What Summer and Kanu immediately discover in Jailuha is that the people are... nervous, mostly without even realizing it. Summer Wind recalls how, when the wand was buried, it killed all the grass in an increasing radius above it. Perhaps, despite the spells of isolation and protection woven about it by the Academy mages, that could account for part of the problem, whatever it may be.

Yet, both she and her husband doubt that the wand is the sole source of unrest. The young mage is intimately acquainted with the sensations caused by the malevolence of that wand, and it just… feels like more. Also, assuming that it was merely the wand’s influence, how does one destroy the thing? But no, it is more likely that some evil has been drawn here, either by the wand, or simply by Jailuha itself.

It is on the third day of searching for really prime shopping, gossip, and rumor that a curious thing happens to Summer Wind. As she is pausing to feel one piece of fabric in comparison to another, she watches a woman a few stalls down haggling over the price of certain rare herbs, spices, and oils.

Just then a butterfly alights on the young mage's hand, so she thinks perhaps it is only a vision, as no one else seems to find the buyer's presence at all unusual. This is in spite of the fact that she is over six feet tall, blue-skinned, pointy eared, and red eyed. But this time the general implication obtained by her spirit animal is, "Trust your senses, but don't push your luck." Summer Wind wonders if she can track or follow so obviously a magical, nonhuman creature as this one is.

Then several people pass between the two and the strange female is gone when once again Summer Wind can see that end of the plaza. While not sinister in and of itself, since buying marjoram, ginseng, and lavender essence is not a threatening action, Summer Wind must ask herself, and also Kanu when he returns home from his day's investigations, what the alien woman was doing in the bazaar so near the Arcane Academy at this time when stresses within the city are climbing. Is she the evil’s source?

She has a good disguise, apparently, as no one except Summer Wind seemed to be able to penetrate it, but her appearance is a little forbidding. The creature might also just be drawn to feed in small ways off of a greater evil at work in the city, so she and Kanu must remain vigilant. In her mage training, there was no specific mention of blue people with red eyes, but the djinn, fae, halflings, etc. come in so many varieties that it is almost a life's worth of study to learn them all. Best to avoid contact altogether.

In the end, however, this choice is not left open to her. Once Kanu is home and they are both in the rented house that they are sharing, there is a quiet knock on the door, and somehow Summer Wind is certain that it is the tall, blue female. It is not always a comfort to discover that you are right. Yet, Kanu, regardless of his wife’s description of her earlier encounter with the supernatural entity at the marketplace, perceives nothing extraordinary about their visitor.

Without preamble, the blue woman looks the mage in the eyes and states, "You can see me, the real me. Why?"

"I don't know," Summer Wind is quick to reply. "Who and what are you?"

"I am an ifrit, a type of djinn. You would not be able to pronounce my name, nor do I offer it freely to strangers. Trust must be earned. You may call me "Ifrit", since it is likely that I am the only one that you will ever meet," and at this she grins, showing completely normal teeth without tusks or sharpened canines.

"And you followed me to my home out of... curiosity?" Summer Wind asks a bit dangerously.

Ifrit sniffs her, comes closer and sniffs again. "There, it shows when you're upset. You've lived some part of your life in a lamp, bottle, or gem."

"Is that why I can penetrate your illusions whereas Kanu cannot?" asks Summer Wind, glad to have this point explained.

Kanu, being an intelligent man, has not said anything like, ‘What are you talking about?’ and simply accepts on faith that his guest is not the normal deep desert dweller that he sees.

"Probably, yes," Ifrit responds. "The experience leaves an indelible mark on one." She frowns. "I was thusly imprisoned for 500 years once," and the djinn's look turns feral. "My revenge on the genie who was supposed to be on guard was... horribly inventive."

"I see," says Summer Wind, sounding a bit reminiscent of her sister Smoke Cat. "And you have chosen to share this with us because...?"

"I suspect we may be looking for the same source of... imbalance and evil. I understand that this proposal is unorthodox, but perhaps we could work together..."

"What sort of partnership did you have in mind?" asks Kanu quickly, before his wife can either accept or deny Ifrit's help.

The blue djinn continues, "I am a bounty hunter; I capture eldritch criminals of all kinds. Of course, I would split the reward, in whatever form it is most convenient for you to take payment in, as we do not have any use for money ourselves."

"That is an interesting offer," Summer Wind says, knowing perfectly well how the negotiation game is played, although she dislikes bargaining as entertainment. "What do you have, then, that we need, and vice versa?"

"I know about the individual I am tracking," Ifrit says with confidence. "You know about the thing, the wand, that she is seeking. The mages of the Arcane Academy would never in a million years tell me detailed information about this dangerous object, and as for you, I doubt you would even recognize the felon I am chasing as trollish. She is very fair, and beautiful, and comes from north of the inland seas. And her magical gift enthralls men as easily as breathing. Right now, she wishes objects of great mystic power."

"What for? Your kind don't use them, either, do you?" inquires Summer Wind. "She's not..." and the young woman sounds extremely tired, "...trying to take over the world?"

Ifrit laughs. It is an odd sound and gives credence to the idea that her name would be unpronounceable by the human mouth. "No, she wants you mortals to start wars to eradicate yourselves. Then only those of us who are purely or mostly magic would survive. Therefore, she sells these items to the highest bidders among bitter enemies."

"Charming lady," Kanu says, dripping with sarcasm.

"For you, despite your happy marriage, she would be," warns Ifrit seriously. "If it were still kept on the Academy grounds, she would already have the wand, as most of its warders are male."

Summer Wind bristles, although she knows that some nonhumans have that power. "This is both Kanu's mission as well as mine; I will not simply send him home because he is a man." Again, she asks a simple, but important question: "What is she?"

"One of the huldrefolk, a huldra” Ifrit states.

"It's your choice, of course," Ifrit declares, conveying that it is a very stupid choice in her opinion. "What will you do if he should become her slave and turn on you?"

Kanu is extremely proud of his lovely wife when she answers, "Hit him on the head with something heavy immediately," and smiles."

"Does she have a name, this evil... what's a huldra?" asks the man.

"Think of her as a type of capricious or wicked halfling, a semi-human creature of the forest. She is a particularly nasty example of her species. And her name is very long; we who hunt her call her "Woe" as in dismay, since it also happens to be an abbreviation of the lengthier version," the blue-skinned ifrit explains. “I was selected to arrest her not only because I have enough strength, but also because I am female and cannot be manipulated by her.”

"There is one saving grace, my husband," adds Summer Wind as she scans her memory for Academy learned facts about rarely encountered, foreign magical folk. Summer is only half teasing when she informs him, "She must manifest her cow's tail before she can bespell men. So, if you see a pale woman with flaxen hair and a tail, run the other way."

