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Chapter 78: Poppy Liam's Home!

Faelen sighed. It was lunch time, and they'd eaten a quick lunch in order to head up to the student council's room. His last school didn't have a set of rooms dedicated to student groups like this. Offices for the student council and the newspaper club. A greenhouse for the gardening club, or the botanical club as they preferred to be called, and more. He never realized how many clubs, groups, and organizations there were. They'd received a booklet on them when Conor signed them up, but he hadn't even glanced at it since Geoff would be the one deciding what they'd join.

They were in the student council's conference room, though he was pretty sure it wasn't just the council's room. Present were the president and vice-president, the editor of the newspaper, the chair of the planning committee, and the four of them.

The president, an officious young Tree Frog, blinked his large gold eyes as he called the meeting to order. Quite unnecessarily, Faelen thought, since everyone was already quiet.

"Greetings, everyone. Let's start by making quick introductions. I'm Lucio Bonilla, president of the student council, in case anyone didn't know." He chuckled as if that was the most ridiculous idea ever, before gesturing to the owlish looking Gopher next to him. "This is Amanda MacPhee, my vice."

Amanda nodded as she jotted down notes. Her pale brown fur matched the pressed wood clip board she held.

"She'll be acting as secretary for this meeting." Lucio gestured to the other side of him; the palm of his hands were a very pale green, almost white, unlike the vibrant green of the backs of his hands.

The person Lucio gestured to was a Cobra, a very rare species. The only Snake Faelen had ever seen before was Beriatana, and that wasn't her natural shape. The Cobra was coiled up by the table; he had the top portion of the uniform on, but no pants would fit over his long, legless, lower body. Faelen was quite certain he'd never seen him around school before.

Lucio was talking, "Ahjeet Jhansi may be a new face to you grade ten students, since he missed the first few weeks of school, but he's been working with the newspaper club for the last two years."

Ahjeet's tongue flicked out rapidly a few times as he faced the Canines. He swayed slightly and his hood briefly flickered open just enough to show a flash of brilliant orange. "It's a pleasure to meet everyone. I hope to have the opportunity to interview each of you four; you sseem to have very interesting stories to tell." He barely hissed his esses, but it was still noticeable on some words. Ahjeet twirled his pen around his fingers and smiled. Faelen wasn't sure what type of smile it was; the Serpent's scent was so unusual he couldn't get a reading from it.

Lucio softly croaked, his throat sac bulged slightly as he made the noise. Faelen was surprised at the sound: it didn't boom, it was more like a musical chirp. Lucio took the figurative centre stage again. "For the planning committee, we have the chair, Gertrude Bokma."

A black and white Holstein Cow nodded and waved as she batted her eyelashes at Geoff. Faelen almost choked when he saw the pink bow on her tail.

Ahjeet's smile grew and Faelen could almost see the tabloid headlines being formed in the Serpent's head.

Lucio didn't seem to notice the byplay. "Now, Mr. Liam Smith," He gestured at Liam as he continued to talk, "Has brought his friends: Geoff McDougal, Faelen O'Conall, and Nathanial Marks." He held his hand out, palm up, to gesture at each person, rather than point. "Liam... Smith," He must have heard about Liam's insistence on being addressed by last name only. "Will be holding an art auction as a fund raiser for the Capital District Health Authority, primarily for the Q.E. II, in support of Mrs. Davis. I'm not sure if you've heard about her sudden failing health."

Ahjeet softly hissed and raised his hand. Lucio stopped in surprise and looked at the Snake, who said, "Perhaps Mr. Smith should be the one to tell of his purpose, Lucio? It was his idea to have us here, and his fundraiser that we're discussing."

Gertrude agreed, even as she kept gazing at Geoff with her large, brown eyes.

Lucio surrendered and sat down, waving at Liam to speak.

Liam stood. He was easily the shortest in the room, but it didn't seem to be noticeable as he looked around and naturally held everyone's attention. Only Geoff seemed capable of commanding more attention out of the people Faelen knew in this age group. Faelen felt a small surge of pride for his boyfriend.

