Chapter12 Unlikelihood's
The blow connected with the back of his head and Joel found himself flying backwards.
"What the?!" The kick connected with his stomach and he cursed. What was this? What was happening?
***
The shout had Carter bolting up in his bedroll and looking around. He heard the sound of a struggle and ran for it shouting to the others. He never saw the blow coming. It sent him flying backward.
Ryan heard and was up even as the others were running o check it out. He saw Dana getting up too and moved silently to his sister.
"What's happening?" She asked hoping someone was still around.
"I don't know." He said and was moving fast, gathering up the sleeping bags. Then he was there beside her.
"Here, curl up as tight as you can. No matter what happens don't make a sound or move."
"But Ryan What about the…"
"Don't argue with me, just…" But she was in place even as he dumped the bundle over her, making her look like nothing more than a bunch of blankets.
"Be careful." She called even as he left patted her head and headed off.
***
The others were all being attacked by invisible kicks and punches.
"Some one want to tell me what's going on?" Chad called to the others.
"I have no…" Punch, "clue…" Kelsey grunted with the last kick to her abdomen.
"Demons!" Ryan called knowing exactly what it was, he had the moment he'd seen the way his friends were being assailed. He thought of what he'd learned about himself, his blood given powers and knew if things got really bad he could stop this, but he didn't want too if he didn't have to. If the others knew that both he and Dana were druid blooded things might get awkward.
"Correct titanium ranger!" Called an all too familiar voice.
"I should have known!" Carter shouted his rage of the past few weeks surging forth as he ran for the partially visible demon. He didn't see the foot extend or the blow that connected with the back of his head.
"Carter!"
"Your earth bound!" Chad shouted ducking another blow.
"Only in material form, he can still…" Ryan felt the kick and went sprawling.
"Yes, but I can recruit those who've died their, you will never reach that power, they will…"
***
Listening to the scuffle and then she heard it, that voice and then she knew they were in serious trouble. They were one ranger down, she was blind, and what could she do? She thought of the way she'd handled the snake and had an idea.
***
The kick hit Kelsey and she went down hard and felt her ankle protesting at the jarring.
"Kel!" Chad shouted even as Ryan threw himself at his friend.
Just as Diobolico vanished the rangers fund that they were no longer being attacked as an on slot of rocks and brush hit their still invisible attackers. their were grunts and shouts and then suddenly the rocks were circling n area and then the group watched as a fire ball came down right in the center of the circle causing a huge explosion.
Ryan dove covering Kelsey just in time as the area was rocked by an explosion. The others also stayed where they were.
"Ok, some one want to tell me what just happened?" Kelsey asked even as Ryan moved off of her to check her ankle.
"I have no clue." Joel said still staring at the place where their attackers had just been blown up.
"Where's Dana?" Carter asked then remembering the sixth member of their group.
"I hid her back at the camp." Ryan replied not looking up from his task.
"Uh, she must have decided to check it out too." Chad commented and Ryan's head did shoot up at that.
"What?"
"Look." Joel said even as Carter was off the ground and running towards the crumpled form laying a few feet away.
Ryan wanted to go to her but he knew Kelsey was in pain, her ankle was already swelling.
Carter checked Dana for injuries holding his breath all the while. What had she been doing? She should have known to stay there where it was safe.
"She did it." Kelsey said and all eyes but Carter's went to her. She shrugged. "She must have done what she did earlier with the snake."
"How? Kel they were rounded up by rocks and then…"
"She hurled a rock at the snake." Chad nodded slowly.
"Right, and so…"
"But how did she do the fire?" Joel asked frowning as he joined Carter by the girl in question.
"She must have gathered brush and used the fire." Carter said not looking up from the girl's ashen face. He knew she must have drained her powers, inner and from the outer.
Kelsey could see Ryan really wanted to go to his sister and touched hi hand that still rested on her foot. When he looked back at her she nodded to where Dana lay and he got the message. With a little smile he rose, then after a minute he leaned back down and lifted the yellow clad woman in his arms. Striding over to where the others were he set her down once more.
"How is she?"
"Asleep." Carter said and Ryan heard the relief in his friend's voice. he understood that, when he'd seen Dana laying there all kinds of thoughts raced through his mind, she'd been found and dragged there by the demons, she'd been possessed by one of them, or even that she'd come to check it out and gotten attacked. Now though, knowing what had happened both then and earlier the explosion made sense. He just wondered how she'd managed to not be scene or how she'd managed to not hit any of them. For now though they'd have to wait.
***
Carter sat there still holding her hand, he'd checked her pulse, then everything in general for any possible injuries but she was fine. The best he could figure from her faint heartbeat the whole experience had taken everything out of her. Glancing around he saw that the others were seated around the fire. None seemed willing to go back to sleep, Not that he blamed them; they'd had one surprise attack and didn't need another one. He watched as Ryun sat by Kelsey, holding her ankle in his hand as Chad helped secure the splint. He'd known how frightened his friend had to be, after all Dana was his sister and he'd had to leave her there unprotected while Ryan himself went to help them fight. He'd forgotten about her at the sound of the attack, now that guilt ate at him, if they'd attacked the whole camp… some boyfriend he made, couldn't even remember she was virtually defenseless. Then that almost made him laugh, Dana defenseless? Not the girl that single handedly took out the entire platoon of phantom warriors. Heavens she even out did the rest of
Them at that. Lifting her hand to his lips he kissed her knuckles.
"Rest well, angel, you earned it." He murmured softly.
"You should rest too." Came another voice and Carter glanced up almost guiltily to find Ryan there, he looked tired and concerned but alright, that was good, Dana would never be able to live with it if anything happened to her big brother. The guilt would kill her; the other guilt about the accident had already nearly done that.
"I'm fine." Carter replied gazing back down at the blonde laying there on the pile of bedding.
"You love my sister a lot." This time Carter didn't look up just nodded at Ryan's assertion.
"Yes," Carter said and Ryan noted his eyes stayed on her face, they were soft and Ryan smiled slightly.
"She loves you two." That had carter looking up at Ryan but he'd moved to sit on her other side. He was watching Dana now, his silver eyes solemn.
"She…"
"Carter, it's obvious, she's crazy about you, she's always worried about you, whenever she walks into a room she looks for you and she even let you stay in the hospital the other day."
"You knew about that?" Carter asked and Ryan nodded.
"I came by to look in on her and you two were sleeping." Ryan confessed.
"Oh," Carter blushed.
"Yeah, and she was smiling." Ryan said adding. "I don't know her well but it seems she doesn't do that nearly enough."
"No," Carter said softly looking back down at the woman laying between them, she was so relaxed and yet so Dana.
"What I wanted to say is that I'm glad that you make her happy but if you ever hurt my sister I'll make you wish you were never born." Ryan said and Carter met his silver gaze, held it, and then nodded slowly.
That done to his satisfaction Ryan rose.
"I'm going to go look in on the others you should get some rest, there's enough room for you to lay with her, better for warmth any way." Ryan told him and was gone.
Carter stared after him in confusion, had he just been given permission to sleep beside Dana? Not that he'd not done it a couple of weeks ago but it sounded funny to have permission from her brother. Never the less he lay down stretching out beside her and pulled her close as he had once before. He smiled to himself as even in sleep Dana turned to him, wrapping her arms about him and settling her face in his soft sweatshirt.
TBC