Olivia's room
Inside this room are several pieces of well-worn furniture, inherited from past occupants: a bed, a long, squat dresser with a slice of mirror hung above it, and a small desk and chair. The rest of the room is decorated in what can best be described as "controlled chaos." Canvases cover most of the wall space, on which have been glued odd assortments of buttons, twine, bits of colored cloth, autumn leaves, pebbles of varying sizes, etc. Some of this "art" represents recognizable figures but most are unlike anything ever seen before. Overflowing bags stuffed with cloth scraps sit near the doorway, while more cloth, bobbins of thread, yarn, and ribbons cover the surface of the desk. Located next the bed is something that might be a nightstand (judging from the trinkets resting on it), but it too is built from a mish-mash of smaller elements, twisting around and around like a corkscrew and then widening and flattening at the top.

It's late morning now, and Olivia has recovered some from her earlier evening 'adventures'. She's not scheduled to do any work until after lunch, thankfully, so she's still just in her little dorm room at the Weaver compound. There's a knock at the door.

"Are you in there, Olivia?" comes Amelia's voice from outside the door.

Olivia finishes plaiting and tying back her hair for the second time (well, at least it feels like she's doing it for the second time, anyway) when the knock on the door comes. "Yes, just a minute," she calls back, putting her cloth rose-hat on her head and unbolting and opening the door for Amelia. "Come on in," she offers, standing aside.

Amelia smiles and ducks her halberd in under the door as she enters. She hasn't gone anywhere without the weapon since learning of Olivia's encounter with the necromancer.

Olivia swiftly closes and bolts the door behind them. "I hope you don't mind waiting just a minute while I gather up the clean bandages I'm going to take with me," the Skeek says, nodding toward a small bag on her bed. "While you wait, you can have some of my leftover breakfast, if you like. It's there on my desk." She waves a hand at a small plate of nuts and cheese; also on the desk is a small piece of paper tucked halfway under the plate and a lit candle. As she looks more closely, Amy can see that the paper has her name on the outside.

"Oh, thanks," the Kadie says, and goes to the desk. She plucks a nut to chew, and picks up the paper as if were just a napkin, then unfolds it to see what the message is.

The note reads, Until we're in a safe place, I can't say certain things out loud. Burn this paper at the candle after you read it. The necromancer contacted me through my dreams last night. I've told him that I know Zahn's "location" now but I haven't been there yet. I also told him you would be at the same location soon, too, so he can take you both together. He's going to visit me in person next time to find out the location. So our time is short now.

Carefully, Amy holds the paper over the candle to burn it, letting the last flaming piece drop to the plate. "So, ready to go see Zahn?" she asks.

Olivia finishes tying her bundle on the bed together and faces Amelia with a smile on her face. Her eyes look somewhat red-rimmed, on closer inspection, but other than that she appears cheerful. "Yes, let's go," she agrees and leads the way back to the door.

---

Amelia leads Olivia to a nondescript side path just north of the Gnarly Tree, at the very edge of the Blacktail territory. The path leads through a patch of wild forest, with lots of underbrush and tall trees, before ending at a pair of wide oak doors set into what could be a stone shed. There is an iron lock built into one of the doors, and Amy wears the key around her neck. She unlocks the door and opens it, revealing a stone entry that slopes downward under the ground. "He's in here," she says.

Olivia nods as she peers into the opening. "You've picked a good place, Amy," she comments – but her voice hints at a secondary meaning. Then she steps tentatively down into the stone entryway.

The tunnel goes fairly deep, and is lit with oil lamps. It finally levels out in a square room with large iron double doors in the wall to the left and straight ahead. Amelia goes to the second set of doors, and takes out two different keys. Each door has two locks built in, and the Kadie goes through a complicated sequence that requires two locks to be worked at the same time, then a different pair, and so on for a few iterations. Finally, she opens one of the doors. Inside is another stone room, divided by a wooden partition with a curtained doorway. Before the partition is a bed, a washbasin and some temporary cabinets. In the bed, covered by lots of blankets, is a Kadie.

"Here we are, Olivia," Amy announces. "Everything is fine."

As she steps inside and takes a good look around the room, Olivia notices the Kadie in the bed. Her eyes widen. "Hey, wait a minute," she breathes, very, very softly, "I thought this was supposed to be a decoy location! So who's in… ?" she points to the bed and lets the question hang.

"Gunther, with one of his crossbows," Amelia whispers, and closes the door behind them. "Isolde set up a protection spell, so you should be able to talk now."

