Chapter 07
Caleb drank through his third cup of coffee as though it were a rescue buoy on a ship. After a second night of little sleep, he was running on near empty. Dealing with Emanuel Quigg had been stressful, and he couldn't wait for Matt to return from the airport with Joshua.
Earlier
After a quick phone conversation with Dean, the six vehicle caravan drove the two-hundred and twenty-seven miles from Warm Springs to Las Vegas, Nevada, arriving in Sin City far after midnight. Caleb checked them into three semi-adjoining rooms at the Crown Hotel, a mid-range hostelry on the outskirts of Northern Las Vegas. While most Vegas hotels were enclosed, with room entrances off hallways on the inside of the building, the Crown's entrances were on the outside. This made carrying in an unconscious man through the parking lot and up the stairs far easier. He couldn't help but wonder if the mob ever made use of the Crown.
Once Emanuel was situated on one of the two double beds in the center room, Caleb handed George a room key next door for him and Wilu. Pahana had split off several miles before they hit Las Vegas, as he had a wife and two small children at home. With their trackers settled, Caleb suggested the remaining hunters alternately get some shuteye. Matt and LaKeesha won the coin toss, and headed to the third rented bedroom. Vince, Isaac and Caleb would stay with Emanuel and take turns bedding down on the second double bed. Caleb and Isaac took first watch while Vince went out for food. Though it was close to three in the morning, this was Las Vegas. There were plenty of places open for through-the-night snacking and after-gaming meals. Fact was, even off-the-strip local casinos were open all night. It was while Vince was out that Emanuel Quigg regained consciousness.
"Manny?" Isaac said, leaning over the prone man. "Can you hear me?"
"Uh," Emanuel groaned, turning his head away from the bedside light.
"Turn that off," Caleb murmured. When the room was lit only by the lamp stationed near the small desk across the room, he leaned over and said, "That better?"
"Ummm, yessss," Emanuel murmured. "Water…"
Isaac picked up a cup and held it for Emanuel to drink. Giving Caleb a confused look, he asked softly, "Are you sure he's under a succubus's thrall? He seems fine."
"He isn't fully conscious," Caleb replied.
Isaac merely nodded and set the cup back down on the side table.
Emanuel groaned as he opened his eyes again.
"Do your eyes still hurt?" Isaac asked.
Emanuel turned and focused on the man sitting beside his bed. Frowning, he murmured, "Nefeli?"
"She isn't here," Caleb answered.
Emanuel turned to view Caleb. "Where…?"
"Somewhere safe," Isaac said, watching the prone man. "Do you know what happened?"
"Is she in danger?"
"She might be," Caleb said. "How did you meet her?"
Frowning, Emanuel's eyes focused on the ceiling of the hotel room. "Where is this?"
Caleb frowned at Isaac when the man opened his mouth, and shook his head. "Nearby," he equivocated. Instead of asking more questions about the succubus, he said, "Why were you tied up?"
"Tied up?"
"Yes, we found you all tied up," Caleb said.
"Oh," Emanuel murmured.
Caleb continued to watch the young hunter while keeping his abilities open to reading the thoughts slushing through Emanuel's confused mind.
"I think I was bad," Emanuel admitted slowly.
"That's hard to believe," Caleb said casually. "I mean, you seem like a really good guy."
"I do?" Emanuel's face scrunched up in confusion. "Maybe…" he murmured under his breath.
"If you weren't bad, why were you tied up?" Caleb asked again, keeping his voice light and friendly.
"I… Where's Nefeli?"
"Who's Nefeli?" Caleb asked. "We didn't see anyone with you."
"She's everything," Emanuel said, a smile lighting his face. "I didn't understand at first, but she made me see."
"How did she do that?" Caleb asked. "Can I see too?"
Emanuel turned to Caleb and smiled. "She makes everyone see."
Caleb nearly growled in frustration. He was trying to read Emanuel, see what happened to Chen, but the younger man's brain was like Swiss cheese; full of holes. His thoughts were as chaotic as a rubber ball ponging off the walls. "How?"
"We have to find her," Emanuel said, attempting to push himself into a sitting position. Groaning, he held a hand to his ribs and frowned. "I hurt."
"Here," Isaac said, pushing gently at Emanuel's shoulder. "Lie back and rest. When you're feeling better we'll go find Nefeli."
Emanuel complied, his face blissful. "Where is she?"
"Coming," Caleb murmured. Reaching into Emanuel's brain, he pushed on the nerve Onida had shown him, one that slid a person into unconsciousness without him using his Darth Vader abilities. He should have thought of that during Emanuel's rescue, but instinct was instinct. But then, he'd needed the freed hunter to be quiet in a hurry. Sighing, he sat back.
"Did you get anything?" Isaac asked.
Caleb shook his head. "It's like trying to hold onto water. His thoughts are everywhere."
"You didn't see anything about Chen?"
"No, not like before. It's like he doesn't even know who Chen is. This Nefeli person fills his thoughts at every turn."
Leaning over, Isaac turned back on the bedside table lamp. "Joshua will get him back."
"Yeah, he will," Caleb agreed, checking his watch. "His flight lands at seven."
"Matt or Keesh can pick him up," Isaac said. "You need to stay here in case he wakes up again and tries to go find this Nefeli person."
"Yeah."
Caleb gave his face a scrub, hoping to wake himself up. A couple hours sleep in a moving car didn't make him feel rested. Suddenly, he growled and yanked his cell from his pocket. He'd forgotten to let his pilot know they'd gone to Vegas. The man was probably at the Tonopah Airport waiting for him to get in touch. Checking his watch, he noted that it was marching toward four in the morning. No sense in waking him up. A muffled knock at the door had him pocketing the phone again and climbing to his feet. When he opened the door, a wonderful smell wafted in.
"Bout time," Vince remarked, shoving a couple of the bags into Caleb's hands. Leaning down, he picked up another large bag and walked into the hotel room. Setting the bounty on the small round table near the front window, he looked over his shoulder to where Emanuel lay. "He wake up yet?"
"For a moment," Caleb answered.
"How's he doing?"
"Confused," Isaac replied, coming over and searching through the bags. Smiling, he pulled out a hot burrito and grinned.
"Yeah, yeah," Vince said with a smirk. "I know what you like."
"Ummm," Isaac hummed, taking a large bite of the shredded chicken burrito. "This hits the spot."
Caleb smiled and leaned over to view the assortment of food. There were more burritos, a couple of covered plastic bowls with rice and beans, some deli sandwiches, and more bowls of other delights.
"Take one of these," Vince said, pushing a large, greasy bag toward Caleb.
Opening it, the older man grinned. "Excellent." Dean would have wanted one of these burgers.
"That," Vince stated, "Is a Gordon Ramsey original."
"Ummmm," Caleb grunted, savoring his first, wonderful bite. "This is heaven."
"Not arguing," Vince said, picking up one of the burgers and taking a bite. "Oh, this is so good."
"Do I get one of those?" Isaac asked, looking toward the bag.
"Hey, I got you the burrito."
"Yeah, but I want one of those too."
Vince rolled his eyes, but dug into the bag and pulled out another burger, which he tossed at his partner. "Like I said: I know thee well."
Isaac stuffed the rest of his burrito in his mouth, then peeled back the foil on the burger.
Caleb shook his head and went to lift a cold bottle of soda. Taking his burger and the drink back to his chair, he dropped into it and took another bite.
"You should get some sleep, Caleb," Isaac said. "You've used a lot of energy the last couple of days." He tapped at his head. "You need to recharge."
