undergrounds | Bloody Barnet

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Bloody Barnet

With a Redbright presence coming into Haringey, there was cause to act swiftly and decisively. The werewolves could be of little help now. Their own political upheaval and the coming Blood Moon meant that they couldn't throw their support behind any one faction of witches, not if they wanted the best chance of protection during their vulnerable hours. Who knew if the considerable truce Midnight had enjoyed with them would even hold after this.

Either way, it meant Enfield might soon have Redbright control to two of their borders within the city. That was an uncomfortable place to be. The situation called for drastic measures.

Which was why Abigail Widdowson had decided that the only safe thing to do -- dangerous as it was -- involved spreading their influence. They had to move, and it couldn't be against the werewolves. There were no direct hostilities with them, and she wasn't going to be the one to fire the first shot. However, Redbright had already made their move in taking Barnet. They could be struck back at.

(An open post for the failed Midnight territory claim of Barnet! I will post a few sub threads that can be used either generally or for threads with Abby. Feel free to post your own headers, too!)

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The girl had a backbone. One that Sylvia would like to snap. But finally, she showed a modicum of common sense and made a counter offer that Sylvia could consider. A pact of mutual non-violence. It was a result she could use to reassure both Circle Daybreak and Redbright territories, and if honoured it meant that she could leave aside her concerns about Midnight for the moment and concentrate on the real threat: the fae.

A moment or two of silence passed. The vampire's eyes were on Abigail, waiting for the command to attack.

"Very well," Sylvia said. "Go back to your corner and stay there. We'll leave you alone if you leave us alone. I don't want any more dead witches on my watch. I'll expect your apology within the week."

Abigail let herself give a sigh of relief. It's not the best circumstance for all of it, no. However, it's something. It leaves them with fewer outright enemies, even if everyone will know this truce is precarious at best. Still, it was something.

"You'll have it."

Couched in political terms, carefully written. But she has a week to do it. To make sure she's not admitting more than she has to for this to be done.

Good. But she wasn't done yet. Sylvia went on: "And, as a guarantee of your trust, I want the names of all the witches in your coven."

After all, it was only fair that she knew who exactly she was making a deal with.

"Only if they agree. I won't compromise them without their permission."

She didn't have bargaining room. Except for the possibility of more bloodshed. But she couldn't do that to Kenzi and Nancy, and they wouldn't ever agree to let her give Sylvia their names.

She had to offer something, though. But what?

"Is there something else I can do as a gesture of good faith, Ms Redbright?"

She gave a faint smile. Oh, the girl was all politeness now, wasn't she. Sylvia straightened up, brushing away some imaginary specks of dust from her sleeves.

"If you're ever to be the leader you truly want to be, you'll need to do what's best for your people. Your coven won't be compromised. That information will be kept between you, me and the Night Council."

"And what's best for my people is to not betray their trust," Abigail responded, her back straightening a bit. "You can promise they won't be compromised, but that doesn't mean they'll believe it."

And, just to make her point--

"I doubt you completely believe I'll hold to this non-aggression pact."

There was no trust between them. There couldn't be, and they both knew it. At the very least, they would need time to see that they really would hold to it on both sides. Until then, either of them trusting each other was foolish.

"So, I'm not really inclined to just hand those names over, ma'am."

"Don't 'ma'am' me like it's an insult." For a moment she sounded like a teacher. Behave, young lady. "There is little point in coming to a truce if neither party intends to abide by it. I intend to abide by it. I hope you do. So convince me. Give me those names."

Sylvia knew the terms she wanted. Abigail would not be leaving this room until those terms were met.

For a few moments, Abigail hesitated. The others wouldn't forgive her. She wouldn’t forgive herself. After all, there were other 'neutral' parties in the Night Council who might decide to do a favour for their president without the truce ever being broken. She had to protect her coven.

"I can't," she said.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. There was one hope. It would make her look naive if Sylvia believed it at all, but she had to try.

"I don't know their names. We use code names and contact each other through burner mobiles. Precisely so no one has this information. I can give you the numbers and aliases, but that's all I have."

She almost laughed. Was Abby leading a coven or an online chat? Surely this had to be a ridiculous story. Sylvia had been present at the party Abigail had thrown at Geap Manor. The people she invited came from somewhere, and they weren't all Daybreak witches. If this was true, Abby was in a weaker position than she had thought, but frankly she found it hard to believe.

