Chapter 20

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Sitting at the bar, Dani did everything she could not to glance at Dyson. The latter was sitting at the pool table, flirting with the waitress. She tuned out Bo and Kenzi, she ignored Hale as he came up to the bar to order drinks.

It took everything in her not to glance at Dyson.

She kept her back to him. She knew what he was doing. Flirting and having fun while she was nursing her broken heart. She rubbed at her chest as the familiar sharp pain stabbed at it. She downed her drink and slammed her glass on the counter. And left.

Danielle did not wish to see him have fun. She couldn't bear the sight of it. It was too painful. She was supposed to move on but how was she to do that? How could she forget him when he was always around? When he was in everything she did. She needed to move on but how? She wasn't ready for this.

The wind was howling around her. Fallen Fae surrounded her. Death was clawing at her arms. So many deaths, so many fallen, from Light and Dark alike. The white dress she had on was torn in places. She gingerly walked over the dead bodies. So many of them. In the distance, she saw a man. He was wearing a long black coat, his back facing her.

"Who are you?" She asked as the wind picked up.

Instead of answering her, the man turned around. A faceless man turning into a firebird.

Danielle sprang up into her bed. She ran a hand down her face. What was that? She threw her cover off of her. She slowly made her way to the bathroom, trying to make sense of that dream. Was it a premonition? Or was it just a dream? The chances of that were pretty slim.

"The hell happened here?" Danielle frowned as she saw the state of the mirror. It was shattered, pieces strewn over the sink and the floor. "KENZIE!" Danielle called as she made her way to the living room. "KENZIE! BO!"

"I'm up," Kenzie answered, it was followed by a thud.

"Can any of you explain to me what happened in the bathroom?" Danielle walked up to the couch. Bo came up from behind her before dropping on the couch. "The mirror is completely shattered."

"How do you know it was moi?" Kenzie asked her.

"I did not accuse anyone yet." Danielle countered.

"Why do I taste like shampoo?"

"What did we get up to last night?" Bo groaned.

"That's what happens when you buy wine from the bargain bin," Kenzie answered as Danielle started to scratch at her back.

"What the hell is that?" Danielle pulled her shirt up. A red angry mark was high on her hip.

"Does that hurt?" Kenzi asked Danielle.

"It itches." The latter was bent over the table as Trick was examining the mark on her back.

"Definitely not a tattoo. Definitely mystical." Trick said.

"I would love to hear more once you're done consulting my butt," Danielle grumbled.

"No need to feel self-conscious." Trick tried to comfort her. "Just think of me as a doctor."

"A centuries-old bartending butt doctor?" Kenzie turned to the barkeeper. "Almost like a letter, right? Ya'll have some secret Fae alphabets we don't know about?"

"You should see our Fae Sesame Street."

"Don't tease: that would be awesome."

"But you're right." Trick continued. "It's an initial, signature of some kind. So, Dani—what have you been up to lately, Fae-wise?"

"Avoiding Dyson at all costs." Danielle retorted with a sigh.

"Have you dined with any herbalists? Met with any mer-folk?"

"Qu'est ce que uh?" Kenzie interjected.

"Have you—" Trick cleared his throat. "communed with any particular unusual Fae?"

"What?"

"Uh, hold up!" Kenzie scoffed. "Are you saying Dani might have a Fae STD?"

"I don't." Dani protested.

"Only if she's been sleeping with Baba Yaga." Trick said. And Kenzie dropped her book.

"Baba Yaga." Bo repeated.

"Tell me you didn't invoke her?" Trick turned to Kenzie.

"Baba Yaga?" Bo turned to Kenzie. "The Baba Yaga, you were talking about last night?"

"What's going on?" Danielle asked worriedly.

"That was just talk, right?"

"Baba Yaga is real?"

"And she's marked Danielle as her own."

"Oh, Kenzie, what did you do?" Bo grabbed Kenzie's arms.

"Will one of you tell me what the hell is going on with Baba Yaga? And why did she mark me?"

"When I found out about the Fae, I knew that had to mean Sasquatch and the Lochness Monster and little Miss Piggy all existed but Baba Yaga can't, okay?" Kenzie rambled as they followed her out of Trick's lair. "She can't."

"Kenzi, stop!" Danielle stopped her. "And tell me, why would you have Baba Yaga curse me?"

"I didn't." Kenzi shook her head. "I wouldn't. I can't remember what I did."

