The Guard Changed at Dawn

Chapter 19

JT appreciated the moccasins, especially now that he and Max were walking through the darkened forest at night. They were nearly completely silent as they moved along the path Samuel had shown them. Viewing the world through night vision goggles was also surreal. He'd had practice with them before, Ryker made sure of that. But this was the first time he'd worn them on a hunt.

There was a scurrying sound on his left, and JT looked over to see the white-reflected eyes of a squirrel before it scampered up a tree. Scanning the forest on either side, he didn't see any movement other than the occasional animal. There weren't even any owls, for which he was grateful. While he didn't know how, he had a notion that the owls could communicate with the witches. So no owls were a good thing.

They'd been walking for forty-five minutes when Max tapped him on the shoulder.

When JT turned, Max made a "V" and pointed to the left. Samuel had said when they came to a fork in the path, to take the left trail.

JT nodded and pumped his first up and down, indicating they should move forward double time.

Max nodded, made a slash and held up a zero. They would stop every ten minutes.

JT lifted his rifle and they started off jogging slowly down the left fork.

Ten minutes later they stopped and surveyed the area. Moving on, they halted again after another ten minutes. After the third stop, JT knew they had to be getting close to the ridges. They'd been on an upgrade for last twenty minutes. He was used to the night vision goggles now, and he swept the forest for movement.

Max jogged behind JT, keeping an eye on his best friend's back while studying their surroundings. It was eerily quiet; no sound reached his ears. Then it hit him; there was no sound at all. Slowly over the last half hour or so the typical sounds of the forest - crickets, birds, small animals - had vanished. Reaching forward, he tapped JT on the shoulder again. When his friend stopped, he pointed to his ears and made a slashing motion with his palm flat to the ground. No sound.

JT cocked his head to the side, then nodded. Lifting his eyes, he pointed to the ridges. They must be near the caves. He let the shoulder strap support the rifle, shifted it behind his shoulder, and moved both hands in a circular, palms down motion.

Max nodded. They would be walking from now on. Holding up a zero, he indicated they would continue to stop every ten minutes, and JT nodded. They needed to be on their guard now more than ever.

JT situated the rifle butt against his shoulder and walked forward, the muzzle leading the way. He never relaxed his survey of the surrounding forest. Now that he realized there were no sounds at all, the woods appeared darker and more ominous.

Max turned and walked backwards for a couple of steps before facing front again, his gun ready to fire at a moment's notice. Even though he was wearing a masking spell pouch, he was suspicious that they'd encountered no one on the road or in the woods. He should thank the Lord for small miracles, but he rather shoot something instead. His eyes flicked up to the ridge, and he caught a flicker. If he hadn't looked at just that moment, he would have missed it. JT stopped suddenly, so Max figured he'd seen it as well.

JT turned and saw Max's face lifted toward the ridge.

Max looked over at JT and motioned toward the ridge. Pulling the ziplock bag Samuel had given them, he wondered if they were close enough for it to work.

JT looked back up the ridge, then shook his head. They weren't that close.

Max nodded. He studied the forest and the topography, looking for a good place to move. Finally he saw a small cleared trail that was probably used by wolves, bobcats, elk and possibly bears. Turning to JT, he held up his hand, palm out. Stay.

JT shook his head.

Max gestured again, with more force. There was no need for both of them to go up. He touched the top of his night goggles. JT needed to watch his back.

With a sigh, JT nodded. He held up five fingers. Five minutes was all the time he was giving Max to get up the ridge.

Saluting his friend, Max turned and moved silently up the hill.

Joshua started for the edge of the protection circle, toward the soft childish moans.

"Don't you dare," Sam stated. "You'll break the circle. We don't know if there are witches waiting in the bushes.

"I know that," Joshua snapped. Lifting a spell pouch over his head, he used his height to toss the bag in a high arc into the trees. A dark, greenish mist rose from about ten feet behind the tree line.

The children dodged away from that area.

"Where are the witches?" Joseph asked, two potion bags still in his hands. He'd been prepared for witches. Now, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Somewhere else," Ryker stated.

A taller figure ran at the protection circle but was stopped at the rim. Reaching inside its cloak, the figure pulled out a small packet and lobbed it inside the circle. Ryker was fast, however. He shoved the struggling figure he was holding at Sam while he simultaneously snatched up the pouch and tossed it back outside the circle. The pouch hit the ground and opened, a dark mist spilling out into the night. The figures ran from the mist and scurried into the underbrush away from where Joshua's pouch had landed.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked, watching the area where the figures disappeared. He was kneeling on the ground, holding the struggling figure face down. "We can't hurt them."

Joseph's eyes were still riveted on the two figures lying on the ground outside the circle.

Joshua suddenly dropped back down to the ground and started rummaging through his backpack. "Light," he barked.

Joseph jerked, then quickly turned and pulled a small glass jar from his own pack. Murmuring a few words under his breath, the jar glowed with soft light.

Joshua sorted through several jars before he gave a low grunt of satisfaction. Yanking a small bowl from his pack, he began mixing ingredients at top speed.

"What do you need?" Joseph asked.

"Pouches, as many as you have."

Joseph rummaged through his pack and started pulling out empty spell pouches.

Another figure threw a pouch into the protection circle, but Sam caught it and tossed it back out.

"Fill these," Joshua said, picking up a scoop and pouring one into each bag.

Joseph pulled his own scoop out and copied Joshua.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Sleeping potion," Joshua stated. Turning, he held one of the pouches to the facial area of the struggling figure inside the circle, and the figure went still.

Joseph paused briefly, then smiled. "Good thinking."

"They're coming again!" Ryker cried.

"Here!" Joshua thrust two pouches into Ryker's hands along with a strip of cloth. "Don't breathe it in!"

Ryker snatched the cloth and tied it quickly around his face. Eyeing the bushes, he waited until three figures breeched the brush line before he tossed the two pouches.

Joshua thrust a piece of cloth at Sam and Joseph, then tied one around his own face.

White powder rose into the air near the figures as they ran at the barrier. Two smaller figures darted across the protection circle, knives and pouches in their hands. Joshua quickly thrust a pouch in the first one's face, and the figure staggered back out of the circle. The second figure thrust a pouch into Sam, who turned his body, deflecting the object outside the circle. Grabbing his lighter, he set the pouch on fire, quickly burning off whatever ingredients were inside.

A taller figure tossed a long piece of wood shaped like a spear across the circle. Ryker jumped to the side, narrowly missing the sharp tip. Before the figure could toss another such object, he or she staggered to the side and dropped to the ground. Soon, six bodies were lying around the circle, inside and out.

Sam started to cross the circle when Joshua stopped him. "We don't know whether there are any others out there."

Sam's eyes went to the bushes and trees, but he said, "At least a couple of those cloaked figures are kids, and two haven't moved since our spell bag hit them. I need to see if they're alive."

Joshua blew out a slow breath. "Yes, you're right. Be careful."

"Got your back," Ryker said quietly.

Sam nodded. Slowly he stepped across the protection line. Pausing for a moment as he continued to scan the vicinity, he finally walked over to the first figure that fell. Glancing back at Ryker, he received a nod: he was watching. Holding his rifle loosely in his right hand, he reached over with his left and rolled the figure onto its back and pushed away the thick hood.

A small, pale face with matted hair and closed eyes was revealed. Sam's felt his heart clench. Quickly he touched the child's neck and heaved out a heavy sigh; the child was alive. Turning back, he nodded and went to the body that had fallen with Joshua's pouch. Another small face was revealed, with long tangled hair and a dirt-smudged face. A quick check revealed a slow, erratic pulse.

