Rosemonde groaned when she heard the gong. She already felt humiliated. She really didn't want to front the Councillors, to have her stupidity further assessed. She knew she was being childish, but she did not move from her hiding spot — a cosy book nook in one of the many libraries. She liked it here. No one knew of her little hideaway except-

"Drew!"

"I thought I'd find you here." He grinned. "Didn't you hear the gong?" He knew very well that she had.

"I'm staying here. I can't face them, Drew."

"Rosemonde, name one human being besides the Christ himself, and his mother, who has not been taken in by a demon," he chided.

"It's more than that Drew." Rosemonde shuffled uncomfortably in her seat and Drew squeezed in beside her.

"Alright, explain it to me then. I bet it's not that terrible," he said gently.

"It is," her response was barely audible but Drew heard it. He put his arms around her.

"Let me guess. 'Morty' started out as a childhood friend, a companion. When you matured, he disappeared, for many years. Then he returned when you were a teenager. Your parents had just lost their son, and they knew that they were going to die too. They were so afraid, that they cloistered you.

"You weren't allowed a boyfriend, and there were no sleepovers while you were at school. They always wanted to keep an eye on you. They were terrified that somehow you wouldn't live either; that you wouldn't escape their curse.

"You were lonely. You wanted friends that you could interact with outside of school. You wanted a boyfriend. Soon your childhood friend evolved into something more. He became a fantasy. He became what many girls create in their dream world — their idea of the perfect man. You knew he wasn't real, but until you met the real thing, he became the man of your dreams, didn't he?"

She nodded. She wouldn't look at him. She was mortified.

"Ros', darling, it's okay. You were just being a normal teenager-"

"You're forgetting that he's an incubus Drew," she whispered. Their lessons had covered how sex demons could use erotic dreams to drain their victims. Women could even fall pregnant... Merlin's mother had.

Drew paled. "OH! Did you? You didn't...um.... Did you?"

Rosemonde shook her head. "Something always stopped me. In my dreams I would tell him that I wanted to wait for my husband. He would smile and call me his betrothed. He said that one day he would make me his. He would claim me before any other man did, and I would be his forever. As I grew older the dreams became less innocent."

"But you just said-"

"Let me finish." Rosemonde placed a finger on his lips. "I didn't feel unsafe with him. No, it was more that, while I enjoyed talking to him, all he seemed to want to do was seduce me.

"As you know I'm a lucid dreamer. If I didn't like the direction that a dream was taking, I would redirect it, or wake myself up. He didn't like that. Oh, and he absolutely hated you?" She giggled.

"ME? Why?" Drew frowned.

"I've told you before, I've been totally in love with you since high school. Morty wasn't my only fantasy guy. I'd start off kissing Morty and then imagine myself in your arms instead...so yeah, he really didn't like you at all. You came between us.

"Now, I understand that my infatuation probably saved me. Maybe God protected me. Maybe he chose you especially for me. I hope so anyway, because the more I know you, the more I can't imagine being with anyone but you. I love you so much, Andrew Wilson."

"And I you, Rosemonde." He kissed her as the gong sounded again. "We really better go. Darling you need to come with me. We must discuss this situation with the Councillors. It's the only way to help protect you."

She nodded and let him lead her to the council chambers.

The moment they entered the room, Rhys pounced. "Rosemonde, when was the last time my father visited your dreams?"

Myrddin snorted. "Let her at least sit down, Rhys!"

"It seems so long ago now. Before I spent the night in hospital," Rosemonde answered.

"What does he know of your interior life? What have you shared with him?" Rhys asked soberly.

"I shared with him my concerns about Summer and I told him about Myrddin. He seemed most interested in that, but it was, different this time." She paused thoughtfully. "He actually encouraged the relationship. Something he had never done before. For the first time in a long time I was able to discuss my thoughts and feelings with him because he wasn't trying to touch me."

"Did you discuss anything that might be considered pertinent to the present situation or to anyone else at Tweldor?" Rhys pressed.

"I told him all about Myrddin, how he adored his little sister and — oh no! It was him. He got to her, didn't he? Myrddin I'm so sorry."

"Actually, I think that was Azazael," Myrddin replied. "Max told me that Du Malum paid her a visit. It sounds more like Azazael's work."

Morgan spoke up, "I think you're probably right, Myrddin. Although, Asmodeus is involved, certainly. Du Malum has called another press conference and reading between the lines, I believe that Azazael is no longer in charge. Hence the angel Raphael's warning that the attack would come from Asmodeus. I think he is now the power behind Du Malum."

"Was any new information presented during the press conference? I didn't catch it, but I have a statement from Du Malum Corp....ah, here it is!" Hannah waved her hand over her crystal tablet. Her eyes widened as she read. "They've done a complete about face. Paul Jason's mother has been charged with fraud. They have issued a formal apology to Rosemonde... Wow! Now they're saying that they even doubt Myrddin's involvement at all!"

Myrddin laughed bitterly.

"So, who is the fall guy now?" Max asked.

"Caleb Mort," Morgan and Hannah answered together.

Hannah resumed reading. "It's truly farcical, but unfortunately the public will believe whatever they are told. Apparently, they had their IT people examine Caleb's laptop and the date stamps for the emails between Myrddin and himself do not correspond with the dates that Myrddin was contracted to Du Malum. They now believe them to be fake and are..." She became quite agitated as she read the next line "...very concerned for the safety of Myrddin Thomas as well as Rosemonde Durand.... and...NO WAY! They're also apologising to the Thomas family for implicating Myrddin and have offered to help fund the search for both Myrddin and Rosemonde. Ugh talk about fake news! Oh, this just makes my blood boil!"

Rhys was smiling. "Maybe so, but it does give me an idea. We may even be able to bring some of The Children of Azazael to justice while we're at it. Mairead, I will need your guidance on how to proceed. Rosemonde, Myrddin, you are going to need to learn to act, and it will need to be very convincing. You're lives depend on it. I'm hoping you can coach them Mairead."

"Do you mean I'm able to go home?" Myrddin asked.

"If this works yes. BUT...we'll need to be very careful indeed," Rhys replied.