"He's not a werewolf. He can't be. You're not some howling lunatic, after all."

Idessa was too busy doing her best werewolf impression on three hamburgers to answer. Magic had a way of whetting the appetite, and for the time being Idessa lost herself in the glory of cheap calories and protein. Malina only held out a little longer--despite her deep distaste for processed foods, she needed energy as desperately as Idessa did, and stealing Idessa's fries would only tide her over for so long.

"General term," Idessa said around a mouthful of cheap meat and bun. "Werewolf can mean a lot of things, depending on who's using it. Keegan and I are one kind of werewolf. Doesn't mean we're the only kind."

Malina chewed slowly, mulling that answer over. Rain pounded against the roof of the little awning that sheltered them, nowhere near spent despite the four hours of constant pouring. Idessa finished her second burger and went on to her third with only a modestly abated appetite.

"All right. So you're not some writhing madman. What exactly are you then? And what's Mister Rabies-Except-Not? He didn't look especially hairy."

For the time being Idessa's hunger was sated. She crumpled up the wrapper and stuffed it into the brown paper bag. She noticed with distaste that at some point ketchup had dripped down her chin and onto her sweater. As Malina watched her carefully, she raised an eyebrow. "You've seen me Change, Lina. Keegan too. What does it look like?"

"A spell," Malina answered immediately. "No focus, brief incantation in your father's language. You stand under the light of the moon and become a large wolf with supernatural regeneration."

Idessa tilted her head in assent. "Pretty close. Dad, Keegan, and I all change at will--we cast a spell using moonlight as a focus. The wolf body has wolf instincts, but we keep our personality and memories intact. Most of the time with First Nations transformation that's how it goes: form varies, but the mind stays the same. It's also the basis for a lot of the healing spells I cast. No enhanced drugs, no potions or European-type crafting like Mom uses. Just spirit and body, acting in unison."

"But there's another way," Malina pressed. "Another type of werewolf."

"Varulv. Loup-garou." Idessa grimaced. "Call it whatever you want, it means the same thing. European-style werewolf isn't something you do to yourself willingly unless you're a twisted son of a bitch. It's a curse tied to the lunar cycle. Every full moon the poor bastard is painfully transformed into half-wolf, half-man, all monster. They're strong and fast and hungry for blood in a way no real animal would be, and God help you if you survive a bite from one. It'll just spread the curse further. Basically only one way to get rid of a Euro werewolf, and that's to get it before the transformation--or put a silver bullet in its heart."

Malina considered this, then frowned. "Hold on. But you said a silver bullet would put you or Keegan down for good, too. How's that different?"

Idessa grabbed a handful of fries. "Come on, use your head! What's silver do to an ongoing enchantment? This is stuff you learned in grade school."

"It disrupts an active enchantment..." Malina's eyes widened. "But after you transform, you're not sustaining an active spell anymore! It might shut down your regeneration, but the wolf body itself isn't magical after you Change. With a loup-garou, the body itself is actively cursed into an unnatural form, but if you break the enchantment it turns human again."

Idessa waved a fry like a conductor. "Bingo. Keegan and I will die from a silver bullet for the same reason a silver bullet will kill us in human form--'cause it's a fucking bullet and people die when they get shot. With a loup-garou, if you get it in the heart the silver breaks the spell entirely. Not much comfort for the one who was cursed or bitten, but then it's rare somebody pisses off a spellcaster powerful enough to do it."

They ate in silence for a minute.

"Is he strong enough? Keegan, I mean."

Idessa grimaced. "Before he skipped town three years ago, not a chance in hell. His mentor definitely has the power and knowledge for it, but Tig moved to some tiny island in the Caribbean years ago. The Foremost might be able to swing something like this with raw power, though it's way outside her area of expertise. My mom could maybe manage it too, though the effort would wipe her out for a while."

"I asked about Keegan. Could he do it now?" Malina's voice was sharp, and Idessa looked at the grey sidewalk. The rain was intensifying, spattering onto Idessa's worn sneakers. Malina's pale leather boots remained suspiciously untouched.

"I think we've seen proof he can do it now." Idessa tucked a loose strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. "I don't know. Maybe he found a work-around-- Mr. LaRusso wasn't acting like a normal loup-garou. The curse is only supposed to turn on during the full moon, but that's not for another four days. It's almost like he's halfway between a First Nations-style and a Euro-style werewolf. He's got the feral mind and non-consensual transformation of the Euro-style werewolf, but the base magic felt more like my own Change. It's why the curse sucked the energy right out of me back in the room. The power was so similar to my own regular Change that for a moment it was able to borrow energy to repel your countercurse."

Malina very conspicuously did not swear. Idessa felt the chill of her gaze nonetheless. "Dessa, this is far beyond my power to fix. Keegan is the only one who can reverse this, and maybe not even him."

"I know. Thank you for trying." She tried to keep the dejection from her voice. "I'll...figure out what to do. Somehow."

