The Chaos Tree

Chapter 23

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Piruz approached Lebanon just before dawn, tired, angry and downright annoyed. He'd spent the trip from New York attempting to discern how Merlin's remaining two warriors had discovered the central location of the Tree. And being cold, as he had yet to replace the windows the witch had blown out. He was staying a short distance from Lebanon in a bed and breakfast called Howell House. This house was much less opulent than the ones in the larger cities. But for some reason, he found this home to be more like the ones he remembered from his youth; open, welcoming, simple and warm. Though he'd arrived well before check-in time, the woman who ran the establishment checked him into an empty room and gave him an old-fashioned key, which pleased him. He liked the feel of putting a key into a lock and turning. Giving her a nod, he went up to his room and immediately retrieved his map, unrolling it over the bedcover. Now, to find whether Merlin's remaining Warriors had made it to Lebanon.

Pulling out a leather pouch, he opened it and took a pinch of the sparkling, aromatic powder from within. Murmuring softly, he wafted the powder over the parchment and watched. Nothing happened. Frowning, he took a larger pinch and repeated the incantation. Blowing the powder lightly over the map, he watched as once more, nothing happened. "la shay," (Nothing) he murmured, frowning. Either the warriors had yet to arrive in Lebanon - a notion he discarded because they had traveled in the air machine - or perhaps the machine had succumbed to his magic and dropped from the sky. While that outcome would simplify his life, it was more likely that they were where, and the witch from the hotel was with them and had cast spells of obscuring. Considering his options, he pulled another bag from his leather duffle and took a pinch. Murmuring another incantation, this one longer and more complicated, he blew the powder onto the map. Staring intently, he finally cursed, "allaeanat!" Still nothing. The witch was good, very good.

Picking up the parchment, he tipped the spell remnants into the trash container then returned the map to the bed. Pulling a third pouch from his duffle, he repeated the actions he'd done thrice already, and blew the powder over the map. It lit up like the stars on a clear night. Smiling, he nodded. Yes, his protections were still in place. That meant if Merlin's Warriors were here, they had not been able to penetrate his fortifications. Sighing, he brushed away the remainder of the locator potion and blew a fifth over the parchment surface, checking the boxes surrounding the country. They were also intact. Nodding, he again deposited the spell sand into the trash can and carefully rolled up the parchment.

Pulling a small disc from his duffle, he walked to the window and opened the curtains. Gently he placed the dial on the window ledge. The moon caught the center rod and cast a shadow across the dial. He had one more day before the spell needed to be concluded. Carefully he picked up the ancient shadow clock, removed the rod and folded it back into its leather case. He knew there were many more modern ways to track the movements of the sun and the moon. But somehow, through countless centuries, he had retained this most ancient of clocks. It connected him to the family he'd lost, reminding him that revenge must always to be at the forefront of his every action.

Weariness tugged at his muscles as he returned the shadow clock to its leather case. He hadn't had adequate sleep in almost twenty-four hours, and his body was complaining. Stripping out of his modern clothes, Piruz washed in the bathroom basin, sluicing the grime from his skin. Stepping beneath falling water was something he had done often, enjoying the heat and the water pressure that helped ebb the tension from his body. But now was the time for a return to the past, when water was precious and used carefully and methodically. Now that his revenge was about to be fulfilled, he wanted to remember the past.

Stepping from the bathroom, he pulled an ancient tunic over his body. Faded with age and lovingly repaired, he had worn this garment only a handful of times through the centuries, and he had worked very hard to preserve this last tunic made from the cloth his family was known for in Eridu, Petra and throughout Mesopotamia. Wiping a hand gently against the fabric, he seemed to go back in time to when his brothers and sisters wove this cloth. His job had been to apply the dyes, a procedure to which he utilized his magics to increase the viability of the color. The dye for this garment had been taken from the mineral lazurite, and the blue was almost as vibrant and shiny as it had been when he'd dyed it.

Forcibly he pulled his mind away from the past and into the present. This was the time when he would rule and his revenge against the God-With-No-Name would be complete. The good would survive and the wicked would perish. Life would be in balance.

Climbing beneath the soft blankets, he lay on his back and sighed. Yes, tomorrow he would end the regime of the God-With-No-Name and the people would thank him. He would be beneficent and they would love him, they would worship him. Yes, after tomorrow, he would be God.

Joshua lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling of his hotel room. The task Dean had set for him had seemed impossible. While Pastor Jim's confidence had been welcome, it was Caleb's advice that helped steer him in the right direction: Don't think about this being the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, don't think about breaching Eden. Just think about taking something that shouldn't be here and sending it home. That was the tack he had taken, and it had been his guide.

Carefully he went over the incantation he had written, and the minerals and spices he would need. The scope of the spell frightened him immensely. Sighing, he swung his feet from the bed and sat up. Running his fingers through his hair, he swallowed down the emotions that were threatening to burst from his body. He was afraid. He could admit that here in the dark and quiet of his room. He was afraid. Moving the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was not a small task, and the power needed to make it happen would be massive. The spell he'd designed was risky and would take an enormous amount of energy for him to perform. Would it take too much from him? He didn't want to die. There was too much to live for.

Swallowing hard, he rose and walked over to the window. His heart was pounding as he went through the spell in his head. With a sigh, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the chilly window glass, closing his eyes. He could hear the birds singing in a new day from outside, car doors opening and closing, engines starting, people going on with their lives not knowing that a band of few men were readying themselves to take on a wizard intent of spreading chaos across the country. If he wasn't familiar with the supernatural, the Machiavellian story would have made him laugh. A soft ring sounded behind him and he turned slowly. It could only be Carolyn. The clock on the bedside table said seven-forty. Closing his eyes, he swallowed down his emotions and walked to the bedside table.

"Carolyn," he said softly.

There was a moment's hesitation before Carolyn asked, "What's wrong?"

Joshua shook his head with a wry smile. After being married for more than thirty years, Carolyn knew him better, almost, than he knew himself. "I'm just tired," he said, knowing the fib wouldn't fool his wife. Still, he carried on; "We didn't get in bed till after two in the morning."

Again there was a short silence. "All right," Carolyn said, accepting that Joshua wasn't going to explain what was going on. "But you're going to tell me eventually."

"You're right," Joshua said, his smile more easy and genuine. Carolyn's influence was cathartic. "I will. But for the moment, why don't you tell me why you're up so early?"

"You know."

Joshua's smile widened even as his throat closed a little. Nicholas. He loved that little boy as fiercely as he loved Max and Josie. "Put him on." A moment later, Joshua could hear breathing on the phone. "Nicholas," he murmured.

"Back?"

"Very soon, I promise."

A soft sigh of disappointment drifted over the line.

