Game was 5/9/20.

William idly wonders where he, Mick, and Polly should go while the meeting happens, but Mick says firmly, "My vote is we stay nearby in case backup or an extraction is needed." Polly agrees, as do the others, so William says, "I know what we can do. There's an access road that leads to the mausoleum. It's a one-way, but at this time of night no one is going to notice us going the wrong way." Everyone is amenable, so William and Mick get into Polly's blue 2003 Honda Civic. The others climb into Josh's Ford Explorer and they set off. William directs Polly to the backroad, and they slip in unnoticed. They settle in to wait, but William realizes quickly something is wrong – he can't see the mausoleum, but they should hear what's happening there – but they can't.

The others drive to the front gate of Forest Park and find it wide open. Anita mutters, "That's not creepy at all," as Josh inches his way in and then follows directions to the mausoleum. Leta sends a quick text warning of her actions to Guiseppe, the demon-butler of the Lady of Milan. It's 7:30 when they pull up to the fence around the structure but spot the gate here is also wide open. They see figures on the platform at the top of the stairs, and Josh mumbles, "I guess we have to get out to do this." Anita replies, "Time to do the dumb thing," and Leta retorts, "It's the only way we know. Abby snorts as they get out of the Ford Explorer and head for the stairs up.

They get to the top of the stairs and stare in horror at the bloody scene the greets them. Silas Black looms by them, with four of his made men – and not all of them are men. Anita recognizes the young Mafioso-valet and spots another white man, but the other man is black, and the fourth one is a woman! Of the four injured and on the ground, three are white men, but the one with the gut wound is another woman! Then their attention shifts to four others on Black's side – Sadie Hawk and three of her bikers! Leta glowers at Hawk, and she smirks back. It takes a second for the others, but they swiftly realize this is the woman who three the fake grenade at Leta's apartment back on October 2nd.

Then the hunters notice the other side and their hearts sink when the see Samir with his jaw torn half-off his face! A younger black man and a twenty-something black woman lie curled up with gunshot wounds, and the fourth person is an older man, Hispanic or Arabic, cradling his right hand, which has been crushed. There are five bodies lying dead, all from Samir's side, four young black men and a black woman. One of the men and the woman are dead from multiple gunshot wounds, while one man has a massive hole in his chest, one is missing his arms and bled out, and the third one's head was wrenched 180 degrees!

Dr. Ranjip powers forward, walking right past Black to get to the injured. Black starts to say something, but Dr. Ranjip ignores him and starts working. Black muses, "Never mind," as Josh announces, "Please excuse me for a moment." He then calmly walks down the stairs – and violently throws up next to the mausoleum. Abby strides down to help him, and Black says mildly, "Good evening, Miss Perez-Montoya." Anita remains silent, but Leta hovers protectively nearby before shifting to keep watch over Dr. Ranjip. The hunters spot a lot of guns lying about or holstered on the gangsters, but Black appears unarmed. The heaviest weapon is an Uzi; there's nothing military grade here.

Anita spots the young Mafioso-valet looking deeply unsettled but focuses her attention on both parties. The scene crackles with tension, but then Josh and Abby rejoin them. Anita nods to them before moving over to the other side. She crouches by Samir and realizes he is fighting shock. She also notices the younger black man glaring daggers at Black as blood trickles out of multiple holes. She checks the other two and realizes they've both already gone into shock.

The silent tension suddenly breaks as the young Mafioso chokes, "Uh, boss?" as he points to Dr. Ranjip, who is pulling out one of the yellow egg-sacs from his bag. Black's eyes narrow but Josh points to the dead man missing his heart. Leta snorts, "You were watching when he made that hole. But this is the breaking point for you?" The young man gapes at her, but Black interjects, "I believe the 'no questions asked' applies both ways, Salvatore." Then the egg sac starts to sing in the woman's guts, and she shrieks in fear. The mobsters tense, but Leta deadpans, "It takes requests." Anita adds, "It also does a lovely opera." Black sighs but motions for his men to step back and let the doctor work.