"We're going to need a doctor," Sam said, standing. Quickly he checked each of the other children. They ranged from what looked like five or six years of age to somewhere in their teens.

"What do you want to do?" Ryker asked. "It's been awhile since we heard the shots from inside the forest. Other than these kids, we haven't been attacked yet."

Sam's lips quirked slightly."Disappointed?"

"Only that Parrain didn't get to show off," Ryker said with his traditional stalwart humor.

"Joshua can't leave the protection circle without it collapsing," Sam said as he walked back near the circle. "Why don't you take Joseph back outside the barrier, then come back and carry the children outside the containment. There's a fairly clear line of sight, so I can watch your back. Joseph can check the health of the kids, call for help if it's needed. I'll stay here with Joshua in case the witches attack."

"You don't want to check on Dean, Caleb and Jimmy?"

"They can handle themselves," Sam said, his eyes going to the area of forest where his Triad and nephew had gone. "We need to deal with … this," he finished, waving his hand over the bodies.

When Ryker and Joseph left the circle, Sam turned to Joshua and said, "How long will these kids stay asleep?"

"Awhile," Joshua said, eyes focused on the darkness. "I didn't know what they were, so made the potion pretty powerful."

"They'll be okay?"

"From the potion, yes. From whatever else the witches did to them? I don't know."

Dean felt as though his lungs were collapsing. The forest swirled around him in a dizzying display of shadows and darkness. He didn't know where he was or what exactly was happening, but he needed to be away, now.

Since he couldn't move his arms to reach for a knife, he wriggled slightly in an effort to allow his hand to slide downward. The witch tightened her grip and his vision went spotty. Elbowing the witch feebly several times, he was finally able to maneuver his hand into his inner jacket pocket. He felt soft-sided rubber. Gasping in as much air as he could, he clutched the ball with his fingertips and slowly pulled. Unfortunately, he was jerked to the left and the object pinched out of his fingers. Growling slightly, he knew he didn't have much time before he passed out. Gripping the rubber with his fingertips one more time, he carefully pulled until he could palm the small ball.

Now that he had the ball, he thought about the best way to use it. If he broke it on the witch's hand, would it cause her to drop him? He couldn't guarantee that. He needed to get her to drop him, or at least loosen her grip.

An idea popped into his head and, before he could consider its propriety, he expanded his chest as much as possible and spit on the witch's hand. Immediately he touched the area and focused. Blue light glowed and silver spread in a small circle.

A growl erupted from the witch's throat. Her arms loosened slightly and Dean head-butted her in the chin and drove his elbow into her side. When her limbs went a little slack, he shoved at her arms and let himself fall.

He hit the forest ground in motion, tumbling over brush and bushes, his velocity halted by smacking up against a tree. Moaning in pain, he forced his numbed limbs to move. He could hear the witch in the underbrush and knew he had only seconds. That's when he realized he'd lost the ball in the fall. "Damn it," he muttered. He didn't have time to try and find it in the dark, but he had one more option. Quickly he'd just reached into his pocket for the last ball when the witch grabbed his shoulders.

Tightening his hand, he popped the water and focused as the witch pierced his wounded shoulder with her talons yet again. Spinning beneath the witch's arm, Dean imagined a blade and the silver shot up from his hand forming a deadly broad sword, which he thrust into the witch's body.

The witch stumbled back, the silver sword casting a white-hot light across her entire frame. Dean, his hand still on the hilt followed her, stalking her as she continued her attempt to get away.

Leaning forward, Dean thrust the sword deeper and growled in a deep, raspy voice, "Going somewhere? I. Don't. Think. So."

The witch howled loudly, her screams making Dean's ears ring.

Dean focused on the silver sword and it liquefied inside the witch. Choking, the creature stumbled back and suddenly, whirled away into the darkness.

Startled by the sudden departure, Dean muttered, "Crap." Closing his eyes, he focused on dissolving the silver into water as he felt her presence start to fade the further away she sped.

Exhausted, Dean limped slowly over to a nearby tree and lowered himself painfully to the ground. Leaning against the steady trunk, he looked around. It was difficult to see in the dark, but then, there wasn't much to see: trees, bushes, shadows. He had no idea where he was. Groaning, he touched his damaged shoulder. Did the freakin' witches have to grab the same shoulder over and over again? Sighing, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. A long crack marred the surface. "Perfect," he muttered. He tapped the surface and pressed the on/off button and waited. The cell remained dark. "Great." Grunting, he shifted and slid it back. A chill wind blew over his body and he shivered. He needed to get out of here, wherever here was.

Caleb…

Listening, he didn't hear an answering voice inside his head. Maybe there was too much psychic static for Caleb to hear across the distance, plus he must have a concussion from that collision with the tree. Crawling laboriously to his feet, Dean surveyed the terrain. He had no idea which way was back to the others. He also didn't know whether the witches would return. Three were dead, one escaped. What did those odds mean for the witches in the caves? Did they get a get-out-of-jail-free card now that members of their coven had fallen?

He didn't know the time, but knew it had to be after midnight. Glancing up at the moon, he didn't believe it was the darkest part of the night, but he'd needed to be out of the forest before that. Off to the right was an incline; higher ground. From there, maybe he could see the road, a ranger station, or lights from the reservation. That would give him a direction out of this woodland hellhole.

Forcing himself to move, he started to walk but his injured ankle loudly signaled its displeasure with the activity. Stopping, he looked around for a tree limb he could use as a walking stick. Suddenly he saw something glistening on the ground. Moving forward, he smiled: his little rubber ball. Picking it up, he felt better having the ball of water in his pocket. Moving on, he picked up more sticks, discarding ones that were too small or too feeble until he found one that would help support his weight.

"All right," he mumbled. "Let's see what's at the top of the hill," and he started to hike.

Ryker returned to the protection circle, still on watch for any witches. "I can't get the older two kids past the barrier," he told Sam. "Looks like the witches have been turning some kidnapped children into thralls."

Sam smiled. "Thralls?"

"Yeah. Kids who have no rights, live in appalling conditions and are morally and mentally enslaved to their masters."

"I know what a thrall is," Sam chuckled. "I've just never heard anyone use the term before."

Ryker smiled, though his eyes swept the area, sharp and alert. "I'm just full of surprises." Moving forward, he stepped slowly over the protection circle, careful of his wounded leg. "Nice job on the sleeping potion, Parrian."

Joshua smiled. "How are they?"

"I could only get four across the barrier. Joseph is examining them. The trap stopped the other two. I'll head back in a few minutes to see what we need to do."

Joshua looked up at his godson, concern etched across his face. "What about the two you can't get out?"

Ryker gave a soft sigh. "We don't know what's been done to them, so don't know how to correct it. For the moment, we're focusing on the ones we can help."

Joshua nodded. He shifted slightly, a grimace on his face. The ground was hard, and his body wasn't as attuned to sitting for hours on the forest floor as he'd been in his youth, despite the dubious cushion of leaves.

Ryker noted the discomfort on his godfather's face.

Sam noticed it as well. Turning to Ryker, he said, "I think we can safely say the witches aren't coming here."

Ryker eyed Sam. "You think the kids were a distraction."

"Likely. Let's get Joshua through the barrier to help Joseph with the children. You and I will go in search of the others."

Ryker nodded his agreement. Turning, he helped the older man stand to his feet, then began gathering Joshua's materials and returning them to his backpack.

"Wait," Joshua said."Take those with you," he said, pointing to several small bags. "I think they'll give the witches something to think about if you come across them."

Ryker pocketed the pouches and lifted the backpack. Instead of handing it off, he slung it across his own shoulders and helped Joshua cross the protection circle.