"I'm sorry, Nicholas. This trip was much longer than I thought it would be," Joshua said softly. After a moment's hesitation, he did something he'd sworn he would never do. He asked, "Do you remember before?" Silence greeted his question, and he felt like a heel for asking his son to even consider remembering that horrific time.

"Dark," came the whispered reply. "Cold … scared."

Joshua closed his eyes as sorrow stormed through his body. "Yes," he whispered. "Well, there are a lot of people here in the dark and I'm trying to help them. Can you be patient while I finish?" Joshua thought his heart would climb out his chest before he heard one, small word.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Nicholas. You know I love you, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for being brave. I want a big, long hug when I get home."

"Home."

"Yes, home." He could hear Carolyn talking in the back ground.

"Love Daddy," Nicholas said. A moment later Carolyn was on the phone.

"You hurry back, all right?"

"I will. I love you, Carolyn Sawyer," Joshua said as he closed the phone.

Carefully he placed the cell back on the bedside table and stared at the lighted face until it went dark. He shouldn't have said that last bit like he had. Carolyn would worry. But if he didn't make it through the spell, he needed her to know that she was the best thing that had happened in his life. He needed her to know she was his rock, his balance and his soul.

Wrenching his eyes away from the phone, he straightened his shoulders and stood. All right, no more thoughts about possible consequences of the spell. He was the Advisor to the longest running and best Triad in Brotherhood history. He intended to retire with the rest of them. Moving to the small table in the corner of the room, he picked up the pages of the spell he'd written. Eyes going to the diagram, he thought through every step again again. It would be tight; there were a lot of things that needed to happen at once for such a large spell. Suddenly, he looked up as a face popped into his head: Ryker. Ryker was here now. In his quest to figure out the magical mechanics of moving an object as vast of the Tree, to align the components, and design and write the spell, he hadn't thought beyond its completion. Maybe, just maybe he didn't need to work the spell alone. With Ryker here, maybe there was a way they could work in tandem. It would take some effort and quick work, but maybe he could restructure the spell. Sighing, he thought those were a lot of maybes. Pulling out the rickety desk chair, he adjusted the height for perhaps the fifteenth time and got to work.

Ethan and Elijah sat in the breakfast nook, eating hot pancakes and sausage.

"I want to do more," Ethan stated.

"We're going in tonight." Elijah took a sip of his coffee before saying, "In the meantime we'll be making spell bags. We're going to need a lot."

Ethan nodded as he finished chewing his toast. Swallowing, he said, "Making the spell bags is important. But we'd need less if we can diminish the spells already laid."

Elijah's fork halted midway to his mouth. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I was thinking about guerilla warfare. Piruz is an ancient wizard. Warfare was different in his time, more frontal than covert. Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"He hasn't been hiding under a rock for the last several centuries. You don't think he's learned a thing or two?"

"How do you know he's been involved with society?"

"How do you know he hasn't," Elijah countered.

"According to Sam, he speaks Latin fluently. Other than being used in academia…"

Elijah gave a snort which he turned quickly into a cough when Ethan glared.

"Other than being used in academia and the sciences," Ethan stated defiantly, "Latin hasn't been a spoken language for centuries. And English has been the Global language of business for at least the last one hundred years."

Elijah grinned. "Since when have you been the ancient studies professor?"

"You've been yammering in my ear about history since we were kids. Something was bound to stick."

Elijah laughed. "True." Setting all teasing aside, he said, "So, guerrilla warfare. It's a good battle strategy, but I have a feeling you're talking about something else."

"Caleb said there are so many spells, we step even close to Lebanon and they'll know it," Ethan said. "How about you and I go in and lay down magical dampeners."

"Magical what?"

"Dampeners."

"What are those?"

"I don't know yet," Ethan admitted. "I have to talk to Joshua about it. But if we could go in like some goofy tourists and drop some spell pouches that might interfere with the spells the wizard laid, it might make getting into Lebanon a little bit easier. We won't be using potions to detect spells and tip-toeing over them during the big fight."

"You don't think they'll sense dampening spell bags?" Elijah asked skeptically.

"Not if their on a time-delay," Ethan said. "If they're masked until a certain time, they shouldn't be detected. Then they go off and dampen at least some of the spells in and around the town."

Elijah nodded slowly. "Caleb and Sam said they were detected when Caleb was scoping out the town last night. If psychics can be detected, our minds would be open books."

Ethan looked affronted. "Not so. We have strong blocks; we were taught by the best. John Winchester made sure we could protect ourselves, mentally." Suddenly he smiled. "Remember when Missouri tried to get you to confess you'd eaten a piece of her peach pie?"

Elijah laughed, nodding. "Instead, I got her to tell us that she always knew Caleb never ate her pie, that it was Sam. She just liked taking Caleb down a peg or two. Said with his powerful psychic abilities, some humility was needed."

Ethan laughed. "Maybe you could use some of that truth telling in town, find out more about the protections the coven is using."

Elijah nodded before sobering. "We'd have to keep our blocks in place the entire time we were in and around Lebanon."

"And we'd have to put on a show," Ethan agreed. "Our actions would have to be real."

Elijah considered his brother. "Dean may not go for it. We'd be taking a chance on tipping off the wizard."

"According to Caleb and Sam, he already knows we're here," Ethan pointed out. "Remember the turbulence that almost brought down their plane?"

"Knowing we're somewhere in the area is different than walking into town."

Ethan sighed. "I know. But if Caleb could draw out a map of what he saw, and we could pick out strategic areas to dampen the protections, we might be able to carve a more direct path to the Tree. I think it's worth the risk."

Ethan had a good point. If the protections were as massive as Caleb described, taking some of them out could only help their position when they took on the coven and the wizard. But this ancient magician was talented, very clever, and according to Joshua, had been preparing for this event for centuries. He would not be easy to fool. "If we went," Elijah said, "we would have to be protected."

"Masking spell bags," Ethan said.

"They'd have to be incredibly subtle. The coven members are specialists in making protection spells. They'd sense them."

"Maybe Onida could help," Ethan said. "She's able to manipulate earth magics."

"Adam said the coven has earth magic specialists," reminded Elijah.

"But Onida isn't a witch," Ethan stated. "So there's a difference between what she does and what an earth magic witch does … right?"

"I haven't the faintest." Elijah sighed. "Before we get any further down this path, let's check in with Dean and Caleb, see what they think before we refine a plan."

Ethan nodded.

"Be prepared for them to say no," Elijah warned. "We'd be taking a big risk."

"I know. But I think the risk is worth it."

"Let's find out."

