The Guard Changed at Dawn
Chapter 18
Sam stretched and stared out the front windows of the Yakama Tribal Hall and Records Building. He'd woken relatively early and, try as he might, hadn't been able to fall back to sleep.
He and the boys had worked until almost six in the morning, compiling the information he'd gotten from Onida and debating the workings of the canvas. It was now just after ten. The younger generation was still down for the count, with James and Ryker on couches, Max in a cushy recliner, and JT on the plush sofa near the windows. Seemed that the young Guardian-to-be wanted to keep his senses alert in case the witches decided to make a surprise visit.
When he'd conceded defeat on the sleep-front, Sam had risen and sought out a bathroom. A few splashes to his face with lukewarm water and he'd stepped out into the spacious lobby, ready to face the world.
Now, standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows fronting the Tribal Hall, he couldn't help but admire the picturesque view. The mid-morning sun looked magical as it lit up the dew strewn lawn with crystal lights. From this vantage point, it was difficult to believe that witches had terrorized the Yakama people and those in the surrounding towns for generations. But Dean, Caleb, Joseph and Joshua's encounter with the fog last night was just another example of the witches' immense power and reach. No, they hadn't breeched the containment area themselves, but they'd been able to affect the world beyond the forest. How had they done that? He thought the potion bags Dean and JT were wearing was supposed to limit their access to Guardian power. If the potion bags were effective, then it looked as though the witches' reach had been limited, but not eliminated.
"Uncle Sam?"
Sam turned and saw Max walking slowly across the Hall lobby, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Smiling, he said, "What are you doing up?"
Max shrugged. "Just woke up. How about you? You bedded down after I did."
"I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep."
"Still mulling over what we covered last night? This whole witches being trapped behind a mystical Native American barrier connected to a watcher by a mystical portal-slash-key is so weird."
Sam chuckled.
Max shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever work another hunt like this one."
"No, I think this one is unique. But keep your options open for different weirdness."
"The world of supernatural hunting; too bad we can't write a book. I think it would be a best seller."
"You could write it as fiction," Sam suggested.
"Maybe James," Max said, and yawned again.
"Why don't you head back to sleep," Sam said. "I'm sure your dad and uncles are still asleep at the motel."
"Yeah, okay," Max said. "You should try too."
"Maybe, after a bit."
Max nodded and headed back into the banquet room.
Sam contemplated the option of more sleep, but instead decided on coffee. Searching the rooms on the right side of the lobby, he made several wrong twists and turns before he found the kitchen. Once he got the coffee machine going, he pulled up a nearby stool and settled himself to working out a puzzle. Why was there magical, phantasm-filled fog last night? The witches had always had some influence beyond their entrapment walls. In the research he and the others had done since they took on this hunt, they had discovered missing children from as recent as last year. But that was luring children into the woods by way of mimicking human voices, not breeching the containment or to exerting influence on the surrounding topography and bird life. The containment was powerful; it had kept the witches in check for over a hundred years. If the witches could reach out and affect areas beyond the entrapment, they would have done so before now.
Pouring himself a cup of hot coffee, Sam added sugar and cream and stirred. After taking a few bracing sips, he went back to puzzling over the situation. They hypothesized the witches were escaping and owls were attacking because they were getting an energy boost from Dean and JT. Creating the blocking spell pouches should have stopped the energy poaching. So how did they make a fog so dense it was literally preventing their car from accelerating?
Rising, Sam paced the kitchen floor. Maybe the witches done spells that extended beyond the entrapment wall before. But they just couldn't research everything having to do with the witches for the last one hundred and forty years since the entrapment was put in place. All he could do was work with the information he had at hand now. After February 2000, the witches hadn't physically escaped the entrapment until the Brotherhood had come to town. They suspected they were using Guardian power, thus Dean and JT wore blocking potions. Now, the witches appeared to be getting around the medicine pouches somehow. The only way that could happen, is if there was a leak of some kind.
Joseph.
His knowledge of herbs and minerals had been passed down from generation to generation. The witches had been fighting Yakama magic for decades and were intimately familiar with Yakama practices. Since Joseph had been involved in making the blocking potions, there was a good chance the witches were able to get around the potion somehow.
Placing his mug on the counter, Sam nodded. To be safe, Joshua needed to create new spell pouches for JT and Dean with his own skills and knowledge, not influenced by Joseph's skills. The witches wanted his brother and nephew, but they weren't getting them, not if he had even one thing to say about it.
Dean became aware of light, and slowly that awareness of his surroundings grew. It took another few minutes before he opened his eyes. From the stiffness in his body, he didn't think he'd moved at all since he'd fallen asleep. Groaning, he rolled gingerly onto his back. "Ooh," he mumbled as he lifted his shoulders in an isometric stretch, tightening the muscles in his legs and feet. Relaxing, he looked around the room. He could already sense there was no one inside, and that was confirmed by Caleb's rumbled bed and the dirty clothes tossed on the end. Yawning again, he shifted until he could see the clock on the nightstand, and his mouth fell open. Four o'clock?!
Pushing himself up as fast as his stiff body would allow, Dean grabbed his phone. There were no calls. Frowning, he shifted again as he scanned the room. Finally he spotted a piece of paper on Caleb's side of the nightstand. It read; Deuce – It's two o'clock and I'm heading over to the Records Hall. I'll fill everyone in. Left you the bird SUV – Louis replaced the broken windows. Call when you're up. Caleb.
Dean dropped back onto the bed and yawned. He'd slept for almost ten hours, which was probably a record. Of course, he'd barely slept in two days, so supposed some catching up was needed. And maybe the witches had siphoned more energy than he realized. Forcing himself to get up, he went into the bathroom and took a shower.
After dressing, he forewent a call to Caleb, deciding instead that the gnawing in his stomach needed to be addressed immediately. Snatching up his phone, he walked out of the hotel room and across the street to the Edge of Town Diner.
The moment he stepped inside, his nose was assaulted by rich flavors and fries.
"Hey, stranger," Judy said with a smile as he sat down at the counter. Straight way she filled a mug with hot coffee and placed it on the counter. "Where have you been the last couple days?"
"Doing some work for Chief Adcox."
"Logging, huh?"
Dean nodded, taking a gulp of the caffeinated liquid.
Judy shook her head with a grin. "Want some food?"
"Definitely. Give me your best diner supper."
"You got it!" Judy walked away, then returned two minutes later with a plate of curly fries, a newspaper and topped off his coffee.
"Thanks," Dean said. Dumping some ketchup on his plate, he'd eaten half the batch before he picked up his phone and texted Caleb. A second later his phone rang.
"Hey," Dean mumbled, his mouth full of fries.
"You eating?"
Dean swallowed. "Yeah, at the diner."
"I'm on my way over."
"Everyone all right?"
"Yeah. Everyone slept late because of staying up all night. Samuel brought in a late lunch from The Bread Basket. I chauffeured Joseph and Josh over there a couple hours ago. Since Onida's been working pretty non-stop, I dropped off some groceries for her and was heading back to the Hall when I got your text."
"Want some food?"
"Something light."
"See you in a bit." Dean shut his phone. After a few more fries, the headline in the local paper caught his eye. The small White Swan paper highlighted the oddity of a localized fog that cut off a large portion of the main road as well as isolated the hotel and local diner. "It was strange," said George Wilson, a Washington State trucker who had driven the route numerous times over the last eight years. "Never seen anything like it. Fog was so thick you couldn't see anything around you. Luckily some passersby let me stay in the hotel, or I would have been wandering around until daylight."
Judy put a plate down in front of him that smelled divine. Dean dropped the paper and looked at a huge burger replete with melted cheese and more curly fries.
