This chapter is dedicated to Riddicks-gurl1988- your feedback influenced this a lot.


It was dusk, three days later when Nicola arrived at the temple with the children. Aiden stayed close to his mother, confused by the temple and the cemetery. He'd been fairly young when Jack took care of the dreams, so he'd never articulated the pain and fear associated with Shirah's visits. Everyone in the household had been so serious and grim the last few days, he didn't know what to think or how to ask. So he took his cue from Jack and was quiet.

He was happy to see Akiko again. She was pretty, and it was nice that he wasn't the only one under 4 feet tall. Despite Nicola's explanation that she was not there to play with him, he felt a kinship to the girl, if only that they were both having to hang around grown-ups and do serious things.

This was also his first introduction to Eldar and the Fire Elemental had the same calming effect on Aiden as he did on the other members of the Riddick family. Eldar explained that the boy would probably be the only one not actively involved in the ceremony this evening, but it was good that he was there to witness and learn. Eldar also made a point to to include Aiden in the set-up of the outdoor circle and explained things in terms even the young boy could understand.

"We moved the circle here because it needs to be on the borderline between the cemetery and the temple grounds, half in our yard, half in hers. We're calling her into our yard, Aiden, and this is to be our gate." Aiden nodded, though he didn't completely get it. Eldar smiled as he took the alter cloth the boy had carried from the temple for him.

"The circle is a boundary, like in games. We have to stay in it to be safe. You can't cross the line until we're done, do you understand?" Aiden nodded. That he got. There were lots of games like that, you had to stay on your side or you were out. He watched the Elemental explain specific things to his mother and sister, something involving knives.

Riddick had given him his first knife almost a year ago, for his fifth birthday. He didn't use it for much. Mom said he couldn't go out hunting until he was six, but he'd watched Dad skin animals and had been allowed to help cut up hides. He'd also gone out with Jack into the woods some afternoons, when she wanted to practice her throwing technique. It was usually after school, when she was mad about something. They wouldn't go straight home, she'd veer off the road and go out to the big hardwood chulich tree at the edge of a clearing and just swear and throw knives at it for a few minutes. It was kinda their secret. He liked to watch the silver spin and hear the thwack of the blades embedding in the wood. It made the tree bleed a little and it smelled wonderful. It calmed her down, made her less snappish and less likely to take it out on him. And he was all for that.

Aiden was pulled out of his contemplation by the appearance of a familiar black form bounding down the cemetery hill. "Puppy!" He yelled as the big cat came galloping up and bowled him over. Puppy must have been having fun with Daddy, cuz he only tackled Aiden when he was all wound up like this. He wrestled with the cat, grabbing fistfuls of his neck, trying to pin him down. Nicola looked vaguely embarrassed, but it seemed the Elementals were mostly unperturbed by this performance. Well, Aereon and Eldar merely exchanged a look, Akiko looked intrigued.

"Aiden! What did I say about behaving? Get out of the dirt!" Nicola separated him from Puppy and hoisted him to his feet.

"Sorry, Mom. He started it." He brushed dirt off his pants while ducking Nicola's attempt to clean his hair. He caught Akiko's stare and smiled. "You wanna meet Puppy?" The little girl blinked, and appeared conflicted. She looked up at Aereon.

"Go ahead child. The opportunity to commune with wild creatures is a rare, but they are loyal to the family here. " The Air Elemental smoothed her hair. Aiden made a face, Aereon was weird. It was just Puppy. Sure, he wasn't supposed to talk about the cat at school, but everyone here had seen Puppy now. He hugged the cat and pushed his butt down as the little girl approached.

"He won't bite unless we're playing." Aiden said confidently as Akiko reached her hand out for the cat to sniff. Puppy huffed and started his noisy purr, but it startled the girl. Suddenly her entire arm swirled away in all directions in a cloud of silver mist.

"S'ok. He's just purring. He likes you." Aiden put his arm over the cat and hugged him as he scratched him under the chin. Puppy watched the girl, flicking his tail expectantly. "You should pet his ears, he likes that." Akiko cocked her head, her arm swirling back to its original shape. She came forward again.

