Episode 1

She was in the kitchen preparing dinner for the dogs, two massive black shaggy beasts that defied breed type. The only thing certain about them was that they were devoted to her, and they did not seem to care for too many other people.

She felt the rumble under her feet, subtle but still there. Then she heard the sound, a deep screech that seemed to shatter the air throughout the neighborhood.

"Crap," she muttered.

She knew it was only a matter of time before she was found, but she had hoped she would have a little longer in the place where she had found peace.

She stepped outside onto the back patio. To the east, a big burly man walked out of his house, a beer-stained white tank top stretched across massive arms that had little muscle definition and a bloated belly.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded, shooting an accusatory glance in her direction.

She merely shrugged.

They both heard the scream again, but this time it was accompanied by movement. Something incredibly large, with no true shape to it, moved with purpose. It was a shadow formed from mist and smoke.

What approximated an arm swung toward her neighbor and his house, and they were enveloped. The man's beer can fell from his hand, was caught in midair, and then disappeared along with him and everything else.

Both the man and the house were gone.

Only scorched black residue remained.

She frowned and stared up at the demonic presence.

"Really?" she asked as the creature continued to grow larger, moving steadily in her direction.

The couple who lived in the house to the north wandered outside, staring at the creature as the color drained from their faces. The evil hung in the air, palpable.

"Enough of this nonsense."

Her voice carried across the neighborhood as she brought up her right hand. It appeared as though a piece of the sun shot from it, a brilliant spear of light driving straight into the darkness reaching for her.

The creature screamed, but it was not a sound meant to invoke terror.

It was a death scream.

The air cleared.

The neighbor's house and neighbor were still gone, but nothing else had been touched.

She turned to find her remaining neighbors staring at her in stunned silence.

"You do not mess with the HOA!" she declared, gesturing toward the place where the creature had been. "That was clearly a violation. We will need to find out whose pet that was."

Then she turned and walked back into the house. Pulling the shades closed, she looked at her guardians.

"Time to eat, boys," she said. "Looks like we're moving again."

Episode 2

Inside, the dogs were already waiting by their bowls, tails wagging like furry metronomes. She scooped their dinner with practiced precision: two scoops for Cerberus, one and a half for Roy. Roy was the smaller one, though only by the standards of creatures capable of frightening delivery drivers from half a block away.

"Pack up after you eat," she said absently, glancing out the window. The sky still shimmered faintly where the shadow had been, like heat ripples from another reality. "We'll head north. I'm sure the next HOA will be thrilled to have us."

Her phone buzzed on the counter. Unknown number. Of course.

UNKNOWN: You weren't supposed to interfere.

She sighed. "You say that every time."

UNKNOWN: You're drawing attention.

"Then maybe they should stop sending cosmic abominations into suburban neighborhoods," she muttered, tossing the phone onto the counter.

Cerberus burped. Roy sneezed. Somewhere in the distance, a car alarm went off and then abruptly stopped.

Morgan smiled faintly. "Good boys. Finish up. We leave in ten."

As she reached for her coat, a single black feather drifted down from nowhere and landed beside her coffee cup. She stared at it for a moment before shaking her head.

"Wonderful. Now the angels are getting involved."

She regretted leaving this place. Despite Despicable Darrel next door—now Departed Darrel—it had been a good neighborhood. Another HOA location burned, she thought. To her neighbors, HOA meant Homeowners Association. To Morgan, it meant Hominis Obscura Arcanus, an organization that had once been a thriving society of empowered, long-lived beings who watched over humanity from the shadows. At least, that was the official story.

Looking back over the centuries, Morgan had noticed a different pattern. The monsters always seemed to find them. The HOA insisted they were guardians. Morgan suspected they were bait.

"We've dallied long enough," she said.

The glossy black SUV was already waiting outside with its driver's door standing open. She picked up a black satchel by the door and stepped into the afternoon sunlight. Reaching inside the bag, she withdrew a small crystal orb and casually tossed it over her shoulder.

The orb streaked through the air and struck the house.

To the neighbors, it appeared as though the world blinked.

One moment the house stood there, complete with its carefully maintained garden and flower beds.

The next moment it was gone.

Before anyone could process what they had seen, the memory of it vanished as well. The orb floated back through the air and settled neatly into the satchel. Some people spent weeks packing before a move, Morgan thought. Personally, she preferred a more efficient approach. Why pack when you could simply take the whole house?

Episode 3

Bitterwind was in the northern part of the state, deep in the mountains, and was not a town that was easily accessed. The road leading to it was unmarked, and the first miles were a shock-challenging drive over broken pavement, potholes, and rocks that only loosely approximated gravel.