Anita turns on Black and demands, "So why did you do this?" Black remains unruffled and replies, "Who do you think started it?" Anita snaps, "You!" but Black shakes his head and says, "Look again. Look closer." Anita growls but notices her digital watch is blinking '00:00.' She checks her cellphone and frowns when she realizes she has no reception. Meanwhile, Leta, Abby, and Josh eye the scene critically and realize Black's insinuation: the Mafia didn't start this fight. However, Leta genuinely doesn't give a shit. Black nods to Anita, while Leta eyes Hawk again; she sneers right back.

Black eyes Leta and says, "Ah, Miss Mackenzie. I was wondering when you'd show up. Tell me, are you here to avenge your great-uncle?" Leta snorts and says flatly, "I don't give a shit about the Belladonnas; I just want to know why you overthrew them." Black frowns but considers the question before replying, "What do you know of the Belladonna family?" Leta shrugs in reply, so Black supplies, "The Belladonna family is new to the area. I served Grazzianu for three years, but we didn't come out here until September 2008, after the death of the Bostonian kingpin Argyle. The Belladonnas wiped out the local Genovese family and assumed power. But Grazzianu was insane, and he got much worse this past Christmas, after his bosses reached out from Milan. Whatever they wanted of him; it drove him deeper into rage."

Leta sneers, "And what do you know of the family in Milan?" Black frowns and replies, "We assumed it was an over-family, although we know they have… secrets. Grazzianu fears the 'Grandmother.' I assume you're here to try and kill me?" Leta snorts, "No. I was Christmas. Grandmother got angry that they weren't supporting me!" Black's eyes narrow as he says softly, "Do you command the Belladonna?" Leta roars with laughter at that, and Anita says, "I don't want to ever think of you with that much power." Leta wipes her eyes and murmurs, "I needed that. And imagine what I could do if I applied myself?" Anita shudders in horror and Leta muses, "Although I do rule that Dunkin Donuts."

Leta turns back to Black and snaps, "She threw a grenade at me last month," as she points to Hawk before continuing, "And no one knows what you are. You punch people's heads off!" Josh hastily adds, "Please don't do that to us!" Leta declares, "I do not care about the Belladonna Syndicate." Black eyes her for several seconds before nodding and replying, "I believe you, Miss Mackenzie." He turns to Hawk and exclaims, "You threw a grenade at her?" Hawk simply shrugs. Meanwhile, Dr. Ranjip has inserted a second sac, this time into the man with the collapsed lung. The two goblin fruits start harmonizing, and the good doctor is ignoring them all as he moves to the other two downed Mafioso.

Black eyes the doctor and muses, "I assume this is your True Fae connection?" Leta snaps, "He's not True Fae!" Black inclines his head and says, "My apologies, I didn't mean to imply that he was. How are things in Shelburne Falls, anyway?" Anita growls, "We haven't gotten to that yet. We can't just go charging out of the living room and attack!" Black retorts, "That seems to be exactly what you do." Leta clarifies, "Not always. Sometimes we have to gather resources." Black jibes, "Like your Dunkin Donuts empire?" Anita insists, "We don't go off half-cocked!" Leta retorts, "Maybe a little cock." Anita sighs.

Leta declares, "So, no. I don't give a shit about Grazzianu. My shits are small and precious." Anita retorts, "There's medicine for that. Both the poop and the caring. Although that's other people's job." Josh nods forlornly and Black says sarcastically, "I assume then that you are the conscious of this group, Mr. Troy?" Anita interrupts, "That's precious. But not wrong. He's our golden retriever." Josh nods again and Leta cracks, "Imagine a Best Buy full of golden retrievers?" Anita retorts, "Why do you think he works for me? A gringo is good for sales!" Josh declares, "I'm the gringo!" Black asks, "So do you speak Spanish, Mr. Troy?" Josh hesitates and then says, "I've picked some up." Black continues, "So you know what the sign says?"

Josh blushes but nods. He admits he's confused, and Black asks him, "What do you find confusing, Mr. Troy?" Josh gestures wordlessly at all of this, but notices Dr. Ranjip is breaking out the fae bandages. He tells Black, "Be aware that until those fall off, your men will be ravenous – constantly." Leta nods but Salvatore stares at Anita, his jaw agape. She leans over and gently pushes his mouth shut and Black murmurs, "I'd say he's our golden retriever. Any other questions, Mr. Troy?" Josh immediately replies, "Yes, what are you?" Anita grouses, "He's just going to say he's a businessman."