"Wow," he said, sniffing at the meal. "This is amazing."
"Don't say that until you try it," Judy said, her eyes on Dean and the burger.
Dean picked up the burger and took a huge bite. "Hmmmm," he moaned, chewing in rapture.
Judy laughed.
When he could, he said, "Best cheeseburger ever, and I should know."
"How's that?" Judy said humorously.
"I've been on a best cheeseburger quest for forty years." Dean took another bite.
Judy stared. "What?"
Dean swallowed and grinned at her. "I've been searching for the best cheeseburger for forty years. I've eaten cheeseburgers on the West coast, in Vegas, the Midwest, in New Orleans, Chicago, and every state on the East Coast including several places in New York." Looking down at his wonderful burger, he said, "This is it. Excellent bun-to-paddy ratio, just the right amount of grease; not too heavy or slick. Meat lightly seasoned to enhance the beef but not take over. Cheese melted over the side of the paddy, and isolated from the bun by a mild and tangy sauce. A bun that doesn't fall apart, but isn't a hard as a roll or potato bun. Just enough sesame seeds to add a bit of texture but not get stuck your teeth, and a hint of pickle relish and onion to compliment the whole but not become the star player in this masterpiece." Taking another bite, he moaned, "Perfect."
Judy laughed in delight. "Wait until I tell Ernest his burger won the contest!" Chuckling and giggling, Judy walked away and disappeared into the kitchen.
"You order me something?" Caleb sat on the stool next to Dean and snagged a curly fry from his friend's plate.
Dean shook his head and swallowed. "Sorry, I forgot."
"You forgot? Dude, I talked to you five minutes ago."
"I found it," Dean said, taking another bite.
"Found what?"
"The best cheeseburger," Dean mangled through his mouthful.
"Seriously?" Caleb goggled. "You're kidding." He reached over to take a bite, but Dean snatched up the burger and held it away.
"No way you're taking even one bite of this burger," Dean stated, refusing to hand it over.
"Come on," Caleb wheedled. "I want to try it."
"Then order your own." Dean took another bite and moaned.
"I just had lunch a couple hours ago," Caleb complained.
"Sorry," Dean shrugged.
The swinging kitchen door opened and Judy exited followed by a clean shaven older man with gray hair and sharp blue eyes. Both walked over and stood in front of Dean.
"This is Dean," Judy said.
Ernest held out his hand. "Judy told me of your quest, and I just had to come out and say thanks," he said, grinning.
Dean put his burger down and shook the other man's hand. "It's amazing, best cheeseburger I ever… Hey!"
Caleb had snagged the burger from Dean's plate and took a bite.
"Give that back!" Dean demanded, making a grab for the burger.
Ernest and Judy laughed as the two men struggled for the cheeseburger like children.
Caleb held the remains aloft for a moment before handing the burger back. After chewing a moment, he swallowed and said, "Okay, you may just be correct." Looking at Ernest, he said, "I've been on most of the greatest cheeseburger jaunts with him, and truthfully? That's a damn good burger."
Dean glared at Caleb before shoving the remainder of the burger in his mouth.
"You boys have worked together for forty years?" Judy asked.
"We've known each other all our lives," Caleb said. "It's natural we'd work together."
"Well I'm bringing you both a burger," Ernest stated, heading back into his kitchen.
"No fries, thank you," Dean said.
Caleb blinked in mock surprise. "You? No fries?"
"I've already had two plates full," Dean confessed.
"In that case, stopping is understood. You've got to watch your waistline."
Dean glanced down before glaring at Caleb, who smirked back.
"What's been happening?" Dean asked.
"Everyone slept late," Caleb said again. "Sam and James didn't get to sleep until dawn; Johnny, Max and Ryker not much earlier. They were compiling the information Sam learned about the canvas and coming up with some really interesting information and questions."
"Like?"
"Like the canvas being a portal or a key to get to the witches. Like the minerals used in the medicine bags are tied to the minerals in the caves."
"Can we use that?"
"We'll see when we all get back to the Hall. Josh and Joseph didn't wake until after one, and I shuffled them over around two-thirty. I also took everyone's duffels so they could take showers and change. We haven't had time to go over anyone's findings."
"There are showers at the Records Hall?"
Caleb nodded. "Kitchen too. Max made breakfast. Anyway, Samuel should be putting out dinner around six, six-thirty. We can go over all the information when we get there, see what we can use as weapons."
Judy emerged from the kitchen carrying two plates of cheeseburgers, one with curly fries, which she put in front of Caleb.
Caleb rubbed his hands together, grinning. "Excellent."
She put the plate without fries in front of Dean. "Ernest is tickled pink about being the winner of your quest. I wondered if I could take your picture with the burger. I want to have a plaque made saying Earnest won your forty year search for the best cheeseburger." Judy blushed slightly. "He's such a good, humble man. I think he'd love it." She held up her cell phone and wagged it slightly.
Dean grinned and nodded. Picking up the burger, he gave her a humorous smirk as she took the picture. She looked at it and nodded. "Wonderful. And Ernest said these are on the house." Grinning, she topped off their coffees and walked off with a bounce in her step.
Caleb looked sideways at Dean. Sniffing dramatically, he said, "Spreading joy wherever you go."
Dean's face pinked up slightly and he elbowed Caleb in the side. "Shuddup."
Both men tucked into their burgers, foregoing talk for savoring the delicious meal for a few minutes. Finally Dean said, "We're going into the forest tonight."
Caleb nodded. He'd figured as much. Swallowing his bite, he said, "We need to see if they can still regenerate without the boost they got from you and Johnny's energy."
"And whether any of the minerals the boys found out about can make a difference in hurting or killing them."
"What about the silver?" Caleb asked.
Dean glanced over. "That too."
Caleb eyed his friend. He didn't know a lot about how Dean made the silver. He'd seen it happen; dissolving the silver in Nevada all those years ago, the trip that healed him and took out Reagan and his buddies. But he didn't know whether Dean could shape the silver into a weapon or even whether that was possible.
"I don't know that either," Dean said.
Caleb blinked. "You reading my mind now?"
"You're the Knight of the Brotherhood," Dean said with a smile. "Weapons are always on your mind."
Caleb laughed softly. "Do you know if you can do it?"
Dean shook his head. "Honestly, I never tried. I don't know if it's against the silver-making code or something." He sighed. "I wish I could ask Pastor Jim."
"Maybe you can?"
"I don't think I'll be sleeping before tonight."
Caleb nodded. Pushing away his plate still filled with fries, he said, "We should get going."
Dean eyed the remains of Caleb's meal. "You're not eating your fries?"
Caleb stood. "I just had lunch a couple hours ago, so I'm full."
Watching the delicious fried curls for a moment, Dean finally nodded and rose, though he hated letting such good fries go to waste. Waving to Judy, he and Caleb left the diner and headed for the Yakama Records Hall.
Sam slid his papers across the banquet table and stood. Stretching long and hard, he couldn't help the yawn that climbed up his throat.
"You should get some more sleep, Uncle Sam," JT said. "You went to bed after I did and were up before me. How much sleep did you get?"
"About four hours," Sam answered, stifling the urge to yawn again.
"There's time to grab a nap. When's dad getting here?"
"Caleb said he was going to pick him up now. So probably within the hour." Sam looked over at one of the comfy couches. "Guess I'll bed down for awhile."
"Take that one." JT pointed to the couch he'd slept on by the windows. "It's quiet over there and the cushions are really comfortable."