"Don't look so glum." Idessa looked up. Malina was watching the street, fastidiously cleaning her fingers and resecuring her bun. "I'm still going to help you, but we need backup. We're good, but need some muscle and connections if we're going to find Keegan. If he's capable of this kind of magic, we might need help subduing him as well. You know what that means."

Idessa didn't. She frowned. "You been making friends with bodybuilders or something?"

"I was thinking a step up from that."

Immediately Idessa understood. Her eyes went wide. "Lina, you're kidding! She's as likely to kill Keegan as the Foremost!"

"No. She isn't." Malina's tone brooked no dissent. "Vi will be pissed, and she'll deserve to be. But she'll listen to us, and frankly we need her help. The police are too valuable a resource to ignore for a manhunt."

"Are you willing to risk Keegan's life on the chance she's in a good mood?"

"Yes." Malina looked Idessa in the eyes. "He's not my brother, and he's killing people. Your Bernard LaRusso is going to die if we can't find him, and he's far from the only one. How many civilians have to die before putting Keegan at risk is acceptable to you?"

Idessa had no answer.

"I thought so. Now let's get moving. It's a good ways to Dorchester."

~*~

Boston Police District C-11 Dorchester was not a particularly charming locale at the best of times. The squat brick building had been constructed for function over form, a fact that was all too clear when the building and workers alike were thoroughly drenched. The station hadn't been particularly busy as of late: the street had a scarce handful of filled parking spaces, and the parking lot beside the precinct was barely occupied as well.

Idessa had paid for the ride across town, and Malina hadn't said a word to her the entire time. She had been left to simmer in deep discomfort while the other woman made polite small talk with the garrulous driver. Now, the pair of them stood before the building in the rain as Idessa attempted to work up the resolve to walk through the glass door.

"Vi won't be any happier with you if you stand in the rain for an hour as opposed to going right in." Malina stood under the overhang by the door, watching Idessa impassively. Water flowed off her umbrella too quickly to be natural. "Best to rip the bandaid off."

"Easy for you to say," Idessa bit back. "You're not the one she might strangle."

Malina tilted her head, an unspoken concession of the fact. "Doesn't make me wrong."

"Nothing ever makes you wrong." The response had a bit of bitterness to it, and Malina's eyes narrowed. Before she could answer, however, her gaze flickered up to fixate on something behind Idessa. The anger abruptly vanished.

"Oh dear. This isn't how I wanted this to go at all." Idessa flinched at the all-too-familiar voice. It was exactly as she remembered it: a warm, expressive tenor, accent difficult to place. Steeling herself, she slowly turned around.

Sanjit Sharma stood on the step leading up to the precinct, looking nearly as uncomfortable as Idessa felt. As always, he looked a great deal like his mother--that is, entirely unlike the father who named him Sanjit Sharma. He hadn't bothered to carry an umbrella or wear a hood, so his bright orange hair was darkened from the rain. Bright blue eyes were looking seemingly everywhere except Idessa, and hunched shoulders made a frame that easily exceeded six feet seem much smaller. His attire was unusually subdued, just a sage-green shirt, khakis, and a brown coat.

"You weren't supposed to be here," Sanjit said miserably. "She was so angry, and I didn't want you to get involved before she had a chance to cool off a little."

Idessa's blood ran cold. "Your sister? She's angry?

"Of course she's angry," Sanjit answered. "Wouldn't you be? Dessa, I didn't want to tell her, I swear. But when Marie got sick, I saw Keegan all over her aura. I had to tell somebody, and it was either gonna be Vi or my aunt."

Idessa swore viciously. Like his sister Viola, Sanjit was a demigod--his parents were children of a wind god and a light god, and the lineage came with powerful magical gifts. For Sanjit, it was the gift of true sight. He could see through an illusion or shapechange in a second, and read an aura or a spell without so much as an ounce of wizardly training. Though he hardly frequented hospitals, his best friend being afflicted by the curse would be a dead giveaway.

"You know then." Malina stepped closer, expression softening. "I'm sorry to hear about Marie. How long has it been?"

Is there time to save her was the real question, and Sanjit grimaced. "Not long. Last night she was admitted to the hospital. She didn't recognize me when I came in this morning. She was just...feral. Like a wild dog leashed to a hospital bed."

"It's the same for the other patients," Idessa admitted. "Lycanthropy, or some kind of mutant form of it. That's why we're here. Vi might know how to find him, and then we can make him break the spell."

Sanjit's face fell. "Does that mean you can't cure Marie?"

He looked so dejected that Idessa couldn't meet his eyes, and Malina's lips pressed into a thin line. "We tried this morning. No such luck. Whatever Keegan did to them was...tenacious. I think he's the only one that can undo it."

"I just don't understand why," Idessa said. "I've been racking my brains for any possible reason he would do this, and it just makes no sense."

