[Ingrid:] [William of Brinsford] [Can you get to the hospital before dark or the moon rises? Dr. Lewis wants to talk to you about the werewolf. You said you wanted some info from him as well.]

  I checked my watch. It was 4:37.

  [William of Brinsford:] [Ingrid] [I can be there by 5. Main door front desk?]

  [Ingrid:] [William of Brinsford] [Yes. I’ll let him know you’re coming. Thanks.]

  Deciding to try the new clothes, I pulled them on. Just in case they disappeared somehow, I added a pair of cargo shorts underneath. Last, I tossed my regular clothes in a gym bag in case I needed them.

  The drive was quick. I got there with three minutes to spare, though I spent them hiking in from the lot. My spot was a few rows out from the entrance. The parking lot wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t as full as I expected for a weekday afternoon.

  Inside, a man stood near the front desk in a white coat, name badge reading Dr. Lewis. Easy enough. I offered my hand as I walked up.

  “Doctor Lewis, I presume? I’m William of Brinsford.”

  He nodded. “I’ve seen pictures of you. I want to talk about Mr. Everett and have you speak with him before we sedate him for the night.”

  “I’m happy to do so. How is he?”

  “He’s doing well. His health is good. His family came to see him today, so his spirits are up. Ms. McCormack has checked on him a few times. I understand you’re hunting for what caused his condition.”

  “That’s true. Part of it anyway.”

  “I never thought I’d see an actual case of lycanthropy. I thought that was just for the movies and books. This last week has shown me things I would have sworn could never happen… now they almost feel commonplace.”

  “Have you tried to cure him?”

  “Yes, and before you ask, nothing’s worked. We googled it. Holy water, topical silver, all the usual things. None of it worked. One of our orderlies has a friend who casts and loads his own ammunition… he’s making silver bullets.”

  We stepped into the elevator, and Dr. Lewis pressed the button for the third floor. The tag read ICU and Recovery.

  “How can I help?”

  “Find a cure for him.”

  “You’ve covered everything I can think of. I hope those bullets are a last resort,” I said.

  “If he fights off the sedation, yes. We also have officer Hitchcock. What is the MINION tag both of them have? Ms. McCormack pointed it out and said it’s why they’re the way they are.”

  “It’s like the SLAVE tag, except the person has more free will. But they still do whatever their boss tells them.”

  “That’s the other problem…Ms. Boudoir’s four SLAVEs. They’ll sometimes do what you tell them, but otherwise they just sit there waiting for her commands.”

  “That’s what I heard. Slaver is a profession,” I said.

  Dr. Lewis nodded. “I’ve read the rules. Only the Slave Master, or Slave Mistress in this case, can command them, and they obey without question.”

  “We saw a lot of it at the football stadium,” I told him. “Taking out the top of the slave pyramid killed the control. We also found that a CHARM PERSON of a high enough level can persuade a Slave Master to release their slaves. We worked out who controlled who and got them all freed. It took a couple hours, but we did it.”

  The elevator doors opened, and I followed him down a hall to a room near the end. Inside, James Everett lay in a standard hospital bed. Wires ran from his chest to a monitor; a small transmitter clipped to his gown. An IV line ran into his arm from a hanging saline bag.

  “Mr. Everett,” Dr. Lewis said. “I have Mr. Brinsford here to see you.”

  “Hello, James. You’re looking better than the last time we met. I gather we both want to talk. You can go first,” I said, pulling a chair to his bedside. We sat close enough to reach across if needed.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dr. Lewis whisper something to the nurse before quietly leaving.

  “Thank you,” Everett said. “And thank you for not killing me when I was a wolf.”

  “When I saw the MINION tag on you, I knew you weren’t acting on your own. You were controlled. That made it a rescue mission. I want to get that tag off you. So far, the only way is to kill whoever’s controlling you. If we find another way, we’ll do that.”

  “I don’t think you can. It didn’t look big at first, then it almost blotted out the night sky. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t. Couldn’t move until it let me.”

  “What was it? Where did you find it, or did it find you?”