"Maybe," Caleb said, shifting uncomfortably. Having rarely used his abilities in the field with other hunters, at least in as open a manner as he had tonight, he felt odd talking about them so casually. Taking another bite, he was aware of Vince and Isaac talking quietly at the table as he watched Emanuel sleep. What he really wanted to do was find out what happened to Chen before Dean and Sam got to Warm Springs. Maybe Joshua would be able to help. Suddenly he yawned.
"Take the other bed," Vince stated, his voice brooking no argument. "It's just after four. You can at least sleep until Joshua gets here. Isaac and I will rest one on, one off until six. Then we'll wake Matt and Keesh before we leave to go meet up with Dean." Glancing at Isaac, he said, "Wilu can drive and we'll sleep."
Isaac chuckled. "It's only fair."
"Damn right it is," Vince agreed.
Caleb nodded. "All right," he sighed. Stuffing the last of the burger into his mouth, he picked up a bottle of water and went to the darker side of the room, dropped onto the bed and didn't remember falling asleep.
Too soon someone was shaking him on the shoulder and he was awake, up and drinking that third cup of coffee.
"Burgers aren't as good cold," LaKeesha observed, chewing on her hamburger.
"There's a microwave."
"Never…" LaKeesha stated, shuddering dramatically, "never nuke a burger. Cold trumps nuking anytime." And despite her opinion on cold burgers, she took another bite.
Caleb shook his head, smiling. Checking his watch, he noted that it was a little after seven. He'd gotten almost three hours sleep. Too bad that didn't mean as much as it had when he was fifty. Stifling a yawn, he said, "Vince, Isaac and Wilu get off all right?"
"Yup. Vince and Isaac banged on George's door, much like they did ours. Our responses were mostly the same, except according to George, they've earned a Washoe curse for their disrespect. He said he'd take care of that the moment he returned to the reservation."
Caleb chuckled and shook his head.
LaKeesha grinned. "Matt just whacked Vince on the head and growled at Isaac before heading to the shower. Anyway, George is back in bed, according to Wilu, who took several sandwiches with him when he headed down to the car. Isaac said to tell you he and Vince were going to get some solid sleep once the town is cleared." Checking her watch, she finished, "And Matt is probably already outside the terminal waiting for Joshua."
Caleb nodded. Some of the activity he'd heard, though more from a sleepy distance than fully awake. He'd chosen to stay close to slumber land, trusting in his people and knowing he needed the rest.
"He ever wake up?" LaKeesha jerked her chin in Emanuel's direction.
"Yeah. Didn't know anything; just kept asked for someone named Nefeli."
"The succubus."
"Suppose so. Can't rule out follower or subordinate, but the real deal is most likely." Caleb wandered over to the table and picked up a cold sub sandwich. Peeling back the paper, he sniffed at the wilted lettuce and room temperature turkey before setting it back down. After a quick text to Michael Foster, he dropped back into a chair near the bed and wondered if he should wake Emanuel, give another shot to figuring out what happened to Chen. He checked his watch again. Dean and Sam would be landing at Mammoth Yosemite Airport within the half hour, where Daniel Rios and Joel Neubridge would pick them up and they would set out for Warm Springs.
LaKeesha wadded up her burger wrapper and tossed it into the nearby waste can. Pushing herself to her feet, she went to the table and began picking up the food, tossing away the trash and putting the food that remained in the small refrigerator.
Though he preferred reading email on a computer, Caleb lifted his phone and checked it there, though that involved a lot of squinting. There were a few notifications of new hunts, one hunting team that moved to a different location to track their quarry, and a couple of emails on rumors that could lead to hunts. He transferred those to Max, and informed his understudy of the current situation in Nevada.
"Uhhh."
Looking up, Caleb saw that Emanuel was stirring. He hadn't repeated his depression of the pineal glade, hoping the young man would stay under until Joshua got there.
Opening his eyes, Emanuel looked around and frowned. "Where am I?" The young hunter seemed much more alert this time around.
Caleb leaned forward in his chair and said, "Safe."
"Safe? That doesn't tell me anything." Surveying the room, Emanuel said, "This is a hotel room. Why? Where's Nefeli?"
"Who's Nefeli?"
"She's everything," Emanuel replied, shifting on the bed and pushing himself into a sitting position. Groaning at the aches and pains the action brought, he rubbed gingerly at his head. "Where is she?" Eyes going to Caleb, they suddenly narrowed. "I know you."
Almost quicker than Caleb could react, Emanuel had jumped off the bed and run for the door. Caleb caught him around the waist and tossed him back down.
"Stay down," Caleb stated. "I don't want to have to make you."
"Where's Nefeli?" Emanuel demanded. "What did you do to her?"
"I did nothing but rescue you from being tied to a chair," Caleb stated harshly.
"A chair?" Emanuel repeated, momentarily distracted. Frowning, he thought back a moment, before asking again, "Where's Nefeli?"
Deciding he wasn't getting anywhere fast, Caleb tried a different tack. "She left your ass."
"What? She wouldn't have left me," Emanuel stated hotly. "She loves me. I'm her one and only."
Snorting out a laugh, Caleb chided, "Seriously? How many one and onlys does she have? There were at least ten people there, two watching you while you were beaten and tied up. Some one and only."
Emanuel launched himself off the bed and directly at Caleb. But Caleb was ready, had been expecting it. Snatching Emanuel practically out of the air, he slammed the younger man back onto the bed. Pinning one flailing hand down with his knee, Caleb secured Emanuel to the bed with a strong hand on one shoulder, his other on the throat and hissed, "Where's Chen?"
"Who?" Emanuel yelled back.
"Chen! Chen Lee, you're friend and partner!"
"I only know Nefeli!" Emanuel shouted, shoving at Caleb's hand and getting in a good shot to the older man's face with a clenched fist.
LaKeesha, who had hung back letting Caleb work, rushed the far side of the bed and caught Emanuel's hand before he could give Caleb a second shiner. "We're going to be heard by other people if he keeps this up."
He didn't want to send Emanuel back to sleep in case Joshua needed him awake to administer the potion. But LaKeesha was right; they would attract too much attention if Emanuel kept shouting. "Grab a towel and some rope."
LaKeesha nodded and hurried into the bathroom.
"Nefeli! Nefeli!" Emanuel shouted, striking repeatedly at Caleb's shoulder with his free hand.
Caleb turned his abilities on the young man and shut down his windpipe, causing Emanuel's eyes to widen as he gasped and choked. "Hurry up!" Caleb called out to LaKeesha.
A second later LaKeesha was back with a towel, which she shoved into Emanuel's mouth the moment Caleb let up his psychic pressure. Grabbing Emanuel's right hand, she used a pressure point on his wrist to buckle his arm, then she shoved it against the mattress and secured it with a long zip tie to the bed frame. Tossing Caleb another tie, she held Emanuel down as Caleb dragged the young man's left arm down, then secured it to the frame.
Sitting back, Caleb muttered, "What's with you and Matt and the zip ties?"
"Tell me you don't think they come in handy," LaKeesha declared, securing a kicking leg to the baseboard.
"I think I'll be revising my usual hunting equipment to include them," Caleb remarked as he held down Emanuel's other leg while LaKeesha threaded the tie around the prone man's ankle and tied it down. He'd definitely used zip ties through the years, but hadn't included them on a hunter's equipment list. Seemed like the time for that to change. Stepping back, he observed that though bound, the ties were doing nothing to stop Emanuel from thrashing around in a desperate attempt to get free. "Help me pull the bed away from the wall."
With that accomplished, Caleb stepped back and watched Emanuel struggled against his bindings, muttering feverishly through the towel.