It had taken two days to reach the turnoff, days spent idyllic with stops along the way for the dogs to do their business and meals drawn from storage compartments nestled into the side walls of the vehicle. Sometimes Morgan would spot a meadow and stop to play chase with her devoted companions. Streams provided water when needed—after she had, of course, cast a spell to ensure it was pure and safe for all of them.

They had only been on the approach to Bitterwind for a short time when she broke the silence.

"Ready, boys — trouble ahead."

Both large black heads immediately became alert, peering through the windshield.

Three figures stood in the roadway ahead — men, though something about their posture seemed slightly off. All three were large. One carried a shotgun; the other two held machetes.

Morgan stopped the SUV nearly two hundred feet from them. She stepped out, moved to the rear passenger door, and eased it open just a few inches.

"Can I help you?" she asked innocently.

The man holding the shotgun sneered. "Go away. We don't want your kind here."

"And what kind would that be?" she asked, still sounding pleasantly curious.

"We know what you are, witch, and you're not welcome."

"Well," Morgan said, her eyes drifting thoughtfully upward, "at least I haven't been called that in a very long time."

Her gaze returned to the man holding the shotgun. "Second," she said, all traces of amusement vanishing, "no one tells me where I am or am not welcomed."

The air seemed colder. Cerberus and Roy stepped down from the SUV. The hair along their necks stood up, their heads lowered, and their eyes narrowed.

The men took a step forward. Then stopped. Cerberus doubled in size. Roy tripled.

Morgan glanced at Roy. "I know. You always have to be extra wary of the small ones. Sometimes they have the biggest bite."

She looked back at the men blocking the road. "Playtime, boys."

The words were spoken as casually as if she were asking a stranger for the time of day.

The enormous masses of black fur and bared teeth charged. There were attempts at screams. They did not last long.

A few minutes later, both dogs — once again reduced to their normal, overly large sizes — came padding back to the SUV. They jumped into the rear compartment and settled down to clean themselves.

Morgan pressed the button and the rear door closed softly.

"Yep," she said, looking down the road toward Bitterwind. "This is definitely the place."

She glanced into the rearview mirror. "Was that fun, boys?"

Cerberus remained stoic. Roy gave a small yip. Morgan smiled.

"Before we go into town, we need to find someplace to call home."

Episode 4

She skirted the disaster of flesh and blood on the road and continued toward Bitterwind. There was a barely used path up ahead on her right and she turned into it. The dirt road gave way to grass and went deep into the trees. She slowly moved along until she found a little meadow.

“This should do,” she said.

She glanced into the satchel and pulled out a different orb than the one that contained her subdivision house and yard. That simply would not do in this location.

She put her hand out into the wind and released the orb. It floated to a spot near the trees, and then the world blinked and a ramshackle cabin appeared, the back of the structure up against an impenetrable wall of forest.

The orb floated back to her and went back into the satchel.

The cabin looked like it was falling apart, but as she well knew from personal experience, looks could be deceiving. Morgan, satchel and the dogs left the SUV. She pulled out an orb and the SUV disappeared. The door to the cabin opened to her touch.

From the exterior, it appeared not big enough for one person, let alone a woman and two very large companions. But the interior defied size constraints, and the décor was modern and comfortable. It held three bedrooms, a large kitchen area, dining area, a sunken living room with a round fireplace in the center, stairs that led up to her private rooms. Morgan took it all in with a satisfied look.

“I missed this place,” she said with a smile.

Cerberus made his way directly to the fireplace and settled onto the floor as though he had never left. Roy wandered through the kitchen, inspecting every corner and cabinet with the seriousness of a building inspector. Morgan watched him for a moment and laughed.

“Good to see your priorities remain intact.”

The dog glanced back at her and continued his investigation.

As she looked over her favorite home, a thought drifted to the forefront of her mind — she was exhausted. The drive had been long, and despite her best efforts she had not slept particularly well the night before. Abigail would still be there in a few hours. There was no need to rush into town immediately.

Morgan sat on the edge of her luxurious bed and kicked off her shoes.

“Just an hour,” she said.

She lay back, closed her eyes, and disappeared into sleep almost immediately.

When she woke, she had no idea how much time had passed.

For a few moments she simply stared at the ceiling, trying to remember where she was. Then Roy barked somewhere downstairs and reality returned all at once.

Morgan rolled over and looked at the clock.

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me.”

The hour she had planned on had somehow become most of the afternoon.

Episode Five

Morgan sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Abigail would still be there, but arriving unannounced at this hour felt rude. Besides, another concern had begun making itself known. She was hungry. By the time she reached the first floor, Roy was waiting for her near the stairs while Cerberus remained comfortably positioned beside the fireplace.

“You could have woken me up,” she said.

Neither dog appeared particularly concerned by her accusation.Morgan checked the time again and sighed.