Sam shifted on the bed, trying to find a comfortable place for his legs. They usually had their meetings around a table instead of lounging on two queen beds in a standard room. Glaring in Caleb's direction, as though this were all his fault, he grumbled, "You couldn't get the suite? You?"

"I can't help it if someone else already had a reservation, Sam," Caleb retorted. "And in case you hadn't noticed; we're in the middle of nowhere."

Sam scowled at the older man while Dean leaned back against the headboard of Caleb's bed, smirking. They'd gathered in Caleb and Onida's room because there was literally no other place. Downstairs in the hotel lobby wasn't viable during the day due to customer traffic and cleaning staff. The restaurant they'd been at the night before didn't open until three. This small Holiday Inn Express didn't have a conference room, and the one suite in the building had been reserved. So twelve people were crammed into a standard sized room spread out between the beds, the two chairs and a small settee. Sam wasn't happy with sitting on the bed.

"We're only touching base here," Dean said. "Then we'll split up into groups to prepare. We're going in tonight."

"We have an entry plan?" JT asked.

"A rough plan," Caleb answered. "We'll refine it today and be ready for tonight. We'll expect the defenses surrounding Lebanon to extend outside the city limits by at least fifteen miles, maybe twenty."

"Anything more exact on how close can get before we trip the spells?" Ethan asked.

"On our scouting mission, we were at seventeen miles when Joshua told us to slow down and stop. It was another three miles before we hit the line," Caleb relayed. "But US 281, 191, and 135 are commerce routes. There are major trucking routes all throughout the central states, so the spells will be monitored. But we should get very close before they figure out we're coming."

"They'll have a way to rule out trucks," Ryker said.

"But can they actually tell which cars are just passing through and which ones might pose a threat to them?" Joel asked.

"Caleb could tell there were people with magical abilities," Elijah said. "They'll have ways of detecting magic spells and psychics."

"You think they have psychics like Caleb? Like Sam?" Daniel asked.

"It's possible," Caleb said slowly. Sam was the one who felt the intrusion first. "Sam?"

Sam thought back to when he was watching Caleb's back as he searched the town for traps and spells. "I wouldn't rule out their having a psychic," he said ponderingly. "But when they came snooping, I more had a sense of a spell being cast rather than a psychic searching for intruders."

James leaned forward, keen interest etched on his face. "How could you tell that?"

"You can tell a psychic," Sam said. "A spell is colder."

Joshua looked over and frowned. "Colder?"

"Less personal?" Sam suggested.

"James, JT, Max and Ryker will go in from the north," Caleb went on.

Joshua interrupted. "I need Ryker with me."

Caleb's brows rose.

"I'll go with them," Adam offered.

"I may need Adam as well," Joshua stated.

"All right," Caleb said, nodding. "We'll discuss teams this afternoon. For the moment, we'll be advancing on Lebanon from three directions: east, south and north. They'll be expecting us, but breaching the town from three directions will divide their forces and hopefully add some confusion. This afternoon will be a strategy meeting. For right now, we need to get our masking potions and spells bags made."

"I brought a reserve of ingredients," Ryker stated.

"Thank you," Joshua said, hoping their combined supplies would be enough.

"Adam can make sleeping potions for the townspeople," Joshua said. "It's a safe bet they'll have a counter for that tactic, or protections against a potion that would inhibit their abilities. But we'll be prepared anyway."

Dean shoved himself off the bed. "Joshua, can you get everyone working on making the spell and masking pouches?"

"Yes. We'll meet in my room," Joshua said, rising from his chair and moving toward the door.

While most of those in the room were filing out, Ethan and Elijah approached Dean, Caleb and Sam about Ethan's idea to place spell dampeners in Lebanon.

"I figure we go in, stop and get food, pick up some gas and move on," Ethan said. "We don't stay long enough to create suspicion; just long enough to pick up some supplies, fuel up the car and get outta dodge."

"We'll need to drive at least an hour south of Lebanon then circle east and come back up to avoid those detector spells Joshua sensed," Elijah said, "so we'll be gone several hours."

Dean stared at the two men, men he'd known for decades, and knew they hadn't made this suggestion flippantly. Ethan had probably been thinking about it all night. "Is there such a thing as a spell dampener?"

Ethan shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. But when you think about magic and its power, I can't imagine there wouldn't be something that would put a lid on a spell."

"During the ages when magic abounded, spells would be a part of warfare," Elijah said. "In all offensive battles, defensive measures would have been developed."

"We'll have to check with Joshua," Sam said carefully.

"I guess my question is whether this coven has a psychic," Ethan said. Jerking his chin towards Elijah, he continued, "We've got strong blocks, John made sure of that. If the sensing spell is their only means of detecting intruders, we have a good chance of putting some time-delayed dampeners around the town."

"Time-delayed," Caleb murmured.

"I'll text Joshua," Sam said, pulling out his phone.

"I know what you're thinking," Ethan said, "but this isn't rash. They won't catch us. Even if they did, they'd just use us as prisoners of war."

"Oh, there's a thought," Caleb snorted.

"We won't be going in unarmed," Elijah argued. "Though we could be carrying time-delayed spell pouches, we would be wearing Joshua's protection pouches…"

"We're really getting into some complicated magic here," Dean protested. "Josh has a lot on his plate. We're going in tonight to end this spell and get rid of the Tree, and there are a lot of spell pouches to make. My question is whether we should be dividing our time to create dampening and time-delayed spells."

"I think the risk is worth the effort," Ethan stated.

There was a knock at the door and Sam opened it to let Joshua in.

Joshua's brows rose in question as he surveyed the men in the room.

Sam walked over to one of the chairs and dropped down, saying, "Ethan wants to know if you can make spell dampening spells and time-delayed spells."

Joshua merely eyed the others for a moment, then said, "Yes."

Dean's eyes widened. "You can?"

"Of course," Joshua said. "Defensive spells are a major part of every crafter's training."

"How come we didn't know this?" Caleb demanded.

"You do," Joshua stated, rolling his eyes. "What do you think we used in Washington? We used a mixture of offensive and defensive spells."

Dean frowned. "We did?"

Caleb smacked his forehead. "We used a time-delay on the magical bomb at the Yakama Tribal Hall and Records Building."

"A magical bomb?" Ethan echoed, his brows raised.

Joshua nodded. "Adam told me all about it." He looked to Sam. "You both made a very effective time-delay in there."

Ethan's head was going back and forth between Caleb and Joshua. "I repeat, a magical bomb…"

Caleb grinned. "Cockroaches all over a building, top to bottom. I'll tell you all about it later."

"Hey, I'm the one who made it," Sam groused.

"Back on track," Dean interjected, eyeing the pair of them. Turning to Joshua, he explained what Ethan and Elijah had proposed. "What do you think?"

