PART 1

 "Aaron", Sid said gravely, "I have changed my mind."

"Huh? What do you mean", Aaron asked. He was almost back at the shop, and the streets were littered with youths on their way to the next club or bar. Cressinda and Agnes were among them, no doubt, just not in this particular corner of the city - Aaron was a joy-kill, apparently.

"I don't want steak any longer", he said.

"What?!" Aaron turned forcefully to the little, furry beast on the low wall beside him. That had literally never happened.

"I've made a decision! I want rabbit", Sid declared.

"That's cannibalism", Aaron shouted, horrified. Oops.

Aaron barely had the time to regret his poor choice of words, because suddenly sharp little teeth drilled into his bare calf.

"OW!" Luckily Sid had held back and not broken the skin - he'd just inflicted pain. Hurt like a bitch, though.

"So, I'm a rabbit now, huh? Want me to go apeshit on you", Sid asked flatly.

"Oh, please, don't, mighty Eldritch Beast", Aaron mock-implored. "Not like you could go 'apeshit' if you wanted." Sid could only transform once every five to six days, since he was still a pup. Eldritch beasts grew a good dozen centuries old and they entered actual maturity only after their first hundred years. So even if Aaron had found the new-born Sid fifteen years ago, he wouldn't ever see his friend grow into the prime of his life.

Sid huffed. "I've noticed that your mouth is only big, when I used up Mother's blessing."

"I'm a careful person."

"Yes, very careful. So careful, in fact, that you'd hunt a vampire."

"Yeah, I get it. I'll google rabbit later", Aaron grumbled.

"Glazed. With honey. And thick gravey."

"Vegetables?"

"Aaron...", Sid growled.

"Carrots and mashed potatoes, then."

"Noooo", Sid wailed. "I want meat!"

"And you'll get meat. And vegetables", Aaron said, forceful.

"Making a proud predator eat vegetables", Sid mumbled. As Aaron swiped along his smartphone - he had the variety, that could take a lot of shit, like a modern Nokia 3310, for obvious reasons - he selected a few recipes, rejected most after skimming, and finally found one, that satisfied his demands.

"Hmmm, seems like we got everything, but the rabbit. I'll go buy tom-"

"No need", Sid interjected. "I shall hunt one on my own! As a proud predator!"

Aaron was doubtful for a moment, but Sid was a capable hunter, so he quickly complied. They spent the rest of the walk in companiable silence - even if the two of them were the only silent ones nearby. Schoolkids laughing in drunk hysteria, college students laughing in drunk hysteria, office workers laughing in drunk hysteria... were the smallest of his problems. Dozens of ghosts and thousands of spirits babbling, berating, laughing, muttering, grumbling, screaming, wailing... It was a wonder Aaron had been able to hold a coherent conversation with Sid. Years of dealing with that at work.

Finally they reached the shop. Aaron walked past the shutters and turned into a tiny side entrance, barely wide enough for his slim frame not to touch the walls with both shoulders and unlocked the heavy door. Above the cacophony of voices - the least of them from humans - he called, "Hey, Frank. Gary. Thanks for watching the house. Anything unusual?"

The security door - decked in charms by none other than Cressinda Edgecombe, herself - answered, "No, sir, Aaron, sir! Everything perfectly alright!"

"None passed, sir", the security lock reported. "Except for Ladies Edgecombe and Carter, of course, sir." Of course.

"Keep up the good work then, you two. Good night."

"We'll do our best to grant an uneventful night, sir!"

"None shall pass, sir!"

When they were through the door and climbed the corkscrew stairs of the ancient limestone building - in the dark, because Aaron knew every corner of the house by heart - they were greeted with a chorus of "Hello!", "Aaron's back!" and "Cressinda's out partying!".

Aaron faked a smile and dragged himself into his room. The door closed silently, because Johnny knew that Aaron liked it nice and quiet and therefore chose to not produce a sound whatever he did.

"Thanks, Johnny."

The door said nothing - in a companiable way, impossibly.

And even so the stark room - even if there was only a bed (absurdly comfortable, because Betty loved him like a son) and a tiny drawer (that loved to "lose" Aaron's clothes, because Timmy was a trickster only second to Sid) - the floorboards and the paint on the walls and the ceiling lamp and the window kept greeting him, asking him how his day was, inquiring why he was so late, if work had been nice, how the weather had been this evening...

"Hi, Betty, Timmy."

""Hi, Aaron.""

Sid climbed onto Betty and fell asleep at once.

Which left Aaron to fix his perception.

He stripped naked, pulled on a wide T-shirt and trunks, then dropped to the floor in the middle of his rooftop room, cross-legged.

It hadn't been his fault, Aaron thought. Getting nearly run over by a car (even if dodging had been easy enough) and feeling the waves of desperation, Aaron's curiosity had taken over and he'd broken his conditioning, choosing to actually hear all the spirits' voices. Good thing he had, too, Aaron believed truly, because - as Sid had said - Howie, the Wizard would have been torn apart (if he'd even found a way into the building). Aaron hated to feel so arrogant, but without him the woman would have been dead.

He calmed his breath, using an ancient breathing technique Agnes had taught him, which forced his heart rate to calm down. He let the voices wash over him, all the hundreds of tiny whispers of all the tiny spirits living in everything. Ignoring the words themselves, he concentrated on the underlying tone they emitted, not caring for the message itself, that his gift allowed him to hear, but filtering everything except the medium, that transmitted the spirit's words - the very piece of the Mother of the Mind's own essence, that gave birth to spirits.

The Mother was a being on a whole other plane of existence, different from humans, gods or even the one White God, she was a massive amalgamation of a foreign kind of energy, different from kinetic or potential energy, from the four fundamental interactions, and not the same as mana, either. It was a power of soul, of becoming alive, and, by sharing memories and meetings and emotions, beginning to live. But, because it was such a different type of power, completely different from anything of this world, because it was something alien that had entered this world, the spirits, that were birthed by tiny shreds the Mother of the Mind sent into this world, were utterly non-existent to most people. People, that could communicate with spirits were not unheard of, but they were restrained to individual spirits or certain types of spirits, and spirits with a particular minimum of power - spirits, who had shared (not absorbed!) a certan threshold of memories, emotions, bondings and experiences in general with sentient beings. Someone like Aaron, who could hear the wronged shout of a dropped paper clip, was by all standards impossible. When Cressinda had explained this to him, Aaron had immediatly thought he was just someone singularly perceptive to the Mother's energies, but Cressinda had refuted him immediately - that would not have explained why he could speak with ghosts, she had said.

As Aaron sat cross-legged in his room he spent a good half hour to atuning himself to the Mother's power. When he finally had a firm grasp of it - not the "sonic" travelling through the "air", but the "vibrating air" itself, if Aaron had to use some semblance of analogy - he concentrated on its tinge, the emotions the spirits wanted to share with their voices.

At first he felt nothing. Just a white static, a steady "wind" blowing in his "ears". Then, slowly, he felt it. A light caress of "wind" stroking his cheeks. A murmur of a "lullaby" beneath the roaring "wind". A "sigh" of relief distorting the static until it was "audible". His room welcoming him home.

And then, suddenly, it all snapped back, the voices of the small spirits disappeared in a song of life, a cloud of emotions around him.

Aaron had enough reasons for a hundred people to love Cressinda Edgecombe, but this particular gift of hers had made him eternally grateful - Instead of the deafening, mind-numbing cacophony of voices (that never held malice, by themselves, which only made it worse) he could listen to this singular song of soul, that made him feel more connected to everything, than anything else he'd ever experienced. Aaron didn't know what genius it took to devise this technique without even knowing what Aaron felt - his descriptions could only go so far - but he couldn't bring himself to care. Hadn't been able to. In fact he'd just dropped to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes and kissed Cressinda's shoes.

The memory brought a sudden rush of shame, but also warmth, and Aaron smiled.

