.

"What is it?" Merry asked quietly.

"Hey," Danny said, on the other end of the line, "thought I'd give you a heads up. I just ran the museum's info through a news search, and I got something that might be of interest. A few days ago, the museum was broken into, out of hours. The papers say there was one confirmed theft, but it doesn't go into detail. Sounds like somebody wants to keep this very hush-hush. I checked police records, and they haven't turned up any leads. No suspects, either."

"Thanks, Danny. Good work."

Merry returned to the group, and turned to Mayweather. "This place is just amazing," she said. "It gives you a real sense of what the history of Saginaw was like. We were gutted to hear about the break-in. Some people just have no respect for history."

Mayweather shook his head. "It's a travesty, is what it is."

"What exactly was stolen?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to talk about that," he said. "The police are looking into it, though."

"It's okay," Merry said, looking into the man's eyes. "You can tell me. I can keep a secret."

"Well... I suppose you're right," he said with a smile. Ava looked on in surprise. She had observed that a pretty young woman could sway the mind of a man, but she had never seen it directly, from this perspective. "The item stolen was part of the shipment from Cairo. A pottery urn."

"Can you describe it?"

"Sure. About a foot high, made of clay, no handles, and a bung in the top, a sort of stopper to keep a liquid inside."

"What sort of liquid was in it?"

"There wasn't anything in it," he shrugged. "The seal was unbroken, but it was x-rayed, scanned by ultrasound, and had a dozen different tests done on it in Egypt when it was excavated. An empty urn, that's all. That's one of the reasons why the theft was so strange."

"What do you mean?" Merry asked.

"Well, the urn was undecorated. Nothing inside it. Just a plain old every-day household jar. In that same shipment were statues carved out of gold—the Egyptians were big on gold, you know, because it was so plentiful—and even a bejewelled dagger scabbard. They were untouched. Whoever it was... it was almost as if they knew exactly what they wanted, and they left the most valuable items behind just to get it."

"Did your CCTV system capture anything?" Pippin asked him.

"I'm afraid the cameras have been out of operation for a couple of weeks now. I logged a call with the security company but they don't seem to be in any rush to get out to us." He sighed. "After this incident... well, we're definitely switching to a more reliable company."

"Which company are you with at the moment?"

"Stalwart Security."

"Ironic," Merry said. Then she smiled at the curator again. "Well, thank you very much for your time, Mr Mayweather. We'll come back another day when we have more time to fully appreciate the exhibits here."

"Of course. You're welcome here any time."

Ava followed the twins towards the door, and they stepped out into the sunlight.

"Well, this is getting weirder and weirder," Pippin said.

Danny approached from the direction of the RV, and fell into line with them. "What did you learn?" he asked.

"The stolen item was a plain, undecorated, empty urn, and the thief left various valuable gold items untouched just to nab it."

"What the hell kind of thief ignores pure gold in favour of a clay urn?" Merry asked. Her forehead was creased into a frown. "If it were me, I'd nab the gold and the jewels."

"Nothing we've learnt here helps us in any way," Pippin said. There was frustration in her voice. "We still don't know what we're up against, or how to kill it, or where Kayleigh might be. If she is even still alive. In fact, this just makes things even more complicated. What does the theft of a plain Egyptian urn have to do with the kidnapping of a young woman?"

"Nothing, as far as I can see," said her sister. "Danny, why don't you try and cross-reference all of this crap, check the web, check the Trust's databases, see what you can come up with?"

"Oh, sure," he shrugged. "That should only take five or six weeks. Not like I have anything better to do."

"Do you have a better idea?"

He held up his hands. "Don't sweat it, I'm on it."

"So... what now?" Pippin asked. "Wait for a body to turn up, or our snake-man to strike again?"

"Perhaps not," said Ava. "The animals will continue to be alert for signs of the Yuan-Ti. If they find anything, they will let me know."

