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While the lasagna was disappearing in the Cain household, Tristram was putting his plan into action.
He had found his mistress' cell. Pretending he knew for certain where he was going and what his urgent job was helped him travel under the radar as he made his way through corridors with a confident stride he didn't really feel. But as soon as he had made it deep enough into the cell and had time to work out what to do, his confidence returned.
The fact that Abby was so far underground was a bit disconcerting, but Tram figured he could work around it. The guards were not problem at all. As to getting the rest of his pack inside...
One more hour.

As dessert was brought out Felincia couldn't help smiling. Anyone who agreed with her father, but had the words to express why, scored in her book.
"Oh, by the way Mom," she said as a thought occurred to her, "I'll be working in the lab for a while after dinner."
Mom gave her a cold stare - possibly colder than the home-made ice-cream they were eating. Home-made ice-cream? Since when...
"Exactly when was the last time you actually slept a whole night?" her Mom asked.
"I did just last night, Mom!" Felincia protested.
"Really?"
"You saw me."
"I was pretty certain it couldn't be you. That bed hadn't been slept in for how many years?"
"Only a couple of weeks, Mom."
"It's been three years since you started this Zemom nonsense, hasn't it?"
"Xedod. Mom." Felincia stood up, lifting her bowl to take to the sink. "I'll be going now. Thanks for dinner, Mom."

Shaishuu had to stuff the last of her ice-cream in her mouth to keep from giggling. She hadn't been alive very long, but she could bet that no boy had ever asked Felincia to "stay a little while longer." This was so romantic!
Felincia, meanwhile, was staring at Silas with a look that Shaishuu interpreted as 'what-the-heck-is-going-on.' Finally, she managed to open her mouth to speak.
"Ow."
Shaishuu realized Silas was grasping Felincia's arm pretty tightly.

Tristram put his hand over his mouth to stop a snarl, and it took all of his self-control to prevent him from turning into a wolf then and there. The cruelty his mistress was forced to bear was more than just an insult, it was - it was -
We have a plan, he reminded himself.
Tram made his way back up the stairs and to one of the janitorial side doors. As expected, a fellow werewolf was waiting. He would hide on the inside of the door to let the next werewolf in after ten minutes.
It was the same with five other doors that Tram opened in the next thirty minutes.
After five cycles of ten minutes, there would be twenty-six werewolves - including Tram - ready to rescue the one girl who meant more to them than anything.

And they would do it soon.
Tram was whispering instructions to every wolf that he let through the doors. "Go carefully. Don't draw attention to yourself. Abby's several flights underground, so get yourself near the right stairs."
For three of the wolves, he pressed a small vial into each hand. "Don't you dare use it until we get to her cell."
For the rest, he nodded at them. "If you transform before we grab her, I might have to bite your throat. Keep that in mind."
To all, he said, "She's in a bad condition. We need to act soon. Be ready."





Felincia could feel people's emotions in the air. She could feel her father's warmth, her mother's aloofness, Shaishuu's fear, Eva's attempts at holding on to her self-pride. Most of all she could feel a wave of tension coming from Silas, but for the life of her she could not figure out why he was so tense.
She continued staring at him, feeling him grow more and more tense as he stared at the floor - an action completely unlike him. She slowly nodded and sat back down at the table.

[[That's not Evangeline.]]

Tram decided it was time. The majority of Keepers were gone and they wouldn't get a better chance.
Warrior wolves were posted at several strategic points inside and outside of the Keeper building. Tram and four others made their way down to the cells.
Each had two vials: one with a sleeping draft, another with poison. Both concoctions were from Tram's own brews, and had no chance of failure. Tristram was sorely tempted to use the poison vials on all the cell guards, but he knew the thrashing of their dying victims would alert any other Keepers that happened to be around. So he ordered the wolves to shoot all of the guards with sleeping draft darts simultaneously.
And when they were all out, then they shot them with poison.
It worked. The cell was unguarded. Picking the keys off of one of the bodies, Tram bolted to the cell and quietly unlocked and opened the door.
"Milady?"