He rose, now tranquil once more, finally part of the world again, instead of some lost lamb plagued by screaming noise, and turned to the bed. Somehow, little Sid had occupied the whole bed, the way cats could do so effortlessly. Smiling, he said, "Ah, that looks a little cramped. Pretty please, Betty?"

"Well, since you asked so nicely, Sweety", the bed - harboring a spirit strong enough to break through Aaron's filter, not that he minded - answered and suddenly doubled in width. "Sweet dreams, Precious."

"Good night, Betty. Timmy. Sid."

Sid grinned and scooted over.

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PART 2

"So. We need to talk about last night", said Detective Ann Linsner. No "Hello", or "Thanks for (helping to) save me", or even a conversational "Nice weather, huh". Nope, straight to the heart of the matter, the horrifying, ugly, steaming pile of ox manure, that was yesterday evening's incident.

Howard tried for a playful smile, and failed horribly. He'd dreaded coming to work this morning, which was why it had been already midway, when he'd trudged up the stairs to the third floor of the police station (why use the elevator, if it was possible to squander so much time, time that he'd have to spent with the detective?) and knocked at Detective Linsner's door. Not even allowing him to so much as brief, she'd thrown that magnificent straight.

Strike One.

"Yeah, last night was quite-"

"I do understand that you're not trained for danger, and you've warned me often enough about the dangers of vampires, but for better or worse, the two of us are partners, so I need you to at least talk to me, ok?"

Strrrrrrrrrike Two!

"Hmhm. Sorry."

"Good. So, you've been twitchy about vampires the whole time, but last night was special - what happened in the forest?"

"What? Well, you were kidnapped?"

She rolled her eyes. "Before that, Bruckner." She said "Bruckner" like it meant "Stupid".

"Hm? Oh, right!" Howard remembered that eery absense of mana. He had completely- well, not forgotten about it, but it had been on the very bottom of his priorities. Other things had just been more imminent, like "Who the hell was that kid", or "Who the hell is invisible Sid-Who-Plays-With-Vampires-And-Jumps-Through-Concrete-Walls", or "Holy-fucking-Jesus-on-a-motherfucking-stick I've pissed off a True Blood, who is also among the Signers, I am so fucking dead!". That last one sort of held a steady first place on his list.

"Bruckner? You still with me?"

"Er, yeah", he said, torn from his reminiscence. "Forest. Right." He seriously wondered what that bloodsucker had wanted. He'd likely captured the detective to... what? Cover his trails? That made no sense. His Activity had been so ridiculously stark against the noiseless forest, it would have been visible for days even for wizards unskilled in the Third Eye. Maybe to lure Howard out? No way. He could have just sniffed him out - being a vampire and all.

"Bruckner", Detective Linsner asked again, with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, sorry, I just don't get it." She made a rolling gesture - complete with rolling eyes and all - indicating him to continue. "Well, in that forest - there were no Envoys."

"Envoys?"

"Ah, sorry. Nature's Envoys - dryads and nymphs."

"The suspects", she simplified. "So they'd fled? Culprits do that."

"Yeah, except that not all that flee are guilty... But that's not what I meant. Or rather, that's what I think. They were just... gone. Not just them - all life. I mean, sure, there were trees and insects and squirrels and stuff-"

"Seems like plenty life to me", she said. A joke? From Detective Linsner? She had to be more rattled from yesterday night, than she let on.

An irritating peng of shame stabbed at him. He ignored it and kept explaining. "Yeah, hah hah, I mean magic. There was no magic. That's goddamned weird! And, no, nymphs and dryads fleeing, doesn't do that. I mean, I've never seen that shit in my life - never even heard of it! I got no fucking clue - but I don't get what that vampire did there. If he wanted to keep this under wraps, kidnapping you and leaving me alive was just plain stupid."

"Maybe he wanted to lure you out", she reasoned.

"I don't think so. There was no reason. A vampire could have traced my scent from you all the way to my appartment. If he wanted to catch me it was... roundabout - uselessly so."

"I see. But that makes it simple, right", she said, stroking her sharp jaw unconsciously with a delicate finger. She did that when she was satisfied from solving a problem - and why the hell did he know that?! She smiled smugly, too, when he simply blinked at her, uncomprehending. "It was a coincidence."

"Huh?"

"The vampire "picked me up" by chance. He doesn't have anything to do with the strangeness in the forest."

"That's... one hell of a coincidence", he said, slightly incredulous.

"Yeah. I don't like coincidences either. But, truth is stranger than fiction, right? And if there is no reason for things to be connected - why should they be?"

"So... you're saying the vampire, the vanished mana, and the disappeared kids are happenstance?"

She shook her head, appalled. "I don't believe in that many coincidences. I'm just saying that the forest's strangeness and the vampire are not connected. The kids either disappeared, because of whatever's going on in there, or because it was the vampire's hunting ground. Both work, we just don't know which is accurate", she explained patiently.

"That's... smart."

She raised her eyebrow again - an absurdly threatening expression - but chose to ignore his thoughtless oral manure. "So, our next move is clear."

Oh, no. "Back to the scene of crime?"

"Smart", she said in the exact same of tone I had used. "Don't worry, I have a new gun so the big wolf won't eat me, once you abandon me."

Strike Three and out.

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PART 3

Marina Mancebo read the large brass plate stretching from one side of the old limestone building to the other, sitting like an almost-golden crown on top of the window facade, that gleamed in the rising morning sun. Edgecombe's Antiquities, Curiosities and Heirlooms. Her friend Sara Lincoln had bought a love potion here and her highschool crush since kindergarten had become her boyfriend the day after she'd slipped it in his drink. Marina wasn't sure if it hadn't simply been that ridiculously tight top, that nearly sprang Sara's boobs in his face, that had caught his attention, but this was the best lead she'd had after trying a dozen shops like it. Net reviews were positive, too.

Here goes nothing, she thought and slapped her cheeks for motivation. Steeling her mind she crossed the cobbled road, took the three steps and opened the door. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a cute brass bell - that didn't ring. Its line connecting it to the ceiling had been hoisted up and effectively shortened so the door wouldn't hit it when it opened or closed.

"Welcome to Edgecombe's Antiquities, Curiosities and Heirlooms. My name is Aaron, how may I help you", said the store's employee. He looked a tad older than Marina and maybe an inch or two taller. Short, messy, mouse brown hair, green eyes and a slim, wiry frame, he was good-looking in a normal kind of way - part of the crowd, but pleasant to the eye, when you actually looked. Clean, white shirt with short sleeves, no accessories and light skin tanned by Windfall's harsh summers, Marina quickly decided that he was too much part of the background for her tastes - the guy lacked impact. Kelly might like him, though, she had a thing for the plain ones.

Marina returned the smile a little unsure and said, "Hi, I'm looking for a spell book."

The boy - Aaron blinked. "Oh. Er... What exactly are you looking for", he asked, his polite smile turning wry.

"A book that teaches spells. Duh." The guy's cluelessness was getting annoying pretty fast, Marina decided.

"Oh. Of course. Duh." He paused and looked around the cluttered room, unease growing apparent on his beardless face. "I'm sorry to say, but we don't sell spell books, miss."

"What?! Your a magic store! Sell magic stuff, dammit!"

"We do sell magic books, miss. Just not spell books", he said with a smile, that tried not to offend Marina. But that was already useless, the prick was toying with her!

"Oh, that's fucking it", Marina shouted menacingly. "Bring out your boss!"

Instantly the ass was flustered. "M-miss, please, don't shout, we don't need to-"

"Heeeellooooo", she called instead. "Anybody heeere?!"

Aaron winced. From a curtained doorway came a muffled thump and he visibly paled. Soon, a slim white hand pushed aside the curtain and an obviously hung-over woman in a slutty night robe came out. The woman had luxurious black hair twisted in a loose pile on her head, a tight waist and great ass, and huge real-looking breasts, that had to be fake and gave Marina complexes. A beautiful face marred with not enough sleep said in a tired, but way too sultry voice, "You called?"

