~ Marie ~

The wolf sat at the sorcerer’s heels, wagging his tail. Marie frowned as her mind raced. She’d warned Peter about this.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play with you.” Then again, the woman probably held onto him for just this kind of situation. The sorcerer took out another talisman and pointed it at the two of them. “Put her down.” Adrian’s arms tightened around her for a moment before he slowly let her down. Marie stepped away from him so that there was enough room for someone to stand between them. She didn’t like depending on others but right now, Adrian had the best chance of reaching the sorcerer before she could activate a spell. “I didn’t say you could move. Take one more step and I’ll kill the dog.” The wolf, of course, didn’t move away even after hearing what the woman had planned.

“Let him leave. He has nothing to do with this.” If she could distract the sorcerer then they might have a chance.

“That’s not what I heard. An escort has everything to do with this.” The woman looked him over with a smile on her face. “I also heard he was a vampire. It might be interesting to see how the spell reacts with one.”

“Without me, he wouldn’t be able to find you.”

“You really want me to let him go.” The sorcerer looked between them with a sneer. “Is he your lover? Can Guardians even have lovers?” The woman laughed maliciously.“Very well. If you dispel your barrier, I’ll think about it.”

[Don’t— ]

Marie dropped her barrier. The sorcerer pointed a talisman at her and unleashed a torrent of ice shards. Marie put her arms up to protect her face and chest. The shards slashed her arms and legs but the cuts were shallow. “Ah ah ah. Don’t move unless you want to be responsible.” The sorcerer looked at Adrian as she spoke. The woman still had a talisman pointed at the wolf. The talisman she’d just used burnt up and disappeared. Unfortunately, she was not short on talismans. Another one was pulled out of her pocket and pointed at them.

She needed a better distraction. Something that would break her concentration for a few seconds. With Adrian’s speed, a couple of seconds should be more than enough time.

[I’m going to distract her. Be ready for that moment.]

[You don’t have a barrier. Don’t do anything that will make things worse.] She ignored his words. They couldn’t waste anymore time. For all they knew, several more wolves were headed this way. They didn’t need to complicate things with more hostages.

“Would you be willing to trade?”

“Trade? What could you have that I want?” Marie reached into her pocket but the sorcerer pointed a talisman at Adrian. “Ah ah ah. Do you want me to put a hole in your escort?”

“I thought you’d want your medal back.” The woman lowered her arm a fraction. Marie took that chance and pulled the medal out of her pocket. She threw it to the ground. The pouch bounced once before it stopped halfway between the two of them. The light glinted off the medal that was partially revealed.

The sorcerer focused on Marie at that moment and sent ice shards at her. Marie quickly put up a barrier and ran to the right. The sorcerer continued to use talismans against her. Adrian took the chance to attack the sorcerer but he was repelled by her barrier. The sorcerer backed up as Marie sent her own ice shards against the barrier. Adrian attacked the sorcerer from behind. Marie reached the wolf and put him to sleep before quickly dispelling the mind control.

“Damn you!” The woman aimed two talismans at her. Marie quickly placed a barrier on the wolf. There was a flash of light. She opened her eyes and tried to focus on the scene in front of her.

The sorcerer had fled.

The light had been used to cover her escape. Marie got up and raced after her. She wrote out a quick spell that sent more ice shards after the woman. They bounced off the barrier but not before they caused a crack in the surface. Adrian lifted her up and raced after the woman. Marie sent ice shards. The crack widened further. There was a brief magic signal. Adrian dodged out of the way of a smoke trap before he jumped over a log and went around a tree.

[Where?] They’d lost sight of the woman but the tracking spell was still working.

[Right.] He rushed forward. [The signal’s moved to the left.]

[Can you teleport while moving?]

[Yes.] Adrian slid down a hill. The sorcerer was waiting for them at the bottom. The woman aimed a talisman right at them.

[Do it now!] She teleported them behind the woman. Marie quickly sent a fireball her way. The cracks worsened. One, maybe two more hits, and the barrier should break. Adrian rushed forward and kicked the barrier. There was a loud crack. The woman turned but Marie teleported them to the other side. Adrian kicked again. The barrier shattered. Marie prepared another spell but the woman dropped to her knees.

“I surrender! Please don’t hurt me!” The sorcerer crossed her arms across her chest, the palms flat against her body.

[She’s still dangerous.]

[I need to touch her to seal her magic.] Adrian frowned but he lowered her to the ground. He stayed right next to her as she walked up to the woman. Marie knelt down and wrote script on the sorcerer to seal her magic. Without her magic, she should be a problem and Adrian was nearby if the woman needed to be restrained while she searched.

The woman didn’t move as she searched through her pockets. Marie placed each of the items she found on the ground next to her. She looked the items over. There were some herbs, talismans, and some money but no bottle.

“Where is the bottle?” The sorcerer had to have it on her to be able to control the wolves.