"Great," said Merry. "Well, whilst we wait for the Lone Gunman and Dr Doolittle here to come up with something, I'm going to canvass the neighbourhood. See if anybody knows anything about the museum, or Kayleigh Sumner, or mysterious snake-men."

"Alright," said Pippin. "I'll go and check us into a hotel, since we might be here for a couple of days. Ava, why don't you have a look around the museum, see if you can find any more signs of our mysterious snake-monster?"

"Very well," she agreed.

"Awesome," said Danny, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'll be in the van if you need me."

o - o - o - o - o

Midnight was always a quiet time, when you were around humans. Most of them were asleep at midnight, their minds and bodies quiet as they inhabited the world of dreams. Though it was a world Ava could touch, through the mind of a human, is was not a world she could enter herself. All she could do was observe dreams of others, stepping into them to momentarily view them.

As she watched over the twins, who were sleeping in two single beds—Danny had the room next door all to himself—she did not look into their dreams. She did not observe what their unconscious minds imagined. Dreams were very private things, to humans, and even Dean, who was used to angels popping into his head, had been angered by her presence in his dreams. Pippin and Merry, she suspected, would be even less pleased.

One of the twins, Merry, rolled over in bed, and briefly opened her eyes. "Don't you have anything better to be doing than watching us sleep, Ava?" she grumbled.

"I wish I did," she replied.

"It's sorta weird. And more than a little creepy."

"Soon it will be morning, and we can resume our search."

"You really don't sleep?"

"I do not."

"Right. Well, have fun or whatever."

Merry turned over and went back to sleep. Since there was no apparent danger here, Ava activated her Watcher-vision and checked up on Bobby. He was at home, and despite the late hour, he was awake, co-ordinating efforts between several other hunters. He looked tired, and she knew he was pushing himself against this apocalypse. Leaving Bobby, she turned her attention to Castiel, but he was only looking for God, nothing of interest to her. With nothing else to do, she began to observe the rest of the world.

The sun rose, lighting up the room, and the alarm clock on Pippin's phone began to sound. Seven o'clock. Ava had watched everything from birds in the rainforest to suffering in Afghanistan. The slaughter of fur seals in the Arctic Circle, to the birth of children in a maternity hospital in New Orleans. The world was full of misery and joy. Somehow, it balanced out. But if Lucifer succeeded, it would not balance out anymore. The world would lean more towards the misery end of the scale than to joy.

The sisters woke and told Ava to wait outside whilst they showered and dressed, and she accepted their request, teleporting to the outside of the motel. After half an hour, the twins and their brother were all dressed and ready to begin the day.

"So far I've got nothing," Danny said, holding his laptop up for his sisters to see. "There is mention of serpents in Egyptian mythology, specifically Wadjet, the cobra goddess. But there's serpent symbolism in pretty much every culture. The 'devil' serpent from Christian mythology, garden of Eden stuff from Genesis. There's Nidhogg, the serpent-dragon coiled around Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, and Jörmungandr the World-Serpent. Naga, in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Greece you've got Python, Typhon, Scylla, Medusa, and any number of Titans with serpent morphology. And, as you know, Kukulkan, known to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl, was prominent in various native American cultures. But I can't find anything that might link Yuan-Ti with a kidnapping and a theft in Michigan."

"Which means we have a fat lot of nothing," said Merry.

At that moment, a thrush flew down from a tree, straight towards Ava. She held out her hand, and the bird alighted on her finger, chirping its song. She touched its mind, saw what it saw. Rats, fleeing, as if for their lives. An exodus of them, from an electrical substation on the outskirts of town. Thanking the bird, she released it.

"I believe we have something," she told the siblings. "Rats have been leaving a building en mass. It is an electrical substation, and something is driving them out."

"You think it might the Yuan-Ti?" asked Pippin.

"It makes sense. Snakes are natural predators of rats."

"Looks like we've got ourselves a lead," Merry grinned. "About damn time, too. Danny, stay here, keep researching, just in case this doesn't pan out. Ava, can you teleport us over there?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then it's a plan. Give us fifteen to stock up on weapons, and then we'll head out there."