"Cressinda, clothes", Aaron shouted, eyes clenched tight.

The woman rolled her eyes and turned away, mumbling, "Damn virgin."

"Your boss's floozy", Marina asked, even more annoyed.

He blinked. "She is my boss, actually. And no floozy, in fact." Looks like I pushed a button there. Poor guy. But before Marina could dig deeper, the woman returned, a thick bathrobe folded around her.

"Cressinda Edgecombe. What did my assistant screw up", she asked in a flat voice.

"He's fucking around with me, is what he screwed up", she answered, her anger at him returning. "I want to buy a goddamn spell book, and he won't cough up!"

"I'm sorry, miss, but we don't sell spell books here. If you'll see yourself out? I'm boing back to bed. Aaron, I want gazpacho for dinner-"

"Now, wait a fucking moment", Marina exploded. "This is a magic store, right? Your fucking prick just told me you sold magic books! Are you kidding me?! I am so posting this on yelp!"

The bitch made a disgusted sound. "Aaron, deal with this. I'm going back to bed." And with that she left, and a stammering Aaron behind.

"Er... Miss, I think there has been a miscommunication, maybe?"

"Oh, really", she asked, already unlocking her smart phone.

"Magic books and spell books really aren't the same, miss."

Marina perked up. "What?"

"Speel books are books that teach spells. Magic books are magical books", he explained, embarassed.

Oh. "You're not fucking with me?"

"No, miss. Spell books hold the teachings of entire Magic Cabals, that's why they guard them jealously - selling them is a sure way to attract trouble."

"Oh. So, like... sorry?" Marina could feel her face growing hot.

"That's fine", he replied kindly. Then his face grew blue, though. "Although, I'll need to explain to Cressinda why there's rabbit tonight, instead of gazpacho." For some reason that seemed to frighten him badly, and he he shuddered.

"Sounds rough", Marina said under her breath.

Then, Aaron shook himself and his polite smile returned, professional-like. "But, maybe I can help you anyways."

"Ok. I need a ... book to find people", Marina said seriously.

He hummed. "Could you be a little more specific than that?"

"My sister."

Aaron blinked. Then nodded, gestured her to wait a moment and knelt behind the waste-high counter. She thought she heard him whisper to himself, but couldn't understand anything. Aaron stood back up and smiled at her. "That will be twelvethousand dollars then", he said, smiling.

Marina was silent for a second. "WHAT?!"

Aaron shrunk back, surprised. "Miss?"

"The fuck do you mean, twelvethousand dollars?! That's like... WHAT?!"

"But, that's on the cheap side? It's a magic book, miss."

"But... who has that kinda money?!"

He seemed to realize something. "Miss, you're no wizard, are you?"

"Of course I'm not!"

For some reason his face showed a troubled look. "You're not from the Other Side?"

"The other side? My parents are from Mexica, but I was born here", she answered, surprised at his sudden remark.

"Of course", he mumbled, then, louder, "Miss, I don't think you'd really want to buy the book. Maybe I can help you some other way. Please, take a seat, I'll go make some tea." He gestured to an old-looking set of white table and chairs, then left through the curtained doorway.

"I want coffee", she shouted after him.

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PART 4

 "Bruckner", Detective Linsner said as they neared First Stone park in her silver staff car and she stopped at the red traffic light.

"Hm?"

"I am sure that is no coincidence", she said and pointed at a couple, that crossed the street in front of them. A pretty, hispanic teenager in a light blue summerdress and a caucasian guy maybe a couple years older than her, wearing a white shirt and grey shorts.

"A couple? Sure, looks like they're heading for the park, but..."

"Take another look at the male", she said, feeling smug, apparently.

"Should I- oh."

"Yeah, makes you wonder why Aaron Wilson is here of all places, huh?"

Howard felt like he was about to develop a serious case of heartburn - he sometimes wondered he hadn't already. "Could be coincidence", he said hopefully.

She only raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe he's just out with his girlfriend", Howard insisted desperately.

The lights went green and the detective drove on.

"We're tailing them, aren't we."

"Obviously", she said flatly.

"May I point out that a True Blood backed off of him?"

"Sure."

"You don't care, do you."

She smiled.

Howard sighed and decided to get some antacids.

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PART 5

"Is it ok", Marina asked beside him. Aaron tilted his head and looked at her, asking-like. She was emitting waves of unease, worry, but also strong determination - which was one of two reasons why Aaron had decided to take her along. She was decisively grounded in the Illuminated Side, there was nothing special about her, no skill that might keep her alive when dealing with the Other Side. And without Sid here - he was still out hunting - Aaron wasn't sure he could sufficiently take care of her. But he needed her bond to her sister to get the cheerful spirit inhabiting the twin bracelets the sisters shared - the spirit's name was Marisol - to find its other part. They could have done it anywhere, but being close to where Marina's sister Lucia had been last would help. It might also tell Aaron what he was up against.

Also, Marina was fiercely determined to find her sister - and Aaron knew of things more important than life. Should Marina die trying to save her sister that would be her choice. Aaron's fault, maybe, but her choice. So he took the burden and the sister to First Stone Park, where Lucia and her friends from college had decided to hold a party. They likely pissed off some nymphs, he thought.

"Shouldn't we, like, call the police? They have that special task force set up, right?"

"They do. The SCI."

"So why don't we call them?"

Aaron smiled wryly. His human decency told him, that being so blunt was incredibly arrogant and dismissive of other people's honest efforts. On the other hand it was plain truth, he knew. "If this is some matter from the Other Side, they will be useless. They are a hastily, naively set up unit, that usually has no idea what they're dealing with, and if they do know that, they don't know how to deal with it."

Marina was silent for a moment. "That sounds harsh."

"It is", he admitted. "But it's also true."

"O-kay... So why do you know so well", she asked suspisciously. "Are you a magician or something?"

"Wizard."

"Huh?"

"You meant wizard, not magician. They get touchy about that - don't want to be compared to Copperfields and Chris Angels, see?"

"Oh, I get it." Then, after a few moments, she added, "Nice dodging the question."

Aaron smiled wryly. The girl was sharp. "No, I'm no wizard. I just have a lot of the right kind of friends."

"That sounds like dodging a question."

"Vague phrasing, more like."

Aaron was worried she'd dig deeper, but she left it at that. They turned a corner and could see the forest down the street. Something about it made him frown. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off.

"What's wrong", Marina asked.

"Don't know, yet." Aaron frowned. As they neared the line of trees it felt like his vision was impaired. A sense of hollowness radiated from it - and then he realized it. The spirits' voices were gone. Their absence let the forest emit an oppressive wave of silence, and it unsettled him. Having lived his entire life with the constant - even if oftentimes maddening - whispers, not hearing them felt lonely, and deeply wrong. "Marina. If you're not absolutely sure you should not come with me."

That earned him a glare. "I'm coming", she said darkly.

Aaron nodded and entered the forest.

Not ten meters behind the trees, the vibrating emotions in the air vanished, except for Marina's clunky determination and fluttering nervousness. Three years ago Cressinda had taught him how to use his talent to connect himself to the surrounding's emotions and it had become like an additional sense - losing it felt discomfortingly disabling.

"Are you okay", Marina suddenly asked.

"Yes", he said reflexively. "Not really. I'm feeling blind in here", he admitted, after being stared at.

"Yeah. Those trees are kinda creepy, right?"

Yes. Dead-creepy. "Mhm." Shortly after Aaron noticed a bundle of suspicious curiousity bursting with energy and a languid trepidation tightly entertwined with a gooey sense of surrender and punctured by shiny dots of true fear trotting after them, keeping steadily behind a curve.

"Someone behind us", Marina asked in a whisper, making Aaron blink. Sharp indeed.

"Acquaintances of a sort", he said, nodding. Aaron turned and called a greeting, "Detective Linsner, Mr. Howie, good day to you."