The circle snapped and died as soon as Joshua crossed the line.

Ryker continued to support Joshua until his legs uncramped and he could move more easily. Sam watched their backs as they headed to the barrier. When they arrived, Ryker helped Joshua kneel down beside the two children who couldn't cross the barrier.

"I think they're girls," Ryker said softly.

Joshua pulled back their shrouds. They're faces were covered in what looked like scales and dirt; their hands were elongated with razor sharp nails.

"Can we help them?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Joshua picked up one of the girls' hands and tried to move it past the barrier, but it was like it hit something solid. "Right now I'd say no. We can't get them out. Maybe when the witches are dead, we can figure out some way to treat them. But right now, they're more witch than human."

"But they fell asleep like the other children," Ryker argued. "That means more human, doesn't it?"

"Not human enough," Joshua said softly. Motioning for Ryker to help him rise, he stepped across the barrier to help Joseph.

Sam moved away, but Ryker stayed by the wall. "I don't want to just leave them here," Ryker said, his eyes on the girls. "The witches may punish them."

"I'm not sure what we can do if we can't get them out," Sam said, returning to the entrapment's edge. "If anyone can think of something, Joshua and Joseph can. Right now, we're needed elsewhere."

Ryker looked over at his godfather. "If you can, please take care of them."

Joshua nodded.

Turning to Sam, Ryker said, "I'm ready."

"Then let's …" Sam broke off as his ring began to burn. His eyes met Ryker's. "We're needed. Now."

Caleb panted as he slowed his jog to a stop and stared around, struggling to see through the darkness of the nighttime forest. Since the witches moved fast, there wasn't much in the way of a trail to follow. But since Dean could see them and stay ahead of them, that meant the witches left a footprint. He and James had been following a path of disturbed and overturned leaves. But it was tough going and difficult to detect. Right now he'd do just about anything for a pair of Ryker's night vision goggles. Straining to find the shallow path they'd been following, he tried to squelch his sense of frustration. He couldn't find Dean. Damn it! How could he have let him get taken!? The burning on his finger ratcheted up his sense of urgency.

"We'll find him, Uncle Caleb," James said, coming up behind his godfather.

Caleb sighed. "I know. I just wish I could connect with him. Before I could sense nothing, and now it's like the witches are putting on a party." He waved a hand around his ears. He let his gaze sweep over their surroundings. He could lower his blocks like he had so many years before at Rockefeller Center, where he'd first discovered the very special connection he had with Dean. But they were in the forest after dark, and the witches were psychic. Opening himself up would alert the witches to his, and more importantly James', location. They would also follow the psychic thread straight to Dean. He didn't want to take that risk, not yet, anyway. For now, they would search the old fashioned way.

"You think he escaped?" James asked, his eyes on the landscape.

"Definitely." One thing Caleb knew, and that was that Dean wouldn't let a witch hang on to him for long. Giving the landscape a thorough scan, his attention was caught by a narrow pathway leading up a hill. "High ground," he murmured.

"What?"

Caleb smiled and pointed to the hill off to the west. "You dad would go to high ground."

"But it looks like the trail goes this way," James said, pointing to the right.

"Your dad isn't with the witch," Caleb said, and in saying it, he knew without a doubt it was true. He gave the younger man a comforting pat on his back. "When he escaped, he'd head for higher ground so he could see his way out of the forest. Come on, we need to hurry. It's after midnight."

"We took out three of the witches. Can more get out of the caves?"

Caleb shook his head. "I don't know. Onida said three were confined to the caves. My hunch is they're still there."

James nodded. "Should we call Uncle Sam?"

Caleb held up his hand and wiggled his ringed finger. "He knows. Let's get going."

"Just…" James swallowed. "Just keep trying to find dad," he tapped his head, "okay?"

Caleb couldn't give James that assurance. The last thing Dean would want was for him to put James in danger. He gave his godson a comforting squeeze on his neck and settled for, "I won't stop trying to find him. Come on, let's head out."

Onida stared at the canvas, her heart racing in her chest. Three of the witches on the grounds were dead. She jumped lightly, pumping one fist in the air. She couldn't believe it! Their darkness was there, then suddenly it wasn't.

A ringing sounded off to her right. Eyes still on the canvas, she snatched up her cell and snapped, "What."

"Onida?"

Frowning, Onida asked, "Who is this?"

"It's Joshua."

Smiling, she said, "Congrats on three dead witches!"

"Really?" Joshua stared at the phone before he smiled. "Looks like Caleb, Dean and James have been busy."

"Where are you?"

"Just outside the barrier on the east side. Can you get a fix on me?"

Onida blinked. She hadn't found people before. "What?"

"I've got six children here, definitely ones who've been kidnapped."

Onida's mouth dropped open. "What? You found children … alive?"

"Yes. But two are being changed into witches, and we can't get them outside the barrier."

"You found children," Onida repeated, stunned. Pulling her thoughts together, she said, "You said the barrier wouldn't let out two children? The barrier only stops witches. If it's stopping them, then they're witches."

"They're children," Joshua repeated. "Probably no more than thirteen or fourteen."

"And they can do a lot of damage, even at that age," Onida replied.

Joshua sighed. "We want to help them."

Onida hesitated. "How many did you get through the barrier?"

"Four," Joshua said.

Shaking her head in amazement again, she asked, "How are they acting?"

"They're asleep. I used a sleeping potion to put them out."

"And before they went to sleep?"

"They were attacking us," Joshua admitted.

Onida didn't speak. They had taken four captive children past the barrier, children who'd been in the witch's grasp for at the very least a year, probably longer. What they were attempting with the four they had outside the barrier was extremely dangerous. And now they wanted her to split open the barrier to let out two the barrier had stopped.

"Onida?"

"Can you help the four you have outside the barrier?"

"I don't know. Right now Joseph and I are examining them. Their life signs are returning to normal, they have normal pupil dilation and respiratory function. Their temperatures are normal, and their skin, though dirty, is normal. Their limbs and appendages are normal human length…"

"Hold on," Onida interrupted. "Their appendages are normal? Meaning the two inside the barrier have abnormal appendages and skin?"

"Yes, they have slightly elongated fingers and fine scales on their faces, probably on their bodies."

Onida closed her eyes for a moment, then said, "No."

Joshua blinked. "No?"

"No, I won't open the barrier for you to get the two inside of the entrapment out."

"They're children, kidnapped…"

"If they're in their teens, then they've been in captivity for ten years or more. If they're exhibiting physical changes to their human bodies, then they're more witch now, than human. They could wreak havoc on the surrounding towns and the reservation."

"They're victims of kidnapping," Joshua stated strongly.

"And now they're witches," Onida snapped. Taking a deep breath and calming herself, she continued, "Do you even know whether you can help the ones already outside the containment?"

There was a moment of silence, before Joshua admitted, "No. We don't know what's been done to them."

"Then how can you in good conscience expect me to let what are, for all intents and purposes, two young witches, outside the containment when you don't even know if you can help their more human counterparts?" Onida reasoned.

Joshua closed his eyes, sorrow filling his heart. "I don't know. I just … we just can't leave them there for the witches to kill."

"I understand. But why do you think they'd kill them? If three witches are already dead, they're more likely to speed up their evolution into full witches. You'd be doing them a favor to kill them now, while they sleep."

Joshua grimaced at the cold bloodedness of Onida's logic.

"They aren't human anymore," Onida said softly, sympathy in her voice. "I hope the ones the barrier allowed through are able to be helped. But the ones the barrier stopped… Joshua, it stopped them for a reason."

