Anah was grateful for Millington's presence, as he had convinced Moffitt to let her accompany him not only to the Island of the Blue Adders, but also to the skeet range. She could only watch, but she figured some time with Moffitt was better than no time at all. The range officer was surprisingly understanding about a cobra being on the fence, watching Moffitt and Millington as they loaded their shotguns and prepared to go through the range. It wasn't much different from watching everyone in Kentucky, except there were only two shooters instead of five. They would get through the range quicker.

She noted Moffitt seemed much more confident this time with shooting. The last time, he had been a nervous wreck and frustrated with his score, convinced it meant he wouldn't be able to defend Jules against the magpies. Now, he seemed relaxed—then again, he had been more relaxed over the last day than Anah had seen him in years. It was nice, and she hoped he would stay that way.

The sun was out, so Anah was lying almost perfectly still in an effort to take in as much sunlight as possible. The fence wasn't exactly the most comfortable place in the world, but it would do for now. She thought she would be alone the whole time, but was eventually joined by a young raven. The large black bird faced Anah once he was comfortable. "Do you require anything to help you heal?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Anah replied. "I can wait for Moffitt." She looked out at where Moffitt and Millington were preparing for the fourth house.

The raven was completely unperturbed by the sounds of the shotguns being fired. "I think it's safe to say the magpies will not stand a chance."

"I would like to think so." A very weak smile crossed Anah's face. "I waited two thousand years for Moffitt. I am not letting all of this go that easily."

"I don't think you will have to." The raven glanced at Anah. "The level of patience you have is one most people can only dream of having."

"I do get tired of being patient sometimes. Like now, for example." Anah gestured to her bandages with her tail.

"At least the chances of something like this happening to you again are small, especially when Jules completes the prophecy." The raven looked over at Moffitt and Millington. "Our council has spoken to the adders on the island. They are expecting you all to arrive within a week."

"I take it safe passage is not guaranteed?"

"Unfortunately, no. There is a small and very old seaside village from which you may leave from. There are two ways you can get to the island—by boat, or by broom."

"One broom will not be able to hold three men, and I cannot control more than one broom."

"Taking a boat sounds like the better option, then."

"I do hope Jules's seasickness has gotten better. The poor dear was quite violently ill when he took a ship to North Africa last year with his father." Anah sighed. "Oh, I wish I had gone with them." She turned to the raven. "At least I will be with them now." She became quiet, continuing to watch Moffitt and Millington. "I look forward to the day we will not have to worry about prophecies. The last six years were wonderful."

"Prophecies are a part of life for some people. Even I cannot say for sure whether this will be the last one for your family. They are responsible, hardworking, and dedicated to each other. It's not difficult to see why they have been chosen for the last two. Apart from a handful of people, no one else in the world knows that both prophecies occurred. They simply happened, and the chosen few rose to the challenge without fuss. No medals, no ticker-tape parades, no statues, no dedications. They complete their work and move on with their lives."

"That is all they want," Anah said. "It is why they are fighting so hard with this one."

"So, you understand why they seem to be a favorite for the supernatural? Because they won't fight for glory or fame. They fight for what it is right, and to preserve what they treasure—a real treasure. Their homes, families, and each other."

"That does not make dealing with this any less frustrating."

"Oh, I know. A few other ravens and I were discussing last night about how strained everyone seemed."

"At least things are better now."

"Indeed, and they will be much better soon." The raven was quiet for a moment. "Maintain that hope, Anah, but be mindful of the fact that a great challenge lies ahead for one of you, one that he is currently not prepared for."

"Jules?"

"No. The jackal."

"That is not a huge surprise. Troy has never given much thought about his abilities."

"Now he must. The magpies know his weaknesses. They see him as your weakest link, and they're going to exploit that when you attack the castle."

"He will not take kindly to that."

"No doubt about that. He needs a bit of a push, as this challenge involves someone else's life at stake."

"He would do anything for the others." Anah gave a quiet sigh. "Should I tell him?"

"I wouldn't. At least not now. I think he will focus better on his training without worrying about whether or not he will be capable of saving anyone with it."

"Do you know whose life will be at stake?"

"Unfortunately, that was not made clear to me." The raven stood when Moffitt and Millington took their last shots at the eighth house. "I will leave you to your family now. It was good to chat with you, though."

