Assessing the situation..

[singindemonhq]

Monday 16th June. Entered into Journal belatedly.


I'd intended to smoke around checking the place out today. (I also had
plans to eat and drink a good selection of things that are not fish
or berries.)

In fact, after the last few days,what we both mostly needed was a rest.

Comments

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

*next morning*
*opens eyes slowly*
*is lying on floor-sits up*
*staggers to her feet, grabs her bag and
pulls out a T-shirt and jeans*
*gets dressed*
Oh ouch...*rubs at her shoulder...* I'm stiff,
and --*yawns.* Oh,great. What, was I up all night
howling or trying to get out?
*notices futon*
*walks over to lie down*
I'm going to try to nap for a little while. If
you go out...leave the door locked, 'K? I don't
feel like I could fight a kitten right now.
*pulls fold of blanket over her shoulders*
*falls asleep almost instantly*
*a few minutes pass*

....*jerks awake, face turning pale,covering her
mouth with both hands to hold back a scream..*

Oh, gods...No. All right, that's it. I can't
keep hiding from this...and you need to know what
we may be getting into. If she's...
We need to talk. Now.

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

*Smokes down to sit beside you. Turns you gently to lean against his shoulder*

Then tell me, now...

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

*hides face in your shoulder, trembling a little*
*steadies herself*
You remember, when we first met, I told you
Corona has to move because we've drawn some
hostile 'attention'? I wasn't talking about
Van Helsing types. We could handle that. I
don't know if we can beat this...We already
lost Nate and four more of our pack just
to buy time, and I don't even know how much!

Especially with me in another dimension
somewhere instead of at home.

Ok. The 'trouble' that's chasing us, or will
be soon? Her name's Lamia, and she's a demon.
Not a 'wolf, though I've seen her change shape.
Her other forms are snakes.
I don't know that much more about her,because
until half a year back she'd been trapped
underground...and that was, far as I've been able
to find out, over a thousand years ago...

She hates everything, Sweet. Werewolves most
of all. From what she said, it was 'changers who
helped imprison her. And me...I was the last face
she saw before we tricked her into coming back
underground and sealing her up again. When she
gets out-- And she will. What we did...we didn't
have time to research. The spells holding her now
are temporary. She's going to break out--
probably soon.

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

OK, OK, deep breaths and tell me slowly...

You say she hates everybody - is she after everybody? I mean, is she likely to attack whoever comes near? There are always ways to get rid of anything that stupid. Creatures like that don't last - humans aren't always helpless. especially some of the Wicca. I know your Clan may not have many allies, but have they any?

(*Gestures. The blue futon is now much wider with a sofa-style back supporting both.*)

Now, just relax and tell me all of it. Is this creature in L.A. or out in the wilds somewhere?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

*Calmer* Yes. I'm sorry to be so...this has been more and more of
a worry as time went by.
We have allies in L.A.-- Demetria is Wicca--even that isn't enough to describe her.
She's powerful. I trust her, and she and her circle have already said
if they can help, they will-- Demetria's been ally and friend to
Corona for a couple centuries now, almost from the day we immigrated to the United States. It's why
I went to her first.

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

... but isn't Demetria your boss in LA? I thought you told me she was sworn not to fight? Can she help you with this? *Leans back against the futon listening, still holding you loosely in the curve of one arm... *

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's right. But there's nothing prohibiting
her from defending herself or helping to protect
others. I got the spell we used on Lamia from
her... I was in Los Angeles when that...bitch...
got out and came after the rest of the clan...

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

Was that where she was, in Los Angeles? What happened?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

No, Lamia isn't in California. We stumbled across the place where she'd
been confined-- it's underground, a place in West Texas called the Natural
Bridge Caverns. Big tourist attraction. Me, Amber, and a couple friends of ours had gone sightseeing. We noticed a fissure in the cave walls that
looked like it led into a tunnel. I asked Amber if she wanted to explore it--- and she asked us what we were talking about. It turned out that only
those of us who were werewolves could see anything but solid rock.
...Gods, I wish we'd just ignored the damned thing...

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

Sounds as though you checked it out - I guess most people would have done. *Moves slightly, getting more comfortable,* What did you find?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

There was a rockfall blocking the passage about half a mile in. We could see
old symbols burned onto the stones. I couldn't read them-- Rashid told
me later it was Sumerian. We could all feel some kind of ward laid over the area... a powerful one.
I copied the symbols and took them to him. He translated it as something
like 'The Deathless One Of Many Faces lie trapped here, by the judgment of the Powers Beyond".

Well, that still didn't tell us much. Could've been a shapechanger, but we
didn't know. I went to talk to some older friends of ours in Los Angeles
who had been around a bit longer.