"I've never seen anyone brainwashed before," LaKeesha said faintly. "I thought getting whammied would look more like love."
"It's like a prison," Caleb murmured. "But he'll be all right, eventually."
"What if he…"
The unspoken question hung in the air. It was a question Caleb had asked himself as well: What if Emanuel had been the one to kill Chen Lee. The young man wouldn't be able to live with himself. "If you're the praying kind, pray he didn't."
LaKeesha just nodded.
The pair of them sat awhile, watching as Emanuel struggled against his bounds, rested, only to begin struggling again.
Finally, LaKeesha rose and pulled out two bottles of water from the refrigerator. Handing one to Caleb, she checked her watch. "It's after eight. Shouldn't they be back by now?"
Caleb shrugged. "It's Sunday. There may be a lot of traffic, with people heading out of town back to their work lives." His feet were resting on the bed near Emanuel's knees as he watched the young man's face contort in anger as he struggled.
The knock at the door couldn't have come soon enough. Before Caleb could even get up, Lakeesha was on her feet and over at the door. Opening it, she said, "Hey," and stepped aside to let Matt and Joshua in.
Joshua set his cases on the small room table and walked over to Caleb, who had risen and was now standing near the bed. "You look tired," he said in a low tone.
"It has not been the relaxing weekend I'd hoped for," Caleb commented wryly.
Joshua smiled. "No, I would think not." He looked past Caleb to the man on the bed. "Well, then. Let's get started." Turning, he walked back to the table and pulled out a compartmented box. "First, we'll find out what sort of creature put him under her thrall, then we'll break the connection."
"How many different kinds are there?" Matt asked, stepping forward, Lakeesha at his side.
"Ten or twelve, not counting variations of types indigenous to local lore around the world," Joshua said, pulling on plastic gloves. "I'm thinking, since this creature chose to nest in Nevada rather than near water or at a higher altitude, that she's one of the land varieties. So we'll check for nymphs, succubi, lamias, ekidhnas and arachne first. If unsuccessful, we'll move to those that have their impetus in air or water."
"Lamia," Caleb murmured, frowning. "Didn't JT….?
Joshua glanced up and said, "Indeed." Turning back to Emanuel, he said, "Caleb, can you hold his arm?"
Caleb moved in to secure Emanuel's arm more firmly to the mattress.
Pulling out a long cotton-tipped swab, Joshua dipped the end in the gel of the first compartment and touched it to Emanuel's arm.
Arching upward, Emanuel howled as the gel burned his arm.
"Is it supposed to do that?" LaKeesha asked anxiously.
"No creature of enthrallment would tolerate the touch of another on one she had enthralled," Joshua explained. "The gels will burn until we get to the one that doesn't."
"So, what was a no?" Caleb asked.
"That would be lamia," Joshua sated. Dipping a second swab into another, pinker gel, he touched it to Emanuel's forearm, and watched as the skin underneath burned and reddened. "No to nymphs," he commented. For the third time he dipped a swab into his case and touched it to Emanuel's arm. The gel brightened a moment, then spread out along the skin in what appeared to be a soothing, calming manner. After a couple seconds, it began to bubble, then evaporated into the air. "Standard succubus it is, then."
"Why did it bubble like that?" LaKeesha asked.
"Because, while it was a succubus that did this, the serum isn't from the same succubus. So the thralling of this enchantress kicked out the other.
"Weird," Lakeesha murmured.
Caleb nodded. "Do you need anything for the antidote?"
"I have everything I need with me," Joshua said, accepting Caleb's arm as he rose from his bedside perch. "I already made the base used for most potions. In ten minutes I should have this one tailored for a succubus."
Caleb was watching Emanuel as Joshua talked. The younger man seemed to be panicked, pulling furiously at his bonds while his eyes dripped tears. Caleb felt his heart tug at the obvious despair Emanuel was feeling. But the truth was, it would be nothing compared to what he would feel when he was himself once more. Sitting, he said, "Emanuel, this is what Nefeli would want. She would want you to be strong and courageous."
Shaking his head back and forth, Emanuel choked as tears appeared to clog his throat.
"LaKeesha?" Caleb called.
Coming around the side of the bed, LaKeesha stood guard as Caleb pulled the towel from Emanuel's throat.
Emanuel coughed and choked for a moment, before he yelled, "Help!"
Caleb had been ready for that, and he instantly used his abilities to silence the young hunter while Matt snapped up the towel and stuck it back down Emanuel's throat. Turning to Joshua, Caleb said, "Let's get this done."
Dean stepped out of the terminal entrance into the bright California sun. A look at his watch revealed it was just before eight in the morning. "It's wrong to be on a flight for nearly six hours, and get here after only three," he grumped.
"Yeah, Kentucky is three hours ahead."
"I just said that," Dean snapped.
"Someone needs more sleep," Sam muttered under his breath.
"What?!"
"There's Joel and Daniel," Sam said. He lifted a hand in greeting and walked away. Long years had taught him not to engage when Dean was in a grumpy mood. When he got to Joel's familiar truck, he climbed into the back seat. "Hey. You guys made good time."
"We weren't that far out," Joel said, turning around and looking into the back seat, where Dean had just crawled in beside his brother. Knowing the Guardian, he said, "Morning, Dean. Need some coffee?" He held out a large to-go cup.
"Gimme," Dean said, reaching immediately for the hot brew. Quickly he dumped the top and took a long, satisfying gulp.
Joel grinned at Daniel and shook his head. Dean's ability to gulp hot coffee had become the stuff of legend in the hunter community. "Sam?" he said, handing over a second cup.
"Thanks," Sam said, lifting the lid and blew onto the scalding liquid surface before taking a sip.
"No problem," Daniel said. "We need the lift too. I thought we'd stop for breakfast before heading to Warm Springs. It's going to be a three hour drive."
"That would be great," Sam said sincerely.
Finally Dean leaned back and sighed. "Thanks." Taking a good look at Joel and Daniel, their shadowed eyes and scruffy appearance, he asked, "You guys get any sleep?"
"Not much, but we're good for awhile," Daniel replied as Joel pulled the truck into the line of cars exiting the airport. "Once we've cleared the town and…" he broke off a moment, before continuing, "looked for Chen, we'll bed down."
Sam felt the sense of loss. Though they had yet to confirm the death, Caleb had seen inside Emanuel's mind. From what he'd seen, it was likely that one of their own had left their ranks for good. Instead of commenting, he said, "Did you check out information on Warm Springs?"
"We did some," Joel said. "Took turns between driving and the researching. I get why someone wanting to stay under the radar would choose Nevada."
"Lots of open ground," Daniel agreed. "Few small towns with equally small populations. There are lots of abandoned stagecoach and railway stops."
"Lots of abandoned towns," Joel added.
Daniel nodded. "The most populace cities are near the California border, either mid state or lower near the south side of Orange County and San Diego."
"I got the same," Sam said. "Warm Springs is now maintained as a conservation area."
"I wouldn't mind trying that hot spring some day," Joel said. "Anyway, there's a lot of barren land and empty buildings to hide in."
"And it's hundreds of miles from the Gate," Daniel said.
Everyone knew of the Devil's Gate and the pure iron railing Samuel Colt had built to keep the Gate secure. Some hunters had even been around when it had been opened before, and had a hand in taking out those that had escaped.
