Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Cailyn stood, wiping the blood from the knife on the pant leg of the man laying at her feet.

Unlike the first and second seals, both of which had been bound to living people, the third had been engraved into a complex runestone. She’d used Boucher’s power to shatter it, which had been almost instinctual, just as he’d said it would be. She’d just known it was the right time to use it.

Unfortunately for her, the stone hadn’t been unguarded. Some guy in his forties claiming to be the protector of the seal had put up a valiant effort. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t skilled enough to handle a younger, faster witch with numerous magical artifacts and a heavy dose of energy from her master.

“Only three more to go,” she smiled, tucking the knife away.

According to the ever-growing strength of the tracking spell her master had given her, the next seal was in Germany.

She took a moment to catch her breath, then made her way back to the hotel room she had rented. She might be stronger than the average human right now, but leaping great distances across the globe with magic was still exhausting, and her fight with the protector hadn’t been entirely effortless. She was on her last legs. 

‘A nice warm bath, a nice soft bed, and I’ll be ready to deal with the next seal tomorrow~’ she thought, happily humming to herself. ‘Master will be so pleased!’

 

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“What am I going to do, Aiden?” Ashe paced the living room, nervous energy flooding her system as she wrung her hands.

“Hey, it’ll be okay. Why not just tell your sister about what happened, and introduce her to the new you?” Aiden suggested.

“Oh yeah that’ll go over real well with my super conservative asshole family. They couldn’t even handle the fact that I talk to dead people! Now they have to accept that I’m a woman that talks to dead people?!” 

“Woah, woah, okay, I get it, you’re feeling stressed. Okay, if telling them the truth won’t work, what else can we do to help?”

“I don’t know, Aiden! I can’t just hi–” she cut herself off, stopping in her tracks. “Wait a second… yes I can! Aiden! The glamour pendant! If we reconfigure it to look and sound like old me, then she’ll never know!”

“And… what, you just wear that any time you have to be around your family, hiding the real you from them for the rest of their lives?” Aiden asked, frowning.

“Yeah! …okay, fine, it’s a dumb idea long term, but at least this solves the immediate issue, right?” Ashe chewed on her thumbnail, losing herself in thought.

“More like it pushes the current issue back to the next meeting… I really think you should at least try to come out to your sister. Worst case, your family flips its shit… but you’re already out on your own. What more can they do?”

That thought caught her, shaking her from her own ruminations. “Oh, shit… you’re right. If they take it poorly, it doesn’t matter! I don’t live with them anymore! I’m my own ma– er, woman!” Ashe cheered, smiling at Aiden. “You’re so smart.”

“Hey, I do what I can,” Aiden replied with a small smile. “Of course, you might want to actually get some clothes of your own before your sister shows up. Probably don’t want to be living out of Cailyn’s closet forever.”

“Good call,” Ashe smirked. “I guess after work today I’m going shopping.”

“Guess so. Too bad we couldn’t swing you a stipend from the stuffed shirts over at the Department. Usually they give one to their Knots. Maybe Nate can hook you up.”

“He’s uh, actually still been paying me, according to my banking app. Pretty awesome of him, y’know?” Ashe blushed, realizing just how great her boss was actually being about this whole situation.

“Woah, nice. So you won’t have issues paying your rent this month or getting stocked up on some outfits. Lucky you! Good thing Cay’s still getting paid too. I could never do the rent on this place by myself. Nate must make a fortune to be able to keep paying us all even when we aren’t working, and deliveries are down until you get back.”

Aiden finished washing up the dishes from breakfast - a breakfast he’d had to finish cooking after Ashe declined into her freakout session. Not that he minded.

“Heh, sounds like I’ll be pretty busy catching up then! Good, I like being busy.”

“Sounds like it… Just try not to get too busy, or I might start to miss you,” he teased, smiling at her.

“Oh, uh, r-right!” she blushed, smiling back. “D-don’t worry! I’ll always make time for my… boyfriend…” the word just felt right leaving her mouth. 

“Glad to hear it,” he smiled, closing the distance and pulling her into another close embrace before planting a kiss on her lips.

It was another fifteen minutes before they finally made it out the door to the Underground, both thoroughly ruffled. Things could have gone further, but they knew if that happened, they’d have had to call in ‘sick’. 

