CW:

 

The rest of the introductions went without further comment. After the last of them, a portly woman in her late 30s came into the room with a large cart of breakfast foods and drinks.

From bagels to pancakes and orange juice to coffee; just about anything you'd want for breakfast was available. The sheer quantity was staggering, and must’ve taken hours to prepare it all. 

"Got some grub for y'all," She chirped. "Figured y'all’d be parched what with all your hollering."

"I thank you for your generosity," Ventusa said while pouring herself a cup of sweet tea.

Huh, I wouldn't have thought that such an uppity bitch would deign to drink sweet tea.

"Yeah, thanks Cynthia," Vincent said through a mouthful of bagel.

I took a banana nut muffin and chomped down on the best muffin I'd ever had. Somehow it tasted like it was fresh out of the oven despite the amount of time all the food must’ve taken to make.

Even the impatient Daniel took a moment aside to drink from some kind of smoothie that Cynthia handed him.

After everyone had their fill of the buffet, we began discussing our plans for the coming days.

"Let's start with what we know. Jenny was killed and we don't have access to what's left of the body. The most obvious possible motive is to interfere with the truce between the Seelie and Unseelie," Daniel hypothesized.

"I witnessed the tail end of the assassination. The killer was able to look like me without harming me, a feat that isn't overly common in shapeshifters," Mark added. 

"Walk us through the events of yesterday morning, if you please" Marshall requested.

"I didn't see much, I was walking from my car to the meeting spot for the signing of the treaty. I was about a block away from the place and I heard Jenny yell something in a language I didn't understand from around a corner, then there was a wet plopping sound. I went up and took a peak and saw someone who looked like me running away and the lower half of her body on the ground. 

"Just the lower half?" I asked.

"Huh, now that you mention it, it was only the lower half."

"That's rather odd," William frowned, "why would her top half be missing?”

"Whatever happened, it had to have been done with iron, as just being cut in two with anything else shouldn't have killed her permanently," Marshall pointed out.

"I believe finding the other half may help answer some questions," Ventusa put forth.

I can't believe that getting fucking bisected shouldn't have killed her if it wasn’t done with iron. What the hell have I gotten myself involved with? 

"What happened next?" Daniel asked.

"After that, I heard a gravelly voice shout ‘Get him!’ in the distance. I panicked and went back to my car and called Lucas on my way to my apartment.”

Mark went into detail about what happened before and during my visit. 

"Why was there going to be a truce in the first place?" I asked.

"Humans have damaged the Earth to such a degree that a mass extinction event is inevitable. Human scientists have estimated that at least one billion humans will die as a side effect of their abuse of nature," Marshall explained.

"You're talking about climate change," Mark said.

"Indeed I am, there is no reversing the damage humans have done or preventing the consequences of their actions, but there is even a greater danger that the humans are unaware of. Due to raised temperatures, among other effects of their meddling, will empower the Seelie Court to a point that their victory in the war with the Unseelie would be inevitable."

"Okay, why is that such a problem?" Vincent asked.

My stomach dropped and the blood drained from my face. It disturbed me some that I instinctively knew the answer, but it was just that obvious, right? I spoke in barely a whisper.

"Because if the Seelie win, Autumn and Winter, courts and seasons alike, would be destroyed, leading to an exponential rise in temperature eventually causing total annihilation of all life on Earth."

A heavy silence filled the room as the gravity of the situation sunk in. There were several nervous glances around the room.

"The deck is stacked against us on this one, the other witness is Baba Yaga. She's one of the most cruel, powerful, and vengeful creatures in all of the Unseelie Court, and she claims it was you that killed Jenny," Marshall pointed at Mark.

"If Baba Yaga said it's true that he killed her, then he almost definitely did. Why are we protecting him then?" Ventusa asked aghast at the concept of helping Mark.

"Because she's wrong!" Mark exclaimed.

"The Baba Yaga is a clever creature with millennia of experience, it is nearly inconceivable that she was fooled." Ventusa proclaimed. 

"I viewed him with my Sight yesterday, there were no signs that he would or could kill Jenny," William asserted.

"And why should we believe the Order's disgraced healer?" Ventusa countered.

He's a healer? So if he could use healing magic, then why didn't he? Ugh, whatever, a problem for another time.

"I can vouch for William, I've known him for about a century and he's trustworthy," Marshall said.

"That is... acceptable proof," Ventusa relented.

She just took Marshall at their word? No further questions? I thought for any reason that might be, but came up blank.

"What else do we know?" Daniel asked, clearly unhappy with the tangent.

