The Grimhold was a strong piece of magic. Its seal was nearly ancient and constructed by Merlin himself. When that seal was broken it naturally sent shockwaves throughout the magical world. Every sorcerer and apprentice in the entire Northern hemisphere felt the ripples. Some even had headaches. Few actually knew what had caused it though.

For the three Morganians in the fashionable part of New York it soon became clear. Drake might have been in the dark as to what caused it, as he had been brooding ever since they had attacked the Arcana Cabana. Horvath however, Horvath knew exactly what had happened. Morgana knew it as well.

"He's come into his power!" shrieked Morgana, "And now he has part of the Rising!"

She gripped a vase and smashed it. Drake jumped. He opened his mouth to say something but wisely retreated. Horvath knew she would mind if he left though.

"We were so close!"

Another valuable bauble was destroyed. Horvath watched it shatter impassively. More followed it, Morgana lashing out with her magic when she ran out of things nearby. Soon the room was filled with flying glass and porcelain. He set up a shield, still watching the happenings with a blank face.

As if the night hadn't been complicated enough now this happened. He had had to run for three blocks before he found a big enough mirror to reflect out of. By the time he got back Balthazar had put up wards that he couldn't break. After that they had had to go back to Morgana and report failure. She hadn't been pleased, especially since her skin had started to flake off that morning. However, that failure had been eclipsed by the recent development.

Something else shattered. To be honest it wasn't Dave that Horvath was worried about. The boy hadn't had a sudden power boost since he had just seen him after all. He was probably still relying on the ring too. Instead his mind went to the Grimhold's occupant for the past millennium. Veronica was free now. Veronica, with all of her beauty and light, was no longer a prisoner. The woman he had loved was once more free to walk the world.

And he knew exactly what she would do first with her newfound freedom. She would fall into Balthazar's arms. After that she probably wouldn't want anything else. There was a good chance she was there now, whispering promises of love and vowing to never again leave. It made him burn to think of, especially since it was probably true.

As long as she was in the Grimhold he had felt a morbid satisfaction. That way no matter how much they wanted to be together they couldn't. It had been even better when he had possessed the Grimhold. Then Balthazar couldn't even be near her. However, he knew there was a sort of slow torture from being near someone you loved but never able to touch them.

Now she was with him again, just like they had been on the day she'd been imprisoned. It was more than he could bear. So he waited as Morgana threw her temper tantrum. His own plans of vengeance were sharpening in his mind. When there was nothing left to break he lowered his shield. Horvath fixed her with a calculating look and said, very calmly;

"All is not lost."

"Oh really?" she snapped.

"Really," said Horvath, "See, as powerful as he is the Prime Merlinian is still a boy. He's still naïve in many ways and he's very much in love. Much like his master."

Morgana gave a thin smile.

"What do you suggest?" she asked.

"Something very simple, and yet very effective."

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Becky felt Dave slide into bed next to her. Weakly she reached out and touched his face. He clasped her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Where were you?" she asked sleepily.

"I went to go get a glass of water," he said, laying his head on a pillow, "And then I freed a sorceress from a thirteen hundred year imprisonment."

"If that's all-wait," said Becky, suddenly feeling very awake, "What did you just say?"

"The water or the bit about the sorceress?" Dave asked.

"So you did say it," she said.

"My life is…complicated," he said.

"I think I'm starting to understand that," she replied.

He grinned.

"If you want to know something else, that woman could very well become my mother pretty soon," Dave said, "I'm already her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandnephew or something."

"You're making this stuff up," Becky laughed.

Dave sobered.

"No, I'm not. Apparently Balthazar's true love's been trapped for thirteen hundred years," said Dave, "He's been trying to free her ever since then."

He paused and swallowed.

"It's gotten me thinking," he said, "Becky, I really care about you. I'm not sure if it's love exactly but…"

His voice trailed off awkwardly.

"Thanks for being honest with me," she said softly, "I hope you know I care about you too."

Dave smiled at her before licking his lips nervously.

"I was just thinking," he said, "After tonight you should probably go somewhere safe. You said your mother lives in Maine. Maybe you should go there for a while. I don't want you to get hurt again, and that's going to happen if you get involved."

Becky shook her head in disbelief.

"No."

"Becky-"

"No. Listen to me for a minute. Dave, you told me this thing that's going to happened will happen all over. And I think I'm already involved," she said, "So I'm staying. Who knows? I might even be able to help."

The look in his eyes made shivers run down her spine.

"You're sexy," he breathed.

She stifled a giggle and before she knew it Dave had added his laughter to hers.