Chapter 14

Chris Argent wasn't particularly surprised when Deputy Graeme called and asked him to come by the station that morning, not after they had found the wreckage of the Sheriff's house. Chris had seen enough signs of a werewolf attack to think it was likely but he hesitated to alert Hale and then before he could even formulate a plan, the Sheriff had checked in and ended things. Chris suddenly wasn't as sure about the source of the destruction but since the Sheriff and Stiles were apparently okay, maybe it was something else. As if they are that lucky. He walked into the police station and smiled politely at the deputy at the desk. "I'm here to see Deputy Graeme" he stated with an easy smile.

"And you are?" Officer Murray asked looking the older man over as if he was evaluating him for potential problems.

"Chris Argent. She called and asked me to come by" Chris added and the deputy nodded and asked him to wait before he stepped away. A few seconds later the deputy came back with Tara walking behind him. "Good morning deputy" Chris said with a quick nod.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Argent" Tara said with a serious expression. "Please come back with me" she said as she led him into the station and headed for the sheriff's office "we can talk privately in here" she said and gestured him inside.

Chris stepped into the office and froze as he saw the Sheriff sitting at his desk watching him with an unreadable expression. He wasn't quite able to hide his surprise but his eyes were drawn to the bandages on the man's neck and wrist with a quick glance. "Sheriff. I am really glad to see you are okay" Chris said as Tara closed the door behind him.

"Thank you Mr. Argent. Please have a seat" Noah said, his expression never changing. "I am hoping you might be able to answer some questions for me" he tells the man as Tara moves to stand behind the Sheriff, a move that Chris easily understood was a clear declaration of allegiance.

"Of course Sheriff, is this about what happened last night" he asks not giving away anything. He wasn't exactly sure what Tara had shared with the Sheriff.

"It was a home invasion" the Sheriff explained and Chris looked surprised. "A guy broke in and threatened to kill myself and my son" Chris noted that the Sheriff's voice had changed and he recognized the barely restrained fury under his controlled demeanor. He was still mad and Chris didn't understand why, but some of that was directed towards him.

"Sheriff, I'm not sure exactly how I can help you with that, unless you are looking to purchase some firearms which I would be happy to do so" Chris offers with a professional smile.

"That would be very helpful" the Sheriff agrees with a pointed smile. "Would they include ammunition with wolfsbane or is that limited just to your gang of murdering thugs?"

Chris freezes and glances towards Tara whose face gives nothing away before he looks back at the Sheriff. "Sheriff, I don't know what…" he starts.

"Don't even try it Argent. Right now it is taking a great deal of restraint not to shoot you at this moment. Especially knowing that your father kidnapped and tortured my son…in your house" he snarled and Chris's eyes went wide and he suddenly realized that this was way worse than he imagined. "Your sister, well we already know that she is a mass murderer, but we can add how many murders to your father when he was controlling the Kanima, so what is the total Argent body count?" he asks and Chris leans back and shakes his head.

"You know everything" it's not a question but a statement but he sees the Sheriff's slight nod.

"I know that you have been running a paramilitary army in my town hunting and killing like you are judge, jury, and executioner with absolutely no regard to the law" Noah bites out and feels a bit of satisfaction at the man's flinch.

"Sheriff…my father and sister…they have paid the price for their actions and our family has taken further steps to prevent something like that happening again. I am not sure exactly how much you know about dealing with all of this" he stops and looks at the lawman who is waiting silently and he realizes that the man isn't going to give him anything. He sighs again. "Sheriff, my family has been fighting the supernatural for centuries and it is not something we take lightly. None of the hunting families do and yes, some of them use…questionable methods, but it is done to protect normal people" Chris explains.

Noah stares for a moment before reaching for a folder and tosses it to Chris who catches it with a frown before opening it up. He sees the picture of the omega that Gerard had cut in half shortly after he arrived. "I believe you were there for that murder weren't you? I mean you did give my son and Mr. Whittemore a rather graphic description of the procedure prior to it happening. So what part of the code did he violate?" Noah asked.

Chris frowned and now he knew for certain. Stiles. Stiles told him and the boy was the worst possible choice as the kid was too damn smart for his own good and if anyone in this town would have put all of the facts and information together and gotten a complete picture, it would be him. "I do not know if he broke the code or not. Gerard killed him after he attacked an ambulance, tearing into the passenger who he claimed was already dead. We think he was also the one digging up graves to feed" he said and saw both the Sheriff and Tara flinch at that. "When he came here after my sister's death, he pretty much declared war on all werewolves and I wasn't sure he was wrong at first. But once I did realize it was a mistake, I sent an appeal to our families Grande Matriarch about him but McCall stopped him before I actually received an official response."

"Bureaucracy? You are going to go with 'red tape' as your justification?" Noah asks disbelievingly as he leans forward.