Liam began talking, "Thank you, Mr. Jhansi, Mr. Bonilla. Thank you, everyone, for coming here to listen. As you are aware, Mrs. Davis is in poor health, this is due to life threatening brain tumours that are an after effect of the... problems we had in the school last month. I am conducting an art auction in support of Mrs. Davis, with the proceeds going to the hospital, the Department of Diagnostic Imaging, specifically. Mrs. Davis asked, as a favour, that I have the student body participate and organize the event. There will be two primary events, one consisting of the school body at large, and the other will be the next night and showcase the elite artistic talents within the school. Only those vetted by me shall be permitted to take part in that event." Liam stopped to wait for questions

The other four fell silent for a few minutes before Ahjeet spoke, cautiously, "My journalist senses are tingling, Mr. Smith. There's a lot you aren't telling us."

Liam met the Serpent's gaze evenly, answering with a simple, "Yes."

Ahjeet waited a bit, but seemed to know there wasn't going to be anything else. "Okay. Then why are you holding the auction? Why is your event the highlight, the centrepiece? Why are you acting like the rest is a distraction from what's important?"

Liam kept his gaze steady, his tone neutral. "It is because I agreed to do the auction and had planned to do so by myself, with the assistance of the Health Authority's professional charity organizers. I only consented to involve the other students at the urging of Mrs. Davis. I do not know the calibre of the talent in this school and will not gamble with my reputation in such a manner. I have compromised as far as I am willing to."

Lucio frowned and his throat sac vibrated rapidly, creating a noise like a swarm of crickets. "And you think your art is worth anything, all on its own? That you could've held a charity, a worthwhile charity, by yourself? Why would the hospitals give you the time of day, let alone the help of their staff? You're a charity case already! You only got here on a scholarship; how could you own any valuable art?"

Faelen had to stop himself from growling, and he could smell Nathanial's temper flare up, too.

Liam was angry, but his tone was amused. "Dr. Miller, the head of the Diagnostic Department was extremely eager to offer any help he possibly could. Despite his words, I do not think he was all that pleased when I refused his offer of help. I know my art could stand on its own in an auction and raise substantial sums of money. My art, not art I own. Two pieces have been appraised that I know of; both valued at over twenty thousand dollars and insured for fifty thousand. They are my early works and were donated, not publicly sold, so there was no true benchmark as to their value, which is rumoured to be much higher. Thus, I leave the general event entirely with you, and I will supervise the work on my event."

The other four were still and silent, only Ahjeet's tongue was moving. Liam continued, "Now that this has been settled, we should have the newspaper print out an emergency bulletin calling for help from all of the clubs and the general student body in putting this on. Perhaps put out a suggestion box or some other thing to gather ideas, but work must begin by next Friday. Flyers and other advertisements should begin to be produced around that time, as well, no later than the following Tuesday, so that word can be properly spread. I wish to find some musical talent to perform between the paintings on offer, and perhaps someone to give a short lecture on the relationship between art and health. No matter how vigorous bidding may be, seven paintings do not make an event."

Liam smiled kindly, but Faelen could tell that he was still annoyed. Liam's tone remained mostly neutral, but there was a slight warmth in his voice to match the smile. "I apologise if I spoke a little harshly, but I truly wish for this to go as smoothly and as professionally as possible. I ask for your help; please, let us do our best for Mrs. Davis." Liam sat down.

Gertrude seemed very touched by his words. She raised her hand, then spoke, "That's so sweet, Liam."

Faelen could see his friends glance at the Rottweiler. Liam tensed slightly, but gave no other outward sign of his annoyance.

Gertrude continued, completely sincere and friendly. "One of the best musicians I know of in the school is Betty Chan. She knows how to play several instruments and can dance. Her father has had her in lessons for most of her life; I've seen some of her recitals and she's as good as anyone I've seen at the Nova Scotia Symphony. Better than most, actually. She could even fit in with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra."

Liam's smile faltered, but his voice remained unchanged. "Indeed, I know her father quite well. It does not surprise me that she would have musical training. I cannot say that I've heard her play, but I will keep it in mind. As a note, Ms. Bokma, I prefer that people address me formally until we get to know each other better."

Her face fell; she seemed very hurt, but nodded her understanding. Faelen felt a little sorry for her.

A few other names and ideas were tossed around, before Ahjeet rose up higher on his tail. "Excuse me, but I should quickly talk to my staff before lunch is over. I want them to come up with ideas before our meeting after school." Gertrude nodded in agreement.

