MEMO LOG: FBI—NSB EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS DESK: 2018-11-24
INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG::
tip line call: summary: report of magical activity in tacoma area. claimed explosions set off in somebody's yard.
-- CROSS-REFERENCE TAC. PD CASE XX-2990661: gunfire at the same timestamp, within 1 mile.
FLAG: NON-PERTINENT
INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG::
tip line call: summary: sudden rainstorm in olympia-west. 'came out of nowhere'.
-- CROSS REFERENCE SAT. DATA - OLYMPIC REGION: no rain forecast, satellite data does not show clouds in the area. rain supernatural?
FLAG: INVESTIGATE
INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG::
official complaint from wash. gov. office re: federal oversight of magical affairs taking place within washington state. requests jurisdiction, bureau to deliver all pertinent files and stand down. state matter, not federal.
-- FORWARD TO DIRECTOR
FLAG: POLITICS
INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG::
tip line call: summary: two persons self-identified as 'Beth/Malcolm Silverdale', parents of 'Jessica Silverdale'. requesting witness protection. offering 'full disclosure'.
-- NO EVIDENCE OF IDENTITIES GIVEN
FLAG: INVESTIGATE
INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG::
tip line call: summary: 'evil warlock' performing supernatural feats. fire from nothing, moving objects with mind, etc. claims subj. is an awakened and needs to be arrested for public safety. subj. is known awakened 'Jonathan Hudson', 18 y/o in Tacoma area.
-- MAGIC IS NOT ILLEGAL
-- HUDSON LOGGED BY NSB_ASHE, POST-RALLSBURG AWAKENED
FLAG: NON-PERTINENT
INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG::
press release: white house comm. director: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 'GREYCLOAK' LEADER, 'DIARIES' AUTHOR CINZA TO VISIT WHITE HOUSE, SPEAK WITH PRESIDENT STAFFORD"
1. agt. ashe accompanying subj. 'cinza'
-- FORWARD TO DIRECTOR
FLAG: URGENT
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Ruby stood on the front porch of her cabin, shielding her eyes from the evening sunset. She scratched behind Scrappy's ears for a moment, before the big cat slinked away to the warm interior. The morning snow was long-since melted, leaving the Greywood green and vibrant once more. Yusuf, Matthew, and Joe were outside working the field. Inside, the news was still on a loop on their TV, and every few minutes, her face popped onto the screen. Every single time, Ruby felt such a mixture of emotions she couldn't begin to process it properly.
Her beloved was on TV in front of the whole world, and she was excited. Cinza was about to visit the President and start the first steps toward global recognition; Ruby was thrilled for her! It was exactly what they wanted, if Cinza's ideas held true. Sure, they always talked about how they didn't need anyone to tell them they could live as they wished, but living would be a lot easier if they didn't need to sneak around all the time.
Yet… Ruby couldn't help but feel trepidation. Anxiety pulled a tight knot in her chest, in her throat. She'd watched the speech a dozen times, rewinding the stream over and over. Cinza spoke so well, so strong—Ruby doubted anybody else could see just how exhausted she was, how hard she struggled to stay upright after everything else she'd done that day. Cinza was still recovering, no matter how she might act.
And she'd just announced the Greycloaks to the whole world.
"Ruby?" asked Yusuf, setting down the small harvest he'd been carrying.
She shook her head, brushing long crimson hair out of her eyes. "Sorry, Yusuf. Was it my turn?"
"No, it is no trouble. I am the harvest for today," said Yusuf. "I wondered why you seemed upset."
"You saw the news, right?" she asked, biting her lip nervously. She had no idea how the rest of the group felt about the big speech, or that their leader just been thrust into the forefront of the world stage.
Yusuf smiled. "I thought she did very well. You should be proud. I am."
Ruby shook her head. "It's not that… I dunno."
"Are you afraid?" Yusuf sat down on the porch and patted the spot next to him. Ruby took it, leaning against him. As soon as she did, she felt warmth wrap them up to stave off the December chill. He was always so good at temperature spells, even better than Ruby was, despite it being under her affinity. "Tell me, if you want."
Ruby shook her head. "I'm okay. I don't need to talk about it."
"It is your father, yes?"
She leaned away to look at him directly, frowning. "Just said I didn't want to talk about it, didn't I?"
Yusuf shook his head. "I apologize, Ruby. I did not meant to intrude."
"No…" Ruby felt bad. He was just trying to help. "You're right. I'm sorry." He put an arm around her and hugged her. She smiled. "You're a better dad than he ever was, you know."