"If she knows by now that the wand is not on the Arcane Academy grounds, it's safe to assume that Woe is aware of its interment somewhere in the catacombs. But there are relatively few people who could show her exactly where. I am one of them. When she discovers this, I will need warding by one or more powerful females. However, I am willing to be bait if it would be helpful in apprehending this huldra," volunteers Kanu. Summer Wind looks alarmed yet says nothing. Ifrit is thinking...

"I don't like it. Too much could go wrong with that plan. Let us... hold it in reserve," concludes Ifrit. "You do raise an important point, however. Going to the caravan stops by yourself is probably too risky to continue, especially since you make it a routine. From now on, you should never be seen in public without your wife."

"Not too terrible a hardship," he says affectionately to Summer Wind.

"Before we proceed with your policies, how can we know," asks the mage, "that this is true, and that Woe is not innocent while you are the criminal? As you said, trust must be earned."

"You cannot be sure,” the djinn female responds. “I could list the wars she has started, but they are far distant, and you might not have heard of them... And, in a way, my own intention coincides with that of Woe; I, too, desire to obtain these powerful evil objects, but to confiscate and destroy them, completely and forever. Once you have been the servant to a fiendish master due merely to the random rub of a lamp, you become less tolerant of the misuse of magic."

Ifrit emits a huffing noise, probably the equivalent of a sigh. "Yet, I can offer no evidence of any of these claims. I do have the sigil of an official supernatural bounty hunter; I doubt that you would recognize it, however, so it cannot provide any identification which you would accept."

Summer Wind smiles. "I'll take the attempt as the deed, in this case. It is a gamble, but only a small one, to assume that your frustration at being unable to verify your credentials is an effective proof of them."

The blue woman's brows draw together slightly. "You have the mind of a fae," she mutters, "but more benevolent, at least." Returning to the topic at hand, she says aloud, "Then we are agreed to colaborate in preventing Woe from accessing and auctioning off the wand? What can you tell me about it?"

"Wait a moment," Kanu interjects, "the instant portals are on Academy grounds. Could that be her goal or, at least, part of her purpose?"

"The magic doorways will not stay secret for much longer anyway, perhaps another few years at best. Also, many of the denizens of faerie, although not the trollish, I think, are able to transport themselves instantly anywhere they wish to go already," Summer Wind says in a voice that is both comforting and convincing.

"Fine, but if I am not to act as temptation, how shall I make myself useful, always chaperoned by my wife, or perhaps her sister, as I think you should call upon Smoke Cat Watching, if not other relatives, as well."

To find him a task, Summer Wind sends Kanu through the Arcane Academy portal virtually immediately. Smoke Cat Watching is, of course, coming, although she thinks she may be in the first few weeks of pregnancy.

The shaman is most interested to meet Ifrit and suggests inviting Springing Doe who, despite not having any magic, possesses excellent organizational skills and can make patterns out of seemingly random hearsay. She is the only other person known to have spent time in the blue jewel, which Smoke Cat Watching still keeps as a cabochon ring, and who would therefore be able to see Ifrit as she is. Kanu is also to interview the Academy guardsmen and find out if any recall a pale blond from the icy northern mountains.

The reply to that question, regarding having seen the huldra in the environment of the gates, is that almost all of them remembered her for her especial kindness to him. And yet they worked separate shifts and duty rosters, which was much more disturbing. None of them could think of anything in specific that they had discussed; her horse had shied, and he'd steadied the animal, or something similar. Often, she'd asked about his next free day, but each was oddly reticent to even mention her to others.

Ifrit is disturbed by the existence of the ring at first, but upon closer examination, acknowledges that if a magic-bearing being must swear fealty to it, then he or she deserves what they get. Springing Doe arrives and is, ironically, the first to lay eyes on Woe, as the huldra was loitering in the vicinity when she left Arcane Academy grounds. It is a bit reassuring that their quarry is still trying to gather information in this way, rather than taking some more decisive action. But why?

Admittedly, conducting a search of the catacombs... all of them... would be time and energy prohibitive for a mortal or an impatient immortal creature. Also, they are not entirely stable, and even those who would otherwise live forever can be killed in a cave in, for example. Perhaps Woe hopes to ensnare an Academy professor in her net, one who was involved in making sure that the wand stays hidden. Or maybe she is checking to see if Kanu is the only new arrival to possess the data she seeks.

Springing Doe confirms what Ifrit said about the huldra female. She is beautiful and exotic, with her whitish blond hair and very fair complexion. And, although she did not feel the attraction herself, the men on duty at the gate seemed to almost be leaning a bit towards her in longing and desire.

"What I was aware of, like steam rising from a boiling kettle, was a sense of coldness," says Springing Doe. "I suppose here, where we are not exactly in the desert, but not far away from one, that could be interpreted as refreshing rather than repellent."

Ifrit smiles grimly. "And all of this, while using some of her power to suppress her tail."

"Is that why she hates us so much? Because we make such fools of ourselves over her?" asks Kanu, still unable to process Woe's need for genocide.

The djinn does not blush, both because she cannot, and is far too old to be embarrassed anyway, but Ifrit softens her expression a fraction. "No, hatreds and blood feuds were a way of life for most of my kindred long before humans became so commonplace. That is one reason that our populations have diminished; it is not all due to the fact that we... magic folk and mortals... are not able to share the same space, and your sheer numbers have driven us from lands that were once ours uncontested."

"Like my father's mountain in eastern Visharvé? Like the cave he found so powerful, and where the wand was originally hidden?" Summer Wind guesses shrewdly.

Ifrit does not bother to pretend not to know which mountain cave. "Yes, like that. We did not manufacture the wand, because we would have no use for it, but lore tells me that we were conscious of its immense force, and secluded it there, away from human flaws and temptations."

Smoke Cat Watching queries the blue woman, "Can you destroy it?"

"Alone, yes I could destroy it, probably, but it would require that I rest for a long period of time and you would be unhappy, as it would wreck the city above as well. Perhaps if enough of us were willing to work together... I can always ask." Ifrit shrugs. "This is why I am only a bounty hunter. The amount of energy necessary for one of the eldritch, whether Ethereal or Halfling, to fight and kill another is... unpleasant for all concerned, even those caught on the periphery."

"I see," says the shaman, yet she is still thinking of options.

"If I may ask," begins Springing Doe, "what crime has Woe committed, since it seems to me that to warrant a bounty hunter coming after her, it would have to be an offense against magic-folk and not simply an offense involving a few humans?"

"Correct," says Ifrit. "What she does endangers all of us, and that is enough, but she steals relics from anyone, mortal or not, and will kill to possess the objects she wants. The wand, if she manages to obtain it, will be her biggest, riskiest accomplishment yet."

"I am afraid," says Ifrit cautiously, "that not all of you may be taking this situation seriously enough. Woe is a deadly enemy, regardless of what she looks like."

"Oh no," Summer Wind replies, "we all know that the wand is very seriously evil indeed, and so, therefore, is anyone who wants it."

