CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Juniper Garcia had once been a very powerful member of the Erica Vitti Society. She'd been gloriously evil until her thirty-second year, when her husband and son had been killed in a car accident that she barely survived. The tragedy made her reexamine her life choices and she'd shifted her focus from harming others to helping them. She'd become the maternal figure young warlocks needed, always treating the children with kindness and taking care of them when their own parents hardly paid attention to them. At eighty-seven, she spent most of her time gardening or nurturing the newest generation of warlocks. She was hardly what one would call intimidating.

That didn't mean that she wasn't still powerful or exceptionally intelligent. As Juniper regained consciousness, she took in her surroundings while pretending to still be out cold. She quickly realized that, one, she was in terrible danger and, two, she was not alone.

Hold yourself together, Juniper, she thought. The children need you.

The other abducted warlocks might not be underage anymore, but to her, they would always be her children. She'd known each of them for their entire lives. She had to stay strong for them. They would look to her for guidance.

"Miss Juniper," Cedric Becker greeted her with a polite tone that was full of sadness. "Let me see your hands."

Juniper realized that her hands were bloody and her arthritic fingers had been broken. "Oh, dear," she mumbled. "I didn't even notice..."

"You have a pretty bad bump on your head," Cedric explained. "Can you reach toward me? I can heal your hands for you."

Juniper cautiously moved her hands closer to Cedric. They were both chained to the wall, but they were close enough that, with effort, Cedric was able to take her hands in his own. His hands felt warm around hers as he focused and began to heal her.

She felt a brief moment of pain as her bones snapped back into place, but it passed quickly. "Thank you, Ceddie," Juniper said with a smile. "You've always been such a sweet boy." She paused.

"How'd you do that?" Reid demanded. "Our magick doesn't work here."

"I don't know," Cedric replied. "My magick is definitely dulled, but it still seems to be working to some degree."

"Does anyone know where we are?" Juniper asked.

"I have a theory," Cedric replied.

"Care to share with the class, Professor?" Reid asked.

"This is the Witch Gaol," Cedric replied.

"Wait, as in the dungeon from the witch trials?" Donnie asked in confusion.

"The Old Gaol doesn't exist anymore," Reid protested. "In typical Salem fashion, they built over it. All that's left are a couple of the original beams, and they're split between museums."

"It was torn down in our realm," Cedric clarified. "That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist somewhere else."

"Are we in Mirror or something? Because if we are, maybe I can reach out to Mirror Ronnie," Donnie said.

"Mirror is another dimension, not another realm, idiot," Reid replied.

"Well if you're so smart, where are we?" Donnie demanded.

"Like I told you when you got here, we're on another plane... One that mimics our own but isn't inhabited by anyone."

"I think Reid's right about that," Cedric agreed. "It's like a copy of our world that's devoid of life. This structure is an exact replica of the original Witch Gaol, but it was never destroyed."

"Alright, so Judas has a sense of humor," Donnie said. "He figures he's kidnapping Salem's warlocks, so use the Witch Dungeon."

"It's not a joke to him. This structure was a place of great evil. The sheer amount of human suffering endured here left a mark," Cedric replied.

"Cedric, since your magick is working to some extent, can you get us out of here?" Donnie asked.

"Not yet," he replied, "but give me time. Maybe I can figure this out."

"My niece is working with this guy... I really need to talk to my big sis about how she's raising her kid."

"Bonnie's misguided," Juniper said sadly. "It's not that Connie's a horrible mother, but she very much raised that little girl with her own vendetta."

"Honestly, you'd think Connie would have gotten over me and Ronnie killing our dad by now. It saved innocent lives, but I guess that's not a selling point to our evil big sis."

"Archie's death drove your mother over the edge, Donnie," Juniper reminded him. "Lonnie never recovered."

Donnie looked appropriately chastised. "We didn't set out to hurt our mom," he said softly. "I don't even know why she cared. Our dad was an ass, and even she knew that. Connie was always his pet, so I get why she's obsessed with bringing him back one day, but it's been fifteen years. She needs to get over it."