Lucio stood up and banged his gavel. "Then I call this meeting adjourned. Let's reconvene Monday for an update."

Ahjeet lowered himself back down slightly and slithered toward the door. When moving like this, his head was level with Liam's. He glanced back, his slitted pupils fixed on Geoff for a moment as his tongue flicked out, then he slithered out of the door. Gertrude waved shyly at Geoff as she followed Ahjeet, careful not to step on his tail with her hooves.

Geoff's phone buzzed, he pulled it out and checked it. He quickly answered it, "Hi, Da. Anything wrong?"

Faelen could hear Conor perfectly clearly, "Yes and no, Geoff. I won't be going back home with you tonight. I was asked by the local clan to attend a meeting; apparently there's a national gathering of the clans and tribes and they want me there. I wasn't invited originally, but the other leaders flew in yesterday evening and when they heard I was here they wanted to talk to me. Da thinks I should go; he's pushing for more ties between the Isles clans and the Canadian ones."

Faelen perked up and quietly asked Geoff, "Last night? What flight were they on?"

Geoff relayed the message and Conor answered, "I'm not sure. Most of them would've come in via Toronto, so one of the Air Canada flights from there. Does it... Oh. Right, I didn't think of that. Roughly three dozen alphas and chiefs on a single plane? Yeah, I can see why some of the Knights were so eager to shoot it down, Furs be damned. I imagine there will be a lot of anger at the meeting, and across Canada when this gets around. I wonder if I should tell them the full story?" There was momentary silence on the phone before Conor sighed, "This isn't your problem, I just wanted you to know that I probably won't be going back with you tonight. I'll be there when you talk to Da, though, Geoff, so don't worry. Just enjoy your day at home and we'll leave this for tomorrow. Bye bye, now."

"Ta ta." Geoff hung up the phone and stared at it blankly.

Faelen clapped him on the shoulder, and spoke quietly, "You have a bit of a reprieve. Just plan on showing Nathanial around this evening and enjoy it. You'll have to take... huh. I... guess," His stomach plunged as it dawned on him. Poppy Faeden would be there with Liam and the senior O'Conalls, Da would be with Conor at this meeting, and that left him. Was there anyone else he could trust to escort an amorous Geoff and Nathanial around the grounds? Would Geoff and Nathanial be able to be around someone else that long without outing themselves, or at least raising too many suspicions? There were a few O'Conalls that wouldn't be meeting with Liam today that could escort them, but they didn't know what was going on. He thought he could trust his Aunt Kiera, she should be back from university this weekend, but she was supposed to be talking to Da and him. Since that talk was going to be delayed, maybe that would work. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset when Da told her about Faelen's mother.

Faelen smiled and tried to put his best face forward. "Kiera. Aunt Kiera should be home this weekend. She can take you."

Nathanial moved a little closer, whispering, "Right, but let's talk somewhere else. We have Integrated Science next, we can talk there." Everyone agreed and left the room.

---

Nathanial opened the front door for his friends and followed them inside. After wiping their hindpaws on the mat he brought them to the kitchen.

He had been pretty quiet on the way home trying to work out a problem. Where to try to open the portal from? The assumption was that he'd be opening it in the same room as the teleporter at Geoff's, but after seeing the way his spells had interfered with each other last night he thought that would be an absolutely stupid thing to do. He was also not that familiar with the wards on that room, so it'd compound the problems further. He normally did magic like this in the basement; he was intimately familiar with all of the magic here, so his subconscious would automatically adjust for it. Yet it was pretty far from this side of the teleporter, so if he needed to look at this side of it, he'd have to make another portal. The logical solution was the rec-room at Geoff's, but every time he thought about opening a portal of this... magnitude, for lack of a better word, in a non-warded room, his blood ran cold.

He sat on a stool, noting that Micah was running up the stairs. He began scooping out some yoghurt and fruit into two cups. "Faelen, Dirk will have tea for us, right?"

Faelen nodded. "Yes. We shouldn't stay here too long. Nick will be home soon, right?"

Micah plopped on a stool. "Yup! In five minutes. Thanks for the parfait, Nats. Um, and hi, everyone."

