Unspecified Clearing in the Maine Forest
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| Bryn Blackwell | Christian Knight | Gideon Hastings | Kieran Collins | Rory Bainbridge | Serafine Roche |
"Got it."
Whatever data Bryn was trying to extrapolate is completed. "Rory, grab the laptops and gear. Go wake Kayla, and tell her we need a satlink set up immediately, and to take Lady to the park for her morning perambulation. I can match our data together in the van." There is a Priory member set to drive them. "Serafine, luv, you and Kieran wrap up. Christian, call your father."
Flipping his phone out to get the van at the door so the vampires have less walking to do, he moves to the kitchen and grabs a small cooler. Packing some of the food to go with them, he points out, "Those who need it can eat on the way. I have just got to call Kevin and let him know that until I am back in the city, he is in charge." Which, Bryn knows, means Ashford will step back in to help where needed if he's called from his promotion.
Once everything is in the van and underway, he flips the laptops open again. This time he sets it so his data is laying over Rory's maps, and taps the screen a few times.
"Here. It is in the middle of nowhere, I realize, but the three most logical locations are in a triangle around it. If we work the blood magic from here, we should be able to get a general direction. If not, it is only three locations and we can split up into paired groups."
The van is comfortably outfitted, although it's by no means a recreational vehicle. Kieran isn't going to complain. It will keep he and Sera safe from sunlight, and that's the most important factor.
~*~
"How long is the drive?" The vampire asks. It's all that he really cares about knowing right now.
~*~
"Seven and a half hours. Plenty of time to plot a course of action once we arrive. I should think that the Priory in Maine will have been notified of our arrival and provide additional support."
Bryn leans back against the wall of the van, sitting in the back rather than taking a seat.
"What that means is for anyone that needs it, now is the time to rest. It also means it will be just a few hours until dark when we arrive, which will be handy for you and Serafine."
Beat.
"Christian, if you will kindly call your grandmother and get her in touch with any Coven members in Maine that will be willing to lend a hand, I would be eternally grateful. The only one I happen to know out that way is Brooke's aunt Ria, and the last I heard from her she was keeping herself unaffiliated with the Coven after the death of her daughter."
He pauses, then stretches his legs out. "She will, however, help us. When I last spoke with Mrs. Bishop, her sister was busy scouring wooded areas both on foot and via magic."
~*~
"I'll nap," Kieran announces. "You should, too, Sera." It says a good deal about how much he trusts Bryn to protect him and his Child, the fact that the vampire is willing to do so in the back of a van.
They won't be able to get fully recharged, but the downtime will help them a little.
~*~
Christian does as instructed and gets an ear full from his grandmother regarding the fact that she's twice Bryn's age, has been managing many affairs since he was in diapers, and knows very well who to contact and how. That's in between rattling off the names and numbers of the contacts she's gotten in Maine. After that, she decides to text Christian the information anyway.
"You know how to text, Grams?"
"Don't get smart with me boy. You are not too old for me to tan your hide."
Once he's off the phone, he waits for the text and then forwards it to Bryn's telephone. "Those are the Coven members who've agreed to help. So far." His grandmother is a force of nature, and no doubt, she'll bend a few more ears and arms before it's over.
~*~
Bryn can hear the woman from where he's resting, and he chuckles. "Thank her for me, and do let her know I owe her a favor for this. I realize that it is her granddaughter that is missing, but the fact she is willing to help a sorcerer and trusts me enough to give me that contact information is definitely worth something."
Reaching over, he gives Serafine's hand a squeeze. It's the most intimate he's willing to get around those he doesn't know all that well as of yet, but it's enough. It gives him that connection again.
Rest well, Princess. I will wake you both when we near Maine.
As the drive continues, and they grow closer to the city, he contacts the witches that have offered to help. He lets them know the situation, and that the place is magically blocked which means that their magic may not work until they find out the reason for the blocking.
"Hag stones. Witch circles. Stone that is imbued with the power to block any and all magic. I will be researching the lore for the last few hours of our trip, but if you can do the same," he tells them all. "If we can figure out what it is, or what combination of items it is, we can get rid of them and be better prepared to enter."
~*~
The arrival at the rendezvous point in Maine is not particularly noteworthy. The van pulls off the main highway, and onto a winding country road, and then off into a copse of trees as directed by the GPS until it can go no further. From there, it's an on foot hike of about ten minutes, through overgrown and nature as untamed as it gets this far out in hiking and camping country. There are animal sounds, and small things scampering through the under brush. A worn, rusted, "No Trespassing" sign dangles from an equally rusted and neglected chain mid-way along their path.
