After Amelia and Olivia's meeting with the older weaver Celestine, the two parted ways. Olivia had to go see mage Qing, and the pair figured that Qing may be more receptive to just one visitor over two. He's not exactly the type for company, after all. So, Amelia found herself walking through town. On her way out, someone ran into her. He was cloaked and short … and after knocking her over didn't stay around long enough to be identified. After Amelia got up, though, she found a note had been stuffed into the collar of her shirt. Natural endowment made it a perfect place for letter holding, apparently. The letter was short and to the point: 'Meet me on Mint Road at sundown. More instructions will follow.'

Mint Road
The soft gurgling of the Mint River melds with the breezy susurrus of swaying leaves on the opposite side of the well-worn road. At this time of day, the water sparkles and reflects brightly, making the shadows of the woods and orchards seem darker in contrast. The side road leading into the Blacktail Clan territory shows signs of recent traffic, but here on the edge there isn't any sign of activity.

"It could have been Gunther," Amelia mutters, figuring Djivan would have done more than stuff a letter in her shirt given the chance. She looks about warily as she makes her way along the road.

The road looks positively cheery and harmless in the setting light, all greens and reds. But, the serene setting doesn't lull Amelia into a sense of security. Lurking up ahead in the shadows of the trees is a cloaked person. Might be the same person who ran over her in town.

"Okay, I see you lurking there!" Amy calls out. "So you might as well come out and tell me what's going on."

"Shuush!" the figure calls back grumpily. "You're going to alert the whole town yelling like that!" Yeah, it sounds like Gunther, all right.

"Gunther," Amy mutters and heads for the tree. "What's this all about? Did the otters put you up to this?"

"Why do you always suspect otters?" Gunther has to ask as he pulls his hood down. "Maybe I had an important reason to get you out of town. Ever consider that?"

"It's on the list, just not at the top," Amelia notes. "Now what did you want?"

"I found something you might be interested in," Gunther whispers when Amelia is close enough. "It has to do with your clan … and specifically your namesake." The Kadie boy peers around a bit warily.

"How did you even know about her?" Amy whispers, nearly hissing.

"It's my job to know about things," Gunther counters vaguely. "Do you want to see it or not?"

"Yes," Amy says. "If only to keep you out of trouble for sneaking around our compound."

"It wasn't at your compound. It was in the old Wingnut ruins," Gunther notes, "Which I'm perfectly within my rights to explore." The Kadie boy bounds off into the woods.

Amelia follows after the younger squirrel. "Wait… which ruins?" she whispers as she tries to keep up.

"The old compound before the Wingnuts moved to the dam location," Gunther comments as he makes his way quickly through the underbrush in the general direction of the Mint Dam.

"Not the big old tree though, right?" Amy asks. She tries not to plow through the underbrush to spare her clothes.

"That one," Gunther confirms. "So, you've been there. And you were grousing at me about exploring someone's compound… "

"Zahn was showing it to me," Amy replies.

"That's your story, is it?" Gunther comments as he glances over his shoulder. "Using it as a snog-spot now?" He goes cross-eyed and sticks his tongue out at Amelia.

"No!" Amy declares, pausing to cross her arms. Now that she knows where they're going, she doesn't have to chase down Gunther. "What do you think you've found there, anyway?"

"It's not what I think I've found. I know what I've found. There's a hidden passage that goes deep under the tree. An old archive is down there that has a few books on your clan, and specifically on the Bloodfur line. Seems a few Wingnuts were keeping close watch on the line in case a successor for her madness was born… " Gunther explains as he continues hopping through the underbrush. "And not a snog-spot, huh? Well, I wouldn't want to snog Zahn, either!"

"Of course you wouldn't!" Amy says, and follows along. "Why wouldn't they have brought the books with them for the new library though? Was this a secret group within the Wingnuts?"

"You'll have to wait and see," Gunther taunts.

Amelia sighs and hurries her pace. "Did you at least bring a lamp? I can't see in the dark like you."

