Chapter 2 THE STRANGER

The girl - Rose - Damian knew, not by the description her uncle had given him but by her obvious russet colored hair, a signature mark of the Frey family. That, and the waves of power that rolled off her like waves. Damian gripped his umbrella tighter and forced his feet forward. Although that took more than just a little effort because the closer he got to her, the more he started feeling sharp pangs of pain as razor thin cuts started to materialize on his face and all over his body.

What powerful killing intent! He mused. Thankfully it wasn't yet at the level where it could be used to kill yet. But to manifest it to this degree and unconsciously?

And being only about how old? 20? She was nothing short of a prodigy. He paused, but only long enough to snap open his umbrella and feel its protective wards settle over him. Then he continued forward undisturbed. He touched his face and his fingers came away bloody. Thankfully he healed fast. He could already feel his flesh knitting back together in that familiar itchy sensation he'd learned to ignore.

Shame the bureau didn't allow the recruitment of supernaturals due to whatever millennia old bad blood had existed between the two, Damian had opined more than once which got him in no small amount of trouble with his superiors. And neither was he far up the food chain to know exactly what the source of the bad blood was. As for moving up the food chain...Damian didn't even want to consider it. In an organization where virtually everyone lived for centuries at a time, you basically had to wait for your boss to die before you ascended up the ranks. Which rarely ever happens nowadays. Legend had it that the last time people had gotten promoted in the organization was during the Second Dark War, which was about 150 years ago?

Damian shook himself out of his reverie. He saw the girl begin to stir, she'd been sitting stone still this whole time. Damian had heard about the characteristics of the wolfdream and suspected she was just about waking. He hastily recalled everything that he'd been told about her. Temperament, attitude, her report was summarized like this.

"You'll have better luck with Dragons."

Oh well, he sighed, it wasn't going to be the first time his supervisors had sent him on a suicide mission, time to go introduce myself then. I just hope this armament is strong enough to stop her if she suddenly decides to tear my throat out.

Rose hadn't sensed him coming. She was still kneeling there when the man in black met her.

She had not felt him approach. One moment he was not and the next he was, like he'd been there all along.

Internally, she could already hear her mum berating her for letting her guard down. If this was a rival clan's assassin, she'd already have been dead, gone just like her mother and any thoughts of revenge reduced to mere shades. Rose's heart broke when she thought again of her mother, but she forced it down and turned her mind towards the stranger, thoughts racing. What did he want? Who did he work for? When she tried to sense his aura, it was like she ran into a brick wall and recoiled.

She didn't want to turn for fear that the stranger might be hostile and that a single movement could spell death for her. Her hackles rose but she refused to show any reaction, kneeling where she was but her hands slowly creeping towards the dagger strapped to a hidden pocket on her thigh.

"Rose? I have a message for you from your Uncle, " the stranger said, and Rose didn't stop reaching for the knife hidden in her boots.

"Oh yeah? What does 'my uncle' have for me?"

The stranger coughed, "He'd like to speak with you in person." he paused and then went on "it's about your mother's demise, he said you have questions and he has answers."

At this point, Rose was curious enough. She twisted on her hip to now stare at the intruder. She wished she hadn't.

The man was tall and somewhat lean. He wore a black suit and held up a pitch black umbrella over his head that seemed to settle in place like the gray sky overhead. It gave Rose the impression of being cut out of the night sky itself and weaved together with shadows, the feeling it gave her was...ominous. For a second it occupied her attention before she restrained her curiosity enough to tear her gaze away from it and refocus on the man who held it. He was African American. And besides the black suit - which looked slept in, and wrinkled - he wore shades, Red tinted shades.

"Vampire?"

"I believe the term you're looking for is Enforcer for the Bureau of Magical Protection, personally I prefer mage." he gave a mock bow "Damian at your service."

"Didn't my dear 'uncle' tell you that I kill vamps for fun? Or was he sending you here with the intention of having you test the limits of my patience and since when did Enforcers become errand boys for the Mafia? I thought you weren't supposed to play favorites."

Damian gave the cheekiest boyish smile Rose had ever seen. "Far from it. Just doing a favor for an old friend." He produced a letter with a flick of his wrist.