  “Do you know where I live? Up on Delphi Road?”

  “Yes. I’ve never been out there, but I looked it up. Were you at home?”

  “My dog was barking at something outside. I grabbed my shotgun and went to look. Didn’t see anything, but Old Bill, my hound, he was fixated on somethin’ dark at the bottom of the hill. He could smell it. Eyesight’s not so good anymore.”

  “Did you try to find it?”

  “Yeah. Down at the tree line by the creek. Most of the trees on the hill got cut down a decade ago. Nothing big’s grown back.”

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  “OK…then what?”

  “Something blacker than the dark between the trees. Like a hole that moved and changed shape.”

  “Changed shape? Into what?”

  I was finally getting somewhere.

  “I don’t remember. Just that it did. Then a voice in my head offered me things…strength, power, respect. All I had to do was get it somethin’ stolen from it.”

  “What happened when you got to town?”

  “That’s the strange part. I drove around and had no idea where it was. Then it got dark, and I felt something pulling at me. Drove toward it, but the pain started. Got out of my car, thank God. I felt the moon. Then it got bright, almost like dawn.

  That’s when I started running…on four legs. I saw people, and you stood out. I was looking for you. Then you trapped me and changed me back. That’s when I knew something was wrong.”

  “Yeah. And you weren’t wearing any clothes.”

  He laughed. “Didn’t matter by then. None of you were trying to hurt me. But I could smell what I was lookin’ for on you. On your car. But it wasn’t there, was it?”

  I shook my head. “No. It’s far from where I live. I was around it enough that some of it stuck to me. I want to get rid of it. It’s evil. People can feel it. Father Stoddard helped mask it so it wouldn’t affect me or others as much.”

  He went quiet for a moment, thinking. “Can you change what I am? Change me back?”

  “I don’t think so. Maybe if we stop whatever changed you. I don’t know of a way to stop the full moon shifts. Maybe we can help you stay in control. I don’t know how yet, but we’ll try.”

  “They say I haven’t hurt anyone yet except that dog. Can you keep me from doing that?”

  “We’ll work on it. That’s all I can promise. If it can be done, we’ll do it. I’ll let you know what we find out, maybe tomorrow.”

  “Thank you. You know, I can still smell it on you. Not like when I was a wolf, but it’s there. Unless you fix that, I’ll keep hunting you…and that thing, wherever it is.”

  “I know. We’re working on it. Hopefully if we take down whatever changed you, that’ll end it. Otherwise, we’ll keep working on it. But now I need to see some other people here. Rest. I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”

  I shook his hand before leaving.

  In the hallway, a woman with three young children stood waiting. “Mrs. Everett?”

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “How is he?”

  “Physically he’s good. He could use cheering up, though. Seeing all of you will help.”

  “Do you know how long they’ll hold him? We want him home. His boss wants him back at work.”

  “I think as soon as the full moon is over, they’ll release him. He only changes when there’s a full moon.”

  “So, it’s true? He turns into a wolf?”

  I nodded. “Yes. We’re trying to find a way around that. I hope we can.”

  “What happens if you don’t?”

  “Then once a month he’ll spend the nights sedated,” I said. “The other chance is if he gains control of his shifting. Then he can protect you and the kids. I hope it comes to that.”

  She smiled warmly. “Thank you. C’mon kids, let’s go see daddy.” She called to her children and herded them into the room.

  At the nurse’s station, I asked about Wild Bill and Madame Boudoir. I wanted Boudoir to release her SLAVEs. The nurse said she’d need to check with Dr. Lewis and waking someone could take an hour or more. I told her to have him let me know when and I’d be back.

  She paged him, and he called right back. She gave me a room number…Boudoir was already waking. I headed there at a fast walk.

  Casting a PSYCHIC SHIELD on myself, I rounded the corner and spotted the right door. An Eddington officer and four men sat outside. The four were staring blankly at the wall across the hall.

  “I’m…” I started.

  “Go right in, Mana Mage. Dr. Lewis is expecting you,” the officer said with a grin.