"Can she be fatally wounded by cold iron or does that not apply to her type of being?" asks Smoke Cat.

"It is not poisonous to her, if that is what you mean, but if you use it to kill her, she should die... if not on the first try, then within a few death blows," and Ifrit makes the weird laughing sound again. The djinn considers for a moment. "It would help significantly if you could cut off her tail, first."

"Good to know," says Kanu, the likeliest among them to witness her tail manifesting.

"What can you, in turn, tell me about the wand? It has been ignored by my kind for centuries." Ifrit wastes no breath in apologizing for her people’s disregard for humanity and its problems.

The sisters look at each other. How much of what they have believed about the wand is actually true and therefore helpful? "Its most salient feature," Smoke Cat starts, "is that its power diminishes almost exponentially with its distance away from that cave. We do not know why this is, but we have observed it."

"Interesting..." Ifrit comments, her mind already busy with potential explanations.

"We know it is evil, and ancient, and powerful virtually to the point of sentience... not quite, but almost. I doubt that a good person's mind could use it without being corrupted swiftly by it, or escaping into complete lunacy," adds Summer Wind.

"Also, Ifrit, I believe it would be extremely bad for you to touch it. I did so once when I was living as a pseudo-genie, and it had an immediate and terrible effect on me," says Smoke Cat Watching, very softly but compellingly. "It likes beings with magic."

"Again, interesting," says Ifrit as her red eyes widen a bit. "Do you think, if the cave were to be demolished, that the wand's force would be weakened or ended?"

The shaman and the mage once again exchange glances. It isn't something that they had pondered. Kanu, however, answers for them. "It is only my opinion, but I believe that the remnants of the cave would have to be cleansed with amazing thoroughness. Perhaps exposing its depths to light and weather might be a place to start."

"Magic is... strange. Are we truly suggesting blowing the top off a mountain as a prelude to destroying an evil stick of wood?" Springing Doe says with her customary grace and charm.

Ifrit has taken to the magicless woman, finding her involvement very brave. Also, this is simply quite funny, and again she emits her version of laughter. After that, however, the blue woman excuses herself and promises that they will meet again soon. "When I, or you, have news to relate, you will see me."

A few days pass uneventfully. Springing Doe correlates all the data gathered about when Woe was seen and where, hoping to get at least some sense of which section of the city her lair might be in. Even the huldrefolk must sleep; she asked about it. Ifrit is presumed to be busy in her own way.

Kanu and Summer Wind are now always found together. They still shop, and sometimes gossip with Arcane Academy students or friends among the guard who are not inhibited by a spouse's presence. However, they are beginning to feel that this particular well of information is running dry. Smoke Cat has developed odd sleeping habits, knowing that huldrefolk prefer to be nocturnal, or at least active at dawn and dusk, and watches the surroundings of the Academy at these times, sometimes as a huge feline.

She discovers that, although she has yet to see their quarry herself in her smoke cat form, she has picked up Woe's scent on several occasions. It is freshest from the center of the city where no one lives but shopkeepers and merchants who dwell above their shops. This makes the shaman wonder if Woe knows she is under surveillance and covering her tracks but, then again, there is no reason why the wealthy middle class should be immune to the huldra female's charms and it is more pleasant to live in luxury when possible.

This knowledge, too, is entered into consideration and Springing Doe thinks that it is likely that Woe is coming either from, or directly through, the city's center. There is no time to follow up on this tentative conclusion, however, because then Summer Wind receives a politely worded, yet peremptory, summons from the Mage's Council of the Arcane Academy. She is to come alone, without Kanu, to the Inner Sanctum of the Ivory Tower. A guide to this secret site will be provided at the specified time and place.

That the Inner Sanctum is a real place and not merely a myth is a surprise in itself; to be commanded to appear there is certainly not comforting. When Summer Wind arrives, she is not led to a part of the Academy that she has ever seen before because it is simply not always there. And, of course, the Ivory Tower is not anchored within the Arcane Academy campus buildings. Not all of the Mage's Council is present. In fact, very few men and women are there besides the Presider Magi. This is explained by the opening words of that most exalted individual: "We can no longer trust ourselves."

"We are not pleased. We are not pleased that we must now look askance at our friends and colleagues, and we are not pleased with you. Summer Wind, you have chosen to ally yourself against our society and spy on us as though we were the enemy. You are hereby ordered to cease and desist these actions, including congress with undesirable eldritch creatures and interrogation of our students and staff. There is nothing for you to say here. You are dismissed from this meeting." But the doors stay shut.

Summer Wind looks at the Presider Magi expectantly but, as directed, she doesn't speak. "You understand, of course, that this meeting is adjourned. The Academy, however, has no authority over either your husband or your sister, nor can we forbid you to protect them from dangers they may encounter."

The Presider appears suddenly smaller and older. "You brought the wand here for us to safeguard, and we accepted responsibility for it. Now, if rumor is correct, it is once again causing a problem. It is difficult for us to admit that we have failed you."

A female mage speaks up, "It is yet more difficult for us to ask you to solve the problem that you initially brought to us for safekeeping, but if you can... in any way that you can... do so." This time the doors swing wide for Summer Wind.

Ironically, it is while Summer Wind is within the Arcane Academy grounds that Kanu becomes the second of their group to spot the huldra, Woe. He knows immediately who and what she is, and he doesn't care; she is overwhelmingly desirable. Happily, he spies her from behind, and she does not notice him to focus her powers of attraction upon him. Also, Smoke Cat Watching is with him and, while she is too short to see that blond hair over the crowd, the shaman does perceive Kanu's brief reaction to merely the sight of her back.

Smoke Cat is confident that, should it have become necessary, she could have prevented Kanu from acting any further upon that seductive impulse. Kanu, having felt it himself, is not so sure until he looks into his sister-in-law's eyes; yes, she would have stopped him somehow. In light of the conclusion to Summer Wind's meeting with the Mage Council, though, the group is not that sure they are really making any progress if the best they can hope for is intervention by a group of kindly immortals.

Although they have no way of contacting Ifrit, Summer Wind and her kin are more than half expecting a visit by her after the events of the day. Yet it grows later and later, and still she does not come. Finally, Kanu and Smoke Cat Watching, having been up at dawn, decide to go to bed. Smoke Cat gives up on trying to sleep immediately, since she is plagued by cravings for strange foods. So, all the female members of the household are awake and gathered together when Woe the huldra walks through the front door.

"You are hunting me, like a beast," says the huldra without prelude. "I resent that. However, I have no desire to be your enemy, so I have waited until your man is asleep. He may dream of me, but otherwise he will be unaffected."

Summer Wind speaks for them all: "Why, then, have you invaded my house?"

"The door was not locked," says Woe.

"Neither was it open," Summer Wind retorts.