"Sheriff Stilinski. There are rules to our family just like the ones you operate under. I did what I could short of shooting my own father. And to be perfectly blunt, I wasn't going to do that over a near feral omega who if he hadn't broken the code, it was probably just a matter of time. I have studied and hunted werewolves my entire life and you have gotten all this dumped on you since when? A week? A few days?" Chris shakes his head.

"I may not have your experience Argent, but all things considered, I think we did okay considering there is now one less Alpha werewolf in Beacon Hills" the Sheriff replied surprising the hunter yet again.

"You killed one?" Chris exclaimed in shock. "How?" he demanded.

"He's not dead, but he also won't be an issue for some time, if ever" the Sheriff told him. "So you can see that perhaps my people are not quite so helpless to deal with the situation if we need to. What we are going to discuss is what to do about you?"

Chris didn't like the look in the Sheriff's eyes. "Sheriff, despite what your son may have told you, you don't have anything on me or my daughter" he defends "and I am not your enemy, no matter what you may think."

Noah pulled out a folded piece of paper. "So if I exercise this warrant to search your home, I am not going to find bullets in your house that have been made with the addition of aconite poison?" Noah asked casually.

Chris' eyes widened just a bit but it was enough for the experienced lawman to know that he had struck gold. Aconite could actually kill non-werewolves and his argument that it was only to be used against monsters wouldn't exactly hold up in court. "I'm not sure how your state and federal contractors would react to know that you selling weapons and ammunition that has been tampered with like that. I am pretty sure that most of the people I know in law enforcement would react very strongly. What do you think Deputy?" he asked looking at Tara.

"Shooting someone is always a last resort sir. I don't think there are many cops that would support the idea of using bullets that are made to poison their victims" Tara says firmly.

Chris closes his eyes and realizes he has been completely played. There is no way he would be able to avoid significant impact if the Sheriff serves the warrant. "However, I don't have to use this today" the Sheriff muses causing Chris to look at the man in surprise. "Assuming that you are sincere in wanting to help protect people…all people" he states.

Chris looks at the Sheriff and sees that the man has orchestrated this whole thing in order to get here. "And how, exactly, can I show you that?" he asks guardedly.

Noah smiles as he leans back in his seat. He glances at Tara who is smiling just as widely. "First. You will be providing my staff with wolfsbane ammunition and spare wolfsbane to offset any accidental poisonings. Second, I want to know who on my staff works for you" the sheriff's look suddenly becomes predatory.

"Sheriff…" Chris begins but stops when he sees the look on the man's face. He tries to think and realizes that the wolves may have been able to id his men so he sighs. "Rodriguez" he says as if it is being pulled from him and he sees Tara look stunned while the Sheriff didn't even react.

Noah just watches the man with a raised eyebrow as Chris decides to wait him out. Deputy Martin hasn't spoken with a hunter in over a year so he is pretty sure that the man's cover is good. Finally the Sheriff smiles and turns to Tara. "Deputy, why don't you pull Deputy Rodriguez and Deputy Martin's files" he suggests and Chris almost swears. "You know, when you get the right information, things stand out pretty clearly Chris" he says easily. "Of course, Stiles had been through all of the deputies' files and histories so he had all kinds of information that told us who to watch."

Chris actually swore under his breath. That damn kid! If he could have gotten to him first, what a resource for the hunters he would have been! "Those were the only two" he finally admitted

"I know. I was just testing you. In case you missed it, you failed" Noah told the man. "And for that? I want full copies of all Argent family bestiaries, codices, indexes, and records of any and all supernatural material that is in your possession as Argent Regent" the Sheriff said with a smile at the man's look of absolute horror.

"Sheriff…" Chris voice was strained as he tried to protest. He knew that that whatever he gave would end up copied and given to Hale and the pack! That was too much to give up even though he pretty much had been outmaneuvered.

"Chris. The only reason you and all of your people are not sitting in one of my cells is that we are dealing with an Alpha Pack and a Darach and you are a resource. But you have a long way to go before I will trust you or consider you even for what you have done up to now. But now? Things are changing in Beacon Hills. You are no longer some rogue vigilante. Deputy Graeme will be the official liaison between the Sheriff's department and your hunters. I believe Scott is serving in a similar role with you and the pack" he tells the man.

"So would Deputy Graeme assist in…redirecting your deputies when we need to take steps?" Chris asks with a calculated look at the woman.

Noah stares at the man for a minute. "As necessary. As far as we are concerned, the Alpha Pack and Darach have clearly broken the code without any doubt, and we are willing to recognize your claim to authority to deal with them" he pauses for a second "along with Alpha Hale's authority." Noah smiles at Argent's surprise at that comment. "My people are cops Argent, not hunters."

