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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DanMcS" data-source="post: 735280" data-attributes="member: 6530">Wolfgang and Mason perched in Juan's van, peering out the windows as they coasted through night-shrouded Sharon Woods.  They'd seen naught but deer all night, and even a call to Mason's police contacts revealed no brutal murder/maulings to speak of."It's not like the skin changers are low profile," Juan mused.  "There should have been something, local murders, cattle mutilations, just an increase in sightings of wolves or wild dogs.  But not a peep."Mason's phone chirped.  "Hey, Isaac...  I see.  You're alright?...  OK, we'll head down that way.""What was that?""A peep."***Isaac had awakened to find a pair of cops kneeling over him.  Their smelling salts snapped him to consciousness, and he scrabbled backward before realizing these men weren't snarling.He had stammered something to them about slipping on the ice and hitting his head, and they finally left after admonishing him to visit a doctor in the morning.He held clenched in his fist the whole time, he knew not what, but it hadn't been there when he was beaten into unconsciousness.  He read it then hit speed-dial for Mason.***My dearest Isaac,It has come to my attention that you have something I want, and now we will make a trade.  The Tome for Ms. McKendrick.  Tonight at 12:15, Pierce Field in Grandview Heights.Do not involve the police in any way.  If I see even one policeman, Ms. McKendrick dies.  If you arrive before midnight or after 12:30, Ms. McKendrick dies.  These are non-negotiable.  Please choose wisely.Nicholae Stefanis***Nicholae- wasn't that the name of the Vlad Dracul book-buyer at the auction?  Isaac had assumed it to be a fake name, so he'd never looked into it.  Cocky villain.Isaac called Mason back and had them meet him at the reporter's hotel.  The hotel phone didn't answer, so we went up to the room.  Isaac thought he might have to break the door in, but it was ajar.  They swept in, guns drawn.The place had been ransacked.  Mason gave it a trained once-over, and pronounced it a setup.  "These papers are very neatly scattered, and none of them have been stepped on or even ripped.  She must have ransacked her own room or something."We did find some real clues; an empty package addressed to "Nicholae Stefanis, Konopiste hrad, Konopiste, Czech Republic".  The reporter's calendar noted interviews with the same, a couple of months ago; a flight was noted to Prague for a couple of days from now.  The reporter was in on it with Stephanis.  Nothing more to see here.***They regrouped at Daedalus' home.  The director was absent himself, having travelled west with Bronagh and Cedric the day before on some investigation or other.  Blast him."We have three hours.  We can't get there early.  What can we put together in three hours?  We'll need the book, too.  Where's Primrose?"The elderly scholar tottered in.  He decried the idea of taking the book to Stephanis.  Isaac was fairly set, but the idea was proposed to take a fake instead.  Primrose said he could provide a magical copy which might foil any inspection, for a couple of hours at least.  He went to work on that.We took stock of our resources.  A couple hundred silver rounds siezed from the elf, and machine pistols to use them.  Juan could provide some revolvers which would also fire those rounds.  He had silver for his own M16, and a spare, which Wolfgang would take.  Everyone got a revolver and a machine pistol, and several clips for each.  We debated arranging some explosives, but time was moving on, and we didn't want to be late.Around 11:30 we collected the fake book and as much ammo as we could carry, piled into the two vans and pulled onto the outerbelt, southbound for the meeting.***Pierce Field was easy to find.  We parked the vans just off the road, on the south verge of a wooded plot, and nervously adjusted."We're not early, are we?"  Tighten a strap."No."  Flip open the revolver, eyeball the cylinders."Wish we had some night vision."  Pocket a collapsable baton."Me too."  Flip the revolver closed, goes in the jacket pocket."Maybe some white phosphorus, or just molotov cocktails..."  Safety off on the M16."We have what we have.  Let's get this over with."They stalked through the woods toward the lit clearing ahead.  A little park lay here, with a couple lights and a burbling fountain.  Bound with duct tape by the fountain lay McKendrick.  Isaac hustled in to cut her loose, the rest trained weapons outward, looking for trouble."You have the book?  Lay it on the fountain."  Stephanis wafted in from the trees, smiling to himself.Isaac held up the book, then set it down as directed.  "Here it is.  We'll just be going now, you have your book, have a nice night.""I think not.  I've brought some friends for you.  Some you know from earlier tonight.  Others will be pleased to make your acquaintance."  Stephanis sort of shuddered, then actually faded before our eyes, becoming as mist, and then, nothing.  He was gone.Glowing eyes looked in from the woods, and the five of us backed in towards each other as the hulking shapes stepped to the edge of the circle of light.</blockquote>

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