"C'mon, Mer, let me come with you this time," Danny said. "I promise I won't get in your way, but I want to help. I can help."

"Not a chance, Danny. I might - might - consider letting you come along on a ghost hunt. But this? We don't know what we're up against, or how to kill it, or anything about their M.O. No way you're coming with us."

Danny went sulking back to his room, whilst the twins opened up the RV. Ava watched as they removed the mattress from the bed and began arming themselves with knives, pistols, a shotgun and a rifle. Pippin saw her watching, and held out a revolver to her.

"You want a weapon?"

"Thank you, but I already have a weapon. Besides, I'm not familiar with firearms. I think I'll stick with the classics."

"Your loss. Hmm... stakes, Merry?"

"Yeah," the other girl replied. "You take the pine, I'll take the oak. You've been around for a while, right Ava?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Got any advice?"

"Always look both ways before crossing the road." It was advice that was always sensible. Road safety was very important.

"Yeah. Any advice that's actually relevant to this job?"

"No, I'm afraid not," she said. "I've never encountered this monster before, nor have I ever rescued any virgins."

"First time for everything," Pippin said. Then she chuckled. "Especially virgins. Well, I'm ready."

"Me too," said Merry. "Ava, good to go?"

"Yes." She touched the girls' shoulders and teleported them to the electrical substation shown to her by the thrush. There were a few trees around the building, separated from it by a chain-like fence, which Ava had teleported them inside of. She sensed nothing immediately unusual about the building. There were no signs of demons; no sulphur or EMF, but she hadn't been expecting to find any. When she looked closer, though, with her true eyes, something jumped out as... strange. There were no animals in this area. No rodents, no birds, nothing but insects.

"This is the place?" Merry asked.

"Yes, I have excellent aim," she replied. Did they think she would bring them to the wrong building?

"Do you... y'know... sense anything?" Pippin asked.

"Only a feeling of unnatural stillness. Something here has scared the animals away."

"Stay alert," said Merry.

Ava didn't bother pointing out that of course she would stay alert, and that as an angel, she couldn't not stay alert. Humans enjoyed stating the obvious and issuing unnecessary orders. Had she been working with a couple of angels instead of humans, there would have been none of this. They would simply have teleported to the building and begun their search, with no need to discuss action or strategy. But Merry and Pippin were just humans, and so they needed the little things, like verbal discussion and unnecessary instruction.

Merry reached for the sub-station door, and pulled on it, but it didn't budge. She sighed. "This is going to be a bitch to pick."

"Allow me," Ava said. She pushed against the door, to test its strength, then raised her booted foot and kicked it hard. It collapsed inwards, falling to the floor with a heavy clang, sending dust swirling into the air.

"Not bad," said Pippin. "But there goes the element of surprise." She followed Merry into the building, her revolver held ready for use. Her long rifle was strapped around her torso, the weapon slung across her shoulder for ease of access.

Merry held her finger up to her lips, gesturing for silence. Pippin followed her, and Ava followed Pippin. The girls were in a half-crouch, trying to stay small, silent and inconspicuous. Ava saw no reason for such action, so she merely walked after the twins, looking around for signs of dry skin, listening for the sound of a kidnapped girl. But there was nothing.

It was dark inside the sub-station building, so Pippin brought out a torch and shone it down the corridor. A little patch of light which roamed the narrow concrete walls, casting shadows where before had been only darkness. Ava, of course, did not need the torch. As a being capable of perceiving more than visible light, she could see as well in the dark as she could in the daylight. In the time it had taken for Pippin to bring out the torch and walk a few steps forward, Ava had already determined that the corridor was twenty metres long, terminating in another heavy-looking door, with two smaller doors on either side of the corridor.

