CHAPTER TEN
No one was sure exactly where they were going, but Luna led them on anyway. Trish was right... State Street was the only logical location for a mansion. She had to believe they'd be able to find it, even if it was cloaked by a ton of magic.

Partway there, they encountered an army of vrettay. "Nonjas!" Jason cried as he spotted them.

"Piece of cake," Maverick declared as he began unceremoniously setting them on fire.

"Save some for the rest of us, Mav," Gavin protested. "We all wanna play."

Several more vrettay suddenly burst from the shadows. "You just had to open your mouth, Gav!" Harvey shouted.

"Come on, guys! We've got this," Ambrose said firmly. "Vrettay are practically child's play."

Teenie smirked and started torching vrettay left and right. "Take that, Jerks!" She cried with glee.

Nat seemed almost as gleeful as Teenie as she started decapitating them with her sword. "It's nice to do something familiar," she said cheerfully. "It keeps my skills sharp."

"Watch out, Manny!" Regan cried. She impaled one of the vrettay who had somehow managed to sneak up on him.

"Thanks, Regan," Manny mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Jamie asked in obvious concern.

"I'm good," Manny lied. Luna noticed how weak he suddenly looked.

"Manny, when was the last time you fed?" Luna demanded.

"This morning. I swear. Lillith noticed I didn't look well and left me no choice in the matter."

"Then where did all the energy go?" Jamie asked.

Suddenly, Raven grabbed onto an invisible force. The energy began to take on a physical form.

"How are you doing that?" Nat asked in surprise.

"I have no idea," Raven admitted.

"Well, don't stop. Let's see who we're dealing with," Jennifer said.

The man fully manifested. Luna had never seen him before, but she felt the magic on the weapon in his hands.

"Get the knife," she said to Jamie.

Jamie wasted no time grabbing the man's arm. He tensed as they tried to use their magic on him, but it didn't hit him like it should have. Instead, he grabbed Jamie and tossed them into the wall of one of the houses.

"Jamie!" Joan cried in alarm.

"I've got them," Eric promised. "Stay with my brother and Tex, Joanie." He ran to Jamie and started healing them.

"He's immune to Jamie? What the fuck?" Harvey demanded.

"I'll get the knife," Jason offered.

"Wait," Luna said suddenly. "Not you, Jason."

"I'll be f-" He paused. "You called me Jason."

"I think I know what we're dealing with here. It can't be you, Jason."

"Why not?"

"He's partially immune to Jamie's powers and he was able to drain Manny without him immediately noticing. The only entity capable of moving that closely around an incubus completely undetected is-"

"Another incubus..." Hiro said in horror.

"And none of the people currently present are immune to incubi except Jamie and Manny himself. Neither one is in the shape to fight right now."

"This must be the same incubus who is feeding on Cecelia. We need to get that knife away from him," Hiro said urgently.

Manny collapsed on the ground and began seizing. "Shit! What do we do?" Gunnar asked. "Can my powers give him an energy boost?"

"Even if you and Matty both tried to use lightning to give him energy, it won't help," Hiro said. "He has a hole in his energy field from that dagger. The energy will just drain right out of him."

"We have to help him!" Teenie sobbed as she knelt beside him. She continued setting vrettay on fire as they tried to get close to Manny, not even looking up from his face as she did.

"Someone needs to get Lillith or Mari. Manny's too weak. He'll kill anyone else if he tries to feed," Fallon said.

"He's right," Luna decided. "Jason, go to the ship and get one or both of them as fast as you can." She activated a portal line. Jason didn't protest for once, touching the line and going for help immediately.

"Harvey, Nat... Can you two use your telekinesis to help me?" Raven asked.

"Uh, sure... I guess," Harvey replied. "What's the plan?"

"I need the knife."

"Raven, no way. That's too dangerous," Luna protested.

"Luna... Please, I need you to trust me. I know what to do. If Harvey and Nat work together, they'll be strong enough to get the knife away from him."

"I'll help," Kei volunteered. "A spell grenade should keep the fucker nice and distracted."

"Alright, everyone else, scatter to the edges of this area and avoid the grenade at all costs," Luna said. "If Kei says to duck and cover, do it. Keep yourselves sharp, and if any vrettay come near you, destroy them. Zeke, wrap a forcefield around Manny. Teenie, go to your sisters."

"No! Manny needs me," Teenie insisted.

"It's okay, Luna," Zeke said. "I'll keep them both safe. I promise."

Luna nodded. "Alright, now, Zeke," she said.

Zeke created the forcefield. The incubus moved closer to them, probably intending to try to drain the magic out of the shield.

"Ready? Get your butts out of the crossfire!" Kei shouted as she activated the grenade.

Everyone who could run did. Zeke kept himself close to Teenie and Manny. They remained safe behind the forcefield as the incubus started getting hit by spells.

"That is still the coolest invention ever," Joey commented lightly.

"Thanks," Kei replied with a smirk.

"Nat, Harvey, you're up," Luna said.

Nat smiled at Harvey and offered her his hand. He took it before they both focused on the knife. Together, they were easily able to summon it away from the incubus.

Nat handed it to Raven. "As requested," she said cheerfully.

"Thanks," Raven replied.

"Now what?" Harvey asked.

Raven raised the knife into the air. Luna could feel the power flowing through it as Raven plunged it into the earth. The energy began rapidly draining out of the knife, returning to its proper owners. Manny stopped seizing, although he still looked very pale and he remained unconscious.

"That's what you did on Owl's Day with Girard's ritual knife," Luna remembered. "Raven, you're brilliant."

"I don't think anyone's ever called me that before," Raven replied awkwardly.

"That's because the False King was an asshole who made everyone think you were stupid. You're anything but. Good job."