"Mark and I were attacked by something that William said could've been some sort of troll. The troll had a black hole for a mouth and wasn't averse to causing themselves great pain just to save a few seconds breaking down a door," I reported.

"The child is being truthful, I saw the creature they are referring to," Ventusa confirmed. 

"When did you see it?" Mark asked with suspension.

"I arrived at your apartment as you fled from the beast. I distracted it as you left. You also have me to thank for the absence of the mortal law enforcement"

"Thank you for your help, it is much appreciated," I said.

"What was the attacker?" William asked, leaning forward in his chair slightly.

"It appeared to be a troll of Norse descent, but in place of a mouth was an empty void, as the child described. I know not what could cause such a condition." 

She turned to me and added, in the tone of an adult explaining something to a young child,"Trolls are one of the lesser fae. They are vile creatures, absent-minded and ravenous. Avoid them whenever possible."

"Did you kill it?" William pressed.

"I first attempted intimidating it with lightning, but did not flinch at its bane. Next I threw a bolt at it, but it ate it," Ventusa reported.

"It ate a lightning bolt?!?" Mark said incredulously.

"I just said as much. Pay attention, mageling," She rebuked.

"That… is troubling," Daniel noted.

"Indeed, do we know anything else about this troll?" Marshall asked.

"Its target was Mark. It barely stopped to look at me," I noted.

"Possibly a relallation from the Unseelie?" Daniel  hypothesised.

"Or an attempt to tie up a loose end," Marshall added gravely.

“Well, what now?” I asked the room.

"We need to decide on some possible courses of action. Anyone have a suggestion?" Daniel asked the group.

"Gathering information and securing allies should be our priorities," Marshall stated.

"Agreed. We can't act until we know more about what's happening," William concurred.

"William, would you be willing to be my guide through the Betwixt?" Marshall asked.

William paled at their request. He glanced at one of the adjoining hallways as if considering fleeing. He quickly recovered from his cowardice, but the apprehension didn't leave his eyes.

"Could we please hire another seer this time? You have no idea what it's like to open your Second Sight there."

"I need someone I can trust to bring me to the right place and you're the only seer here."

"Very well, if there is no other option, then I will guide you. Where are we going."

"The Second Circle of Hell, I need to call in some favors."

"Are you going to contact Lucy?" Ashe asked Marshall.

"No, she is indisposed at the moment," Marshall grimaced. 

"Who's Lucy?" I asked.

"You would know her by another name, but I shall not speak it out of respect. You might falsely call her by the title of the former king of hell, Satan," Marshall informed.

"Holy fucking shit! Satan is real?! Does that mean that the Christian God is real too?" I blurted out.

"That’s an incredibly complicated question that would take hours we don't have to-" Daniel began but Marshall cut him off.

"Satan was real, but was annihilated, and we don't know if that god is real. Now was that so hard?"

Daniel made an angry grunting noise while he typed fiercely at his phone. I was a little taken aback since it was the first noise he'd made without the use of his phone. 

I couldn't exactly pinpoint what was different about his grunt as compared to other people, but it certainly sounded distinctive.

"If you want to oversimplify to nearly the point of misinformation, then no it wasn't." Daniel said through his text-to-speech program.

Ventusa seemed thoroughly amused with the back and forth. She stayed silent during the exchange to her credit, a phrase I felt wouldn't be used often with Glaistig's bodyguard.

There was an awkward energy amongst the others, people shuffled uncomfortably and averted their eyes from the argument. 

I guessed that this wasn't the first time this disagreement had happened, so I decided to break the silence before the passive-aggressiveness started ricocheting to the rest of us. 

"Thank you for telling me a surface level explanation of the situation at hand, Marshall. I would very much like to hear Daniel's explanation in depth when time permits."

"Sorry, let the stress get to me," Daniel grimaced.

Marshall placed one wide hand on his shoulder. They closed their eyes for a moment, then addressed the room.

"Moving on, we should discuss potential courses of action."

"An elegant diffusion of the situation. Seems Samuel wasn't completely neglecting his duties. Well done, young one," Ventusa whispered in my ear, nearly staggering me again with the speed and stealth with which she moved.

What’s that supposed to mean? For fuck’s sake, why can't these people be more direct?

"I think it would be wise for Mark and I to stay here. My wards are at their most powerful when I'm here to maintain them and Mark is public enemy number one," Daniel stated.

"So what, I'm just supposed to sit here with my thumbs up my ass while everyone else is risking their lives?" Mark exclaimed.

"If that is how you wish to spend your time, then yes. Our foes will likely try to capture or kill you the moment you leave," William pointed out dryly.

