CHAPTER 24 | prepare for battle

📎A/N. Hello my lovelies.. and seasons greetings to you all...

It is that time of year again where we all go mad, do our Christmas shopping at the last moment, and come home to realize you need to go back out there... as you've forgotten the one thing you went out to get in the first place :(

Santa is due at our place in ten hours.. and needless to say, my youngest is counting them down.

So, here's the next chapter of The Witch Doctor for you to read while you are standing in the long queue at the checkout ;)

Take care and happy holidays to those of you celebrating this time of year.

❤ ℳ

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It didn't take long for the rest of their little army to rise and make their way downstairs. The odd sight of witches, vampires, a grumpy deputy, and an old Asian Indian woman who forever fussed over them, didn't escape his sense of humor.

I'm sure there's a joke in this somewhere.

"What the hell is all this pansy crap?" asked Mitos as he stared at the array of food on the countertop.

Ananya clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Hush you old fart. There's bacon and sausages keeping warm in the oven. You can get them yourself. I'm not your maid or mother."

Mitos grabbed a plate and grumbled under his breath as he wandered to the oven. Ryker shook his head. Even if he lived as long as Deacon, he'd never understand the strange little man.

The atmosphere was subdued, and most of those assembled ate without much conversation. As Ryker studied the witches, he wondered if some of them regretted their decision to take a stand against Leviathan. To their credit, not one made a move to leave and evade whatever was about to befall them.

When Keira chuckled at something Dayna said, it dawned on him why. They each had a vested interest. The witches had an innate overriding need to keep those near to them safe and alive which drove them to risk everything. This was a need stronger than self-preservation and just as deadly. Keira caught him studying her, and she cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

Not wanting her to see where his thoughts had led him Ryker gave her a wink as he leaned back onto the counter top and gave her one of his cheesiest grins. Keira poured herself a green tea and joined him.

"Do you think we are ready for this?" she asked as she looked around the room.

Ryker shrugged. "We have to be."

Kiera drank the rest of her tea and placed the cup back on the countertop with a sigh. "We'd better get this show on the road then."

After breakfast, Deacon dispatched two vampires to Mystery Hill. Arrangements had already been made to keep the summer solstice celebrations away from the ancient site. Even so, they needed to keep an eye on the Legions. Both Keira and Dayna were adamant that Leviathan could not possibly come through before the moon was at its peak. Deacon, however, was taking no chances.

They had gathered outside to go over the hastily drawn up plans when they detected a car had pulled off the main road and onto the gravel driveway.

"Stay here," said Deacon to the others as he indicated for Ryker to follow.

As they rounded the corner to the front of the house, a silver S500 Mercedes drove through the main gates. When it drew closer, Deacon's shoulders relaxed. Ryker didn't recognize the car or the three occupants. However, the vampire he considered his father, clearly had.

"I see he's still traveling with that Nubian princess," said Deacon.

A moment later, a shiny bald head emerged from the car. His sleeveless black jacket-vest, black pants, and army style steel capped boots gave him a distinct air of discipline. There was no doubt in Ryker's mind that this was one of the Primordial Vampires Deacon had called upon.

The vampire's smile was wide as he approached Deacon. "My friend, it has been far too long."

From his thick accent, Ryker guessed the man was Egyptian. The fact he was Primordial, implied Ancient Egyptian.

After embracing Deacon, he turned back to his two traveling companions.

"Makeda, you already know."

Deacon bowed his head. "If possible, you grow more beautiful each time I see you."

Ryker had to agree, the ebony-skinned woman was flawless.

"I see you still can charm the flute off of a snake charmer," she said with a light laugh. "And I agree with Kahair, it has been far too long, it is a pity it had to be under these circumstances."

Makeda's gaze flicked towards Ryker questioningly. Deacon noticed where her attention lay and quickly made the introductions. Once that was done, he brought the new arrivals up to speed.

"I do not need to tell you, my old friend, this cannot be allowed to happen," said Kahair, when Deacon was finished.

"I am fully aware of this."