“Looks like the diner gets me first.”

Both dogs immediately stood.

“No.”

Roy's ears drooped. Cerberus looked mildly disappointed.

“You two are staying here.”

The announcement was not well received.

Morgan grabbed the satchel and headed for the door. Before stepping outside, she paused and placed her hand against the weathered wood of the frame. A faint symbol appeared beneath her fingertips, glowing softly for only a moment before fading from sight.

The protection would hold. Nothing would enter the cabin without her permission. More importantly, nothing would harm the two occupants she was leaving behind.

Satisfied, she stepped onto the porch and pulled the door closed.

The evening air was cool and carried the scent of pine. Somewhere in the distance a bird called from deep within the forest. Morgan took a moment to enjoy the quiet before heading for her SUV.

She climbed behind the wheel and started the engine.

A quick meal at the diner., and then she would go see Abigail.

With that plan firmly in mind, Morgan put the SUV into gear and headed toward Bitterwind.

There was a diner on the outskirts of town called Faye’s. She heard the food was decent, and it would give her a chance to go over what she needed to talk to Abigail about.  

Episode Six

 Morgan pushed open the door to Faye's Diner and stepped inside.

The aroma of fresh coffee and bacon drifted through the warm little restaurant. A handful of people sat scattered among the booths, quietly eating or staring into steaming mugs as though nowhere else in the world existed. Somewhere behind the counter, a radio played softly beneath the clatter of dishes and the occasional hiss from the grill.

It felt ordinary. Comfortably ordinary. Morgan slid onto one of the stools at the counter and reached for the menu resting beside the napkin holder.

She had barely opened it when a young waitress appeared with a coffee pot in one hand and a welcoming smile on her face.

"What can I..." The waitress paused. Her smile faded just enough to betray a flicker of curiosity.

"You're not from around here, are you?"

Morgan looked up and smiled politely. "No."

The waitress poured coffee into the mug in front of her. "I came to see a friend," Morgan continued.

The young woman nodded slowly.

The name plate pinned to her clothing identified the waitress as Kat. After pouring the coffee, the young woman looked at Morgan, studying her as though trying to decide whether she should say something. Finally she leaned in just a little. "A word of advice — leave while you can."

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Kat glanced toward the front windows before lowering her voice.

"What is happening in this town is..." The words drifted away unfinished. Every conversation in the diner stopped. No one spoke. Forks rested against plates. Coffee cups hovered halfway to waiting lips.

Even Kat's expression changed. She was staring toward the diner door, her face consumed by a mixture of fear and apprehension.

Morgan turned on the stool.

The bell above the front door gave a single soft chime. A tall man stepped inside. His features were striking, almost refined, framed by neatly combed dark hair and a long black overcoat that seemed out of place for the mild weather.

A glance said something was off, but Morgan could see beyond the unusually pale complexion, beyond the penetrating light blue eyes. His movements were smooth and deliberate, each step measured, each glance calm. Nothing about him appeared threatening. She didn’t have to ask who it was, Kat answered with a voice scarcely more than a whisper.

"It's Mayor."

Mayor glanced casually around the interior of the diner, then his eyes settled on Morgan.

Episode Seven

Mayor crossed the diner without the slightest hint of urgency and settled onto the stool one seat away from Morgan. For a long moment neither of them spoke. Morgan watched him quietly.

Mayor adjusted his posture, sitting a little straighter as though his height alone should establish the balance of power between them. Morgan's expression never changed. If anything, the corners of her mouth lifted into the faintest smile.

Kat had vanished. No one else in the diner seemed willing to interrupt the silence. Finally Mayor spoke. "You know, we really don't like your kind in this town."

Morgan looked at him with mild curiosity. "And what kind would that be?"

Mayor answered without hesitation. "A witch."

Several quiet gasps drifted through the diner. Morgan let out a soft sigh. "I really wish people would stop calling me that. I am not a witch."

Mayor regarded her calmly, as though her denial had no bearing on the conversation. "Let's make this simple. You leave me this town, and I'll leave you the rest of the state."

Morgan smiled. "Well... there it is then, isn't it?" She folded her hands together on the counter. "As for leaving you alone... I don't think that's going to happen."

Mayor's pale blue eyes remained fixed on hers. "You have no idea the powers I can bring to bear. There is nothing that a little girl like you can do alone in this situation."

A calm, measured voice came from the doorway behind him. "She's not a little girl."

Every head in the diner turned. An older woman stood just inside the entrance. She was dressed plainly, her gray hair neatly gathered back, her appearance so ordinary that she might have disappeared into any crowd without a second glance. There was nothing dramatic about her presence, nothing that demanded attention. Except that she held Mayor's. Her eyes never left him. "And she's not alone."