Mrs. Leon immediately got my approval when she revealed that the cookies weren't any of those ones with nuts or oatmeal. Though I gave a stink-eye when she gave some to my dad, too. She apparently thought his pajamas had earned him the cookies, because she commented on them before handing the cookies over.

   When everyone sat down, Tate started explaining what was going on. Everyone was quiet as he got through the basics: being tricked into the Ghost Realm, meeting me, and the two of us getting out. It wasn't until that he explained how we got free until Mr. Leon spoke.

   "There's something I don't understand. When you were at Anchorage, at her sentencing, what did you observe of the man that asked for your help?"

   Tate replied, "He was short, his hair neat, which suggested that he wasn't a powerful shifter and he was formal -- therefore meant to be there. He wanted to look good for authority."

   "Or it was a cover," said his father shortly. "What about signs?"

   I looked at him, confused, but Tate knew what he meant. "Regular heartbeat. Only skipped once I answered that yes, I was a shapeshifter. Sped up a little once he got me into the room where Dani was waiting, but that was it. No other signs."

   "What does a skipping heartbeat suggest, son?"

   "Excitement, of course."

   "And what emotions can come with excitement?"

   Tate cocked his head. "Joy, worry, anticipation, and fear."

   "If there were no other signs, such as a scent, that means..."

   Though I had no idea what was going on, Tate did. His face fell. "Anticipation." Tate swore. "He didn't know I was a shapeshifter until I told him. He didn't know who I was. But he knew your last name--"

   "Tate," sighed Mr. Leon, "you were wearing a tag with your birth date and last name on it. And a code that meant shapeshifter. He knew our last names, he knew you were a shapeshifter, and he knew how old you were. Just from that, he could figure out how old your parents are and what kind of magick they are." 

   "But nothing to suggest he knew me before I walked in," said Tate, annoyed. "Or that he or Dani had any idea where you guys were, or if you were alive."

   I realized what was happening. Mr. Leon had recognized what Tate hadn't -- there was no way that Dani knew who Tate's family was. The threat of hurting Tate's family in order to force him to comply had been entirely empty. Tate had no reason to go into the Ghost Realm -- except fear for his own family.

   "Well, honestly, I don't think that matters in the long run." I dusted off my hands and sat back. "He had no idea that you guys were safe but he didn't want to risk it."

   Mrs. Leon nodded. "Agreed. You protected us, either way." She smiled. "You did the right thing."

   "I know, I just--" Tate made a frustrated sound. "She had me completely convinced. She was so sure..."

   I gave a sardonic laugh. "Oh, trust me, I know. I know exactly how she can completely twist you around until you run in circles." She'd had me terrified while in the Ghost Realm -- even though I knew she wasn't -- couldn't -- kill me. Something about her wiped all rational thought from everyone nearby. Because if Alexie had been thinking clearly, he wouldn't have taken the spell that ended up being fatal. He would have knocked it aside.

   No one could think clearly around Dani Darhk. No one.

   "I'm still getting you guys to Death Valley," said Tate stubbornly. "She knew my last name and my birth date. There's no telling what that crazy woman will do to get what she wants."

   "And what does she want?" asked Mr. Leon.

   "That--" I started immediately, then my voice died. It occurred to me that I had no idea. I had no clue what Dani wanted, besides me. She'd never mentioned anything. "Actually, that's a really good question." I set down my cookie, eyebrows pulling together. "What does Dani want?"

   Dad looked at me as I got up, pacing a little. My brain was running through every encounter I'd ever had with her, every sentence Alexie had ever told me about her, and what I'd gathered from everyone else. When I'd first met her, she'd been fleeing Alexie, Calida, and Marrok. She'd acquired a source and faced them.

   She didn't face her pursuers until she had a source. Until she had the power. That made sense. But why had she waited until Memphis, or that restaurant, to get one? I couldn't have been the first mage she stumbled on. She'd been on the run for days before meeting me. She'd known immediately that I was a mage, even when I didn't.

