We open with Ava talking to Liz to ask if there’s a way to avoid being mind whammied. Jacob is in the back. Rowan is back from Enumclaw. Ava tells the Opener of Ways that because she’s going to let Georgiana follow her for a bit to try and catch Indigo Scholar, Opener of Ways should go back to hide out with Leo. Opener of Ways very reluctantly agrees after some arguing and tries to go, only to find that he cannot and the way to Leo’s domain is blocked. Ava asks if that means he needs a rescue, Opener said he didn’t know so Ava decides that’s a yes and heads into the clinic. 

 

Meanwhile Meridian hears a knock at the door from the Hollow. The Hedge side. There’s a huge contingent of Changelings there from the Prismatic General who just died, and while Meridian has some trepidation about letting them in Persephone shoves Meridian aside and lets them inside and Rowan calls the Spring Court to status check - they’re in the same boat, but with followers of Hades. We arrange a party bus to get them all brought in. 

 

Mi-Ok meets with Alice at the Roastery. Alice basically represents a group that wants an ‘in’ with the supernatural community so Mi-Ok explains contracts and rights. While Mi-Ok is there a huge contingent of horned people wanders by outside. Mi-Ok offers a 24 hour bond but Alice turns her down. 

 

They play phone tag with the seneschal to figure out how to handle the influx.

 

Among the changelings that were mostly from the Prismatic General there was a giant bear. The bear seems to stare at Persephone and after some talk we get that he was from Hades’ troop. Ancaeus is the bear’s name. Speaking to them more we get a little info about what had them come through the hedge. They remember violence, burning, a dark and sinister figure, a giant golden thing, burning rubber and/or gasoline? 

 

There’s about fifty of them all told. 

 

Meridian had peaced out to go home and rest, and he gets up later to find his bed empty and overhearing a hushed conversation. When he goes to see he sees that the Indigo Scholar is there and along with the Duke. 

 

The Indigo Scholar wants to return to the hedge and get “the Maze” back. The Duke doesn’t want to help. 

 

Meridian interrupts them to get info on what Indigo Scholar wants. Meridian is like “Cool story not interested” and the Indigo Scholar fucks off. 

 

Meridian offers to act in the Duke’s interests in the Hedge should he need to get things done. 

 

The Duke offers to take them to places where the machine angels have been, but the party is not so happy with the idea of going anywhere with the Duke and Ava informs him they’re going into the Hedge to make sure her former Lord is safe. We group up at the Hollow and then head on out, team Meridian, Mi-Ok, Persephone, Ava, and Rowan. 

 

There’s a lot of foot traffic in the Hedge, a lot of changelings and other Hedge entities. Rowan offers directions to other freeholds to the ones she finds who are trying to escape the hedge. 

 

As we go farther along we see more mechanical beings, some flying overhead. 

 

We manage to find a chainlink fence crossing over the path with a security checkpoint and a bunch of security cameras. It’s new-ish. 

 

While Ava manages to make it through and unlock the door alarms do go off and an intense buzzing starts off when some mechanical wasps begin to swarm. We decide to run the fuck away and the forest closes up behind us, intentionally saving us. We leave the forest offering in thanks and move on to take the long way around. 

 

We pass through a swamp and then long cliffs on each side ending up in a stone fortress. It’s the cave of the ancient trolls and unfortunately there’s not a whole lot of other options. 

 

We decide to see if we can make a deal, pulling the gong. A head pops over the wall. Rowan calls out asking if we can pass through and what we can trade for that. Rowan offers music, Ava offers songs, Meridian offers to fuck them. Fancily. 

 

The door opens and Meridian is permitted in. A few hours later, the gates open up and Meridian comes out covered out in some gray green mucus. There’s sound of snorings within. Meridian got it covered, and we are allowed through. 

 

We end up the forest of nibblers, but they aren’t there. Instead there’s only Strixes who attack us wanting the Queen, indicating Persephone. Because we go a round of getting our asses handed to us, Persephone opts to go with them. 

 

Rowan has to heal both Meridian and themself, while Ava doesn’t say anything about her own injuries deciding to power through it and walk it off. 

 

As we go we run across a barrier that kill people with sound, Ava manages to sing their way through it to keep them safe. 

 

We ask Ways what the heck is coming next and he says the Den of the Fearless hunter is next and after that we shall make it to the Maze. 

 

It smells like cat, so Rowan opens up the laser pointer on her app and we have a shadow stalking the laser pointer our whole way through the cave. Rowan lets him get it at the end. 

 

When we get out we see blackberry bushes what looks like, and tanks attacking a tree but the tanks look like miniatures compared to the tree. 

 

Ava runs towards them. 

 

Meanwhile Persephone is flying over the hedge, there’s a lot of scorched patches with machinery running through it. Up ahead are mechanical things rising from the trees and coming at her and the Strixes. They engage in an aerial dogfight and in the commotion Persephone gets dropped and gets pretty badly injured. 