Chris stares at the man in front of him for a while and wonders what it would have been like if he had tried to get him on their side from the beginning. Hunters typically operated outside the law but if Clarissant was correct in some of the things she shared, then maybe it was time for a change. He also recognizes the pragmatic approach that he saw in the Sheriff's son and this is one fight he isn't going to win…at least not right now. "I will have to ask for permission from the Grande Matriarch before I can share everything, but I have Allison share what we can right now" he concedes.

"Deputy, perhaps you and Mr. Argent should talk a bit before he leaves. Oh and make sure he knows exactly the kind of ammo we need and when we can expect the materials he will be sharing" Noah says, the dismissal clear in his voice as he stands up.

Chris looks at the man and offers his hand. "I hope you will believe me Sheriff, but I think that we can work together for everyone's benefit. There is another meeting tomorrow at Dr. Deaton's if you or Deputy Graeme wish to attend to get the most up to date information" he offers as an olive branch and sees the Sheriff tentatively agree. "Deputy Graeme" he says as he follows after her.

Noah sits back down and smiles. Stiles may have mentioned the man's books, specifically the bestiary, but getting copies or access was a spontaneous thought that he had come up with to push the man off balance. Ultimately Noah knew that he would need to work with the man, there was a great deal that his people were better trained to handle outside the law and he would use that, but he would be keeping a much closer eye on all of the hunter's activities from now on.

"Sheriff?" Tara said a short time later as she walked in after Argent had left. "I think that went well" she smirks and Noah smiles in agreement. "Have you gotten any possibilities for the openings we still have on the force?" she asks and the Sheriff sighs. The department had been hit pretty hard and they needed additional staff but after what he learned in the last day, picking the right deputies is suddenly a lot more important.

"We got some applicants but most of them are not ones that I feel good about. There is one that I hired a few days ago, before I knew about everything, so we will have to just see how he does. He has combat experience from the army, so he might be okay" Noah tells her handing her the folder. "I want you to plan on assessing him, along with the rest of the department. We will be speaking to Rodriguez and Martin, but I want your thoughts on who else should be 'educated' about all of this" he explains.

"No problem sir, I can handle it" she assures him. "Welcome to the Beacon Hills Jordan Parrish" she mutters looking at the man's photo. "Hope you survive the experience."

Deucalion is furious. He sent Ennis out over twelve hours ago to get the boy and deal with the Sheriff and there has been no contact or word since. He didn't expect it to be necessarily quick, he would have to wait for the right time, but more than enough time has passed that the job should be done. Kali had called the man's cell phone but hadn't gotten an answer. The betas were out gathering information about Hale's pack, despite their complete lack of any real success on that front and the twins were at school, though he was beginning to think that was a waste as well.

Turning to Kali he calls the female Alpha to him. "Go to the school. I want you to have Morrell observe the boy, especially if he is actually there and not in Ennis' custody. Maybe her brother has some information that she can get for us" he instructs and the Alpha nods and leaves.

"Go out and trail Ennis. See if you can find him" Deucalion orders Lisa and the other Alpha nods eagerly and takes off.

It is completely ridiculous that this sorry excuse for a pack is giving them this kind of difficulty. They had dealt with six other packs since Deucalion had recruited Kali and Ennis to his new Alpha Pack and none of them were this irritating, even the two that had managed to survive. Growling angrily, Deucalion cursed again the names of Argent and Talia Hale. If she had just joined his efforts, then the old man wouldn't have been so quick to strike. Her cowardice cost him his eyes and he would make sure that the last drop of her blood was wiped from the Earth.

"So how are we supposed to free Scott and the others?" Allison asks as they walk out to the parking lot. "You said they seem normal the rest of them time, just that they react strongly when you suggest that she is evil. Do you know what spell she used on them?"

"There are a number of mind-control or possession spells that are all possible, but none of them seem to be exactly right. This is a very subtle spell. I mean Scott and the others are actively looking for the Darach to stop her, but can't even consider Blake" Stiles says obviously frustrated. "That kind of finesse is pretty impressive" he admits. "Plus we don't know what else she has planted in their heads that we haven't discovered."

"Is there anyone who can help us figure it out?" Allie asks as they get to her car.

Stiles takes a deep breath but plunges ahead. "One of my teachers, Wong, he sent a message to the head Druids to ask them to help us and we are waiting on their response" Stiles tells her. That leads to a discussion about who the druids are and how they are the top ones in the world.

"Why don't we just ask Deaton?" Allison asks genuinely confused. "I mean he is a Druid and is on our side, right?"

Stiles hesitates and Allison frowns at the teen. "Is this because he wouldn't teach you?" she asks carefully.

Stiles shakes his head. "No, honestly it isn't. After Stephen explained my magic, it is not surprising that Doc didn't know about it or how he could help me. I know he mentioned that he was reaching out to other teachers, but I think his contacts outside the Druids are not quite as extensive as he might want us to believe, if he actually has any" Stiles tells her. "I just think that if I was an evil druid, my first target would be the only person in town with any information about me" he looks at the huntress and sees the understanding hit her.