"A good tactic," Joshua agreed, though he frowned.

"But…" Ethan probed.

"Time," Dean said, watching Joshua.

"It would be a challenge, to ready enough spell bags for offensive use, readying the sleeping spells then masking spell bags." Joshua frowned. "In order to make time-delayed dampening spells, we'd need to push back everything else and start with those." Looking up, he asked, "How many would you need?"

"What would be the detonation area?"

"Fifty to seventy yards, maybe."

Elijah and Ethan exchanged glances. "A fair amount of distance," Elijah said.

Ethan nodded. "We wouldn't be able to place too many, or we'll look suspicious."

"Five?" Elijah suggested.

"Maybe six, if we have the opportunity to place them all," Ethan said. "I'd rather be overly prepared than under. How long would that take?"

Joshua glanced down at his watch. It was just after ten in the morning. "I could have it ready by eleven-thirty."

"I have a problem with a dampening spell," Dean stated. "If you make a spell dampener so we can get into Lebanon, won't that dampen the spells we use too?"

"Not if we make the dampening spell specific, like for protection spells," Joshua said. "Those are the spells that Lebanon is riddle with. When we engage the townspeople and the coven tonight, they'll have other spells, spells aimed to harm. We need to treat those as we would guns and rifles and stay out of the way."

"So what we're looking at is Ethan and Elijah placing dampening spells that will enable us to get into Lebanon with less hassle," Dean clarified.

"Yes."

Knowing the question needed to be raised, Caleb asked, "Will making these new dampening spell pouches put a knife in getting ready for tonight?"

"We should be able to complete everything, especially since Max, Ryker and Adam are here. There are more hands to assemble the pouches, so," Joshua nodded. "Yes, we should be able to do everything." Turning, he hurried from the room to start making the potions.

"Do you know where you're going to place the dampeners?" Sam asked.

"Yes." Ethan pulled a small sketch from his pocket and smoothing it out on the bedspread. "The geographical center of the country is straight down US 281 and west on Highway 191. I don't know that we can get close to it, but we might be able to place a dampener at the intersection of the two."

"If we stop and pretend to look at the turn, then decide to go on into the town first, that might work," Elijah said.

"There's a Midway Co-op Service station right before we get into town."

"I went right past that one," Caleb said. "There's a closed station further in off Main Street."

"We'll stop and top off the gas tank there," Ethan said. "We'll ask if there's a place to get supplies." He pointed to the market Caleb had stopped at. "We'll place one at the service station and one at the market."

"From the map, it looks as though Ladow's is at city center," Elijah interjected.

"If the café is on Kansas Avenue, we'll go there next and place one."

"We'll ask about the Center of the forty-eight states place, then let ourselves get talked out of going back to check it out. We'll head out of Lebanon and place one at the Lebanon Co-Op Elevator factory."

"That's five," Caleb said. "Where will you place the sixth?"

"I don't know," Ethan admitted. "As we get to the intersection of US 281 and Hwy 191, if we can turn and get to the park, I wanted an extra one just in case."

Dean didn't like the idea of Ethan and Elijah going off on their own to face Piruz and his minions. But it was their job, just like it was his, Caleb's and Sam's. "Trust no one," he said. "Caleb had a moment with the grocer. Don't trust him if he asks anything."

"I read him, and he seemed like himself," Caleb added. "But I wouldn't trust that. Some of those people need to maintain the running of the town so visitors and truckers don't get suspicious."

Ethan and Elijah rose.

"We'll head out the south end of town and pick back up US 281," Ethan said, folding the map and putting it back inside his jean's pocket. "We'll go down to Hays then take Interstate 70 east to Interstate 135 north. We hope to be back within seven hours."

"You'd better destroy that map before you get anywhere near Lebanon," Dean said.

Elijah frowned. "Why?"

"Leave no trace of what you're doing," Caleb said, "Even if it never leaves your pocket."

"We'll let you know when we're taking off," Ethan said, as he and Elijah walked out the door.

Dean paced in the small space between the beds.

"They're going to be fine," Sam encouraged.

"It's risky," Caleb sighed, "but not more so than going in tonight. And Piruz is still human, however long lived. If he drove all night to get here, he'll need to sleep, right?"

Dean didn't offer any speculation on Ethan's plan and its chances of success. Instead, he said, "Let's get to strategizing. Then we can help with the potions."

"How about we go downstairs to the breakfast nook," Sam said. "Breakfast has been cleaned up, so we should be able to talk."

"Yeah," Caleb said, rising. "I want some coffee anyway."

"Me too." Dean followed Caleb to the door.

"Always with the coffee," Sam muttered, though drinking a cup of the hot brew sounded good.

"I'll see if they've got a cappuccino with your name on it," Caleb smirked as he walked into the hall.

"I'm holding you to that!" Sam called out, grabbing the doorknob and closing the door behind him. "I hope you've got your keycard."

Adam focused as he carefully measured the powder into a small silver bowl. Joshua had asked him to make the time-released potion for the dampener spells he was preparing. It was exacting work that took a tremendous amount of concentration. Blowing out a measured breathe, he sat back in his chair and attempted to shrug the stiffness from his shoulders.

"Need some help?" Ryker asked quietly.

"No, but thank you," Adam said with a smile. "I'm almost finished."

"It's a time-delay for a spell?"

Adam gave his son a proud look and nodded. "Yes. How did you recognize it?"

"You started with an acrylic and chitin mix, then embedded the sustaining ingredients inside. I assume Parrain is mixing a potion that will be poured inside the whole then sealed with magic."

Adam nodded. "Go on."

"As the sustaining ingredient eats through the acrylic/chitin mix, the inside ingredients will be released."

"Well done." Adam was proud that Ryker had learned potion making so well. Of course, as the future Advisor to JT's Triad, he would need those skills in helping the Brotherhood and his Triad just as Joshua used his considerable abilities to help Dean, Caleb and Sam. "What do you suppose is going inside?"

Ryker frowned at his father. It seemed as though Adam was quizzing him like he used years ago. "Well, it could be a lot of things. Most likely it would be an explosive spell set to go off at a designated time."

Adam nodded again. "Yes. But this time the spell inside will dampen magical spells."

"Like dampening the spells from the wizard and the town's people?"

"Yes."

"Won't a dampener do the same to our spells?" Ryker looked around at everyone who was industriously making spell bags to use tonight. "A dampener is a dampener. These things will dampen the town's spells as well as lessen the effectiveness of our own."

"Joshua is making a potion that will diminish the effectiveness of protection spells," Adam explained.

"Ah," Ryker said, understanding. "Right now they hold the high ground. We have to fight them as well as find a way through their protection spells. You and Uncle Joshua are leveling the playing field."

