The Guard Changed at Dawn

Chapter 14

Dean drove back to White Swan, his attention divided between the road and the witches. They had regenerated. Damn, if that didn't piss him off. Taking the heads was the time-honored way of killing a monster. He hated it when time-honored didn't work. He knew Caleb was feeling the same way, as the Knight had gotten into the rear SUV and slammed the vehicle door.

"The witches must have regenerated from energy funneled through their coven members," Sam said. He had resumed his place sitting in the front next to Dean, with James, JT and Max in the back. In the second vehicle with Caleb were Samuel, Joshua, and Ryker.

"Ultimately from the earth and the sun," James interjected. "Does Onida get energy from the earth and the sun, or only from inside herself?"

"That's something we'll have to ask her," Sam answered, "but an interesting question."

"As is how they made those medicine bags," James stated. "I want to look inside one."

Sam smiled and looked over his shoulder at his nephew. "I think your Uncle Joshua would like to see that as well."

Max didn't add anything to the conversation. He was staring out the window, lost in thought.

JT glanced at his friend, opened his mouth to say something, but really, what could he say? Witches that regenerated from having their heads lopped off was a conundrum. His father wasn't very happy with the outcome of the day either. So instead of going for reassurances, he went for the obvious; "I'm hungry."

That got his father's attention, as he knew it would.

Dean looked at him in the rearview mirror and smiled. "Yeah, I am too." Glancing out at the scenery, he said, "Anyone see anywhere to eat?"

Sam pulled his cell from his pocket and entered their location. "Okay, coming up real fast is some place called the Cowiche Canyon Kitchen and Icehouse. Looks like American cuisine."

"Icehouse means beer," Dean stated. "Lead the way."

Sam directed them to an exit about four miles down the road, then they drove two miles east to the restaurant. Dean pulled in, climbed out of the car and marched inside.

JT's brows went up as he grinned at his Uncle Sam. "He's pissed."

"Got to admit, I'm pissed too," Max stated, having come up behind JT and overheard the comment. He walked past the pair and headed inside on the heels of the Guardian.

Caleb and Joshua walked up, Ryker and Samuel behind. "What's up?" Caleb asked.

"Dean and Max are pissed," Sam supplied with a smile.

"Agreed." Caleb sighed. "We'll figure this out. Even if we've got to dynamite their caves and put their heads in boxes on the other side of the world, their time is short." Having said that, he started for the restaurant, followed by the rest of the group.

Sam gave JT's shoulder a comforting pat. "Your dad always feels better once he's eaten. We'll compare what we learned today with our research. We'll figure it out."

Inside they sat near the back. While the restaurant wasn't crowded, Dean wanted privacy so they could talk more freely. The menu highlighted typical American roadside fare; burgers, sandwiches, wings, an assortment of wraps, salads and soups. When everyone had ordered and gotten their drinks, conversation lulled as they thought over the hunt.

"Okay," Max said finally, "anyone else know those witches were indestructible?"

"Yeah, we knew. We just kept it to ourselves," James quipped sarcastically.

JT rolled his eyes and sighed. Sometimes James just didn't know when to sit there and shut up, especially when people were frustrated.

Max's face flushed and he started to give an angry retort when Caleb interjected, "No one thought about regeneration. Maybe we should have, with Onida using energy to contain them, but we didn't."

"Even knowing about energy traps, I wouldn't have thought the witches could rejuvenate," Sam stated.

"The lore gave that indication if I'd looked at it right," Samuel admitted softly. He looked around at the others, his expression apologetic. "Yakama warriors of the past were amazing fighters. They took down buffalo and bears with crossbows and arrows." He shook his head. "I should have thought more about it. But I'm a twentieth century man. We aren't equipped nor required to fight bears, wolves, mountain lions or buffalo for our food and survival. These warriors who fought the witches back then? They were tough, skilled men. I didn't examine the implications of their not being able to take them down." Looking over to Dean, he said, "I'm sorry."

Dean shook his head. "We fight the supernatural every day and we weren't expecting them to regenerate. That's not a typical witchy trait."

"We thought the sigils, dad's knowledge of herbs and Onida's energy infusion on the blade would do the trick and help kill them." Max fiddled with and ripped at his napkin, a sign of his frustration.

"Now that we know that's not enough, we need to devise another plan," Caleb stated.

"You're not leaving?" Samuel asked, surprised.

"We don't leave until the job's done," Dean stated emphatically.

Samuel nodded slowly. "When will you go back in?"

Dean eyed Caleb, then looked over to the Chief and said, "Tomorrow."

Samuel blinked. "Tomorrow?"

"We don't want them getting comfortable," Caleb explained. "Regenerating six witches took a huge amount of energy, energy that won't be replaced easily in a short period of time. We need to keep them off balance, make them drain more of their resources."

"We need insight from Onida too," Sam added.

"And why were there six witches on the grounds?" James asked. "I thought Onida said that during daylight hours, only four witches were in the forest."

"Maybe they sensed you were there and sent more," Joshua said.

"I have a question," Caleb said suddenly, his eyes going to JT. "How were you firing directly at the witch before I could even see her?"

JT looked at Caleb, then at his father. Slowly, he confessed, "I could see her coming at us through the forest."

"What?" Sam exclaimed in surprise. "You could see her?"

"Yeah," Dean said, taking the spotlight off his son. "I could see them too. It looked like the thing was running …"

"In slow motion," JT interjected, glad he wasn't the only one who saw them. "Like a bad movie clip."

Dean nodded. "Almost like she was underwater. It was…"

"Creepy," JT finished.

Dean nodded again, giving his son a reassuring smile.

Everyone else at the table had been looking between the two of them, their heads ping-ponging back and forth. Before anyone could react, two waitresses came over and began setting plates of burgers, sandwiches and a couple salads with soup down on the table. Drinks were refreshed, and beers topped off before the wait staff moved away.

"So," Joshua said in a low tone, careful of being overheard, "You both can see these witches. Only you two?" he asked, looking at Caleb, Sam and James.

"I could sense them," Sam said.

"Yeah, I could sense them getting closer like a big, inky black spot, but I couldn't see them," Caleb agreed, taking a large bite of his burger.

"I could sense them, and also feel their wants," James added. "Like with ghosts; I can feel their wanting to be freed from this earth. The witches want to be free from the trap." He opened his turkey sandwich and removed the tomato before he deemed it worthy of eating.

