Disclaimer: Don't own anything except original characters. All material (c) to respective owners. I write these for fun and make no profit. They're just random plot bunnies that live within my strange mind.
Sorry for the delay my internet has been acting up. Thank you for your patience and thank all of you for reading my works, I appreciate it.
Chapter 7: Friend or Foe?
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Ichabod turned to the distressed sound of Sabina's voice and noticed to his surprise Willy come flying by and landing hard before his feet. "Sabina!" he saw Willy shake off the pain and instantly jerk to his feet. Sands and Jack were too busy dealing with the chaos around them to lend a hand to the others and both started to slash their way through the crowd around them.
"What was that?" Willy winced both of them starting toward the massive black cloaked figure heading for Sabina.
Seth was in front of the pair instantly. "Something you don't want to mess with." Ichabod glowered at Seth walking around him rapidly and heard Willy's cane connect with a clattering sound. "He's the head…
Seth saw that it was useless and dodged through the crowd, he should have known better then to get involved after hearing that evil laughter in his club. He ran at the larger demon seeing his red eyes glow brightly in irritation shoving him aside from the car and to both their shock into a hidden vortex.
"Seth?" Sabina felt strong arms lift her from the car and turned wrapping her arms around Willy, she was glad one of them had gotten to her. "What the hell was that?"
Ichabod caught Seth by the jacket and glowered at him. "Seth…what did you do?" he shrugged still staring at the space where there once was a black vortex.
"He's the head demon…you wouldn't listen so I did something." Seth noticed the smoldering glare aimed from Ichabod and Willy and wondered what they could do to a dead pile of bones. "He has a way to travel…I…well as you guessed am usually out for myself. I felt off with this one and come to help."
"He's telling the truth…this time." Sabina managed to turn herself in Willy's arm enough to see Seth almost melt in relief. "You're still getting sent to a dog kennel." He winced at the venom in her voice.
"The question is how did he slip into a vortex?" Willy released her seeing she was still shaky but was better off; the others were still busy with the chaos going on behind them.
Willy, Ichabod and Seth went flying without warning and Sabina turned in time to see two large hands wrap around her from behind within a hidden vortex. Inside the Vortex was a thick patch of woods that resembled those just past the cemetery they had first landed in the monster world into.
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"Owy." Willy managed seeing Ichabod struggle to get up with him and both saw those large hands yank a screaming in fury Sabina into the portal. "LICORICE WHIP!" he growled startling those around him and noticing the offending demons were in rapid retreat.
The others were still in one piece but were a little ruffled after the attack. Jack and Sands both had seen what had happened, but couldn't get free fast enough from their mass of chaos, which currently was a sliced mass behind them. Seth finally managed to rattle to his feet and yelled being lifted from behind by Sands who looked ready to rip him from bone to bone and feed him to the werewolves for chew toys.
"Where is that place bones?" Jack was next to confront the current out for himself pile of bones. "I warn ye mate…he isn't one to push." Willy turned seeing Seth was being handled rather dangerously by the others and offered a sadistic smirk, this made Ichabod raise a brow in worry but he was too angry to care at the moment what he had up his sleeve.
"Petrified Woods…nasty place of werewolves and such, a couple other menaces but no one has been there in years, not since some strange rider took to living there." Seth noticed Ichabod's eyes narrow almost dangerously. "I tried to help…I didn't know I was helping him."
"I'm not so sure of that Seth." Ichabod saw the others weren't exactly on Seth's side, but what Stefan had told them still remained in his thoughts. "We need to go…leave him." The group gathered in the car and noticed Ichabod was busily dealing with another form of transportation with Willy.
Willy eyed Ichabod like he had grown another appendage. "You hate horses." Ichabod shrugged ignoring Willy as he attempted to mount a brown horse. "She's gotten to you." He climb on his own chestnut horse and for once was silent watching Ichabod take off in the direction of the woods outside the cemetery.
Willy followed without a qualm, the others would catch up and split up to do a search for Sabina and they had to hurry from what he guessed.
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Sabina found herself dropped rather ungracefully inside of what she assumed was an oversized traveling wagon. "Ow!" she rubbed her elbow staring up at the cloaked figure that seemed to almost float around the wagon. Inside was a colorful spasm of silks, linens, potion bottles, various books and other trinkets. The thing that caught her interest was the black band around his finger that seemed to stop glowing a dull red once the vortex they entered from closed.
