FicWad

Chapter 25



Though unfamiliar with the surroundings, the seven were highly skilled woodsmen, and they knew how to move in unfamiliar territory. As they went, they blazed atrail, but in such a fashion as to where only they would know what to look for. Old Jim had one of the twins, while the chief had the other. Bear Fang, during the escape, put the twins asleep to keep them from crying, and giving away their location. With the chief were Yuriya, Victor, and Elda. Eldawas curious about what was happening. To her, it seemed like they were wandering aimlessly through the forest. She could not understand why they did not go to the temple, but took this approach. As they continued, they began to notice the terrain become steeper. The chief nodded to Old Jim, and he handed off the child to Bear Fang, as the chief said, "Okay, we rest here for amoment."

Yuriya, sat on a rock, knees drawn, bent over them as she wrapped her arms around her upper torso. She did not want to cry, because she knew that her husband would want her to be strong. However, the tears welling up betrayed her, and the chief then approached as Old Jim went his way. He whispered to her, "Why is your spirit so low, young blossom?"

"Jean-Claude," she said, "Everything he wanted is falling apart! The twins won't have afather; we'll have to be on the run again! I thought that was all over!"

She then began to cry openly, but did what she could to keep it secret. "I lost my father, then my mother, Uncle Glark raised me, but we were used by the Brownlicks to try to something horrible, and I never have had a true home. Jean-Claude swept me off my feet. He didn't care about any of that. He loved me...he loved ME! Now, I have nothing again but the twins, but what kind of life could I give them!"

"Fear not, young blossom," said the chief,"Bear Fang says that Jean-Claude has good medicine with him, and he still feels his life force. He is strong and well, and he has been in this before. He knows what to do. He has the strength of the bear, rides on the wings of eagles, the bat guides his senses, and the spirit of the rabbit keeps him cunning. He shall find us, and we can then put an end to this, even this evening!"

Yuriya was grateful for the gracious words, but she looked up with a bit of disbelief. "Has he ever faced anything like this?" she asked.

One of the other woodsmen said, "He's never faced a challenge this big, but we reared him up right. We put him into extremes and conditions worse than this when we trained him, so that he could face something like this. It may seem like we were harsh with him, but believe me; we mixed it in with love and praise. When we started with a 10-year-old boy, we made it like an adventure with him, so he did whatever he was asked. After a time, he took it all in stride, and as just another challenge to overcome. We knew that he could fix things."

"Fix what," said Elda.

"I only wish that we could have been there for your family when Karin awoke," said Bear Fang, "For there is knowledge that we could have dispensed. However, by the time the news reached us about the sterilization of the vampire, and that afount had been born, things were already progressing."

"James tried to tell us something from beyond the grave," said Elda, "but we didn't quite follow it. It did have something to do with Karin's relationship with Kenta."

"Elda, when you learned of that relationship, you should have done all you could to foster it," said Bear Fang.

"But vampires and humans were not supposed to mix then," said Elda, "and even though I've come to accept what is happening now, there is still a little voice in the back of my head that warns me not to get involved."

"That was past conditioning," said Bear Fang, "for Teresa does not want reconciliation between her so-called children, and their human cousins."

"Cousins!" said Eldaand Victor at the same time.

"The Great Spirit has done all He can to reunite the two species, for the lack of a better term," said Bear Fang, "and He has tried to send several founts to fix this."

"Now I am lost," said Yuriya, "How could she fix things? The vampires find her, they feed, fertilization, she dies, end of story."

"That was only one option," said Bear Fang,"However, the fount always was made human for one purpose, and always female. That was so she could court ahuman, have them declare their love officially, (which would have stopped her blood from increasing and permanently fertilized all the vampires,) have achild, birth a Golconda, and through her, unite us all."

"Are you saying that the coexistence was meant to happen?" asked Elda.

"That's it in a nutshell," said Bear Fang.

Eldalooked in shock. She began to mutter,"For all those centuries, we have been so blind!"