Adam smiled. Leave it to his son to describe the situation in military terms.

"What about our spell pouches?" Ryker asked. "They're for our protection."

"Joshua has a special way to protect those," Adam said.

Ryker gave an internal eye roll and nodded. Of course Joshua would use Triad magic to protect them, something the coven wouldn't know about, something he would not be adding a counter against in the dampening spell. Instead of voicing that, he said, "So, when we get there, we'll still need to contend with their weapons."

"Yes. But with these," Adam nodded at the small silver bowl he was working over, "you hopefully won't need to overcome the protection spells."

Joshua walked over and dropped down next to Adam. "That mixture ready?"

"I'm lining the pouches now," Adam said. He scooped up some of the paste-like mixture and put it in a silk pouch. Then he made a small hole in the middle and handed it over to Joshua.

Joshua carefully poured a thick, gelatinous substance inside the silk pouch, then murmured, "Et prope sigillum." (Close and seal.) He did the same to the other five pouches Adam handed over. Once all six were sitting in a row before him, he opened a small bottle and poured a drop of gold liquid on each one, murmuring, "Passi Sunt De Fratrum munitus." (Protected by the Triad of the Brotherhood.) Stepping back, he sighed. "Those are ready."

"Do you think Ethan and Elijah will be able to place them without being detected?" Ryker asked.

"I hope so. They should be undetectable."

Adam frowned at the silk pouches a moment, then held his wand over the first and said, "Dissimulato," and the silk changed into a dirty, almost moldy looking brown.

Ryker wrinkled his nose. "That looks like excrement."

Joshua smiled. "No one will want to pick it up."

"Pick up what?" Ethan said, making his way over to the table. When he glanced down, he said, "That's disgusting."

Elijah made a face. "Why don't you pick those up, big brother."

Ethan grimaced as he reached down slowly and fingered one of the pouches. It felt soft, like silk. But just the thought that it looked like fecal droppings made him grimace. "Great," he muttered, putting the bag into his duffle and adding the others. When he finished, he said, "All right, we're heading out."

"You have your protection pouches?" Joshua asked, knowing they'd already put them on but wanting to make sure.

Caleb walked in through the door of Joshua's bedroom and came over just as Ethan and Elijah pulled their shirts down to show a long leather thong with two small silk pouches at the base.

"One for protection, one for obfuscation," Elijah stated.

Ethan looked at Caleb and rolled his eyes at his brother's "Professor" verbiage.

Joshua merely smiled. He'd already showed the brother's where on the map he'd first felt a protection line. "From that point on, you should be through the town in half an hour, forty-five minutes at the outside. Call when you're a half hour south of Lebanon, let us know you're safe."

"If you get caught," Caleb said, "rip the protection pouches off and call out for me. I'll hear you and we'll come."

Ethan and Elijah both nodded.

"Well," Ethan said, pulling in a deep breath and letting it whoosh out. "Let's get going."

"Make sure your blocks are in place…"

"Before we reach mile marker one-thirty-eight," Elijah parroted what Caleb had told them earlier. "We'll be okay."

"Unless we aren't, then you'll hear me screaming for help," Ethan stated.

Caleb nodded. "Good luck. See you back here at eight."

The brothers walked to the door, opened it and disappeared into the hallway.

"They're going to be all right," Joshua said.

"Yeah," Caleb murmured. Everything about this hunt was dangerous. Piruz was old and powerful, and he didn't like going up against a coven whose purpose was protecting special items and people. He was especially concerned about the impact of the Tree when Piruz let it loose. Watching what Dean went through when he was exposed to the seeds from the Tree made him afraid for the rest of them should they even get close. "How strong can you make the protection pouches for me, Dean and Sam?"

Joshua looked over at Caleb. "You're concerned about getting close to the Tree."

"You saw what happened to Dean, and he just got close to the seeds. And remember what happened to me and Sam? We were only exposed to David Lassiter's mutating cells and we were knocked on our asses." Caleb shook his head, confiding, "I'm afraid of what will happen when we get close to the Tree tonight. Will we even be able to fight?"

"The Tree will remain under Piruz's control…" Joshua began.

"He's going to unleash that Tree the moment we get close," Caleb stated. "You know it, I know it. We need to be prepared."

"Yes," Joshua capitulated with a sigh. "I agree." There was no sense in denying it. "I've been trying to think of various ways to make the protection spells stronger. You know, we could use the help of this coven Piruz is controlling."

Caleb chuckled. "Maybe that's why he's using them; to take them off the board.

"Could Onida offer any insight?" Adam asked. He was still sitting at the small table where he'd been making the time-delayed portion of the spell pouches Ethan and Elijah had taken. Since neither Joshua nor Caleb had seen any reason to keep their voices down, he assumed they had no problem with his listening in. "While she isn't a crafter or a witch, she has insight into earth magic and minerals. For all it's chaos and depth in extending the knowledge of good and evil, the Tree is ultimately of this earth, this soil. Onida may have the key to making the protection pouches even stronger."

Caleb nodded thoughtfully, his eyes going across the room to where Onida was perched on the edge of a queen size bed, measuring a powdered mixture into a silk pouch. "I'll talk to her."

Joshua watched Caleb move away before turning to Adam. "I want you to spearhead making all the potions for tonight, including the protection potions."

Adam's eyes widened slightly, the only indication of his surprise. Joshua was the Advisor to the Triad of the Brotherhood. He wasn't even a member of the club. "Are you sure?"

"You're the best potion maker in the coven. You know why Nadine put up such a fight to keep you in West Virginia."

Adam wasn't given to false modesty, but he was still uncomfortable with the praise. Nodding his head, he said, "I'll do my best."

Joshua hesitated for a moment, then held out a small, fragile glass bottle of golden essence. "Use a drop of this on all the protection pouches; two drops for the pouches for Dean, Caleb and Sam. And say, Passi Sunt De Fratrum munitus."

Adam didn't know Latin well, but he knew incantations and enough to know what Joshua had said, and to what he was being entrusted. He wanted to ask what was in the bottle, but figured it was related to Triad magic, so held back. That wasn't meant for him to know. Lifting the bottle slightly, he asked, "Will this work with me doing the incantation?" Joshua was the Advisor to the Brotherhood, not him. Would Brotherhood magic even work if he used it?

"It will be fine," Joshua said. He never mixed a Triad-based potion and carried it around. Yet he had mixed this one in private this morning, ready to use on the team's protection pouches. The reason the bottle was of the thinnest, most fragile glass was so that he could break it should he encounter a threat. If he hadn't trusted Adam with his life and the lives of his family, he would never have entrusted him with the bottle. "This is safe in your hands."