Olivia breathes a sigh of relief and puts her bundle down on the floor. "Thank goodness," she says more loudly, "I was getting tired off all this secrecy and burn-this-message-after-you-read-it kind of thing! But I have to be very careful now. If this necromancer can enter my dreams, he could also have spies just about anyplace that isn't magically protected."

Frowning, Amy says, "It doesn't sound good, his being able to enter dreams. I hope he isn't tormenting Zahn while he's unconscious or anything." She goes to the bed and pokes the Kadie, to see if he's actually awake or still pretending.

"You are so dead when I get out of here," the Kadie in the blankets growls when poked. "Sneaking is one thing, but six hours of otter play-acting and shadow puppets is just too much… "

"Did they sing?" Amy asks Gunther.

Olivia looks confused now. "What's this about shadow puppets?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow at Amelia.

"Oh, it took awhile to get everything set up," Amy explains. "I guess Bebe and Nene hung a sheet and did shadow puppets. They're Gunther's bodyguards."

"I think so. After the first four hours, I just wrapped my head in a blanket to try and block it out," Gunther comments and pulls down the blanket. His fur is all matted up.

"Well, at least you look like you've been in a horrible accident," Amelia points out.

Gunther growls. "I don't know what my brother sees in you," he mutters.

Olivia looks the younger Kadie over. "Yes, you do," she agrees. "Hopefully it'll fool this necromancer for long enough so we can catch him by surprise. And by the way," she asks, addressing Amy again, "who are Bebe and Nene? I don't think I've ever met them before."

"They're annoying sneaks," Gunther declares. "That Nene has broken into the Wingnuts' a few times. I had to chase her out."

Amelia turns to Olivia, and says, "Oggtons. Best sharpshooters they have." She nods towards the partition, which has an unusually large number of knotholes in the boards.

Olivia grins a bit at Gunther's remark, then turns to inspect the partition. "You really have put a lot of good thought into this," she compliments Amy. "Shows why you're the great warrior and I'm not! So after I meet with the necromancer again, I suppose I'll just lead him here? I'm guessing it will only be you and Gunther in the room, at first?"

Nodding, Amelia says, "Visible, anyway. There are Lapis in the trees outside in case there are zombies. Isolde, Morgan, Natasha and Axel will be behind the partition with the otters. Err, the otters also have some of Gunther's weapons, along with their bows."

Gunther pulls the blanket back over his head, still muttering. For a moment, it almost sounds like he makes a comment about 'not mattering that Nene has a cute tail, they're still sneaks'.

"I'll make it up to you, Gunther," Amy promises. "After it's done, maybe I can get them to put together the Piece Maker for you to look at."

Olivia looks a little nervous at the mention of Gunther's overpowered crossbows possibly being used in a confined space, but she carries on bravely. "Once he's in, then what should I do? Get out of the way as quickly as possible? Go lock the door behind us? And I guess I'll need a copy of all those keys you used, both the one to get into the tunnels, and the ones you used to open the door to this room? Or do you have something else in mind for that?"

"I can just leave the doors open," Amelia says. "If he does come and makes it down into this room, we really should close the door to trap him, even though we'd be in here too. Would you rather be on the inside or the outside?"

From under the blankets comes a muffled sing-song of, "Doom, doom, doomity, doom!"

Olivia gives the Kadie girl a grim smile. "Somehow, I don't think this creep is going to let me leave his side until he's fairly sure he's getting what he wants. I can try to run out the door and lock all of you in here but I can't guarantee it. If I succeed, at least you'll have someone else on the outside who can help the folks in the trees, should zombies arrive. Plus, that gives you someone to unlock the doors when it's safe to do so. If not… well, it might be best to have a backup person standing by to close us all in."

Gunther peers out from under the blankets. "Why don't we just shoot him down before he even enters in here? You did say you have archers in the trees," he points out.

"Hmm, I thought about having someone outside, but it would give things away I think," Amy says. "Plus, the door guard would be the first person attacked, I imagine."

Olivia scratches her head in thought. "Well then, all I can do is promise to do my best to lock you all in but it may not work out that way. I may just be able to lock us in, with me included, or not succeed at all."

"Well, that should be good enough," Amelia says. "Just try to stay close to the ground if anyone starts shooting."

Olivia snorts. "You got that right! I've seen what Gunther's crossbows can do. I don't want to end up in shards!"

Gunther peers out yet again and asks, "And er, you're sure this necromancer doesn't suspect anything, right? I mean, this is an awfully secure room, but without guards, won't that look funny?"