"I know, sweetheart," Juniper replied, "but I understand why Bonnie is caught up in all of this Pierce Family drama. The girl might just need some sympathy here."

"Ronnie and I have nothing against our niece... But she needs a time out right now."

"Let's focus on the real threat at hand," Reid suggested. "Judas will be coming back to torture us, so the sooner we have a plan, the better."

No one argued.

~*~

Roxy was trying to focus on class, but it wasn't working out for her. Conant High School wasn't so bad, but she was bored. She asked for a pass to the nurse's office just so she could escape from the very dull Spanish lesson. Roxy had taught herself several languages over the years so if she ever needed to run away she could go anywhere she dreamed of and already know how to speak the language. She'd mastered Spanish by the time she was ten.

As she wandered through the halls of the high school, she began to explore. Roxy figured it couldn't hurt to get to know the layout better. She wandered toward the basement, drawn to the darkest part of the school for reasons she couldn't quite identify. Something was calling to her.

She sensed magick in the walls and felt along them in the darkness until she found a hidden door. Unable to resist exploring, Roxy was about to open it when a male voice said, "I wouldn't do that..."

"I guess it's a good thing you're not me, then," Roxy replied.

"Suit yourself, but you might need a hand if you open that door."

"I do just fine on my own, thanks."

She opened the door. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, flames burst from inside. Strong arms wrapped around Roxy, pulling her out of the path of the flames.

"Back off," Roxy snapped.

"I'm trying to keep you from being roasted like a marshmallow," the boy protested.

"I'm pretty much fireproof," she replied before moving into the path of the flames. She put her hand out and absorbed the fire. It was hotter than normal fire, but it made Roxy feel stronger.

After several moments, the fire grew less intense and ultimately faded entirely. The door had slammed shut, but the lights in the basement were finally on. Roxy blinked and tried to adjust to the light.

"Sir Ignatius prefers proper introductions to people barging in on him," the boy explained. "It's only polite."

"Sir Ignatius?" Roxy repeated.

"Well, his closest friends call him Iggy, but you've just met."

"Who are you?" Roxy asked the boy.

He stepped into the light then. His sandy blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and tan skin were not exactly unappealing, but Roxy chose to ignore his good looks as he replied, "My name is Tristan. And you are...?"

"None of your business," Roxy replied.

"Alright, but if you want to meet Sir Ignatius, I'll need a name to offer him."

Whatever was in the room continued to call to Roxy. "Just show me what's in the damn room already," she said.

"If you insist... Sir Ignatius, this is New Girl. New Girl, meet Sir Ignatius," Tristan said grandly. He waved his hands and whispered, "Lux..."

The door opened and light filled the room. Roxy's eyes widened in surprise as she realized what the source of the fire had been.

"It's a dragon," she said softly.

The stunning green creature slowly moved closer to her. He hesitated for a moment before bumping his head against her hand. Stunned, Roxy began to pet the dragon. She could feel its energy wrapping around her protectively as it seemed to recognize her.

"This is incredible," she admitted. She'd loved dragons ever since she was a toddler, but she'd never seen one in real life.

"He likes you," Tristan noticed in surprise.

"Tristan, why is there a dragon in the basement of a high school?" Roxy asked.

"He was gifted to the school by a former student of Bishop High School who didn't want to risk another Bartholomew Bryce situation happening at the new school. Iggy protects the land from evil."

"Then why does the E.V.S. have a chapter here?"

"You wound me, New Girl. We're not all horrible."

Roxy frowned. "You're a warlock?" She asked.

"I'm a Saunders," Tristan replied. "Being a warlock is sort of a requirement to keep your pulse in my family."

It figures, Roxy thought. The hot ones are always evil.

"So why hasn't Iggy here torched you yet?" Roxy asked.