Reynard's sorcerers on loan bring up the rear, keeping a polite distance; close enough to cover and strike if anything should attack but far enough back that the two groups have their own privacy bubble.
Reaching the clearing, the Maine Coven witches are approaching from the other side, little balls of witch light bobbing along and lighting their way.
~*~
Hiking, in a suit, is not ideal. Regardless, Bryn continues to wear it because he refuses to lose anything he has stashed in the pockets. He remains alert to the noises and the surroundings, so as not to fall into any pits or dangerous situations.
He's had a brief discussion with the Reynard sorcerers, just to remind them who is exactly in charge of this mission, and while they've grumbled about it they know that if they screw this up they'll have to deal with Randall.
He has no qualms meeting with the witches, and marches right on up to them. Though she's not part of the Coven, he does see that Ria is coming with them.
"Ria, it is good to see you again. Pity it is under these circumstances."
"You're lucky I don't beat your ass for treating Babs the way you did."
"Ancient history, Ria, and I am here now to help her."
"Damn right you are. If Pru knew you were working with those," Ria says, nodding her head toward the sorcerers, "She'd smack you. If she knew you had vamps…" There's a glance toward Kieran and Sera, and a nod in their direction, "She'd likely kill you. All I care about though is getting Brooke back. We've been… discussing things that you mentioned on the phone. Looks like a mixture of carved runic symbols in the stone of the structure buried under the ground, and a shell of combined witch-sorcerer magic over it. Extremely unusual. Old if the Bishop grimoires are correct. Hasn't been done since the fifteen century."
~*~
Christian hesitates for a moment and then follows Bryn. He tells himself that it only makes sense. He is the only representative from the New York City branch of the Coven present at the moment. Even if he is only a 'junior member,' and Regina and the Elders wouldn't so much as let him peek at an advanced grimoire.
He clears his throat and squares his shoulders. Sometime during the drive he found an elastic and pulled his hair back in a ponytail. It's not exactly clean cut, especially now that a bit of five o' clock shadows is beginning to show, but at least he's not 'shaggy,' as his Grams put it. "Begging your pardon, ma'am, but if it is witch-sorcerer magic, then having sorcerers around will be helpful, right?"
Beat.
He thinks about extending his hand, then just looks at the older witches and nods his head. "Christian Knight. I'm with the New York Coven." There's a spark of challenge and defiance in his gaze, because he knows some of the opinions of male witches, and possibly the sort of attitude that might come from knowing his lineage. "And that's my sister that's missing, too, so I'm happy to accept any help. Even from Reynards and vampires."
~*~
"Yes, of course it would. That doesn't mean my sister would be happy that the Reynards are involved." Ria sniffs, then glances at the sorcerers beyond the main part of the group. "At least they're not causing issues."
Ria nods at the young man, and states, "Victoria Bishop. Not affiliated at the moment." Her head jerks to the side. "These are the Coven members your grandmother was able to convince to help. Next time I'm in New York, I'll send Liam out to meet you. He's about your age." Probably a year or two older, but Ria doesn't care.
"William," Bryn explains, "Is Brooke's younger brother, and a male witch."
He levels his gaze on Ria, and frowns. "So you have determined, or think you have determined what is causing the magic blockage. Have you come up with any counter-spells?"
"We've spent the entire day trying to figure out what they're using. We've got some ideas, but until we know which location it is we can't test anything."
Clapping Christian on the shoulder, he turns the young man toward him. "Are you certain that you want to do this, Christian?"
~*~
Kieran can hear the conversation quite clearly. He's of half a mind to march over there and explain a few things to the woman regarding his reason for being here. He restrains himself, however, not out of respect for the witches, but rather because he knows that they need the magic users to find Brooke.
There is a soft murmuring in Gaelic about humans who are too full of themselves.
~*~
Before Kieran even starts to murmur, Serafine knows her Maker is tense. She reaches out a hand, placing it at the back of his neck and rubbing gently. No words are spoken, just the soothing touch to stop him from becoming too riled up inside his head.
"Going off half-cocked will not help, Kier," Sera tells him in the same Irish Gaelic that he taught her so many years ago. "The enemy of my enemy …"
~*~
Christian blinks at the revelation that Brooke has a brother and that he's a witch. It's something she and Siobhan have in common, he guesses. "Cool. I mean, thank you. I'm the only one that I know." There is Preston's boyfriend, but it was made very clear that Cooper has no idea what he is and right now they're keeping it that way.