Sam nodded and walked over. Groaning, he dropped down, snagged the blanket and lay back. Idly he surveyed the banquet room. Max and Ryker were talking at the far end of the long table while Samuel and employees of The Bread Basket were gathering empty plates and leftovers, and covering food for later snacking. James and Mary sat about halfway down the table. James was frowning as he read through notes from last night and this morning. Mary would comment every once in a while as she too looked over their research. Joshua and Joseph had finished eating and were quietly discussing some aspect of the medicine bags, Sam was sure. Smiling, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.
Over at the table, Ryker asked Max, "Do you think going in at night is reckless?"
Snorting, Max said, "We always hunt at night."
"I know. But their power is strongest at night, and fighting witches we can't see coming isn't a nightly activity."
"We can't see them coming during the day either." Max reasoned. "If Uncle Dean has us go into the forest tonight, we'll be prepared."
"Guess it's a good thing I brought my rifle mounted night scope."
Max stared. "You brought a night scope?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? We always hunt at night." Ryker grinned.
Laughing, Max shook his head. "What else do you have in that bag of tricks?"
"Couple pairs of night vision goggles, which we usually don't use cause we can normally see the whites of their eyes. But they may come in handy if we do go in tonight."
"Good thing we flew on Ames airways, huh?" Max grinned.
JT walked up and dropped into the chair beside Max. "Have you guys figured out how we can use the minerals to kill the witches?"
"Us? Why us?" Max asked.
"Because you're the weapons experts."
"You're no novice yourself." Max stated. After eyeing JT while his friend merely stared back, he finally smiled. "Fine. Dad and Joseph have been working on some magical uses for the minerals in the cave and from the medicine bags." He looked over to where the two men were sitting. "They'll come up with some interesting potions."
"And yes, we figured some things out too," Ryker stated. He picked up a legal pad. "Combine Malachite with Black Tourmaline, throw in some moonstone, frankincense and rue, and you've got a pretty strong bullet to hopefully kill witches. We'll mix it into a powder and fill some shotgun shells."
"You mean instead of rock salt, we'll use the mineral mixture," JT said with a smile.
"Exactly."
"Tektite and Malachite together with turmeric and a hint of diamond dust should be pretty explosive," Max added.
"You can get diamond dust?" JT asked, astonished.
"Joseph has a lot of stuff," Ryker stated with a smile.
Max nodded. "We'll check out that mixture with Joseph and Dad when they come up for air. It might be another good compound to fill shotgun shells."
"What about bullets?" JT asked.
"We'll open the bullet casing and coat the inside with Pyrite," Ryker said. "Pyrite is one of the most explosive minerals in nature. That should knock their teeth out. Our last mixture is Tektite, dragon's blood, peppermint, cinnabar, and galena. We're going to mix the ingredients together very carefully, and pour it into small glass jars Samuel is bringing from home. That'll be our homemade mineral grenades." Giving JT a sidelong glance, he added, "If these things don't work, I brought C4."
Max laughed at JT's startled expression.
James walked over and joined the other three, tossing his legal pad on the table. "This canvas as the portal or key seems to be important."
"We figured that out, Einstein," Max drawled.
James ignored Max's exaggeratedly bored tone. "Everything appears to revolve around it; it's like the conduit. I think Uncle Sam is right, in that Onida could probably connect with the medicine bags without the canvas. But I also think the canvas is more than just a blueprint to the trap."
JT frowned. "How so?"
"I think it transforms and boosts her energy output. Think of it; how could one person contain ten supernatural witches and stop them from breeching the trap? You've got four of these creatures with extraordinary strength attacking the boundary walls almost daily. How can one person stop that?"
"Onida isn't stopping the witches alone," JT said. "She's manipulating the energy in the medicine bags to stop them. Energy from the medicine bags is elastic and chemical. Elastic energy is energy that's been stretched and squashed so it has more stored force. Chemical energy is energy that's stored in bonds that hold atoms together. Onida manipulates those energies to keep the walls in place."
Max, Ryker and James stared.
Flushing slightly, JT shrugged. "I didn't understand how Onida did her thing, so I read about how energy was stored. But my point, is that energy can do many things; split, vibrate and accelerate. If we can use the components in the medicine bag and Onida can split the energy atoms, we could have a pretty explosive device on our hands."
"So if she can connect to the Tektite, dragon's blood, peppermint, cinnabar, and galena, the last of which is very explosive, she could more than double, maybe even triple the explosive yield," Ryker stated.
"Maybe make it powerful enough to blow up a cave," James grinned.
"Let's talk with Joseph and Samuel, see how much of these minerals we can get our hands on," Max said. "We're definitely going to need it."
Onida paced her balcony, her eyes on the canvas. It bothered her that Dean and JT could see the canvas on an entirely different level than she could. As principle guardian of the entrapment, she felt like she was missing things. Stopping in front of the canvas, she touched it again and felt the walls of the trap. They were strong and stable. Moving methodically along the boundaries, she double checked every single inch and iota of the wall. With a sigh, she dropped her hand.
Caleb had come over earlier today to bring her some groceries. He'd lowered his blocks and checked in on the witches. Again, he said they were planning something, and noted that murderous rage and mayhem was in their thoughts and feelings. Frowning, she puzzled over his comments. The witches were always angry and murderous. So why did Caleb saying that make it sound so much worse now? Maybe she'd gotten used to this level of intensity, since they'd been more murderous for the last four or five years. But how did he know they were planning something? They were always planning on ways to get beyond the barrier.
Frustrated, Onida gave the canvas one last look and walked into the house. She needed to eat.
In the kitchen, she gathered lunch ingredients and put together a turkey and egg salad sandwich, but her mind was elsewhere. Álxayx had taught her everything she knew. But what if there were things she could do to the canvas that Álxayx hadn't taught; that Álxayx's teacher hadn't taught her either?
The earliest watcher had seen the warriors fall and concluded the witches couldn't be killed. Had those warriors fought only with manmade weapons, or did the medicine man of the day create mineral weapons for them to use? The containment was a marvel, so it followed that the medicine man was extremely skilled in the homeopathy. In such a dire and threatening situation, surely he would have armed the Yakama warriors with every weapon at his disposal, including using his magical abilities to create weapons. Of course, knowledge of how minerals could be used had grown as more scientists worked with the compounds. It possible that, in the face of so many dead warriors, the medicine man and watcher of that era were so focused on containment, that they didn't consider taking precious time away from protecting their people to see whether their mineral compounds could kill the witches?
Finishing off her sandwich, Onida drained the last of her juice and rose. She walked to the sink and started washing the dishes, using the mundane task to free her mind.
Caleb and Joshua seemed to see the canvas as a portal of some kind; her energy went through and affected physical things outside in the real world. She knew that, though hadn't thought of the canvas as a portal before. She'd fought the witches physically when they'd broken free forty years ago. And during the months following her husband and child's deaths, she'd set her sights on killing them. Sensing their darkness through the canvas had allowed her to track them, day or night. Using the red energy of burning rage, she'd shoved power through the canvas with murderous intent, but to no avail. The witches' lived. However, that was forty years ago. She'd learned a lot since then, not only about how the canvas worked, but how to tame potions and minerals and to temper them to her own energy strengths and techniques.
Hanging up her dishtowel, she stared at her kitchen table. After a moment's thought, she grabbed one of the chairs and dragged it out onto the balcony. She made a quick check on the canvas again, then turned her attention to her vast collections of herbs and minerals. Opening a few jars, she mixed some ingredients in the palm of her hand and smeared the paste onto the arm of the chair. Stepping back, she focused her energy on the paste and concentrated on exciting the atoms rather than stabilizing them. Within a minute, the paste burst into a small flame. Smiling, she continued to manipulate the atoms in her mind, and flames leapt higher off the arm.
"Okay," Onida murmured, surveying the blackened arm. "Good, but not good enough."