"But why could JT and Dean…" Joshua began, then he gave a short laugh. "Of course; they're Guardians."

"The witch said that too," James revealed. "She leaned over, sniffed at dad and said, Guardian."

"Thanks for that," Dean muttered.

"You gettin' all up close and personal with the enemy?" Caleb joked, causing the others to smile or laugh, a moment of levity they all needed.

"Yeah, it was personal," Dean muttered good-naturedly, stuffing a couple fries into his mouth.

"So Guardians can see the witches," Sam said with a smile.

Dean gave a rueful head shake. Pastor Jim. When Pastor Jim had relayed how each person would bring something special to the hunt, he'd named everyone but Dean and JT. He remembered asking whether he and JT should just stay at home. Jim had assured him they were uniquely qualified for this hunt. Now Dean knew that was because he and JT could see the witches. Wanting to downplay their ability a bit, he said, "Yeah, great. But how do we kill them? Just wearing them down day after day isn't a great plan."

"It all has to do with energy," Caleb said.

"I agree," said Joshua. He stabbed at some lettuce from his salad, but just held the fork as he spoke. "There's a regenerative power at the center of this trap, for both the watcher and the watched."

"Now that we know the witches can regenerate their dead," Max said thoughtfully. "What if their long lives are from regeneration as well?"

Joshua gave his son a contemplative look. "What are you thinking?"

Max organized his thoughts for a second. "I'm not sure, exactly. But this whole containment thing is an energy trap. The witches use energy to hammer at the walls, trying to escape. Onida uses energy to repair the walls, preventing their escape."

Sam watched Max and nodded. "You think the witches are pulling energy from the trap, somehow." He took a bite of his egg salad sandwich.

Max shrugged. "They may be using other sources of energy to some extent, but maybe the trap used to contain them for so long ago is also keeping them alive." He looked at his father. "You're always saying energy begets energy, the cycle of life, stuff like that. What if this trap is like that?"

"You think Onida and the other watchers have been keeping the witches alive?" JT asked.

"The containment area could be self-regenerating," Ryker said. He'd been quiet since they'd left the forest, contemplating the witches and their regeneration prowess. Pushing his soup aside, he continued, "Replicating systems is an efficient use of materials and man power. Think of solar power helping keep lights on, the heat running, charging car batteries. If the original medicine man and watcher wanted to produce a trap able to contain such a powerful foe, they might have created it to have replication properties."

"Think about it," Caleb leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "All their strongest and best warriors couldn't kill the witches. The elders had to think of some way to eliminate the threat."

"So the medicine man and the first watcher created a way to contain something they thought couldn't be killed," Sam said.

Max nodded. "The original watcher used his or her gifts to create a trap that would be self-replicating, monitored by the next person with a watcher's gifts."

"But the witches have escaped," JT pointed out. "Didn't Onida say they got out before? If the trap is self-replicating, would they have been able to escape?"

"Onida's teacher died suddenly," Ryker explained. "If she'd been sick before her death, her attention to maintaining the cage could have been compromised. Other than the escape Onida spoke of, we don't know that there have been any other breaks."

"It's also possible the entrapment could have weakened through the years," Joshua added. "The trap has been in place for more than a hundred years, using natural ingredients from the time. They could lose their potency and needed Onida's energy to recharge."

"So watcher's recharge the cage," Max stated. "What if a watcher isn't born?"

"In the Brotherhood, all Scholars have been born with a psychic gift," Joshua said. "It's likely the same for the Yakama."

"But Scholars have a world-wide gene pool," Sam said. "The Yakama pool is pretty small."

"Careful genetics could be a way to ensure a watcher was born, like keeping a certain line pure," Ryker added. "But it wouldn't be a guarantee."

"Onida's mom married outside the tribe," James noted. "Since she was obviously part of the watcher line, that would have diluted the genome."

"The tribe wasn't happy about Angeni Yazzie marrying an outsider," Samuel agreed. "In fact, her parents strenuously objected. Johan Skogstad convinced them to allow the marriage." He smiled. "Johan was a very persuasive man."

"Onida's being born with her skills must have made her predecessor very happy," Caleb stated.

"Álxayx was overjoyed," Samuel said. "Onida's birth ensured the trap would be maintained."

"Then Onida's child died," Caleb said softly, "and no other watcher had been born." He looked over at Dean. "Onida said that in past decades, most watchers were on duty for twenty to thirty years. Onida's teacher had been on duty close to forty years before she passed away, and Onida has been watcher for over forty years with no new watcher in sight. She speculated that the watcher line may be running out. That's why she went searching for us."

Dean nodded. Taking a deep breath, he said, "To end this, there are two things we need more information about. One, we need to know what's in the medicine bags."

"If the ingredients are strong enough to trap the witches," Caleb said, "they should be able to end them as well."

Dean looked over at Samuel. "How far back do tribal records go? Do you think there's something in Yakama history that talks about how this trap was constructed?"

Samuel frowned. "I don't know, but I'm willing to check it out."

"Are records kept by the medicine men in a different location than the official tribal records?" asked Sam.

"Most records kept by the medicine men or women would have been added to the official tribal accounts," Samuel said, "but personal writing would probably have been passed on to each successor. Joseph would have those."

JT frowned. "We spoke with Joseph Whitetail. He didn't have much information on the medicine bags."

Samuel smiled. "When we go again, I'll go with you. He wouldn't have shared any information with outsiders."

"Even if Onida called?" JT asked, frowning.

"He would still have been cautious."

JT nodded slowly, frowning. "Okay, thanks."

"We also need more detailed information on how the trap works," Dean continued, "and I mean down to the last detail."

"I don't think Onida knows exactly how the trap works," Joshua said thoughtfully. "She knows how to repair it, how to keep the walls strong, and how to keep the witches inside. Even her teacher probably didn't know exactly how the trap worked."

Dean looked at Samuel. "Is that possible?"

Samuel gave a small shrug. "Truthfully, I don't know. The skulilá, or student, is trained by the Yaotlapialistli. I was only involved in the training once, when Johan and Angeni had concerns about Onida's wellbeing. Onida was around seventeen when her training intensified. Her parents were worried about the physical toll the new program was taking on her health. They brought their concerns to me. We had a series of meetings with Álxayx about the safety of the training. It was Onida who stepped up and said she wanted to continue."

