Chapter 31

"Ideas? Before I propose my own of course," said Roxanne with a wry smile.

"Get Abigail out of here before you propose she scans the diffused power and focuses the high Sidhe and Queen Oonagh upon us?" I asked with a relaxed smile.

"We need to liaise with the Sidhe, or rather Verenestra or at least set up the means to do so as soon as possible. Frankly I can't see anything good coming from this return at all," William added, after a brief chuckle at Roxanne's face when I mentioned 'her' supposed plan.

"I would appreciate the time to scan the diffused energy source in order to report back to Seer Jemima and the Council," Abigail added.

"I suggest if you do we have an open portal behind us waiting to step into. My studies of the high Sidhe suggest that they are very dangerous opponents whose control of magic surpasses our own in a good few areas. We've come on a lot in the last hundred and fifty years, but, they can still do things we wouldn't even attempt," Mage William put in.

"Such as?" Abigail asked curiously.

"Surviving in the Outer Realms without the aid of an Old One, for one," Roxanne replied.

"William's right, we need a 'go to hell' plan in place for any such scan, because I'm pretty sure that things will go to hell when you do, Abi," I added.

"So far it hasn't reacted to our presence," Abigail stressed.

"Yes, but Oberon detected your probings and didn't either, it may just be waiting for the right moment," I acknowledged.

"I'll be very, very careful," Abigail replied. "But trust me, the Seers and Council will want to know."

"She's right," Roxanne confirmed. "Probably best done now when their focus is on finding out where the Seelie court lies."

"You're presuming they either won't catch us, or can't stop us escaping if they do," I replied. "That's wishful thinking as we have no idea of their capabilities at all."

"Who are you and what have you done to glory hound John?" Roxanne retorted with what I swear was a giggle.

"I'm still here, but there are risks and risks," I chuckled.

"We still need to scan and I doubt the Seelie Sidhe will want Abigail to do it here," said Roxanne.

"We'd be better off back near the Unseelie court, and well prepared because I don't think we'll get much time," William added.

"I was going to ask you to remain here Mage William and begin to open channels of communication with Verenestra, be my liaison here as it were. I do mean ask too, the Sidhe in general cannot be trusted, although Verenestra can ... I believe," Roxanne requested.

"I'll do my best Mage Roxanne, though I reserve the right to 'bug out' if things become too uncomfortable," he replied.

"By all means, William. If anything I insist you do so," she stated.

"Of course, Mage Roxanne. You can count on me," he replied formally.

"I know I can, William. We got off to a rocky start, but you have my fullest confidence," Roxanne replied, giving him a hug which caused a major blush on his part.

"Thank you Ma ... Roxanne," he stammered out.

We portalled back to the original site just outside the Unseelie Court and I prepared, with Roxanne's help, a series of wards in concentric rings around Abigail which though unpowered should enable us to raise them and portal back out to home if, as I suspected, things went pear-shaped rapidly on us. I could tell even Roxanne was worried about what would happen as her normal calmness seemed brittle and the strain showed in her eyes. Finally we both drew some 'cold iron' weaponry and stood either side of the calm and placid appearing Abigail.

"Ready?" asked Roxanne.

"Ready, it won't take long for them to respond I suspect," she replied.

I've had it explained to me several times just what it is a Seer does. I've even had a couple of Seers try to explain, but because I can't follow it, I suspect it's a bit like trying to explain the colour blue to someone born blind. Yes, I can monitor and collate data, yes, I can act on what data I collect, but, it requires effort, it requires stamina and it also requires the ability to put together a whole from many different and separate parts. All this I can do ... so long as it's within say a mile of me and I'm focussing on a small area, Morgana's range is a bit longer, but she's got a lot more experience in doing it. A Seer, in gestalt with others, can cover a continent observing and collating all magical activity within their scan. Yes, certain things can be hidden from them, but it's not easy and it's often more trouble than it's worth as the absence of something is often enough to give a talented Seer information as and of itself. A single Seer is slightly more limited, but can still do pretty much all of the above effortlessly. The problem being that it isn't undetectable when they do a general scan, nor is it as quick as say in gestalt where one guards, one collates and one scans and they're gone before you knew they were there.