"This is pointless. She is here; let her speak her mind and then leave," suggests Smoke Cat testily.

"Very reasonable," says the huldra woman with a smirk. "My name is Wealhtheow. I am not here to harm you. But I am what I am, and that cannot be helped, nor would I wish to alter it."

"You are here for the wand," remarks Springing Doe. "It has always been a source of harm."

"Only since he has been a wand." This comment by Woe, or Wealhtheow, is as intriguing as it is confusing.

"He?" asks Summer Wind, as details about the wand, assuming they are true, cannot hinder and may help in its ultimate disposal.

"He was a species of Ethereal Entity, once, from so far to the west that it stretches the imagination. There he was worshiped as a god. However, like many of our eldritch kind, he wanted to eradicate as many of his fellow supernatural beings as possible. Personally, I do not understand this, but I am only a huldra, and not so powerful," Woe modestly asserts.

"Those immortals, predominantly creatures of faerie, who survived his attacks yet had been marked for death by him, banded together and transformed him into a mighty tree. Then they chopped down the tree and shredded it into sawdust. Whether for good or ill, a follower of the godling managed to salvage a piece as big as a wand. But the fragment was not the whole, and only a fraction as potent or aware. It was, however, bitter and angry beyond describing. Though he had never been a danger to humans before, now he brought destruction to all." Apparently, that is the end of the huldrefolk’s tale and her exposition is finished.

"I fail to see how this changes anything," says Summer Wind. "You persist in wanting to possess the wand, regardless of its origins. And it remains a source of peril and harm to us. Therefore, how can you be other than... unfriendly, at best?"

The huldra female sighs demurely. "I was afraid you might see it like that, but I plan to take the wand back to its home in the uttermost west, where hopefully it will be pacified. At the least, it will not pose a threat to any of your loved ones." It obviously doesn't occur to Woe that anyone might be concerned about people unrelated and even unknown to them personally.

"Is that all?" asks Smoke Cat.

Woe is a bit disconcerted by the shaman's directness. She blinks her wide, blue eyes. "Excuse me? I'm not sure what you mean."

Smoke Cat Watching stretches her mouth a bit, sardonically, but it is not a smile. "Is that all you wanted to tell us?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," the blonde beauty admits.

"Then," Springing Doe replies on behalf of them all, "I believe you can go now. We will make no effort to follow you to your dwelling place on this occasion. The offer will not be repeated, however. So, you really should waste no time in leaving."

Woe saunters, in a deceptively langourous fashion, towards the exit with elegance, grace, and whatever scraps of dignity are still left to her. As quickly as she moves, though, Summer Wind manages to smack her lightly in the bottom with the door as she closes it behind their uninvited company. This time, the young mage makes certain to lock it securely.

After she departs, the three women discuss at length whether there was even a scrap of veracity to what the huldra said, and they concede that her full name probably is Wealhtheow. Regarding the rest of the story, it seems just plausible enough to be based on a tiny and distorted truth. Yet, as Summer Wind stated so concisely, it changes nothing.

Just as everyone is ready to get some sleep, the soft knock on the door which was anticipated so much earlier is heard. Summer Wind goes to wake Kanu while Springing Doe and Smoke Cat welcome Ifrit. She, amazingly, looks tired. "I see that you have had an unexpected guest," says the djinn woman.

"So, I understand," replies Kanu, who has yet to hear the full saga told by Woe about the wand.

"I would have come sooner, but I was jinxed. Powerfully. If it was completely the doing of Woe by herself, I would be surprised. Although I am... annoyed with myself that I apparently allowed her to backtrack me!" The blue woman visibly recollects herself and asks, "Are you all well after her visit?"

"Yes, we are fine. She tried to convince us that this was just a misunderstanding. Is it?" Summer inquires.

Ifrit makes a stranger than normal laughing noise, which the humans interpret as something akin to a snort. "From her point of view, it might be. After all, she hasn't done anything to you... directly... yet."

Springing Doe asks the question that is on the women's minds: "Is the wand really a piece of a transformed fae being?"

"And if so, does it matter?" adds Smoke Cat.

"No,” Ifrit responds. “The fae can be killed; transformation is usually reserved for the strongest of infernals: hellbeasts, devils, demons, and the like. And also, no, it makes no difference."

"It seems odd," muses Summer Wind, "that neither the mages nor the magic-folk seem to know who created the wand, or how."

"Or," Kanu contributes, "we are not being told all of the truth by anyone, which is also possible."

The djinn woman sighs and appears wearier still. "In my briefing for this assignment, I was told to minimize my contact with the wand, and not to touch it at all if possible. It's my guess that the Eldritch High Court of Law wish to... what is the expression you use? To sweep it under the rug? At any rate, I believe that it is meant to vanish without a trace, once again."

"I thought you were determined to destroy it," Summer challenges her blue ally.

"Indeed," Ifrit responds. "By myself, though, I may quite simply lack the wherewithall needed to do so, especially after subduing Woe. Conceivably, my superiors collectively also do not possess sufficient strength and that is the reason for their reluctance to obliterate it."

The djinn woman rubs her temples as though her conclusions make her head ache. 'Yet, if neither humans nor immortals have the ability to deal with the wand, today, it is likely that it was not made by them in the past, not separately."

"Collaboration," surmises Smoke Cat, nodding. "A coalition to neutralize a force that posed a horrendous threat to everyone, bad enough to convince mortals and magic-folk to work side by side.

"Yes, and that could well be viewed as anathema.” This time Ifrit does seem moderately ashamed of the xenophobia of her kind, despite the plethora of reasons mankind has provided for that distrust over the centuries.

"In that case, be doubly careful; if Woe does not know that you are working with us, I would be astounded. And she seems to me like someone who would spread that fact in as bent and malicious a manner as possible just to stir up trouble, even if you weren't hunting her" says Springing Doe. 

"Thank you," Ifrit responds seriously, "I will be cautious."

Summer Wind adds, "You are not safe from the mages, either; they do not officially approve of you, and that may be because some of them are already under the huldra's sway."

"Yet, I believe we can help you with more than information," suggests Smoke Cat.

"How?" Ifrit inquires, curious and a little disbelieving.

"You need to rest and recuperate," Smoke Cat Watching answers. "If you stay here with us, for tonight or whatever interval pleases you, we can guard you against those who might be tempted to jinx you again, for instance."

"That's very reasonable. Thank you. But I do not wish to keep any of you from your rest, either," says the djinn woman. "It is already late, and I have been preventing you all from sleeping."

"You won't disturb us," the shaman replies. "For now, I will keep my secrets, but I guarantee that you can rely on us to provide for your security until morning."

Smoke Cat having promised it, of course Ifrit is perfectly safe until morning and, although she doesn't eat breakfast herself, finding sustenance in the smell of fruit, she lingers to review strategy. There is a feeling that perhaps they have been going about this all wrong and should change tactics.