He smiled at her shyly. Now, Luna understood why the elderly Shaman had insisted Raven needed to be with them.

She noticed the incubus was clearly trying to absorb the spells, but they were coming at him too rapidly. The glamour he'd apparently cast on himself shattered with the last spell and they saw his true face. He was incredibly handsome, with dark hair and eyes.

Chris stared at him with wide eyes and his jaw dropped. At first, Luna assumed they had another Jason situation and he was caught up in the incubus's energy. Then, Chris asked, "Killian?"

The incubus slowly stood up. He was wounded, but not as much as Luna had hoped. He grinned at Chris and replied, "Hey, Bog. It's been a while." He winked at him and added, "Looking good, Chicago. See you soon." He vanished into a portal.

"What the fuck just happened?" Luna asked. "Do you know him, Chris?"

"I thought I did," Chris replied. "He's an indy wrestler. We've worked together a few times. He goes by Killian Krew... I don't know if Krew's a gimmick name, but Killian's his real name... At least that's what he told me."

Julian frowned. "So you two worked together? That can't be a coincidence," he said.

"Yeah, and, um... Full disclosure, he likes to flirt with me... And I kind of have a habit of flirting back. But nothing ever happened between us."

"At least we know he hasn't fed on you," Julian replied looking relieved. Luna wondered if he was a little bit jealous. Julian wasn't that type, but knowing his boyfriend liked to flirt with an incubus might just bring it out in him.

"Okay, so the incubus is gone for the moment and the vrettay are dead, so we should keep going," Luna said.

Jason returned at that moment with Mari and Lillith by his side. "Oh shit..." Mari mumbled as she spotted Manny.

"Yeah, and this is after Raven returned the energy in the knife," Luna replied.

"He'll be alright," Lillith said. "We'll repair the hole in his energy."

"Jamie, do you need to go with them?" Luna asked.

"I'm alright, Captain," Jamie replied. "Eric fixed me up."

"Is anyone else hurt?"

"I think we're all okay," Jennifer replied.

"I'll take your word for it, Empath," Luna decided. "Let's go rescue my best friend."

+

There was too much blood in the air. Remy had returned with Shadow and the two women had taken turns torturing Sphinx in a pocket realm outside of time. What may have only been minutes in the outside world had been several days for Sphinx. When they finally tired of him, they'd brought him back to the basement, and Onyx had resumed his turn.

If Sphinx had been anyone else, he would have died several times over by now.

Onyx left him, still chained, over a pool of blood. He'd taken several vials of blood from him and had absorbed an enormous amount of his energy. Sphinx was an unrecognizable mess and didn't even have the strength to shapeshift to hide it.

Help is coming, Sphinx reminded himself. Joanna knows about Onyx. Luna will come. The Pirates will find you. Just hold on a little bit longer. You can do this. You can survive this.

"Well, I don't really have much choice in that, do I?" Sphinx asked aloud. He laughed, but he didn't really feel humorous. All he could feel anymore was pain and fear.

Normally, he'd have slipped into a labyrinth to escape by now, but he couldn't focus around Onyx. It hadn't even occurred to him until now. Sphinx tried to focus and created a very small labyrinth. He barely managed to slip inside before it shattered.

"Nice try, Sphinxy, but I've got so much of your magic in my energy field right now I can easily break your labyrinths," Onyx taunted him as he reappeared. "Don't waste your energy on party tricks."

"Why are you doing this?" Sphinx asked weakly.

"Because I missed you, Sphinx." He kissed his lips almost gently, like he wanted to comfort him. For a split second, Sphinx was a child again, and Onyx was a familiar presence he trusted and looked up to. Then, Onyx bit his lip, drawing just a little bit of blood, and Sphinx snapped out of it.

Onyx licked Sphinx's blood off of his lips. "I think you're ready for the fun part," he decided aloud. "Your energy is extraordinary, Sphinx. There is no other like it. Your magic is completely unique. I always enjoyed touching it so intimately..."

"Don't..." Sphinx whispered.

"Shhh... Everything's going to be alright, Sphinxy. I'm going to make it all better." Onyx started to undress himself.

"What the fuck is going on here?" A voice demanded from the stairs.

"I captured a prisoner, my Prince," Onyx replied innocently.

"Get away from him," Sam said harshly, surprising Sphinx.

"But, my Prince-" Onyx protested.

"I want you out of this house, Onyx. Now."

"I'm only trying to destroy one of your enemies."

"There are ways to do that with your clothes on. I mean it, Onyx. I don't like rapists. Get the fuck out of my house."

"Easy, Sammy," Remy said as she came downstairs.

"I want him gone, Remy," Sam replied firmly.

"I know you do. Everything's alright, Little Prince." Remy touched his hand and squeezed it. "Forget about what you just witnessed. You're going to help us torture Sphinx, the best friend of the bitch who murdered your father."

Sam seemed confused as he mumbled, "I... Um..."

"He deserves to suffer, Sam. He's a traitor. Of everyone, he was the Pirate Queen's biggest cheerleader and ally. Make him pay for what he has done."

"Make him pay..." Sam repeated.

"Keep your clothes on, Onyx," Remy said as she released Sam's hand. "And next time, be more careful. Sam was a foster kid. He's not big on rapists and pedophiles, and I think he figured out you're both before I made him forget. He already kicked Hyde to the curb. I don't especially care what torture methods you use or what you do for fun, but I'll only clean up your messes so many times before I grow bored with your antics."

"Understood. Thank you, Remy," Onyx replied.

Sam was visibly entranced. Sphinx realized that the boy had no choice but to follow Remy's order. Somehow, she'd taken control of his mind temporarily, and until it wore off, Sphinx wasn't safe.