"The name's Howard Bruckner, kiddo", said the wizard, stepping around a wide tree trunk.

"Dammit, Bruckner! That's not how you tail someone", cursed his partner. "Well then, Aaron Wilson. I'll have you answer a few questions for-" She blinked. "You're... Marina Mancebo, the sister of Lucia Mancebo, one of the disappeared students."

"Er... yes", Marina said, slightly confused.

And suddenly the police officer drew her gun.

Yeah, the cops just love me, Aaron thought.

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PART 6

 So, Howard almost shat his pants.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

He'd "seen" some invisible ghost - er, spirit called Sid toy with a vampire, like a cat toyed with a mouse. A huge, invisible cat, that tore down concrete walls. Thus, seeing Detective Ann Dumbass Linsner pull a gun on this invisible monster cat's owner felt like getting tossed on a cliff. To his credit he was mostly able to ignore that rush of fear - it wasn't the first time she poked the insert-dangerous-being-here with a stick.

Howard was about to intervene, when the kiddo said, "Oh, hey, you don't want to shoot me right?"

The detective frowned. "I don't want to, but I sure could use the practice", she said. Way to spout awesome one-liners, but read the mood!

But Aaron ignored her. "I'm not one of the bad guys", he said, slightly upset. "I even helped her, right?"

Huh? Oh. He helped "her". So he wasn't talking to the detective, right? Talking to some spirit, likely. Opening his Third Eye and toning it down to extreme sensitivity, he could see, what could only be seen in this forest devoid of mana - the whisps of energy attached to any living person, usually drowned out by the world's noise, and tiny trails showing where they had gone before. And there, right in the detective's hand, an impossibly small shift in the mana.

Howard scratched his head. There was no other spirit around - its mana would have given it away in this void forest. Nothing that could have done this. Meaning, the kid had talked the gun into not shooting at him. That was weird on an epic scale. He had heard of people talking to spirits - it was said they sang in weird voices, but that could be just due to unclear sources, because life talkers were rare - but they all talked to spirits with power above a certain minimum. Somewhere strong enough, that they could rise above the background Activity. So, talking with a gun, and getting a response? That was nuts.

"Ah, thanks. We can talk while walking, right", Aaron said amiably, then turned back around and kept walking into the forest. The hispanic teenager gaped at him, then at the gun - still trained at him - then back at him... then shrugged and followed after him. Tough girl, that one, Howard thought.

"Stop", Linsner shouted. "Stop, or I will shoot!"

To his shame Howard really wanted to see what was going to happen.

"Stop", she shouted again. Then pulled the trigger. In a weirdly unsurprising way, nothing happened. The detective frowned and pulled the trigger another couple times, but nothing happened. Pointing the gun at a nearby tree, she pulled the trigger again. A loud bang resounded, startling him, the girl and the detective (annoyingly the kid was cool as a slush drink), as the little ball of lead tore a couple splinters from and a hole into the wood. Triumphantly she turned back and aimed the gun at the kiddo's feet, pulled the trigger yet again - nothing happened. Apparently at the end of her wits she turned towards Howard, askance.

He just ignored her, then jogged to catch up.

"Hey, how are you, Siddy", he called amiably.

Aaron Wilson smiled wryly. "He's not here Mr. Bruckner. Also, calling him 'Siddy' is a sure way to get onself bitten."

"Huh. I'll remember that. Where is he?"

"Hunting dinner, is what he said."

"Oh. There any good game around?"

Howard took perverse joy in the way the latina girl gave her best to hide her confusion behind a mask of focused stoicism.

"Rabbits, apparently."

"Uh. What?"

"Rabbits", Aaron repeated.

Thinking of the staggering amount of rabbits necessary to satisfy a huge uber-Sid distracted Howard and he staggered over a suspiciously spiteful root. He would have addressed it to a dryad's prank, but then he remembered where he was. His skin prickled as the fear he had pushed away with trivial smalltalk returned slowly. "On another topic. The spirits say anything about the Envoys?"

Aaron's face darkened. Hardened. The look of a warrior Howard had seen on him just yesterday. But before the kid could answer, the latina asked, "What envoys?"

Howard blinked. An askance look towards Aaron and he said, "She's from the Illuminated Side." Then he turned toward the girl and told her, "He's talking about Nature's Envoys. Dryads and nymphs, mostly. There are others, but in this forest, there were only those two kinds."

"Oh. Are they nice?"

"Now, that's a tough question to answer, girly", Howard drawled - he was a little proud of his drawl, there were just not many chances to show off. Also, "girly" earned him a glare, that would have made Linsner proud. "They're right nice if you're being friendly - but they get all kinds of nasty if you piss them off."

"How do you piss them off", she asked nervously.

"Polluting their forests, mostly", he answered.

She gulped and turned frightened towards Aaron, but he shook his head. "No. They didn't take your sister. They're gone. Like all the other spirits in this forest. Or ghosts." Oh, right. He said he can talk with ghosts, too, Howard thought. Fucking weirdo.

"Wait", Howard suddenly said, blood draining from his face, heart quickening. "No spirits?"

"Yeah."

"Like, none at all? Not a one?"

"Exactly", Aaron said. "Scary, right?"

Damn right, it's scary!

"So, whatcha gonna do", he asked instead.

"What I need to do", he said matter-of-factly. Yeah, the kid had steel in his veins. He stopped suddenly. "We're her", Aaron said. He turned towards the girl. "Marina, please try to think of your sister. The day you bought the matching bracelets. The things you liked to do together. How it was like to quarrel with her. Think of how much you want to meet her again."

"That all I have to do", Marina asked.

Somehow, without Howard noticing the detective had caught up with them, silent, watching Aaron Wilson now. Eerily, she was being patient, her gun holstered. "What is he doing now", she whispered to Howard. He didn't really know, but the kid only had one trick in his repertoire, so it wasn't hard to guess.

"Guess he's going to ask the bracelet to find the sister", he murmured back.

"He can do that", she asked surprised.

"Well, he talked your gun into not shooting him, right?"

That shut her up.

When he turned his attention back to the teens, Aaron rose back up from where he had knelt beside the girl's wrist. "I know the way", he said. "But you really shouldn't come." It was clear to Howard that he was talking to all of them.

But neither of the females would have any of it.

"I'm going to where my sister is!"

"If you know where the disappeared students are, then that's where I will go, Wilson!"

Aaron looked at him, slightly unsure.

"That bad", Howard asked.

He nodded. The kid steeled himself, then walked ahead. "Sid", he shouted loudly. "We're going on a dragon hunt!"

Fucking shit, Howard thought.

----------------------------------------

PART 7

"What's a dragon", Marina asked the old man. Well, he wasn't old-old. But maybe middle-old? She couldn't really tell, his skin was creased around the eyes - too much moping, she thought - and the stooped way in which he moved his lanky beanstalk-tall frame looked as if he was about to get a slipped disk. The old, battered, grey suit looked cheap, too, and he seemed just generally unhappy. Still, he was the most approachable out of her three companions. The police woman - Detective Linsner - was focused almost maniacally on Aaron and the shop clerk had been weird ever since they'd entered the forest - at first only nervous, but now, she knew, he was furious. A molten rage tightly controlled, only visible by the tightness around his eyes, the slightly strained neckmuscles and the clenched fists in his pockets.

And so she bothered the tall... wizard, supposedly, because she wanted a way out of the bad atmosphere. And the frightened, bloodless-faced man seemed all to happy to oblige, apparently. "Huge, scaled, winged. Like to spit fire. Also like to take human shape. Have a fondness for slinging major bad magic - bad with a capital 'B'."

"That... sounds dangerous."

"Huh. You think?"

Okay, Marina, time to change the topic. "So, who is Sid", she asked instead.

That made him snort. "Hell, if I knew. Some invisible badass-whatever, that plays with vampires."

Marina blinked. "So... we have a chance?"

This times the laugh sounded forced and desperate. "But the kiddo said Sid's out hunting, remember?"

