A Birth day

Angus nodded, not refusing Jess's offer to go along. Another seer would help right now, Angus thought, and he walked in to get the pain potion. Marcus headed for the freezer and got out a magic wrap and took it over to Jess.

"Is this worth a try? Might reduce some of the swelling and the pain, maybe," Marcus suggested. Angus picked up the pain potion and took it.

"Thanks, Aria," Angus said. "Whatever we're doing, let's do it quick. I have to go. It's getting more urgent by the minute."

Edward went to the gate. and he saw a groundskeeper picking up sticks and just general clutter on the lawn.

"Please, we need to see the headmistress at once," Edward called. "My name is..."

"I know who you are," the groundskeeper said. He was an older gentleman, but Edward thought perhaps he wasn't as old as he looked, that perhaps the years had not been kind to him. "Why should I let a slayer on the grounds?"

"I'm not hunting your kind today," Edward said. "And the full moon won't be here for a week. Please tell Madame Maxime I request to see her at once."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell her," the man mumbled, walking towards the castle. Edward knew the man was relaying the message only because it was a job duty and not for any like of a werewolf slayer. Well, if Ruby were going to be legally a Donohue, she might as well get used to the fact that there was this side of it too--the family members of werewolves Edward had had to dispatch. He wasn't loved everywhere.

"Fame does not always bring just admirers," Edward told her quietly. "He'll relay the message becausee he's paid to.

Jess watched as Angus took the pain potion and she nodded " that potion should take the edge off the pain and yes thank you Marcus this should stop any more damage and swelling until Robert can fix what's been damaged ." she said placing her hand gently over his shoulder she sent her energies in to start it healing and reduce the swelling , now taking some cloth she made a sling and placed it around his shoulder once she had placed the magic wrap on it.

Rub walked with Edward and listened she stood with him as she saw the look on the old mans face . As he walked away she heard Edward and nodded " two sides to every coin" she said " I understand that much." she added as she stood with him " and I accept not every one will like what you do or understand why you do what you do, both you and Angus" she added seeing the man return.

Edward and Ruby were eventually let in, and on the way up to Madame Maxime's office, Edward was picking up snippets of hushed conversations. Someone had infiltrated the ministry and had tagged along to the apparition class. And now a girl was missing, and the school was in a panic. Edward already knew what Madame Maxime was going to tell them.

"She's not here," Edward told Ruby. "And they don't know how she got out or where she's gone. Better that we be here right now instead of Angus because he's going to come unglued." They were let into Madame Maxime's outer office and told to take a seat until the headmistress could see them.


"Thanks. Let's go," Angus said.

"Aria, can you and Sam and Simone and the Fae make sure that we're not just all being drawn off here?" Marcus asked her quietly. "I don't want the girls to be in trouble either, but I don't want us to be leaving just so it makes it easier for them to get here to Diamond. If you have the least little bit of trouble, give a shout to Jack. He'll be here the quickest. We'll be back as soon as we can."

Angus took hold of Marcus, and Marcus offered a hand to Jess. Marcus did the porting, and they went to Tuscany first because that was where the girls were supposed to be.

"Not here," Angus said, as they landed. "Not here. She's not here." He saw a vision of mountains. Narrow mountain roads, cliffs, and water. Lots of water. "There are mountains near the school, and there are a lot of lakes in those mountains. She's been removed from school grounds. We have to go into the mountains."

"That's a damned big area," Marcus said "covering hundreds of miles, and you are in no condition to climb. Edward climbs and so do I. Ruby, not so much. We could sure use Michael right now."

Ruby looked at Edward and nodded as he spoke to her " caught some whispers about some one braking in and some one missing" she said softly as they sat waiting to see Madame Maxime. Ruby could see the worry on the students faces seeing the two of them she gave some a smile and they smiled back but kept moving. " somethings got them spooked" she said again.

Aria looked at Angus and Marcus " don't worry nobody will get the babies I'll take them around to Edwards side of the duplex" she said gathering the babies bag together as she listened to them talking. Jess nodded and sent a message to Jack who came running in the back door. " now he's here too" she said and chuckled.

"Jess told me , be carful if its priscilla , get that witch" he said and looked at Jess " after what she's done , yeah Robert told me, she needs taking down and if anything has happened to the girls bring them home" he said moving to help Aria.

Edward had waited all he could. Then he finally got up, walked past the secretary and knocked on Madame Maxime's door and opened it. She was meeting with the heads of house, and Edward was interrupting. Her heads of house were ready to defend themselves from Edward.