"You think he's compromised?" she questions and he just shrugs. "Then we test him" she says simply. "If he reacts like the others, then we know."

They spend the next few minutes strategizing about it and ultimately decide that Allie will swing by the clinic to 'visit' Scott and will mention the theory to Deaton and see how he reacts. Stiles would prefer if he was there but she manages to convince him that Scott is already negatively primed towards Stiles about the Darach. She can mention it without seeming to support his theory to see what happens and Stiles has to admit that she is more than capable of handling herself. They separate with Stiles heading home as Allison drives for the clinic.

Stiles walked into the house and decided he had some time before he would probably hear from Allison so he decided it was time to add Lydia to the house stone. Arranging himself on the floor he began his meditations allowing his mind to clear as he focused entirely on Lydia. It was easy to bring her to his mind, but he struggled for a bit before he realized that he was focusing on his idea of who she was and not her own truth. Letting go of his expectations, he instead remembers that night in the warehouse, how she reached Jackson behind the Kanima. The sigil starts forming as Stiles moves on to more real memories including the dance where he confronted her about her intelligence, her skill in helping create the Molotov cocktails they used on Peter, even to Peter using her for his resurrection.

The lines of Lydia's sigil start moving on their own as he lets go and allows his magic and her essence to form without his trying to control it. He sees her connection to her mother and grandmother, the anger towards her father for his decisions, the draw she had been feeling towards the bodies around town. Stiles sees spectral figures surrounding her as he watched them whisper and call to the redhead. Seeing it he almost smacked himself for missing it, she was a banshee! A wailing woman. A being whose voice was a bridge between life and death and an ancient magic that protected her from Peter's bite using that magic to kickstart her own powers into gear instead of changing her.

Once Stiles had seen and accepted that truth, the rest of Lydia's sigil formed and Stiles was able to add it to the house stone before pulling back to a more conscious state. Opening his eyes he smiles before swaying from the crash when he realizes how weak he is. One thing he had picked up on was that he needed to eat more regularly and healthily when using his magic. Getting up he entered the kitchen to start making a snack when his phone rang out with an email notice.

Pulling open the app, Stiles spotted the new mail and his pulse raced as he saw it from Wong. The man had heard back from the Merlin and they had agreed to meet with Stiles tomorrow. Wong told him to portal to the Sanctum and he would send Stiles on to the meeting place. Stiles shot off a quick message agreeing to the meeting and grabbed a soda to deal with his headache as he walked to the couch to rest till Allie called.

Allison pulled into Stile's driveway and rested her head on the steering wheel with a sigh. That was a lot harder than she had ever expected it to be and she was very glad that Stiles hadn't come along. Walking up to the door she wasn't surprised when it opened before she could knock but she was surprised by the look of excitement on Stiles' face.

"I have amazing news!" he said happily as he pulled her inside and they sat on the couch. "I got a call from Wong and have an appointment tomorrow with the Merlin…or the Morgaine…or both, I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, I will get to see them tomorrow" he finishes.

"Good, because we are definitely going to need some serious help" Allison tells him looking tired and Stiles gets very quiet.

"Allie? What happened? They didn't do anything to you did they?" Stiles asked grabbing her hand and noticing that it was trembling slightly.

"It wasn't pretty Stiles and you were right, Deaton is severely compromised" she tells him taking a deep breath. "I had gone in and waited till Scott left the room and asked if he had any new information about either the Darach or the Alpha Pack. He did his usual 'we are still gathering info' spiel which means he doesn't know anything but he doesn't want to admit that."

"You caught on to that, huh?" Stiles said with a chuckle causing the brunette to smile sadly at the teen.

"Anyway after he said that I started rambling. Mentioned that the Darach would probably be someone new to town, not someone who had been here for a while and he even agreed that was likely. Then, taking care to sound like I thought you were crazy, I mentioned that you had gotten worked up about one of the teachers being the Darach" she said looking at the teen who just nodded.

"He didn't seem to object to that idea but the second I mentioned Blake, his entire demeanor shifted and I could tell he was angry even though he was trying to look calm. He said that it was a 'stupid idea' and that he had even met her and she didn't have a trace of magic, let alone dark magic, on her and then he started saying some really nasty things about you" Allison said with a guilty look. "He was saying how you were obviously desperate for attention or something and that's why you were saying it."

"Then Scott comes in and the two of them just go off on you Stiles. It was insane. The way that they were acting" she drops off looking sick and startles when Stiles gentle rubs her hand.