Joshua's head dropped, his chin on his chest. He knew it, knew it before Onida spelled it out. "I know it did," he admitted softly.

Onida's heart went out to him. "Joshua, I'm so sorry."

Joshua nodded, though he knew Onida couldn't see it. He couldn't even say goodbye as he slowly cut the connection.

Onida stared down at her silent phone. Children, kidnapped children were alive, and she'd just consigned two of them to death. Though she wanted with everything in her being to save all the kids who'd been kidnapped, the barrier stopped those two from leaving. She was surprised children were alive and in the forest, and she wondered if more would be found. Some might be saved, but others would no longer be savable, and that was the greatest tragedy of all.

Max came out at the top of a narrow ridge. Now that he was closer, he could see the darker impression of a cave. Carefully he opened the ziplock bag, took a pinch of powder, and blew it into the air. At first, he lost track of the powder in the darkness of night. Just as he was about to move closer and release more powder, tiny lights like fireflies twinkled in the air. That was the sign. Bodies; large bodies were in the cave. Smiling, he carefully backed away.

When he was far enough away to move more freely without alerting a witch, he turned and walked until he saw the small stone he'd placed on the path. That's where he needed to turn to go down. Carefully he made his way back down the hillside. It was tempting to rush back to JT, but he needed to be careful of the bushes and branches along the pathway. It was a very narrow trail, and he wouldn't be doing either of them a favor if a snapped twig or loose stones alerted the witches to their presence.

Finally he stepped carefully onto the lower path to find JT waiting.

Giving his friend a smile, he nodded and pointed straight up.

JT pulled a cellulose-covered map from his inside jacket pocket and a wet marker. Nabbing a compass, he wrote down their coordinates on the map near a circle. Then he folded it up and tucked it back inside his jacket. Repositioning his rifle, he gestured for them to move ahead, and Max nodded, splaying his three fingers. They would stop in three minutes.

Nodding, JT led the way along the path, his senses keen and alert to any sound or movement. When he saw another small trail, he stopped and pointed.

Max started to go up when JT shook his head. He was taking this one. Max gave a silent sigh and nodded. He held up five fingers. JT had five minutes before Max was coming up.

JT gave a sharp nod. He handed off his rifle to Max and took Max's hand gun. Stepping carefully, he took his time moving upward. There were a couple places where the rocks were loose, and he needed to place his feet precisely so as not to knock any debris down the hill. Any sound might alert the witches if they were in the cave above. He had to bend and twist to avoid branches and low hanging tree limbs. Finally he reached the top, and hoped less than five minutes had gone by. He didn't want Max barreling through that trail. Looking around, there were even more brambles and bushes up here. He couldn't risk moving closer to the darkened cavern. So he carefully pulled the ziplock bag from his pocket, gingerly pulled apart the top and opened the bag. Pulling a pinch of powder from inside, he gently blew the powder into the air and waited.

Nothing.

Frowning, he carefully took another pinch and blew it into the air. After waiting another few minutes, there was nothing. Turning, he painstakingly made his way back down the hill only to find Max a few feet from the bottom, having decided to come up after him. Rolling his eyes, JT held his palms out, and motioned for Max to back up slowly.

Once they were down on the trail, JT gave a quick shake of his head.

Max nodded and after giving their rear flank a cursory look, motioned for JT to continue on down the trail.

The next three caves they checked were empty. Minutes later, however, they found a double. Max tapped JT on the shoulder and held up two fingers, and pointed upward.

JT pointed to Max and upward to the two caves. Then whirled his hand and pointed to his chest. The next one was his.

Max smiled and nodded.

There was a decent sized trail leading up to the side-by-side caves. Max stepped carefully onto the pathway and climbed up the hill. His breathing picked up as he ascended. The closer they got to the Simcoe Mountains, the steeper the hike. Slowing slightly, he kept his breathing soft and quiet. When he reached the top, he repeated blowing the potion dust into the air. There was twinkling as the dust floated closer to the first cave, then it died. The first cave had witches. How could he get to the second without crossing the first? A search of the area showed gaps between the bushes about ten yards beneath the opening of the first cave. He had just begun to make his way down the hillside when a tiny light winked in his peripheral vision. Turning, he saw a cluster of firefly-like lights twinkling in front of the second cave. His smile turned immediately into a frown. There were three caves with witches? Silently, he backed up to the route he'd taken to climb up, and started his descent.

When he met JT on the trail, he held up two fingers.

JT frowned and glanced up the hill. Touching the thumb and index fingers of both hands, he interlocked them and jerked his chin up to the caves. Maybe the two caves were connected.

Max nodded, then shrugged. There was no way to know that now.

JT nodded and sighed. Pulling out the map, he marked the coordinates before stowing it back inside his jacket. Straightening his shoulders, he lifted his rifle only to have Max shake his head.

JT lifted his goggles and frowned.

Max pointed to the ground. They needed to rest.

Hesitating for only a moment, JT nodded. They'd been moving non-stop and needed the break.

Max smiled and felt his shoulders relax. A person could only be "on" for so long before their body signaled it was done being on edge and tense. They'd been walking and checking for caves for two hours; they were both getting tired.

The side of the trail had an overhanging branch. JT and Max scooted low under the leaves and slowly lowered themselves to the ground. Max pointed at JT and held up two fingers. JT nodded. Laying his rifle across his lap, he closed his eyes. Slowly his shoulders relaxed and he carefully dropped his head down toward his chest, letting the tension in his neck release.

It seemed like only seconds before Max was tapping his knee. Straightening, he gingerly hefted his rifle and nodded, checking the landscape for movement while Max rested. Another two minutes passed before JT tapped Max's knee. One by one they crawled out from under the tree limb and soon were moving down the trail again, JT on point, Max watching their rear flank.

They were getting closer to the Simcoe Mountain range when JT stopped and pointed up to two caves nestled just beneath the range.

Max nodded, and they began looking for a way up to the first. This time it was more difficult to find a trail they could use to ascend the hill, and it was closer to eight minutes before JT spotted a narrow animal trail several feet to the far side of the cave. Trading his rifle for Max's hand gun, he started up.

Though narrow, this trail had less debris than their previous routes, with fewer bushes encroaching on the path. When he got to the top, he noted there was a wider pathway here as well. Frowning, JT inched a couple of feet closer and pulled out the ziplock bag. That's when he heard it.

A small cry.

Freezing, he listened carefully. Several more minutes went by before he heard another cry. Opening the ziplock bag, he pinched some power and set it free on the night breeze. No twinkling. Eyes wide, he backed up slowly until he reached the animal trail. Though he wanted to run, he forced himself to go down the hill as silently as possible. He wasn't surprised when he met Max halfway down the animal path. He'd been gone a lot longer than intended.

When they stepped onto the pathway, JT handed Max his gun, but didn't take his own rifle back. Crossing his arms, he made a rocking motion like cradling a baby, then held his hand down three feet off the ground.

Max frowned. He glanced up at the cave, then back at JT, raising his brows. Pulling his own ziplock bag out, he held it up. Did JT get a hit?

JT shook his head. He then pointed upward and lifted his arm twice towards his shoulder. Follow me. He started back up the hill.

Before JT could get more than a step or two, Max grabbed his arm. He shook his head and pointed in the direction of the last cave. They had a job to do, and that was to check the other cave.

JT glance back up the hill. Though his heart was telling him to run back up there and check to see if there was a child in danger, he stepped back onto the main trail and gave Max a reluctant nod. After one last upward glance, he slowly pulled out his map and marked the cave with a question mark. Deliberately he folded it back up and returned it to his inside jacket pocket.

