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  “Good. Let's just hope it goes the way we want.” she smiled, then glanced at the others. Liam had dropped down again, and was tending to Troy's wounds, which were slowly disappearing. Noah used his sleeve to gently wash away the blood, with just a little magick. As soon as it was done, Noah pulled Troy into a hug.

  “Do you want me to take you down to your cubicle?” Noah asked Troy softly, holding him closely. Troy shook his head.

  “No, you have work to do, I can just nap here.” he insisted, and Noah attempted to protest, silenced by Troy kissing him long and soft. Lila looked away from the intimate moment. “I just want to stay close to you, okay? Show them that we're stronger than anything they can throw at us.”

  “You're such a sap, Troy. I love you.” Noah answered, and Lila could hear the smile in his voice.

  “I love you, too.” Troy answered softly.

  True to his word, Troy remained in the chair, only moving when someone offered him a pillow or a blanket, muttering about them fussing over him like a child. While this was happening, Noah worked quickly on Lila's bracelet, and the room was mostly silent. Finn appeared to have taken up personal guard over Troy and Noah, defensive of them as fellow LGBTQ+ individuals. It was rather sweet, and Lila was quickly growing to like the boy. It didn't matter that he was a witch hunter; he was open minded and respectful of them, considering them as equals – nothing more, nothing less. Given the environment they'd been living in, it made a huge difference.

  Eventually, as the sun was going down, Noah slipped the bracelet on to her wrist and fastened it, the metal sealing over itself again. He explained to her that this was an illusion they could break through, and she focused, seeing a clasp inside the outer shell. With practice, she popped it open, then refastened it. Smiling and thanking him, she allowed him to wake Troy, who had fallen asleep, then help his boyfriend up to the entrance to the hospital, then down the stairs, no doubt ready to curl up together and sleep.

  Lila moved over to Liam, and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

  “What's this for?” Liam asked, holding her tightly. Finn became very interested with several metal pieces on the workbench, and Lila respected his attempts not to eavesdrop.

  “Just really grateful to have you.” she admitted. Troy and Noah's confessions had made her realise how thankful she was to have Liam, who always seemed to be around when someone needed him. He was a knight in shining armour.

  “Glad to have you, too.” he answered, then tipped her head up by the chin, kissing her softly. Lila responded, then pulled back, glancing back at Finn.

  “Why don't you introduce us to your friends?” she asked, kindly.

  “With pleasure.” he responded, then jerked his head to the side to indicate that they should follow before walking out of the room.

  “Let's go start the first threads of a truce.” Liam piped up, before she had a chance to say a thing.

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Lila answered, smiling at him.

  “Well, I have it on good authority that the woman who thought of it is a genius.” he answered, and Lila blushed, deliberately not answering. “And shy.” he added. “Let's go.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  As it turned out, Finn's friends were in the cafeteria, where they ran into Grace, Adam, Sadie and Rose. Lila wondered about Elsie's absence, but the girl had been known to go AWOL for days at a time, so she wasn't particularly concerned. At Finn's prompting, they all gathered around a table where two other boys and a girl were sitting. Quick introductions were made, and Lila took a moment to commit names and appearances to memory.

  Evan was short and slightly plump, with glasses which kept sliding down his nose. He was instantly friendly towards them, and stood to shake everyone's hand at least twice. His hair was a mousy blonde, cropped short. Lila liked him instantly, as he appeared completely harmless (though he was quick to inform them of his prowess in throwing knives).

  Jesse was the epitome of a hunter in Lila's mind – tall and muscular, he looked dangerous. She was relieved to find, however, that he had a humorous nature, making jokes which were perhaps a little inappropriate, but lightened the mood. It was easy to see why he was with the group; they each seemed to respect Jesse and rely on his comic relief.

  Finally, there was Libby, who was something of an enigma. While she wasn't exactly cold, she gave nothing away about her feelings towards the witches. Lila tried her best to get a read on her emotions, but Libby was completely blank.

  Their own introductions were brief, since everyone knew who they were by now – apparently there had been memos and meetings regarding the witches. This was unsurprising news, but Lila silently wondered exactly what had been said. She was sure that this information was classified, however – the head witch hunters wouldn't want to give away the intelligence they had on the witches. For this reason, Lila didn't ask.

  They all sat at the same table, drawing attention to themselves hugely. Adam seemed to revel in this, and Lila wondered briefly what he'd been getting up to whilst she'd been carrying out her physiotherapy. At first, their conversation was innocent, but Libby soon brought it around to the events they'd be facing soon.

  “I assume you want our support?” she asked, and Lila felt herself shift uncomfortably. Libby couldn't be more than three years older than her, but she gave off the impression of being far older and wiser than anyone at the table, including Liam.

  “Well, yes. We're going to need all of the help we can get.” Lila answered.