"He thinks we're stupid," Amy says. "And since we don't know about him, supposedly, we wouldn't be on guard. Besides, Isolde will be here in the room tending to you – to Zahn, that is. Who would attack someone being treated by a witch? And there will be a guard in here anyway." The Kadie taps her own chest.

"Oh, yeah, right, you're a guard. Sorry. I just think of you as Amelia," Gunther notes and disappears back under the blanket again.

Amy harrumphes. "When Natasha scared you on the dam, you sure didn't have any problem running to me for protection," she mutters. Turning to Olivia, she asks, "Did the necromancer say when he was going to contact you? Do you want someone to keep an eye on you just in case?"

"Yeah, well, you've also got a reputation for being a bruiser," Gunther points out from under the blanket.

Olivia looks a bit uncomfortable but says quietly, "He doesn't suspect anything strongly yet, but I'm afraid he is smart. When I told him that he would be able to take both Zahn and Amy at this location, he pointed out that it seemed rather convenient. Then he threatened me again with hurting Djivan if I betrayed him. So we've got to be ready for anything – which is about impossible, I know." Then she thinks over Amy's question. "He said he would come to the Weavers' to contact me again. As scary as that thought is!"

The Kadie's tail bristles as she hears that. "Right in town? I don't like how this creep can just move around freely, unless… uh, he doesn't look very creepy."

Olivia shudders at the memory of the necromancer's face. "No, he's creepy, all right," she confirms. "Lots of fur burnt off in patches. Not a lot of hair on his head. Red eyes, yellow teeth. A Skreek, just like Natasha said. So he'll either come in disguise, or trance people into letting him pass. I don't know."

"Burnt?" Amy asks, thinking. "Natasha said he fell into a river, so he must have been burnt sometime later. Or recently. We should ask her about any mysterious fires. It could explain the lapses in attacks."

"Well, perhaps burnt is not the best description, but it looked like that's why he'd lost a lot of fur," Olivia says. "It was pretty patchy. And there was a lot of fire in his dreamscape, so maybe my brain just filled that part in."

"Oh, maybe he just has mange then," Amy says. "Or he's already undead. I'm pretty sure your fur doesn't grow when you're undead."

"I could be wrong about this, but he didn't seem like he was already undead," the Skeek says, trembling. "He, ah, mentioned something about building a harem when he rose to power. If you're already dead, I guess you wouldn't have much interest in that… stuff."

Amy eyes Olivia after this remark. "Makes it sound like he has intentions for you too, then."

Olivia grimaces. "He said as much. But I'd rather have myself blown to bits with one of those crossbows than to let him touch me like that."

"You've become rather popular," Gunther notes and peeks out to look at Olivia.

Olivia turns her head and gives the Kadie boy a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I know," she says dryly. "By lots of people that I wouldn't have expected it from," she adds, gazing at him rather intently.

"You probably had your horde slip something in the water," Gunther comments and disappears back under the blankets. A moment later, there's muffled laughing.

Amelia has a sudden, horrible thought which nonetheless makes her grin. "Oh my, he fancies himself a ladies' man. I wonder… would he become infatuated with Morgan?"

Olivia looks at Amelia like she's suddenly lost her mind. "Put Morgan into this creep's path?" she asks in astonishment. "You can't be serious! And anyway, I don't exactly know how his tastes run… "

"It was just a thought, since Morgan will likely be here when he arrives," Amy says. "Or not. Maybe having all the witches in one place isn't a good idea."

Olivia thinks on this last statement. "That's a thought, although it seems this necromancer is pretty powerful. We might need all the witchpower we can get, once he's in here. But if you'd like to move him, should he stay with the folks who will be in the trees? Or do you have another idea?"

"It'll be up to the witches, I suppose," Amy says. "I haven't heard from then yet if Axel will be able to help with Natasha's link or not. How much time do we have? Will the necromancer show up as soon as you get home, or wait until night, or something?"

Olivia shakes her head. "He wasn't specific. But as fast as he's been moving already, I'd say he will try to contact me again shortly after I get home. He did mention that he was looking forward to the conclusion of our 'business,' if that's any indication."

"Well, he can't do anything then until you leave here at least," Amelia says. "He didn't say you had to be quick, did he?"

"Even if he did, she's not quick, anyway!" Gunther asserts from under the blanket.

Olivia goes over to the blanket-wrapped Kadie and pokes him several times in the ribs before replying to Amelia. "No, he didn't. In any case, if he asks, I can always say that I was helping tend to Zahn or somesuch. It's what I said I was coming here to help you do. That's also why I brought the bandages – to make that story seem realistic. Plus, after we have our go at him, we may need them!"