"There's a lamp at the tree," Gunther claims. Up ahead, Amelia can already see the huge tree sticking up through the treetops.

---

The huge hollowed out tree is much as Amelia remembers it; with sprawling roots that crisscross in every direction. Nestled between the roots is the door she and Zahn had used last time. True to Gunther's word, there's a lantern hanging on a nearby hook.

"I also need to figure out how to pick the lock on the upper floor," Gunther notes absently as he peers into the passage. "Very complex, but I'm sure I can force it."

Taking down the lantern and lighting it, Amelia asks, "So where is the entrance to the secret underground passage? Surely not through the main door here… "

"From one of the rooms inside," Gunther notes as he heads into the moss-covered passage. "C'mon. I'll show you. Well, unless you're too afraid to learn the truth… " the Kadie boy teases.

"I already know the truth," Amy nearly snaps, and follows Gunther. "Why were you out here, anyway?" she asks.

"I needed a quiet place to write," Gunther comments as the two head through the winding passage. "And no, you don't. You probably only know the sanitized truth. Your clan, after all, got to write your history… "

"Sanitized?!" Amelia exclaims. "I learned she was a berserk sorceress-priestess mass murderer. And what are you writing? Your love letter to the Skeek girl on the sky island?"

Gunther just smiles enigmatically right before he slips into a side room. Like many of the others Amelia saw here last time it's a nondescript room. Judging by the rotted table in the middle, probably a dining room. Some of the moss has been scraped away from the far wall, revealing what can be best described as an old grandfather clock of a sorts. It has a really peculiar faceplate. The numbers are all out of order.

"Is it some sort of puzzle clock?" Amy asks, looking at the skewed clock-face. "You have to do some sort of math in your head to figure out what time it really is, or something?"

"Nope. It's a door. It's only made to look like a puzzle-clock. Clever, huh?" Gunther asks, grinning. He climbs up the wall so he can easily reach the face. There he fiddles with the hands. First he sets the hour and minute hands to twelve. Then the hour hand is shifted to three. The minute hand is adjusted to six, then back to twelve. There's an audible click, then a loud bong sound rings three times. It nearly vibrates the room!

Amelia rubs at her ear, and suggests, "Well, making it look like a normal clock would have been less suspic… IS IT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?" She digs her toes into the mossy floor at the noise.

"Yes," Gunther remarks calmly. There's a scraping sound that soon follows and the whole clock swings away from the wall. "In a Wingnut building, it would have stood out more if it looked normal," Gunther points out. Behind the clock is a dank passageway heading down. There's a small glimmer of light from somewhere far below.

"Still, it's an awfully loud secret door," Amy complains, and holds the lamp out to see if the steps are safe.

"Oh, come on," Gunther comments and tugs Amelia's arm. Down the stairs he goes. Well, with the smaller Kadie on them they seem to hold up okay. The lantern light doesn't reveal any signs of rot, either.

Trying not to trip as she's pulled, Amy follows Gunther. "You shouldn't pull people down stairs you know," she tells him.

"You worry too much," Gunther observes. Odd comment coming from him. Up ahead the light grows brighter. There's something funny about the light … it doesn't flicker like a lantern, torch, or candle.

"How can there by daylight down here?" Amy asks.

The answer to that comes soon enough. The pair exits into a large circular room. At equal spacings around its ceiling are crystals that shine with a rainbow of colors. Amelia recognizes the crystals well enough; they're the same type she's seen underneath Pike's castle. The rooms walls are covered with empty rows of bookshelves. In the center of the room sits an ornate wooden pedestal. Resting atop that is a single, thick, tome.

"Are you sure this just isn't the old library?" Amy asks, looking at all of the bookshelves.

"That book talks specifically about your crazy ancestor. Did you know she once claimed she would find a way to have her spirit transcend time and into one of her descendants? A secret order was formed by members of the other clans to keep watch for this descendant and kill her if she should appear," Gunther explains. "It's really creepy to read, let me tell you. I guess this was left behind because all the old members died off or were killed off, or something," Gunther explains.

"Or it's a joke," Amy grumbles, and looks over the book cover.