As two members of the Brotherhood that home-based on the West Coast, Daniel and Joel were one of three additional teams tasked with monitoring the stability of the devil's trap. Magical alarms were set at the five frontier churches Colt had built to anchor the trap. Teams walked the perimeter twice a year, ensuring the one hundred miles of iron railing remained undisturbed, and that every sigil etched into the iron went unmarred. Due to the size, one team would take the northern half, while the other circumvented the southern portion. The teams varied their patrol times, so they would not be predictable to supernatural creatures interested in breaking the line and opening the gate. Daniel and Joel had already checked the rails this year in March, along with a husband and wife hunting team of Candice and Kent Wallens. Sometime between September and December, part time hunters Eric Wilson and Andre Brown, along with full time hunters Paul Nguyen and Neel Madsen would check the line. Eric Wilson wrote books on the Old West, and had volunteered to maintain the churches. He would spend two and a half months living in each one throughout the year, and would even preach occasionally should the nearby towns people ask. As a devote Southern Baptist, he loved history and the Bible, and could talk about either at length.
"You think this succubus was interested in the Gate?" Joel asked.
"I don't know," Sam said, casting a glance over at Dean, who was staring out the window. "It may be a coincidence."
"If so, she was taking a look from the nose-bleed seats," Daniel remarked.
Dean didn't say anything, but figured he was thinking what everyone else was: coincidences in their line of work were pretty non-existent. When Joel pulled into the lot of the small diner across the street from a truck stop, all he said was, "How about breakfast?"
JT pulled down another book from one of the many shelves in the Tomb, checked the title on the spine, then sat back down at the table. He'd been up since seven, having slept only sparsely through the night. After toasting a couple pieces of bread and slathering them with jam, he'd filled a glass with apple juice and come down to the tomb, not wanting to wake everyone up with brewing coffee.
The mystery of the creature that could shift between corporeal and non-corporeal forms had crowded weariness from his mind. With all the decades of research and history behind the Brotherhood, the hundreds of records of creature encounters, especially the Apocalypse that his father and uncles had fought, it was rare to come across anything supernatural that was a complete mystery. He'd never encountered the like. So he was puzzled and curious.
"Are you going to spend the entire day in here?" Max asked, walking through the door with a sandwich in one hand, holding a plate bearing another. He set the plate down in front of JT. "Nicholas was asking where you were."
Because of Nicholas' attachment to Dean, JT was on the boy's must see list due to JT's resemblance to his father. In addition, JT had been the one to explain that because Dean was the child's god-father, that made JT his god-brother. Brother was a word Nicholas attached to only two people: Max and JT.
"Sorry," JT said. Leaning back in his chair, he stretched his arms over his head.
"You're checking out that ghost figure," Max stated knowingly.
JT nodded. "I've never seen anything like it before. It was ghostly, then it was solid, then it was ghostly again. But it had the ability to make solid items around it ghostly too."
"Like when it picked up the lamia," Max said.
"Yeah." JT pushed the book away slightly and pulled the sandwich forward. "I wanted to see whether I could find a creature that had those attributes. But I suppose it's a stretch to think I could find something even Dad, Uncle Sam and Uncle Caleb hadn't heard of in a couple hours."
"Maybe it hasn't come up before," Max said. "We research what we're fighting, not just random stuff."
"James and Uncle Sam do."
"Somewhat," Max conceded. "They're the Scholar and Scholar-to-be, so studying is in their nature. But usually they're researching and finding answers for immediate threats, not searching for creatures no one's ever heard of. Plus they have their own jobs, Sam with his teaching and writing articles, James taking over Ames Corp…"
JT snorted out a laugh.
Max grinned. "I'm just saying that both are dedicated to the Brotherhood and their Scholar positions, but researching simply for research's sake isn't always easy to do."
"I suppose you're right." JT frowned. The phrase researching simply for researches sake rang a bell. Where had he heard that? It was attached to someone doing it, and not Uncle Sam, James or Elijah Matthews.
"You might want to put someone at the office on it, see what they can find." Standing, Max said, "In the meantime, there's a little boy and you're mom outside wanting to spend time with you. Not to mention your brother from Nashville, your nephew and niece…"
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, JT smiled and rose. "All right, all right. Let's head outside. I could use some fresh air anyway."
Max followed his friend out of the Hunter's Tomb, saying, "But you're coming back later on, aren't you?"
"Damn straight," JT said, in a perfect imitation of his father.
"Hold him down," Joshua ordered, stepping toward the bed with a small vial of liquid in his hand.
Emanuel's eyes were wide as he watched the older man approach.
Caleb nodded to Matt and LaKeesha. They would hold Emanuel down while he forced the young man to swallow.
When everyone was ready and Matt and LaKeesha were holding tight to Emanuel's struggling, twisting body, Caleb pulled the towel from the entranced hunter's mouth.
"Nefel…" Emanuel began to shout, before Caleb silenced him with his abilities.
Turning to Joshua, Caleb said, "Do it now." Squeezing Emanuel's cheeks, he forced open the younger man's mouth.
Joshua leaned over. Pinching Emanuel's nose, he poured the potion into his mouth.
Caleb shoved the young man's jaws closed and waited as Emanuel writhed and struggled. Finally, his throat contracted as he swallowed. Shoving the towel back into Emanuel's mouth, Caleb stepped back with the others as they stood, waiting. "How long will this take?"
"Not long," Joshua murmured, his eyes on the young man's face. After a moment he looked back at Caleb, frowning slightly. "What was that he said?"
"Nefeli," Caleb said, his eyes on Emanuel. "The name of the succubus who enthralled him, I'm guessing."
"Odd," Joshua mused.
Caleb's gaze shifted to the Advisor's face. "Odd, how?"
"Well, nefeli isn't a name, really. Not anymore," Joshua said. He'd read quite a bit about enchantresses back in his Louisville workshop and on the flight to Las Vegas. "It's known now as more of a designation. Earth enchantresses are hamadriads, tree nymphs; slyphs, air nymphs; vila, weather nymphs. And nefeli are cloud nymphs. In Greek mythology, the word nefeli comes from the Greek word nephos, which means cloud. Nefeli was a cloud nymph, created by Zeus from a cloud in the image of Hera."
LaKeesha, who had been listening in, said, "So, this Nefeli is a nymph?"
"A Nefeli was the original cloud nymph, after which all cloud nymphs are categorized." Joshua frowned. "The woman who enthralled Emanuel is a succubus. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say she was using Nefeli as a nom de plume."
"She doesn't want us tracking her," Matt interjected.
Emanuel jerked at the zip ties and everyone looked toward the bed. Tension filled the air as Caleb rose and checked the bindings to make sure that were secure. The struggles on the bed slowed as Emanuel's face reddened as he grew tired and his breathing became labored. Growling, he glared up at Caleb and Joshua, his eyes saying eloquently what he could not in his bound and gagged state: I hate you.
"I get it," Caleb said softly. "But you won't soon."
"I'm going for some fresh coffee," Matt said, pushing off the wall near the bathroom and stretching.
"Yeah," LaKeesha agreed, rising from the bedside chair. Looking to Joshua, she asked, "Did you get any breakfast?"
Joshua smiled and shook his head. "No."
"There's a diner across the street that's clean and has a fresh menu," LaKeesha said. "I'll get breakfast for everyone." Moving across the room to where Matt waited, the pair of them left.
Joshua sat down at the small table, now covered with potion ingredients, stone bowls and pestles, and began to clean up and repack his ingredients.
Caleb lowered himself into the chair opposite Joshua. "So, this woman is using a name from ancient Greek, why? To point us to what she is?"
"That she is an enchantress, possibly," Joshua said, loading more ingredients into his bag. "Cloud nymphs are not a common enchantress, so using Nefeli isn't going to clue us into much about who she is. It is also possible she used the name out of a sense of cheek."