"It was nice to have someone to talk to," Anah said. "It took my mind off my injuries, so… thank you."

"Not a problem. Good day to you, Anah." The raven flapped his wings as he took off, before keeping them extended as he soared off toward the west and disappeared behind the woods bordering the skeet range.

Anah raised her head when Moffitt walked over to her. Millington was talking with the range officer, giving Anah and Moffitt a little while to be alone. "How did you do?" Anah asked.

"Well, not a perfect score, but that's alright." Moffitt crouched until his shoulders were parallel to the fence, allowing Anah to crawl onto him without having to climb. "I noticed you had company for the round."

"Yes. One of the ravens assigned to watch over us decided to sit with me for a bit."

"That was nice."

"It was." Anah thought for a moment. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened when she hid Jules's prophecy, and there was no one in the world she trusted more than Moffitt. "We need to get Troy training with his abilities. I was told that… he is going to face a challenge, and someone else's life is involved."

"Whose?"

"The raven said that he did not know. We both agreed it would be best not to say anything to Troy just yet, that it will help him focus if he is not worried."

"I'm usually not a proponent of hiding things, but in this case, knowing Troy… I agree. He has a tendency to take things like that very personally." Moffitt stood, and looked over in Millington's direction. "It's funny you mention that because Millington and I had just been talking about how to help Troy. We have an idea, though neither of us really like it."

"What is it?"

"Well, snakes and jackals are enemies in nature. Jackals prey on smaller snakes, and large pythons prey on jackals. However, I can tell a snake not to attack a jackal. Troy can train his jackals not to attack snakes. That means putting the two in the same room. We can't use you because you're different from other snakes. Millington agreed to let me borrow Zeresh for this."

"I can see why you do not like this. Someone could get hurt if this goes wrong. Why should we start with this?"

"Because Troy needs to learn how to communicate with these spirits. Convincing them to listen to him is the first step. He was able to do so successfully when he was focused when the magpies tried breaking into the house, but that level of focus isn't something he can repeat. It's far too slow, especially if we're going to use this against the magpies in the castle."

"He needs to be able to switch to communicating with the jackals quickly and almost effortlessly, like you with snakes."

"Exactly. We'll do what we can to lower the risk of someone getting hurt. I think it'll work out. We can train a little with him today, and then the rest of the day is ours."

"I hope Jules and Vanora have talked," Anah said.

"I hope so, too. Vanora said Dietrich talked to her last night about what's been bothering her. I can't believe I never thought of the possibility that what happened with the gargoyle was still on her mind. I would've thought that… she would tell me, especially with how much I've told her about what happened to me during the war. She knows each nightmare I have. She recognizes when I'm experiencing bad memories, and helped me through some of my worst panicking sessions. Why… Why wouldn't she tell me?"

"Perhaps she did not want you to worry. Or blame yourself."

"That makes sense. At least we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Believe me, we are all happy to see that. No one liked seeing you so miserable, especially since we all felt powerless to help you."

Millington walked over to the two a short while later. "Sorry about that," he said. "I certainly had a good time, and I wouldn't mind doing this again."

"I'm glad we did this, then. Hopefully, we won't have to put our skills to use when we're on the island," Moffitt said.

"I hope not, either." Millington looked at Anah. "How are you feeling?"

"Mostly alright," Anah replied.

"Not too cold?"

"A little bit."

"Well, let's get you home so you can get warm." Moffitt opened his jacket to let Anah slither inside. She stayed around his shoulders rather than wrapping around his torso like she usually did, and put her head under Moffitt's scarf.

"I know you both mentioned she's having trouble staying warm this morning," Millington said quietly. "It's not good for her—or any snake—to be cold. Are you sure you want to bring her along to the island?"

"I'm positive. Is there something we can bring that'll help?"

"Hot water bottles. We can wrap them in a towel and put them in whatever you decide to carry her in."

"That'll work. I don't want to leave her out."

"I know, and I know everyone's been stressing to you that her physical and emotional recovery are equally important, but you need to be careful not to put one in jeopardy over the other."

"I'm trying. I suppose this is another good reason we're bringing you along. You can worry about Anah's physical health, I'll worry about her emotional health."