Turning back to her work table, she mixed other ingredients together and tried it again. Repeatedly she tried several different combinations of minerals and herbs that she knew were used in containing and repelling the witches. Finding the right chemical complex was vital.
After working for a couple hours, she got herself some coffee and rested on her double glider. When she felt enough of her energy had revived, she rechecked the canvas and continued her experimentation. It took another hour and a half before she smeared a blackish paste onto the chair cushion. Instead of using all her energy spectrum, she focused on using red and yellow energy. Suddenly the chair blew up, leaving tatters of wood, cushion and stuffing on the deck.
Onida grinned. "All right. Let's see if I can recreate that mixture and send it through the canvas. Who knows? We'll see if I can get a reaction."
Caleb drove up to the Yakama Records Hall and parked near another SUV. Climbing out, he started toward the building before realizing Dean wasn't coming with him.
Dean was standing near the other car, staring. "You left an SUV for me at the hotel. You have one, and the other SUV was totaled. Whose is this car?"
"Ours," Caleb said. "Samuel had a couple guys from the reservation tow the wrecked SUV back to the rental place and exchange it for another one."
"And they said yes after their other car was totaled?"
"I bought full insurance coverage on all the SUVs. And Samuel called and told the rental place about the freak fog incident, and said the SUV was a causality. They agreed to replace it."
Dean started walking toward the building. "How did they do all that without your being there?"
Caleb shrugged. "I called and said it was all right. Plus, he's the Tribal Chief. Apparently, he has pull."
Inside, they walked to the banquet room and entered.
With the Bread Basket employees in addition to Samuel, Joseph and Mary milling around, it took Dean a moment to focus on his people. Max and Ryker were deep in conversation with Joseph and Joshua. JT was down towards the end of the long table near James, leaning back in his chair and casually conversing with his brother. Frowning, it took a moment for Dean to spy Sam, asleep on the couch near the windows. Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was almost six. There were a lot of things to pull together and discuss before they went into the woods tonight.
Samuel walked up followed by several Bread Basket employees and said, "I'm going to let this group out so they can go home for the night. I'll be back after I pick up some items for Max and Ryker."
"What are you picking up?" Dean asked curiously.
Samuel grinned. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." Nodding, he headed for the door.
"Dad!"
Looking around, Dean saw JT and James walking in his direction.
"Are you all right after your run-in with the freaky fog?" James asked humorously.
"We read George Wilson's interview in the paper," JT said. "Was it really that thick?"
"Thick enough to stop our car from accelerating," Dean said with a smile. "But no way was magic fog keeping me away from a bed, good or not." He gave both boys a one-armed hug and followed them back to the table.
Caleb was already sitting near Max and Ryker. He looked up, and Dean could read the excitement on his face. "You got to check out these weapons Max and Ryker came up with."
Just then Joshua walked up and stood behind JT and James, and raised his brows.
Dean gave a short nod and said to his sons, "Why don't you guys get your notes ready."
JT glanced over his shoulder and nodded. He and James walked back to where they'd been sitting to gather their notes.
"What's up?" Dean asked.
"Joseph and I have been able to figure out the ingredient mixture of the medicine bags; as close as possible, anyway. I would like us to use this room to see if we can recreate the barrier."
"Inside?" Dean asked, giving the large room a cursory inspection.
"The original creators used several medicine bags mounted in a wide circle to contain the witches. We're not going to do that in here. We just need to see how the ingredients react with one another."
Nodding, Dean said, "Then you want everyone else out of here."
Joshua nodded. "We thought everyone could review the new information and hear about the explosives Max and Ryker came up with in the records room."
"Explosives?"
Joshua smiled. "They've been quite creative."
Dean chuckled. "Yeah, okay. We'll meet in there while you work in here."
"You need to be in here too," Joshua said softly.
"Why? I haven't heard anything about this portal theory or what Sam and the others have been working on the last several hours."
Nodding, Joshua said, "I know, and Sam or I can give you a rundown. But there are two reasons you're needed in here. One, the medicine bags used warrior blood and hair…"
"Aw, come on," Dean groaned, running a hand lightly over his head.
"Caleb made a good point on you being a possible substitute for the warriors."
"I think that was Onida," Dean grumbled.
"Second," Joshua said, ignoring Dean's griping. "We need to see the difference between Joseph and myself igniting the medicine bag, and you doing the deed."
Dean blinked in surprise. "Me? I don't know anything about magic. That's your gig."
"You know Triad magic, and the witches seem particularly interested in your energy. If it's different enough to be desirable, then it's something we can use."
"You know Triad magic better than I do," Dean pointed out. "And the warriors didn't have anything to do with making the medicine bags."
"Yes, I know. But while I have the most knowledge of Triad magic, it takes the Triad or the Guardian to make it work."
Dean sighed. Nodding, he glanced over Joshua's shoulder to where his brother was laying. "How long has Sam been asleep?"
Joshua looked at his watch. "Almost three hours."
"Okay. Let me wake him up. He can break down the information for me, and Caleb can evaluate Max and Ryker's explosives."
"Joseph has already left to bring back whatever ingredients they need."
"Do you have more than explosives ready to try on the witches?"
"Yes. Joseph has some very interesting magical potions, and I have my own sources."
"Can't wait to see the fireworks," Dean said. Lifting his chin in Sam's direction, he said, "I'll go wake sleeping beauty."
Walking over, Dean looked down at Sam's tousled head and felt the years melt away. Memories of getting baby Sam up from his nap, chasing after a giggling Sam when he first learned to walk, waking Sam for school, watching teenage Sam fall asleep at the table after an all-nighter studying; all flashed through his mind like flipping through a stack of pictures. The years went by too fast. Smiling, he sat down and waited. A moment later Sam stirred and shifted.
Blinking upward, Sam smiled. "Hey. You made it through The Mist."
Dean smirked. "Don't say that to Joshua. I think he's tired of our movie references the last couple days."
Sam chuckled and twisted himself around and into a sitting position. "Other than The Birds, what else did you use?"
"Stepford."
"Why that one?"
Dean laughed. "I'll tell you about it later."
Sam nodded. "But you're all right?"
"I'm fine," Dean said, smiling.
"What's on the agenda?"
"You telling me about this portal idea, and then getting the troops ready for battle. Joshua and Joseph need me to check out their potion."
"They going to take some blood?"
Dean started to nod, then his eyes widened. Joshua wanted to use his blood as a substitute for the dead Yakama warriors because he was the Guardian; devoted to fighting evil. What if he could use multiple warriors who devoted themselves to saving others?
"Dean?"
Dean's eyes shot to Sam. "Warrior blood was used in the medicine bags to make it strong."
"Yeah, and Caleb thought your…." He broke off, a frown creasing his forehead.
Dean watched and waited. Joshua said it; Triad magic. Pastor Jim had given him the clue; both triads are needed on this hunt. He hadn't made the connection until now.
Sam's eyes lit up. "Both Triads."
Dean nodded.
"It took the blood of dozens of warriors to produce a magic powerful enough to contain the witches. If we use magic from current and future Triads…"
"That's going to make some powerful kryptonite," Dean grinned.
"But JT, Max and James aren't official yet," Sam said. "Do you think it will work?"
"They used Triad magic on that camping trip with Pastor Jim's church years ago. And Jim wouldn't have said we needed both Triads if there wasn't a reason."
Sam's smile widened. "We need to tell Joshua and Joseph. But how will merely recreating the containment area help in killing the witches?"
"I think we need everything in this trap to be something the witches can't tap into, either to use for power or for extending their lives."
"You have a plan?"
"I think so," Dean said slowly. "But I'll need to talk with Onida first."