Ashe held Aiden’s hand as they approached the store. She’d used a simple spell to shrink down her old guy clothes to fit her new body, so the jeans hugged her legs and ass wonderfully, while the formerly baggy band shirt now hugged her curves and even revealed a little cleavage with the ‘ripped’ v-neck.

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She held the door for Aiden, then stepped in after him, clearing her throat. “Hey, Nate! Anyone home?”

“Looks like he hasn’t opened the registers yet… weird.” Aiden stepped around the counter, heading for the door to the employee area with Ashe in tow.

“Probably just dealing with something important in the back. You and I can count open the drawer if you want,” she offered.

“Sure. I can always count with you,” he winked.

“You are so lame,” she giggled, following him back into the hallway.

Ashe had always known Nate to be a very clean-cut, professional-looking guy. It came as a reasonable shock then when she entered the office with Aiden to find him looking rather harried. His hair was a mess, he hadn’t shaved in days, and his clothes were rumpled.

“Holy shit, boss,” she mumbled, “Are you okay?”

“Aiden, Ashelynn, I’m glad you both came. I was going to contact you, but I’ve had so much on my plate…” Nathaniel seemed distracted, weary, even as he stood swiftly and approached them. His hands were shaking as if affected by tremors.

“Nate?” Aiden met him halfway, catching him with a hand to his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

“My employees, my young friends, the worst is coming to pass. Someone has uncovered the locations of the six seals that protect the Underground from intrusion - both magical and mundane - and is breaking them.”

“That sounds… bad,” Ashe contributed lamely. “What’s that mean for this place?”

“That means,” Nate began, “that if all six seals fall, anyone with sights on me or this place for what good it has done over the years, or what competition it has provided, will be free to seek out their vengeance. It will be open season on the Underground, and on me by extension.”

“All the relics in the warehouse would be compromised too…” Aiden realized aloud.

“Correct, Aiden. That cannot be allowed to happen, you understand.” Nate met them with a grave stare, watching the statement sink in.

“How can we help? Can we stop the other seals from breaking?” Ashe asked, eager to save the life’s work of the man that had become like a father to her.

“There are only two seals remaining, as of an hour ago. I have tried to reach out and stop the perpetrator, but she is being protected by a large amount of magical energy. Even attempts at communication magic have failed.” 

“She? So you know who’s doing this?” Aiden asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid I do…” Nathaniel sighed heavily, leaning back against his desk before fixing his gaze on them again. “Cailyn is making use of stolen artifacts and Ms. Gray’s delivery relics to trot across the globe and destroy the seals. I am not sure why, but I have been unable to contact her to stop this.”

Both Ashe and Aiden stood, dumbfounded.

‘Cailyn’s doing it? No way… she loves Nate, she’d never do anything to hurt him,’ Ashe thought.

“Are you sure?” Aiden asked, “My sister is trying to take down the Underground?”

“I am quite certain, unfortunately. While a strong presence is intermingled with hers, it is still unmistakably her,” Nate nodded.

“Shit… who would–” She gasped, a flash of insight striking her. “Boucher. Boucher would totally do this. I bet he’s behind more than just my Knot being tampered with. What if he’s been influencing Cailyn since before then? Maybe that’s why she grabbed the cursed Knot in the first place?”

“Perhaps, Ashelynn. Nevertheless, these revelations will not matter if the last two seals fall. I know that I have asked much of you both over the years of you working for me, but I must ask yet more. I must ask you to go to the sites of the last seals and protect them. I do not know which she will strike next… but as she has already killed several seal bearers and a protector, I believe that the only hope of stopping her is relying on your connection to her.”

Both were quiet for a long moment. Finally, Aiden broke the silence.

“I’ll do it. Wherever I need to go, I’ll go. It’s my job as her brother to shake some sense into her when she’s being crazy. That’s what family does.”

‘Cailyn… has killed people?’ Ashe thought, the realization hung heavy in the pit of her stomach. ‘If Aiden goes to stop her… she might…’

“Ms. Gray? Will you stand with me and help as well?” Nathaniel was almost begging. No, not almost; he was. This dignified man was begging for her help.

“I… I will,” she nodded. “But you better be careful, Aiden… your sister might not be herself. You might have to stop her with force. Don’t you dare die on me.”

“I know how to take care of my sister. Don’t you worry, I’m not going anywhere,” Aiden promised, smiling at her.

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