"Iggy and I are friends," Tristan replied. "Despite the fact that he was donated to the school by the Warlock Assassin, he happens to like me."

"Wait... The Warlock Assassin..." Roxy repeated.

"Aideen Phillips," he clarified.

"Aideen could control dragons?" Roxy asked.

"Yes, that was one of her many talents."

Sir Ignatius demanded more pets as Roxy realized why he liked her. Can you understand me? She asked silently. The dragon nodded his head. Do I have the same power as she did? Once again, the dragon nodded before rolling over and exposing his belly to her.

"Whoa..." Tristan said softly. "He's never done that before."

"I guess he likes me more than he likes you," Roxy replied as she rubbed the dragon's belly.

"Well, New Girl, you're just full of surprises."

"Call me New Girl again and you'll discover some more of those surprises," Roxy replied in a threatening tone. "It's Roxy."

"Roxy... That's pretty badass," Tristan said.

"Keep it in your pants, Saunders," she retorted.

"You know, most girls find me charming."

"I'm not most girls."

"I noticed." He smiled at her. Roxy ignored him to pet Sir Ignatius again.

"What brought you down here, anyway?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know," Roxy admitted. "I felt like something was calling me... I guess it was Iggy."

"You have a dragon affinity... No one in Salem has had one since Aideen Phillips."

"Apparently, she's my mother." Damnit, Roxy thought. Why did I tell him that? He's a warlock... I must be slipping.

Tristan looked startled. "Aideen had a kid?" He asked.

"It's complicated," Roxy replied.

"I'm sure it is... My family always told me to steer clear of your mom. The Saunders of Salem all knew how dangerous she was. Our New York cousins usually avoided her, too, although I think Wes sort of respected her. He'd never admit it, but I can tell from the way he describes her and how she handled warlocks."

"And what's your take on her?" Roxy asked.

"She died nine years ago. I was only eight, but I was pretty terrified of her. The thing is, she spared my life once, so I'm pretty sure she wasn't the monster the warlocks make her out to be."

"What do you mean she spared your life?"

Tristan hesitated. "My older brother, Callum, and some of his friends tried to kill Arnie Gelman once. Cal brought me with them. They were college freshmen, and I just thought it was cool that they let me tag along. Melissa hadn't been dead for very long, and Arnie wasn't at his best. Cal and his friends nearly murdered Arnie. It was brutal... He was in really bad shape. If Aideen hadn't shown up, he wouldn't have survived."

"Arnie's a nice guy," Roxy said. "Your brother's an asshole."

Tristan smiled sadly. "Yeah, he was, but he was still my big brother, you know?"

"Was..." Roxy repeated. "Let me guess. She killed your brother."

"She slaughtered him, actually. Arnie couldn't do more than whimper in pain. He couldn't even say her name, but he tried... He barely got out Dee. It was hard to watch, honestly. Anyway, Aideen naturally flew into a blind rage. She used a set of twin daggers to slash up my brother and then set him on fire. She proceeded to kill everyone else who was there, but when she saw me hiding in a corner and staring at the pile of ashes that used to be Cal, she hesitated. She told me to go home and make better life choices." Tristan laughed softly. There was humor in his laugh but sorrow in his eyes.

"That must have been hard to watch," Roxy said as she took all of that in.

"It was... I mean, Aideen was impressive... More impressive than I ever imagined she could be. She was fierce, and efficient. I remember feeling her magick and being amazed by the strength of it... But I watched her murder my brother and his friends... I knew them for my entire life. It was kind of traumatic, but they deserved it. They were cruel and sadistic, and they nearly tortured her best friend to death. Her actions were justified."

"But she let you go."

"I was seven at the time. Unlike what the adults liked to tell us, Aideen wouldn't kill a kid just because he was a warlock. Besides, I didn't hurt Arnie. I was forced to watch them attack him, but no one expected me to participate. I might be a Saunders, but a seven-year-old is only going to know so many spells."