"Oh dear," she said. "A coven isn't a coven if you don't know who its members are. A coven is a circle of trust. You're not lying to me, are you, Abigail?"

If there was one thing Sylvia disliked, it was deception.

"I don't need their names to know them," she replied, perhaps a little too defensively. But that tone helped sell what she was saying. "However--"

It still made her uneasy, but this... This, she could do.

"I'll know their names on June 22nd. A year and a day after the coven began. That was our agreement, so none of us were bound until we could trust each other."

June. That was almost a year away. Far too long. Sylvia would hope to put a stop to this fledging coven long before then. Clearly, the girl wasn't going to give up the names of her own accord. Which left Sylvia with no other choice.

"I see," she said.

She exhaled, then walked around her desk to stop and open one of the drawers. The vampire in the corner grinned suddenly, sensing that she would be needed. Sylvia picked up a small crystal vial with an ornate stopper, twirling it around in her fingers, and then an ordinary teaspoon.

If Abigail was having second thoughts about having come here, the vampire would soon prevent any attempt at escape. She moved forward to take Abigail by the arm, then twisted her hands behind her back, forcing Abigail to approach the desk.

Sylvia opened the crystal vial and poured one, two, three drops of clear liquid onto the spoon. No need to waste more than was necessary.

"I'm afraid I need to be sure that what you say is true," she explained. "If it is, you have nothing to fear."

"Open wide," said the vampire, a hint of a laugh in her voice as Sylvia approached.

Abigail could take the truth serum. Or she could struggle and have her head forced back and her jaw prised open until she had to take it. Either way.

The moment she saw the spoon, Abigail tried to move. However, a young woman against a vampire didn't stand much chance, and she was quickly brought to heel. Even then, she struggled for a few moments before realising that it was pointless. Which didn't stop her from clamping her teeth together.

That offered no real resistance either.

When the liquid was forced down her throat, she tried hard not to swallow, but reflexes are reflexes. The glare she gave was vicious. If looks could kill... Well, she probably wouldn't have survived her own party, but.

The vampire kept hold of Abigail, ensuring that she knew exactly who was in charge here. Sylvia stoppered the bottle and returned it to the drawer, then sat down to regard Abigail with a measured look.

"Who else is in your coven?"

The serum would force her to answer.

Abby tried to keep herself quiet, but the potion wouldn't allow it. She felt sick as she fought it. Still, there was no use. The names came, one after the other. A handful of young woman. When she got to the last of the names, her eyes were narrowed viciously.

"Kenzi. Nancy. No last names."

Then, unable to lie and unwilling to even try, despite there being a vampire holding onto her.

"If any of them are hurt, I will retaliate against your other 'daughters.' The ones you actually care about. I don't care if you do it or someone else does. They get hurt, your Daybreak covens are paying the price in blood."

Never before had she understood the Widdowson legacy. The anger and hate that had driven so many deals of her family. The fear that dogged them. Now, she knew. She could feel why her family's history was written in blood. If she had to write another chapter in the same ink, she would.

Sylvia took notes with pen and paper as if Abigail was just another student making a confession to try and get out of trouble. She put the pen down when the girl lapsed into a hate-filled diatribe, almost shaking her head in wonder.

"You vicious little bitch," she murmured. "I hope these poor girls in your coven have more sense. Are you working with any fae? I want names."

This was another key question for Sylvia. Her people had suffered at the hands of the so-called fair folk, and she suspected that the rise of Circle Midnight and the faerie courts was not a coincidence.

"I'm not the only bitch here," Abigail spat back. She couldn't deny she was, no. Especially after being force-fed truth potion. But she wasn't even going to try to hold back what she thought of Sylvia.

"Only Unthank. I'm contacting another fae, but he's not working with Circle Midnight. Not in any formal capacity. If he chooses to help us, it's because he wants to. Not because we have a deal."

She chose to ignore the insult. Sylvia didn't care what Abigail thought of her, she cared about the threat that her coven might pose.

"And who is this fae?"

"Abrasax."

This wouldn't be forgiven or forgotten. Abigail gave a token thrash against the vampire's grip, even though she knew it was hopeless.

Another scribble on the notepad. It wasn't a name she had heard before, but it could be investigated. Sylvia regarded Abigail for a moment, then waved a hand. The vampire stepped back, releasing her.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm glad that we could come to an agreement. I meant what I said, Abigail. Our discussion here today will remain confidential."

Above all, their ceasefire had to remain intact. Even if the peace was undoubtedly shaky.