"That sounds fair, and we've worked long enough together to not bicker."

Anah poked her head out of Moffitt's scarf. "So, am I to expect both of you will be fussing over me?"

"Yes, you can."

"Wonderful. If you can manage to be more annoying than Troy, you both deserve a medal."

Troy distinctly remembered watching Moffitt training with Anah and being glad that wasn't something he had to worry about. He thought he wouldn't have to worry about it. He hoped he wouldn't have to worry about it. Now, here he was, worrying about it. He wondered if it was something he should have tried to work with years ago, before Dietrich's prophecy was completed. A little late now, and it was surprising that he had done close to nothing with what he was given and yet things worked out.

He also remembered how nervous Moffitt was about losing control. Fortunately, such a thing never happened. Whereas Troy had nearly gotten Dietrich seriously hurt. The force of trying to keep the spirit-jackal back felt like Troy had been trying to hold back a much larger animal tied with rope. It was one of those rare moments where he didn't think he could find a single way to maintain control of the situation, and he was certain he was going to lose his grip on the jackal. That wouldn't have ended well.

It was strange to think that at the moment, Dietrich was far safer with Moffitt handling something as dangerous as black mamba than Troy handling a jackal. Strange, and scary, as the last thing Troy wanted was to be responsible for injuring his own friends.

He expected to be left alone in the parlor until Moffitt and Anah returned home with Millington and their shotguns, but Dietrich entered the room holding a half-empty cup of coffee not too long after having ordered Troy to lie down and recover from his nosebleed. Dietrich looked out the window for a moment, then said, "May I sit down?"

"Sure. You don't have to ask," Troy said. "This isn't even my couch."

"Still. You are currently occupying it, therefore it is polite to ask if I may sit with you." Dietrich sat, and was quiet for a moment while drinking his coffee. "I hope you are not too upset over what happened in the woods. For one thing, I am not angry at you over your jackal nearly attacking me."

"It's hard to not be upset when you could've been seriously hurt."

"But, you were able to stop it from attacking me."

"Yeah. It's still scary to think that you were inches away from being mauled. That's another reason I never wanted something like this in the first place. There're… way too many places where things could go wrong."

"Which is why you have to learn how to use it, so things do not go wrong. Just like Moffitt." Dietrich glanced at Troy. "I think part of your problem is that you have not fully accepted the reality of who and what you are, and that no matter how many times you tell yourself that you are ready, there is a part of you that continues to fight it."

"I'm not fighting it as hard as I once did."

"But you are still fighting it."

"Yeah. Kinda. It… yeah, you can say that."

"Moffitt had dreams for years about snakes, starting when he was about Jules's age. Do you remember when you started to suspect that there was something different about you?"

"I always dismissed—"

"Even so, surely there were things—dreams, incidents—that made you suspect there was more to you that you did not understand. That, I think, is another problem. You do not understand what you have, and instead of trying, you dismiss it as 'magical gobbledygook' or whatever your word of the day is."

Troy sighed, and stared up at the ceiling, trying to think. "Well, I think the first time I really noticed something was… different was when I was a kid, same as Moffitt. I used to have really bad dreams about… about being hunted for something. In those dreams, I was some kind of animal, but it took a few before I figured out what animal I was, and I distinctly remember looking down at a puddle and seeing a jackal. The dreams stopped for a really long time after my grandparents died, and I think it was because of how much… things had changed with my family. I would keep seeing jackals in dreams, but I wasn't inhabiting one's body. I didn't have a dream like that until the night before Moffitt was assigned to us. It was the weirdest, most vivid dream I've ever had. I was a jackal, again, leading three pups through a savannah. All fine and dandy until this big, long cobra stops us. We tried going around it, and it kept following us. Every time we tried to go past it, it would move, like it didn't want us to pass. It followed us even after we turned around to find somewhere else to go, and I didn't want it with us because, well, it's a cobra. The dream ended there. The night after Moffitt got permanently assigned to us, I had another dream where the cobra was with me and the pups in a den. Back then, I had no clue what to make of it, but until I met Anah, I would've assumed that someone with a snake spirit or personality or whatever you want to call it was someone evil, undesirable, not someone you want to be around. In other words, someone who's the exact opposite of Moffitt."

