The Known/Unknown Quantity

Chapter 123: Score One for Our Side

Chapter 123: Score One for Our Side

"Like this?" Newt nudged the doll into place, and straightened her little knot arms. Curious, he inspected the thing. "What a way to make a toy. I remember my grandmother having one of these." He looked back, and about the basement, at the other mirror items placed in nooks and crannies about the space. "Is this right?"

Anathema nodded. "As good as we can get for now. Shadwell, the lights?"

The older man leaned away from an array of halogen lamps, fiddling with a timer as he demonstrated their flickering. "Aye! If that witch strikes tonight, I be ready at my station."

"Let's hope you're quick on the draw," Anathema answered, then she turned to Tracy and Olivia. "How does that feel? How does it look?"

The two women strode the perimeter of the walls in opposite direction of one another. When they turned back, their smiles said it all.

"We did it, dear," Tracy beamed. "A perfect fence. Can you detect any openings?" This was directed to Olivia, who calmly shook her head, her gentle grin widening.

"Not a pinhole. Anathema?"

The little witch shook her head. "Feels sound to me. Fantastic. Score one for team Our Side. We have a temporary ward. So long as these mirrors reflect the magic field, he can heal."

"Can't keep him down here forever," Newt huffed, jumping down from the ladder.

Anathema called over her shoulder. "We don't have to. It buys us time. How fast can you go over the documents from the doctor?"

He shrugged, "Not long. It's mostly data. Last known address too."

The little witch smirked. "That may be the best bit of info we have. Gives us hope of finding her. But, for now," she spread her arms out, "we have this."

"I could bring it upstairs, extend the coverage. You know, give Crowley breathing space? He's got to be climbing the walls by now."

"Sadly, no," she explained. "The array must stay small for now. If we need more time we'll try it, but the main priority is to get him to health, in case it fails or she finds away around. While he's recuperating we can get a chance to make his wards endurable. But," she looked around the room, at all of them, "it's going to take all of our efforts to discover how to do it."

Inside Lower Tadfield, a conversation was being had over a PC game. The game itself was of a quiet type, though it doesn't keep the mind quiet in the least.

"Check mate."

"Cor!" Adam heard a young male voice on his headphones cuss, and go muffled. His opponent was throwing down his headset in disgust. A third voice, much calmer, snickered.

"Don't be so full of yourself," Adam said, resetting the game. "You're next."

"You forget who you're playing against," came a snide retort.

Adam grinned. "Greasy's gotten' real good at this, ya know. Better than you. Really, better than me."

The third voice came back. "Beginner's luck, Young," it grumbled. Adam shrugged.

The second voice yawned. "Aw, there are other games."

"No," Greasy growled. "There's this. Chess."

"All you need to know?"

"Right you are."

"Still," Adam added, scrutinizing the board as he finished setting up, "If you told me a few months back that this is how we'd be battlin' it out, I wouldn't have believed you, Johnson."

"But it's better," Greasy growled. "Don't have to be big for it. I'm tired of bein' big."

"Big sucks," Warlock agreed.

"It does," Adam affirmed. "Big can go suck it." He paused, and flitted his eyes to the window.

"Greasy, is the wind picking up near you?"

Quiet reigned for a minute, then," Fuck, it is. Warlock?"

"Shit. Smells like burnt rotten meat. Even with the windows closed."

"So, it's starting again."

"Playtime's over, guys. I've got to go out."

"Not without me," Greasy barked. "I'm the closest to you."

Adam rebuked him," No. You remember the plan, right?"

Greasy sighed. "Yeah, we focus on you."

"For now, Johnson," Adam added, before grabbing his backpack. "Can't put all the knights in one place. Not yet." And taking off his headgear, he looked down at Dog, who jumped up in anticipation of the hunt. Adam grinned," Alright boy, time to test the waters."

"Where are they, anyway?" Newt asked.

Shadwell colored, pretending to fiddle with the timer. Anathema rolled her eyes and edged up to her husband, and plainly explained," The angel went to heal him, now that Crowley's body can take it."

"I don't understand," Newt insisted. "Why take him out of here, where it's safe?"

"Only been safe just now."

"Still, he has to heal him in the bookshop?"

Shadwell was turning purple. He started to cough. Tracy bent down beside him and had a gentle word.

"Yes." The witch said it emphatically, pointedly. It was the kind of response that didn't encourage another one.

Newt just balked out her. "Why?"

Her face said: Really!?!

Her mouth worked, and opened, and at a loss for anything else that would work, said," It involves fucking, is that what you wanted to hear?"

Now Newt was coloring. "What? No! I could have gone my whole life without knowledge of that fact!"

"Well, you did persist, didn't you?" Anathema sneered. "Not really fucking. But it's a personal thing, that should be kept personal, and it had to be done as soon as possible. I gave them back the sword. We found a way to keep it warding against any unknown for twenty minutes. That's long enough. They'll be back soon." Now she turned to the others and waved them forward. And as the group started up the stairs, Newt's eyes bulged, "I just had to ask."

Anathema took the crook of his arm and leaned in. "Yes, you did."