It had been three weeks since the whole 'Archie-Got-Injured' band practice. We had been asking Douxie nonstop at school about what the ventilator meant. He said he couldn't tell us until Archie was better physically and mentally.

Since the encounter, he hadn't spoken a whole lot and limped around with a little wooden crutch. He hadn't left the bookshop, and we checked in on him every day, but nothing had changed. Hopefully, today would be different.

Right as the final bell rang, I ran out to meet Toby at the bike racks. He was texting somebody and looked up as I got closer to him. He grinned, tucked his phone in his back pocket, and waited for me to catch up with him. "You ready for band practice?"

"About that," I said, looking over my shoulders to make sure somebody wasn't listening in on our conversation. Mary Wang, the biggest gossip in the whole school, was hanging out with her best friend, Darci, by their lockers. If she wasn't paying attention to us, then we were basically in the clear.

"I was wondering if we could check on Archie after school today," I whispered. "Maybe ask him about the thing he saw." I spoke in a hushed tone, taking extra precautions to make sure nobody heard. If somebody overheard us, they would panic and then tell others and the whole town would then be in disarray. Maybe I was being a bit too cautious, but with huge gossipers like Mary around, anything she heard everybody heard, eventually.

"Well, I have great news for you, then," Toby smirked, pulling up his recent texts. "Douxie just asked me to meet him at GDT Arcane Books because Archie is finally talking again. He said Steve, Jim and Claire are already there and he's waiting for us."

"Thank Seklos he's okay," I said, a big weight lifted off my shoulders. The little feline was like a part of our group. He never left Douxie's side, and to see one without the other was like seeing a male deer without one of his antlers: It made no sense.

We hurried to the part of downtown where Douxie worked at the bookstore, GDT Arcane Books. It was a quaint little shop, with a navy blue paint job and gold trim. Inside, there were rows upon rows of books of various sizes and colors. When I opened the door, a little bell chimed from somewhere above me.

The place looked deserted, with dust particles visibly floating around in the sunlight streaming through the windows. The bookshelves stretched into the farthest reaches of the store, a labyrinth of knowledge someone could get lost in. To the left, I could see a small desk and cash register where people could buy their books or other little knick-knacks spontaneously scattered around the place.

Behind the register was a navy blue curtain that gave the employee's break room some privacy. At least, that's what everybody thought the room in the back was. The guys and I knew better. What it really was was like a cross between a teenager's garage band, and a medieval lord's mansion. It depended on what mood Douxie was in, and what Archie had been reading lately.

I stepped behind the desk, following Toby behind the curtain. Once we crossed the threshold into the break room, Toby headed straight for one of the bookshelves and started combing around for the book that would take us to the secret room.

The room was dark and kind of spooky, like a corridor in a medieval castle. The walls were lots of stone bricks cobbled together, and there was no natural light. Unlit, wax candles were scattered around the room and there were huge cobwebs everywhere, like a cheesy, second-rate Halloween store.

There were bookshelves made from a mysterious, dark wood, lining the walls and there were musty, old books littered everywhere. In the back, there was a long table, about waist-height, and littered with arcane artifacts. Like a tiny human skeleton with little wings, or a pair of satyr horns hanging on the wall.

"Ugh. So many books. Did Archie have to leave all his books in the same room as the transporter," Toby grumbled as he pushed copies of Andersen Fairy Tales and Harry Potter from the shelf onto the floor. "Well, we are in a bookstore," I mumbled, combing through thick novels until I found what I was looking for.

"Found it," I called, grabbing a navy blue book with the constellation Sagittarius on it. "Great," Toby grunted, clinging to the bookshelf edge. Trying to climb down from the shelf he was gripping onto, Toby started to make his way down. His foot slipped on the fourth shelf and he lost his grip, crashing onto the concrete floor.

"Where was it," Toby said, dusting off his rear end. "The desk," I answered nonchalantly, opening the book. Instead of a constellation guide, there was a hollowed-out space in the pages. Inside the hollow space laid a tiny, brass key. Toby snatched it up, and walked over to where the satyr horns hung.