Rose sniffed dismissively, "Don't bother."

For the first time in their interaction, Rose felt her unwanted companion was confused and even unsure of how to proceed.

"I'll hear what my 'uncle'," she wiggled her fingers, "has to say once I'm done paying my respects to my mother."

He opened his mouth to say something else but Rose cut him off again. "Alone."

Rose could almost hear the wheels spinning in his brain as he considered whether her reply was within what was the acceptable parameters of whatever instruction he'd received from his superiors - Rose didn't trust whatever Damian said. She didn't believe her uncle had any pull whatsoever with the Bureau. She'd sooner believe that he swallowed the sun before she trusted he had the ability in him. The Enforcers wanted something and they wanted it from her. And Rose was curious enough about it to hear them out. But only after she had dealt with her mother's killer first. If the Bureau interfered, they'd find themselves on the receiving end of her blades. But depending on what the Bureau needed her for, perhaps she'd be able to use their resources to pursue her blood debt. Right now she was alone, the one person in the world she'd trusted to be her ally was lying six feet under. She furiously blinked back tears. When she looked up at the man in black, she saw no mockery there, only sympathy.

"Alright." He responded grudgingly. He turned to go. "We'll give you the time you need." He took a few steps away and paused.

"You know for what it's worth sorry for your loss. I think I know what it's like to lose someone you care about." Then he was gone and Rose was alone again. And finally allowed herself to grieve.

She knelt there until the first drops of rain broke free of the skies and fell to the earth in a litany of sounds. At last, she screamed into the skies but that was drowned out by the thunderclap that resounded overhead.

The Rain washed away her tears and the last embers of her rage; all that was left behind was ice-cold resolve.

She found Damian just outside the cemetery standing by a fleet of black jeeps. She recognised these as the ones used by the family.

THE PROPOSAL

Wisely, if Damian had heard her scream, he gave no indication of it, instead he cleared his throat and went straight to business "Your uncle wants you back home to become Patriarch of the clan in his stead Rose couldn't help it, she laughed.

"You think my uncle is simply going to stand aside and let me take over? I knew it, this was a waste of time" She turned to start walking away but a firm grip on her arm stopped her in her tracks. She spun shooting Damain a withering glance even as she did.

He held up a hand in a gesture of peace, Rose noted that he was still holding the umbrella up despite the rain having stopped. In fact, now that she thought of it, she could recall he'd been holding up the umbrella ever since she met him. Was he vain? Or was this his attempt at being fashionable.

"Woah, woah woah. Here me out princess." he said and took a deep breath and Rose braced herself for the monologue.

"Your uncle's gone."

For a couple of seconds, the words failed to register but when they did, she realized she felt mildly disappointed. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this, whatever this was. Damian waited for her to absorb the information before he gave her the next piece.

"And so are most of the other clan Patriarchs. Well except the Merfolk Patriarch."

Now Rose's interest was thoroughly stirred. Damian of course knew she was hooked and had a fun time watching the various expressions that flashed through her face as she warred with herself. Damian waited confidently, wagging his eyebrows in anticipation of the question he knew she would inevitably ask. Rose sighed at long last but couldn't help but bite the bait, she had to admit it, she was hooked.

"Gone where?"

Damian held up his finger "Now that I cannot tell you...yet. But what I can tell you, is that you're in the succession plan. The Patriarchs of the clans left wills you see. Just in case something unforeseen interfered with their return."

"And how long have they been gone now?"

"3 months."

"How long should they have been gone?"

"3 weeks."

Damian said nothing until she was done mulling it over.

"My uncle wants many things," Rose said at last "But that still doesn't explain why you're here. Enforcers and supernaturals don't mix well when last I checked. What do you want with me?"

Damian gestured towards the car.

"Wouldn't it be better to talk on the way there?"

Rose folded her hands. "I haven't decided if I'm going with you yet. Contrary to your expectations I'm not very interested in becoming Patriarch or anything else in the clan for that matter. My mother is dead and her murderer is running loose, if this is the best you have to offer then I'll have to disappoint."

"About that," Damian said. "We may have some clues about who's responsible."