Since chasing Woe doesn't seem to be working overwhelmingly well, maybe they could devise a trap of some sort. Kanu once again volunteers to be bait and this idea is once again appreciated but judged to be a measure of greater desperation than current conditions justify.

"We could go down into the catacombs and come out with something that looks like the wand," Springing Doe suggests. "Or would she be able to sense the difference even from a distance?"

"Father couldn't," says Summer Wind.

"True," confirms Smoke Cat Watching, "and while he was aware enough of the wand's vibrations to track it here, he couldn't pinpoint its location, so probably Woe won't be able to either."

"It seems like a viable plan, but I, for one, would like to seek guidance before we implement it," says Summer Wind.

Ifrit doesn't understand this reference. Kanu explains, "She means that she will dance on it, and consult with her spirit animal." The blue woman is fascinated, although it seems alien to her. "We of the eldritch are creatures of impulse, mainly, and have no such rituals," she says.

And with that, Ifrit leaves on her own business; in this case, the bounty hunter wishes to find out who aided Woe the huldra in jinxing her. She suspects a mage, but not one who knows the hiding place of the wand and, in fact, the djinn female's guess is correct. Also, in accordance with her word, the blue woman cautiously contacts those immortals whom she thinks might be most likely to assist in destroying the wand when the time comes.

Summer Wind does, indeed, dance on the matter, and butterflies come to her... eventually. What they tell her, however, is rather obscure: "You look so much like your mother."  That, thinks the young mage, could have a thousand different interpretations, but she is inclined to believe that the sign is an auspicious one for the project proposed. Perhaps it has something to do with Frost Flower's involvement in Mourning Cloak's ultimate downfall in the catacombs, during his attempt to retake his wand?

When she recounts this to Smoke Cat, for possible extra insight, her elder sister only laughs and says that the butterflies are right, and that their advice may also pertain to the ruse they used to free Summer from her father’s tower. After all, that venture depended on masquerading as Frost Flower, and exercising the force of Silver Dagger’s fear of her. Both times, Frost Flower’s image was integral to safeguarding humanity from the wand.

Springing Doe sees several flaws in her nebulous “fake wand” plan. Firstly, the group must be certain that Woe is watching them when they enter and exit the catacombs, so that she knows they have taken something away with them. Secondly, if Ifrit is not able to contain the angry huldra, she will wreak havoc.

There are other concerns, of course, but those are the main two. To be fair, this is what Ifrit does as a vocation, but on the other hand, she was fairly confounded by that jinx last night. How powerful exactly is Wealhtheow? And what if she follows them into the catacombs themselves? No one is very familiar with the underground passages, and it would be disastrous to lead her into the only corridors they know to be safe by having traversed them: those leading to the actual wand. Also, can they access the fake one?

In short, Springing Doe has a lot on her mind. Knowing this, Smoke Cat leaves her alone for a while, but when she continues to fret, attempts to comfort her generally calm foster sister. "Why are you so worried? Summer Wind's spirit animals have told her something unusually incomprehensible, and that's always reassuring," says the shaman. “It’s when they’re eerily direct that disaster is probably immanent.”

"That's just it. This is a magical venture. Entirely. And I have none. How can I prepare?" Spring protests.

"Perfectly well, I'd say. It's a good idea. Breathe!" And the shaman demonstrates a few deep breaths herself… not that she doesn’t trust her own counsel, but some extra serenity never hurts.

"You don't think, then, that I'm trying to rush or hurry this merely because I miss my little ones?" asks Springing Doe, who is enjoying this tremendously, but still wishes to be with her family as well.

Smoke Cat chuckles. "Why do you think I let Summer Wind be the one to dance? I was afraid of my emotions coloring my interpretation."

"And here I thought you were scared that you might be sick," teases her foster sister, feeling better.

"Well, there was that, too..." admits the expectant shaman. And one concern, at least, is settled; they have the fake wand. This is important because there really is no time to make another duplicate wand with the realism and detail of that created as a decoy by Mourning Cloak.

One piece of trivia discovered by Kanu while chatting with his old friends among the Arcane Academy guards is that, although there was no reason they could see to keep the thing, the mages had it stored in some room full of fraudulent magical objects that they had confiscated and periodically showed to students as a warning to be careful about authenticating purchases and acquisitions.

Another worry is laid to rest when Ifrit arrives. She has arranged that the huldra female will keep one particular entrance to the underground corridors in sight all day tomorrow. All the djinn had to do was plant the knowledge in the brain of Woe's enslaved mage that there are rumors about the wand.

As soon as she meets with him, the man will happily blurt out to Wealhtheow that Summer Wind has received approval to move the wand to a more secret and secure location. The huldra woman will certainly ambush them as soon as they emerge from the treacherous tunnels. And Ifrit will be ready.

"Just out of curiosity," Kanu asks, "how do you incapacitate one of the huldrefolk?"

"Yes, perhaps you should know, so that you will not be startled," Ifrit says. "You get them VERY hot, and they faint."

From there, it is all a matter of logistics: will they all go into the catacombs, or will some stay behind and lie in wait for Woe, and if so which ones, etc. In the end it is decided that the whole group will stick together, because the huldra will expect the more magically powerful to fetch the wand, and to leave the more vulnerable unprotected is unacceptable. Smoke Cat Watching will take charge of hiding the false wand to all means of detection and then conveniently producing it again at the opportune moment.

Surprisingly, Ifrit chooses to remain with the humans overnight again instead of seeking out a new hiding place of her own immediately. Indeed, the djinn woman is finding this mission to be quite peculiar in a number of ways. She thought, for example, that when she suggested working together, the encumbrance of a team, especially of mortals, would chafe at her, but it has not. Although the blue woman is not ready to admit it even to herself, she has begun to wonder if she might even make friends.

Therefore, they are already assembled in the morning to proceed into the tunnels. Kanu has selected a stairway leading down into them that is both stable and relatively isolated, so that they need not worry about passersby. There is nothing left but to go, which they do, and loiter around for a while underground, which is a bit boring, and return with the imitation wand. No one sees Smoke Cat Watching pull it from up her metaphorical sleeve; she simply turns, and it is suddenly in her hand.

Wealhtheow is many things, but she is not a fool. People have laid traps for her before, and she is still free, while they are... mostly dust. She cannot ignore the fact that the mage Summer Wind will supposedly move the wand, but countermeasures will be taken. If it is not a ploy, there is no harm done.

When they exit the tunnels, therefore, things begin to deviate from the plan. It is not entirely true that no one frequents this neighborhood; certain factions of criminals congregate there occasionally, but not generally during bright, shiny morning hours. They have slightly underestimated Woe, in that she has gotten them all out of bed and compelled them to attack anyone coming up out of the catacombs. These are not nice men, but they are groggy and would not be a match for trained magicians anyway.