"Dangling what she is out there, believing we wouldn't connect the name to the original Greek or to enchantresses."
"It is possible," Joshua said. "Or perhaps she used the name knowing that there were some who would make the connection."
"Hunters," Caleb stated. Was this succubus tracking them, or calling them out? Sighing, he ran a hand over his face and set that question aside for the moment, focusing his attention on Joshua's pale face. "How are you doing?"
"Tired," Joshua said, giving Caleb a smile. "You missed a good barbeque yesterday."
"Were Tristan and Kaven all right? Did they have fun?"
"They missed you, but had a good time playing with all the dogs. Nicholas and Mac discovered a family of toads, which Dean forbade entry to the house."
Caleb laughed. "Bet Juliet had a hand in that."
"Don't think a hand was needed," Joshua commented, smiling. "Mac came over to spend the night with Nicholas."
"This Nicholas' first sleep over?"
"Yes, it is."
Caleb watched the other man a moment, before saying, "I'm sorry." Joshua was missing out on a milestone. How many of those had they all missed throughout the years?
"There will be more sleepovers," Joshua said with a smile. "Onida stayed at the farm again, so Tristan and Kaven either slept in one of Dean's forts or in the guest bedroom with Onida."
"I'm voting for the guest bedroom," Caleb remarked. "It's a new house to them, and they're still not all that used to sleeping on their own room, even at home." Eyes on Emanuel, he said, "All the children probably used to sleep puppy-style in the caves; for warmth, for security, for comfort. That will be a tough arrangement to give up."
"But they will, someday," Joshua stated. "Last week Nicholas spent the entire night in his own bed." Smiling, he continued, "I think he was so surprised when he woke up, that he came and crawled into bed with us the next morning."
Caleb chuckled.
"Tristan and Kaven will adjust, are already adjusting. And they'll become more independent and their personalities will develop more and more as they experience your love, Onida's love."
Nodding, Caleb swallowed through the sudden tightness in his throat. He'd never known having children of one's own could be such a blessing, and he was enjoying it immensely. Even through the nightmares, terrors and tears, the giggles, shining eyes and quick hugs were worth it all.
Suddenly, Caleb realized Emanuel's eyes were on them, red-rimmed and wet. Hurrying forward, he murmured, "Emanuel?"
Abruptly the young man turned his face away.
Caleb reached down and pulled the towel gag away and said again, "Manny…"
The young man's throat worked convulsively as he swallowed. Finally, he choked, "Chen. He died … for me."
Joshua came over and sat nearby while Caleb cut the ties holding Emanuel onto the bed. Taking the bottled water Joshua held out, Caleb helped the younger man into a sitting position and held the bottle for him to drink. Knowing it would be better to get it out rather than keep it inside, he said, "Tell us what happened."
Swallowing a mouthful of water and taking his time, Emanuel finally began. Tone hoarse, his voice barely above a whisper, he said, "We finished a hunt about thirty minutes outside Preston, Nevada. Instead of getting a motel room, we decided to bed down in our tent. It was a nice night and you know how Chen likes to wax eloquent during a full moon."
Caleb's eyes met Joshua's. They'd both caught the present tense in Emanuel's narrative.
"We'd set up the tent and built a fire so we could make some coffee when this woman stumbles out of the darkness." Emanuel frowned. "We were both startled, as we were out in the middle of nowhere. I got up to help, but Chen grabbed my arm. He asked her what she was doing out there so far from the road. You know the drill; why are you here, are you alone, what happened. She said her car had broken down, and she went for help but got lost. I thought that was odd. Why was she way out here in the desert? Why hadn't she stayed on the road? We were right on Highway 6. Trucks drive all night, and someone would have helped. She didn't really answer, just started moving toward us asking if she could warm herself by the fire." Emanuel shook his head. "Man, it was like, seventy degrees out there. We'd only set the fire to warm up some food and brew the coffee. I backed away and Chen went for his weapon." He swallowed. "That's when someone came up behind us."
"There was no warning?" Caleb asked.
"It's difficult to hear someone approach when they're walking on dust and sand. I caught movement just before the guy came up carrying a large stick or bat. I shoved Chen away, and tackled the guy. Another guy joined the first and I was fighting both. Chen had lost his grip on his rifle when he went down, and the woman was on him like a Banshee or something. I got one guy in the groin and smashed the second one's knee. While they were down I grabbed Chen's rifle and pointed it at the woman, telling her to back off. She let Chen go, but by this time the other guys were up. Chen grabbed his ankle pistol and shot one in the throat while I caught the other in the shoulder. Then the woman was on me…" Emanuel broke off, looking wretched.
"Take your time," Caleb murmured.
Emanuel nodded. After another gulp of water, he cleared his throat. "Everything went sort of foggy, like I couldn't think what we were doing out there. I could hear Chen, and he was yelling. But the woman was saying how I was strong and brave, and she needed someone like that to protect her." Closing his eyes in horror, he whispered, "I told her I could protect her. Chen was yelling again, telling me to snap out of it. The guy I clipped in the shoulder hit Chen across the face." Frowning, he said, "I remember everything sharpened a bit and I started toward Chen. The woman held my arm, kept saying she needed to be protected. But Chen was there on the ground, his face bleeding. Suddenly I raised my gun and shot the guy that hit Chen right between the eyes. Then…" closing his eyes, he finished, "Then the woman shot Chen. She said she needed only one protector, and that protector had to be hers completely. Then she walked away … and I followed her." Looking at Caleb, his heart in his eyes, he whispered, "I followed her. I'm so sorry."
"It wasn't your fault," Caleb stated firmly. "It sounds like you both put up one helluva fight." Joshua had gotten up and pulled the Kleenex box from the bathroom and handed it to Emanuel. "How did you end up in that town, and why were you tied to the chair?"
"I … I'm not quite sure. We were in the desert, and I said something about why were we leaving everyone. I mean, there were the two guys who'd come with her and…" Emanuel swallowed, "Chen. We can't just leave them, I said. Then I was suddenly lying on the ground. I don't even know what hit me. There were a few more people around, and they grabbed me and drug me away." He looked up at Caleb, "She kept telling me I was important to her, that I was her protector, was the bravest and strongest." He shook his head. "I was so proud that this amazing woman wanted me. She said I needed to be purified." His eyes jerked up to Caleb's. "That's why I was tied to the chair; purification."
"And that took the form of beatings?" Joshua asked.
"I guess so," Emanuel said. "I was just there. All I could think of was that this would help me be what she needed."
"She was a succubus," Joshua said softly. "They enchant and put people under their control. You couldn't have fought it if you'd tried."
"Chen did," Emanuel whispered.
"Chen did because she was focused on you," Joshua insisted. "She chose you and shot Chen. She's the one responsible for…"
"Did you see where Chen was hit?" Caleb interrupted. A sudden hope filled his heart. He'd seen Chen get hit in Emanuel's mind, but had that been exaggerated by the succubus? Chen was hit, yes. But where was he hit?
Emanuel blinked. "What?"
"Where was he shot? In the chest, the stomach, the heart?"
"I don't know," Emanuel stammered, running agitated fingers through his hair. "Everything was foggy, I couldn't think straight. She fired and I was yelling…"
"We got a distress call."
"What?"
"A distress call," Caleb repeated. "That's why we're here looking for you. Keesh heard it and sent up the alarm."
Emanuel shoved himself to his feet. "How long ago? Chen might still be alive."
"We'll check it out," Caleb said, eyeing his watch. "You were outside Preston?" At Emanuel's nod, he checked the GPS on his phone. "We can get there inside of three hours." Grabbing his jacket, he said to Joshua, "Can you let Matt and LaKeesah know?"