He gives Bryn a nod. "Positive."
~*~
Glancing over his shoulder at Kieran and Serafine, Bryn motions for them to come forward.
"These are our heavy hitters. We may not be able to use magic inside even if we break some of the spells, so we need physical help as well. Serafine works with the Priory. Kieran is her Maker." The sorcerer doesn't see the point in explaining their true relationships to a bunch of strangers, if only to keep them both safe, and to keep Prudence Bishop from losing it when she realizes her daughter is dating a vampire; something he's fairly certain that Regina has yet to mention.
"If you wish to meet William, we can arrange it once we get Brooke back. It is a good idea, really. There are so very few male witches that it would be good for you to know each other."
Ria rolls her eyes a little at Bryn, then snorts. "Get on with the spell then. There's no point in us standing around the woods all night without a clue."
Bryn takes a deep breath, then exhales slowly. He likes Ria, he does. He likes the way she's always favored Brooke even after her daughter died, but she's upset and she's dredging up the past. Something he's just going to push aside for now.
Extracting a pocket knife from his jacket, he hands it to Christian. "Ten paces to your left, then three ahead of you should be dead center. Once you get there, open the map I gave you earlier and spill your blood on it. A few good, heavy drops, and I will cast the magic then ask you to join in with your location spell. That should point us in the right direction. If not, we will pull in another sorcerer and witch to cast the magic again and combine it with ours."
~*~
"… is my friend, so long as they don't piss me off," Kieran finishes. He knows that Sera is only doing what she does best, and that's trying to keep him calm and focused. She's worried about Brooke too, but she's been rather stoic since this whole thing started. He will have to thank her for that later. If she loses her focus, then there's no one to ground him and that won't be pretty.
At Bryn's motion, he presses his hand to the small of Sera's back and ushers her forward with him.
"Just don't get in my way and we'll get along fine."
~*~
Sera inwardly winces at Kieran's choice of words and the cold, hollow edge to his voice. "What he means to say is that if we're required to go feral, it's safer to simply let us work and clear the way. We wouldn't want to accidentally harm anyone."
Truthfully, Kieran won't care if he harms anyone to get to Brooke, and Sera knows this. She's certain that Bryn knows it as well.
If it comes to it, sugar, you may have to drop Kieran. You can do that? If Brooke knows the spell, Bryn likely does as well.
~*~
Christian takes the knife, and then follows Bryn's instructions. He's not worried about the danger of the spell, and he doesn't even flinch as he slices his hand open over the map, and waits for Bryn's spell.
~*~
"Don't worry. They won't go anywhere near you," Ria tells Kieran, nodding toward the Coven. "But I'll be damned if I'm not going to get my niece back." There's a strange look given to Sera, and she nods. "If you go all ragey bloodlust, we'll back the hell off. Until then, we're a more formidable force if we go in all at once. Especially if we get the magic going."
Who do you think taught her that spell? Bryn grins over at Serafine, and winks. It is sorcerer magic, luv. One of our basic offensive defense spells. I can handle it, though I may have to hit him extremely hard and he will need blood afterward. You will see to it?
Moving over toward Christian, Bryn kneels on the other side of the map. He waits for the blood to hit the paper, watching where it pools in the middle of the triangle Rory drew earlier. Holding his hand over the map, he draws a simple runic symbol for familial location, then lowers his hand slowly until it is nearly touching the blood. His hand traces a circle around the triangular area. The blood starts to trace itself between the three points, swirling along the path more and more swiftly. With it going like that, he draws his hand back up and writes another rune in the air to do a secondary location. The first should tell them where (if anywhere) the girls were before making it to the blocked location. The second should focus on the blocked magic and pinpoint it on the map.
~*~
"Good," Kieran grunts. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket and wanders a few paces away from the group. It's only to peer into the darkness for a few moments, before he circles quietly around to where Bryn and Christian are. He's keeping a safe distance to not mess with spell, but the map has his attention moreso than the magic does.
~*~
Sera gives her fiance a nod, and the faintest hint of a smile before he moves away. Her gaze curiously follows her Maker, and for a moment, she wishes she could communicate with him the way she does Bryn.
The wind blows gently, carrying with it the scents of the wildlife, the faint coppery tang of blood, and the smell of the humans all around them. There's something else beneath it, familiar, but fleeting.
Stepping away from the witches, Sera frowns into the trees. Her keen eyesight picks up nothing. "Did you see something, Kier?" The words are soft; her Maker will hear them anyway.