  “Thank you.”

  Inside, Dr. Lewis and a nurse stood at either side of a bed. The woman hooked to wires and IVs was unmistakably Madame Boudoir. Another female patient lay in the other bed, rigged the same way.

  First thing, I cast PSYCHIC SHIELDs on Lewis and the nurse.

  Both of them suddenly looked up at me, startled at what flashed across their vision.

  “If that’s Boudoir, I don’t want her charming or enslaving you when she wakes up,” I explained. “You’re safe now.”

  “Thank you. I hadn’t thought about that. We’d like to rotate through the people we’re holding, let them be awake a while. I heard about your MAGIC WARD. We’ve sedated Barbara the longest, so I wanted her first. Can you get her to release her four? The police don’t think they’ll be dangerous once freed.”

  “They didn’t harm anyone in the council room, just carried her litter. I don’t think they’ll be a problem if she releases them.”

  “Can you remove that control?”

  “No. I can override or maybe overwrite a CHARM spell, but not a Profession. I might be able to CHARM her into releasing them. But the law on keeping someone charmed…I don’t know.”

  “How long will your WARD last?” Lewis asked.

  “Two hours, six-meter circle. Problem is, Mentalist abilities and Shaman CURSEs don’t count as magic. They use PSYCHIC POOL. I dual classed, so I have both.”

  “So, it only works on casters, but not rest?”

  “Right. As far as I know. A CHARM’s duration depends on level and stats between caster and target, plus ranks in Psychic abilities.”

  Boudoir stirred, moaning.

  “Barbara? Barbara, wake up,” Dr. Lewis coaxed.

  I shifted beside the nurse, glanced at the chart. Barbara Curry, 53, though she looked mid-40s. I’d never known her real name or seen her full face before.

  She mumbled and blinked awake, scowling when she saw Lewis. He flinched but held steady. “That won’t work, Barbara. You can’t CHARM me. Please don’t try again.”

  She turned toward the nurse. The nurse’s calm smile told me she’d tried again and failed.

  “Do it?” I asked Lewis.

  “Yes. I’ll take responsibility.”

  “Thank you.” I cast CHARM PERSON. Barbara froze, face slack. REVEAL STATS showed the CHARMED tag.

  “Bring in the men…and the officer,” I told the nurse. She nodded, and went outside.

  “Barbara, how many slaves do you have?”

  “Four,” she whispered.

  The four men entered behind me; eyes fixed on her. They stood there in a line, not moving.

  “Barbara. Are these your slaves?”

  She started to say yes, but I cut in. “Release all your slaves. Now!”

  Her gaze flicked across them one by one. As she did, each collapsed. The officer and nurse caught most of them before they hit hard. I checked each one with REVEAL STATS. The SLAVE tag was gone.

  “Get them out, find them a room to recover,” Lewis ordered.

  She ran out of the room for help and the officer repositioned them so they’d be more comfortable.

  “I don’t know how long my CHARM will last,” I said. “She could break it in ten hours… maybe a couple of days unless I refresh it.”

  “I understand. We’ll sedate her again before then. We’ll see how she does in the meantime.”

  “You should have a female doctor or nurse handle her. She hates men unless they submit to her.”

  Turning back, I commanded, “Barbara, you will obey any doctor or nurse as if it was me. You will answer all their questions. You will not use your powers on anyone. You will go back to sleep when told.”

  “That’s the best I can do. Let me know when you have a space for multiple WARDS, and I’ll cast them. Rotate people through. I can CHARM the other Mentalists from the battle too. Tomorrow morning I’m tied up, but maybe afternoon.”

  “Thank you. We’ll want you every day for a while so we can treat them as patients, not prisoners.”

  “I wish I had time for Hitchcock, but I need to get going. Tomorrow, I’ll let you know when I can see him.”

  “Thank you,” Lewis said again. “We’ll see you tomorrow.

  “I’ll do the best I can. Once we get more mages leveled, you’ll have help. For now, I need to go. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.”

  I left, worried about what lay waiting for us out by Needmore Ridge.

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