"Now?"
Dean shook his head. "We still need to find out where the caves are, and we need to see if the witches can be killed when they aren't sucking the energy from me and JT."
"Oh, and we need to make you a new energy protection pouch."
"Why? I thought this one was doing well?"
"I don't know if it is. The witches were still able to send magic fog from inside the containment area. If they could have done that before, they would have. Plus, you slept for nearly ten hours. To me that indicates they may know how to get around Joseph's contribution to the potion, having been exposed to Yakama magic for decades. Joshua needs to make you one that is solely of his coven, one the witches can't get around."
Nodding slowly, Dean said, "Okay, makes sense."
Standing, Sam said, "Why don't we get everyone together so Joshua can take samples of our blood and hair. Then we'll take on the witches."
.
An hour later everyone was rearranging the furniture in the banquet hall. The tables were pushed aside and chairs stacked along the walls. Joseph had returned with boxes of supplies, and was mixing ingredients in a large stone bowl. Joshua stood nearby, taking hair and blood samples.
"This is going to be amazing," James said, bouncing slightly on his toes. "I can't wait to see the bang."
"There's not going to be a bang," Max countered. "They're recreating the wall, not an explosive."
"I know that," James retorted. "But if the combination works, it should be more powerful than the other wall. Then hopefully we can use it to kick their asses."
JT rolled his eyes and stepped forward. Joshua pricked his arm and took a little blood, then pulled a hair from his head. "Ouch," JT muttered, rubbing the aching area and moving over to where Dean was sitting.
"Got your hair pulled, huh?" Dean asked, sympathizing.
"Don't know why they're pulling hair too," JT griped. "Triad magic works only with blood."
"Maybe we'll find out something new," Sam said.
When everyone had donated, Joshua mixed the blood and hair together and took it over to Joseph, who mixed it in with the ingredients.
"Shall we split this mixture into two bags?" Joseph asked.
Joshua nodded. "There needs to be at least two to form a connection. That's how the wall works."
Together they divided the mixture and filled two small bags. Then each went to opposite walls and set the bags down.
Joseph returned to the middle point, knelt down with the remnants of the mixture coating his bowl, and started speaking in his native Yakama tongue.
The sounds were magical and hypnotic, and everyone in the room leaned forward slightly, their eyes on the bags and the man in the center.
Slowly a glow started around the bags. The shimmer grew and suddenly raced together to meet in the middle, the light hovering almost a foot above the ground. As Joseph continued, it grew slightly but stayed only three feet off the floor. Finally, Joseph finished and sat back, staring at the short wall.
Joshua approached the barrier and touched it. While it looked translucent, it was hard as rock.
Caleb walked over and paced the barrier. "Why isn't it bigger?"
"And why is it solid?" Joshua asked.
Joseph frowned. "I don't know."
Dean walked over and studied the transparent wall. Something was missing, he could feel it. "Did you leave something out of the mixture?" he asked Joseph.
"Not that I know of," Joseph said, perplexed. "We studied the recipe very carefully. Maybe there is more power in dead men's blood."
"Maybe." Dean stepped forward, reached out and touched the barrier.
Suddenly the barrier shot up about seven feet, causing everyone to stumble back several paces.
"What did you do?" Joshua asked.
"I just touched it," Dean said, in an it's not my fault tone of voice.
Sam stepped forward and motioned to Caleb. "Come on, let's do it together."
Caleb moved up beside Sam and Dean; they leaned in and touched the barrier.
Instantly the barrier shot upward and hit the ceiling, cracking the roof tiles and breaking several lights, showering everyone in glass.
"Watch out!" Joshua yelled as everyone ducked and ran.
"Thanks, Dad," James said laughing. "Good thing all of us didn't touch it."
"They'd have to get a new roof on the Yakama Building," Max stated, brushing glass lightly from his hair.
Joseph was staring up at the ceiling when Samuel walked in carrying a large box. He looked up and jerked to a halt. Eyes on the cracked ceiling and glass covering the floor, he said, "Someone want to tell me what's going on?"
After explaining the recreated barrier to an entertained Samuel, everyone got busy cleaning up the broken glass and bringing out ladders so they could replace the light bulbs on the ceiling. Samuel said he would have contractors come in the next day to replace the ceiling tiles.
Instead of pitching in, Sam pulled Joshua aside and asked him to create new protection pouches for Dean and JT.
"Why?" Joshua asked, perplexed. "The other seems to be working."
Sam explained his reasoning behind the request.
"You think the witches are getting around the pouches," Joshua said slowly.
Sam nodded. "How could they get the fog outside the containment area? If they could have done that before, wouldn't they? And today Dean slept for ten hours. Dean never sleeps for ten hours, even when he's exhausted."
Joshua glanced over at Dean, who was climbing one of the tall ladders to reach the ceiling. "You think they're getting around Joseph's portion of the spell."
"They've had decades to study the methods of Yakama medicine men. Don't you think they could get around a simple energy blocking potion?"
"Possibly," Joshua said. "But it's the ingredients themselves that are effective, regardless of whether one knows the recipe."
"But ingredients can be countered, subverted."
Joshua nodded slowly. "All right, agreed," and rose from his chair. "I'll make another with methods only from my coven and experience."
"Thanks," Sam said as Joshua hurried from the room.
.
Several minutes later the room was lighted again, and all the tables and chairs had been returned to their original positions. After getting coffee and retrieving legal pads and notes from the records room, everyone was once more seated around one of the long banquet tables.
Samuel raised his coffee mug to Joshua and Joseph. "Well done, gentlemen. You've been able to recreate the barrier."
Joseph smiled. "I'm just sorry Mary left early and wasn't here to see it. She'd have been so tickled."
Dean frowned slightly. The barrier was wrong, somehow. While it was powerful, solid wall, it wasn't like the barrier containing the witches.
Sam saw the look on Dean's face and leaned over, whispering, "Something?"
"Yeah, but now's not the time," Dean replied softly. "Later." Now they were getting ready to go into the forest. Maybe later Joshua could show him how they made it.
"So, can we use that mixture to kill the witches?" Samuel asked, glancing around the table.
"We don't know yet," Joseph said. "The first step was recreating the magic that was powerful enough to control them in the first place."
"Now it's about figuring out how to turn that into a weapon," Joshua said.
Joseph nodded.
"But that won't happen tonight," Dean stated. "Tonight we're going into the forest."
Triad members and their Advisors nodded while Samuel and Joseph expressed their shock.
"You're going in at night?" Samuel asked, surprised. "You won't be able to see anything."
"We're used to hunting at night," Max said.
"And we can't see the witches coming anyway," Ryker added, throwing Max a grin over revisiting their earlier comments.
"Isn't this foolhardy?" Joseph asked. "Night is when they're most powerful."
"We're not going in during the darkest part of the night," Sam stated. "While they may be stronger than during the day, they won't have the recharging benefits of the sun, and they've been cut off from siphoning energy from Dean and JT."
"We need to see whether the developments we've had so far can end the witches," Dean interjected. "And apparently Max and Ryker have developed some weapons for tonight. How about a rundown?"
"Okay," Max said. "Strong minerals and herbs were used in the medicine bags to trap the witches, not just to the forest, but to the caves. Ryker and I used some of those same minerals to create weapons that we hope will kill them, or at least wound them with extreme prejudice."
Ryker nodded. "We discovered some of the most unstable minerals in nature are found in the area."
Caleb's brows rose. "Like?"
"Pyrite, Cinnabar, Quartz and Galena," Ryker said. "We used those in addition to the natural minerals found in the rock strata and geography for some pretty explosive compounds."