Sabina noticed that the figure refused to de-cloak and glowered at him. "That wasn't polite…what happened to my friends?" she ignored the nagging fear edging around her and stood. "Who are you?"
The figures red eyes met hers, but he was still cloaked in shadow. "Too many questions." She was startled when one of the large hands grabbed her arm and forcibly walked her to the back of the wagon. "Your friends are fine…the traitorous monsters won't be." His voice was surprisingly light almost haunting, he then shoved her rudely into a room and locked the door.
"He has about as much chivalry as a caveman." She glared at the shut door and glanced around her current prison. The room was one large wooden room with a single cot in the middle, several linens and such, nothing more, just overly plain. She noticed a rather large window and walked over staring out of it. "Not too bright of a demon." She glanced out the window seeing it wasn't overly far to the ground and then she noticed the large lock on the latch. "Then again." She rolled her eyes glancing around the room and smiled slightly hearing a board creak off to the side. She managed to lift out one of the many nails from the rotted floor and proceeded to mess with the lock, if she was lucky she might get the window open.
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Ichabod stopped outside the woods and glowered irritably at the few werewolves pacing in the distance, he slid down from the horse seeing Willy was by far just as annoyed.
"He wasn't kidding about the werewolves." Willy landed gracefully beside Ichabod and frowned walking to the edge of the woods jumping back when one attempted to snack on him. "I wonder about the mysterious rider?" Ichabod had a determined look on his face and reached at his side producing his pistol and one he had apparently taken from Sands. "You aren't going in there with those, you won't make it back out."
Ichabod regarded Willy with a dark look he hadn't seen before. "Willy…if you don't have anything useful to say…just stay here and let the others know where I went." Willy's violet gaze narrowed at the threatening tone in his voice.
"You aren't going in there." Willy lifted his cane blocking Ichabod's entrance. "We're outnumbered and this rider person has monsters up in arms, this is going to take some careful planning." Both glanced up at the sound of a horse somewhere nearby, which hadn't been either of theirs.
Ichabod paled significantly at the familiar sound and allowed his eyes to land on none other then the headless horseman, currently with his head attached. "I-I…don't believe it." Willy's eyes widened already guessing by Ichabod's stories from his world and how he originally met Katrina. "The Hessian and Daredevil came here after their return to the tree of death." Willy was sure he was going to faint on the spot.
"I thought…"Willy stopped seeing the horseman maneuver the horse at the edge of the woods and land on the ground, his boots making an odd clank sound. "He's coming over here." His voice was higher then usual and he stepped back near Ichabod.
Ichabod heard their horses flee in fright and offered a brief glance in their direction before taking note the horseman's sword wasn't drawn and taking a deep breath of relief. Willy noticed how oddly calm Ichabod was and wondered what had gotten into him. Then the horseman offered a very chilly grin handing over an odd old torn piece of parchment.
"Willy…you're better at foreign languages." Willy took the parchment and cleared his throat for the moment the horseman wasn't threatening them. "Apparently the witch wasn't granted such a reprieve."
"Ichabod…this is a note for you, apparently your old friend knew you would come this way eventually." Ichabod glanced over at Willy puzzled by the reference. "It says he understands what happened back in Sleepy Hollow…he's also stating that Daredevil is the only animal permitted in the woods by the werewolves and those in his presence are safe. He's offering Daredevil to you, so you can go find Sabina." Willy rolled up the parchment handing it to a more or less shocked Ichabod. "Apparently he joined the rebellion and forgot to send his notice?"
"Not amusing Willy." Ichabod narrowed his gaze at his quirky partner. "Sometimes I wonder why I get along with you." He walked cautiously to the demon horse and mounted easily enough without a problem; it was a much different experience then his last time.
Willy smirked amused he was getting to him again. "Because you find trying to figure me out an interesting event to boring activities." He glanced up at the amused look on Ichabod's face. "Rescue the pest…I think I miss her, unfortunately." He wrinkled his nose in an aggravated fashion.