Thanks for trying, Kid, he thought. I won't forget that.

Sam wasn't pure evil yet. That much was clear to Sphinx. It was hard to remember, however, as Sam joined Remy and Onyx in the ritualistic torture session which followed.

Luna will find me, Sphinx told himself. Lu's on her way. She's coming... She...

He blacked out from pain before he could complete the last thought.

+

Someone was suffering horribly. Jeli could feel it. After Onyx, Remy, and Sam came upstairs, Remy told Sam to lay down and rest. He looked haunted and confused, but he was radiating with power.

"Preston, keep an eye on the Faerie Princess," Remy said. "Onyx and I need to run an errand."

"Certainly," Mr. Preston replied.

As they were left alone, Jeli realized Mr. Preston looked uncomfortable. He watched her closely, but kept distance between them physically.

"You look like a man who could use some tea," Jeli finally said just to break the tension in the air.

He looked surprised. "Tea would be lovely, my dear," he replied.

She nodded and began to warm up the water as she selected a relaxing herbal blend from the cupboard. She carefully slipped in a few extra herbs, knowing what they'd do.

When the tea was fully brewed, she offered him a cup. Mr. Preston sipped it and visibly relaxed. "This is wonderful. Thank you, Princess Jeli," he said.

"No problem. If we're going to live together, I may as well be friendly," Jeli replied.

He drank more of the tea as he sat on the couch reading. She waited until she heard the book fall onto the floor before she finally relaxed.

"Mr. Preston?" She called. He didn't reply. She knew he'd sleep for the next few hours. His dreams would be peaceful and he would wake up very relaxed, but at least he wouldn't be able to watch her for a little while.

Jeli ran to the front door. It didn't open. "Enchanted. Typical," she mumbled.

Curiosity got the better of her and she headed toward the door to the basement. She slipped it open and nervously walked down the steps. She was not prepared for what she saw.

Someone was chained up. He'd been severely beaten. The amount of blood in the room told Jeli he shouldn't still be alive, but he was breathing. The breaths were severely labored and shallow, but somehow, he wasn't dead.

He was unconscious and whimpering softly, an incoherent word escaping his lips every few seconds.

"Lu..." He mumbled. "Lu... Lu..." Tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Oh my goodness..." Jeli whispered as she realized who he must be. "Sphinx?"

This bloody, bruised, broken boy looked nothing like Sphinx, but she knew it must be him. She reached toward him, brushing some of the bloody hair out of his face. He opened his eyes and flinched away from her hand in terror.

"No more..." Sphinx whimpered. "Please just... Just let me die..."

Jeli's heart broke. She might not know Sphinx, but he was her favorite character on the anime. He was a good guy. He didn't deserve any of this.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sphinx," she promised. "You're going to be alright... I'll heal you." She immediately started to try and realized his injuries were even worse than they looked. It would take every ounce of magic she had just to get him somewhat mobile, but if she could spare him further suffering and help him escape, it would be worth it.

It took a while for Sphinx to process what she was trying to do. "Jeli..." He mumbled as he finally stopped actively bleeding. "Jeli, stop. You'll hurt yourself."

"I'll be okay," she replied stubbornly.

"You're as bad as Holly Lynn."

"Well, I do play her on TV," Jeli joked. "I'm a Faerie, Sphinx. I can keep drawing magic from the environment around me. I'll be fine."

"Did they hurt you?"

"No... Sam won't let them. Don't worry, Sphinx. I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"If you do, Sam won't be able to protect you from their wrath. Come with me, Jeli. Your aunt is at the castle."

"I can't. The doors are enchanted to keep me inside the house unless Sam's with me."

"Have you tried a window?"

"That's next on my list, but I'm guessing it won't work either."

"The Pirates are coming for me... Luna is coming for me," he said almost like a mantra. He took a deep breath before he added, "They'll find a way to rescue you, too."

"Quit worrying about me. You're the one who's severely wounded." She went back to healing him.

"Naughty little Princess..." Remy said from the stairs. She cackled before adding, "How should I punish you?"

"Jeli, go! Run!" Sphinx said.

"I'm not leaving you here to be tortured," Jeli replied firmly.

Remy grabbed Jeli by her hair and dragged her away from Sphinx. "Sammy's not available to protect you right now, Jeli. I'll make sure to tell him about how Sphinx attacked you and you died from your injuries before I could save you."

Remy tried to attack her. Sphinx wrapped a labyrinth around Jeli. It was small and barely stable, but it kept her safe. Jeli could still hear what was happening outside of the labyrinth.

"Well played, Sphinx," Remy said. "I didn't think you had the strength for that. But now, you have a choice to make... Let the labyrinth break to try and save yourself, or sit here while we torture you all over again. She only stopped the bleeding... You're still so injured you can barely function. Keeping her in that labyrinth will weaken you quickly."

"Go... Fuck... Yourself," Sphinx replied firmly.

His screams soon pierced the labyrinth. That was when it started moving. When it finally shattered, Jeli was no longer in the basement. Instead, she was in Sam's room. She was half-tempted to go back to the basement, but she knew she would only make things worse for Sphinx.

Defeated, Jeli crawled into bed beside Sam and started crying. He automatically pulled her closer in his sleep. She wept into his chest softly as he held her.

I'll get us out of this, Sam, she silently vowed. I know you wouldn't hurt Sphinx. Whatever Remy did to you, I'll fix it. Somehow, I'll fix all of this.

+

"This is useless!" Regan shouted in frustration. "We have been up and down State Street three times already and we can't find this mansion."

"We'll find it," Reggie replied soothingly. "We'll find it, and we'll get Sphinx back, and everything will be okay."

"We need to find another way... There has to be a clue as to where they have him."