"Good point!" Amy says, grinning. "Now we just need to wait for Isolde to bring the special box, and find out if the Natasha-lure plan would work."

Gunther peeks out. "We could dress Amelia in some of Lili's clothing and have her for a lure, too," he comments with a repressed grin.

"Her clothes don't fit me… and have you been watching her dance, Gunther Kettenrad?" Amy asks, looking sternly at the boy.

"Hard not to notice her dancing!" Gunther asserts and disappears back under the blanket.

Olivia holds one hand to her forehead. "All of this talk about luring the necromancer by sex appeal is making me woozy," she says – and sounds it.

"What do you mean, sex appeal?" Amelia asks. "Being dressed like Lili means I wouldn't have anyplace to conceal weapons."

"Bet you could wake up Zahn, though!" Gunther remarks. "And then he'd pass out again."

Olivia sounds even woozier still as she replies, "Yeah, but it also means that all of your, er, womanly attributes would be showing. To the necromancer. Who's a creep and a lech, remember? Do you really want that kind of attention?"

"Being able to distract your enemy is a very useful tactic, actually," Amelia notes, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Child, it will take some time to set up the proper ritual to allow vou to examine any sort of spiritiual link," comes Natasha's voice from behind the partition. It's also dangerous. Are vou sure vou vish to put vourself in that much danger?"

"Oh, well, I suppose," answers Axel who sounds both confused and a little cheery. He just seems glad someone's talking to him now, really, and that he's being useful. You can tell by the way he buffs up and flutters that he's enjoying the attention.

"Ech," Natasha mutters and motions to the floor. "Sit, then. And no laying eggs. Don' need dat distraction." She then peers around the partition and eyes Olivia, asking, "Do vou have any chalks on vou? I need some to perform de ritual start."

Axel sits as directed, though he seems suddenly interested in his tummy. He pats it and gives it a good stare. Perhaps he's wondering if someone, some way, when he wasn't looking, got him pregnant. He also seems to have gotten a cobweb on his left wing, but that probably has nothing to do with pregnancy.

Olivia ohs! and immediately takes off her rose-hat. Then she undoes the fastener on the pocket on the inside of it and produces several colored chalks. "I have a small pad of paper in there, too," she adds, somewhat sheepishly. "I never know when I'll want to scribble something! What colors would you like?"

"Red and vhite, please," Natasha remarks and extends her hand towards Olivia.

Olivia picks those two colors from her small handful of chalks and takes them around the partition to Natasha.

Natasha takes the chalks and nods her head slightly. She then walks a slow circuit around Axel and draws out a circle, large enough for two people to sit in, in white chalk. Then with the red chalk, she makes several arcane runes along the perimeter of the circle. "Now, unless all ov vou want to end up as part o' de ritual, don cross the lines," she instructs, loudly. And glares at the otters briefly, too.

Olivia makes sure that she stays well back from the chalked lines, but she keeps on this side of the partition, very curious now.

Axel waves to the otters! He also seems to want to reach over and ruffle them up again, but he holds his hand back. With his other hand in fact.

Off in the corner, Amelia and the otters keep still and quiet for the ritual. Apparently, Bebe and Nene have this very rare-for-otters talent of keeping stock-still when needed.

Natasha enters the circle and kneels down in front of Axel. She reaches over and simply takes his hand, then places in on her chest. Her other hand then directs Axel to face her, where she then looks into his eyes. In a slow, melodic, tone, she starts chanting in a flowing, unknown (to them) language.

Axel seems it have momentary difficulty keeping his attention on Natasha. He seems to want to keep looking around, and to fidget, but after a moment of – calming, apparently – chanting he settles down and stares with his usual intensity. He doesn't seem to blink much, that Axel.

Good thing Natasha has kept a firm grip on Axel's chin, then. The chanting goes on, and on, and on. It seems rather boring, really. Well, until the red runes on the floor start to twinkle, then glow brightly with a blood red light.

Amelia perks up the sign of active magic, and stares in fascination at the glowing chalk.

Olivia, who has seen a lot of strange, magical things recently, stands her ground as the runes begin to glow. Her gaze flickers to them for a moment, then fixes back on Axel and Natasha.

The bird-man seems to want to look at the runes too, but of course his chin is firmly anchored by the gypsy. All the effort of not looking at the rather sparkly runes puts a bit of strain in his face.

Even the otters twitch a bit, their eyes even wider than usual. "Should one of us get Gunther to watch?" Nene whispers to Bebe, who shakes her head in reply.