Ichabod nodded a look of determination on his face before Daredevil and he took off into the woods. "I shouldn't have let him go alone, but I had no choice." He stood there tapping his cane irritably, no matter what would happen the superiors would definitely get an ear full after this mission, they waited too long.
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Sabina was relieved when the lock finally broke loose and she carefully placed it aside. She opened the large window and glanced down from the wagon, she misjudged the height but it was a small hop to freedom. She glanced out across the woods and seen a few werewolves coming in toward the wagon, she didn't have a chance at getting free with all of them lurking.
"Shit." She sat on the edge of the window and stared across the woods. "Right now a knight would be great…I still have no idea why that demon…" she saw something moving rapidly through the woods and studied the area carefully. To her surprise a black horse halted up near the wagon and even surprising still Ichabod jumped to the grass below. "Ichabod?" she then promptly fell from the window due to her surprise and landed with a soft grunt.
Ichabod heard the sound and turned hearing his name, Sabina was standing below an open window brushing herself off and staring in wonder as the werewolves cleared the way for the strange horse pawing the grass near Ichabod. Without really thinking about it she run full tilt wrapping her arms around his neck smiling when he returned the gesture swinging her in a half circle to prevent them from both falling.
She felt her feet once again on the ground and glanced at the dark horse. "Is that Daredevil?" Ichabod nodded knowing an explanation was in order, a quick one at most.
"Apparently the Hessian got a reprieve to come live here, the witch wasn't so lucky from what I gathered." Sabina nodded staring back at the large wagon she had escaped from. "What's wrong?"
"Something about a ring he has…I think it's how the monsters are traveling so easily." She winced hearing a deep growl from the wagon.
Without thinking about it Ichabod was on Daredevil lifting her behind him, she wrapped her arms tightly around him and they were off through the woods. Werewolves literally dove from their path yipping, apparently Daredevil and the horseman weren't the only things they feared. She glanced behind them seeing the figure was rapidly keeping pace with them and noticed an almost pale blue glow emanating from his wrist, something silver caught her eyes and she reached out startling the demon with the gesture. She yanked feeling a silver chain snap into her hands and held onto it for dear life. The roar that followed the action forced Daredevil onward even faster which forced Sabina to cling tighter to Ichabod then she had before. "I think I am infatuated with Ichabod, Willy seemed to know before I did." She knew that the demon was still after them but luckily Daredevil had finally gotten ahead.
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Willy turned in time to see Stefan's car parked down the road from the woods, he saw the group all climb out and charge his way. Jack and Sands were the first to arrive both freezing at the sight of the Hessian holding his sword at the ready. Sands took careful aim with his gun and Jack pulled out his sword ready for a fight from the mysterious monster.
Willy realized the problem and rose a hand to halt their attack. "This is the Headless Horseman Ichabod had to deal with." Sands and Jack both eyed Willy with raised brows. "He apparently came to a conclusion Ichabod wasn't the bad guy, he's the rider of the woods." The others lowered their weapons; the monsters had just managed to catch his explanation of the newest addition upon catching up.
"Wait a minute mate…where's his bloody horse?" Jack shot Willy a confused look, Sands was about to say something but shrugged figuring Jack could handle things for the moment.
"The Hessian let Ichabod barrow Daredevil to go rescue Sabina…apparently the werewolves are afraid of them both." Willy tapped his cane in an agitated fashion, Ichabod was taking far too long and he was starting to get very worried about the situation. "I shouldn't have let him go in alone." He was currently pacing and tapping or twirling his cane.
Sands glanced up watching the Hessian turn in a rapid fashion catching a werewolf in mid-air lopping of his head. "Willy…"
"Sands I'm not in the…Gobstoppers!" Willy ducked a werewolf watching Sands send a bullet directly in the heart and watching the beast dissolve rapidly. "Silver bullets?" Sands smirked seeing the others eyeing the woods carefully.
"In our world they are werewolves so long that they no longer return to their flesh form. These lost all consideration and humanity long ago and were banished. They aren't like Stefan." Consuela flew into the air watching Midori take a breath and watched flames leave her mouth taking out two more of the creatures.
Willy and the others heard rapid hoof beats in the distance and realized something had not only stirred up the forest, but judging by the sounds of Daredevil in the distance something was very wrong.