Black immediately replies, "I'm a businessman, Mr. Troy." Anita growls, "See?" Josh isn't buying it, and even Leta insists that's bullshit. Black calmly replies, "You run a Dunkin empire, Miss Mackenzie." Leta corrects him, "Just one, and I don't run it." Black shrugs and deflects Josh's question to return to Grazzianu Belladonna. He states, "I've said he's insane, and I genuinely suspect some inbreeding. Honestly, I started to turn against him over a year ago, when he ordered me to make an example of a man who was short on his weekly payment. I collected the payment; the poor man was short a grand total of $20. He swore he would have the missing $20 tomorrow; I suspect his son 'borrowed' it without telling his father."

Black continues, "I believed him, I really did. I told him tomorrow was fine; I wasn't going to make a stink about $20. He went home, and I reported in. Grazzianu wasn't pleased and insisted we make an example of this man and his family. He ordered me to kill this man and his family. For $20. I refused. I outright refused; the first time I'd ever done so. Grazzianu was so startled that he ordered a man named Valentino to do it instead. Valentino did it happily. He set fire to the man's home. Killed him, his wife, and his son. There was only one survivor."

Anita shudders but Leta picks up what Black is putting down and says slowly, "I'm not sure 'survivor' is the right word." Black looks directly at Anita and says flatly, "No, probably not." Anita freezes as things fall crystallize and she says hoarsely, 'I didn't live. But I survived." Black nods and adds, "Valentino is dead. His younger brother Salvatore killed him when I overthrew the Belladonnas." Salvatore looks deeply uncomfortable, but Black muses, "Grazzianu was always unstable, but he slid after we moved out here in 2008. I always suspected pressure from Milan to expand exacerbated his innate paranoia."

Leta shakes her head and says, "Unlikely. Milan is interested in family. Sure, resources are nice, but the bloodline comes first." Black frowns as he processes that, but Josh admits, "Still confused. Although that is a perpetual thing with me." Black snorts and replies, "I couldn't say, Mr. Troy. But answer me one question. I assume that's your grandfather, Officer McManus, and Detective Wagner in that car on the backroad?" Josh nods, but Black doesn't seem offended. He does look around and then tells Anita, "You lied to me, Miss Perez-Montoya. You said three and a half. You neglected to mention your dead friends." He gestures, and Anita and Abby realize he can see their geists! He then looks directly at Leta and muses, "And I assume that mouse is the demon?" Leta bristles, but Veltis holds up one tiny middle finger in response.

Leta growls, "So you can punch people's heads off and see geists. So, what are you? Do you not want to talk about it in front of everyone because you're shy?" Anita chokes but Black replies mildly, "I have other talents, thank you. I happen to be an excellent cook." Anita deliberately avoids looking at Veltis while Josh turns to Sadie Hawk and asks, "Why did you throw a grenade at my friend's house?" Hawk replies acidly, "To prove a point." Josh persists, "What point? I'm sorry, but we're not getting it."

Before tempers can boil over, the sac in the female Mafioso starts singing a Blake Shelton country song! Everyone stops and stares at her, and Anita grumps, "At least play good country music, like Johnny Cash or something. Hell, I'll take Garth Brooks." The singing switches to a Johnny Cash song before the stricken woman growls, "I like Blake Shelton." The singing immediately switches back to the original song mid-chord, and Anita jokes, "Don't ask it to play Achy Breaky Heart or Cotton Eyed Joe." The black Mafioso flips her off pointedly.

Josh turns back to Sadie and repeats his question, "What point were you trying to make?" Hawk snarls, "Actions have consequences!" Leta protests that her neighbors were at risk and that they rolled up to her, but Black interrupts and has a rapid-fire conversation with Hawk – in what the hunters think is Vietnamese. The conversation ends and Black turns to Leta before frowning briefly and turning back to Hawk. They have a second conversation, this time in an unknown language. Then Black turns back and says, "We assumed at the time that you were a threat." Leta retorts, "I'm just a small girl!" Black growls, "Bullshit," and Josh reluctantly concurs.