"If tribal records have nothing on the trap, Onida is the only one who can answer our questions." Dean looked over at Sam. "You want to tackle getting that information?"

Sam nodded.

"Use that logical brain of yours to think through what she's saying and not saying; look through the cracks. Caleb, you need to be there too. Use your psychic abilities to see if she's holding anything back."

"Onida wouldn't lie," Caleb stated forcefully. "She wants to end the Tah-tah-kle'-ah as much as anyone. She spent five years looking for us."

"I'm not saying she would lie intentionally," Dean said.

"But she may omit things she doesn't think are important," Joshua said logically. "Or that she takes so much for granted she doesn't consciously think about them." Giving Caleb a sympathetic look, he continued, "You said it yourself yesterday. When any of us do something over and over again for years, we omit things from conversation, thinking everyone already knows that. We don't even realize we do it."

Caleb wanted to argue, but knew there was logic in what Joshua said. "Yeah, okay."

"You should come with us to Onida's as well," Sam said to Dean.

"Me? What do I know about energy?"

"You can see the witches," Sam reasoned. "You can see the canvas in a way even Onida can't."

Dean thought about that a moment, then said, "Okay. JT, can you go with them? I'll meet up with you later."

JT nodded. "Sounds good."

"Joshua, we're going to use your knowledge of potions, herbs and covens to dissect the medicine bags," Dean continued. "You and James can get through the tribal records faster than almost anyone except Sam. Ryker, you'll analyze the ingredients from a weapons point of view. I know many of your elective classes at the Citadel were in weapons and warfare from ancient times to the present."

Ryker blinked in surprise. How did Dean know about his fascination with ancient warfare and weaponry? Then he smiled. Of course Dean knew; he was the Guardian. "As Caleb said, what traps them can kill them."

"Damn straight," Dean winked at Ryker. "After Samuel drops Joshua, James and Ryker off at the Town Hall..."

"Yakama Tribal Hall," Sam corrected.

"After he drops them off at the place where the records live," Dean sniped, "he'll take me and Max to meet with Joseph Whitetail. Any additional information Joseph has we'll bring to the Records Hall." Finally focusing on his burger, he finished it off and downed the remainder of his beer.

"It's close to four o'clock," Joshua observed. "Will we have enough time to check out the tribal records?" He looked to Samuel.

"I have the keys to the Yakama Tribal Hall and Records Building. You can stay as long as you need."

"How extensive are they?"

"They're fairly detailed, though some decades are more meticulous than others, as their attention to detail depended on the tribal chief at the time. Some leaders recorded everything, some only necessities."

"Do you know the records well enough to get us to the time period we need?" James asked.

"Probably," Samuel said. "But Mary Whitetail, Joseph's wife, would be better. She knows those records backwards and forwards."

Max choked on his beer. "Mary and Joseph? You've got to be kidding me."

James laughed.

Samuel smiled. "Purely accidental, I assure you."

"It would be a great help if she could meet us at the Tribal Hall," Joshua said. Looking to Dean, he added, "If it looks like a long night, we'll look for you and Max to help out when you return with Joseph Whitetail's records."

"Oh, joy," Dean mumbled.

Caleb rose. "Then I'm headed over to Onida's with Sam and JT."

The rest of the group got to their feet and started pulling on coats and pushing plates to the center of the table. Caleb walked to the register to pay while everyone headed outside.

Caleb, Sam and JT got in the SUV Caleb had been driving earlier, while the rest piled into Dean's car, with Samuel, James and Dean in front, Joshua, Ryker and Max in the back.

"Can you drive faster, Uncle Dean?" Max grumbled, squirming in the back seat, his elbow knocking into Ryker. "I'm crammed in here like a sausage."

"Hey!" Ryker griped.

"Quit complaining," Joshua admonished. "Two of the tallest people in the car are crammed back here."

"Oh, boo hoo," James sniped. "I'm sitting over the gear shift."

"All kids shut up!" Dean exclaimed. Then in a softer voice, he said reasonably, "We have a guest in the car."

Samuel let out a peel of laughter. "Oh, please, I find all this quite refreshing. Normal life amid the chaos of the supernatural."

"That's us," Max snorted. "Normal."

"Like you know normal," Ryker muttered in a completely un-Ryker manner.

Dean gave both young men a glare in the rearview mirror before focusing again on the road.

Caleb, Sam and JT drove up to Onida's house and parked at the base of the long front staircase.

"It's almost five," Caleb observed, climbing from the car.

"You thinking it's too late for a call?" JT said with a smile.

"No. But Onida should start work soon," Caleb replied.

"You said she works nearly all the time now," Sam said, starting up the stairs. "I don't think there's a real good time to get this done."

Onida opened the door before they reached the top. "What happened?" she exclaimed. "The canvas was a madhouse and I couldn't keep track of what was going on! Why didn't anyone call me? Is everyone all right? What happened?"

"Uh, why don't we come inside," Sam stated, blinking at the rapidity of Onida's questions.

Onida rolled her eyes and stepped back, allowing the three to come in. "Where's Dean?" she asked, looking around outside before shutting the door.

"He's gone to see Joseph Whitetail," Caleb said. "They're looking into records about how the first medicine bags were made."

"If I don't call, Joseph won't tell him anything."

"That's why Chief Adcox is going with him," Caleb smiled.

"But…"

"Let's sit down," Sam said. "We'll tell you about this afternoon and what we need to end this."

While they were talking, JT had gone to the balcony's sliding glass doors to look at the canvas. When he'd been to Onida's before, he hadn't gone onto the balcony, opting instead to head outside with Max and Ryker. Now he wanted to know if he would see what his father had.

Pulling open the door, he stepped lightly onto the balcony and walked over to the canvas. Studying it for a moment, he thought it looked like any other painting; it replicated the meadow and forest beyond in minute detail. What was the big…

"Crap!" he exclaimed as a hand pushed the fabric out. Stumbling back a couple feet, he stared as more hands pushed against the canvas. Once he got used to the phenomenon, he stepped forward cautiously, watching as the picture morphed with new hands. "Weird…" he murmured.

"Your dad was freaked by it too."

JT glanced over his shoulder to see Caleb just outside the balcony door. "It is freaky."