Abigail rubbed one of her shoulders a bit. The urge to flee was... high, but they weren't done. She had to protect her coven. Her Circle. They mattered more than she did. So, she took a deep breath, forced her back straight.

"I want to be able to be sure. It's easy to say -- that no one else will know. But what if they do? What if someone decides to 'take care of' members of Circle Midnight? What assurance do I have that you and the Night Council won't just look away?"

Besides her own threat to retaliating against Daybreak fivefold.

Sylvia gave her a considering look. The girl was persistent. And the question she asked wasn't easy, because it raised two conflicting issues. The first was Sylvia's mission to get rid of dark magic, and therefore Circle Midnight, altogether. If a Midnight witch died, well, perhaps it was for the best. They had taken down more than one dangerous, murderous witch in recent years. And after Circle Midnight's attack on Barnet, why shouldn't she look away if Abigail's witches were threatened? It was no more than they deserved, and less than many of her covens wanted.

But... She was the Mother of Witches. She had a duty to all her children, even the wayward ones. Even Abigail. That was why despite everything, Sylvia had sought a peaceful agreement with Abigail rather than killing her outright. She had allowed Circle Midnight to have their coven in Enfield, against her better judgement, because she could not destroy a fellow witch except as a last resort.

She folded her arms, voice soft. "If someone else targets a Midnight witch, it won't be because of what you've said here today. You have my word on that. Threatening to retaliate even if we had nothing to do with it isn't smart, Abigail. It's reckless and dangerous, and it will only harm you in the long run."

"I want something more tangible than your word." Abigail herself is surprised how boldly it comes out. Perhaps because she can either push further or else retreat entirely. And if she cowers now and lets herself cry? Everything she's fought for will be reduced to ash. "You protect your covens from the vampires and the werewolves and others. I want the same."

There would always be outliers, yes. Dangerous radicals on the fringes. And she doesn't relish the idea of hurting innocent people to repay those actions. But the threat of it is something to bargain with.

"If there is legal protection for us as there is for Daybreak, we will consider attacks made against us -- provided they are not merely swept under the rug but are investigated and prosecuted -- to be unrelated to the truce."

And, therefore, free from any retaliation.

There was leeway, she knew. A good show of investigating. Finding a scapegoat to pin it on. But there would always be a thousand loopholes. At least this might give some show of something to take to her fellow Midnight members. She owed them that much for having betrayed them already.

Sylvia raised her eyebrows. "You're asking for special treatment? After you attacked us?"

The bare-faced cheek of it. It was almost admirable.

Abigail took a deep breath. Her right hand's fingers tapped against her thigh. It was more than she wanted to show, but it was the least she could get away with doing without losing her cool completely. Still, she stood her ground as still as she could.

"You want to know we won't lash out for things you and yours aren't responsible. All I'm asking for is the security to know that someone won't decide to do you a favor and strike against us."

"No, what you're asking for is to be spared the consequences of your own actions." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "You know, Circle Daybreak has no special legal protection. Nor do any of the boroughs cared for by my school. What we have are alliances, the ability to protect ourselves, and a desire to keep the peace."

Perhaps, she thought, there was a way to turn Abigail's demand in her favour. Rising, Sylvia moved around to approach the girl.

"If you want that protection to be extended to your coven, you'll have to do more than merely refrain from attacking us." She held out her hand, offering a smile. "Become our ally. Help us keep the peace."

What choice did she have? With a vampire who could physically stop her from leaving and a woman who could call down the full force of the Night Council and easily hide her involvement...

"We'll settle on the precise terms in writing." She just needed to get out. Needed to put as much physical distance between her and this building as she could. Needed to sink into her bedroom in Geap Manor, where nothing could hurt her. "But I agree."

She extended her hand to shake Sylvia's, and she could all but feel her skin crawl.

Sylvia's smile widened, and it was a smile of victory. She wasn't a fae, so the promises she made weren't magically binding, but she had the means to ensure that Abigail kept to her agreement.

"Good," she said. "We'll be in touch."

With that, Sylvia stepped back, clasping her hands in front of her, and it was the vampire guard who moved forward to escort Abigail out of the room. Only when she reached a part of the building where sunlight intruded did the vampire retreat.

As for Sylvia, she had a different task ahead of her. Persuading the rest of the Night Council to sign off on this agreement. It would take time; legal documents always did. But she would get it done.

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Bloody Barnet

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