Nathanial looked at his naked brother. "Right. We should go before Nick gets home, or we'll be over a half hour getting back to your house." Geoff and Faelen looked confused, so Nathanial continued, "For your knots to deflate. When Nick gets here he'll be radiating so much sexual energy, I don't think we could resist it. Even with a Mind Ward up it seems to find a way through, though not nearly as strongly."

Faelen chuckled. "It's not a purely mental effect, Nathanial. I can smell the pheromones he puts out; they're... heady. Even small amounts start getting to me very quickly. I don't think your spell stops pheromones; they're only partly magic, if it's magic at all."

Nathanial was confused, then he thought about it a bit more. They could be magically produced, inside Nick, but perfectly natural in and of themselves. That would mean Nick's... aura would affect people and species very differently, but since they were all Canines, and were all Canines every time it came up, they'd all have felt the same thing. Of course, the Mind Ward he cast on his birthday blocked almost all of it, so there was definitely a mind affecting component, or was that part from Micah? There was a problem, though. "How do I feel it over such a large area, then? He doesn't even have to be on the property and I can feel the effects of it."

Faelen's face went blank, but one corner of Liam's muzzle quirked up into a tiny lopsided smile. "How do you know his is not upon your property? By your magical senses, yes? You have said that it is not just a variation of sight, but that your extra sensory perceptions detect many things. Why not pheromones? The mind is capable of reacting to stimuli it thinks it is receiving, so perhaps that is all that is happening."

Nathanial pondered that for a second, while Micah began digging into his snack. Nathanial nodded; it did make some sense, but it still didn't make his balls hurt less when he detected Nicholas walking up the street. "Gods." He fidgeted as he quickly became fully erect. Faelen's eyes lit up and his nose twitched. "Yeah, so I smell good when I'm horny, too. Nick is almost here. Let's go and come back after Micah takes the edge off him."

Geoff's nose started twitching, too, probably smelling the precum pouring out of his dick. Nathanial saw Geoff's pants getting tight. He opened a portal into Geoff's house and stepped through, then called back to Micah as his friends followed him, "I'll be back in twenty minutes or so. Make sure Nick knows I won't leave without saying goodbye." Micah waved and Nathanial closed the portal.

Geoff suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into a deep kiss. Nathanial saw Faelen smile before yelling up the stairs, "Da! We're home!"

Dirk yelled back from the kitchen, "Good! Tea will be ready in five!"

Nathanial pulled away from Geoff. "Stop, my shorts are already soaked, I don't need more pre in them."

Geoff whimpered slightly, then smiled. "I can smell you, you're really turning me on."

Nathanial shook his head. "Let me pat them dry, then we can go eat."

Partway through tea, Nathanial turned to Liam and asked, "I was hoping you could help me with something. I'm trying to figure out where to open this portal; I don't want to do it inside or too close to the teleporter room in case the magic interferes with each other like the spells did last night, but I don't want to try opening a portal in a non-warded room. My basement would've been perfect, but I may need to move between the two teleporters frequently, so I want to do it from here. I don't think I can make a ward like the one in my basement very easily, though. Does my grimoire have any warding spells I can study and maybe adapt? Even a similar type of ward may give me the keys I need to make a copy of the one on my basement."

Liam took a bite of his pasta salad and chewed as he thought. He swallowed, then said, "No, not that I can think of, but I do not know the wards on your basement. There are many wards that block certain magics or effects, but I believe you are looking for... interplanar travel? There are none remotely close to that in your grimoire, at least none that do not require much preparation and components. There are two of those, but both require glyphs to be drawn around the warded area in special inks. The inks, alone, would require much time and energy to make."

Conor asked, "Why would you want something to block interplanar travel? Or any travel? That's what we want to do. I would've thought you'd want to block scrying, but I couldn't even come up with a good reason for that. The Agents know about us and you'd have to open the portal before you could block scrying on the Ireland side, which would make any attempts to stop scrying there moot."

Nathanial fidgeted as everyone looked at him; they all seemed confused, even Liam to a degree, but he didn't have a good answer. Which was his answer. "I don't have a good answer. I just know the thought of trying this outside of a protected area scares me a bit. I guess I'm just so used to working magic in the basement of my house that I feel more comfortable there, and I kinda want any reassurance I can get."

Geoff took Nathanial's paw and squeezed it. "I'll be right here, Nathanial. You can open portals to the Planes. Ireland is a lot closer than they are."