"Allie, it's okay. This is good news" he tells her and laughs when she stares at him in surprise. "I'm serious. This just reinforces that we are right, that she is the Darach. Before this you were just trusting me about it, but now? You have seen what she's doing. She almost had to do it this way. Eliminating Deaton by killing him when she arrived would draw too much attention. Instead she used her magic to eliminate him by having him refuse to consider her as a possible threat, but to also react strongly to anyone else trying to suggest it. You were really smart Allie, by putting it all on me. If you had said you believed it, they probably would have turned on you too" he tells her.

"Stiles, how are we supposed to stop someone that can control everyone like that?" she asks and he can see that she is truly afraid after seeing both of the men so affected.

"Well, she can't do that to me" Stiles muses and laughs at her look of exasperation. "Here" he turns his head and focusing, causes the tattoo behind his ear to glow "this is a tattoo designed to protect the core of my identity. It prevents things like mind-control or possession. I might be able to come up with something for you that would do something similar, like the spell of 'don't notice me' I have on my watch."

"Where did you get that tattoo?" Allison suddenly demands and Stiles sighs and his eyes lose focus for a moment and she gasps as she sees tattoos appear on his arms, eerie and nearly hypnotic in their beauty.

"I got a couple" he admits as she suddenly gasps and stares at him. "What?" he asks trying to look at himself.

"You neck" she whispers and Stiles touches but doesn't feel anything. "A wolf…it just…appeared and looked at me before disappearing" her voice is strained.

Stiles laughs. "Oh. Him. Yeah he kinda has a mind of his own. He wanders around" he admits and sees the wild look in her eyes so he stands up and takes off his shirts.

"Stiles!" Allison starts to laugh but freezes when she sees the design over his heart, the blending of dark and light that somehow is elegantly balanced. The wolf, who was sitting on his pectoral muscles, suddenly jumps up and, there really is no other word for it, runs around his torso before disappearing around to his back. Stiles turns around and she lets out an awed gasp.

Standing up slowly she moves towards him and reaches out gingerly with her fingers as she stares at the tree, leaves blowing in some unknown breeze, as she tries to identify all of the different runes, sigils, and signs. Somehow, she knows she should not touch so she pulls her hand back and whispers "It's incredible."

Stiles blushes deepen and she steps back allowing him to pull his shirts back on. "A friend of mine out of town did them using some special tools I found and the ink I created using a special formula that allowed me to empower them. She has a good trade going making them now."

Allison's face goes hard and she stares at him. "Will she do one for me? That one" she says pointing at Stiles' ear.

Stiles is about to reply when he pauses looking at the determination on her face. Something about seeing Deaton and Scott being controlled like that really freaked her out and so instead of making a joke, he just nodded. "When?" he asks and isn't surprised in the slightest when she wants to go right then. Stiles grabs another packet of the herbs he had made to give her and they drive to Kelsey's.

Despite the short notice, Kelsey is able to see them and when Stiles tells her what Allie wants, she agrees since it is one of the simpler tattoos. The fresh bag of herbs is very much appreciated as her business is picking up with the increased quality of her work. She puts in an order for more, even paying Stiles in advance causing him to smile and promise delivery. Allison decides to get it in the same place and in just a short time they are driving back to Beacon Hills as Allison softly touches her ear.

"You were doing magic" she states rather than asks. "When Kelsey was doing the tattooing" she clarifies.

Stiles nods keeping his eyes on the road. "I was concentrating on the kanja and how it should work to make it as strong as I could" he explains and is surprised when she grabs his hand and squeezes it without saying anything. He gets it. Losing control of herself is as scary for her as it is for him.

After hearing about the trip to New York, Allie had decided that she was going with him, whether or not Stiles agreed. He had been hesitant at first but after a day at school dealing with the pack and Ms. Blake and not being able to do anything about it, he agreed and made arrangements for them to go right after school. He did have a really weird encounter with their new guidance counselor, Ms. Morrell, when she ran into him in the hall. She was nice about it, but he could tell she was looking for something. He felt a tingle that told him that she was using magic on him, but since none of his runes reacted, he guessed it was probably her trying to figure him out rather than something harmful. However that meant that there were now at least two adults at the school who had magic. He was done waiting, he wanted to free his friends now!

"So how does this work?" Allison asks as she adjusts the bow and quiver of arrows she was carrying, along with several large knives that had made Stiles blanch. She had really gotten hard core since the end of last year.

"Watch and be amazed!" he declared with a smile and saw her roll her eyes until the portal started forming and she gasped in surprise. Once established he looked back with a smirk and strode forward, the huntress following quickly after as they stepped into the foyer of the Sanctum. "Welcome to New York!" Stiles announced grandly.

"You did not mention that you were bringing anyone" a voice behind them caused Allie to spin around, knife in hand, at the voice.

Wong raised a single eyebrow at the girl who suddenly looked embarrassed and put her knife away. "Sorry about that" she muttered but the man only laughed.