"We should track Mr. Preston," Matty said suddenly.

"Why him?" Jason asked in confusion.

"Because we know he's with them, but they would never expect us to track him. Of all of them, he's been the least involved. They're less likely to have gone through the trouble of cloaking his energy as thoroughly as they cloaked everyone else's. With the right tracking spell, we'll be able to find him... And I know just the one..."

"Since when is Matty a tactical genius?" Regan asked. "I'm impressed. It's so obvious yet we all failed to think of it."

"Okay, so how do we track Mr. Preston?" Trish asked.

"I can't currently hear his thoughts," Joanna replied. "And we don't have anything of his for you to touch. So I guess Matty will have to try the spell."

"I can do it," Neil said softly.

"How will you track him, Neil?" Moira asked curiously.

"He's my uncle," Neil replied.

"Holy shit... I actually forgot about that," Luna said.

"I wish I could forget," Neil said with a sad smile. "He's my only living relative and he's a disgrace to the family."

No one told him about Augustus, Regan realized. He doesn't know that one of his cousins is still alive, just in hiding.

Reggie seemed to realize the same thing. He was clearly about to say something when Regan shook her head.

We'll tell him if Luna and Sphinx authorize it, she told Reggie telepathically. And not in front of everyone. Auggie is safe. Sienna would have wanted us to keep it that way.

Reggie nodded and said nothing. Sphinx basically had the ultimate say over who got to know about Augustus. After all, he'd been closer to Sienna than anyone. If he and Luna were unavailable to make the call, it should probably fall to Jennifer. No one trusted Flynn enough to let him make choices about the kid's safety, but since he had left him in the care of the Jarmels, Jennifer was basically his adopted sister.

"Give it a try, Neil. This way, Matty can save his energy but we're still doing something better than wandering aimlessly," Luna decided.

"Anchor me, Dylan," Neil said.

Regan knew Dylan's water magic complimented Neil's ice and snow magic well. She watched as Dylan took Neil's hand and grounded him as Neil tried to sense Edgar Preston.

"He's this way," Neil said suddenly. "In a house on the edge of town that's cloaked by magic... Every time we get near it, we suddenly turn around."

"Son of a bitch," Luna mumbled.

"So how do we get inside without the spell distracting us?" Tex asked.

"If you can show me the inside of the house, I can teleport in," Silas volunteered. He looked anxious, almost desperate.

Something's going on with him, Regan realized. His body language implied that much. He seemed almost guilty. She wondered what that was about. He left Sphinx alone in town... Maybe he blames himself for his abduction... Or maybe it's something more.

Silas was their ally. He'd stood with them against the False King... But the Pirates had trusted the wrong people before. Doe and Grimm were proof that not everyone was who they seemed. Regan decided she'd keep an eye on Silas from now on, just in case.

"You can only bring two people with you at a time," Jeremiah pointed out. "Even if you and Chris teleported in, that would only be six people. We need to go in as a unit, before they catch on to our plan."

"He's right. It's too risky to send you in without the rest of us to back you up," Luna decided.

"I'll lead us toward the mansion," Neil said. "We'll figure out a way in when we get closer."

They started walking again. Regan remained on high alert, ready for any trouble that might come their way.

+

We have your shapeshifter.

The words echoed through Gabriel's mind suddenly. He hesitated before responding, knowing he couldn't ignore this.

What have you done with Sphinx, Shadow? He replied to the older sister he normally tried so hard to keep out of his mind.

Ruby is playing with him. She let me join the fun for a bit in a timeless pocket realm. Now, he is with an old friend of yours, she replied.

Which friend?

I fear you'll need to figure that out on your own. He doesn't have much time, Gabriel. His mind is going to shatter soon. He may survive physically, but the mind can only endure so much torture before it breaks.

Why are you telling me this?

Because the Pirates will never find him in time... But you might. Let's see how sharp your skills are, Little Brother. I fear time is about to run out. Tick, tock...

The connection ended. "What was that about?" Gabriel wondered. Then suddenly, he understood.

"She kept stressing fear," he said aloud.

"Who did?" Lucas asked in confusion.

"Shadow. She stressed the word fear and said tick, tock... Who do we know that loved using that phrase?"

Lucas thought for a moment, then paled. "Onyx," he said. "Are you saying that twisted son of a bitch is back?"

"Maybe he never died to begin with."

"We were both at the execution, Gabe."

"Girard liked Onyx. The day he was arrested, he told him he'd do everything he could to help him... What if he faked his death?"

"Alright, I'm willing to entertain that idea... Why would your sister reach out and tell you Onyx was back?"

"She said they have Sphinx."

"Crap... That must be where Luna and her crew ran off to. I still don't understand why Shadow would tell you all of this unless it was a trap."

"It could be," Gabriel admitted, "but it didn't feel that way."

"Gabe, I know she's your sister, but-"

"It's not that. I know Shadow is evil... But she has a warped set of morals. I don't think she likes Onyx. If Ruby is forcing her to work with him, she might have given me the warning just to spite her."

"I thought they were the best of friends," Lucas said dryly.

"They are, but my sister hates being forced to work with assholes. We were raised in the Insurrection, and trust me, the original members were pretty awful. Shadow tends to recruit people she trusts or respects unless Ruby tells her to work with someone specific."

"So what do we do? Do we trust this and try to rescue Sphinx, or do we leave it to the Pirates?"

"Shadow knows they're coming. They aren't safe. If nothing else, we need to warn them of that."

"You're right. Do you want me to call the others in?"

"If the Circle goes in with guns blazing, we might just make it worse. Let them know the situation. I will join Luna and the Pirates and do my best to ensure Sphinx is rescued safely."

"Alright. Be careful, Gabriel."

