The cemetery was not a very welcoming place a night: shadows lengthened and merged until they enveloped everything, the light of the moon could not touch the darker places of the world, clouds further obscured the heavenly light, and through this Jewell walked lightly over the snow-covered ground amongst the graves. She was on her way home from an afternoon and early evening spent on the streets of the West End; dressed in black, she was just an additional shadow sifting amongst the others. The night sounds?the hooting owl, the breeze brushing across ice-heavy branches, periods of heavy silence?were merely background music to her own loud thoughts.

She was usually absorbed in the task at hand when she visited the graveyard, which was communicating in a one-sided conversation with Skyler. She had been more cautious as of late, however, with some many people recently sneaking up on her as she poured her heart out. This eve she could not sit still. She was uneasy. First, she tried sitting in front of the headstone but quickly stood, striding about with jerky motions as she spoke briefly out loud about how her day went. Her speech eventually tapered off and she just paced before the gravestone, restless.

She paused suddenly in her pacing, taking a quick glance around. This feeling, an unpleasant chill tickling down her spine, was not unfamiliar. Eyes were always on The Empress. ?I do not think I?m alone here, m?love,? she muttered quietly to the unhearing, unseeing, Skyler. Now that she had voiced the idea, she was fairly sure she was right. A quick spin on her uninjured foot directed her attention to where she thought she saw a shadow move. No, just nerves. Right?

Suddenly, she wasn?t so comfortable in the graveyard, no longer at home amongst the shadows. Who knew what they could hide? She did not feel up for another fight in the graveyard so soon. She leaned forward, pressed a kiss to the headstone, and spoke in a lover?s whisper, ?I must leave; I don?t believe it is safe for me to stay.? She thought she heard a twig snap, and was that heavy breathing? Yep, time to go! Despite her desire to run, perhaps even fly, from the land set aside for the dead, she ambled slowly out of the cemetery like she would on any other night. She did not wish to draw any more attention to herself.

Her destination was home but she didn?t take the quickest way there. She double-backed on the streets of RhyDin, busy with the evening traffic of those heading home late from work or going out to the bars and taverns. She spent at least a half-hour in such an attempt to lose the person she wasn?t even sure was following her. When she finally did arrive home, slightly winded and nerves on edge, she shut the door gratefully behind her and set the locks.

Jewell moved further into her house after resting a moment against the door, eyes closed. This was really getting out of control; she needed to do something to calm her nerves down. Business first, however. Thoughts of a relaxing bath with those delightful oils Toby had bought her were pushed aside for now. She took a peek into the kid?s playroom to make sure all was well before closeting herself up in her study to do some reading.

The five little misfits barely noticed their mother?s watchful eyes glancing over them, taking count and stock of who was where and in what condition. No, they continued on with their game. The two little girls had insisted that their brothers sit down to a tea party earlier in the evening. However, the tea party had been quickly abandoned by the two older boys, who left their little brother to eat imaginary cakes and cookies with the two demanding females.

Oz and Raven retreated to another corner of the playroom where an entire miniature world was set up. The Ravenlock children rarely lacked for anything and the boys now took to enjoying a new set of toy soldiers their mother had purchased earlier that week. They made so much noise that soon the girls abandoned their game of table manners and wandered over, Kerrick in tow.

There was a brief fight as the new soldiers were divided up amongst the five?no one wanted to be stuck with just the old ones?before the madness of an all-out war amongst the toys ensued. Devyn imitated the sounds of canons going off and Eva Jade knocked over some of her soldiers as a result, crying out, ?Oh noes! I?m hit!?

Kerrick laughed as he got both his sisters back for the tea party by swiping up all their new toy soldiers and dashing across the room with them. Rather than indignant words and crying, this sparked a round of tag. The other two boys quickly joined in and madness ensued. Devyn practiced defying gravity to get out of Oz?s reach, much to his annoyance. ?No magic!? He shouted up at her as she hovered right out of his grasp.

?I what I want!? Someone clearly did not like to be told no and indignantly stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

?No!? Oz jumped up, grabbing hold of his littlest sister?s ankle and pulling her down. She struggled briefly but lost her concentration, and therefore her ability to stay in the air, and went crashing to the floor.

She stood up quickly, face screwed up in angry defiance, ?I don?t wanna play with you!? So saying, she marched herself over to the other side of the room, grabbed up one of her dolls, and made a show of being totally enthralled in playing with it while the other children ignored her and resumed their game of tag. They were used to such antics by now.

It was only a matter of minutes before the littlest Ravenlock was bored and looking for something else to do. She refused to give in and play with her siblings again, her stubbornness a true reflection of that of her mother already. Casting her doll aside, she looked around for something to do before grey eyes caught sight of the one in the window. Ah?here was a new friend, perhaps, someone who would not ignore her like her horde of siblings did. She pressed her little nose to the window and smiled.

She eyed the latch of the window, wanting very much to allow her new friend entrance into the house. The temptation to show her siblings all the real fun she could have without them was great but caution prevented her from opening the window right away. She remembered when her brothers had seen that bat flying around outside and had opened their window to let him in. Their mother had been really cross about that. She was already not on her mother?s good side this week, having ruined her new dress with grass-stains yesterday when she was supposed to only play on the patio, and preferred not to tempt her patience further. She settled on a compromise, one that certainly ensured her own safety and the promise that she would not be punished later. Holding her finger up to indicate one moment to her new friend, Devyn ran out of the playroom and into the adjacent room?her mother?s study.

