Game was 3/28/20; once again (and for the foreseeable future), Paul and Wendy Skyped in.

Back at NPD headquarters, Vandernoot paces in her office while MacLeod waits patiently. He asks, “Do you still have that flask?” Vandernoot snorts and retorts, “No, I switched to straight-up bottles. There’s a fresh one in there.” MacLeod grabs the booze. At 7:15, the NPD officers at the airport – Officers Lee Gordon, Joseph Davidson, Ben Graham, and Rachel Curry on her first assignment since returning to the force from medical leave – call in. Vandernoot had chosen them because they went through the horrors of the asylum together back in February, and she trusts them implicitly. Graham yells, “There’s a goddamn mini-gun going off!” Vandernoot growls, “They gave the boy a mini-gun?” MacLeod yells, “Priority one – don’t get shot!”

Graham sounds enthusiastic, while they can hear Davidson counseling Gordon, an Iraqi war veteran with PTSD. Vandernoot orders, “Do not approach.” The sounds change and Graham reports, “That was an AK-47? What the hell?” Curry also mutters, “Why?” but Vandernoot insists, “Do not approach. Shelter in place.” Gordon snaps out of his fugue and says briskly, “That was definitely a mini-gun, sounds like it was on a 360◦ track. Those are AK-47s, five or six, I think. And that is the sound of multiple M-16s firing. I thought the Cold War was over?” Vandernoot replies, “So did I.” They then hear the gunfire slacken and people screaming.

Curry reports, “Orders, captain? Approach or hunker down?”¹⁾ MacLeod insists, “Do not approach!” and Vandernoot adds as she fishes out her tactical vest, “Hold for now. You can’t compete with that level of firepower. We’re on our way.” They then hear a series of wolf howls over the radio and Vandernoot reiterates, “Get down! Shelter in place, do not engage!” Graham mumbles, “I’m so confused.” Vandernoot and MacLeod run for Isabelle, MacLeod’s truck, and as they get in, they hear one last, reverberating wolf howl, a scream, and then tearing flesh! Vandernoot croaks, “Everyone, report in!”

Gordon replies, “We’re all here, captain, and we’re good. Wait, there’s a shadow from by the gate, a big wolf?” Vandernoot and MacLeod share a look and then she snaps, “Fall back! Fall back now! We’re on our way!” MacLeod guns the engine and shoots out of the parking lot. They can hear faint reverberations of the gunfire and howling, and MacLeod flicks on the sirens. Vandernoot mumbles, “This should reassure people nearby, and give those assholes some warning that we’re incoming.” She also calls in to the Massachusetts State Police barracks and informs the dispatcher, “This is Vandernoot. Multiple shots fired; we’re handling it for now.”

Back at the farmhouse, Anita eyes the ring and wipes the werewolf spit off in the grass before shoving it in her pocket. She sees ghosts already starting to appear around the property, but she sticks close to Hakim and examines the five Libyan women. Three are catatonic, while two are crying softly in fetal positions. Anita tries to calm the crying pair down but fails.²⁾ She calls out, “Hakim! Got anything for this?” as she gestures to the Libyans. Hakim looks at the stricken women and shakes his head sadly.

Leta is going into shock as Dr. Ranjip works, but then something cold and slimy slithers into her gut wound – and starts to sing opera! Leta croaks, “What the hell?” Dr. Ranjip replies, “So, the good news is that the goblin fruit is working. The bad news is I have no idea why it’s singing.” Leta sees three yolky egg sacs in the doctor’s special bag, and all three are wobbling, apparently with joy at the singing. Meanwhile, William looks around the reliquary; there is a bank of three computers in the exact center of the room, while the side walls and back wall are shelving units, where Abby’s books and the artifacts sit. William also notices how the walls are giving off an ambient green glow, and he sees darker shades of green ripple along the walls.

At the cars, Cain howls in victory – four feet from Josh! He makes no secret that he’s terrified, but he calls out, “Would you like a mint?” as he offers them out the window. Cain sniffs, and then suddenly pivots and drops into an aggressive posture, growling low at something in the airport. Josh asks softly, “More trouble?” She growls, “More food, guns!”³⁾ Josh says, “The cops will be here soon, do what you need to.” Over the phone, William has a flash of insight and pleads, “Wait, that’s not food!” as he realizes those are probably cops Cain smells. Cain lets out a second challenging howl, and Josh says weakly, “So, Konstantin is dealt with.” Leta mumbles, “Did she eat him?” Josh retorts, “Good guess. But no, there are… leftovers.” From behind the closest hanger, Graham offers a tentative, “Uh, Northampton PD?” Josh immediately counsels Cain, “Most cops are friends, not food.” He then calls out, “Can we have ten minutes before you claim the scene?”