"Worry not," said the chief, "for none the conditions were right for it until now. Humans had some baggage to tend to first. Now, the world has shrunk considerably, humans have become more tolerant, and they have been reaching out, although they do not realize this. What put a snag in things was Jean-Claude. No, it was not that he was not supposed to be born, but the fact that there was another dhampir on the earth at the same time as a fount, there was greater potential for something big. Yuriya, the meeting and union between you and your husband was meant to be. Because Karin gave you her blood, she basically split between her and you the duty of birthing offspring that would be special. Your two children are like demigods to the vampires, though they could not yet conceive of what that means right now. This delayed things. It should have been over, but things came close. Sadly, because Karin did learn to use her abilities, she ended up in a situation, from what I am told, that forced her to dry up the fount. Fortunately, it seems the Great Spirit had a back up plan. Now, that fount sits in the temple, and she can do what Karin would have. Things are close, except now, Innocent will not have to fear if she falls in love with ahuman, for we now all know that this was foreordained. We actually must encourage it. It is possible that the child of Karin and Kenta could play in as well, because she still has her blood, which was once fount blood. That has not changed, except that now its potential is locked away until she gives birth. The children of the two girls, along with your twins, can bring the earth into a new era."

Eldacould not believe what she was hearing. Yuriya was looking at the twins in a new way, now knowing just how much more special they were. "So, you're saying that things were allowed to be delayed until her and Jean-Claude got together?"asked Elda.

"That's about the size of it," said Bear fang, "Thus, we did all we could to instill in him what he calls 'the dream.' He saw his own parents making it happen, and he knew there was potential for more. All he knew was that, if it ever happened again, that child would not have to undergo what he had. The best way to do that was to change the paradigm. He had no idea just how much he was to be involved."



Everyone sat silent, pondering the words, when a birdcall came down from above. Yuriya knew that was not a native call, so it had to be from her group. The chief went up, and a few minutes later, he came down with Old Jim. "I've got a rough map right here, and I have an idea where everyone is at."

He rolled it out and said, "Okay, we're here on this hill, and Jean-Claude is on the other side of this lake, and that sits right across from the temple, right here. Here is where the ambush took place; here is where the enemy is holed up, or what's left of 'em."

The chief looked it over, and said, "Here is what we do. Old Jim, get Jean-Claude, and cross the lake. It is not very big, so you should be able to swim it. We wait here for the enemy to move on the temple, and that is when you two move in. We will double back and attack from here. Bear fang, get Yuriya and the twins into the temple, in the most secure part. Head out now."

Yuriya did what she was told, and went with Bear Fang. They were able to move swiftly now that they had a better idea of the terrain. There was going to be a counterattack, and it would not look good for the foe. Eldathen asked as Old Jim made his way, "What about Teresa?"

"Leave that to Jean-Claude and the padre,"said Old Jim, "they got enough God about 'em to handle her!"



At the temple, Clarice and all the women were tending to the wounded. Fumio, Calera, and the mother of the Innocent sisters were seeing to their needs. Fumio even had enough sympathy on one poor vampire that she held him close and said, "You can if you need to. I will not fight."

She sat still as she waited. He could not believe that she would be so generous, and said, "I may have to take a lot from you to heal. You would be sick for a week!"

She stroked his hair and rocked him as if he were Kenta as a small child. Her mother love was showing through. She said, "If it was Kenta, and he needed a heart, I would gladly let them take mine out for him so that he could live."

All the adult vampires were taken aback by her sacrificial attitude and gesture. They knew that things were coming together, but they never thought ahuman would be so generous. If there were any doubts left about the dream, they were put to bed as they heard Fumio give a slight moan, and then heard the slurping of deep drinking. "Make yourself well. Put this to rest, and save my Kenta," she said, sounding quite content, and as she continued to rock him. After about eight minutes, he finally pulled out, looking as high as a kite. He then gently set her down, but she began to shiver, even though she was unconscious. Clarice and Calera quickly took her and laid her in a safe place, wrapping her in blankets and scrap cloth, making sure that she did not freeze to death from the lost blood. They hoped that she did not put herself at risk for brain damage. At that point, of the 200 fighters and 300 total in the party. There were only 200 left, and only 65 effective fighters amongst them. There was no sign of the friar, Jean-Claude, Karin, Kenta, or those that left with the seven. Things looked bleak. The Shinto added about another 20 fighters, but they were not sure if they were up to this challenge.



Then something interesting happened. As Bear Fang made his way to the temple via the ambush site, the twins were waking up. He was about to put them back to sleep, but Mickey saw the carnage, and said, "Did they awl get boo-boos?"