"Who's we?"

"Myself." Damian shrugged. "But only if you're willing to hear me out."

"Whatever you want," Rose began. "I can only help you after my mother's killer is dead and buried."

Damian shrugged. "That's fine with me."

Rose sighed "Then lead the way."

Damian rapped his knuckles against the door of the car causing it to spring open. He held it open as Rose got in, still wet from the rain and winced when she plopped down on the seat. Then he got in after her, shut the door and rapped his fingers against the partition. The vehicle hummed to life and started moving. Damian thankfully put that damned umbrella away.

Rose crossed her legs and folded her arms. "So who's been in charge of the clan?" But even as she said it, she realized with no small amount of dread that she knew who. But she kept her face neutral even as Damian said "Your Cousin. Ryan Frey." he quickly added.

"Ryan." Rose's voice was deadpan, even she wouldn't believe her uncle would do something that dumb.

"He took power by force when he discovered his dad had been gone. And had tried to delay the information from getting to you or your mother. We got the letter from him as a contingency in case Ryan attempted a power grab, which he has."

"So you think he's responsible for my mother's death?" Rose asked.

Damian shrugged. "You know better than I do, how your cousin is."

Rose grimaced, she did as a matter of fact. All too well.

Her cousin Ryan was a maniac, the only thing that kept him on a leash was his father's presence. Now that he was gone? Rose shivered to think of the consequences, she felt a sick twist in her gut. That he would run the family business into the ground was out of the question, but the blood bath he would leave in his wake would be nothing

"Bullshit!"

"We're off to a good start," Damian said.

"You can't expect me to believe that?" Rose sounded offended, outraged even.

Damian shrugged. "I don't expect anyone to believe it. In my opinion, compared to most other people, you're taking this quite well."

Rose paused. "What other people?"

"Uh I dunno," Damian began to tick off names with his fingers "The Dragon heiress, the Elfking's brat, your cousin of course, the new Werelord and now of course there's you."

Rose folded her arms and turned towards the window again, watching the landscape go by.

"So my cousin was your first choice? Let me guess why you're here. He tried to kill you."

"If by tried you mean had me thrown out of the Were clans flying fortress then yes indeed. Tried would be the word." Damian grit his teeth when he remembered the young Were Lord's gloating appearance. He'd get back at the bastard that was for sure.

"You're more durable than you look." Rose sounded impressed "You should've tried talking to him again. He would've listened. Ryan likes it when his toys don't break easy."

Damian gave an awkward laugh "In my defense, you were actually my first pick. But the higher ups have their own opinions on the matter."

"Higher ups? So you're supposed to be the low ranking canon fodder the Bureau uses to get jobs done? That's even more unbelievable than what you just told me. How can highly sensitive matters like this be handled by a nobody? The Bureau seems to trust you a great deal."

"Do they now?" Damian laughed but said nothing else. Clearly he wasn't going to say anything else concerning that issue. Rose could try to squeeze it out of him but decided against it a second later.

So they traveled in silence. Rose, trying to juggle the death of her mum with the new revelation of where the Patriarch had gone; Another universe!

She didn't know why but she knew Damian wasn't lying.

Damian for his part simply let her absorb the information. It was shocking enough, he knew. He'd felt the same way when he'd first heard it too.

After all, it was a team of both high-ranking Enforcers and the Patriarchs that undertook that journey. This wasn't a new discovery, although to people like Damian and Rose it was.

Only Patriarchs among the supernaturals and the highest ranking Enforcers were permitted to know about this. Why? Damian had no idea. He had some suspicions though, but no way to verify his thoughts. So he asked Rose.

"Just where do you supernaturals come from?"

Rose didn't respond immediately. The silence stretched between them until it became awkward for Damian who shifted in his seat. But then Rose responded.