A step, and Sanjit was out of the rain and under the overhang beside them. "He's an ass, Dessa. We all knew it since we were kids, even if we loved him anyways. You've been covering for him for years. He hurts or hexes someone because he's angry, or because he's feeling spiteful, or because they insulted him. He doesn't need a better reason than that."

"Maybe, but he's not stupid." Idessa glared up at Sanjit. "He knows better than to cause this much havoc, if for no other reason than self-preservation. To create a curse this powerful and far reaching will do nothing but bring the Foremost down to slaughter him--and that assumes Tavvy or your aunt don't get to him first. And that doesn't even get into what he would have to sacrifice to fuel the spell in the first place."

"I wouldn't worry about my aunt."

The three of them immediately stiffened at the raw fury in the voice behind Idessa, then Idessa and Malina turned--too late. Two blue-sleeved hands flashed out: one caught caught Malina's left hand, then other Idessa's arm. Malina tried to tug her hand free to no avail, and with a flash of fear Idessa realized that in a single move her sign language-based spellcasting had been taken away.

Viola Sharma was her father's daughter, which was to say she looked nothing like her brother. Her long, black hair was tied back in its perpetual tight braid, revealing an elegantly sloping forehead and nose. Beetling black eyebrows were drawn together over dark eyes which were blazing with rage. The sections of her arms not covered by an immaculate officer's uniform were lined with muscle. That fact had always mystified Idessa--when Viola's base strength made lifting a midsize car only moderately difficult, finding a real workout must have been no easy feat.

That same strength was exactly the thing that made her valuable. It was also the strength that threatened to crush Idessa's bones. She winced and like Malina tried to pull away, with little success. "Vi, you're hurting me!"

"What's the matter? Afraid I'll break your arm?" Viola's grip tightened, and her teeth pulled back in an instinctive snarl. "Afraid you'll need to go the hospital? I hear there's quite a wait nowadays, with all the people your brother is driving insane with magic."

"Viola Sharma!" Malina's voice was sharp as a scalpel. "Release me this instant!"

"I'll release you when I'm sure you won't try anything funny with magic. I like you, Lina, but I wasn't born yesterday." Viola's eyes bored into Idessa. "All these years of helping Keegan get away with his bullshit. How's it feel to finally have a mess you can't clean up for him?"

Idessa bristled. "I didn't help him get away with a damn thing. Just because I prioritized fixing the problem and keeping the peace--"

"Fixing the problem!" Viola laughed at that, a harsh thing without a whit of humor. "You enabled him! Oh Mommy, Daddy, Keegan hexed the bus driver but don't worry, nobody was really hurt and I already took care of it. And that's only for the things you bothered to confess at all. Face it, it was only a matter of time before he pulled something you couldn't fix in time. You shielded him from the consequences of his own actions for years. Surprise! Now he thinks he can get away with murder."

He wouldn't do that, Idessa wanted to say. He's never crossed the line like that. He's a bastard, but not a killer.

The memory of Bernard LaRusso writhing like a caged animal silenced her retort.

"We want this to end too," she said instead, voice shaking. "Lina and I can't lift the curse, but Keegan can. If we find him, we can make him fix this. Fix everything."

Viola kept staring, eyes blazing. Her grip didn't loosen.

"She's telling the truth, Vi," Sanjit said softly. "I can see it in her aura."

"I believe her," Viola answered. "It's just not good enough. Fixing the problem won't be justice for the people suffering and dying from his curse right now. Is she going to stand in the way of that?"

Sanjit watched her carefully, Malina impatiently, Viola furiously. Idessa was a good liar, but nobody could fool Sanjit's all-seeing eye. He would know the truth, and he wouldn't hide it from Viola.

"I won't let you kill him before he lifts the curse." She swallowed. "But I won't stop you--I won't stop you from doing what you have to. He's gone too far this time. I can see that."

Viola's eyes flickered over to Sanjit, who after a moment's thought gave a nearly imperceptible nod. The iron grip on her arm released, and Idessa rubbed her sore wrist. Malina was released at the same time; she withdrew her hand almost immediately, watching Viola warily.

"Where is he?" Viola asked without preamble.

Idessa glared at her. "If I knew I wouldn't be here. You're the cop. Aren't manhunts your specialty?"

"You're the witch," Viola shot back. "Are you telling me you have no way to track your twin brother magically?"

"Not for years," Idessa answered with perfect honesty. "He found a way to veil himself from scrying as soon as he skipped town. I haven't heard anything from him since. I was hoping the police might have some way to track him down."

Viola snorted. "He's not in the system. It's not exactly possible to charge someone with malicious witchcraft nowadays. Without that, my resources are limited."

They stood in silence for a minute, no sounds but the muted bustle of the precinct, the drum of the rain, and the occasional passing car.

To Idessa's surprise, it was Sanjit who eventually broke the silence.

"I...may have an idea."