Caleb smiled. "At least you didn't draw your gun."

JT laughed. "I had prior warning." Head cocked to the side, he watched the morphing canvas and said, "You really don't see that?"

Caleb stepped forward and shook his head. "All I sense is the witches' anger, their hate, and that they want out."

"Like James. He said he sensed their yearning to be free."

"Yearning indicates a nicer reason for being free," Caleb said, studying the picture. "These witches are angry. They want chaos, violence, and blood."

"You can sense that?"

Nodding, Caleb stepped closer to the canvas. "They're evil and need to be destroyed."

"Why don't we start working on that?" JT tugged Caleb's arm gently.

"Yeah," Caleb said softly, following his godson into the house.

Inside, Sam and Onida were sitting at the kitchen table with hot cups of coffee, Sam already in the midst of telling her about the fight. "Then Max took off the witch's head. Chief Adcox, Ryker and Joshua were on a nearby ridge, shooting the witches as soon as they became visible. It was Dean and JT who could see them even when the rest of us couldn't."

Onida turned to JT as he came in and sat down. "You could see the witches moving through the forest, I mean even before they made physical contact?"

JT nodded. "And I can see what my father saw in the canvas."

"How?"

"They're Guardians," Sam said.

Onida stared. "I'm the guardian."

Caleb smiled. "No, they're Guardian's of the Brotherhood."

"Actually, my dad is the Guardian," JT explained. "When he and the current Triad resigns, then my Triad will take over."

Onida blinked. "Triad?"

"I explained the Brotherhood," Caleb said.

Sam smiled, thinking back to Joshua's earlier example about Onida inadvertently leaving things out of conversations because she assumed they would know becoming a reality. "You explained about the Brotherhood in terms you understood, having been part of the brotherhood since you were thirteen."

Caleb stared for a moment before conceding the point. "I told you Merlin found three men with the qualities of leadership he needed." At Onida's nod, he continued, "He gave those men special gifts."

"Psychic for Sam," Onida supplied, giving Sam a smile.

"Yes. Merlin sought a man who was clever and logical. To the Scholar he gave the eye to see. All Scholars have some psychic ability. Sam is like me; we get death visions. James, the next scholar, is clairvoyant and clairaudient."

"He can see dead people?" Onida asked.

JT gave a short laugh. "Yeah, but don't use that line; he thinks he invented it."

"To the man with strength and loyalty in battle, he gave a magical weapon. That man was the Knight. I'm the current Knight of the Brotherhood. The last man was the hardest to find. This man needed to have a selfless nature, one who would give his heart to fighting evil."

"And what did Merlin give him?" Onida asked.

Caleb, Sam and JT exchanged looks. "It's not what Merlin could give him," Caleb said softly. "It's what he could give to the Brotherhood. Heart."

"Heart?" Onida looked from one face to the other. "Seems like a gyp."

"I agree," JT said with a smile.

Caleb laughed. "Dean said the same thing."

"The Guardian does have gifts," Sam said, "but there's a lot of mystery surrounding them."

"You don't know?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't think anyone knows the full extent of the Guardian gifts."

"Except the Guardian," Caleb said with a smile.

Onida, Sam and Caleb all looked at JT.

"I'm not the Guardian yet," JT stated, his hands held up. "Consider me Switzerland."

"So, Dean and JT can see the witches because they're Guardians." Seeing JT open his mouth, Onida amended, "Guardian and Guardian-to-be. But I am Yaotlapialistli of my people; the one who guards against evil. Why can't I see them in movement?"

"I don't know," Sam said honestly. "People with special abilities have different gifts. It may be as simple as you, being the watcher of the Yakama, have different gifts than the Guardian of the Brotherhood."

Onida nodded. "Yeah, okay. So what else happened today?"

Sam continued to rundown the fight in the forest, with Caleb and JT interjecting more detailed blow by blow accounts as needed.

"Their heads reattached and they healed?" Onida repeated, astounded.

Caleb nodded. "We need to find out a lot more about the trap, the medicine bags and how it all works. Once we do that, we can figure a way to end them." Looking Onida directly in the eye, he asked, "Are you willing to go through everything you did to become the one who guards against evil?"

"And can you answer all our questions, even if they seem repetitive and irrelevant?" Sam added.

"Yes, I can do that," Onida replied. "Whatever it takes to end this."

Caleb smiled. "Then let's get started."

Samuel opened the door to the Yakama Tribal Hall and Records Building and went in followed by Dean, Joshua, Ryker, James and Max. "I'll let you into the archives, then take Dean and Max over to meet Joseph."

"Is Mrs. Whitetail waiting for us inside?" Joshua asked, following Samuel across the wide lobby.

"Possibly. She has her own keys. If not, she'll be here soon." Samuel unlocked another door and they entered a long, dimly lit corridor. After passing several doors on both sides of the hall, he stopped in front of the one directly at the end. Pulling out his keychain, he slid a key into the lock and turned. Opening the door, the chief stood aside so everyone could enter. Once they were all inside, he turned on the lights.

Ryker and James' mouths dropped open while Joshua tried to contain his amazement.

"Wow," James murmured.

The room was massive, larger than a roomy conference room. Along all the walls were hundreds of leather bound books, journals and ledgers. A large conference table with lamps running down the center was situated in the middle of the room. Additionally, there were several individual cubbies where people could study in private.

"I think even you'd get eye strain in here, geek," Max quipped, his gaze taking in the length and breadth of the room.

"Not a geek," James stated, punching Max on the arm.

Ryker stepped between them, thwarting more retaliatory blows. "This is very impressive."

"There are several hundred years of Yakama history here," Samuel said, his eyes on the shelves. "See that door at the far end? In there are records too fragile to be stored out here. Many are pictographs and primitive written forms, some we've deciphered and others we're working on."

"Does the tribe hire ancient language experts to help?" James asked, his eyes still on the packed shelves.

"Our tribe has several ancient language experts," Samuel stated humorously.

James' head whipped around and he flushed. "I apologize. I didn't mean to imply you didn't have your own experts."

Samuel smiled and gave the younger man a comforting pat on the arm. "No apology needed. Most people assume Indian Tribes are less educated than they really are. Take me, for instance. I have a college degree in Law Enforcement, and a double Master's in Business Administration and Criminal Justice. However, most people think I was elected Tribal Chief on the basis of my obvious good looks and amazing personality."