"I will."

Gabriel headed to find the Pirates. What he found instead was his sister. She smirked at him as she said, "You might want to use this." She handed him a rose quartz.

"You were never one for love and light," Gabriel commented as he wondered what the hell she was up to.

"It will help calm you so Onyx won't affect you as strongly."

"Shadow... Why are you helping me?"

"Can't a sister help her baby brother without an ulterior motive?"

"Not when that sister is a sociopath."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Let's just say that I don't like Onyx any more than you do... And Sphinx is pathetically helpless against him. It's hardly a fair fight."

"Since when do you care about fairness?"

Something glowed red beneath her shirt. "Just save your little friend, Gabriel," she said quickly.

"Shadow, what is that?"

"Mine. Now, go. Or let his mind shatter. I don't especially care."

He realized with surprise that she did care. "Thanks for the stone," he said.

"I charged it for you. It will be a lot stronger than an ordinary rose quartz. It should dull the effects of Onyx's energy long enough for you to free the shapeshifter. Don't linger, Gabriel. Ruby and Marcus will target you."

"I understand."

"Follow your instincts. You'll find the house. I'm the one who cloaked it, so you are the only person who will always be able to find it with or without my permission. Now go."

Gabriel started walking, allowing his feet to lead him where he needed to go. He found Luna and the others standing outside of a mansion looking frustrated.

"I'm here to help," Gabriel said. "I see you found their hideout. Why haven't you gone inside yet?"

"We can't see it," Luna explained. "Wait... You can see it?"

"My sister is the one who cloaked it," Gabriel replied. "So yes, I can see it. The question is, how do I help the rest of you see it, too?"

"I can almost see it," Raven said. "It's sort of like I see the outline... I know exactly where it is, but it's not quite physically there."

"You're a Shaman. Illusion magic won't work as well on you now that your powers have been awakened," Jeremiah explained.

"Gee, it would really be helpful if someone could shatter the illusion spell, right?" A voice asked in amusement.

Gabriel turned around. Mari grinned at him. "I had it on good authority that you guys might need some help," she explained. "Lillith would have come with me, but Manny's still in bad shape. He needs her. Besides, the labyrinths around the ship started failing. We managed to stabilize the rooms, but the ship itself is unprotected. Lillith's casting a water shield to keep it safe for now."

"If the labyrinths are failing..." Trish began.

"Is Sphinx...?" Teenie asked in terror.

"He's still alive," Mari reassured them. "That's a permanent condition for him. No one's strong enough to undo whatever Luna did to him. But he's severely injured and probably in extreme distress."

"I'm going to kill them all," Luna vowed.

"And I'll help, all in good time. Right now, we need to get Sphinx back. Give me sixty seconds and you'll be able to see the mansion clearly." Mari set to work breaking the spell.

Gabriel focused, clutching the rose quartz in his right hand. He could feel the power flowing through it. Shadow had told him the truth about that much. He had to believe the rest was true as well. As the spell cloaking the house shattered, Gabriel braced himself for the coming fight.

+

The mansion was quiet. Nat had a feeling that wasn't a good sign. She clung to her sword, ready to fight, as they moved deeper into the building as a group.

"Remy took Sam and Jeli and fled to another location about ten minutes ago," Hiro said suddenly. "She knew we were coming."

"Shadow must have warned her to take them and run," Gabriel replied. "She wants Onyx stopped, but that doesn't mean she'll ever betray Ruby."

"Who's still here?" Jason asked.

"Marcus and Onyx are in the basement with Sphinx," Jennifer said. "I can hear them... All of them." She looked like she might cry. Hiro took her hand, which instantly seemed to ground her.

"Where's your uncle, Neil?" Ambrose asked.

"I'm not sure," Neil replied. "I think he's asleep."

As they reached a large room, Luna said, "Yeah, the bastard's out cold." She motioned toward the couch. "I should slit his throat now and do the world a favor."

"As much as I support that idea, Preston's been sedated," Mari replied. "He's not a threat right now. I don't think it'll wear off for a few hours."

"Sedated? By who?" Chris asked in surprise.

"Jeli," Hiro replied in obvious amusement. "She slipped extra herbs into his tea to knock him out."

"Alright, let's go to the basement," Ambrose said.

That was when Tex started screaming. He sank to his knees and covered his ears as he shouted, "Shut up! Shut up! Just be quiet! Stop it!"

"Jo..." Moira said.

Joanna grabbed Tex and stared deep into his eyes. "You only hear me," she said firmly. "You're safe, Tex. Everything's going to be fine. Focus on my voice."

"Zeke, be ready to shield the telepaths and empaths," Ambrose said.

Unfortunately, Zeke wasn't listening. Instead, he was fighting something the others couldn't see. "No! Stay away from me!" He shouted.

"Crap... So much for that plan," Harvey said. "Hey, Zeke, snap out of it! Nothing's there!"

"They're everywhere! Stop crawling on me!" Zeke screamed.

"What's he talking about?" Chris asked.

"Zeke kind of has a thing about bugs," Joey replied.

"Kind of? He's severely afraid of insects," Gil clarified. "Zeke, there'd nothing there. It's okay. Just breathe..."

Zeke began throwing forcefields up. One slammed into Joan and Grant, knocking them through the air. Nat threw her hands up automatically and managed to catch them with a shield of air that stopped them from hurting themselves as they landed.

"Hmmm... I still don't know how to do that intentionally, but I'll take it," Nat decided aloud.

The next forcefield narrowly missed Joey, who slipped out of time and reappeared a few seconds after the forcefield broke.

"Zeke, knock it the fuck off!" Harvey shouted. "You almost killed my brother!" He flung a telekinetic attack at Zeke. It hit a forcefield and bounced back toward Harvey.