Max outlined the three compounds he and Ryker had created. "Joseph brought us glass jars so we can make grenades. We filled rifle shells with the explosive compound, and the bullets are tipped with pyrite. They'll explode upon impact."
"If you tip bullets with pyrite, won't they explode in the barrel when the gun is fired?" asked James. "Pyrite is really unstable. The concussive force of the gunpowder could set it off."
Ryker shook his head. "No. A spring mechanism hammers the firing pin, igniting a small explosive charge in the primer. The primer ignites the propellant that shoves the bullet down and out of the barrel. The pyrite will be near the tip of the bullet, not the base. When the bullet strikes an object, the force applied to the explosive tip by the object struck will make it explode."
"Excellent," JT said.
"Where are we on making these things?" Dean asked.
"Ryker and I worked this evening on taking apart bullets and coating the inside with pyrite," Max sated. "We have enough bullets for two guns."
"All the compounds are mixed," Ryker said. "We've got enough mixture to fill shells for two shotguns. We'll fill them after the briefing. And now that Samuel brought the jars, we'll pour our third compound inside and be ready to go."
"Great." Dean nodded. Turning to Caleb, he gave the floor over to the Knight.
"We're going in to kill witches," Caleb said. "Barring that, we assess where we are in hurting them. In addition to Max and Ryker's arsenal, Josh and Joseph have worked on spells and incantations they hope will damage or kill the witches. Josh, you'll set up about fifteen yards inside the barrier's edge with Joseph."
"So close?" Joshua said, frowning. "We don't want to cause any harm to the trap wall if the witches retaliate in kind."
"I'm counting on Onida to keep the wall intact. I want you close enough so you can get out fast if needed."
"Does she know?"
"I'll fill her in on the way to the forest," Caleb said. Looking to Sam, he said, "We need someone who can sense the witches to work with Josh and Joseph."
Sam looked over at Dean. He didn't like his brother hunting without him, especially when the witches had him in their sights. But the Guardian was the responsibility of the Knight, and Caleb would be with Dean. A psychic was needed to cover Joshua and Joseph. Nodding, he said, "All right."
Caleb knew the struggle Sam was feeling, and he nodded his understanding. Turning to Ryker, he said, "Right now we don't know if the circle will hold against the witches, so you and Sam will be the only two standing between them, and Josh and Joseph. You'll both be armed with the explosive shotguns."
Ryker nodded.
"Johnny, you and Max are on cave duty. You said you have an idea of where the witches' caves are?"
JT nodded. "Yes. Between me, Onida and Samuel, we have a really good idea."
"Three witches from each coven are confined to the caves," Caleb stated. "Destroying those caves is essential to ending them for good. Find out where they are, if you can. Ryker's night vision gear will help you get through the forest."
James looked startled. "How did you know Ryker brought night vision goggles?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Caleb stated. "I also assume he brought a night scoop."
Ryker gave Caleb a serious nod.
"Samuel, if you're willing, you'll be spotter for Johnny and Max."
"How will I see them? Even with a night scope it'll be difficult."
Caleb looked at Joshua. "I'm sure Josh has something that will allow you to follow their progress, even in the dark."
Joshua nodded. "I can make a paste that will give off a very mild luminescence." To Samuel, he said, "You'll be able to follow that."
Samuel nodded. "I'm in." Focusing on JT and Max, he said, "Yakama have hunted these woods for centuries. Moccasins were designed to help the warrior move soundlessly through the forest. I have a couple pairs that are well worn, so should conform nicely to your feet and the terrain."
JT gave the older man a smile and nodded his thanks.
Dean looked over at Joshua. "The spell pouch will protect JT against energy poaching," he pointed to the new pouch around his neck. "Can you make something that will hide him and Max entirely?"
"I'll recreate the mixture I used years ago to mask you from vampires in Traverse City. Vampires have exceptionally acute senses. It worked against them; it'll work against the witches."
Joseph looked startled. "Vampires?"
"A tale for another time, my friend," Joshua said with a smile.
Joseph's eyes were wide as he nodded.
"Jimmy, you'll be going with me and Caleb into the forest," Dean said. "Aside from seeing whether we can take down the witches without their getting an energy boost from me or JT, we'll be the lethal diversion. We need to hold their attention so that JT and Max have enough time to find the caves."
"Jimmy and I will use the pyrite-tipped bullets," Caleb stated. "We'll be the ones watching the Guardian's ass."
Dean rolled his eyes before addressing Joshua. "You ready with your mineral and magical potions?"
"We've made quite a few options," Joshua said, "though we obviously won't know about their effectiveness until after tonight.
"The medicine men of yesteryear were more familiar with using these herbs and minerals on a daily basis," Joseph said. "Today hunters use rifles, not minerals. We hope by adding some of our own modern twists and Joshua's knowledge, we'll do some damage."
Caleb looked around at the team. "Stay on your guard at all times. These witches are stealthy, their strong, and they regenerate. If it's quiet around you? Pay even more attention."
Everyone nodded.
"All right," Caleb said, eyeing each person, young and older. "Let's get those shotgun shells and grenades made and gear up."
It was close to ten-thirty when the two SUVs paused about a mile from the forest. Samuel climbed from the rear vehicle and trotted up to the front car. Caleb rolled down the window and leaned out.
"We part ways here," Samuel said. "You're going to follow the road on the left. It will take you to the southernmost edge of the forest, about five miles from where you went in before. It's southeast of where we think the caves are located."
"And we need to hike after we park?" Caleb asked.
Samuel nodded. "There's about a mile hike before you reach the forest. I don't know whether the witches will sense you coming or not."
Caleb resisted the urge to look over his shoulder at Joseph. While Joshua was over seventy as well, he was used to a more rigorous life.
Samuel lowered his voice. "Joseph has hiked all over this forest checking the medicine bags with Onida. He'll be fine."
Caleb sighed and gave a short nod. "How long before you get Johnny and Max to where they need to be?"
"About half an hour." Glancing down at his watch, Samuel said, "Move in at eleven. JT and Max will head in at eleven-fifteen."
"Will do," Caleb said. "If anything happens…"
"You'll be the first one I call," Samuel finished.
Caleb nodded and waited until Samuel moved away from the car before he put the vehicle in motion.
"A hike?" Dean asked from the backseat.
Caleb glanced into the rearview mirror. "Samuel said about a mile."
"That will put us closer to eleven going in."
"Yeah." Ten minutes later he parked the car in a small dirt clearing and everyone climbed out.
"Gear up," Caleb said, pulling a battle axe from the rear of the vehicle and making sure his knives and gun were in place.
Joshua hauled a backpack from the backseat and slung it over his shoulders. Moving over to Joseph, he asked, "You ready?"
Joseph nodded. Looking around, he said, "I've hiked the perimeter of this forest several times, but never at night."
"We'll move carefully," said Dean, who was standing nearby.
Two minutes later they were hiking toward the forest along a narrow path lined on either side with thick brush and trees.
"I sort of wish we had moccasins," James whispered to Ryker, as he walked carefully to keep down the noise of twigs and dried leaves.
"I'll stick with boots," Ryker murmured. "They do more damage when you kick something."
Aside from muffled footfalls and the sounds of the forest, they walked in silence for several more minutes until Caleb stopped. "We're here," he said softly. "Josh, get out everything you need for the protection circle."
Joshua, who was already unpacking his supplies, rolled his eyes. "I've been on hunts before," he muttered.
Grimacing, Caleb murmured, "Sorry."
Joshua glanced up. "Forgiven."
Dean paced near the forest boundary, keeping an eye out for any witches.
Going to his brother, Sam asked, "Do you see anything?"
Dean shook his head. "Nothing yet. You sense them?"