"You call him Puppy, but he's a feline, yes?" She ran her fingers over the black fur tentatively.

"Yeah, he plays like a dog. We played fetch when I first met him. I was little and I called him a puppy. So that's his name." Aiden watched her warm to his pet, smiling proudly. "He followed Dad around for a while and then came to live with us. He's a blue-devil cat."

"Your father..." she echoed. Or so Aiden thought, till he looked up and saw Riddick walking down the hill toward them. His figure was distorted by a large bulk he was shouldering. It was hard to make out what he was carrying in the fading light. It almost looked like another person... until the antlers became clear.

"Mommy, why is Dad bringing a deer down here?" Aiden was very confused.

"I asked him to furnish one, child. We need it for the spell," Eldar came up behind the children to watch Riddick's arrival. It was a doe, a big one, tied hoof and head, and, most strange to Aiden and Jack, not dead. Out cold, but still breathing. That was a first.

"Where you want it, priest?" Riddick was nonchalant about the giant bulk he wore like an oversized boa. Eldar pointed to the edge of the marked circle, nearest the graves. Akiko sighed, turning away, moving to go back beside Aereon. Aiden looked up at his sister, confused.

"She knows we're gonna kill it," Jack supplied, reading her brother's look. She crossed her arms. "Probably never seen something bled out." Aiden watched the sad look on the little girl's face, trying to understand. He'd seen lots of animals killed; Dad was teaching him how to dress deer after all. But he knew girls were weird about killing things sometimes. Even bugs. Not Jack, but girls at school. He wondered if Akiko would cry at the sight of blood. He watched his father dump the Terusk doe where Eldar had indicated and then stride over to join the grown-ups gathered by the stone alter that had been set up in the middle of the circle.

Eldar was unrolling the velvet casing of the Elemental knives as Riddick approached. The priest had explained to Nicola and Jack their part in the ritual, but now he needed to explain Riddick's part. Even with the calming influence of his mate so close, it was obvious Riddick was on edge, and still feeling amped from the hunt. Eldar knew bringing down the big deer alive was a task that went against Riddick's instincts. The animal side of Amadak's Furyan nature was probably still unsatisfied and the necessary bloodletting from the women in his family would test his heightened senses further. Still, he waited for Riddick's disapproving growl as he called Jack over and handed her the Fire knife before speaking.

"You wonder why it is her, no? Not yourself or me?" He smiled as he handed Nicola the Water blade. "It is two-fold, liege. For my part, I must control the circle and cast the spell. For yours, it is both an issue of control and gender. Aereon and I agree that it is best not to tie your blood to this spell, things may... happen. Your daughter has had direct contact with Shirah and what she and your mate lack in Elemental power, they make up for in gender. There is power in drawing all the blood from the distaff gender, since like calls to like. That is why I asked you to bring a doe, this will also strengthen the feminine draw. " Riddick fixed him with an impassive look as he took the Earth knife from the older man.

"I will direct you when to use that, just please keep the blood within the circle," Eldar continued as he handed the Aether and Air blades to the Elementals. "Once I begin, no one must leave the circle if we wish to successfully control the outcome." Nicola called Aiden over to her, making sure he was paying attention.

"Stay behind me darling and please be quiet." Aiden looked around the group and pouted.

"How come everyone gets a knife but me? Even Akiko gets a knife." He pointed at the little girl who was holding the ornate blade carefully in two hands. "I wanna help." Riddick grinned at his son, as far as he was concerned, it was a fair question. Nicola had probably made him leave his own blade at home, she was still not crazy about Riddick giving the kids knives. He let Nicola struggle for an appropriate answer then unstrapped the sheath over his arm and tossed it to Aiden.

"There. Hold that for me. Never hurts to be prepared." Aiden beamed at his father. Dad knew he could handle it. Nicola rolled her eyes and gave Riddick a look, but this was hardly the time to argue. Eldar watched the exchange without comment and as the sun finally slipped behind the horizon, began lighting the candles on the alter. Riddick moved to his place at the edge of the circle next to the comatose deer and the women arranged themselves around the small alter, two on either side. Aiden sat down quietly behind his mother, holding his father's blade to his chest.