Yuriya said with a sad lilt to her voice,"Yes, baby, they all got boo-boos."

Mickey screwed up his face in thought, and then looked like he did not like what he saw. Shelia was looking the same way, and then they both put their hands out, saying, "Boo-boos go away!"

The bodies started to glow yellow, and then every vampire that was not to badly mangled started to gain his feet-about 45 in all. They all looked as good as new, though low on blood a bit, and they looked as if they were awaking from along, sound sleep. Bear Fang and Yuriya could not believe what they were seeing. Just how powerful were they? "Yes," said Bear Fang, "They have strong medicine indeed!"

They saw their friends that could not be raised, and they wanted to mourn. However, Bear Fang said, "Do not mourn, for their spirits are all around, and wishing to help you. Take them with you."

With that, he walked over to one of the fallen, cupped his hand into a pool of the blood, smeared it onto his forehead, and put some on the heads of the children. Taking the cue, Yuriya did the same, and then everyone followed suit. "Come then," said Bear Fang, "I shall bring the children and the squaw to safety, and then rejoin you. Camouflage yourselves, and prepare for a rear attack."

Soon, Bear Fang approached the temple, and there was great relief when they saw who approached. They were quickly ushered in, and Bear Fang asked where the safest part of the temple was. Once told, he then told the Shinto to put the woman and two children there with the rest of the noncombatants. Once done, Chiyuki saw him leaving, and she asked, "Where are you going?"

"We have friends in reserve," said Bear Fang, "This is not over yet! Prepare to take command here, and fight them off. Those twins are the objective, as is the fount of psyche. Protect both to the last!"



All this time, the remaining made their way, and both Anjou and Karin were still feeling a bit sick to their stomachs, but they were energized. Jean-Claude heard movement in the brush, and immediately drew. However, he stood down and laughed when he heard, "Dag nab it, boy! You're gonna hurt someone with that thing!"

"Old Jim!" he said, as they quickly hugged. Jim then said, "Look, I have amap here, and we're getting ready. They won't know what hit 'em!"

"Who," asked Jean-Claude, "Them or us?"

"Just be ready, boy," said Old Jim, "We're about to have a hoot nanny!"

"What's the plan?" asked Jean-Claude.

"Padre," asked Jim, "Can you swim? Can you handle cold water?"

"That's a 'yes' to both," said Tony.

"Kenta," said Old Jim, "Listen closely, and we're gonna tell ya what to do to keep from freezin' ta death."

He explained, and then told the girls,"You girls get outta here! It's gonna git ugly, and there ain't no place fer ya in this!"

Karin said, "Oh no, you're not leaving me out of this! Jean-Claude has been a good teacher!"

Anjousaid, "Let me go around this side of the lake, (as she pointed to the map,) and I'll have a surprise for you."

"A girl as young as you is gonna do somthin'?" said Old Jim, but Karin said,"You have no clue what she can do!"

At this, they entered the lake and started to make their way across, while Anjoustarted her trek. Karin and Kenta both inhaled deeply as their stomachs hit the water. "Remember what I taught ya," he said, "Keep moving, swim on your back, and keep pressing your hands together in front of your chest."

Old Jim figured that it would be this group to handle Teresa while the others handled the rest. He only hoped that it would be enough.



Meanwhile, Teresa began to assess the situation, and her bats were focused on the temple. There were still some rouge factors out there, but she figured that they were so small in number that they were not athreat, and so she took her focus off them. Then, she put all her focus on the temple when she saw the twins arrive. She knew that right then was the time to strike. She commanded the remaining 175 foot soldiers to attack. However, she then saw a vision of the lake, now that she was focused on the temple, and saw who was crossing. She was upset now, wondering how they got free of the quicksand. She looked at Mimoun, and said, "Take Ai and Ryuu to deal with them. They should be powerful enough to take care of business. The fount is with them, so take her alive," not realizing that she was no longer the fount. With that, everyone was on the move.



As they made their way across, Karin was faring well, but Kenta's teeth were chattering, and he was becoming tired. "Hang in there, Bubba," said Jean-Claude,"We're almost there."

"I th...th...think, m...m...m...my whole b..b..b..body is n...nu...n...nu...numb!" chattered Kenta.