?Maama, can I let my friend inside?? She stood, anxiously in the doorway, swaying back and forth.

Her daughter came upon her when she was in a somewhat foul mood. There was an itch at the base of Jewell?s skull, growing in annoyance over the last few minutes. It happened at times, a quick change in the weather, someone using strong magic nearby, an animal disturbing the perimeter of her wards. She was fairly sure it was probably the last and of no real concern, just an annoyance. If someone or something tried to actually breach the wards, she would undoubtedly know. ?What friend is that, baby doll?? Jewell injected fake cheerfulness into her voice as she set the report she was reading aside and looked up skeptically at her youngest; she too remembered the bat incident.

The little girl huffed and rolled her eyes, as if her mother should already know the answer to this. ?The one at the window!?

Her mother went completely still, rare cold fear curling in her stomach. Suddenly, the itch at the base of her skull was not such a minor concern, especially not when connected to her own feelings of being watched earlier. She had to speak carefully as she stood, trying not to betray the turmoil of emotions washing over her, ?And what window is that, sweetie??

?The one in the play room,? Devyn explained in the exasperated way of an impatient child. ?Oz was mean to me. Tag is stupid and I played with my doll.? She started to recount the evening, but Jewell had stopped listening after her first words. Quick strides carried the water fae across the room and out the door, arms swooping up Devyn despite her protest as she made her way into the playroom again.

She really didn?t know what she went into the playroom expecting but she set Devyn down in the doorway with a harsh order to ?Stay put!? before moving further inside. Grey eyes shifted around the room?s windows critically. They were all spotless, spotless, spotless, except one. She felt a cold chill start in the pit of her stomach as she easily weaved through the racing bodies of children, still engaged in their childlike game of tag, to get to the window that Devyn had so innocently pressed her nose against minutes before.

The prints from Devyn?s oily little hands marred the window from the inside but it was the blood staring at her from the outside, in a very clear message, that made Jewell go ashen. I SEE YOU. She pressed her fist to her mouth to tame the scream that was locking up her throat, preventing her from breathing. Weeks ago, there had been the personal warning in the form of a severed member that she had casually brushed aside and now this. This was more than a warning. This was a threat. This was a clear sign of how much danger she had placed the darling little souls under her protection in.

She didn?t once think about herself.

The children?s game had slowly come to a halt as their mother continued to stand in the room, unmoving, staring out the window, at the window. She was trapped, horribly fascinated by the way the rainwater mixed with the blood to run down the glass. Dripping. A dream: a strong hand wrapped about her throat, strangling the life out of her as her back was pressed against a wall thickly covered with blood, the blood of countless innocents dripping down from unseen heights. Her whole body shook with a sob she was not allowed to give release to.

A tug on her pant leg and Oz?s concerned, ?Mama, what?s wrong?? sent her into rapid action. She spun about quickly, almost knocking the poor boy over. ?IONA!? She screamed for her housekeeper. The older woman came running into the room from the kitchen, where she had been preparing for the next days? meals, eyes wide as she looked for signs of injury amongst the children or the lady of the house. Jewell?s trembling figure did not go unnoticed by her. ?Take the children up to my room, now. Get Melissa,? the children?s current governess, ?out of her room to watch them with you. Get the blaster out from under my pillow. If anyone comes in that isn?t me, shoot them.?

Jewell?s directions were so rushed, her tone clearly spelling out that she was one step away from hysterical, that Iona merely stared at her for a moment, ?Miss??

?DO IT NOW!? She snapped at her, a first even after all these years. Iona and the children all visibly shrunk back at this raised tone, so unusual for the calm fae who rarely allowed her internal turmoil to be seen by those in her household. Iona didn?t waste any more time, just gathered the children up. Eva Jade was already starting to cry and Kerrick was visibly holding back tears. Jewell didn?t take any note. As Iona ushered them upstairs, she turned back to the window and flung open the one next to that which had been defamed.

The Empress stepped out into the pouring rain, her one hand held aloft as an orb of energy sparked to life to light up the immediate area. Her voice screamed through the night, tearing through the raindrops, ?Whoever the hell you are, I?m going to find you! You understand? Show yourself! You don?t f*ck with my family! SHOW YOURSELF!? Her demands went unheeded and she shouted in frustration, kicking at the ground.

Only then did she think to look around for clues, the futile screaming dispensing that blinding rage for the moment and allowing her to think clearly. The heavy downpour and the shrubbery that surrounded her house obscured the footprints, much to her dismay. The only things she found in her quick hunt in the dark were the dead roses. She left them untouched and returned inside.

Tracing mud and water through the house, she ran upstairs to check on the kids. They were well enough, all things considered, although frightened and upset by her earlier display. They had heard her screaming into the night. She couldn?t spare the time to reassure them, couldn?t find the composure to do so. She rubbed her hands over her face, just trying not to scream again and rapidly thinking about what to do. What could she possibly do now to keep them safe, to protect them in this perilous situation in which she had placed them?

?I need you to help me start getting their stuff together, Io. Only things they immediately need, clothes?maybe a favorite toy?? She knew she was only increasing their trepidation by the way she couldn?t stand still, how she paced the room as she spoke, the way she kept peering out the windows as if checking for something?someone. ?Give the blaster to Issa.? She nodded to the younger woman, who was clearly frightened as well and unsure of how to handle the weapon that was handed off to her. ?If you even think you hear anyone?see anyone,? Jewell instructed the governess seriously, ?just scream.?