Max touched JT's arm, pushing his night vision goggles up onto his head.

JT slid his goggles up as well. His eyes were sorrowful when they met Max's. Max nodded, then pointed toward the last cave. He understood JT's desire to check out the cave for children, but they had one more cave to either identify or clear.

With a sigh, JT pulled his goggles back down and shifted his rifle back into preparedness mode. Giving one nod up the road, he and Max walked carefully down the pathway to the last cave.

When they got nearer, Max slowed and looked for a way up the hill. Finding a trail up this hill was the most difficult yet. The cave was located in the crevice of the mountain, situated at an off angle. Not much was getting in or out of this cave. Finally he pointed out the best trail he could find.

JT frowned. This animal path was barely visible, covered with brambles and bushes. He looked in Max's direction and shook his head.

Max wanted to fight for this route, but knew that was partially because his weariness was beginning to be a concern. Nodding slowly, they continued up the trail, searching for another way up. They found it about thirty feet up on the far side of the cave. Motioning for JT to come over, he pointed out the trail. Holding up his hand, he made a zero with his hand and jerked it twice at JT. Twenty minutes. The trail was a more circuitous route to the cave, and would take longer to go up and come back down.

JT signed and nodded. This one would have to do.

Max motioned for JT to stay right where he was before turning to climb the hill, his gun at the ready.

When he got to the top, he pulled out the ziplock bag and blew some dust in the air. After a minute, the firefly-like lights twinkled again. Max stifled the urge to groan as he backed away from the area, then headed back down the hill.

He was pleased to find JT standing right where he left him. He'd been a little afraid his big-hearted friend would go back down to the other cave to see if there were really children inside. He nodded to JT and made a twinkling sign in the air.

JT frowned. Why would there be a fourth cave with larger-than-life baddies? He thought there were only two covens of five each. The possibility that there were more than two covens had just become a serious concern.

Dean was finding it increasingly difficult to climb the hill. Every move of his body was painful. His legs hurt, his ankle was killing him, his chest felt like it was gripped in a vice, and his shoulder was still bleeding. Despite needing warmth in the chill of the night, he'd removed his flannel so he could bind his ankle and attempt to stymie the bleeding from his torn shoulder. It wasn't enough, and the shoulder continued to seep, exercise stimulating the flow. He didn't know how much longer he could keep going.

Jabbing his walking stick into the ground, he leveraged it to help pull his body up hill. When he reached the first rise, he dropped onto the ground, panting. Breathing was painful. The witch's harsh grip had definitely bruised his lungs and chest, though he thought he'd escaped cracked ribs. Wiping at his sweaty face, he shuddered as a cool night breeze blew past. Turning, he looked gingerly over his shoulder. He still had a ways to climb to get high enough to judge his location.

He wanted to give Caleb a mental call again, but was concerned the witches would hear and come for him. With only one more water ball, one knife and an empty gun, he wasn't prepared to tackle a witch. He was even more concerned the witches would go after Caleb and James. He looked down at his ring, which had been burning on his finger since the witch took him. Caleb and Sam would come without his calling; of that he was certain.

A rustling sounded off to his right and Dean turned slowly. A small squirrel stared at him as if to say; What are you doing here?

Dean smiled. "Sorry," he murmured. Gritting his teeth, he shoved and pushed his bruised body until he was standing again. Teetering slightly, he used his walking stick to stabilize his balance before starting up the hill once again.

Whenever he began to lose his balance, he would shove his walking stick into the ground and grit his teeth until he was steady. Then he would move on until he had to stop and do it all over again. He didn't know how long it took for him to reach the rise, but when he finally stepped onto the top of the small hill, he could have wept for joy. Leaning against his walking stick, he allowed his body a few moments rest before turning to survey his position.

His heart sank.

In the far distance he could see the lights of what he supposed was the small town of White Swan. Near there had to be the reservation, but it was much too far for him to travel, especially in his condition. Turning one-eighty, he saw a low row of ridges. That was where Ryker, Joshua and Samuel had lain with rifles and watched their backs the first time they'd gone into the forest. It was the shortest route out of the forest, and his best chance of getting out under his own steam. But it was also where JT and Max were searching for the caves. His shoulders slumped. No way would he put his son and godson in danger by lumbering through the woods near where they were taking such painstaking care not to be noticed.

On his right were mountains, and to the left, darkness. Biting his lip, Dean turned back to the lights of White Swan. The distance was daunting, but it was the only option open. Squaring his shoulders, he calculated a path through the woods and started walking.

As he trudged back down the hill, he couldn't help but be reminded of all the survival trainings his dad had made him and Caleb go through. Sam was lucky. He'd always made a good case for homework that needed doing if he was to catch up in class after their latest move. He had an almost unerring instinct for touching on their dad's guilt at uprooting them so much. It usually netted him a free pass for those survivalist weeks or weekends. Unfortunately, when Dean tried that trick, his dad had rolled his eyes and told him to get in the car. It was totally unfair. He hated the woods, hated the wilderness. While he appreciated the isolation of the open road, he wasn't keen on traipsing through the wilderness regions for days on end. As he grew older, he could respect the skills he'd learned during those survival treks, tramping through the woods armed with only a knife and a bottle. But still, he hated the woods. … And he loved his gun.

As he limped on, he kept his ears open for any movement that was out of woodland normal. He also focused on finding plants and berries he could eat to keep up his strength. Washington forests provided an abundance of edible plants, from Jerusalem artichoke, high mallow, pine-apple weed, prickly-pear cactus and several others offerings indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.

Considering this forest was near the Yakama Indian reservation, there also had to be an abundance of medicinal plants. Yarrow stopped bleeding, had antibiotic properties and helped with pain relief, so he kept an eye out for the willowy, scrub brush plant with whitish-tipped flowers. He also looked for the small, green-leafed aspirin plant. He didn't want to put all his eggs in one yarrow-basket. The way he was feeling, another pain reliever would be welcome. Pain was more tiring than the walking.

Another gust of wind had him hunching into his jacket. At some point, he would need to take shelter as the darkest part of the night unfolded. He couldn't allow himself to be taken again. Cover; yet one more thing he needed to keep an eye out for. Damnit, he hated the woods.

Sam and Ryker moved with minimal noise through the forest, and soon reached the area where Dean, Caleb and James had taken on the witches. Two burned areas were still smoking, and indicated salt and burns. Another area looked like it had been frost burned. Sam had no idea what made that, but speculated it might be a chemical burn from one of the pyrite bullets. Regardless, the indication was that three witches had died here.

Ryker grunted softly as he knelt by the frosted area, his wounded thigh making the task uncomfortable. Touching the scorch mark, he jerked his hand back. "Ice," he said.

"It's cold?"

Ryker nodded, his eyes scanning the area. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," Sam murmured. Though it was difficult to see in the dark, there was definite evidence of a fight; gouges in the dirt, leaves scattered and crushed, broken twigs and branches.

"Sam."

Sam walked over to where Ryker was kneeling. One great thing about having a Ranger on the team: the man was a blood hound on following trails, even in the dark. Of course, Sam was no novice either. Kneeling, he said, "The other ground-cover disturbances were fights. This looks like someone walking."

Ryker nodded. "Two people," he said, pointing out two tracks of mushed leaves. "They're following that trail." He pointed to some leaves that appeared disturbed.

"That's a trail?" Sam asked, frowning.

"Some of the leaves are dry, some wet. Something went through here fast and knocked them around."

Sam nodded and looked up, scanning the area. "There are only two sets of boot tracks, so the disturbed leaves are the witch, and one person was taken."

Ryker glanced at Sam. "The Guardian."