"Could you gimme a boost," he asked, gesturing to the horns. I sighed, and got down on my hands and knees. I grunted as he stepped onto my back, and started reaching for the horns.

"Care to speed this up before my back gives out," I wheezed, my arms starting to shake from propping him up. "Just a little further," he strained, shifting to the tips of his toes to try and reach it.

"I can't hold you for much longer," I groaned, my whole body starting to ache from his weight. "I'm going to jump for it," he said, and I could feel him shifting his weight around. "On the count of three. One, two, three!"

Pushing off, he leapt into the air. I rolled away from him, so he wouldn't land on me if he messed up. A thud, tiny crunch and groaning noise a moment later told me he had missed. "Let me try this time," I said, extending my hand for the key. Toby complied, handing it over.

He got up and started patting his back pockets, and cursed as his hand came down on something solid. "That was my eleventh phone," he wailed. "What am I gonna tell Nana this time?!"

"I don't know. Not how much money you owe her, for a start," I said, straining for the horns. With a grunt of satisfaction, I grasped one with one hand. Pulling myself up, I slid the key into the lock located in between the horns. Turning it, I dropped from the horns and braced myself for what would happen next.

The horns started to glow a pastel blue, and particles of magic started to drift towards us. "I always hated this part," Toby said, gripping a bookshelf for support. I nodded my agreement and went to hang onto the same shelf he was.

The horns started glowing brighter and brighter, and my vision started to blur. My stomach started to turn as well, and Toby groaned. "What Archie has to say had better be worth tasting the school's Meatloaf Surprise a second time," he said, his face paler than a glass of milk. I wanted to answer, but I was afraid if I did I would taste the same fate. Literally.

The room glowed brighter than a star going supernova, and I felt my atoms starting to shift. I shut my eyes as the room got even brighter. I started to feel squeezed, like my body was folding in on itself. The room started to shake, or maybe it was just my legs quaking.

Just as I thought I was about to hurl, with a loud thud we arrived.

The room was like an exact copy of the one we just left, except renovated, and more luxurious than before. The cobwebs were nonexistent, and the candles were lit with a turquoise flame. Instead of musty, faded texts, the bookshelves were fully stocked and brimming with books in all the darkened colors of the rainbow.

There were four large, plush armchairs and a small couch seated around a roaring fireplace where the curtain would have been. Above the mantle hung a painting of the wizard Merlin, in battle against a woman in golden armor and a green hand.

Everyone jumped when we entered, as I landed with a crunch on the desk in the back, and Toby knocked over Douxie's backpack, which was sitting by the fire.

"I always thought American History was a waste of time," Douxie said, watching his homework crumble to cinders. Toby didn't respond, as he was too busy upchucking today's lunch into a waste bin. I stumbled to the fireplace, and collapsed on the sofa.

"You took it really badly this time, mate," Douxie said.
"Yeah, I don't think my cells like being disassembled and rearranged," I said, groaning into a couch pillow. 

"Well, I, for one, feel we need to rethink our methods of transporting humans to our housing," Archie said, sitting on the mantle and grooming his forepaw. "It's positively criminal, making our guests sick, and we both know that no amount of magic will get those stains out of the carpet."

"Hey, I told you I had tacos for lunch that day," Steve shot back.
"I see you're talking again," I said to Archie. "How's the leg?"

"Better, thank you," he replied, adjusting his huge spectacles. "I'll admit, my leg has seen better days, but it's in a much better state than it was two weeks ago. I honestly don't know what I'd do with myself if healing spells didn't exist."

"Well, I didn't go through tasting Judy's cooking a second time today just to hang out," Toby said, popping himself next to me on the couch. "What's the oh-so-important news we needed to hear?"

"Right," Douxie said, sinking into an armchair. "Archie, it's high time we tell them what really happened that night." Archie nodded, and hopped down from the mantle. He made his way to Douxie's armchair, and hopped up onto his lap and clambered onto the armrest from there.