"Oh. Right." She looked around the neighbourhood they were walking through. They were moving swiftly along a broad, neatly tarred street, lined with expensive cars like she'd seen on her school's parking lot - the one with the expensive rates only the rich kids could pay. "But he called for him, didn't he", she added. On their way here Aaron had stopped at a seemingly random trash can, scooped around in it and pulled out a spent spent carpet knife - he didn't say anything and Marina wasn't about to ask the crazy kid whispering to a knife.

Howard glanced nervously left and right, scanning the trimmed bushes of the large front gardens on both sides. "Well, the kiddo seems to know what he was doing, so... good luck?"

Studying the opulent mansions, Marina felt slight pangs of envy - her family owned a house at a cul-de-sac on the other side of town, but even if it left her never wanting for anything, it just couldn't compare to this seemingly casual display of wealth. If it had been just one house, she would have ignored it, but all of them? It was simply unfair.

"You think he'll find my sister", she asked.

The wizard scratched his cheek and was about to respond, when Aaron pointed. "Over there." He pointed at a large brick wall surrounding a - at a glance - huge plot. Peeking over the ten feet wall was a blakc slate roof, and the very edge of white plastered walls. Before anyone could say something, Aaron walked towards another building, then aimed for the wooden garden door. With swift handmovements it opened and he was through, expecting them to follow, apparently.

"That's... trespassing, right", the wizard said hopefully.

Marina ignored him, kept walking. Behind her the police woman said, "Grow some balls, Bruckner." Her measured steps soon came after Marina, followed by the tall man's slouching ones.

"Is he always like that", Marina asked.

"Quiet", Aaron interrupted curtly. He stepped in three nimble movements on top of a garden shed, in a low tree's crown overhanging from the neighbouring plot and was gone from sight.

Was she supposed to copy that? Well, she was going to save her sister, and that was that!

She ignored her hot cheeks, when even the lanky wizard climbed better than her.

Ten minutes and three more gardens later, they stood at the brickwall facing away from the street. Marina was slightly impressed that Aaron had found his way here with such certainty, but didn't let it show - she was one out of three parts certain he'd done it only to shake her off! Waiting three minutes in silence - apparently only to let her catch her breath - Aaron then said, "The students should be downstairs."

"Yeah, kiddo," the wizard said, "there's no way we're sneaking in here." He eyed the top of the wall, then added, "This place is covered in detection spells. We go in there, and we'll have the whole mansion after us. Don't know how many there are, though."

Aaron nodded. "That's why I'll distract them. I'll make some noise, while you sneak in and free the others. There should be a window of the basement to the right of the backdoor, enter there." How did he know that stuff. "Marina. What you'll see down there is going to be horrible. But you need to focus and stay strong, okay?"

"Huh?! Er. Sure." What?

"Good," he said, nodding again, then turned towards her wrist. "Marisol, I know you're exhausted, but when you're down there you'll need to help Lucia, Marina and Eva." Who was Eva? "I'm asking much, but that's what needed to save them. Lucia is still alive, but she's not well. You need to help them, okay?"

He bobbed his head to some silent answer, then turned towards the wizard, Mr. Bruckner. "You break the spell on the window. It's a powerful one, but the fool killed all magic here, so you should be able to disconnect it at the seems, right?"

The tall man blinked, surprised, then gestured assent.

"Detective Linsner, please, help the students out of the cellar. I'll try to clear the ground floor as fast as possible and then stay upstairs."

"I... understand." She seemed surprisingly uncomfortable, but she seemed to see reason somewhere. Marina didn't really get why that career woman would just nod her head at everything the plain clerk said, but apparently the air of competence he exuded convinced her.

"Good. Everyone ready?"

Marina raised her hand. "How are we going to climb over ten feet of wall? You can do it maybe, but-" He pulled out the old, empty carpet knife and showed it off. With a snap of his wrist a gleaming blade, easily three feet long shot out of the handle and he twirled it twice. "Okay. Now what", she asked, skeptically. Aaron Wilson turned, swished the blade at the wall three times, then pushed with his hand and a neat triangular portion of the wall, with angled sides popped off, giving access to the garden. Marina was about to remark, but the boy was alreay through the wall and well on his way to the mansion. Marina turned to the other two. "Does he do that often? It's a little annoying", she said.

"No idea, really. Bruckner?"

"Well. The kid has style at least. But, yeah, it's annoying."

"So? What are we waiting for", the detective snapped and moved through the wall.

Marina gulped, pushing down the jittery feeling crawling up her belly, and followed. She could hear the desperate sigh of the wizard behind her, but she was sure he'd follow. He might be a scaredy-cat, but he would come through, certainly. She stepped onto drab grass and - well, the garden was empty except for the lawn. Something at the back of her mind told her this place was wrong, dead somehow, but the grass was tough and springy - even if it lacked color. Moving the twenty yards of open ground to the white walls of the three story building was one of the most nerve-racking things Marina had ever done, but they reached the window Aaron had told them about without anyone crying out. So, he's doing his job. Maybe?

Her breathing came flat and the grass around her seemed to twist and turn-

A strong hand steadied her. "Breath deep and slow", Detective Linsner instructed gently.

Marina nodded hastily, and acquiesced. Some ten seconds later - far too long for her tastes - she got her nerves back under control. Beside her the wizard was already fiddling with the window. He held long wooden pins with carvings edged into the flat ends in his hands and colored thin tips. There were a blue, a red, two green and a purple pins. The narrow tips tapped again and again at different points at the edge of the window, dancing in the wizard's hand more fancily than she had seen Asian's use their chopsticks.

"The kid was right", he mumbled. "With all the background mana gone, picking the spell on this window apart is walk-in-the-park-easy."

"Stop talking and hurry up, Bruckner. I'm getting nervous here. It's too silent."

"Yeah, well, too late to be calling trap, right", the wizard said in fake joviality.

"Shut up", the detective snapped.

With a soft click the window gave and swung inward, making the wizard pump his fist and muttering a profane cheer. That guy's mouth...

Eyeing the window - barely high enough to press her chest through the window - Marina steeled herself and swung her feet forwards through the dark opening. The other two gave a yelp as she slid over the dry gras and swung into the dark corridor, her back arching gracefully like she'd learned in PE-

Her forehead knocked against the top of the window and she slammed ass-first onto the concrete floor, but thank god her upper body smacked against her thighs and her head only knocked against her knees. It hurt like all kinds of "owch", but at least she didn't knock herself out on the ground. When she got her senses back together, the detective helped her up - apparently she'd entered effortlessly - and together they watched the stalky limbs flail as Mr. Bruckner scrambled into the hallway.

"Aaron would have done that more gracefully", she mumbled and looked around. Down the corridor, maybe five yards, was a heavy steel door and to the window's right were a few steps leading to a door to the ground floor.

The wizard ignored her jibe and instead he looked darkly down the hallway. "Ohhh", he cooed, sinister. "This is just evil. Detective, I know you want to do this by the book, but... we should kill these fuckers."

"You what that sound is", the police woman asked.

Sound? Marina concentrated her ears. It was there, obviously, she couldn't understand how she hadn't heard it before. Moaning and gasping and squealing and grunting. "Oh my god. What are they doing to my sister", she demanded, horrified.

"I have a guess, but..." He trailed off. "Just remember what the kiddo told you. Keep your stomach tight and focus on what you want to do."

Gritting her teeth, squeezing her fists, Marina steeled herself and tried to remember her sister the way Aaron had told her - she didn't know why she thought it might help, but as she did warm courage flowed from her wrist up her arm saturating her body, calming her nerves. Marina did not understand, but she did not need to - knowing that the spirit in her bracelet helped her was a blessing beyond any certainty she might have now. "Thank you, Marisol", she whispered. There was no answer of course, but she could swear she felt just a little more warmth in her. With sure, measured, tromping steps she went for the single door at the end of the corridor, the animal noises growing louder. She lifted the heavy iron bar up and away, then used the heavy handle and pulled the door open. It was every ounce as heavy as it looked, so she had to put her entire way against the door to finally drag it open, but she managed. At once an overwhelming stench of shit and piss and ... sex overwhelmed her. She gagged, threatening to throw up, but she got a hold of her stomach in time.