Yusuf laughed. "That is very kind of you."
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"I just need to talk to her," said Ruby. "I didn't…" She trailed off, not wanting to voice it aloud. I wish she'd told me she was going to do this.
He nodded. "I am sure she will call soon."
"Yeah…"
The rumble of an engine startled them both. Yusuf looked up, curious, but Ruby sprang into action. Adrenaline surged through her. This couldn't be a coincidence—unexpected guests after everything else that happened? "We didn't have anybody coming through today, right?" she asked, on her feet, her hand outstretched. The array of rubies and sapphire rings on every finger glittered in the sunset.
"Not that I know," said Yusuf slowly.
Ruby nodded. "Go."
Yusuf rushed across the clearing toward the guest cabins. Ruby sent a small flare of light into the Wilkins cabin to notify Brittany. In an instant, she replied. Brittany's traps were ready to go, able to loose at any moment with just another signal.
Matthew and Joe left the harvest field, ducking behind the bridge to face the oncoming noise. Across the clearing, Ryan and Rika emerged, confused. Ryan looked like he might be having a panic attack, while lightning was already sparking off of Rika's fingertips as she scanned for the apparent threat.
That's everybody, right? No… Rufus is still out, plus there's Nikki and—
To her relief, Nikki and Josh walked out from Nikki's cabin the very next instant, in various states of undress. Ruby would have laughed if everything weren't so tense—she never would have called those two, but apparently being cooped up together for so many months had just given way to the inevitable. Josh awkwardly pulled on his belt as they sprinted across the field to join Ruby—her cabin was far more defensible, since Nikki's was built to block outside noise entirely, while Cinza had included reinforced barriers around their entire porch as cover, in addition to caches of gemstones at strategic intervals to use for defensive spells.
"What's going on?" asked Josh, passing Nikki's shirt back to her.
"Engine," whispered Ruby. She handed a small set of gems to Josh. Nikki already had hers, plus her amethyst necklace she never took off. Ruby thought it looked tacky, but she couldn't blame the other girl wanting to have her particular talent available at all times. "Nobody's supposed to be coming in today."
"Ah."
"Is it Cinza coming home, maybe?" whispered Nikki.
Ruby shook her head. "No way she's back from London yet, even if Hailey flew her out."
"What about Rufus?"
"Rufus in a car?" asked Ruby sarcastically.
Nikki shrugged. "Yeah, no, nevermind."
The engine was getting louder, approaching the Greywood directly. Whoever it was knew where they were going. "How are they driving here?" asked Ruby. "I thought nobody could find us."
Josh frowned. "We tested it, but it's still fuckin' magic, Ruby."
"But what if—"
"Wait," said Nikki. She closed her eyes tight, clutching at her necklace with one hand. As Ruby watched, one amethyst on the chain got a little darker, clouding over. Her light hazel eyes snapped open an instant later. "Call it off," she said frantically.
"What?" asked Josh.
"Ruby, seriously, call it off. It's Rufus."
"In a car?" Ruby asked again skeptically.
"Trust me," said Nikki, smiling. She got up and ran out into the open, heedless of the potential danger. Ruby, against her instincts, sent the all-clear signal to the other cabins. She felt the faint flicker of magic in the air as Brittany released the waiting traps, letting them sit back on taut mystical strings once more.
Nikki waved off the others as she ran out into the open, just as the rugged jeep burst through the trees—the same jeep Makoto and the others had left at the airport after their insane chase the day before. In the front seat, Rufus waved and grinned his toothy grin. Next to him…
"Jackie?" called Ruby, standing up straight. "Hector?"
Jackie Nossinger waved as the engine shut off, climbing out, Rufus and Hector along with her. Josh stood up too, cover abandoned, and together they hurried to join the gathering group in the center of the Greywood. Even Brittany came out to join them, taking one of the nearby benches.
"Holy shit," said Josh. "Where the fuck have you been?"
"Interestin' place you got here," said Jackie, looking around curiously. "I like it."
He grinned. "It's about time you showed up."
"Well, I got the call, figured you'd appreciate the backup," said Jackie. "And Canada's cold as hell."
Nikki looked about to say something, but Ruby talked over her before she could sidetrack them too hard. "It's good you came home, sheriff. Welcome to the Greywood."
Jackie raised an eyebrow. "You're in charge, eh?"
Ruby nodded. "Until Cinza returns from London. I'm guessing you've seen the news?"
"Yeah, no shit," muttered Jackie. "'s the reason we came in today. Was gonna come back a couple weeks ago, but then all that shit with the Diaries, and Hailey… welp, got our wires crossed, I guess."