  “We'll help you. We won't be your cannon fodder, though.” Libby was firm in her statement. It didn't seem to mean that she disliked them; on the contrary, she had been quick to offer her help, and it wasn't such an unreasonable request that they not be used to rush an attack or something which was virtually guaranteed to get them killed.

  “We just need you to keep them busy. It doesn't have to be in person, but if you can set off things to distract them, it'll allow us to get in closer and have a chance of winning.” Lila responded, and the other girl gave a begrudging nod.

  “That seems acceptable. We're trained in munitions, so I think setting off a few charges might work, especially if they seem magickal.” Libby mused.

  Whatever her opinions, she was quick to make suggestions. Beneath her closed exterior was an obviously intelligent mind, which Lila had the feeling that they had barely scratched the surface with. It was understandable if she wasn't comfortable sharing much with them; being witches aside, they were also strangers, and her opinion wouldn't be truly neutral unless she treated them exactly the same as she would any new person in her life. This seemed to be exactly what she was doing.

  They spoke extensively about their plans, with Lila making a point to share everything. They had no secrets, since their presence would be a sticking point with any hunters. The only thing they had kept for themselves was something which could be used against them, and the young witch hunters agreed that this was fair. The longer they spoke, the more Lila got to know them, and decided that she liked them, even Libby, who only lightened up a little in the whole time that they fetched food and then ate.

  Before long, they each realised that it was getting late, and somehow knew that tomorrow would be the day they made their move. With Lila speaking so earnestly about their plans, and revealing that the prison was ready, there was only one thing left to do, and it was to confront the coven of evil witches.

  Knowing this, they made their excuses, then headed off to bed. The word seemed to have gotten out, as when they reached their cubicles, they found small blue pills on their bed, with a note simply saying Sleep. Figuring that this would be a terrible time to kill them, Lila swallowed the pill, and quickly felt exhaustion overtake her. She had just enough time to pull off her clothes, then pull on the ridiculously Victorian looking nightdress before collapsing on the bed, never even making it under the covers.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Lila awoke early the next morning with the fog o
f the blue pill hanging over her, strewn haphazardly over her bed. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, to find a pink liquid in a cup. To say she was getting the hang of the way the hunters worked by now was an understatement, and she grabbed the cup and gulped down the liquid in one. It had a faintly bitter taste, which reminded her of coffee, but it was overlaid with fruity flavours and as soon as it hit her, the fogginess which had initially plagued her was gone, replaced with a sense of being ready and able to face what was ahead. The drink was like supercharged energy drinks, and she found herself dressing without being conscious of making the decision to do so. She laced the boots they had provided her with, adjusted the jeans she had pulled on, and slipped into a waistcoat they had provided for over her shirt.

  As soon as it was on, she sensed the magick contained within, and realised it was the equivalent of a magickal bulletproof vest. It would slow any magick aimed at the heart or other organs, which meant they'd be protected from what had happened before. She knew without asking that Noah had been the one to make them, and also knew there was no way the witch hunters would allow them to be the only one to go into battle with a vest. This was the other reason it had taken so long for them to get out there; they'd been creating enough vests to protect everyone.

  Stepping out of the cubicle, Lila felt powerful and supercharged, no doubt thanks to the drink they'd provided, and she wondered whose idea it had been to give her the pill and the drink. She marched out of the hospital and on to the factory balcony to find the witch hunters already in formation, standing beneath her on the cleared factory floor. It was very militant, and from her position, she became aware that she was considered a commander. Her fellow witches joined her abruptly, and she realised that something in the drink had woken them at the same time, and imbued them with the same sense of purpose. They were dressed impeccably, though Sadie hadn't stopped to apply her usual make-up. Apparently, the drive to get here had overshadowed anything else.

  Gloria stepped up to Lila, muttering about her hair and how impractical it was, pulling it up into a high ponytail. It still reached to her shoulders, but was definitely more manageable when it was up. She smiled her thanks, then turned to watch as Maehler stepped forward to address her 'troops'.

  “Today is the day we make our stand.” she began, and her amplification was obviously magickal. A glance beside her revealed an air witch, and solved the mystery. “The Keres coven is like no coven we have ever gone up against, and some of you may die, but know that you will die for the protection of humanity, as you pledged to do before you took your first uniform.”

  This seemed like important information, since Lila had no idea that witch hunters had a choice to be anything but what they were born into it. It was apparently far more democratic than she had realised. It gave her even more hope for a truce, if everything was voted on and volunteered for. They just had to make a positive impression upon their potential friends.

  “I have faith in every man and woman before me. We are the ones who have conquered, survived and remain here to defeat this latest threat. You have been provided with some protection against the coven, but you are not invincible. Be wary of your movements and their attacks!” Maehler continued, and Lila thought it was a rather odd pep talk, but they seemed used to it.