Lee Gordon radios to Vandernoot, “So the boy just asked for ten minutes, and I think something close to him wants to eat us.” Vandernoot replies, “Try not to be threatening. Or delicious.” Gordon retorts, “You gave me Graham and Curry.”⁴⁾ Curry snaps, “Hey… shit.” Graham protests, “I’m not delicious!” Gordon jokes, “I disagree. You’re young and hot, you’re probably the most delicious one here.” Graham stares at Gordon in shock and Davidson snorts and Curry snickers. MacLeod says sincerely, “Well, morale seems to be holding up.” Vandernoot grabs her phone and calls Josh. Josh answers, “Uh, hello?” Vandernoot snaps, “If any of your friends eat any of my officers, I will eat you.” She then hangs up.

Cain suddenly shifts into Urshul, or the dire-wolf form. She lopes into the airport and Josh cries out, “Oh, fuck! Officers, look non-threatening!” Cain rounds the corner and the four police officers stare at the massive dire wolf in terror, until Graham cries out, “It has a pink stripe! That’s so neat!” The monstrous dire wolf looks at Graham like he’s a dumbass before turning and loping away. In the truck, MacLeod mutters to Vandernoot, “Did Graham just dumbass a werewolf away from them?” Vandernoot shrugs as Graham turns to his incredulous comrades and snaps, “Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” Vandernoot sighs and MacLeod snickers. Cain pads back to the cars and drops in her haunches by the Buick Skylark, clearly babysitting the pack’s resident idiot. Josh sees a head slowly lean out from behind the hanger, and then slowly retract.

Graham radios Vandernoot, “So, that thing is baby-sitting the boy. Is this a Troy thing?” Vandernoot snaps, “Open channel!” and Graham replies “Gotcha. Is it one of theirs?” Vandernoot sighs and says, “Yup.” Graham continues, “I think we need to put the boy in protective custody. His grandfather’s car is damaged.” Vandernoot retorts, “I doubt even William will try anything with the fuzzy babysitter right there.” Curry chimes in, “Are you absolutely sure about that?” There is a moment of silence, and then Vandernoot concedes, “Good point.”

Back at the farmhouse, Polly steps out of the reliquary and reports, “Hakim incoming.” The mummy strides into the reliquary and homes in on the statue of Bast. He grabs it from the shelves and then the walls turn an ominous green as a mystical security system kicks in – until Hakim punches the wall so hard it disrupts the spell. Polly decrees, “So, that worked. I think it’s time to grab shit and go.” Abby asks, “What about the survivors? Do we leave them for the NPD?” Josh suggests, “We can bring one of them to Violet as a gift.” Polly closes her eyes and says tersely, “What possible use would that be? You want to give her a gift? Give her Konstantin’s corpse, or whatever’s left of it.” Josh yelps in surprise as Cain snatches Konstantin’s head in her jaws and whips it into the car, landing it right on Josh’s lap!

Josh says weakly, “So that part is now taken care of. Uh… I’ll drive the Skylark over to the fence, ok?” William agrees, so Josh starts the car and drives it onto the airstrip, with Cain loping easily alongside. They pass the cops and Gordon announces, “That’s it, I’m done. I’m retiring. I’m done.” Curry reports, “So the Skylark and the fuzzy babysitter are moving to the airstrip. Do we-?” Vandernoot cuts her off with, “Nope.” Curry has no problem with that, and the four cops remain in place.

Josh pulls up to the fence as Hakim walks over to the five insensate women and deadlifts all of them! He walks away, towards the airstrip, and Amira turns to Leta, Dr. Ranjip, and Anita. She says, “My apologies, but Master Hakim and his kind can get very myopic where relics are concerned.” Anita nods as she realizes Amira was unfazed by the four werewolves, and Amira says, “Before I go, I do have a question for you. What is your connection to Merat-Su?” Leta croaks, “She has a local cult, and she killed dudes with us in Connecticut.” Amira nods and replies, “Understood. Thank you. Allah’s blessings upon you all.” Anita says sincerely, “Thank you for your help, and please thank Hakim on our behalf.” Amira bows slightly in response and then turns and walks away.