Dean chuckled while Ryker looked impressed.

"Excellent 5-0 creds, there, Chief," Max said with a grin.

The door through which they'd originally entered opened again, and a small woman with black hair threaded through with gray and platted into a long braid walked in. Samuel hurried over and pulled her forward. "This is Mary Whitetail. Mary, they need to know everything about the very first medicine bags created to capture the Tah-tah-kle'-ah." He regarded the men standing there and took a bold step; "They're going to kill them."

Mary's wide, startled eyes darted to Samuel.

Joshua stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm Joshua Sawyer, Adviser to the Triad of the Brotherhood."

If possible, Mary's eyes went even wider. "The Brotherhood," she repeated. "The Brotherhood."

Samuel frowned. "Mary? You've heard of the Brotherhood?"

Joshua, however, smiled. He figured anyone as well read in all things Yakama and the books here had to have read about the Brotherhood at some point.

"Of course," Mary said with a huge smile. "They came through here in nineteen-twenty and again in nineteen-sixty-two following reports of missing children."

"What did they find?" Ryker asked, knowing they hadn't killed the Tah-tah-kle'-ah.

"In nineteen-twenty I believe they caught a shtriga, and in nineteen-sixty-two they took care of a wendigo."

Dean watched, sorrow on his face. "But they missed the witches."

Mary's smile faded and she nodded.

Dean looked away, thinking of all the children who'd died because the Brotherhood had missed a huge threat in the area; the Tah-tah-kle'-ah. He jerked when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Even the best of the Brotherhood cannot see what isn't visible," Mary said. "They took care of great evils and saved many lives. And now, you're here. You'll take care of the Tah-tah-kle'-ah once and for all, and the children will be safe."

Dean swallowed hard trying to dislodge the lump in his throat. Nodding once, he turned and went out the door.

Joshua watched, knowing there was nothing he could say that would lessen the sorrow Dean felt at the knowledge that many children had died because the Brotherhood at the time had missed the owl witches.

Mary watched Dean walked away, then looked back at Joshua. "A man of great heart."

The older man nodded. "He definitely is."

Max waited a moment to see if Dean would return, and when he didn't, said, "I guess that's my cue to go."

"I'll meet you both outside in a moment," Samuel said. Holding out a hand, he gestured for Joshua, James and Ryker to move further into the room. "There are thousands of records and books stored here, but they're divided into decades for easier use. The most ancient documents in this room start here on the left. As the decades progress, they move clockwise around the room, with the closest decades up front on the right. There are decade labels at the top of the shelves. That should make finding what you need easier. Mary?"

"Some decades are housed in one bookcase, others take up a few. I'll need to refresh my memory on which decade the original medicine bags were created, but we'll find them."

Samuel turned back to the door. "Mary will take over from here, and I'll take Dean and Max to meet with Joseph. You're all invited over to my place for dinner tonight at eight. If needed, you can return here after."

Joshua nodded. "Thank you, and thank you for the invitation to dinner. We'd be honored."

Dean walked to the SUV and climbed inside. He knew Mary had been right. The hunters had gone in looking for a threat, found it and eliminated it. How could they possibly have known about the witches? But he still felt like the Brotherhood had failed. More than thirty children had died just since 2010. He couldn't even contemplate how many more had died since the nineteen-twenties. It was unbearable.

Max opened the passenger door and climbed into the front seat. Glancing at Dean, he knew how the Guardian was feeling about those past hunters not realizing there were witches also feeding on children. But it wasn't Dean's fault, it wasn't anyone's fault. Shit happened; most times they caught it, sometimes they didn't. But he knew how JT would have reacted to the news Mary had dropped, and he knew how to help.

"I feel like I should being adding more to the hunt than I am. I should have paid more attention to dad through the years, learned more about potions and herbs. Then maybe I'd be more help."

Dean looked over. "Max, your interests are your own. You've always been more interested in weaponry and fighting techniques than potions and spells. That's what is going to make you a great Knight. You couldn't have known we'd be working with Indians years ago." Smiling, he said, "You're doing a great job now."

"And so are you," Max said with a smile.

"What?"

"The Brotherhood didn't know about the witches all those years ago. But we do now, and we'll take care of them."

Dean glanced over at Max. "Yeah, you're right." He gave his godson a rueful smile. "You been practicing that technique to use on JT?"

Suddenly something large and heavy WHAMMED against the driver's side door. The entire car was slammed about six yards to the right, and large spider-vein cracks spread rapidly throughout the side door windows and front wind shield.

.

Onida was answering one of Sam's questions when she suddenly leapt to her feet and exclaimed, "What the hell?" She was out of the kitchen and onto the balcony in a flash. "Oh, no no no no no no no," she muttered over and over, grabbing different mixes of herbs and spices and rolling them in her hand.

"What's happening," Caleb demanded, running out onto the balcony followed by Sam and JT. "What's wrong!?"

"Let her work," Sam urged, pulling Caleb back from where Onida was manically working near the canvas.

JT stared straight ahead at the canvas, his eyes wide.

Sam glanced at his nephew, then did a quick double take. "JT?" he said, effectively pulling Caleb's attention away from Onida to his godson. "Are you all right?"

"Johnny?" Caleb moved to the young man's side. "Johnny! What is it?"

JT's eyes never left the canvas. The fabric had turned red and the hands were no longer pushing again the fabric. Instead, fists were pounding the material and jagged marks from talons created long bruised marks. "They want dad," he said vaguely. Then he jerked in Caleb's direction and shouted, "They want dad!"

Suddenly Sam's ring went hot. "Dean!"

Caleb was already across the balcony and out the front door before anyone could react, his ring glowing and burning on his hand. "Damn it," he muttered, leaping down the steps four, five at a time. He thought someone called his name, but he didn't bother to respond. Instead he had the SUV door open and was inside the car with the key in the ignition when the passenger door popped open and Sam jumped in.

"Go!" Sam ordered.

In a flash Caleb had the car started and was headed down the road almost in one, fluid motion. "Find him!" he ordered Sam. He didn't know exactly where they were going, but they were going to find Dean.