The voices were deafening now - human voices roaring in laughter, squealing in ecstasy...

Marina fored herself through the door and looked.

Gridded windows only gave the barest shine of light, but it was enough to see what's going on. Human shapes throwing themselves at each other, slapping their hips against each other, giggling maniacally.

She was about to flee, but warmth flushed her. "Lucia", she called, her voice almost failing. Then, with more force, "Lucia?!"

None of the shapes reacted.

"By the Light and all the angels in the Fortress", the wizard said behind her.

"Bruckner, what is this", the police woman asked, aghast.

"He's breeding minions, the mother fucker."

That did it for Marina. Screaming her sister's name again and again she threw herself into the fray, throwing writhing shapes away from each other, searching for Lucia's face. She was jostled and pushed left and right, but she made it halfway across the room.

Something grabbed her ankled and she dropped onto moist straw - it stank so horribly she didn't want to know what the moisture was. A heavy shape dragged itself over her and it ripped at her jeans. A terrified scream tore from her throat and she tried to pry the hands away, but they were as if made from steel. Something hard pulsed against her-

"NOOOOOO", she wailed and slammed her fists against the thing's head. Nothing worked, it wouldn't budge and her pants were slipping-

A blue light exploded in front of her eyes and pushed the shape away. She scrambled back up onto her feet and turned looked at her surroundings, expecting the next attack at any moment. Instead they had all shied away from her pushing themselves against the bare stone walls. Detective Linsner rushed to her side and shook her shoulder, shouting, "are you okay?"

"Lucia! Lucia, where are you", Marina called instead, ignoring her. In desperation she plead, "Marisol! Marisol, please! Where is my sister?! Help her, save her!" She felt a wave of assent rushing through her, then a diffusive indigo glow permeated the room. The shapes became silent and stopped moving. A sense of left imprinted itself in her mind and as she turned - her sister's empty gaze looked back at her.

Marina ran and grabbed her sister's shoulders. "Lucia! Lucia! We have to go!" She tried to pull, but her sister wouldn't response. She just stared at the air in front of her, apathic to anything. "Please, Lucia, please! We need to go!" But she wouldn't respond. Marina wailed and plead and sobbed, and finally her sister responded. She moaned and light returned to her eyes. Marina watched in horror as a manic glow appeared in her sisters face and her steely fingers grabbed at Marina's shoulders, pushing her down.

Only now did she notice the indigo glow around her flickering and the other shapes beginning to move again.

Made giggles escaped from her sisters gaping grin, and Marina held back her tears. "Marisol, please!"

The light whisked away and she could feel her bracelet breaking apart on the skin of her wrist.

Screaming in despair the dim light coming through the windows vanished as she was being surrounded by the mad students, her insane sister on top of her.

"Fuck", someone cursed. A hissing flame zipped above her scorching her sisters shoulder. Lucia wailed in pain animal instincts scaring her and the other shapes away from her. Marina was dragged upwards by rude hands, the detective dragging her away. At the entrance stood Mr. Bruckner, a twisted and crooked iron bar in his hands, barely as thick as a finger. Twirling it above his head, once, twice he then swung it at a charging madman and another flash of light raced through the air, splashing against the thing's chest. Low heat brushed Marina's face as the insane student screeched in pain throwing itself on the straw on the ground, trying to put the fire out in a panic.

"No. No! Lucia, we have to get her", she shouted as she fought against the detective dragging her away.

"We can't! There's nothing we can do, dammit", she said and kept pulling.

"No! No! Lucia! LUCIAAA!"

Suddenly everyone dropped to the ground. Marina pressed her hands against her ears as thousands upon thousands of voices seemed to sing directly into her brain, every single voice somehow distinct. She barely noticed everyone else writhing on the ground, clutching there hands to their heads. The endless choir slamming into her brain grew louder, drowning everything out, even her sight whitening. Finally the noise grew quiet, the voices overlapping, shifting until she could hear a single, crystal clear, girly voice say, "Don't worry, Marina. The Mother will help."

Her sight returned. She rose from the floor and looked at the room flooding with a misty, white light.

I WILL MAKE THIS RIGHT, something said, booming through the room. The detective and the wizard yelped.

"What now", the police woman shouted.

"The Mother", the wizard shouted back. "It's the goddamn Mother of the Mind!"

And as suddenly as it had come, the light vanished again.

BEST REGARDS TO AARON WILSON, the voice said once more.

Looking around, the ground had cleared of the straw and only pristine, bare stone was left. The maddened students had stopped groaning and were looking around, disoriented.

"Marina?"

Lucia looked at her confused. Sane.

----------------------------------------

PART 8

Well, fuck. The actual Mother of the Mind, the goddess of all spirits. Here in this god forsaken cellar. This city was just too fucking messed up.

"I wanna quit", Howard mumbled.

"Quit being a sissy, Bruckner. We need to get them out."

True, that. The girl had thrown herself at her sister, sobbing - understandably, but without much sense. There was still a fucking dragon around and Howard really wasn't keen to meet it. "Okay, guys", he called. "Time for a road trip! Giddy up", he drawled, then turned around, nervous. They hadn't heard any noise from inside. The kiddo had said he'd distract them, but distractions usually were loud, right? So why was it so goddamned silent?! Howard moved back into the dark corridor, checking for movement, but there was noone. He moved up the stairs - using the window with so many people would just take too long - and listened at the door.

Nothing.

He opened it silently - the students had gotten a move on after getting ticked off by Linsner - and a strong smell of iron hit him.

Blood.

The walls were splattered with it. On the ground were disfigured humanoids - horns growing from their heads, scales pushing in patches out of their skins, wicked claws instead of nails - blood pouring out of the joints of removed limbs. One's entrails spilled all over the dark mahogany floor, the body had been opened from groin to throat.

Howard cursed.

Behind him the detective came up the stairs, the students in hot pursuit. "Wait", he snapped. "Don't let them look!" She looked at him, frowning, then snuck a glance around the corner.

"That was Wilson", she asked, voice hard.

Howard nodded. He should have known. The way he had caught that knife the True Blood had thrown on a steel pipe... the kid was a mean sunnuvabitch with a sword.

"I can't let him get away with that, Bruckner", she pressed through her teeth. Behind her the kids were getting impatient.

"They were dead anyway, Ann. Puppets moving for their master's sake." They would have been humans once - turned into the mother fucker's minions, just like those kids would have been, had the Mother of the Mind not interfered. Thank all the sixtyfive Saints for that. Linsner was about to argue, but Howard cut her off. "We need to get the kids out of here. When the fight starts for real-"

A loud roar, accompanied with a violent crash interrupted him. The ceiling a little ways down the hall gave way and plaster and rubble and dust blew down the hallway. Howard turned kicked the backdoor open-

It nearly cost him his balance, because the door had already been open.

Howard didn't care though, he just dragged the detective through the doorway out of the house, pressing himself against the inside corner of the wall, already expecting what began to happen.

The students screamed in panic and rushed out of the staircase, into the hallway - and Howard pushed the first one out. The other's followed, herd instinct doing its job for once and at the end of the train, Marina and her sister left the house. Marina looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Get fucking lost", he snapped and turned back down the hallway.

Aaron Wilson had just risen from the floor, dust in his hair, bright blood splattered all over him - Howard hoped it wasn't his own. If they were to do take care of this goat-fucking shithead Aaron was essential - he was the only one capable of talking to Sid.

Who wasn't here. Happy times.

Howard prepared a spell, but stopped. The kiddo was glaring at him, like, way glaring.

It took him too long for his taste to understand. He couldn't do anything. And Aaron was still up and standing. The thing they needed most right now was time.

