Chapter 16, Part II: The Will of the MoonOswin heard the sounds of howling and whimpering from outside the window, her music nearly drowned out by the foreign sounds.
She paused her workout to look out the window. Oswin squinted into the darkness, not sure exactly what it was that she was seeing. She hurried down the stairs to the backdoor, peeking out into the night.
She walked out onto her back deck, her lips parting in surprise as she saw two undead creatures attacking a werewolf in her own backyard. It took her only a moment to realize that the wolf was incredibly familiar looking. "Chin!"
A force of energy rocketed through her, a spell blasting from her wand and sending the two zombies back into the ground. "Stay away from him!"
Chin was curled up on the ground, whimpering like a lost puppy. Oswin fell to her knees beside him, her hand touching his arm as she assessed the damage. It wasn't too bad. Just a gash on his right side. She could handle that. "Come on. Let's get you inside before any more of those things come back." She helped him to his feet and had him lean on her as she led him back inside.
"You silly man," she murmured as she set him on the floor.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, ashamed.
"Why didn't you tell me, Chin?" She asked as she bandaged up his wound.
"I thought you would get frightened and leave."
"I'm a witch, Chin. Not much frightens me. And even if it does, I don't handle it by running away."
"I know that now."
"Good," she said. Once she'd patched up his wound, she helped him to his feet. "Let's get you to bed, Wolfman."
But the full moon brings out more than just wolves and zombies. In its eerie rays, the faces of things hidden are often revealed.
The paparazzo that had been hanging around the front of the house to snag another interview with Oswin has caught sight of a pulsing blue light around the trunk of the willow tree. When she stepped closer to investigate, Jackie appeared, her fury so palpable that the paparazzo was scared near-death as Jackie passed through her.
It had been a few years since the ghost of Jackie had stepped through the doors of Luther's home. But when she returned that night, her glow was brightened by her anger.
"Luther!" she cried as she glided through the house. "Luther, get out here!" When no one answered her, she crossed through the wall of the bathroom and shook the shower off its foundation. "Luther!" She sobbed into the pipes.
"What is all this racket about?" Solanine cooed from the doorway.
Jackie released the shower with a bang. "Who are you?" She demanded. "My husband's new tart?"
"Oh, no, Dear. I'm his mother."
Jackie seemed to deflate just a bit. "His mother?"
"Yes, and I can understand how frustrating this must all be for you. Come talk with your mummy-in-law and we'll see if we can't make this all better," she purred gently as she led Jackie away from the bathroom.