"This is my granddaughter you're trying to find. I work with experts in recovering missing children. Don't you think you should read in her mother and me?" Edward asked.

"It's alright," Madame Maxime told her heads of house. "It's Mr. Edward Donohue. The Donohues are unfamiliar with closed doors and the etiquette of knocking upon them."

Angus turned and went into the main house. Rosaria and Carlo had not expected them. They saw Angus was like a man possessed. They hadn't seen him this way before. Marcus had--frequently. Angus went into Edward's office, and he tried to reach Robert. It took him quite a bit to actually find him, but he found him at the Ministry.

"Robert, I'm sorry. This is important," Angus apologized. "Anise is missing. Don't ask me how I know. It's complicated. I need a climber. I need Michael. I think she's been taking into the French mountains...."

"Don't tell me. You too? Kate's been on me for the last few minutes, but she's been seeing a lake..."

"Yes! A lake in the mountains! I'm sure of it..." Angus said.

"Alright, Lad. Listen. Michael's here. I'll fetch him, and you could use Kate on this one. Where shall I send them to be able to catch up with you?"

"I'm in Tuscany at Edward's."

"Hold tight there. They'll join you. Angus, do you know who's got her?"

"No, but I have my suspicions," Angus replied. "I have Marcus and Jess with me."

"Good. Jess, I think that perhaps if you join your energies to Kate's and Angus's the three of you might be able to come up with a map. It might be worth a try. Kate said she's done it once or twice before with some other seers, and she said it was helpful at times. If you need more climbers than Michael and Marcus, you might try calling on Sergio and Ana. They could handle the French mountains in their sleep, and I'm sure they have--many times."

"Robert," Marcus said. "Edward and Ruby are at the school. They should know we're on a different track. They might want to pair up with us."

"I'll pass that on when I get a chance, but it would be just as well for them to follow up there in case there is any evidence or clues. When they've gotten all they can there, I'll send them to you. You'll need to get a better direction than just somewhere in the damned Pyranees. You're not ready to go on this yet until you narrow down the area. Marcus, keep him focused and on track. You can't just go wandering up into 270 miles of hinterlands hoping to find her somewhere. Do this right, and you'll find her. You know that."

"Yeah. I do," Marcus said.

"Keep me posted. I'll send Kate and Michael to you as soon as they can get there."

"Thank you," Marcus said. Robert closed the floo.

Ruby stood with Edward and saw him open the door and talk to those inside "Oh, we understand knocking , but when its our family and children's safety at risk we chose not to." she said perfectly calm but with a frown at Madame Maxime returning the look she gave to herself and Edward.

Ruby heard Robert and nodded " triangulation, good idea" she said and looked to Angus. " we'll wait for Michael" she said and smiled " we'll get her back don't you worry" she spoke firm but soft to him not liking one of their own being taken and out of their protection. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a map of the Pyrenees. " can you mark witch direction you feel her strongest" she said spreading it out as she saw Kate enter taking her hand she placed her hand on his shoulder " would you mind Kate" she asked motioning to beside her and Angus " we're triangulating a position using our abilities." she explained taking her hand she held it . pushing her seers ability she felt Anise strong to her left looking at the map she made a pencil float and draw a line from her across the map than looked to Angus " try and focus the direction the pen will mark the direction you send it." she explained." where they meet is our goal."

"We have been keeping children safe for hundreds of years..." one of the heads of house started. Madame Maxime waved them to hush.

"I have sent some professors out to search the grounds where the apparition class was being held to see if there is anything helpful lying outside on the lawn. I'm afraid that, so far, I cannot be of a great deal of assistance. I have summoned the Ministry, of course. There were two Ministry officials sent, as they always are for this class, and we allowed them onto our grounds. One of our professors was present, of course, but that professor, as well as Anise, has come up missing.

"The events seem to be this," she said. "The class began, the ministry officials provided some basic education about how apparition works, and then they began apparating students from the garden where they were meeting to a different garden on the other side of the castle and back. And when the ministry official apparated with Anise and another student, the student was left behind somehow, and the ministry official and Anise were gone and just didn't come back. And that, so far, as all we know. It is for the ministry to tell us about their missing official and where they might have gone."