Mark grumbled but didn't dispute the point. I felt bad for him being stuck here while everyone else was off trying to save him, and even worse that we won't be together for this, at least for now.

"I'm going to commune with Furcas, he may know what's going on," Leon announced. 

"When you speak to him would you relay a message to him for me?" Marshall requested. 

"Sure, what's the message?"

"Tell him that no star is left."

"Y'know it won't kill you to be less cryptic," Leon rolled his eyes.

Marshall frowned, but said nothing more. Daniel quickly spoke up.

"You don't need to worry about it, the Hell Knight will know what it means. But anyways, we still have a few people left to plan for."

"Indeed we do. Lucas, you should stay here as well since you're almost completely untrained in combat," Marshall advised.

"Fuck that! I'm going to do something to help Mark get out of this," I protested.

"I understand your passion to help your partner, but it would be foolish to run off by yourself without more training."

Partner? Oh right, Mark… he really is my partner, isn't he? Wow, it's still hard to believe that happened. Well, Marshall certainly doesn't miss anything. 

"I don't care! I will help Mark, I have to!"

"You're not thinking clearly, you can't help him if you're dead," Marshall countered.

"I've seen Lucas with my Sight, Marshall, as long as he's physically capable of leaving to help Mark, he will," William asserted.

"I would remind you that the child shall not be alone in his venture, I will accompany and defend him wherever he goes," Ventusa assured.

"No way I'm leaving those two alone together, I'm going with them," Ashe declared.

"I'm stuck here until nightfall, or I'd come with you," Vincent frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, I know babe, don't worry about it," Ashe empathized.

"Okay, so Ashe and Ventusa are going with me, but where are we going?" I wondered aloud.

"Finding Glaistig would be rather useful, as she's Jenny's counterpart as a Seelie ambassador. She would likely have more details of what happened after Mark left," Ashe speculated. 

"Glaistig is busy with diplomatic matters currently," Ventusa informed. 

"Did she tell you anything?" I asked. 

"She told me to defend you," she said.

Ashe lifted an eyebrow at me and nodded his head towards Ventusa. I caught his meaning, he was reminding me to be very careful with my wording.

"Let me rephrase that, did Glaistig tell you anything regarding the assassination of Jenny Greenteeth, or anything that would be of use in finding the killer?"

She shot Ashe with an annoyed look, then replied. "She told me nothing of use in our endeavor. I believe she is playing her cards close to her chest, metaphorically speaking."

"Damn, well, what do you know about the murder?"

"Besides things that have been mentioned here, I know that High Queen Maeve of Winter has ordered the capture of Mark Johnston. He is to be given to Baba Yaga for interrogation. I recommend not allowing that to happen."

No shit, we don't let him get captured. 

"I also know the Order of Eternity has issued a statement that they will cooperate with Winter on investigating, but they wish to question Mark and keep him under their custody until a fair and informed trial can take place," she continued.

"I take it that we're not trusting them to be fair about this," I guessed.

"The Order has a long history of doing whatever they think will help their agenda. It wouldn’t be out of character for them to rush a trial and force a guiltily verdict on me to stay on good terms with the Unseelie," Mark said bitterly.

"They would sell out one of their own to save face?" I gawked.

"Of course, dear child, such are the machinations of humans. Profit first, principles only when they are convenient." Ventusa scoffed.

"Well fuck," I swore.

"What should we do if finding Glaistig isn't possible?" Mark asked.

"Speaking to the Baba Yaga could be useful. She may have seen something that fills in some of the gaps in our knowledge," Ventusa suggested.

"Hard pass, she's as likely to rip us apart and eat us as she is to answer our questions," Ashe replied.

"Should it come to that I shall take Lucas to safety."

"What if you can't and what about Ashe's safety?" I challenged.

"They make valid points, Baba Yaga is not exactly what I would call a reasonable woman and not one to be underestimated," Marshall asserted.

Ventusa did not react to our objections in the slightest. She was probably hoping to get Ashe killed and curry favor by saving me. I thought grimly.

"I think our best option is to go back to my apartment and get The Morrígan’s Grimoire from my dad. Glaistig clearly thought it was important for me to have and maybe dad could shed some light on a couple things as well. He clearly knows much more than he's told me," I suggested.

"Sounds good to me, it's fairly low risk compared to the crazy cannibal crone," Ashe agreed.

"If that is your choice, then I will aid you," Ventusa said.

"Then it's settled. Marshall and William will go to Hell. Mark, Vincent and I will stay here. Leon will speak to his patron, and you three will find the Grimoire," Daniel summed up.