Graham reports over the radio, “Uh, captain? Are you rescinding the no-departures rule? Cause there’s a guy carrying five women over his shoulder heading for a private plane.” Vandernoot replies, “Nope. But it’s too bad you missed them with everything else going on.” Graham replies, “Yes, ma’am.” They watch as Amira runs up behind Hakim and they board the plane. The plane then taxies to the runway and lifts off.

The four werewolves stand guard as the hunters gather in the reliquary and quickly pack up the artifacts; luckily the storage cases are right by the shelves. Dr. Ranjip remains working on Leta and the singing intensifies – so much that the hunters in the reliquary can hear it. They finish packing the artifacts and head out to the Skylark – and William stops dead when he sees his roof is now concave. Abby interjects, “Should we give the pack the fetish and the silver bullets now?” Leta mumbles, “Fetish?” Abby sighs and replies, “Yes, a fetish. We talked about this this morning.” Leta retorts, “I got stabbed.”

Valerie snatches the bone fetish and the silver bullets as she growls, “Yes, this belongs to us.” She sniffs and tells the hunters, “You’ve got three minutes before the cops arrive. I can hear that damned truck.” She and the others shift to Urshul form and take the two cases in their jaws. They then run back into the property and leap – and vanish in midair as they shift across the Gauntlet and into the Shadow! The hunters stare in shock and Anita concedes, “Impressive. And handy for predators.” Josh sighs, “Yeah, but they don’t always pay attention to their landing spots.”

Abby asks Josh, “Two questions. Did Konstantin try to kill you?” Josh concedes, “I don’t know for sure, but probably.” Abby then eyes the car and asks, “Second question. How do you feel about being a Sin-Eater?” Josh gapes at her while Anita roars with laughter. William ignores the exchange and starts loading the Skylark. Abby then tenses and hisses, “Shit.” Anita looks over and sees Konstantin’s ghost pawing ineffectually at the back of Josh’s head! She sighs and tells William, “Don’t tell Josh, but someone behind him is trying to get in.” Josh looks stricken and he turns around, but he can’t see the ghost. He looks down at the head and sheepishly asks, “Can someone get me a bag for this?” Abby sighs but throws him one.

William, Polly, Josh, and Abby clamber into the Skylark, ducking slightly due to the ceiling damage. William puts the Skylark in reverse as Dr. Ranjip helps Leta walk and Anita heads to her car. William spots the four cops and Graham gives him two tentative thumbs up. He brakes the car and calls out to them, “There are three survivors in the outbuilding, and three more comatose in front of it.” Graham looks startled but nods, and William lifts the brake and resumes driving. Anita reaches her Honda and opens the back for Dr. Ranjip and Leta. They both clamber into the back and Dr. Ranjip keeps working as Anita drives away.

The two cars turn off their headlights, exit the airport, and cross under I-91 before turning left onto Cross Path Road to avoid the police, who zoom by a few seconds later. William leads Anita down Cross Path Road before turning right onto Fair Street, which intersects with Bridge Street/Route 5. William turns left and leads Anita through side streets to get back to Smith College without attracting attention. The hunters in William’s car can still hear the opera over the phone. Dr. Ranjip mutters, “We’re getting close to the messy stage, and Leta groans and guesses the thing is going to be puked out.

Josh asks, “Does it take requests?” Dr. Ranjip stares at the phone for a moment before leaning forward and asking Anita, “What’s your favorite music?” Anita frowns as she thinks and then replies, “Alternative rock, I guess. Like Nirvana.” Dr. Ranjip then turns to Leta’s stomach and states, “Please play Nirvana.” The opera immediately stops, and the goblin fruit starts singing Smells Like Teen Spirit instead. Anita demands, “What is that?” Dr. Ranjip explains, “A goblin fruit, a plant grown in the Hedge. I harvest many for enhanced healing effects. This is a crossbreed I’ve been working on for traumatic injuries, and I guessed it would be used on Leta, Mick, or Josh.”