"Gentlemen, Wizards, Witches, Trollhunters and Steven," Archie said, giving an acknowledging nod to each of us. "I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news. The worst thing that Douxie and I had ever thought possible has happened," He lowered his voice. "We both believe that there are Ventils loose in Arcadia."

"Yeah, Douxie told us about the ventilators weeks ago," Toby said.

"Not medical equipment, you dolt, Ventils! The most vicious, powerful beasts that have ever been known to walk the face of the earth! Wizards have known about their existence for years, but no living being, save their own kind, has ever seen one and lived to tell about it," he explained like this was something we knew about. One good look and he could tell he had lost us.

"Ugh," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let me break this down for you. Ventils are the lesser-known cousins of wizards. They're part human, part animal, and incredibly dangerous. Wizards just have the ability to manipulate magic in the environment around them. Ventils, on the other hand, are beings of pure magic. It's woven through every fiber of their being. Each of their bones is fortified with mystical powers. Magic flows like blood through their veins, and every breath they draw is another thousand ways they could kill you."

"Hold on," Steve said, putting a hand up. "You said they were part animal, but they're made of magic. How is that possible?"

"Do you have rocks for brains," Archie snapped. "I just clarified that magic ran through their veins like blood."

"But...isn't that the same thing as a Wizard," Jim asked. Toby, Claire and I nodded in agreement. Archie opened his mouth to answer, but Douxie put a hand up to silence him. "Let me explain this time," he told him. "It's true that Ventils and Wizards both have magic in their blood. But, the big difference is that Wizards can survive without it. Without magic, we become ordinary humans. Ventils, however, cannot. If they run out of magic, they die. As long as their inner source isn't stolen or exhausted, they can keep going."

"But, if they're so feared and powerful, why have we only heard about them now," Claire asked, even more confused than before.

"Ahhh, that's where their weakness is," Archie smiled. It may not be possible for a cat to smile, but his facial expression was pretty close. "See, Ventils can only recharge their magic if they are near a strong magical source. It's like recharging an iPhone. The only source with enough magic to fuel them constantly is their den, where the Alpha Ventil puts out the magic. The Alpha is like the charger. He, or she, commands the pack and moves the den to wherever they think is fitting."

"That still doesn't make sense," I said. "If all the Alpha ventile, or whatever they're called, needs to do is move, can't they just come with them and then take over?"

"Truthfully, we don't know for sure," Douxie admitted. "We know that they routinely fight for the spot of Alpha, and new Alphas are common, but somehow the power stays alive and running. We think that when a Ventil is killed by another Ventil, or another being of magic, the magic is inherited by that creature. However, if the being to kill the Alpha isn't of arcane origins, the magic dies and the Ventils need to find a new power source. That, or the beasts aren't smart enough to figure that out. Yet."

"So...you think the thing that attacked you in the woods," Jim started, "Was one of those Ventil things?" Archie nodded solemnly. "So, we're screwed. These things are going to pick us off, one by one, and we can't do anything about it," Steve summarized.

"Not quite," Douxie said, a smile creeping onto his face. "See, Archie here is a genius. He remembered where he found that cave where he saw the Ventil, which we think was their den. If we get enough people with enough firearms in there-"

"We can destroy it, and the threat is over," Toby finished, starting to light up. "Yess! Warhammer is back! In! Business!"

"Hold on just a sekton," I said. "If we're going to launch an assault, we're going to need some serious firepower and backup. Otherwise, we're just a bunch of teenagers against an army of elite, magical superhumans."

"Lucky for us, we know exactly who to call," Toby said, hoisting his broken iPhone in the air like he was toasting something.

**********

"I still can't believe you called Sergeant Costas," I grumbled as the military vans pulled in front of the Mothership. "Dude, they're armed military pros who deal with aliens-" I glared at Jim. "Sorry, E.T.'s, and they have more experience in this field than we do. It was a no-brainer!"

"I still don't like this," I growled. "The last time we made a deal with Area 49-B, they tried to dissect my sister and I, and put our remains in a lab!"
"That was the crazy Garbanzo lady in a spacesuit," Steve shot back. "Her sidekick is pretty chill. He's the guy we called."