"I should go with you." Joshua stated, already shoving ingredients into his travel kit. "If Chen is alive, he's been wounded for a couple days and may need help."
"Then I'll leave a note for…"
Just then there was a banging on the hotel door. Caleb hurried to open it, and Matt and LaKeesha came inside followed by George, their arms full of bags and coffee. The moment all three were standing in the bland hotel room, Caleb said, "We've got some news that Chen may be alive, and we're going to check it out."
"Alive?" George exclaimed. "After all this time?"
Matt dumped the food onto the table. "I thought you said Chen was dead."
"We thought he was dead," Caleb said. "In Emanuel's mind I saw the woman shoot Chen, and he wasn't where they'd taken Manny."
"Now you're saying he might be…" LeKeesha began.
"Alive? It's a long shot, but it's a shot just the same," Caleb said. Quickly he explained what Emanuel had revealed. "Chen had to have sent the SOS, and according to Manny, that would have been after the succubus took him from the campsite. It's a slim possibility he's alive, but we're going to check it out."
"We're all going," Matt stated.
"If Chen and Emanuel were camping, how will we know where to turn off?" LaKeesha asked.
"I'll know," Emanuel stated.
"And I know the terrain," George declared. "Between the two of us, we'll get you to the right spot."
"All right," Caleb said. "Manny, Joshua and Matt go in George's Humvee. Keesha and I will follow in the SUV."
"I'll get our duffels," Matt said, hurrying to the room next door.
"I'll grab my things and drop off the keys," George stated. Snagging a breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee, he said, "Meet you downstairs."
LaKeesha turned to quickly divvied up the food, shoving a bag and a carry out with coffee into Emanuel's hands, and hurried to sanitize the room. Caleb grabbed his bag and headed out to the SUV with Joshua.
"I'm going with Emanuel because you're concerned the succubus might reestablish her control," Joshua said quietly.
"Yes." Caleb jogged down the stairs and stepped into the already hot parking lot. Pausing, he said, "We know succubi have the ability to seduce in dreams. That may extend to waking dreams. I want to make sure Manny isn't pulled back into her clutches."
"He may be bound to her for life," Joshua murmured.
"It's possible," Caleb said grimly, "But only if we let her live."
"Then let us make sure she dies," Joshua stated.
Matt and LaKeesha hurried down the steps and over to the Humvee, where George was depositing his things in the rear compartment.
Caleb walked to their SUV. Opening the front door, he tossed his duffel into the back seat and unlocked the passenger door so LaKeesha could climb inside. Looking over to where George, Emanuel, Matt and Joshua stood, he said, "Chen has been on his own too long. Once we're outside Vegas, the speed limit is just a suggestion."
"And if we see cops in our rearview?" Matt asked.
"Make sure they don't catch us," Caleb stated.
Tamara slogged through the wet, soupy underbrush of the Florida Everglades, her eyes focused unswervingly on the wide rippling of water some thirty feet ahead. While she mostly worked solo, for this hunt she had hooked up with a man she'd hunted with somewhat regularly through the years; Adain Rees. A Welshman born and bred, they were both transplants to America, and both had a history of fighting supernatural creatures. Though she was closing in on her seventies, she still fought the supernatural with a single-minded focus that put off most people, even other hunters. But Adain was different; he understood.
It had been thirty-five years since her husband Isaac had been killed by Gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins; it had been even longer since she'd lost her daughter. Those had been dark days, very dark. After giving Isaac a hunter's burial, she had gone after killing demons and returning them to hell with a vengeance. And then she had heard that Dean Winchester was dead. It was a shock, that someone so vital was gone. With his death, she found that some of her ire against the Winchesters had ebbed. However illogical her resentment against them had been, after all, Ellen Harvelle and Bobby Singer had been at ground zero as well, it had somehow become an invisible connection to her beloved Isaac. And now that had waned. Still, she had refocused all her attention on sending as many demons as possible back to hell; for her lost child, for her husband.
As the months passed and she hunted, one would have had to be blind not to see that the supernatural had gone beyond the confines of ghouls, ghosts and werewolves. Though she shunned other hunters and the Brotherhood, she still heard through the hunter grapevine about an angelic and demon war. Deciding the whispers were unfounded rumors she dismissed the talk as rhetoric from the disillusioned. But with violence ratcheting up and hunters dying, she had finally gone to a couple trusted sources and found out the truth. Accepting the reality of an Apocalyptic world, she and two other hunters teamed up to watch one another's backs until the battle was averted.
In the end, the supernatural world returned to normal. While she never truly found out why and how the Apocalypse had ended, she only knew that it had. With that information in hand, she had turned her back on America and returned to Britain.
Though her father had passed before the death of her daughter, her mother was still alive and living in Tamara's childhood home. Her mama was the only person to whom she'd revealed the entire story of her daughter and husband's deaths. After her return they'd talked for hours about the supernatural, about things that killed and tormented humans, and about the hunting life. Though reluctant at first to engage in conversation, she ultimately found it cathartic.
She kept up a few connections to former colleagues back in the states, and while glad to be home, talk and mom-therapy only took you so far. So Tamara found a job at a public relations firm and reconnected with friends from her youth. She spent time going to restaurants and clubs, time dancing and taking in a few movies. Old friends came over, and she visited their homes. Though however much she tried, she couldn't help watching the news with a practiced eye, both in Britain and abroad. She'd seen the supernatural. Once you saw, you couldn't un-see. There were times she wondered if she should return to hunting, but couldn't seem to make a decision. And so she worked, and had dinners with her mom and her friends, and watched movies and took a pottery class. It wasn't until an old connection from America informed her that Dean Winchester was alive, did all her busy-busy activities cease in their tracks. Also an autonomous hunter, Adain Rees was a Welshman she and Isaac had hunted with a time or two in the bygone days. Though he wasn't in the Brotherhood, he had contacts within the organization that had informed him Dean, Sam and Caleb Reaves had been instrumental in ending the Apocalypse.
"But, Dean Winchester is dead," Tamara stated dully.
"Yup," Adain replied. "But according to my contact, apparently an angel named Castiel reached into hell and pulled him out to be an instrument of God."
Tamara snorted. The Dean Winchester she knew an instrument of God? Not likely.
Adain laughed. "Yeah, apparently he didn't like being conscripted either. But he was back, and he stepped into being the Guardian of the Brotherhood."
"No way," Tamara said faintly.
"You know his father was the Knight under Jim Murphy," Adain said.
"I heard that somewhere, but I don't pay too much attention to the Brotherhood."
"Maybe you should," Adain said softly.
"Are you a member now?" Tamara demanded hotly.
"No, but many hunters are joining up, not only because the Winchesters and Caleb Reaves took on the Archangels of God and won, but because they helped put Lucifer back into a box in hell. They're the new Triad of the Brotherhood, and they're living up to the name. Looks like the infighting between Brotherhood factions wanting power has ended and the glory days are back."
Tamara didn't know what to say to all that. There was too much information for her to focus on. Dean Winchester had come back and leading the Brotherhood? Finally, she murmured, "Let me call you back in a moment, okay?"
"I'll be here."
Tamara had sat on her bed staring into the darkening room for a long time, not really seeing that daylight had fled and night had fallen. The men that had opened the devil's gate had fought, died, come back and fought again. "Isaac," she finally whispered. "It's over. They did it; ended the Apocalypse. Maybe it's time to lay the past to rest." Lifting her hand, she hit redial and Adain picked up as though he were waiting. "Tell me everything."