"I do remember you telling me that you and Moffitt did not get along at first. You still performed excellently against me for your first assignment together." Dietrich was quiet for a moment. "That was when I noticed something strange as well. I had run into both you and Moffitt on separate occasions in the past, and always came away feeling… off. When you were together, that was when things really began to feel strange. A feeling that extended beyond mere curiosity about my opponents. A feeling that there was something very, very unnatural about you, both of you… or shall I say, supernatural."

"And you guessed right." Troy resumed thinking. "I knew something was different when I was blinded, because I was feeling, hearing, and smelling things that most people can't. Then things quieted down for a bit until that stupid chain. You remember. We both remember. The jackal that led us to water. There were other incidents, too. A lot of other incidents."

"All of that, and you still wanted to deny your role in the prophecy."

"Yep."

Dietrich grinned. "You really are the most stubborn, bullheaded human being on the face of the Earth, then."

"Well, there is a reason Anah calls me a donkey."

"Indeed, and I agree with her."

"Wonderful. Am I to expect more donkey-themed Christmas ornaments now?"

"Maybe. You make donkeys look like cooperative little ponies, though. And, no, that is not a compliment."

Troy became quiet for a moment. "You're the team psychologist, Dietrich, what do you suggest I do to fix this?"

"Start learning how to use your ability. Put effort into trying to understand it. You were not chosen at random to have this."

"I know that, but… the motivation isn't there. How do I want to learn?"

"That, I do not think I can help you with. Wait for Moffitt, and see what he can teach you."

Moffitt went home expecting to be able to have a cup of tea before going to the university with Troy. Instead, he was exchanging looks with Anah while Troy and Dietrich explained the little adventure they had that day with Troy's ability.

"I was already concerned about the jackals attacking things they shouldn't," Moffitt said. "Now we need to be worried about them attacking people they shouldn't."

"To be fair, though, you brought that on yourself, Dietrich," Anah said.

"I did not think that would happen!" Dietrich glared at her.

"Please, don't argue." Moffitt rubbed his face. "It sounds like this is similar to what I have in that it can appear under stress or a strong negative emotion, which makes the training idea I have more appropriate."

"What is it?" Troy asked.

"You will be spending some quality time with Zeresh, to communicate with your jackal to not attack her."

"That's a terrible idea. She could get hurt if I fail."

"I will be there the whole time, and I highly doubt you will let something bad happen."

"Dietrich told you what happened when I finally got the jackal to back off. I can't replicate that."

"You've never tried."

"Moffitt, you are absolutely insane if you're just putting a live snake at risk like this."

"Zeresh faced jackals all the time when she was living in Ethiopia. It'll be fine."

"You're still crazy."

"No, you don't have any confidence. We don't have a lot of time left before we face the magpies in the castle. You need to learn how to use and control this under stressful circumstances."

"You're trying to throw me in the deep end of a pool before I even know how to swim."

"Troy, trust me. You are at equal risk here as well, because there will be points where I won't have communication with Zeresh, and she can be a bit on the temperamental side. She typically won't aim for someone's eyes when she spits, but there's a slim chance that she will with you if you make her angry."

"I don't want her getting mauled."

"Then don't let her get mauled."

Troy sighed, looking like he was backing down. "Nothing's going to convince you this is a bad idea, is it?"

"No. You threatening to shoot me didn't convince me to not go after my father, remember?"

Troy looked over at Millington. "And you approve of this?"

"I don't like it, but I think you have more strength than you realize to prevent a disaster from happening," Millington said. "It's not like you're being given a real jackal to work with. The jackals you and the others described are coming from within you. They basically are you, or at least components of you."

"They are essentially familiars," Dietrich said. "The main difference is that a witch or warlock can only produce one familiar with the aid of a wand. You seem to have several."

"How's that even possible when I don't practice magic?" Troy asked.

Dietrich shrugged. "I did not choose you to be part of the prophecy. It seems that is a bonus of such things."

"Well, it's a lousy bonus."

"Since we are using the comparison of familiars, I will say this," Anah said. "A familiar is a piece of a witch or warlock's soul. A manifestation of the soul, in a way, that can be used in battle or to aid in the use of magic. It is typically better to treat your familiar well, rather than as a tool. The stronger your bond is with your familiar, the stronger and more refined your magic will be."