Not answering him, I crossed my arms and turned to where the soldiers in canary yellow hazmat suits were exiting the vehicles with their neurometers. The two-handed guns were glowing a nuclear-sludge green, and they looked kind of extreme for this sort of situation.

A tall man with lots of medals walked up to us and saluted. "Greetings, uh...children," Costas said uncertainly. "Thank you for calling us about this. Now, please describe in brief detail how dangerous this threat is."

"Do you remember that asteroid that almost wiped out both the seaboards," I asked him. "How could I ever forget," he said.

"Well, Sergeant, this is worse," Archie said solemnly. "Much, much worse."

"Aieee," Costas shrieked. "The cat can talk?!"
"Mate, that is probably the least startling thing you're going to see today," Douxie said gravely. Awkward silence ensued. "Well, are we going to stand here or are we gonna kick some creeper butt," Steve asked, grabbing his bat. "Let's go slay some creeps!"

**********

We hiked through the underbrush, taking care to be stealthy in case a Ventil was stalking us. With lives on the line, especially ours, we needed to be extremely careful. The tension was so thick, you could have sliced it with a knife.

Toby came first, flaming warhammer at the ready, with Douxie behind him wielding his staff, currently in guitar form. Then came Jim, wielding Excalibur, Claire, armed with magic, me with my serrator, and Steve bringing up the rear. Behind us were Sergeant Costas, and sixteen soldiers, all armed with glowing neurometers. Archie led the way.

Once we made it to a certain point, Archie tensed, straightening his tail and we stopped. "This is where I saw the meadow," he whispered. He crept closer, and closer to the edge of the brush. We followed him, tension growing with every second that ticked by. Then, by the time he reached the edge of the thicket, the tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

Bending down to spring, he leapt through the bush, and we all charged after him, screaming war cries. We emerged through the bush, expecting to see some sort of magical cave, or something to do with a magical society of half-animal creatures.

But the meadow was deserted. Not a single sign of life, save the foliage.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Toby said nonchalantly.
"Oh no," Archie said, getting up on two legs and pacing. "We can't get in. Not without a Ventil to open the gate, or shred the mirage, or do something so it can allow others to pass through. To get into a Ventil den, we'll need a Ventil key."

"Get to the point, pussycat," Steve said.

"It means we'll need to set a trap to lure in a Ventil, take it into custody, force it into submission, and make them open the den so we can get rid of them for good," Archie explained.

"Okay, okay, good plan," I said. "But, uh, quick question: How in the name of Seklos and Gaylen are we going to do that?!"

Toby gasped, and started hopping up and down with his hand in the air. "The Battle Of The Bands," he said excitedly. "It's happening tomorrow night at 7 pm! We can move the location to somewhere the Ventils might notice. Maybe they'll send somebody to investigate and we can take them then!"

"It's not a half bad idea," Costas mused, rubbing his chin.

"You know I hate to say it, but I think Dumb-zalki is right," Steve admitted. "The Battle Of The Bands is huge, noisy, and above all, distracting. It would be the perfect time to set a trap, and we won't have an opportunity like this ever again."

"So, Sergeant Costas, what do you think of it," Douxie asked. All eyes turned to the sergeant to hear his response.

"If there's American citizen's lives on the line, Area 49-B military will do whatever it takes to keep them safe," he said.

"Perfect," I said. "Let's head back to the Mothership. I'll call Stuart and see if he has anything that could be useful. We've got a long night of planning to do."

Hey Snowflakes! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, and I'm sorry if my long breaks between publishing chapters are confusing. I'll hopefully be better about publishing on a schedule now that I'm back on track. 

Also, as feedback from @SapphireSkyes, I just want to clarify the timeframe in the prologue, and Chapters 1 & 2. The prologue is the beginning, Chapter 1 is like a backstory, and 2 happens right after the prologue. Then time goes on normally after that. I'm sorry to those of you who have been confused about this, and I hope this doesn't take away from the experience. 

Until next time, peace out!