But then there is also the enthralled mage to be dealt with and it is difficult, if not impossible, to combat him and battle a band of ruffians at the same time without Ifrit's participation. Yet, if she gets involved with that, who is left to handle Woe? Still, she must; the blue woman has no choice... except to surrender the wand, and there is no guarantee that the huldra's men will be called off by its capture. However, with a quick glance at each other by the companions, it is decided.

Smoke Cat throws the wand as far as she possibly can. And instantly Woe's mage goes after it, as do the thieves and cutthroats, assuming that it must be a valuable object of some sort and that they are being betrayed and denied their share of the loot. The friends are left standing alone in the middle of the street, now empty except for an unpleasant peal of high, echoing, feminine laughter. Happily, no one was hurt in the fray and, instead of being dejected, Springing Doe seems well satisfied by this outcome.

"She took the bait, then," says the plan's creator softly.

"No, she hasn't got it yet," Ifrit replies. "Wait for the shrieking."

Very soon it starts, and the djinn woman is off and running like a cheetah, following the sound until she catches sight of her prey. There was a spell on the wand, very powerful and extremely specific. Its purpose was to nullify Woe's control over her men, but not her desirability. For once, the huldra woman had to flee from mere mortal males with her halfling creature’s speed to avoid being mobbed.

The hope, of course, is that while she is running like a scared rabbit, Woe will not think to take a circuitous route and will thereby lead Ifrit straight to her lair, assuming the bounty hunter does not catch up to her even before that. After all, the blue woman is used to the exertion of sprinting, while the huldra has not had to do so in the recent past. Plus, the more men she tries to manipulate, the more effort Wealhtheow must put into it, whereas the djinn has not depleted her magic reserves.

When the group next lays eyes on Ifrit, she is unfortunately not as victorious as she had hoped to be. Yes, she gained on Woe until she spied her flying blond hair, and pressing the huldra woman's endurance hard, continued to close the gap. Her quarry was red and panting and almost collapsed into the shop.

It was, unfortunately, a perfumer's shop. And therefore, full of bottles of all descriptions, including the one very special vial that the huldra female was desperate to reach. Somehow the scent maker had gotten hold of a genuine genie bottle and, being completely unaware of what it was, proceeded to fill it with a perfume leaning heavily on attar of roses. Woe did not have much strength left, but it was enough to command Ifrit into the bottle and replace it, stoppered tightly, on the shelf.

The bottle was not designed to contain a djinn on the level of an ifrit, and hence only managed to hold the blue woman inside for perhaps two minutes, maybe less. But that was enough to allow Woe to escape again. Ifrit, being justifiably angry and breakage being the fastest and easiest way out of a glass container, had caused the bottle to explode into a thousand tiny shards. Being a not entirely solid entity, however, Ifrit had at least avoided becoming drenched unbearably with the smell of roses.

Ifrit is not unduly dismayed, though. "Now I think I know why she always came through the marketplaces. Woe was searching for one last trick to keep up her sleeve. And she found it, probably very recently, or she would have bought the perfume. But now her resources are exhausted."

"Also, to have disappeared so quickly, her home base must be very close to that shop, indeed," says Summer Wind.

The blue woman laughs, and by now the humans are almost used to the sound. "Exactly," she agrees.

It is decided that they will stake out the perfume shop in pairs, one human and Ifrit, all day and every day until they once more catch sight of Woe and can trace her back to her hiding place. But they will do this starting the day after tomorrow, because Ifrit has heard back from the majority of her eldritch acquaintances, and before agreeing to do anything, these powerful individuals wish for a conference with Summer Wind regarding the wand. That appointment, once arranged, simply cannot be delayed. The mage is glad to comply.

Being invited to speak in front of a group of assorted immortals, when you are a relatively young human, is a rather daunting prospect. And yet, for Summer Wind, it is also oddly reminiscent of her recent summons to the Inner Sanctum of the Arcane Academy. If, that is, that location had been a pink castle in the air.

Basically, all the dozen or so gathered djinn and fae want is to be told everything that is known, and a large number of things that can only be guessed at, about the wand. Summer does her best to be both humble and persuasive. It is ancient. It is evil. It needs to be destroyed. Some of the attendees are noticeably friendlier than others, especially a male... something... with purple hair, who appears to have facilitated this whole meeting. Ifrit is strangely allowed no say in this event.

Hence, out of a desire not to get her blue friend into trouble, Summer Wind downplays the extent of their collaboration, dwelling instead on the story told by the huldra Wealhtheow. The fae present are outraged by the implication that the wand was once one of their kind and are almost ready to add that offence to the list of Woe's crimes. A Hellbeast of some kind, though, that might very well be true; that which you cannot kill and which is bothersome, you transform and disperse if you are strong enough.

That would certainly explain its evil, and even its effect upon magic-folk who are so much more sensitive to pure manifested energy, either bad or good. This is discussed, because it will be a problem if they do consent to help, and Summer Wind volunteers to hold the wand while they work magic upon it, if that is a safe thing for her to do. Her bravery is appreciated, however the feasibility of her protection during this action needs time for consideration. The purple-haired being smiles at her.

In the end, a third of them agree to assist her by attempting to obliterate the wand, once the huldra Woe is no longer at large to pose a threat of, at the least, disruption to the proceedings. Of the other eight, two, surprisingly, say that assuming all this is done, they will strive to maintain Summer Wind's safety throughout, but not participate otherwise in the wand's destruction. The remaining six feel that to secrete it once again would be sufficient, somewhere less accessible than the cave.

Before they return to the surface world, however, Summer Wind and Ifrit are invited to a banquet, which is more or less in their honor and, therefore, difficult to decline. "They know I eat my food and don't just sniff it, don't they?" Summer asks in a nervous whisper, not wanting to offend.

"They know. Some of them eat also, mainly fruit or sweets, but you will be offered pastry of some sort. Do not drink anything but water, however. Fae liquor is, for a mortal, incredibly strong," advises Ifrit.

"Is the man with the purple hair our host?" Summer Wind surmises.

"Yes, that is Jí´. Not even I know his full name, since it is extremely secret,” Ifrit relates to her, reminding Summer of the ancient djinn custom of hiding one’s true, given name.

The human woman is conscious of a role reversal in imparting revelations to the djinn bounty hunter, but says anyway, "He likes you, you know."

" Jí´? I suppose I'm tolerable to him." There is no inflection whatsoever in the blue woman’s matter-of-fact voice.

"Consider that he has done all of this for you, simply because you asked it. Perhaps he finds you more than tolerable," says Summer Wind, letting the subject drop. The eldritch creatures who attend the feast are delighted with Summer, largely because those who were not prepared to be enchanted by her did not stay for dinner. She eats as daintily as she can, which, being raised in her father's fortress, is very delicately, indeed. They also find it charming, as well as a source of great amusement, that she calls her blue companion only "Ifrit".