When they reached the first side-door, on the left, Merry opened it whilst Pippin prepared to storm the room. when she shone her torch into the area, however, they discovered it was empty. Or at least, empty of monsters. Several computer systems were active, but there was no sign anybody or anything had been here recently. Merry gestured to the second side-door, and they went through a similar routine, with the same results.

"Guess we're going for door number three," Pippin said. She approached the door at the end of the corridor, and stopped before grasping the handle. "It's already open," she whispered. And indeed, Ava saw that it was ajar by an inch or so.

The twins exchanged a tense glance, and then Merry nodded. Pippin pushed the door open, which revealed a flight of concrete steps leading down into deeper darkness.

Merry went first, shotgun at the ready, and Pippin shone the torch over her sister's shoulder as she followed. Down they went, the air getting cooler with every step, and Ava began to wonder if she'd made a mistake. If these monsters... these Yuan-Ti... were indeed serpents, then the cool air would make them slow and lethergic. They should have sought out a den which was warm.

The room they found themselves in was large, with a high ceiling, and it appeared to be some sort of store room. There were materials lying around; bags of unused cement, iron girders that were coated in spots of rust, an old toolbox, lengths of wire and even a coil of rope. It was probably a place where excess building materials had been stored, once construction of the sub-station had been completed. Ava bent down to examine the wire and the rope. The former was coated in a layer of dust, the colour of its plastic coating faded with age. The rope, however, was dry and smelt fresh. It was much newer than the rest of the equipment. It seemed this was the right place, after all.

There was a flurry of movement, the sound of shots being fired, and Pippin dropped the torch, which split into several parts on impact with the floor. Ava stood up and whirled around; she could see their attackers, now. Two of them, large, hooded snake-like creatures, twice the length of a grown man, with a mouth full of sharp-looking teeth. They had no legs, their tails were merely coiled beneath them to give them height and motion, but they each had two pairs of arms, and both of the monsters were carrying long, curved swords. One of them had grasped Pippin, causing her to drop the torch and miss her shot. The other was circling around Merry, who could not see it because of the darkness.

Looking up, Ava saw lights in the ceiling above, and she sent an electrical charge through the bulbs. The room was illuminated, light banishing the shadows, and both snake-men hissed, a layer of translucent skin sliding up over their eyes, to protect them from the sudden harshness of the light. It was the break Pippin needed; she drew her knife from her belt and slashed at her attacker, breaking free of its grip as it hissed again in pain. The girl whirled away from the monster, standing beside her sister.

"Where's the girl?" Merry demanded, of the nearest monster. "Can you understand me, you reptilian bastard?"

The Yuan-Ti hissed and lunged for Merry, who fired her gun. The shots hit the monster, but didn't seem to cause any damage. Pippin ducked beneath its arms and slashed with her knife, scoring its skin and causing it to let out another angry cry.

The second monster turned to Ava, raising its scimitar. To counter, called forth the Sword of Damocles, and it materialised in her hand. She stepped to the side as the scimitar came down and, gripping her own sword with both hands, she struck at the Yuan-Ti. Her sword sliced beneath one of the lower arms, severing it cleanly. Green blood poured out onto the concrete floor, which began to fizz and smoke.

"Their blood is acid!" she told the twins. "Don't let it touch you."

She couldn't watch the twins and her own opponent, so she focused her attention on the monster before her. When it drew too close for comfort she extended a hand, sending out a psychokinetic blast, similar to the one Zachariah had used to send her flying back. This Yuan-Ti, though, continued to advance, unaffected by her power. Whatever this creature was, it seemed that not only was it invisible to her celestial vision, it was also immune to angelic abilities. That would certainly explain why she hadn't seen anything like this before, but it didn't help her now.

She dodged the next strike from the sword, and managed to sever another of the Yuan-Ti's arms. The Sword of Damocles did not cut the Yuan-Ti as easily as it cut Zachariah, but it was a sword imbued with the ability to harm angels, demons and humans dependent upon their power and place in society. Against monsters, it was merely a sword of metal, and though it was of excellent craftsmanship, it had no additional effects.