Sir Ignatius moved between Roxy and Tristan and curled up peacefully. They both automatically started petting the dragon.

"I guess if Iggy likes you, I should give you a chance," Roxy decided. "After all, dragons are good judges of character, right?"

"Yes, they're very picky," Tristan agreed. "Most people don't know he's down here."

"How did you know?"

"I'm a Saunders. We know everything about the supernatural happenings here in Salem."

"So what can you tell me about the shadow creatures?" Roxy asked.

Tristan paused, clearly debating with himself about whether or not to answer that. "We did the spell," he finally replied. "Bonnie ordered our chapter of the E.V.S. to help her gain control of the shadow creatures. She has the power to create the vessels, but controlling so many at once required very complicated magick."

"So this mess is your fault?"

"When you're in the E.V.S, you do what you're told or you end up dead."

"What's her end game? Why do all of this? It's not even that hard for us to kill them. Why put so much effort into something we can easily undo?"

"Honestly, I think she's taking orders from someone else. Maybe it's Mr. Ko or one of the other leaders of the adult E.V.S."

"So this isn't her plan?"

"It's hard to say. Bonnie Pierce is no pushover, but I feel like something bigger is at play here."

The bell to end the previous period rang. Roxy sighed. "I guess I should attempt to go to class," she mumbled, tickling Sir Ignatius under his chin."

"You could do that," Tristan replied, "or you can stay down here for another period. Most people don't come to this part of the basement. They sense Iggy, even if they don't understand the threat."

Roxy couldn't deny that sitting with a dragon soothed her. It felt oddly natural, and she wasn't quite ready to leave yet. "Who cares about geometry anyway?" She quipped. "Skipping one more class won't kill me."

"Have fun bonding with Iggy," Tristan replied.

"You're leaving?" Roxy asked in surprise.

"I assumed you'd want me to."

"You don't have to... Tell me more about the E.V.S."

"It's a secret society, Roxy. I can't tell you much."

"Then tell me more about yourself," she said. "What's your deal, Tristan? Are you evil?"

"I'm a Saunders."

"That's not an answer. I was raised by corrupt slayers, but I'm not exactly evil."

"I'm Tristan," he replied softly. "And I guess I'm still figuring out what that means."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Good. That's an honest answer. Keep that up and we'll get along just fine."

He smiled at her. "Alright, Roxy," he replied. "What else do you want to know?"

~*~

It was chilly outside that night, but Arnie was sweating and tense as anxiety threatened to overwhelm him. He thought he was alone until he sensed Echo following him. It was her concern for him that gave her presence away as Arnie's empathy kicked in.

"Go home, Echo," he said gently.

"How'd you know?" She asked, showing herself.

"When don't I know?" He replied. "I need to patrol on my own tonight, honey."

"You seem upset, Dad... I thought you might need me."

"I always need you, but tonight, I need to know that you're safe, Echo. Please go home."

As several shadow creatures suddenly surrounded them, Echo said, "I don't think that's an option, Dad."

"Crap. Alright, let's do this," Arnie replied. Most of the creatures were vampires, and Arnie and Echo pulled out their stakes in perfect unison.

In an instant, the two began battling the vampires. Arnie staked with skill and precision. Echo had a little more fun, incorporating playful movements into her slaying. Arnie couldn't help but smile as she jumped into a tree and swung herself down, staking an unsuspecting shadow vampire in the heart before kicking another in the head and pinning him to the ground. She staked him, too.

The power radiating from behind him made Arnie react quickly. He moved to stake the vampire before realizing who he was.

"Jacob..." Arnie whispered in shock.

"Dad!" Echo cried suddenly.

Arnie looked at her and realized in horror that Spencer had grabbed his daughter in the chaos. He held her in his arms tightly, not letting go, but didn't try to harm her.

"Spencer... Let her go," Arnie said. "Please."

Spencer gripped Echo tighter. She winced as his fingers dug into her arms, but he still didn't try to kill her.