Gunther backs away from Amelia to let her read the book in peace. The cover is a simple, well-worn binding. The title is less simple and a bit ominous, though, as it reads 'The binding of the Bloodfur.'

Amelia hmms, and opens the book to start reading. Maybe there is something useful in it, after all…

True to Gunther's word, the book talks about the Bloodfur line. It even talks about the claims she made about some day being reborn. From there it goes into a lot of boring details about every child that was born that descended from that line. Some of the more recent names Amelia recognizes as her great, great, grandparents.

"I don't see what these people were afraid of," Amy mutters. "I mean, the original Amelia did lead them here out of Tursdi. When people in Nordika talk about invading barbarian hordes, it's either the Titanians or us, depending one which side of the mountains they're on… "

There's a soft 'click' from behind Amelia.

The Kadie freezes at the sound, before slowly looking back over her shoulder.

Behind her, Gunther has closed and presumably locked the door, given he's currently slipping a key into his shirt. "Because Amelia would also kill Kadies that disagreed with her," Gunther says a bit darkly. "Many clans followed her our of fear, not because they sought to conquer anything."

"Why did you lock the door, Gunther?" Amy asks with forced calm.

"Why do you think?" Gunther inquires with an unnatural calm to his voice. The crystals in the ceiling start to grow brighter. "The Crimson Watch has been waiting a long time for you. Why, when the last members died some fifty years ago, all hope had nearly faded with them," he says and starts to slowly circle the room. Waving to the crystals, he continues, "Even those that willingly allowed themselves to be bound and wait in eternity for the one began to despair their sacrifice was for nothing." With each word from the Kadie's voice, the tone grows more hollow and with an echo, as if it were many voices speaking, not just one."

"What's going on?" Amy demands, narrowing her eyes now. "Who are you? Leave Gunther at once!"

"And imagine our joy when this child stumbled upon this room. So willing to protect the town and his clan. So easy to take," Gunther speaks with a union of many voices. "We have been waiting so long for you, Amelia Bloodfur. Your reign ends today."

"I'm not her!" Amy shouts. "I've never been her!" She points at Gunther now, saying, "But I am a witch! Mostly! So you'd better let go of Gunther right now!"

"You're a failed one, aren't you? This boy knew that much about you, at least. The child even liked you. But then the young are so easily deluded," Gunther says, the voices turning to a low growl.

"That's right, I failed," Amy says, growling right back now. "I couldn't bind to the Spirit. So your notion that I'm Amelia reborn can't be true, now can it? There's no demon in me! Leave Gunther and enter me instead, and you'll see!"

"Oh, the calling of the Bloodfur; so wishing to consume another. We won't be so easily fooled by such a ploy," Gunther growls. His hands spread and fingers flex. A ripple of crimson light flows around those fingers. It arcs upward from each of his hands, taking the jagged shape of twin blades. "Defend yourself. … or will you do the honorable thing and let us rid the world of you?"

Amelia draws two of her iron stilettos, but seems hesitant. "What happens if you win? Will you just puff away, or keep control of the boy?" she asks.

"Our duty was to end the Bloodfur line. We exist for as long as she does," Gunther claims. "We will use this body for as long as necessary."

"I have a lot of brothers," Amy notes, realizing that even if she gives up it won't end anything. The irony isn't lost on her: in order to defeat them, she really has to be what they think she is!

"They are dealt with easily enough. Men never have quite the ability a woman does," Gunther notes darkly. The Kadie boy pops his neck, then darts at Amelia, growling, "Time to die, you cursed demon."

Amelia leaps behind the central podium, and brings her knives up in a defensive hold. She's never fought a spirit before, or magical blades, but if her knives work on monsters then maybe they'll block spirits too.

Gunther heads straight towards the podium, then vaults himself into the air. The twin blades arc with a crackling hiss and head down towards Amelia.

The Kadie girl crouches and braces for the blow. Gunther may be smaller than Amelia still, but he's probably just as strong if not stronger than her. She prepares to roll aside if she can deflect him.