“You think I’ll just tell you?” The woman laughed. “If you release me, I’ll give you the bottle. If not, I’ll just order the wolves to kill themselves. Hmm. On second thought…” Marie didn’t bother to listen to her. She put her hand up to her chin as she thought. Had the woman taken the time to throw it away? No. The sorcerer must’ve hidden the bottle somewhere close by. Somewhere she could still reach it. Marie looked the woman over again.

“Lower your arms.”

“You trust me?” The woman smiled but she slowly lowered her arms. There was a black cord hanging around the woman’s neck. The cord disappeared between her breasts and into her shirt. Marie grabbed the cord and yanked it out. There were two small blood bottles hanging off of it. Marie took the necklace off and stood up. Adrian leaned in to look at what she’d found.

“Is this the original bottle?” She checked it with her magic.

“Yes.” Now she could dispel the mind control. Marie closed her eyes and set about taking the spell apart.

“Fool.” She was suddenly pushed to the ground. Adrian held her tightly against his chest. He was looking behind them. Slowly, he let her go.

The woman’s eyes were wide and bloodshot as she rolled around on the ground. The sorcerer writhed as she scratched at her throat. Her nails were leaving deep cuts behind. Marie walked towards the woman. Adrian stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“It could be another trap.”

“It’s not. She tried to curse me but the pouch I gave you made it rebound and hit her instead.” He nodded as he let go. Marie put the women to sleep before dispelling the curse. She sent her magic into her and tried to figure out how she managed to cast magic when it should have been sealed. Her magic hit a dark spot inside the woman’s body and she immediately pulled her magic. Now, it made sense. Marie placed bands of light on the woman before she went back to dispelling the mind control.

The bottle was then emptied of blood before she placed it on the ground next to the sorcerer. Marie then moved to the other side of the sorcerer. She had a little bit of trouble pulling the sleeve back because of the bands holding the sorcerer down but she was still able to pull the material far enough back to find what she was looking for. A demonic mark was carved into the sorcerer’s arm. Adrian knelt down beside her.

“What is that?”

“That is similar to the medal. It’s a portal to the demon world that allows the person to pull miasma into their body and use it just like magic.”

“That’s how she was still using so much magic even though we took the medal.” Marie nodded. “What’s the downside to something like this?”

“Possession. They are opening a portal directly on their bodies.”

“How can it act as a portal when it doesn’t look like a circle?”

“You have to use a special tool for something like this. The tool would take the place of the full demon circle.” Marie stood up. “I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to pick up the medal.” He smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pouch. Marie frowned. “You didn’t touch it with your bare hands, did you?”

“No.” She took it from him but carefully examined his hands for injuries. They looked fine. Miasma burns would look similar to regular burns but the wound would be tainted with miasma causing other side effects for the person affected. “What are you going to do with her?” Adrian gestured to the sorcerer.

Before Marie could answer, a chorus of howls rang out, filling the forest with the sound. The wolf must have reached the others. Soon they would start running through the forest as one pack to celebrate their new pack leader. She pulled a talisman out of her pocket and activated it. The talisman burned away and she let the ash fall to the ground.

"I’m going to hand her over to the Black Division.” Adrian opened his mouth to ask a question before he was distracted. He looked towards the trees and narrowed his eyes. Several moments later, three men came out of the trees.

All three of the men were dressed in black suits. On the left side of their jacket, they had a small white pin that had the symbol of the Order engraved on it. One of the men walked up to her while the other two went to the woman.

“The woman has the mark of a demon carved into her skin.” The man nodded as he looked down at the woman’s arm. Marie dispelled the bands of light and the two men placed handcuffs on the sorcerer before hauling the woman to her feet and dragging her away. The handcuffs were magical tools that would keep her from casting magic and they also had spells on them to prevent anyone from using magic to unlock them.

“Thank you for your hard work, Guardian.”

“Did you receive the evidence already?”

“We did.” He turned towards Adrian and looked him over. “Is this your escort?” Tsk. Marie nodded. There was nothing else for her to do in this situation. “Don’t forget to send in your paperwork.” The man nodded to both of them before following his men. Adrian stared at the place where they had disappeared for several moments before turning back to her.

“Heal yourself.” Marie had forgotten about her injuries. She closed her eyes and healed everything. Even the blood she’d lost was replenished. Suddenly, she was lifted up. Marie’s eyes popped open. Adrian walked away with her in his arms. “Tired?” Marie pressed her lips together. He didn’t need to carry her. She was tired but could still walk back. Teleporting crossed her mind but since he was the one moving if she didn’t take that into account they could end up walking into a chair or table. It was easier to teleport while earlier because she could see where she was teleporting to. When she teleported without being able to see where she was going, she had to take more things into account. It was better not to chance it.

[Who were those men?]

[Enforcers from the Black Division.]

[Black Division? Is that a part of the Order or something entirely separate?]

[Part of the Order. Since this woman committed crimes in several territories, they will take over the investigation.] They were the only ones that could investigate wherever they needed to without asking the local Guardian for permission. Investigations were less complicated and went much quicker when you didn’t have to deal with paperwork.