"I'm not playing fetch with the jackals," Troy muttered.

Dietrich looked like he was holding in a laugh.

"No one said you had to do that, Troy," Moffitt said.

"Being good to your familiar is about the same as being good to yourself," Anah said. "Taking care of your physical and mental health."

"I do that," Troy said.

Dietrich raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"

"Yeah."

"I do not believe you."

"Of course you don't."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Dietrich," Moffitt said.

"Of course you do."

"I would like to add that I agree with Dietrich, too." Anah grinned.

Troy glared at her, and growled, "Of course you do."

"But we still love you, dear."

"Sure."

"Perhaps putting yourself in a better mood might help," Millington suggested.

"I could tickle him to get him to laugh," Anah said.

"How old are you?" Moffitt gave her a look.

"Approximately two thousand twenty-three years old, dear."

"I didn't… want an answer." Moffitt sighed and rubbed his face.

"I have a better means of getting Troy to laugh." Dietrich stood and went over to the tea cabinet.

Moffitt turned around in his chair. "What are you doing?"

Dietrich opened the cabinet. "I am just looking for a bag of raspberry tea. Where did you say it was?"

"You know where it is!"

"Right." Instead of pulling each box out like a civilized human being, Dietrich pushed aside the boxes in front of the raspberry tea.

Moffitt couldn't hide his disgust. "Fix it. Fix it right now."

"In a moment."

"No, Dietrich, fix it now!"

Dietrich clearly wasn't going to get around to fixing the boxes of tea anytime soon. When he finally did, Moffitt was a bit too angry to notice Anah giving a casual flick of her tail, and several boxes of dunking biscuits fell on Dietrich's head.

Moffitt struggled to process the barbaric mishandling of his precious tea cabinet. He stood up, and pushed Dietrich aside. "Alright, no more. You didn't even get Troy to crack a smile, and you're just making a mess. Out. Go away."

Dietrich rubbed his head, cursing in German as he glared at Troy. "You usually find Moffitt's tea-tantrums hilarious."

"Not today apparently," Troy said. "Why don't we just get this over with and go to the damn college already?"

Moffitt wasn't happy until each box of tea and dunking biscuit was back in its proper place. He then gave Dietrich a dirty look. "That wasn't funny."

"Well, I was not willing to throw my back out pulling radishes, so I figured raising your blood pressure was safer," Dietrich replied.

"I don't even grow radishes!"

"I could start growing radishes," Anah said. "And then we can have a radish-pulling tournament. Whoever can pull the most radishes without throwing their back out wins."

"Anah?"

"Yes?"

"No radishes. Ever."

"You are just afraid of losing."

"No radishes, Anah."

"What's this about radishes?" Millington asked with a confused expression.

"Nothing," Dietrich muttered. "Something I never should have mentioned in the first place."

Despite his annoyance with the mistreatment of his tea cabinet, Moffitt wouldn't deny that Dietrich was right—Troy did find his habits with tea to be funny. He's really not confident about doing this, Moffitt thought. He's not wrong. It is risky. Is there another way to do this?

It was a little too late to turn back once the group was headed to the snake laboratory. Millington handed Moffitt the key to Zeresh's tank. "I will be getting supplies together, just in case."

"Alright," Moffitt replied, unlocking Zeresh's tank. She was on her branch, so Moffitt was careful not to move it too much while gently taking the big cobra out. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but I'd like your help with something."

"With what exactly?" Zeresh asked. "Another gargoyle loose? The last one was quite fun."

"Maybe fun for you, but my wife was terrified. And, no, it's not another gargoyle." Moffitt held Zeresh out to Troy. "You remember Troy, right?"

Zeresh stretched out to taste the air a few times around Troy, who stepped back from the snake. "Ah, yes, the one who stinks of jackal."

"Be nice. You're familiar with jackals. We're trying to help Troy learn how to use his abilities."

"What would that entail?"

"You won't really have to do anything. Troy will be doing most of the work, keeping control over the jackal spirit so it doesn't attack you."

"It sounds dangerous, but I will do it."

Moffitt looked at Troy. "She's fully on board with it."

"Did you tell her how bad this could be?" Troy asked.

"Yes. She still wants to do it."