Anita frowns and admits, “I can’t argue with your selection, doctor.” She then looks at the empty passenger seat and decides to get her sister next. She pulls into an empty parking space in front of Starbucks, and they see Del and Ray in the window. Del heads out and gets into the car, and then turns back to Leta and demands, “What the fuck?” Leta replies, “I swallowed an iPod.” Del snorts, “No, you didn’t.” Leta insists she did and exclaims, “You know how loud iPods get!” Del snaps, “No, I don’t! We’re poor, we don’t own any Apple products!”

Anita jokes it could play Culture Club, but Del snaps, “No, I want it to play the most annoying twangy country song to piss you off.” The goblin fruit immediately complies, and Leta groans, “Is it singing because I’m part demon?” Dr. Ranjip shrugs and replies, “Maybe? In clinical trials, it just screamed.” Del frowns and announces, “I see three problems here. First, singing guts. Second, explosives. Third, Abuela hasn’t called me.” Anita frowns and admits, “Me either.” Leta’s stomach rumbles and she announces, “Problem one won’t be for long.” Her stomach lurches again, and she cries, “Pull over!” Anita curses as she pulls over in front of the gate to the college. Leta staggers out and runs forward to try and spare them, but she stumbles at the gate and pukes there. It tastes of artificial bubble gun as it comes up, and the splatter is bright yellow – and it continues to sing.⁵⁾

Leta staggers back to the car, and Anita drives them to the parking garage. William parked on the street again, and the four hunters are outside the car waiting when she pulls up and parks. They regroup and enter the garage, and then head up to Violet’s office. Mick and Violet are standing by the desk, and they hear Chelsea swearing from underneath.

Mick looks to them and asks, “How did it go?” Leta announces, “I got stabbed! And then I was given a singing goblin fruit.” William provides a short breakdown while Del smooths out the pantsuit and declares, “I’m keeping this at least until we get home. I want to give Abuela a heart attack.” Anita cries out and the sisters start sniping at each other, but Veltis shrugs and replies, “Sure. Most clothing I own comes from dead people. Well, they were dead after I killed them.” That stops the sisters’ argument dead in its tracks, and Anita begs not to know. Veltis ignores her and muses, “It actually fits her better than the original owner. I think I killed her around… 1993? In California, but was it Los Angeles or San Diego? I think LA, actually.”

Anita turns to Leta and snaps, “He has selective hearing, doesn’t he?” Veltis points to his ears and says primly, “Tiny ears.” Josh interjects, “That suit might help get you into college.” Del stares at him and snaps, “I’m not going to college!” Anita asks, “Why not?” Del turns to her and shrieks, “Ankle bracelet, remember?” as she hikes up her pant leg. She then frowns as she stares at the ankle bracelet and asks, “Wait, should I wear this to my hearing?” Almost everyone choruses, “Yes!” simultaneously. Del declares, “I’m keeping this.” Veltis shrugs again; he clearly doesn’t care.

Chelsea snarls, “Can you all shut up for fifteen seconds? Because if I get this final part wrong, we all die.” The hunters oblige and the room goes silent save for Chelsea’s stream of profanity – and then she cuts the final wire. Nothing explodes, so Chelsea clambers to her feet and announces, “It’s done.” Violet dives for the desk and rips open the main drawer. She pulls out a small runic stone and traces another mandala pattern with her finger. The hunters watch in shock as Violet suddenly ages nine years in the span of a single heartbeat, and then she collapses to the floor sobbing and howling, “I’m free! I’m free!”

Josh mutters, “We’ll give her the present later.” Leta counters, “When? She’s leaving the area and could probably use it now!” Violet sniffs loudly and croaks, “Is Konstantin dead?” Leta grins evilly and holds up the bag with the severed head. Violet takes the bag and pulls out said head, and she stares at it before cackling hoarsely. Del stares in horror but Anita and Abby realize Konstantin’s ghost is still behind Josh, sweeping at his head. Violet cries out, “I’m going to chuck you into the deepest, most vile place I can find.” Leta suggests, “Dumpster behind a Walmart?” Anita replies, “That would be found.”