Eldar watched that everyone was settled and alert. He picked up the bowl of herbs and set it to one side of the silver chalice that sat in the center of the alter. He ran his hand through another bowl, this filled with incense and more dried herbs. He let his fingers flame it to life and set about casting the circle.

The large ring flared to life as he closed the circle with his mind and set about the invocation of the spell. Simple magic, old magic, warding them from outside influence and calling out to the Elemental realm for guidance and control. He felt the currents of power, the elements, stir to life, awakened by his call. He motioned each of the women forward in turn, each to cut her palm and bleed into the chalice. He then took the knife from each, called each element as he heated the blade to let the bloodied steel smoke away the staining liquid, as symbolic focus and sacrifice to bind the gathering force to his will. Air, Aether, Fire, Water... all placated and content. He could feel the negative hiss of wild power still unnamed. The final point of the star... it was waiting to be acknowledged...

Eldar raised the chalice, chanting in a language older than human life on the planet. The words didn't matter, it was intent, will, and while the raised energy was lopsided, lurching sideways like a cart with one broken wheel... he began the spell. Poured the gathered blood over the herb bowl and willed the fire to consume it. The light flared blue a moment, then red, white, silver... smoke swirled up in strange patterns and suddenly the direction of the flames reversed. The light in the bowl turned green, hissing madly as it sucked the smoke back down from the sky. Eldar raised his eyes to Riddick, who slit the deer's throat in a smooth, practiced motion. The beast made no noise, only shuttered, half bucked as Riddick dropped its head.

Something shadowy seemed to flit between the alter and the creature, and Eldar, still chanting, brought the bowl to the deer and sifted the green stuff over the dying animal. It separated into small sparking green stars, drifting like fairies seeking something along the prone body before settling and fizzing out. The beast convulsed once more and was still.

For a moment no one moved. Then the corpse's lungs expanded in a breath and it shivered. The expanding pool of blood on the black ground suddenly reversed direction, seemingly sucked back into the body. Jack gasped, it was creepy. They watched as the wound disappeared and then the body seemed to fold in on itself, going black as the sand and denigrating.

A wind hissed down the hill from the cemetery, but did not touch them inside the circle. A murmur came up from the ground, first almost indistinguishable from the wind, then growing into the angry moans and snarls of many voices. The temperature around them dropped drastically, enough that they could see their breath. The darkened mass where the deer had been shifted, spitting green sparks up from the ground.

"She is coming," Akiko said softly, almost lost under the growing din. Eldar looked at her and nodded, standing his ground next to Riddick. The light was reforming itself into a familiar outline, drawing from the ground the detritus of the animal to reform the body of the woman they all knew.

She was breathing harshly and growling as the lights receded to reveal her naked, dirty form. She stared banefully at the people watching her, gripping the dirt as she writhed through the final coalescence. Sweat trickled down her face as her angry eyes settled on Eldar.

"Priest...master, didn't think you'd dare..." her voice was ragged and mocking. She pushed herself to hands and knees, still obviously weak. She flipped ratted hair out of her eyes. "Violates your creed, doesn't it? Upsets the balance."

Eldar stared down at her, keeping his face blank. "We seek only to restore the equilibrium you yourself upset. You have upset the balance between the living and the dead, using the past to force the future, and taking that which is not yours." Shirah bared her teeth at the man, snarling her displeasure. She moved to a crouch and lifted her dirty hands, studying them with narrowed eyes. A mean smile curved her lips.

"Yet to give me this. It's better than that child." She swung her head around at Riddick's low growl. Her dark eyes glittered and she laughed mockingly.

"Something to say, play king? You can't even touch me now, while we are here." she lifted a handful of dirt and threw it at his feet. "Did your advisor tell you that? I'm bound by blood to your daughter and mate in this circle. Any injury you visit on me falls equally to them." Riddick stiffened, jaw twitching as he turned to Eldar for confirmation. That was when she launched herself at him.

She'd feigned the weakness, but even Furyan, she knew she was no match for Riddick. His right arm came up reflexively to block her attack, but that was exactly what she wanted, sinking teeth deep into his forearm. He flung her back to the ground, the Elemental knife coming round and stopped. He couldn't move. Shirah touched her bloodied lips.