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

Did Ghost Walker advise you to turn the creature loose? I think I would have taken things a lot slower myself -what did he know about her?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

No--oh, no. He was horrified when we figured
out who the writing referred to...he and Demetria
had heard of her, all right. They just didn't
realize her prison was in the Southwest, much
less in a public place. I don't think I've ever
seen a ghost turn pale before...but I'd swear he
did. They both said we should look for a way to
make sure no one disturbed the wards. Ever.

We figured there was no urgency-- even if anyone was still alive in there, a few more days wouldn't matter....but--one of the stupider 'wolves in the pack decided to prove something by going into the tunnel alone. I don't know what happened exactly...*snarls a little*...but when he came back....Lamia was with him.
Let's put it this way: after a dozen centuries, the bitch had worked up one hell of an appetite.
*hands clench into fists*

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

*sits up, turning towards you, tightening arm around you*

Did she attack you? What happened, did you have to fight her off?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

I wasn't in Galveston when she found them--
Amber called me. She was beyond terrified.
Demetria just said "she'd better be." We
teleported straight back as soon as 'Metri
could get the spell up and running...

Lamia 's not mindless or stupid... I reserve judgment on "sane".....It was humans she attacked first, not us...but we had
another problem.
She claims werewolves descend from her and her "mother". I don't
know if that's literal truth, but there IS some tie to her... including the
fact that she can enthrall any werewolf within a certain distance. She
couldn't force us to turn on our families or friends....or not at first...
but we couldn't attack her directly....

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

She couldn't force you to turn on your families and friends at first? ....did she manage that ...?

*turns slightly to see your face better*

I think you'd better tell me exactly what happened... what did this Lamia do?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

I got there and...Nate was dead already...
she'd tried to force him to give her one of
his 'human pets'...When he refused, she just...
*chokes*
Humans aren't her idea of people; just meat.

From what we could figure out, her control
gets stronger as time goes by. We could manage-
just barely--to tell her 'no' but...it got
harder even over the span of a day or so.
Cheiryon had followed us out to Texas. He tried
to help us keep her distracted. Playing 'poltergeist'-- screaming at her, breaking
everything he could move...Demetria stayed hidden
nearby.

Then...Lamia noticed Amber... she went ballistic
when Stephen told her they were actually married.
We had to do something... I needed to get her
away from them...and try to keep her from
ordering me or Stephen to rip Amber's throat out
--because he was being hit a lot harder...
I was afraid he...might not be able to stop himself
if Lamia actually said it...

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

*pushes back your hair.* You did well to keep from obeying her, then.

But you said that she's imprisoned again now? How was that done?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

I tricked her. Cheiryon stayed nearby, invisible--kept whispering in my ear, helping me with my lines.
One of us should have won an Emmy...*laughs shakily*...
I told her I didn't believe she was any
'Elder Demon'...just full of herself. Asked why we
hadn't heard of her, if she was really so powerful
the "gods" had decreed her imprisonment?
She came back with me to the caverns, to show me
her "proof"...arrogant...


Demetria, Rashid and a couple of the human Clanmembers waited inside. As soon as she went into
the tunnel, I ran back outside. 'Metria set a
warding spell into the aperture, and then melted the
rock to seal it up physically.

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

... and if that was all, the story would be over, and you wouldn't be so worried now -did she get out again?

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

Demetria has been looking for a more permanent spell
--she thinks what's there now will last at most
half a year from the time it was cast. Sometime this
summer. Lamia was 'spelled asleep' before--we had no
way to do that. She's been constantly trying to
break out. If she does, and we're in "calling range"
then...

She didn't have time to DO anything,but I heard
her screaming at me before the shield went up...
She's still alive in there. We had tried
silver weapons on her...one of the human kindred
did. No effect.

Reimprisoning her is only a half measure anyway.
If we do that, we might be back in the same
damned mess a few years or decades down the
road... I want her gone. Permanently.

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

Would Demetria know how? Maybe the first thing you should do is get in touch with her to find out how things have gone - and your family too.

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

rubs at eyes wearily*
All Demetria could tell me is what we'd read
before; Lamia's race can be killed but there's
no clear report of how. Just talk about her
being 'unkillable by any mortal creature or
weapon of the living world.'

Gods, I'm so tired...right now I just wish I could
get a few hours' sleep without those rotten nightmares about the bitch...*hopefully*...do you
think there's anything your magic could do about
that? *curls up next to you*

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

*Moves a little closer, keeping arm very loosely around you.*

I'm tired too, we could try using the link - I'll just see if we can stay closely enough in touch so I'll know if you hit trouble while you're dreaming.
you sleep now. I'm right here....

[blood--moon.livejournal.com]

*smiles*
*moves closer*
*kisses you softly, then closes eyes*
*asleep almost at once*

[singindemonhq.livejournal.com]

*sings very softly*


I make the songs

For others to sing

Everyone knows

I don’t feel a thing,

I live my life,

Going away,

There’s a whole repertoire

Of what I don’t say,



*very sleepy...almost mumbling...*



Now something’s so right,

The world reflects your delight,



*and asleep....*