Gunther seems to move with unnatural speed. Those crimson blades strike down. And while they do not physically cut her, they feel like a wave of ice just went through her entire body. Even her fingers and toes start to tingle as if she has spent too much time in the snow. Gunther lands behind her and skids to a halt, then turns. "This is disappointing," he growls, "Show us your true fire, Bloodfur. Show us the fire that killed your mother when you were born."

Amelia tries to shake off the numbing chill, and growls again at the possessing spirits. "Why are you trying to provoke me?" she demands. "Come and fight me yourself, and I'll show you everything I have!"

"Because … we have waited so long to destroy the Bloodfur rage. Show us what you used to call so glorious," Gunther growls as he twirls those twin blades. His lips pull back into a snarl as he now marches back towards Amelia. "Or are you afraid to harm this body? Do you really think this boy, if he knew what you really were, would show you any quarter?"

"I fight monsters," Amelia snarls, jumping back away from Gunther. "I fight them to protect others! I can't hurt him."

"Then do us both a favor and destroy the worst monster of all, yourself," Gunther taunts. He surges forward, looking as if he intends to now engage Amelia directly. "Or just lie down and let us end it, of course!"

"And leave you in control of Gunther? I don't think so!" Amy counters, and shifts her stance a bit. If she can knock Gunther unconscious, she might have a better chance. But getting close enough will mean opening herself up to attack as well.

Amelia finds herself on the defensive almost immediately. Gunther is almost a blur as he darts and strikes in with those crimson blades. But one good thing she learns is that her stilettos do seem to stop those blades. Soon she finds herself almost nose to nose with the Kadie boy, glaring at each other across blades. "We aren't fooled, you know. Your fake compassion for this child," he growls.

Staring into Gunther's eyes, Amelia deliberately drops her right arm from where it blocks the spirit-blade, and tries to swing her fist up into the boy's chin.

Unfortunately Amelia finds that this close the best she can manage is a glancing blow against Gunther's cheek. This causes the Kadie's eyes to narrow and he presses forward. As Amelia suspected, Gunther is not weak. She starts sliding backward until her back is pressed against the podium. "Come now, Bloodfur, you can do better than that," he taunts.

"That doesn't mean you're worthy of seeing it," Amy snaps back, if only to hide a grimace. She knows she can't hold out for very long like this. So she closes her eyes, and pictures the red shadow that stalks her in her nightmares. "Are you really there?" she asks in her head. "Are you a demon, or just my guilt and fear?"

There's something there … in the back of Amelia's mind. A tingle, as is something sleeping deep within her, locked away. "That's it, good," Gunther growls, "Find that fury within you. Find your heritage… "

Amelia opens her eyes, and mentally grabs that red spark. "I'm in control here," she mutters. "Just like in Bravil's mind that time. I'm in control!" She pushes back against Gunther now with all of her remaining strength.

Gunther's lips curl back in a grim smile. Throughout Amelia's body she can feel a surge of warmth, followed by tingle that flows across her skin. It's now that Amelia finds herself pushing back against Gunther and making him give ground; his toe claws scraping against the floor.

"It's not Gunther, but something inside of him," Amy thinks to herself. "Something under the skin." Even as she pushes, she tries to imagine it – a shimmery thing shining through Gunther's skin. "Control control control! I'm in control! I know what I want to hit, and it isn't Gunther. Focus!"

Amelia's head is pounding as she tries to focus. Of all the things she has ever done in her life, this may be the hardest. As her arms start to shake, she can see a shimmer around Gunther, as well as flowing through him. It's as if there are a dozen different kadies standing on top of each other. Each of their pairs of eyes glare back at Amelia, wild and insane.

"I'm fire, they said," Amy thinks, trying to ignore the fatigue and strain in her muscles. She remembers her red spirit-form. And a spirit isn't strictly tied to the flesh, she knows from her witch training. So, while her arms and legs keep up their work, she tries to reach for the glowing mass with her spirit arms.