Jacob grabbed Arnie and tilted his neck roughly to the side. He hissed before pressing his fangs against Arnie's neck. Arnie tried to fight, but Jacob was too strong for him.

"Don't. You. Dare, Jacob!" A voice said sharply.

I'm hallucinating, Arnie thought. I'm going to die. Please, Gods, just let Echo get out of here safely...

Jacob hissed at the source of the voice, and Arnie realized that he wasn't hallucinating after all. "He's mine, Jacob," Aideen said firmly. "And no one gets to feed on my human servant except for me."

Jacob recoiled as Aideen sent a blast of magick his way. He stumbled backward, releasing Arnie, and fled the scene as fast as he could.

"Deenie..." Arnie whispered.

"I've got you, Arn," she said.

Aideen was just transparent enough that Arnie knew she was a spirit. "Thanks, Deenie," he said softly.

"Come on. Let's go save your kid... And Spencer."

"Can you free him?" Arnie asked hopefully.

"There's only one way, Arnie... I'm sorry," she replied sadly.

Arnie nodded. "It's okay," he said. "I've got this."

They headed toward Spencer and Echo together. "Aunt Deenie..." Echo said, her eyes going wide.

"I'm here to help," Aideen replied.

"Spencer, listen to me... You don't want to do this," Arnie said. "You'd never hurt a kid, especially not my kid."

Spencer hissed and squeezed Echo's arms a bit tighter. Echo bit her lip to keep from screaming in pain.

"Snap out of it, Spence!" Aideen shouted. The power behind her words made Spencer tense and hesitate. He stared at her with his cold, dead eyes, but Arnie saw the desperate plea behind them.

"Spencer," a new voice said softly. Arnie was surprised to realize that Joey and Chester had both arrived. It was Chester who'd spoken. "Don't harm the girl," he continued. "She has done nothing to you. I know you don't want to harm her, just as you didn't harm my daughter. That's not who you are."

Spencer tightened his grip on Echo again. She stomped on his foot. He hissed sharply before tossing her impossibly high into the air. She began plummeting back toward the ground.

"Echo!" Arnie screamed. Before he could react, Joey opened a door and reappeared with a second door in midair. He reached out and grabbed Echo as she fell toward the floating door, pulling her to safety and slamming the floating door shut. They both emerged from the door that was on the ground.

"She's okay," Joey reassured Arnie as he examined Echo for injuries. Joey frowned as he spotted the large hand-shaped bruises forming on her arms.

Spencer turned toward Chester. He grabbed his half-brother around the throat and began to strangle him.

"Chester!" Joey cried in alarm.

"We have to stop him," Aideen said to Arnie.

Arnie sighed. "I know," he replied softly. He pulled out his silver dagger.

"Arnie, wait," Joey said. He tossed him a silver athame.

Arnie caught the athame and held it with trembling hands. "Missa..." He whispered as he recognized Melissa's Silver Society talisman. It had vanished when she died, just like everyone else's talismans did.

"It landed in my lap about an hour ago. It's charged with a spell to make this painless," Joey explained. "Melissa wanted to help... I brought Chester because I didn't think I could kill Spencer myself, but this isn't our job. I realize that now... And I have a feeling that Melissa didn't want you to do it alone."

Arnie somehow held himself together. "Thank you, Joey," he replied softly.

"You can do this, Arn," Aideen said. "You're not alone."

He nodded and found strength as he felt both Aideen and Melissa's energy surrounding him. "I'm sorry, Spence," he said as he ripped him off of Chester. "I love you, and it's my turn to save you."

With that, Arnie plunged the dagger straight into Spencer's chest. He watched as life returned to Spencer's eyes before it rapidly began fading away. Arnie could touch him. He could feel him. Spencer was alive, but not really, and he was about to die again.

Oh Gods... What have I done? Arnie thought in horror as he pulled Spencer into his arms. Melissa's athame vanished from its place in Spencer's heart. He began bleeding out faster.