That had been almost thirty-two years ago. She had returned to America, began hunting again and had been doing so ever since. Though she had put down her resentment of the Winchesters, she hadn't been one of the many hunters to join the ranks of the Brotherhood, though she appreciated what the Triad had done to make hunting safer. She'd even tapped into their medical branch a time or two when she needed help. But join, even for a Brotherhood paycheck? Not likely.
Tonight, she and Adain were on the trail of a Naga in the Florida swamps. Unusual seasonal weather patterns had caught her attention, and that something supernatural was involved was confirmed by the deaths of several males from large puncture wounds in the neck. Each body was of a large, heavily muscled man who was suspiciously light on blood volume. Poison was detected in and around the wounds. After searching through numerous sites and discounting water serpents, water shrews, the feathered serpent and the fad felen, she was left with lamias or nagas. Both were known to entrance their victims, but lamias weren't known for affecting weather patterns, so she settled for a naga.
Now she was wading through the water in the Florida Everglades tracking the part-snake as it swam through the murky swamp. At least the water would mitigate their reported fire-spewing abilities. Lifting her radio, she murmured, "Veering left three meters."
"Roger that," came Adain's whispered reply. After another five minutes, he said, "On ground."
"Yup." Tamara angled to the left and climbed up the embankment. Jogging quietly through the trees, she stayed off path, letting the mossy growth cover her footfalls. Up ahead she saw Adain crouched low, moving quickly and staying in the shadows of the moss hanging from the trees. When he paused near a particularly large trunk, she mirrored his position on the opposite side of a swath of water.
Adain turned, his eyes searching. After a moment, he sighted her and lifted a hand, pointing toward a large fallen trunk; half on land, half in the water.
Tamara nodded. Shifting slightly, she lifted a sleek, black crossbow already loaded with silver arrows blessed by the priest at Adain's church in Boston.
Sending her a wide grin, Adain reached over his shoulder and silently pulled a long, silver sword from its sheath. Clasping it firmly in his hands, he moved slowly forward.
Suddenly a bout of flame lapped out at Adain, who leapt behind a nearby tree, hunching his shoulders so as to avoid the heat. Tamara took the opportunity to rush the naga, getting her first, clear look.
Raised on her tail, the naga's long, bountiful dark hair hung down to her waist. Her skin shone in the moonlight as she swayed gently from side to side. A long, nearly bare torso met luminous black, green and golden scales at the waist, becoming the long, powerful snake's body. Eyes wide and almond shaped, her lashes were so thick they looked unreal. Her lips were wide and lush, and curved slightly into an alluring smile. "Protector," she murmured, her eyes focused on Adain. "Help me, save me."
Tamara raised her crossbow and shot an arrow directly at the naga's face.
Hissing, the naga plucked the arrow from the air, then instantly dropped it as she screamed. Before the naga could move, Tamara had shot a second arrow, which lodged in the creature's shoulder. Screaming again, the naga yanked the silver out, and instead of dropping it this time, she endured the burning long enough to launch the arrow back at Tamara.
Tamara dodged to the left as the arrow soared past her shoulder.
In the meantime, Adain had moved behind the naga. Jogging noiselessly on the wet ground, he angled up behind her and threw a bowl of rosemary.
Jerking around, the naga attempted to slither in Adain's direction, but was stopped by the herbs. So instead she moved back toward the water with a swiftness that could only be supernatural. Reaching upward, she called on the clouds and the rain, which fell instantly, wiping away the rosemary and allowing her to change direction toward Adain.
Loading another arrow into her crossbow, Tamara shot the quickly moving naga in the back. Aiming for mid-spine, she wanted the silver in a place that wasn't as easy to reach. The silver would slow the naga and allow them to bind her with the blessed silver cord in her pack. In the end, however, the only thing that would truly end the naga was cutting off her head with the blessed silver sword.
The arrow hit true, and the naga screamed. Swinging in Tamara's direction, she reached up into the skies and pulled down lightening, throwing it directly at the tree near where the hunter stood.
Lightening struck the tree with a deafening crack, eluminating the enclosed swamp.
"What are you doing with these?" the naga yelled at Tamara. "Males, they want and take and use. They kill with no understanding."
"We protect people from creatures like you," Tamara shouted.
"You only do as you are told," the naga sneered. "We were here long before bipedal creatures walked the earth, and we will be here long after you all die, starting with the elite of all those who hunt and kill; the…"
Adain leapt suddenly from the fallen tree and sliced the naga's head off.
Tamara stared, her mind trying to catch up with what had just happened. It was jarring to have the naga speaking one second, then the next to see her head on the ground, eyes wide in surprise.
"Tam?" Adain called out from behind the naga's body.
"Yeah," Tamara called, stepping forward. "I'm fine." Moving over to the body, she said, "Nice slice."
"Ah, come on," Adain groaned. "You had to use the word slice when you know that belongs only to pizza."
Tamara grinned. "If it will help you eat healthier…"
"Just stop," Adain groused, shrugging his slender backpack off his shoulders and digging around inside. "You know I like healthy as much as the next guy…"
"Which means not," Tamara interrupted.
"But there has to be room for compromise," Adain continued, ignoring her sarcasm. Standing upright, he tossed over the lighter fluid, saying, "Would you like to do the honors?"
"I thought the honors was setting the thing on fire," Tamara griped, nodding to the lighter he'd kept. Flipping open the lighter fluid, she liberally doused the body. "Should we clear away some of the branches? It's wet around here, but not enough to stop the fire."
"Sure."
Neither spoke as they cleared the area around the body, with Adain even bringing over some rocks to block the flames from nearby trees.
"You heard what she said, right?" Tamara finally asked.
"Yeah."
Standing upright, she gave Adain a nod and watched as he flicked the flint, and a small flame sprung up. After he'd tossed the lighter onto the body, she said, "Do you think it was a warning?"
"I think it was a direct threat against the Brotherhood and all hunters," Adain stated.
"Yeah, me too."
Together they watched the body burn, neither saying much until the last of the flames died away. Then Tamara pulled a small shovel from her backpack and they took turns digging a shallow grave. Once the body was buried and the ground covered in moss, mulch and fallen branches, they started the long trek back to where they'd parked.
Eyeing her friend, Tamara finally asked, "What do we do?"
"Go to Kentucky and see the Guardian," Adain said without any hesitation.
"But we're not part of the Brotherhood."
"We're hunters, and hunters have been threatened." Adain slowed his gait so he could talk without having to watch his footing in the dark, thick underbrush. "No, we're not part of the Brotherhood, but that doesn't matter. We owe them a warning."
Tamara sighed. The reticence she felt had to do with what had happened thirty-five years ago. She thought she'd overcome the feelings of resentment that had been Isaac's parting gift. But maybe those seeds had taken root inside and bloomed in spite of herself.
"You don't have to come," Adain said softly.
"No," Tamara said softly but firmly. "We go together."
"You sure? I don't mind going on my own." Adain knew Tamara's history. Though he didn't understand Isaac's bitterness toward the Winchesters, he understood Tamara's resentment had been an inherited one born of circumstance and her husband's death. That it hadn't been Dean and Sam's fault the devil's gate was opened was irrelevant. The truth was, if they hadn't risked their lives to kill old Yellow Eyes, if Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle hadn't acted so quickly to relock the gate, many more demons may have escaped. Maybe it was long past time Tamara faced the source of her feelings and moved past them for good. Maybe then it would be possible for her to live her life and find peace.
"We go together," Tamara said. "But not before we get something to eat, a shower, and a good night's sleep."
"Deal," Adain said, picking up the pace. He was really hungry.