The Yuan-Ti was a fast opponent, but it was a physical being of the Earth, and though Avariel was inside a vessel, she was still an angel. She waited for the monster to strike again, and when it did, she teleported behind it and ran it through with the sword, at what she hoped was its chest height. Acidic green blood began to bubble from the wound, and a terrible shriek, a blood-curdling death-wail, came out out the creature's mouth. Ava lifted her foot and pushed against the monster, pulling her sword from the beast's back. It toppled forward, and lay in a steaming puddle of its own blood.

When she turned to the second monster, she was just in time to see Merry slit its throat, as Pippin plunged her dagger into its stomach, eviscerating it and jumping back as the green blood began to pour from the wound. She had a cut across her upper arm, where the Yuan-Ti's sword had sliced clean through her black jacket, but otherwise, the girls seemed unharmed, though both were breathing heavily.

Merry looked at her dagger, at the metal of the blade which was melting away, and threw it down in disgust on the corpse. After a moment, Pippin was forced to do the same, her own weapon ruined by the acidic blood of the Yuan-Ti. Ava used a small amount of mental force to remove the blood from the Sword of Damocles, and was pleased to see it undamaged.

"Nice sword," Merry said. "What's it made of?"

"You have no word for the metal, because it is unknown to humans. It can be found only in one place; deep in the heart of a blazing comet, which travels a different solar system." She lowered the sword and sent it out of existence until she had need of it again.

"Do you think there's more of these things?" Pippin asked, kicking one of the dead Yuan-Ti with her boot.

"Probably," said Merry. "How's that arm holding up?"

"I'll live," said Pippin. She winced in pain, but did not appear in danger of losing too much blood. "Is there anything you can do about this, Ava?"

"Unfortunately, the ability to heal others is not something I possess right now."

"Figures."

"Let's look for the girl," Merry said. "And the urn."

They split up, spreading out around the room, checking for signs that the monsters were not alone. Ava checked amongst the tools and the piles of iron girders. There was nothing. Then she saw another door, in a corner of the room. When she tried to open it she found it locked, so she kicked it, as she had the front door, and it collapsed noisily inwards.

"What the hell was that?" Pippin shouted.

"Just me," said Ava. "I believe I've found Kayleigh."

She stepped into the small room, and looked at the girl who was bound to a supportive concrete pillar. She was gagged, and her eyes were wide with fear. Clad only in the nightgown she had been kidnapped in, she looked cold, dirty and terrified. Ava wished there was something she could do for the girl, but she could not take away the memories of everything Kayleigh had suffered.

As Merry and Pippin entered the room, Ava untied the gag around the girl's mouth. "Kayleigh Sumner?" she asked.

The girl nodded, tears spilling from her eyes. "Yes. Thank God you found me. Those things... they're... not human." Her voice was raspy, as if she hadn't had enough water to drink.

"It's okay," Merry said. She fumbled with the ropes, but, lacking a dagger, she couldn't cut through them. Ava reached out and touched the rope where it went tight against the post, burning through it. "We killed them."

"You... you killed them?" Kayleigh asked, hope and disbelief in her voice. "But... how?"

"It's what we do," Pippin said grimly. She held the girl's arm as she stepped away from the post. "Kayleigh, do you know why they took you?"

The young woman shook her head, and fresh tears began to leak. "No. They came once a day... or at least, I think it was once a day, it was hard to tell... and they gave me fruit and water, but that was it. I don't think they can talk."

"Look at this," said Merry. She was standing in front of a stone altar, looking down at two empty golden dishes. There were several bones lying across the altar, and on the wall behind it an ankh had been painted. "Looks like witchcraft."

"It's not witchcraft," Ava said, gesturing at the ankh. "This is a symbol of luck and protection, rarely seen or used in occult practices."

"What about the bones?"

She picked one up, and sniffed it. "They're not human. From a lion, in fact."

"Who... who are you people?" Kayleigh demanded, looking at Ava and Merry with wide eyes.

