ORDER ONLY

[alt_bill]

We got there too late to do much.

It took us a while to fly out to where they were, and we barely avoided running right into the last few MLE who were headed back to shore. At least I don't think they saw us. No-one turned around to pursue, so there's that. We searched around for a bit and managed to pull three survivors out of the sea. I found one hiding under some wreckage, Tonks and Charlie found another half-drowned who'd drifted away in the firefight, and Caradoc picked up the last one. We barely made it back to shore with the extra weight, but we made it.

They're all in pretty rough shape, but from what we can gather, MLE sank the boat and then tried to get as many prisoners out of the water as they could. One of the wizards who was accompanying them managed to Apparate away, and the other was killed trying to hold them off. There were also quite a few who drowned. They're a little unclear about how many people were on the boat, but it was over twenty.

Merlin.

We're giving them a minute or two to rest up before we head to Sherwood.

Comments

[alt_charlie]

That was

Yeah. Twenty people, gone, just like that. And

I don't know. The way those poor people in the water looked. And the way MLE just kept going after them. They weren't really trying to capture people. They just wanted to kill.

I hope to Merlin MLE really didn't see us

[alt_alice]

How awful.

I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but directly engaging MLE over open sea would've been potentially disastrous, and if you were fighting them, you wouldn't have had the ability to rescue anyone.

You did a good thing tonight. Thank you.

[alt_bill]

Alice. I'm sorry. So sorry. But I'm glad we could save a few. I think the escort who got away might have managed one or two more with side along.

What the hell happened? WHY DIDN'T THE WARDS GO DOWN?

[alt_alice]

I don't know.

I'm going to see if Cecelia has any ideas. They might have put the Octoboros field into effect.

Remember how the dragons reacted when Voldemort had been killed, but the wards stayed up?

Maybe the Octoboros is why. And it could all be linked up with the ceremony Harry was privy to as well.

[alt_hermione]

I think it was both, too, but particularly the ritual.

The part where Mr Mulciber--where he made the man Sirius said was the king lie down and then he--well, that part. He said 'Heart of the conquered, taken by right.' And when they needed to strengthen the control they have over Ireland, they made Finnigan kill his mother. She's not the same kind of royalty but she did have ties to the wizarding families that have held Ireland for centuries. I looked her family up in Pureblood, Royal Blood (it's a book I found in Sirius' library over Easter. I only just had the chance to look at it.

I think that Octoboros thing is probably some sort of signal amplifier, and that might be why the wards couldn't be penetrated, too.

[alt_alice]

That makes a great deal of sense.

So it's a dual problem, then. Taking out the Octoboros might make it possible to break through, but we've still got no guarantees it'll go down during solstice even then.

[alt_sirius]

I'm home.

Just had an owl from Beth. Her operative (his name is apparently Jim) reported back in with one other survivor. They'd like to reunite with anyone we were able to retrieve, so they can decide what to do next.

I was thinking perhaps Aldrich. We can't foist them on Sherwood for the winter.

Bugger. Bugger Bugger Bugger.

[alt_alice]

Yes, that might be our best choice.

We'll have them apply to Aldrich.

Thank Merlin we have that as an option.