Okay, Howard. You have only one shot. Make it count, he thought. Obviously.

What he'd seen down in the basement had made him so furious, he'd nearly done something stupid. His magic couldn't harm a dragon, of course it couldn't. But he could manage one distraction. Howard fled the house into the garden. The kid must have known what was going on down there. No wonder he'd been so prickly.

"So, what's next, Bruckner?"

He started. "You have got to be fucking kidding me?! Why in the fuck are you here?"

"Oh? You said Wilson only mutilated corpses - I can maybe ignore that. But a big, bad dragon enslaving kids? Not if hell freezes over, Bruckner."

"You- Why- But- Gaaahh!"

Leave it to Ann Shit-For-Ears Linsner to piss in a dragon's eye!

"It's a goddamn dragon", he hissed.

"Yes, I got it the first five times. So, apprehending is out of the question?"

Howard blinked. Was she talking sense? Was she actually talking sense? Her? Howard only managed a nod.

"Okay, so, how do we kill it?"

Yeah, same old, same old. "We ain't fuckin' killin' a motherfuckin' dragon, fer chris' sake!"

"Your drawl is slipping, Bruckner", she said smugly.

"Not the fucking time", he wailed at her, just as a blast of flame tore down the building's facade. Wood sprayed across the lawn and Howard - who had inexplicably thrown himself on top of Linsner - was peppered by splinters and boards. His heart hammered in his chest, but for a few minor bruises he was unharmed. Who would have guessed, Howard the Dipshit Bruckner actually had luck.

He dragged the detective with him and darted through the triangular cut in the stone. Pressing his back against the (seemingly) stable bricks he forced his breath to calm down. Something struck him in the gut, hard. Spitting and desperate to regain his breath he released Linsner - who had been glaring indignantly at him from the crook of his arms. Yeah, gee, you're welcome. Fuck, that hurt!

Howard dared a peek into the yard.

A man with long, inky-black hair stepped out of the rubble of his once-mansion, wearing an expensive order-tailored suit, all sleek black and crimson trimmings. The amulet in his pocket reacted, the one he recieved from the Circle of the Graceful Lake - that one was a Signer. They'd attacked a dragon who had signed the treaty. Yesterday it had been a True Blood who was in on the treaty. Seriously?

"Linsner?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna quit", he sobbed.

"Grow a pair, Bruckner", she snarled. "What are we gonna do?"

"Wait and see, Linsner", he said, short of breath. "We need to wait for that Sid-fellow. If it gets critical, distract the dragon to buy some time. That's really all we can do."

"That's not much", she observed.

"Yeah, well... big bad dragons are usually big and bad, you know?"

She grinned. Why was she grinning?! "How you still spout jokes even if you're about to piss your pants is adorable", she said, smirking wickedly.

"Time and place, god-fucking-damn it!"

A crackle in the air and flickering pale light drew his attention back to the lawn.

Aaron fucking Wilson was dodging a whip made from lightning. How any one human could do that was really beyond Howard, but he was on their side, so... yay?

The kid stepped lightly onto the grass, crouched low, pushed off-

Howard lost sight of him, but heard the dragon curse. Aaron had closed in, the slender, gleaming blade stabbing at the handsome man's throat. The blade connected, but to noone's surprise - well, maybe Linsner was - it didn't break the skin. Aaron gave a roar, slammed his other palm at the bottom of the handle and the carpet cutter scraped off the dragon's neck - actually tearing the highest layer of skin. Twisting about himself Aaron brought the blade around, back up and with a strike that would have made Howard piss his pants he slammed the thin steel at the exact same spot.

Howard barely saw it, but at the moment of impact the kid twisted his wrist, turning the blade and thereby hooking it under the edge of skin he'd torn earlier. The blade caught, about to rush into the dragon's meat-

A steely hand closed around the blade and snapped it off.

Aaron winced, snapped his wrist and the rest of the blade slid from the carpet cutter's handle. Another snap and once more three feet of steel sprang from the little orange piece of plastic - the kiddo charged again the same instant.

He brought the tip up low, slipping through the man's arms he twisted in a kung fu-esque defence. Again he hit the same spot - but this time the angle seemed off, the blade just slid off uselessly. Aaron cursed, and the dragon grinned. The man opened his palms and Aaron was devoured by a huge ball of flame.

Howard snapped up his wand of twisted iron, but he already knew it was useless.

Beside him, Linsner aimed her gun, pulled the trigger - but no shot came.

Huh?

Howard looked back, just in time to hear the dragon curse in pain.

A shape dashed out of the black billowing smoke - Aaron Wilson, completely unmarked by the fire. He spat in frustration at the floor and looked at the blade - it had snapped again, apparently. The smoke cleared and the dragon reappeared, blood flowing out of a tiny scratch on his left eyebrow.

"What's going on, Bruckner?"

Again, Howard was slow on the uptake. "Oh! I get it. He has a fire spirit's protection."

"What does that mean?"

"Er, well, they say fire doesn't harm them. Something like that."

"You are one useless consultant", she mumbled.

"Life talker's are just way too rare for accounts to be reliable", he complained.

Back on the lawn, Aaron had discarded the broken blade again, snapping his wrist for another - but none came. He looked pained for a moment, then pocketed the handle.

"What now, human", the dragon asked in a deep voice.

"Close your eyes", the kid roared.

That was tactically stupid. Why warn the dragon about a blinding maneuver? A feint was way too naive, too. Hmm... Oh, right. The Third Eye. Howard snapped it shut, then watched as the kid threw a magnificent right straight at the dragon's cheek. It connected, solidly, doing no damage, obviously. The dragon frowned, smelling a trap.

Suddenly Howard felt it. Even without his Third Eye it hammered at his senses, threatening to overwhelm him-

The dragon did like-wise shocked he looked at the ground, then back at Aaron Wilson-

His fist crashed into the left half of his face, the bone giving way, blood spurting through torn skin and flesh.

He howled in pain, first a human's baritone, then the noisy roar of a dragon in rage. Black wings tore out of his suit, chest broadening, shiny black scales eclipsing his skin, his face lengthening to a snout. In a matter of seconds there stood a black dragon, four limbs, massive body and a long neck arching between beautiful wings, the size of a 40-ton truck.

Its golden eyes - both unbroken, how unfair was that - searched for Aaron, glaring at-

Another solid punch spot-on into the dragon's left eye!

Fluids, and shortly after blood spurted and the dragon howled an ear-deafening cry.

As did Aaron. He rolled on the ground clutching his right arm. It was mangled and twisted and the fingers just bent into any directions, none of them healthy.

"What happened", Linsner asked.

"The kid busted his arm, is what happened", he said. "He called the leyline - don't get me started on how fucked up that is - from deep underground and used it to power himself up. That he didn't pop like a balloon filled with raw meatloaf and pigblood just shows he has some training in that. It was too much, though, so his arm couldn't take the strain of punching a motherfucking dragon twice." Seriously, who does that?!

The kiddo rose from the ground once more, set off for a run-

The ground rose below him and a pillar of stone took him neatly in the gut. Aaron puked a little - mostly gastric juices, nothing solid, owch - then rolled over to the side. A twist of his hips swung him away from another pillar, which he - after springing back up onto his feet - used as a stepping stone. He jumped off, brought his broken fist up-

And smashed another rising stone pillar. It cracked like a pretzel stick and the counter force propelled Aaron to the dragon's snout-

Which clamped shut around his torso.

A sickening scream sounded out, along with a disgusting crunch and the huge dragon slammed the bloody bundle of bones to the ground. Aaron bounced off once, twice then kept rolling for a few more yards before he finally came to a stop. He seemed to be still alive, somehow, because he was coughing up blood in painful-looking rasps.

"Oh my god", Linsner whispered hotly.

The dragon walked toward Aaron, his right eye focusing on him. Luckily it was blind on Howard's side. Bless the kid for his tactics, Howard thought.