The runes start to pulsate, almost like a heartbeat. "Now, feel my heartbeat under your hand," Natasha says quietly, her eyes focused on Axel. "Imagine yourself like a river, flowing towards a point. That point is my heartbeat. That point is me." The white circle around then starts to glow faintly.

"I don't like water," Axel complains in a very tired voice, the sort of voice that insists it has made this point before, and is unlikely to change it, but water just keeps trying to worm its way into his good graces and he's not about to have it. He also glows, or to be more accurate ripples with a heat haze like he were a very warm stretch of road. His eyes, especially, take on a red luminescent quality that doesn't perfectly follow the movement of his head as he leans forward to squint in concentration.

"I said imagine being like water," Natasha comments quietly, "It's easier to do this if you go with the flow and don't resist. I'm trying to open both of us to the spirit world, where all things can be seen that affect the soul." She then resumes chanting softly. The white circle around them almost seems to extend upward now, encasing them in a hazy cylinder. Abstract images flash and curl along the surface, sometimes they burst bright, sometimes they smolder. Then slowly, the shapes start to form into solid images. The first is a robed shape of a Khatta, floating in apparent space. The Khatta herself is all back, save for her eyes glowing white and the flowing white robes that cover part of her 'body'.

The otters huddle together at the sight of the ghostly images. Even Amy sucks in her breath, not having seen anything so impressive before.

Olivia looks on the vision of Natasha and smiles a little to herself. It seems to be like the image she saw in the necromancer's circlet of fire, only much more beautiful.

The whole matter of water makes Axel look a little grumpy. He mumbles to himself – quite visibly! His hazy aura flickers, and then erupts in a ghostly flame. There, mimicking his movements imperfectly, superimposed over his frame, is Axel's possessing spirit. It looks like nothing so much as a living fire with the face of a Korv. It has Axel's eerie red bird eyes – or, perhaps, Axel has its eyes, and this is to whom they really belong.

Close, the spirit and its vessel seem to move slightly out of sync as they speak to each other. It's hard to make out what they say. Rather a cacophony really as they manage to talk over each other, echo the other, contradict, and then be so perfectly in sync their voices merge in to one harmonious word, and they do it all very quickly. The bare parts that can be understood clearly seem to remark about the disconcerting qualities of water.

"What's his deal with water?" Amelia whispers to Olivia.

"Maybe he had it dumped on him one too many times?" Olivia whispers back. "He seems to set himself on fire a lot, which requires something to put it out… "

Thinking of fire, Amelia checks that the wooden divider isn't being affected. But it's outside the circle anyway.

The hazy form of Natasha seems to reach out towards Axel, then suddenly the light around her starts to fade. Hairline 'cracks' start to form all over the cylinder of light where the images dance. Then all of a sudden tendrils of darkness encircle 'Natasha', gripping tightly. Her face contorts in absolute agony as she claws at them in a futile effort to get free. Then the whole room seems to reverberate with a voice Olivia finds so familiar, a grating scrapping, hissing voice, "No, she is mine!" Then the source of the tendrils manifets itself on the cylinder, a gastly, gaunt creature barely formed, only the nearly skeletal head of a Skreek being the most distinctive feature.

Amelia chitters, and runs back to the front part of the room to get her weapon.

Olivia gives a cry of surprise mixed with fear as the voice sounds. She backs away even more from the chalked circles, although she keeps her eyes on the images. "That's him, the necromancer!" she breathes. "I recognize him… "

A barrage of cursing from Gunther can be heard on the other side of the partition too. "What did you do?" he asks Amelia accusingly.

"Stay there!" Amy barks at Gunther before heading into the back again, this time with her iron-edged halberd in hand. The otters scramble to bring up their bows, but have no idea what to aim at.

Axel – or the Axels? – the Axels look around suddenly at the voice, and bristle. The human's wings arch, and his feathers fluff out even as he looks stunned. The spirit mimics this, only where Axel has feathers it has its ghostly flame, and that ripples with agitation like a fire fed gasoline. When the manifestation appears shortly after he – they – look up, cringing, and then …

… And then Axel freaks out. His spirit rides him as if it had snatched the reigns from his mind, his body moving like the spirit's shadow, or perhaps puppet, following the spirit's movement like an after image. His wings snap out, making him look bigger, and he hops to his feet in a awkward hunch. His aura bursts in to very real flame and he clumsily claws at the ghost as if to rip it from the air, only to have his hand miss, leaving only a smoke trail and a few cinders fluttering down.