JT stood at the base of the front stairs, staring at the taillights of the SUV, fuming. Caleb had driven off without him. He couldn't believe it! Gritting his teeth, he raced back up the staircase and returned to the balcony. Talons marks scarred the entire length of the canvas, and the dark blackish-red background made the canvas appear to be gushing blood. It was nauseating. What he desperately wanted to do, was to steal Onida's car. But he didn't want to strand her here if she needed help to maintain the entrapment.

Onida paid no attention to the lone person that remained on the balcony. She was murmuring to herself, mixing the herbs and spices. Reaching over, she grabbed a knife and cut her hand, rubbing the blood into the mix. Grabbing a thin glass jar, she took a pinch of something out and blew it at the canvas. A shimmering golden glow exploded on the surface. She then planted her cut palm with the herbal mixture against the canvas and summoned all her energy and poured it through her hand and the potion into the canvas.

JT watched as the canvas buckled with Onida's power. He could feel her energy flowing into the frame, and he prayed she was quick enough to save his father.

.

"What the…?" Dean exclaimed, then he looked out his window and saw a witch raising her talons to his door again. "Out!" he yelled to Max, sliding over the gear shift and practically shoving Max from the vehicle. "Get back inside the building!"

Max nearly fell from the car. Off balance, he stumbled a couple feet before he regained his equilibrium. Yanking his gun from his waistband, he pivoted and fired on the witch.

.

Ryker's head went up at the sound of gunfire. "Dean! Max!" he exclaimed, and started from the room.

"Dad!"

"Follow me," Samuel yelled, running ahead of Joshua, Ryker and James.

Samuel trotted about halfway down the long hallway and stopped by a door. Shoving a key into the lock, he opened it to reveal an arsenal of weapons ranging from long distance rifles and guns, to crossbows and swords, some ancient and some new.

Ryker gave a grim nod and picked up a Browning X-Bolt Hell's Canyon Long-Range rifle and pocketed a couple magazines while James grabbed a Glock 19 with some backup clips. Both men were out the door as Samuel and Joshua each picked up Remington Model 700 rifles and followed the younger men down the hallway toward the front of the building.

.

The witch slammed her talons into the roof of the SUV near the driver's door, crinkling the frame. Giving a loud screech, she ripped them from the jagged metal and shoved them through the glass, grabbing Dean's leg as he propelled himself toward the opposite side of the car.

"Arrrgggg!" Dean growled as talons ripped into his ankle. Pulling his gun from his jeans, he shifted onto his back and released a staccato burst of bullets right into the witch's face. She jerked back even as her face healed. "Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted. He shoved himself out of the door and collided with the passenger side of the SUV as his injured leg gave out briefly.

"Down!" Max shouted, as he fired into the vehicle.

Dean hugged the passenger door until the volley stopped, then shoved himself off the rear door and started for Max. Glancing back, he caught sight of the witch flying over the SUV and shifted, nearly empting his clip into her body. She dropped down on top of him, pushing them both to the ground.

"Uncle Dean!" Max shouted, running toward the pair. The witch flung out a long arm, hitting Max in the chest and tossing him back several yards.

Max landed on the unyielding pavement with a grunt and a groan. Resolutely, he forced air back into his lungs, and ordered his numbed limbs to move as he shoved himself off the ground and raced back toward Dean.

"Let go you freak," Dean growled, firing his last two bullets into the witch's arm. Screeching, the witch released her grip and fell to the side. Dean scrambled back and climbed to his knees. In one smooth move he released the empty clip from his gun, shoved another into place and was firing at the witch.

The witch screamed and arched back. But instead of falling, she reached out and reestablished a grip on Dean's shoulder.

"Take this," Max growled. He crammed his gun in the creature's face and fired.

This time the witch fell back to the ground, and Max pulled Dean to his feet. Before they could move even a foot, the witch had Dean by the ankle again. Swiping at Max, she pulled Dean into her arms and blurred toward the woods.

Dean repositioned his gun, shot the witch under her chin and grunted when she dropped him and he fell painfully to the ground.

A loud crack caused the witch to stumble forward, and Dean knew either Ryker or Joshua were in front of the building with a rifle. Climbing to his feet, he ran towards the building. But a look over his shoulder told him the witch was racing with him, and he wasn't about to let her get inside. Veering left, he pelted past the cement benches lining the paved entryway to the building and onto the grass, slipping a little as his boots hit the wet lawn.

Pounding feet in his wake told him Max was coming after him, but he couldn't afford look. If the witch was interested in him, she was going to have to work for it. He heard another crack, then another and another, but didn't stop to see if the witch was down.

James saw Dean charging for the woods, Max running full speed behind. "Dad," he muttered as he took off after them.

Joshua and Samuel moved forward more cautiously, keeping an eye out for other witches.

Ryker slid along the building, his back to the concrete. Eyes glued on Dean, he watched and waited for the witch to appear again in his rifle sight.

Dean gunned his legs as fast as they could go across the lawn and dove over a metal bench under a tree. He hit the ground and scrambled back beneath the bench. The witch on his trail screeched loudly as she collided with the tree and dropped.

A burst of loud cracks had the witch grunting as rifle bullets hit in a neat body grouping. Ryker.

Dean scurried out from under the bench and headed deeper into the woods. While the witches knew the forest well, the trees and branches could also offer him some protection. Several gunshots were fired in the distance, and he figured Max was somewhere behind.

He didn't understand how he was staying ahead of the witch, especially if they moved in flashes of speed. At the moment, however, what he cared about was avoiding those massive talons. A screeching sounded behind him and he dove around a tree. Leaning out, he fired five bullets into his pursuer's face and shoulders. Unbelievably, the witch's face morphed slowly back into place as she healed. "Damn it," he shouted. He turned to run again when he felt the witch land on his back and pushed him into the mulch and leaves of the forest floor.

Another crack sounded and the witch jerked, but didn't leave her perch atop his body.

Max rounded the tree behind them and emptied his clip into the witch's head. Screaming even as she healed, the witch stood and flung out a long arm, tossing Max into the nearby tree.

"Max!" Dean exclaimed. While the witch's attention was diverted, Dean shoved himself back and flipped onto his knees. Before he could climb to his feet, the witch shoved him back onto the hard forest ground.

"Guardian," the witch hissed.