"Oh my god!" Dani groaned. "The mark, the shattered mirror, it all makes sense, now. But why, Kenzie?"

"It doesn't make any sense." Kenzie snapped back. "The last thing I remember, Bo and I were bitching about—" She glanced over Danielle's shoulder. "—him!"

Danielle turned around only to discover Dyson. "What?"

"I'm gonna kill you," Audrey shouted rushing to Dyson, about to strike him with a platter.

"Come on!"

"Oh, shazzbot—" Bo ran to Dyson's rescue.

Danielle walked up to Dyson, as Hale pulled Audrey away from them. "Danielle, what the hell is going on?"

"Dyson, that mark." Dani pulled up his shirt. A mark similar to hers was on him. "We've been cursed."

"Cursed?" Dyson repeated.

"By Kenzie."

"Tada."

"Sorry." Danielle apologized after Dyson flinched. Danielle was tending to the scratches that Audrey had left on his arm.

"Nah, it tickles." He said gloomily.

"Okay, I get it, you're pissed."

"You know, I understand. You hate me right now, but you put a curse on me?!" Dyson replied. "What are you?! Fourteen?!"

"Do you really think me this stupid?" Danielle snapped back. "Put a curse on you? And again, it was Baba Yaga—via Kenzie."

"Who does whatever she thinks you want her to do!"

"Hey! Not fair, man." Both Hale and Kenzie protested.

"Why would I even bother to curse you!" Danielle was getting angrier by the minute. "I'm trying to move on!"

"Apparently not!" Dyson countered. "I knew you were sensitive. Didn't think you were obsessive!"

"Obsessive?" Danielle felt as though she had been slapped. Her cheeks flood in shame, embarrassment and in pain. Danielle stood up and walked away from Dyson.

"What's the deal with this Baba Yaga chick anyway?" Bo asked Trick.

"She's a hideous witch who helps young Slavic women take revenge on the men who've wronged her." Trick explained.

"And she feasts on girls who don't behave." Kenzie added; "Or so Mom used to tell me. And she's supposed to be a MYTH!"

"When you gonna stop messing with things you don't understand?" Dyson told her. "You're so bloody human!"

"Kenzi must've invoked the curse on Dyson—a curse that makes all women despise him—in Danielle's name." Trick kept on. "Hence the shared mark on both your skin."

"I didn't ask for this."

"But on some level you wanted it." Trick turned to Danielle. "Baba Yaga only grants pleas when there's an intense emotional connection between the wounded party and her, uhm, target."

Danielle turned away from the group, she heard the shattering of the glass. She started to rub at her chest as she felt the sharp pain behind her ribs. She didn't understand why Kenzie would do this. Why curse them both?

"YOU'RE GONNA FIX THIS!" Dyson shouted. "NOW!"

"You back off or I will dropkick you into a women's studies conference." Bo threatened Dyson.

"Okay, I did it. I'll fix it." Kenzie promised.

"How you gonna do that?" Hale asked her.

Danielle remained quiet on their ride to Kenzie's aunt trailer. If she was being honest, she wasn't mad at her best friend. Or at Dyson. She just hated this situation. She didn't want to be linked to Dyson through a curse. She hated that Dyson seemed to be moving on faster than she did. She hated that she didn't seem to be able to move on.

"About Dyson, back there." Bo started. "He didn't really mean it."

"Of course he did. And drunk or not so did I, when I cursed him." Kenzie replied. "When Dyson left DeeDee, it wasn't just her heart he broke."

"Well, he still doesn't deserve this."

"Neither do I!" Kenzie said. "Having to visit Aunt Ludmila?"

"What like, your Aunt-aunt?" Bo turned to Danielle.

"Yep yep." Kenzie nodded.

"Wow." Bo let out. "It's just you never talk about your family very much."

"Chiquita—you're about to see why."

Danielle knew of Ludmilla. She had few interactions with the woman. Kenzie was very secretive when it came to her family. Danielle never really understood why. And as the year went by, she decided that she didn't really need to understand why. Kenzie didn't want to have anything to do with her family and that should be enough for her. That was all she needed to know.

"Girls. There is no Baba Yaga." Ludmilla laughed at them. "Like there is no Santa Claus or an honest Ukrainian."

"My charming fam? Also a wee bit racist." Kenzie commented.

