A/N: Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed the story so far and keep reviewing it. If there's something that's troubling you, let me know. Trust me, all will be explained once my muse is done resurrecting Conchobar. I hope you like this chapter and remember to leave a message at the end, okay?

Chapter III - Ancient Future

As Sara drove through the city, she thought about what Danny had said in her office. Nothing he had said to her made a lot of sense and Sara couldn't discover the connection between the drawing she had found, the murder and 'past, present and future'.

Arriving at her destination, she quickly parked her bike and tried the door of Talismaniac.com. It didn't surprise her that the door opened at her first try, Gabriel was far too trusting after all and he wasn't afraid of Ian ever since he had chosen to ignore the threats made by the man.

She followed the stairs upstairs, calling out to Gabe to let him know it was only her paying a visit. He was waiting for her when she reached the first floor.

"I wasn't expecting you." He said. "Didn't find anything new about the Witchblade yet." He walked towards a table covered in relics and talismans.

"I didn't came for the Witchblade. I need you to take a look at this drawing." She reached in her bag for the evidence bag holding the drawing and handed it to the young man.

Gabriel observed the drawing for a few seconds. "Well, it's a very ugly dragon." Looking up, he smiled at Sara. "I'm kidding. I'll see what I can find out about this. Where did you find it?"

"At the house of a murdered man. He was part of a sect, that's all we know." She turned to leave, but remembered something. "Gabe, do you know of another Witchblade?" She asked.

He looked at her in surprise. "Another Witchblade? No, all the texts I found speak of only one unique weapon. You're carrying it. Why do you ask?"

"I saw a sword in a vision and the murder weapon was made of the same metal as the murder weapon used in the Rialto. Now, I know the weapon used there wasn't this Witchblade, so explain to me how it is possible that someone else has a sword made from this metal?" She said, pointing at her bracelet.

Gabriel shrugged. "I can't. I'll have to do some research on that. I'll call you when I know more about the Blade and this." He held up the drawing.

Sara nodded and started for the stairs.

"So, you do have clairvoyance?" Gabe called after her.

She laughed and waved him off. "Go do some research…"

He watched the door close behind her and turned back to his work.

"I knew it." He muttered as he picked up the drawing and took a good look at it. "I still think it's ugly."

As Sara stood outside Gabriel's apartment, her cell rang. Looking at the small LCD screen, she saw it was Jake calling her.

"Pez, I got some news about those fingerprints. They don't match those of the deceased."

"It could be our killer." Sara replied.

"I thought so, so I ran them through the database. It came up with nothing, nada, zip. The FBI doesn't have anything on those prints, nor do the CIA or Interpol. It's like the killer doesn't exists." Jake said.

Sara sighed. "Alright, thanks for letting me know. I got one more stop to make before I head back to the precinct. Let me know if you find something, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll see you back here."

She put the cell phone back in her pocket and mounted her bike. Gunning the engine, she took off in the direction of Vorschlage, hoping to find some answers there.

***********

He found it difficult to concentrate as he tracked the Wielder through the city. For a moment, he was concerned that he might have lost her, but soon he had picked up on her faint scent once more. He tried to keep up with her, but in the end, he felt he was depleting his power too much. If the other would locate him in this condition, it would be the end of him.

So, he called out to his loyal followers to join him in this large and dark city. It would take a while for his followers to come to him, as they had been drifting around the globe for centuries, dormant, waiting for an opportunity to serve their master, as he was now doing.

He was different than them. The master had chosen him as the bearer of the quest for the ultimate power. His predecessor had failed in this mission; he had been too weak to finish the fight centuries ago. His victory hadn't been enough for their master; it had only given them incomplete power of the world. Their master had only been able to cause illness and war; it had been unable to spread death instantly. Those who had died had done so from being ill or had been killed by their opponents on the battlefield.

He looked upwards, toward the darkening sky. Soon the moon would replace the sun and he would know how much time there was left, before the Reckoning would take place.

He remembered a passage from a text he had once studied, long ago. The history of his side and the story of the Reckoning had fascinated him, and he had never forgotten the story. He recited it in his mind.

'As the stars aligned themselves with the past, the present and the future, the Reckoning would commence. Forces gathered from the gates of hell, ready to receive their offerings. As the day turned night, Dark and Light would meet on an empty battlefield, carrying only a blade blessed by their masters.'

He sighed as he remembered witnessing his first Reckoning. It had been a great battle but no winner had come forth.

He turned back to the streets below, watching the traffic rush by. The wind was blowing in his face gently, and he could still catch the Wielders scent. She had stopped moving again.

*************

Sara waited patiently as the group of people filtered out of the elevator. Once it was empty, she rushed inside and pressed the button of the desired floor. Leaning against the wall, she watched the doors open a few seconds later. She looked at the display, which read level 14. She took a few steps forward, seeing no one who was waiting for the elevator.

Suddenly, a man stepped into view, causing Sara to take a few steps back.

"I'm sorry if I have frightened you, young lady." The man spoke as he took his place in the elevator. "It was not my intention." He pressed the already lit up button and the doors closed.

Sara watched the stranger as he stood in the other corner, watching the elevator doors intently. He was dressed completely in black, with heavy combat boots on his feet. She briefly remembered her encounter with the two last members of the Black Dragon unit, at least, as far as she knew.

As if feeling her eyes burning in him, the stranger turned his head in her direction and smiled. Involuntary, Sara shuddered, feeling a cold wave pass through her. It disappeared when the elevator came to a stop and the door opened. She quickly left the man behind in the elevator, looking behind her to see if he was following. She didn't see Ian waiting for her, before crashing into him.

"Are you alright, Lady Sara?" He asked after he had steadied her.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Didn't see you standing there." She replied as he led her to Irons' office. She was sure he wanted to ask further, but he remained silent as he opened the doors to the office. He didn't follow her inside.