The pounding intensifies in her mind as she tries to reach out while her physical body maintains its ground. The world around her seems to grow distant, faded, as if she's on the edge of passing out. But before her she can see other arms reaching slowly into that glowing mass that surrounds Gunther. She can feel something icy at his core, a ball that hisses when her 'hands' touch it.

"Pull it out!" she repeats to herself, trying to get a grip on the cold core. "Pull it out, don't burn it inside Gunther! Have to get it out!" she urges herself.

The ice burns Amelia's 'hands' as she pulls that core slowly out of Gunther. When it pulls free from his chest, the smaller Kadie shudders. All resistance from him vanishes and he collapses down into a heap on the floor.

Amelia nearly collapses as well, and falls to her knees. Her real hands meet her spirit ones to make things easier, as she clings to the burning cold enemy. "How much of this was you, and how much them?" she hisses at the thing. "Did they take over Gunther, or did you?"

The glowing ball in Amelia's hand hisses, then vaporizes into smoke, without answering her question. Every muscle in her body burns and her head swims.

Amelia shudders, and hugs herself. She wants to let go and sleep, but… she doesn't trust the spark. She can't give it an inch! "Back you go," she commands it. "Back down into your cage."

"Do not try to move too much," comes a new voice from behind Amelia. "Just breathe and relax. You have been through a lot of strain and need to recover." The voice is familiar, but she can't quite place it, either. It has an odd feminine tone to it, yet echoes like the spirit she just faced sounded as well.

The Kadie knows breathing, at least. She takes deep breaths, breathing all the way down to the base of her spine like Isolde taught her so many years ago. It takes a while, but it does calm her down and make the aches seem a bit more distant. She still has a pounding headache though.

Soft clicks upon the floor are heard as someone comes around Amelia. Everything is a bit blurry, but Amelia recognizes the creature; Natasha's dragon-familiar. It looks at her this way and that as it kneels down. "You passed the test," it says; the odd voice now recognizable. It's a mix of the familiar's and Natasha's. The creature reaches out and brushes its claws along her cheek, adding, "And now I understand more about you as well."

Amelia can't help but growl. "Test? What about Gunther?" she hisses. "Did he agree to be a part of this?"

"He asked to be part of it. I tried to dissuade him, but, he insisted. You stood by him when he needed someone, so he wanted to stand by you," the familiar answers. "I told him it would be slightly dangerous, but … he is a determined one."

"He's an idiot," Amy grumbles. "Risking himself like that, when nobody's life was in the balance… It's not like when we were fighting the necromancer!"

"Do you understand why this was chosen as your test, Amelia?" the familiar asks. "And why he offered what he did?"

"Because he knew I wouldn't hurt him," Amelia says. "And that it would take something like this to force me to… to try what I did."

"That is part, but this test also answers why you failed your Witches test years ago, Amelia. You wanted to fail it," the familiar says, "At least in your subconscious you did. Your family line carries the spark; the ability. But … out of fear of your ancestor, you buried it away. You rejected your spark, so the town spirit had to reject you." The familiar waves a clawed hand around the room, adding, "But here, you believed your friend was in danger. There was no chance to get help; it was all down to you. You had to make a choice; access the spark or possibly lose a friend. I know it was a cruel thing to do to you, but I knew no other way to truly know if you could do it or not. Had you failed, no harm would have come to either of you … but I could not let you know that."

"Nothing's changed though," Amelia says, still keeping her eyes closed. "I don't trust it. It's angry. What if I can't tame it?"

"That is up to you, Amelia. You can choose to try to learn how to harness it, or leave it buried. But, now you know the truth about why you failed and what you are capable of," the familiar tries to explain. It rests a cool, gentle, claw on her shoulder. "I won't force you to learn to harness it. All I can offer you if to help teach you if you wish me to. But, if you do not, I also understand that. Tapping into the wildness of the spirits is terrifying."

Amelia opens her eyes and looks at Gunther now. "It could have been real though, all of this. Not just a test," she says quietly. "But it's not witchcraft. It's Natasha's sort of magic, isn't it?"

