Sigyn led Horus through a field of wildflowers in the fading twilight to the elderly Victorian-style building. Colors all around them intensified in the waning light as if a portal opened allowing them to step into another world. The feathers on Horus’s wings glimmered metallic blue tinged with an orange reflection of the fading sun. He held their mass up slightly as he walked through the vegetation, the lower flight feathers brushed across daisies and Queen Anne’s lace releasing puffs of pollen into the air. Sigyn sneezed. A smile flickered across Horus’s lips. The she-wolf was pleasantly silent company compared to his sister and her wolves. Perhaps requesting an assistant was premature.

Sigyn escorted Horus to the back of the manse into a mudroom that led to a massive kitchen. Inside, a thickly built startlingly redhaired male with a babyface chopped vegetables while a stew simmered on the stove. Horus vaguely recalled this male being among those to help dig him out of the crater. The smell of fresh yeast bread made Horus inhale deeply. On silent paws, Sigyn sidled up to the male and placed her head on the counter to his left next to a pile of carrots. When the male reached over to grab the carrots he instead laid hold of the large wolf’s muzzle. He loosed a deep guttural scream.

After catching his breath, the male shot a disgruntled look at Sigyn. “WHY? Why do you love to do that to me? If you keep it up I won’t feed you anymore.” It took another second for the male to notice Horus lurking near the mudroom. This time the male took a sharp breath. “Sir?”

“Where is evening meal held?” Horus commanded.

“Well… Sigyn eats in here. Everyone else usually goes to the hall.” The male gestured to a set of double doors.

“We will both eat in the hall, make sure my rooms are prepared while we dine.” Horus strode off leaving a slack-jawed cook in his wake. Sigyn licked the young fighter’s wrist then followed after the winged giant.

*

The ballroom turned dining area held several tables and benches. Pack members wafted in and out of the area, eating bowls of the same rich smelling stew from the kitchen. A pile of small loaves sat next to a massive pot filled to the brim with the aromatic concoction. A ladle hung on the edge causing a fine dribble of stock to run onto the white linen table covering. A group of musicians settled on a slightly raised stage plucked lazily at their instruments, appearing more to be rehearsing than entertaining. The bustle and soft conversation filling the room grew silent as the inhabitants became cognizant of Horus’s arrival. Some chose to slip out through side doors into the courtyard. Horus’s Carnelian eyes surveyed the room carefully. His pupil-less left eye warmed in its socket, the dark red striations in it glinting gold, as he studied the different types of energy in the room. The feral earth magic of the pack almost masked the softer magic of the human witches in the corner. So… Krish had witches here. Why had she failed to mention them? Horus strode purposefully toward their table. Sigyn bumped his leg from the side, attempting to herd him away from the quartette in the corner. Her strength surprised him as he took a wayward step in the direction she was moving him. Bracing himself he pushed her back, his thigh smacking into her shoulder. A few more quick strides landed him directly before the 4 witches.

A spiral haired blonde female and a young-looking brunette male looked at him in awe. A silver-haired matron quirked a smile and shook her head in disbelief.

A rangy dark-eyed man with curling black locks spoke but did not address Horus. “Perhaps our time with the pack is at an end. Things are becoming entirely too interesting here.”

Horus narrowed his eyes at the speaker. “You are no ordinary witch.” Gesturing to the other three. “These are hedge witches. You are something else. Something familiar.”

Zack responded with a lifted brow. The action angered Horus. “Who are you witch?”

Sniffing haughtily. “How long have you been gone that you do not recognize the get of a sworn ally Horus?”

Sigyn chose that moment to snort. One of the few noises she could make. The witches’ attention shifted to the she-wolf. The blonde’s eyes widened in alarm, her chair sliding away from the table in preparation to flee. Horus looked down at the grey wolf. Her lips pulled back from her teeth in a clear threat display, gaze locked onto the petite blonde.

“Interesting.” Swinging his focus back to the witches. “What does she have against the small witch?”

The silver-haired woman laughs. “They assigned Sigyn to you and didn’t tell you anything about her?”

“Merde.” The Frenchman complains. “This pack. It is like they desire everyone to die from drama.”

The blonde’s hands grip the armrests of her chair so hard her knuckles are turning white.

Hungry, tired, and done with being in the dark Horus decides to shelve his annoyance with the humans. “Whose child are you then?” He asks the dark-haired Frenchman.

“Onuava is my great-great, and then some, grand-mère.” The witch replies.

Excitement enters Horus’s voice. “Ah! Then we shall be good friends. I never thought to see any of her line again.” Horus reaches over, grabs the witch’s arm and pulls the sleeve up on his right arm. Interlocked into the tribal tattoos that cover the Frenchman is the image of a winged man wielding a sword. “You honor the pact.” He grins widely. “This is good for I am in need of your assistance.” An uncomfortable look travels through the coven.

Dragging a bench from under a window to sit on, Horus settles in at the table, oblivious to the witches' discomfort. “First tell me your names. Then tell me what chaos my sister has embroiled me in.”

The younger male witch finds his voice. “Ummm… could you do something about her first? She’s scaring Tazzie.”

Horus realizes the she-wolf is still snarling silently and has moved closer to the panicking blonde. Reaching a long arm out he plucks the massive she-wolf up by her scruff like a pup. Sets her down behind his bench, then taps her softly on the nose. “Behave. If she upsets you, do not look.” A mirthful half restrained gawfing sound comes from the matronly woman. Sigyn is a fierce creature, seeing her treated as an unruly cub is too much to ignore.

Introductions are made. Tazzie keeps a close eye on Sigyn. As Zack and Horus converse, the witches relax. The longer the discussion lasts the more evident it becomes to the witches the massive winged male is not a threat. He may even be a loyal ally. As the tension between Tazzie and Sigyn builds, Horus again requests an explanation. Sigyn’s rescue, torture, inability to shift, and mate rejection are thoroughly discussed.

“Perhaps the little witch should leave.” Horus comments as he notices Sigyn creeping around the side of his bench to better stare menacingly at the blonde witch.

“It might be best Tazzie.” Zack agrees.

“If you weren’t spending all your spare time with that jackass Beta she probably wouldn’t want to kill you Tazz.” Galena says to the younger woman. “I imagine Sigyn smells him on you.”

“Come on, I’ll go with you.” Erik offers. “Too bad Salem’s preoccupied. He could calm her down no problem.”

Zack shoots a disgruntled look at Erik. Erik shrugs. “What? Fertility gods have a way of putting folks in a good mood.”

Zack closes his eyes in exasperation. “Leave.”

Tazzie and Erik rise, opting to exit by the open courtyard doors, avoiding the unhappy she-wolf.

Horus waits a moment for Zack to compose himself before asking. “What type of fertility god was he talking about? More importantly, why did you not mention him earlier?”

Galena reaches out, placing her hand over Zack’s. “Salem has been through much for one so young. We were hoping to keep him out of further drama.”

“If he is entangled with Krish, that will be impossible.” Horus observes.

The next hour the small group quietly discusses Salem, the pack, Krish, Brice's disappearance, the shadow Alpha, and the invasive shadows that possess and consume their hosts. The sun long ago gave its last light to the sky as Zack and Galena agree to meet with Horus in his shop the next morning.

Horus ruffles Sigyn’s mane to awaken her. As if summoned, Krish appears in the open doorway leading out to the mansion’s foyer. “Are you ready to turn in?”

Horus’s tired smile turns to a grimace. “It appears you neglected more than a few key details sister.”