Violet grunts and muses, “Point taken. Maybe I’ll just craft it into a toilet plunger.” Leta snickers but Anita reveals, “Well, Konstantin’s ghost is still here, swiping at the back of Josh’s head.” Josh tenses but Violet laughs long and hard. Anita adds, “I’d recommend avoiding concrete, like schools and government buildings, And maybe avoid colleges?” Violet snarls, “I’ve been trapped on a college campus for nine years. Fuck that. Regardless, it was nice meting you, and thank you for killing my ex. But I’m now retired from the Vigil. Forever.”⁶⁾

Violet adds, “I’ll lead you down to the subbasement and lower the wards so you can deal with that thing, but after that I’m leaving.” The cell agrees, but Josh says, “Should I go outside with Del? I’m not really helpful here.” Mick replies, “Yes. In fact, most of you should go outside. Agent O’Malley and I need to go down to check for more explosives – and so I can feel useful, damnit – and presumably we’ll need Leta, Anita, and Veltis for literal firepower. Everyone else should vacate. With respect, detective, that includes you. And Dr. Ranjip.” Dr. Ranjip readily agrees, while Polly starts to protest and then reluctantly realizes Mick is right. William nods and joins them as they exit the garage and cross the street to wait. Josh calls Abby and puts the call on speakerphone so they can still communicate.

Violet leads Anita, Abby, Leta, Veltis, Mick, and Chelsea down to the warded staircase and unlocks it with her medallion, chanting, and mandalas, although this time takes longer. She then turns to them and says simply, “I’ve dropped the wards to this and the door to her cell. Do what you need to. I’m leaving. Peace out, cub scouts.” She walks away without a backwards glance. Abby suggests, “Fire? Will that cause the C4 to explode?” Mick shakes his head and replies, “No, C4 can burn safely. It’s the pressure from a blasting cap that causes the explosion. However, I do think we need to see if there’s any C4 in the room on an independent detonation system, just in case. I have to assume the C4 wasn’t just a fuck-you to this bastard’s ex.” Chelsea agrees as Anita takes the lead and walks them down the hallway, which continues to sweat.

The door swings open on squealing hinges, and the hunters enter the cell. The creature is standing upright in the center of the room and grins as she says, “So here we are. What’s the plan?” Chelsea and Mick stare at the thing in horror before Mick recovers and says weakly, “Uh, I’m going to check for any explosives Konstantin may have left behind.” She smiles sweetly at him and coos, “Of course, Michael.” Mick shudders but he and Chelsea start sweeping the walls carefully. The creature turns to the others and muses, “I smell Konstantin on you. Did you kill him?” Leta nods and the creature cackles with glee.

Mick announces, “So I’ve found C4 and disabled the pressure plates, so it won’t explode. However, there’s also ultraviolet lights hidden back here too.” Josh suggests, “Maybe for vampires?” and the creature snorts, “Konstantin had a plethora of toys.” Mick frowns and says, “Wait a minute. The Maiden’s Blood Sisterhood was betrayed by the Ashwood Abbey. Serena Hubley betrayed them. What if she betrayed them to the vampires they used to hunt?” That silences both groups of hunters, while the creature laughs. Leta then growls, “I’m so glad she got what she deserved, but I want to see her die again for this.” Mick nods in agreement while Abby grumbles, “So, shit out a werewolf’s colon?” Anita and Chelsea eye each other, as they don’t know who Serena Hubley was.

Mick shrugs and says, “Should I activate the lights?” There’s a moment of silence and then Josh offers, “It couldn’t hurt.” Mick nods and taps a button, and then UV light illuminates the entire room! Chelsea’s white T-shirt lights up immediately, and then the creature starts shrieking and choking, before she stands up again and says, “Sorry, children. Ultraviolet lights don’t work on vampires. Consider that a free tip.” Leta growls, “That was a terrible death scene,” and then derides Konstantin’s half-assed approach. The creature titters and replies, “The Aegis Kai Doru of fifteen years ago was a different beast, much more powerful and adaptable. When they come after you, you’ll be dealing with a totally different animal. Consider that my gift to you."

Leta demands, “Why are you giving us a gift?” The creature leers at her and replies, “Because you’re about to kill me. Burn this body, go ahead. That will finally free me and I can escape back into the Shadow, and trust me, I will be keeping eyes on you.” Mick mutters, “Everybody wants to watch Josh.” Anita adds, “Or William. They’re both pretty.” Leta concedes, “Pretty runs in that family, it seems.” Behind them, The Witch makes a lewd gesture in agreement and Anita sighs deeply. Mick eyes them and then asks, “So… do we just walk away here and leave this thing here?” That causes the creature to howl in outrage, but Chelsea interjects, “If you leave it, it will just continue to make problems. No, burn it. Although I do have to agree with it. The local AKD isn’t the full AKD. They’re going to come after you hard.”