"We were afraid," murmured Hector.
"I don't blame you," said Josh. "We're like a fucking army military here. You gotta call ahead next time Jackie. We just about blew your car to pieces."
"You can do that?" asked Jackie, surprised.
Ruby nodded. "I'm glad we didn't. Nikki was able to sense Rufus in time." She turned to Rufus. "And why didn't you call ahead?"
Rufus grinned. "M' phone died, miss. Sorry."
Rika snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, Ruby, you guys are drilled like a fucking army."
Ruby whirled on her, raising her voice. "I don't see you doing much to help, you freeloading—"
"We have all had a trying day," said Yusuf, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. She calmed herself down. He nodded politely to Jackie. "I am glad to see you again, sheriff."
"I ain't the sheriff anymore, you know," said Jackie uneasily. "Can't be sheriff of a town that don't exist."
"Speaking of which," said Josh, "where's the rest of you? Dan and Boris, and the Bowmans?"
"Boris doesn't want to get involved," said Jackie, "and Dan decided he was happier with 'im than riskin' life and limb again down in this muck. Preston and Neffie got themselves a nice little cabin on a lake." She shrugged. "I'm sure they don't mean nothin' by it. They just didn't sign up for this, you know?"
"Neither did you," Brittany pointed out.
Jackie nodded. "Yeah, this is way beyond town sheriff, but hell, I don't duck out of a fight in the second round. I'm here if you want me."
"Great," muttered Rika, "we can all die together."
"Nobody's dyin' out here," said Jackie firmly.
"I don't know if you missed it," Rika snapped, "but I came really close to dying a few times last week, and that was with guys who had strict orders not to hurt me." She slapped Ryan on the back, who winced. "This fucker got his ass handed to him, and let's not forget—Jessica got murdered. So let's not talk about who is or isn't dying. We're up against guys with way more training than we got. Oh, and they've got guns and more fucking golems, too. We're all on the goddamn chopping block."
Josh wheeled on Rika, enraged. "Would you stop being such a bitch for on—"
Ruby made a loud snapping noise with a spell, and Josh fell silent. Wow, I didn't think that'd work. "I agree with her."
"You do?" asked Josh.
"You do?" asked Rika, just as surprised.
Ruby nodded. She cleared her throat, stepping forward into the center of the impromptu circle and raising her voice a little. Cin, you should be the one doing this speech… "We're at war. Cinza just declared it. She never wanted violence, but she still trained us to protect each other. We developed spells and rituals to defend ourselves, and now we're going to have to use them."
She glared around the circle, drawing on every old war movie her dad used to watch, as much as she loathed the memories of being forced to watch along with him.
"Every single day, we're going to drill. We're going to learn how to fight. Not just defense. We've got Jackie to teach us tactics, and we've got Rika to teach us to fight dirty." Rika shot her a dark look, but Ruby pressed on. "We can't just sit back anymore. The Greywood can't protect us forever. We must defend it with our souls, our very essence, and drive back the invaders."
"Ruby—" said Josh slowly, but Ruby kept speaking.
"Cinza and I feared this day would come. Nobody's dealt with Brian yet, and now we've got even more enemies than before—but we can beat them. We beat Jackson. Brian's nothing compared to him, and who's afraid of some dumb billionaire on the other side of the world? We've got magic. Who cares about money compared to all of this?"
She pointed at her heart, bringing as much emphasis as she could into the moment. "She gave this to us. The goddess saved all our lives. She allowed us the gift of magic, of awakening to the real world around us. We wear these robes to remember her gifts, and we created this home in her honor. They're gonna try to take it from us, but we have the goddess at our backs. They've got nothing."
Ruby closed her eyes a moment, taking another deep breath. She opened them again, playing up the dramatic effect as much as she could. "It's time for us to become her soldiers. They've gathered their forces, and we'll gather ours. We'll be an army for the goddess. They've tried to kill us off before. We're not going to let them try it again. With Cinza to lead us, with the blessing of the goddess, with the power of magic itself, we'll be invincible. For the good of us all."
She brushed her hair back over her ears, and a flicker of fire erupted from her mouth to replace the pale cloudy breath in the chilly air. Ruby hadn't planned the effect, but added it on the fly. Instinct told her to play up the theatricality. Ruby needed to lead them into the fight, since Cinza had become too weak. Ruby would have to take the frontlines, while her beloved played the general.
Ruby would become her soldier, her warrior—her dragon.
"We're going to war."