"Okay. Fine. Let's… pray I don't accidentally rip this snake apart."

The group went out to an unoccupied tennis court. Dietrich and Millington stood on the opposite side of the net, watching with interest, while Anah was on Dietrich's shoulders. Moffitt set Zeresh on the ground, and held her tail. "When I say 'go,' you're going to charge Troy."

"Charge him? You trust he will be able to stop the jackal in time?"

"I do."

"Well, I did stop a lion once, and countless jackals. How bad could this be?"

Troy still looked unsure about all this, then Dietrich called, "Remember, Troy, communicate with your mind, not your voice. Remain focused. This is not a battle. You are teaching yourself control and to not be impulsive."

"Thanks, Dietrich. I'll try." Troy sighed. "You ready, Moffitt?"

He barely had time to react when Zeresh charged toward him. Moffitt heard a sudden gust of wind, and the spectral form of a jackal was crouched in front of Troy. It leapt toward Zeresh, who immediately stopped to rear up. Her hood was spread wide and her mouth was open, sheaths pulled back from her fangs.

"She's not a threat! She's not a threat!" Troy grunted with the effort of trying to hold back the jackal.

Zeresh was hissing with each breath, standing her ground.

"Easy, Troy! You can do this!" Dietrich said. "Focus!"

"Move back a little," Moffitt instructed.

Zeresh slithered backwards somewhat.

"Okay, come back to me. Let's see if he can make it not chase you."

Zeresh retracted her hood and closed her mouth before rapidly turning and slithering back toward Moffitt. Much to everyone's surprise, the jackal stayed put. It would drop down to a defensive posture occasionally, but then rose back up to a more inquisitive one. When it stayed in a curious state, Moffitt looked down at Zeresh. "See what happens when you approach him."

The spitting cobra slithered back toward Troy. Her hood spread when the jackal's ears flattened against its head, but it made no move to attack her. In fact, its ears raised back up, and stepped forward to sniff Zeresh. Zeresh responded in turn, lowering her hood and flicking her tongue out in long strokes to inspect the transparent jackal.

"That went less chaotically than I thought it would," Moffitt said. "I'd say that's a job well d—"

The jackal abruptly turned and sprinted away from the tennis court, and a thump was heard as Troy collapsed. Moffitt, Dietrich, and Millington raced over. "Easy, easy, he's bleeding," Moffitt said.

"Get him upright," Dietrich said. He pinched the bridge of Troy's nose. "Perhaps it was a mistake to do this right after what happened this morning."

"No, this probably would've happened if we waited until tomorrow. That's what it was like for me," Moffitt explained. "He just needs to keep practicing, and I'd say this was a success." He turned to Zeresh, and gave her a gentle pat on the head. "Good job."

"Thank you," Zeresh replied. "Is he going to be alright?"

"He should be soon."

They slowly helped Troy to stand, then walked back to the laboratory, where Millington procured a box of tissues. "Blimey, am I glad I don't have any sort of magic," he said.

"It's not bad once you get the hang of it," Moffitt replied.

"To be fair, I'd love to be able to talk to everyone who lives in this laboratory, but going through that—" Millington pointed to Troy. "No thank you. Makes me respect you that much more."

Moffitt put Zeresh back in her tank, letting her return to her branch. He turned to see Troy was starting to come around.

Troy motioned for Dietrich to let go of the tissues, and drew in a breath. "This is bull," he said. "This can't happen every time."

"I told you last night that's going to be difficult," Moffitt said.

"This is bordering on dangerous," Dietrich said. "Did you have nosebleeds every time you trained with Anah?"

"The first couple of times, yes."

"Do you remember what stopped them?"

"There were a few things that contributed to them stopping," Anah said.

"I know one was not being so afraid of what I had anymore," Moffitt added. "It made training less stressful."

"Perhaps that is what we need to try—get Troy to utilize when he is not under stress," Dietrich said.

"Are you volunteering to try that?"

Dietrich sighed. "I may as well. I have gotten Troy to relax before. Somehow. There is no reason I cannot do it again."

"I think you're the only one of us who can."

"Should I be proud of that distinction?"

"It shows you have great strength and immeasurable patience. Yes."

Dietrich's expression was completely flat as he said, "Hooray for me, then."