Dr. Ranjip finishes with the four Mafioso; he stands up and says briskly, "The two singing ones will vomit them back up in a few hours. The ones with the bandages require a minimum of 4,000 calories each day until the bandages shrivel off." Josh gets a haunted look in his eyes and adds, "Expect hallucinations as well." Black nods and then tells the wounded woman, "Guiseppina, please get better taste in music." He then leans down and grabs Guiseppina and the other severely wounded Mafioso, hoists them up without trouble, and cheerfully says, "Good day, everyone." He then heads for the cars while the other Mafioso help the other two wounded gangsters.

Anita mumbles, "Does he understand how unsettling that is?" Leta snorts, "Of course he does." Salvatore comes up to Anita but fails three times to spit out any words. She tells him, "Just say it." Salvatore says awkwardly, "I'm sorry about the fire. My brother didn't die quickly. And I don't think Mr. Black actually realizes how weird his strength is." He turns away and joins the other Mafioso. Black's gangsters drive away from the mausoleum. At Polly's car, William and the others are startled to see a man appear out of the woods, seemingly from the very darkness. This man sports designer clothes and carries an Uzi. As more men slip out of the woods, he gives William, Polly, and Mick a friendly wave and they all walk away.

William notes that they can now hear sounds from the mausoleum while Abby calls Mick and asks, "Everyone alright? We're ok, and they just left." William replies, "Yeah, we saw some too." Polly puts the car into drive, and they creep forward for a few minutes until they reach the mausoleum. Anita sits heavily and says, "I died for twenty bucks." Leta offers, "I'm genuinely very sorry." Anita nods as Dr. Ranjip begins work on Samir's crew, prioritizing the young man.

Abby asks quietly, "Where did you get the information on how to kill Sethic?" Anita gestures vaguely in the direction the gangsters went as Polly, William, and Mick pull up and get out. They climb up the steps and look around the scene with detached objectivity. Leta gives everyone a brief breakdown of the changeling war that rocked Boston two years ago that led to the fall of Argyle, the Autumn Court crime boss. Josh heads over to Samir's group to offer emotional support while Abby interjects, "That second language they were speaking? I think it was Sumerian." The Witch swirls lewdly around William, not that he notices – at least until Anita chastises her. Anita heads over to help Josh while William assists Dr. Ranjip. Leta simply stays out of the way, as do the others.

Dr. Ranjip successfully implants the first sac into the young man, and it immediately starts singing heavy rap music. Anita mutters, "AT least it's not Blake Shelton." The doctor snorts but connected working. It's 9:00 PM when he finishes; much like the gangsters, Samir and the older man sport bandages and the other two have swallowed the egg sacs. Dr. Ranjip then sags, and Leta pulls out a bag of Cheetos and hands it to him. Veltis protests, "Those are mine!" but Leta counters, "He needs them more." Veltis eyes the doctor and concedes, "I won't argue that." Leta then notices the angry young man is barely a man – he's maybe seventeen.

Samir and the woman have slipped into unconsciousness, and the teenager swiftly follows. This leaves the older man, who they realize is an Arab man in his forties. He's awake and alert, staring at his hand that Dr. Ranjip reset before binding. He looks up at them and calmly introduces himself as Ahmed, and he admits he also carries a candle. He also freely admits that Caleb, the young black man, opened fire first, sparking the firefight. Ahmed explains, "He was part of the Night Watch. He is the last surviving member of that cell." He frowns and then says, "I believe your warning about hunger is accurate, my friend. May I purchase you all dinner? I have a weakness for German food, so perhaps the Student Prince?"

Josh advises, "The offer is appreciated, but I suggest we go somewhere private and get takeout. You won't want to be in public." Ahmed bows his head in acknowledgment before offering, "Then if you can ferry my comrades, I would welcome you into my home." The Troys agree and help Ahmed and the others to their cars. Mick drives Ahmed's car and the others follow, leaving Forest Park and heading to 43 Daytona Street, a white, three-story house. They park in the narrow driveway and along the street, and then Ahmed leads them up the porch and inside. The house is tastefully decorated, melding turn-of-the-century architecture with modern appliances and Arabic accoutrements.