"Yeah, we established that," Dean ground out, maneuvering his weapon onto his stomach, he fired into her body. After several shots, his gun clicked on empty. Vaguely he heard a car screeching in the parking lot and knew Caleb and Sam would be coming to help. Somehow, that was more comforting than almost anything he could think of at the moment.

"Dad!" James yelled as he shot several rounds into the witch's back.

In a blur, the witch was next to James before he had a chance to react. Lifting him high in the air, she tossed him back several feet.

"No!" Dean exclaimed, pushing himself upright. Turning, he dodged away from where the witch crouched, moving further into the forest. He needed to lead the creature away from James and Max. Caleb and Sam were coming, and they would take care of them. Several loud cracks sounded, and the witch screamed again.

He was only able to get another twenty yards before the witch drove her sharp talons into his shoulder and pulled him to a stop, eliciting a scream. Lifting him high, the witch used all her power to shove him down onto the ground. He felt his ribs crack and all the air rushed from his lungs. As he struggled to regain his breath, his left arm flailed a bit on the moist ground and it suddenly hit him; moisture equaled water. Water.

He heard a shout and another crack that caused the witch above him to jerk. Hoping he had enough moisture on his hand, he slammed it against the witch's cheek and focused on his Guardian ability. Suddenly the skin beneath his hand burst into a shimmering blue and the witch was off him in a flash. Screaming, she bent over in pain, pawing at her face.

At first Dean was stunned by the depth of her reaction. But as quick as he could manage, he was on his feet and headed back toward the building. There were faucets in the building and he could bolt the doors with Guardian power.

Glancing back, he could see the witch coming on fast. He dodged to the left, but not quickly enough, and her talons scratch along his shoulder blade. Stumbling slightly, he was about to turn and tackle her to the ground when she screeched and vanished into thin air. Slowing his all out run, Dean stared into the darkness.

Abruptly Max was at his side. The young man shoved Dean behind him, on the alert for the witch.

"Deuce!" Caleb and Sam were there a moment later. Caleb's eyes roamed the area, searching for the witch while patting Dean down at the same time.

"She's gone," Dean panted, giving Caleb a pat on the shoulder. "Damian, she's gone," he repeated, when his Knight didn't let up his scrutiny, of the woods or his person.

"Max?" Dean's eyes went to the younger man. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, I'm fine," Max stated, limping slightly. His clothes were a mess. His face and what could be seen of his arms were scratched and covered with patches of blood.

"Where's James?"

"Here," James shouted, rushing up to his father, Ryker on his heels carrying a long distance rifle. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

Dean's eyes raked over his son's appearance until he was satisfied James was all right. "I'm fine, kiddo," he finally answered, patting James on the cheek. Looking to Sam, he asked, "JT?"

"Fine; he's with Onida."

Nodding, Dean draped his good arm over Caleb's shoulder, wrapped his damaged arm around his middle and began limping back to the Records Hall.

Samuel and Joshua finished scouting the area and joined the group. "There aren't any more witches," Joshua said.

Dean nodded. "I think Onida sent them back home." He stepped on a stone in the dark and his damaged ankle went sideways. "Ow," he complained.

"Let me see," Sam stated, attempting to look at his leg in the dark.

"Can you see out here?" Dean asked in an attempt at humor. Instead, he hissed softly as his movement to see Sam twinged his chest.

"I can see enough," Sam grunted. "Looks like ribs, shoulder and leg."

"She was persistent," Dean grunted. Looking over his shoulder at Max, he said, "Great job."

"All I did was get knocked around," Max said ruefully.

"You got in a lot of shots and did a lot of damage. She regenerated on the spot."

"Seriously?" Max and James said at the same time.

Dean chuckled and shook his head.

"You're saying the witch regenerated the moment you wounded her," Caleb stated, looking for clarity in the impossible.

Dean nodded. "Looks like they're upping their game."

"Let's get him inside," Samuel interrupted. "Mary called Joseph and he's on his way over with medicines."

"I think I'd prefer twentieth century medicine," Dean quipped.

"Joseph is a graduate of the University of Washington in primary care. He's a general practitioner."

Dean closed his eyes and sighed. "I was joking, and I apologize for the insult."

Samuel leaned into Dean's line of sight and said, "I know," with a grin.

Dean huffed out a laugh and nodded.

Once inside, Samuel led everyone to a comfy room on the left side of the lobby. It was obviously a meeting room of some kind, one used for relaxing and enjoyment. There were several comfy chairs, a few tables, and more importantly, couches. Caleb lowered Dean onto the cushioned surface.

Joshua put his rifle aside and checked out Max's injuries, Ryker watching intently. "After you wash off the dirt and blood, we'll bind the ribs."

"They're not cracked," Max stated.

"They're bruised. I want them supported for the night," Joshua stated.

Nodding, Max and Ryker both walked away.

Samuel sent James with Mary to gather towels and water, and he asked Joshua if he could help him fix everyone some coffee. "I think I'll order food brought here instead of everyone coming to my place," he said with a smile. "I have a feeling we'll have more company very soon."

Caleb sat on the edge of the couch. "You really all right?"

Dean nodded. "I've had worse; we both have." He eyed his Caleb and Sam. "Something weird is going on here."

"Aside from everything," Caleb stated, "what do you mean?"

Dean looked to the door, before saying, "That witch was after me."

"That's what JT said," Sam commented, taking a seat on the couch. "Did you get the feeling she was after you personally, or you, one of the people that are going to kill them?"

"Me, personally." Frowning, Dean checked the door again. "She could have gone for Max a few times, but she just knocked him away and focused on me. For some reason, the witches are interested in me. And…" he broke off. What he was going to say next sounded crazy.

"What?" Sam asked softly.

Dean bit his lip a second, then said, "You know I can see them when they run, and … I can keep ahead of them."

"You can…," Caleb broke off abruptly and blinked in surprise. "… what?"

Just then the door opened and Joshua returned with a mug of coffee, which he placed into Dean's grabby hands.

Dean gulped the coffee and sighed, leaning back against the couch.

"We're going to have to talk about this," Caleb said.

"Talk about what?" Joshua asked, looking from Caleb to Sam.

"Caleb and Sam can fill you in. Could you guys give me a moment? I want to call Juliet."

Caleb frowned in worry. "Yeah, okay. We'll be outside." He tugged on Sam's arm. "Come on. We'll let the princess have a moment alone."