Liam's voice was a little dry, "Not precisely, Geoff. There is no distance, as we see it, between the Planes. They are here." Liam waved his paw around him. "They are separated by... veils, barriers of some sort, not by space, matter, or time. By nothing we can truly measure. However, you are correct in another sense. To travel, in any fashion, to a Plane is far more difficult than travel within a Plane. Before I met Nathanial, I would have said that it would be easier to go to the moon than the Plane of Darkness. I would have also said the likelihood of surviving either trip to be the same." He tipped his head to the side. "Correction. Prior to this life I would have given higher odds on returning from the moon. I did not know that the heavens were a vacuum, nor that the moon was inhospitable. However, I did not think it was made of green cheese, and for those that do not know, that does not refer to the colour but the ripeness. Green cheese is unripened cheese."

Geoff gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, thanks, Liam. You could've stopped before that whole moon thing. Or the lecture on cheese. We got the point."

Nathanial saw Liam's eyes sparkle as he prepared to get into another argument with Geoff. Sometimes he thought Liam enjoyed fighting with him. Nathanial squeezed Geoff's paw, and said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence you two. I'll... try here. My pointless worries shouldn't make me make this more difficult than it needs to be; I have enough stuff to work through when I get over there. Um, C-Conor, you said the alphas probably flew in on Air Canada six-ten?" Conor nodded. Nathanial felt his soul sink, but he didn't feel too bad. At least he knew why those Knights were willing to risk so much and kill so many innocent people. He'd have to pass this on to the Knights he worked with; they probably stopped an open revolt of Spirits in Canada, if not globally.

Nathanial smiled at the Water Spirit. "You should tell them the truth about what happened, all of it. They were saved by a team of Knights. Knights who were willing to act against what they thought may be the commands of their superiors in order to stop an unprovoked and unjust strike. They were willing to fight and kill people they knew, their friends, in the name of justice. Make sure they know that the Knights don't have to be our enemy. Sure, some of them are no better than the bad Hunters, but lots of them are good people, too. Maybe hearing about a forming schism in their order will make the Spirits sit and watch for a bit."

Conor returned Nathanial's smile. "You're working on your diplomacy skills, I see. All of the truth includes you, too, Son. The story won't work without your involvement." Nathanial ducked his head as he blushed, making Conor chuckle. "I'll tell them. It should help keep the peace for a bit longer. If they had proof of the Knights Templar involvement when the story broke, I think Canada would've seen the start of a brutal war already." He pressed his fingertips together. "Maybe that's why they want to speak to me so much. To try to get the Cork Clan to call on the European clans to support a war. I'm willing to push the Society to punish the Knights and to give concessions to the clans, but I won't support any measures calling for violence. I hope the alphas and chiefs will listen."

Nathanial sighed in relief. He was pretty sure Conor could talk the other guys down. If the Cork Clan was the biggest and richest one in the Isles, and was hugely influential amongst the European clans, his word should have a lot of pull with the Canadian clans. Nathanial paused, and asked in surprise, "Chiefs? I thought the leader of a clan was the alpha?"

Conor shook his head. "I told you that the Spirits don't have any consistent form of government across clans. Why would we have consistent names? I usually say 'clan' and 'alpha' because that's what I'm used to. The Halifax Clan is mostly descended from the Isles, Scotland, primarily, so they use the same terms we do. Most of the Maritimes use the same names, with a few exceptions. Parts of Quebec uses the French names, but the majority of Canadian Spirits use 'tribe' and 'chief'."

Den shifted in his chair, then said, "Conor. We should begin. We don't know how long it'll take to get the portal opened, how long it'll take to look at the teleporter, or how long basic introductions will take. Luke will want to see the pup he's trusting to look at the teleporter before he lets him tamper with it; he's trusting a lot to Nathanial and that teleporter. You and Geoff mean a lot to him, and so do Avery and Gwen."

Conor nodded with a sigh, "Your right. Nathanial, Liam-sensei, if you don't have your things for the weekend here, go get them. Nathanial, don't use a portal; we don't know how much magic this is going to take and you may not be able to stop in the middle of your work. Conserve as much as you can. Geoff, this may go very quickly, so you should pack up, if you haven't."

Geoff lowered his head, looking disappointed.