As a side effect Axel is almost entirely naked save for the blackening remains of his clothing. Luckily, unless you're in to that kind of thing, being on fire helps to hide this fact.

Outside the circle, Amelia hesitates. With so much going on, she just doesn't know what to attack, if anything. As a test, she jabs her iron blade into the edge of the cylinder, grateful that with a halberd anything nasty is going to be happening several feet away from her at least.

The blade vibrates the moment it hits the cylinder and Amelia suddenly feels like she's been hit with a massive static shock. More hairline cracks form all over the cylinder.

The creature of darkness laughs and undulates across the cylinder, apparently unaware of the jab Amelia made. "Why, this town surprises me. A spirit of power, unbound. I think I have another item to add to the list of things I will leave with," the skeletal head cackles. And then the image of Natasha jerks her head up, glowing eyes narrow. She grabs onto the creature gripping her and then extends a hand towards Axel's image. A moment passes, then a surge of white light bursts from her hand, striking Axel square in the chest. The shadowy figure screams and jerks wildly.

Axel's aura and spirit flare suddenly when struck by the white light. His spirit suddenly seems more real, more tangible, as if strengthened, and his fiery aura flares – singing the stone floor.

With an inhuman screech Axel clumsily lunges at the spirit, flinging himself like a feathered fireball.

And the fireball collides with both the shadowy creature and the image of Natasha. The images inside the cylinder all seem to explode all at once. Cracks spider all across the cylinder … then it too suddenly explodes outward soundlessly. 'Shards' of spiritual energy streak out through the air, skimming by Olivia. None of them seem to even come close to Amelia, thankfully; perhaps the iron of her halberd repelled it. Bebe too seems to effortlessly dodge the fragments and they streak. Nene, unfortunately, catches a flying, smoldering, khatta as Natasha is blown clean out of the circle. Then suddenly, all 'fragments' from the cylinder fade from existence. What remains is Axel, sitting naked and smoking on the floor and a very limp Natasha laying on top of Nene.

"Does he know where we ARE?" Amelia asks, quickly using the axe-blade of her weapon to scrape a break in the chalk circle.

"Nene!" Bebe cries, and tries to roll Natasha off of her sister.

Natasha rolls to the side. She's unconscious and her clothing is smoking.

Olivia shields her face from the flying 'shards' until they all fade out of existence. Then she notices Natasha and Nene lying on the floor and gasps a strangled, "Oh, no!" She immediately goes over to them and helps Bebe to roll Natasha off of Nene. Then she puts her ear to Nene's chest, trying to discern if she is still alive.

There's no sign of Axel's spirit now that the circle is broken. Flame still rolls across his frame, however, but it's a weak thing and soon gone. All that's left are the smoldering rags of his clothes, the smell of so many things burnt, and a waft of smoke rising from him. Without comment he falls over on his side, looking blank.

Gunther peers around the partition. "Uhm, what just happened in here?" he asks, then spots the various people spread around the room. So, he comes in and goes to the prone Khatta and Nene. He peers worriedly over Olivia's shoulder. "She okay?" he asks.

Now determining that Nene is all right – if a bit flattened – Olivia turns Natasha over on her back and stabilizes her head. She looks her over for any bad burns, since her clothing is full of smoke. "I think Nene just had the wind knocked out of her," she replies. "But I don't know about Natasha… "

Once the circle is thoroughly broken, Amelia steps in to see if Axel survived as well… and if he needs to be doused with a bucket of water. "Are you alive, Axel?" she asks.

The center of Natasha's shirt has been burned away and some of the fur has even been scorched underneath. From the movement of the smoke, she's breathing at least. Slow and shallow, but it's there. Gunther, however, just stays by Nene's side, looking at her worriedly. "You better not die," he comments, "otherwise I'll never put you on the catapult."

Shifting, the bird-man rolls so he's flat on his back. He's terribly sooty, all that dust and clothing leaving him blackened. He looks up at Amelia. "I feel funny," is his answer.

Nene coughs a few times, then takes some deep breaths and unflattens a bit. "Oooo, someone fell on me," she complains.

"You look funny too, so I suppose that's normal," Amelia says, unsure whether to get a broom to sweep the soot off the man or to cover him up with something. "Gunther, can you bring one of your blankets over?" she calls out.

Olivia looks over at Gunther, too. "And that bundle of bandages? Natasha's going to need some."

"Uh yeah," Gunther says absently and wanders back around the partition. He returns a second later hauling a blanket and the bundle Olivia brought in earlier. He tosses the bundle as best he can towards Olivia, then takes the blanket over to Amelia.