  “Once we have secured the location of the witches, we will leave immediately.” Jeffrey added in his clipped tone, then looked over at Lila and the others, who quickly got the message, and began to pull together a ball of energy to scry with. With Gloria, Rose and Adam's added power, it was incredibly simple.

  In hindsight, it should have been obvious. The witches had taken up residence in the old coven grounds in Waterloo, where the veil remained thin and they would be able to remain inside their rotting shells for longer, feeding on the energy from the Spirit realm.

  “Why is it always there?” Rose groaned, and the others murmured in agreement. It was literally the last place they wanted to go, so of course it had to be there. Lila made a mental note to work on thickening the veil there so that it was less of a draw. If only there were a way to stop villains from being so cliché, but that was beyond her power.

  Turning, she told them exactly where to go, though they doubtless knew where the last battle had taken place. Lila couldn't shake the feeling that karma was determined to make them die in the place their parents had lost their lives. It felt cursed.

  She was placed in charge of the witch regiment and Maehler asked for volunteers to accompany them. Evan, Finn, Libby and Jesse were the first to step out of their formations and join the witch regiment. Their boldness caused others to join, leaving her with a respectable small force. She ordered the witches to nominate two of them for each hunter group, which diminished her own considerably, but this didn't matter; most of their plan would rely on stealth anyway.

  When they were done, she was left with thirteen people she knew – herself, Liam, Rose, Adam, Sadie, Gloria, Grace, Troy, Noah, Jesse, Evan, Finn and Libby – and three people she had never met. They introduced themselves as Aria, Cameron and Michael. They had once been members of the covens, but were recruited after their parents had gone rogue – Aria and Cameron were siblings, with matching red hair, and Michael was an only child whose mother had gone mad and lost her way. They each swore they had never used their magick against another witch unfairly, and Lila gave them the benefit of the doubt, as she had promised to do after forgiving Gloria.

  After briefly consulting with each group, Lila heard Maehler order everyone to move before they lost track of the Keres witches. A secret entrance at the back of the hall was revealed, built into the floor and hidden cleverly by the tiled floor. It was pulled up, revealing a tunnel large enough for five people to walk side-by-side. Lila and her companions left first, making their way to the nondescript cars which had been provided to them, their keys still in the lock. They resembled Liam's truck closely, and she realised this was why he drove the truck he did. He climbed into the drivers seat, Lila claiming the seat beside him, and six piled into the back. Adam took the lead in a second truck, Rose sitting beside him and Sadie taking the seat in the back next to the window so that she could speak to them. Five others joined her, and Lila noted absently that they had the perfect number of people for two trucks.

  Liam led the way, weaving out of the complex in a far more complicated path than Lila anticipated. Several times, she felt her magick ebb, making it apparent that the rooms beneath the ground must have black onyx on the floor or ceiling, strong enough to hinder witches at ground level. They were certainly prepared for an attack – if only it was going to happen here.

  “I should have known it'd be Waterloo.” she said softly, and Liam glanced over at her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I know what going back there is like for you. None of the others have to really feel that.”

  “I'll get through it.” Lila insisted, resting her cheek against the window of the truck as it rumbled along over rough ground and out on to a smoother road. “I have to. I can't let them win, not this time.” she added. “I'll be damned before I do.”

  Her vehemence was something Liam wasn't used to, so he gave her a concerned look and reached over to squeeze her hand. Of course, as a witch hunter, he'd be aware of a Spirit user's vulnerabilities. She just hoped he wasn't about to see a first hand account. It was only grouchiness right now, but later she would definitely need to take the help of her coven. Without it, she could turn dark and become the thing her latest friends hunted for a living.

  As they headed towards Waterloo, Lila could see signs of another kind of battle, the battle for nature – intermittently, the ground was green, then grey, then green again. She pressed on the walkie-talkie attached to the dashboard.

  “Are you guys seeing this?” she asked.

  There was static, and then she heard Adam's distinctive voice.

  “We see it. We'll do what we can.” he answered. Lila hadn't meant to ask them to fix it, but she soon saw green and bright colours, too
bright for the month they were in, spring out of the Earth, repairing the damage behind them like a cape fanning out behind the trucks. Perhaps it would instil hope in the trucks who followed, showing the team how competent and powerful the witches they'd taken on were.

  Lila reached over, turning on the radio and blasting music into the truck cab. Behind her, Evan slid open the window so that the noise spilled out.

  “I love this song.” he grinned, “Plus, it's appropriate. It's called Warriors.”

  Lila hadn't known that, but she couldn't help but agree with his assertion that it was appropriate. After all, they were warriors. They were heading into an essentially impossible battle, and were determined to beat the odds. They would beat the odds. There was only one certainty left in Lila's mind, and she allowed it to grow there uncontrollably.