"Likely." Sam stood. The forest was a big place. It would be nearly impossible to find someone out here, especially in the dark. Up ahead he saw some hills moving in the direction of the ridges. "Up there," he said, pointing. "If Dean was missing and Caleb wanted to find him, he'd go for higher ground."

"Agreed," Ryker said. "Can you sense Caleb?"

"I haven't really tried," Sam confessed. "The witches are psychic. If I try and connect with Caleb, it reveals his position and ours."

"What if you just gave him a psychic tap?"

Sam glanced at Ryker and smiled. A psychic tap? It might work. "Okay, I'll give it a try." Closing his eyes, he thought Caleb, and reached out with his senses.

A moment later there was an answering tap, a flash of an image, and then the connection closed.

Sam turned to Ryker and smiled. "Okay, psychic tap successful."

Ryker gave a soft chuckle.

"Caleb is that way heading for higher ground, James with him. Once we find them, he can locate Dean while I watch his back."

Ryker looked into the distance and pointed. "There?"

Nodding, Sam said, "Let's head out."

Joshua slowly tucked his phone back in his jacket. When he felt somewhat composed, he returned to where Joseph was finishing his examination of the children.

"They're very thin, but don't look particularly malnourished," Joseph commented as soon as Joshua knelt down. "I'd guess the girl with brown hair is six, the boy with blond hair seven, maybe closer to eight. And these two," he gestured to a girl and boy with black hair, "are probably around five. They could be younger, but it's difficult to say out here in the dark. I can't examine their teeth to determine whether they've gotten any adult teeth yet."

When Joshua didn't speak, Joseph looked up. "What did Onida say?"

"She isn't going to open the barrier," Joshua said softly.

Joseph nodded. Asking her had been a long shot; he hadn't expected she would do anything to put the reservation and surrounding towns in danger. "The barrier stopped them for a reason," he said, unconsciously echoing Onida's words.

"I know." Joshua looked back at the two lying inside the barrier. "But I don't like abandoning them to their fate. They didn't ask to be kidnapped, they didn't ask to be held captive by witches. And they certainly didn't ask to be turned into witches."

"No, they didn't. But terrible things happen in this life, to adults and children." Joseph swallowed hard. "Somehow, it just seems so much more tragic when it's children."

One of the bodies inside the barrier stirred.

Joshua stood as quickly as his body would allow.

"Where are you going?" Joseph asked.

"I'm going to see if she can understand what I'm saying; if she can reason. If they can, maybe they can be saved." Quickly he walked to the barrier and knelt down.

The teen with long, matted dark hair stirred, and blue eyes opened. Confusion crossed her face as she stared at her comrade nearby. When she looked up and saw Joshua, she jerked away.

Joshua quickly put his hands up, palms out and said, "Wait, wait; I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you."

The teen scowled and reached out for Joshua, but her hand hit the barrier, preventing the contact. Confusion crossed her features. Reaching out, she ran a hand over the wall.

Joshua put one hand through the barrier and touched the girl's hand.

The teen jerked away in surprise, then tried to reach out for Joshua again, only to be stopped once again. Frowning, the girl looked at Joshua and tilted her head.

Joshua pointed to himself and said, "Joshua … Joshua."

A look of fear crossed the girl's face and she scrambled to her feet and darted off into the darkness.

Joshua sighed. Glancing at the other teen he was surprised to see a pair of hazel eyes watching him. Smiling, he pointed to himself and said, "Joshua."

The teen sat up and tilted her head in the same bird-like fashion as the first girl. Reaching out slowly, the kid touched the barrier and frowned. Her eyes went to the four little bodies on the other side, and she tried to reach out for them, but was prevented from doing so by the wall. Frowning again, she pointed to the kids lying near Joseph.

"They're fine," Joshua said, smiling. "Good; they're good."

The teen made a bring-them-here gesture, but Joshua shook his head. "No."

The teen looked frustrated and made the gesture again.

Sadness nearly drowned Joshua when the kid's lips turned downward. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

The teen's eyes left the children and turned back to Joshua. After a moment, she opened her mouth and, in a low, guttural tone, pointed to herself and said, "Sa…rah."

Joshua's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Sarah," he said. He pointed to the teen and said, "Sarah."

The kid nodded. A sound from behind had her scrambling to her feet as she stared back into the woods. When she turned back, her eyes went to the children again, then met Joshua's. After a long moment, she turned and darted off into the forest.

"Wait!" Joshua called out, climbing to his feet. "Sarah!" But there was no sound of footsteps returning through the woods, and the sadness broke his heart. He didn't know how many children were out there in the woods right now, but they desperately needed to see if they could be helped, even the older ones. Shoving himself to his feet, he went back to Joseph, determined that not one child would be left behind.

Dean knelt down and pulled the yarrow plant up by its roots. Crushing the nubby flower top, he patted it gingerly around his ankle before slowly reapplying his flannel bandage. He didn't bother pulling his foot from his boot to address the wounds lower on his ankle. He'd never be able to get the boot back on. After resting a moment, he carefully slid out of his jacket, and pulled the bandage from his shoulder. Shivering, he gingerly applied more crushed yarrow to his shoulder, taking measured breaths through the pain. Grunting softly, he pulled his jacket back on and waited.

It wasn't too long before the yarrow started numbing the pain in his shoulder, and he felt the tension along his shoulder blades and back relax. Unfortunately, with relaxing came a mind-numbing exhaustion. He needed to rest.

Forcing himself to stand, Dean looked around. Other than bushes and trees, there was no place sheltered enough so he could truly rest. Reaching down, he pulled several more yarrow plants and shoved them into his pocket. Leaning heavily on his walking stick, he forced himself to move onward.

After several more minutes of walking, his vision wavered and he felt light headed. Whether the weakness was from blood loss or lack of food, he didn't know. But he needed something in his stomach, so redoubled his efforts to find something edible. It took another forty minutes before he saw the yellow flowers of a Jerusalem avocado plant nestled near the base of a pine tree. Lowering himself down, he jerked the stem and pulled a tuber-like root from the ground. After yanking out three more, he stuffed them in his pocket and used the tree to help him stand. He couldn't afford to stop right now, so he continued walking even as he striped the leaves from the root. Rubbing the tuber vigorously on his shirt, he removed as much dirt as possible before gnawing on the slightly nutty flavored plant. While not protein, he hoped it would stabilize his blood sugar and blood pressure.

Dean hiked a further twenty minutes before he found a place for shelter; in fact he almost missed it. Several bushes had grown up around a tree fallen from age or the weight of its branches. Underneath the trunk was a perfect leafy cave. Gathering some additional branches, Dean slowly lowered himself to the ground and crawled into the burrow pulling the additional branches over the opening.

Once inside, he studied his new surroundings, gauging its protection abilities. Branches weren't very sturdy. But the darkest part of the night had to be in full swing, and he wasn't foolish enough to think the witches had given up their quest to take him. He needed protection. Slowly, he pulled the water ball from his pocket. It was his last defensive weapon. Sighing, he pinched the rubber ball to make a small hole and carefully dripped the water from the branches above him and in a circle around his body. Closing his eyes, he activated the silver.

A bright, bluish silver shell appeared around him. Staring, he knew he couldn't leave it like that. A beacon wasn't what he had in mind. Dean thought back to his Triad's hunt at Sinks Canyon State Park in Nevada so many years ago, when Daniel Wilmington had made the silver look like rock. He wondered if he could make this silver look like trees and leaves. Closing his eyes, he focused on changing the silver, picturing trees and branches in his mind. When he felt the shift, he opened his eyes and smiled. Around him was a perfect, dense camouflage of trees and branches. He could see out through the silver, but when he touched it, it provided a strong barrier around his hiding place. Sighing, he lay gently down on his good shoulder, tucked his arm under his head and fell immediately to sleep.