~*~
Setting down the knife, Christian pulls out Siobhan's wedding ring. He brought it along especially for this purpose, and knows she'll kill him - twice - if he loses it. He squeezes it into his hand where the cut is, and once it's covered with his blood, he drops it into triangle area on the map. Extending his hand over the ring and the map, Christian begins to chant the spell quietly, tagging on his sister's full name and calling up her image in his mind.
He feels the tug in his gut before the blood begins to twist and move as though possessed of a will of its own. No longer a sloppy mess, it congeals and pulls together, snaking out like a river along the map. Moving away from their location and northward.
Christian continues his spell, not stopping, even when Siobhan's ring rises up a few millimeters and begins to hover over the map. The river of blood moves, following the highway and the backroads, and then the ring jerks sharply northeast before dropping right onto one of the points of the triangle.
~*~
Though focused on the magic, Bryn is being as attentive as he can be. He knows that the scent of blood, to an already agitated vampire, is dangerous. He also knows that Kieran won't hurt the young witch, simply because at the moment his blood is the closest thing they have to locating Brooke.
When the ring drops, Bryn raises his brow but stands up. He pulls a clean handkerchief out of his pocket and reaches for Christian's hand. Wrapping it quickly, he says, "We will take better care of that back at the van. The quickest way appears to be head back to the highway. It is maybe an hour up the road.
Glancing at Kieran and Serafine, he frowns. "Do you sense something out there?"
~*~
Kieran blinks down at the map and the ring. "That's it, then? We have the location?"
Beat.
"Why didn't the spell work before?"
Pale blue eyes turn to the treeline, moving slowly over the darkness that forms imaginary shapes and shadows that deepen and change. "I thought …" Kieran pauses and frowns, gaze tightening as he stares into the shadows. The vampire has better sight than the humans, and his gaze is unyielding. "We're not alone."
The vampire moves swiftly, falling into a defensive, predatory stance as he does so.
~*~
Someone is out there, Sera tells Bryn. She doesn't follow her Maker, however. Instead she circles around the opposite direction, and while her features do not change, she's moving far more quickly - and quietly - than a human could.
~*~
Before the pair complete their circuit, there's is a rush of air, and in the blinking of an eye, Gideon stands well within the periphery of the clearing. Impeccably dressed, minus a tie, he tugs the sleeves of his sport coat, hardly seeming to be bothered by the witches and sorcerers gathered there. A sorcerer's fireball whizzes past Kieran, and hits solid air in front of Gideon where it fizzles out.
A somewhat bored look is given to Reynard's men. "Had I meant any of you harm, you would all be dead twice over already."
~*~
"We were not close enough for the blood to win out over the blocking magic, and we needed both a witch and a sorcerer to cast the magic to have it work." Christian is both, but his sorcery is not as strong as it should be. He dabbled with the blood magic, but Bryn knows enough of the darker stuff to make the blood sing when the proper witch spell is cast at the same time.
He is about to prepare a spell himself when he recognizes the familiar man.
"Stand down," he tells everyone.
"Gideon is a friend, and I am assuming that he is here to help, not hinder."
"Another vamp? Just what we need," Ria remarks, setting her hands to her hips. "Think three is enough firepower, Bryn, or do you have any more surprises?"
The sorcerer shoots her a look, and smirks. "We have werewolves as well. It is the Priory, Ria. We help all supernaturals, not just the magic users. Which means when we put a call out, we get help from all corners as well."
"Handy. Your father know you're doing this?"
Sighing, Bryn gives the woman another look. "He is well aware. This does not mean he is pleased by it, but he has not yet attempted to stop me." That is because his father knows better. Doing that is not how to draw Bryn into the fold. Choosing to ignore Ria's questions for the moment, he turns to Gideon. "I am glad that you got my messages. I assume you have a magic user who has not yet shown themselves, unless you have acquired a new talent since we last met."
~*~
Kieran relaxes, but only marginally. He sniffs the air and peers into the forest, seeking out whomever is with Gideon. "We could have used your help about twenty fours ago, Hastings."
~*~
"But," Sera gives Kieran a look, and turns back to Gideon with a softer look, "You're here, and we're happy for whatever help you can offer, Gideon."
~*~
"As always, I remain forever amazed at how far the fruit falls from the tree where you are concerned, Serafine." Gideon nods to the vampiress and turns his attention to Bryn. It's clear that the sorcerers and witches clearly are no concern of his. "I only just received your message a few short hours ago, though it pains me to say that had I received it any earlier, the situation would be no less dire. I have been following a scent of my own, regarding some rather untoward things occuring, and my investigations inevitably led me to your search."