Abigail began her scan at Roxanne's nod and almost instantly three Sidhe warriors ported in from nowhere and moved to attack us, only to fall back screaming as I used my abilities to send a cloud of fast moving iron filings into their eyes. Roxanne began to focus on the glyphs and sigils of the wards but held as Abigail sent a flickering thought telling her not to. Soon another party of Sidhe appeared and strode towards us wearing full transparent adamantine armour which had embedded wards in to repel any missile weapons.

"Caught on quick," I murmured to Roxanne.

"Didn't they just," she replied with a grin and leapt forward with a thrust of her rapier in a dazzling exhibition of skill which had the entire party of four held at bay whilst they attempted to offset her skill with their numbers.

I'm no expert with the sword, but I could tell that Roxanne was way beyond expert, as her blade flickered in and out of the Sidhe party seeking out weak points and giving several of them minor wounds which had to be agonising for them given their allergy to iron as they dodged and tried to get their own cuts in only to find that Roxanne had the seeming ability to be exactly where their own blades weren't at any thrust, slash or stab on their part.

One of the party then tried to engage me but rather than attempt to fence with him I simply dodged inside his thrust and used the steel pointed knuckle duster of my ... call it a cutlass, though essentially it was a modified 1918 trench sword, to smash him hard in his face guard shattering it and blinding him with the spikes and shards as well as burning away the flesh with the iron allergy they all had. I may not be an expert swordsman but I have fighting dirty off to a fine art and used both the cutlass and my Bowie, both of which I'd magnetised, to both weaken the Sidhe's armour and their weapons if they came in to close proximity for too long as a new group had decided I might just be easier prey than Roxanne.

Roxanne had by then skewered one of her attackers through the heart making him crumble into dust and had the other two falling back in the face of her blistering attacks. Soon though we were both being pressed back and to our limits as more and more Sidhe either came running or ported in as Abigail continued to do whatever it was she was doing.

"Better make it quick Abi," I gasped as the edge of a Sidhe bladed entangled itself in my greatcoat slicing a long cut in it as its owner withdrew the weapon with a snarl.

"Need ... another ... minute," Abi gasped, sweat dripping from her brow and her face a mask of concentration.

I kicked my attacker in the groin with a steel toed boot and used my cutlass to beat down the thrust of a Sidhe who had edged around to Roxanne's blind side and watched as her rapier sliced open the throat of the Sidhe to her front and flickered to the side to skewer another attacker, before coming back to engage the Sidhe I'd distracted.

"Thank you, John, but I think I still had him," she grinned.

"Glad I could help. Don't suppose you've got the time to teach me some of that stuff?" I gasped as I used my Bowie knife to hold back yet another attacker at bay whilst slamming the pommel of my cutlass down to shatter the skull of the Sidhe to my front who'd originally collapsed holding his groin and proceeded to collapse into dust after my death blow.

"Got a spare hundred years and no problem," she answered with a grin.

"Got nothing but time," I replied with a grin of my own.

"Only reason we're alive is they're trying to take Abigail prisoner so aren't using area effect magic," gasped Roxanne as more and more Sidhe came in to try to take us down.

"OK, time to go," Abigail shouted and raised all the wards around us as well as opening the portal, something which if I hadn't witnessed I would scarce have believed as I'd almost certainly have killed myself trying.

We dived through the portal just as a massive burst of hellfire erupted from a lone figure who had been standing on the hilltop observing us. We were barely quick enough as the portal collapsed almost around us and I ended up lying atop the two women protecting them as the edge of the hellfire scorched my back and set my clothing alight.