JT and Max were headed back to the retrieval site. The powder had indicated that four caves had something large living inside, and there was a fifth with a possible child. JT wasn't happy about leaving the area, but he knew it was the right move. They didn't have the resources to take on six witches, maybe more, or to rescue a child if there was one.

His legs were cramping and keeping his attention focused on the task at hand was becoming more difficult. It had been so much easier going in than coming back out. An irrational urge to throw caution to the wind and run pell-mell out of the containment area was stifled immediately. Instead, he placed his moccasined foot carefully on the dirt trail, making sure he didn't step on any leaves or twigs. He continued to study the sides of the trails, looking for anything that might indicate a witch was nearby.

Max knew JT was unhappy about leaving a possible child in the caves. But it was the right move, for now. They were definitely going back as soon as possible. But now the old game plan had changed. They couldn't just blow up the caves. If there was one child in the caves, there was a very good possibility there were more. So there were two options: one would be to rescue the children, then blow up the caves. A second plan would be to kill all the witches then rescue the kids. At that point there would be no need to blow up the caves.

Max swung around and walked backwards a couple feet, checking their flank. Turning back, he looked further up the trail past JT. He didn't know exactly how far they still had to go, but the tension caused by the meticulousness of their mission was taking a toll on their bodies. JT's rifle had begun to bob slightly, and he was finding it more difficult to focus on his footing. Reaching forward, he tapped on JT's shoulder.

JT turned around.

Max pointed made a downward motion. They needed to take a break.

JT looked around, then down at the trail. Pointing down, he looked back at Max. Here?

Max nodded. He held up five fingers. They would rest for five minutes.

JT's shoulders sagged slightly and he nodded. They probably had another thirty, forty minutes before they were out of the forest. Though it had to be after two and well into the darkest part of the night, they were exhausted. A rest was needed if they were to get out of the forest safely.

Carefully JT lowered himself silently to the ground. Max followed suit. He pointed to his chest and then made a circling motion and held up two fingers. He would watch for two minutes.

JT nodded, closed his eyes and let his shoulders relax. He took the precious minutes to rest, trusting Max to watch his back.

In far too short a time, Max tapped his knee. JT opened his eyes. Taking a minute to gather himself together, he nodded and held up two fingers. Then he looked into the darkness, watching for anything that might prove dangerous while Max rested.

After two minutes, JT taped Max's knee. He waited till his friend had opened his eyes and straightened his shoulders again before he made a whirling motion, fist closed and one finger pointing upward. Time to head out. Silently they climbed to their feet. After stretching a little, JT took point again and they continued down the trail.

Another twenty minutes of walking gingerly on the trail passed, and Max made another turn, checking out the path behind them. They hadn't had an encounter with any witches. While he was grateful, he also felt uneasy. These witches hadn't survived this long without being super cautious and very clever. Yes, he and JT had been incredibly careful to make no noise, and were wearing masking spell pouches, but was that enough to get them away completely undetected? He had hoped so, but had also been expecting opposition.

JT moved carefully. His body was flagging as well as his concentration. It was harder now to keep focused on the area while placing his feet on leafless ground. They were almost to the barrier, and he had to force himself not to run. Stopping, he took a breath and tried to loosen his shoulders.

Max walked up and stood beside to him, and though he shifted his shoulders, his eyes remained on the trees and darkness beyond the trail. After a moment, he pointed ahead.

JT looked, and smiled. Just around the next bend were the barrier and the car. Looking at Max, and nodded. Let's get going.

Together they set off, keeping their methodical pace until they rounded the corner and froze.

Just inside the barrier stood a figure.

Max jerked up his gun, but JT made a hold gesture. The figure wasn't tall enough to be one of the witches. Moving carefully, JT watched as the figure touched the barrier, running a hand over the wall. They were about thirty yards away, and the person was so absorbed in the wall that they hadn't turned around yet, maybe hadn't heard them.

JT slid the night vision goggles off his head and handed them and his rifle to Max.

Max shook his head.

JT insisted, and when Max tried to hand JT his gun, JT very slowly unzipped his jacket and lifted his shirt, reminding the other man he had his own gun.

Turning, JT walked slowly and carefully towards the barrier. When he was about twenty yards out, the figure let out a low moan. The sound was heart wrenching.

Max followed closely behind JT. What he really wanted to do was get on the other side of that entrapment as soon as possible. If this person caused a ruckus, the witches could be there in the blink of an eye. Turning, he walked a few backwards steps before facing front again.

JT was fifteen yards away now, and he stopped. "Hello."

The figure whirled around, head jerking as they looked for a place to escape.

JT held out his hands, palms out in a calming gesture. "JT," he pointed to himself, and took one more step forward.

The person sidled toward the woods.

JT stopped. He was close enough that he thought the person was a girl. "JT," he said again, pointing at his chest.

The girl cocked her head to the side. After a moment, she pointed behind her at the wall and smacked her palm on it. Looking at JT, confusion was clearly written on her face. After a moment, her head tilted again, and pointed to JT then the wall.

JT walked forward.

"JT," Max hissed.

But JT ignored him. When he was beside the girl, he put out a hand, and it went straight through the wall.

The girl frowned. Shaking her head like she just couldn't understand, she placed her hand against the immovable barrier. Frowning, she looked at JT.

JT watched her for a moment, then walked outside the barrier.

The girl started to follow, but ran into the wall. Frustrated, she hit her fist on the barrier.

JT walked back inside. The girl looked like she was going to cry. "I'm sorry."

Eyes brimming with tears, the girl took one more look into JT's eyes, then turned and darted away into the forest.

Max trotted up to JT and shoved him through the barrier and followed.

JT was still staring after the girl when Max said softly, "She's one of the children that were kidnapped."

Nodding, JT said, "Yeah, she was. But not anymore."

Sam and Ryker climbed the hill and reached the top where Caleb and James were waiting.

"What happened?" Sam asked the moment he was near Caleb.

"A witch," Caleb stated, self-loathing in his tone.

Sam's irritation with Caleb, usually on display if anything happened to Dean, died.

"We were fighting three witches," Caleb explained. "James had killed two …"

"One and a half," James interrupted.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "A couple of witches, and Dean had taken out the third with the silver. Suddenly, a fourth jumps out from behind a tree…"

"What?" Sam interrupted. "Dean killed a witch with the silver?"

"Sam," Caleb ground out. "Can you focus here? A fourth witch darts out from behind a tree, grabs Dean and disappears!"

"Where are we in locating him? Is he still held captive?" Sam demanded, his irritation rising to match Caleb's strident tone.

Caleb held on to his temper. "No, I'm sure he escaped."

"How do you know that?" Sam demanded.

Giving Sam an exasperated look, Caleb said, "It's Dean."

Sam rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"I don't know where he is," Caleb stated. "I couldn't risk a psychic connection if the witches were listening in." Leaning forward, he added in a low tone, "And I couldn't risk Jimmy."

Sam let go of his irritation. They were tired and short tempered, and missing Dean.

"If I needed a way out of the forest, I would go there," Ryker said, pointing to the ridge. "It's closest path to the road."

"No," said Caleb and Sam simultaneously.

"JT and Max are there scouting the caves," Sam explained.

"Dean would never go where he might put them in danger," Caleb added. He pointed to the lights of White Swan in the distance. "He'd go there."

James, Ryker and Sam all stared.

"That's a really long way," James said softly.