[What are your plans after this?] She was starting to think he was walking slower on purpose. How many questions was he planning on asking her?

[I’m leaving tomorrow.]

[Teleporting?]

[No, I’m taking the bus.] Adrian chuckled and she looked up at him. He had a smile on his face as he looked back at her. Marie looked away.

[Instead of the bus, would you like a ride back? I brought my car.] She didn’t remember seeing a car anywhere near Leon’s house.

[No, I’ll be leaving in the morning.]

[Are the wolves forcing you to go so soon?] Marie was confused by his question. She glanced at him. His smile had turned polite but his eyes had become cold.

[Why would they want me to stay?] Adrian stayed silent for several moments and she thought this was the end of the conversation. They had reached the room by this point and Adrian let her down. None of the wolves were in the area but she could hear howling coming from the forest.

[I have one more question.]

[What?]

[Why didn’t you give the medal over to the Black Division?] She knew he wouldn’t fail to notice that. Though part of her had still hoped he would.

[I want someone to look it over before I hand it over to them.] Adrian stared at her but she had nothing to hide. She’d told the truth. He finally nodded before a smug smile spread across his face.

“Goodnight, Marie.” She watched him disappear back into the forest. Marie hoped his favor wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. A sigh escaped. She shook her head at her wishful thinking. There was nothing she could do about it either way. Marie had given her word and she wouldn’t go back on it.

*~*~*~*~*

Marie woke up the next morning with the sun in her eyes. She’d forgotten to close the curtains last night. Sunlight streamed through the small gap. Marie wanted to be annoyed but she‘d actually woken up on time.

A quick shower was taken before she started to put things back in her duffle bag.

It took much longer to pack than it did the first time around. With the addition of the medal and the books she had taken, her duffle bag was fit to burst. Marie lifted it up and trudged over to the table. She dropped the bag on the table before she stepped back and exhaled. It was a good thing she wouldn’t have to walk with it. She took one last look around the room before she left and headed to the main house.

A cheer went up as she stepped into the kitchen. She tensed as the sound grew louder. Peter had to calm the wolves down before they finally stopped. One of the wolves serving breakfast came over and put down a plate. There was so much food on it that it formed a small mountain. This was more food than she ate in a week. She wouldn’t be able to eat this. Peter was standing nearby so she slid the plate over to him. He laughed.

“I’m going to miss that.” Marie asked for a smaller helping. They still served her quite a bit but this time it was a more manageable amount. She took a seat while the wolves spoke around her.

They were excited by what had happened yesterday. The conversation went back and forth as they spoke about what each of them had seen or heard. The wolf who had been held hostage had the most to say. He had followed them after he’d been released from the spell and witnessed more of the fight than she thought. The last thing he’d seen was the sorcerer surrendering. Marie ate what she could but couldn’t finish the plate. There was still a whole third left. She pushed the plate away from her. Someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned to find Peter next to her. He pulled her to one side to speak to her.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done.” He smiled as he looked back at the rest of the wolves who were still talking amongst themselves. “Are you sure you want to take the bus? We can drive you all the way back.” It was a generous offer but she had other plans.

“Thank you but the bus is fine.” He frowned but nodded. Someone had already taken her plate so she headed back to her room to pick up her stuff.

Marie put the bag on her shoulder. She was a little lopsided but she wouldn’t be carrying it for long. She locked the room for the last time before she headed to the front of the house. Peter and Grayson stood next to a black car. Peter took her bag from her and put it in the back seat. She handed him the key to the room. He took the key from her and put it in his pocket. Peter smiled as he offered his hand to her.

“You’re welcome back any time.” She shook his hand and nodded. Marie got into the car as the rest of the pack poured out of the house and stood behind Peter. They waved as they shouted their goodbyes.

“Thanks again for everything!” Peter waved goodbye as Grayson drove away. They continued to wave goodbye until she could no longer see them. The ride to the bus station went faster this time around. Grayson brought her right to the front. She got out of the car while he took her duffle bag from the back. He frowned before he handed it over to her. She turned to leave.

“Wait!” Marie looked back at him. He exhaled in frustration before he offered her his hand. “Thanks. You did a lot, not just for the pack, but for my sister, so thanks.” Marie took his hand and shook it. She had only done her job. The pack didn’t need to thank her so much. Grayson got back in the car and drove off. She watched him leave for a moment before walking into the station.

Marie took one look at the long line waiting for her and headed to the restroom. She carefully checked each stall to make sure that there was no one. It was empty. Marie took this chance to teleport back home.

She dropped her bag on the floor before she walked over to the sofa and dropped her body into it. Marie stretched her body before closing her eyes and relaxing. There wasn’t anything that needed to be done immediately. No cases that she needed to rush to. Time ticked by as she rested.

With every second that passed, the clock grew louder until she finally couldn’t take it anymore. Marie stood up and went back to her study. She only had the time in between cases to work on her project. No point wasting time when she had no idea when her next case might come up.