"Thanks," Amelia says, and drapes the blanket over Axel. "Now, Axel, did you get any sense of where the necromancer is located from all of that? Or an idea if he knows where we are now, or who else was here?"

Axel's hand reaches up and he pokes himself in the chest testingly. His head tilts left, then right, then he rolls his shoulders. He looks confused for a moment, brow narrowing, then relaxes all at once. "So … then … Oh … Yes," he mumbles to himself, staring forward, before fixing his gaze towards Amelia and saying, "The emptiness is gone now."

"Yes?" Amy asks, her fur still poofed out from the shock of touching the spell with iron. "Yes what? Do you know where he is?"

Olivia catches the tossed bundle and opens it up. She comments off-handedly to Gunther and Axel, "Don't look this way or Natasha's modesty is going to be compromised." Then she unbuttons the mage's shirt so that she can apply to salve she brought with her along with the bandages. That done, she begins wrapping bandages around her chest until the scorched area is covered.

"You didn't see? Oh, well, yes you wouldn't. He's not here," answers Axel, who waves a wing towards where the apparition had been and casts soot around. "That … Awrk? Hm. Kaw, yes, … Mmm. Oh, the rest of you weren't there for a while, I'm not sure he could see you."

"Can you tell if what Natasha did hurt him or knocked him out?" Amy asks the bird-man.

It's a bit interesting for Olivia to have to move and handle a larger and very limp, Khatta. But, she does manage it fairly well. As she's wrapping the bandages around, Natasha groans, then winces.

Bebe suggests to Olivia, "We could move her to the bed outside."

Olivia ties off the bandage quickly and nods to Bebe. "Good idea." Then she murmurs to Natasha, "We're all right here, Natasha, don't you worry. We're going to put you into a bed so you can rest a bit. Can you stand?"

"Awrk to have hurt him, I think, yes, probably so. Kaw'd be. I don't like violence, I think." The bird man flutters uselessly against the ground, having no room to do the gesture properly. "Natasha is gone," he says suddenly, apparently just realizing it.

"Gone?" Amy asks, then looks over her shoulder to where Olivia has Natasha. "Wait… what do you mean? Her spirit is gone, or you just can't feel it anymore?"

"Can't move anything," Natasha says weakly, sounding very tired. Her head falls limply to the side as her eyes crack open to look at Olivia. "Expected. Gave everything to that bird spirit. Need to sleep."

Axel points sootily at where Natasha had been. "Gone," he insists. "Not there!"

Olivia buttons up the mage's shirt as she speaks, then touches her cheek gently with her fingertips. "All right, we'll get you into the bed." Then she says to Bebe, "Get one of Gunther's other blankets. We'll roll her onto it then use that to carry and lift her to the bed."

Bebe runs to get the blanket as requested, while Amelia points Axel to Natasha. "She's over there. Did she give you all her energy so that the necromancer couldn't take it from her?"

Once the blanket is brought, Olivia spreads it out on the ground beside Natasha. Then she and the otter girl roll her onto it, as gently as they can. That done, they lift the corners of the blanket with all their strength and carry the mage over to Gunther's now-unoccupied bed, hoisting her gracelessly, but effectively, up onto its surface.

The bird-man's head rolls until he can see Natasha. "Oh there she is." He peers at Natasha intently while telling Amelia, "Was that what it was? I was very mad, very … " his eyes narrow, he mumbles to himself, then continues just as suddenly, " … disturbed by that emptiness. I've never met an emptiness before. Such an emptiness. Wanted to eat me, kawed'nt stand it." His head tilts. "I feel tingly."

"Well, try to get up," Amelia says to Axel, offering a hand if he needs it.

Natasha doesn't resist being moved … not that she could, anyway. "Sorry," she says weakly after being laid down. "I should have expected something like that. Shouldn't have endangered everyone." Gunther is now just watching from the corner. "Uh, I think you should delay your ambush plans a day or two. I don't think we could handle it right now."

Axel takes the hand and tries to get up. He manages it though he staggers like a drunken man. He flaps his wings and grins drunkenly, too, crowing a laugh, and saying something that distinctly sounds like, "wheeeee."

A flicker of unease crosses Olivia's face. "I'll do what I can to stall him but he may not listen to me," she says, sweeping the pillow underneath Natasha's head. "Especially not now, with what just happened. He may want to find everyone even faster now… unless Axel managed to really hurt the necromancer, and he's not well enough to try and find us?"