Abby, Mick, and Chelsea retreat out of the room as Veltis blasts Hellfire from tiny paws. Anita unlocks Pyre-Flame Rage while Leta uses Hellfire as well. The multiple fires sweep over the chained creature, who screams in agony as her body burns. When the fires hit a saturation point, a mist escapes from her mouth and flies away. At that point, her screams turn human as her body reverts to her natural size of 5’6”. Her humanity reasserts itself for a split-second, and then the hunters see two sharp fangs! Then Sally collapses into ashes, as the fire sends her to Final Death.

The assembled hunters stare at the pile of ashes until Chelsea closes the door and says firmly, “Task Force: VALKYRIE will take over this site officially. We’ll clean out the C4 and remove the ashes, so someone doesn’t smoke, inject, or ingest them, or use them to craft unnatural organs.” Leta demands to know who would do any of those things, and Chelsea retorts, “You’ve seen the Aegis. Trust me, there are stranger hunter groups out there than them.”⁷⁾ Leta concedes the point and genuinely thanks Chelsea for her help, now that she’s not just the annoying assistant. Chelsea rolls her eyes but follows them as they head upstairs and out of the garage to rejoin the others.

Once the hunters regroup, Chelsea reiterates, “This is now Task Force: VALKYRIE’s responsibility. Agent McManus, you’re now officially reactivated by the federal government, and you’ll be here starting at 0800 hours to help.” Mick nods and Chelsea announces, “Now, I’m getting the fuck out of Northampton and getting a hotel room. Or food. I should eat food first. Maybe pizza.” Leta interjects, “Northampton has a lot of good food options, actually.” Chelsea grunts and replies, “That may be so, but I still want to get out of this damned city. Good night, everyone, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning, McManus.” She then gets back into her car and drives away.

It’s 8:30 and the mention of pizza causes Anita to have a craving. Del retorts, “Tacos, bitch.” Josh offers, “Let’s split up and get takeout and then regroup. Our place? Or Abby’s apartment? They have a floor now.” William grumbles, “Things didn’t go so well when we last gathered there.” The others agree, and head back to the Troy household to get their cars. They then split up; Anita brings Del to Vera Cruzana for tacos. She gets a pizza. They regroup back at the Troy household for 9:00 with pizzas, tacos, ice cream, and some Indian food that Dr. Ranjip acidly deems, “Edible at best.”⁸⁾

As they eat, Del asks them, “So, is this a normal day?” Anita shrugs but Josh admits, “No, the past two days have been extra, even for us.” Anita reminds Del, “Hey, you agreed to come along. How was Starbucks?” Del grumbles, “Oh, swell. That kid practically humped my leg.” Anita smiles and retorts, “Now you know how Josh feels.” Josh turns crimson while several of the others nearly choke on their food, but Del glares at her sister and snaps, “He’s only fucking fifteen!” Anita doesn’t let up, but Josh does his best to redirect the conversation. Although certainly no fan of Del herself, Abby joins Josh’s efforts.

The hunters depart around 10:00 PM, after the food is gone and the trash cleaned up. Anita notes that Konstantin’s ghost is still present and still swiping at Josh’s head but assumes Abby can deal with it if it becomes a problem. After the others depart, Josh asks his grandfather, “Should we reach out to the NPD?” William drawls, “Nah, it’s late and I’m sure they’re busy at the airport. They’ll call us if they need us.” William heads to bed and Josh turns to Google for car repair. Meanwhile, Abby, Leta, and Veltis reach their apartment and immediately crash. Mick, Polly, and Dr. Ranjip follow suit in their respective homes.

Anita and Del pull into their driveway at 10:45 and see a few lights on in the house, including in the basement. They walk inside to find Abuela eating soup as she watches the end of the 10 o’clock news. She eyes them as they come inside, especially Del’s new clothing, and she grunts, “Huh. So that’s why you were in Northampton.” Del demands, “Wait, how did you know we were in Northampton?” Abuela eyes her youngest grandchild and retorts, “Because I tracked tour phones?” Del swears but Anita snickers and announces, “Good night.” She then heads upstairs and collapses into bed.