"Adamak," she whispered his name again, loud enough to be heard this time. "I bind you, by your blood and by your name." She laughed again and sucked the blood off her fingers. She rose smoothly, turning a bitter smile on the others. "Thought I was without power, did you? Draw me back from Earth and leave me helpless? Hardly." She strolled haughtily over to the women at the alter.

Nicola tried to move, pick up something to hit the bitch with, but she was frozen in place. Shirah studied her from across the alter and snorted dismissively. "You can't touch me, any of you." She leaned over to Jack, touching her nose. Jack's eyes had a killing look. "You're bound to do no harm. Keep thinking you want to kill me, child. It roots you to the spot." She reached up and took Aereon's scarf, draping it over her shoulders. Then she turned back to Eldar.

"Thought I'd forget basic teachings? Thought I didn't know what you were planning?" She walked a slow circle around the Fire Elemental. She glanced past him at Riddick, still frozen mid-strike. "Get up."

Riddick rose slowly, fighting her control. His muscles strained against her will and he managed an angry hiss. She stepped up to him, flipping her hair, eying him triumphantly. She lifted his arm where she had bit him, the wound already closing around her teeth marks. She purred to herself, lasciviously licking the dripping blood that was drying along his shaking forearm. "Alpha blood... nothing like it." She gazed deep into his blazing animal eyes, relishing the deadly hatred. She took the Earth blade still clutched in his other hand, still holding his stare.

"Oh please, yes, Amadak, hate me. Want me torn and bloodied, screaming in defeat. Gather the fury, hurt me." She ran a hand over his cheek, tracing the path of the sweat that was beading on his brow. She ran her hand down his neck, to the edge of his shirt, and suddenly her fingers flared with flames. "I was student to Fire, you know, in this realm." She traced a finger down the fabric, which smoked and separated at her touch. She pushed the ruined shirt away from his chest. The knife came up.

"He told you of the Call, no? Of it's purpose, the bloodlust?" Her voice was sensual, teasing. "Your blood awaking the animal in an army. All of them attuned to your command. How could you not want that? The power of an entire race, warriors all... your brothers and sisters." She slid the blade along his pectorals, shallow cuts, but the blood began to run. "You could be Hannibal, Caesar, Khan, Sigmarah, Abwal. Come now, Adamak... Riddick, what does your gut tell you?" She stabbed him in the stomach then, still shallow, but ripping. She flicked blood on the ground, eying him, as she muttered to herself. Invocation, inviting the spirits outside the circle to join her through the earth, heed their living leader's call. The power was gathering... but still not enough blood.

She turned back to Riddick, lifting his right arm, tilting his wrist towards her, opening the fingers of his hand. He was vibrating with rage now, she could see the purple electricity swirling along his nervous system. She met his eyes, nearly black now, his face flushed, veins bulging. Good. She smiled at him as she slit his wrist, no longer cautious, letting blood spray the ground. She lifted her right hand, gathering her power, focusing the purple energy in her palm, pressing it to the matching mark on his bloodied chest.

"Call them." She commanded. Riddick roared, dropping to his knees before her, his body erupting in a wave of energy that shot skyward. Jack screamed, clutching her chest and collapsed by the alter. Shirah whooped joyfully, feeding the connection through Riddick as the ground shook violently beneath them. Closing her eyes, Shirah knelt beside him, concentrating, digging into his mind...

Riddick couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't see. He felt like the inside of an engine, a fusion generator, a bomb. No control, no direction, he was only a conduit, and his body should have long ago disintegrated in pain. A million voices tore at his senses and then that soft familiar whisper, so falsely benign. "Come Home. Furya Calls." Same angel face, same false prophet. Demoness. Witch. If only he could...

Her hand fell away. Her eyes bugged out and her mouth worked wordlessly like a beached fish. She reached behind her, even as she fell sideways. Riddick had only a brief second of consciousness to register his son's vicious grin and the knife, his knife, protruding from Shirah's back as he collapsed beside her.


disclaimer: stole the ending idea from "Dexter in the Dark" by Jeff Lindsay. That's what's led me to slash Dex/Riddie. (coming soon)