"No. But I have a feeling the moment we go in, they'll appear."
James walked up and stared into the darkness. "I'm getting that feeling of longing again," he said quietly. "They're out there."
"We'll set up the protection circle by that tree," Sam said, pointing to a large pine several feet from the boundary edge.
"You sure there's enough space for you and Ryker to maneuver?" Dean asked.
"We'll have room. Joshua plans on making the circle twelve feet across so he and Joseph have room to work. If the protection circle isn't effective, we'll have plenty of space in which to fight."
Caleb walked up. "Everyone ready?" After a quick look around, he murmured, "Let's go."
They stepped across the boundary line and Caleb felt his senses light up. He gave Sam a quick glance. Sam nodded; he felt it too. The place was alive with psychic energy.
They got to the tree Sam had chosen, and Joseph pulled a small brush from his backpack. Quickly he began to clean away leaves in a large arc. Joshua followed with his crafting wand, drawing a circle in the dirt and mud. Before he closed the circle, he stepped inside and pricked his finger with his silver knife. Murmuring a low incantation, he closed the circle and sealed it with his blood. Immediately light raced around the rim.
"We're set," Joshua said. He and Joseph immediately began unpacking their ingredients and tools.
"Good luck with the potions," Dean remarked. "Kick their asses."
Joshua gave the Guardian a decisive nod.
Caleb turned to Sam and Ryker. "Get inside the circle and keep your eyes open."
Ryker gave Caleb a casual salute and moved into the protection circle. Sam followed, his shotgun held loosely in his hands, ready to fire when needed.
Dean gave his brother a nod before moving away. He, Caleb and James fell into a loose triangle formation, with Dean in the lead, Caleb watching his back to the left, and James a couple feet behind Caleb to his father's right.
Dean was alert for any movement, either ahead or on his periphery, and he was keenly aware of Caleb and James watching his back. "Anything?"
"Don't sense an individual yet, but the forest is a live wire," Caleb said.
"I can hear the buzzing," James murmured. "They're nearby."
A snap off to their left had them freezing in their tracks. After a few tense moments, they moved on.
Caleb reached out with his senses, trying to locate a single witch. But instead all his got was a cacophony of buzzing and static. Frowning, he lowered his blocks further and winced as the noise escalated. But still, he couldn't focus on one single witch like last time. "Hold up," he said, stopping.
Dean immediately went to guard Caleb's left while James stationed himself on his right.
Lowering his blocks even more, Caleb focused past the static and the din in an attempt to find one voice. Letting his senses sweep the forest, he eliminated wind, trees, animals, birds, and the buzzing and searched for the witches. Finally, he heard one; Come … come…
Opening his eyes, Caleb motioned ahead of them slightly to the north.
Dean narrowed his eyes and concentrated on searching for any movement at all.
James followed, watching behind them as well as on their right. He could sense the longing to be free, the longing for… Wincing slightly, he realized it was a longing for blood. Shoving that gruesomeness aside, he concentrated on his job. He needed to watch his dad's back.
They'd been walking for almost twenty minutes when Dean slowed. Caleb came up on his left, staying slightly behind and facing away, and James walked closer to his right while staying behind.
"You sense anything?" Dean asked, his eyes still scanning the forest.
"Just the witches saying come," Caleb said.
"They're here," James agreed. "But I can't sense them close by."
"Let's double back, head to the northeast," Dean said.
Caleb nodded and they turned back, curving slightly to the north.
They only gone about fifteen yards when Dean yelled, "Nine o'clock!"
.
Samuel pulled the SUV to a stop beside a small forest ranger outpost. Turning, he handed two pairs of moccasins to Max and JT. "These should fit. The leather molds to the foot when warm. Put them on now, and by the time you step foot into the forest you'll be quiet as a mouse."
JT nodded his thanks. Bending over, he untied his boots and slid on the moccasins. They were a little short and tight, but he figured they would expand. When he stepped out of the car, not even the gravel under his feet made a sound. Slowly he made a circle. It felt odd not wearing his boots, but he figured he'd get used to it.
"Weird, huh?" Max said, pacing in his own pair. "I've spent years in hunting boots, but never moccasins."
"If they're quieter, then I'm good. I'd rather not tangle with the witches on this mission."
Samuel circled around the front of the SUV. "See that trail? It goes behind the ranger station and angles toward the ridge. Follow it until it forks; take the left fork. It'll swing toward the ridge edge of the mountain range. That's where the caves are located." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two ziplock bags. "This is a mixture Joseph made that will detect heat from a distance of twenty yards. There's no need to search the caves. Just toss a pinch of this powder into the air and it will let you know if there are warm bodies inside."
"What about animals?" JT asked.
Samuel shook his head. "Joseph made it a course powder."
JT frowned. "Meaning?"
"A course potion detects large warmth, not small warmth like fine powder," Max interjected. "It won't detect animals or rodents; only something large like an owl-woman."
"Exactly," Samuel nodded.
"What about bears?"
Samuel smiled. "The only bears in Washington forests are black bears. They're only about five feet long, and Joseph made the powder to detect something much bigger."
Max and JT each pocketed the ziplock bags.
Samuel pulled out a small jar and opened it, smearing a tiny amount of paste on the back of JT and Max's coats near the collars. "There, we're set. Give me ten minutes before going in. I'll be on the ridge watching your backs," Samuel said, pointing to the right. Returning to the car, he climbed inside and drove away.
JT and Max paced silently to keep warm in the chill dark of night. They didn't speak, as there wasn't much of anything to say. When eight minutes had passed, Max raised an eyebrow at JT. The younger man pulled aside his shirt to show two pouches around his neck; one to protect against energy poaching, the other to mask him from the witches. Max nodded and pulled his shirt aside to show his own pouch.
JT nodded and checked his knives, extra ammunition and gun, then lifted his rifle from where it leaned against a tree stump.
Max handed JT a pair of night vision goggles and checked his own weapons.
JT stood by until Max was ready, and then slid the goggles over his eyes. "Let's head out."
.
Sam walked the edges of the protection circle, his eyes surveying the forest, focusing on the right side of the circle. Ryker patrolled the left. Behind him Joshua and Joseph were getting their mixtures together.
"Almost ready?" Sam asked quietly.
"Nearly," Joshua answered. "We've got five potions to try. Hopefully at least one will be successful in stopping, or at least harming, a witch."
"I can hear the buzzing," Ryker said softly. "Can you sense anyone Sam?"
"There's a lot of psychic activity, but nothing specific."
Ryker nodded. He wasn't worried about his parrain; Joshua could make a mean protection circle. But he was worried about JT and Max. What if the masking potion wasn't strong enough to keep their presence hidden?
A rustling off to his right had him raising his gun and focusing on the darkened trees. He watched the shadows for any movement that was outside woodland normal. When the wind blew to the right and a shadow moved left, he hissed, "Incoming!"
Sam spun, his face confused. He hadn't sensed the witches at all. "Where?"
"There." Ryker pointed toward a clump of trees. "Wind went right, shadow moved left."
Sam searched the woods. Lowering his blocks, he reached out with his abilities, searching for the witches. "I don't sense any witches."
Ryker studied the forest and the waving branches. "You think they're masking themselves somehow?"
"It's possible. We can make masking potions. Stands to reason they have that ability as well," Sam murmured.
Joshua moved his backpack to the center of the circle and placed several bowls on top. Looking up at Sam, he whispered, "We're ready."
.
Caleb opened his senses and centered them on the witch. Raising his gun, he fired several rapid bursts, the rounds exploding in the witch's chest.
.
Sam's head jerked up when shots sounded in the distance. Exchanging a long glance with Ryker, he forced himself not to run to his brother, friend and nephew. Instead, he returned his gaze to the forest and watched.