"I am guessing you are the Huntress Argent?" Wong asked and smiled at her nod. "Mr. Stilinski described all of you very well" he says with a sly look at the teen.

"Where are we supposed to meet them?" Stiles asks feeling a bit nervous.

"I was asked to keep the exact spot a secret, but it is on the coast of Wales" Wong tells them as they walk to the trophy room and to the windows there. "You will be able to portal directly home or here if you wish when you finish your meeting" he tells them as he 'adjusts' the window and they see a rocky beach in front of them.

"You're not coming?" Stiles asks surprised by the man's demeanor.

"No" Wong shakes his head. "While the Merlin and the Morgaine know and respect the office of the Sorcerer Supreme, they rarely interact with sorcerers. Most practitioners of the art, if they are among the more serious ones, will rarely work with others across domains. The differences are just too great. To be blunt, they do not want any sorcerers in their territory" he says without any rancor as if he would do the same.

Allie and Stiles look at each other for a minute but Stiles figures there was nothing about bringing a human with him so he just signals Wong who opens the door and they step through.

Stepping out of the window Allison pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow as they looked around the wooded area they were in. There were no signs of life, heck there were no signs of people anywhere. They were high on a cliff with the ocean pounding on the rocks below them sending up crashing noise and sprays of water that managed to make it up to them as a fine, salt-kissed mist. The only thing going for them was that the moon was up and really bright, lighting up the area enough for them to see. Stiles hadn't really counted on the time change when he decided to come but when Allison pulls two lights from her bag he realizes that she did.

"Is this what you were expecting?" she asks glancing around them as they started walking away from the cliff, aware for any danger.

"Actually no. I was thinking it would be like Kamar-Taj but I realize that I probably should have known better. Druids probably don't do things the same way that Sorcerers do" he admits sheepishly.

Allie nods and indicates that this is his show so he straightens his shoulders and they start walking into the woods. The trees are old here, Stiles thinks. There is something in the air that feels ancient and tired. Whispers and memories of times long past that were harder and crueler and bloody and Stiles feels the tension building. Thinking back on Wong's words, Stiles decides to try and avoid using his sorcery and instead decides to use his elemental connections. Concentrating on his right leg, he sends a pulse through the Earth looking for something, anything, which will give him a clue as to what they should do next.

They had been walking only for a few minutes when they heard the simultaneous sounds of a girl screaming and a shrill cawing like some kind of birds. Not pausing they both took off running towards the sound only to come upon a clearing in the woods where they stopped to stare at the scene before them. There was a girl, young, maybe fourteen or fifteen with white gold hair and a rough linen dress that looked more appropriate to a history documentary than modern day England. However that was just unusual, what was shocking was that she was using a broom or stick to hold off three very large birds.

Now Stiles had seen a lot in the last year, but seeing three birds the size of cows, flying and screaming at their young victim, talons extended as they waited for an opening to strike was a new one. A quick glance showed that Allie was angry and he nodded and charged forward as the huntress fired her arrows. The first one hit one of the birds in the body causing it to screech in indignation at the injury and the other two to turn to scream at the girl who had managed to fire a second arrow that pierced the wing of another of the birds causing it to let out an ear-splitting shriek.

Stiles had taken about a half dozen steps when he called on his fire and hurled a green fireball at the third bird like a lacrosse ball. The bird squawked and clawed the air to get away, his fireball passing under it only for the bird to fly right into Allie's next arrow. Stiles smiled, all three birds were injured and he decided to switch tactics and he called for wind with his left arm and blasted the birds, sending them tossing head over tails across the clearing. They had gotten several hundred yards away by the time they regained control and had obviously decided that they wanted nothing more to do with the girl or her defenders.

"Are you okay?" Allison asks gently as she reaches out to the girl with the wide, staring eyes. She looks at Allison with her bow and arrow and knives and seems to flinch. "We won't hurt you" she assures the girl whose eyes flip to watch Stiles as he slowly walks over.

"We're friends, promise" Stiles says holding his hands up. "What were those birds? I have never seen any that big before" he says with a smile.

The girl tucks back a loose hair behind her ear and flushes a bit at Stiles causing Allie to look away with a smirk. "They were the Adar Llwch Gwin, once given to the warrior Drudwas Ap Tryffin by his fairy wife. He used them in battle because they were able to understand speech and follow orders. Until he gave a poor order and they ended up killing him. Now they hunt the woods for their prey. Luckily they only come out every few years" she says dusting off her dress which now that they are closer appears to be much nicer and more modern that Stiles originally thought.

"Thank you for rescuing me" she tells them, tears starting to swell in her emerald green eyes. "My grandfather would be devastated if something had happened. You have to come back to my house to let him thank you" she begs.