Dean rolled his eyes as Sam, Caleb and Joshua left the room. He didn't usually call Juliet in the middle of a hunt, but for some reason he just needed to hear her voice. Pulling his cell from his pocket, he looked at his call list and smiled at her picture. Pressing her number, he waited till he heard her voice before he relaxed somewhat painfully against cushioned back of the couch.

"Hey!" Juliet said. "What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to hear from you for another couple days. You all right?"

Dean couldn't have kept the smile from his face if he tried. "Yeah, I'm good. How are things on the home front?"

"Oh, well, you know how it is; pregnant dogs, cats with eye infections, a male pig who the family found out is a female and having piglets. You know, everyday stuff."

Dean shouted out a laugh. "How could they have missed the pig was a female?"

Juliet laughed too. "Wishful thinking? Truthfully, the pig adopted them when they bought a house on the edge of town."

"The Miller's old place?"

"Yup. Now the proud owners are the Hendersons, and I don't want to hear a joke about Big Foot," Juliet warned.

Dean gave another laugh. "I wasn't thinking that."

"Yeah," Juliet snorted. "I know you too well to fall for that line. You were thinking it, mister."

Dean grinned, though Juliet couldn't see it. "Mary still there?"

"Yeah. She's leaving tomorrow. It was touch a go there for a moment, but I think she's made a final decision on her in-like, in-love dilemma."

"In-like?" Dean guessed.

"You got it. She has to break the news to the poor boy. I think she wants to get it done, put the guy out of his misery."

"I'm sure he'll recover." Dean grunted softly as his shoulder twinged.

"I heard that," Juliet stated. "You sure you're all right?"

"Yeah. I got a scratch from a tree limb and it's itching."

Juliet was silent for a moment, then said, "Well, all right. I'm heading back into the living room. Mary has Sleepless in Seattle on pause. You know I only get to watch romantic movies when you're away."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, all right. Give her a kiss for me, and I've got more for you when I get home."

"Take care of my man," Juliet said.

"And don't let any animals bite my woman."

"Can't promise, but I'll try." Juliet paused a moment, then said, "I love you. Hurry home."

"I will, and I love you too. Night."

"Night."

Dean was still holding the cell when the door opened and Caleb and Sam walked back in followed by another man Dean figured was Joseph Whitetail.

Joseph immediately set his bag down and started to peel Dean's shirt away from his shoulder.

"Where Joshua?" Dean asked.

"Binding up Max's ribs," Caleb said. He winced when he saw the deep claw marks on Dean's shoulder. "I didn't get the chance to tell you that Onida knew a witch had escaped. We came as soon as the bat signal started."

Dean knew Caleb was feeling guilty for not being there sooner. "You couldn't have known a witch would escape, especially not after today. You'd think bringing six witches back to life would be enough to drain their resources."

When he mentioned the witches coming back to life, Joseph paused in his work and looked up.

"Long story, Doc," Dean said. "We'll fill you in later."

Noises sounded outside and in a moment JT rushed through the doors with Onida on his heels.

"Dad! Are you all right?" JT exclaimed, racing over to his father.

"I'm fine," Dean said, reaching up to give JT a comforting arm grip. "I'm fine."

JT studied his father and looked over the wounds before turning to glare at Caleb. "You couldn't have waited for me to get in the car? What the hell? Dad's hurt and you rush off, leaving me at Onida's!" He turned his anger on Sam, "What happened to being a team? The canvas goes crazy and suddenly you're out the door! What kind of crap is that?"

"JT," Sam cautioned, rising to his feet.

"I was the one at the wheel," Caleb stated, standing and looking every inch the Knight. "I needed to get to the Guardian. Would you have preferred we wait?"

JT struggled with his anger. He wanted to say something hateful, like Caleb hadn't gotten there in time anyway, like Sam hadn't prevented his dad from being hurt, but he managed to pull himself back together. "No," he retorted stiffly.

Caleb watched the younger man a moment, then he let his stance relax. "I'm sorry I didn't wait. Frankly, I didn't think of anything but getting to your dad."

JT stared at his godfather before allowing some of the tension to dribble from his body. "Yeah, okay."

Caleb stepped forward and pulled the younger man into a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He truly hadn't thought to wait for anyone. He'd almost driven off without Sam. The only reason Sam made it to the car in time was that they'd worked together for decades. They knew one another better than anyone else. Fact is, they'd never been on a hunt of this magnitude with both current and future Triads before. New situations were rising all the time.

"Me too," JT murmured back, resting his forehead against Caleb's neck. He would have expected Max to do the same thing.

Sam stepped forward and placed a hand on JT's shoulder. "I'm sorry too."

Caleb gave JT's neck a squeeze and moved away as James and Samuel returned carrying bowls of water, Mary following with the towels. James took in the lingering remnants of anger on his brother's face and glanced at Caleb before putting the water bowls down next to Joseph. "Do you need anything else?"

Joseph smiled and shook his head. "Thank you."

Mary knelt beside her husband, ready to hand him whatever he needed.

"Where's Ryker and Max?" JT asked.

"They're in the bathroom outside," Sam said. "Max is getting his ribs bound by Joshua. Ryker's with him."

"Is Max all right?"

"He'll be fine," Caleb answered.

Nodding once, he turned and headed out of the conference room, James on his heels.

"Have Joshua check you out too, Jimmy," Dean called after his departing sons. As the door swung open, he heard James asking whether JT was all right. The door closed on the remainder of their conversation.

Joseph bound up Dean's ankle and finished washing the blood from his shoulder. Getting a close look at the claw marks, both in front and along his shoulder blade in the back, he said, "Well, you've got some cracked ribs, and some of these gashes will need stitches."

"No, they won't."

Caleb and Sam looked over and saw Onida. In the drama with JT, they'd both forgotten she was in the room.

Joseph looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Hello, Onida. Are you okay to be away from your home?"

"I'm fine for another couple of hours. They got a dose of medicine they don't remotely like."

Nodding, Joseph said, "Then let me finishing cleaning these out, and you can do your thing."

Dean looked nervous. "Do your thing?" Glancing at Samuel, he said, "What did I say about twentieth century medicine?"

Samuel laughed. Leaning over, he patted Dean's good shoulder. "You'll be fine. Now, I'm going to arrange for some dinner to be brought here, and we can all work on fixing this mess."

TBC