Kahair, pulled on his vest as if it needed to be straightened. "Take me to these witches. I wish to see if they possess the same mettle as their forbearers. I have no desire to walk into a battle we have no chance of winning."

When they came into view of the others, Deacon called to the sisters. A part of Ryker bristled at the way in which the Primordial Vampire devoured Keira with his intense gaze as she drew near. This was only made worse when she nodded, held out her hand, gave a short nod of the head and said, "Nane atoouri. Tahir mmoc nwien."

Kahair chuckled and turned to Deacon. "I like this one. It has been a long time since I've heard my mother tongue, and from the lips of one so beautiful, only makes it more pleasing."

The ancient Egyptian took Keira's hand and brought it up to his lips. "My dear, the honor is mine."

Ryker had the overwhelming desire to rip her hand from his clutches and put distance between them. A lot of distance.

Deacon cleared his throat. "And may I present Dayna Sanderson, Keira's sister."

Ryker was thankful when he let go of Keira and latched on to Dayna's. He would need to keep a close eye on the new arrivals. He didn't trust them. Especially the slimy Kahair, who took far too many liberties for his liking.

Ryker was thankful when Deacon called the small group back to order, and they gathered to go over the plan.

Deacon retrieved a few large stones from the rockery and dropped it on the ground. He then proceeded to draw a large ring in the dirt around the stones.

"Keira's already briefed you on what we are up against. The Legion, in their own bodies, are as strong as Primordials. We have no way of knowing whether they still retain that strength while in a host's body."

Ryker stepped forward and pointed to the large rock Deacon had placed in the middle. "In order to stop the apocalypse, we need to get Keira, Dayna and Maize here unharmed. When there, we need to make sure they stay that way."

Mitos frowned. "In what universe is that going to happen. I thought you just said there is going to be about a hundred or so of these things guarding the stones. How are we going to get them from there to there? I hardly think they'll give us time out to get our weapons in place. And even if we did manage to get the three of you there, how are we going to stop the rest of them attacking you?"

"Once we are within range, Velvet, and the others will cast a protection spell on the inner circle. They won't be able to get in, they'll try, but they'll fail," said Keira.

She turned to Grant. "We have no idea how much magic they possess, nor how much strength they'll place on the barrier, but it will take all the others to reinforce it once it's under attack."

"I don't understand," piped in one of the fire witches. "Didn't you place protection spells on the house. It only took two of you, and you didn't need to keep it active."

"You're right, normally it wouldn't, but with the added pressure and magic that will be thrown at it, the barrier will need to be kept active and recharged. In addition to feeding the barrier, Dayna and I will be siphoning the CrossRoads power."

An audible gasp could be heard from the non-CrossRoads witches. "Isn't that dangerous?"

Keira nodded. "Very, but it's a risk we have to take. Based on what we have just learned, the Legions power comes directly from Leviathan. It is this power that is able to open the door from this side."

"Alone, we don't have the strength to defeat her," said Dayna, "but combined we just may have a chance."

The witches became quiet as they considered the ramifications. Until this moment, Ryker hadn't appreciated the danger of the plan. Not wishing to make a scene, he kept quiet and planned to pull Keira aside to explain how she had omitted that pertinent fact when she first floated the idea.

Ryker squatted down and circled an area. "The Order are here, standing guard over the prisoners." He looked up at Steve, one of the fire witches, and an Essex County firefighter. "This is where you and your team come in. The Legions will be too distracted to notice their potential hosts being freed. As far as we can tell, the Order have no powers beyond normal human ones. We know they are armed, but you will be as well."

Mitos grunted. "I'm with them," he said pointing to Steve. "I've got a bone to pick with that former fucktard partner of mine." Mitos readjusted his hat and squinted at Ryker and Deacon. "What I wanna know, is how thirty of you bloodsuckers is going to take on ninety odd zombies. I 'ain't so confident with those odds."

"You let us worry about that," said Deacon, "just get those prisoners out of there and take care of the guards."