An older Arabic woman in her fifties bustles out at the commotion and stares at the strangers for a second before registering the injuries on the people she knows. She snaps at Ahmed in Arabic before turning to the others. She introduces herself tersely as Lila and asks, "What stupid thing did the boy do?" The others eye each other before Josh concedes, "He started a fight with Silas Black." The woman closes her eyes and lets loose a stream of Arabian invective. Once she stops, Josh awkwardly introduces himself.

Lila nods and replies, "You helped Ahmed and the children get here safely. You are welcome here. Please, head down the hall, second door. That's the study. I'll take care of the children and meet you in there." Josh tries to help and Lila eyes him before turning to William and saying wryly, "He's not going to stop, is he?" William shakes his head, so Lila tells Josh, "Go make the study presentable." Josh nods happily, but then asks about the washroom. Bemused, Lila tells him, "It's across the hall."

The hunters head into the study and find it cozy. Three walls are dominated by bookshelves stuffed to the brim; most of the titles are Arabic, but a few English ones are scattered about. The fourth wall has a window looking outside, but under the window is a long shelf with various alchemical experiments, beakers, and unguents nearly organized; Josh avoids touching any of that. The center of the room holds a black leather sofa and matching chairs and loveseats, enough to comfortably hold a dozen people. The hunters settle in, realizing they are in the heart of the Ascending Ones' presence in the area.

Lila returns several minutes later with a trolley containing a pot of Turkish coffee and biscotti. She passes everyone a cup and a treat before she settles in herself. She sneaks an appreciative glance at William, which The Witch does not appreciate. Lila waits for everyone to take a few sips of the coffee before she explains, "My brother is in the kitchen, devouring the ham we keep for guests."¹⁾ The hunters wince and Anita softly apologizes. Josh repeats what he told Black, "Those with the bandages will need 4,000 calories of food each day, mostly protein. There will be hallucinations. The other two have singing fruits inside them, healing the damage. They'll recover faster, but they're going to vomit up the fruits in an hour or so."

Lila mutters into her cup, "That explains Trish." Leta eyes Dr. Ranjip, who is utterly exhausted and barely responsive to what's going on around him. Mick suddenly swears, and then reddens and offers Lila an apology. "Lila snorts and says, "My brother, myself, Caleb, and Trish all carry candles. I've heard a lot worse." Mick nods before admitting, "We were in such a hurry to get out of there, we left the others. There are five corpses on the mausoleum." Lila closes her eyes and prays softly for a moment and Josh sheepishly admits, "And I also left some genetic material nearby."

Lila finishes her prayer and says mildly, "Rough day, then?" Josh admits, "It's been an unusual one, even for us." William mutters darkly, "We've been saying that more often lately." Lila laughs and then exclaims, "You must be the Troys." She quickly identifies each of them by name, and eyes Veltis and muses, "And that must be the jinn." Leta looks confused, but Veltis rumbles, "Close enough." Lila nods and explains, "My brother took Caleb in last month after the Night Watch went after Black and died to a man. Samir was looking forward to meeting all of you, but then Black demanded a meeting. We knew this day would come, but Samir hoped to conclude things quickly. Obviously, that did not happen, but I thank each and every one of you for saving my brother, Samir, and Trish."

She then adds, "By the way…" Josh cuts her off with, "We don't know either. We asked him, but he wouldn't tell us." Lila sighs and Josh looks apologetic. Lila continues, "When Caleb opened fire, the Mafia retaliated, and then Black was suddenly in next to them. He punched through Tito's body, tore Mags's arms off, and twisted Petey's head around, all in the space of a few heartbeats. Kori, Stan, Trish, and Caleb fell to bullets, then Black crushed my brother's hand and then punched Samir in the jaw. He had lifted Samir up to kill him when you called, Miss Perez-Montoya. Apparently, he checked Samir's phone, recognized your number, and answered. You know the rest. You saved their lives. Again, you have my thanks, and we are in your debt."²⁾