It feels like it's been ages since Charlie and Argent first decided to combine their brain power and skills to find and stop the darach. Since then, Derek was believed to be dead, she nearly died, one of the alphas actually did die, Boyd was killed during a confrontation with the surviving alphas, and there have been three more sacrifices. To say there hasn't been a lot of time for darach hunting would be an accurate statement but with the death of a local police officer, and former teacher, and the disappearance of another teacher, Charlie decided to take the day off from school to help Argent track down the monster.
Apparently while she was out, Argent discovered that the darach is working on a series of currents. Each place she takes someone from or sacrifices them at is within that current so it's only a matter of narrowing down where she plans to do the sacrifice.
"You still have that gun I gave you?" He asks as he pulls his SUV to a stop outside of an old warehouse.
Charlie raises her shirt to reveal the butt of the gun sticking out of the waistband of her jeans. He nods approvingly before stepping out of the vehicle. She follows suit, pulling the gun from her waistband and flicking the safety off. Argent motions for her to walk behind him and the two enter the building.
The moment her feet step over the threshold, she hears that familiar chanting. If there was any doubt that they are in the wrong place, it's quickly dashed. She wouldn't be hearing the chant if they weren't close to the darach or one of her sacrifices. Argent throws out a hand to catch her from walking forward. When she furrows an eyebrow at him, he points around the pillar they hide behind. She inches her body forward to peer around him and the pillar.
At the far end of the hall, strapped to a wall, is the unconscious math teacher missing from the school. Charlie is too far away to tell if he's breathing but her gut tells her he's still alive. Barely, but barely is better than not at all. Charlie is just about to ask what they should do when she hears approaching footsteps. Someone yells and an arrow whizzes past them.
Before Charlie can process what's happening, Argent steps out from behind the pillar and starts shooting at the now fleeing darach. When she follows the hunter, she finds Isaac and Allison staring wide eyed at the two of them. Their expressions of shock in no way overshadow the frustrated ones that Argent and Charlie share. They were so close to catching the darach and now their moment is gone.
Argent turns his frustration on his daughter while Charlie rushes towards the teacher. She doesn't even need to check his pulse to know he's dead. The darach must have finished him off when Allison fired the arrow. Two down, one more to go. Her only hope is they can stop the next one.
"We don't have time for this," Charlie says as she joins the arguing father and daughter. "There's still one more sacrifices she needs to do before she moves on to guardians."
"She?" Allison and Isaac ask at the same time.
Charlie sighs. The only people she's told about the darach's true name is Argent, Deaton, and her father. She was poisoned because the darach was frightened at what she could find out. She didn't want the people she cares most about put in danger by knowing the name.
"Look, it's a long story and it's one that I will be happy to explain once we stop the third sacrifice," Charlie says.
"How are we going to do that?" Isaac asks. "All the teachers have gone home for the day."
Charlie shakes her head. "Not all of them."
Ms. Blake decided to put on a musical assembly to remember those who have died. It's the perfect opportunity for the darach to either kidnap or sacrifice the third philosopher. Charlie checks her watch. They have thirty minutes to reach the school before the assembly starts.