Allie and Stiles try to wave her off, but the girl, whose name is Eildria, pleads and pleads until they agree to come. She promises them that is only a short walk, less than an hour! Allie tries to talk the girl she seems to clam up where when Stiles asks her things she gushes causing Allie to give him 'the look' and him to glare at her in return.

"What are you doing living all the way out here?" Stiles asks after they have been walking for a while.

"Oh, grandfather was never one for crowds and he mostly fished and foraged for rare plants in the woods that we used to trade for anything else we need" she tells him with a smile and Stiles wonders how he didn't notice the delicate earrings that she was wearing before. He is suddenly reminded of Lydia for some reason.

It isn't much longer before they enter another clearing where they spot a small cottage that causes Stiles to smile in delight. It looks like something out of fairy tale! There was even a trail of smoke coming out of the chimney suggesting a warm welcome. "Come on in!" she calls and grabs Stiles' hand and pulls him along.

Stepping into the house, she drops his hand to rush to a chair facing the fireplace where she whispers to whoever is sitting there. Stepping back, Eildria helps up a small, old man with white hair, a wispy beard and startling blue eyes who looks at both of them in appreciation. "Thank you so much for saving my dear Eildria. I am Tomas and I welcome you to my home and my table. I am in your debt" he says formally and they both assure him that no thanks are needed.

They sit at the table as Eildria starts moving around the kitchen pulling out loaded platters as the three of them sit down at the table. Tomas asks about their visit as they are obviously not locals and Allison defers to Stiles. "We are visiting from America" he says with an easy smile. "We were supposed to meet some people, but we haven't spotted them yet when we heard Eildria yelling."

"Does that kind of thing happen often?" Allison asks as Tomas looks at her clothes and weapons before nodding.

"Yes warrior. In this part of the land, there is still magic and those beings that existed before man came to the isles. They are not as common as they once were, but they still remain in certain places" he tells her. "You are more than you appear, both of you" he says nodding to them. "You have a touch of the gift yes?" he asks Stiles and smiles when the teen hesitates. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. You and your shield maiden have done us a service, let us return the favor" he says leaning back in his seat and Stiles notices that his shirt is actually really high quality, maybe even silk. He glances over at Eildria and notices that her skirt and blouse are finely embroidered.

Eildria comes over with several platters of meat, vegetables, pastries, and breads, all of which smell amazing. She sets down pitchers of milk, wine, and water before encouraging them to eat. Allie tries to decline, this was almost like a feast, but the girl said that her saviors deserved to be rewarded. Nodding in thanks Allie reaches out to take a roll out of the basket, golden in color and still steaming but Stiles grabs her hand in a vise-like grip stopping her.

"Stiles?" she asks in confusion as both Tomas and Eildria looks at him with worried expressions.

"Just a second Allie, we should say grace first, don't you think?" he asks and sees the girl look at him confused before realizing that he is tapping on her foot, a pattern. Three short taps, three long ones, and three short. Repeated. Allie freezes as she realizes it's Morse Code for SOS.

"Of course" she agrees and turns to Tomas "would you like to say the prayer?" she asks their host and the man quickly shakes his head.

"No child you are our guest, please" he indicates but she can see the tension in his eyes and those of Eildria. Not knowing what he is thinking she asks them to bow their heads to pray and just as she starts to think of what to say she feels a strong gust of wind and the sudden screech of two high pitched voices.

Opening her eyes, Allie pulls out her dagger at the inhuman faces looking at her. Eildria and Tomas are gone and the two standing there in their clothes are, well, there isn't really any other word to describe them than beautiful. But that beauty is distant and unearthly and rather than being attractive, it makes her blood run cold. Both of them appear both young and ageless and they are staring at Stiles with angered expressions. "Salt!" 'Tomas' yells in fury and Stiles just laughs at them, not appearing worried.

"Just a little test" Stiles says with a smile. "Eating food of the fae isn't the smartest thing to do after all. And if you really were who you appeared to be, the salt wouldn't have affected you. But you are fae folk using glamours to try and trick us" he says his voice much colder "and I am betting that those birds from earlier were actually just following your orders" he says with a slight uptick of his voice.

Eildria suddenly laughs and Stiles is reminding of the sound of running water, tumbling over rocks in a river and strangely enough windchimes, her laugh is so amazing. "You are very intriguing little spark" she says and Stiles notices that her eyes are now a brilliant amethyst instead of green. "Perhaps you are worthy of an audience after all."

"Worthy?" Allison asks looking between the two fae.

"Surely you do not think the Merlin or the Morgaine would waste their time with anyone who seeks their attention? They have duties to the worlds" Tomas says haughtily.

"We thought we had already cleared our meeting" Stiles challenged but Eildria only snorted in derision.

"Because of the sorcerer? No. The Lord and Lady of the Wood speak for nature and they do not bend to others, not even to the Sorcerer Supreme. If you would petition them for their assistance, you need to prove yourself worthy" Eildria told them.