With a sigh, Amy wraps the blanket around Axel like a toga, and says, "Come on," as she tugs Axel through the door in the partition. Outside, she says, "He thinks the necromancer was hurt, but you're right: we don't know. He'll want to come after Natasha and Axel first though, I think. They'll need to stay here. Isolde should arrive soon with the box and can look after her."

"Don't know," Natasha mutters, her eyes falling shut again. "Always hard to say in the spirit realms. Connections, emotions, all blur." And then … Natasha simply falls asleep.

"If you don't mind," and Axel sounds deeply concerned if Amelia does mind, "I need to sit down and find myself, because I am wanting to rest, and I have questions." He taps his head to show he needs some "Axel and Axel" time.

Olivia's face twists bitterly. "Gah, one step forward, one step back, and nothing for certain!" she curses. Then she shakes her head. "You're right, Amy. Natasha can't move from here now. It's the safest place for her. But I'm not certain about Axel being his absolute first priority. Zahn may still be his most pressing unfinished business, I think. But we can't be sure. Of course!"

"What?" Amy asks Olivia, and also looks to Axel.

"When he first spoke to me, the necromancer said that he needed to complete the absorption of Zahn's spirit," Olivia replies. "That's why I was to find his location first. But now that Axel has made himself very well known, he could be his first target, instead. I won't know until he visits me… whenever that will be now."

Amelia rubs her forehead. "Uh, this gets more complicated each time. Will killing the necromancer send Zahn into shock now as well as Natasha? And I'm worried about letting you go home unguarded now, Olivia."

"Feeling not so tingly now. Tired." Amelia can feel the bird-man shift his weight to lean against her more. When finally they near a wall he disentangles himself from the Kadie and plops down against it. He opens his mouth as he looks up and stays that way for several seconds until explaining, "kaw," in a deep throated crow that shouldn't be coming from a human throat, and then he goes slack.

Olivia thinks furiously about this. "Well… if you're worried about having both witches in the same place when I lead the necromancer here, then perhaps Morgan should be my bodyguard. At least he'd have the power to hide from this jerk."

Stepping away from Axel, Amelia thinks on that. "Morgan's still learning real magic… but if he isn't dressed as a witch, maybe the necromancer won't be worried. It'd be better than having Gunther watch over you, certainly."

"Hey, what's wrong with me being a bodyguard?" Gunther asks, sounding annoyed.

"In town, surrounded by lots of people?" Amelia asks Gunther. "You could seriously hurt somebody."

"I would not," Gunther asserts.

Olivia looks sternly at Gunther. "Because if the necromancer was listening to us yell at one another after our first meeting, then was supposed to think we weren't getting along anymore. If you show up trying to protect me now, he'd be suspicious. BIG giveaway."

The two otters look at each other, then at Gunther. "I could go watch Olivia," Bebe offers. "I can stay hidden and not be noticed."

"Oh, yeah, right," Gunther admits and nods to Olivia. Boy, he looks embarrassed now. So, he just goes to check on the previously squished otter.

Nene smiles to Gunther. "Ooo, I didn't know you cared?" she says to him sweetly. "And for once, I wish I had some more padding on my chest."

Olivia jabs a thumb in Bebe's direction. "Or what she said? Either person works for me, as long as they stay hidden as much as they can and not attract attention unless it's warranted."

"Okay then," Amy says, "we'll do both. Morgan can keep fairly close, and Bebe can be sniper. I'll try to get a silver arrow from Isolde for you, Bebe."

Gunther hmphs. "I'll have you know, no one is going to squish you out before I have a chance to properly catch you and prove you invaded the compound," he insists is the reason. The slightly red ears might be leftovers from the comments from Olivia, or from the comments from Nene. Who knows?

Olivia nods and smiles at the otter girl. "Then that's settled. Thank you for volunteering, Bebe." Then to Amelia, she says, "One last thing before I go. If I'm able to close the doors on all of you when the necromancer comes, what sort of password do you want to use so I know when to let you back out? Don't want the necromancer trying to trick me."

Amy goes up to the door, and wraps on it three times, making it ring like a bell. Then, she changes to the other door and hits it four times. The sound of locks being worked comes through soon afterwards. "That's the code," she explains to Olivia, as one of the doors opens and a curious Lapi looks in.

Olivia grins. "Great! That's solved. Easy to remember, too." As she prepares to leave, she says to the assembled room, "Anything else I should know? Might not see all of you again until… well, until we have a fight on our hands."

Bebe gets her bow, and hurries to stand next to Olivia. The door opens further, and Goody arrives with a lunch basket. "Oh my, have you been burning things in here? You know the ventilation isn't able to handle that well… "