"Stir up the g'hul blood in you," answered Jean-Claude, "Even if you are numb, you might be a bit slower, but you can function."

Not but 30 feet from shore, Tony snapped his head around, looked, then chucked his stave into some brush along the shore, and then he dove under the water. Everyone looked over, wondering what was going on. However, just as they stood on the shore, Ryuu and Ai showed up, along with two bokor. Yet, the two armed ones, (Karin and Jean-Claude,) quickly dispatched the bokor, but Ryuu and Ai were far too fast, and far too skilled. They grabbed away the swords, discarded them, and then pummeled Karin and Kenta. Old Jim tried to act, but he was quickly knocked aside. "What do you want with them," said Jean-Claude, "Isn't it me you want!"

The two looked at each other, and then laughed. "Save it, abomination!" said Ryuu, "You'll be tended to soon enough!"

"Ryuu, this is crazy!" said Jean-Claude,"I know you can't touch me, and you know why. Yet, leave them be. In the name of..."

"SILENCE!" screamed Ryuu, "You invoke that name, and I flee with them! You'll never see them again!"

"Ryuu, you are your own man, you..."Jean-Claude tried to reason, but Ryuu cut him off, and said, "DON"T CALL ME THAT! CALL ME CAIN!"

"It doesn't matter what I call you," said Jean-Claude, "You had a choice at that sacrifice, you had a choice after you killed your brother, and you've had achoice all this time! You don't have to listen to that monster!"

He continued to restrain Karin as he put one hand to his head and growled in pain, saying, "Argh! Get out of my head!"

"That's it, Ryuu, fight it," said Jean-Claude, "Part of your redemption is in your hands! You still have a chance!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Ryuu thundered, and went for Jean-Claude. A stave followed this up across his face, making him lose his grip on Karin, and knocking him down. Ai then loosed Kenta to go for the attacker, and she stopped dead in her tracks, letting out a scream that would shatter glass. Friar Antonio was standing there, holding up the cross on his rosary that went around his waist, having an angry look on his face. Ryuu also tried to react, but was likewise repulsed. However, the other vampires were unaffected. "I thought that didn't work," said Karin, "How is this happening."

"It's not the cross I hold," said Tony, "It's the faith of the wielder, and the God it represents. That is what they really fear!"

He then approached them, as they tried to run, but found that they could not. Tony then said, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Icast thee out, taint of Teresa, into outer darkness, and command thee to set them free!"

Suddenly, both of their heads rose up, and they spoke in low, guttural tones, saying, "Do you really have enough faith for that?" and they made as if they were going to spring up and attack. However, Jean-Claude came up and said, "Yes, he does, and so do I," grabbing the cross with Tony, and saying, "In the name of the Father, by the power of the blood, and the endowments of the Holy Ghost I also command thee to leave and never return!"

"NO FAIR!" they screamed, "YOU'RE GANGING UP ON US! I CALL FOUL!"

They both shouted, "Evil, be gone!"

With one final scream, the spirits left, and they lay quiet upon the shore. Old Jim went over with Jean-Claude, and they wanted to be sure that they were still alive. With a groan, they both sat up, saying, "Where are we? Jean-Claude, what are you doing here?"

"We're behind the temple," said Jean-Claude, "and we are getting ready to act. Thank God you made it."

"We should be thanking you," said Ryuu, "Teresa wants your children dead."

"Not just his children," said Old Jim, "but both Karin and Innocent, because the offspring of those two girls will break her grip on us forever."

Ryuu thought for a moment, and then said, "Jean-Claude, friar, you two must confront and distract Teresa. You two are the only ones that can contend with her. She can't harm either one of you, but she could get control of others to try to do the job, or use them as bargaining chips against you. Be careful of that. The rest of you, follow us, because Mimoun shall be leading the final assault, but Teresa won't be too far behind. You two keep her busy, and the rest of us can take on Mimoun. Be careful, though, because he does have a bag of tricks. You remember what happened to Chiyuki. Karin, the twins, you, and Innocent are our bright future. Thus, we must fight to the last. The reason is that, it is better we all die than be a part of what she would foist on the earth. Although someone would one day stop her, the wake of destruction she would leave behind would be vast. The river card awaits, and we're all in."

With that, they all put their hands in, as if they were a sports team taking the court, and they went their ways, preparing for the final fight.