What you had to, Joey replied telepathically. Thank you, Arnie. Mom wouldn't have been okay if she had to handle this.

Spencer looked at Arnie with love and gratitude in his eyes as Arnie held him.

"I'm sorry, Spence," Arnie said again as tears finally began streaming down his cheeks.

Spencer turned to nothing more than ash in his arms. Arnie couldn't stop himself from breaking down then. He felt Aideen wrap her arms around him.

"It's okay, Arn," she said. "You did it... You saved him."

"I killed him," Arnie mumbled.

"You freed me," Spencer said as his spirit manifested beside Aideen. "You saved me, Arnie. Thank you."

"Get out of here before Bonnie tries again," Arnie said softly.

"She can't," Spencer promised. "I'm immune to that spell now."

Arnie almost started crying all over again, this time in relief. "You're safe?" He asked.

"I'm safe," Spencer repeated. He sighed before adding, "I'm so sorry about Echo. I never would have hurt her."

"I know that," Arnie replied quickly. "I'm not mad."

Spencer moved closer to Echo. He whispered something in Latin and the bruises on her arms began to heal.

Echo offered him a bright smile. "Hi, Uncle Spencer," she greeted him warmly. "We've never met, but I'm Echo, and I've heard all about you."

He returned her smile. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Echo," he replied with affection in his eyes.

"Hi, Spencer," Joey said awkwardly.

"Joey... Gods, I can't believe how much you've grown up," Spencer said in wonder.

"Mom misses you."

"I know. I miss her, too." Spencer seemed incredibly sad as he looked into Joey's eyes. "Give her a hug for me, okay?"

"I will," Joey promised.

Chester stood away from everyone else, but Joey decided to pull him closer. "Say hello, Ches," he said.

"Um... Right," Chester began awkwardly. "Hello, Spencer."

"Little brother," Spencer replied affectionately. "Thank you for taking such good care of our mom. You brought her smile back. I'm grateful to you for that."

Chester nodded. "She's a good woman," he replied.

"And you're a good man. It just took you a while to show it."

"Not to interrupt, but my niece is being held hostage in a residence that belongs to the Saunders family," Aideen said. "It would be awesome if you guys could rescue her soon. Luigi hasn't hurt her, but I don't know how long he'll continue playing nice."

"Can you show us where the house is?" Arnie asked.

Aideen pressed her lips against his forehead. Arnie suddenly had a vision. "Perfect," he said as he saw the building clearly in his mind. "Thanks, Deenie. We'll go rescue her."

"It can wait until the morning," Aideen replied. "You guys need to rest and recover from all of this." 

"But-"

"You know there's no point in arguing with me, Arn. Angelina will be okay tonight. I'll watch over her. Gather your strength, and get the blood of a Saunders warlock before you try anything."

"Wait, seriously?" Echo asked.

"It's the only way to break through the protection wards." 

"We'll get our hands on it somehow," Joey promised. "I want my best friend back."

"I have faith in you kids," Aideen replied.

"I'll be with them," Arnie said. "This is my fight."

"You already know I have faith in you, Arnie. Just be careful."

"Guys..." Spencer said softly.

"You have to go?" Arnie guessed.

"It's time, Arnie. I'm sorry. I wish I could stay, but..."

"You don't belong here. It's okay, Spence. Thanks for coming and preventing me from having a nervous breakdown."

"I love you, Arnie. I'll always come if you need me."

"Ditto," Aideen added, hugging Arnie a final time before petting both Echo and Joey on their heads affectionately. "Come on, Spence. Let's get out of here."

The spirits walked away until they were out of sight. Arnie knew it was because Aideen was well aware that watching them fade or vanish would break him.

He held himself together as Echo hugged him tightly. "Are you okay, Dad?" She asked.

"I saved Spencer tonight," he replied. "All of these years after he saved me, I returned the favor. I'm holding onto that."

"Come on, guys," Joey said. "I'll bring everyone home."