"No!" Trish screamed as she apparently saw it coming seconds before the attack would have hit him. She jumped in front of Harvey, absorbing the blow, and slammed head-first into a wall.

"Trish!" Teenie shouted as she ran to her side.

"Oh my God," Moira said in horror as she knelt beside Trish's unconscious body.

"You idiot!" Joanna shouted at him. In breaking eye contact with Tex, she lost control of his mind and he began screaming again.

"Oh shit... Oh shit, I didn't mean for that to happen..." Harvey said.

"Everyone, calm down," Luna said firmly. "The more upset you get, the harder the fear magic will hit you. Take a deep breath, all of you, before you fall under Onyx's control."

Winston began healing Trish as everyone else did as Luna said. Joanna took control of Tex's mind again.

"Zeke, listen to me," Joan began. She tried to touch his arm but started screaming.

"Joanie!" Grant cried. He pulled her into his arms but almost immediately let go as he began to panic. "Stay back!" He shouted as he cut his finger.

"Bad idea, Grant," Eric said. He healed the small cut before the blood could hit the floor.

"Zeke, it's going to be okay," Reggie said soothingly. He approached him from behind and cautiously touched him. Then, he began to hyperventilate.

"Father..." Reggie whispered in horror. He backed away from Zeke slowly, trembling violently.

"What just happened?" Nat asked. "Why is the fear suddenly spreading so fast?"

"The spell must be infectious," Jeremiah replied. "Do not touch anyone who is being affected."

Reggie started sobbing. He curled up in a corner, rocking with his knees to pressed his chest.

Zeke started screaming again. He prepared to send an attack straight at Reggie.

Regan attacked Zeke, knocking him unconscious with one firm hit to his head. "What the hell did you do that for?" Ambrose demanded.

"With his power, he's too big of a threat in this state," Regan replied.

"You touched him... Why aren't you panicking over your worst fear?" Gavin asked.

"I'm only afraid of one thing," Regan replied. "And that's losing my brother. Not only does that fear just make me fight harder, but I just saved his life. I'm good. Onyx can't affect me."

"Silas, get Zeke out of here," Luna said.

"You guys need my help," Silas protested.

"Right now, Zeke is defenseless and needs you to get him somewhere safe. You can come back after you do that. Can I count on you or not, Silas? Because Chris would have just done it when I told him to and been back by now."

Silas took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course you can. I'll be back in a minute." He pulled Zeke into his arms and teleported away.

"That was a little harsh, Luna," Chris said.

"Zeke was defenseless. Someone had to get him out, and I'd rather keep you here for the duration if possible," Luna replied. "Besides, this is war. In war, you don't question orders, you follow them."

"I get that... Silas just seems kind of sensitive."

"We don't have the luxury of coddling his ego right now. I'll be nicer to him when we're not about to face an extremely dangerous psychopath."

"Fair enough."

The spell began hitting the others. Hiro broke down sobbing. Lightning started striking inside of the mansion.

"Hyung! Hyung, stop!" Jason cried in alarm. He took a deep breath and turned into a dragon. As he flew to Hiro's side, he seemed to remain in control of himself despite touching his brother. He nudged Hiro and put his head in his lap. As Hiro began to stroke his head, he seemed to calm down a bit.

"Why didn't the spell hit Jason?" Nat asked in surprise.

"I'm pretty sure that, in his dragon form, Jason has a stronger immunity to spells, especially ones like this. His courage also increases when he's in this form. Even if the fears hit him, he may feel anxiety, but it's much harder to actually make him panic," Mari replied. "Dragons are strong, determined creatures by nature."

Silas returned just as more people started screaming. "I see things got worse," he said.

"We need to get everyone calm enough to go into the basement, but how?" Neil asked.

Gabriel was mumbling something as he clung to a rose quartz. A soothing energy slowly began coming out of him. It began to spread, but just as fast as it did, so did the fear spell.

Jennifer sank to the ground, clutching her head and Nat could tell she was desperately trying to create a shield to protect herself. As she did, she started to levitate.

"You're getting good at that, Jen!" Nat called up to her.

"Jennifer, are you alright?" Jeremiah asked.

"It's not hitting me as hard up here," Jennifer replied.

"Alright, just breathe and focus. We'll find a way to calm everyone down so you can get back on the ground."

Suddenly, Nat felt a sense of dread. Something was lurking. She knew it. Whatever it was, it was coming for her...

Brittany... A voice she knew whispered. Brittany, my darling daughter... You must fight it. Focus on my voice.

Father? Nat thought. She hadn't heard his voice since Owl's Day, when Manny had used a machine to heal and manifest his spirit. After Luna decapitated Nat's Uncle Stepfather, her birth father had reunited with his spirit and crossed him over, promising to stay with him. He hadn't whispered to Nat or shown himself to her since.

I am with you, Daughter. I always will be, even when you do not hear me, he said soothingly.

What about Uncle Stepfather? Nat asked.

Her father chuckled lightly in response to her choice of words and she knew he was amused by her nickname for Girard. Part of me remains with my brother, he replied. The other part is with you, your mother, and your sisters.

Both of them? Even Taylee?

Taylee may not be my daughter, but she is my niece. More importantly, she is your mother's child. She is part of my beloved Beth. I care for her as deeply as I care for you and Victoria.

Father... Can Sam- I mean, Vincent- still be saved?

That depends on his choices, Brittany... The twins in our line are cursed, but he can choose to fight. My brother tried to, but he wasn't strong enough in the end... Perhaps Vincent will be different. After all, he is your mother's son, and as you well know, your mother's children tend to be rather determined and stubborn. He chuckled again softly. It was an incredibly soothing sound and it filled Nat's heart with light.