"Look we don't have a lot of time for this. We are dealing with a pretty nasty Darach who…" Stiles doesn't get any farther when both of the fae suddenly bristle with anger.

"A DARACH!" Tomas screeches, losing his cool. "Foul oath-breakers" he snarls and his form flickers for a moment causing both Stiles and Allie to step back at the barest glimpse of his true face.

He calms quickly before looking at Stiles with a suspicious expression. "Your foe, foul though it may be, does not change the rules. You have passed the first and second tests, go forth to face the third and if you succeed, then you will have your audience" Eildria pronounced and waved her hand and a sudden flash of light blinded both of the teens.

By the time Stiles' vision had cleared he looked around to see that the clearing they were standing in was now empty. No cottage, no Eildria, no Tomas. Even the walkway and the little touches around the rustic cottage were missing and it was just an empty field. "I really hate this" Allison mutters before sheathing her knife and taking out her bow. Stiles could only nod in agreement.

They have been walking for another half hour when they hear the sound of the ocean and they continue following the path that suddenly opens upon a beach inside a small circle of a bay, not a quarter mile across enclosed by tall cliffs. The place looks beautiful but it is deserted, not even birds or anything, and it appears to have been that way for a while and that makes both of them suspicious. "Why aren't there any birds or other wildlife?" Allison asks fingering the arrow nocked in her bow as she looks around. "Is this the third test? Not that I know what the other two were" she mutters.

"Some of the stories of the fae that I read mention the test of heart, hand, and head to reveal the true nature of a person" he explains. "I think the first test was heart, by choosing to rescue Eildra we showed that were willing to help a stranger. The second test was probably the head, recognizing the trap that she and Tomas were setting. That could be a test of intelligence, cunning, or wisdom, not really sure which" he rambles causing Allison to think she really needs to stop being surprised by the guy.

"So the last one is the test of hand?" she prompts looking at him with a smile and a slight nudge of support. "What do you think that is?"

"Strength or skill I would guess" he tells her and they jump as the water in the bay explodes. Stiles pulls her back from the water as a large serpent rises out of the water to tower over thirty feet in the air above the water, with a monstrous mouth full of sharp teeth as it roars as them.

"So much for the birds" Allison says as her arrow flies and she is already reaching for a second. Stiles' arm has burst into green fire and he flings a fireball at the thing as it screams and lunges towards them.

Allison tucks so she rolls as she is suddenly blasted to the side, rolling over and over before coming to stop and shaking herself as she sees the serpent had smashed right where they were standing. "Stiles!" she screams as she fires another arrow, narrowly missing the thing's eyes. A sudden flash of green lights up the serpent causing it to scream and pull back allowing her to see the stream of fire coming from Stile's hands like a flamethrower as he stands on the other side of the beach.

"Keep firing" Stiles yells and he stops his fire as he realizes that it isn't working, the damn thing is too wet! He runs towards the water causing Allison to scream as she fires one of her flash bangs at the beast distracting it.

She keeps firing, even though half of her arrows are bouncing off the thing when Stiles, reaching the water, steps out until he is in the water to his thighs. He closes his eyes and she sees him start to glow a swirl of greens and blues that shoots out from him across the whole bay and suddenly the entire surface of the water freezes solid, the water turning to a giant block of ice trapping the things just as Stiles leaps free.

"Stiles, what did you do?" she demanded of the teen. He doesn't answer as he reaches her.

"Given me one of your arrows" he demands instead and she hands it to him as she sees the serpent, trapped in the ice, struggling fiercely as it tries to break free. "Your knife!" he bellows and she hands it to him and watches as he starts carving symbols into it.

As soon as he finishes carving the runes, Stiles starts chanting and Allison watches as the runes start glowing with a deep crimson glow. The loud crack behind her causes her to turn and see the serpent has partially freed itself from the ice and is staring at them and roaring.

"Here, shoot the damn thing! Eye or mouth!" Stiles yells handing her the arrow. Allison doesn't pause or hesitate but loads, pulls, aims and fires the arrow all in one smooth motion. The arrow leaves her bow, a trail of red sparks following the arc of her shot as the arrow goes straight into the beast's right eye followed by a flash that lights up the entire body of the thing like a photo negative.

Allie watches as the serpent sways before crashing to the ice and beach to lay unmoving. "Nice shot" Stiles says as his eyes roll up in his head and he passes out.

Allison screams and moves to the teen's side but when she sees he is breathing regularly she relaxes a bit. "I agree" she hears a voice say and she spins around, bow drawn, and sees two people about her dad's age standing on the beach looking at the entire scene. Both the man and woman look perfectly normal, he is dressed in a policeman's uniform and the woman looks like she is a teacher or something equally normal.

"You have been looking for us?" the man says with a smile.