Conor chuckled. "Buck up, Geoff. Nathanial can walk home and back on his own. It's only a ten minute walk. If that. I've decided to go with you and make the initial introductions to Da, but I'll come back here once Nathanial starts investigating the teleporter. We'll leave the nature of your relationship quiet until tomorrow. Now, you are all excused." He stood up while Dirk and Den began clearing off the table.

Nathanial put his bag on the floor beside the door to Geoff's room. Everyone was waiting for him, but it looked like Liam had the most gear with him. He had an easel, a canvas, a violin in its case, another instrument case, a duffel bag, and a book bag. Nathanial raised an eyebrow as he looked at it all.

Liam smiled softly; he sounded sheepish, "What father does not bring back gifts when he has been away for a hundred years? I also wished to do some painting while there, as well as play some music."

Faelen looked a little worried as he stepped in behind Liam and pulled him close. Faelen wrapped his arms around the smaller Dog and began nibbling on the ends of Liam's ears. Liam rubbed his paw along Faelen's arm and leaned back into him, his smile growing.

Nathanial stifled an 'aww'. They looked very cute like that. He stepped into the middle of the open space between the bedrooms and the entertainment area, and waved everyone back. "Can you call Mrs. McDougal, Conor? Have her go to an open area near the teleporter."

He stood still, focusing his mind on the task to come. His mind seemed to slip away from his body, similar to the way it did when he moved into Liam's soul, but it didn't really go anywhere. He barely noticed time pass and almost missed Conor saying everything was ready.

He slipped through the phone, he still didn't know how that worked, and appeared beside Avery. She looked very nice in her slacks and blouse; her reddish-grey fur looked a bit greyer than normal against the reddish-burgundy fabric.

Nathanial didn't dally, but moved a bit farther away from her and told her, *Move back against the wall, and keep the connection open.* Avery jumped a bit and stepped toward the doorway. He was in a smallish room, it looked like it was recently emptied, and he could feel the teleporter in a room across the hall. Nathanial gathered his magic and focused closely as he opened a portal.

He could feel his magic moving out; it seemed to seize the fabric of space and time, bunching it together like someone folding up a piece of cloth, then ripped a hole through it all. It went a lot more smoothly than he thought it would. He moved back through the phone and into his body.

Nathanial swayed slightly as he opened his eyes. The portal was there, just like... no, not quite like always. He could see... ripples? Maybe? Some sort of distortion in and around it. Maybe those were the 'folds' he made when he bunched space up together. He laughed out loud as a thought struck him. "It's a wormhole! I can make wormholes like on 'Stargate: SG1'!"

Liam gave him a sidelong glance. "Indeed. I do not know the reference, but I have read some astrophysics books that discussed the theory. It is a plausible explanation for this form of magical transportation. What are the distortions I see? Is it safe?"

Nathanial looked at the portal with all of his natural and supernatural senses. "I don't detect anything hazardous. The ripples are where I punched through different folds of space. Let me go through and check."

Geoff jumped up in alarm. "Whoa! Hey, no! It might be dangerous, let me go." He stepped backward and thumped against the wall when Faelen whirled to snarl at him. Geoff opened and closed his mouth a few times, like he was trying to make a good argument.

Nathanial smiled at his boyfriend. "Don't be silly, Geoff. We're doing this for you. It doesn't make sense to put you at risk after all this effort. Besides, no one else seems as resistant to as many forms of energy as I am. I'll step through and back, then Liam can check me for side effects."

Liam walked over to Nathanial and began moving his paws around Nathanial's body, checking him. "Most sensible. I need a current idea of your status for comparison, it will take but a moment."

A minute later Liam nodded. "Proceed."

Nathanial stepped through the portal. It seemed to take a little longer to get through, only by milliseconds or something, but Nathanial would've wagered a lot on it. He waved at Avery and said, "We're checking it's safe before anyone else comes through." He whirled to stare at the portal; he was sure he saw some sort of movement along the edges of it, but there wasn't anything there. He shrugged and walked back through.

Liam checked him over . "You are unchanged, Nathanial. For a second test, I will go, then Faelen. If both of us are also unaffected, then it will be deemed safe." Liam grabbed his easel and duffel bag, then walked through. He turned and waved Faelen on, who grabbed his own book bag and Liam's, then followed. Liam ran his paws over the buff wolf. Nathanial wasn't sure, but he thought Liam took a little longer checking Faelen's backside and groin than necessary.