Now focus, my dearest Brittany... You must prepare to fight, he said.

I love you, Father, she replied quickly.

I love you as well. Always, my sweet girl...

"Everyone, listen to me," Mari said firmly, making Nat become aware of her surroundings again. The feeling of dread lingered, but as she held on to the memory of her father's voice, she managed not to give in to fear. More people were screaming and attacking invisible threats. The ones who weren't panicking turned to look at Mari. "Get behind Gabriel. His spell should keep you safe while I break Onyx's hold on the others."

They moved behind Gabriel. Nat felt better almost immediately. The spell was visible, and a wall of light pink energy surrounded them. Mari began to cast her spell. The power radiating off of her was enormous. Nat had never realized just how powerful Mari really was until that moment.

The screams stopped. People began breathing normally. Gabriel extended his shield so it touched the people who'd panicked and began to soothe them. Trish was conscious and Winston had fully healed her head. Harvey was hugging her with tears in his eyes and whispering apologies in an uncharacteristic show of remorse. Jennifer slowly floated back toward the ground.

"Are you okay, Jen?" Nat asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Jennifer replied.

Hiro stood up. Jason remained in dragon form. "The spell's broken. Can't he turn back?" Nat asked.

"Jason thinks it's safer if he stays in this form for now," Jennifer replied. "Onyx affects people even without spells. He won't be able to get to Jason as long as he's a dragon."

"He's right," Mari said. "That's a good plan."

"Stay close to me and Hiro, Pretty Boy," Luna said, stroking his face gently for a moment. She hadn't flown into a panic like most of the others, but Nat could tell she'd been a bit shaken up. Jason rubbed his face against hers. That seemed to give her an extra burst of strength as she said, "Let's go kick this fucker's ass."

+

Silas wasn't sure what to expect when they entered the basement. What he saw, however, almost made him vomit as he became overwhelmed with guilt.

Sphinx was chained up. There was blood everywhere. His body was covered in lashes, cuts, bruises, and so much blood he was barely recognizable. His eyes were vacant as he stared at the floor. For a moment, Silas forgot Sphinx couldn't die, and he was about to panic before Sphinx blinked. A few tears streamed down Sphinx's cheeks, mixing with blood as they did. He was completely catatonic, but he was alive.

"Sphinx..." Luna whispered in horror. Rage filled her eyes, but Silas could see the pain behind that.

"Hello, Luna," Marcus said darkly as he showed himself. "I'm so pleased to see you made it." He drew his sword.

Jason moved protectively in front of Luna, breathing fire at Marcus in warning. "Don't worry, Pretty Boy," Luna said as she manifested fire in her hands. "I can handle this fucking bastard myself."

The mood in the basement changed. Darkness seemed to surround them. Everyone tensed. Some people started to panic. Silas remained perfectly calm.

As everyone began to battle invisible threats or hide from them, Silas continued to stare at Sphinx.

I did this to him, he thought in horror. I walked him straight into a trap... This is my fault... But I didn't think Onyx would go this far... I didn't mean for Sphinx to get hurt...

"Hello, Friend," Onyx said softly as he moved beside him. "You have done well, Silas. You can have your first reward now."

"What did you do to him, Onyx?" Silas whispered.

"I just played with my old friend. Don't worry, Sy. He can't die, remember? He'll be fine in a little while. Now... Pretend you're terrified of something before they catch on that I'm not affecting you."

"Why aren't you affecting me?"

"Because you're helping me, silly. I don't attack my allies without reason. I shielded you from my energy. So, act terrified, and then go play the hero despite it."

Silas screamed, trying to pretend he was as scared as everyone else. It wasn't that hard considering he was afraid... Afraid of what he might be capable of if he continued down this path. He was a good person. These were his friends. He liked Sphinx. What the hell was he doing?

Onyx focused on Joanna. She started screaming. "Leave her alone," Silas said sharply.

"Save her, Silas. Attack me. Be her brave hero," Onyx replied.

Silas drew his claymore and attacked Onyx, stabbing him. He knew damn well Onyx would be fine, as he intentionally missed anything vital. Onyx cried out in pain before subtly winking at him. He stopped his attack on Joanna.

Joanna was sobbing on the floor, whimpering, "Stop... Please stop... Don't hurt me... Please, Mr. Hyde... Please, not again..." She sounded like a little girl.

Rage filled Silas as he realized what Hyde must have done to Joanna when she was younger.

"Joanna... Jo, it's me. It's Silas. You're safe," he said firmly.

She was still sobbing as he pulled her into his arms. To his shock, Joanna buried her face in his shoulders as he held her protectively. He'd never seen her so vulnerable before.

"Shhhh, Jo... I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," Silas promised.

"Silas..." She whispered. She took several deep breaths as she remained in his arms.

"Are you okay, Jo?" He asked softly. She nodded slowly, finally pulling herself together as she shifted away from him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Of course," he replied.

"Fear doesn't usually shut me down... It makes me fight... But hearing everyone else's panicked thoughts on top of my own was too much."

"Well, I kind of stabbed him, so that bought us some ti-"

"Shut up!" Tex suddenly screamed. He lashed out at Fallon. Layla tackled him to the ground.

"A little help over here!" Layla shouted as she tried to restrain him.

"Tex, stop!" Eric cried as Tex clawed at Layla, leaving deep scratches on her face.

Mari ran to them and wrapped her arms around Tex, restraining him without hurting him. "Easy, Tex... Focus on my voice..." She said.

"No more... No more electricity... Please..." Tex whimpered.

"No one can hurt you now, Tex. Girard is dead. You're safe," Mari continued speaking. "We're in a battle. Your friends need your help. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding slowly as she somehow focused his mind.