"As children we were told folklore. Or at least I thought they were. We supernaturals are all about custom and tradition, which is why we have Legendarians. The keepers of the ancient secrets. They pass down traditions by word of mouth. Some only for the ears of the Patriarchs and clan elders, others are told to children. One of the most popular speaks of a world where supernaturals reign supreme, a world much larger than this one. Which gods and monsters. Here we supernaturals are just small clans forced to hide in the shadows. But there in that world, we supposedly had world spanning empires, Werelords that could swallow the sun in a single gulp or dragons whose roars could cause catastrophes. I always treated it as some kind of consolation story we were told. A - when you die, you get to heaven - kind of a place for supernaturals." Rose paused and looked at Damian.

"But now you say they've gone to another universe."

She shook her head "Even if what you say is true, why would they go there? How would they go there? I refuse to believe a childish flight of fancy has taken the Patriarchs."

Perhaps she was musing out loud rather than asking Damian anything, which was well because Damian had no answers to her questions. He simply reclined in his seat, hands tucked behind his head and eyes staring off into the unknown as he considered different possibilities. If he was troubled by what Rose said, he gave no indication of it.

"I think I have some idea as to why they may have-"

And before he could say anymore there was a whistling sound that traveled over from afar like a kettle releasing steam, then came the explosion and the flare of orange light as the vehicle before them lit up in flames and flipped over as though smacked by a giant hand. The driver responded quickly, wrenching the steering wheel sideways and stomping on the brakes as he did so. The Jeep managed to screech to a stop just before it smashed into the burning wreckage of the first vehicle, the two other vehicles following closely behind also took various evasive actions. Rose immediately heard shouts and echoes of gunfire. She gave her door a fierce kick and it flew off its hinges and into the bushes. She thought it knocked someone down but she didn't have time to make sure as she heard Damian yell just before she felt hands reach out and shove her forcefully from the card onto the burning asphalt, then a body fell on hers to keep her pressed flat against it.

She was about to protest when she heard that whistling sound again, screeching against the wind and then the vehicle they were in was thankfully swatted out of the road even as it burst into flames. She turned to see the wreckage explode and covered her face as a wave of heat rushed towards her.

She was so sure she would be burned when a pitch black umbrella opened over her and immediately the wave of heat disappeared.

Damian rose to his feet, umbrella in hand, pointed in the direction of the explosion. He spun just in time to deflect a weapon that was flung at him. Then twisting the handle of the umbrella, unsheathed a lean silver sword from it and cut down another assailant in one fluid motion. The third assailant had just been sneaking up on him when he found the sword buried in his chest, he tried to clutch at it in a futile attempt to stay alive but the sword reversed trajectory, zipping out of his chest and back into Damian's waiting hands in an arc of silver light. Rose hadn't even seen it leave his hands.

All this had taken place in split seconds.

He stretched out his hand and helped Rose up even while he did so. He was talking to Rose but she couldn't register a single word he was saying as she stared around her in shock, looking at the burning wreckage of the vehicles around her ears ringing at the high pitched sounds. That was when she saw more figures clothed in red, faces in hoods rise up from where they were crouched in the bushes and run at them.

She unsheathed her blades, sleek daggers held in both hands and leapt into the fray. She breathed in deeply even as she charged the enemy, it'd been a long time since she'd been in combat but that didn't matter much to her at the moment. She was sure she could handle these guys. Then Rose opened her eyes to the Wolf dream.

She moved by instinct. Duck, slash across the stomach. Intestines spill out and the smell of blood and gore fill the air. But Rose's already moved past him to the next victim. Parry the blow from the next opponent sending him off balance, stab, stab, stab. Shove that one unto the next, take a running jump, push off the chest of the two falling and use that momentum to leap backwards unto the next, flipping in the air to land with both knees on either side of the head, shoulders crunch and the victim screams in agony, even as he sinks to the ground under your combined weights. Stab both knives into the jugular, and roll away even as a - is that a fireball? - flies by. Damian will deal with the mage, she didn't know why she'd trust him, but she did, instincts winning over whatever skepticism or grudge she felt for him.

Two opponents remained in her field of vision, she charged at them fearlessly. Another mage, she realized and its protector. She could observe magic pulled into the mage's outstretched hand like it was a vortex. He was preparing a spell, while the one who stood beside him was a protector.

She ducked even as a near solid beam of fire shot past where her head was. The protector readied his sword for a swing, but she was already among them, propelled by rage and the magic that swirled all around her.