Lark; she’s a hunter from another clan out here to help us track Brandy and Ernie.”
Hansen nodded. “Good. I didn’t see anything on Tuesday or yesterday. I got in late Tuesday, early Wednesday. Was out for a run with my friends. The lights were on over there. But Brandy was a night owl. Worked on her loom. She’s a weaver. I feel like crap for not knowing they were missing. I’ve been their neighbor for four years. They’re good people.”
“Hansen, can I ask a favor of you?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“I’m tracking with my magick. Have you shifted and gone over the area at all? You see things on a whole different level and I’d appreciate your perspective.” Another thing they were stupid not to do, engage the help of those Others who could give it. Like a sharp-nosed werewolf for instance.
“I’d be honored.”
He shifted, scented and went around the entire property, through the house and came back out to them once again wearing a human skin and clothing.
“First I need to tell you we’ve had our own disappearance recently. I wasn’t at the scene afterward, but from what I understand, the scents were much like those here. I’m not supposed to talk about it with outsiders, but this has gone on long enough.I’m going to call my Alpha to see if we can’t share some info.” And then he told her all he’d found around the scene.
“SO this is what we know. Two Others entered the house from the rear. They used some sort of magic to subdue Brandy in her workroom and then went to Ernie where he was sleeping in their bedroom. They took them out the same back door and through the alley. They must have put them in a vehicle because the scent and magick imprints disappear at that point. Their neighbor, a werewolf from your local pack, shifted and investigated around the area. We may have a lead on the type of car they were in.”
Vivienne Septiem nodded. “I thank you so much for coming up here on such short notice. What’s next?”
“Dray and Portia are working on the vehicle leads. The local pack has offered to help and will get back to me later today on whatever, if anything, they find. They seem very eager to help. They like your witches. Moreover, they have a missing packmember as well. The situation is very similar. Similar enough that I believe they are connected. Which of course means this is far more organized and with a wider focus than we first believed.”
“Why would they attack witches and Weres? We’re different. Are you sure it’s not just a coincidence?”
Thank heavens Meriel hadn’t said anything like that when Lark had called her just an hour before to update her on the situation.
“We both have magick. That’s the common thread and we’re working on that angle now. As for Brandy and Ernie…” Lark sighed. “A big plus is that their neighborhood is pretty special. Not only are there a lot of Others around, but they’ve all come out of the woodwork with offers to help. I’m working with the people in Gennessee and Owen archives to pinpoint the signature I didn’t recognize. One of the witches from your archive went out this morning and he doesn’t recognize it either but he’s working on that as well.”
Vivienne sat back and held Lark’s gaze. “How long do we have? I mean, realistically, are they still alive?”
“Every minute we don’t find them makes that less and less a possibility. Which is why Dray put three shifts on it. You need to get everyone warded.” She explained the warding situation at Brandy and Ernie’s house. “I know it seems like we can handle anything. And if they’d been caught in another situation, they most likely could have. But from everything I’m seeing, they were stalked for some time before they were taken. Which means others may be in danger of the same thing.”
“We never used to have to worry about this.”
“Brave new world. Now we’re juicy steaks to starving, desperate criminals. We have the ability to
Hansen nodded. “Good. I didn’t see anything on Tuesday or yesterday. I got in late Tuesday, early Wednesday. Was out for a run with my friends. The lights were on over there. But Brandy was a night owl. Worked on her loom. She’s a weaver. I feel like crap for not knowing they were missing. I’ve been their neighbor for four years. They’re good people.”
“Hansen, can I ask a favor of you?”
“Of course. Anything.”
“I’m tracking with my magick. Have you shifted and gone over the area at all? You see things on a whole different level and I’d appreciate your perspective.” Another thing they were stupid not to do, engage the help of those Others who could give it. Like a sharp-nosed werewolf for instance.
“I’d be honored.”
He shifted, scented and went around the entire property, through the house and came back out to them once again wearing a human skin and clothing.
“First I need to tell you we’ve had our own disappearance recently. I wasn’t at the scene afterward, but from what I understand, the scents were much like those here. I’m not supposed to talk about it with outsiders, but this has gone on long enough.I’m going to call my Alpha to see if we can’t share some info.” And then he told her all he’d found around the scene.
“SO this is what we know. Two Others entered the house from the rear. They used some sort of magic to subdue Brandy in her workroom and then went to Ernie where he was sleeping in their bedroom. They took them out the same back door and through the alley. They must have put them in a vehicle because the scent and magick imprints disappear at that point. Their neighbor, a werewolf from your local pack, shifted and investigated around the area. We may have a lead on the type of car they were in.”
Vivienne Septiem nodded. “I thank you so much for coming up here on such short notice. What’s next?”
“Dray and Portia are working on the vehicle leads. The local pack has offered to help and will get back to me later today on whatever, if anything, they find. They seem very eager to help. They like your witches. Moreover, they have a missing packmember as well. The situation is very similar. Similar enough that I believe they are connected. Which of course means this is far more organized and with a wider focus than we first believed.”
“Why would they attack witches and Weres? We’re different. Are you sure it’s not just a coincidence?”
Thank heavens Meriel hadn’t said anything like that when Lark had called her just an hour before to update her on the situation.
“We both have magick. That’s the common thread and we’re working on that angle now. As for Brandy and Ernie…” Lark sighed. “A big plus is that their neighborhood is pretty special. Not only are there a lot of Others around, but they’ve all come out of the woodwork with offers to help. I’m working with the people in Gennessee and Owen archives to pinpoint the signature I didn’t recognize. One of the witches from your archive went out this morning and he doesn’t recognize it either but he’s working on that as well.”
Vivienne sat back and held Lark’s gaze. “How long do we have? I mean, realistically, are they still alive?”
“Every minute we don’t find them makes that less and less a possibility. Which is why Dray put three shifts on it. You need to get everyone warded.” She explained the warding situation at Brandy and Ernie’s house. “I know it seems like we can handle anything. And if they’d been caught in another situation, they most likely could have. But from everything I’m seeing, they were stalked for some time before they were taken. Which means others may be in danger of the same thing.”
“We never used to have to worry about this.”
“Brave new world. Now we’re juicy steaks to starving, desperate criminals. We have the ability to
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