"You know what else aren't supposed to exist?" Bo got up. "Succubi." Bo kissed Ludmilla using her powers.

"Okay. Making out with my peeps to prove a point? Totally gross!"

"What demon are you?" Ludmilla asked Bo.

"She's a lambchop compared to the hag in the mirror. Okay, show her—" Kenzie urged Danielle.

Danielle pulled up her shirt to show the mark on her back. "Blyah—" Ludmilla breathed out. "I know how to summon the Baba. In theory."

"Well, this is a good time to put that theory to the test." Danielle exhaled.

"I'm ready to summon Baba Yaga." Ludmilla put on a necklace.

"What's that?" Danielle asked her.

"It protects the wearer from the witch."

"Where's ours?" Kenzie asked her.

"I only have the one—" Ludmilla replied. "Moving on."

"Oh, sweet, sweet Susan—" Kenzie exclaimed. "I'm so scared, I can't even swear right now. I think I might vom."

"It is an old lady in the mirror." Bo tried to comfort her.

"No! Baba Yaga is the monster who haunted my childhood nightmares." Kenzie argued back. "Did I mention the vom?"

"You're scared. I'm scared. Bo's scared." Danielle said. "We'll be scared together. Okay? Like always."

"Okay."

Ludmilla started chanting an incantation. She kept on chanting as she grabbed a dagger. Danielle gave her hand to Ludmilla and she cut through her palm. Danielle let her blood drip down in a bowl. With her blood, Ludmilla drew Baba's mark on Kenzie's cheek.

"Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga." Kenzie chanted in a trance. "Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga—I seek vengeance in Danielle's name. On the one called Dyson."

"And I made good on the plea." Baba Yaga appeared in the mirror.

"Baba Yaga?" Danielle stood up. "The curse on Dyson was invoked in my name, but without my permission. Could you lift the curse, please?"

"I can remove the affliction." Baba Yaga replied.

"Good."

"In exchange for the Banshee in whose name it was made."

"What?" Danielle's body slammed on the table, as she was being pulled towards the mirror. "Bo! Ludmilla!"

"DeeDee! No, no!" Kenzie stood between the table and the mirror. "I'm the one that invoked the curse! I'm the one that should pay!"

"Kenzie, no!" Ludmilla screamed.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Baba Yaga replied. "I have no need for a Banshee. But a nubile young girl?" And Kenzie disappeared.

"Kenzie!" Bo and Danielle called for their friend. "Kenzie!" And the mirror broke right in front of them.

"Baba Yaga doesn't live in our world." Trick reminded them. "And she has very specific rules of who she invites into hers."

"I generally don't give a rat's ass about rules." Bo said.

"Some Fae are so territorial, they don't let other Fae cross their boundaries." Dyson told her.

"Dyson, this thing took Kenzie!" Bo reminded him. "Stupid, stubborn, human Kenzie! If you don't help us get her back, I'm gonna make this curse look like a teddy bear's picnic!"

"Of course I'll help. I'm still me." Dyson said.

"Yeah? Sometimes I wonder." She glared at the wolf.

"Baba Yaga isn't gonna kill Kenzie, not right away, at least—" Trick reassured them. "She's gonna want to fatten her up first."

"Lucky for us, that could take a while."

"This is all my fault." Danielle said. "Trick, you have to help us. There must be a way for us to get to Baba Yaga."

"It's just really dangerous, Danielle." Dyson told her.

"It's Kenzie."

"Then you better learn to love the taste of crow. Come on—"

"That's all there is to tell, Lachlan!" Bo said. "I mean Ash—the Ash."

"I was thinking of brightening up this place." Lachlan said. "Take away the gloom. Maybe get rid of the throne? Yes or no?"

"Please!"

"I still don't quite understand the urgency. Baba Yaga has your human, so what?"

"Her name is Kenzie." Danielle reminded him.

"If someone snatched my pet, I'd just get a new one." Lachlan continued. "Mind you, I am growing fond of my human doctor."

"And her name is Lauren, you bastard—"

"Bo—" Dyson and Danielle said her name, their tone held a warning.

"No! Can you help us or not?!"

"It's tricky, but yeah there's a shortcut." Lachlan answered. "I could sneak you into Baba Yaga's cottage. But the real question is: why would I do that?"

"Because I've reconsidered your proposition." Bo said walking up to Lachlan. "To freelance for you and the Light. As long as we can get Kenzie home alive."