Jí´ is a wonderful host and manages to make Summer Wind feel less like a rare specimen being examined and more like a guest than she would have believed possible. He speaks to her of things she finds commonplace, yet to Jí´ are somehow remarkable: her family and friends, and how she maintains her relationships with these individuals. Apparently, this adds to what Ifrit is mulling over, since before they reach home, the djinn woman says, " Jí´ wants to be my friend, you think?"

"Yes, at least." The mage manages to keep a knowing smile off her face.

"He is not an ifrit," comments the blue woman, as though making small talk. "Male ifrits tend to have tusks and drool a great deal."

"I see," says Summer. "I don't know much about the customs of the djinn, but I can tell that Jí´ is interested in you, in some way."

"We are not like you. We are much more solitary in nature," Ifrit states, "or at least I have always been so. I have been… content. It seems... risky, this friendship. Does it hurt?"

"It can,” Summer Wind tells her sincerely. “But it's worth it for the joy."

The first aberrant thing Summer Wind notices is that the handle to her door is ice cold, and the second is that it isn't locked. Silently she motions to Ifrit to come through the doorway with her, so that each can watch the back of the other. Neither, however, expects to be confronted with the wand.

Of course, Woe the huldra is there, and she has brought a henchman with her, a different mage this time. And he has the wand, the true wand, which he is pointing at Smoke Cat and Springing Doe. Kanu is standing at the side of Wealhtheow like an obedient dog. "I've been waiting for the two of you," says Woe. "I would ask where you have been, but truly, I couldn't care less. The important thing is that you are here now."

"What is it that you want?" Summer Wind demands. "You have the wand."

"Yes, I know. And now this horrible ifrit bounty hunter knows, but that is not enough, is it? She will continue to trail and chase me, and generally make my life uncomfortable until she captures me, correct?" Ifrit only nods. "Therefore, she must be dealt with. Permanently," says Woe. "And one of you is wearing a gem that can contain her! Ironic, isn't it?"

"Why would I consent to imprison myself?" asks Ifrit, her voice as cold as the huldra's aura.

"To save your little mortal friends," Woe practically simpers. Ifrit seems startled by the suggestion.

Summer Wind fills the silence by retorting, "From a wand that is inert away from its cave far away? That's not much of a threat."

The captive mage's eyes light with the enthusiasm of the pure scholar. "You may tell her," the huldrefolk female grants permission.

"As it turns out,” he says eagerly, “all it needed was to be asked how to activate itself. The wand is almost sentient, you know. It leaks magic, which is why the cave was so powerful a place for it, but it is willing to make a new home."

"The wand told you this?" asks Summer Wind.

"Well," concedes the male mage, "my dearest love gave me a few hints, after I informed her that we had decided to follow your suggestion and move the wand."

"Perhaps," says Woe, "you require a demonstration of its efficacy. Which of your friends do you value least?" Summer Wind only looks aghast, features apparently frozen in horror. "No answer?" taunts the huldra. "Choose one and kill her," she orders her thrall.

At this point, Smoke Cat Watching makes her move. "Now, Song!"

Then Song Calling, the semi-genie, flows liquidly out of the ring with the blue gem, confronts Woe's stunned mage, and with the power of all her potential focused into one command, says, "STOP!" And he does, his arms flopping to his side and his head nodding just slightly, like a marionette without strings.

Before anyone can react, she takes the wand from his slack fingers and tosses it to Summer Wind. This mage, of course, will not use the wand, but the balance of power has just been changed drastically. The action Summer does take is to extend her magic to free her husband from the huldra's sway. Surrounded now by enemies, and with her own henchman useless, Woe prepares to fight, but Ifrit is already smiling. As the blue woman lifts her hand, the temperature around the huldra rises exponentially.

Kanu backs away from the heat, as he is closest to Woe, but a few paces from her the air becomes normal again. The huldra is fighting on a plane that even those with magic gifts cannot perceive, except that periodically Ifrit blinks her eyes in shock, or winces. Yet, Wealhtheow is getting steadily hotter and hotter; she is red, she is panting, she is starting to reel... and then she faints. Huldras cannot sweat to cool themselves. Ifrit fastens shackles of... fire?... to Woe, and it is over.

"Are you all right?" everybody is asking everybody else, but especially Ifrit, who was under attack by Woe. Yes, she will be fine with a few days to recover, the djinn woman informs them. It could have been much worse, but overheated huldras don't fight very well. The humans thank her sincerely for working with them, and for shielding them from the effects of that magical battle. However, Ifrit cannot take credit for the second favor, although she and Summer Wind suspect they know who can.

Then introductions must be made, because Ifrit does not know Song the Wolf Calling, although Song has been aware of everything that happened, at least from Smoke Cat's point of view. She is commended by the blue woman for her valor, and especially for her patience in staying silently inside the ring. Once that is done, those who did not go to the floating castle want to know what the outcome of that meeting was, particularly now that Woe is defeated and captured, and the wand is in their hands.

The incapacitated mage is reclaimed by guardsmen from the Arcane Academy, where, separated from Woe's presence, he should return to normal except for feeling rather abashed. Ifrit is ready to leave with the huldra herself, but once she comes to, Wealhtheow has a deal to make, or at least attempt.

In return for a diminishing of her sentence, Woe is willing to tell everything she has discovered about the wand, which may help greatly in the efforts to destroy it. "The wand will not cooperate with you as it did with me and my mage, as it will sense your goodness. I, obviously, did not have that problem, and learned a large amount from it."

Ifrit is not even tempted. "To promise clemency is beyond my authority," she says flatly.

"But you respect the truth," observes the huldra woman. "And," continues the prisoner, "you will therefore listen to me and speak for me if what I have to say proves to be useful."

"Yes," grates out Ifrit, very grudgingly.

"Of course. Some of the tale I told to your human companions the other night was true. The wand is a fragment of a transformed entity, and it did originally come from extremely far to the west, where the whole Hellgod was worshiped in a cruel and bloody manner. Eventually the surrounding fae folk and humans leagued against him."

"It required an unprecedented alliance and fusion of the two forms of magic from mortal and immortal kindred to transform the Hellgod, and then to cast his evil in miniscule particles to the four winds. This piece, that became the wand, escaped reduction into dust. If there were others, I do not know of any. But to repeat the disintegration process, you must have participants from among both the eldritch and mankind united. Good luck in achieving that." Woe did not quite laugh, but she looked smug.

Summer Wind looks blandly into the huldra woman's dewy but mildly defiant eyes, and says sweetly, "Thank you, Wealhtheow, I expect that to be very helpful indeed. I hope that your punishment suitably reflects your cooperative spirit." Ifrit glances sharply at her initially; then she, too, smiles.

Woe is removed to a transportation device especially designed to keep her subdued over long distances. Then Ifrit returns and asks Summer Wind, "I count one mage, one shaman, and two humans with magical talent that could be channeled if properly guided. But of the djinn, I only number one, and we have no fae at all. Do you think that will be enough?"