"It's okay," Pippin said reassuringly, "we're here to help. We're going to get you out of here, take you to a hospital so they can check you over. But before we take you out of here, you're going to have to decide what you're going to tell the police."

"What do you mean? I'll tell them everything that's happened to me."

"You can't do that, Kayleigh. Think about it. If you tell them the truth, do you think they'll believe you? If you tell them you were kidnapped by monsters, they will think you're insane. They'll stick you in a padded cell and stuff you with pills. You'll be left with the stigma of that for the rest of your life."

"No... no, I'll show them the monsters. I'll show them that shrine thing. They'll have to believe me."

"Kayleigh," Pippin said, turning the girl around to face her and giving her a look of genuine sympathy. It was an expression Ava had yet to master, though she had tried it a few times looking into the mirror in Bobby's house. There was just something about it that she couldn't quite recreate. "The police... the rest of the world... they're not ready to know about this. They won't know how to handle it. It will only panic them, and cause chaos and confusion. Besides, do you even know where you are?"

Kayleigh shook her head. "I was unconscious. I just woke up, and I was here. But you could tell the police where you found me."

"We could, but we won't. The truth is, sometimes monsters like these can regenerate, and come back to life. To stop them... to truly stop them... we need to salt and burn the bodies, and the sooner we do that, the safer you'll be. I know this has been difficult for you, and you're scared, and you have questions, but if you tell people what really happened to you, your life will be over."

"May I offer a suggestion?" Merry asked. Kayleigh nodded. "You were kidnapped from your room by masked men, who kept you locked up in a shed in the woods. Whenever they brought you food, they wore masks, so you can't identify them, and it was dark, so you didn't see their clothes. One day they didn't lock the door properly. You managed to escape. You wandered dazed and confused in the woods until you came to a road, where my sister here found you and took you to the hospital."

"You want me to lie? But lying to the police is a crime!"

"It's up to you, Kayleigh," said Merry. "But if you do decide to tell the truth, you're not going to be able to tell the police where you were kept, and you'll have no bodies to show them. Plus, word gets out to the press, and you'll be forever known as the girl who cried 'monster'. Nobody will believe you."

"I suppose when you put it like that," Kayleigh relented at last, her gaze on the floor.

"Good. Now, my sister's going to take you to the hospital and keep an eye on you for a little while. Before you go, there's one more thing you need to get your head around."

"What?"

"You're going to close your eyes, and when you open them again, you'll be at the hospital. No journey there, no travel time... you'll just appear there. But you won't be alone, okay? Pip will be with you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just trust me. Now close your eyes." Merry waited until the girl's eyes were closed, and then nodded at Ava.

She reached out, touching both Kayleigh and Pippin, sending them to just around the corner of the local hospital.

"What the hell's going on here, Ava?" the younger twin asked once they were alone.

"I do not know. It looks as if these Yuan-Ti were performing some sort of ritual, though I cannot see a connection between any of these items, or the kidnapping of the girl."

"It also begs the question, where's the museum urn?"

"Perhaps the theft was unrelated."

"I don't believe that for a second," Merry scoffed. "Anyway, we need to make sure this stuff can't be used for any more rituals."

Ava picked up the four femur bones and snapped them in half. Then she picked up the gold dishes and excited the molecules of the metal so that they broke apart their bonds, the dishes melting onto the floor. Finally she turned her attention to the altar, and brought her fist smashing down upon it, cracking it in half.

"Well, that's one way of doing it. Would you mind zipping back over to the van? I need a can of petrol and a bag of salt."

"Of course," she replied.

"Thanks. I'll take another look around for that urn, but I think we're going to have to cut our losses on that one. Can't win them all, I suppose," Merry sighed.

Ava nodded. She knew from observation, if not from experience, that you couldn't win every battle. You had to pick your fights carefully if you wanted to win the war. And she did intend to be on the winning side in the war. One battle at a time.

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