"I hoped you'd come around." Lachlan retorted. "And to think all it took was some persuasion from the Russian hag. Remind me to send Babs a fruit basket. Wait there. You'll get what you need." Danielle exhaled. "Oh, and if you make it through this we can talk about the terms of our arrangement."

"If?" Danielle repeated.

"It all depends on how long she can hold your breath." Lachlan turned his eyes to the Banshee. "Although, it shouldn't be a problem for a Hellhound."

"Hey!" Bo sat next to Danielle. "You know this isn't your fault, right?"

"It feels like it is, though." Danielle sighed. "If I had just moved on, maybe—"

"Dan, it's not on you." Bo cut her off. "You didn't ask for any of this. And moving on, isn't that easy. Not when you still love him." Danielle glanced over at Dyson. "We're going to get Kenzie back. And we'll help you move on. Together."

Danielle smiled at the Succubus. The door opened and a young woman wearing a blue dress walked into the room, up to Dyson.

"My, my—look who's slithered back into my pipes." Danielle and Bo joined Dyson's side.

"I thought this curse was over." Dyson muttered to them. "Look, nymph, you just think you hate me. I'm under a curse—"

"The curse of not calling me back?" She replied. "Tulliver's New Year's Eve Party? You, me, the hot tub?"

"Chloe—" Dyson seemed to remember. "I apologize."

Chloe turned to Danielle. "Are you his latest?"

"Former." Danielle replied. "And this is Bo."

"Well, you dodged a bullet there." Chloe said. "Or something that requires ointment. What is this about a curse?"

"Our friend has been taken." Bo replied. "By Baba Yaga. We need your help to enter her world."

"I don't assist on suicide missions." Chloe retorted.

"Even under official orders?" Danielle showed her Lachlan's orders.

"I've heard about you." Chloe said as she gave Danielle the orders back. "Your powers won't help, you won't survive the trip to Baba Yaga's realm."

"I think you're underestimating how determined the Banshee can be." Dyson told her.

"I'm going after Baba Yaga or I'll die trying." Danielle said. "I have an official decree from the Ash. Of course, if you're willing to defy him that is up to you."

"Oh, what the hey." Chloe nodded. "It'll be a nice change from cleaning the drains around here."

"So, how does this work?" Dyson asked her.

"Mirrors and water sources are portals to the witch's realm." Chloe answered. "I'm the gatekeeper to the local water portals."

"Great! Where do we do this?" Bo questioned. "Lap pool? Obnoxious fountain?"

"Easy there, Little Mermaid." Chloe cut her off. "The process of crossing over can be pretty gruesome. We better find a more private portal."

"I'm going in." Danielle told Bo as Chloe and Dyson were filling their tub with ice.

"What?" Bo turned to her.

"I'm a Hellhound." Danielle continued. "Plus, this is my curse. So, I'm going in."

"Dan—"

"You can bring me back." Danielle reassured her. "I trust you, Bo!"

"The cold will slow your heartbeat." Chloe said as Danielle sat in the iced water. "You have to be unconscious to enter Baba Yaga's world."

"And here I was worried she might catch the sniffles." Bo commented.

"It's impossible to keep oneself underwater." Chloe explained. "The water will enter your lungs. Someone's going to have to hold you under. I'll be using all my strength to hold this portal open."

Danielle looked up at Dyson. "I trust you completely. No matter what happened between us. That's my curse."

"I'll give you as much time on the other side as I can."

"We'll see what the Hellhound has to say about this."

Danielle took a deep breath and went under. Dyson held her under. Danielle held her breath for as long as she could before her lungs started to burn, begging for air. She knew she had to stay under and yet, she fought against Dyson's hold on her chest. The Shapeshifter did not let go.

"DeeDee, oh my god! You came. Hi!" Kenzie rushed to her best friend. They hugged each other. "This place is Hansel and Gretel meets Hannibal Lecter. Seriously, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Danielle hugged her friend back. "We're leaving."

"Wait! There's a Fae-beast-man and the front door has—"

"Who dares to enter my domain, uninvited?" Baba Yaga stood in their way.

"Don't worry, I brought a house-warming gift." Danielle punched Baba Yaga. To no avail.

"You're in my world now, Banshee." Baba Yaga mocked her. "You're here without my permission so your powers are null!"

Baba Yaga threw Danielle away from her, knocking her unconscious.

Danielle woke up.