Adam swallowed down his emotions. Instead of voicing his gratitude for the enormous trust Joshua was showing in him, he merely said, "I'll let you know when we're done."

"Thank you. If you can spare him, I'll need Ryker to help me finish a special potion."

"I've got a lot of help, and the expertise of your son," Adam said, his lips quirking slightly. Max was a very good potion maker, though he usually didn't have the patience for task. "I'll put Max in charge of the weaponized potions."

"That would suit him well," Joshua said with a smile. Walking up to Ryker, he asked, "Do you have your room key?"

Ryker stood and nodded.

"Come with me. We have a special job tonight."

Dean and Sam bent over the small map of Lebanon, taking in all the ways to get into the town, and where the center of the country lay in relationship to the downtown area.

"Piruz will be here," Dean said, pointing to the spot on the map labeled The Geographic Center of the Forty-Eight States.

"Doesn't look like there's much cover getting into the park," Sam remarked. "From the map, it looks like trees surround a large grassy park. We'll be completely exposed."

Dean nodded. "Night will be our only cover. Maybe Adam can show you how to do those misdirection spells."

"Me?" Sam had done many spells and rituals before, but he wouldn't by any means consider himself a crafter.

"You know incantations, and you've done spells before," Dean stated. "You're good at memorizing lines in a short period of time."

"We've got three seasoned crafters with us," Sam reasoned. "I'll be fighting with you and Caleb.

"You've done spells before," Dean repeated. "And you know as well as I do that the power is in the words, not in the person speaking them. You may not be a traditional crafter, but you've got the skill to do the incantations."

"Fine," Sam conceded. He wanted to point out that Dean could do the spells just as well as he could, but he knew memorization was a practiced skill, and he was more "practiced" than his brother. "I'll talk to Adam about what he used in Freshkills Park. If the spells are of Native American origin, he may be more reluctant to share them with me. But we'll come up with something."

"That's all I ask," Dean said, quickly turning his eyes back to the map to hide his smirk. "Caleb should take point with his Dark Vader routine," he continued. "He will go in from the north, here, near where we'll park the car. You'll circle around to the west and come in from that side."

Sam frowned, his eyes on the map. "I don't know that I'll be able to get around to the west end. The park is of a good size, and there's no cover on that side."

Dean studied the map. "Yeah, you're right. With our teams fighting in town, I thought to have Piruz's attention drawn in all four direction. But you're right; there's no cover on the west."

"If I came in from the east, his attention will still be divided." Sam studied the map, then shifted his gaze to his brother. "If Caleb goes in first, that puts him in Piruz's crosshairs."

"I know. I want Caleb to be the first in because he got close enough to put a knife to this guy's throat. That had to have made an impression on an ancient wizard who thinks he's got no equal."

"Right," Sam said, acknowledging the tactic. "Then I come in."

"Yeah, from the east. There's cover there from a small tree line and the gas station. Piruz's attention will still be split between the town, Caleb and you."

"Then you come in."

"He thinks I'm gone, tucked away in his little portal getaway. When Piruz is fully engaged with you and Caleb, I'll come in from the south end of the park. Give him the biggest surprise of his life. I hope that will give you, Caleb and Josh the time needed to take him down."

Sam nodded, his eyes on the map. "So, for the others; we'll go with the plan we discussed?"

"Yeah." Dean studied the map alongside his brother. Going over it all again in his mind, he said, "Ethan, Elijah and Onida will enter Lebanon from the east at nine o'clock."

"Opposite side of town and the park," Sam said.

"Piruz will expect the first attack to be at the Tree because that's where he is. When the initial attack comes from the opposite side of town, it'll create confusion."

"Or at the very least, surprise, " Sam agreed. "Then the other attacks come in quick succession."

"Timing is important," Dean murmured, his attention still focused on the map of Lebanon spread out on the table. "At nine o'clock Ethan, Elijah and Onida enter Lebanon from the east, slinging spells, Onida bringing earth storms with her. When the town's resources are focused on the east, JT, James, Max and Ryker come in from the north at nine-fifteen."

"Joshua said he needed Ryker," Sam reminded his brother.

Dean looked up. "Not just for potion making?"

"No, I think he needs him for the spell in the park."

Dean looked back down, restructuring the plan in his mind. "Yeah, okay. That makes three teams of three penetrating the town."

"So JT's team coming in from the north will cause confusion," Sam stated. "Cause if we're at the north end of town, why not just attack the park?"

"Exactly. The townspeople will already be heading east when the commotion comes in from the north. They'll dispatch people in that direction when, at nine-twenty, Joel, Daniel and Adam come in from the south."

"Adam using his misdirection spells to add even more confusion." Sam's eyes racked their battle plan. "You know, they'll probably be expecting us to come in from different angles."

"Probably. But the coven members are protectors, not fighters. They may be under a spell, but Piruz can't get around their basic instincts."

"Like when people are hypnotized. If a person isn't a killer, they can't be made to kill even under hypnosis."

"It's a two-sided coin, and Caleb's right," Dean said. "We can't underestimate the town's people, cause some might be trained. But we've got the edge because we've fought monsters all our lives; we'll have the advantage of staying calm, acting decisively, and staying focused in battle."

"We've got the experience," Sam agreed. Looking around at the door, he asked, "What's keeping Caleb?"

"He wanted to make sure Ethan and Elijah got off all right."

"You mean he wanted to tell them to be careful, not to take chances, and to check in as soon as they get a safe distance out of town or he'd kick their asses."

Dean grinned. "Yeah, all that." Eyes back on the map, he murmured, "Timing is important. Nine o'clock from the east, nine-fifteen from the north, nine-twenty from the south…"

"And nine-twenty-two in the park," Sam stated. After a moment he looked up, asking, "You sure you want Onida and Adam in on this? Onida's been on a handful of hunts, but she isn't a seasoned hunter. And Adam has never been on a hunt before. In Washington he was only there for humanitarian reasons, not fighting."

"I know," Dean sighed. "But I want someone on each team who knows covens and how they work. Onida fought against witches her whole life, and Adam was raised in a coven. While I'd have preferred Ryker be with the boys, Max has a lot of crafter knowledge; Josh made sure of that. And JT has been involved in Joshua's coven since he and Max were kids. If there's any way the coven members can be reached through the spell Piruz has placed on them, I want to give them that chance."

"Joshua has Adam and Onida working on calling the seeds in the boxes to ground zero by magical means. What if he needs them at the park when he enacts his spell to send the Tree back?"

Dean sighed, feeling a zing of frustration, which he quickly squelched. They were too few and needed in too many areas and doing the best they could. But they were working so fast and furious on this hunt, he felt like he kept missing things. "I hope by the time Josh is ready to send the Tree back to Eden, Piruz will be taken care of and everyone will be making their way to the park."