"I need you to shoot, just before it goes for the kill", he whispered to Linsner, then began running. He raced for all that he had left, which, thanks to the kiddo, was still quite a lot. He kept tight to the wall, turned and slipped through the wide bars of the front gate. Back inside the walled of plot of land, Howard could already hear the detective's gun going off, useless against a dragon, of course.

He could barely hear the dragon mock, "The wizard ran, huh?"

Howard forced open the car sat infront of the entrance, hijacked the motor, then jumped away. A huge paw, the size of a boulder smashed it. Glas spraying everywhere. Dragon's had damn good ears. Flanking them just didn't work - because they weren't stupid. Howard had had no illusions, that they'd been unnoticed. But dragon's liked to think everyone else stupid. And so Howard snapped a spark at the car's bursting tank - the gas caught fire instantly.

The effect wasn't quite what he'd hoped for - no explosion, because the expanding volume was no longer contained - a swiftly puffing flame triple the size of the car, which would have neatly grilled a human, but barely itched a dragon.

"Buying time, I see", the dragon said in its gravelly, rocks-rolling-over-rocks voice.

Howard winced, but it didn't matter if the dragon found out now, anyways. He'd squeezed out as much seconds as he could.

Though it was enough, apparently, because the dragon's head snapped to the side-

Aaron's fist deeply slipping into its remaining eye.

"You're way late, Sid", he said. Then, in an irritably bratty voice, he added, "Oh, I'm sorry for not knowing how to get here from the other side of the city. Going Namarach, though? That's reckless Aaron." He continued in his usual measured tone, "He pissed me off, is all." Then, "Hehe, angry Aaron is fun."

There he stood unimpaired by shredded flesh and torn open belly, like someone else might walk off a bruise. Blood streamed down his legs and pooled on the ground, and he didn't give a care, only exchanging pleasantries with his pet-spirit, that apparently possessed him.

"I've got only one left, Aaron. Yesterday took its toll... Got it. I'll end this now... Yeah, let's tear out its heart... That's pretty gruesome. Sounds good, though... Yeah, angry Aaron is-"

The kid slumped forward, like his strings had been cut, into a heap of blood and misery.

"An Eldritch Beast, I see. I've heard there was one in the city. Good that I took precautions."

The kid useless and broken, Sid the Almighty out of the equation, Linsner's gun useless and he himself a useless wizard.

Howard gave up.

----------------------------------------

PART 9

Getting chewed on by a dragon hurts.

It wasn't a lecture Aaron had needed, common sense told him that much. He'd known gowing against a dragon was gowing to be bad, but that it had been Namarach was just tough luck. Taking out his minions had been swift, efficient work - his sword instructor, Hachiman, had taught him well. As he rushed into the office on the top floor, blade flourishing he only realized who his opponent was, when Novis - one of the great fire spirits themselves - had warned him. Allowing himself a short curse Aaron rushed on.

Ten minutes later he lay on the ground, body broken, consciousness almost gone from bloodloss and Sid was sobbing apologies somewhere off to his right, ethereal strings coiled tightly around him. The detective had been sensible and ran at his instruction, but he could feel her bundle of nervous righteousness nearby. Behind him Mr. Bruckner was sinking into despair, thick tar opening a whole into the ground swallowing anything else. The dragon in front of him was a blank space, like this entire plot of land was, like the forest had been. Namarach had killed all the spirits with his spell to turn the students into his mindless slaves - and Aaron would have his head for that.

Grabbing at the retreating ley line deep below him he filled his body once again with power - a raging torrent, threatening to tear him apart, but concentration hardened by years of being distracted by a hundred voices made it possible to focus it - and he send a quick plead to Extos, great spirit of life. The old badger wasn't capable of fixing his body back up - he was a spirit of nature, not humans - but he could knit his broken bones and torn muscles temporarily.

Lifting himself up he slammed his right leg into the dragon's chest. The armor of interlocking onyx scales gave, the dragon's chest bones snapping apart as did his knee joint. Pain lanced through him, but his teacher had taught him to not let it impede his actions. Dragging his leg out of the wound, the bones twisted and ground against each other, an utterly crippling wound - when Cressinda found out about the condition he'd brought his body in, all hell would break lose - and, balancing himself on his remaining, fucked up leg, Aaron reached with his remaining good arm for the gaping wound.

Tearing his heart out seemed like a good idea to Aaron.

His fingers grazed the throbbing flesh and he-

Something slammed into him, somewhere on his torso's right side, his chest giving caving, the lung and diaphragm only keeping together because of Extos' assistance. Breathing was painfull, but so was slamming into the side of the building. The dragon withdrew his fist, but before Aaron could react, his tail slammed into him-

The wall gave.

Aaron's backbone shattered somewhere below his chestcage, his legs turning limp.

"I can't fix nerves, Aaron", Extos whispered, sorrowful.

He tried to response, but he could only gasp wetly. Aaron dragged himself on both arms, his legs uselessly dragging over the ground.

A girl looked at down at him. In her lap she held a little bonsai tree and she tilted her head curiously, soft brown hair swaying.

Extos had somehow stitched his chest into a halfway stable form, so Aaron managed to whisper, "Run."

"I can't. You can see me?"

Aaron nodded weakly. "You have to run", he said exhausted his head resting against the wooden floor. He was running out of options. Killing a dragon without his legs to stand on was going to be nigh-impossible.

His head racing, he only noticed the girl kneeling before him, when she repeated, "I can't run."

"I'm sorry", he rasped. "I'll be right back." He pushed his upper body back up. The dragon thought he was incapitated, so he was aiming for the wizard now. Aaron needed to act now.

"You're dead", she said.

He chortled. It hurt. "Not yet. Someone's helping me out. Thanks for that, by the way, Extos."

"You're welcome, Aaron. Even so, you are dead. I cannot do anything else and Novis is not allowed to help you. Mother won't come to safe you, either. You are going to die here, Aaron."

"I'm good. I've got one more left. Cressinda will give me hell, but she'll patch me back up. Just gotta make sure this one counts", Aaron rasped. He gripped the edge of the broken wall flipped himself out of the house with arms powered by the ley lines and hurtled at the dragon. It was still mocking the frozen-by-fear wizard, because dragon's are inherently, stupidly arrogant.

They had good ears, though.

Which meant the dragon easily dodged the desperate fist he threw at its cranium. Another easy swing of his massive head slammed Aaron right back into the very same room.

"Aaron. Stop. It pains me to look", Extos said.

"I'm good", Aaron whispered. "I've got... one more."

He repeated.

Flinging himself outside the room-

Everything went black.

He came back to himself by a dragon's crown hammering into his body, flinging him back into that one room. Must have lost consciousness for a second there, Aaron thougt. Damn bloodloss.

"One... more."

The girl giggled. "Okay. You can take me out", she said. She held the bonsai to him and motioned him to grab it. Aaron didn't understand, but riddled by pain and bloodloss and running-out-of-options he couldn't bring himself to care and touched the tree.

Instantly little shoots sprouted twining around his fingers, his hand and his wrist. Then they slipped into the wounds in his arms coiling around ulna and radius scrambling in his meat, painfully. Aaron would have screamed, had he had that kind of energy left. Moments later the tree had disappeared and the pot and contained earth fell to the ground.

"Nice to meet you, Master", the girl said, smiling, then vanished.

It took Aaron a moment to notice that his body was healthy again. Still smeared in blood, vomit and other fluids his entrails had leaked, but there was neither scratch nor bruise nor pain in his body. Remembering that he still had a dragon to slay - Aaron was a little woozy, time to end this - he rushed to the gaping whole in the wall-

The dragon was dead, his head busted open like a melon dropped from two yards above the ground.

He looked to the wizard, impressed. "Nice going, Mr. Bruckner", he called.

The man looked at him, stunned.

Aaron was truly surprised, the wizard had managed to kill Namarach, but... all's well that ends well.

Better get back to work, then.