Beat.
"Yes, Peter and Aalina. You may show yourselves." Gideon does not look back as the pair emerges from the shadows.
~*~
The arrival of another vampire distracted Christian momentarily, but now he retrieves his sister's wedding ring. He slides it onto his pinky finger, where it's a snug fit, but if it gets too tight, he can remove it with magic later. He stares at the vampire who's too well dressed to be searching for people and then looks over at Bryn as if to ask, 'Did you get a word of that?'
~*~
"Brilliant. Then I consider it quite our fortune that our investigations have seemingly crossed paths at an opportune time. I believe we have found our location." Pointing to it on the map, he glances over at the the two that are showing themselves and raises his brow. "She is, I presume, one of yours? We did have a little help from Magda, but you know how the power struggles go in the City. She could not provide too much information without agitating Kostas."
Beat.
"You know then, that it is Brooke that is missing as well as a Johnson-Lowell witch." He's careful not to use the word hybrid, though they all know what Siobhan is. The last thing he needs is in-bickering in his crew.
"We have the help of the Coven." He nods to the witches. "And the help of the Reynards." A nod is given to the sorcerers.
"With you and your friend joining us, that gives us an additional sorcerer, two more vampires, and a handful of werewolves. Even barring the inability to break the magic-blockage, I should think that should be enough to perform a decent rescuing."
~*~
"As I have previously stated, Collins, I was not aware that the situation had taken on a more personal and emotional involvement for some involved." Gideon's tone and the look he gives to the younger vampire is one that a much older, wiser adult would give to a child who is being foolish and petulant. He has suspicions about Kieran's involvement with the Bishop witch, but he will not voice them in a public forum.
"Yes, Aalina is an old colleague. Currently, he affliation and loyalty are to me." She's Hecathenos, but she's in Gideon's employ at the moment. That is all anyone needs to know.
"I've been following the disappearances of supernaturals along the eastern seaboard and as far as the midwest for many months now. I am embarrassed to admit that until recently I was unable to find the party responsible or even track to a general location. Once I had the former, the latter still eluded me, though we were aparently following the same path."
Gideon tilts his head, and takes a few steps toward Ria. Not so close as to alarm her, and he is still a good distance away, but it is a gesture. He inclines his head deeply. "I am sorry about the kidnapping of your niece. I assure you, I will not hinder her rescue." Though he will be otherwise focused on those involved in the kidnapping and experimentation that he suspects is going on. He will have to speak to Bryn privately about what may be found when they get there. "Though, I must say, this will be the second time I will have rescued Miss Bishop. I hope she does not intend to make this an annual event."
Next his attention goes to Christian Knight. "Your sister is quite lucky to have you for her brother. Not many would take as great a risk as you are taking."
Beat.
"It is asking for a leap of faith, but if you would allow Peter to do so, he can put magic upon the ring. I assume it is your sister's? It's a spell that will assure you of her physical health and well being." Gideon might not be a magic user, but he's been around them for centuries. He knows the boy's locator spell would not have worked as it did if the girl were dead.
"Time is of the essence. Now that we have a location, we should descend upon it post haste. Though, I suspect that you lot are unaware of what may be waiting for you at the endpoint destination."
~*~
"Bloody hell."
It's Bryn's first statement, but it's also the first time that he's been made aware that this issue is far more widespread than just affecting those in New York City. It took them long enough to figure out what was happening, as those being taken were travelers or those with little to no associations with any of the major supernatural players. That it's happening all along the seaboard means that there is a larger issue at hand, and where they are going to extract Brooke and Siobhan from my not actually be the only location.
"We should head out now then. Immediately. I do not want them there any longer than necessary, and I fear they are not the only ones in need of rescue."
"Thank you," Ria says to the vampire. There's no tell giving him away, but his demeanor does, and the fact he had the forethought to keep himself shielded. "The second time?" Waving her hand, she says, "No matter. You can tell me all about it once she's safe."
Bryn glances at Peter, and then shrugs. "That's up to you, Christian. However, your locator spell would not have worked if she were dead." A glance is given to Gideon, then a quiet, "As far as I have surmised, they are up to some sort of experimentation. There is little reason to be grabbing hybrids if that were not the case."