Both men sat studying the map of Lebanon, troubleshooting the plan for their own, unique perspectives. "We're going to kill him," Sam said abruptly, shattering the silence with his blunt statement. "Piruz."

Dean looked up. Everyone knew it had to be done, though none had actually said it outright until now. "I don't know that we'll have much choice. He's been on this track for centuries. If we stop him here and don't kill him, he's just going to come back and do it all over again. History has proven that."

"How many times do you think he's tried before?" Sam asked, curious.

"Josh said the Tree strives to stay together, so it couldn't have been easy getting any part of the Tree from Eden," Dean said with a shrug. "There would have been a lot of steps to take before he could put any sort of plan into action. After that, he probably practiced a lot with the Tree before he gave it a serious try. I bet one of his first full-on tries was against Merlin. That's how he knows about us. He's probably tried at least twice more after the Brotherhood was established, and was stopped. He's got respect, and a whole lot of anger, at the Brotherhood for us not to have had a hand in past defeats."

Sam smiled. It always amazed him how well his brother read people. As he thought about their own past encounters with Piruz - the elaborate plan of setting the boxes around the country, Joshua's suspicions that the inscriptions on the box lids were a decoy to keep them occupied - it made sense that Piruz would have encountered past Triads of the Brotherhood. "So, we kill him," he said. "He's human, you know." He said it mainly for clarification purposes rather than as a deterrent.

"Or did he stop being human when he never died?"

"I don't know that hiding in Eden gives him non-human status," Sam quipped. "However he slipped from Death's grip through the centuries, he's still human. But he does need to be stopped, for good." Sighing, he shook his head. "I'm not sure we have another choice."

Dean nodded, but didn't feel any sense of reluctance to do what had to be done. Piruz was bent on destruction, and he'd been very cold blooded regarding the deaths needed to make his revenge a reality. Well, he could be cold blooded too.

Sitting back in his chair, Sam stretched. Through a slight yawn, he mumbled, "I wish we didn't have to go up against people who were conscripted by Piruz to do his fighting for him."

"He's going to do anything to make sure his plan comes off this time. People are collateral damage to him."

"And a good distraction for us," Sam added.

The bedroom door opened, and Caleb stepped in. "I got an upgrade to the only suite in the hotel," he said, waving a keycard in the air. "We can go in after one. It'll give us a lot more space to work."

"Great," Sam said, standing. "I'll let the boys know so they can finish off whatever potions they're working on and can repack the ingredients to move up there. Want me to order in lunch?"

"That sounds good," Caleb said.

"A burger sounds good," Dean stated, his eyes still on the map.

"Burgers and fries it is," Sam said with a smile.

"Maybe a couple turkey sandwiches," Caleb called out as the door swung shut behind the taller Winchester brother. Turning to Dean, he asked, "You think he heard me?"

"Send him a message," Dean said, tapping his head. "I paired Onida with Ethan and Elijah. They're the most experienced hunters. Are you good with that?"

Caleb nodded. "I'd rather have her with me, but Piruz is the biggest threat so I'm glad she'll be somewhere else." He yawned and dropped onto one of the beds. "She's helping Adam reinforce the protection spells with earth magic."

"Really?" Dean asked, surprised and interested. "How?"

"Don't know. That's her gig, not mine."

"She's your girl," Dean stated. "She didn't say?"

Caleb eyed Dean. He could feel tightly contained waves of unease radiating from his friend. "Is this what you want to talk about?"

Dean swallowed as his throat was suddenly dry. "No. I'm worried about how we'll deal when Piruz sets loose the Chaos Spell and the Tree is free to do its thing."

"Yeah, me too. Sam and I went haywire, and we were only exposed to Lassiter. I spoke to Josh about it."

"And?"

"Adam's going to make the potions bags as strong and layered as possible, and with Onida's help and Triad power, we hope it'll be strong enough to keep us on our feet."

"Adam, not Josh?"

Caleb nodded. "Josh is working on something else."

Dean knew immediately what that was. "Relocating the Tree back to Eden."

"I expect so," Caleb said. "That's a big task."

"He'll figure it out," Dean said confidently.

"How do you know?"

"Pastor Jim knew Josh was a talented crafter. Otherwise he wouldn't have picked him as Advisor."

"Yeah." Though he still wished Joshua was the one making their protection pouches, Caleb shifted his attention to their plans for that night. "Let's go over the incursion plan again."

Joshua bent over the small desk in his room and measure out another tablespoon of Sambucus Nigra into a rose quartz bowl followed by a measured pinch of Agna Aura, murmuring incantations the entire time. When he finished, Ryker leaned over and handed him a small vial. Nodding, he took the vial and measured out a teaspoon of Astrophyilite. Pouring it slowly into the bowl, he said the fourth part of the incantation. When he finished, he sat back and took the handkerchief Ryker handed him and wiped his brow.

"We're doing this twice?" Ryker asked.

Joshua nodded.

Ryker frowned, staring at the two large pouches sitting on the table.

"Question?" Joshua asked softly.

"You want to move the Tree from here back to Eden," Ryker said. "Don't you need something from Eden to direct the spell?"

Joshua smiled and pulled one of the boxes that had been retrieved from the clubs around the country. "Just before we close off the spell, we'll take a couple seeds from the box and put them into the spell pouches." He hadn't yet approached Dean about this aspect of the spell. The Guardian would need to go back inside the protection circle for the purpose of opening the box and extracting seeds for the pouches. Dean had already been exposed to the seeds and, though not unscathed, had come out in fairly decent shape; and that without wearing a protection spell pouch inside the circle. Sam and Caleb's psychic abilities would make their taking on that task much riskier.

Ryker nodded. "The inscriptions on the top of the boxes have cardinal points. Are you putting these pouches in carinal positions?"

"The inscriptions were a misdirection," Joshua said. "They didn't have anything to do with the spell…" his voice trailed off. Slowly he picked up the box and stared at the lid. The boxes told the story of what was inside and from whence the seeds had come. Every line on the box, every symbol told the story and enhanced the theme. But the cardinal points were different. They didn't connect to the story at all. Yes, Piruz had placed the ones with westward markings on the West Coast, the southern cardinal points in the South and so on. But they didn't fit in with the overall structure of the narrative. Could he have been right and wrong about Piruz's intentions for the inscription on the lids?

Frowning, he went over every line and symbol again. They were all intertwined to tell the story, but the cardinal symbols were not a part of the narrative. Reaching across the table, he pulled a piece of paper toward him and began to write. Carefully he drew the cardinal points and connected them by a circle. He then drew a circle within the center to represent the Tree. "North, south, east, west," he murmured.