"There's nowhere else," Ryker stated. "Over there is just darkness, probably a long stretch of forest," he pointed to the left, "and on the right are the mountains. It's the only way left."

"Then let's go get dad," James stated.

Sam looked at Caleb. "It's after two in the morning."

Caleb nodded, his eyes sweeping the area.

Sam watched Caleb for a minute before saying, "We need to give it a shot."

Caleb nodded resolutely. "Like South Dakota?"

"I got your back," Sam nodded. "Just like at Bobby's."

Caleb nodded and closed his eyes, opening his senses. There was so much noise and chaos, but he peeled away the layers one by one until he reached the bright light that was Dean. He was resting, asleep. There was a lot of pain, but it was dulled. He was about a two-hour hike away. Pulling back, he looked at Sam and smiled. "We good?"

Sam nodded. "I didn't feel any attempt to intercept and interfere. No ease droppers."

"We need to be careful anyway. Let's go."

"Wait," James said, snagging the sleeve of Caleb's jacket. "You know where dad is?"

"Of course," Caleb and Sam said together.

"You've been around each other far too long," mumbled Ryker.

Caleb clapped the younger man on the back and walked past him, moving down the hill. "Just wait till you guys have hunted together for forty-plus years."

Sam chuckled and followed Caleb.

James looked at Ryker with narrowed eyes. "We're going to be like that?"

"Only if we don't take great care," Ryker stated, and took off after the other two.

Samuel tucked his sniper rifle back into the SUV and climbed slowly inside. JT and Max were outside the containment and safe. It had been very difficult to keep an eye on the pair while they were searching for the caves. The illumination on their jackets hadn't been quite as effective as he'd hoped. Several times he'd lost them, and it was only through his knowledge of the forest that he'd been able to find them again. These had been the longest four hours of his life.

Turning the key, the vehicle rumbled to life. He put it in gear and set off for the ranger station where he would pick up the two young men. Shoulders slumped, he fiddled with the knob on the heater. He was more tired than he'd been in decades. How these men worked this hard was a mystery.

As he'd followed the two young men on their sojourn back to the barrier, he hadn't noticed the small figure by the entrapment wall until JT stopped. When he handed his goggles and rifle off to Max, Samuel had been surprised. He swept the area through his scope, and that's when he saw the person at the wall. That they couldn't get out was obvious. He adjusted the focus on his scope and pulled the person in closer. While he couldn't tell if it was a male or female, he could tell the person was young. Their impatience with the barrier was obvious when they smacked it with their open palm. With growing sadness he watched JT's gentle interaction with the person, to their darting off back into the woods. He had a moment of worry that the young man would go after them, but Max pushed JT through the barrier.

Coasting up beside the ranger station, Samuel put the SUV in idle and waited for both young men to come and climb inside.

"Success?" Samuel asked, as he put the car back in gear and drove off.

"Yeah," Max answered, staring out the window.

Samuel spared a sidelong glance at JT before checking Max in the backseat. "How many caves?"

"Four," JT murmured.

"Four?"

JT merely nodded.

Silence followed until Samuel decided to tackle the elephant in the vehicle. "Who was the person at the wall?"

JT didn't answer, so Max said, "A girl; fourteen, maybe fifteen. Was probably kidnapped ten or eleven years ago, as four or five seems the standard age the witches are interested in." Looking at the back of JT's head, he continued, "She couldn't get out of the barrier and didn't understand why."

Samuel nodded.

No one said anything as Samuel turned onto a wider dirt road and headed to where the remainder of the team entered the forest. "When the witches are dead, I hope we can help every one of those kidnapped children; any who remain."

JT looked over and nodded. "All that remain."

Caleb and Sam were scouring the underbrush, looking for Dean. James and Ryker were scouting ahead, searching for burrows, excavations, hollow trees, anywhere Dean might have gone.

"You said he was here," Sam accused, shoving aside branches near a large Douglas Fir.

"He is," Caleb insisted, irritation vibrant in his tone. Finally, he stopped searching and stood, hands on his hips.

Sam looked over his shoulder at Caleb, the signed. "I'm sorry."

Caleb shook his head. "Don't sweat it, Runt. We're all worried." He looked around the narrow clearing. They were well into the darkest time of night when the witches were at their most powerful. He'd kept his psychic connection with Dean very limited because he knew the witches wanted him, and he didn't want their connection to lead them to him. But Dean was right around here somewhere, and they needed to find him so they could get the hell out of the woods. "Time to kick it in high gear. You up to watching my psychic ass again?"

Nodding, Sam said, "Let's do it so we can get out of here."

James and Ryker walked up just then. Ryker said, "We don't see him anywhere in the area."

"Got it covered," Caleb said. Looking at Sam, he said, "Ready? Then let's do this." Caleb closed his eyes, lowered his blocks and focused on Dean. Vaguely he was aware of something trying to intercept him, but he continued his focus until he saw a large fallen tree with a large bush growing over the tree in a burrow-like shape. Inside he could see Dean, his face very pale and his eyes closed. He felt a touch on his shoulder, but before he pulled away, he looked around for any defining landmarks and saw a cluster of green tubelette stems with a yellow flower: evening primroses. He pulled back and opened his eyes.

James was standing near Sam, who was bent over panting, his hands on his knees.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked urgently.

Sam nodded. After a moment, he said, "They were trying to get inside your head. I deflected them, but they have a general idea of where we are. I hope you found Dean."

Caleb nodded. "He's right here under the fallen tree." He pointed. "See? I saw those evening primroses." Moving closer, he walked around the tree, pushing at bushes and moving leaves.

Ryker, James and Sam joined in.

Sam pushed aside bush after bush and didn't see Dean. "You sure it was here?"

"Of course I'm sure," Caleb stated. "He's right here!"

"I don't see anyone," Ryker said, coming from the far side of the fallen tree, several branches in his arms, which he tossed away.

"Where is he?" James asked. "Dad! Dad!"

"Sound like a buncha elephants."

"Dean?" Sam cried, pushing away brushes and trying to get under the tree.

"I'm here." Suddenly a thick cluster of branches turned to water and dropped away, revealing Dean behind.

No one moved, they were so stunned by the revelation.

"Someone gonna help me up?" Dean grunted, waving a hand out at the group of people all staring at him.

Ryker and James hurried over and began pulling Dean out of the hole in which he'd wedged himself. When they'd gotten him out, it took both of them to help get him upright.

"There's my walking stick," Dean said, pointing to a long, knobby stick lying nearby.

Ryker scooped it up and handed it over.

Leaning on the stick, Dean finally looked over at Sam and Caleb. "You two plan on just standing there while I was under the tree?" he griped.

"I found you," Caleb stated, his tone mild.

"Yeah, I watched his ass," Sam said.

Dean's brows rose.

"Psychic ass," Sam clarified, then exclaimed, "You made branches and leaves out of silver?"

Dean grinned. "If Daniel Wilmington can do it…"

Caleb laughed and shook his head. "Neat trick. I want to hear all about it, but now we need to get out of here. The witches have an idea of where we are. Did you kill the one that took you?"

Dean grimaced. "Bitch got away."

"Then we need to move, double time," Caleb stated. He moved closer to Dean, grabbed the stick and chucked it, then pulled Dean's arm across his shoulders. "Let's go."

.

TBC

Author's Notes:

Thank you all again – Shazzaz19, Lobita, Kiratt, and all guests - for your wonderful comments, and thank you impala1979; as another big fan of Ridley's Brotherhood AU, hearing that this tale is doing her world justice was a great compliment. This sleigh ride is in full swing! Hang on, readers!