William wakes up at 6 o’clock as normal and heads into the bathroom. He’s reaching for the shower nozzle when he realizes he’s using his left hand. He looks down and stares dumbly at his right hand, which is clutching the dagger from Violet’s office! Some of the verdigris is rubbing off in his hand and the malevolent purple swirls are still present. He tosses the dagger into the sink and showers. It’s still there when he leaves the bathroom, so he heads downstairs into the kitchen. He starts making breakfast, but the instant his attention wanders even slightly, the dagger is back in his right hand.

After some trial and error, William discovers that if he holds some thing in his right hand, the dagger can’t appear, and he realizes this is connected to the attack on Astrid Helmund’s house in Stamford, Connecticut last April. He eats breakfast and then settles in to watch the news, holding the remote the entire time. Once he finishes with the morning news, he steps out into the garage to see the damage to his beloved Skylark in daylight. He sighs when he sees two massive pawprints embedded in the damaged roof, but he decides to see how much he can do here at home. He grabs some tools and starts hammering in the inside, banging out the dents. After about an hour, he manages to at least buff out the pawprints.

The hammering wakes Josh up, so he showers, eats, and goes out to help around 9 o’clock. William happily surrenders the hammer, so Josh slips into the car and manages to bang out even more of the ceiling in thirty minutes. He then stops to take a short break and rotate his shoulder and wrist as he steps out of the car – and sees William holding the dagger! Josh says slowly, “Uh, grandpa? None of the YouTube videos I watched last night indicated that was a necessary tool.” William looks at him blankly, so Josh points to the dagger. William looks down, and utters, “Oh.” Josh eyes him and William admits, “I found this in Violet’s office yesterday. I left it there, but it followed me home somehow.” Josh retorts sarcastically, “You never gave me a choice with any of the animals that did the same thing to me growing up,” but he sends a group text to the cell about the blade, asking for help.

Anita got up, showered, ate breakfast, and headed to the Montoya Botanica for opening at 8:00 AM. November 2nd is traditionally very slow after Dios de los Muertos, and when she gets Josh’s text only Consuela is in the botanica, browsing the half-priced leftover candles. She texts back, “Are you in danger of being stabbed?” Josh replies with a picture of William holding the dagger, and then Veltis interjects, “I’ll have to see it, but my guess is that’s a big problem. If that’s what I think it is, any slight annoyance he has may blossom immediately into a murderous rage, and any attack he makes with that dagger could potentially drain the victim’s soul.” William reads the text and sighs.

Anita turns her attention back to the botanica, but Consuela leaves at 9:45 with a decent number of discounted candles. She’s alone until 10:10, when the bell above the door rings as someone walks in. Anita immediately checks if the person is large or smelly,⁹⁾ but the young man that walked in is neither. He’s about 5’10”, black, and wiry, but looks like he can take care of himself in a fight. He’s got a ratty jean jacket on, with equally ratty jeans, a surprisingly clean pair of expensive boots, mirrored sunglasses, and a green bandanna over his dreadlocks. Anita isn’t familiar with whatever gang he’s from, but says, “No colors in here.”

The young man immediately removes his bandanna and the sunglasses, but approaches the register and asks, “Anita Perez-Montoya? May we speak for a few minutes?” Anita gestures and says, “Pull up a stool.” The man complies and settles in across from Anita. He then says, “Let’s skip the usual dance, shall we? My name is Samir, I carry a candle, and I know you are part of the Troy cell in Northampton.” Anita nods and Samir continues, “We’re also aware of your recent actions against the Aegis Kai Doru. My organization often works as Sulha, mediators between different hunter groups or even between supernatural factions. To be clear, we have absolutely no issue with the Troy cell or their alliances, in fact we enthusiastically approve of their efforts. We’ve known about them for some time, but always respected Northampton as theirs to protect. I’m here now, in this public space, to ask if you can arrange a meeting with the entire cell. We’re hoping we can head off this conflict before it starts.”