"The stages of life," Ryker murmured.

Joshua's head jerked up. "What?"

"In Native American culture, the cardinal points can represent the stages of life; East for birth, South for youth, West adulthood and North for death."

"Strength through generations," Joshua murmured, remembering Dean saying that Pastor Jim had meant those words for him.

"I guess you could say that," Ryker agreed. "The earth is old, and the sun has seen many generations of humanity. Many older cultures throughout the world consider the rotation of the sun and the cardinal points as stages in a life. Some go even deeper than the traditional stages. For example, Stage I: Play, Imitation and Education. Stage II: Self-Discovery, Enterprise and Adventurousness. Stage III: Dedication, Contemplation and Benevolence. Finally, Stage IV: Retirement, Wisdom and Renunciation."

Joshua was only half listening as he studied the diagram. Suddenly he turned to Ryker and said, "I need you to make two more of these spell pouches."

Ryker's face paled in surprise and trepidation. The spell was extremely complicated, and he didn't want to do anything wrong. Too much was riding on this spell working. "I… Shouldn't I continue to aide you?"

"There is another task I must complete, and it will take all my concentration." Seeing the unease on Ryker's face, Joshua smiled. "If I didn't have one-hundred percent confidence that you could mix this spell and do it correctly, I wouldn't have suggested it. There is no one," he emphasized, "that I would trust more to make this spell than you."

Ryker gave his Godfather a weak smile. "Not even dad?"

"Not even your father," Joshua stated. Adam was a master potion maker, and Ryker had learned from the best. "As I trust Adam, so I trust you."

Taking a deep breath to still his frazzled nerves, Ryker straightened his shoulders and nodded. "All right."

"The ingredients and incantations are all written down here," Joshua said, touching a long piece of paper. Sometimes it was good to be a meticulous potion maker. "When you finish the spells, leave the pouches open as I have here. We'll add Triad magic after we place the seeds within. I'll be right here if you need me."

Ryker nodded. Picking up the detailed spell, he read through it three times, taking note of every single measurement and incantation, before he pulled out two more spell pouches and began laying out the ingredients.

Joshua walked to the small table at the other side of the room, his legal pad in hand. Glancing back at Ryker, he noted the young man was reading through the spell. "I'm going to talk to Dean. I'll be back shortly, so don't start until then."

Ryker nodded and continued his preparations.

Joshua left the room. Pulling out his cell, he sent a text to Caleb asking where they were, knowing Dean would be with him. He didn't think Dean had gotten a new battery for his cell yet. After a moment, he walked down to the room Sam and Dean were occupying, and knocked on the door.

"Josh," Dean said, stepping back so the Advisor could come inside.

"I'd like to speak with you a moment," Joshua said, staying in the hallway. He saw only Caleb inside, but he wanted to explain without the Knight listening. He would fight Dean going back into the protection circle, Caleb and Sam both would. He didn't have the time to deal with that.

Caleb rose and walked to the door. "What's up?"

"I just need to have a word with Dean," Joshua explained. "Alone."

Caleb frowned, but Dean merely nodded and said to the Knight, "I'll be right back."

Once they were both in the hallway, Joshua decided not to beat around the bush. "I need you to go back into a protective circle and open one of the seed boxes."

Dean stared at Joshua, not letting the other man see that his pulse had jumped into overdrive. He didn't want to. He didn't want to go back into the pit, he didn't want to hear Alistair's voice in his ear telling him he was a good boy.

Though Dean's face remained set, Joshua knew his friend. One only needed to look into Dean's expressive eyes to see all his emotions bubbling behind that stony façade. "I wouldn't ask unless it was necessary to complete the spell to send the Tree back to the Garden," he explained. "The Tree is in our world. To send it back to its home, I need to add something to the spell that is Eden. The seeds are that something."

Slowly Dean asked, "Isn't the Tree enough to recall Eden?"

"It is the object we want to send, and therefore cannot be used. If we were able to get close, I'd take some leaves, though I doubt they would stay in the spell bags. The Tree wants to remain whole, with all its leaves, branches and seeds intact. That seems to have been Piruz's quandary: how to keep the seeds from going back to the Tree. That's why he used his magic to keep them in the box."

"Won't you have the same problem?"

"Yes, I imagine so. That's why we'll take the seeds from the box inside the circle and place them in the spell bags. Once they're inside the bags, I'll use Triad magic to keep them there until they're all sent back to Eden."

"What about the boxes around the country?"

"Onida has been working with Adam. He's writing a spell that focuses on the minerals in seeds, calling them with the use of magnetics. That should circumvent Piruz's magic."

Dean nodded. With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah, okay. Hopefully we can get in and get out."

"We'll just open the box, pull out a couple seeds for each spell bag, then close the lid." Joshua sighed in relief. He'd known Dean would agree; that's just who he was. But he had hated asking. "I'll also want you to try wearing a new protection pouch."

"New?"

"The Tree is powerful. Combine the power of the Tree with the Chaos Spell, and I'm worried about how you'll do in a battle with Piruz, especially Caleb and Sam."

"Yeah, we've talked about that."

"I've devised new, stronger protection pouches for you to wear."

"And I'm your guinea pig," Dean commented wryly.

Joshua smiled. "Yes, you'll be the first to try it."

Dean stared down the empty hallway, his eyes focused on nothing in particular. Finally he asked, "When do you want to do this?"

"I'll come get you when we're ready, probably within the hour. Ryker and I will finish making the spell bags. Then you'll add the seeds, and I'll seal them inside with Triad magic."

Pulling his eyes back to Joshua, Dean said, "All right. I'll be ready."

"Dean, thank you," Joshua said earnestly. "You know I wouldn't ask unless it was absolutely necessary."

"I know," Dean said with a small smile. "That's why I don't mind … much."

Joshua headed back to his own room, his mind on rewriting the spell he'd created to send the Tree back to Eden. Strength through generations. It was possible there was more to the spell than he'd originally considered. Caleb's advice to focus on moving something that shouldn't be here back where it belonged was an important part of sending the Tree back to Eden. But now he had a sense that there was another part he had dismissed. Eden had been closed to mankind since the beginning of time. Breaching its boundaries to return a stolen object would take an enormous amount of power. Could he draw that from the cardinal points? Could he draw that power from the east, south, west and north?

He needed to rework the spell and time was short. He hoped he could finish it in time. If not, all their work would be for nothing.

.

TBC

Author's Note:

Reminder: At the half-way point of this chapter, Ryker refers to Joshua as Parrain, which means Godfather. As Adam's best friend, Joshua is Ryker's Godfather.

Reference: The time-delayed spells were used in "The Guard Changed at Dawn."