Liam nodded, satisfied. "It is safe, as far as I can tell."

Everyone gathered their gear and walked through; Nathanial shut the portal behind Dirk, the last one to step onto Irish... concrete. Nathanial frowned, it just didn't have the same ring to it. The frown lasted less than a second before he laughed, "I'm on the other side of the Atlantic! Even with all of the extra precautions and care, it still took less time than going through customs... or even just driving to the airport!"

Conor was kissing his wife, but stopped to chuckle. "The advantages of having a Mage as a son-in-law. Free and fast travel." Avery pulled Conor back into the kiss.

Geoff rolled his eyes and hefted the bags. "Come on, Nathanial. I'll show you to my room." He began to walk out the door.

Faelen grabbed his own bags and pushed in front of Geoff. "You know the drill, sir."

Geoff growled breathily, kind of a sigh mixed with a growl. "Faelen, this is home. It doesn't count." Faelen just gave him an evil eye until Geoff lifted his full paws. "Okay, okay. Lead on, oh dutiful servant. Sorry."

Faelen's back was rigid as he walked into the dim hall. "We haven't been here in a long time, and Da and I haven't been here to keep an eye on things. No bodyguard O'Conall has been here that often. It's protocol for you to stay behind me in any unsecured facility until we can check it from top to bottom."

Nathanial paused by an intersection and sent his mind out. The basement was very large; it actually ran under three houses and seemed to join up with a huge cave system. The basement was made up of a bunch of smaller rooms and hallways, unlike the open floor plan of their homes in Nova Scotia, and had locked metal doors sealing off sections. The stairs up were just a short way down the hall that crossed the one he was in.

Den was walking with them, and his voice was stern, "Faelen's right, Geoff. If Luke's other guards hadn't been in his home for this long, there'd be no way I'd let him break protocol. The home is the most dangerous place, if there's a chance it could've been compromised."

Geoff seemed to stifle a snort. "I said okay, Faeden. I'll behave."

The younger O'Conall wasn't letting it go. "But you don't seem to understand. No, you don't want to understand. We don't do this because we think it's fun, or just to make your life difficult. We do it to make your life safe and long. You heard the conversation at tea. Some Knights were ordered to shoot down a plane that had a bunch of alphas on it; I bet less than half of them were Elementals, and none of them would have been a Dark Elemental. You are still hunted over here."

Nathanial wrapped his arm around Geoff's and leaned into him as they walked toward the stairs. "He's right, Geoff. I didn't see any dangers around, but this is your fate. You know you'll have to put up with all of this until you die, so just accept it and be glad it's Faelen assigned to you. If you fight it too much your grandfather may assign someone else in his place."

Geoff and Faelen both flinched. Geoff looked very chastened, and muttered a more sincere, "Sorry. Go ahead, Faelen."

Den tapped Nathanial on his shoulder. "You should step away. There could be people upstairs. The McDougals don't have much in the way of privacy for most of the day."

Nathanial let Geoff go. "There wasn't anyone up there, except Gwen. She's waiting on a chair by the door with her bear."

Faelen punched a code into the keypad at the top of the stairs and opened the door. Nathanial noticed Liam suddenly stiffen as his nose began twitching. Faelen instantly stiffened up as well and turned to face Liam. He sounded very concerned, "Are you going to be all right?"

Liam nodded, but his voice was a little husky and carried an Irish accent, "Yes. I need to go outside for a minute. Please."

Faelen led everyone outside. Gwen seemed a little curious as she looked up from her bear and followed them. Liam put his bags by the front door and ran his paw along the frame before stepping out onto the porch. He seemed hesitant as he slowly walked across it to the stairs. His tail was perfectly still, but his ears and nose were moving faster than Nathanial had ever seen them.

Den jumped over the railing, then moved to stand at the base of the steps and smiled up at Liam. His voice was kept quiet, but he was obviously elated, "Poppy Liam's home! Poppy, Poppy! You're home!"

Liam leaned against the pillar by the stairs, a single tear trickled down his cheek. "Thank you, Den. It's good to be home. Have you been a good lad while I've been gone?"