He adds, “Northampton is a nexus, between the wealth, the college, and the general weirdness, it attracts many different things.” Anita agrees and he admits, “One of the most tantalizing things about the Troys is the fact they’ve accepted two… Bound? Sin-Eaters?” Anita replies, “Bound, Sin-Eaters, Joined. Whichever.” Samir nods and continues, “Two Sin-Eaters and a changeling. That’s big.” Anita nods but narrows her eyes and asks carefully, “You’ve dealt with Sin-Eaters before?” Samir snorts and replies, “No, my organization hasn’t met one in a long time.” Anita asks, “Decades or centuries?” Samir frowns and says slowly, “I think the last verified contact with of of your kind was back in the 1940s.”

Samir admits, “Like you, I’m Springfield born and bred. But what I find tantalizing is your impressions and observations as a woman outside the Vigil. Would you be willing to share?” Anita initially agrees, but asks, “What’s your group’s angle?” Samir says, “We don’t have one, per se. We want to prevent a needless war. Right now, two European cities are gearing up for war, the Lucifuge in Milan and the Aegis in Athens. Task Force: VALKYRIE is also gearing up. This region has already seen many hidden supernatural wars, some doing lasting damage to the innocents living here.”

Anita tentatively concedes the point but asks, “What do you know of Shelburne Falls?” Samir replies promptly, “The official story is that a radical group called the Berkshire Free State detonated a dirty bomb there, and more bombs in Boston back in 2008. We know whatever happened really had to do with the True Fae and changelings and Task Force: VALKYRIE. We’ve sent our people into Shelburne Falls a few times and seen a few oddities that reinforce the fairie angle. However, since our network relies on people…” Samir trails off and Anita finishes with “No people, no intel.”

Samir nods but adds, “We do know the state government is in the process of defying the federal quarantine. We also know that this is because of the meddling of a group of mages called the Seers, led by a sorcerer called Solomon.” Anita hisses in outrage and Samir replies wryly, “I see you’ve heard of him.” His eyes wander and Anita realizes he can see The Witch! The Witch hovers nearby, her head cocked as she clearly tries to figure out how this young man can see her.¹⁰⁾

Samir admits, “For total transparency, I am part of an ancient hunter organization called the Ascending Ones, who originated in the Middle East.” Anita remembers the name from Hakim’s conversation with Veltis yesterday morning on the plane, and assumes the green bandanna reflects the Middle Eastern origin. Samir continues, “To be blunt, we rely on potions to give us an edge against the monsters, but this means we’re also heavily involved in the drug trade, legal and… not.” Anita shrugs and replies, “Everyone has a hustle.” Samir agrees, and adds, “Our illicit side here in Springfield realizes we’re eventually going to come into conflict with Silas Black. And before you ask, we have no idea either.”

Anita grumps and Samir admits, “One of the other reasons we’re reaching out to you is we have a potential common foe, even though the Montoya Botanica is renowned for its neutrality. The destruction of the Night Watch cell is a bit of a wakeup call.” Anita derides that cell, but Samir cautions, “You don’t give them enough credit. Yes, they were incredibly aggressive, but these young men never got a break from birth. Despite that, they held the line against the vampires successfully for years. Honestly, we’re pretty sure they thought Black was a ghoul, not an actual vampire.”

Samir reiterates, “I’d like to meet the cell soon and get their observations and the like. I know the Aegis started this fight, but in truth they started the war last year when they attacked the Troy household unprovoked. The more we know, the better our bargaining position with the Aegis. But we didn’t want to just walk up to William Troy’s front door and knock. Although that seems to work.”

Anita asks, “Do you have a business card?” Samir smiles and nods, and fishes one out. It’s a thick cream cardstock and has only has his first name and a phone number. He passes it on, and adds, “Just be careful with that. The SPD takes notice of people they know have my card.” Samir gets up and says, ‘Now, it is time to shop.” Anita retypes the number into her phone and then shreds the card as Samir does some shopping and brings up $100 worth of various herbs. He pays in cash, bids Anita goodbye, and walks out.

Anita sends a group text to the cell, “People free around 8 o’clock? I have information I don’t want to repeat over text.” Dr. Ranjip replies first, “Can we make it 8:30? I try to build in extra time in case a surgery goes long.” Mick then texts, “Sure, and 8:30 works better for me.” Polly texts, “I should be off-duty at 8:30. Springfield or Noho?” Anita replies, “I’ll come up to you.” Josh gets the texts and asks William if the cell can gather again tonight here at 8:30. William sighs but agrees, so Josh texts, “Meet us here at 8:30.” Abby texts, “We’ll see you then.”