 

Back with the rest of the team, we hear behind us someone saying “I can get you in there”, turning to see the Last Indigo Scholar there. Ava shoots him and he vanishes. While arguing with the others there we all have to roll clarity and Ava fails, looking up at the tree and having vague memories of being in a cell there. AVA NOW HAS DEPRESSION. 

 

We make it to the robot angel encampment. They’ve got it pretty well locked down, so even after circling a bit we don’t find an entrance that isn’t guarded. 

 

So Ava sits down and starts crying. They’ve come so far and it looks like there’s nothing they can do and Ava just put everyone in danger for nothing. Rowan sits down next to her and so Ava cries harder, leaning against Rowan’s shoulder. 

 

Rowan asks if there’s any way we can get a message to Leofric, and a convenient bird appears and Rowan ties a message to it asking if there’s anything we can do from the outside, signing it from everyone because Ava was too weepy to do anything. 

 

We get a note back saying “I have your Leofric, come if you wish, I will see Ava.” 

 

So Ava says she’s going. Meridian feels a tugging on his breast like the sword wants him to go so I guess we’re all going. 

 

Persephone finds Jacob’s old home and is determined to push on through. The White Queen has other ideas though and grabs at Persephone. The Queen insists that there is a party is for her. You see, the Queen not only wants Jacob back but she also wants Persephone’s former Keeper.

 

Persephone continues to be unimpressed but the White Queen insists on healing her up at the very least as a show of good faith. 

 

Back at the ranch, as we make our way to the tree one of the Angels lands in front of us. The blade Meridian was given by his Master seems to growl, so Meridian just shrugs and stabs the angel with it. 

 

He gets two good thrusts in and it and the angel is FUCKED. UP. and makes to run. Meridian attacks again. The blade gets sucked into the angel and it falls. When we make it to the angel to take the sword out, there’s a baby inside instead??? Which feels like Meridian’s master??? So he takes the baby and the other angels then also come to the same realization that discretion is the better part of valor and run for it. Thank goodness because we only had one of those swords.

 

Path cleared to the tree, we go inside.

 

A side door opens up and we make our way through the dark. Ava wants to find the door to the library but before they do we find Leofric collapsed in the hallway. Ava runs over with Rowan close with her, he’s shirtless. Ava quickly throws her coat over him. He says she shouldn’t be here, but Ava says “Yeah no shit.” while Rowan says “But we’re here.”

 

We learn the Last Indigo Scholar had planned for this, Rowan asks Leo if he wants out of here and Ava says he doesn’t need to stay. He passes out before we can make a decision and so we decide to get him out. Unfortunately Georgina is there when we get back but Rowan is able to intimidates her out of there. We get Leofric to Rowan’s room to rest. 

 

Persephone gets a ride back from the White Queen

 

Meridian gets childcare for the baby. 

 

Persephone returns and we trade information. 

 

Leo’s heart is beating.

 

Rowan makes sure he’s not dying, and leaves Ava to fuss over Leo. Ava stays up and hold his hand, singing songs she knew he liked. Rowan takes the couch and calls Liz, as we were gone for a few days. Persephone calls Dmitri to let him know we’re all okay and then passes out.

 

After sleeping a bit, Rowan wakes up to find Ava still awake, she threatens to drug Ava, Ava says “Pfft, you won’t do that.” and so Rowan mixes a drug with water to roofie Ava and make her sleep, then puts her out on the couch and keeps watch. 

 

Leofric wakes up while Rowan is on watch so the first thing she says is “She’s asleep in the living room, I had to give her a break. You passed out, we couldn’t ask what you wanted.”

 

Leo is more than a little weirded out. Rowan clarifies he’s wearing their shorts. 

 

He turns the shorts into more complete breeches, then abashedly asks if they wanted them back. Thankfully Rowan did not care.

 

Leofric goes out to the living room and sees Ava, sits down, has a sort of silent conversation with Opener of Ways and Opener vanishes. 

 

Mi-Ok tells Rowan that Alice has agreed to take an oath to be part of the team. Rowan is Unsure. 

 

Persephone wakes up. Texts Dmitri asking to meet up to explain things whenever he has a chance. Persephone texts Orpheus and gets a word salad of hitting the middle button over and over again. Calling, she gets a female voice that only repeats exactly what she says. 

 

The phone does weird stuff like a hand coming through? IDK? Getting a little Nightmare on Elm Street there, Orpheus.

 

Meridian insists that he’s got this covered to the other local lords who have doubts about his ability to rear a child. A child that appears to be a True Fae. I think the Spring Court is finally having second thoughts about Meridian.

 

Ava does eventually wake up and greets Leofric, they have an adorable scene where she smiles and says they’ve gotta stop meeting like that, and he agrees as ‘people will talk’. They eventually agree that Leo should stay in this world for a bit before he decides to go back. 

 

Ava gets him a tshirt and jeans to wear so he blends in better and holds his hands when they go to the Roastery with the others. So he doesn’t get lost. 

 

After talking with Alice a bit we decide we’re okay with taking an oath to have her part of the group for a temporary position so she learns the changelings and Meridian will petition the Spring Queen on the part of Alice’s agency.