"Success?" I moaned as I desperately rolled over to douse the flames from my clothing.

"Yes ... sort of," Abigail replied as she used her hands to help beat out the flames as other Mages from the Department gathered around and began to help.

"Sort of?" Roxanne questioned as she began the healing process upon me.

"We'll never be able to do it again. The only reason I got away with it was they had never come into contact with a Seer before and didn't realise just how much information I could grab in the time I had," Abigail replied. "As it is I was able to move against and counter every defence they put up until the energy source I'd mentioned earlier coalesced and attacked, that's when I said to go."

"Was it Queen Oonagh?" Roxanne asked.

"Yes and no, the energy is focussed through her, but it isn't of her, yet it acquiesces to her will in some ways hence her return to Tír na nÓg after subjugating the Nephilim to her cause," Abigail responded.

"Great, another enemy hiding behind an enemy," I muttered.

"Sorry, John," Abigail replied before giving me a hug. "You were so brave for me and you ended up getting hurt."

"Sheesh, you'd think he was the only one there and it's not like he got a majority of kills too!" exclaimed Roxanne with a twinkle in her eyes that told me she was joking.

"Sorry, Mage Roxanne," giggled Abigail.

"So you should be, inflating his head like that," Roxanne chuckled.

'Mage Roxanne, John, Abigail, report to my office, ' Morgana sent telepathically.

"Uh oh," Roxanne intoned with a wry smile.

"Indeed, Mage Roxanne," I chuckled in return.

"I think I need to see Seer Jemima first," said Abigail, whose whole manner had suddenly changed and become almost alien to me.

"Nonsense, Morgana's her boss, you'll attend her first," replied Roxanne quite sternly nodding to me to keep an eye upon her.

Abigail wasn't given a choice as she followed Roxanne and in turn was followed by me to Morgana's office where Morgana waited flanked by Seer Jemima. As soon as we entered the room though the four other Seers currently working that section appeared and surrounded Abigail hands linked. What happened next I'm unsure of to this very day, but there was a pressure exerted upon Abigail that wasn't physical or mental in so far as I can describe it ... it simply was. Abigail, upon it happening, turned to run but couldn't get past me in the doorway and the Seers themselves along with Morgana's own security protocols prevented teleportation.

"Problem, my Mage?" I asked after stepping to the side having locked the door and giving Morgana a respectful formal bow.

"Not sure yet, but seems probable as we planned for it," she replied. "Welcome back ... all of you."

"Thank you, Mage Morgana. It seems our young Seer here may have picked up a passenger?" Roxanne enquired.

"We shall see," Morgana replied.

The pressure from the Seers seemed to build and build until Abigail fell to her knees and what appeared to be a luminescence formed about her body before drifting upwards to remain above her head.

'Pull her from the circle, John, quickly!' came a mental command from Seer Jemima.

I ducked and grabbed Abigail under her arms and yanked her back out of the circle and left the Seers surrounding the now clearly animate light, containing it with ease.

I held Abigail for a minute as her body trembled and shook; tears flowed down her cheeks.

"It worked, Abigail. Well done," Jemima's mellow tones came as she held her apprentice in what became a group hug as Morgana and Roxanne joined in as well.

"It was harder than I imagined to keep a piece of me free and in control whilst allowing that ... that thing to inhabit and control my conscious mind," she sobbed. "In the end I was losing that control the minute we were summoned here."

"You knew this would happen?" I asked angrily at the senior Mages.

"We suspected, yes. The Sidhe are nothing if not predictable. If they couldn't capture a Seer, then they'd settle for controlling one. Their problem being that they don't have Seers of their own and have little understanding of our true power at all," Jemima replied. "Abigail knew this and volunteered to trap the malignant entity that tried to take control of her so we could interrogate it. She was an obvious choice as I doubt the Sidhe would have gone anywhere near a mature Seer. Oberon was probably forced to concede the information as to Abigail's youth."