"A lot of things could have been real, but aren't. You should not dwell on such fears," the familiar says. "As for the type of magic … there is a fine line between the two. But yes, it is more along my line of magic than Isolde's. Those who practice witchcraft are capable of learning my style of magic too."

"Alright, teach me then," Amy says, and lets out a long breath. "Your style is about control, and that's what I need."

"All right. But it won't be easy," the familiar warns, "Doing something like what you just did again is a long way off if you want to do it without incurring the pain you must have felt." The creature then looks down to Gunther and lightly pats his shoulder, "And what he must have towards the end. Channeling or carrying any sort of spirit for a length of time is usually very taxing."

"Gprth," mutters Gunther, "I don't want any more tubers."

"Will he remember what happened?" Amy asks.

"Bits and pieces. Like a disjoint dream," the familiar answers.

"Good," Amy says. "I don't want him thinking he can overpower me," she notes with a grin.

"Tell me, what are you feeling right now?" the familiar asks gently, "We had to attack your insecurities with this test. We had to find your limit."

"I'm feeling… that Isolde would never have put me through this," Amelia says. "And I'm angry too," she says pointedly, glaring at the dragon. "But I can live with being angry. I'll get over it eventually. And I'm not looking forward to… dealing with that particular part of me again. But I've let it out a little now, and that means it can't be all bottled back away."

"She probably would not have," the familiar agrees, "But, if it had not been done, you would not now know. I believed you truly wanted to know and I do hope you will forgive me some day. Not everything in life can be done gently in order to get an answer."

"So, what do I do until my first… lesson?" Amy asks.

"When do you want that to be? Do you wish to speak to Isolde before starting? Do you wish to just find comfort in your friends?" the familiar asks. "From here on out you dictate the rate at which you wish to learn."

Amelia leans back and puts her palms on the floor as she thinks. "So many things going on right now… I'll have to let you know later. I'm so tired now, and there's still one more Wingnut I have to go rescue tonight."

"Is someone in trouble?" the familiar asks.

"No, but it might feel like it to him," Amelia says. "By now, I'm sure Parsley has shown up at Zahn's door for her first sleep-over, and he's all alone with her."

The familiar actually snorts. "Ah, Lapi attentions. Many have fallen to their wiles," the familiar remarks drolly. "Well, I should leave you to protecting his virtue. Maintaining this ritual has been quite an expenditure for me too. Both constructing the spirit to fight, then managing the control projection and the spirit envoy is taxing, even for an experienced mage. I fear I may have a worse headache than you do now by tomorrow. Not to mention needing to thank Isolde for her permission to cast such a strong ritual here. I am sure all the local spirits noticed it."

"All of them?" Amy wonders out loud. "Hmmm… pleasant… ah… dreams then, Natasha… "

"The significant ones would, I am certain. I have … well, extended my mind throughout the spirit energy here. It is good I have not felt any malevolent ones," the familiar says, starting to sound tired now. "Oh, one more question, if I may. If you see Liliana, please send her back to camp. She disappeared earlier today and no one has seen her since. Her dancers are worried; she even missed a practice."

The Kadie blinks at that. "Where could she have gone? Maybe Emmett took her on a boat ride."

"It's not unknown for her to disappear now and then, but missing a practice is unusual. Still, it is not too worrying unless a few days pass. Take care of yourself, Amelia. I look forward to speaking with you in the future," the familiar says as it fades away.

"Hmmm," Amy says, then groans and gets to her feet. She staggers over to Gunther, drops back to her knees, and then starts going through his pockets looking for the door key.

"Not now, Bebe, people are watching," Gunther mutters and bats limply at Amelia's hands. It doesn't take much searching to actually find the key, though.

Amelia smirks at the boy's dream. Blackmail material for sure! She unlocks the door, and glances back to the book on the podium. "Now, did Gunther rig that up himself?" she wonders. "Or was it really here before. It probably doesn't matter now," she notes. Once the door is opened, she goes back to pick up Gunther, figuring she might be able to make it most of the way back before she has to wake him up.