.
Screaming, the witch looked down and swiped at her flaming, damaged chest. Growling out his frustration that the witch hadn't exploded, it took Caleb a fraction of a second to scan the area for something he could use to gain enough height to inflict damage with the Dragon's Talon. There, near the huge witch was a large rock. Pulling the blade from behind his back and gripping it tightly, he rushed forward. Using the large boulder to propel himself into the air, he drove the blade into her neck with perfect aim. Sparks and blood flew from the wound. At the exact same moment the witch rammed his body with her massive arm. The mid-air impact jerked Caleb's blade from her throat and propelled him back several feet through the air, slamming him into a massive Oak tree.
Dean was already firing at a second witch coming directly at him when Caleb went sailing through the air. When the witch got closer, Dean raised the battle axe and swung it like a bat, striking her on the left side, severing her arm. As her limb dropped to the forest floor, he saw periphery movement on his right. "Jimmy!" he warned.
James had already sensed the third witch coming. Firing off several rounds, he watched as the creature's chest exploded and she burst into flames. Grimacing, he thought he could see some of her ribcage, but she didn't go down. Quickly he reached into his left pocket and pulled out a bottle grenade. Lobbing it into the witch's shredded chest cavity, he turned and ran. The flames already consuming her body doubled in intensity before the grand finale: an explosion that literally tore her body apart.
Dean felt the heat on his back when the witch near James exploded as he pulled a knife from his sheath. He threw the poison-tipped knife saved from their last sojourn into the forest, and it slammed into the witch's neck. Ignoring it and everything around her, the second picked up her arm, held it to the stump at her shoulder and let it reattach, all the while keeping her focus on stalking Dean.
"Son if a …" Dean muttered. It was wildly disturbing to see the witch calmly replacing her arm while his knife was sticking out of her throat. Yanking his gun from his waistband, he began firing.
The first witch pawed at her torso, putting out the flames. Her chest began to slowly knit back together as she pursued Caleb, who lay dazed at the base of the tree where he'd been tossed. Hand to her neck, she tried to stymie the sparks and blood running from the Dragon Talon's wound as she growled in anger. James circled behind the tree and emerged from the right side, shooting several rounds at the witch. Chest torn up once more, bleeding and on fire, the witched stumbled back. James pulled another bottle grenade from his pocket and threw it straight at the witch's chest. The witch exploded in spectacular fashion, blood, body parts and fabric flying several feet from where she'd been standing.
Turning, James raced for his father, who was firing his standard rounds into the witch's chest and face. Raising his gun, James fired the last of his pyrite bullets into her, center mass.
Smiling, the witch closed her eyes a moment and the flames went out. Dean raised the axe again, but instead of backing away, the witch darted in closer and snatched the axe from his grasp, mid swing. Firing another five rounds into her neck, Dean's gun clicked on empty.
"Damn it," he muttered. Struggling with the witch, he pushed the hand holding the axe away from him with every ounce of his strength. With his other hand he reached into his back pocket for another clip.
James dropped his empty gun and pulled his backup from his jean's waistband. Leveling his aim on the witch, he fired several more rounds into the witch's shoulder. The creature dropped the axe and sank sharp talons into Dean's tender shoulder.
"Arrrggg!" Dean growled.
Suddenly the witch staggered and clutched at her throat. On his knees and using the massive tree trunk for support, Caleb focused on pushing past the pounding in his head to collapsing the witch's windpipe.
James raced forward. Snatching up the axe from the ground, he buried it in the witch's back. Screaming, the witch spun around. Without loosening her grip on Dean, she knocked James back several feet onto the forest ground.
.
Ryker paced the side of the circle, his eyes still searching the area where he'd seen the shadow shift against the wind. He glanced behind him to where Sam was walked the opposite side.
Sam felt Ryker's eyes and turned. He shook his head; he hadn't sensed any witches.
Ryker nodded and turned back to his own quadrant. Something was out there, waiting. But when the shadows did move against the wind, as figures emerged from the brush, his mind wouldn't let him accept what he was seeing.
"Sam!" Ryker called out as several figures of various sizes darted out from the underbrush and ran at the protection circle.
"What the hell…?" Sam muttered, his eyes wide and startled. "What are they?"
"Don't know," Ryker said.
Two figures about five feet tall hit the protection barrier and were propelled backwards. One crossed the protected circle and drove a knife into Ryker's leg.
"Arrggg!" Ryker hissed, grabbing the four foot intruder shrouded in thick, dark cloth.
Joseph tossed a spell bag at another figure racing the protection circle and the bag exploded on the thing's front. A scream that was distinctly childish rose from the figure as it dropped to the ground. "Wha..." he gasped, eyes wide in horror.
A spell bag had already left Joshua's hand when he heard the childish sob. "Oh no," he mumbled as his bag hit the chest of another figure. The small, cloaked figure dropped to the ground. No sound. "What the hell?" Joshua cried, pushing himself laboriously to his feet.
The struggling figure Ryker held kicked him in the groin, but he held on.
"They're children!" Sam shouted, "They're children!"
.
Grunting in pain, Dean couldn't reach his clip. Instead, he pulled a small rubber ball from his jacket pocket and slammed it into the witch's torso. Water burst from the broken rubber and coated the witch's chest. Summoning his Guardian power, blue and silver light spread from Dean's hand like wildfire across the witch's body as she screamed in agony. Yanking her talons from Dean's shoulder, she stumbled back several paces, wiping frantically at her chest. But the silver was unrelenting in its intent. As Dean focused, it crawled across her body, consuming the skin and cloth in its path until the witch was completely coated in silver.
James crawled to his feet. Mouth agape at the silvery statue, he circled around his father to where Caleb was struggling to sit up, twin lines of blood running from his nose.
Dean stared at the silver-covered witch. Feeling his way, focusing on the silver in a new way, he concentrated on making the silver scalding hot. The silver began to sizzle and glow, and the witch's howl grew in horrific intensity. The silver convulsed as it consumed the witch, and slowly the form inside the silver shrank and collapsed into a puddle of melted glowing metal. Eyes still closed in concentration, Dean focused on changing the molecular structure of the silver, and the pool of molten metal shifted into water and ran in rivets along the forest ground.
Caleb's mouth hung open as he watched the silver-turned-water sink into the forest floor. Turning to Dean, he murmured, "Damn, Deuce."
James looked at his father and said, "Way to show up the competition, Dad."
Dean leaned forward, his hands on his knees. After a moment, he straightened. "Check him for concussion," he told James, pointing at Caleb. Reaching into his inside jacket pocket, he pulled out a small canister of holy water, salt and a lighter. Gathering as many witch body parts as he could while keeping an eye on their surroundings, he piled them together, pouring holy water and salt on the remains and lit them on fire.
After Caleb had swatted the young man away, James started gathering the remains of the witch that had attacked him, and was piling them together.
Dean splashed those remains as well before salting and lighting them up. Glancing over his shoulder toward Caleb, who was now standing by the tree he'd been thrown into, he said, "How's your head? Can you sense anything?"
Caleb shook his head.
James circled the area, watching the forest. "I don't sense anything either."
Caleb spotted some additional witch parts on the ground. "We should burn those parts too."
Dean glanced around the area. It was dark, and he didn't know if they could gather all the parts without light. "I don't…"
Just then a large shadow peeled away from a tree behind Dean. Before anyone could react, the witch moved with superhuman speed toward the trio, wrapped her arms around Dean's body and disappeared.
"Deuce!"
.
TBC
Author's Note:
I may have made errors as I was trying to eliminate them. So just ignore those. Enjoy!