"Son of a gun, that old hag is strong." Danielle said breathless.

"Where's Kenzie?" Bo asked her.

"You have to put me back." Danielle urged Dyson.

"You can't deprive your body of oxygen." Chloe stopped her. "Even Fae need to breathe, there's no guarantee we can revive you—"

"I am not losing Kenzie, you hear me." Danielle looked to Dyson. "I lost you. I'm not losing her. I can't lose her."

"Go, go!" Dyson pushed Danielle back underwater.

"DeeDee! She's coming back!" Kenzie helped her up.

"If the Banshee is that interested in staying, I can accommodate that." Baba Yaga said. "Say, in a nice rose sauce?"

Danielle pulled out a knife. "Not really a fan." She walked up to the old hag. "Get out of here, Kenzie!"

"And how do you think she's going to do that?" Baba Yaga pointed out.

"With this!" Kenzie pulled out a mirror.

"The mirror! That is mine!"

"Oh, it doesn't seem to be working!" Kenzie started banging on the mirror.

"Stop! You'll break it." Baba Yaga told her. "You'll destroy the only way you have of getting home!"

"And the direct route to your food supply."

"We make a covenant." Baba continued. "You and the Banshee can go back. I get to keep the mirror." She glanced over at Kenzie. "Look into the mirror and picture home."

Kenzie did as she was told. "What about the others?"

"These girls come from different times, different places. They can't all go back!"

"Like hell they can't!" Kenzie smashed the mirror on the ground.

Baba Yaga yelled in agony. Kenzie grabbed the pieces and gave them to the other girls, instructing to think of home. One by one the girls disappeared. Baba Yaga attacked Danielle as the last girl disappeared. The Banshee fell to the ground unconscious.

"If you hold her under much longer, you're gonna hurt her." Chloe told Dyson.

"I pull her out too soon she's gonna hurt me."

"Dyson, she's dying." Chloe said.

"Come on, Banshee!" Dyson pulled her out of the water. "No pulse!"

He pulled her out of the tub and placed her on the tiled floor. And started to apply CPR.

"Come on, Dan!" Bo begged her best friend. Behind her, Kenzie came out of the water.

"Dyson stop it!" Chloe told Dyson. "She's not coming back."

"Come on, Danielle!"

"Oh my God, DeeDee!" Bo helped Kenzie out of the tub.

"She wouldn't leave without you." Chloe told her.

Smokes were coming off of her body. Flames burst out of her hands and engulfed her entire body. Dyson, Bo and Kenzie jumped away from her. As fast as the fire started, it died down. Danielle's eyes snapped open and she took in a deep breath. Dyson pulled her to his chest, and hugged her tightly. He was afraid of letting her go. He thought he had lost her forever. He had felt his heart broke. It didn't make any sense. This piece of him, he had given to the Norn. So, why had it felt as though his heart was breaking? Dyson was confused.

"Another shot?" Kenzie offered. "Chased by a delicious pickle of course!"

"Goody!" Danielle exclaimed.

"I can't believe you're up for more drinking." Bo joked.

"I always drink after a barbecue."

"Well, I'm glad to see you so happy." Danielle said. "But the next time you're not: no more invocations."

"Amen to that." Bo agreed.

"I hereby pinkie-swear." Kenzie put a hand to her chest. "Mostly 'cause they're expensive." She pulled out a piece of paper. "Aunt Ludmilla's invoice. So much for the family discount."

"300 bucks?!" Bo exclaimed as she passed the invoice to Danielle. "Speaking of family. Your stepfather?"

"He didn't hurt me—hurt me or anything." Kenzie answered. "And whatever it was a long time ago."

"So, you faced your fear and lived to tell the tale." Bo retorted.

"Ain't no thing but a chicken wing." Kenzie bragged. "Only got scared when I thought I wouldn't see any of you again."

"Oh Kenzie, we'd never give up on you." Bo promised her.

"Never."

"I know." Kenzie smiled at her best friends. She turned to Danielle. "Now, promise me you won't give up on yourself. In Russian, we have a saying: 'Dodna!'" She raised her glass. "To the bottom. Of the glass, yes! But also you can fight, DeeDee. Fight for Dyson." She looked at Bo. "Fight for Lauren. Fight for what makes you happy. To the bottom!"

"To my besties." Bo raised her glass.

"To us!" Danielle raised hers. And they clinked their glasses together.