"I don't know for sure," Kanu says, "however, from what I overheard when I was enthralled, I would err on the side of caution. A Hellgod is the rare offspring of a demon and a devil, and virtually without weaknesses, as I understand it. Will none of the other immortals assist us?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it highly," says Ifrit with a sigh.

"You never know," Summer Wind suggests coyly, "there might be one more. What do you think? Would that be enough?"

The blue woman, once again, does not blush mainly because she cannot. "I do not even remotely pretend to speak for him, but... Jí´ is very powerful. If he were to join us, I think that would be enough, yes."

"Then perhaps," Smoke Cat says wisely, "you should contact him. Persuading him may not be as difficult as you would expect."

Ifrit leaves again for a bit, because talking to Jí´ is suddenly something that she wants privacy for. A friend? Maybe. She could cope with having a friend. It is reputed to be a lot of responsibility, but she is quite a dutiful individual...

Meanwhile, Springing Doe teases the young mage, "Matchmaking, Summer Wind?"

"I don't know," she replies honestly. "I'm not sure that he knows what he wants, and I'm fairly certain that she doesn't know, but I think they would both like to be less lonely."

When Ifrit returns, she is practically beaming... well, for Ifrit. " Jí´ says..." she begins.

The purple-haired fey, walking up behind her, lays a hand on her shoulder, obviously startling the djinn woman considerably. " Jí´ says he will do it," he finishes for her, smiling. "And that he is coming. If you vouch for them, I will accept that these humans are all as extraordinary as Summer Wind." Ifrit glances down at him proudly. At a little over six feet, he lacks the blue woman's height by two or three inches. Looking around at the somewhat astounded but welcoming faces, he asks, "So, does anyone know what it is we are supposed to do, exactly?"

"I think," says Summer Wind, "that we, together, just reduce the wand's structural integrity until it finally flies apart into dust motes."

Song the Wolf Calling feels left behind by this statement. "What?" she whispers to Smoke Cat.

"She means you, since command is your talent, order the thing to explode," the shaman responds.

The mage catches this exchange and flushes guiltily. " Jí´, this is my family that I spoke so much about," and she proceeds to introduce them all. He, of course, is delighted and seems especially pleased, although he in no way indicates it, so it is hard to tell why they think this, with the fact that Kanu and Summer Wind are different shades.

"You all," Jí´ says to the three older women, "have little ones, young ones... er... children, yes?" And reflexively each mother smiles. "It is too soon, and a great deal to ask, but if I were to visit you, after this is done and in disguise of course," he throws one purple lock over his shoulder, "might I see them?"

Smoke Cat Watching speaks for her foster sisters, "Yes, I think that would be very pleasant. But for now, there is still the wand to be demolished. Is it safe to attempt to do so here?"

"I don't know," says Ifrit. "To be honest, when it was several magic-folk planning to destroy it, we would have done so in an isolated spot, away from populated areas, just in case."

Springing Doe asks, "I thought your people lived in areas such as that. Or do you mean something like Jí´'s floating castle?"

Jí´ shrugs. "I created it, and it was fun. However, if it is damaged, recreating it will be fun, too."

"Very well, then," Kanu grins. "If you're sure, I would like to see a pink castle in the sky."

Everyone is conveyed to the castle in the air, since only Springing Doe has no magic, and leaving her behind alone would be so rude. The company space themselves out around the wand: Summer Wind and Song, Jí´, Smoke Cat and Kanu, Ifrit. It establishes a balance that seems natural and good to them.

Destroying the wand is, in one respect, ridiculously simple; everyone simply concentrates all their force on causing the piece of wood to become a million unimaginably small pieces and then blow harmlessly away. On the other hand, the wand is extremely resistant to being obliterated. Lightning crackles over it, and Jí´'s pink halls turn blue and purple and black. Still, there is a steadily increasing sense of tension in the object that will have to be released, which can only be released, in explosion.

Springing Doe is well back from the action, surrounded by spells of safety and protection, and is the only one to really observe everything that happens. The wand quivers, it snaps with fire and ice at once, the world turns angular and crystalline, the world turns fluid and soft... there is too much going on to absorb it all, but at last the wand jumps, bends, cracks, bursts! And tornadic winds swoop through the new, extremely large and ragged skylight that has been blown in the central dome.

Afterwards, everyone except Springing Doe is exhausted. There is a pantry of sorts in the castle, and she brings the djinn and magicians fruit, and sweet cakes, and plenty of water. For a long while the whole group reclines on cushions and they discuss small things, like what kind of berries they like, and whether the castle looked good in blue as Jí´ is tired of pink, and when would be convenient for a visit. Ifrit must escort Woe back to the Eldritch High Court of Law, but when that is done, she and Jí´ will come.

"So," says Kanu, when he and Summer Wind are finally back on firm earth and alone, "this was very nice. It wasn't quite our adventure, meaning just yours and mine, but it wasn't their adventure either, Smoke Cat Watching's and the rest. It was everybody's adventure; that's a new thing for us, but good.

"Maybe next time we'll include Moon Shadow and Syura, or perhaps even the men," Summer Wind teases her husband.

He laughs, but asks seriously, "What shall we do next, then? Would you like to dance on it, or pick something arbitrarily?"

"Well, since we were just speaking of your mother, how would you feel about spending a while with your family?" suggests the young mage. Kanu thinks that's a fine plan. In fact, he's been feeling a bit uneasy about his little sister lately, for some reason.

"Syeha? She's only sixteen, isn't she? How much trouble could she really get into?" Summer Wind asks Kanu, somewhere between joking and reminiscing about the vast predicaments that she was involved in at that age.

"I know," he replies, holding his wife close. "Father, and especially Mother, will be keeping a close eye on her, but if there are problems to find, Syeha will discover them and jump in with both feet, probably."

Summer Wind tugs her husband's scalp-lock. "You worry too much. Nevertheless, it is decided. We'll go as soon as you're ready," she promises.

"Don't you have to explain recent events to the Arcane Academy Council? Report that Woe is in custody, tell them that the wand is destroyed, rebuke them subtly for being so foolish as to remove it from the catacombs based on a rumor, and all that sort of thing?" Kanu points out.

"Well, yes, there is that." Summer Wind sighs. "It means another visit to the Inner Sanctum, I suppose. They're so somber up there."

Around noon of the next day, Summer Wind returns from her meeting with the Mages’ Council. She doesn't look as tired as Kanu expected, and he teases her, "Did you maintain that they should turn the Ivory Tower pink?"

"No, better," his wife replies. "I ran into someone as I was leaving. She wants to see you."

And with that, the normally stately Syura flies across the room and throws herself into the arms of her son. "I was hoping you would be able to come to us," she says. "We need you both."