"Pull me into your mind."

"I... I can't do that any more."

"You can. It's okay. I'll help you. Just focus on me."

Silas watched in fascination as Mari seemed to go into a trance. Tex became calmer, and a soothing energy seemed to fill the basement.

"What's happening?" He wondered aloud.

"Mari's using his powers... Projecting calming thoughts at everyone she can," Joanna replied. "Before his powers got fried, Tex could pull people into his mind, project thoughts into their heads, whatever he wanted, really... He was more than a telepath. I've never heard of anyone so strong."

"And his powers still work?"

"Not really, but the capacity must be there, or Mari couldn't access the projection ability. Maybe there's hope for Tex to be fixed one day after all."

As almost everyone calmed down, Silas heard someone shout, "I don't think so!"

+

Jamie noticed Onyx recovering quickly from the gash Silas had left in his side. He zeroed in on Teenie and was about to grab her when Jamie grabbed him instead.

"I don't think so!" They said firmly. Jamie was surprised when Onyx didn't cry out in pain despite them trying to use their powers on him.

Damn, am I really oh for two today? What the fuck? Jamie wondered.

"Nice try, Jamie," Onyx said with a laugh. He tried to hit them with a fear spell. Nothing happened.

"What the...?" Jamie wondered aloud.

"How unexpected..." Onyx mumbled. "Oh well. Let's do this the old-fashioned way!" He pulled his arm free and drew his sword.

Jamie drew their sword and replied, "Gladly."

The two began to duel. Jamie noticed the way Onyx moved almost as fluidly as Marcus. Very few people could do that. His energy was familiar, yet unique. Still, Jamie understood.

"You're a Faerie," they said.

"I am," he confirmed. "I guess the secret's out. But you're a Faerie, too, even if they banished you, so we're pretty evenly matched."

"Yeah, but I'm better with a sword," Jamie said with a smirk as they cut his side. Onyx cursed and jumped backward, taking a moment to cast a healing spell on himself.

Jamie kept moving toward him, not giving him a chance to breathe or recover. They laughed as he cried out in frustration and pain from a new wound. "This is fun," they decided.

"You're not what I expected," Onyx said as he tried to defend himself.

"I'm not what anyone expected," Jamie replied. "I'm an abomination." They smirked before cutting Onyx again.

"I should not have underestimated you. I won't make that mistake again." Onyx shrugged.

"Son of a bitch!" Luna shouted as Marcus stabbed Ambrose before escaping through a portal.

"Ambrose!" Silas cried in horror. He and Winston ran toward Ambrose. Silas tried to stop the bleeding as Winston focused on healing their wounded friend.

Mari had snapped out of her trance. She moved closer to Jamie as they continued to battle Onyx. "Mind if I play?" She asked.

"The more the merrier," Jamie replied cheerfully.

Mari pulled out her sword. She and Jamie battled together surprisingly well as they took on Onyx. When Mari managed to cut Onyx across his chest and his blood touched her sword, it started to radiate with power.

"Oh fuck..." Mari mumbled, her eyes going wide.

Onyx was gasping for breath. "Until next time," he said grandly. A portal opened. He dove into it and vanished.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie... We need to talk, but not here," Mari replied. "Later, on the ship... Alone."

Jamie was confused, but they nodded. "Okay," they replied.

"Sphinx... Sphinx, oh my God..." Luna said in horror. Jason transformed back into his human form to help her free Sphinx from his chains. They gently eased him onto the floor.

"We need a healer," Chris said. "Or several."

"Aaron might be the best bet," Gabriel replied.

Luna had tears in her eyes as she clung to Sphinx. "You'll be okay, Sphinx," she whispered. "Everything's going to be fine." She shook her head and said, "I love you... It's okay... I'll fix this..."

"No more..." Sphinx whimpered, his voice barely a whisper. "N-n..." He couldn't get anything else out. He started to hyperventilate. Even Jamie could tell he'd given up as he sobbed in Luna's arms.

"Sphinx... I'm so sorry..." Luna whispered.

"Luna, this isn't your fault," Jason said.

"You're wrong," she snapped. "These injuries would have killed anyone else... Even a regular immortal would have died from the severity of the attack... I don't want him to die, but I never wanted him to suffer like this! Sphinx can't die because of my magic... And he knew that. He knew there'd be no chance of relief as long as they had him because he can't die... And I did that to him. So, yes, Jason... This is my fault."

Luna stroked Sphinx's hair soothingly. Mari looked at her sympathetically before saying, "We need to get him back to the ship. Everyone, use the portal." She proceeded to open one.

Luna and Jason supported Sphinx between themselves, carrying him through the portal together. As soon as they got on the ship, a labyrinth wrapped around Sphinx and he vanished.

"He needs to be healed," Nat said in concern. "How do we help him if he's in a labyrinth?"

"He's safe in there. It will stabilize him," Luna replied numbly. "We'll get help to him soon."

Luna walked away, looking broken. Jason didn't run after her, apparently realizing she needed to be alone, but he looked as worried as Jamie felt.

"Well, that was a shit show," Jamie mumbled. "Alright, with Luna, Sphinx, and Manny all down, I'm taking charge. Anyone who needs a healer, line up. Matty's okay, but I'll get word to the castle to send us some extra help before he burns himself out healing everyone alone. Winston has used too much energy already and should rest. Everyone else, just try to relax. Nothing can get past the shield Lillith put up, so use the time to recover from the fear attack. If you guys need anything, come to me."

Mari nodded. "Go get in touch with the castle," she said. "I'll hold things down for a little while."

"Thanks, Mari," Jamie replied. They wondered what Mari needed to talk to them about, but clearly, it would need to wait a little longer.