"You already know, then, what I'm about to tell you," Edward said. "Your ministry official, at least the one, was a phony, and he made off with my granddaughter. Do be so kind as to show us the grounds now, please. And do ask Evan to come and collect my other grandchildren since, clearly, the apparition classes will be suspended for the rest of the day. there is no point in them remaining here." He looked at Ruby. "We will find nothing else helpful inside." It was now that Edward was starting to feel something else pulling at him. It was starting to distract him. it was a familiar sensation. Angus was pulling at him somehow. Edward wanted to make sure, though, that they didn't miss something here.

"Please take the Donohues out to the garden," Madame Maxime asked one of the heads of house. They merely nodded and stood up.

"If you would follow me, please, I'll take you there," he said.

When Kate and Michael arrived, Kate started to try to link with Jess while Michael sat and made a list in French about what climbing gear they were going to need. Angus sat down and started to try to focus in on the map to try to find Anise. Angus was trying. He was trying really hard, and it was giving him a severe headache.

"I can't do it," Angus said, angry with himself, now his pain doubled because of his shoulder and his headache. "I just keep hearing Anise in my head saying 'the circle, the circle.' Such utter bullshit..."

"No. No it isn't, Angus," Michael sprang up, grabbing the map. "The Cirque de Gargvarnie. Right here. It's a specific circular formation in the mountains, looks like a natural amphitheater. And it's right here. Right on the damned border between France and Spain. If you're sure that's what you're hearing. If you're sure, she could be telling you exactly where she is."

Ruby stood quiet and let Edward talk to Madame Maxime she even saw her stop another talking and explained what had happened this helped her a little and she nodded as she continued to explain. Once she had finished she let Edward continue staying behind him . Once they had finished she followed him back out listening as he spoke to her " agreed " she said and followed him out to the garden.

Jess saw Michael and Kate arrive and continued to triangulate she also saw how excused Angus was about not being able to get it to work on his part and how he kept hearing Anise calling to him. when Kate spoke to him telling him he was in fact helping and they had a location she smiled placing her hand in Angus again and bolstering his energy with her own. " I can bolster you for a little while longer but then you really have to rest and let Robert look at that shoulder." she told him gently. as Kate spoke to him about The Cirque de Gargvarnie. " can we get there?" she asked Michael " obviously Angus can't climb with his shoulder" she said just as Jack arrived and looked at Angus.

"Jessies with the girls and Anise and Simone." he told him holding a long rope and dressed ready to climb with climbing boots and crampons attached to his belt " so we doing this?" he asked " I'm bringing one of our pack home, I promised her father she would not leave the pack." His tone that of an angry werewolf now and of a father who know about having a child taken.

When Edward got out to the garden, he could feel traces of dark magic here. It felt to him rather like seeing a dark smudge on an otherwise sparkling white wall.

"Where is it?" Edward was saying to himself. "We're looking for something small, something with dark energies. That'll give us a clue about who's behind this. Not sure if its Priscilla or Suzanne, but I think we both know it's one of the two. Let's start in the center of the yard and walk outwards and try to find whatever it is that they might have dropped."

"Good to have you along, Jack. Of course we can get there, Jess," Michael said. "Just so you all know, its a famous area for tourists in the winter time because it has some damned fine skiing, and there area all sorts of hotels and such there. It'll be the start of the off season now, but if they've gone higher up, then that's pretty remote and treacherous. We could do it, Jack, but in this case, I would feel better if we had a couple more climbers. Robert's reached out to Sergio and Ana already, so I expect them to arrive at any time. Angus if you're buggared, we can't take you, you know..."

"I'm not going to sit here, almost 800 miles away," Angus said.

"Angus and Jess and I can go into the town and find a hotel or something. At least we'd be closer there. If we learn anything, maybe we can relay it to you."

"Muggle two way radios," Angus suggested.

"Might work if we have some good ones," Marcus nodded.

Ruby looked at Edward and saw him focused as if thinking she heard him mumble about where was it and looked around as he spoke " okay separate sides" she said moving to his left and walking beside him looking around as she walked it was now she saw something poking out from under a bush. Walking over she lifted a small stone and smiled " Edward is this it?" shea sked moving the rock to one side.

Jack listened and nodded he agreed just as he heard mor porting and he smiled seeing Sergio and Ana walk over. hearing about walkie talkies he reached behind him and pulled two from his back pack. " these do, military grade so long reach on the signal." he said to Michael. He handed one to Angus and one to Michael " there both on the same frequency already" he said to Michael as he handed him one and Angus the other. " I'm always prepared remember." he said and chuckled. Turning he filled Sergio and Ana in with what as happening before he turned back to Angus and Michael.