Once they knew what they needed to do, a renewed purpose set in. For the next few hours the witches practiced the spells they would need to see them through the mess. To be on the safe side, Keira and Dayna had the CrossRoads witches learn the new spells their mother had left them.

If they weren't doing that, the sisters were drilling the fire and air witches to discover how they drew from their power base. While they repeatedly attempted to re-channel and repeat their new-found power, nothing they tried worked.

Throughout their attempts, Keira underplayed their lack of progress. However, Ryker could tell they were concerned. Neither sister would reveal just how dependent they were on the new powers for their plan to succeed. Each time he asked, Keira would dismiss his concern.

The sun had sunk low into the sky when they managed to come up for air.

By mid-afternoon, the remaining vampires had fronted and had been briefed on what was expected. They were fortunate the vampires outnumbered the witches and one portly deputy. They needed the advantage of surprise, and ferrying the non-vampires close enough to not be detected could backfire in the delay to assemble their small but determined army.

As the day drew to an end, their mood became even more somber than that morning. Each person was deep within their own throughs as they readied themselves. Teams had been formed and a witch billeted to a vampire. At first, neither was keen on the method in which they needed to approach the ancient stones. While tolerant, many of the vampires called into help, had not warmed to the witches. As for the witches, Ryker wasn't surprised at their reluctance to be in the clutches of a vampire they didn't know.

The time had arrived sooner than expected. The teams piled into their billeted vehicles and headed to the rendezvous point. From there, it would be by foot. After giving last minute instructions to Steve, Ryker made his way towards the patio and wondered what was taking Keira so long. She had rushed back into the house for additional supplies a while ago and hadn't been seen since.

While he waited, he spotted Maize, Velvet, and Grant a short way off, huddled together in an embrace. Maize's eyes were red-rimmed as she kissed the top of Velvet's head and gently ran her hand down her daughter's hair. Grant's hand rested on the small of Maize's back and looked as if he too was about to shed tears.

Ryker looked away, feeling as though he had intruded on the tender scene.

None of them knew if they would survive the night. Yet, this did not discourage them in their determination to defeat the evil that threatened all they knew. It had already taken their child. It would not have the chance to take another if they could help it.

His chest ached as he glanced around at the other witches. Each one of them was doing this to protect the ones they loved, and more importantly, their families and their future. A lifetime ago, he to longed for family. A son to carry on his name; a daughter to cherish, and a wife he could not only respect but love. The wish eluded him while he was human, and was even more out of his reach the moment Gabrielle walked into his life.

Ryker forced himself out of his melancholy and concentrated on the here and now. He would make sure Grant, Maize, and Velvet came out of this in one piece. They had suffered enough and had already paid a high price with Leviathan's attempt to return.

Just as Deacon pulled out of the driveway with Dayna and Mitos, Ryker could hear Keira's approach. As she stepped out into the late afternoon sun, her hair glistened and shone as if on fire. Satisfied she had everything, she placed the strap of her bag over her shoulder. As she came closer, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You okay?" he asked with concern.

She gave him a wan smile and nodded. "As okay as I can be."

Ryker reached out and pulled her towards him. "Doc, I need you to promise me there will be no heroics. If there's any danger to you or Dayna, you high-tail it out of there. You hear me?"

Keira scrunched her nose as she returned hisconcerned gaze. He knew her well enough to know she was working out how to respondwithout lying. "I promise I won't do anything that is not absolutely required."

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📎A/N.  hmmmmm... I'm not sure I liked Keira's answer... do you?

And it also sounds like they are a little outnumbered... 90 Legions to 30 Vampires! I'm with Mitos, I do not like those odds!!

Don't for get to leave me a Christmas present by voting... it's really easy.. just click the little star :-)

I will be away for the next two weeks on holiday, so won't be posting anything until my return. I will be using the time to try and catch up with responding to comments and messages as well as attempting to rest and spend some time with my family. Hopefully my batteries will be fully recharged so I am able to get out the last few chapters in quick succession on my return.

Thank you all so very much for your wonderful support this year, and wishing you and your families all the happiness, hope and love!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

With all my love,

❤ ℳ