~*~
Kieran is growing increasingly impatient. He's not too happy with standing still, when they have a location. He's not too happy with Gideon's appearance because the ancient vampire always knows more than he's sharing or telling. He'd like to believe that Gideon didn't know about Brooke, but there's no way to be sure. "Yes, heading out immediately is a very good idea."
~*~
"You know what we're going up against, Gideon?" Sera asks, sliding up beside her fiance. She moves with that natural predatory grace that marks her kind, and is not wound with tension the way her Maker is. The vampiress has yet to take a moment and consider it all, keeping her head up and staying professional and objective.
~*~
"From what I can discern, we are looking at a group of supernaturals, probably led by a vampire, an old one who knows how to avoid the attention of the Night Council, but one who isn't afraid of the Night Council. Likely with a handful of Hecanthenos serving his, or her, cause, with werewolves and other shifters and human magic users. This is not a small, messy operation. It may well not be the only one of its kind."
Gideon looks to Bryn and Ria, "I understand that your primary concern is the rescue of Miss Bishop and Mrs. Donovan. I, however, would like to stress the importance of taking one of those in power alive. It is necessary to find out who is behind this, and make certain that it is put to an end."
~*~
Christian consents to have Peter work the spell over his ring. It will give him additional piece of mind knowing that Siobhan is all right until they can get to her.
~*~
"Let us deal with this one operation first. Any others like it, we can send other Priory groups once we have an idea of the locations, to free any other supernaturals. Right now, we need to move. The window of opportunity is quickly closing. In fact we are nearly past the initial forty-eight hours, and I would really like it if no one had to remain in there a moment longer."
Bryn tosses Gideon a look, trying to read between the lines of his crypticism. He's fairly certain he's getting what the man is hinting at, which means that even if the women are rescued, it's really going to be the very least of their worries.
"Find one that is in power, then. Take them. Bind them, gag them, you can use the Priory house to obtain information, provided that you do not resort to out and out torture."
~*~
"Thank you for the offer, however, if the individual in charge here is a vampire, I believe I am better suited to acquiring information in a less hospitable environment." Meaning that if it is a vampire, Gideon has means and methods that he would rather not expose The Priory to. Of course, if it were a werewolf or a human, and The Priory were not involved, Gideon still has less kind methods of persausion.
"It is disappointing that we do not have a fey on hand," Gideon muses. "Shame that Preston I chose to distance the Van de Marks from the supernatural world and their fey roots."
~*~
"Of course."
Bryn clears his throat and starts to motion his people toward the van. "I do sincerely hope that whatever information you manage to… extract… will be passed on, as this is something that is affecting all of us." He can't compel Gideon to do anything that Gideon does not wish to do, but he can suggest that information be shared. There are also things he will need to look into once they return to New York. Primarily, what case Gideon is working on for himself.
"Grainne was otherwise occupied, though she did mention sending a granddaughter if one were available in the area." Chances are there won't be, but the offer was good enough for him.
"The Van de Marks, hmm? I had not heard of their fey roots, which obviously means they have gone to great lengths to keep them hidden." A brief glance is given to Christian, who obviously knows at least one Van de Mark. "This far down the line, the fey blood would be highly diluted though, would it not?"
~*~
"In this instance, I understand the need to open and sharing with information. This is a matter that affects the whole of the supernatural world."
Gideon gives a faint smile. "She is not overly fond of my sort. I find that it is somewhat easier to use other contacts or to call upon her quite infrequently. Though she is more interested in some than others."
"Preston I was three-quarters. I have no idea what facilitated the masking and hiding of such roots, but I assume that it was not done without good reason."
~*~
"Thank you, Gideon. Do you wish to ride with us? We do have room to fit three more." Bryn nods toward the van again, then nods. "Grainne… is particular with those of your kind. There are only a certain few that she will bother to speak with." And of those, he's met none.
"Which means that the youngest Preston Van de Mark is one-quarter. It would be interesting to find how much power still affects him, but another time perhaps. At the moment, we have women to rescue."
~*~
"I believe the fewer vehicles that approach, the better. We can strategize and plan from there." Gideon looks to the Coven witches and back to Bryn. "I assume you have the means of all keeping in contact with one another?"
~*~
"If I cast the spell before we breech the magical barrier it should hold. If not, I have enough walkie-talkies for everyone." Including the Coven witches, and Gideon's crew.
When they reach the van, Bryn opens the back of it. He moves to the equipment locker and starts pulling out the devices everyone needs. After handing them out, he nods at the driver, giving him the approximate GPS coordinates. He won't allow them to get too close to the clearing. Just enough that they won't have far to walk on foot.