   Dani had been very patient until she found what she wanted. What had she wanted? Not just a source, but something specific about one. I looked at my hands, confused. Alexie had mentioned something about my mother having my same level of power, but I had a good idea that it was his way of scaring me into remaining in training. I didn't have any crazy abilities. I had just learned how to harness it a way that no one else had, besides Alexie. There was nothing special about me.

   So why had Dani waited? Why had she waited until she found me? What was she waiting for? What did she want? Just like with Tate, she hadn't known who I was when we met. Otherwise, she would have been more careful about leaving me as unsupervised. I was known as a violent, unpredictable, stubborn teenager with a habit of throwing fists. Anyone that met me would have told her that. So wouldn't Dani have put a tighter leash on me if she already knew that? Or was she just that arrogant?

   No. She'd been careful to try and kill me at the community meeting -- the only time I had been separated from Alexie. That had been planned out. She wasn't rash. Dani did actually think about her decisions before making them. Maybe not all the way through, but she considered things when making a plan. 

   So she hadn't known who I was when we met. She wasn't looking for me specifically as a person. I wasn't special, so she wasn't looking for my power. She could have snatched any mage. But why did she wait?

   Dani had to have a goal. Why was she practicing dark magic? For the fun of it? I got the sense she loved the thrill of dark magic, but she had to have another reason. She'd wanted my power. And she'd felt the need to get Alexie out of the way, before going after me. Why? He was the only person able to stop her, that was why. 

   She needed an obstacle out of the way to get something done. She'd needed some kind of source in order to get closer to a goal. And then she'd started to eliminate problems along the way.

   I shook my head. "She's up to something." My tone was irritated.

   "That's kind of a given," said Dad. Everyone had been watching me pace without commenting on it. 

   "That's not what I mean. Think about it." I looked at him, serious for once. "She had no idea who I was when we met. I'm no one special. Dani had been running for days, but she only took a source when she found me. There was literally nothing special about me at the time. So why me?"

   "Source?" Mr. Leon frowned. "Wait a minute--"

   I didn't. "In front of Tate, she said she needed Alexie out of the way. Not that she needed me -- like she tried at the party -- but needed him gone. Why? Because he was the only person that could stop her. She needed him out of the way to accomplish something that she's been working on since before she met me."

   "I don't like that," said Tate darkly. "You're saying she's been planning something for half a year? If someone as unstable as her is that focused, that's a really bad sign."

   "Exactly," I growled. "Whatever she's doing, it's not good. And it was necessary enough that she felt the need to get Alexie out of the way and power herself up with a source. She's bracing for some sort of hit." My fists clenched. I'm not going to let her get whatever it is she's after. 

   "And she's got friends," said Tate suddenly. "Those hunters openly admitted to working with her. They said she was important -- like a superior."

   Mr. Leon rubbed his faint scruff. "It sounds militaristic, the way that Darhk has been handling this. Eliminating the obstacle, preparing the forces, and deploying the first stage of a plan."

   "Stage two has got to be coming up soon, then." Dad bit into his cookie.

   "Yup. Which means we need to move." I lifted my hand. Crimson ribbons twisted around my fingers. The staff appeared and the crimson latched onto it immediately. Mrs. Leon suddenly grinned. 

   "Tell you what. How about the three of you--" She pointed at me, Dad, and Tate, "get to the mall and grab some clothes. We'll pack our things and our valuables. He'll call ahead and tell the camp that we're coming so that you can Linewalk directly in. Without a warning, the protections will stop you."

   "How long do you think that will take?" Tate asked.

   "Probably an hour. Most of it will be spent convincing the General that we're serious." Mr. Leon rose. "The mall opens in about five minutes. You can change out of those bloodied things while we pack."

   I frowned. "I don't like waiting, Mr. Leon." The sooner I was after Dani, the better.

   "If you don't wait now, you'll have to wait in broad daylight in the middle of Death Valley while they try to get the protections down." He snagged his wallet off of the table and tossed us a debit card. Dad caught it. "Get some clothes. It's on me. Get back in an hour, and we'll be ready."

Sorry about the delay, folks. T'was a busy weekend :)