Sam strode over to where Isaac White and Vince Ayala were standing near their SUV. Beside them stood a large Humvee and a black-haired youth that he suspected was their Washoe guide. Daniel and Joel were gathering their equipment, and Dean was pacing near Joel's truck, talking to Caleb on his cell. Holding out a hand, Sam shook everyone's. "Thank you all for coming back."
"If Chen's still there, we need to find him and give him a decent burial," Vince stated.
"Agreed," Joel said, walking up beside Daniel and dropping their duffels onto the ground. There was another round of handshakes and Daniel handed out hot cups of coffee they'd picked up before driving into Warm Springs.
"Umm," Vince murmured, taking a welcome sip of the hot brew. "Thanks."
Wilu nodded over his cup and smiled. "Thank you."
"While the group has probably moved on," Isaac said after swallowing a hot mouthful of coffee, "We need to be sure and clear the area."
"Would have liked to clear it last night, but there wasn't time," Vince added.
"How many did you see?" Daniel asked.
"We think there were ten to twelve," Vince replied. "It was dark so visibility wasn't the greatest. Plus, we were running while carrying Quigg."
"Are you sure we can find this place again?" Joel asked.
Isaac nodded at the young Native American. "Wilu here can take us there quick enough."
"We should be able to get going in a minute," Sam said, looking over his shoulder to where Dean stood, his sawed-off leaning against the tire of Joel's truck. "Dean's talking to Caleb, so there may be more news.
.
"So you don't think Chen is here?" Dean asked.
"I don't know," Caleb reiterated. "Manny saw the Succubus shoot Chen, but we think she may have left him and the two Chen and Quigg shot at the camp site."
"But he can't say for sure."
"No. He was out of it, had taken a hit to the head because he objected to Chen being left. But we heard a distress call, and we know that Manny didn't make it. That leaves Chen. He must have heard her say something about where they were going."
Dean closed his eyes and sighed. Noble, compassionate Chen. Though wounded and bleeding, he hadn't sent the distress call for himself; he'd sent it for Emanuel.
"So," Caleb continued. "Either he's out there near Preston, or the succubus sent some of her minions back to take care of the bodies."
"She wouldn't have brought Chen here," Dean stated. "Why bring him all the way here just to kill him."
"Exactly. I'm betting he's out near Preston, and that's where we're headed."
"You, Matt and Keesh?"
"With Manny, Josh and George."
"All right," Dean said. "We're going to clear the buildings where Emanuel was found. I've got the sat-phone, so when you find Chen, call."
"Will do," Caleb said. "Stay safe," and he hung up.
Dean retrieved his gear and walked over to where the rest of the team waited. "We have some news," he said, and told them about the possibility of Chen being near Preston, that it was likely Chen who'd sent out the distress call.
"Why didn't Chen call for help?" Isaac asked, shaking his head.
"He did," Sam said.
"He asked for help for Quigg," Dean finished. No one said anything, and he knew they were saying a prayer that Chen would be found alive. "So, how about we get this show on the road and clear out a town."
Wilu immediately turned and climbed into the front seat of the Humvee while everyone else scattered from the front to the back, both in the Humvee and Isaac's vehicle. Dean had climbed into the seat behind the driver, leaving the passenger side front seat for Sam, who at six-foot-five was easily the tallest among them.
It took them about thirty-five minutes to get to the site where Isaac and the trackers had watched Caleb, Matt and LaKeesha enter the area containing the small cluster of buildings. Dean climbed out and jogged over to the ridge ledge, crouching low. In the full light of day, they would be very visible to anyone on lookout. Lying down flat, he put his binoculars to his eyes and slowly scoped the area. The others followed.
"The large building was where Caleb and Matt found Manny," Isaac whispered, pointing.
"There's a big window at the back," Vince murmured. "I went down to help get Manny out. We carried him to that old building there."
Dean followed Vince's finger and saw a dilapidated building half collapsed onto the ground.
"Inside was a van. Caleb hotwired it and we hightailed out of there, dumping it when we got to the place where George and Wilu were waiting. Then we took George's Humvee and got away."
"They found the van," Sam said, noting that the vehicle was back inside the half-fallen building.
"Did they follow you?" Joel asked.
"They did on foot," Vince said. "But I think we stole their only ride."
Dean focused on the fallen building, then slowly moved his binoculars over the smaller house to its left. While there was no movement whatsoever, for some reason he sensed there were people down there. Why? The entire affair didn't make sense. Succubi tended to be solitary hunters for the most part. There were types of supernatural femme fatales that lived in groups, like sirens. But most hunted alone, taking companionship and food from their quarry. So why was this succubus gathering followers?
"Do you see anyone?" Daniel asked his partner.
"Nothing," Joel murmured back.
"Looks empty," Sam whispered.
"Um," Dean grunted.
"You think there's someone down there?" Sam had learned a long ago that Dean felt things he didn't, and he had learned to trust those instincts. "Why? It doesn't make sense."
"Why would she have followers at all," Dean remarked. "It…" Abruptly he broke off. "Far corner of the farthest building on the right. Caught a flash of sun on metal."
"Seriously?" Sam murmured, shifting his binoculars to that position and waiting. Finally, after a long minute, he caught the glint. "Damn."
"Shadow in the first house," Vince said.
Dean panned the warehouse and smaller house once more. He thought he counted three, but figured there'd be more. Sliding away from the edge of the small ledge, he scuttled back until he was sure he could stand upright without being seen. When everyone was gathered back at the vehicles, Dean said, "Looks like three on the welcoming committee, probably more that I'm not seeing."
"There's at least one in the small house," Vince said.
"You got damn sharp eyes," Joel remarked. "I didn't see anyone."
"But why would she leave anyone at all?" Isaac asked, shaking his head. "We came and took Manny. She has to know we'd come back."
Dean turned and scanned the low ranging hills and wasteland. "I think she's curious."
"Curious?" Daniel questioned.
"She took Emanuel," Sam said. "So she knows about hunters."
"Most monsters do," Joel stated.
Eyes on the landscape, Dean said, "I think she's got a hidey hole. She wants to see who she's dealing with."
"Because she's got a bigger plan," Isaac stated slowly.
Dean nodded. Turning back to the deserted buildings, he said, "Isaac and Vince, you work your way around the back of the warehouse. It's the farthest building out there. Clear it and come out onto the street from that direction. Joel, Daniel, you head around back of the broken down garage to the smaller house." Turning to their guide, he asked, "Wilu, how well do you know this area?"
"Very," Wilu said. "I trained as a tracker all throughout Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah since I was nine."
"Sam, I want you and Wilu to work together, see if you can find where this bitch is hiding."
Sam knew Dean wanted him to use his psychic abilities to get a fix on the succubus, and then for he and Wilu to track her. "What about you?"
A feral grin spread over Dean's face as he turned back to stare at the corner of the largest building in the distance. "I'm walking right through the front door. She wants to check out the Brotherhood? Let's give her an eyeful."
Joel snorted out a soft laugh. "Just like the wild west."
"Right down Main Street," Daniel added grinning.
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," Vince intoned dramatically.
Isaac voiced the familiar two-note opening segment of the film's theme music, finding the imitation ode to the coyote especially relevant.
Wilu looked at Dean and grinned. "Cool."
Sam merely rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering, "Dean and cowboys."
.
TBC
NOTES: Tamara is a character introduced in SPN: The Series S3:E1 "The Magnificent Seven."
Author's Note: Thank you Shazza-19 and my Guest/s for leaving reviews! I love hearing from people who are enjoying the tale, so continue to sing out!