Irons was seated at his desk when the doors opened and when he saw her enter, he stood up to greet her.

"Detective, to whom do I owe this unexpected visit?" He spoke as he raised her hand for a kiss. "I was just about to call. I wanted to ask if you would like to have dinner with me tonight."

"That's not what I'm here for. I came for information about Ian's old unit, the Black Dragons? I need to know for sure that Ian Nottingham is the only remaining member."

Irons sat down again. "I thought you knew the answer to that question already." He looked away. "Ian is the only one left of that unit. You killed Mobius with the Witchblade. Why do you ask?"

Sara leaned on the desk, trying to look Irons in the eye. "Because I found something very interesting this morning."

He returned her stare as he leaned towards her. "And what might that be?"

"A drawing of a dragon. It was a crude one, but it definitely was a dragon." She replied. "I found it while searching the apartment of a murder victim."

"As I said, Ian is the only one alive and he has nothing to do with the Black Dragons."

Sara nodded and stood up. She walked towards the door, but didn't open it at once.

"Is there something else you wanted to ask me?" Irons asked from behind her.

She turned around. "Is there another Witchblade?"

It was silent as Irons stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of her. "The Witchblade is unique in its kind. If there would be another, it would've been in my possession as well." He glanced at the bracelet resting on Sara's wrist.

Sara didn't spoke a word as she turned to open the door. Storming past Ian towards the elevator, she didn't see the stranger she had met earlier, watching her from afar.

Irons watched her disappear in the elevator, before turning to Ian.

"Stay close to her and protect the Witchblade at all times, do you understand?"

Ian nodded and left in the direction Sara had taken. Instead of taking the elevator, he took the stairs three levels lower and waited for the elevator to arrive. When the doors opened and he strode in, not glancing at Sara, knowing a surprised look was present in her eyes. He took place in the corner behind her, eyes cast downward.

After five minutes of silence, Sara turned around to face Ian.

"Did Irons send you?" She asked, trying to look into his eyes, but he was avoiding her look.

"I'm here to watch over the Witchblade." He replied. "To watch over you." He said, raising his head to look over her shoulder.

She nodded. "Well, I don't need a watchdog, so you can go back to your master to tell him I said that." She turned around as the elevator doors opened and quickly walked towards the exit.

Ian followed her with his eyes until she was out of sight, before following in her direction. He didn't see the stranger dressed in black following him silently, nor did he see the hooded figure standing at the corner of the building, watching him.

***********

When Sara entered her office thirty minutes later, Jake looked up from his reading.

"Did you find anything new?" He asked, putting the file he had been reading on the corner of his desk.

She fell down in her chair and sighed. "Not really. I have someone checking that drawing out, he'll call me when he finds anything. Then, I went to Irons. I thought he might know something, seeing he was involved with the Black Dragons case, but he couldn't help me any further." She wanted to tell him about the stranger in the elevator and about Ian, but for some reason, she didn't say a word about them. She didn't want to explain her connection with Irons to Jake.

Jake stood up and reached for his coat. "It's getting late, do you want to grab a beer someplace?" He asked. "I'll buy…"

Sara stared at him for a moment, before getting up and picking up her helmet. "Sure, a beer sounds fine."

Jake grinned at her as he held the door open for her and followed her outside. "So I'll see you at Felipe's?"

Sara nodded as she put on her helmet and climbed on her bike. "Sure. Try to keep up with me, rookie."

He smiled back as he opened the door to his car and got in.

Ian watched from afar as Sara and Jake took off. Not knowing where they were headed to, he decided he would wait for her to return to her apartment. As he turned around, he saw he was not alone on the roof of the apartment building. Standing in front of him was a large grey wolf, staring at Ian with its bright blue eyes.

Ian returned the stare, walking towards the animal. When Ian reached out his gloved hand, the wolf snapped at it, before growling and taking a step backwards. Ian withdrew his hand and watched the animal for a moment, before walking towards the fire escape. When he looked behind him one last time, the wolf was gone.

He descended the stairs until he had reached the pavement below. Looking behind him, he determined the ally was still empty, like it had been when he climbed the stairs. As he turned around towards the road, the same blue eyes he had seen on the rooftop met him.

Ian stared at the wolf for a long time and the wolf returned his stare, until it suddenly turned and trotted away. Ian sighed and walked towards the road, following the animal until he couldn't see it again. When he looked at his surroundings, he noticed he wasn't far from Sara's apartment. Looking around him, he searched for the magnificent animal but it had vanished into thin air.

He crossed the road and ascended the stairs of the fire escape adjacent to Sara's apartment. Reaching his usual spot, he sat down and waited for her to return home. As he waited, an uneasy feeling washed over him, but he couldn't detect any danger. He looked around, hoping to find the wolf again, but it had reappeared again.

What he didn't see was the man blending into the shadows, watching him as Ian waited for Sara to return.

His dark clothing made it easier for him to stay hidden in the shadows and no one would notice he was missing his own shadow. Only when a car would pass, he was visible for a second, but he had adjusted his position so he wouldn't be discovered easily. Looking upwards, he saw the guardian of the Blade had sat down. Behind him, he searched for the stars, knowing he wouldn't see them easily, as they had blended in with the many lights of the city. Still, he knew he had to move soon. Another traitor would needed to be punished and he could not miss it. The chosen one needed him to bring the traitor before him, soon.

TBC.

About the pretender thing, I have no idea where it came from, but thank you for remarking it… you gave me a few more ideas about this story. I hope I can still get a chapter a week once school starts full time again next week. A few later chapters are already in the works, one of them is nearly finished. Also, I might be moving soon, I have no idea yet, but don't worry if I vanish suddenly.